Cursed Presence

by J. M. LeDuc

  Joan squeezed Maddie’s hand tighter.

  “I think it’s important for you to know everything about my past…”

  “Maddie, it’s okay. You don’t have to say another word, I under…”

  “Hush, before I lose my composure. It’s important that you know and that you hear it from me. So, please, let me tell you everything. Okay?”

  Joan slowly nodded, a look of sadness in her eyes.

  Maddie took a deep breath to help keep her composure. “I ran away from home when I was sixteen. I burned down our trailer while my father was passed out inside and headed for my aunt’s house. She was my mother’s only sister and she was really kind to me. The police investigated the fire and concluded that my father must have fallen asleep with a lit cigarette in his hand, and that’s how the place burned down. I’m not certain, but I think they knew the truth. They knew what my father was like. Maybe that was the sheriff’s way of making up for looking the other way.

  “After the fire, I made a commitment to myself that I would never be like either of my parents. I worked hard, graduated from high school and then college. I received my master’s degree in biochemistry. I thought my past was behind me. But I was wrong.”

  Maddie instinctively went to bite her manicured finger nails. A habit she’d stopped thirty years ago. As she was about to bite down, she stopped herself and made a fist. “Within weeks after I started a new job, my boss or co-workers would hit on me. All they noticed was my curves. I’d shun their advances, sometimes diplomatically, sometimes not. After that, they’d terminate me. My father’s words rang in my head.

  You’re nothing but a whore, just like your mother. It didn’t take long before I believed them.”

  Maddie let go of Joan’s hand and stood up. She wrapped her arms around her torso in an effort to comfort herself. She knew her next words could irrevocably ruin her relationship with Joan, but she knew that if she wanted Joan to be open with her, she had to be just as open.

  She felt naked and exposed as the words seemed to get stuck somewhere between her brain and her mouth. “I—I decided if that’s what men want, why not make them pay for it? I changed my name, moved to Atlanta and became a call-girl.”

  Maddie looked away from Joan.

  “Maddie, you don’t have to continue. It doesn’t matter.”

  Maddie wiped tears from her eyes. “It does matter. I want to…I need to continue. It was during my time in Atlanta that I met Joseph Conklin. He helped me leave that life, once and for all, and gain self-respect. But it wasn’t until I’d met Brent that I learned to fully respect myself, not only as a human being but as a woman.”

  Joan nodded, matching Maddie tear for tear. “I know what you mean. I never thought I’d be able to look at myself in the mirror without seeing the shame of who I was and what I did. Somehow, being near Brent, seeing the way he treated me and everyone else, changed the way I felt about myself.”

  Joan wiped her tears with the towel. “Maddie, can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “What did you see in Brent that made him different when you first met him?”

  Maddie emitted a subconscious laugh as she pondered Joan’s question.

  A smile began to appear on Joan’s face. “What’s so funny?”

  “I was thinking about the first time I met Brent, and God—how embarrassing that was.”

  Joan padded the bed. “Now it’s your turn to have a seat. Tell me what happened.”

  Maddie slowly sat, shaking her head no. “Tell me,” Joan said.

  “Oh, no.”

  “Oh, yes. Come on. I promise I won’t tell a soul.”

  Maddie bit her lower lip. “You better not.”

  “I do. I mean, I won’t. You know what I mean. Now tell me.”

  Maddie told Joan how she had no idea who Brent was when she first met him. She thought he was a geeky librarian. She recounted how she’d tried to be flirtatious to get what information she wanted out of him, and how, when that didn’t work, she threatened him. “In order to get my point across, I grabbed him in the crotch and squeezed…hard.”

  Joan’s face registered shock. She punched Maddie’s arm. “You didn’t?”

  Maddie looked at Joan. Her face crimson with embarrassment. Slowly she nodded.

  Joan threw herself onto the bed and fell into a fit of laughter. Her reaction helped Maddie drop her guard. Before long, the two were laughing so hard they didn’t notice the bedroom door open. After a minute, they looked up and saw Chloe staring at them.

  “What’s so funny?” she said.

  “Oh, Maddie, we have to tell her,” Joan said in between laughter.

  “NO—I mean, no,” Maddie answered through clenched teeth. “You promised, remember?”

  “I know, but this is too good. Trust me, she won’t get mad, she’ll think it’s a riot.”

  “Please tell me,” Chloe said.

  “Promise you won’t get mad?” Maddie said.

  “She won’t,” Joan said. “Just tell her.”

  Maddie repeated the story. When she finished, Joan threw herself on the bed again, laughing uncontrollably. Maddie held her breath and waited for Chloe’s response.

  “Are you serious?” she said. “You really grabbed him there?”

  “Hard,” yelled Joan in the middle of a belly laugh.

  A snicker escaped Chloe’s lips, followed by an open-mouthed, explosion of laughter. All three women laughed uncontrollably as each tried to visualize Brent in the scene just described.

  Brent was awake in the next room. Through the wall, he heard the three women in his life laugh uproariously. He didn’t know what they were laughing about, but he sensed he was the subject of their amusement. It was his idea for Maddie to talk to Joan. Oh, God, he thought, what have I done?

  It was almost 2:00 a.m. when Chloe returned. She climbed into bed, snuggled close to Brent and instantly fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

  By the time Joan shut off the lights, it was 2:30. “Sorry I called you ‘mom’ earlier,” Joan muttered. “That was mean.”

  “Truth is, sweetie, I would be proud to have you as my daughter. I already love you as if you were.”

  Joan reached across the mattress, squeezed Maddie’s hand and whispered, “I love you, too, mom.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Chloe woke to a room filled with sunlight seeping through the window shade. She reached across the bed, expecting to feel Brent, instead, found a handful of mattress. She opened her eyes and glanced around the room. He was sitting in an Elizabethan-styled chair facing the window, unaware she had awakened or that she’d been watching him. He sat in his boxer shorts, one leg thrown over the chair arm, watching the sun-rise over the Pointe.

  Watching him, she realized that it had been his good looks that first attracted her. Thinking to herself, she understood why Maddie tried to seduce him, even under false pretenses.

  Brent’s muscular shoulders accentuated taut stomach muscles and a narrow waist. His dark brown eyes had an intrinsic quality that was difficult for her to describe.

  Looking into them, one knew they could completely trust him. As she watched him, arousal stirred inside her. His Italian facial features gave him a slight resemblance to Da Vinci’s David.

  His physique was lean and muscular, although Brent usually camouflaged his muscles beneath a pair of jeans and button-down cotton shirt. Even casually dressed, he took her breath away.

  “Hey, you, good morning.”

  He turned to see her sitting on the edge of the bed. “Hey, babe, good morning to you, too.”

  Chloe saw turmoil in his eyes.

  “How long have you been up?” she said.

  “About half an hour after the pajama party broke up. What was that all about?”

  The corner of Chloe’s mouth rose in a mischievou
s angle. “Let’s just say, mission accomplished. Maddie bonded with Joan, just as you wanted.”

  “Why do I suddenly feel it wasn’t such a good idea?”

  Chloe walked over to Brent. Her silk nightgown slid up on her thighs as she sat on his lap. “Actually, I think it was probably one of your better ideas.” She broke into a wide grin before kissing him lightly on the lips. “But the glue that binds them together may be a bit stickier than you thought.”

  She giggled.

  Brent shook his head. “Oh, God, what have I done? Would you care to elaborate, or should I plan to duck and cover whenever they’re together?”

  Still turned on by Brent’s lack of attire, Chloe slid her hand up his thigh and lightly touched him. “They—no, that’s not exactly true—we were reminiscing about the first time you met Maddie Smith.”

  Brent’s face went blank and Chloe laughed out loud. He suddenly recalled the events of that meeting and all color drained from his face. He dropped his head back against the chair. “I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?”

  “Now that Joanie and I both know about it, what do you think?”

  “I think I’m in for a long, long life.”

  “Hope so,” she said. She leaned in and pressed her mouth against his. “What do you say we recreate that meeting, only give it a different ending?”

  “Mrs. Venturi, I like the way you think.”

  Brent kissed her back, and with one fluid motion, he stood, lifting her in his arms. Still kissing her, he walked over to the bed and tossed her on top. Their eyes met while he drank in her beauty. Long, brunette hair framed her face and shoulders. One of the spaghetti straps slipped from her shoulder, exposing the top of her firm, white breast. Brent lowered himself.

  Braced by his arms he hovered over her, and whispered, “I’d rather re-create our reconciliation.”

  They melted into a passionate embrace.

  Later, while they basked in the afterglow, they stared at the ceiling fan spinning overhead. When they were able to muster up the strength to move, they turned in a near-synchronized motion, on their sides, facing one another.

  Chloe wiped a long strand of wavy hair from Brent’s eyes. “You’ve been holding out on me, Colonel Venturi. When did you learn to do that?”

  “Do what?” he said, wearing nothing but a sly grin.

  Chloe punched his arm. “That…that thing you did.”

  “Oh, that,” he replied nonchalantly. “Old Delta Force interrogation technique.”

  “Delta Force, huh? Well, sign me up.”

  “I’m pretty sure you just enlisted.”

  Chloe laughed. “I think you’re right, Colonel, I think you’re right.”

  She ran her hand down the nape of his neck. Her fingers traced scars etched into his body. Her expression changed. “So many scars, so much pain. It’s not right.”

  Brent leaned forward and kissed her deep on the mouth. “Your love made all the pain go away. Now,” he said, slightly louder, playfully slapping her on the bottom, “we need to shower and go down to breakfast or Lucille will have our hides.”

  “You first. I don’t think I can move yet,” Chloe said.

  Brent stood next to the bed, stretching his arms over his head. His shoulders popped.

  Chloe watched him walk to the bathroom. She flexed her feet and let the soft breeze of the ceiling fan caress her body.

  “Thank you, God. Thank you for Brent,” she whispered.

  CHAPTER 15

  At 8:25 a.m. the redeye from Vegas landed at Dulles International Airport, not far from Washington, D.C. Jonas, in full disguise, was one of the first passengers to depart the aircraft. His new friend, Millie, had a prescription for sleeping pills and he helped himself to the bottle, figuring she would no longer have any trouble sleeping.

  He noticed FBI agents patrolling the concourse. Do they really think they blend in? Even when they try to dress like normal people, they stand out like a sore thumb. They’re as conspicuous as the agents in Vegas.

  On the way to the baggage area, he decided to have a little fun. He walked towards a female agent and pretended to trip in front of her. To help break the deliberate fall, he grabbed her blouse. She tumbled to the ground just as her scream alerted other agents.

  The two lay sprawled on the carpet. Jonas rolled off of her, apologizing over and over. One of the agents who arrived helped him to his feet. Another agent helped the female officer to hers. Just as she was about to verbally unload on Jonas, she noted the other agents’ stares. She looked down and saw that her blouse was torn open, leaving her partially exposed. Quickly, she covered herself and tried to keep her composure.

  When the agents were sure that Jonas and the female agent were unhurt, they left for their posts.

  The incident accomplished several things for Jonas. First, it assured him he was unrecognizable in his disguise. Second, it thrilled him to humiliate the female agent. Third and most important, it made him thirsty for revenge. Now, more than ever before, he wanted to get his hands on Charlotte Dupree.

  You fool, The Dark One bellowed in his head. One more selfish act and I will kill you where you stand. Do you understand?

  Jonas, pumped from his tiny triumph, refused to answer. He walked with an air of confidence until he felt something squeeze his throat. His airway compressed, he was no longer able to breathe.

  “Eh, eh,” he brought his hands up to his neck, displaying the universal sign of choking. A passerby grabbed Jonas from behind and began the Heimlich maneuver.

  “He’s turning blue. Call 911!” the man cried out.

  In a garbled voice, Jonas mumbled, “Master, I understand. Please forgive me.”

  No one nearby understood what he had said. The Dark One released his chokehold, allowing Jonas to breathe once again.

  As the oxygen reached his brain, Jonas heard people around him cheer the gentleman they assumed saved his life. Jonas remained in character, thanked his hero and slowly retreated as soon as the onlookers were on their way.

  Feeling vulnerable, Jonas gathered his luggage and darted from the airport. Unlike moments before, he was now convinced that his disguise was flawed and afraid that he would be discovered at any second.

  A bit vulnerable right now, are you? The Dark One asked.

  “Yes, my lord,” Jonas whispered.

  Good, The Dark One grunted. And that’s the way you will stay until your time has come.

  “I thought you said it had come, father.”

  Your time is just beginning, my son. It will be full at hand when the Enlightened One makes his presence known. Until then, you will continue to instill fear in men by feeding on the weak.

  If the Enlightened One does not reveal himself soon, The Dark One said. I will let you and my other disciples prey on younger victims.

  Although The Dark One did not see the reason, mankind found the torture and killing of younger people, especially girls, to be more despicable and depraved than someone who’d reached an arbitrary older age. To him a soul was merely a soul, without regard to age.

  No matter how reluctant the Enlightened One might be, killing the young and innocent will bring him into the light.

  CHAPTER 16

  Brent and Chloe were last to arrive for breakfast. All eyes turned in their direction as they entered. The afterglow of their embrace had a discernible aura.

  “Sorry we’re late,” Brent said.

  “Yeah, sorry,” Chloe said. “Time kinda got away from us.”

  “Wish my time got away from me like that,” Joan muttered.

  Her comment unleashed a few laughs that soon spread throughout the room. The couple was embarrassed. Lucille broke the awkward moment by announcing that breakfast was ready, buffet-style.

  Not to be outdone by the others, Lucille said, “If you two don’t have enough energy, I’
ll be happy to serve you.”

  The room was silent. Everyone glanced at one another. Slowly everyone, including Brent and Chloe, erupted in laughter.

  An hour later, after they feasted on Lucille’s famous blueberry biscuits and gravy, Brent called the meeting to order.

  “Has anyone had an opportunity to study the doctor’s notes yet?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “Hey, it didn’t hurt to ask. Any questions before we break?”

  “Can I tap into the squad’s databank to find a translation to Jonas’ language?”

  Chloe asked.

  “Whatever you need.”

  “How about the Pentagon’s?”

  “Done,” Maddie said. “Not only can you tap into the Pentagon’s database, you can use foreign intelligence, including Russia, China and North Korea.”

  “How did you manage that?” Brent said “The U.S. government isn’t exactly on the best of terms with any of them.”

  “Well,” she said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I took some liberties and contacted the Knights of the Endowment who are high up in their respective governments. I told them I was asking as a personal favor on behalf of the Ambassador. I assured them we would restrict our search to the subject at hand. I hope you don’t mind my using your position as leverage.”

  “Of course not, that was a nice bit of maneuvering to get the resources we need.

  What’s the password Chloe should use to get into those databases?”

  “Butcher,” Maddie answered. Shaking her head, she added, “To be honest, I don’t know if I will ever get used to how much power you wield as the Ambassador.”

  “Maddie, I hope you and everyone else never have to find out just how far-reaching the Endowment’s outer circle really is. Any other questions?”

  “How are we to move around town?”

  Brent looked first at Seven, then at every person seated around the table. “Until further notice, we’ll travel by tunnel whenever possible. Jefferson and Fitzpatrick, take the rest of the morning and help your families get situated. Lucille, Joan will help you gather your belongings.”