Valeria Santiago

He would have been slightly wounded by her words if she didn’t have that look behind her eyes, or slight mischievous smirk curving the corner of her red painted lips. Val hadn’t been around to see Nik since their night in his apartment. He made a mental note to find out some personal details, either willingly or unwillingly. A phone number at least. And simply asking for it just seemed so… unworthy of Valentina Santiago’s attention. They had their little game of cat and mouse, though at this point he felt like the lines of who was who were slightly blurred. The attraction between them was undeniable, and he knew that she might have tried to reason that whatever the two of them had, or had done, was wrong. But that’s because she was a moralistic being driven by doing the right thing, and Nik preferred to live at complete mercy of his pleasures. Which was why a large part of his brain rationalized that sleeping with a Detective, when his family ran a gang, wasn’t wrong. That they weren’t partaking in some age old feud between the police force and his family.

“See, I think that’s a blessing, being able to disappear in the crowd, being part of the repetitious swarm of people. It’s refreshing for someone with my sort of stature.” He smirked slightly. She stepped forward a little, and he watched her dark eyes gaze over his face, settling on his lips before meeting his eyes once more. “What have we really been through? Oh, Detective Santiago, you wound me.” His large hand rested on his chest before it rested back on the bar.

She was out of her element..maybe just a tiny bit, but she could definitely feel the folds of familiarity slipping from underneath her and being thrust into the abyss of uncertainty wasn’t a feeling she ever welcomed. Granted that her very profession started on uncertainty and worked on the compulsion of making it a solid reliable certain, when it came to her own life, she often found those principles hardly being of much help He was a dangerous man and his profession or affiliation had certainly nothing to do with it. It wasn’t often she met people with a confidence that was based on something substantial, something beyond their looks, possessions and pockets. But his thrived largely on his intellect and though it was something that had intrigued her from the start, she had altogether stopped commending on it. His words drew a grin from her as she casually leaned against the bar “Now here’s where you might be mistaken querido. You were always a part of a crowd. Granted not ranking in a certain category but there have been many people of your stature” she quipped back delighting in professing opinions that she herself did not completely believe in. Valeria knew she wasn’t in the crowd either but her intention wasn’t to agree, it was to rail and ruffle his calm demeanour as he had done, had been doing from the time she had met him. Watching his actions, she donned a dimpled grin “I shall certainly take that as a compliment. I don’t think many would have the privileged of actually wounding you” Taking another sip of her drink, she coyly used his shoulders as an arm-rest “Do enlighten me as to what all we have actually been through. I am all ears to hear that illuminating exposition though I very much doubt you’d actually be able to convince me” She challenged, her eyes dancing with dark emotions and mischief. 

Cate returned the smile, pleased with her (admittedly impromptu) choice in companion; in her experience, Val was as quick-witted as she was deeply philosophical, and conversations with her had quickly proven to be both entertaining, intellectually stimulating and a bit of a challenge. In other words, she was a breath of fresh air on a scene that for the brunette had become much of the same, day in and day out. Same faces. Same situations. Same fundamental need to escape reality. Not that she was any better than them, but perhaps the fact that she wasn’t was the very reason that the brunette appreciated people who were.

“No, my enemies happen to love me, actually,” she quipped back with a playful grin, plucking two canapés off the tray of a passing waiter and offering one to the other woman. “In fact, they find me delightful. I’m a very cordial adversary. Disgruntled ex-lovers, on the other hand…” Trailing off, Cate let the silence speak for itself, throwing glances around as she assured herself that she remained firmly out of sight from all lovers, current or otherwise.

She couldn’t help it, the laughter bubbled and Val turned to look at her companion in utter amusement “Now that’s an extraordinary talent. I’d certainly like that love sometimes though I don’t know what I would prefer at the end of the day. Hatred is such an easy emotion to deal with..you know exactly what to do, but love on the other hand...” she trailed off with a shrug gratefully accepting the canapes “But do tell me your trick. I’d certainly like to know how you create this interesting imagery of a cordial adversary” Val quipped turning her gaze to the assembly. It was crazy to notice just how much her life had changed in the past seven months,from meeting people to landing herself in the midst of a gang war and attending posh parties, the likes of which she had never really seen in Andalusia. And yet.. for a moment, she felt the intense yearning for her home, for the crazy curses her father used to mutter under his breath, for the dance moves her mother would pull out at their favourite songs and more than that for the familiar face of her twin, the only person she ever had left to call her family now. For her fleeting second, her eyes took a faraway wistfulpained look, but with a blink the moment passed and she was drawn back to the present and to their conversation “Disgruntled ex-lovers? Give me a face and I’ll scare him away for eternity” Val responded with a grin “In my experience, avoidance is the best key but if that doesn’t work, unexpected sarcastic cheer always does the trick”

Saoirse considered what the woman was saying before she nodded slowly, clearly appealing to her better nature. Despite not being a fan of working with the police or even associating with them, there was something inside her saying to help the girl. “I can write you a list of the places we met and the dates if that would help you?” she offered.

It wasn’t much, the offer that the woman before was willing to give, but at this point Valeria was certainly desperate enough to take anything. With a slow nod, she agreed “Yes, that would be really helpful thank you” Opening her purse, she took out her notebook that she always carried and fished for a pen before handing both over to her companion. Her hands restlessly tugged at her top before Val cleared her throat to look at her again “Has he..has my brother ever t-talked about me?”

He almost couldn’t believe it had worked, his blasé attempt at getting her back to his home, but it had. He pegged it down to her unflinching curiosity, and her ability to never turn down the answer to the question she had been vehemently searching for, though he just guessed that question was himself. He knew it because he felt the same regarding Detective Alvarez, a complex puzzle begging to be solved and explored, and it was almost like people were too scared to approach her. Intimidation was natural to her, she had to know she was drop dead gorgeous with a dark gaze that was capable of crippling the bravest men with fear or seduction.

Her small hands gripped the end of his tie, pulling them even closer together and her lips hovered inches from his own. Red painted lips curving in a teasing smirk, he felt his own mirror her actions. Though for reasons far more sinister. He was finally going to get Valeria back to his apartment. He wasn’t sure if the concept was genius or utterly stupid.  “I assure you, Detective Alvarez, that I am sufficiently equipped to deal with anything, especially your curiosity.”

Grabbing the hand that touched Hades head, he took it in his own and pulled her along behind him. He didn’t know how she got here, didn’t care. They would take his vehicle, and if all else failed, then he could drop her back. Albeit with reluctance. They took an exit out the back door, staff only, to where his car was parked in the dark alley behind Pandemonium. Unlocking his vehicle as they approached, he opened the passenger side for her. As she settled, Nik got a fleeting glimpse at her cleavage and he smirked to himself. “Here.” Placing Hades in her lap, he shut the door and made his way to driver’s side.

It almost seemed like time had moved so rapidly that before she could second guess or analyse her own decision, here she was seated with an excited dog in her lap as Nik got in beside her and started the car. She was still left wondering what on earth he meant by a clan as the car speeded along. In retrospection, it was a huge risk on both their sides to be blurring boundaries in this manner. It was risky for her too with the uncertainty of what to expect when she reached there, especially after being contacted by his brother. It could be a ploy for all she knew and though there were many things she had felt in his company, her comprehension was rational enough to also recognise that despite it all, she still couldn’t trust him-perhaps his person yes but never his position. They represented contradictory ideologies and unless either of them joined the other or they formed a bridge of sorts, she doubted the emotion would ever develop. The thought of Nik going the law-abiding saint-citizen way made a chuckle. But she had to commend him for his...courage in inviting her to his place. The term almost a misnomer but it was a brave move to open his house to her inquisitive eyes . Stroking Hades' head as the dog began licking her face, she turned to face him, taking the opportunity to study his features. 

“So this is the Nikolas Taylor hospitality is it? Do I need to be prepared of any lurking monsters at your place?” Val teased raising her brows as Hades gave a short bark “Though do not blame me if tonight’s adventure sees you in a pair of handcuffs. Auribus teneo lupum. I doubt you can ever take a detective out of a person Senor.”  A mischievous smile rested on her face as he took a turn and her eyes moved from his profile to their surrounding, registering with some surprise that the area wasn’t really the one she had expected him to choose for his accommodations. It seemed the night of affirming or negating all the preconceptions she had about him was finally about to begin.

He listened to her speak intently, her painted red lips moving in a sweet soliloquy as she circled him. Like she was a predator, and he was her prey. Only oblivious to the fact that he wasn’t prey, he had hardly ever been in his whole life, and if he had been then it had been Nik Taylor choosing to cooperate, not obey. He listened to her presumption with a slight cocky smirk, and it grew when she told him her assumption. She was half correct, he hadn’t been too fairly challenged in his life, in few aspects. But he supposed it was one of the reasons he was so enamored with Detective Santiago when he first met her. He didn’t think she knew, or she simply had no fear, of the younger Taylor brother, and the weight and power his name carried. She barged into his club, asking questions, demanding answers on a missing young man. It seemed the rest was history. He had got used to her presence popping up in the worst of situations at the very best of times. It was perfect really, bumping into her numerous amounts of times despite their lack of communication or organization. They didn’t have each others details, though he supposed his wasn’t hard if you were a Detective. A simple search in a government database and he would show up. Nik Taylor in all his glory, a cavalcade of petty crimes that transpired from the age of 15 till his early 20’s, along with his personal details. By then he had just learned how to get away with all the illegal activities he pursued passionately. She finished her deductions in Spanish, and he could make out only one word, which he gathered was the Spanish counterpart for ’interesting’. But the other word, ’peligrosa’, he made a note to remember that word for later. Google translate the meaning once he was alone. Figure out on his own whether it was an intended compliment or accurate deduction of one of his more sinister traits. He knew that she was the type of woman to chose her words carefully, as a Detective he guessed she had been needling suspects with impervious questions every day in her line of work. But it was because of her careful selection of speech that he wondered why she chose to speak some words in Spanish. Words she purposely chose not to say in English; he had to prepare for the best and worst possibility. He thought about the question, and of her pointed curiosity. He had no idea, she threw curve balls left, right, and center. Kissing him one moment, and brushing him off the next. Words heavy with sultry and beguiling intent. He was still trying to pinpoint exactly what, and who Valeria Santiago was. Her brown eyes pulled his own in, and they darkened before she looked down at their feet. Then she cast her eyes to the floor of the club. Her words had his brow furrowing. She wanted a tour? A nightclub was a nightclub, and he doubted that the sight of his VIPs doing coke was going to entice the Detective. “Veto power? No, not unless you’ve got a search warrant.” He half jested, smirk positioning itself on his lips. He would have preferred to show her his car, and then maybe his apartment. He garnered that was beyond wishful thinking. But he was confident in his limitations.“What did you want to see first? The VIPs participating in illegal substances? A bunch of drunk basic bitches on the dance floor? Or, maybe the wealthy businessmen leering at them from the sidelines?” He decided to be truthful, surely there were no illusions about what went on in nightclubs in the dirty part of London. And Devlin’s connections in the government forces really did make Nik’s devious and illicit dealings much easier. “No, this place is boring.” Pandemonium was never boring, but he preferred to be somewhere else. Where the two of them could be alone. He bent over to pick Hades up. The pug resting under his left arm, he stepped a little closer as he straightened out, his gaze meeting hers once again. “Why don’t we get out of here? Exercise some of that… curiosity? Head back to my place, meet the rest of the clan.”

It wasn’t often that Valeria broke out of her orderly structured conventions or her methodology in dealing with another human being, finding the process a tad bit too risky for her rational brain. It was something that came rather unconsciously to her, but she inevitably judged people when she met them-their body language, how comfortable were they in their own skin, their gestures- too wild, or poised or stiff, their flow of thought, the quality of ideas they expressed, their voice, eye contact and their linguistic talent. Each information was stored instantly and later discarded when the person ceased to be consequential to her life- which happened around 97% of the times. Now while most would certainly label her as being utterly arrogant, she’d rather call it time and emotion conservation. She was afterall saving both their times from a possibility useless interaction and saving them from an attachment to her person- which with the wrong person was a huge burden she was unprepared to bear. But while Val did crave a rational predictable sort of routine, she also loved surprises, not just the action or just but the very concept of it too. Since her foresight was on point most of the times, it was rare for people or things to actually surprise her and when they did, a hidden box of interest opened up in her heart for them and she would then perhaps even break conventions to take a certain risk to know them more, to figure out what was it that surprised her about them and more so..why.

Which was perhaps another deeper explanation on just how she happened to find herself in his presence..again and not just with a neutral emotion but actually enjoying the sort of challenge and banter they seemed to engage in each time.    

Valeria had many unconventional adjectives to describe him in her mind-that and the realisation of just how he seemed to resonate there like a stubborn song did ruffle her feathers often but she also revelled in the novelty of it. 

Sin mixed with sense and garnished with class-that was perhaps a part formula for Nikolas Taylor who had managed to do, from their very first encounter, what many couldn’t in years- he had intrigued her, prodded at her senses enough that she suddenly wanted to know him, know all about him, know what drove him,his passions and what angered him- she wanted to study him as one would the season, in all it’s form...Untamed.

It was perhaps why she had even asked for the tour-a bid to know him, know what he enjoyed in a place like this but as he began speaking, describing it, she had to concur with his final judgement. It seemed a boring occupation in the end and Valeria was all prepared to nod her acquiescence with perhaps a teasing promise of someday actually procuring the search warrant when he threw a heavy card on the table.

Prudence dictated she finish her drink, shake his hands again and leave. It was afterall not a smart idea to get deeper with your own nemesis- Two different worlds and conflicting ideologies- and yet, no negation left her red lips as she stood in front of him. It was a heady invitation afterall, to enter into someone’s personal domain and that mixed with her own curiosity had her move closer to him rather than backing away. 

“I fear you are not sufficiently equipped to deal with a detective’s curiosity Senor. We can be pretty demanding. But there is no taking back those words now” Valeria remarked with a mischievous smile, her fingers lightly tugging at his tie, her words and soft breath brushing over his lips “I am looking forward to a very enlightening evening. Let it never be said that Nikolas Taylor cannot entertain. Lead the way. I’m your guest” Stroking Hades head, Valeria moved to grab her bag. It seemed breaking conventions was almost becoming a common place for her and she reckoned a short evening could hardly do any harm. Afterall it could always be shelved under the category of research in her brain and afterall an investment in gathering information would hardly ever be futile especially not when it was regarding one of the powerful families dominating the crime scenes currently in London

In her entire life, very few people had met Cate and cared—or even understood—that she possessed an actual intellect. Despite working hard to do well in school, receiving marks at the top of her class was seen as an expectation more than an actual achievement, and her reputation among the aristocratic or otherwise entitled student body rested more on her role as the resident ‘good girl’ who was going out with the most popular boy in school than on her wit, or her academic prowess. And when she ran away from home, the brunette had traded an environment in which she was forced to thrive under immense pressure and without any recognition, to one in which she didn’t thrive at all; to a setting where her only value as a person was how she looked, how well she mixed her cocktails, and how her company made other people feel.

It had been in this nightclub, working tirelessly behind the very bar that she was standing at right now, that Cate had met the first person in many, many years who valued her for more than her appearance. Who cared about her opinions, and who made it a habit to openly ask her for them, frequently and without irony, as if it were obvious to him that what she thought mattered. It had eventually set the brunette on the course that over time had created the version of her who had met one Valeria Santiago at the auction in Hyde Park.

“Yes, that’s me, and likewise,” she responded with a smile, calling the bartender closer with a wave of her hand as he returned with the other woman’s drink. “Put her order on my tab, please. And by that, I mean put it on Nik’s tab.” An amused chuckle escaped Cate’s lips as her old friend and former coworker finished the sentence along with her, knowing glances exchanged once more before she picked up her own glass, and returned her focus to Val. “I used to work here,” she explained with a small shrug of her shoulder. “It comes with certain perks, even though I’m quite glad to not be a bartender anymore.”

Clubs had never really been her scene-neither in Andalusia nor in London. It felt as if relaxing there just wasn’t in her nature. She couldn’t afford to lose her senses or dance her problems away with random strangers. All her life has been organised in set patterns, with clear precise logic to justify every decision she had taken, only Valeria had found herself breaking those patterns these days. But it was also this inability to share that had her exercise the word friendship with utmost caution. Sure she had many acquaintances but rarely anyone with whom she could unwind and let loose. After the tragedy with her family, it almost felt like she was out there to punish herself, purposely pushing away from any sense of joy or comfort, internalising the sentiment that she didn’t deserve it, not after the chaos she had wrecked on people she had loved, still loved deeply and dearly. 

It was incredibly rare that Petal felt intimidated by someone, it was one of the perks of not giving a damn about anything or anyone. But then she met Valeria, and all the confidence she once felt began to shake as she heard the woman say her name. Swallowing hard, Petal felt her lips briefly press together in a thin line before nodding. “I am indeed.” she rose from her seat to shake the detective’s hand before returning to her previous position. In an attempt to pull herself together, Petal took a heavy sip from the drink she had ordered to calm her nerves. This was way too formal for her, Petal was accustomed to sarcastic comments and the rolling of her eyes, not handshakes and formal introductions.

Petal really didn’t feel like small talk, and just from the vibe that Valeria gave, it seemed she didn’t care for it either. “Right, down to business…” the brunette exhaled nervously as she reached into her pocket to offer the detective a slightly creased piece of paper from a notepad. “I need more information on this guy,” Petal attempted to flatten out the creases that had formed on the paper before she slid it across the table, “Sebastian Cardale.” the next piece of information to cross Petal’s lips wasn’t something she felt entirely comfortable with, firstly because she didn’t like anyone knowing anything personal about herself, and secondly because she didn’t know if she wanted him to be related to her. “He’s my cousin… The only family member I have here. But I don’t know anything about him. I met him a few times when I was a kid but I barely remember him. And before I approach him, I want to know who he is and most importantly, what he’s done.” there were bits and pieces of information that Petal had gathered about her cousin from overhearing certain conversations in the Strix HQ, but it wasn’t enough to form judgement on him. “Everything I know about him already is on that piece of paper,” Petal nodded her head towards it, “which isn’t much but I’m hoping this is something you’re able to do.” it was more of a question than a statement as she looked across at the other female with a hopeful gaze. “I have money, or… Some contacts, or something. Whatever you want as payment I can get it to you.”

One of the many cons of having a job like hers was the emotional toll it took on a person. Detectives perhaps were most vulnerable considering they carried the emotional baggage and moral responsibility of seeing that their investigations were perfect. Mistakes were out of question for though it was common to say that to err was human, detectives seemed to be on a level beyond human- put on a pedestal and dragged through the depts of hell all at the same time. It was also why Valeria was almost like a volcanic iceberg. Hot and fiery and yet almost clinical and cold in her responses and observation. It wasn’t always because she didn’t feel-sometimes she actually didn’t but sometimes she felt so much, she had shut down the gates so as to not be overwhelmed by it. Ironic for a person who lived her life investigating that her own emotions eluded that inquiry most times.

Glad the whole formality and introductions were out of the way, Valeria sat down and reached out for the paper all the while intently hearing Petal speak. “Sebastian Cardale” she enunciated the name “Of course it shouldn’t be very hard to find information on him but before we get to that, I want to know why? If he is your cousin, why want to know the past or what he’s done? Is he a threat to you and your family?Or do you intend to blackmail him? You see Miss Petal, we do not just jump head first into our work, we attempt to understand the ethics behind it first. Information is a very dangerous thing afterall and in the wrong hands..” Val trailed off signalling for the waiter to take her drink order “I am sure you get the picture. How about you convince me with good reasons, the need for this knowledge about your cousin and then we discuss payment modes? And I hope you know better than to conceal anything in front of a detective. We all have our means to verify”