Something sparks inside me that I never thought I’d feel. Suddenly, my interest in Mr. Knight has magnified. That one act of kindness belies the man I’ve met. It shows me another side to him and I smile to myself. Of course, there is good in everyone. Maybe I’ve misjudged him, maybe he isn’t all bad after all.
As I bid Sly goodnight and climb the iron steps to my apartment, it’s Mr. Knight that occupies my thoughts.
When I wake in the morning, I feel strangely unsettled. It’s just another day but I can’t get the encounter out of my head. I’m sure I dreamt of him last night. He was there in my dreams and is the first thing I think about when I wake.
I grab some cereal and flick on the set. It’s the usual daytime rubbish and I stare at the screen while I eat. I wonder if I’ll ever see him again? Something inside me hopes I will and something else is telling me to stay well clear.
I must sit for a good half hour before I decide to occupy my suddenly extremely obsessed mind.
Looking around, I sigh to myself. I call this my apartment but it’s really just one room. It’s made up of a small kitchen area and a place to sit and eat. My bed is on the couch and I share a bathroom with the rest of the residents on this level. Not much but at least I have somewhere to call home. This is a palace compared to the alley that Sly lays his head at night and I’m constantly reminding myself of how lucky I am. If I hadn’t run away that night who knows where I’d be now. One thing’s for sure, I wouldn’t be free. Carlos Vincenzi would have seen to that.
I shiver as I think of the man I ran from. Cruel and evil and every bit as feared as Mr. Knight. I don’t know why I’m even thinking of him. I try to push those memories far away in a box in my head marked ‘Danger.’ My life is here now, far away from home and all the bad memories. It may not be much but at least I’m in charge of my own destiny.
Pushing down any thoughts of hard, powerful men, I set about cleaning up my sanctuary. I may not have much but I’m proud of it and like to keep a happy, clean home as much as possible.
Most of my belongings have come from the street. Things that people no longer want have a home with me. I tidy them up with a good clean and a lick of paint and give them a future and it makes me happy and keeps me occupied when I’m not at work.
So, as I turn off the tv, I set about my daily chores.
~ 7 ~
Devlin
The house feels emptier than usual. Once again, the cupboards mock me as I delve into them, looking for anything that could pass as food. I hear movement and see Caleb, my eldest son heading into the room. I don’t miss the scowl on his face and the anger in his eyes as he sees me.
I growl. “If you’re looking for food, there is none. Where’s Marius?”
He shrugs and turns to leave but I say in a hard voice.
“Stay where you are, I asked you a question.”
He turns and throws me a hate-filled look, which makes me feel even more annoyed.
I snarl. “I asked you where your brother is.”
Caleb sneers. “You know everything, just look for him in your mind and I’m sure you’ll find him. I’m not his keeper.”
Feeling the irritation magnifying, I cover the short distance in two long strides. I grab him by the neck and push him up against the wall and channel my anger into his soul. As I stare into his eyes, I see everything inside him. The hate, the fear, and the resignation. It makes me want to break something as the disappointment tears through my body like a fire out of control.
I release him abruptly and snarl. “You have a lot to learn, Caleb but I’m in no mood to deal with it now. Find your brother and bring him to me. I feel the need to teach you both a lesson and I’m in the perfect mood.”
He slouches off and I ball my hand into a fist and try to stem the rage. My family. Tainted with my blood and doomed to the life I lead. They have everything and yet they have nothing. I show them nothing but anger and fear. They are forced to learn a hard occupation and there is no room for feeling or sentiment. They don’t know it yet but they will look back one day and thank me for it.
I head to my den to wait for them to return. As I sit in front of the computer screen, my thoughts turn to the delicious bartender from yesterday. Luna and I smile to myself. How has such a girl wormed her way into my thoughts? Young, attractive and with a body for sin, all wrapped up with love, purity, and an openness that is alien to me. A soul so pure there is nothing to read, yet she had steel running through her veins and an understanding beyond her years. An Angel? Possibly. Only time will tell.
I feel intrigued and log in to my company records. I find myself searching for her details and smile as her image flashes up on the screen.
Something shifts inside me as I look into those baby blues and she stares out from the screen as if she’s in front of me. Wide, open eyes with an innocence in them that begs to be corrupted.
I look at her details with interest and note her address. Fallon Ridge. Not a place where I’d want to spend any time. Lowlifes and petty criminals line the streets and the accommodation is the poorest in town. I feel angry to think of her living in such filth. She deserves the finest of everything because she’s so pure of heart. Once again, the injustice of life knocks me back. Criminals and evil people live like kings while the fair and good scrimp and scrape to make ends meet.
I search for her in my mind. Being who I am has its advantages as I can see whoever I want to by opening my mind to them. However, once again I find nothing. Not an image, not a sense, just emptiness. How can that be? I’ve never come up empty before. Why can’t I see her?
I lean back in my seat and take a few deep breaths. I am close to losing it and that’s not a good thing so, I need to find a distraction and fast.
I hear the roar of the motorbikes as they come up the hill. Bang on time - my distraction.
I don’t wait and just head out to meet my sons. Marius and Caleb. Like me to look at, yet with so much to learn. Two bad boys who tear up the neighborhood and beat the girls off in droves. My life in every way.
I head out to meet them and snarl.
“Follow me.”
I grab my powerful bike and sit astride the beast and take a deep breath. This will help calm me down. I need a sinner to punish and then all will be good again.
As I head off with my sons in tow, I think about the man we are visiting.
Calum Mason. A local man with a preference for unwilling women. He has assaulted his last victim as far as I’m concerned. Fresh out of jail and plotting his next victim already. Well, sometimes enough is enough. He has served his time and learned nothing. There is no regret and no forgiveness. He’s about to discover there’s a law he can’t break. The law of retribution and I’m the judge, jury and executioner.
In no time we reach the wooded area he calls his office. He hides in the woodland and blends into the shadows. His victims run, jog and walk toward him with no understanding of the danger that lurks behind the trees.
We ditch the bikes and move stealthily through the trees. Nobody can hear us and we are no longer visible to the human eye. We are demons on earth and live to punish evil and deal out retribution and I feel my soul start to tingle as I sense the sinner within my sights. I feel the euphoria start to build inside and the fire burst to life in my veins. It rages through my body and consumes every ounce of compassion I may have and burns out of control with a lust for revenge. I feel it burning me up inside and I feed off it. My sons shadow me and learn from the master. They need to learn the family business and this will prove a valuable lesson.
I sense him nearby. Hiding, waiting and the excitement within him is feeding my fire. He loves to feel powerful and strong. He likes to dominate his victims and see the fear in their eyes as he rips the innocence and light from their lives. Well, that makes two of us and I’m much better at it than him.
We move until we stand behind him crouching in the bushes and I sense his victim is near. A young girl jogging, listening to her music as she g
oes. She heads toward us and I feel his excitement. He licks his lips and his heart beats faster and the sweat drips down his face and runs like rivers down his body. He is tense, excited and expectant. She comes into view and his heart rate increases. Not long now and he will have the opportunity to drag her into the shadows with him. There is nobody around to hear her screams and nobody to save her from a fate she will be chained to for the rest of her life.
I hear the beat of his heart, - thump-thump-thump. Nearer she comes until she is a heartbeat away. It’s time. He moves to strike and I reach out and push him down. I feel his surprise and fear as she jogs past, oblivious to the hell she’s escaped. As soon as she’s a memory, I release him and he stands up and looks at us with the eyes of the damned. He croaks, “Who are you?”
I sneer. “Your worst nightmare.”
My sons move behind him and he starts to shake.
“I’ve done nothing, let me go. I’ve no money and nothing of value. Please let me pass.”
I laugh softly and growl.
“You have something very valuable to me. I want your soul.”
As I look at him, I face him with the fire burning in my eyes and he pales and starts to shiver as he feels the danger. Caleb and Marius face him with similar expressions and he has nowhere to run from the circle of hell around him.
He sinks to his knees and begs.
“Please, let me go. I promise I’ll change.”
I laugh bitterly.
“Your promises are as empty as your heart. You are nothing and your life is worth nothing. You’re an evil man who now belongs to me. You had your chance, and you chose to carry on the same path of evil. Well, the journey ends here—in this world at least.”
I watch with interest as he starts to cry. Choking, deep, rasping cries that fill the forest with fear. He screams for help and the boys laugh. Caleb sneers.
“Nobody can hear you here. The only ones’ listening are the tortured souls in Hell who you will soon join. Prepare to leave your sins at the door of your new home because you’re about to discover sins are a costly cross to bear. Leave your body behind and take your soul to the damned.”
As the man crumbles before us, I reach out and lift him effortlessly in front of me. I transfer the fire of Hell to his veins and relish the feeling of his soul burning up inside him. I feed off the fear and evil and bask in its calming effect on my body. This is what I need, a sinner’s soul to feed my hunger. This man will exist in Hell for the evil life he has lived and I’ll take great pleasure in sending him there.
It takes no time before he passes and I release his body and look at his human remains with derision. Marius sneers.
“One less evil soul to taint the world.”
I nod. “Yes, and one more evil soul to feed the fire of Hell. Retribution is a satisfying thing.”
I look at my boys and see the spark in their eyes. They love this almost as much as I do. We are demons and proud. We feed off evil and keep the world a safer place. No tainted souls are allowed in Heaven and we are the guardians of all that is good. We fight fire with fire and we have no compassion. Yes, this is who we are. The Knight family. The Devil and his children who live to instill fear.
Looking at my sons, I grant them a rare smile.
“Who’s hungry?”
They grin as they follow me home.
~ 8 ~
Luna
Sheena leans on the bar and fans herself with her order pad. “Oh, my, God. He’s back and every bit as hot as I remember.”
My heart starts beating faster as I think about the man sitting in the shadows. It’s been five nights in a row. Five nights where he eats his food in solitude and watches from the booth he prefers in the corner.
I feel his eyes on me all the time and yet we share no words. Each time I fix his drink I wonder what he wants. After his meal, I set a hot chocolate before him and move away. It’s become a game that we both appear to want to win. He is intimidating and a presence that can’t be ignored. He watches me and I reward him with nothing but a polite smile.
Marcus is on edge the whole time. He’s worried he’s done something wrong as it can be the only explanation as to why he’s here.
I know different though, he is here for me. Don’t ask me how I know, I just do. What he wants though, is where I have no answers.
As usual, I laugh and joke with the customers and fix their bad moods. I take their money and give them more than the drink they crave. I give them my ear and any words of encouragement or advice they need. I think I’ve heard it all through the years but none have been such an enigma as the man who pays my wages.
As the night draws to a close, I make him the usual drink. Tonight, I intend on breaking this deadlock and it’s time to crack the man hiding in the shadows. He needs something I just need to figure out what.
So, I set the mug down as usual and then take the seat opposite. He raises his eyes but says nothing and I stare at him thoughtfully.
“You say my drink loses you money but yet you come here every night and drink it. I think that proves my point.”
He nods. “Maybe I’m just being polite.”
I smile and shake my head. “I think we both know that doesn’t concern you. What interests me is why you come.”
He leans forward and fixes me with those dark, sexy eyes.
“I come here for you, Luna.”
I just smile. “Yes, for my hot chocolate. Are you hoping to convince me to change jobs just by your presence? I think we both know the answer to that.”
He shrugs.
“You fascinate me. You have so little and yet reject the offer of more money because of your principles. Some may say you are foolish, others admirable.”
I lean back. “And what do you think?”
He smirks. “I think everyone has a price. I just have to discover yours. There’s always something that will cause us to ditch our principles in a heartbeat and seize the moment.”
I shake my head and laugh softly.
“For such a busy man you have a weird sense of priorities. Has it never occurred to you that I’m happy with what I do? This may be my dream for all you know. Not everyone desires riches, Mr. Knight. Sometimes it’s the simple pleasures we get from life that gives us the greatest rewards.”
He takes another sip of his drink and smiles.
“Then let me help you, Luna. I have another company that’s looking for a model to front a campaign. I think you would be perfect and the pay is good. You could do it in the day before your shift here. If you want it the jobs yours.”
His words surprise me and I look at him with curiosity.
“Why me?”
He shrugs. “I want to help. Is that such a bad thing? You refuse my offer of more money here and I understand the work is not to your liking. The modeling is my way of giving you a break.”
He pushes a business card toward me and says softly.
“Go to this address tomorrow and tell them I sent you. They will explain what’s involved and then you can decide if it’s for you.”
I stare at the card and wonder what’s behind the gesture. I try to figure the man out but am getting nowhere. My hands close around the card and I pull it toward me slowly.
As I look down, I see the name of a fashion house that I recognize. It’s very well-known and fronts several national campaigns
Then I look up into those compelling eyes and a small shiver runs through me. He is staring at me so hard I feel as if he can see right inside me. So, I just smile and pocket the card.
“Thank you, Mr. Knight. I’ll check it out. I’m not promising anything though.”
He laughs softly. “I expected no less of you, Luna.”
Nodding, I move away, the card burning a hole in my pocket and for the first time in ages, I feel a little dash of hope inside. Maybe things are about to change for the better.
The next day dawns and I find myself heading across town to the address on the card. I set off early as it’s q
uite a trek and I have no money for cabs or any other form of transport for that matter.
Before long I find myself in front of a large steel-clad building that reflects the sunlight and dazzles my eyes.
The people that pass through these doors are poised and polished and I feel inferior in my smartest dress that looks exactly what it is, a thrift store reject that’s seen several owners.
As I head inside, I approach the smart looking receptionist who looks at me with derision.
“May I help you?”
She looks down at me as she says it and I feel a flash of irritation. Pulling myself up to my full height of 5ft 9, I muster my confident, professional, manner.
“I’ve been told to report to Miss. Johnson in the Summerhouse offices. Mr. Knight sent me.”
I push the card across the desk and she sniffs as she reads it, then she picks up the phone and says in a blank voice.
“There’s a woman here who says she has an appointment with Miss. Johnson.”
Then she looks at me and says coldly.
“Sorry, your name is...?”
“Luna Williams.”
She rolls her eyes as she repeats my name and then looks surprised as she hangs up the phone.
“Sign in here and then take the elevator to the 12th floor. They’re expecting you.”
I sign in triumphantly and walk toward the elevator feeling strangely nervous. This is all totally out of my league. I’m not sure if Mr. Knight has thought this one through.
I take the elevator with about five other people and I look worlds away from them in my battered dress and face devoid of makeup and polish. They don’t give me a second look as I step from the elevator on to the plush carpeting of the Summerhouse offices.
A woman walks toward me and her gaze rakes me from head to toe before she smiles and holds out her hand.
“Miss. Williams, I presume. I’m Veronica Johnson. Mr. Knight told us you’d be stopping by. Please follow me and we’ll get started.”
Luna Page 4