Wicked Burn (Realm Enforcers #3)(81)

Phillipe looked down at his hands. “I don’t know. We’ve been investigating Simone Brightston, and my brother has disappeared. I have no doubt he met his death at her hands.” He looked up, his gaze piercing Nick. “Or at her lover’s hands.”

Nick allowed his fangs to drop just a bit. “You have any proof of that ridiculous accusation?”

Peter banged his gavel on the desk. “Mr. Veis, wait your turn.”

Colman continued, “Tell us about your vendetta.”

“My mother hired several investigators the second she was forced off the Council, and we’ve spent years watching and compiling evidence against all of the Coven Nine members.” He turned toward the three sitting members. “We know all of your secrets, and we’re willing to make them public.”

Was that a threat or what? Nick watched the council members, who looked back at Sadler without revealing a thing.

Sadler turned back toward Colman. “We’ve watched Simone for years, and we’ve compiled evidence against her. The second we saw she was behind the planekite mining and manufacture of Apollo, we turned over the proof to you.”

Colman nodded, took a remote control, and started a film on the stone wall. “Is this one of the recordings?”

“Yes. This one shows Simone at the Boltucli Bank in Switzerland, where the documents prove the planekite funding originally came from.” The recording showed Simone in the bank, signing papers, and putting cash in safety deposit boxes.

Nick glanced her way. She grasped a pen and a notepad. THAT’S ME, AND I DO BANK THERE.

Wonderful. Nick nodded.

BUT I DIDN’T MOVE PLANEKITE.

He nodded again. It sure as shit looked like she had when the camera zoomed in on one of the land transfers.

She sighed. MY FINANCIAL ADVISORS HAD ME BUY AND SELL LAND AS PART OF MY PORTFOLIO. I DIDN’T KNOW.

Made sense. Whoever had set her up had spent years doing it. It was entirely possible she had signed some of the documents, but definitely not any of the shipping manifests. Those were the key, but so far, his experts hadn’t been able to prove the signatures were falsified.

Colman went through recording after recording of Simone conducting business in the bank. Finally, he shut off the film. “Mr. Sadler, you have compiled a lot of evidence here, and even though your motivations aren’t exactly pure, I appreciate the hard work. I do have to ask you one more question, one we’re all wondering about.”

“What’s that?” Phillipe asked, triumph darkening his eyes.

Nick tensed.

“Why in the world, based on all of your research, would Simone Brightston want to take down the Coven Nine as well as the witch nation?”

Phillipe smiled. “Because she’s not a witch.”

Peter coughed. “Of course she’s a witch.”

“No, sir. Her father was known as Roman, a shifter who deeply hated the Coven Nine. He contacted Simone a hundred years ago, and they’ve been planning this atrocity ever since.”

Peter shook his head. “I don’t understand. Why would a shifter want to harm the Nine?”

“He’s not your ordinary shifter.” Phillipe lowered his chin to look straight at Simone. “He’s the father of Traxton, whom the Nine put to death a millennium ago.”

Colman stepped around the table. “I’ve lived long enough that I remember Traxton. He was an anomaly. A multi-shifter that could defend against any species and even fly. He was a sociopath, and the immortal world banded together to take him down.”

“Well, now. Turns out multi-shifters don’t exist, but . . . dragons do.” Phillipe pointed at Simone. “Just ask Simone Brightston. She’s a dragon, and she’s been plotting against you all along, my friends. You killed her brother, Traxton, a long time ago.”





Chapter 31


Simone paced the conference room, trying to count the energy signatures of the guards outside. Many, many guards. “Can you believe that? Is there a chance that Traxton was actually Roman’s kid, too?” Did the dragon have some great gift of spreading his seed or what?

“Could be,” Nick said, poring over documents, an untouched roast beef sandwich next to him on the table. “That testimony killed us. Well, after the council got over the shock about dragons.” He sat back, fury sizzling in his dark eyes.

True. Sadler had even had pictures to prove that dragons existed. By the time he was finished testifying, everyone had believed him.

Nick shoved the sandwich away. “What’s the Nine’s position on pregnant defendants? I mean, say they do sentence you to death? Will they agree to wait to carry out the sentence until after the babe is born?”

Simone dropped into a chair, her curiosity about Roman deflating. “Uh, I don’t know. God. Do you think I’m going to be executed?”

Nick started and then reached out and covered her hand with his. “Not a f*cking chance, sweetheart. I’m just looking at all scenarios. Worst case, if you’re found guilty, how much time do I have to get you to safety? With the babe, could be nine months.”

She nodded and took several deep breaths to keep from throwing up. “I’d say they’d normally wait, but . . .”

“But what?”

She shrugged. “Witch, dragon, demon mix here. What if they decide he’s a danger to society like the dragons believe him to be?”