Page 45 of The Devil's Dilemma

“I shouldn’t.” But the evidence was right there before me.

Tonight had been weird. Talk of angels and demons. It was surreal, like a scene from a movie, not my life.

My life was normal. Well, except for the extreme luck, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. Until I’d walked into this casino.

Since then, not one thing had been the same.

Joel had died. Not by my hand, thankfully. There’d been talk of wiping minds. That right there should have been a red flag.

Funny how I’d accepted these things without a real argument. I’d contested them, as outlandish as they might seem.

“You know I’m right,” Dante said, his voice hoarse. “You know the truth. It’s there inside you, and I think now the mark has been breached, you will understand. I have an obligation to protect you now.”

“I don’t need your protection.”

My insides churned, and my mind was a jumble, full of the things he’d told me. It was too much to take in, too much to assimilate. I needed time alone to let it all sink in.

Remembering why we’d come here in the first place, I walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. I closed and locked the door, ignoring the hammering from the other side.

“I need time to think,” I shouted above the racket. “Let me have five minutes alone.”

“Unlock the door, Austin.”

“I can’t do that. Please let me shower.” And pee. I desperately needed to pee.

The banging stopped, and my mind settled.

I stood under the spray and washed away the accumulation of sweat and dirt from the past few days. All the while, I was thinking about what Dante had said.

It was unbelievable, but what other explanation was there for the events I’d witnessed?

Add in what he’d told me about my birthmark. As much as I wanted that to be wrong, I knew deep down inside what he’d said was true.

I was angel blessed. I could feel it, and when I closed my eyes, my head immersed under the hot spray, she appeared to me.

My mother, Calista, came to me.

“Trust in yourself, my darling boy. Trust your feelings and trust him.”

She was gone as quickly as she’d materialised, and I was left with a feeling of loss all over again. The tears came then. Tears I’d never shed. I cried for her passing, I cried for Grandpa and worried I’d never see him again, but most of all, I cried for the life I’d lived without her by my side. Guiding me and taking care of me.

Had she not died, I’d not be here now, but regrets would get me nowhere.

Now was the time to take back control of my life. I just had to get out of here.

Chapter eleven

Dante

How dare he walkout on me? This guy had no respect for me whatsoever. Did he not know who I was?

I’d asked this question several times since meeting him, and each time the answer was no, I didn’t think he did.

I threw on another pair of cargo trousers and a black shirt. I’d need coffee to get me through the day and put on a pot in the small kitchen in my apartment.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally emerged from the bathroom, a towel tied around his waist. He used another to dry his unruly curls.

“We still need to talk.”

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