The Devil's Masquerade: The Remedy

by Jennifer Loren

  Oh shit I forgot Delin. “Stay right here, I forgot something.” Delin is still sitting right where I left him, and except for a lot of empty plates, there doesn’t seem to be anything amiss. I lead him back to the car and introduce him to Ro.

  “Dear God, what is it?” Ro says, running around Delin in awe. “What do you feed it?”

  “I eat what I want to eat and when I want to eat it,” Delin says in his usually low and mundane voice.

  “Of course you do! Who would deny you?” Ro says, getting in the car after Delin. Ro instantly begins playing with every button and control in the car, constantly making some kind of noise with every discovery. “So you grew up as some super rich kid, huh? I wish I had grown up like this.”

  “No, not at all. My grandfather bought this for me” I say.

  “Oh. What, he didn’t know you existed before? Did he disown one of your parents, and now all is forgiven and he wants to leave his only heir his fortunes? I saw that in a Lifetime movie once.” He looks over at me as eye him. “My Momma was watching it, and I just happened to be in the room,” he says.

  A Lifetime movie? That is certainly not my life, but as hard as I try, I can’t remember my life. All I know is what I was told. I was working on some business when I was attacked. Grandfather rescued me, and I was in a coma for some time before I awoke with no memories. Grandfather told me that my mother died when I was young from an illness and that my father was killed in a battle many years later. I know nothing else of my life. Grandfather isn’t one for sharing old stories, and Galena worries she will upset me and would prefer me to ask Grandfather. It is frustrating not knowing, but now, this man Ro seems to think I was married to that woman. I look him over as he talks to himself and sings. He is clearly mentally unstable, so I don’t worry any longer about his information on my life.

  “Man, I wish I was you. I would be pimping every day! I would be kicking ass and then hooking up with …oh, like your Ms. Hell in Heels. Kayla is an absolute badass. She was way too much for me to handle. Don’t know how you got her with your scary attitude, but people like what they like I guess. Although … I bet you got a twelve inch dick too, huh, Nick? Of course you do. Some people just get it all! Damn! Life screws some of us all too fucking pieces and shit, but then some are blessed with perfection to the tenth power. Your honey, for instance. She is the tenth power at its finest. I bet she even tastes sweet, just like candy,” he says before immediately going into song, “It’s like candy, you’re so dandy…”

  Oh fuck! I am going to kill her just for forcing me to have to go through this.

  “Ow!” He continues to sing and dance in his seat. I look him over in horror, considering pushing him out of the car. However, he does break up the boredom of being around Delin all day. “It’s like candy ohhhhhh … you’re so tender sweet candy … you’re like you’re like ohhhhhh,” Ro continues, despite my glares in his direction.

  Oh what the hell I am doing?

  Ro, shuffling his feet and eyeing items with itchy hands, walks into the house with me. I give him a hard glare as he smiles over an expensive clock. “I wouldn’t steal from this house if I were you. You won’t make it out alive with anything. Trust me.” He nods and follows me into Grandfather’s study where he has three naked women catering to him. Ro’s eyes grow wide, and his jaw hits the floor. Grandfather smiles in my direction, motioning for us to come in further. “Grand-père, I have news for you. I have gained an aide for myself similar to you.” I push Ro forward as Grandfather looks him over.

  “He doesn’t look to your standards, Nicholas,” Grandfather says.

  “He has some qualities that are of benefit to me. The rest I can work with and make better,” I say, smirking at Ro’s narrowed eyes towards me.

  “If it makes you happy, Ma Joie, then it makes me happy. Give him a room near Rabbie, so he can show him his duties properly. Rabbie!” Rabbie enters the room quickly with immediate attention towards my grandfather. “Rabbie, this is … Ro?”

  “His actual name is Roland Roosevelt, Sir,” I say.

  “Of course it is. Very well. Rabbie, this is my Nicholas’s new aide. Please be sure to show him where he will be staying and prepare him for his duties to assist my grandson properly.” Rabbie nods and looks towards Ro, waiting for him to follow. “By the way, Nicholas, you have cut out his tongue haven’t you?”

  Ro’s mouth drops to the floor, showing his tongue clearly, but when Rabbie opens his mouth to show the lack of his tongue, Ro clinches his jaw shut and covers his mouth with both hands as he stares at me in disbelief. “No, Grand-père, not yet. For now, I am curious to know all I can about him before I finalize my commitment to him,” I say, trying to bring back a peaceful existence between me and Ro.

  “Alright, but don’t wait too long, Nicholas.” Grandfather gets up with his drink in hand and a woman at his side. He walks slowly towards us looking over Ro carefully. “Aids are to serve without question Roland. They are not to be heard. Do you understand?” Ro nods, still holding his mouth. “I hold you personally responsible for looking after my grandson. If anything happens to him, you will no longer be needed here, and don’t expect to return from where you came.” Grandfather’s smooth, rugged voice visibly shakes Ro’s spine. “You may go.” He waves him towards Rabbie, and I help push him in that direction.

  “Thank you, Grand-père. Good night,” I say before whispering to Ro to never talk to my grandfather or to anyone in the house other than me and only when we are beyond the estate.

  “Nick, as great as an offer as this is, I think it would be best if you find someone else for this position. I thank you for the opportunity but … but I got to go. My Momma needs me there, and …”

  “It’s too late. You have already been accepted. To leave now would only secure your instant death.”

  “Ah damn! You didn’t say anything about death and tongue’s being cut out.” He begins to shake and panic.

  “You didn’t ask.”

  “Who asks if there tongue will be cut out at a job interview? That is not a normal request of someone’s employee, Nick. If I had known that before I would have said, ‘um, thank you for the opportunity Nick, but I believe I will keep my tongue and be on my merry fucking way. You crazy motherfucker’.”

  “It is too late, but if you keep your mouth shut and do as I say, then you can keep your precious tongue,” I say to him with force, turning him back towards Rabbie who awaits us patiently. “Right now, I promise I will look out for you, but you have to help me find Kayla.”

  Chapter 12

  Kayla

  I wake up today refreshed and ready to fight through another day. The men and Cat are all gathered together discussing a new plan, but when I walk into the room, they all go silent. They look at me as if they expect to see a woman at her breaking point. “I have a plan,” I say, putting my coat on. “I need to see Nick, and I need to be in a room with him alone.” I glance towards Amery as a smile forms on his face. “There was a reason Savage forcefully removed Nick from the situation last night. He had us. There was no reason to run. Nick clearly doesn’t know who any of us are; he would have killed us with no problem. So why did Savage force the retreat? I think it was because of me.” They all sit back considering the idea but don’t seem entirely convinced.

  Amery stands up, “I think it’s the best idea I have heard yet. Going after them with a usual battle is a death sentence, but if Kayla is right, then we may be able to win over the biggest ally within the walls of Troy.”

  “Okay… say we agree, then how do you suggest we manage to get Nick to be alone with you? Savage is never going to allow him out of his sight or Galena’s, not now. One or both of them are surely going to be with him at all times,” Ryan says.

  “He doesn’t have to allow it. We force him to,” I say. “Nick came running to rescue Galena once, and I suspect he would do it again. Only this time, he will need to rescue her from the police.”

  It is always good to have connectio
ns at the police department but even better if your brother in law is the Chief of Police. Brady has always been one to follow the letter of the law. He prides himself on being above the criminals he arrests. It was not easy talking him into my plan, but even the most moral of people have a breaking point, and when it comes to Lena and their unborn child’s safety, Brady won’t hesitate to do what might save them. I wait in the distance, watching over the doors of their family’s office building downtown, Sovereignty. Brady waits with his men out of sight but still near the doors of the building. I communicate with him through an earpiece and let him know when my lookouts spot Galena and her men coming down the road.

  “I hope you are right about this Kayla,” Brady says to me.

  “Savage already left for a meeting in the opposite direction, and Nick did not go with him. He must be coming in with Galena today. Today is our one chance, Brady. Don’t back out on me now,” I say, trying to reassure him.

  “I am not backing out, but I don’t like setting someone up to be arrested. It’s not something I am comfortable with. I would prefer to get a warrant of some kind.” Brady and his by-the-book rules are great for his day to day, but today, I need him to be ruthless and play fast and loose with that book of rules.

  “We can’t allow Savage enough time to fight it or have you fired in the process.” I remind him of the ruthless evil we are dealing with.

  “You know I hate when you suggest that all my bosses are corrupt,” Brady huffs at me.

  “They don’t have to be corrupt. All they have to do is speak to him, and they will believe every word he says.”

  “Oh wonderful. I am in a world of insanity and spineless weasels.”

  “Don’t think about any of that. Think about Lena and your child. Would your father break the rules to protect you? I believe he broke them to find your aunt’s killer. He had to. He just didn’t realize how powerful Savage was. But you do, and you can use your understanding against him.”

  “Okay, but I don’t like it. I don’t like having to lower my standards to get him, but I agree. I don’t much care how we get him as long as we do,” Brady says. Galena and Nick’s cars pull up to Sovereignty’s doors, and Brady breathes in deeply. “Alright, I hope this works.” Brady and a few of his men meet Galena at the door before she is able to make it inside the building. They suggest that she is involved in some criminal activity, and she laughs softly, without saying a word. Nick sits quietly in the car as Galena waves at him to be calm. Brady intensifies the situation by pushing Galena around and yelling at her at the top of his lungs, and suddenly, Ro is pushed out of the car. He stumbles his way towards Brady and asks how he can help. What the hell is Ro doing with Nick? I watch the guards inside as they start to fidget and seem to debate on what to do about the situation. I suspect they rarely see trouble at this building.

  “Brady, you need to hurry before the guards call Savage.” Brady glances in my direction, and I know he is frustrated, but when he shakes his head cursing, I smile. Brady grabs Galena’s arm and shoves her into the wall, yelling that she is under arrest for harassing an officer and other criminal activities. Brady goes all out and no matter how hard Galena tries to keep Nick in the car, she fails. Nick jumps out of the car and grabs Brady in a threatening manner, and that’s it. That was all we needed. Brady calls for Nick’s immediate arrest while Galena defends him. She quickly figures out that her efforts to keep him from being arrested are pointless, so she changes her efforts into making sure that Nick does not act violently against the police. In the process, Ro jumps on Brady’s back to stop him from taking Nick which shocks everyone. Brady’s men have him removed, and they arrest him as well.

  “To the police station, Lionel,” I say, smiling ecstatically. Elijah and Ryan are already there waiting when I arrive.

  “Nick is going through processing, and it is taking forever. Damn Brady and his rules bullshit!” Ryan gripes.

  Not long after I arrive though, Brady walks in a handcuffed Nick by us. Nick stands tall and defiant. He will never speak to Brady. In fact, it’s doubtful that he will speak to anyone, but I am not here to have a conversation with him. Right behind Nick and Brady, Ro is escorted in, and he is not so silent.

  “I want my phone call. Ain’t no way I am talking without my phone call! You can’t make me talk! I am a rock. I cannot be broken!” Ro yells out.

  I walk up on him, “Ro, what are you doing with Nick?”

  “Kayla, oh thank God. Get me out of here!” He yells as he is pushed into another room.

  I can do little for Ro at the moment. I have to concentrate on Nick. Brady puts Nick in a room and walks out, leaving the door unlatched. I quickly take advantage and rush in, meeting Nick’s eyes instantly. I am taken aback for a second and have to take a breath. I don’t know what I thought would happen. Perhaps I had hoped he would see me and suddenly be excited or there would be some sort of recognition in his eyes? He didn’t do that the other day, so why would he do that now? Ridiculous. I feel absolutely ridiculous. I have no idea what to do now. He looks at me with a sneer, so I am careful not to get too close. “Nick?” He doesn’t respond as he eyes me down. “I miss … I …” I don’t have any idea what to do.

  “I have been looking for you,” he says harshly. “I know it was you that broke into our family’s safe house. Why? Why are you after us?”

  “I’m not after all of you, just you,” I say.

  “Why?” he asks. “If you kill me, my grandfather will surely come after you with all he has. You won’t stand a chance.”

  I lean down on the table between us and stare into his swirling eyes. “You have no control over me Nick, so you can stop trying. I don’t want to kill you. I want to bring you home, bring you back to where you are supposed to be. You have to know that you don’t belong where you are, that something doesn’t feel right about your life right now. You have to know that there is something drawing you to me.”

  “I am only drawn to you because I want you dead,” he says, slamming his handcuffed fists on the table in front of me, causing me to jump back. “You should give up now, and maybe I will consider ending your life quickly without pain.”

  I take a deep breath and quickly kiss the snarl from his lips. Suddenly, Savage roars into the station with his attorney demanding Nick’s release. He steps through the door and pushes me to the side. “You. I should have known. Are you alright, Ma Joie?” he asks.

  “Yes, Grandfather. Perfectly, fine sir,” Nick says, smiling towards Savage as he looks over him with pride.

  Brady walks in and releases Nick, and I panic. Nick walks out the door, and I run after him, grabbing his arm and staring into his eyes. “I love you!” I yell at him, but he laughs. He laughs at that? I am instantly angered, and on instinct, I slap him.

  “Get this horrible woman away from us. If anyone should be arrested it should be her,” Savage yells, shielding Nick from me.

  They leave, and I do my best to keep an eye on Nick, hoping that he will stop at some point, turn around, or even just look back over his shoulder at me, but he never does.

  I sigh as they speed away and wonder how I am going to get another chance to be with Nick again. I am not even sure I am doing anything to bring him back. I need to figure out what it is about me that causes Savage so much worry.

  With Nick gone, I go to Ro before they release him, too. I try to quickly explain what has happened to him in between his pleas for me to get him out of this mess. I can’t help him, but at least he understands what he is up against.

  Chapter 13

  Nick

  Again I find myself sitting next to my grandfather in his car after he supposedly rescues me from Kayla. I don’t find her that threatening. Hell, it’s not like the woman pulled a weapon on me. She kissed me. She said she loves me. The moment she said that, I realized she must be obsessed with me. I looked over her body more closely, and I find her to be quite appealing. Her lips were not something I would normally turn away either. No, I really
can’t find any reason to be worried about her. About the only harm she could cause me is wearing me out after I fuck her for hours. A smile forms on my face as I imagine ripping her clothes from her body and using her to my pleasure. Before my imagination carries me too far, I feel a burning glare from my grandfather.

  “Thank you for coming to get me, but there was no reason to interrupt your day, Sir. They couldn’t do anything to me,” I grumble, trying to mask the odd trembling in my body that I suddenly noticed when I lift my arms to speak. Maybe that kiss wasn’t so innocent. I try to examine myself without being noticed. My entire body is definitely trembling, but I don’t seem to be losing any ability to function or think. I slowly begin to calm and the trembling comes to a stop. So, she didn’t poison me, but she obviously did something to me. I don’t know what that witch did to me, but she cursed me somehow.

  “I know that, Nicholas, but I just found the whole thing absolutely preposterous. The very idea that they could treat my grandson like a common criminal is an insult to our family. Tomorrow, I will demand an apology from them all.” I will have the Chief of Police himself personally apologize to you.

  “There is no need for all that. It wasn’t that big of a deal. Probably best just to let it go and get on with our lives. We don’t want the media to catch wind of it and think we are worried about anything. We certainly don’t need them hounding us while we work,” I say to him. He nods as he considers the idea.

  “Good thinking, Ma Joie. That is what we will do then, put it behind us.”

  “I do have some questions though. That man who said he was my brother was there. Does he own the police? And who is that woman, Kayla? Why does she act so strangely towards me? She seems obsessed with me,” I say, hoping for some kind of information that will make sense.

  “Do not worry about any of them. They are nothing. I will deal with them on my own. You stick to your duties and training. That is what we need to be most concerned about right now.”