Nefarious

⚜ Chapter Two ⚜

"Come with me, and you can find out."

⚜⚜⚜

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Elle mumbled yet again as Sev pushed open the doors to a run down looking bar. Sev ignored her and pushed his way through the hoard of day drinkers, who had obviously been at the premise since the previous night.

Elle tried her best to stay as close to Sev as she could so she wouldn't become lost amongst the scantily clad men and women. There was shouting and commotion coming from the other side of the bar, cigar smoke thick in the air, but Sev wasn't fazed, leading her into the furthest point of the building, opposite the line of pool tables.

Lounging on the couch pushed up against the window-less development was an obviously intoxicated man, just a little older than her, struggling to keep his eyes open. Sev hovered over him for a moment before swiping a glass from the nearest table and dumping it on the unsuspecting man.

Elle tried to focus herself on the music playing faintly over the drunken yells and bar fights as the man jumped up, seemingly a little more sober as he glared up at Sev, who in turn just shrugged his shoulders.

The man screwed his eyes shut and rubbed his hands down his face. When he opened them again, they were looking directly at Eleanor, who was trying to make herself invisible behind Sev.

"Eleanor Dalton, I presume." His voice rasped as he still attempted to recollect his thoughts. Sev interceded when he tried to right himself on the couch to face the pair fully.

"Eleanor, this is Damion Maddox." At the sound of his name, Damion managed to sit up straight and extend his arm towards Elle, who hesitantly shook it. There was something familiar about the shaggy-haired man before her. She looked into his brown eyes to try and place it, but with no luck.

"Nice to meet you." She said quietly and jumped when she heard Sev suddenly clapped his hands together.

"Alright," He said wrapping an arm around both Elle and Damion. "Now that introductions are out of the way, we shall go somewhere a little more private to talk." Damion mumbled as he scrambled drunkenly to collect his coat and scarf. Though, Eleanor thought he seemed to have managed to sober himself up slightly. He led the pair through a door that looked like a closet, but inside was a staircase lit with a single bulb hanging from the ceiling.

"Do you own this place?" Elle asked Damion as they stepped up into a small cluttered office.

"Yeah," He said monotonously as he sat himself into an armchair. "I do." Elle could tell she had struck a nerve, so didn't say anymore. Damion motioned for Elle to occupy the other seat placed to face the his, leaving Sev to loudly pull over the one facing the coffee table. The room was filled with the obnoxious sound of the seat scraping against the hardwood of the floor. "Sevastion Merricks," Damion said. "It's been awhile." He said curtly. Sev nodded, seemingly not in the mood for anymore small talk.

"I've gotten word that you claim to have met Eleanor before. Tell me, is that true?" Sev seemed to have no problem jumping into his interrogation.

But Damion was unfazed. "It is." He said glancing at Elle. "But of course, I wasn't permitted to know your name."

"How is that even possible?" Elle interjected. "I've never seen you before in my life."

Sev waved her off, urging Damion to continue.

"You were probably only eight years old at that point. Your father was extremely adamant on keeping your identity protected."

"My father?" Elle interrupted once again.