Dark Impulse Ch. 23

He carefully wiped away all traces of the paint from Rafe's skin, and released a shuddering breath as he saw what Grace had tried so hard to hide from the outside world. The boy had freckles, which was a dead giveaway of his mixed parentage.

Behind them, she lifted a hand to cover her mouth.

This is what Mosely must have seen in Central Park. That's how he knew.

Gabriel's hand tightened on the cloth that he held between his fingers, his earlier rapture almost overtaken by the feelings of betrayal and white-hot anger that surged through him at Grace's deception. Not just for himself, but also for Rafe.

Knowing full well that she was pregnant with my son, she married another man and raised the child to believe that Anami the bastard was his real father while she never told me anything. As if that wasn't enough, she forced him to wear this all-concealing shit on his face so no one would guess that his father is white.

He trembled from the force of his emotions, and he knew that he had to get out of there before he said or did something he would regret later.

He turned to Rafe and took him in his arms, rocking him gently.

His voice trembled. "I have to go now, son. It has nothing to do with you, okay? I just need to be alone for a while, to think things through."

The boy nodded solemnly. "I understand."

Gabriel slowly rose from the floor, and turned to find Grace staring at him. He walked up to her, his eyes fierce and predatory. They were also filled with a tortured sadness, so deep and vast that she wanted to weep as she met his gaze.

"I guess we're even now. I broke your heart, and in return you've broken mine."

He turned on his heel and left the apartment without another word.

* * *

As Gabriel was preparing to return to his loft to brood in peace, he saw a black stretch limousine pull up to the curb in front of his apartment building. The door opened and Liam stepped out, smiling brightly when he saw him.

"Hello, my friend! Have you been keeping busy while I was away?"

Gabriel smiled cautiously, convinced that he shouldn't talk too much around the blond Irishman. He was too close to Anami, so he couldn't be trusted.

"I've been around. I heard about what happened in London. Is everything okay now?"

Liam grew serious. "Yes. David was released from the hospital this morning - London time, I mean - and we arrived here just an hour ago."

Gabriel nodded. "I see. Where is he now? Is he resting comfortably at home?"

Liam snickered. "Heavens no! He's at the office! He's a born workaholic. That's actually why I'm here; I've come to fetch you for a meeting that's long overdue. He wants to meet with you to discuss the case."

Gabriel was intrigued. "Will I finally get some answers, then?"

Another smile played on Liam's lips as he held open the door for Gabriel to enter.

"That's for him to decide. Hop in."

Anami Enterprises

Gabriel's emotions were still running high as he was escorted by Liam to Anami's office on the 60th floor, so much so that he couldn't stop the hissing of the poisonous serpent inside his head which whispered words of jealousy and hate.

When the large double doors opened and he saw his enemy in the flesh, the snake tightened its lethal coils around his heart. As Liam made the introductions, he stared at the powerful man before him, consumed with the desire to tear out his throat.

This is the sneaky son of a bitch who stole my woman, raised my child.

Gabriel shook hands with him, and it was a struggle to keep his tone neutral.

"Mr. Anami, it's good to finally meet you."

David smiled. "Same here. Prince James speaks very highly of you. Please, sit."

The two men sat while Liam stood by the large office window, silently observing.

Gabriel cleared his throat. "So, how does it feel to laugh in the face of death?"

David tilted his head, regarding him curiously.

"A very interesting choice of words, Mr. Knight. What do you mean by that, exactly?"

He decided to play his trusty "Dumb Southern Boy" card, a technique that never failed. When he used it on his suspects in the past, they always let their guard down and underestimated him, allowing him to slip undetected beneath the surface. When the time was right, Gabriel took them by surprise when he revealed their tangled web of lies, showing them what a smart cookie he really was, as well as getting the occasional confession.

He spoke slowly, letting his accent run thick like molasses.

"I meant that it must have been very exhilarating to defeat so many men who wanted to harm you, perform such a daring escape and live to tell the tale."

David stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"It was quite the opposite, actually. I was terrified, and I never want to go through anything like that again. I'm glad it's over so I can hopefully return to life as usual."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Hopefully? Why shouldn't you?"

Anami didn't answer. Gabriel continued his probing, unfazed by the silence.

"You must have been relieved when you were cleared by the interesting batch of evidence that was given to the authorities at Scotland Yard."

At his words, David placed his hands together and peered at Gabriel over the triangle that they formed. His beautiful mouth carried a hint of a smile, and the Schattenjäger couldn't tell if Anami was angry or amused. He had the perfect poker face.

"Why do you call it interesting, Mr. Knight?"

Gabriel leaned forward in his chair, spearing his eyes with his own.

"The entire situation is interesting, when you think about it. You disappeared for just over 24 hours, you returned in relatively good condition with a full explanation in tow, and then the evidence was so meticulous and thorough... nice."

David laughed heartily, his eyes shining like polished silver.

"You are a very shrewd man, Knight. It's a shame we won't be working together after all. That's the reason I sent for you; I've decided to call off the case."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected to be dismissed before he'd even begun.

"May I ask why?"

David shrugged nonchalantly. "Let's just say that there's been a change of plan. I'm very sorry to have inconvenienced you by dragging you to New York for nothing, but please feel free to spend a few more days here at my expense. Do whatever you like, and when you're ready to leave, just let Liam know and he'll arrange for one of the private jets to take you wherever you wish."

He reached into his suit jacket and produced two invitations, placing them on the desk. "I would be honored if you came to the masquerade ball I'm throwing at the Guggenheim tomorrow evening. Bring a friend if you like. It's to raise money for cancer research, so it's a very important event. Everyone is going to be there."

"Your wife?"

The words escaped from Gabriel's lips before he could stop them, and he felt a measure of satisfaction when Anami's eyes darkened. He wanted to bait him, let him know at least subconsciously that he had a claim to his wife, his son.

David cleared his throat in an attempt to mask his discomfort.

"I imagine she will be in attendance, yes."

Gabriel smiled wolfishly as he pocketed the invitations.

"Good. Thank you very much for your generosity, Mr. Anami. However, there are a few things that we need to discuss before our business is concluded."

The older man ran his fingers through his hair, which had visibly grayed since Gabriel saw him on television the first time, over a week before.

Was it because of his ordeal in London, or the stress of beating a murder wrap?

David's clipped British accent returned Gabriel's attention to the man himself.

"Fire away, Mr. Knight."

"Will I still be paid the agreed amount, even though the case has been called off?"

Anami nodded to Liam, and he briefly left the room. He returned with a black suitcase, opening it to reveal twenty thousand dollars in cash. His expression blank, Liam closed the case and handed it to Gabriel.

He nodded to David. "Thank you."

David nodded in response. "Of course, you can also keep the laptop that we gave you, as well as the clothes and tuxedo that we provided you with."

"Again, thank you."

Anami appeared bored as he asked, "What else did you want to talk about?"

Gabriel glanced at the gold signet ring on David's right hand.

"That's a very nice ring you've got there. Is that a raven?"

David looked at his hand. "Yes, it is. Would you mind getting to the point, please? I'm a very busy man, and I have a lot of catching up to do because of London."

Gabriel flushed, secretly glad that he'd managed to rattle Anami's cage.

Maybe if he gets angry enough, he'll let something revealing slip. I'd be more than happy to make that happen, to catch this smug bastard in a lie.

His emerald eyes glistened. "Aren't you the least bit curious as to what I've been doing all these days alone while you were away?"

David sighed deeply in frustration. "No, Knight. What have you been doing?"

Seducing your wife, learning the truth about who your little boy really belongs to.

"Research, and a lot of it. I admit that it was very difficult at first, since I'd been given so little to go on, but then I learned some interesting facts about possession, ravens, Celtic lore, and about yourself as well."

Anami leaned forward. "Really? I'm eager to hear about what you have found."

Gabriel made a show of preparing to speak and then backing down.

"Perhaps I shouldn't now that I'm off the case. I'll just leave you to your work."

David grinned, admiring the younger man's tenacity and spirit.

"You just don't give up, do you? Tell me what you know."

Gabriel stared at him, his face blank and his eyes cold as ice.

"I know that you are a follower of the Morrigan. I know what happened during your childhood, with the deaths of your parents. The loss of your first wife and baby. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you to experience such pain."

David stared back at Gabriel, all traces of mirth gone from his face.

"No you cannot, and I hope that you never shall. But concerning that other matter, I have no idea what you are talking about. I have never heard of such a thing."

Gabriel stood up and took the briefcase, slowly backing out of the office.

"I agree with what you said earlier, Anami. Itisa shame that we won't be working together. I really wanted to help you when this whole thing started, but I must admit that my priorities have shifted in a big way since then. So much that I wouldn't have been able to perform at my normal capacity in any case."

He sighed and gave David an intense look that betrayed all his feelings of hostility.

"Now that I'm out of a job, I guess that I'll have to find something else to investigate. I've never been very good at knowing when to stop. Good afternoon, gentlemen."

Gabriel left the office, and after a moment David pressed a button on the phone beside him to call his personal security team. "Hello?"

"Jones, Anami here. Put a tail on Gabriel Knight. I want to know where he goes, everything he does and everyone he meets with. No exceptions. Report back to me."

He disconnected the call and sat back in his plush chair to ponder his next move, while Liam's dark blue eyes remained on the door through which Gabriel left.