Devil She Became (Devil's Angels Book 1)

by Autumn Raynne

  “Why do you work if you have such a large inheritance coming?”

  Harrison sighed. “Long story. My father expected us to work, to have a career and not just be trust fund babies.”

  Ava rubbed her hands together. “That’s excellent. You are somewhat of a celebrity. That will work in our favor.”

  “How?” Reese asked.

  “No questions, Barbie. Believe me, I know what I am doing. So, Mr. Grantham, please write down the things I requested about her. Tell me more instead of less. Now, in terms of my payment…”

  Ava reached into her purse and produced a slip of paper.

  “You will wire two payments into these two accounts. One million dollars each payment. The first payment you will wire within the next month. I assume you have a Swiss bank account or other offshore accounts? This money MUST be off the books. No cash. No checks, for God’s sake.”

  Reese sat back in her seat. Wow. Two million dollars. Apparently this was pocket change to the Granthams.

  Harrison nodded. “No problem. I have accounts worldwide. Money is no issue here.”

  “Good for you. Then we can get started. The second payment you won’t send until nine months after the job is completed.”

  “How can I–”

  “–Be sure I am not caught with the money? Don’t worry about it.” Ava waved her hand. “These accounts are not US based, and I have contacts worldwide that can get me what I need. The less you know, the better off you are. I have done this many times. I am not known to the authorities, so don’t worry. If you get caught, it’s because you did something stupid, not me. I am not associated with you, so don’t think you can ‘roll over’ on me. It won’t work. You and I will not speak again, or meet again, after tonight. If you think you can back out after tonight, you can’t. Tell me now if you can’t go through with this because once we leave here, it’s done.” Ava narrowed her eyes to meet Harrison’s squarely.

  Harrison looked at Reese and squeezed her hand. He nodded.

  “Good. We understand each other. Now, do you have children?”

  “Yes, I have two.”

  “I need to know their schedules. All dance classes, sports, etc.” Ava kept her gaze steady at him.

  “Why?” Worry flashed across Harrison’s face.

  Ava gave him a deadpan stare. “Really? You just don’t know how to listen, do you? I said no questions. But to ease your concerns, your children will not be harmed.”

  Harrison took a swallow of his drink. He nodded. “Thank you,” was all he could say.

  Reaching into her purse, Ava passed a piece of paper to him. “Here, start filling this out. Remember, I need to know everything. Don’t leave anything out.”

  Slowly, Harrison started writing out his wife’s schedule, hobbies… everything he could think of.

  “I am not sure about her Facebook or Twitter accounts. I know she has them, but not sure of her login name or anything.”

  Ava gave him a bemused smile. “You are really quite stupid, you know. All I need is her name. I can find her that way.”

  Harrison pulled the corners of his mouth in tightly. Reese could tell he was fuming about her comment, but he didn’t dare to argue with her.

  Harrison finished the list and handed it to her. He slipped the paper into her hand as she quickly glanced over it.

  “Lisa Ann Batten Grantham, age thirty-eight, one sister, parents own houses in East Hampton and the North Shore, graduated from Princeton with a degree in art history.”

  Ava flicked her eyes up at him. “Art history? Who the fuck majors in art history anymore?”

  Harrison shrugged. “She likes art. She likes painting and drawing.”

  Ava raised her brows. “She any good?”

  “She’s all right, I guess. I’m no art critic. I never really paid any attention to it.” Harrison clasped his drink in his hands.

  Reese stared at him. “I like to paint too, Harrison. I guess we have more in common than I thought.” She gave a light laugh.

  The table fell silent. Ava turned to her, “Honey, don’t. Just don’t. Sit there and look pretty.” With a wave of her hand, Ava dismissed her.

  Reese sat back, biting her lip. Bitch, she thought.

  Ava continued perusing the list. She made brief comments to herself, clicking her nails on the table.

  “So is there any history of depression or mental illness? You didn’t mention that.”

  “Don’t really know. I mean, she has her moods, you know, like PMS-type stuff. She seemed depressed when she couldn’t lose the weight after our kids were born, but I don’t think she has had any clinical depression per se.”

  Ava pondered this. She may need to try a different tactic. For an allegedly brilliant man, this guy was almost imbecilic.

  “Have you ever had an affair before Barbie here? Or any one-night stands?”

  Harrison widened his eyes. Reese sat up, anxious to hear the answers to these latest questions.

  “Tell me the truth. No bullshit, Mr. Lawyer. This is your life and Barbie’s on the line here.”

  Harrison sighed deeply. He ran his hands through his hair. Clearing his throat, he spoke.

  “Yes, I have had some one-night stands. You know, girls you pick up from the bar. Nothing special. I haven’t had any long-term affairs like with Reese if that’s what you mean.”

  Ava sighed. She rubbed her temples. The irritation was clear in her voice. “Ok. Look. Let me break this down for you. What I need to know is her state of mind. How she views your marriage. Is it strong in her eyes or not? How she feels about herself. That’s what I need to know. Get it?”

  “Okay, okay. Ummm… well, she is aware that I had a fling with a girl a few years ago.”

  “Did she catch you? How did she find out?”

  “I came home sloppy drunk; it was evident. My hair was all messed up, I had the typical lipstick on the collar, blonde hairs all over my coat, and her perfume was all over me.”

  Reese turned down the corners of her mouth. Really? She didn’t want to hear this. She got up to get a drink.

  Harrison caught her hand. “Where are you going?”

  Reese felt her eyes burn. “Just to get another drink.”

  Ava flashed her eyes at her. “Sit down, Barbie. You’re not going anywhere.”

  Reese met her eyes squarely. She shuddered as Ava’s eyes penetrated into her.

  Reluctantly, Reese sat down, defeated.

  Ava gestured at Harrison. “Please go on.So this was a few years ago?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did she do about it? Did you confess? What was your story?”

  Harrison felt like he was on trial. Funny, he was so used to interrogating others, but he certainly didn’t like being on the other side.

  “She cried, threw things, screamed at me. Threatened to take the kids away. Threatened to take everything I had. Tell my family. You know, typical scorned wife.”

  “What was the outcome?”

  “I promised it didn’t mean anything. I was drunk, and it would never happen again. Told her she meant everything, and I wanted her to stay.”

  “Did you do it again?”

  “Obviously,” he said, grinning at Reese. “Yes, I’ve had a few short flings since then. I learned not to come home drunk with evidence all over me. Basically, I covered my ass better. I also started funneling money into accounts she doesn’t know about in case I got caught.”

  “What was the outcome on her part? Did she demand you go to counseling? Did she pursue personal improvements such as lipo, botox, breast implants, etc?”

  Harrison thought. “Hmm. No counseling. She did start working out with a personal trainer. She lost about ten pounds. She changed her hair and dyed it blonde for a while. It looked terrible.” He shook his head.

  Reese smirked. She knew how bad that must have looked.

  “She got breast implants. Those also looked terrible. She has a really slender frame and the implants looked and felt alien on
her. I demanded she remove them.”

  Ava sat enraptured, drinking in his words. “Was she left with scars?”

  Harrison finished his drink. He nodded. “Yep. She looks pretty awful without clothes. Stretch marks too.” He grimaced at the thought.

  Reese was pleased to hear this. She got perverse pleasure in hearing how unattractive his wife was. She recalled how drab she had looked at the charity ball.

  “Anything else?”

  “About that? No, not really.”

  “What about long-term affairs? Have you ever supported another woman like you do Barbie here?”

  “No, I haven’t. I had a few flings that lasted a couple of months, but nothing like with Reese.” Harrison rubbed her thigh beneath the table.

  Ava sat back and crossed her arms underneath her breasts.

  “Ok, I see. You meet Barbie over here and everything changes. Now you want wifey gone.”

  Harrison sighed. “No, not exactly.”

  Ava sat up and leaned right into his face.

  “What is it, then? Why do you want her dead?”

  “Because I am tired of living in hell. Tired of living in fear that she will find out and ruin me. She saw me dancing with Reese at a charity ball a few weeks ago and threatened to destroy me if I had another affair. My father would disown me, and I would lose everything I have. I refuse to allow that to happen!” Harrison slammed his hands on the table so loudly people looked over at them.

  Ava hissed. “Fucking idiot! Be quiet! Don’t draw attention to us!”

  “Calm down, it’s okay.” Harrison held up his hands.

  “I suppose you and your Barbie have considered all options, consequences, etc.”

  “Yes, we have.”

  “Being an attorney, I assume you are aware of the consequences of conspiracy. Therefore, you are aware of the severity of this situation?”

  Harrison nodded. “Of course.”

  “Ok, Mr. Grantham, then listen to me carefully. I don’t care to repeat myself, as you should know by now. My methods are not to be questioned. I will not cause unnecessary pain. I am not a sadist. I am not, as you so callously described me, an assassin. I don’t lie in wait with an assault rifle. I am only providing a service. So as not to arouse suspicion, I work slowly. This job, however, will be completed within sixty to ninety days. Prior to committing the act, I will leave a business card for you in a location only you will find. The card means it will be done within seventy-two hours. That being said, you need to be sure you have a solid alibi for every second of that time. Barbie cannot be your alibi. Got it?”

  “Sure.” Harrison nodded. “Does she need an alibi too?”

  “I would advise it. Be sure you are not together within these seventy-two hours. I would also advise you start thinking now about how to establish your alibi. And all traces of this meeting will be destroyed. Whatever computer you used to contact me with, destroy it. And I mean destroy the whole thing. Smash the hard drive and incinerate it. I do the same with all my equipment. I will memorize this information you provided and I will burn this note. Never speak of this again. After you have wired the money to my accounts, destroy that information. It should be untraceable. Now, if you follow my instructions precisely, we should all be satisfied with the outcome. Also, you should never speak of this with each other either.”

  Ava narrowed her eyes and leaned in very close to them. “If you get caught, it is because one of you did something stupid. I will not be caught. I do not exist.”

  Standing up, Ava slipped the paper Harrison gave her into her purse.

  “One more thing, if you think you can skip out on giving me my money, think again. I have contacts everywhere, and I will get my money one way or another. It’s non-negotiable.

  Now we are done here. It was a pleasure to meet you both. I hope you are pleased with the decision you have made.” Ava extended her hand to both of them.

  They all shook hands. Then they watched Ava slink off into the night in her impossibly high heels.

  Reese and Harrison turned to each other.

  “Wow.”

  Chapter 15

  Harrison and Reese drove home in total silence. Both knew they were thinking the same thing. What have we done?

  Reese, running her hands up and down her arms to alleviate a chill, spoke first. “Wow. This is unreal.”

  Harrison kept his eyes on the road. “Yeah. I don’t know what to say.”

  Reese straightened her skirt. “She’s unbelievable. I’ve never met such a powerful woman.”

  Harrison nodded. “I know what you mean. She’s strong, vital… viciously sexy.”

  Reese smiled. “Excellent way to describe her. She had a potent aura. Not a person to be taken lightly; that’s for sure.”

  Harrison turned to her. “Well, it’s done. I guess I just go about my normal routine until I get the card.”

  Reese nodded. “Seems like that’s the best thing to do. Harrison, I want you to know I’m sorry.”

  Harrison grimaced. “Sorry for what?”

  “For starting all this with you. Look where it’s led.”

  Harrison whipped the car over to the shoulder. He put the car in park and grabbed her shoulders.

  “This is NOT your fault, Reese. I made the call; this was my decision to make. I started this with you, and I made a choice of where it led us. I don’t want to hear any more about it. We are not bad people. We are doing something bad. Got it?”

  Reese bowed her head and whispered. “If I could tell her I am sorry, I would. She’s just become a liability.”

  Harrison smiled grimly. “Yes, a liability. We are eliminating a problem. That’s all.”

  Reese nodded, feeling a bit sick. Harrison seemed confident about the situation, so she felt a bit more at ease. She just hoped they wouldn’t end up in prison.

  As they pulled up to her apartment, Harrison opened her door and scooped her up into his arms. He carried her through the lobby to the elevator and all the way through her front door.

  Walking through the door, he carried her straight to the bed. Instead of ripping her clothes off, he dropped her on the bed.

  Curling up next to her fully clothed, he spoke softly.

  “Reese, this is serious. Ava is right. If we get caught, it’s because we fucked up. I know I can keep a secret well. Can you?”

  She looked up at him. He was running his hands down her thighs.

  “Of course, baby. I wish it hadn’t come to this, but it has. And I am willing to follow you anywhere, do anything. I love you, Harrison.” She buried her head in his chest.

  Harrison stroked her upper thigh. “I love you, Reese. Please remember how important it is to follow all of Ava’s instructions.”

  Reese nodded.

  “What about your kids? Have you thought of them?”

  Harrison pulled back. “Of course, I have. All the time. I don’t want them hurt by this, but, of course, they will be. I plan to send them to my parents’ home for a while afterwards, like Darrell did with his children, so they will not have to hear about this on the news.”

  “And get them out of our hair…” Reese finished, her voice deep with sarcasm.

  Harrison pushed her back. “No. I love my kids. I don’t want them out of my hair at all. That’s another thing. You need to be prepared to help me take care of them if you want us to be together.”

  With that, he began passionately kissing her. She threw her head back and he devoured her neck, biting and licking her. Reese stood up, went over to the dresser and lit several candles. Harrison set his phone on a seductive tune. Reese began to undulate in a seductive dance. She swayed her hips as she slowly removed her skirt. Keeping her heels, bra, and panties on, Reese began grinding in his lap. She reached her arms up and spilled her blonde hair across his face. Harrison caught the scent of her silky hair. She kept dancing around in front him, her hands reached up to undo the clasp of her bra, and she tossed it in his face as she kept her breasts covered with her arms
.

  Grabbing her in his arms and standing, Harrison began slowly moving with her to the music. Feeling his growing hardness pressed against her thigh, Reese moaned softly. He kept dancing with her as he ran his strong hands over her lithe body. He dipped his head low to kiss her softly on her forehead. As the dancing intensified, they began grinding their bodies harder and harder into each other. Reese reached down and caressed him through his pants. He was so brutally hard by now that when she unzipped his pants, he burst forth into her hand. Reaching between her legs, Harrison found her as wet as he always made her. As the candlelight illuminated their writhing bodies, Harrison picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. As he entered her, Reese’s head fell back in sheer ecstasy. As he bounced her up and down his shaft, he whispered “I love you, goddess.”

  She pulled her head up and met his lips. “I love you, Harrison. You are everything.” She gasped for air as she felt herself begin to come.

  “Not yet, baby.” Harrison pulled himself out of her. “Like this.” He put her down on the floor and rubbed her wet slit. He pushed his fingers in and out of her as she knelt on all fours.

  “Mmmm…” She moaned deeply. His fingers were so long and supple, playing her. She adored it. Slowly he removed his fingers and slid them backward, wetting her. Harrison then slipped himself deep in her ass. She felt a sharp pain at first, then she felt like melted butter all over. He stroked in and out very gently this time, churning himself deep inside her. “Oh, my God, that’s amazing,” she moaned.

  Harrison groaned deeply as his hands rested on her hips, pulling her back and forth and up and down his immense, hard shaft. He then took one hand and started slipping a finger up inside her. Shivers went down her spine as she felt both parts of her being filled at once. Being stretched open to him like that, she felt completely vulnerable. Laying her head on the floor, she reached back and pulled herself open even more… a final surrender to him. As he pumped in deeper, she felt him pulsing as he came. Stars shining behind her eyes, she collapsed breathless onto the floor.

  Harrison collapsed on the floor beside her, exhausted from their lovemaking, breathing heavily. Their passion sated for the moment, they fell into a deep sleep.