Now I really wanted to know where he was going with this. I caught sight of my brother at the top of the stairs and gestured towards my office. “I’m listening.”
“I need you to take her in.”
“Take her in?” I repeated back, sitting down in my desk chair. Luca settled across from me, raising his brows in question. I placed the call on speaker so he could hear the absurdity of this request himself.
“You want me to take in some random woman? I’m not an animal shelter Thomas. Did you suddenly forget what it was I did here?”
“Of course, not.”
“Do you care about this woman Thomas?”
“Yes, I do. That’s why I’m‑‑.”
“What you’re asking for is her death sentence,” Luca chimed in. “Julian isn’t the type to save damsels. He’s usually the reason they’re in distress.”
I hid a smile and shook my head. “How long did it take you to come up with that one?”
“Oh, I’ve had it in my arsenal a while now, just needed the perfect opportunity to use it.”
Thomas laughed lightly on the other end of the line, but it was obvious it’d been forced. “This is no damsel. I think Dahlia is exactly where she needs to be.”
“Then what it is it? What do you need me for?”
“She’s a peculiar woman, and you have a penchant for peculiar things.”
I couldn’t argue him that. I tended to bring those society couldn’t understand into my community of degenerates, give them a haven of sorts. At my Dahlia they could act upon their most sadistic desires and not face ridicule or judgement. However, I let very few close to my family.
“I’ll take er,” Luca volunteered.
“I’d sooner leave her with the devil,” Thomas retorted.
“Oh, come now Tom. I’m not that bad.”
“You are actually.” I took the phone off speaker and brought it back to my ear. “What’s her affliction?”
To anyone else one may have assumed I was asking about an illness. What I really wanted to know was what made her a fit for my Dahlia.
My respect for Thomas the only reason I was remotely considering this. I’d let women in before, but it was never this sporadic or random.
“That’s hard to explain. If you’re free I can bring her by tomorrow? It’s better you see for yourself.”
“No, you’ll bring her today,” I corrected. I had no idea why. Actually, that was a lie. I was bored and he had come to me with this out of the blue. I was curious. I also needed to be in control of the situation.
He hesitated for a moment before agreeing. “We’ll be there a quarter till four.”
“I’ll be expecting you.” I ended the call and tossed my cell onto my desk, sighing when I noticed my brother’s expression. “What?”
“You didn’t ask for any details.”
“I prefer to make all my observations in person. Hence why he’s bringing her to me.”
“Well, you know what they say. The peculiar they are the harder they fall.”
“Fall for what?”
“For men like us.”
Why I bothered entertaining him I didn’t know. I rubbed my brow and powered on my PC.
“But you still could have gotten a description.”
“Does that matter?”
“Doesn’t it?” he shot back.
“Only if you’re looking to get your dick wet.”
“Not necessarily. Babs isn’t exactly a looker.”
I glanced away from my screen and studied him. I hoped he wasn’t fucking serious. I could taste the disgust in the back of my throat. Babs was a sweet woman, loyal and hard working too. That was the extent of it.
Apart from her dyed hair, she resembled the grandmother from a favorite cartoon of Mason’s, one with a pink dog that feared everything.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I never touched her. But if she took that eye out…”
“You’re a sick bastard.”
“Learned from the best baby brother a guy could ask for.” He laughed and stood up, smoothing down his shirt. Vain fucker.
“Why don’t you go find your wife and bother her?”
“You know I hate that cunt,” he grumbled, perking up again when he said, “Before you lose yourself in more work, come with me I want to show you something.”
He had that look in his eye, the one that said he wouldn’t let me be until I saw whatever he wanted to show me.
That was Luca’s way. Persistent and a pain in my ass. Funny how some things never change even with time.
“Lead the way,” I told him, sliding my chair back.
Chapter Four
I don’t think cooking was one of my gifted past-times. Nothing I made resembled what it was supposed to. Or maybe I’d forgotten how to do that too?
I’d been trying my hand at this for as long as I could remember living here and still could barely make mac and cheese. It couldn’t be that hard to stop my noodles from becoming one with the bottom of a pot.
I scraped the ruined remains of what was meant to be gnocchis into the trash can and then carried the pan to the sink.
The front door open and closed just as I finished scrubbing it clean. Doctor Nester appeared in the doorway, a smile on his face. “Making a mess of the kitchen again?”
“At least I’m good at something, right?” I grabbed a dishtowel and started to dry. When silence remained in place of what usually would have been a humorous response, I paused and looked over my shoulder.
There was no denying Doctor Nester wasn’t as young as he used to be, but neither was I. His hair while always neatly combed to the side, was shock white. His skin wrinkled from years of living. He had a kind face and a gentle disposition making him easy to read. I knew by the deep lines around his mouth something was bothering him.
“What’s wrong?”
“We should sit,” he replied, already walking towards the kitchen table.
I tossed the dishtowel down and followed him. “Okay. We’re sitting. Now tell me what’s going on.”
“I promised you that when the time was right, you’d get some of the answers you deserved.”
All thoughts of ruined food disappeared. I stared, waiting with bated breath for him to keep talking. He did, but slowly, carefully considering his words.
“This is a complicated situation. I’m not entirely sure you’ll believe the explanation I give you. I think it’s best if I show you the truth.”
“Show me how?”
“Not here. We need to take a short trip.”
“A trip? Like we’re going to travel somewhere for a few days?”
I had to ask for clarification purposes. That word was as foreign to me as another language.
“Something like that. I’ll tell you more once we get on the road. If you go pack and meet me at the car we can leave today. Does that sound good?”
I nodded despite being unsure how I really felt about this strange and sudden turn of events.
“I’ve got some things to gather up myself. Are you okay on your own?”
Another nod, followed by a soft, “Yes.”
He stood and gave my hand a gentle squeeze, leaving me alone at the table. I remained in my chair for a minute or two longer, wondering where it was that we would be going. I had lived with Doctor Nester for years and we never went on trips.
I got up from the table and found my way to my room.
Down the hall I could hear a rustling sound, Nester gathering whatever it was he needed. I looked around at my dismal belongings, noticing the suitcase that hadn’t been beside my bed when I first woke up.
Still not entirely sure what to make of this, I gathered the basics first. Underwear, bras, socks. A few outfits, toiletries, and a dog-eared copy of Jane Eyre later, I was as ready as I was ever going to be. Suitcase in hand, I left the car and went outside, shielding my eyes from the sun.
Nester was already there, standing by the open trunk of his town car. He shuffled forward w
hen he spotted me, his hand reaching for my suitcase.
“I’ll take that.”
“Thank you.” I handed my bag off to him and went ahead and got in on the passenger side. He climbed in a minute or so later wiping his sweaty face with a rag.
As soon as he started the engine, he was fumbling with the temperature dial to turn the AC on full blast.
“Your shawl is in the back,” he said, shifting into gear. “Where we’re going it may be best to put it on now. It tends to be a little cold.”
“Is it someplace far then?” I reached into the backseat blindly, grabbing the soft garment and bringing it to the front.
“Not too far.”
I slipped my shawl on quietly, wondering again where it was, we were going. How could it not be far, but also be cold? The summers here were hell. Not even the rain diminished the heat. Most of the time it made it worse.
He turned left at the end of the drive. That was the first indicator we were going somewhere new. Every other time I’d been in the car we’d always gone right.
“Aren’t you going to tell me where you’re taking me? You said it was time.”
“It is. Just relax and enjoy the ride.” He patted my knee and then reached for the stereo, settling on some station playing an old country song.
This was the same tired routine we’d always done. He avoided my questions with a calmness that frustrated me. I trusted him, though. He had saved my life. Took care of me and made sure I was physically well.
No one else had been there when I woke up. No one had come looking for me.
He was all I had. And so, I didn’t doubt that wherever we were traveling to would give me answers he couldn’t.
Welcome To Riverview.
The sign was the first clue as to where we were going. At first, I expected to arrive at his clinic but as he drove through a quaint little town of well-maintained buildings, passing various storefronts I began to think I was wrong. People lingered on sidewalks. Others came from within the stores, laughing and conversing with whoever they were with.
I felt comfortable enough to gaze out at them with a pair of sunglasses on and the hood of the shawl now covering my head. No one who recognized the car did anything other than give a friendly wave.
They didn’t gawk at my face or point and whisper.
“What do you think?” Nester asked, turning down the radio.
“Of what?”
“The town?”
I pulled my attention away from a little girl walking in-between her parents. “It’s very mundane…normal.”
“For the most part, but you’d be surprised,” he replied with a slight chuckle.
I waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, I looked back out the window again. I tried to find some type of connection with this place, but there was nothing, not even a flicker of recognition.
The last thing that caught my attention was a cute little bakery sitting back in a plaza. Few minutes after that the town seemed to simply fall away. Buildings were replaced by fields.
Stoplights vanished, leaving behind the freedom of an open road that seemed to go on forever. When the countryside ended, trees took its place, their gnarled limbs seemed to split in every direction, replacing rays of sun with distorted shadows.
There was an eerie feel to this stretch of asphalt. I glanced in the rearview seeing no one behind us and it dawned on me that not a single car had come from the opposite direction either.
Something settled in my gut, a feeling I couldn’t immediately identify. Fear? Excitement? Maybe both. I wondered if I’d been here before‑‑on this road. A massive iron fence seemed to spring up from nowhere. Behind it, through the gaps in the trees I could make out wisps of a lawn. This went on a mile or so before there was a break in the landscape.
Doctor Nester slowed the car, crawling past a large black mailbox.
On the other side of it was a set of double gates. He turned the car into the small space ahead of them and stopped beside a speaker-box with a keypad. He hit a round button at the bottom and a series of low beeps burst from the device. There was silver plaque affixed to the brick pillar just above it, two words engraved on its surface.
“Chateau Dahlia,” I read aloud, the name rolling off my tongue with a hint of familiarity. Now more than a bit of suspicion had me thinking I’d been to whatever this place was before. And more than once for me to remember anything about it. Doctor Nester still hadn’t commented on that, though.
A caw came from a cluster of trees just inside the fence. I looked around, spotting a black crow perched on one of the middle branches. It peered down at me with a tilt to its small head. I wasn’t superstitious, but this was one omen that fit a bit too well.
Conflicting whispers erupted inside my head. One told me to turn back, that we had come too far. Another was telling me to continue, urging me to explore the land beyond.
“I’ve…I’ve been here before?” I posed it as a question, but I was growing more certain I had by the minute.
“You have.”
“That’s it? Just you have? This isn’t that far from the house. Why are you‑‑?”
The speaker crackled to life, cutting off my spiel before it could begin. “Name?” a stern voice demanded.
“Thomas Nester, I’m here to see Mr.‑‑.”
“He’s expecting you,” the man interrupted. The communications box fell silent again and the gates swung open, granting us access. We drove forward, going straight up a long driveway, leaving the entrance behind us.
It took approximately six minutes to reach the end of it. By then the landscape had opened completely, revealing an immaculate lawn. The further we got from the properties entryway the stronger the urge to keep going became, shutting down the timid, whisper that had been telling me to stay away.
The drive split in two separate directions, forming a large circle around a fountain. I spared a fleeting glance for the flashy cars parked off to the side, focusing wholly on the large ivory structure now in front of us. There were rows of large windows but seeing through them was impossible, the drapes were too thick.
Nester had already confirmed it, but being even closer to the house had a feeling settling in the hollow of my bones, one that cemented the fact that some part of me knew this place.
“This is the Dahlia,” Nester began, cutting the engine. “We’ll be staying here for a while.”
“Why here?”
He removed his sunglasses and looked at me. “Are you remembering already?”
I wanted to scream at him. What kind of question was that? “How can I remember something I don’t have a recollection of?”
“S’pose you’re right. Come along then. The master doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Master? I undid my seatbelt and scrambled out of the car after him, ignoring the pinch in my left hip.
“You should let me do the talking,” he explained softly.
I had no issue with that. I wasn’t a people person. We approached a pair of double doors, and before he could knock, they were pulled open. A woman with a round stature stood staring out at us, a tight smile painted on rosy lips.
She was dressed in a simple black dress with a large white apron tied around the front of it, her auburn hair pulled back into a tight bun. Like me, she had a scar near one of her eyes, but unfortunately for her she’d lost it. A glassy blue orb was fixed on my face, unseeing.
I had no judgement for it. If anything, it made me feel more at ease. Her good eye shifted between the two of us, lingering for a few seconds longer on me. When she spoke, her voice was cultured, a thick accent wrapping around her words.
“Please, come in.” She stepped back to make room for us.
We went into a large entry hall. Straight above us was a glass roof cupola, giving the place a dramatic first impression.
“Follow me, I was instructed to have you wait in the drawing room.” She closed the doors behind us, and then set off without another word.
> Ahead of us was the largest staircase I had ever seen. It was centered in the foyer, stairs sweeping to the left. We went to the right of it, to a decent sized room with flawless baroque furniture. I recognized it from the home goods channel.
“He will be down soon,” she explained, motioning us into the room. “Would you like anything to drink?”
It wasn’t until I’d taken a seat on one of the sofas that I realized she was speaking directly to me.
“Oh, no. I’m fine thank-you.”
“I would like a word with him in private if possible.” Thomas said, stepping towards the woman.
“It isn’t.”
“Babs‑‑,” he began to protest.
“It’s Babette,” she corrected tersely, turning on her heel and walking away.
“She doesn’t like you?” I asked as soon as her footsteps faded.
“Bab’s is a finicky woman. She’s fond of me, actually.”
Based off her body language I didn’t agree, but I kept that to myself already preoccupied with looking around the room. The drapes were just as thick inside as they appeared from the outside. No one would be able to see through them unless they had x-ray vision. That had to of been done on purpose.
“Who are we meeting?”
He was too busy looking at something on his phone to reply. I firmed my lips and went back to studying the room, noting how clinically clean it was. As a matter of fact, the entire first floor from what I could tell thus far was just the same. It was quiet here too. Not like at home, though. This silence was different. Heavy. Dark.
A shiver raced down my spine. I pulled my shawl tighter and stood, going over to one of the floor-length windows.
I lifted the corner of a drape and peered out, catching the tail end of a BMW going down the driveway. I wondered where it came from. I was sure it hadn’t been parked with the others when we first arrived.
Detecting the sound of footsteps, I let the curtain fall back into place and took a small step away, turning to face the doorway. A man appeared donning a pressed pair of slacks and navy-blue dress shirt, his shoes ridiculously clean. He was tall. Well, taller than me. And fit. Anyone with eyes in their head could tell he kept himself in shape. His hair was dark as coal, tamed in a messy-sleek style and streaked with small hints of silver while his neatly trimmed stubble was one solid color.
Malevolence (Dahlia Saga Book 4) Page 2
