Devil and Disciple

by L J K Cross

  “To be Ms World Body Builder,” she whispered excitedly. As soon as the words escaped from her mouth, all the candles in the apartment were extinguished as if by an imaginary breeze. The once roaring fire died. Indeed the whole of Las Vegas appeared to darken as if shrouded in a cloud that could only portent trouble. Alexander’s face too had become shadowy but it only heightened his allure, accentuating the temptation of his charm.

  “Then let me be the Master to your Margarita. Let me fulfill your dreams and make you truly happy. I can do this for you as long as you promise to forsake all else and give yourself to me fully. There can be no other way.”

  He was right thought Amanda. It all seemed so clear. There could be no other way. She must sacrifice everything in order to achieve her ultimate ambition. Nothing else could possibly matter. In the brief few seconds that Amanda had taken to consider his proposal, Alexander had produced, seemingly from his inside jacket pocket without Amanda noticing, a diamond necklace of untold value. Its sparkling brilliance was magical, supernatural even. The full moon’s natural luminosity paled pathetically in comparison. A slight tinge of red flushed across its face as if in embarrassment.

  “For you,” whispered Alexander seductively in her ear, clasping the necklace around her neck “A sign of a brilliant and dazzling future and a promise of what is yet to come.”

  “I agree. I agree to everything,” shouted Amanda as if to the whole of the city below.

  All at once her world started to spin at an incredibly fast and frantic pace, seemingly out of control. The city below fell away, disappearing as if to nothing as if it had never even existed. The diamond necklace suddenly felt incredibly heavy, making Amanda want to fall to her knees under the burden of its weight. And Koroviev had appeared, as if by magic, at her side, and placed a glass of red wine in her hand.

  The last thing Amanda remembered before she blacked out was Alexander pressing the glass to her lips, urging her to drink. His eyes had become as bloody and opaque as the wine. They looked as bitter as the wine tasted. Amanda squeezed her eyes shut, in part to block out the acrid taste and in part to block out the vile vision. All that remained was Alexander’s voice that slithered like a poisonous serpent in her ear.

  “Rukopisi ne goryat.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Amanda lay stone still. Her whole body on alert, on guard against God knew what! She was not sure if she was still dreaming or if she was awake. She was not sure as of yet, where she was. She hadn’t yet opened her eyes. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to open her eyes and be faced with whatever stood before her. The last thing she remembered was staring into his tortured, blood shot eyes. The vision had haunted her fitful sleep, leaving an indelible, unremitting stain on the inside of her eyelids. Warily Amanda forced her eyes open, blinking, squinting, straining against the harsh cruelty that was offending them but still the burning redness persisted. As her slumberous haze receded the ominous orbs morphed into the fierce desert sun that shot its rays like distress signals through her hotel window warning of expectant danger. Just as by night his eyes had held the city under their brutal gaze so the sun continued his watch by day, omnipresent as ever.

  The heat of the sun seemed to burn off the haze that hung over her recollection of the previous night. Amanda may have even dismissed the whole evening as a particularly vivid figment of her nocturnal imaginings, if her eyes had not fallen on the all too sparkling reality of the diamond necklace on her bedside table. Suddenly, with the scintillating clarity of the largest of the necklace’s diamonds, the memories of that magical night came flooding back. Any lingering misgivings were instantly dispelled. Amanda’s sole recollection was looking out over the city below and feeling like Alexander was capable of promising her the earth. Indeed his promise to make her Ms World Body Builder was almost as seismic. She had agreed to his pact with every fibre in her body. Even now just thinking of the potency of the promise sent a frisson of excitement coursing through her veins. They had stood silhouetted against the moonlight. Their hands entwined. His hand pressed upon hers in testimony on the book as if to seal her fate. And so their lives were entwined. Their fates sealed.

  Amanda’s eyes scanned the room for the precious tome. She hadn’t recalled placing it under her pillow last night. She must have leafed through it just before falling asleep. Neither did she recall spilling any of her red wine on the cover but there was an unmistakable crimson patch seeping across the centre of the cover as if the heart of the book was weeping tears of blood. But any such tragic image of heartbreak and despair didn’t cross Amanda’s mind. She still felt as though she was flying high, as high as she had been last night, stood with Alexander looking down over the city. Opening the cover Amanda found another note written in that distinctly old fashioned scrawl that was just as unique and unreadable as its owner.

  “Thank you for the most magical and memorable of evenings. Rendezvous, outside your hotel, this evening, at 9pm prompt. Your destiny is waiting. A.”

  So mysteriously full of excitement and promise. So difficult, impossible even, to defy. Amanda’s heart raced as she read the words. She clutched the book to her pounding chest as if the pressure would force its furious beating to relent. She closed her eyes, letting her head relinquish itself to the pillow to dream.

  Rukopisi ne goryat. The infernal whisperings rang so loud and clear in her head making Amanda jerk her head abruptly to the side to see if someone was there beside her. She didn’t have a clue what they meant but the voice was beyond doubt. That phrase, that voice, had tormented last night’s tempestuous sleep, driving Amanda to frustration. The more she pondered the words and their significance the more irritated she became again and couldn’t help but think of Steve.

  “Where the hell is he?” fumed Amanda as her eyes tripped over the note she had left him, crumpled and discarded on the floor. Her face twisted into a bitter, shallow smile as she reflected on how fitting a metaphor that tattered piece of paper was for their relationship. It was more than obvious that he didn’t care about her or the state of their relationship. Shouldn’t he have at least cared enough to come back to check that she had returned safely last night? Why then should she care, she demanded, without the least bit of conviction. Amanda had been given a once in a lifetime opportunity. She had been offered the world, her world, her hopes and dreams, on a plate. All she needed was to have the courage to grab it with both hands and fly, soar high with it.

  So why in the world was she deliberating for even a moment? She cursed herself for hesitating and more especially she cursed Steve for making her hesitate. Life with Steve had always been such a struggle, working hard, against the odds just to achieve the smallest of goals. Now was the time for all her hard work to pay off, Amanda chastised herself. She deserved it. She deserved someone like Alexander – someone capable of giving her what she really wanted and who truly understood and appreciated her. So Steve could go to hell for all she cared, cried Amanda not too convincingly. Amanda was resolved. She needed to summon her inner Lady Macbeth and screw her courage. The sacrifice of Steve’s love would be worth it. The other option, failure, was just too devilish to contemplate.

  ****

  Steve rubbed his eyes as if in disbelief as he looked around the stinking hellhole he was in. A dark, dismal concrete pit made unbearable by the hellish heat and the nauseating stench of ingrained sweat and urine. Such an insufferable situation was not helped by the pounding hangover assaulting his senses. Steve sat, head in hands, eyes screwed shut, hunched dejectedly on the edge of the prison bench. He took in a long, pensive breath, oblivious to his odious surroundings. Instead the starkness of the reality in which he now found himself proved reinvigorating, dispersing the thick fog that clouded his thoughts. The spartan simplicity of the cell brought clarity and focus of thought. All Steve could think about was Amanda and how much he needed her, not just right now, but always. All the hardships and struggles had woven an indelible connection between them that could not be destroyed. It
made them stronger. It made them inseparable. Steve understood Amanda like no other could. Sometimes he knew her even better than she did herself. That was why he had played devil’s advocate and suggested that she quit competing. His intention had been to make Amanda really think about the commitment and sacrifice it took and whether it was worth it. Steve could see now that his good intentions had backfired and driven a wedge between them. If Amanda was truly adamant that she wanted to carry on competing and that being Ms World Body Builder was worth the sacrifice then he would be one hundred percent behind her. He would do whatever it took as long as they were together. The other option, life without Amanda, was just too devilish to contemplate.

  All Steve wanted to do now was get out of this cell, get back to Amanda and reassure her. He needed to reassure himself too and hopefully shake this heavy sense of foreboding that was hanging over him. It was not just the memory of the tension and harsh words that had been flung about the last time they had seen each other which was worrying Steve. He was still troubled about that last minute session Amanda had taken. Something about it just didn’t ring true and was still making Steve feel very uneasy. There was the offer to pay double the usual rate for a start. Then there was the fact that Amanda had agreed to leave the safety of her hotel room and gone God knows where. She had never done that before.

  In fact the entire evening had been one of regret and unease. Steve regretted going down to the bar and he definitely regretted letting Danni’s trainer goad him. He knew he shouldn’t have fallen for it but the guy just had this way of getting under his skin. It had all happened so quickly. One minute he was sat quietly, idly stirring his whisky, seeking solace somewhere in the bottom of that glass. The next he had Danni’s trainer pinned up against the bar. Much to Steve’s disappointment though that was as far as things had gone that night. Within a matter of seconds Steve was being dragged off by a brute of a cop. Even before Steve could get his breath, let alone get a chance to explain, he was being painfully cuffed and half frog marched, half carried into the back of a squad car. Looking back it all seemed a bit too convenient. A bit too staged: the cop just happening to be there as if on cue. Then there was the taunting look on Danni’s trainers pitted face and the thick wad of money he had been triumphantly brandishing as Steve was being hauled away. It all added up to the unnerving conclusion that he was being set up. But what Steve couldn’t figure out was why?

  Suddenly Steve felt a sense of dread well up in the pit of his stomach. The cell suddenly became claustrophobic as if an oppressive force was closing in on him. Steve looked up from the cold concrete floor to meet the concrete slab of a cop who had so viciously manhandled him last night. He looked even bigger than Steve remembered. The menacing muscle that strained the seams of his uniform to their limit looked even more brutal in the cold light of day. The redness of the scar across his cheek looked even angrier. And as he stood staring at Steve through the bars of the cell, his lip contorted into a snarling grimace, his whole body bristled with loathing and hatred. Steve was grateful that the steel bars of the cell were there to keep this animal out. Steve just knew that he had to get out of there and get away from this beast.

  “What’s happening?” asked Steve in as casual and controlled a voice as possible. “How long am I going to have to stay in here?”

  “For as long as it takes to keep you out of the way so you don’t go ruining everything,” mumbled the cop to him self as he turned to walk away.

  “Wait! What did you say?” shouted Steve after him, the tone of his voice urging the menacing mass of muscle to stop and answer him.

  “Good question.” leered the cop without breaking a stride.

  “I’ve got a right to know what is going on,” demanded Steve with greater urgency.

  The cop stopped and slowly turned, pulling himself up to his full thunderous bulk.

  “In here you’ve got no rights. I decide what is going to happen to you,” he pronounced slowly as if he had all the time in the world. For the first time Steve saw his face contort into something close to a smile that just made his scar look deeper and more menacing. The cop leaned in closer, pressing his face against the steel bars and whispered.

  “You are not going anywhere until you are judged to be sober and in here I am the judge and jury. So do yourself a favour and sit down, shut up and don’t piss me off. You wouldn’t like me when I am pissed off,” he sneered.

  Steve didn’t like this guy much now so he was pretty sure he didn’t want to see him pissed off. The cop shot Steve a knowing look as he made to walk off again leaving Steve in no doubt that he knew exactly what Steve was thinking. Steve made one more frantic effort to try and get somewhere with this megalomaniac and shouted after him.

  “Can I at least make a phone call then? I am really worried about my girlfriend.”

  Without breaking stride, the cop laughed sardonically over his shoulder.

  “You should be. You should be very worried.” As the cop turned a corner, disappearing out of sight he whistled a triumphant tune, satisfied that he had done enough to scare Steve off.

  What the hell was that supposed to mean? Steve was beginning to despair at the situation. Whatever it meant, Steve knew it wasn’t good.

  ****

  Amanda glanced over at the clock on the bedside table. Five minutes to one, which meant only eight hours until she was due to meet Alexander outside the hotel. The time just seemed to be dragging by. And just to add to the tedium of the wait, Amanda had two sessions booked in that afternoon, which she would have loved to cancel if she had been able to. Now that she had Alexander, she didn’t need the money anymore. Amanda was so excited at the thought of just being able to focus all her energy on her training and achieving her dream of becoming the greatest female body builder in the world. She just couldn’t concentrate on the sessions. Her imagination was awash with narcissistic visions of gaining the Ms World Body Builder crown and enjoying the fruits of Alexander’s wealth and power. Already her hubris was gaining the upper hand and enticing her down the slippery sinful slope of sloth and lust for money and fame, neither of which had ever tempted Amanda until now.

  There was a loud knock at the door signaling the arrival of Amanda’s first session.

  “Here goes,” sighed Amanda heavily and fixed her face with as enthusiastic a smile as she could muster.

  “Hi. Great to see you,” feigned Amanda. She was about to invite him in but he had already beat her to it and was placing his sports bag down by the desk.

  “This one is eager,” thought Amanda to herself. “Just what I need!” and mentally rolled her eyes.

  They hadn’t met before so Amanda had presumed it would be best if they chatted for a few minutes first. Hopefully if they got better acquainted it would help put him at ease but already Amanda could see that wouldn’t be an issue.

  Without waiting for an invite he was undressing, hopping and jumping out of his trousers without taking his eyes off her for a second. His amazement was written all over his face and his excited anticipation at what lay ahead was causing him to talk ten to the dozen, interspersed intermittently with bursts of high pitched nervous laughter.

  “I don’t want you to go easy on me now,” he jabbered excitedly as he fumbled with the buttons on his shirt.

  “Not that you would. I am not suggesting that,” he giggled. Each sentence was getting higher and faster. Amanda feared he would hyperventilate.

  “I just want to feel all your power. Every single fabulous muscle.” He paused, then giggled in spite of himself as he took in the enormity of the task.

  “And...and I’m not going to go down easy either. I am going to try and give you some kind of contest,” he added as if he thought that was what Amanda wanted to hear.

  “Although I can imagine I will still be too much of a push over for you. I mean how could I be any sort of a match for Amanda Hearst!”

  Amanda was stunned into silence. Was this guy for real? He was limbering up in a bright green
wrestling suit that was supposed to be skintight but could have clearly fit another person in there as well. If he had been a wrestler he could have gone by the moniker; ‘The incredibly inadequate Hulk!’ Amanda wanted to drop to her knees laughing at how ridiculous he looked but she could see that this disillusioned dweeb was deadly serious about taking her on. She really was finding it difficult to summon the enthusiasm for so pathetic a contest. It was a pity she couldn’t say the same for her so-called opponent.

  Amanda started to halfheartedly flex, hoping that a little visual stimulation would distract and possibly placate her puny adversary. She was wrong – very wrong. With each mini pulse of her biceps, each demi pec bounce he skipped faster and faster in circles around her; a real life Rumpelstiltskin whipping himself into a frenzy as he tried to spin her muscles into gold. He couldn’t resist touching but immediately withdrew as if fearful of sullying her precious bulk with his inferiority. And even though he was darting and dancing around Amanda at a frantic pace, his mind was spiraling even faster out of control, awash with incredulity at the towering tour de force that stood before him.

  “Can you curl me in your arms like a barbell?” he squealed excitedly with a quick slap of Amanda’s right bicep. The touch of all that potentially lethal power sent him reeling backwards with more force than if he had dared touch the electricity mains. It only served to further galvanise him.

  “How about lifting me overhead? Can you do that? Can you? Can you?” he begged.

  “Easily,” smiled Amanda coolly. She made a step towards him, hoping that if she lifted him it would shut him up, but his mind was racing ahead.

  “What about arm wrestling? Do you think I would even stand a chance? How long do you think I could resist you? One second? Two? How long before you bend my arm in two?”