A Smile Is Worth A Thousand Words
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“I’m a little nervous,” I admitted. “It’s my first time.”
Devin gave me a warm smile, his face glowing with genuine happiness. His eyes sparkled and it was easy to see the affection that he had for this small child of theirs. “She’ll be fine. You’re going to love her.”
The words were simple yet sincere, and they made it hard not to trust him completely in regard to his daughter. The baby girl looked up at Devin and smiled, her tiny fingers curling around the edge of his hand as she reached out.
It didn’t take long before Devin held up his other hand for her, allowing her to grab hold. She immediately started giggling and kicking her legs as if playing an imaginary game of peek-a-boo, which was how she often greeted her father when he came home from work or a visit to the store.
The sound warmed my heart as much as anything else did these days. There were a few things about this situation that could possibly make me feel like I wasn’t being tortured on a daily basis, but watching their interactions made me think differently now.
This family seemed happy beyond measure and it was almost enough to inspire me into wanting something similar again someday. At least until I heard the words whispered behind us.
My body tensed, ready for whatever might follow.
But I should have known better than to expect any less.
The voices grew closer to where we sat and soon we heard one of them speak, the tone cold and distant. “You must be Mr. Rourke,” said the female voice, “it seems you’ve managed to find yourself involved in quite the mess.”
We all turned to look and found ourselves staring straight at two people who made my skin crawl. One of them stood taller than even me and had a thickly muscled frame. He wore a black coat that hung open over his chest and arms, revealing a set of tattoos running down both biceps and across the middle of each shoulder blade.
A pair of silver hoops dangled through one ear and he sported a short haircut with a balding spot right at the top, giving him a very intimidating appearance. The man also sported a nasty scar, running from just under his eye to the corner of his lip. And those weren’t the most disturbing thing about him.
No, the scars and the piercing only served to make me wonder what was really going on beneath that jacket.
He stood with his feet planted firmly apart while a woman stepped forward. She appeared older, maybe thirty years old if that, with a sharp nose and dark hair pulled tightly into a severe bun above her head.
Her clothing was equally harsh against the stark whiteness of her complexion: a white shirt that exposed the entirety of her neck to show off a tattoo there that resembled a snake coiled around itself; a black skirt cut high up her thighs, making her look almost naked underneath; and a pair of knee-high boots that were so tight on her calves I doubted even a spider could crawl through the opening at the front. She wore a thin leather belt wrapped around her waist, holding on to a gun holstered on her hip.
And that wasn’t even the worst part.
The worst thing about this woman was her eyes. They were deep red and glittered wickedly in her otherwise pale face.
They were hungry, and they wanted nothing more than to devour everything that was within reach.
I felt my breath catch as I stared into those eyes, but then Devin took my hand once more. When he spoke, it was softly but sternly. “No need to worry, Ms. Mancuso. We’re not here to cause trouble.
But if you want to ask about our business, please understand that you will hear it in full. And if you’re looking for trouble, please know that you aren’t likely to get much from us. But you’re certainly not going to find anything pleasant either. That much is certain.”
His answer surprised me. I’d never heard Devin talk quite that way, even though we’d been married for several years by now. It was different, to say the least. And he was always so soft-spoken. So kind, and patient.
He was the last person I would ever expect to stand up for himself with someone else. Not without me standing beside him every step of the way anyway. And even I wouldn’t have believed him capable of saying such things on his own. But he did, and I wasn’t sure what to think about that fact.
He continued, “If you wish to ask questions, you must do so directly. Otherwise, this conversation ends as soon as it began. You are under no obligation to allow us access to your house or anyone in your immediate vicinity.”
There was silence between the three of us, the tension growing heavier with every passing second. And as the minutes ticked by, I watched the man grow impatient. His hands fisted tightly at his sides, and his lips pressed together in anger while he stared down the young couple before him. Finally, he spat out, “What’s the meaning of this?”
Devin answered immediately, but it came out as little more than a whisper. “I’m afraid your daughter has come under attack, sir, and my wife is currently protecting her. If you’re going to interfere, I will personally see that you are arrested on suspicion of assault, kidnapping, and murder.”
As he spoke, the man’s face twisted in rage, but he kept his temper and his composure in check. He was a strong man, with an iron will, and he didn’t appear to back down easily. But after several long seconds passed, he nodded and said, “Very well,” in a calm voice that belied his true feelings.
And I wondered how many times he had faced this exact situation before, and if he was even surprised it happened again.
“Then we’ll leave you in peace,” he muttered gruffly as he turned toward the door, his body language stiff. Then he paused and turned back, fixing Devin with a hard stare before speaking quietly but clearly.
“You can be sure that any further attempts at violence will be dealt with severely, Mr. Black. I suggest you take your wife somewhere far away from this place, and stay there until you hear from my attorney.”
The words hung heavily between the two men. There was no animosity in Devin’s eyes when he looked up at the other man. And he showed no indication of being worried about what might happen next. As far as I could tell, he had absolutely no fear of what lay ahead for him.
In fact, he seemed like he welcomed it.
***
We waited for five minutes, watching the three men walk back to their vehicle in the driveway, but neither Devin nor I made another move to open the door. We just stood there, listening to the sounds of the engine revving as the car sped away down the road.
After several moments, the front door opened behind us, and I turned to face the woman who followed Devin inside. Her head was still bowed, her features hidden beneath thick locks of raven hair, and she moved with a slow grace that told me I probably shouldn’t look too closely at her.
She was tall and slender and dangerous-looking. The kind of woman that people would be wise to keep their distance from.
But then I remembered what she’d done for Devin. And I knew there was something else.
She’d been there, fighting off those thugs, because Devin had asked her to. He needed her help.
“Who are you?” I demanded sharply.
Her head jerked up quickly and she glared at me with bright green eyes that glittered like gems. Then she lifted a small fist and slammed it into my chest before throwing me across the room.
It stunned me for a moment. My body flew through the air and crashed into the wall. But then I pushed myself back up onto my feet and staggered forward, ready to fight for Devin’s sake.
But he stepped between us before I got very far. He raised his hand to stop me, saying quietly, “I know you don’t understand our ways. I am not your enemy.”
My mouth tightened bitterly, and I shook my head. “That’s not the point. What right do you have to come here, attacking strangers? How do you live with yourself knowing that you’ve committed such atrocities against people you’ve never even met?”
She laughed, shaking her head at me in disgust. “Do you think I care about these people? Do you really believe that I’m responsible for what they’ve become?”
This was all wrong. Devin had to know it. And I didn’t feel like waiting around to see if he could figure out a way to protect himself from this woman. I drew my gun and pointed it firmly at the woman’s chest. Her eyes widened, and she let out a loud gasp before dropping to the floor and lying flat on her stomach. Then she rolled over onto her back and glared up at me, baring sharp teeth while she snarled.
I felt Devin tense beside me, and a sudden wash of anger flooded into my heart at the sight of him being put in danger by some stranger. But I ignored my own instinct to get him clear of this dangerous creature and aimed my gun directly at her head.
“Don’t make this difficult,” I said harshly as I backed up, putting more space between us. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially someone who looks like you, but if you try to move …”
She lifted her chin defiantly, lifting her hands so she could wrap them around mine, trapping them where they were. She stared at me with those strange eyes, but I couldn’t read anything from her expression or demeanor. But then she released me with an angry grunt, pulling me free of her grasp and shoving me back several inches.
She glared up at me again, clenching her fists and grinding her teeth together. I took careful aim at her chest once again and pulled the trigger without hesitation, sending two shots into her torso. She screamed loud as two bullets tore into her flesh. I fired again immediately after, hitting her in the leg as well, and then I jumped back as she stumbled backward, falling to the ground.
The sound of gunfire filled the room, and I saw that she was moving now. Her body twisted as she scrambled to grab her gun from the floor beside her and turn toward me, trying to shoot me again. But Devin lunged forward and grabbed hold of her arm before she could fire another shot.
He spun her around, pressing his gun to her temple as he leaned close to speak softly in her ear, his voice calm and quiet even though we both knew how much blood was seeping from the bullet holes in her body.
“Stop fighting, and we’ll take you to the hospital,” he said gently, his gaze fixed on hers. “And you won’t ever see us again. Promise me.”
For a long moment, she glared at him, glaring daggers in his direction, as if she hated the idea of dying. Then her lips curled upward in a cold smile. “You’re bluffing.”
Devin shook his head. “No, I’m not. We aren’t going to kill you, and there’s nothing either of us can do about it unless you cooperate with us.”
I watched as he continued to stare down at her with intense regard as if he was trying to force her to agree to his terms. He held the gun to her face and spoke slowly. “If you try to attack us, I will put a bullet in your brain.”
I tensed behind him, wondering if he could be trusted. But then he glanced over at me and nodded slightly. It was all that I needed. I lowered my gun, taking several steps away from this woman as I moved into position next to Devin, holding one hand out to block the entrance so we would have some protection should she decide to lash out and attempt to kill us.
Then he turned to look at me, nodding silently to show that he had control of the situation. I relaxed and smiled at him, giving him a brief thumbs-up signal. But I couldn’t relax entirely, not when my mind kept playing back to every horror story I’d ever heard about psychopaths who tortured their victims, making sure that I wasn’t missing something that might save us later on.
He studied me for a moment before turning his attention back to the woman as she lay there, panting heavily. The wounds in her body had begun to heal quickly, and she looked up at him with hatred in her dark eyes.
Then she reached out with a bloody hand and grasped hold of the hilt protruding from her shoulder, drawing it free of its socket and throwing it aside. She spat onto the carpet as she glared at him once again.
“Who are you?” she asked in a hoarse whisper, lifting her hand toward him. “How did you know what we were doing? How did you find us here?”
Her voice broke off abruptly, and she blinked rapidly while staring into Devin’s face with utter disbelief. She let out an angry snarl and threw herself at him, lunging at him with wild abandon, trying to tear into his flesh as if she wanted nothing more than to rend open his throat.
He ducked under her arms, catching hold of one of them and swinging her around until she fell backward to land awkwardly on the floor beside him, knocking the wind from her lungs as he pressed the gun against her side.
“What is wrong with you?” he whispered in a harsh tone as she gasped for breath. “You tried to shoot us both and nearly got yourself killed.”
But she was too lost in her own madness, and she just glared at him with loathing and fear in her dark eyes. And Devin didn’t hesitate, not for a single second, as he brought the gun back and sent a shot ripping through her upper arm before bringing it down again on her leg, sending her flying back onto the ground.
She hit hard enough to send up a cloud of dust, but she was able to roll over and crawl toward the couch where she’d thrown down her weapon. Once she regained her footing, she stared angrily at me, her dark eyes blazing as she licked the blood from her lips.
The End