by Anna Collins
I had done my best to harden my heart, but he had somehow softened the very walls that I had put up to protect myself. Devlin was scarred by his past. I’d found the main reason for that was the loss of the love of his life. She had been his shining light and someone that had given him a reason to live without hurting others. After she was gone, he reverted back to old habits and that wasn’t all surprising considering the man that he was.
“You think that you are holding any of the cards and that makes me almost laugh in your face. I’m the one that’s in control. If I wanted to, I could’ve killed you both right here and now. I could’ve delighted in taking various parts of your anatomy apart. These guys implored me to start by cutting your fingers off. They are a bit sick and maybe that’s the reason why I keep them around. They’re always challenging my authority, but in the end, they know that what I do is for the good of myself,” Desmond said as he unloaded the bullets, until only one remained.
“I do see the why the two of you are friends or at least used to be. You both seem to think that you are owed something and that everybody should bow down in servitude to the kind of power that you wield with an iron fist. I don’t see how anybody could take those gifts that they have been given and squander them like this,” I said.
Desmond moved closer, until he was right in my face with a cigar hanging from his lips. He pulled it away and then puffed that acrid odor into my lungs. It may have been secondhand smoke, but it certainly did make me cough something fierce. I’d never loved anything to do with nicotine or any kind of bad habit whatsoever. What I had with Devlin could be considered an addiction, but in an entirely different way.
“You don’t have much say in this. I’ve done my research and you don’t have the pedigree to be considered someone that was worthy to walk in our shoes. You’re just one of his experiments. I’ve seen a few of them myself and they’re never quite the same afterwards. He makes you believe that he’s transforming you into something beautiful, but there’s always that part that seems ugly to the rest of the world,” Desmond said as he looked at me with anger and disgust.
“I would rather that you direct your comments towards me, Desmond. We see things differently than others. Lucy may be ready to shed some of those misconceptions about herself and the world, but she still holds close to her ideals. She still mistakenly believes in the goodness of others. She really does think that most people are kind and gentle. I’ve tried to break her of that belief, but she insists on letting her own personality shine through,” Devlin said as I felt one of his hands had come loose from the ropes.
“You are in no position to make any kind of demands, Devlin. I did respect you, but then you took that respect and spit it in my face. That is something that I cannot condone and if I were to turn a blind eye, I would be considered a weak man in front of my people. They would find reason to dethrone me. The only way to do that is to put a bullet in the back of my head,” Desmond said as he placed his gun up against Devlin’s forehead.
I could see what kind of game he was playing and this was not the sport that would be considered one of kings. This was a down and dirty kind of Russian roulette. One bullet in the chamber with the possibility of that bullet exiting on the moment of pressing down on the trigger was what one of them had coming.
“I’m going to give you a choice, Devlin. You can either play this game until one of us is dead, or you can take me up on my offer about making things right. There is an artifact on this very island that I have wanted to get my hands on for quite some time. If you can find some way to wrench it free of its current owner, then I can let this go” Desmond said as he waved that olive branch in both of our faces.
“I don’t think that you would have done this out of the goodness of your heart, Desmond. You may as well tell me what the other part of this is all about. You’re making it sound like I did you the most horrible thing that has happened to any human being in history. This is not the first time that one of us has been cheated of something that we wanted. You don’t care about the artifact that I didn’t give you. Your plan all along was to make me some kind of accomplice or patsy,” Devlin said.
I knew that there were no guarantees and that being with Devlin was a crapshoot. He could easily go back on his deal and it wasn’t like I had any foot hold to adhere him to the rules of the contract. Lawyers would cost an arm and a leg and that was the kind of money that I just didn’t have at my disposal.
“You may be right and you may be wrong. Choose wisely my friend or this might be where your life ends. You know that I’m not bluffing and that this bullet does have one of our names on it. You might find this a little sick and demented, but I actually stenciled both of our names on the very bullet that is in the chamber. It will be interesting when they do the autopsy and find that the name of the victim is on the bullet,” Desmond said as he had his finger on the trigger.
“You’re not going to shoot me. You have to know by now that I’m not easily rattled. You may put the fear of god into others, but that kind of play doesn’t work with me. I’m going to listen to what you have to say and weigh my options carefully. By all means, tell me what this artifact is and why it means that much to you. There’s definitely something personal in this for you. That was pretty obvious from the way that you came after me with guns a blazing in the sky,” Devlin said as he was now are trying to uncover the real reason for Desmond coming after us like this.
“You’ve got me. I had no interest in killing you, Devlin. There are so many other ways that I can use you to my benefit without even getting my hands dirty in the process,” He whispered into his ear the next part.
I couldn’t hear one single word that was being said, but I did feel the obvious agitation in the fingers of Devlin. It made me aware of the fact that he was very affected by what Desmond had to tell him. It had to be something dangerous and for him to think so would mean that for me it would be terrifying beyond words.
Desmond finished his spiel and then stood back and waited with his arms crossed to find out what Devlin was going to say. I would have liked to weigh in, but I really had no idea what had made Devlin seem like a different man. He was breathing heavy and he was sweating into the palms of his hands. Whatever it was that Desmond wanted us to do was not something that most people would have gladly taken on even to protect their own lives.
Chapter 39
With his knee bent and his leg in the air against the post inside the tree house, Desmond was waiting patiently to find out what Devlin was going to say in response to his proposal.
It was interesting to see Devlin in the same position that he had put me in not more than a few days ago. One week didn’t seem like much to others, but to me, it felt like an eternity. Each day was meant to strip me of one of those flaws. Devlin had designs on building me from scratch. The only way to do that was to break me physically and emotionally, until something amazing emerged on the other side.
“I don’t know what he told you, but whatever it is we are in this together. I would never allow you to take on anything without me. I was insecure and afraid of my own shadow when I first came to your own private island. You forced me to see myself and to look at my reflection and know that that was the woman that I wanted to be. This is something that I can never give back enough. I owe you more than I can say,” I said with my one hand working on the other knot to untangle it from digging into my wrist.
“I can’t believe that he would even ask me to do such a thing. This not only foolhardy, but it’s basically a suicide mission. I can’t say that I’m not intrigued and the idea of putting my life on the line does make my pulse race a little bit faster than normal. I’m usually carefree and worry free, but what Desmond had to say really did touch a raw nerve,” Devlin said as he was keeping me talking.
“Have you ever noticed that you have a way of answering a question with another question? You would make a perfect political candidate. They are always saying something without saying anything at all and you h
ave that in common with them. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that all of you go to the same school to learn how to manipulate and turn people’s opinions on their heads,” I said.
“I appreciate your need to protect me, Lucy, but I really don’t think that you should be involved. This has never been your fight and I only brought you into this, because I didn’t think that I would want to be without you. I know that it’s selfish and wrong, but I can’t help the way that I’m feeling,” Devlin said as he helped me to undo that knot that was one pesky little devil to get loose.
“Normally, I would allow you to think that you were this close to getting away. You can’t possibly believe that I haven’t noticed the way that you have been squirming against each other all this time,” Desmond said as he motioned one of his men to come closer.
He tied the rope even tighter than before. It felt like it was cutting off my circulation and even my hand was becoming a bit more pale than usual. This man was putting extra emphasis in his work. It gave him a sick little thrill out of playing with us like this. Desmond had let us come this close to feeling that freedom was at hand and then he snatched it away as quickly as we thought we found it.
“I’m not even cruel enough to let somebody believe one thing and do another. I do like to play with people’s lives, but I think that I have gotten over that. I found something better than making other people miserable. You should really take a page out of my book, Desmond. You might live longer and there is a big possibility that you would never have to be on medication for that Ulcer again,” Devlin said as he pulled at those bonds. They had been placed back on us. I had to give him credit for not giving up and that was not exactly where my head was.
“I would be ashamed of my actions, but I know that there’s a certain someone in this room that can be just as diabolical. He’s not above taking a young lady out of her comfort zone and making her flourish or flounder in his company. Do you remember what happened to Cheryl? It hasn’t been that long and that was the one thing that you have always told me that you regretted,” Desmond said while waiting for that necessary reaction from Devlin.
“The past those decisions I’ve made ruined people’s lives. I’ve tried to make up for past dealings, but it’s not easy when the families don’t want anything to do with me. I will do as you ask, but I will need some assurances before we begin,” Devlin said
I couldn’t believe that he had the balls to call Desmond out. We really didn’t have any reason to complain. He was giving us a way out, but what that entailed had only been imparted on Devlin. All we really needed was hope, but for that, all we had was each other. We would rise again like the phoenix from the ashes. We would use each other to fuel that need to break out of the chains.
“Devlin, I have always liked you. I even brought you along on a few road trips and even hunting trips that I have taken annually. I always thought that we were simpatico, but maybe I was only fooling myself into thinking that we could be brothers from another mother. I have thought about using somebody else for this particular adventure, but I don’t see any reason why I can’t get you to do it for me. You do owe me a debt. After this, we are even and we can go our separate ways,” Desmond said while fingering the trigger and waiting for the right time to use it in the fashion that it was designed for.
They say that bad things happen for a reason and the world still turns regardless of who is put in their grave early or later than expected. There are those that struggle to hold onto the last vestige of their humanity. They cling to medical miracles. They reach for the impossible never really understanding that it was always there. Positive outlooks, unusual healing methods was easily the most misunderstood things in human history.
“I’m going to let you go, but not before I tell you that I will be watching. I have people on this island and you may not see them, but they are there and lurking in the distance and the shadows. They will tell me if you try to run and then I will not be responsible for my actions. This is your fate and now it’s up to you decide what to do with that momentary reprieve from my kind of justice,” Desmond said while he untied us himself.
It was quite amazing to see how he unlinked those knots with only one small pull from his two fingers. He had the secret all along and we had been that close to breaking free without his assistance. We just didn’t know what kind of pressure or which part of the rope had to be pulled to alleviate the constricting motion of those fibers stabbing into my skin.
I could hear the sound of his heart beating behind me. He wanted to attack like some kind of animal, but he restrained himself out of sheer necessity for his own survival. Trying to fight back with these many people was only asking for trouble. I began to think about Kenneth and what kind of resources he might have on the island to help us in this insane endeavor. I still had no idea what it might be, but I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be anything close to a cakewalk.
“I want you to know that this isn’t over. You have made a very powerful enemy here today, Desmond. You think that you can treat me like this and not have to face retribution. You think that I’m just going to bow down and that will be the end of it. I have a very long memory and I have the kind of money that can get to you anywhere you go. Your people are not above reproach. There are those that would gladly take whatever money I lay in their greedy little fist,” Devlin said as he stood rubbing his sore wrist and looking at me to see that I was a little bit shy with my courage.
Devlin put his hand underneath my shoulder to keep me from collapsing and fainting from the danger that we were currently in. He had rented this place on the off chance that we could hide away for a few days of rest and relaxation from the real world. He thought that he could hide here amongst the locals with Kenneth now leading the charge to keep us safe from harm.
“There can be no room for failure. If you can’t get it out of the house, then she will kill you and send me back the pieces. I have no desire to see either one of you die, but I won’t exactly shed a tear to hear of your demise. This is a calculated risk and one that I feel that I can make without having it come back on me. This is your one chance to walk away from this cleanly and without judgment or condemnation,” Desmond said as he walked down the stairs with his men.
“I’m standing here baptized in my tears. I still don’t know how I’m going to let you go. You never worried or shed a tear, unless something affects you that profoundly. We can never say that I’m not the only one that ever loved you. What can I do to get it through to you that we are meant to be together for now and always? You know that the woman that I was is dead. She will not come back from the ashes and I’ve made sure to salt the very earth that she walked on,” I said.
“I don’t want her to come back at all. She was very naïve and those things can get old in a hurry. You were lucky that you were able to jump in the deep end. You may have been hesitant, but your body more than made up for that with enthusiasm,” Devlin said as he took my hand and made me look at him with grave concern in his eyes.
“I get this feeling that whatever he wants us to do won’t be easy. I should really know what is going on. It’s not going to change a thing between you and me,” I said not quite believing and wanting to know what this big secret mission was all about.
“There is a place on this island that is owned by an eccentric recluse. If you thought that I was something, then you really haven’t met anybody quite like Harper. She’s afraid of germs and lives in absolute isolation from the rest of the world. She surrounds herself by those treasures that put a smile on her face. She lives for those moments where she sits and looks it all of those things that she has accumulated over the years,” He said while making me believe that there was more to this story that he was letting on.
“I’m guessing that her security measures are not normal by everyday standards. She sounds like a woman that would have a few surprises up her sleeve. If she really doesn’t want to be found or talked to, then she most likely will go above and beyo
nd to make sure that her safety is paramount,” I said knowing that I was unveiling something that Devlin would rather stay buried.
“I never thought that I was good enough for you. I was a little rusty when I gave you the proposal. I have to tell you a secret and I hope that you won’t feel differently about me when you hear it. I had retired and I was going to live a modest kind of life, but then I met you and all that went out the window,” Devlin said.
“I’ve never enjoyed having somebody push me around, but with you it was like it was supposed to be. I’ve lived for a long time with regrets and you’re not the only one that has felt that they weren’t good enough. You hide it better than others and you certainly hide it better than I do. I had my own reservations about all of this,” I said knowing full well that I was going to follow him wherever he went.
“The way that you have allowed me to mold you has made me see you differently. You’re not that pushover anymore and I see a real fire in your eyes to take back the life that you have let pass through your fingertips. This artifact is supposedly something that is almost like the fountain of youth. One touch and it is said to imbue the owner with a resiliency to age very slowly. It gives the illusion of youth, but it can take it away very quickly if not shown the proper respect. That respect comes from sacrifice. The place is surrounded by a fortress, but I believe that I can get what is considered an invitation,” Devlin said with the air of somebody that knew something that I didn’t.