by Kate Stewart
She stopped her pounding and looked up at me.
“The paperwork, I read it.”
“I forged your signature on the real initial contract. It’s the first shady deal I’ve ever brokered, and it was fucking worth it. It got you into closing where all the lawyers were present, and you signed it away to me with a smile.”
“Get out of my house,” she ordered with a pointed finger as she sat on the side of the bed, dressed in only a half-slip.
“Call it off,” I countered. “You have gone too fucking far!”
She looked up at me, judgment clear on her face. “I’ve gone too far. And what you’ve done you won’t have to answer for?”
“I don’t care what happens to me anymore. Can’t you see that? I. Don’t. Fucking. Care. I’m here, call it OFF!”
“I already have.” With false confidence, she stood then walked toward the bathroom. I gripped her arm and pulled her to face me.
“Sorry, honey, but I’m going to have a bit of a hard time believing you. At least you’ve spared me the argument of admitting it. I’m going to need proof.”
“I warned you,” she snapped. I shook her hard and let go as she started sobbing before falling back onto the bed. “And I warned you, Eileen. Don’t make me this monster, because, for her, I will be. I’ll fucking kill you right now!”
“Please, Devin. I saw you leaving her house yesterday and I—”
“Another man just left your bed, Eileen. Spare me the jealous act.” Holding her down on the mattress, I hovered over her. All I saw was fear. “I’m back for good. You’ve taken away my only chance at happiness. You get your wish. This will be a marriage again, but I can’t say the nature of it will be desirable.” She looked away from me as I gripped her chin, forcing her to look at me, her eyes wide as I hovered. “The minute she dies, you do, too. Now tell me, honey, do you believe me?”
“Devin, I’m sorry. I only wanted you to stop seeing her. I told you, you can have indiscretions, just not—”
“Unh uh, Eileen, now I only want you.” I slid my hands slowly down her sides and gripped her hips, sure I would leave bruises. She began sobbing hysterically, and I let her go, without an ounce of remorse. The switch had been flipped, and I couldn’t shut it off. She cowered under my glare as I nailed myself to her mentally. “You’re done, you’ve sunk yourself, it’s over.”
She wanted me as a husband, well by God hubby was home.
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
― Sun Tzu
§§
Nina
After Aaron was situated, comfortably recovering from surgery, I messaged Taylor to meet me at the hospital entrance. I had hardly slept, too revved up on pain meds and the aftermath of the day’s events. I’d spent the better part of my night pacing the floor at Aaron’s side. At four A.M., a nurse took pity on me, sliding a second bed into the room and making me comfortable enough to lie down. I still hadn’t managed to slip off, constantly looking outside the glass in the door for Cedric. I’d managed only a few hours on exhaustion alone.
I walked outside of the hospital against Cedric’s request. I needed the air, due to the constant noise inside of the busy entrance making me more anxious. The thunderous rumble of an engine had me jumping out of my skin as a long, sleek, blacked-out muscle car came into view before stopping suddenly. I looked to Cedric who seemed perfectly calm, sure he was misreading the situation, and felt the dread overwhelm me when I unbelievably watched Taylor exit the driver’s side.
What in the hell?
She stood with the door open, tapping her fingers on the hood. “Come on, boss.” I was sure this was some sort of joke but played along, taking a seat beside her. We shot out of the parking lot, minus one Cedric, who assured me I was in good hands.
“Taylor,” I said, lifting the ass end of her name in question.
“Boss,” she answered back with a smile. “Open the glove compartment.”
I did as prompted and saw a gun the size of a small cannon nestled comfortably in black velvet.
“That’s Leroy Brown,” she introduced. “And I’m sure you know his rep.”
“Baddest in the whole damn town,” I finished for her. “Is this a joke to you?”
She looked at me seriously, momentarily taking her eyes off the road. “Not at all.”
“She tried to kill me, Taylor.” I was irritable and in a lot of pain. Popping two more of my pills, I decided I would need a shower sooner than later. My mouth was dry, and I could feel my skin starting to crawl.
“So what, someone makes an attempt on your life, and you go crawling under a rock? Not happening.”
“Well, I sure as hell am not going to walk around with a target on my back!” Taylor was speeding, and I buckled my belt, making her chuckle. “What’s with the Knight Rider?”
“It’s my taste,” she offered simply.
“Okay, correct me if I’m wrong here, but isn’t this like, a man’s car?”
“I’ll forgive you for that … eventually. We’re here.” She pulled into the parking lot, and I looked at the sign. It was a sporting goods store. “First we get your license then I teach you how to shoot.”
“Taylor, I don’t feel comfortable with a gun.” She pulled opened the glove box and grabbed her pistol then pointed it right at my head.
“Are you fucking crazy!” I sat still, completely sure that my time was up, that I had somehow mistook Taylor for someone I could trust. Trembling from head to toe, her face gave away nothing as I braced myself for certain death. After only a few seconds, she questioned me.
“Now, would you feel more comfortable with a gun?”
“Jesus Christ, you’re fired!” I shrieked, pulling my head away from the barrel. She turned it to the side, examining it.
“Safety was on, and you can’t fire me. I’m now your co-chair. You wanted to know who I am, well, this is part of it. I’m not going to sugarcoat shit, and it’s time you took better care of yourself. Lesson one: when someone is threatening your life, make sure you have a big goddamn gun, and you know how to use it.”
“That was unforgivable!” I yelled, my adrenaline still pumping through me at an all-time high.
“Nina, you are not a weak woman.” Furious, I sat as she tried to reason with me. “Do you want to rely on others to take care of this situation, or do you want to have a say in your own fate if push comes to shove?”
Stunned, I sat, twisting my hands in my lap as she continued. “You leave your fate in the hands of other people, they are bound to let you down.”
Don’t I know it.
“Who let you down, Taylor?”
She smiled and gave me a wink. “Nice try.”
Still a bit furious with her scare tactic, I followed her into the store, completely terrified by my new revelation, and just a little bit in awe of my new partner. Clearing my head, I focused as much as I possibly could as I filled out the necessary paperwork while Taylor browsed through a glass case catalog of shiny protective metal. I’d never really had an opinion on guns, never had to. Never thought I would be in the situation to form one. Suddenly I was pro shiny protective metal. She looked up at me every once in a while in reassurance. I took deep breaths as the clerk walked me through the various pieces of information as Taylor ordered several guns she thought would be a good fit for me.
A gun for me. A fucking gun!
Back inside Knight Rider, I felt a little more at ease and began to relax for the first time in twenty-four hours.
“Taylor, what am I missing here? Why would Cedric leave me with you?”
“I’ve known him all my life. He knows if I can’t outrun them, I can outshoot them.”
“Where the hell are you from?”
“Tennessee.” I barked out a laugh as she gave me a stern look. “Trust me, it was the Wild West.”
I frowned, completely lost in my thoughts, and found myself drooling on her car window as she slid to a stop in front of the hospi
tal. I’d slipped off somehow and was now cupping the drool from my chin to gather myself. I turned to see Taylor amused.
“Well, thank you, Taylor, for a terrifying yet informative experience.” I turned to her with a wink, my hand on the door handle.
“I would never hurt you, Nina.” Pressing my lips together, I attempted to stifle my tears but failed. Her eyes softened slightly.
“Trust Cedric, steer clear of the office until he gives you the okay, and try to rest. Your brother needs you. The office doesn’t.”
“Does it ever need me?” I smiled as she chuckled. “Get out, your brother needs you.” I watched her speed away as Cedric escorted me back inside.
“Tennessee was the Wild West, huh?” Cedric simply smiled as he led me back to Aaron.
And that was the completion of day two in an alternate universe.
§§
Devin
Every second that ticked by was agony. I waited for a report from a few men I’d hired to watch over Nina. They’d made me aware she had hired guards of her own. She was doubly protected, and it did absolutely nothing to help me. She wouldn’t leave Charleston, I knew that much. She wouldn’t leave her brother’s side.
All of this was on me. I was dealing with it, but it didn’t make it easier to stay in this house, sleep next to Eileen, and watch her every move. I didn’t let her out of my sight, not even for a private moment. I’d confiscated her phone the minute I’d returned home. It was beginning to wear on her, I could tell. Eventually, she’d give in and want her freedom back, so I bided my time.
“Going somewhere?” I peeked around my newspaper and stared at her as she scurried down the hall to reach the front door. She would never be fast enough.
Shoulders slumped, she faced me. “Devin, I have an appointment. You can’t keep me prisoner in my own home!”
“Sorry, dear, those are the breaks. Besides, I’ve invited your mother over for lunch.”
Sheer terror covered her features as she raced through the house, making sure it was perfect. She barked orders at the service staff as I finished my coffee.
Eileen had a sick and deep seeded need for her mother’s approval. I was sure it was what had ruined her and her sister, corrupting their stability. I was positive it was what made them into the monsters they had become. Sandra had proven as much with her actions. They were both unredeemable as human beings.
Eileen came to a halt only when she saw the smile on my face. She believed I was bluffing.
“You are a cruel bastard.”
“And you are a heartless bitch. I could do this forever, darling.” She walked toward me slowly and took a seat next to me at the table. She feared me now. I knew I could use it.
“What do you want?”
“I want you on camera admitting you hired someone to kill Nina, how much you paid, and exactly who it was.”
“You can’t be serious,” she scoffed. “Devin, I’m not that stupid.”
“Yes, you are, wife dear. You were, in fact, at the scene of the fucking crime and have been questioned by police, have you not?”
“You think I’m going to admit to hiring someone to kill your mistress on tape?”
“Yes,” I said, turning the page of my paper. She sat staring at me as I ignored her successfully.
A knock on the door had Eileen looking to me, horrified as she got up to answer.
It was, in fact, her mother.
I wasn’t bluffing.
Yes, indeed, hubby was home.
“Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.”
― William Blake
§§
Nina
Nina: I’m sorry, Aiden.
I’d sent that text a week after the “accident.”
Three words, I texted him three words he deserved. I’d been deceptive to a fault, and I deserved his silence. As I sat admiring the lighthouse from the shore, I realized it had been three weeks since the attempt was made on my life. Aaron had been discharged from the hospital, and after several lengthy arguments and a horrible visit from my mother as a reminder of what life would be like under her watch, he had returned to Florida to finish his recovery. Leave it to Mom to keep her children safely at bay. This was my mess, and I wanted Aaron as far away from it as possible. He’d fought me every step of the way, but in the end, with the help of Cedric’s and my coaxing, he’d returned home. I’d hired a full-time nurse to help him and paid all his medical bills. I’d also arranged for his condo to be paid off and an ample check to be delivered each month. We would fight about that later.
My mother hadn’t uttered a word to me other than what concerned Aaron. She eyed Cedric with interest but was too determined to keep her conversation with me short to prod further.
And I was relieved.
As I’d watched her leave the hospital, I called after my father, asking to have a word with him. He ignored the protest of my mother as she glared at him before exiting the sliding doors with a matching glare for me.
“Dad, just go. I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“She’ll get over it. She always does.” He looked tired. What had once had been a handsome man full of funny jokes about life’s vibrancy had now turned into a defeated shell of a man who no longer had the strength to fight.
He guided me to the waiting room, and we sat as I gathered my words as best as I could. The truth was, I was scared. If somehow another attempt was successful, I was worried about what would become of him. Aaron would try to an extent, but he was no match for my mother. He seemed to read my mind as I started in.
“Dad, if she leaves you—”
“I used to pray for that day,” he whispered. “I wanted it to happen. Then I would look at you, Nina, and you brother was so damn lost, and no matter how much I wanted to leave, I couldn’t. She would have found a way to keep me out of your lives.” He lowered his head, as if ashamed. Stunned by his admission, I waited for him to continue.
“After so many years of struggling with that woman, I taught myself to feel…nothing. It was the only way I could survive the marriage. But saying it should have never happened is like saying the two of you should have never happened. I’m not proud of the environment I raised you in, or the woman I let mother you, but I am so proud of you both. I’m sorry…” He looked away, trying to hide his tears as I hugged him to me. “If that car would have killed either of you, I don’t think I’d be able to handle it, Nina. I…” He pulled the moisture away from his eyes then looked at me. “Just be careful with yourselves.”
Aaron and I had agreed before our parents arrived to keep the facts surrounding the “accident” to ourselves.
“Daddy, I’ll take care of you. You’ll never have to worry about anything.”
“Sweetheart, you have done so much for us already. I’m so proud of you. I would have never agreed to you doing what you have if it weren’t for her.”
“Listen to me, Daddy. I need you to really listen to me, okay?” He looked at me fully. “She’s a lost cause, and you know it. I want you to let her go.” I was crying now as my father’s shoulders slumped with emotion and rapidly shedding tears. “It’s not too late to start over. I want you to take this one last thing from me. Just this one thing, okay? For me. Not for you, for me.” He looked up and held me tightly to him. “Okay, Belle, whatever you want.”
That was the moment I knew I had ended my relationship with my mother.
In that moment, I had my revelation that some people, no matter how much you may think you need them or can’t live without them, leave you no choice but to do just that. My mother was a dark cloud that had hovered over me my entire life, and the only way to opt for sunny skies was to refuse her presence and end the torturous relationship. And the same applied to Devin.
With Devin, it was simply circumstance that never seemed to change. I’d always love him, but would be forced to do it from afar. Not because he was the dark cloud, but because he brought his own with him, on
e that stifled my life, just the same as it did his.
Sitting on the beach now gave me some small semblance of normalcy after weeks of living on edge, wondering if my life would be cut short. Isolation had taken on a whole new meaning, one way more miserable. I’d finally made the decision to free myself from the fear inhabited prison and rejoin the world. I’d gone back to work the minute Aaron left for Florida.
Taylor, true to her word, had taken me to a shooting range several times to teach me the ropes. And suddenly, I was comfortable with a gun and now owned several.
This life of mine was strange, and I was a stranger in it. But I was getting there. Day by day, I was finding a way back to me, even in my new reality.
It was a fight for stability, and I had the mindset to win. Every day was Monday, and I was determined to try again. I ignored the sexual thirst my body had built and eventually it had careened into another type of emptiness, one I could tolerate.
I sat for hours just staring at the waves as they calmed me. After a refreshing day in the new summer sun, I stood to walk toward the large dune and saw Aiden pause mid-step as he noticed me. Seeming to make a decision, he made his way toward the beach, and toward me. I had just reached the point of being able to walk without pain. Now, seeing him, I wanted to run. I felt the burn in my throat and couldn’t help the watery emotion building in my eyes.
I’d missed him.
He stood in front of me now, his beautiful, fiery chocolate eyes telling me nothing as he watched me carefully.
“Nina,” he said low, almost as if he was sorry he’d said it.
He seemed to be bracing himself for the worst. I’d done enough to him and decided I would make this easy on him.
“Hi.” There was no way I was leading this conversation.
One long look at him and I was a fucking mess inside. I pushed it down far, letting the bite in my throat stifle it. Maybe it was his strength that was so alluring or the strong arms that could shield me for just a few minutes from the nightmare I’d been sleepwalking in. I’d been dealing with the threat on my life alone, trying hard to be the strong woman Taylor had told me I was. I’d almost begun to believe her.
