Surrounded by Darkness

by Rachel Dylan

  Annie placed her hand on top of Nina Marie’s. “You won’t be alone, and the impact of your testimony could send a revival throughout this church.”

  “You really think that?”

  “I do.” Annie looked over her shoulder. “Pastor Dan, can you come here?”

  Nina Marie thought she might become ill. She sat quietly as Annie told Pastor Dan all about the idea.

  Pastor Dan listened and then turned to Nina Marie. “How do you feel about this?”

  “Petrified!”

  Dan reached out and patted her shoulder. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

  “But she would be great,” Annie urged.

  “I know she would, but this is her decision,” Dan said. “Maybe one day you’ll be ready. You can let me know if that day comes.”

  A wave of relief washed over her. “Thank you.” She wasn’t certain she could handle it right now. But if she was honest, there was a piece of her that longed to be able to spread the word and tell her amazing story of redemption. Maybe one day she’d be ready. Lord, give me the strength to help others in this town.

  When Eliza’s doorbell rang, she hopped up from her yoga mat and headed toward the front door. She wasn’t expecting anyone so when she saw Stacey standing on the other side, a chill shot down her back.

  Stacey had accompanied her back to the house the other day after they had met for coffee and tried to make sure there weren’t any unwelcome spiritual beings. Eliza had made Stacey a deal—that she would teach her the Wiccan ways of witchcraft as long as Stacey made sure those demonic spirits didn’t come into her house anymore. But Eliza had been having second thoughts. She wanted a way to break things off and not even go down that road with Stacey. Eliza was still having awful nightmares, even if she hadn’t actually seen anything else in her house. The evil presence still lingered in her mind—or maybe she was going a bit crazy. That was always a possibility. She took a deep breath before opening the door.

  “Hey, Stacey. I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “Sorry to just drop by, but can I come in?”

  Eliza hesitated for a moment. She really didn’t want to invite Stacey in, but she couldn’t shut the door in her face.

  “Eliza, you don’t have anything to fear from me. I promise you that.”

  Eliza wasn’t completely convinced, but she let Stacey into her home anyway.

  “What’s going on?” Eliza asked.

  “Can we sit and chat for a moment?”

  “Sure. Come into the kitchen. I can make tea if you’d like.” Eliza figured she would be welcoming and see what came of this visit.

  “That would be nice.”

  They chitchatted while they were waiting for the tea, but once it was poured, Eliza looked at her. “So, what is it?”

  “Well, I wanted to check on you, but it’s more than that. How have things been since I was here?”

  “Calm. Nothing to report.” She didn’t want to go into her nightmares. That was too much information, and she was still trying to figure out what Stacey’s angle in this whole thing was. At first, she thought she was just a curious young woman, but there was something more to all of this.

  “Good. The last thing I’d want is for you to be uncomfortable in your own home.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.” Now if only she could actually rewind the clock and have it go back to the way it was before.

  Stacey picked up her cup. “There’s something else though.”

  Here it comes. “All right.”

  “You saw what you saw, and you’re not denying that. You also realized for the first time there are such things as demons. It’s not something made up.”

  That wasn’t in question. “Oh, yeah, I definitely saw them. There was no doubt in my mind what they were. I’d never seen or felt anything like it before.”

  “Maybe the reason they appeared to you was because of my presence, but I believe they were already here. You’re a practicing witch. So whether you like it or not, you’re fair game. Just because you’d never seen them before didn’t mean they weren’t here. They were making a point by revealing themselves to you.”

  Eliza shook her head. “I told you when we first met I only practice white magic. I have never—and I repeat never—invited anything demonic into my life.”

  “That’s the thing, Eliza. It doesn’t matter what you think you’re doing. By going down that path, you did it.”

  “You realize how you sound right now, don’t you? I get the same lecture from my Christian friends who tell me not to play with my Ouija board or practice magic. I’d expect that type of argument from them, but not you.”

  Stacey sat in silence for a minute.

  “If you want to say something, now’s the time to say it.” Eliza’s frustration level was building.

  “You’re living in your own fantasy world. We’re in a cosmic battle here, and you’re trying to have your cake and eat it too. If you want to practice magic, then you have to realize you’re on our side whether you want to be or not.”

  No. Eliza refused to take that as an answer. “I don’t believe that. I really don’t.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you believe. It’s a fact. And you can try to blame this on me, but it was only a matter of time before you had some type of legit interaction with a spiritual being. My presence just sped up the process.”

  “What are you asking?” Eliza was at a loss.

  “Come and meet some of my friends at Optimism. Layton is having a party this weekend.”

  Eliza’s head was swimming. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “You can bring Randi and anyone else you’d like.”

  Eliza felt like Stacey wasn’t going to take no for an answer, but she did have another question. “What do you want from me?”

  “I like you, Eliza, and for your own protection, I think if you’re going to continue like this, you need to understand the bigger picture. We can offer that.”

  “Let me think about it, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “You know, something just came back to me.”

  “What?” Stacey asked.

  “I’ve been to various psychics before. There was one I went to over five years ago. She told me that I’d meet a young woman who would change my life. I didn’t think much about it until this very moment.”

  Stacey smiled. “And here I am.”

  A shiver shot down her spine. What Eliza didn’t tell Stacey was the rest of the reading. That the woman would bring her great pain and despair.

  Grant talked with his lawyer Scott O’Brien in the law firm conference room as they waited for the other side to arrive. This was the initial mediation, and Grant was hoping and praying this thing could get resolved.

  “There’s something I need to tell you,” Scott said.

  “What?” Grant braced for more bad news because that was the only type of news he was getting lately.

  “Something strange has happened. The initial lawyer for Ms. Ramos is still on the case, but they’ve added a new attorney.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Eli Morgan. He’s a hot shot at one of the Chicago litigation boutiques. He does both plaintiff and defense work. He’s the real deal though.”

  “Why in the world would he take a case like this?” Grant asked.

  “I was hoping that you’d have a theory because I’ve got nothing.”

  Grant racked his brain and the name didn’t mean anything to him, but he did have an inkling of an idea about this late addition, and it wasn’t good news.

  “A guy like Eli isn’t cheap. He wouldn’t take a case like this on contingency especially if split with another attorney. And in my mind that means that someone has to be actually paying his hefty billable rate. Ms. Ramos certainly can’t pay it. There has to be another explanation.”

  As Scott talked, a knot grew in Grant’s stomach. If what he was now thinking was right, then this thing just we
nt from bad to worse. Who would have the money, power, and motivation to do something like this? He knew the answer. “I’ve got another ex-client that doesn’t like me. He’s rich and powerful. Maybe he thought this would be a good way to get at me, and he helped bring him on.”

  Scott frowned. “That’s not good, man.”

  “I know.” Just when Grant had thought he was at the bottom of the barrel, now this.

  It wasn’t long before the mediator arrived along with the other side. Including the new attorney Eli Morgan.

  “Eli.” Scott shook his hand. “Surprised to see you on this case. A bit outside the norm for you, huh?”

  Grant knew that Scott was fishing and eagerly waited to hear Eli’s answer.

  “A bit, yes, but it’s not every day that I have the opportunity to work on a legal malpractice case. This one presented such an interesting fact pattern that I couldn’t turn it down—and once I met Ms. Ramos, the deal was sealed.”

  Ms. Ramos was at the mediation, but she hadn’t said a word to anyone. Grant knew better than to try to talk to her. She’d already taken a seat and seemed completely uninterested at pleasantries or other introductions.

  Grant did do the right thing though and shook Eli’s hand. The man had a strong grip. Grant studied Eli’s eyes and wondered if Layton was truly behind this. Grant couldn’t help himself. “Eli, I think we have a mutual acquaintance—Layton Alito.”

  Eli smiled but it was a sinister one. “Yes, we do. Layton and I go way back. I believe you represented him at some point, did you not?”

  “I did. The case ultimately settled.”

  “Settlement usually is preferable, isn’t it?” Eli asked.

  “Yes, it is.” The mind games were already starting.

  Eli’s eyes narrowed. “Unless, of course, the parties are too far apart.”

  That didn’t sound good. Everything about this stunk, and he felt like Layton had his dirty fingerprints all over it. Another wave of sickness threatened to make him gag.

  “I think everyone is here,” the mediator said. “Why don’t we begin?”

  Each side gave preliminary statements that the mediator listened to attentively. Grant took copious notes to make sure he knew all the arguments Eli was making. It wasn’t lost on him that the original lawyer barely spoke a word, but one thing was to his advantage—there was no jury here. The mediator didn’t care about lawyering skills. The mediator’s job was to get the parties to strike a deal.

  This mediation was very telling though. If Grant did have to take this thing to trial, he was toast. Scott was a perfectly capable, relatively young lawyer, but Eli was on a different level. After hearing him speak, Grant even thought himself guilty of malpractice.

  The moment of truth was about to arrive. The numbers. The complaint had asked for two million, and his policy only covered a max of one.

  Eli gave a sly smile before he spoke. “Our settlement demand is one point seven five million.”

  Grant almost choked on his coffee. That was almost the full demand of the complaint.

  Scott seized onto that. “Eli, that’s not a good-faith demand in the settlement context, is it?”

  Eli crossed his skinny arms in front of him. “Just because we’re in mediation doesn’t mean we’re going to cave. As you know, I’m new to this case, and I would’ve asked for much more than two million if I had drafted the complaint. And let me remind you that a jury has discretion in what it can do.”

  And that’s exactly what frightened Grant. A jury could nail him to the wall, but the problem was that he didn’t have seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars lying around to pay the difference between the settlement demand and the offer. What was he going to do?

  “I think you’re blowing smoke,” Scott said.

  Grant bit his tongue as Scott started to spar with Eli. He feared Scott was going into the deep end and didn’t realize a great white was right there. Grant almost grabbed onto Scott to ask for a break, but Eli started talking again.

  “I hear you, Scottie.”

  Scottie? Where had that come from?

  Eli continued. “We are in the stronger negotiation position here. It’s not smoke. It’s actually fire. And if you think long and hard, you’ll agree to our offer and move on with life.”

  Grant started to rack his brain and wonder whether he could somehow scrounge up the money. It would require cooperation from the bank—a lot of cooperation. Some loans and equity lines of credit. Putting up his house and rental condo, but maybe it could be done. He couldn’t exactly ask Olivia after he’d basically bailed on her the other day.

  He hated himself for that, but on the other hand, he still thought he may have done the best thing for her in the long run. He shouldn’t bring her into his troubles. They were a couple, yes, but they weren’t married. Although he felt like they were headed that direction. He’d been the one to hit the brakes and throw her out of the car.

  “Are you saying that’s your best offer? Because if so, we should stop wasting our time and get out of here right now,” Scott said.

  Grant shifted in his seat. He didn’t know if it was appropriate to intervene—after all, the insurance company was on the hook for the first million. This was ultimately Scott’s call.

  Eli unbuttoned his gray suit jacket and looked at Scott and Grant. Then he turned his attention to the mediator. “It appears we are at an impasse here, gentlemen.”

  Scott fought back. “Only because you’re being unreasonable about the initial ask. We’re here to negotiate in good faith, but it doesn’t appear that we can say the same thing about you.”

  Eli smacked his lips together. “Pity, really. I’d like to get this case off my docket.”

  Grant thought that was actually the last thing Eli wanted. He didn’t take on this case to settle it. No, he took it on to make a spectacle of things—and his settlement offer proved that.

  They bickered back and forth for the better part of two hours before calling it quits.

  After the other side left, Grant sat alone with Scott.

  “I’m sorry, man. I did my best to push him,” Scott said.

  “I know. Unfortunately, for both of us, I think this is bigger than one case.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I can try to explain, but it would be helpful to know where you stand on issues of faith.”

  “I’m a holiday kind of churchgoer, but I believe in God. I think it would be foolish not to.”

  Grant took a breath. “Let’s get some food. I’ve got a lot to tell you.”

  Chapter Nine

  Eliza stood outside Layton Alito’s mega-mansion and questioned her sanity. Why was she here?

  The ultimate answer was that she was afraid to turn down Stacey’s invitation. Ever since the demonic infiltration, Eliza had been constantly on edge, and rightfully so.

  When she’d started embracing Wiccan beliefs, she thought she was doing no harm. That’s what she was told Wicca was all about—doing no harm. That she was spreading peace and love into the world. Never once had she attempted to cast an evil spell or speak evil over anyone—just the opposite.

  But now she was learning that apparently there was actually a spirit world out there that latched onto whatever she was doing. That was not her intention. She had been telling Stacey the truth. Before they had connected, Eliza thought angels and demons were some make believe idea of Christians. She didn’t think they existed.

  She believed in a spirit world and that those spirits could be good and evil, but they weren’t tied to the notions of the Christian faith. As soon as she had started that spell the other night, a sense of unease had crept through her. Maybe Stacey was a bad apple who had brought evil spirits into her life, although her gut told her she had stumbled onto something much greater. More troublesome and much more dangerous.

  But here she was, standing on the doorstep of a man she didn’t know and didn’t really want to know. She rang the doorbell, and a bead of sweat ran down her ba
ck. Stacey had told Eliza that Layton’s parties tended to be on the fancy side, so she wore a black cocktail dress. The last thing she wanted to do was be at Layton’s, but she didn’t feel like she had a choice. She worried that if she turned down the invite, Stacey would’ve retaliated somehow.

  A moment later the door opened, and a very handsome man with blond hair and ocean blue eyes answered the door. He was older than her, but still not that old.

  “Hi, there,” he said.

  “Hi, I’m Eliza Fitzpatrick. Stacey invited me,” she said quietly.

  He grinned, revealing a killer smile. “Ah, yes. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Layton Alito. Welcome to my home.” He took her hand in his and placed a gentle kiss on it. His touch was warm and inviting. His hand lingered on hers as their eyes locked.

  She’d heard that the enigmatic Layton was quite a charmer, but nothing had prepared her to feel quite this way.

  “Please come on in and let me show you around. I’m so glad you made it.”

  “Me too,” she responded before she even realized what she was saying. This man was magnetic, but she thought it might be more of a manly nature than a magical one. She stepped into the foyer and couldn’t believe her eyes. “Wow.”

  “So you like it?” he asked proudly.

  “I love it. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” The décor was a mix of modern and classic.

  He stretched out his hand. “I literally just had it redone. I wanted a fresh start. You can probably understand that feeling, right?”

  She could. “It’s gorgeous. Don’t even come to my place. I’d be embarrassed.” She giggled and wondered where in the world that had come from.

  “I’ve got an amazing interior decorator. I can’t take all the credit.” He placed his hand on her lower back and guided her into the expansive living room. “Let me find Stacey. I’m sure you two will want to chat.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And I’m not stuffy about my house. Feel free to roam around and make yourself at home. Most of the people are in the living and dining areas, but don’t let that stop you.”