The Devil's Advocate: Devil's Playground Duet #2

by Ashley Jade

  She nods. “I did. Unfortunately, the state we lived in had restrictive adoption laws. I could only reverse consent for the first three days and I had already missed that window. My only other option was to take her to court, but in order to do that, I’d have to find her and come up with the money to hire a lawyer. I had no job, no money, and no help. So I gave up.”

  Damn. That seriously sucks. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too. But, it forced me to take a good look at my life and I made changes. I finished my degree, became a teacher, fell in love.” She looks down. “Imagine my surprise when I moved to Black Hallows last year and saw a gorgeous little blonde girl with bright blue eyes in the parking lot of a grocery store next to my cousin Karen. Did I mention I named her Eden? After the garden in the Bible? It was perfection on earth...and so was she.”

  “Are you gonna try to get her back?”

  She shakes her head. “I went home and told my husband. He didn’t know about her, but I wanted her back so badly, it didn’t matter. I wanted to fight for her. I figured he’d understand, and maybe even be happy since we were talking about having children.” She swallows hard. “But that was the first time he ever…” She trails off, but she doesn't have to finish that sentence.

  I already know where the road ahead leads.

  His fists.

  “Let’s just say he made it clear that trying to get her back was not an option…” She averts her gaze. “Things went downhill at home. I mean, it’s not like they were great before, but it got bad. I stalked Karen for a bit after I knew where to find her, but Eden looked happy. She was smiling and gorgeous and well taken care of. I couldn’t...”

  “You don’t want to bring her into this.”

  “I’d rather die than see my daughter be abused.” She snorts. “And with the way his temper’s been escalating, hell I just might.”

  “I can take care of him.”

  I’ve offered once before, but she declined.

  She cups my cheek. “You’re sweet. But it’s my mess. I’d never forgive myself for getting you involved and possibly ruining your life.”

  She gets off the bed and starts getting dressed. The bruises on her body make my blood boil.

  But it isn’t my life, it’s hers. I have to respect her decisions.

  “One day I’ll leave him.” There’s a hint of determination in her eyes. “I’ve been trying to store some cash away, little by little whenever I can.”

  “I can give you money.”

  “No, honey. I appreciate it, but you’re still a kid. I won’t let you get involved in this.”

  Her life. Her choice. I remind myself.

  “Offer stands whenever you want it.”

  “I know.” She grabs her purse. “I have to get home to make him dinner.”

  I hope she puts arsenic in it.

  I nod. “See you at school tomorrow.”

  She fidgets, which is odd since she’s usually in a rush to get back home to her piece of shit husband.

  “Promise you won’t laugh?”

  “No.”

  She rolls her eyes before her expression turns solemn and she holds up her right hand. “See this ring?”

  Jewelry isn’t really my thing, but it’s nice. “Let me guess, it’s an I’m sorry I beat you last night gift from your prince charming.”

  I’m being a dick. I promised I wouldn’t judge her and yet here I am.

  It just pisses me the fuck off that she won’t accept my help. I know to her I’m just a teenager, but I’m more mature than half the adults my age and have the means to make her life better.

  Hell, I could probably teach her a thing or two. Make her stronger.

  She closes her eyes. “I’m gonna go.”

  “Wait,” I say when she starts to turn around. She has no one to listen to her. I know this because she once confessed that her husband made her kick all her friends to the curb. The only reason we’re able to hang out is because he’s under the impression she stays after class to tutor students. “Tell me about the ring.”

  Her face lights up. “Eden was born in October.” She comes closer and points to the large center stone. “That’s opal. It’s her birthstone. Tradition says you’re not supposed to wear it if you aren’t born in October, but I wear it for her because it’s supposed to bring her luck. Some even say it wards off evil spirits.” She swallows and points to the circle of tiny stones around it resembling a halo. “And these are diamonds.”

  “Is that your birthstone?”

  “No.”

  “Oh—”

  “But diamonds don’t break.” Her gaze sharpens. “They’re strong and resilient. Just like I want her to be.” Her voice cracks. “Even though I’m not.” She sucks in a breath. “I will be one day, though.”

  “I know.”

  I believe it.

  She kisses my forehead. “Thank you for being you, Damien.”

  “Hey, Kristy,” I call out when she opens the door.

  “Yeah?”

  “For what it’s worth, you would have...will be...a good mom. I hope you and your daughter get to talk one day.”

  She gives me the brightest, most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. “Me too.”

  It’s a smile I’ve never forgotten.

  Chapter 41

  Damien

  “So, my mom… Karen, was Kristy’s—my biological mother’s—cousin?”

  Her eyes search my face, looking for a kernel of something tangible to untie all the knots she’s in.

  Eden wants answers, and she’s entitled to them. Unfortunately, I only have the bare minimum…because the pieces of the puzzle were stolen by a psychopath.

  And he’s the only one who can put it back together for her…which is the sole reason he’s still breathing.

  “Yeah. That’s what Kristy said.” I already told her everything I know. I wish I had more to tell her. Something to make this a little easier to process.

  She sits back down in the chair and draws in a few deep breaths. Her anxiety must be at an all-time high right now. Her universe has just been permanently altered.

  And yet, she’s staying strong…when she has every reason to break.

  I’d be proud of her…but I no longer have that right. Not after Cain’s confirmation.

  There was a small glimmer of hope when Eden told me she believed Kristy’s husband still would have killed her despite what I did. As fucked up as it is, I was hoping she was right…but that ship has sailed.

  Because nothing will ever take away from the fact that I introduced Cain to Mrs. Miller. I was the one who presented the forbidden fruit on a platter and told him to take a bite.

  I told him how satisfying it was.

  And then I protected him when he swallowed it whole.

  It’s easy to absolve someone for having a hand in the death of a woman you’ve never met. It’s a different ballgame entirely when that woman is your own mother…and a mother’s love is all you’ve ever wanted.

  There’s no forgiveness for me, and I’d never expect it or manipulate her into giving me any.

  I’ve earned my throne in Hell, and I will gladly burn in the flames...I just want to make sure Cain’s roasting in them first.

  “How long have you known?”

  I assume Eden’s question is directed at me because she hasn’t looked at Cain since I told her the truth.

  “I was seventeen when she told me—”

  “No.” She glares at Cain. “How long have you known I was her daughter?”

  He doesn’t answer. Bad fucking move.

  When I start pushing him forward, he shouts, “Wait. I’m going to tell her the truth, goddammit.”

  “You better,” I seethe. “Or I’ll make sure your death is even more brutal than the one you deserve.”

  He inhales sharply. “I’ve known about you the whole time.”

  “The whole time,” she repeats, her tone flat. Void of any emotion. “Okay, well, I already know you don’t feel bad—so I gu
ess that just leaves me with one more question.”

  “I do feel bad, E—”

  “Piranha,” I hiss in his ear. “Just give her facts, not another load of your bullshit. Fuck knows she’s had more than enough of it already.”

  “Why did you marry Karen?” Her lips purse. “If you knew she adopted me and was Kristy’s cousin…” Her eyes widen. “That’s why you killed her, isn’t it? Because she found out you murd—”

  “No,” Cain says sharply. “Karen already knew what I did. She was working as one of the assistant prosecutors for the district attorney when Kristy was in jail.” He shakes his head. “Hold on, let me start from the beginning. When I set Mrs. Miller up for the murders, I hired a private investigator to do a little research and dig up some dirt on her. He didn’t find a whole lot…except that she’d given birth at a hospital in Florida. I found it odd, given she didn’t have any children, so I had him dig a little deeper. He found out she gave her daughter up for adoption, and the adoptive mother’s name was Karen Williams. Her cousin.”

  He shrugs. “I didn’t think anything of it until I received a list of employees from the prosecutor’s office and saw Karen’s name.” His jaw tics. “I got scared, I figured her working for the prosecutor meant she had enough pull to throw the case for her cousin. I decided to approach her in a parking lot one night when she was working late and ask her point blank if she knew Kristy. When she refused to answer, I threatened to turn her in for working on a case with an obvious conflict of interest.”

  A smile stretches across his lips. “She called me a punk kid and said she would report me if I didn’t leave her alone. Then I asked her how her daughter would feel if she knew her mommy was helping to put her real mommy in jail.” He rolls his eyes. “We went tit for tat for a while until she finally admitted she wanted Kristy gone for good. She’d only recently found out Kristy lived in Black Hallows and didn’t want her making any waves. She had plans to become District Attorney in the next ten years. Last thing she needed was a family member dragging her to court, claiming she was a baby stealer.”

  Eden’s brows knit together. “I guess after that, you two started dating secret—”

  Cain chuckles. “We never dated. Never even so much as kissed apart from the wedding day. We both liked pussy. In fact, it was the only thing we ever agreed on.”

  She worries her lower lip between her teeth. “Then why did you two get married?”

  “Because she did me a favor, one I promised to repay one day. And I did, years later when she ran for district attorney.”

  “What kind of favor?”

  Dread punches my gut. Favors for Cain are never the good kind.

  Cain falters. “Damien? A word please.”

  “Sure, step into my office. Oh, look. We’re already here, shitbag.”

  “Listen, I don’t think telling Eden this part will help matters,” he whispers harshly. “In fact, I’m positive it will only make things worse.”

  For him or Eden?

  “Don’t you dare,” Eden says, slamming her hand on the desk. “Don’t either of you treat me like I’m a child. Not when you—” She points to Cain. “Killed my family. And you—” She points to me. “Lied to the police to protect him, and then kept the truth about my birth mother from me.” Her nostrils flare. “Tell me what happened, Cain. All of it. It’s the least you can fucking do, you murderous, manipulating, piece of shit.”

  I jut my chin toward Eden. “You heard her. Start talking.”

  His expression hardens. “Perhaps I should take my chances with the piranha.”

  “Fine by me—”

  “No,” Eden yells. “Tell me the truth.” Desperation shades her eyes. “Please, Cain.”

  Frustration skitters up my back. Even now he’s somehow found a way to control her.

  Give him an inch, and he’ll wrap a mile’s worth of vile around your throat.

  “Of course, sweetheart. Whatever you need.” The groove in his forehead deepens. “I asked Karen to talk to Kristy’s husband.” He looks sheepish. “I wanted her to persuade him to bail Kristy out of jail. I had her tell him that if he did, I’d write him a check to cover the bail, plus another forty-thousand after I received my father’s life insurance policy. It was no surprise he agreed. After he found out his wife was cheating on him with not one, but two teenage boys, his ego was bruised. He wanted her gone more than I did. He thought I was doing him a favor.”

  The muscles in my chest tighten when Eden makes a painful sound deep in her throat. “And so her abusive husband became your perfect fall guy.”

  Cain nods. “Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but I killed him, too.”

  Considering Kristy was beaten to death, and all her scumbag husband got was a shotgun to the head, I’d say he got off way easier.

  “Before or after you killed her?”

  I’m not sure what difference the order makes, but Eden lurches up from her chair. “Did you kill him before or after you killed her, Cain?”

  Then I realize. She wants to know if Kristy got to witness his murder before she died. If Cain granted her a moment of peace before he took her life.

  “Before,” he whispers. “I figured it was the least I could do.”

  “Why’d you have to kill her?” Her face contorts in agony and for a moment I think she’s going to cry, but she keeps it together. “You could have let her go to jail. You didn’t have to—”

  “I couldn’t take that risk.” He releases a long sigh. “I had no idea I’d end up falling in love with you, Eden. I suppose it’s my karma.”

  No, his karma’s going to be hand delivered by me.

  Eden laughs…so hard she shakes. “God, I don’t even know what to say to that.” She looks at me then. “What’s next? You gonna tell me you helped him bury the bodies? What other secrets are you hiding from me, Damien?”

  “None.” I hold her gaze. “I wasn’t sure Cain killed Kristy until now, I only suspected. I couldn’t prove it.”

  “But you obviously knew Kristy was my mother.”

  “I did, but to be honest, I didn’t start putting the pieces together until Cain married a lawyer named Karen from Black Hallows. That’s when it mattered to me.”

  I’m not some white knight. Far from it. At the end of the day, I’m just as selfish and manipulative as Cain. Only difference is, I don’t deny or hide it.

  Pressing my knee to Cain’s back so he stays put, I light another cigarette. “After the guilt started settling in, I tried to look for you on social media, but you didn’t have any accounts. I hired someone to check the local high school for me and found out you were no longer enrolled.”

  The tightness in my chest is back again. “I couldn’t find you, Eden.” I take a long pull off my cigarette, let it burn my lungs. “I stalked Karen for a bit, even sent her some anonymous notes warning her about Cain. I thought she wasn’t getting them until she went on a business trip and I watched her rip one to shreds with my own eyes. She was getting them all right, she just didn’t give a fuck. Now, I know it’s because she was corrupt, too.”

  I swallow my rage. “After Karen died suddenly, I started to get worried. I figured if he hadn’t killed you yet, you were next on his chopping block. I knew Cain wanted to run for mayor, and the last time he had a big goal.” I glare at him. “He went on a murdering spree.”

  I stub out my cigarette. “By then, I had found an email address for you, not that it mattered at that point. You were still a minor and Cain was your guardian. I had no choice but to wait until your eighteenth birthday so I’d be in the clear.” I gesture to my computer. “I had to be meticulous though. If I struck too soon, you might slip up and tell Cain about me. If I waited too long, I could lose my window, and I needed to know everything about you before I made physical contact.”

  My breath catches, just like it did the first time I saw her. “I ended up getting a copy of the local paper when you did your first interview. They put your picture in it. You’re
not identical, but you do look like Kristy…so much so I’m certain it was a big part of Cain’s sick fascination with you.”

  “Pot meet kettle,” Cain grits through his teeth.

  I cast him a dirty look. “Anyway, a few weeks before your birthday, I contacted you on the Temptation app. You fell for the bait. I was positive you were messing around with Cain after our first conversation, but I also needed to find out other things about you.” I slap Cain’s shoulder. “So, I hired Katrina’s stepdaughter, who wrote for the gossip column, to conduct another interview and report back to me. The rest as they say…is history.”

  “When did you contact my therapist?”

  “After you mentioned him on the temptation app. Contacting him led to me finding out everything else about your past.”

  Her forehead wrinkles. “I gu—”

  My phone rings, cutting her off. I’m planning to ignore it, but my office phone rings next. Geoffrey doesn’t call both phones unless it’s an emergency.

  I answer my cell when it rings again. “This better be import—”

  “Something’s wrong with the governor. He collapsed on the dance floor. I’ve already called an ambulance, but I think you need to get up here now,” Geoffrey says out of breath before he hangs up.

  Shit. “I have to go.”

  Cain perks up. “Leaving so soon?”

  I pull out a stretchy band from my pocket. “Get on the floor.”

  “Absolutely not—”

  I kick him in the nuts. “I don’t have time for your shit. There’s an emergency upstairs.”

  “What kind of emergency?” Eden asks as I maneuver Cain to the floor and hogtie his ankles to his cuffs.

  “The governor collapsed.” I walk over to the couch and get some more rope before fastening Cain to the base of the fish tank. If he squirms too much, he’ll have a few hundred gallons of water and a piranha to deal with. “An ambulance is on the way now.”

  “Shit,” Cain mutters. “This is gonna fuck up the election.”

  I survey him, wondering how someone with an IQ of a hundred eighteen fails to realize what’s blatantly obvious.