The Devil's Masquerade: The Poison

by Jennifer Loren

  The night air has a sharp chill to it this evening. I have to step back in between the fishermen’s storage sheds to escape the blowing wind. The dark night is suddenly broken up by a flash of lights from a car I know well.

  “So you were actually able to get away from Grandpapa,” I say to Nicky as he walks up with a scowl. “Nice outfit. A gift for a being a good demon boy?”

  “I’m not in the mood, Eli. Tell me what you know so far.”

  “Not much to tell. Everything is going pretty smooth. Not one of your contacts is getting out of line. Terrence has been handling almost everything on his own, and he is getting bored. Majority of your men are spending time playing cars with Little Nick. Work is unusually calm and easy. Ryan is back to sleeping by himself, and Kayla is back to threatening to kill Franky on an hourly basis. Everything is normal.” He smiles with a roll of his eyes.

  “Speaking of, what about the other trouble I anticipated? I have been waiting to see her banging on Savage’s door to yell at me, but she hasn’t even tried to call me. Is she planning something, or is she staying steady for now?”

  “She is fine, dealing pretty well actually. Now, when you get back, you are going to surely have to do some major groveling. Your boys are good, too. Brayden is super cute. That little one is so lovable that I don’t think I am going to be able to sleep without him snuggled on my chest with that little blanket of his. And Little Nick… wow he’s a smart kid, and he loves to talk about his day. I think he has a little girlfriend, too,” I laugh, smacking Nick on the chest. “He said, ‘Eli, I asked her if I could hold her hand and she said yes, so I did.’ So, I asked him, ‘So what does that mean?’ And he said, ‘I don’t know’.” I laugh, motioning how Little Nick shrugged his shoulders. “Every day it is something new with him. I don’t know how many girlfriends he’s had already. Oh, and Kayla and I watched this kids’ movie with them the other day, and Brayden laughed every time Little Nick did. Kayla and I laughed through the whole thing watching them together. I will say, it is tiring, dealing with those kids. We all woke up on the sofa the other day together, even the dog was laying right next to us.” I laugh until I see Nick’s expression. “What’s wrong? You should be happy. This is what you wanted me to do, to make sure they are okay and stay happy. Right?”

  “Sure. Happy and safe. Are you actually making sure they are safe or are you too busy taking naps with Brayden? Stop fucking around and look after my family. If that is too much for you, then I will find someone else.” Nick proceeds to pass me information for Ryan and others before he begins to turn away.

  “Before you go, Nicky, someone stopped me before I could get out the door. She wanted me to give you this. I don’t know how she knew that I was coming to see you, but I didn’t bother denying it. You should know, she isn’t sleeping well without you.” I hand him the letter Kayla gave to me and walk away.

  Chapter 28

  Nick

  “Nicholas! Concentrate!” Savage yells at me again. “These men will not give you an opportunity to adjust your coat.” He steps out from his corner and faces me head on. “Are you bored with the challenges I have set up for you? Maybe you need something a little more.” I prepare as he sheds his jacket and comes at me at the same time. His strike on me blows me back like a freight train. I try to get back to my feet, but again, I am whipped onto my back. I can’t catch my breath before another blow causes my blood to spray. In minutes, I am laid out with nothing more to give. Savage stands over me with disgust. “I barely broke a sweat, Nicholas. Perhaps you are not as strong as I thought. We are done for the day. Go clean up.”

  Rabbie helps me up to my room and cleans my wounds before finally leaving me to nurse my ego by myself. The only one that could make me feel better right now is Kayla. I miss her smile, her kiss, and the feeling of her warm body embracing me. I suddenly remember that my wife sent me the perfect letter to put a smile on my face, along with a picture Nicky drew for me, reminding me of everything I am missing. Kayla tries to give me the day to day of what is going on in her letter; it doesn’t make me miss them any less, but at least I know they miss me just as much. Now, when I am alone in my obnoxiously decorated room, I can still have my family with me. As soon as I hear Savage coming down the hallway, I jump up and stash my letters and pictures with the rest of my hidden treasures behind the drawer in the chest. When he enters my room, I am laid out with little interest in what he has to say.

  “Nicholas, let’s go.”

  “Where are we going?” He rolls his eyes as he waves me to follow him. I am starting to understand where I get my attitude problem from. We get into his car and drive to a dark area of town where he points out a crack house surrounded by gun-toting criminals willing to kill anyone that gets too close to their boss’s gold.

  “This group has taken it upon themselves to grow in the wrong direction. I have an interest in a company I believe to be an up and coming opportunity. The man who owns the company has recently lost his daughter within this group. They have kidnapped her to encourage him to hand over money they believe he owes them. I don’t care about their problems. I care about my investment, and my investment is obviously distraught. He is unable to perform his duties properly and unable to concentrate on the business I have invested in. It does me no good to threaten him if he prefers death than to be without his daughter. I need him to do his work, but until he is relieved of his heartbreak, he is useless to me. I need you to go in there, find her, and bring her to me. Here is a picture of her,” he says, waiting for me to simply agree and do as asked without question.

  “It’s surrounded by people with guns, and you want me to go in there by myself? Do you think they are just going to hand her over to me when I ask nicely?”

  He looks over at me with no amusement. “I didn’t say ask nicely, nor did I say ask,” he says.

  I step out of the car, and he leaves me in this mess to figure it out on my own.

  “Hey,” An older man sitting on his porch says to me as he sits back eating his chips and drinking his beer. “You better run after your friend, cause you don’t wanna stay here. A pretty white boy like you won’t last five minutes here.” He shakes his head at me. “I ain’t got no phone, so I can’t call the police for ya, not that they would come here anyway.” I ignore him and study the area quickly as he continues to judge my stupidity.

  I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and go back to the training I have had so far. The old man yells at me again to run, and I open my eyes with a swirling determination. I calmly walk up to the front of the house, and two men run at me with guns in their hands. I stop them both before they are within five feet of me. The smiling faces of the others quickly change to fury. Their fury feeds me, and I focus it all back on them. On their knees, they try to fight me, and on their knees is where they die. I glance back at the old man who has moved his wide eyes and lounge chair further down his driveway with more beer and chips in his hand. The door of the house flies open, and I grab hold of the gun in my face, jerking it forward and forcing the man to fly out onto his head. Imbeciles. To fire a gun here will send us all up in flames. I step into the house, and a man steps out from behind a wall with another gun.

  “What the fuck are you doing in here?” he yells at me.

  I look up into his eyes, “Quiet, I am trying to think.” I say simply as I take out the picture that was given to me. I step over the man’s body laid out on the floor as I begin to search for the girl. Women stand naked and high, but I don’t find the girl among any of them. I hold up the picture to them, “Where is she?” One girl steps up and points to the back room. I flick my hand, ordering them to leave, and they waste no time doing so. The back room door is shut, and someone on the other side threatens me to stay away. I push my way through the door and grab the neck of the man behind it, ending our fight before it can get started. The girl lies on a bed, tied up and drugged. I release her restraints and throw her over my shoulder. With perfect timing, the leader of the group pulls up
in his brand new SUV.

  “Who the fuck are you?” he screams, with men following behind him all of whom are pointing guns at me.

  “I need your car,” I say. He starts to laugh, but before he can deny me again, I grab his neck and squeeze. “I said, I need your car.” I breathe against his paling expression. He didn’t seem to receptive to the idea, so I toss him and turn towards his men, making it clear what I want and what I expect them to do. Not surprisingly, they do as asked without question. I get in the car with the girl, and we leave the house and the abundantly amused old man enjoying the whole scene from his front yard. The girl is returned to her father along with some new bodyguards. The man is so thankful he kisses my cheek and my hands until Savage stops him. I feel good for a moment as the man cries, holding his daughter. Savage immediately orders the man to get to work before we leave.

  As we head back home, I look over at him smiling wide.

  “What is wrong with you?” he growls.

  “We did a good thing. I feel good about helping that man get his daughter back,” I say, despite his disgusted expression.

  “We didn’t do it for him or her,” he says without another word. As soon as we get back home, he leaves me and goes straight to his room. I guess we are done for the night.

  Today, I get to fight a real rival I am told. Savage awoke this morning with an instinct, so we act on it. He, Galena, and I stand together when an army of men attack us at one of Savage’s many exchange sites. They come at us in a trained attack. They know our weaknesses, but they lack the strength to carry out the kill. I feel their breath on my neck, but in the end, I feel their blood on my hands. Each kill feels better than the last, and I gain strength in ways I never thought possible. Savage smiles at me proudly, and I return the favor.

  Once their leader is left standing alone, I force him to his knees. “Who told you where we would be?” He laughs, shaking his head. Taking a strong hold of his neck, I growl my impatience, “Who told you where we would be?”

  “The same person that told us where we could find your wife tonight. Where we could find her in her new elegant, wisteria purple dress. Where we can easily watch her dance for us and slit her beautifully naked throat.” He smiles up at me before I lunge my fist down his throat and stop his heart from beating. I toss him aside, enraged. “They are planning to kill Kayla! You said if I left my family that they would leave them alone.”

  Savage breathes easily, “Don’t worry, Ma Joie. We will make sure no harm will come to her. I will be sure to secure our attendance to the affair tonight, and we can keep a safe watch over her,” he says to me. “Don’t look shocked. I promised I would make sure no harm would come to the ones you love, and I always stay true to my promises. They want to lure you in. If they see it won’t work, that it will only bring out her own guards, then they will give up on that idea.” I start to argue, but he hushes me. “Do not worry. We will be there to assist from the shadows. Once they realize she has no draw for you, then they will move on. You would have to expect them to try at least, but remember their goal is still you, Nicholas, not your family. Don’t fall for their tricks to get you out in the open. Now, let’s get home and prepare for the party.”

  I am so excited to see Kayla that I don’t have time to think about the possibility that she might get hurt until we arrive, and then, I realize there are numerous opportunities for someone to get to her before I can get to them. Savage touches me casually and nods, trying to reassure me. It amazes me that he never worries about a thing. My tux fits perfectly, but I still feel like something is strangling me. The moment Kayla walks in, my heart smiles. She is as beautiful as always. She is so elegant and graceful, it as if she floats on air, and just as our enemy predicted, she is wearing her new wisteria purple dress. They have been watching her closely, too closely for my comfort. Savage touches my arm and directs me to the men surrounding the perimeter. As promised, he has supplied total protection for her. I feel relieved until Elijah walks in with his fitted tux, right behind her. I assumed she would bring Ryan. Why would she bring Eli? He can’t protect her. Elijah escorts Kayla around the room as if she is his. I move slyly through the room, careful not to be seen but still maintaining an eye on their every move. I watch as Elijah talks to her, as Kayla laughs at him, and touches him sweetly. Her eyes dance as she speaks with him, and he never takes his eyes off of her. I pause the moment he takes her hand and kisses it. I always thought that a woman’s beauty is in the smile that she gives you. Kayla’s to me was one that has always been indescribable, and hers to him is heartbreaking and hard for me to watch. She nods as he takes her hand and leads her to the dance floor. I focus in on how his lips whisper in her ear, as she rests her head on his shoulder, and how his hand tenderly touches her back and comforts her with every move they make, together. My body awakens with heated flesh and pounding heart, and I barely notice the intruder sneaking in from the side. No, instead, I watch my wife follow my best friend outside into the attached gardens. Their images are concealed slightly by the greenery, but their laughter and whispers are more than loud enough to drive me to madness. She does love him! I knew it. I bet he isn’t even giving her my letters. Thoughts of them together every night, holding my children and going to bed together, him touching her, kissing her …

  The screams in my head are over taken by the screams from Kayla’s mouth. I jump to see Elijah battling several men while guarding Kayla, but he doesn’t see the man coming at her from behind with a knife. I race after her, but there is no way I can get there in time. She turns, sees the knife, and screams.

  “Kayla!” I yell, knocking out everyone in my path until the man with the knife suddenly falls, cringing, and another man falls behind me. The others are taken out with little melee. Savage walks in with a scowl.

  “Clean it up,” Savage says to his men. He looks up at me. “You lost your concentration, Nicholas. You almost cost Kayla her life.” He turns to Kayla and nods. “Your husband was worried about you, rightfully. You must be more careful about being in public, Kayla darling.”

  “Who the fuck are you to say what she does!” Elijah yells, stepping in between him and Kayla. I grab hold of him and throw him to the ground.

  “He just saved her life that is who he is!” All I feel is rage. “What are you doing bringing her here? What are you doing touching her like that? She is not yours, do you understand me? She is not yours!”

  “Nick, Nick!” I hear my name, but it isn’t until I feel her touch that I recognize the person speaking to me. Kayla wraps her arms around me and presses her lips to my face. “Nick, let him go. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He is your best friend, and he has done nothing but respect that.” Releasing Elijah slowly, I can barely look at him, but stepping I can’t help but turn to her and look into Kayla’s eyes and tremble.

  “I’m sorry. I was nervous for you, and I …” I stand in front of her, looking her over with desire and want rushing through my veins. “You look so beautiful, I … I wanted to be the one with you.”

  She grasps my face with a smile. “I know, I miss you too.” It’s easy to forget all my fears when she is with me. Her lips are just as amazing as they are in my dreams, but her smile, as beautiful as she is, her smile is the beauty that sets my head adrift into the clouds.

  “I feel like I have been away from you for an eternity,” I whisper against her lips.

  “Nicholas, we need to go, and your dear Kayla should get safely home as well,” Savage says sternly.

  I kiss her once more before breathing in and looking back at Elijah. “I’m sorry,” I say as he wipes the blood from his chin and nods with controlled anger.

  Savage allows me to watch her leave before we return back to his home. It felt so good to hold her again, but now, I ache even more for her.

  “Ma Joie, you look so sad. It breaks my heart to see you like this. I think we should move up our plans a little and try and get you back with your family as soon as possible.”

  “But y
ou said I am not ready yet. You said I still need to train for their most skilled assassins.”

  “I think you have more of a reason to focus, and we can plan our first attack in a few days and see how you do. You might get a few bruises, but I think you will do better than expected. That beautiful wife of yours gives you renewed energy. I may have to make sure she is available for a kiss before each battle.” He smiles, causing me to smile.

  Chapter 29

  Nick

  “Nicholas, today I am going to introduce you properly to the rest of the families. So please dress accordingly. Rabbie will help you,” Savage says to me as I sit down for breakfast. I am curious but not necessarily anxious. When I step out of the shower, Rabbie stands, waiting for me with a towel. I am not use to people waiting to dress me, well except Kayla, but she only end up undressing me. I also enjoy her more. This guy is too strange for me to feel comfortable. I have not heard him speak once, and as I watch him arrange my clothes, I catch a glimpse of why. He has no tongue. I can now understand why he never smiles either. He fits me up in a suit that is more of a general’s military uniform. The black sophisticated piece fits securely and smooth over my body.