Page 8

Seven

Julie and I sat in a small corner near a window. Our table was cluttered with coffee cups and my favorite baked cookies. Today was supposed to be the day that I interviewed her but decided to meet her officially and ask her questions. I recorded our first segment, and it was really emotional for her to retell her trauma of what all she had gone through with Detavio Decebal.

That man and his father were pigs, I didn’t understand how the police hadn’t gotten involved to arrest them. I was very hopeful that this was just the beginning for these women to receive the justice that they deserved. There were so many missing people reports filed over the last couple of years. All of the women were young looking, at least in their early or late twenties.

“This place is really nice, I will most definitely come back to visit. The coffee tastes amazing.” Julie smiled sadly.

I nodded my head, smiling as I took a look around the shop. This was one of my mother’s first shops that she opened. This was one of my first jobs as well. Everything still looked the same, very old fashioned. The walls had mismatched shelves with vintage trinkets framed with different old school records. My mom had real plants hanging from the walls as well, giving it a homely feel. The chalkboard menu that hung above the counter was gifted to my mother from my father when she first opened up years ago.

“I should be thanking you for agreeing to meet with me today, Julie. You are stepping up majorly by agreeing to this interview. It will help other victims like yourself speak up to help take those monsters down. There are so many young, beautiful women missing, kidnapped, and popping up battered. It is my next mission to figure out what happened to them,” I stated proudly.

Julie’s eyes grew wide as she shifted in her seat. She was very beautiful with smooth pale skin. Her pointy nose and chinky eyes gave her lots of sex appeal. She was very thin and tall with no real curves added to her figure. Every woman that the Decebal men dealt with appeared different, they had no particular taste. They messed with any race you could think of.

I noticed that Detavio’s women had lip fillers or lip injections to make their lips pouty and big, maybe that was a fetish for him.

“I appreciate you having me, Angel. I really do. Talking about it makes me feel better…I miss him so much, it hurts. I just can’t believe he abruptly cut me off and ended things the way that he did… I’m still deeply in love with him.” Julie’s eyes drooped down to the table, her chinky eyes misted over.

What the fuck? I asked myself, getting annoyed with her automatically after her admission.

“Excuse me, did I hear you correctly?” I asked.

I frowned in her direction as I snatched my phone off the ring stand that recorded our entire conversation. Once the video stopped, I looked up at Julie with my lips turned up in disgust. Stupid bitch! She only did this interview to get that man attention!

“You heard her, very clearly, Angel.” A deep disturbing voice interrupted us from behind.

A voice that made me pause as the fine hairs on the back of my neck stood as if I had been electrocuted. I heard this voice in my nightmares, along with all the wet dreams I had at night. I was seeking out a therapist because I found it to be insane of me to dream about a man that I despised, a man that I never met but heard countless of stories on.

I looked into this man so much, on a day-to-day basis. So, I used my findings as an excuse to why I dreamed of him. The answer was, I was on a mission to get justice for the women he left traumatized. I wondered, how could a man so fine and perfect looking, cause so much hell on earth? The Devil was one of the best-looking Angels. Fooling people with his charm and looks! This man is no different.

He cleared his throat but it sounded like a growl. Chills crept down my spine as my chest tightened. Could it really be him? That voice, I know it…

“Julie, my lawyer will be in touch with you soon. Excuse yourself, it’s my turn to interview with Angel.” His tone was dark and unsettling.

He was a wolf that was covered in sheep clothing. Every word was slow and deliberate, intended to intimidate anyone close enough to hear him speak. There was no warmth nor humanity in his voice. Only the sound of pure torture and him probably finding delight in just that. I wouldn’t fold, I’ve rehearsed us meeting a million times in my head and in my dreams.

I feared nothing…but now…I feared the actual fear that started to rise and settle inside of me. I should have been turned around to acknowledge him, but was I ready for that?

“I miss you, Detavio! This was the only way! Please! I’ll sign my entire soul away, just to – to be with you.” Julie pleaded, falling out of her seat only to collapse down to the ground.

Her shoulders hunched as she bowed her pathetic head. She placed her eyes to the ground and sobbed loudly, gaining the wrong kind of attention. That was it, I had to turn around to acknowledge him. There was no fucking way one man could cause this woman to embarrass herself like this. Before giving him my attention, I picked up my pen and started jotting notes down on my favorite pink notebook.

“Okay, he scares you, you have what they call Stockholm Syndrome, Julie. If you want me to help you, I can find you the best therapist out in Southern California.” I partially lied.

I was still looking for one myself, to express my concerns to from all of these crazy dreams I kept having. Right now, I was satisfied that I could busy myself from having to turn around so soon to lay eyes on… Him.

Things took a major turn when his huge silhouette loomed over me, casting a shadow that swallowed the sun’s lighting in front of me over the table. I could feel the heat of his anger through his strong presence. It was so overwhelming that it made the space that I was sitting in feel smaller. Looking up into his dark eyes, my breath got caught in my throat.

Julie’s sobs started to fade into the background as I got caught up in his perfection. Detavio Decebal stood in front of me like a force of nature. His skin was a deep rich chocolate that looked tasty as hell. His beard was thick and well-groomed, framed with a square jawline that had been chiseled by the gods themselves. He was beautiful with a rugged air of elegance. His full lips pulled into a sneer, as he flicked his strong and straight nose. My heart skipped a beat as his muscles flexed through the tight white button up shirt that he had on.

Without a word, he reached down, his large hand moved with swift precision. His massive hand closed around my notebook as his fingers curled tightly around the edges. He crumpled the papers effortlessly as he leaned down to lock eyes with me. My breathing froze, chills ran down my spine, no words left his mouth. His eyes locked with mine; the intensity of his stare made the air between us feel heavy.

There was this calm before a storm type of feeling that swam between us. I attempted to reach for my notebook, but it was snatched away as he stood up straight.

“You little pussy.” He smirked down at me like I was nothing but yesterday’s trash.

Did he just call me a pussy? I frowned as I played back what spilled out of his full succulent lips.

“Julie, you made a horrible mistake. You miss me, you got me.” He turned slightly to offer her a wink.

“Everyone, out!” A deeper voice sounded off from behind me.

I eyed my crumpled notebook in his hands, I saw the veins popping out of his hand how tightly he squeezed it. His eyes were blazing down at Julie as she physically shook on the floor. There was a threat behind me, I wanted to see who it was. I turned in my seat and laid eyes on the devil himself.

A man stood in the middle of the coffee shop looking like a shadow carved from the darkest corners of earth. His skin was pitch black like the sun never touched him. Every inch of his face down to his naked arms was marred with deep jagged scars; there was also remnants of burnt marks that distorted his features that told his story of long-time suffering at the hands of someone.

I wondered if that someone was Detavio. This man’s face was void of any emotion, his eyes were black, cold, and he didn’t blink them nor look around enough to see the few people scrambling up to their feet to run out of the space that he now occupied.

“Monster, you’re supposed to be off, today,” Detavio said to him.

He took his eyes off of Julie for a second to address the scary man that I couldn’t take my eyes off of. Monster grunted, but didn’t respond, his silence was as heavy as the gun in his hand.

“I have a special treat for you, Monster. It’s on the way to your house, go get it and enjoy it. She’s yours for an entire month,” Detavio stated to him in a soothing tone. Was he trying to calm this man down?

Monster growled lowly, flashing a mouth full of gold. He glared hard at me with a chilling stare that caused the fine hairs all over my body to stand.

“Before you enjoy, have your men take Julie to Arkville,” Detavio added as he nodded his head to the three men standing behind Monster.

The guards looked scared as well. Detavio and Monster didn’t need protection. It was clear to me that their guards were there against their will.

“Julie will not go anywhere with you.” I stood up on weak legs from my chair, instantly regretting my decision to even stand.

My nerves were getting the best of me. I swallowed down what felt like cotton and struggled with making eye contact with Detavio.

“She’s not?” Detavio’s eyes gleamed with recognition of something that I didn’t understand just yet.

My notebook fell from his hand, he stepped on it with his right foot then leaned in close until his woodsy scent overpowered my senses. My eyes closed against my will as I took in his scent. A deep rumble of a chuckle vibrated throughout me as his breath fanned my nose; each word he spoke caused my eyes to snap back open.

“Julie, where are you going right now?” Detavio asked her while looking me directly in the eyes.

Exaggeratedly, he sniffed the air between him and I, then chuckled as if I was a joke.

“I’m going wherever you want me to go,” Julie stated with so much conviction that it made me sick to my damn stomach.

I didn’t have to look over at her weak ass to know that she was getting up to her feet now. She used me to get to him, and it worked.

“Leave, Julie. I’ll see you later,” Detavio said to her.

A huge part of me wanted to tell Julie not to leave me standing here alone with these monsters. My pride kicked in, I shut my mouth and pulled my shoulders back.

“I smell nothing but good pussy radiating off of you, Angel. You should take pride in that shit and leave. I don’t want to meet or see you again, in the flesh. Things can go bad, you know?” Detavio smirked.

“If that’s supposed to be a threat then bring on whatever the fuck you have…” My words trailed off as the tip of his dress shoes touched the tip of my comfortable loafers.

In a flash, his right hand closed around my throat. He squeezed tightly, then released, holding it with firmness. He shifted us with his hand around my throat and walked me backward until my back met a wall, the coolness of the wall did nothing to temper the heat coursing throughout me.

I was supposed to scream, because now, it was just us all alone. I hated this man based off of all the filthy things I heard. I felt challenged, being cornered like this with nowhere to escape. My lips parted to protest, but I needed to first catch the breath that he had stolen from me with just one movement. I struggled horribly under his hard gaze that was laced with hate and disgust.

Detavio was overwhelming, from his sharp jawline to the faint smirk that played on his succulent lips. The dimly lit lights gleamed over his flawless ebony skin. I tried to push him away, to at least show him that he was in the wrong. I also wanted to convince myself that I didn’t like this one bit.

“You hate everything that the Decebal men do, right?” He murmured, his voice low and velvety, the kind that would make a woman melt in seconds.

“Don’t you?” He raised his voice, causing it to vibrate throughout me.

“I do!” I managed to get out as my heartbeat slammed in my eardrums.

“Good, you little pussy.” He spat, releasing my neck.

“Life is about choices, you live with what you choose, Angel. If you choose to fuck with me and my family…I’ll ruin you…sexually…mentally…then, physically. I’ll fuck your soul into mine, then turn you into something that you will never be able recognize. Fall the fuck back and continue to enjoy all the blind dates that you do on ‘Meet Me’.” Detavio side stepped around me.

“Fuck you! You and your sick ass father are going down!” I yelled with so much conviction I believed myself.

“Let the games began,” he stated over his shoulders, never looking back at me.