Revelation (The Forever Series Book Three) by Eve Newton

safe
side, in my bare feet.  I don’t know what it is about this place that makes me
forget about shoes! Descending the stairs, I halt at the bottom. Trying out
this mental map thing again, I close my eyes and concentrate. In my mind's eye
I can see the map layout of the castle and the various people scattered around,
there’s more than I thought. CK must have asked them to stay out of the way. I
find Nico in a room that is at the end of this main corridor. Before I let go
of my mental map I try to extend the perimeter to include the dungeons but all
I get is a blank. Wards. Well D’Arcangelo, what are you protecting if not Pets
down there? I let it go and stalk over to the door behind which I will find
Nico.
    Not bothering to knock, I just open the door and find it is
an office. A rather nice one. I think it used to be some sort of storage room
back in the day but clearly renovations have been conducted as well as
reconstruction.
    Nico looks up from his desk as I walk in unannounced. He
doesn’t look surprised to see me.
    “Liv,” he says.
    “Nico. Is now a good time to talk?”
    “Of course. What can I help you with?”
    I sit and prop my feet up on the desk flashing off most of
my legs along with all the other bits this dress is not covering. Nico’s eyes
quickly sweep over me but return to my gaze, shutters down. Geez. What’s it
going to take?
    I launch into the story of Cole’s mother and their history
and the sudden contact after eleven years.
    “So you think she’s come looking for a payout?”
    “Makes sense. Look I know this is probably really weird for
you. Parental issues are non-existent for us, but could you just take care of
it?”
    “How?” he asks warily at my brusque tone.
    “In whatever way it is you would take care of it,” I say.
I’m not here to do his job for him. “Look, last time I had parental issues to
deal with, I killed them. I’m not exactly in a position to do that this time.
Just sort it so we don’t hear from her again, please.”
    He looks slightly disturbed by my admission but so what. He
knows what I am.
    “Okay, I will sort it.”
    “Thank you. And there’s one more thing. Although if you
wouldn’t mind keeping it to yourself?” I ask sweetly and he sighs at me.
    “Liv. Don’t ask me to keep secrets. Not any more secrets
anyway.”
    “Please Nico, as a favor. I just need you to find someone
for me.”
    “Who?” he asks suspiciously.
    “Well if knew that I wouldn’t need you, would I?”
    “Less of the attitude would be appreciated, seeing as I am
doing you a favor,” he growls at me and my eyes open wide at his boldness. “And
this makes two now,” he adds for clarification.
    “Keeping score? Is that wise?” I hiss, standing up and
leaning over his desk, mostly to get in his face but also to flash him my tits.
I will get this man to look at me for more than a second if it kills me. It
probably will, actually, if CK knew what I was doing.
    He stands and pulls himself up to his full six feet four
inches, causing me in my bare feet to tilt my head right back to continue
glaring at him. Most undignified.
    “Fine,” I concede, knowing which battles to pick. Not that I
am scared of him but he does know things I don’t want him blabbing to his boss
about. I sit and return my feet to his desk.
    He sits as well and says, “Go ahead,” as if nothing just
happened.
    “I need you to find a man for me. He was in the hotel with
us in Milan last week and I bumped into him again at JFK. He said he lives in
New York. Said to call him Cade. I owe him a debt,” I add as unnecessary
information.
    Nico has gone still and looks worried, “What else? What does
he look like?”
    “Tall, six feet two inches I’d say. Human, early forties I
guess. Dark brown hair and grey eyes. Impeccably dressed, definitely money,
wears a Rolex on his right wrist, he’s left-handed and he has a ring on his
middle finger. It has some weird crest on it. An eagle and a sword. And