by Jane West
***
Riding in the cab, home, an ache deep within my gut knotted. I hated what had happened. He wanted more. It was apparent in his wounded eyes. The past Stevie would’ve fallen head-over-heels in love with him. He had all the right ingredients to make a perfect boyfriend—easy on the eyes, strong and protective, and far too considerate to waste on me. Not trying to beat myself up, but I knew the we-part wouldn’t work.
I should’ve not let my guard down. Yet I’d wanted him, plain and simple. I wiped a tear away. Despite my selfish desires, if I allowed myself the luxury of caring, Val would be getting the short end of the stick. I was only a fragment of a woman defective. As long as my past continued to emerge with my present, I’d never be whole. I might as well face it. Until I found peace within myself, I was not my own. I withdrew a glumly sigh. The only thing that mattered right now was finding my daughter. Anything outside of that was pointless.
Miasma
When I arrived home, Jeffery had been waiting up for me. I suppose both Jeffery and Dom had been concerned for me after I’d missed all three meals today. A guilty feeling hit the pit of my stomach. I’d forgotten to call. I withdrew a deep sigh. After years of having very little to eat, missing meals didn’t seem that big of a deal to me. I assumed since I was only a smudge of human and more celestial, my body didn’t require a lot of nourishment. Growing up with my mom, my lack of need to eat turned out to be a blessing. We didn’t have much more than the shirts on our backs, even more so with food.
I followed the light to the kitchen where a renowned foot was tapping vigorously against the hardwood flooring. I rolled my eyes and murmured, “Good grief!” I didn’t have to guess who had been waiting up for me.
Jeffery’s voice echoed from the kitchen, “Gurrrl, get your butt in ’ere!” he called out sternly. My breath caught in my throat. “Oh mother of god! Is he pissed at me too?” I mumbled.
Once I seated myself across the table from Jeff, he placed in front of me a steaming bowl of soup. It was my favorite, chicken and dumplings coupled with Dom’s famous Dee-Dee rolls. The bread was so moist every bite melted in my mouth. It was the modern-day manna. It was that divine. I didn’t waste any time digging in.
“Thanks, Jeff! What’s up?” I asked, peeking over the curls of steam while I blew into my spoon. I noticed the worried lines on Jeff’s strained face.
“Dom’s been sick today with worry. I sent him to bed with one of my sleeping pills. Well, actually, the pills are his. I just borrowed them any hoot. I hope your evening went well?”
All at once I felt like a kid again under fire. There was a pinch of sarcasm in Jeffery’s tone. “I’d had better.” I shrugged, drowning my memories of the day in my dumplings.
“We had a visitor today.” Jeffery kept tapping his foot, and soon his fingers joined in.
I knew right away this couldn’t be good. “Who?” My breath steeled.
“Oh, it ain’t that horrid clan.” Jeffery chirped as if he’d read my mind. “Someone you will never guess in a million years.”
“Just end my misery and cough it up already!” I grumbled as I dropped my spoon into the soup, making it splatter onto the table. I reached for a napkin and started dabbing.
Jeffery’s face soured as though he’d smelled something poignant. “Chile, you need to stop bein’ so snippy!” he lectured, full of attitude.
“Sorry. It’s been a rough day.” I squirmed in my seat.
“I’d love to hear about it, but you have a visitor!” Jeffery sounded agitated.
“Jeff, I love you, but can it wait until morning? I’m just not feeling it.”
“No, ma’am! It sure as hell can’t.” Jeffery’s lips pursed. I knew whenever my friend made that tart face, he meant business. I might as well grin and bear it. My only hope was that whatever it was that he needed off his chest didn’t last into the wee morning hour. “Shoot!” I conceded.
“Okay, Miss Stevie, smarty-pants, close your eyes. It’s a surprise!”
Without a clue, I heard soft footfalls coming behind me, not heavy like Dom or loud like Jeffery but light and quick like an athlete. Like a shot I felt cool hands over my eyes and a soft voice following. “Guess who!”
Immediately I knew. I swirled around in my chair, and there stood my good friend, Jen Li. I hadn’t seen her since that terrible day.
Jumping to my feet, I embraced my welcomed friend. We shared in mirth and tears of joy. “I can’t believe it’s you!” I stood back, gazing at Jen, still in disbelief.
In life you only have a few true friends, and that described Jen in a nutshell. “Yeah! Your friend, Jeffery, looked me up.” She nodded to the oddly quiet man, tapping his foot, feverously. “I had no idea you were living here in New Orleans. I’m going to UNO here. I got a scholarship in volley-ball, so here I am, a college student.” She smiled, flashing her bright white teeth against her brown skin.
That’s funny. I could’ve sworn Jen played basket-ball. I chewed on the inside of my lip, thinking. If my memory served me well, she preferred the more aggressive sports. Suddenly Jeffery caught the corner of my eye. His cheeks had bloated as if he was holding back vomit, and his eyes were glazed. I’d be the first to admit that Jeffery had his weird moments, but this was really strange even for him.
Suspicion began to stir.
“How did you end up here?” Jen broke my train of thought.
“Well, I came to stay with Jeffery and Dom.” I smiled, trying to put on a good face.
“Jeff told me about your mom’s death. I had no clue!” Jen reached out, placing her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I had no idea where you had disappeared to. Even Sam was struck with bewilderment.” Jen’s face seemed genuine, but Sam died before I’d disappeared. Perhaps she had the days mixed. I keep forgetting it had happen over three years ago. To me, it seemed like yesterday.
“Yeah—uh—a lot of things have changed. When did you last see Sam?” I kept my gaze even.
“Let’s see?” Jen gave pause. “It was the next day at school.”
Unearthly chills slithered down my spine. Why was she lying? “Are you sure you have the right day?” I tried to be inconspicuous.
Jen’s face etched with incertitude. “No, wait! It was that night after the Halloween party. He took me home. I had a little too much to drink. You know me! Partee-hardee!”
That was peculiar. The Jen I use to know didn’t drink. On the contrary, she was a health nut. “How late did you stay?” I held my breath. I remembered Sam telling me that Jen had stayed home. Aidan later that night exclaimed that the party had been canceled. Now Jen was telling me Sam had taken her home. I wasn’t sure who to believe, so I went with my gut.
“Oh! We shut the party down!” she bragged. “I don’t know maybe three in the morning.” She tossed an impish grin. Creepy bumps popped up over my arms.
“That’s really odd.”
“Why do you say that?”
I wasn’t sure who this person was standing in front of me, but I knew who she wasn’t. I smiled kindly, “it’s just strange that you would say Sam carried you home. The party had been canceled.” I watched her body go rigid.
“Wow!” she swallowed. “You know I was pretty drunk. Maybe I have it confused with a later party.”
I arched a brow. “You might have gone to another party, but it wasn’t with Sam.”
Her eyes grew like marbles. “What do you mean? Of course I was with Sam. We were dating.”
If I had any doubts before, I certainly didn’t have them now. “Jen, you weren’t dating Sam. Gina was his girlfriend.”
“That two timer! He was dating her too?” there was a hint of pretension in her feigned shock. “I’d love to give him a piece of my mind.”
I shuffled my feet nervously. “That’s going to be hard to do. Sam is dead.” I swallowed a pinch of guilt. Casting logic aside, I couldn’t help feeling somewhat responsible for Sam’s death.
“He died?”
&nb
sp; I glanced down at my feet, then back at her shocked face. “Uh—actually he died on Halloween night, three years ago.” The tension in my jaw ached. “You see it would be an impossibility for Sam to have taken you home that night or any other night following.”
“Damn! I’m really confused.” She giggled as she scratched her head. Then her eyes latched onto mine. “How?”
Shit! I didn’t want to tell her the truth. “A car accident.” I flinched, lying.
“A two car accident?”
I shook my head, greenly. “No. No other driver. He came around a curve too fast and lost control. His car crashed into a tree.” I lied again.
“Man-oh-man, that blows!” Jen made a whistle.
“Yeah, life’s been surreal,” I confessed, feeling the mockery in my voice.
Then unexpectedly Jen switched the kernel as though Sam’s death hadn’t registered with her. “Are you still dating Aidan?” It was no secret that she didn’t like the dude, but her lack of feelings seemed off the charts.
“No, I haven’t seen him since high school.” The topic for discussion with this girl was getting more bizarre. Now she was team-Aidan!
“Aw, sorry to hear that. I’d hoped you two would’ve gotten engaged.” Everything was off with this conversation, including Jen’s unexpected visit. I slipped a sideways peek at Jeffery. His face had drawn pale, and he was unusually still. If I were a betting woman, I’d make a wager that this visit had the mark of the Family. If Jen was under a spell, we needed to help her.
“Do you remember that day when Sam and you met up with me at Ms. Noel’s?” I searched deep into her brown eyes to see if there was a small glimmer of recollection, though, I saw nothing supporting my suspicion. If Sam had put her under an enchantment, why hasn’t it expired after three years?
Jen wrinkled her nose, then she asked in an off-beat voice. “Ms. Noel?” she tapped her finger on her chin. “Wasn’t she the owner of the diner?”
I remained calm. “Yeah, her! Fairly young, had a bunch of kids. We’d babysit for her from time to time. Remember?”
“Oh, I sure do! Those kids were brats too.” Jen affirmed, staring vacantly at me.
I turned my attention to Jeff. Even he was off tonight. His face appeared aloof trance like. So I shook his shoulder, hard. After a moment Jeff blinked. It was as if he’d come back to life. “Lord have mercy! Was I sleep walkin’ again?” He shrugged his shoulders, trying to wake-up.
“Wake-up, boo. I got a question for you.” I insisted in an unruffled voice.
“Hurry-up! I’m tired.” Jeffery growled. “I just can’t stay up like I use to.”
“Jeff!” I rested my hand on his shoulder. “Tell me again how you got in touch with Jen?”
“Oh Lord have mercy!” Jeffery exasperated. “Why would I say I looked her up? The gurrrl found us. She came knock-n on our door this even-n all prissy-in-pink, insist-n to see you. I couldn’t chase the bitch off with a broomstick. She wouldn’t leave.”
“Where’s Dom?” I snapped.
“He’s upstairs, sick,” Jeffery tossed his hand toward the stairs, seeming unfazed. A cold stir crept over me, nothing was adding up.
Immediately I faced my questionable guest. My eyes blazed with mistrust. “Who the hell are you?” I felt for my knife. Damn! I’d forgotten. I’d left my steel at Val’s. Without being too obvious, I scanned the room for anything I could use as a weapon.
The only way I could best describe the passage before my eyes was as if I was in another person’s dream, and I was a mere by-stander watching. In a flash Jen’s body began to seize, thrashing violently, face distorted. Next, her body imploded, shattering fragments of something like glass in every direction. Quick on my feet, I lunged across Jeffery with my back to the flying shards, shielding us both as we toppled to the floor. My whole backside was bathed with an unknown substance that felt wet and cold. Blood, came to mind. Instantly I touched my neck and drew back the moisture on my fingertips. I glimpsed at my fingers, gawking. It was only water. WTF? When my eyes lifted, I gasped. There were hundreds of tiny molecules floating aimlessly in the air and evaporating into vapor.
Then in a quick blink, the murky mist vanished, leaving no proof of existence. All evidence of Jen was gone.
“What the hell!” Jeffery leaped to his feet.
Alarmed, I rushed, “Go check Dom!” a bone-chilling expression colored Jeffery’s face as he sprinted up the stairs.
In the meantime, I scoped the kitchen-cabinetry for an easy weapon. I went through several drawers before I found Dom’s goodies. My eyes nearly went bug-eyed as I gazed down at the Shun knives, high-quality made from Japan. I realized then that I wasn’t the only one in the house with a knife fixation. I admired the glimmering collection, smiling. Quick with ease, I locked my fingers around the hilt of a thinner blade. Itching to test it out, I tossed the chef’s knife in my palm, getting a feel for the steel. It was perfect, nicely balanced with a little heft.
Without warning, screams emerged from upstairs. Thrust from my thoughts, I dashed in the direction of the bellows. When I reached the threshold of Dom’s bedroom, my breath lodged in my throat. Jeffery was leaning over Dom’s body, screaming blood-curdling cries. Shear panic slammed into my chest. Then my lungs expanded once my eyes landed on the lump on the floor. Dom had been bound by rope, gagged with duct-tape. He was alive! “Thank goodness,” I breathed, grateful for the wall holding me up as I filled my lungs with air.
Hysterical, Jeffery sobbed. “I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me!” Jeff’s shaky hands weren’t much use loosening the tight rope. I fell beside him offering my aid. “Hey boo, let me do this. Your hands are trembling.” Jeff nodded still weeping as he sat back and let me take over the task.
My hands weren’t much better. Thank the stars that I had Dom’s razor, sharp knife to do most of the work. Willing my hands steady, I began sawing the rope in two. “The Family did this!” I hissed through clenched teeth, working the blade back and forth, fiercely.
Once I freed a very shaken chef, Jeffery assisted Dom to the lounge chair by the large window. Tears welled as I watched poor Dom rub his wrist. I sat back on my heels, releasing a winded breath. “Are you okay, Dom?”
Dom nodded, his face pale and drained. “Oui! I will live.” He gave a wry smile. Apparently, he was in a little pain, the rope had made thin-lined cuts. I think in a day or so, the cuts would be a faint mark, but the memory of tonight, I feared may linger for life.
“I can’t believe I did this to you!” Jeffery cried. “I swear I don’t remember tying you up.”
“Jeff, I’m fine.” Dom broke in, breathing a bit heavy. “You were under a spell.” He soothed his distraught partner. Then Dom’s eyes shifted to me. Determination was irrefutable in his jaw. “It is imperative that we take measures protecting ourselves. This can’t wait, I fear.”
Guilt began to abrade my gut as though I had an ulcer. “Guys,” my voice quavered. “I am so sorry!” I ran my fingers through my short curls. “As long as I live here I’m endangering your lives. I should find another place.”
“Nonsense!” Dom barked. “You’re staying here, and that’s final.”
“If I stay, we need to hire big, beefy guards that know how to use an arsenal of weaponry!” I countered.
“I second dat!” Jeff conferred as we broke down and started laughing over Jeffery’s remark and the eldritch night.
Apart from the short moment of humor, I knew my next move was unavoidable contact the one person who understood the Family’s darkness probably better than me—Val. I pulled out my cell phone from my bra and speed-dialed. My heart pounded as I counted the rings. Finally, he picked up.
“Hello.” A little chill washed over me as I heard his drowsy voice.
I blurted out, not worrying if I sounded desperate. “I know you’re mad at me. You have a right to be, but something bad has happened. It’s got the boys and me scared. Can you please come over?” Dead silence fell for what seemed lik
e an eternity. Then I heard something familiar—a sigh.
“Yeah, let me get dressed, and I’ll be right there.” Click.
I dropped my phone back in my bra and looked up at the guys to find two sets of eyes targeting me.
Jeffery decided to chime in. “You just amaze me. You treat that poor boy like dirt, then you call him in the wee morning hour, asking him to get out of his nice, warm bed to help you out, and with no questions asked, he comes to your rescue. Gurrrl, you better start treat-n that man better!” Jeffery scolded me, wagging his finger in a heat of fiery.
I popped off, “how do you know his bed’s warm?” By the curl of Jeffery’s lips, I surely thought he was going to chase me down with the same broomstick, he threatened Jen with.
Less than half an hour later, we heard the doorbell. Even though we were expecting Val, the chime sent us jumping out of our skin. After making sure the guys were settled, I scurried downstairs to the front-door. I saw through the glass Val standing patiently with his hands in his jean pockets, rocking on his heels. A little spurt of excitement struck as I realized how cute he looked with his disheveled hair. He had that “just rolled out of bed” look. It was a good look for him. Chills etched down to my toes. The good kind. I swung the door open, and before I could contain myself, with no given thought, I threw myself into his arms. He held me back for only a split second before his comforting arms tightly wrapped around me. As I began to melt into his consoling warmth, my body started trembling and tears began to streak my face. Geez, this was not how I pictured this. I wanted to betray strength rather than a display of some sniffling milksop. Val seemed to bring out the sappy side of me.
I choked through the words. “I think the Family is trying to hurt us.” My voice filled with unhinged fright.