Demon in Disguise

by Marita A. Hansen

  Clara pulled out of my grip. “Who were you talking to? And did you say you had a daughter?”

  I nodded, croaking out, “That wuz my first girlfriend on the phone. She told me I have a ten-year-old.”

  Clara blinked at me. “You’re kidding me?”

  I waved a hand at the mess I’d created. “Does this, and the fact I’m shaking like a li’l kid, tell ya I’m kidding?” I growled, unable to keep the anger from seeping into my words.

  “No, of course not, but you said the child is ten. That would’ve made you—”

  “Thirteen when I conceived her.”

  Clara’s eyes went massive, to say she was shocked clearly an understatement.

  I continued, “Looks like my bitch ex tried to pass my daughter off as her next boyfriend’s, but apparently the kid looks just like me. And get this, Tiana knows all about it.”

  Which hurt like fuck.

  I went for the door, intent on confronting my brother’s ex, still in disbelief that she would hide something as massive as this from me. I’d known Tiana since I was a kid, thought of her as a sister, and she’d kept this from me? I needed to hear the truth from her mouth, to hear the reason why she didn’t think I needed to be told that I had a child out there.

  I snatched up my keys off the passageway side table. Clara grabbed me as I reached for the door.

  “It’s too late, Dante,” she said, looking up at me with concern, my woman so much smaller than me. “Leave it for tomorrow.”

  I pulled free, needing to do it now. “I can’t, I need Tiana to tell me whether it’s true.” Although deep down I knew it was, that Lavinia wouldn’t have named her best friend if it wasn’t. Plus, she was right, we did go raw the first time, too caught up in the moment to think about protection, too young to think about the consequences.

  “Ring her, then,” Clara said.

  “No. I needa look her in the eye, to see her say it’s true, and if she does, she also needs to see how much she’s hurt me by hiding it from me. You know I can’t handle the idea of having kids out there, of other men raising ’em, of me not bein’ able to protect ’em if things go wrong. If this girl truly looks like me, she could be taken advantage of like I wuz. She needs a father who will kill for her, not a stepdad who could rape her.”

  “Dante, this is your fears talking, you don’t know if this girl—”

  “My daughter.”

  “You don’t know if your daughter is being well cared for or not. She could be in a loving household, a caring one.”

  “So caring that her bitch of a mother tried to blackmail me for money?” I said, raising my voice.

  Clara blinked at me. “She tried to blackmail you?”

  “Yes,” I spat out, hating Lavinia even more. “As if screwing me over as a kid wuzn’t enough for her, she’s back to screw me over as an adult, but I ain’t lettin’ her get away with it this time, and especially not using my own child against me.”

  “You need to confirm it’s your child first. This woman could be lying. You’re famous now, you’ll get people trying to extort money out of you left, right and centre, and from what you’ve told me about this woman, it could quite possibly be a lie.”

  I exhaled, hoping like fuck it was true, but if it wasn’t, I was going to hunt that bitch down, getting custody of my daughter.

  Clara ran her hands up and down my arm, clearly trying to soothe me, though little good it was doing. “How about you go see Tiana tomorrow, at a reasonable hour,” she said. “You don’t want to go barging over there, waking up your nephew. I’m sure you’d be mad if she came barging over here, waking up Tyson.”

  I grimaced, knowing she was right, but still wanting to confront Tiana tonight.

  She gave my arm a squeeze. “How about you go take a shower while I clean up the mess,” she said, not asking, telling me, just in a gentle manner.

  I forced myself to nod in agreement, needing to calm down at least a fraction before I got behind the wheel, because if I left now I wouldn’t be heading straight to Tiana’s, I’d be making a pit-stop at the first liquor store I saw, filling up on whiskey before confronting her. I may have been sober for a while but it was still a struggle to stay that way, my sobriety not coming as easy as everyone thought. I was just a damn good pretender, letting them believe I was on the straight and narrow, even though I was one step away from tumbling over the cliff, smashing against the rocks like the glass of Coke had smashed against the chip bowl. Hell, I could even do with the other kind of coke, washing it down with a bottle of good ol’ Jacky.

  When I didn’t move, Clara patted me on the arse like I was a little boy who needed encouragement. “Go on.”

  I grunted, not appreciating the gesture, but still headed up the staircase, stopping when I reached the top. Clara’s lilac-coloured head disappeared into the lounge, leaving me staring down at an empty passageway, in one hell of a foul mood. Grunting again, I continued into our room, stopping at the sight of Tyson sleeping in his cot, what I’d done downstairs thankfully not having woken him. I walked up to his cot, placing my hands on the painted blue bars, looking down at my li’l boy. He was the spitting image of me as a baby, his jet black hair the same shade as mine. Letting out a shaky exhale, I let go of the bars and brushed a hand over his hair so gentle that it didn’t wake him, wondering whether my daughter had looked like Tyson at the same age. The thought that some other man had stared down at her while she lay in her cot—a man who could’ve been just like my stepfather—came to mind.

  I retracted my hand and shook my head, knowing my fears were getting the better of me. Maybe her stepfather was Joel, my brother’s best mate from school, the person Lavinia had run away with. Joel may have been a shithead to me, but he was no rapist, just a dumb-arse stoner who talked about tits more than I did. But that was if Lavinia had even stayed with him. I exhaled with a touch of relief, remembering she’d said he had raised my daughter. I’d been so upset that I hadn’t taken everything she’d said in, missing out bits here and there. Though, if she was phoning me for money then he’d probably left her. Yes, she’d mentioned that he didn’t want to pay child support anymore, which confirmed he wasn’t with her anymore. And I didn’t blame the guy. Why should he pay? The kid wasn’t his, the very fact she’d made him pay in the first place fucking low. Lavinia was a user. She would’ve used Joel for his money, then when he’d had enough, she moved on to me, which meant that maybe my daughter was all right, that there was no other man in her household that Lavinia was leeching off. And if I could find out where she was and get my daughter before Lavinia latched onto some other guy, my daughter would be safe with me before anyone could get to her.

  Knowing I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to talk with Tiana, but also knowing I couldn’t storm over to her house at this time of night, I left my room and entered the spare one, closing the door quietly behind me. I was dialling Tiana’s number before I could even register what I was doing, so fucking shaken I wanted to smash the phone against the wall just to let off steam.

  “Lavinia,” Tiana said without even saying hello. “I told you to go to bed.”

  I stiffened, the reality of a daughter becoming all that more real. “Guess you’ve been talkin’ to her too,” I answered.

  She went silent.

  I gripped onto my mobile phone, willing myself not to yell at her. “Cat got your tongue, Tiana?”

  “Dante?” she asked softly.

  “Well, it ain’t bloody Ash,” I snapped.

  “Dante,” she repeated, her tone strained as fuck, because she knew, bloody knew she was in for a good yelling at. “Calm down. Getting upset won’t help the matter.”

  I growled, thinking she had a fucking nerve saying that. “Did you calm down when you got told that L sucked Ash’s cock? No! I heard you went nuts at him, and you expect me to calm down when I get told that a woman I considered a sister didn’t tell me that I had a ten-year-old child out there, with an evil bitch of a mother who just tried to extort mo
ney from me?”

  “I didn’t know at the beginning. By the time I found out, Lavinia was in Australia.”

  “I don’t give a fuck where she is! You shoulda told me!”

  “Dante—”

  “Don’t you dare say my name!” I yelled. “You fuckin’ betrayed me! Everyone knows I have a fear of not raising my own kids, you included, yet you kept this from me?”

  “I didn’t think you’d find out. Lavinia said she wanted to raise Cleo with Joel.”

  “The only thing that that dumb-arse can raise is weed. And you know my daughter’s name? I didn’t even know it until tonight. This, Tiana, this I can’t forgive. And to think I felt sorry for you after what Ash did. Not fuckin’ now. I hope he stomps all over your heart.”

  “Dante! I didn’t cause this, Lavinia did.”

  “You knew, you kept this secret from me. You were a sister to me, you owed me enough to tell me that I had a kid out there.”

  “I didn’t do it to hurt you. I was caught between a rock and a hard place. And it wasn’t like you could’ve raised the child. You were a child yourself at the time.”

  “I ain’t a child now, and I’ve got the means to look after my daughter much better than her blackmailing bitch of a mother, so gimme her address.”

  “No, Dante, you can’t go over there.”

  “Why the hell not?!”

  “For one thing, she’s in a different country, and secondly, you’re angry. You needa think through things logically.”

  “My logic is tellin’ me that I have a daughter who I needa look after.”

  “Cleo also needs her mother, and if you try to see her, Lavinia could run like she ran when she got pregnant. And think about it, you can’t raise the child on your own. You’re with Clara now. You work while Clara raises Tyson. It isn’t fair to expect her to raise another woman’s child.”

  I sneered. “Yeah, you would think that since you’re too selfish to help Ash raise Lily. No wonder he left you. Ash should go with L. At least that chick ain’t a backstabbing bitch like you.”

  “Dante, you can’t mean that, you’re just angry.”

  “I’m not angry, I’m fuckin’ furious! And if you won’t gimme her address, I’ll get it elsewhere. That stupid bitch doesn’t know who she’s messing with. She wants my money? Well, she won’t get a fuckin’ dime, but I will get my daughter, mark my words.”

  I hung up, the phone ringing a second later. I turned it off and sat down on the spare bed, shaking from both fury and upset. The door cracked open, grabbing my attention. It was my dad. He was now wearing a T-shirt, but still in his boxers, the Māori tattoos on his face and body making his skin almost look black in the limited lighting. He switched the light on, illuminating his tattoos and the room.

  He stepped closer to me, going down on one knee, his expression concerned. “I heard you mention you have a daughter,” he said, his expression telling me he understood exactly why I was losing my shit. His hand landed on mine, giving it a supportive squeeze. My dad could be a right arsehole at times, but when he wasn’t being one, he was the best father a man could ask for.

  I nodded.

  “How old?”

  “Ten.”

  His eyes widened. “But, that would mean—”

  “I wuz thirteen when she wuz conceived. She’s Lavinia’s.”

  “Fuck!” he gasped, looking shocked. “What is it with you and older chicks? But I guess Lavinia wuz a kid too.”

  “She’s Ash’s age.”

  “Still a kid when you bonked. So, I’m guessing Tiana knew. I heard you yelling at her.”

  I nodded. “I’m fuckin’ glad Ash stomped on her heart now. I hope he grinds it down to nuthin’. Or maybe it’s already nuthin’ cos she can’t have a bloody heart and do this to me, someone she calls a brother.”

  I slipped my hand out from under my father’s and covered my face, feeling not only betrayed but completely shattered. Dad sat down next to me and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him even tighter. He ran a hand down my hair, reminding me of how I’d run mine over Tyson’s.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “You’re worried that the shit that happened to you as a kid is happening to this girl. Don’t. You can’t think like that; it’ll do your head in. And if anything, your daughter is pro’bly fine, with good people raising her.”

  “Lavinia tried to extort money offa me, that isn’t a good person.”

  He let go of me, his face distorting with anger. “The lowdown bitch,” he growled, more anger flashing across his dark eyes. “Report her to the cops.”

  “She’s in Australia.”

  “Doesn’t matter where she is, make her suffer.” He sneered. “Get the kid. That’ll do the job.”

  A small smile pulled at my lips, my dad ruthless. But the smile fell away, knowing I couldn’t just take the kid without proof she was mine. Without the court giving me the right.

  “I needa hire a private detective,” I said, my head racing with ideas. “I hafta get proof she’s mine, also find out where she lives, and if Lavinia doesn’t play ball, I will pull out the thirteen-year-old card. I don’t care if she wuz sixteen at the time I got her pregnant, I don’t even care that I wuz willing. I wuz still underage. I will make her life a misery if she doesn’t give me access to my child.”

  My dad smiled, the curve of his lips almost wicked. “Yeah, make that demon in disguise suffer,” he said, quoting the song I’d written about Lavinia.

  I nodded, intending on doing just that.

  To Be Continued in

  Bottled Up

  (A Broken Lives Short Story #4)

  Coming Soon...

  Thanks for Reading!

  I would like to ask if you could review Demon in Disguise along with any of my other books that you’ve read, regardless of whether you’ve loved or hated them, because every review counts, especially for self-published authors.

  Here’s the link to my Amazon author page, where you can find all of my books:

  http://www.amazon.com/Marita-A.-Hansen/e/B005H5W79K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

  Regards,

  Marita A. Hansen.

  About the Author

  Marita A. Hansen is from New Zealand. She loves writing, creating art, watching and participating in football, and running. She ran her first marathon in 2012 and is now planning on completing many more. For more information on Marita check out these links:

  Author Facebook Page:

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marita-A-Hansen/113130742120676

  My Masters’ Nightmare Facebook Page:

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Masters-Nightmare/167338690126962

  Blog Site:

  http://maritaahansen.blogspot.co.nz/

  Amazon Author Page:

  http://www.amazon.com/Marita-A.-Hansen/e/B005H5W79K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

  Goodreads’ Author Page:

  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5129673.Marita_A_Hansen

  Artslant Page:

  http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/74433-marita-hansen

  Patreon Page:

  https://www.patreon.com/maritahansen

  Twitter Name: @MaritaAHansen

  MORE BOOKS BY MARITA A. HANSEN

  Graffiti Heaven (Graffiti Heaven #1)

  Behind the Hood (Behind the Lives #1)

  Behind the Tears (Behind the Lives #2)

  Behind the Lens (Behind the Lives #3)

  Behind the Secrets (Behind the Lives #4)

  Don’t Peek (The Diaries of a Teenage Girl)

  Overwhelmed (Blurred Lines #1)

  My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episodes 1 – 5

  My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episodes 6 – 10

  My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episodes 11 – 15

  My Masters’ Nightmare Season 2, Episode 1 “Mind Games”

  My Masters’ Nightmare Season 2, Episode 2 “Déjà Vu”

  Ricardo (The Santini Brothers #1) />
  Brando (The Santini Brothers #2)

  Vincenzo (A Santini Brothers’ Short Story) from the anthology Men of Mayhem

  I Love You, Salvatore (The Five Families #1) – This is also a Santini Brothers’ Novella

  Sasha & Andriena (Lovers & Sinners #1)

  Broken English (Broken Lives #1)

  Shattered Poetry (Broken Lives #2)

  Jagged Pill (Broken Lives #3)

  Love Drunk (Broken Lives #4)

  Facing the Music (Broken Lives #4.1) & (A Broken Lives Short Story #1)

  Smokescreen (Broken Lives #4.2) & (A Broken Lives Short Story #2)

  Crying Out Silent