by Sarah Noffke
“Actually, I have great news,” Aiden says, a dumb glint in his eyes. “Roya and I are going to have a baby.”
Like my head is weighted by lead, I slowly bring my chin up until my eyes are shooting darts at the ceiling. “God, are you even there anymore? Did you go on holiday? Or are you a fucking idiot?” I say aloud to the God who uses me as a pawn and allows atrocious people to breed.
Roya’s face remains stone. Aiden chuckles at my display. “Just think Ren, our child and your grandchild can be pals.”
“Yes, let’s set up a playdate and leave the children unsupervised with a bunch of chemicals and sharp objects,” I say.
“I love your jokes,” he says, throwing his head back and laughing loudly just as my mobile rings in my pocket.
“Shut it, you bloody primate,” I say, turning and strolling for the door as I take the call. It’s not a number that registers with caller ID.
“Ren Lewis,” I say into the mobile.
“Hello, Mr. Lewis,” a woman says, her voice dripping with enthusiasm. “Can I tell you how amazing it feels to finally have your direct line?”
“I believe you just did. Now who are you?” I say.
“Oh, right,” the woman says and I picture she slaps her forehead. “It’s Jennifer Long, your personal assistant.”
“Right,” I say with a long growl.
“So I’ve gone ahead and located a nanny for you. She has top recommendations and I’ve gone ahead and run a background check and—”
“Wait,” I say, stopping halfway down the short hallway. “What the fuck? How did you know that I needed a new nanny?”
“Mistress told me, of course. She told me to hire your daughter a new nanny right away. She also asked me to have a substance abuse counselor sent over to your house which—”
“Cancel both. The nanny and the counselor,” I say.
“But sir, it was Vivian’s orders,” the woman says.
“And who do you work for?”
“You, of course.”
“Then do it. I’ll find my own nanny, got it?” I say. “Now go ahead and take the afternoon off. From now on you take orders directly from me, not Vivian. Check everything through me, but don’t tell Vivian that’s what you’re doing. All right?”
“Yes, sir,” she says. “And thank you for the afternoon off. What would you have me do tomorrow?”
“I want you to set me up with full access to all of Smart Solutions’ systems and files,” I say and shut off the mobile. I still don’t know who the mole is but now I’ve narrowed it down to six people.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Meet me in my office in five minutes,” I say into the mobile.
“Wait, but why?” Vivian says on the other side of the line.
“Because you’re my wife and you’re going to do what I bloody tell you,” I say, sticking one of the tiny buds into my ear. It’s sleek and definitely undetectable.
“But I have a dinner meeting in half an hour that can’t be canceled,” she says, in her voice that more and more also sounds like it was stolen from Marilyn Monroe.
Perfect, I think. “And you’re not going to have to miss the meeting, darling,” I say and slide the other bud into my ear.
“But Ren—”
“You’re a fucking Dream Traveler. Pop over here from New York and do it pronto. It will take you five minutes to dream travel and generate your body on the GAD-C,” I say.
“But why?” Vivian says, and I know I have to play this right. This is not a dumb woman.
“Because I said. And I want to talk to you in person,” I say.
“Is this about—”
“You know where my office is,” I say, cutting her off. “Get here now.” And then I switch off the phone.
Less than five minutes later there’s a knock at my door. Vivian stands on the other side of the door wearing a strapless black cocktail dress. Her collar bones greet my eyes with a sexy hello. Without hesitation she folds herself around me at once, her arms squeezing my shoulders. Need oozes off her every movement. She’s the very opposite of Dahlia. This woman needs the man in her life to fix her. To fill up all the places in her that her parents left empty. I pull her into me, surprised that I don’t mind the intimate gesture so much. She smells of lilac and salt and I find my nose in her hair breathing her in. I pull back at once and wave her into the office, which is ten percent of the size of hers. However, I don’t need much space. Most of what I do happens inside my head.
I take my seat behind my desk only to find her beside me, her ass half on my desk, her legs stretched out in front her.
“I’ve missed you,” she says, leaning back. “There’s things I’ve had to take care of myself. It’s really unfair.”
“You’ll live,” I say, pushing my rolling chair a few inches back. “Jennifer called.”
“Oh, did she. She’s a doll, isn’t she? I went ahead and decided to actually assign her fully to you, which is why she now has your number. No more fake orders for her. But now you know she’s trained and been prepped to work for you. Isn’t that wonderful?” Vivian says.
“Where did she get the order to hire a nanny for Adelaide?”
“From me, of course,” she says.
“And how did you find out that the nanny was in need of replacing?” Vivian is making these orders, which means she’s not intent on keeping her mole secret anymore, so why should I?
“Remember?” she says, an intention on that one word. “You called and told me. You said that Adelaide was drunk and the nanny had quit.”
I use mind control and so I know how it works. And there are too many things about how she’s just said what she’s said that I know she’s used mind control on me. And yet I don’t feel the fake memory sketching itself in my mind. Aiden’s technology might be working.
I don’t believe Vivian used voice control on me during our honeymoon since I was compliant with all her wishes, but it’s still hard for me to tell.
“Oh right,” I say. “I remember now. I forgot with everything going on.”
She nods. “I understand. That’s what I’m here for now,” Vivian says, reaching out and sliding her hand along the side of my head. “I’ll always help you remember.”
“You’re too thoughtful,” I say without inflection. Maybe the anti–voice control device is working; however, I need more testing to decide. “I already have hired a nanny,” I say.
“Very good,” she says. “Why don’t you have her pack up the baby and Adelaide and move them to my house in Connecticut.”
I never told Vivian what my daughter’s name is, but the mole obviously knows.
“Why would I do that? Neither of them are suited for that kind of travel yet. They’ve been through a major medical ordeal,” I say.
“Well, we’re married. We need to live together. You’ll be living with me, won’t you?”
I can’t think of a better way to get covert information. And this just might be the perfect way to double test the anti–voice control technology.
“Yes we do, but Adelaide and Lucien aren’t in a position to be uprooted. So—”
“Well, I’m too busy to move right now, but I’m okay with moving to Los Angeles soon,” Vivian says, cutting me off.
“Oh really?” I say.
“Yes, I’d move into the mansion. But obviously you’ll have to kick Dahlia out. I wanted to discuss that with you anyway. This is the perfect opportunity. I recognize everything happened quickly with the marriage. I put up with her for too long and now it’s time you got rid of her,” she says, pulling a loose curl from the top of her head and tugging it down in front of her face, her eyes crossing as she takes in the platinum color of the strand. “Now that we are married Dahlia needs to go once and for all.”
“I agree, but it’s her house,” I say, my voice careful
She gives me an irritated expression. “Like that matters. And you said Adelaide and the baby couldn’t be moved, so kick Dahlia out and that way I’
ll be happy. Then I’ll move in as soon as I can, but in the meantime I’ll visit.”
Vivian said she didn’t want to control me, but what I think she meant was she didn’t want to make me want her. She wanted me to desire her of my own free will. However, I never deluded myself in to believing that she’d refrain from using her powers on me if the need arose. A woman like this will always employ control when she doesn’t get her way on something. “I think we have to take things more thoughtfully than kicking people out of their—”
Her eyes turn sharp, cutting into my words. There’s a sudden menace in her gaze and I just spy the treacherous spirit shimmering off her. “Kick Dahlia out of her house,” she says and the words have zero control over me, but I still feel their power. It’s like I’m watching an eclipse through special lenses. I can see it without it burning my eyes using this technology.
“Yes, I’ll kick her out,” I say in a robotic voice. It’s the tone I’ve heard so often when I’ve used mind control to make someone do something.
“Good boy,” she says, brandishing a wide red-lipped smile. And then she leans in and kisses me, leaving my mouth covered in sticky lip gloss.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I’m not surprised to hear the call of the demon when I enter the house. I’d almost rather listen to that racket for the next hour than do what I have to do.
I stop in the study doorway. There are a few dozen rooms in this monstrosity of a mansion and yet Adelaide has decided to be a squatter in my study. She’s just not happy unless she’s infecting my life with the curse that is her presence.
I have my speech ready but pause, my mouth half open, when I slide into the doorway and take in the contents of the room. Mae is holding the crying thing in the far corner. Adelaide and Dahlia sit on one couch and a strange woman is invading my armchair with her dreadful presence. Her long brown hair is draped over one shoulder, and an “I’m pretending to be pleasant” smile is plastered on her face.
“Get out of my chair,” I say, pointing at her, no greeting.
“Ren,” Dahlia says, drawing out my name like it contains multiple syllables. “This is Erin and she is with Child Protective Services.”
“I don’t care if she’s the fucking queen of England,” I say to Dahlia and then look at the woman, who has dropped the forced smile. “Get out of my bloody chair.”
“Don’t mind him,” Dahlia says, waving at me like I’m a child throwing a tantrum about my toys.
“It’s quite all right. I think we’re just about done here,” the woman says in a Louisiana southern accent. She stands, tucking a folder of papers up to her huge rack.
“Done with what?” I say, eyeing the person who has no doubt left dead skin cells and loose hairs in my beloved chair.
“Ren, Erin was assigned to Adelaide and Lucien’s case. Cheryl, the former nanny, lodged a complaint with CPS,” Dahlia says, a tension in her tone.
“And that just means I’ll be popping in to check on the health and well-being of the child. As of right now it appears that everything is in order,” she says, looking over Adelaide, who has large bags under her eyes, but actually looks like she’s properly bathed and dressed herself for once. “These things have to be taken seriously by the CPS; however, we are willing to consider that new mothers make mistakes,” the woman says.
“Ren can’t you make this go away?” Dahlia says, her tone hinting.
“I can, but I won’t. Adelaide has to deal with these series of problems she’s brought on herself,” I say. And it’s true. I don’t like the idea of this woman watching my home. However, I also don’t like that my immature daughter got herself knocked up and is doing a lousy job of caring for the monster she’s brought into the world.
“Don’t worry,” the CPS woman says to Dahlia. “We’re just going to be investigating to determine that the child is in a safe environment based on the testimony we’ve been given.”
“Well, and it’s just the ex-nanny’s word against Adelaide’s,” Dahlia says. “Does this really look like the kind of girl who would neglect her child by getting drunk?”
“That’s not for me to say,” the social worker says with that fake-polite smile again. “Judging by Adelaide’s history,” she says tapping her file, “I think it’s just a good idea for CPS to keep an eye on things. The child appears to be in good health, although possibly a little on the colicky side,” she says, indicating to the loud-mouth baby who hasn’t quieted down still, even with Mae’s efforts to bounce and swing him.
“Your nanny appears to be doing a fine job with the child, so I feel safe leaving him here and just monitoring the situation, but—”
“You can take him,” Adelaide says, cutting the woman off.
“Adelaide!” Dahlia yells, grabbing the girl’s arm, probably wanting to shake her.
“What?” she says, pulling her arm away from Dahlia’s reach. “He doesn’t like me. I don’t know what to do with him. All he does is cry nonstop, so maybe he wants a different family. And he’s a newborn, which are extremely adoptable.”
“He’s your child,” Dahlia says. “And Mae can teach you how to care for him.”
Again the social worker spreads her mouth with a mock smile. “It’s typical to have feelings like what you’re experiencing, Adelaide. You’ve been through a major event and postpartum depression is a very real factor in these cases. I think counseling will help, but in the event that you decide to put Lucien up for adoption—”
“She’s not doing that,” I say to the woman, cutting her off.
“It’s my decision. I can do it if I want to,” Adelaide fires back at me.
“You are my daughter and we are many detestable things but we aren’t quitters. You will keep your child just as I’ve kept you,” I say.
“But I don’t want—”
“End of discussion,” I say, interrupting her again. “Now, Ms. CPS, go ahead and see yourself out.”
She flashes her trademark disingenuous smile at Adelaide. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Ms. Fields.”
“Can’t wait,” Adelaide says with zero inflection in her voice before throwing herself back on the couch.
“Mae, a nanny will be here by the end of the day to replace you,” I say to her. “But for now I need you to take the monster into the nursery.”
“I’m afraid I can’t stay another minute longer. I was only waiting until Erin left. I’ve got matters at the Institute to attend to,” the old woman says.
“No, you can’t leave,” Adelaide says, real fear in her voice.
“I can and I have to. I just realized that Roya is overdue for her treatment,” Mae says.
“Treatment?” I say.
“It’s nothing,” Mae says, waving me off.
“Have someone else give it to her,” I demand.
“That’s not an option,” she says.
I raise a curious eyebrow at the woman. “But you said before that you’d stay as long as I need you to in order to care for the little bugger.”
“I did, but that was before I remembered a prior obligation,” Mae says. “Now, I’ve checked Lucien over and he’s in good health. There is nothing my healing skills can do to stop his fussing. I’m guessing he’s just having some fear issues, which is typical in babies born premature,” she says, carrying the thing over and holding him out to Adelaide.
My brat of a daughter actually ties her arms across her chest and shakes her head, like a school child refusing to eat her green beans. Mae pushes her wrinkled lips out and offers the screaming wiggling mess to Dahlia.
The diva holds up her hands and shakes her head as well. “I would but I feel a cold coming on. Wouldn’t want the little guy to get it.”
Again Mae flashes a look of disapproval. And for over eighty years old she’s fast. I realize this when the old woman turns at once and pushes the thing into my hands. Mae rips her hands away, forcing me to take the demon. And for worry he’ll crash to the ground and the CPS will be called back, I allow him to be
shoved into my arms. Then as the old woman hobbles away, the thing in my arms falls silent.
It’s a true gift to hear nothing after listening to the incessant crying since I entered the house. With surprise written on her face, Mae turns and regards me and the thing in my arms. Adelaide and Dahlia both flip their heads up and stare at me.
“Lucien hasn’t been quiet since you handed him off to me this morning,” Mae says. “I was starting to wonder when the baby would sleep.”
“No fucking way,” Adelaide says, throwing her head back on the cushion repetitively.
“Well, it appears you have the right touch,” Mae says, turning around with a smile in her voice and hobbling out of the study.
“Who would have thought?” Dahlia says, looking amused.
“Shut up,” I say. “He just cried himself out. That’s all.”
“Oh, so now you’re referring to him like he’s a person?” Adelaide says. “Must be nice.”
“You shut up as well, Quitter,” I say.
The thing has closed his eyes and appears to be asleep at once. I lay him in the bassinet beside the sofa.
“Adelaide, I expect you to care for this little monster until the nanny arrives. Then you will work with her to learn how to keep it alive,” I say.
