by Kenya Wright
“One should assume so.” The devil gestured to the men around him. Big guys in plain black masks, he always kept a group of guards around him.
Butter is gone? No! And what about Emi?
As if the devil could hear me, he said, “I didn’t hurt your interviewer.”
“Where is she?”
“Go to the garden. Two of my men happened to find her stumbling around the back of the castle. I had them keep her there for you, but I’m wondering, Mr. Meade, do you understand that we’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” He placed his hands in his lap. “I wouldn’t want to send her to the Father so early. She has a whole life ahead of her. Don’t you think, Mr. Meade?”
My body quaked with anger. “Yes, I do.”
“I don’t completely understand what you were doing with Mr. Omid and her, but I imagine I wouldn’t have liked it. So I decided to make an example of Mr. Omid.”
I wished I had a knife or gun on me. I would’ve been happy to kill him right there and deal with all of the problems that would come my way. The devil had basically told me that he knew we were planning something. It meant Emi would be in direct danger, before she’d even had a chance to publish the article.
“We’re done with this plan,” I said. “I’m going to have Emily escorted off the property and end the interview.”
“I would appreciate that. Let’s also have you stay away from this woman for a while.”
“Excuse me?”
“There’s no need for you to be around her again. We’ll be monitoring her and you.”
“No. I won’t stay away from her.”
“This isn’t a suggestion, Mr. Meade. Your talking to her makes me nervous. Do you understand what I am saying?”
“Yes.” I walked off. Dread filled my heart. Everything had gone wrong. I’d lost Butter, and really put Emi in danger.
I’m going to do this differently. But how?
I wanted him gone. He’d murdered my friend and now threatened Emi. He was ready to have children kidnapped from their school and taken to a holy city to be molested, because his friends and him wanted to party.
If I’d known a spell or had some magic, I would’ve done it all right there. Anything. I’d never wanted to hurt someone so badly in my life. He deserved to die. Evil oozed from his dark soul.
I had to kill him. He can’t live another day.
The whole idea of having Emi release this news to the world wouldn’t be enough. He had to die. His breath had to leave his lungs and never return. His heart had to cease from beating. A man like that couldn’t walk the planet any longer.
It had been crazy for me to think that I could get rid of him in a clean way. One couldn’t dump the trash without getting gunk smeared on their fingers.
Everything changes from here. But first, I have to get Emi away from the devil and out of harm’s way. First, I’m going to have to say goodbye.
CHAPTER 13
Emi
I tried to find Roman, but instead got lost. My whole body shook in fear. I had no doubt that those men had killed Butter and simply gotten rid of him, leaving no evidence. And they’d done it all in mere seconds.
Can I trust the London cops? Who should I call to get us to safety. Roman, where are you? Please, say you’re okay.
I didn’t know what to do or how to find Roman. After several shrieks and me running down the hallway, I found the elevator, jumped on, and pressed for the first level.
I have to get to someone, make sure they’re not connected to the Vatican in anyway, and then get their help.
When the doors slid open, those two purple masked men from earlier stood right in front.
“Please, come with us, Ms. Rice.”
“Where are we going?” I remained on the elevator.
One of them used their foot to block the doors from sliding close. “Come with us, Mrs. Rice.”
Maybe I can get one of them in the dick. Kick it. But what about the other guy. Bite him on his face. Something. Anything. I can’t let them get me out of here without a fight.
“Ms. Rice.” The other offered his hand.
I walked up and kneed him in the dick. My dress ripped at the bottom. I could care less as I rushed out of the elevator, only to be grabbed by the second guy. I slapped at his face and scratched. Grunting, he held down my arms and shook me like I was some little kid.
“Enough!” he roared. “We can hurt you, if we need to.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” I wriggled and kicked my legs out.
Fuck you.
I’d read an interview of a killer who complained that women were always the hardest to murder. For some reason, even in battle, most men held some sort of pride. They gave up faster, and would rather die as men, then go out babbling, scratching, and begging for their lives. According to this murderer, women didn’t have that problem. They hit, kicked, and screamed to the end. One incident, he’d said, the woman got away by urinating on his leg and then racing off when he’d let go of her neck in shock.
And so I hit and screamed until the end. They both had to carry me out of there sideways. Other guests watched with opened mouths as they carted my screaming behind through the main lobby and out the door.
“They’re going to kill me!” I screamed. “Help.”
One tried to cover my mouth, I bit down on his palm again.
Fuck that! You’ll have to work for my death!
“Goddamn it! Stop it!” One of them yelled.
On the outside, no one cared either. The few security people simply glanced our way for a few seconds and then returned to what they were doing. Everybody must’ve thought that I was on drugs or something. But that still didn’t stop me.
They carried me for a while, struggling to keep their grip as I twisted and turned. The moon hung violently in the sky. Stars cut the black and witnessed my desperation.
But in the end, nothing happened. The two men put me down at the beginning of a garden and glared as they stepped away.
“Stay here,” one said.
“Why am I here?” I inched back.
“We’re getting Mr. Meade.”
“He’s alive?”
They both exchanged glances and then the tallest one said, “You can walk around the garden until Mr. Meade comes, but that’s it. We’ll be waiting until he comes.”
“Which will be when?”
“Soon.”
Is this a trick to kill me? Wait. They would’ve killed me already, if they were going to do it, right? Surely that’s what they did to Butter? Shit. Butter.
I walked through the garden’s entrance, hoping to find an escape. If I discovered one, I’d wait to see if Roman came and then get us both out of here. Now I truly understood his fear. These people were evil. The worst of the worse. They were going to take kids and hurt them in horrible ways. They’d just taken a man’s life right in the middle of a party like it was nothing. I didn’t know if Roman understood how extreme they were or if Butter had died, but I disagreed with his solution.
An article wouldn’t stop them. They had too much power. Sure we could shake their foundation. With the right words and footage, I could get people pissed and upset. But then the Catholic Church would probably give this Cardinal to the public as the scapegoat. Meanwhile, all the other masked men could take his place and the evil wheel would keep rolling. But now they’d be more careful.
They’re vermin. Roaches. Rats. Disgusting killers.
My hands shook.
Who would take them down? Who could? History has shown that you can’t fuck with the Catholic Church. Could Roman and I clean out the vermin.
How did a man so evil gain power in a spiritual organization? What did he do to be at the top? How good he must be at lying and deceit? It would be my word against a holy man’s. Could I take him down with just my words? Or did we have to do something more?
A shiver of terror sliced through my entire body. Roman had told me I’d have
a chance to turn around and run. How could I leave him among this cesspool of black souls? How could I run away after they’d just murdered Butter? I didn’t know him, but I damn sure didn’t think he had to die.
These people thought they were limitless. They figured they could do whatever the hell they wanted and never have to deal with it. Were they right? Or could Roman and I be the ones to teach them and the world a valuable lesson?
We have to go bigger than an article or the media. We have to. . .do things that we may not be comfortable with. How far can I go to get rid of this sort of evil? Could I. . .could I kill? Oh God. What am I talking about?
I’d become a mad woman in just this short evening. It was funny how seeing a man get killed could change one’s entire path in life. It scared the shit out of me. I remained in defense mode, ready to bite and beat any stranger that came near me. I could trust no one, but Roman. I had to get him and me out of here and fast. Once we left this place, then we’d have to figure it out somehow.
An article won’t do. We need a bomb. A nuclear weapon. They don’t need bad press and a court system. They need death, quick, fast, and easy.
What else could I think? If not them, then it would be Roman and me. I wasn’t sure if they would kill me tonight. That alone made it okay to plot their death. I also was certain that if Roman didn’t come through with giving these sick men kids, then they would kill him. Again, all of that made it easy to want to see them die.
Who the hell do I know that can help us? Mike did special forces, but what the hell was it? Could I trust him. John worked at the pentagon, but I can’t remember what the hell he did. Fuck. Why didn’t I date an assassin or something, back in the day?
The guards remained at the entrance as I walked the large garden, secretly hoping for an escape route.
It must’ve took me several minutes just to get a sense of the whole space. The whole land was rich elegance. Moonlight dotted all of the petals, making everything exude this magical glow. I didn’t know flowers very well, but I could see that money had been spent here. There was an unprecedented wealth of ornamental plants and blooms that I’d never seen in my life.
A large marble fountain stood in the center. Two women had been carved at the top. The sculptor must’ve been a master. They appeared life-like and close to jumping down. Both held basins that flowed with water. The liquid sparkled within the moon’s glow.
A deep voice sounded behind me. “Emi.”
I turned to Roman. “You’re alive?”
“Yes, I’m alive.” A pained expression decorated his face. He had the mask off. Those sculpted looks soothed me a little. He was so handsome I could get lost in the lovely line of his chin and blaze of his eyes. The other guards had disappeared, but I was sure they would be back, if we tried to escape.
Not being able to help myself, I rushed to him. “For one second, I thought they might’ve killed you, too.”
There was no reason to pretend. They’d killed a man in front of me. Surely, they knew I was onto them by now.
He gathered me in his arms and held on tight. “Emi, you have to get out of here.”
“Not without you.”
“Yes, without me.”
“We have to do something. We have to come up with a plan.” I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me. “Roman, we have to—”
“I shouldn’t have gotten you involved at all. You’re going back to New York. Forget about this story. The party. Me. Everything. Go back to the states and be safe. This isn’t your problem anymore.”
“No.”
“Emi,” He grabbed my chin and brought my view to him. “Go home.”
I took his hand away. “No.”
He shook his head. A sad laugh left his lips. “What are you going to do, Emi? You have to leave.”
“No. What are you going to do, make me leave?”
“Yes.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Yes, I will. I would do anything to make sure that you don’t meet Butter’s fate. Even if that means having you dragged off this property, kicking and screaming.” And then he kissed me, so hard I thought I couldn’t stand anymore.
How could he tell me to leave like that, and then caress me all the way down to my soul? In a slow rhythm, he sucked on my lips and dipped his tongue like he’d never see me again. Did he think I would go away that easily? Did he really think that I would leave him to solve all of this on his own? How could he be so crazy?
I climbed out of that lovely kiss and those comforting arms. “I’m not going anywhere so stopping kissing me like it’s our last one.”
“It is.”
“No, it’s not.”
I almost screamed I was so fucking mad. “I get what you’re trying to do. You think you can save me by sending me back. You can’t.”
“I can.” He touched my lips as if drawing them in his mind.
I pushed his hand away. “They won’t leave me alone as long as they see me as a problem.”
“But you won’t be a problem. Right?”
“That depends on one thing.”
“What?” he asked.
“Are you still going to be dealing with them?”
“Yes,” he said.
I leaned his way and held my finger up. “Then I most definitely will be a problem.”
“Emi, you can’t—”
“You’re right. I can’t.”
He raised his eyebrows as if confused.
“I can’t leave you. I can’t walk away from this without doing something. I can’t let those kids be harmed. I can’t let monsters have power. I can’t. I won’t.”
He ran his fingers through his hair and released a long breath. “Emi, this is dangerous. You’re going to have to pretend like none of this happened.”
“Flying back to New York and pretending like tonight didn’t happen is the most dangerous thing I can do in my life.” I touched his chest. “What did you think I would do after you showed me this craziness?”
“Help me.”
“So then don’t push me away.”
And then those sad words left his lips. “Butter is dead. And I’m so sorry. I could be better, but in reality I don’t care about saving the kids as much as I want to save you. Don’t get me wrong. I plan to do something, but not until you’re safe.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“The news won’t be enough.”
He didn’t respond.
“Nothing will be enough until the evil is taken away.”
He frowned. “I’m no killer, but. . .”
“I’m staying. You need me.”
“I don’t.”
“You do. You need me to help you do the things that might be hard to do.”
“No. Whatever I will do it will be on my own. Now I have to make sure you’re safe.”
“I’m never going to be safe. They know my name. They’ve seen my face. They know I watched their men get ready to kill Butter—”
He pulled me back to him. “Fuck. No. That wasn’t supposed to happen. You were never supposed to be that close to danger. Fuck. I’ve got to get you out of here.”
“I’m not going.”
He moved away from me as rage dotted his face. “Stop fighting me on this. You have to go.”
“No.”
Using both hands to rub his face, he paced for a second. “Look. I can have security—”
“Get slapped and kneed in their crotches. That’s what you’re going to have security do.”
“Damn it. This is not a game.”
“No, it’s not a game.” And then I thought of something, as I glanced back at the castle.
Wait a minute.
“No, it’s not a game,” I repeated. “It’s a party.”
He stopped pacing and turned to me. “What?”
Just in case they had microphones in the flowers or fountains, I embraced him and whispered in his ear. “Let’s kill them.”
&nb
sp; His body stiffened against me. “I’m going to try, but once you’re gone.”
“I can help.”
“You have a degree in murder?”
“No, I’m just good at. . .I don’t know. I can help. I want you safe, too.” I leaned away and gazed at him. “I want you safe just as you want me out of here. And it looks like we’re both stubborn. So, this is a tie.”
“A tie?”
“Yes. Throughout history, whenever a tie exists between a woman and man, the woman automatically wins because she can create life and populate the world.”
“Hmmm. I missed those history lessons.” He glanced at the castle and then turned back to me. “However, my friends want you gone tonight.”
These evil bastards have to go. I won’t let them scare him or me.
“Okay. Then I guess that’s final. I will go.” I returned to his ear, brushing my lips against the tip and then whispering some more, “But consider this. You’re not a killer, but you do know how to put together a well-executed experience. You’ve shown me that over and over again in this castle. Every room provided some new experience.”
“O-kay.”
“How fast could you put another room together?”
“Things like this take days.”
“But not a week?”
“It would take three or four days according to the theme.”
“Then let’s throw a party.” I kissed his cheek and made sure my voice remained lowered. “Let’s throw a party at the Vatican for all of those evil men. I’ve got some ideas.”
He held me tightly to him. “And what are they?”
“Don’t worry about that for now. Just plan a party in the Vatican and keep your eyes on the newspapers.”
“Which one?”
“Any of them. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to call in some favors.”
“For what?”
“Don’t worry.” I wished I could say more, but I didn’t want them to hear us. “How long will it take you to plan this party in the Vatican?”
“I could do it in four days.”
“Okay. Then you’ll see what you need to see in two days.”
He looked worried as hell, but there was something else that flowed in his eyes. Trust. He believed in me. I don’t know how I’d gained his trust, but he stared at me as if I could really do it. And I hoped to God that I wouldn’t disappoint us both.
