by Dawn Steele
Jessica sank back into her chair. Although there was no investigative trail to suggest Jericho Atreides had been involved, something struck her about the contents of the article.
Emily Watson was a big, beautiful woman. She was meeting a man in connection with a dating website.
Uncanny coincidence?
A pickle of unease slid down her backbone.
Kyle was wonderful, but she hadn’t yet met his father. His father was a billionaire entrepreneur. He couldn’t have been involved in something as horrible as the disappearance of a high school girl, could he?
Her cellphone suddenly came alive.
Brrrrrrr.
It vibrated hard enough to make it almost slide off the desk. She had put it on silent mode throughout her date with Kyle. She snatched it up and noticed the display.
Kyle!
Shakily, she picked it up.
“Hello? Kyle?”
“Hi, Jessica.” His voice was warm. “I’m missing you already.”
She could sense the genuineness of his remark. Her heart fluttered and she tried to quell her misgivings about his father. He’s Kyle Smith, remember, she admonished herself. You know nothing about his real name until such time he chooses to reveal himself.
“I miss you too,” she said.
“Guess what? My Dad is hosting a dinner at his place tomorrow and he wants to meet you.”
Her heart skipped several beats. “Wh-what?”
“My Dad is inviting us both for dinner at his place tomorrow,” he said patiently. “I’ve been, uh, sort of telling him about you . . . and he really wants to meet you.” He paused, and the silence was pregnant with hope. “Will you please come?”
Meet his father? Meet Jericho Atreides, the billionaire who had been questioned about the disappearance of a girl not much younger than she was?
Now you’re being irrational, she scolded herself. Jericho Atreides had nothing to do with it. There was something bigger at stake. She was being asked to meet the parents, or in this case, his one surviving parent. This was a huge moment in their relationship, and it was all happening so fast!
“Yes, I’d love to go,” she said, hoping the anxiety wouldn’t show in her voice.
“Great.” He seemed relieved. “I have work tomorrow and you have classes. So I won’t be able to see you till dinnertime. Pick you up at half seven?”
“OK.”
Damn, damn, damn. Now what would she wear? After splurging on clothes, she had no money left. She would have to make do with whatever she had. She couldn’t even borrow clothes from Lyla – they didn’t fit her.
Damn.
“So I’ll see you. And Jessica?” He hesitated.
“Yes?”
“I had a really great time . . . and I’m not just talking about what we did in my place.”
She swallowed. “I had a really great time too.”
“So see you.”
“See you.”
As she clicked off, she didn’t realize how hard her heart was beating until she heard it thunder in her ears.
THE RIDE
“He’s taking you to meet his father and it’s only been, what, three dates?” Lyla shrieked.
Jessica quailed at the auditory onslaught. “Yes.”
“Wow, isn’t that, like, moving too fast?”
Did she detect a jealous note in Lyla’s tone or was that her imagination?
“I know,” Jessica confessed, “but it wouldn’t be polite to say no. It’s his Dad after all.”
She knew that Lyla had never been asked to meet Stuart’s parents or the parents of any boy she dated. But that was probably because Stuart’s parents lived in Ohio. Still, if you were notching up hits on your personal dating totem pole, she would be one up on Lyla. Not that she was keeping count. Not that she ever would keep count.
But still, a very tiny and hidden part of her – a part she didn’t like too much – was exultant that she had trumped Lyla at this milestone.
“Yeah, it wouldn’t be polite,” Lyla agreed. “So . . . now we have to agree on what you need to wear.”
Jessica felt better. She didn’t like to have suspicions about her best friend.
Together, they decided on a dress Jessica had bought on one of her father’s shopping binges. Her father had meant it to be for formal occasions like Jessica’s graduation. The dress was a deep blue velvet number which made Jessica look much slimmer than she was, and with just a hint of cleavage. Jessica clipped huge dripping diamante earrings on her ears. The whole effect was rather startling.
“You look good enough to eat,” Lyla said.
Again, Jessica thought she detected the envy in Lyla’s remark, but she couldn’t be sure. I’m being paranoid.
A text message beep on her phone told her that Kyle was downstairs.
“OK, I’ve got to go. Bye!”
“Bye. Have a good time.”
Yeah, Jessica thought, if I don’t keel over from a heart attack first.
*
Kyle was a little subdued on the way to his father’s house. Jessica wondered why.
“You OK?” she said hesitantly.
He smiled at her. “Yeah, I’m OK. It’s just that my Dad is . . . well, let’s just say we don’t see eye to eye all the time.”
That’s normal for most fathers and sons, Jessica thought.
“When did you move out?” she asked.
“I guessed I moved out when I went to college. I only came home for holidays, and even then, I took time off to go to Europe.”
Europe. That was only for the rich kids, she thought ruefully.
He stole a glance at her face in the twilight.
“My father’s a good person,” he said. “Don’t worry. His bark is worse than his bite.”
She realized she was bunching her skirt in her fists. Oh, now she had crinkled the material. She quickly put her hands down.
“Nice dress,” Kyle remarked.
“Thanks.”
There was an awkwardness between them today, and Jessica wondered if it was because they were going to his father’s, probably against his will. Or maybe it’s because he’s planning to dump me after this, she thought morosely.
Well, she couldn’t stop someone from dumping her. It was predetermined. If they were meant to be, they were meant to be.
If only she hadn’t fallen in love with him. She would cry buckets after he dumped her, that was for certain.
If only he would tell me what I’m doing wrong.
Her irrational thought thread and glumness continued as the Mustang wove its way to wherever Kyle’s family lived. It seemed to Jessica that they were going deeper and deeper into the woods. Who would want to live so deep inside?
Oh right, a billionaire.
They finally came to a pair of colossal pillars. The lamps on the pillars were unique, Jessica thought. They were a couple of bronzed bears holding up lighted globes. The wrought iron gates were also emblazoned with two bears. The rest of the ‘walls’ were hedges which had to be at least six feet tall. She wondered how far the walls went.
“Is that your family crest?” Jessica asked. “The bear?”
She supposed rich people had family crests, like royalty did. Or families with long lineages and the money to trace them.
“Yes.” He sounded embarrassed. “I know it makes us sound pretentious but we have European roots.”
Atreides. Even the name sounded like royalty. But he was still Kyle Smith to her for the moment.
“Kyle,” she ventured, feeling nervous. She had been wondering how to broach the subject about his name. It’s OK, she wanted to say. You can come clean to me now. I know you’re rich, and I really don’t want you for your money.
“Yes?”
The gates swung open noiselessly. The Mustang drove through them.
“Is there anything you want to . . . tell me before we go in?” There. She had said it in a roundabout way, opening the door for him to confess. She hoped she wasn’t being too presu
mptuous.
Kyle did not say anything for a moment. For a while, she was afraid she had gone too far.
Then –
He sighed.
“OK,” he said. “I didn’t want to tell you this before . . . but tonight wasn’t my idea. I didn’t want you to meet my Dad, but he wanted to meet you.”
Not what she was hoping for, but at least he had opened up. This she sensed was the truth.
“Did you tell him about me?”
“Yes. I told him I was dating this wonderful girl.” He said it like he meant it and she didn’t get the sense he was just saying it because he wanted to please her. “And he insisted on meeting you.”
“Is that normal for him?”
He hesitated. Then: “No.” He turned to her. “Jessica,” he said desperately, “I – ”
He stopped.
Her pulse was in her throat. When he didn’t say anything further, she said, “What is it, Kyle? Is there something you need to tell me?”
He pulled in his breath.
“Oh, look,” he said, “we are here.”
She looked. The sight of the mansion took her breath away. But it wasn’t a ‘gawd, that’s beautiful’ sort of reaction. The house was more ‘in your face, horror style Gothic’ than anything.
“My great-great-grandfather built this place,” Kyle said softly. “I know. I don’t like it much myself.”
“Kyle, you were going to say something to me. What is it?”
He parked his Mustang in an empty slot. She could see money everywhere she looked because the parking lot was filled with luxury cars.
He pulled up the handbrake.
“Jessica?” He turned to her. In the diminishing light, she could see that his eyes were sincere and filled with pain. “I do have something to say. I . . . I’m very fond of you. And that surprises me too, because we haven’t known each other for that long.”
A choke welled up her throat.
“I just wanted you to know that, OK?” he said hurriedly.
“OK. I’m very fond of you too, Kyle.”
He smiled, somewhat relieved.
“Let’s go meet my Dad.”
DINNER
Jessica was suitably impressed by the Enclave, Kyle reckoned. Very few people weren’t. Then again, not many people were ever invited into this inner sanctum of the Atreides clan. Jericho Atreides preferred to conduct his business at the prestigious country club of which he had been a member of the board for over fifteen years.
The Enclave was home, a place where secrets abounded and family members sought sanctuary. Jessica or anyone who wasn’t an Atreides couldn’t see or sense it, but the property and its surrounding woods were guarded by defensive magick. You couldn’t just walk into the grounds and not be repelled by some strange unease and a compulsion to turn back.
Of course, when you were invited to the Enclave, it either meant that you were very special . . . or you weren’t expected to live long enough to divulge its secrets.
The guilt was eating him up like a termite gnawing at wood.
Jessica, run, now! he wanted to scream.
And yet, he mustn’t . . . shouldn’t care. She was human. The clan members weren’t supposed to care about humans. They didn’t intermarry. They didn’t see humans as anything but a convenient tool to further their economic and lustful means.
“It’s fabulous,” Jessica said in an awestruck tone.
His heart sank.
I love her.
How can you be in love with her? You barely know her!
Yes, the voice of his conscience was right. Human infatuation was always overwhelming to the young and uninitiated. The Elders did warn them of that. Just because you love being with her doesn’t mean you love her.
He forced a cheer in his voice that he did not feel. “It always reminds me of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland.”
“I’ve never been to Disneyland,” she said.
He was on the verge of saying, “I’ll bring you there someday”, but it wasn’t true, and so he bit back his response.
They went in. The front door wasn’t locked anyway. Jessica was floored by the busts of animals. Kyle reckoned it beat having heads of tigers and lions, all enemies of their clan, mounted on the walls like spoils of the hunt.
To his surprise, his father himself strode out to greet them.
“Welcome,” Jericho said in a warm voice, holding out his hand.
Kyle could tell Jessica was floored again, and to his chagrin, he felt a little jealous. His father was a very handsome and impressive man.
Jessica shyly took Jericho’s hand. Jericho pumped hers up and down. Jessica was looking particularly striking tonight, like a voluptuous Rubens painting. Kyle could sense his father’s approval. There was also an underlying patina of unmistakable lust that a mere human would not be able to catch. A hard lump came into Kyle’s throat as he thought of his father’s lithe body entwined with Jessica’s.
He cleared his throat. “Dad, this is Jessica. Jessica, this is my Dad, Jericho Smith.”
“You’re a beautiful young woman.” Jericho never took his eyes off Jessica, who was blushing. “For once, my son was right. He couldn’t stop talking about you and I can now see why.”
Cut the charm, Dad. It doesn’t become you.
“Thank you, Mr. Smith.”
Jericho held his arm out for Jessica. “Shall we go to dinner?”
If it were any other occasion and Jericho was any other normal father, Kyle would have rolled his eyes. But the underlying menace was omnipresent. He wasn’t even hungry. He hadn’t been hungry all day.
The dining room was just was impressive as the hall. A chandelier that cost over two hundred thousand dollars graced the high ceiling and the long table was an antique. China plates from all over the world – a collector’s treasure trove – adorned the rustic walls.
Caleb was already seated at the dinner table. If Kyle had thought Jessica would be surprised to see the family resemblance, she wasn’t.
Jericho said, “Jessica, this is my other son, Caleb.”
Caleb stood up and flashed Jessica a wolfish smile. He took her hand and drawled, “So you’re the one.”
Kyle tensed.
Come on, don’t make me hit you.
“Hi,” Jessica said shyly.
“You’re prettier than my brother made you out to be. In fact, he mentioned you were rather fat.”
Jessica gasped. Kyle was stunned.
Jericho said dangerously, “Caleb, if you’re going to be rude, I’ll banish you from the table.”
“Sorry.” Caleb mock held his hands up.
Kyle stepped up with his fist clenched. He knew his brother was trying to needle him, to provoke a reaction out of him. And he would get one.
“Say that again,” he growled.
“Kyle!” his father’s voice was a whip. “Sit down, both of you. Jessica, I’m sorry you had to witness this childish display.”
“Jessica, I never called you fat,” Kyle said urgently.
She gave his hand a little squeeze.
“I believe you,” she whispered.
They all sat down. Jericho was at the head of the table. He seated Kyle on his right and Jessica next to his son. Caleb took his customary seat on Jericho’s left. The two brothers glared balefully at each other.
Dinner was served by two maidservants in livery. The workers in this Gothic mansion were all sworn to secrecy as to what really happened here, Kyle knew. The soup course was first, and it was a broccoli and asparagus crème. The food here, prepared by Mrs. Ladou, a Creole import who looked after the boys after they lost their mother, was always good. But Kyle’s stomach felt like leather. He stared at the soup, pushed his spoon around and forced himself to take a sip.
“Not hungry, brother?” Caleb said pointedly. He had finished his.
“I had a late lunch.”
“Maybe I could get you some honey for that soup,” Caleb said with an evil smile.
Kyle g
lared at his brother.
“So tell me about college, Jessica,” Jericho said.
Throughout the next course, which Kyle didn’t eat much of either, Jericho asked Jessica all sorts of questions. He regaled her with tales of his boyhood, which was always extremely interesting to someone who hadn’t heard the stories a hundred times. The main course was a turkey leg basted in Cajun spices and garnished with wild rice.
All throughout the courses, Jericho kept plying Jessica with wine. Kyle kept sharp note of Jessica’s goblet. It was a very fine goblet and it was pure silver. It was also indistinguishable from the other silver goblets on the table, but Kyle knew that Jessica’s contained a hidden compartment at the base which slowly released a concoction when mixed with wine.
Jessica . . . I’m so sorry. But still, he sat there with his heart wincing every time she took a sip from her goblet, and he didn’t do anything to stop her.
Caleb seemed to be having a very good appetite. He joined in the conversation now and then, peppering it with remarks bordering on the edge of sarcasm:
“Oh really? So my brother met you on a website? Figures. He never did have much luck the normal way.”
“Did I tell you about my brother’s last girlfriend? She was a total dog. Not half the class act you are, and certainly half the woman you are.”
“My brother always did have a healthy appetite but I guess he’s having the stomach flu tonight. I’d brace myself for a night of the runs, if I were him.”
“My brother always found it difficult to man up when the occasion needs it. So I always told him to grin and bear it.”
When dessert – a peppermint custard – was finished, Kyle heaved a silent sigh of relief. But now he had to prepare for what would happen next.
It was going to be ugly.
THE TEST
Just Kyle knew she would, Jessica began to nod sometime after they exited the dining room, en route to the family living room for some coffee and cookies. In fifteen minutes, he was ready to catch her when she swooned from the effects of the drug in her goblet.
