Face Behind the Mask

by Leo King

  Sam frowned. While she understood that people who were not fused had to use their will to overcome spirits and magic and that Alexia’s will was supposed to be amazing, something told her that the young woman couldn’t handle a fused person.

  “I’ll be OK, Sam,” Alexia said from across the room. “All’s well.”

  With an audible sigh, Sam sat down. “All right, then. I’ll trust you on this.”

  “Any other questions?” Dixie asked.

  Aucoin stood up. “Yeah. Where is Ouellette in all this?”

  Again, Dr. Lazarus addressed the room. “I know some of you don’t trust Louis Ouellette, but he’s helped me against the Knight Priory for years. If it weren’t for his assistance, we wouldn’t be this far along. He’s allowing us to use the Napoleon Avenue Wharf as our command center and launch point. He’ll be leading the police at the end of the operation to help round up the Priory members for delivery to the FBI. He’s also providing medical support during the operation.”

  Sam hummed to herself. It was poetic that they were using the same wharf where she and Blind Moses had dueled.

  Frowning, Dixie said, “I trust Dr. Lazarus. Anyone who has any issues with Commander Ouellette, leave them here. Any more questions?”

  No one spoke.

  “Good. So now we’ll split into our teams and support staff to discuss strategies. Misty Bradley and Lester Martin. Where are you two?”

  The teenagers stood up, waving and grinning cockily.

  She motioned to both of them. “All right, you two, go with the pilots and make sure the helicopters are ready. All right, everyone. Let’s do this!”

  As the meeting ended and people got up to leave, Aucoin leaned over. “See you later.”

  With a wink, Sam said, “Drinks. My room. After dinner.”

  He laughed. “It’s a date.”

  Chapter 43

  It Was There

  Date: Saturday, June 14, 1997

  Time: 9:00 p.m.

  Location: GEIST Headquarters

  Southern Arkansas

  “So, how was it?” Dixie asked. “The bananas Foster, I mean?”

  Sam clanked her spoon against the dessert dish. Not even a drop of cream remained. After the meeting, when Dixie had invited her to dinner, she’d figured it would be in the cafeteria with everyone else. She never could have imagined they’d share a catered dinner flown all the way from New Orleans. The expense must have been ridiculous.

  But the food was as good as she remembered, and Dixie had gone to the extra step of decorating a spare office with drapery and lighting. As she leaned back from the meal, Sam felt a contentment that she hadn’t felt in years. For just that moment, she could be her old self once more. “It was amazing, Dixie. Thank you.”

  Dixie, who was smiling radiantly, sipped her wine. “I wanted to give you something, no matter how small, to show you how much I care. I once added to your pain and misery, and for that, I can never apologize enough.”

  Sam swished her wine around the glass. “We’re adults, so I’d like to think we’ve moved past that. But let’s make it official: apology accepted.”

  “Good,” Dixie said. “Once the operation is over, I’d really like for us to be friends. We’ve been so busy this past year. But I’d like to occasionally fly you up to New York to visit. I’m sure Gino and Felicia would love you.”

  Sipping her wine, Sam smiled back. Dixie had made it very plain that after the Knight Priory was destroyed, she’d be retiring from active duty with GEIST. “Thank you for the invitation. I’d like that, to have a real friendship. And thank you… ya know, for finding out where Dr. Klein had me.”

  “You’re welcome.” Dixie gently squeezed Sam’s hand. “And I’m not done yet.” She leaned under the table, fiddling with something. A few seconds later, she slid Sam a large manila envelope.

  “Here you go.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “What is it?”

  “Open it and find out.”

  “Hmph,” she said, opening the folder. Then she gasped. Inside was an official ruling from the state Supreme Court itself. All five billion of her estate, originally embezzled by Kent and then held by the Knight Priory, had been unfrozen and returned to her. “Dixie, this is…”

  “Congratulations. You’re a billionaire again, Sam.” Dixie raised her glass.

  Putting down the papers, Sam stared at Dixie, dumbfounded. “How… how did you do this?”

  Dixie couldn’t have been grinning wider. “Gino and I hired the best lawyers we could find. They appealed all the way to the Louisiana Supreme Court and won!”

  “But that had to be… expensive,” Sam said, still in shock.

  “Bah! We can afford it. Gino is now the director of a prime-time soap opera, and I’m on a captain’s salary. Besides, you saved my life. Back at the wharf, remember? I can never repay you completely.”

  Choking up, Sam quickly swallowed the rest of her wine. She muttered, “Thank you.”

  Toasting her, Dixie asked, “So, what will you do with all that money?”

  “Uh, I really have no idea. Five billion is more than I can ever spend, especially with my Spartan lifestyle.” Closing her eyes, she thought about it, the sound of Dixie sipping her wine accompanying her thoughts. After considering every option, she opened her eyes and said, “I know. I’ll keep enough of it to live on and donate the rest to GEIST.”

  Mouth open, Dixie gawked at her. “Are you sure? I mean, what about Alice and Eugene? What if you have more children?”

  Sam shook her head. “Dixie, I can’t get pregnant again. And as for my kids…” Her voice trailed off. “You’re right. I’ll create a small trust fund for them, just so they’ll always be OK. Other than that, I’m not sure I can be a good mother. I’m too messed up. Hell, I’m hardly human anymore. As long as they’re away from the Knight Priory and with someone who can care for them, that’s all that matters to me.”

  Dixie’s lips twitched. “Well, do what you must. But trust me—no parent should ever forsake their children.”

  Pouring another glass of wine, Sam held it up to the light. It looked like blood. “Tell that to Vincent,” she said, and then she drained the entire glass.

  After finishing dinner with Dixie, Sam wandered through the hallways of GEIST headquarters, walking off the wine. Everywhere, people were either unwinding or still reviewing strategies for tomorrow. Her session with Alexia was short. They were just going to go in, find the Oracle, and beat him down.

  When she finally arrived at the door to her apartment, Aucoin was nowhere to be seen. She hoped he hadn’t been waiting for her.

  Almost as if on cue, someone behind her said, “Kyle was here for a while, but then he went up to the roof.” It was Tania.

  “All right. Thanks,” Sam said.

  They stared at each other a few more moments, the silence between them getting thicker with every breath. Although she’d heard Tania recount her story, she hadn’t spoken with her yet. She wasn’t sure if Tania would want to talk to her After all, Sam did kill her twin sister.

  Finally, Tania sighed and gestured toward the door marked “Operative #002.” “Do you want to come inside and chat for a bit?”

  Sam glanced away, unsure if she had the strength for any more emotional conversations, especially knowing that Violet was technically around.

  “Please? It’s important.” Tania seemed pained.

  With a sigh, Sam nodded. She’d do it for Tania’s sake. “OK. But just for a bit.”

  Tania unlocked her door, and the two went inside.

  The inside of her apartment was very different from Sam’s. Black drapes lined the walls, and candles were lit on every bookshelf, desk, and drawer. Beads hung at the doorway to the bathroom. A small shrine to the Virgin Mary, Christ, and the voodoo deities rested discreetly in a corner—a reminder of the blend between Christianity and voodoo that Tania believed in. Overall, the room felt like the woman herself: dark, mysterious, and comfortable.

  “
I like it,” Sam said.

  Motioning toward her desk, Tania said, “Sit down, please.”

  When Sam did, Tania flipped three tarot cards in front of her, standing behind her. “The World Card reversed, your past. The Moon Card, your present. The Death Card, your future.”

  Sam skimmed over the cards. “These were from my reading back at your shop.” She had expected an emotional conversation about Violet, not this.

  But Tania didn’t respond to that. She pointed at each card in turn. “The first one means success, but an unsubstantial one that lacks closure. That is where your life came from. You were given everything and did nothing with it. You just existed. The second card means a lack of clarity, confusion, and tension. This is where you have been all these years. You have been fighting your fate and all that goes with it. The third card means change, transformation, transition to a new life. That is where you are heading. Your entire life is about to change forever.”

  “But how is that still relevant?” Sam asked. “I mean, this reading was done five years ago. I don’t get it.”

  “Because, Princess,” Tania said, her voice suddenly reverberating, “you have yet to confront your destiny.”

  Sam jerked up and turned around. Tania’s skin had taken on a pallor, and her pupils were dilated. It was no longer Tania who was speaking.

  “Hello, Violet.”

  Tania—or, rather, Violet—bowed. “The thing about my readings is that they remain relevant until realized. It’s part of my talent. Since we met that night in 1992, your hand has always been forced. The only choice you made was to fuse with Bridgette.”

  Tightening her fists, Sam said, “How can you say that? I’ve lived every day since then trying to—”

  “Samantha, please. I’m not here to pick a fight with you.”

  Heaving a great sigh, Sam leaned back. “What do you want, Violet? An apology? Forgiveness?”

  “I’m well past that, Samantha. I’m dead. Now I just want you to have closure. You’ve been given a terrible destiny, one I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I don’t know what that destiny will entail, but I believe you’ll come to understand it tomorrow night. You’ll also face a choice—a choice no one should have to make. And I believe that whatever you decide, it will affect the world for many years to come.”

  As Sam rested against the desk, she realized she was sweating. She could feel a sudden, heavy burden on her shoulders.

  “I’m sorry I had to tell you this, Samantha,” Violet said from within Tania’s body. “You’ve suffered more than anyone else I know, myself included. But you’ve been given the power of a god. I just pray that when the critical moment comes, you’ll use it the right way.”

  “How will I know?” Sam was still sweating.

  The other woman tapped Sam’s chest, right over her heart. “You’ll know, Samantha. You’ll know.”

  Nodding, Sam headed toward the door. She needed to get out of there.

  She reached for the knob and then stopped. “Violet, you still there?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thanks…” She turned to face her old enemy. “And I forgive you. And I’m sorry.”

  With a smile, Violet said, “Same here, Samantha. Live well.”

  Sam smiled back. “Call me Sam.”

  Upon leaving Tania’s room, Sam realized that she needed fresh air. Entering the elevator, she punched the button to go to the roof. The doors were just about closed when a big, black boot stopped it. With a gruff huff, Victor pushed his way inside.

  She eyed him. “Um, going up?”

  “Yep. Shooting range. Need to practice with my dead eye.” He tapped the side of his red glass eye and then pushed the first basement button.

  As the elevator went up, he glanced over, squinting at her. When he did that, he looked even creepier. “You’re more tense than usual, Sam.”

  Leaning against the wall, she regarded him. While he always “had your back,” he never asked about others’ personal feelings.

  “Just thinking about my fate, Big V. My destiny. Wondering what it could be.”

  “Load of snake shit.” He took out his gun. With an extra-long and extra-wide barrel, it was more like a hand cannon than a revolver. Attached to it was a small, strong wire that ran to his holster—a way to ensure he was never completely disarmed.

  She blinked. “Excuse me?”

  With a loud snort, he said, “People are always talking about fate and destiny. Seems like an excuse not to do something difficult.” He started loading his revolver, each slug like a shotgun shell. “I was once told I had a destiny. Followed it, too. Got my wife and son killed. Never again. I choose every inch of my grave that I dig.”

  Through that grizzled stare was a hint of regret, the first she’d ever seen. “People say those who go against destiny’re damning themselves.” He closed up his revolver and added, “If that’s the case, then I’ll be sure to shoot the devil right in balls with ol’ Perdition here.”

  The door to the elevator opened up. Victor holstered Perdition, stepped outside, and then looked back at her. “You’re a god, right? Start acting like one. Make your own damn destiny.”

  The door closed. Sam leaned back and laughed.

  Who’d have thought, of all people, Big V would get through to me?

  By the time she reached the roof, Sam felt better about her supposed destiny. Even though Violet and Victor’s advice potentially contradicted each other, she felt more confident about her situation. And while she didn’t know what choice she’d have to make, she knew she’d make it when the moment arrived.

  Aucoin was at his usual spot. She slid up to the railing right next to him. “Hey.”

  He smiled. “Hey. Not busy anymore?”

  “No, I’m free. For now.” She chuckled. “Alexia has already booked my time when we get back. She’s demanding we trade Michael stories.”

  “Ha! That girl is just like her brother: hard-headed and pushy but with a heart of gold. Whoever ends up with her? Good luck to him. He’ll have his hands full.”

  Having thought the same thing, she hooted. Then she leaned against him. He jerked a bit, but a moment later, he put his arm around her. “You OK, Sam?”

  She frowned. “Just. It’s been a lot. You know? For me, this nightmare started when I was five years old. And it never ended. I’m still living in this constant Hell.”

  Aucoin squeezed her closer. “I can’t even imagine that. I hope you find peace one day.”

  “I’ll find peace when I can finally die,” she said.

  Immediately, he tensed up. “Why would you say that?”

  With a grunt, she muttered, “Because everyone will be better off when I’m dead.”

  Before she could think, he pulled her back and stared into her eyes. “Don’t you ever, ever say that again, Sam.”

  “Kyle?”

  “You, you listen to me.” He seemed hurt. Real hurt. “Life is way too precious. Way too damn precious. It can end in the blink of an eye. A trigger pulled and a seatbelt failed—that’s how quickly Michael and Rodger died. And look at how their deaths have affected others. Mabel Dugas just about lost her mind when Rodger passed. Any chance of Alexia being a gentle girl went with Michael. Death always hurts the survivors the most. So to say that we’re better off with you dead is just—ugh, have you learned nothing these past five years?”

  She gazed up at him, unsure what to say or even feel.

  “Damn it, Sam. We all care for you. We’re all doing this for you. Tomorrow, we could all die to save your children, to stop your father, all so you can find a way to end this. Can’t you see how much we love you?”

  Tears trickled down her cheeks. The pain she had been suppressing the past few years was pouring out. “Kyle, I just… I’m so tired of all this pain. I live with it. I’m strong because I have to be, but I just want it to end.”

  The next thing she knew, he was holding her to his chest. “Sam, damn it. Life doesn’t have to just be pain. There are good things as wel
l.”

  “Name one,” she said, sobbing into his chest. The floodgate was open. “Name one good thing that’s come of me being alive.”

  “Your children.”

  “They don’t even know me. I’ve already failed them.”

  “Then me, you… idiot!”

  Her sobs stopped with a hiccup. “Kyle?”

  His words caught in his throat. “Because of you, I went from being a hateful shell of a man into someone who wanted to live again. I found a reason to live. And so can you, Sam. So can you.”

  Slowly, Sam gazed up at Aucoin. Despite the wrinkles and the gray hair, he was handsome. It took her a few seconds, but she realized that behind that old face was a brightly shining light, the same kind of light she had seen in the eyes of another man who had once told her to live.

  Richie.

  Leaning up, she pressed her lips to his. She didn’t know what to expect, but she was pleased when he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her. Like she had kissed Richie outside her townhome years ago, she now kissed Aucoin, her arms around his neck, pulling him closer until she felt his heartbeat.

  When they finally parted, she kissed tears off his face. “I don’t want to be alone anymore. Please stay with me tonight?”

  He nodded, blushing furiously, his voice barely above a whisper. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

  She took his hand, squeezed it gently, and started leading him off the roof.

  “Sam, I just…”

  “Hmmm? Something wrong, Kyle?”

  “No. I just want you to know that I’m not using you tonight. That’s all.”

  At the door heading back inside, she pulled him into another kiss. In her heart, she felt the same feelings she had felt for Richie so many years ago. Perhaps it had grown during the past year, or perhaps it had just formed. But it was there—love.

  “Good,” she said. “Because neither am I.”