Devil’s Toy

by Starling, Isabella

  “The workers remember me.” She looked down at the floor. “I don’t have long before someone throws me out, but I just had to talk to you.”

  “Okay.” I blinked in surprise. “Why? How did you even know I was here?”

  “Your sister is trying to get in touch with you. I know Mr. Windsor would be furious if he knew I was telling you this, but she has been calling his office non-stop.” Sally-Anne took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. “I heard one of the calls—I think it’s important that you call her immediately.”

  Devlin never did let me call her back. I forgot to even ask…

  “W-what are you doing here?” Belle came marching into the living room and pointed at Sally-Anne. “You know you’re not allowed to stop by if Mr. Windsor isn’t home.”

  “I have to go—please Violet—it’s important.” She turned and started scurrying towards the front door.

  “I-I’m sorry, Miss Violet.” Belle turned towards me. “Don’t listen to a word that woman says.”

  “Yeah…” I nodded. “She definitely seemed a bit off.”

  But I don’t think I can completely ignore what she said.

  I refused my sister’s help after she offered to let me stay with her, but I had a reason for that. There was no reason I couldn’t have a conversation with her. She had been trying to reach me at Cabot Estate—she had been calling Devlin’s office. It had to be important. Devlin wouldn’t let me take her call, but if she had been calling his office—then he knew she was still trying to reach out. He hadn’t told me. I needed to know why.

  He’s not here for me to ask his permission—but he’s also not here to tell me no.

  I walked to Devlin’s office and closed the door behind me. I was betraying Devlin’s trust and defying his control, but I didn’t care. If I was nothing more than property to him that could be traded away, then he didn’t deserve my absolute obedience. I would give him that in the bedroom, when I was on my knees, and when he demanded it—but he wasn’t going to strip me of everything. I sat down behind his desk and picked up the phone. Even though I told myself it was okay in my mind, it didn’t make my fingers stop trembling when I dialed my sister’s number.

  “Oh, now you’re going to return my call Devlin? Did I finally annoy you enough?” It was my sister’s voice and she sounded pissed. “Where the fuck is Violet?”

  “Georgia…” I muttered into the phone. “It’s me.”

  “Violet! Oh thank god.” It sounded like the weight of the world was lifted from my sister’s voice in an instant. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” I muttered and nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “Fine? Just—fine?” There was hesitation for a moment. “I heard what that fucking monster did to you.”

  That was inevitable. It wasn’t like all of my father’s business associates were going to stay quiet about what they witnessed—and Georgia’s husband, Connor, ran in their circle.

  “It’s not like that.” I tried to find reassurance in myself, but it wasn’t reflected in my tone. “He’s helping me. He’s going to get Daddy out of prison.”

  “Is that what he told you.” My sister exhaled sharply. “Violet, you need to get away from Devlin Windsor. Can you leave right now or is he holding you hostage? I can send the police—fuck, I’ll send the damn SWAT team.”

  “I could leave…” I looked down at Devlin’s desk.

  I think. I mean, I’m not currently locked in a cage.

  “Then you need to hang up this phone and walk right out of that house. Just—fucking trust me.” She exhaled sharply. “You don’t know what that monster is capable of—or maybe you do, but either way—you have to leave.”

  “I—Georgia, I can’t.” I shook my head back and forth, even though she couldn’t see me. “We need his help…”

  “We don’t need any help from a fucking Windsor.” I heard her shift the phone slightly.

  “Georgia, he took me to see Daddy. You—you don’t understand.” I felt tears filling the corner of my eyes. “I’ll do anything to get him out of the hell he’s in right now.”

  “Then Violet…” She exhaled sharply for the third time. “You need to start by getting the fuck out of Devlin Windsor’s house—because he’s the one who had our father arrested.”

  “What?” My hand trembled. “No, he wouldn’t do that!”

  “Yes, he would. Violet, don’t you get it? Devlin has been after you for years. Do you think it was a fucking coincidence that Daddy was arrested at your birthday party? You couldn’t sign one of those damn contracts until you turned eighteen!” Georgia’s voice started to get enraged—so much so that it was almost terrifying.

  “Oh my god…” The phone nearly fell out of my hand, but I caught it before it did. “No—Devlin—he…”

  I thought Devlin was honorable when he refused to touch me because I was too young, even though it infuriated me at the time.

  “Devlin is a fucking monster. He buys and sells people like fucking cattle. How do you think he has been able to come so far, so fast? How do you think he was able to strike out on his own and accumulate so much wealth? Do you even know what you’re worth on the open market right now—a Cabot, bound to be someone’s fucking slave.” My sister’s words kept coming—fueled by anger—guided like daggers into my heart.

  He turned down an offer of twenty million… Oh god. Is Georgia telling the truth? Did Devlin set my father up—just so he could force me to sign my name on one of his contracts?

  “Are you still there?” Georgia tapped the phone. “Violet?”

  “Yeah, I’m still here.” I felt my voice getting lower—almost as if I could barely speak. “How do you know all of this?”

  “Connor.” She sighed. “Look, Violet—I know you don’t like my husband. But just trust me, he knows the same people Devlin does. He does business with them. There are rumors—rumors that Devlin is already taking offers and a deal is close. It could happen today.”

  The person he was talking to last night…

  “You’re getting played, little sister. Whatever Devlin has told you is a lie. You’re not even the only girl he’s fucking right now.” Georgia paused and let her words sink in.

  He never told me I was, but—I just assumed.

  “I…” My words just trailed off, I didn’t even know how to respond.

  “Connor said that there are rumors that he even knocked up his secretary. After he forced her to get an abortion, he fired her!” Georgia exhaled sharply into the phone. “That was a few days ago!”

  Sally-Anne? Is that why she came to see me?

  “Okay.” I swallowed hard. “I’m leaving.”

  “I’m coming to get you. If you’re not outside when I get there, then I’m calling the police—plain and simple. I’ll assume you’re being held against your will and have them tear the fucking doors off that place—if I don’t do it myself.” Georgia slammed the phone down.

  I couldn’t believe I had been blind to what was right in front of my face the whole time. Devlin lied to me. He reached out to me in my darkest hour, but he was the one who snuffed out the sun to begin with. It was all a game—and he just kept twisting me up in it with every passing day. I let him turn me into nothing more than a pawn.

  I had tears in my eyes when I finally let the phone fall from my fingers. I didn’t even hang it up. I ran out of Devlin’s office and straight upstairs to my room. I slammed the door—locked it—and looked around. There was nothing in the room I wanted. I was willing to walk out of the Devil’s Manor with nothing more than the clothes on my back—except—my mother’s journals. I couldn’t leave those behind. They were the only connection I had to her.

  I grabbed a bag and ran back downstairs. Belle was busy cleaning so I avoided her and darted into the room where the stuff from Cabot Estate had been dropped off. There were more boxes than the day before, but I didn’t care about the trinkets. Devlin could have those. They seemed important when I thought I would be staying with him, but that was
when I thought he would help me get my father out of prison—before I knew he was the one who put him behind bars to begin with.

  I put all of the journals into a bag and carried them close to the door of the room. I didn’t want to risk dragging them back through the house and have Belle ask why I had them. It would be easy to grab the bag on the way out.

  I felt my legs start getting weak. I was emotionally spent—I simply sank to the floor and started to cry. Wanting to save my mother’s journals had given me a second wind, but it was fading fast. Everything Georgia said kept replaying in my head. Devlin set our father up. He put him in prison to make me sign a contract. The devil wasn’t even loyal to the one he owned. I knew I was his toy, and I accepted the things he made me do because I had a higher purpose. Coming to the realization that it was all a lie made me sick to my stomach.

  I fell forward, across the bag that held the journals, and vomited on the floor. It felt like my body was just trying to purge any part of Devlin that was still inside me.

  I’ve disgraced my family name.

  I signed the devil’s contract in exchange for a lie.

  And if I don’t get out of here, he’ll sell my contract to someone else.

  Will they be even worse than him?

  Twelve

  Devlin

  2 years ago

  “Devlin Windsor?”

  I turned in the direction of the voice, my smile widening when my eyes locked with the other man’s.

  “The one and only,” I replied, shaking his hand.

  His grip wasn’t firm, and it felt like I was holding a slimy fish. I fought the disgusted expression off my face and offered him a courteous smile instead.

  “I’ve attempted to get a table,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait a couple of minutes.”

  He motioned to the packed restaurant, staring at me apologetically.

  “I made a reservation, but apparently, you have to call months in advance to get a table at this goddamned place. An oversight on my part. I’m sure you understand.”

  “Of course,” I replied with a winning smile. “Fortunately, I know the owner.”

  I strode past him to the hostess stand and grinned at the woman standing there. What was her name again? Maria or something. I’d fucked her the first time I’d been there, got her promoted to her current position. She was starry-eyed as she looked at me from behind the stand. Had I bothered to call her after our little liaison? I couldn’t remember.

  “Hello,” I said, flashing her a smile. “Can we get a table for two?”

  “Of course, Mr. Windsor,” she was quick to reply.

  She grabbed a couple of menus and motioned for me to follow her. The man followed suit, his expression sour. He didn’t say anything about the fact I’d managed to get a table straight away, but I could tell he was resentful of my dominant position, especially since I was so much younger than him. In my experience, older businessmen hated being shown up by their younger counterparts.

  “We’ll start with your best whiskey,” I told Maria or whatever the hell her name was. “What do you have?”

  “I’ll actually have a screwdriver,” he said, giving me a pointed look. “Not much for whiskey, have to say.”

  “No problem,” I replied with a relaxed smile. “Bring me the Macallan, and the gentleman whatever he wants. We’ll look over the menus. You speak French, I assume?”

  The man let out a cough as I stared him down, obviously embarrassed.

  “I don’t,” he said, adding under his breath, “And they should goddamn add an English translation in the menu, this is America, for fuck’s sake.”

  Charming, I thought to myself, but not saying a word.

  “I assumed you did, since you picked the restaurant,” I replied with a chilling smile. “Thank you for your help.”

  The last sentence was addressed at the hostess, and she smiled before leaving us in peace. I took a second to appreciate our table – the best one in the whole room. It was always waiting for me, ready at any time I deemed to visit the restaurant. I could tell the other man didn’t like it one bit, but I didn’t have the energy to deal with him.

  “What did you want to meet me about?” I asked, placing the cloth napkin on my lap.

  “Straight to business, huh?” He laughed heartily. “You don’t leave much room for pleasantries, do you, Windsor?”

  “I don’t see why we should waste each other’s time,” I replied, shrugging. “You’re a busy man, as am I. So let’s cut straight to the chase. I’m assuming this concerns the Cabots?”

  “Indeed,” he replied with a devilish smile.

  Instead of delving into the specifics, he shut up when our drinks arrived and started skimming the menu, muttering something under his breath about the French. I ignored it, thanking the hostess for our drinks and ordering my food.

  He followed suit, pronouncing the French dishes with an excruciatingly painful accent that made my fingers twitch with horror. Not that I was much of a Francophile, but I’d learned enough in school to at least not butcher the names of the dishes.

  As the hostess left us, I stared at him, unblinking and waiting for him to finally break his silence. But he seemed reluctant to do so, focusing instead on picking his cuticles, waiting for me to say something. What a fucking coward.

  “You’ve married Georgia, I’ve heard?” I offered him an in that he didn’t take, merely nodding at my question. “Nice girl, I’m sure.”

  “You’d think so,” he finally muttered. “Not as nice as the younger one.”

  The hairs on the back of my hand stood on end, and I glared at him from across the table.

  “I’m assuming you mean Violet?” I asked. “She’s sixteen... A little young to catch your eye, don’t you think?”

  “Her, yeah,” he said, giving me a hearty laugh. “Nothing better than a bit of jail bait to get a man going, is there, Windsor?”

  I stared at him in disgust, and he leaned in closer. I didn’t like the smile playing on his lips, suggesting we were pals or even colleagues in his hunt for not-even-legal pussy.

  “Come on man,” he said quietly. “Don’t pretend like you’ve never been tempted. I’ve seen the way that girl stares at you at social functions. I bet you’ve thought about putting your dick inside that virgin pussy, haven’t you?”

  My mouth set in a thin line, and I still refused to reply. Not that it bothered him. He chuckled again, like we were both part of some sick inside joke I didn’t want to understand.

  “Well, since we’re on the topic,” he went on. “And you don’t seem too thrilled about the idea of Violet Cabot and her unpopped cherry… I was hoping you could give me some advice?”

  “I was under the impression this was a business meeting,” I replied coolly. “I didn’t think we’d be discussing the deflowering of a family friend—if she’s even still a virgin.”

  “Definite virgin,” he corrected me with a sly smile. “I have it on good authority she remains untouched. Not that it will stay that way if I have anything to do with it.”

  I leaned forward, my elbows on the table and my fingers intertwined as I said, “So let me get this straight. You wanted to meet me to discuss a business proposal, but all you’re talking about now is this sixteen-year-old, who is not only your wife’s sister, completely illegal, but also has shown no interest in you…”

  “No interest?” he laughed, running his fingers through his dark brown hair as he stared me down. “You should try that again, Windsor. She’s practically gagging for it, she just doesn’t know what those feelings mean. So you could say I’ve taken it upon myself to introduce her to this world. To show her what she really wants, to give her a place in her Daddy’s business world.”

  “And what might that place be?” I wondered out loud. “Doing Daddy’s business partners?”

  His grin got wider, and he licked his meaty lips, making me recoil in disgust.

  “If I order her to do so,” he replied quickly. “Let’s jus
t say I like pretty things. I’m a collector, Devlin. And I wouldn’t mind it one bit if little Violet was part of my collection.”

  “You’re married to her sister,” I reminded him. “It hasn’t even been six months since you said your damn vows.”

  “You can’t expect me to stay faithful to one woman for the rest of my life,” the man laughed. “I mean, I’m sure you aren’t going to do that, either. Those vows… they’re for show. Didn’t your parents constantly cheat on each other?”

  My mouth set in a thin line. I didn’t grace him with an answer, but my mind was finally made up about Connor. He was a piece of shit.

  “So, why did you want to meet me?” I cut to the chase.

  “I want your help in getting Violet Cabot,” he replied firmly. This was obviously something he’d given thought to already, and he was intent on getting what he wanted. “You’re going to help me convince her that she can trust me. You’re going to point her in my direction so I can give her what she doesn’t know she wants yet.”

  “And what’s in it for me?” I asked through gritted teeth. “What do I get if I help you with Violet?”

  I’d already made up my mind about the piece of shit sitting across from me at the table, but he didn’t need to know that. I’d deliver the blow at the end of our meeting, or whatever the fuck it was. For now, I needed to find out as much as I possibly could about this Connor character, try to stop him before he did something harmful to Violet.

  “I’ll let you have a taste,” he replied with a wide smile. “Maybe I’ll let you have one of her holes for the very first time. I’ll also make sure you get paid. As long as I get to keep her.”

  I folded my napkin and placed it back on the table, glaring at Connor from across the table.

  “You’re a sad excuse for a human being, aren’t you?” I asked him thoughtfully.

  “Excuse me?” he roared to life. I half-expected him to start banging his chest like a gorilla. “Are you denying my offer?”

  “No, I’m not declining your offer,” I told him coolly. “I’m informing you that I will cut your balls off if you so much as lay a fucking finger on Violet Cabot.”