The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle

by Len du Randt

  No one dared to say a word.

  ‘Why would we want everyone to unite?’ Jared finally asked.

  ‘Ah, Mister Greene,’ the man said. ‘If all countries unite as one, if everyone falls under one banner as a Global Village, the few men at the very top who rule this village will in essence, rule the entire world.’

  Jared nodded to indicate that he was satisfied with the answer.

  ‘And this includes every one of you in this room tonight, Mister Greene. You are one of those men.’

  Jared raised his glass into the air as a salute before gulping down the contents. He wondered who these people were and just how deep this rabbit hole really went. Aaryan Omar’s escape certainly proved a lot already. How many more things that happened on a daily basis did these people have control over?

  ‘This, gentlemen, is just the tip of the ice berg. There are so many more things that you could invest in; so many more things that will help us accomplish our goals quicker and more effectively. But for the time being, let us focus on this one weapon. We need the capital to manufacture at least fifty of these bombs before we can be seen as a threat. So I beg you, if you wish to see a better world tomorrow, invest all you can today.’

  Jared took out his cheque book and opened it.

  ‘The minimum contribution will commence at five hundred thousand dollars.’

  What? Jared paused for a moment. This was certainly not minor league anymore. Would he ever be able to pluck the fruits of his investment? Would all this world domination talk ever materialize? Jared figured that only time would tell. Natasha stroked the back of his neck and in the moment he wanted to give her everything he owned. She could write the cheques for him. She could manage his funds. He just wanted to focus all his attention on her and her alone.

  ‘Two million,’ she whispered into his ear. Her breath felt warm against his skin.

  Jared nodded. He filled out the cheque for two million dollars. So be it. He was now officially a part of this group. He was now playing in the major leagues. He could now destroy entire countries with a mere phone call. He now had ultimate power.

  * - - - *

  It was midnight when Amy awoke from her nightmare. For a moment she wondered where she was. She called out to Jared, but then realised that she was in her own room at her parents’ place. She lay on her back, staring at the dark ceiling as her heartbeat returned to normal. Regulating her breathing proved to be harder than she thought it would. Each breath escaped with a gasp. She ran the back of her hand over her forehead. It was wet with perspiration.

  Shfffff!

  She heard something move somewhere in the room.

  Amy lay still, her eyes rapidly darting about as her heartbeat quickened again. She could see nothing but the swallowing blackness of night.

  Thud!

  Amy sat upright and pressed her back against the headboard. Someone was in the room! She could feel the presence of the other person. She could hear the shuffling; sense the movement.

  ‘Hello?’

  No one answered.

  ‘Mom?’

  Something moved to her left; something to her right.

  Amy shrieked and reached out for the bed lamp. Light instantly flushed out the darkness and she had to blink a few times before her vision stabilized enough for her to focus on her surroundings.

  Nothing.

  She was alone.

  Amy sighed. She wanted to call Jared. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry for pushing him over the edge. She wanted to submit to his authority, to make him the influencing force in her life. She wanted to be his wife; to be loved by him and to be protected by him. Being alone was the last thing that she wanted at the moment.

  But she wasn’t alone. She could sense someone watching her and a tingle rippled down her spine. She reached for the glass of water on her bedside table. It was empty. Her throat was dry and she needed to quench her thirst. Amy giggled at herself as she took the glass. She wasn’t one to be afraid of things that went bump in the night. In fact, if things did go bump, Jared usually sent her to go check it out. Yes. She would call Jared first thing in the morning. She would sacrifice her ego and humbly apologize and be the least. That was what being submissive was all about. With renewed hope she got out of bed and slowly walked to the door.

  As if from nowhere Natasha stood in front of her.

  Amy gasped and dropped the glass. It fell on the ground, crashing onto the carpet where it cracked. ‘What...what are you doing here?’

  Natasha didn’t answer. She opened her mouth to reveal the jagged razors she had for teeth.

  ‘What—?’

  Natasha shot out her hand and an invisible force flung Amy clear across the room and smashed her into the wall. Amy cried out in pain. Was she sleeping? Was this a dream? Natasha raised her hand into the air and Amy crashed into the ceiling with a sickening crunch before dropping back down to the ground.

  ‘Please...Lord—’ Amy managed, but the words were ripped from her mouth as an invisible force flung her across the room where she crashed into the hardboard doors of her cupboards. She tried crawling towards the door with what little strength she had left in her. ‘Help...me...’

  In an instant, Natasha was upon her. She brought her face close to Amy’s ears and whispered, ‘He’s mine now, and there’s nothing you or your Sssaviour can do about it.’

  Amy cried. She wanted this to be a dream, but the taste of blood in her mouth and the aching pain that wracked her body served as a painful reminder that what was happening was all too real. She had no strength left in her to fight back. She felt her endurance draining away with each breath she took and she just wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep. Just until tomorrow morning. Just until Jared could be there to hold her and protect her; to tell her that he would always be by her side. She tried to get up, but couldn’t force her arms to respond to her brain’s frantic commands.

  Natasha pulled her up by the hair. ‘We will not allow a nobody like you to interfere with our plans,’ she growled and with one hard pull, flung Amy across the room where she slapped against the wall next to her bed.

  ‘Help...’ Amy gurgled before everything faded to black. Jared was on her mind, but Natasha’s smirking face was the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness.

  * - - - *

  ‘I’m going to be late today, Shaun,’ Jared said as he swerved in front of a car in order to pass another. He ignored the honking. ‘Amy’s in hospital and I’m on my way there now.’

  ‘What?’ Shaun asked. ‘What happened? Is she all right?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Jared said. ‘According to her mother they found her in bed. She was covered in blood and had all sorts of cuts and bruises on her.’

  ‘She wasn’t with you?’

  Traitor.

  ‘No.’

  Judas!

  ‘She was at her parents’ place.’

  ‘Oh man,’ Shaun breathed. ‘Is there something I can do to help?’

  You’ve done enough already, thank you. ‘No need. I’ve asked Natasha to come with me in case anything important should pop up.’

  ‘Are you sure that’s such a good idea? Shouldn’t I rather...?’

  ‘No, Shaun. Stay where you are and make sure that everything’s running smooth at the company.’

  ‘It’s a little late for that now,’ said Shaun. ‘We’ve lost another client and had four resignations last week alone.’

  Jared cursed. ‘I’ll deal with that when I get there. I should be there at around noon.’

  A few minutes later, Jared’s Vanquish sped into the hospital parking lot. Natasha followed Jared as he hurried to the waiting room where he greeted Amy’s grief-stricken parents.

  ‘What happened?’ he asked.

  ‘We don’t know,’ Amy’s father said and shrugged. The man—big and intimidating in general—now appeared weak and frail. ‘Her mother found her like this in her bed this morning.’

  ‘Is she okay?’

&
nbsp; ‘She’s alive,’ her father said. ‘But only barely. She’s in critical condition and the doctor fears that she might not make it.’

  Jared raked his fingers through his hair. ‘Oh man,’ he said. ‘This is my fault. I should never have allowed her to leave.’

  ‘It’s not your fault, Jared,’ Amy’s mother said. ‘In fact, we have no idea whose fault it is. There were no sign of forced entry; no indication of anyone else being there other than Amy. There were no razors for her to have done this herself, and the doctor said that some of the broken bones on her body could not have been self-inflicted.’

  Jared flinched. Broken bones? Just what on earth happened? ‘What can I do to help?’

  ‘Pray,’ Amy’s mother answered. ‘That’s all that anyone could do at this stage.’

  Jared stayed a bit longer, comforting Amy’s parents. When he was finally alone, Natasha walked over to him with a glass of water in her hand.

  ‘Here,’ she said. ‘Drink this.’

  Jared thanked her and drank the water.

  ‘I could stay over at your place,’ she offered, ‘just until all this has blown over.’

  Jared looked up into her eyes and his thoughts about Amy were immediately overshadowed. He wanted to embrace and hold on to Natasha as tightly as he could manage. ‘I would like that very much,’ he said softly. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Come,’ she said and took his hand. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

  * - - - *

  It was Thursday when Jared decided to finally call Shaun. When they left the hospital on Tuesday, they went straight to his place. They were not seen or heard from until Thursday morning. He had thirteen voice messages when he switched on his phone. Seven were dropped calls, and only six were actual messages; all from Shaun. By the third message, his voice raised into a frantic scream. He demanded to know where Jared was. He even went to the house and found the place deserted.

  Jared knew that he had to call Shaun. He didn’t particularly like the thought, but he realised that he couldn’t avoid it much longer.

  ‘Where the hell have you been?’ Shaun screamed into the phone. ‘You said that you were coming in once you left the hospital!’

  ‘Something came up,’ Jared said. ‘What’s the big fuss anyway?’

  ‘You were supposed to be at work, Jared. That’s what the big fuss is all about.’

  Don’t you dare tell me what I’m supposed and not supposed to be doing! ‘I’ll be in tomorrow morning.’

  ‘Don’t do this to me, Jared. Why can’t you come in today? Where were you all this time?’

  ‘I’ll come in tomorrow morning, Shaun. Now let it go.’

  Shaun was quiet for a long moment before he spoke again. ‘How’s Amy?’

  ‘Last I heard she was in a critical condition at the hospital.’

  ‘When was that?’

  What does it matter? Get off my back already! ‘Last night,’ Jared lied.

  There was another moment of silence. ‘Just so you know, that Natasha PA of yours also hasn’t been here this week.’

  Jared squeezed the receiver. ‘What are you implying?’ he asked as he looked up at Natasha. She beckoned him back to bed.

  ‘Nothing,’ Shaun said. ‘I just thought that you should know.’

  Traitor!

  ‘I gave her a few days off. Until I got my…issues sorted out.’

  Shaun sighed. ‘So I’ll see you tomorrow?’

  ‘Yes,’ Jared said. He hung up and switched off his phone before he tossed it aside. ‘Come,’ Natasha said and extended her arms toward Jared. ‘Come to me.’

  Jared couldn’t resist. His legs moved as if by instinct, and in the blink of an eye he was on the bed next to her. She folded her arms around him, singing softly in his ear. Jared cried at the sound of her voice. It was as if an angel from heaven was singing to him. She sang louder and he cried louder. He didn’t cry for Amy. He cried because his body couldn’t handle the effect her voice had on it. He cried because he had no other outlet through which to channel the feelings her voice instilled in him. He wanted to break free from the shell that was his body, to fly through the air, to expand himself beyond the galaxy. He wanted to be small and large at the same time. He wanted to devour the universe. She kept on singing and Jared kept on crying. When she was done, he had no more strength left in his body. He collapsed next to her and breathed furiously as a deep, dreamless sleep engulfed him.

  * - - - *

  ‘I need to speak to you, Jared,’ Shaun said and thumped his foot on the expensive Persian. He shot a glance at Natasha. ‘Alone.’

  ‘Anything you say to me, you can say in front of my personal assistant,’ Jared said. ‘So, what’s bothering you?’

  Shaun couldn’t help the laugh that escaped from his lips. ‘What’s bothering me?’ he asked. His voice almost rose to a quivering shriek. ‘What’s bothering me? Are you sure you want to know?’

  ‘I don’t have time to play games, Shaun.’

  ‘You don’t have time to play games? Oh, I think you do, Jared. You have plenty of time to not come to work. You have time to not return my calls. You even have time to neglect your biggest clients. Don’t you dare talk to me about playing games!’

  ‘Is that what this is all about? The stupid Patterson contract?’

  ‘What Patterson contract?’ Shaun semi-screamed. ‘They cancelled it early this morning. With immediate effect. And you will not believe the penalties due—’

  ‘They can’t do that!’ Jared snapped and slammed his palm on the huge custom made desk. ‘That’s breech!’

  ‘No, Jared. Whyte & Greene International was in breech. They had three months. That was your promise to them.’

  Jared’s knuckles whitened as he balled his fists. He clenched his teeth. It was only a matter of enough pushing before he would react. ‘Did you even try to keep them happy?’ He hissed as he spat out the words.

  ‘Of course I did,’ Shaun said. ‘What do you take me for, an idiot?’

  ‘Only an idiot would lose them as a client.’

  ‘Well, then you’re the king of all idiots, Jared.’

  That was the last straw. Jared’s fist shot out and smashed into Shaun’s nose. Blood squirted from both nostrils. Jared followed up and slammed his fist into Shaun’s face again. Shaun fell to the ground and Jared was instantly upon him, his fist raised. It was only when he saw his friend’s blood-soaked face, wide eyes, and outstretched hand that he managed to stop himself.

  ‘You’ve lost it, Jared,’ Shaun said as he clambered to his feet again. ‘You lost the contract, you’ve lost the company, and you’ve also lost this friendship.’ With that he turned and briskly left the office, trying his best to keep the blood from dripping on the carpet.

  ‘He’s right,’ Jared sighed when Shaun was gone. He sank back down into his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. ‘I’ve lost everything. I will have to sell the house and both cars just to try and break even.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Natasha said in a soothing voice. She moved behind him and massaged his tense shoulders. ‘This is a minor setback. You’re meant for greater things, Jared. There’s nothing in the universe that can stop you now. You know the right people. It’s just a matter of time before you will have more influence, power, and money than anyone else on earth. When that time comes, all this won’t even be a bad memory.’

  Jared nodded. She was right. ‘When’s the next benefit?’ he asked.

  ‘Next week, Thursday evening,’ she said and kissed him on the neck. ‘You’ll want to be there. Trust me.’

  ‘Minor setback,’ Jared said.

  ‘Minor setback,’ she whispered into his ear. ‘You are the one, Jared Greene. All power goes to you.’

  ‘I am the one,’ he repeated. ‘All power.’

  ‘Let’s go home. There’s nothing more for you here.’

  ‘Home,’ he said, and as if in a trance, he stood up and left the office with her.

  * - - - *

  Jared
opened one eye and sighed as he realised that the sun was already on its way down again. He rubbed the stubble on his face and raked his fingers through his hair as he sat up in bed.

  ‘I’m coming!’ he yelled at the ringing cell phone.

  The phone ignored Jared and continued its relentless ringing.

  It was Amy’s father. Jared cleared his throat and pressed the answer button. ‘Hello?’ He raised his voice slightly to try and give the impression that he had been awake for some time now.

  ‘Hello, Jared,’ Amy’s father greeted softly from the other end. ‘Is this a bad time?’

  Jared checked his watch. Could it be five in the afternoon already? ‘No,’ he said. ‘I can talk. How are you?’

  There was a moment of silence before Amy’s father spoke again. ‘Amy,’ he said and paused again. ‘She...’

  ‘Yes...?’

  ‘She passed away. Her heart stopped beating...’ the voice broke off in a choke and Jared waited for him to continue. ‘Her heart stopped beating an hour ago.’

  Jared was speechless. He looked at Natasha. She was lying undisturbed in the spot she had been laying in the past two days. She smooth contours of her elegant body distracted him. Jared shook his head to clear it. ‘She’s dead?’

  Amy’s father swallowed back the sobs. ‘Yes...’

  Jared knew that he should feel a deep remorse for Amy’s death, but in actual fact, he felt relieved. It felt like a huge stumbling block had been removed from his life and he could now move on to greater things. Natasha would lead him to greatness. She was the way. She was the truth. ‘I’m...sorry,’ he said. There was nothing else he could say that would mean much more to the man. ‘I really am.’