Page 89 of The Devil
“Sure, I’ll just be inside,” I murmur, then give him that old trademark smirk of his when I see his eyes bulging in abject fear over an eleven-year-old. What can I do though? I guess he’s on his own.
Lucius
As I watch Helena walking away into her brother’s house, I have to desperately fight the urge to bolt after her and beg her to come back with me. I’m one of the most intimidating figures in LA and yet, here I am, shitting my pants over being left alone with an eleven-year-old girl,myeleven-year-old girl. Christ, that thought just can’t sink into my head.
When I eventually brave it to look back at Jess, she’s watching her mother too, but as soon as the door closes behind her, she snaps her head right back to me.
“You know, my last dad was pretty horrible to me and Mom,” she says with a confidence that reminds me of her mother when we first met. “How do I know you won’t be the same?”
“Besides the fact this is scary as hell for me right now?” She laughs over my honesty, so I decide honesty is the best way to go. She’s smart like her mom, so there’ll be no bullshitting her. “I’ll level with you, Jess,”fuck, even uttering her name feels weird, “I’m not known for being a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. In fact, in my everyday life, I often come off as an asshole.”
Her eyes almost double in size over my use of the word ‘asshole’ and I immediately screw my eyes tightly shut for dropping profanity in front of her.
“Shit, sorry. Oh, damn it!”
I cover my face with both hands to try and stop myself from cursing in front of her every two seconds. Her infectious giggle, just like Helena’s, eventually causes me to smile and laugh too.
“Don’t worry, Lucius,” she laughs, “Evan would have thrown me in my room by now, so I already like you better.”
I throw my hands up in defeat and we laugh with each other. This girl’s going to be the death of my steely reputation, both her and her mother.
“What I was trying to say is, with your mother, it’s always been different. I can’t promise you we won’t piss each other off, but I would never hurt her like…like that other guy. And as for you?” I pause, taking a moment or two to study her face that screams Helena, but also with a part of me. “I don’t know you yet, but if you are anything like her, we’ll get along fine.”
She blushes but smiles at the same time, and damn it if the sight doesn’t melt something inside of me. Years after hearing my mother declare I was nothing but a monster who should have been aborted, here sits something that proves I was always meant to be here. I managed to make something pure and beautiful with the woman I was destined to be with.
“You know, now that I look at you, I can see you have the same eye color as my mother, your grandmother,” I sigh, looking at her deep, ice-blue eyes. Helena and I have made one beautiful kid.
We talk for a little bit, keeping to neutral subjects like films and sports, friends at school, and such. Apparently, she’s part of the ‘geeky’ group at school and makes no apologies for it. Some boy is sniffing around her, but I haven’t yet earned the right to give her grief about that one, so I’ll store it for later. It’s not until Helena walks out that we realize we’ve been out here for nearly an hour. Helena looks like she’s going to shed tears again, but thankfully, she manages to rein them in.
“So, how are my two favorite peeps getting on?” she asks casually, even though the smile on her face is beyond words.
“He swears a lot, Mom,” Jess giggles, prompting Helena to drop her mouth open in feigned horror.
“You ratted me out? Christ!” I gasp, to which she giggles.
“I know, right?” Helena teases. “Doesn’t mean you can, little miss.”
“Why don’t we head out for some lunch?” I suggest. “Cameron and Lily can come too if they want.”
“Er… Lils is currently throwing up in the bathroom, so I’m gonna guess they won’t be joining us,” Helena explains. “Ready to go, Jess?”
She nods before getting to her feet. I follow, but when nobody’s looking, I let out a long breath that must have been storing itself up during the entire conversation.
Shit, this is intense!
Chapter 34
Lucius
Almost six weeks pass by before I manage to put my plan for Evan into motion. The bastard has been sending new letters every week, always asking to see Jess and Helena, but I have kept up my cool, calm exterior for both their sakes. He even had his attorney write to Helena, demanding to have access to his daughter. I told her not to worry, that I would sort this one out, being that it falls into my line of work. Jess has made it clear that she would be happy to never see him again, so I decide to speak on behalf of both of them when I call Evan’s attorney, a man I happen to know quite well.
My afternoon is quiet, so I decide to pay Abe McManus a face-to-face visit, for old times’ sake, and for some old-fashioned theatrics. Given the situation, I feel it needs a personal touch. As I saunter into the high-rise building, I whip off my aviators and straighten my suit jacket, a custom-made effort that probably costs more than half the cars parked out front. The secretary eyes me up and down before placing on one of her professional fake smiles.
“Afternoon,” I begin with enough charm to fill a stadium. I flash my teeth at the same time as placing my hands along the countertop, which gives her a good view of my Rolex.
“Good afternoon, Sir,” she replies, batting her eyelashes and pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “How can I help you?”
“I would like to see Abe McManus,” I reply confidently and without room for argument.