Legend & Lace

28. Oh, The Joys Of Ruining Someone's Life

Chapter 28

Oh, The Joys Of Ruining Someone's Life

Never in my twenty years of living did I ever think I'd be uttering the words The Order is no more.

But here we were, sitting in Chris's office, listening to the long list of charges going up against every single one of Vince's cronies...and the ones he would be facing as well. Currently, most of them were being held in FBI custody, including Vince. He was down the hallway in a little room and being questioned like he had been for hours. So far, though, he'd barely said a word, which was exactly what we'd expected of him.

The Order was disbanded, which had been declared by Flannery when she called a meeting with her and Beau's Order insiders who had been in the city under Vince's commands. I hadn't been in the room at the hotel, but rather just outside the door with Drake and Kenna. Flannery, Beau, and Cruz had been inside...and it was pretty safe to say that everyone was excited and relieved not to be under Vince's control anymore.

From now on, they wouldn't be getting into dealings with the darkness that lurked throughout the world. No, they would bring the world into a brighter future, just as the triumvirate was meant to do when it first began. Flannery, Beau, and even Cruz were going to do it all.

But for now, we just wanted to talk to the man who had spent years trying to ruin our lives, ruin the world. Vince, disheveled and handcuffed to a metal table in the barren room before us, sat completely stiff, staring straight ahead. He'd been patched up from our fight, but was still wearing his blood-soaked suit.

"Like I mentioned before, he hasn't said a word," Chris said as the seven of us looked in on Vince through the one-way glass. "He's just been sitting there, a smile on his face, chained to the desk. We've had multiple agents go in there, but he won't budge."

"Not creepy at all," Kenna said, and then shivered. "You have no fucking idea how good it is to see him in handcuffs, though, not after all these years."

Drake nodded, his hand subconsciously tightening around mine. "Trust me, we do," he told her. He looked over at Chris. "How many of his people did you arrest?"

"Oh, pretty much every one of them," he grinned back, showing him his phone. He scrolled through a list of names, people I had more than likely dealt with before but never new properly. Not that I'd want to. "This is everyone. Flannery, if we can, do you mind if we compare lists? Tell me if we're missing anyone."

"With pleasure," she told him.

Vince was still staring off into space, that same creepy smile on his face as he focused on nothing. Finally – finally ­– we had him right where he was supposed to be.

"I want to talk to him."

Everyone around me started telling me no.

"There's no way in hell I'm letting you get near him again."

"Are you insane? Look at him!"

"He would have killed you. You know it."

"Record it. Whatever you want to do," I said, talking mostly to Chris. He seemed to be the only one not objecting to the idea. "Maybe I can get something out of him. Or something that might have him put away for even longer than the few dozen life sentences he's already facing."

"Hattie," Drake warned just as Chris nodded, going for the keycard attached to his belt that would let us in the room.

"Let me do this, okay? I won't be long."

After a long look, he finally nodded, letting go of my hand. I followed Chris to the doorway, feeling the others' eyes on me as he swiped the keycard and the automatic locks opened. Holding the door open for me, Chris gave me a reassuring smile and nod that said he'd be there if I needed him. And he was, standing in the corner of the room as I walked forward toward the table.

Vince's back was to me as I approached. He's demeanor changed, though, almost like he knew who was in the room with him now...

"Well, Miss Devereaux, it is finally nice to see you, especially since I'm sure you've been watching me through that one-way glass for a while now, haven't you?"

I walked around the table, taking a seat in the only other chair. Looking directly at him, I didn't flinch. "Can't say I feel the same. But yes, I have been watching you. It's good to finally see you in chains."

"These things?" he asked, leaning forward as he lifted his hands off the table as high as they would go. "Terribly uncomfortable."

"You better get used to them."

Vince's smile then almost made me shiver. "We'll see."

"Why?" I asked, trying to shake the feeling he was giving. "Why have to gone for so long trying to get rid of all of us?"

"Us?"

"Cut the shit, Vince. You know who I'm talking about."

"You've been spending too much time with Kenna Lewis, I see." He leaned back in his chair. "But unlike the past, the future isn't written in stone. We have the ability to shape the world to what we want."

"And you want to make profit from all the pain you cause."

"Money is money, even coated in blood. In fact..." A slow smile spread across his face. "That key...actually, those keys...well, they could have given me exactly what I wanted. I have a feeling you know what they might open up. I do, too. It's legend in my family and my people. Gail Peters herself...she came so close and yet lost it all. All because of Drake Garner's ancestors. And here you thought I didn't know about any of that. The only thing we could never figure out was where they went to. We had the key for forever and yet could never use it."

"And you never will."

Vince laughed. "No, we never will. But you will. And I'm betting you're going to be tracking it down in the next day or so while I'm still here, chained to the table."

"You know, if you start talking to some of the agents, they'll be able to move you. And to a more comfortable place...like the inside of a prison cell in insolation."

He laughed again, pointing a finger at me. "Just you wait, Hattie Devereaux. You and the others haven't seen the last of me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," I told him. "Enjoy prison life."

"Oh, I will for a week or two. Three tops."

I got up, tired of hearing what he was saying. When I reached Chris's side, he put a hand on my shoulder.

"Hattie."

Vince's voice was like an ice-cold finger sliding down my back.

I turned to see those eyes raging again, contradicting the smile on his face.

"You'll be hearing from me again very, very soon."