by Tiara James
“Good to see you, Percy. Is my lovely fiancée home?” Ray’s sickening voice streamed through the door.
I felt as if I was going to be sick to my stomach, his presence always upset me! I dropped the money and went to escape to my room before he could see me. Unfortunately, he was already standing in the foyer and caught me by the arm before I could make it up the stairs.
“There you are my love,” Ray said as he tightened his grip around my arm.
“Good evening, Ray.” I said through gritted teeth.
“Ray, get your hands off of her like that.” Daddy commanded.
Ray nodded and obeyed. “Okay but what I’m about to reveal, you won’t like Percy.”
Sweat prickled at my forehead and under my arms. What did he know? I desperately wanted to ask but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction in knowing that I needed answers from him of all people. Daddy eyed me and I dropped my eyes to the floor, not sure what to tell him. Who knew what Ray had up his sleeve? We followed my father into the dining room where the table had been completely cleared off by Mama.
“Ray, so nice to see you this evening.” Mama greeted him with a warm smile.
I rolled my eyes, knowing he didn’t deserve any of her charm.
“Same to you Mary, although I wish it could be under different circumstances.” Ray put one hand on his hip and the other on the back of a chair, shaking his head.
Ugh! He drove me up a thousand walls, everything about him made me want to deck him in the face! However, I was desperate to hear what news he came to deliver. After all, he did control my family’s fate.
“What’s going on?” My father demanded to know. Better him than me, if it was up to me I would’ve beat the information out of Ray.
“Percy, Mary, I’m afraid your little princess hasn’t been so honest with you these past few months.” Ray stated and waited for reactions.
“What’re you talking about?” I asked Ray with as much attitude as I could. On the inside I was covering my face, terrified of what he had to say about me to my parents. Why did it have to be about me!
A smug smile spread across his face. “You’re going to act like you don’t know, my love?”
“What’s he talking about, Eva-Marie?” Daddy asked.
“Is there something you want to tell us, dear?” Mama eyed me with concerned eyes.
“She won’t tell you.” Ray shook his head and began pacing around the dining room. “Back at the beginning of the summer my lovely fiancée was saved from drowning in a lake by the white man we know as David Finley.” He paused and looked from me to my parents. “As I’m sure we all remember.” Ray continued to pace. “Now fast forward a few weeks to when we were all at the New Members’ Ball and he came to apologize for the misunderstanding that occurred between him and Percy.” He stopped pacing. “With all due respect, why would a white man care for the opinion of a negro family?” He continued. “If I remember correctly, you were banned from seeing him Eva-Marie.” He looked at my mother. “Am I correct?”
Mama nodded, looking as if she was trying to understand where he was going with the story.
“And it appeared that way for quite some time. Little did we know, Eva-Marie was going behind all of our backs.” Ray said.
My face burst into a million flames! How did he know? We had been so secretive about it! I knew there was no possible way he could’ve known. There was silence between my parents as Ray walked a few steps over to me.
“Have you been seeing him, Eva-Marie?” He placed one hand on the back of my chair and the other on the table, getting close to my face.
“No.” I blatantly lied.
“Look me in the eye and tell me, dear.” Ray commanded.
I slowly turned my head to look into his dark eyes, feeling defeated but I kept fighting. “I said no.”
I could barely hear my own voice. An unsettling feeling began swimming around in my stomach, making me want to get up and run out of the room to the safety of David’s arms. I could tell that Ray wasn’t going to let me get out of there alive. I felt the night getting ready to take a drastic turn for the worst.
“Then what are these, huh!” From his pocket, Ray produced a stack of photographs and slammed them on the table then spread them out. They were candid pictures of David and me from recent times we’d been together. My parents took a step closer to see, they were clearly displeased. Mama sighed and shook her head while Daddy’s face gave nothing away.
“I’m going to ask you one more time Eva-Marie! Have you been seeing him?” Ray shouted at me.
I couldn’t find it in me to answer Ray’s question, nor did I want to when the answer was right in front of his face. I refused to give him the satisfaction of giving him an answer. While I sat there with the heat from everyone’s eyes feeling like a thousand suns on my face, I concentrated on my fingers in my lap.
“So you’re not going to answer, huh? Okay well I can predict that you’d all be too pleased to know who Eva’s really been having around.” Ray grabbed my chin and forced me to look up at him. “That is if you even know, my darling.”
At that point I was truly confused as to what he could be talking about. He busted me, hadn’t he done his job? I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. “I’m not listening to anything you have to say. Nothing you say will change my mind about him.”
“That’s where you’re wrong!” Ray chuckled and threw down a manila folder and flipped it open. “I don’t think you’d be too happy to know that your little boyfriend has been lying about everything ever since he first met you.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, growing worried. In my head I convinced myself that anything he said about David would be false. I trusted David more than I trusted Ray.
“Read the information, Eva-Marie or do I need to spell it out for you?” Ray asked and pointed to the information next to David’s picture in the folder. “Right here in plain-text it says that David Finley is actually a David O’Neil the son of Warren O’Neil. In other words the son of the Chief of Police.”
Almost immediately a lump formed in my throat as I read the information for myself. O’Neil? Chief of Police? No! I didn’t want to believe it. “You’re lying,” I told him.
“And you’re in denial! Would you like to know the best part? He’s an undercover cop who’s been assigned to bust a drug case. What drug you might ask? Trioxytin. He doesn’t love you Eva-Marie, he’s using you to bring an end to his case but little does he know that it’s right in front of his face!” Ray concluded. I could hear my mother gasp and my father curse loudly.
“Did you give him any information?” My father demanded.
I couldn’t answer. I was dealing with a shock of my own.
Daddy slammed his hand down on the table hard enough to make the photos of David and I vibrate. “Dammit, Eva-Marie Noel Hutchinson I need you to fucking answer me!”
It felt as if someone had cut the oxygen supply to my lungs. For a moment I thought my heart had just combusted inside of my chest. My mind was racing and anxiety was taking over. “Stop! Stop! Just stop it, I can’t take it!”
Ray grabbed me firmly by the wrists and forced me to stand up. “Let’s go, it looks like your time here in this town is going to be cut short due to the potential damage you’ve caused.” He began to lead me out of the dining room.
“What? Where are we going?” I asked, my voice beginning to whine.
“To meet up with that pig of yours so you can end whatever it is you two have going on. You and I are leaving town next week and that’s when we’ll be getting married, I don’t need him chasing after you. You’ve put yourself and your family at risk, all for selfish reasons. Or was it to spite them for all they’ve done to you…? Either way, I have to get you out of here. Lord knows what you said to that pig to get your parents arrested.” Ray shook his head and tried to force me through the foyer.
I looked back to the dining room to see my parents’ expression to be a cross between
disbelief and hurt – it broke my heart into a million pieces. I knew how much loyalty meant to my family. I couldn’t let them think I was in on David’s plan! “What? No! I swear I didn’t know!” I yelled, furiously trying to turn around and get back to them but Ray had his arms around me so I couldn’t get to them. “I would never do anything to put you in danger and you know that!” I attempted to squirm free but Ray wouldn’t budge.
Ray stilled when my father was behind him with a pistol to the back of his head. I ceased my breathing completely, waiting for the outcome.
“Get your hands off of my daughter, put her down. Now.” My father instructed.
“You’ll have police at your doorstep in less than half an hour. Did you forget what kind of neighborhood you live in Percy? Jesus. You don’t want me turning you all in before the pig your daughter’s been sleeping with finds you out. Let’s not forget who has the power in this situation.” Ray threatened, turning to face the gun.
With that being said, my father lowered the gun with a defeated expression. He looked at me with anguish in his eyes and took a seat next to my mother on the stairs with his shoulders sagged. It saddened me to see my parents so powerless in the situation.
“As I thought,” Ray said haughtily before shoving me out the front door, leaving my mom bawling at the end of the staircase while my father held onto her.
Hearing my mother cry only made me want to die, but I didn’t want to break down in front of her and make it worse. Mindlessly, I walked to the car, too shocked to process any emotions. However, all of the feelings broke free as soon as I took my seat in the car. I leaned against the window and covered my mouth to stifle my sobs. David. My mother. My father. My life. How was it possible that this was happening? It couldn’t be…
“Why are you so sad my dear, we’re on our way to see the love of your life.” Ray shook my shoulder, clearly enjoying that he was getting his way.
“I don’t wanna see him!” I cried, not looking at him.
“Oh don’t be silly, Eva. You love him! It’s too bad he made such a fool of you.” Ray snorted.
The words squeezed and twisted my heart in the most painful way possible. The pain was so unbearable that I had to wonder if it was even real! How could I be so stupid? I wondered sadly.
“So did he get to my prize first, Eva?” Ray asked in a lower, huskier voice. I felt his hands graze me inappropriately. “Did he?”
Yes and how could I let him! I screamed in my head. However, Ray didn’t need to know. I had nothing in me to protest physically. “Fuck you,” was all I managed to say.
“I hope you do,” Ray whispered in my ear.
The words sent an ice cold chill down my spine. I realized I had no one to run to and no one to keep me safe from this monster.
“To the train yard, sir.” He instructed his driver.
I stared down at my feet as we drove. I didn’t want to look out the window, I didn’t want to know when we arrived, and I didn’t want to see David at all. How could this happen? Why was this happening to me? I thought I was so lucky to have someone like him! My mind continued to race as we made our way to the abandoned train yard. That was the last place I wanted to be. I never wanted to go anywhere David and I had been together ever again. He betrayed me!
When the car stopped, Ray turned his body to mine and grabbed my chin to make me look at him. “You make it seem as if everything you two ever had was nothing but a phase, do you understand me? You tell him you never loved him, I want you to break his heart Eva-Marie. If you don’t then you can kiss your freedom goodbye, are we clear?”
I blinked slowly and emotionless. My mind was processing absolutely nothing.
“Now come on.” Ray opened the door.
My body wouldn’t move. I couldn’t move. I sat there with the same expressionless face, staring down at my feet until I felt a hard tug at my hair that made me cry out in pain! Ray grabbed me by the hair and shoved me up against the car with his body pressing firmly on mine.
“Dammit, snap out of it Eva-Marie!” He looked me in the eyes and snapped in my face a few times.
I blinked and shook my head slightly. “Okay.”
My legs began moving me in the direction of the trains. Ray waited outside the car. I didn’t know what I was going to say. Feeling began rushing back into me as I got closer and saw David standing with his back to me. When he heard me coming, he turned around. Seeing his face reawakened all the fury and hurt he’d caused.
He was smiling but it quickly faded after he saw my puffy eyes and furious expression.
I hadn’t noticed how fast I’d been walking toward him. Fury hit first. I reached him and hit him on the chest with both hands multiple times, letting my anger out! As the anger was released, the pain set in. Oh yes did the pain set in extremely hard. Tears started to fall and I began sobbing as I was hitting him.
“Eva! What are you doing? What’s going on?” He pulled my head to his chest and kissed the top of my head. “I’m here, what’s wrong?” David begged to know.
Ugh! His embrace felt so right but it was completely different knowing that he lied to me and was after my family! I pulled away from him and shoved him. “How could you? You used me! You lied to me! You’re a liar!” I sobbed and hit him on the shoulder as he turned his body.
David grabbed my wrists and looked me in the eye. “What the hell are you talking about, Eva-Marie? Talk to me!”
“Don’t act like you don’t know!” I shouted, yanking my arms free. “You’re an undercover police, Ray told me! You’re just using me to find out information for your case, I’m not stupid David!”
His face paled and his expression shifted from confusion to disbelief. David slowly shook his head. “This is not how I wanted you to find –”
“What do you have to say for yourself, David?” I demanded through tears. I shoved him when he didn’t answer immediately. “David, I trusted you!” I jabbed my index finger at him.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” He put his hands up surrendering. “I should’ve told you earlier, I was wrong!”
“Was any of it real, David?” I asked with burning curiosity. I thought that maybe if the love between us was real we could work through everything. However, I knew that was wishful thinking…even if we wanted to be, we couldn’t be together. My family was his target and he didn’t even know. In that moment I realized that that’s where most of my hurt was coming from – in knowing that we were couldn’t be together. We never could. How could something that felt so natural and made me so happy be so…wrong?
David’s eyebrows came together immediately and his eyes widened. “What? Yes, it was real! I love you Eva-Marie, everything we had between us was real! I wouldn’t fake that for anything!”
“I gave a piece of myself to you and you just threw it back in my face by lying to me about who you are and using me, David! How could you?” I yelled, my heart just aching…
“Calm down, Eva! I was never using you, you have nothing to do with my case! I told you I’m in love with you. I would never lie about that. You have to believe me! What lies has that bastard told you?” He seethed, pointing toward the car.
I wanted to tell him that I had almost everything to do with his case! But that would only make matters worse. I shook my head, trying to get myself together. I had to end it so I could get out of there and no longer have to see him look so hurt and hopeless. “It doesn’t matter what he’s told me, David. We can’t be together. I’m leaving town and I’m getting married.”
David took a step closer to me, cupping his hands around my face. “What? No! Eva please, you have to give me the chance to explain. My life wouldn’t be the same without you. You said you’d never leave me!”
“And you said you’d never lie to me.” I said, my voice cracking. I took a step back away from him, letting his hands fall to his sides hopelessly.
“Oh come on Eva, I’m sorry.” David pleaded desperately. “I didn’t know it would make things this bad…I…just�
��please don’t leave, please.”
Seeing David in such a way desperately made me want to forgive him and go back to how things were because I loved him…no matter what happened, I couldn’t just reverse my feelings for him. Even if he was after my family! The pain I was feeling was overpowering and the confusion was even greater. Though, I knew that above all…I could not be with him. I could give him no hope and I would have to cut off all ties because ultimately the only man I’d ever loved was the greatest enemy I’d ever known. As much as it was going to hurt the both of us, I knew I had to do it.
I exhaled loudly. “I don’t want to be with you anymore, David. I don’t want you in my life and I’m not in love with you so please, just stop trying.” The words that came out of my mouth felt like a dozen swords on my tongue. It was torture. There was no other way to describe the feeling of hurting the one I loved except for torturous...
I watched his face distort with pain, looking as if someone had just knocked the wind out of him. “You don’t mean that…you don’t mean that. You’re lying.” David said after a few moments. He was staring at me with intense eyes. Oh the eyes that reeled me in from the very start!
“I’m getting married, I have no reason to lie and I can’t have you after me. So just put us both out of this misery and leave me alone!” I exclaimed. I turned and began walking back to the car.
David turned me around and grabbed my shoulders. “No! You’re lying! You loved me just as much as I loved you and still do! What we had was real Eva-Marie and you know it!”
My teary eyes came in contact with his and I shook my head. “Let me go, David. You have to let me go.”
Reluctantly, David released his strong grip on me and watched me back away. I left him there in the train yard all by himself with a hopeless and lost expression on his face. I didn’t bother looking back at him as I made my way to the car, it would only hurt the both of us even more.
“A job well done,” Ray nodded at me before opening my door.
I ignored him and plopped down in the car, keeping my eyes straight forward.