Nightfall (Devil's Night, #4)

by Penelope Douglas

Damon put his finger under her chin and pushed, forcing her to lift her eyes up. “Chin up,” he bit out. “And stop being a mouse. You’re my mother, for Christ’s sake.”

“Then why did you put him in Blackchurch?” For the fucking money? For the resort? To trip up Graymor Cristane? Why? Senator Grayson smiled, looking lovingly at his grandson. “Because he asked me to,” he said. Will broke into a chuckle, both of them with the same bright green eyes as they dove in and embraced each other, laughing and smiling as they hugged. My stomach dropped. What? “What the hell?” Damon snapped. Evans’s face fell, watching the two men. Will asked him to send him to Blackchurch? What? “Missed you,” Will said to his grandpa. Senator Grayson held Will’s face, taking him in after such a long time apart. “Missed you, too, kid.”

“You were gone too long,” he told me. “I know.” I let him go. “We have lots to talk about.” He’d wanted me extracted from Blackchurch months ago, and again a month ago. And again, a week ago. I was his favorite. No offense, Misha.

I met Michael’s eyes. “We needed them. If we were going to go up against your father and Martin Scott and win.” “And yet,” Evans chimed in, “I have Khadir and Dinescu.” “You have nothing,” Aydin said, stepping forward. “I don’t follow.”

Winter crossed my mind, and I wanted to make sure she was okay. Did anyone have a gun out and ready to use on us? Did Lev make it out with the kid? Where were the moms? Jesus.

The air was gone, I could feel the fight in my chest for oxygen, and the cool comfort of the water. I closed my eyes. Do you still want to hold me? she asked. I could hear her in my head. I love you, Will. No. I popped my eyes open, fighting. No.

“I’m okay,” I said. She pulled back and gaped at me. “Okay?” I almost laughed. She didn’t know about Pithom or the crash in the river—both times I’d almost drowned seeming like some sort of destiny I was putting off or some shit. But tonight, I won. “Yeah.” I nodded. “Going over was kind of a good thing, actually, but I’ll explain later.”

“And Martin?” she asked. I swallowed, holding her tighter. “I’m sorry, babe.” It was all I could say. I’d killed her brother. I wish I hadn’t had to, but she wasn’t his and he wasn’t hers. We were her family now, and he was a threat. It was him or me. “I can’t lose you,” she said in my ear. “I need you.” And I buried my face in her neck, feeling everything start. My life. Our life. We won.

“If I promise to marry her, will you let me in?” Michael’s gaze thinned. “No.” He didn’t believe him. “Still want to marry her?” he taunted. Was Aydin just saying that to get in the door? Or was he absolutely serious. Damon stepped in, grabbed Aydin’s collar, and shot a fist right into his gut. I flinched, having had enough violence for one night. Aydin lurched forward, bending in half and grunting, but Damon pulled him back up, straightening his shirt. “Yes,” Aydin gasped. “I still want to marry her.” I bit back my smile. Kai reared back and threw a punch across Aydin’s face, Aydin whipping around and wincing. “Fuck,” he growled.

“If she says yes,” Michael told him, “and you don’t come through, we will kill you.” I smiled to myself. Kai cocked his head. “She deserves a huge wedding at your expense.” He glared at Aydin. “You will invite everyone. You will give her the party of her life and honor her in front of the entire fucking world. Do you hear me?” He nodded. No hiding her. No shame. “She deserves a beautiful dress and flowers and a seated dinner with a band,” Will advised, holding up his finger. “Not a DJ. I’m thinking a day wedding. In Boston Common, maybe.” “Oh, that sounds nice,” Damon cooed, glancing from Will to Aydin. “I like that idea.” Banks snorted behind her hand, all of us amused at them planning the wedding for him. “And a honeymoon,” Kai added, “in a private bungalow in the Balinese jungle with first-class service.” “And you’ll swim with her naked,” Will demanded. “And have candlelit dinners.” “All right,” Aydin growled, trying to shut them up.

“And you don’t touch her until the wedding night,” Michael told him. Aydin’s eyes shot up, his spine steeling. “What?” They all remained silent, standing their ground. Oh, boy. “I’ve never even kissed her,” Aydin gritted out. “I want to hold her. I want to—” “When you’re her husband,” Michael clarified. I pursed my lips to keep from laughing. They were adorable. Aydin seethed, and I could tell this would be a far different story if it were just him and Michael. “Fine,” he finally replied. He started to move around Michael, but Damon spoke up. “And one more thing.” Aydin stopped. “Jesus, what?” “Meet us at Sensou tomorrow night. 10 p.m.,” Damon told him. “Why?” Damon smirked. “Having Alex means you’re in the family, and there are two ways to get initiated into our gang. If you want to be in ours, you can either be beat in or—” “Damon!” Rika barked. The guys started laughing and Damon quieted, looking at Rika like a four-year-old saying What did I do?

“How are you?” I asked as Will pulled the curtain closed from the night outside. Alex’s head bobbed a little. “I feel so good right now.” Rika laughed under her breath, leaning over from the other side. “A little high, are you?” “Yeahhhhh,” she said, sounding all satisfied about it. “I think Aydin wants to be naked in this bed with you right now,” I told her. “He’s sooooo adorable.” She blinked, looking sleepy. “Did you see his muscles in that T-shirt? Shiverrrrrs.” “Jesus Christ,” Damon grumbled, turning away.

“Send him in for me?” Alex asked as we all started to drift out. “We’re leaving Lev right outside,” Michael called out. “Why?” Alex inquired. “Am I in danger?” “He’s a . . .” I drifted off, searching for the words. “A chaperone, actually.” “Huh?” “Night!” we singsonged, not bothering to explain. We’d leave that for Aydin.

“You can still run,” he taunted. “Maybe after this.” I did a little dance in my stained jeans and dirty face. “When you’re legally required to come after me, that is.”

Martin drifted through my mind, as well as my parents, Grand-Mère, and how I didn’t have a single person of my own here whom I was bringing into this family. I came alone, without much else to offer these people, but I was starting tomorrow with everything I ever wanted. I had brothers who cared about me now. Aydin, Rory, and the beautiful Micah, his gentleness and presence that put me at ease at Blackchurch almost immediately. I had a career, an education, and the Carfax Room. I also had Will behind me . . . and in front of me, willing to take a bullet if I were ever in danger. I trusted myself now. I wasn’t leaving, and I wasn’t hiding. Happy people don’t fear death, because there’s nothing more they want out of life than what they have right now. I smiled because I didn’t have any fear. Finally, I was free.

“Michael and Erika,” she said. “Damon and Winter. Kai and Nikova. William and Emory.” Will jerked his eyes to her. “We did this part,” he told her. “Can you just finish where you left off?” “Will . . .” I scolded under my breath. He looked at me. “I have Godzilla vs. Kong at the theater waiting for us.” My mouth fell open. “Already? It doesn’t release for a few weeks!” He shot me a look, like please. I snorted, glancing at the judge. “Yeah, hurry up.” I was going to like being a Grayson.

“Live for your love,” the judge said, “love your life, and raise hell.”

“Take care of him.” He touched my arm, leaning in. “He’s kind of my favorite.” “Ugh,” Misha said, walking past us, clearly hearing. I held back my snort, Mr. Grayson shot his other grandson a look. “That one’s like me,” he whispered. “Too much like me.” “So of course, you don’t get along,” I joked. “Nope.” He looked after Misha with a kind smile. “I do like his style, though. I had a pretty nice black leather jacket back in the day.”

“Thank you for looking out for him, Senator Grayson,” I said. “When I couldn’t, I mean.” I looked behind me, seeing Will shaking hands and smiling, surrounded by his friends and his town and all the possibilities to come. “At least he had his friends all those years, though. I used to pick on them in high school, but they really did start something incredible, didn’t they? The first Horsemen will be a tough act to follow for future generations.” Lord help our kids, filling in those shoes, right? But when he didn’t say anything, I looked back to him, seeing a coy smile on his lips as he stared at me. “They weren’t the first,” he said. “And please, call me A.P.”

A.P., A.P. . . . Someone took my hand, and I walked over to Will, all of us setting up for a picture as my feet moved of their own volition. And then it hit me. Reverie Cross. Edward McClanahan’s best friend and Reverie Cross’s boyfriend. The rumor that Reverie might not have jumped. The rumor that Edward or his friend or both of them . . . Oh, my God.

“A.P.?” I blurted out, gesturing to his grandfather. William Aaron Paine Grayson, Sr. The corner of Will’s lips turned up. “Well, you’ll never be bored with me, at least, right?” I gaped at him, but then . . . a laugh escaped, not sure how to react to anything anymore, especially after the events of tonight. Jesus Christ. After helping Damon bury a body, getting kidnapped, making the great train escape, and everything that went down tonight, I supposed a sixty-year-old murder mystery could sit for another evening or two more. Bored, he’d said. No, Will Grayson. That was one problem you and I would never have.

Martin. It still hadn’t hit me yet, except for the slight thump in my chest when I thought about them going over that cliff. I should be wrecked, right? For some reason, I didn’t hate him. But there was that tear in the membrane again, my emotions muddled and confusing. His end wasn’t going to go any other way.

“I drew up blueprints for a gazebo just like this,” I told him. “But with marble instead of wrought iron.” I gazed at him knowingly, and he just shot me a glance but kept silent. “I like the wrought iron,” I said. “It was a good choice.” He’d found my design and built it. The one I did after I lost my heart for the other gazebo and just forced the finish, instead of doing it right.

“Thank you for this. It’s better than I imagined it.” “Well, let’s face it,” he replied. “That other gazebo was a freshman effort.” I chuckled. Yeah, thanks. A smile played on his lips as he studied his work. “This is the one you had your heart in. I liked the idea for the chandeliers.”

“I tried to stop him,” he told me, looking down at me. “Kind of, anyway. Sorry.” Honestly, it was the least of the pain Will and I had caused each other. I loved the new gazebo. I recapped the container, too afraid to raise my eyes as I said, “You gave me the key to the Carfax Room, didn’t you?”

He started to walk away, but I stopped him. “I have to tell Will about that night,” I said. “I just wanted to warn you.” His back went rigid, and he didn’t turn to look at me, but he knew what I was talking about. I couldn’t keep the fact that I’d helped conceal a body from Will. Damon sighed. “I appreciate the heads-up. I’ll be waiting for the beating.” I laughed. “Just keep Winter close. He won’t hit you with a pregnant woman nearby.” He shook his head and kept walking. “He’ll just get her to hit me for him,” he grumbled.

Kai and Banks had the Torrance house when they were in town, Damon and Winter had the old Ashby house, Michael and Rika had St. Killian’s, and we were in her old house, the company buying it and turning over the deed to Will free and clear. We were all on the same road up in the quiet, haunting sea cliffs of Thunder Bay.

It was no wonder I’d gotten knocked up, and I was surprised it didn’t happen sooner with as much as he was on top of me. Wrapping it in toilet paper, I stuffed it in the garbage can and looked up, fluffing my hair in the mirror and unable to hide the huge-ass smile. William Grayson IV.

“Fuck, baby,” he groaned at the feel of my hands. But then we heard Ivar shout behind us. “Buck!” And it sounded a lot like . . . Shit, Will mouthed, looking behind him as both of us went wide-eyed. I frowned. “Oh, come on. You know he already got that from his father.” We didn’t teach him bad language. “And when Mads says it to Kai?” Will retorted, worrying about Banks and Kai losing their shit. I just shook my head. Oh, well. “If you don’t act like it’s a big deal, then it’s not.” Kids tended not to repeat behavior they didn’t get a reaction for. And it wasn’t like we were going to be able to protect the children from Damon Torrance forever.

Michael sat on a chair next to Athos, enthralled as he watched her play some game on her phone while she wore huge headphones over her ears. He pointed to something and she shoved him off, not wanting help. “Daddy, stop it.” He smiled, watching her now instead of the game. They had told her when they adopted her this past winter that she could call them whatever she felt comfortable calling them, but it only took a few weeks for her to love the fact that these were her parents. She wanted everyone to know Michael and Rika were her mom and dad.

“What?” Damon shouted from inside the room. We all stopped, looking at each other. “It’s a boy?” he blurted out. “Are you sure?” We leaned in, and I folded my lips between my teeth to contain the laughter. A baby cried, there was some shuffling, and then we heard Damon’s playful little growl. “Ugh, what am I going to do with you?” “Damon!” Winter growled. “I’m going to kill you. You better love him. You do, right?” There was a pause, and I met Alex’s wide eyes with my own. Drama . . . Damon and I ran the construction business together now, him building and me designing, so I’d gotten used to his . . . brand of humor. Finally, he answered. “Y–yeah,” he stuttered, not sounding convincing. “Yeah, of course, baby. But, like, are you sure there aren’t any more in there or something?” “Damon!”

We want what we want.