by H. P. Landry
“You need to find Xavier Bane.” They furrowed their brows and looked at me in confusion.
“Why would we do that?” Detective Bowers asked cautiously.
“Because he is Mylie’s boyfriend, and he should know that Mylie is in danger. He should be here.”
“Are you sure? Xavier Bane?” Detective Cavanaugh asked hesitantly, and I wondered if it was caution or jealously in the tone of his voice.
“Yes. I am positive.”
I grabbed the pen and paper and began retelling everything since meeting Mylie. It only made the hole in my heart that much deeper because I knew I tore her soul when I denied my feelings, and there was nothing I could do to fix it. I squeezed my eyes shut because I never thought I would be the one to cause this pain to anyone, let alone Mylie. I loved her so much, but who would actually believe me since I easily destroyed anything we could’ve had.
Mylie
“What’s going on?” My throat was still sore, but I was able to speak in a very raspy voice. Kyan walked in, but he looked nothing like the man I saw before. He was dressed in a suit, but my mind only focused on the fact that his snakebites were gone, just like the bad boy. “Why are you dressed like that?”
“My’, when was the last time you spoke with Mercy.” He sat next to me.
“Mercy? How do you know Mercy? What’s going on, Kyan?
“What’s wrong with your voice? Never mind. Listen Mylie, this really important. What is your boyfriend’s name?”
“My boyfriend? Why do you want to know about Xavier? You’re scaring me Kyan. What’s wrong?”
“So Xavier Bane is your boyfriend?”
“Yes, he is my boyfriend. Why?”
“What about Mercy? When was the last time you saw her?”
“She is my physical therapist, and I saw her yesterday. Kyan, please answer me, what happened?”
“My’--, there is no easy way to say this, but we found Mercy.”
“Found her? What do you mean?”
“We found her body in the trunk of her car. She was killed.”
“Oh my God!” Tears filled my eyes, and I covered my face with my hands. I sobbed uncontrollably. She warned me, and now she was dead. “This is my fault,” I cried even harder.
“What do you mean it’s your fault?” There was a knock on the door, and I saw Mr. Bowers poke his head inside the room; I waved him in. He walked briskly and stood beside Kyan and gave me a tight smile.
“Mr. Bowers.” I nodded my head, but my voice cracked.
“My’. How are you feeling dear?” He grabbed my hand and gave me a squeeze.
“Not good sir, but I am alive, so, I shouldn’t complain.” I started to cry again. Mercy was dead. I was next. “He is going to kill me.”
“Who is going to kill you Mylie?”
“The man who killed Mercy. He is trying to kill me.”
“Why?” They asked in unison.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. It didn’t make sense, but someone clearly wanted me dead. “Mercy saved my life. She said that she had been poisoned liked me, and she knew everything I was going through because she went through it, too. She was in a coma, but for her it was a lot longer because they didn’t know that a blood transfusion was the only cure.”
“Wait. That was Mercy Whitehead?” Kyan’s eyes were wide with shock.
“Yes.” I nodded my head
“My Lord.” Mr. Bowers looked pale. “But her family said she died! Now she really did.” He shook his head.
“They left her in hospice.” I sniffed, but the story made me very angry. “They moved after two years, when they gave up hope. Every night she would talk to me when I was under, and she knew that I could hear and remember what everyone was saying.”
“That’s incredible. It’s like a neurotoxin--”
“Tetrodotoxin.” We all turned and saw Dr. Trotter come into the room.
“What exactly does that mean?” Mr. Bowers asked.
“It’s very rare, but in short, Mylie shouldn’t have ever woken up from that coma.”
“So how did she?” Kyan asked.
“Mercy.” They all looked at me. “She is the one who broke into my room and made me lose blood.”
“Mylie! How could you have kept that to yourself?” Kyan was clearly upset.
“Mercy? Are you sure? I could call her in.”
“No, you can’t. Dr. Trotter may I speak with you?” Mr. Bowers asked.
“Of course. Let’s go to my office. Mylie, I will be back to do a check up on you.”
“Okay.” They left the room, and I waited with Kyan. I felt so alone. Xavier had yet to come to see me since I woke up, and--, no I won’t think of him. It was over. I felt around my bed and looked for the brass knuckles, but they were gone. Where was it? “Someone’s been in my room.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“Yes, they took Damien’s brass knuckles that he left me.”
“Mylie, those are illegal.”
“Cut the shit Kyan. I wouldn’t use it. It’s something symbolic for him and for me now. Someone took it.”
“Who has been in here?”
“My brother, Dr. Trotter, Mercy, and you guys. That’s it.”
“Was there a time you have been away from the room or the bed for that matter?”
“They took me to get some CAT scans, so it could have been then.”
“Mylie. Whoever it is, this is personal. Have you done anything that could provoke someone to act this way?” Kyan asked cautiously, but I knew he had his suspicions.
“Just ask what you want to ask Kyan,” I snapped.
“What aren’t you telling me Mylie?” He crossed his strong arms over his broad chest.
“Nothing,” I whispered. Tears filled my eyes again, and the shame I felt was suffocating. I knew this was just the beginning, and that thought brought a sense of dread to my very core.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Damien
It had been weeks since Mercy’s death, and I admit that the funeral was truly even more devastating than Mercy’s death. Only Mylie, Kyan, and I attended. Knowing that this poor woman’s life was stolen far too soon by a crazy man made me sick. The thought that this could have been Mylie’s funeral brought a rage so deep that I needed to know what was being done to prevent this from happening to her.
I caught her stare as she sat in her wheel chair, not fully recovered. Yet something in me stirred, when I saw that her usual twinkling blue eyes were lifeless. I did this to her. No, he did this to her-- the man who was making Mylie’s life hell. The circles under eyes looked prominent on her pale skin. Her natural glow was dull, and her bouncy caramel hair was stringy and brittle. What was happening to her? Mylie was dying before me.
I called a meeting with Kyan a week later, and he told me that Nik had been with Mylie every night, and she always had an officer on surveillance, and only people Mylie had approved of came into the house.
“She is dying. I can see it.”
“She is still sick from the poison--,” he rationalized, but I shook my head and protested.
“Mylie is being poisoned, still… right under everyone’s noses. Have her see Dr. Trotter.” I begged. After a brief silence he asked the question that I had been fighting since meeting Mylie.
“You love her?” I closed my eyes and simply nodded. “Then why are you not with her and her douche of boyfriend is?” It was obvious he didn't like Xavier either.
“Not a Xavier Bane fan, I see?” I smirked.
“We never got along during high school. I hated his brother even more. What she sees in him, I will never know. Yet you know women will always go for the all American hero type.” This had been the second time someone called Xavier an American hero, and it didn’t make sense.
“I am sure he is taking care of Mylie.” Kyan only snorted. “What?”
“He hasn’t even come to see her. If my girlfriend was being stalked and clearly someone was out to kill her, I would work som
ething out to make time to see her.”
“That doesn’t make sense?” Why wouldn’t he go to see her?
“Exactly. It doesn’t. I have to go and check out your suspicions. Thank you for caring about Mylie.”
He left the office without another word. This whole situation just confused me. Something wasn’t right. I left my office, and I saw a man who looked very similar to Xavier walk through campus, but he had a shaved head. I followed closely but hid in the shadows. In that moment, Mylie, who was no longer in a wheel chair and bed ridden, walked up behind him and covered his eyes. It was Xavier. His body was rigid. Mylie had lost more weight. He turned around to stare at Mylie, but there was no gentleness or familiarity in his face. She grabbed his face and kissed him, his eyes widening. What the hell was going on? I crept closer within listening distance hidden behind the shade of a large tree.
She pulled away, smiling warmly, and rubbed his shaved head tenderly, but Xavier just stared at her.
“You shaved your head. I love it, but I’ll miss your hair,” she said, but he furrowed his brows.
Something wasn’t right. I needed to find out what was going on, but I didn’t want to leave her alone with him. She put her frail hands in her back pocket and just waited for him to say something but he didn’t. He was stoic.
“Xavier what’s wrong?” she asked, but she didn’t get an answer because he simply walked away. “What the hell?”
She shook her head and walked towards registration office. I went after Xavier, but I lost him when he got into a 4x4 lifted truck. I was going to figure out what was happening even if it killed me.
Mylie
He looked amazing and I missed him so much. Had he noticed how sick I still felt or that I lost so much weight? He looked at me like he didn’t even know me. I pressed my lips to his, but he didn’t even kiss me back. Did he know? No… impossible. I watched his retreating form, and it felt like I was broken even more. Damien didn’t want me, and Xavier didn’t want me either.
I ran to the registration office for the meeting with the dean of academics. The fall semester had literally taken a nosedive, and it would be safer just to withdraw from classes than to fail them. The office had old furniture from when the building was first built. Everything had been restored and the building’s charm didn’t change. The secretary, an elderly woman with faint purple-hued graying hair, wore a floral suit that resembled an old sofa. Her bright bubble- gum- pink pursed lips told me she found my presence irritating.
“Yes, Rose.”
“You have Miss Mier here for her appointment, Dean Reynolds.”
“Excellent. Have her come in.”
“Of course.” She rolled her eyes and mumbled something under her breath. “Are you daft girl? You heard the man. Go in.” Rude much.
“Thank you Mrs. Davis.” She mumbled some more but completely ignored me. I quietly knocked on the door and entered.
“Mylie.” Sitting with Dean Reynolds was Andrea and a young woman.
“Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t know you had another meeting.” I had clearly misunderstood.
“Nonsense.” Andrea rose up. “You’re exactly who I wanted to see. I called this meeting because you could help settle a matter between my daughter and me.”
“Okay? How may I help you?”
“Adriana is getting married to your boyfriend’s brother.” She smiled broadly. “And we wanted you to read over the prenuptial agreement I insisted she have. However, she doesn’t understand why. I had hoped you could enlighten her.” Ah. Money. Obviously they were worth more than the Banes.
“Of course. Dean Reynolds, I still needed to speak with you, can we set up another meeting?”
“No need Mylie. Your professors and I understand your situation, and you will have time make up the term.”
“Oh thank you!” I nearly squealed.
“Except.” Damn.
“Yes?” I hoped he wouldn’t say Damien.
“Professor James. He requires that you do extra tutoring, which seems fair. Don’t you agree?”
“Of course.” I gave her a tight smile.
I read over the prenuptial agreement. Adriana was clearly the one with the most to lose. Adriana Belafonte was an heiress to a lucrative empire, and Xander Bane apparently was the co-owner of Bane & Wright along with Xavier.
“You do realize that you are better off than Xander, right?”
“What? How is that possible?” I sighed inwardly because this was always the hardest part to explain.
“Bane & Wright is like a pie. Xander has half and his brother has half, but you are an only child and, God forbid, if your parents die, you, my dear, will own half of Pointe Hope.”
“Oh my God. So, if I don’t sign this agreement, then he can take off with all my family’s money?”
“Yes. There is no way around it. You have way more to lose than he does. Your lawyer composed a sound prenuptial agreement. The major stipulation here is infidelity, even prior to the marriage. If you find out the marriage is off, you won’t lose a thing, but if you are the one to cheat, you will give him twenty percent of your father’s business, and then you will have to pay alimony.”
“Mom. What if he won’t sign? We’re getting married in four weeks.”
“If he loves you sweetie, he won’t care.”
Andrea obviously loved her daughter tremendously, but I couldn’t fight the jealousy I felt, and it made my heart ache. I wished I had my mother. My life had turned into such a clusterfuck, and I needed her more than I needed air.
“Mylie. Thank you. I knew I could trust you.” They jostled me from my reverie, and both got up.
Adriana smiled. “Xavier is such a good guy. He was always my hero, and it’s awesome that you would want be there by his side knowing his sacrifice. Thank you for the advice. I will definitely have it signed.”
She gave me a tight hug, and they both walked out of the office. What in the world did she mean about his sacrifice? Hero? My head was spinning, and I felt incredibly dizzy and lost my balance. I tried to catch myself on the desk, but my hand missed, and I fell, hitting my head on the edge of the desk. Not again. I tried to stay conscious, but the room was spinning, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Something was very wrong.
“Mylie!” Dean Reynolds yelled out to me, but it was too late. The darkness was clouding my vision, no matter how much I fought it. When would this all stop? I was tired of living in pain and fear; maybe death would be easier. “You look at me Mylie. Don’t you dare fall asleep on me,” Dean Reynolds pleaded with me.
“I am so tired. I just want to sleep.” I felt my eyes fluttering shut.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Damien
It was what I’d feared. She was still being poisoned, and it happened under everyone’s noses. Dean Reynolds was able to help Mylie until paramedics arrived, but it didn’t look good for her. It was evident that she still had symptoms of the tetrodotoxin. According to Dr. Trotter, Mylie had been receiving small doses of the poison, but it was not the same amount she received the first time.
She was conscious, but paralysis had set in, and it appeared that her days were numbered. Whoever was doing this to Mylie needed to be stopped. Rhonda, Malory, and Diana were speculating over the possible suspects, and it was unfortunate that I was among the many.
“Why am I not surprised to see you here? It’s funny, for someone who claims he doesn’t want Mylie, you always seem to be around when something happens to her. Why is that?” Malory snapped, and I couldn’t even make an excuse for it. I would think I was guilty as well.
“Mal, relax. Damien isn’t the one. Funny how Xavier hasn’t been around since Mylie has been in and out of the hospital,” Rhonda countered the accusation.
“Mylie says he comes to see her every night,” Diana said softly.
“When no one is around?” Rhonda asked, but it sounded weird to me as well.
“I dunno.” Diana shrugged. “She said that when she was under, that h
e would talk to her every night. Of course, she’d fall asleep listening to him, but he was there to comfort her during the scariest moments of her life.”
Malory snorted, “Unlike someone else.” Her superiority infuriated me, but I had no reason to defend myself. I was the villain in Malory’s eyes. “I gotta get back to work, y’all. I’ll let you know anything I hear.”
She left in her scrubs and walked into the hallway. A doctor appeared and grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her to a dark doorway. I watched from afar and noticed that she was calm and collected, but I saw the fear in her eyes. I got up and started towards them but kept my distance. I knew not to get involved in Malory’s affairs unless it was truly needed. I listened to the hushed whispers and knew this was definitely a fight brewing.
“Who the fuck do you think you are? You can’t just fuck me and act like I don’t exist.” The doctor was livid, and by Malory’s lack of reaction, I knew he would only get angrier.
“Actually I can,” she stared at his hand on her arm and quirked her brow, obviously giving him a chance to let go. When he didn’t, I saw the fire in her eyes as she yanked her arm out of his grasp.
She seethed with fury. “You know that whole freewill bit. I have the freedom to fuck who I want to fuck, and guess what, you’re just a fuck.” A vein on the doctor’s forehead started to swell, and his face turned beat red.
“You’re a high priced whore, just like your momma. You don’t think I don’t know that you fuck for money? Yeah, and you’re a fucking carpet muncher at that.”
SLAP.
She slapped him so hard the imprint of her hand was left on his cheek. The burning red mark on his face only emasculated him more.
“Listen here Matthew, you can call me a whore all you want. The fact is this, your dick was too small. I wanted to save you the embarrassment, but you couldn’t even make me orgasm, so I faked it. I felt more getting fingered than that ‘lil smoky’ you have for a dick--”
He cut off her rant and grabbed Malory by the throat, starting to squeeze. Her face began to turn red. I ran and grabbed him by the scruff of his collar, and I yanked him hard while kicking his legs under, sending him flying backwards. The commotion alerted Rhonda and Diana who came running to Malory’s aid. Malory was coughing, and then I saw the country girl everyone feared. She hopped on him like she was riding a bull and began pounding his face. She grabbed a handful of his blond hair and slammed his head against the tile marble floor.