Broken (Book 1, The Watcher Chronicles, Paranormal Romance) (12 page)

“No, I’ll be home this time.  I promise.  I know how hard it must have been for you to
arrange this meeting.”

“You’ll have to meet
with her guardian first,” Mason tells me, a warning in his voice.  “He doesn’t let anyone near her until he’s met them.”

“Will I be meeting him tomorrow morning
too?”

“No, I showed
Malcolm where you live.  He’ll be back sometime this evening.  He had a few errands to run first.  When he does come, just be yourself and he won’t have any problems allowing you to meet with Lilly.  Give me a call at the number I just called you from when he leaves.  I would like to know how the meeting goes.”

“Ok,” I say
.  “Is there any reason why he would disapprove of me?”

“I don’t think so,” Mason
says, not sounding completely sure.  “But like I said, Malcolm is very protective of Lilly and her family.  If he senses any kind of threat from you, he won’t let you near her no matter how much I ask him to.  Don’t worry though.  You’ll do fine.”

“You might want to let him know I won’t be home until late this evening.  I have to take Mama Lynn to
Baptist Memorial to see her brother.”

“I’m sorry to hear he’s sick,” Mason says sympathetically.

“He’s not expected to make it too much longer so she wants us to say our goodbyes.”

“And how are you handling this?”

I shrug my shoulders.  “Death is part of life,” I say unemotionally.

Mason’s eyebrows lower and I can tell he’s concerned by my answer.  Before he tries to dig into my feelings any deeper I say, “I’ll call you as soon as Malcolm leaves and let you know how it goes.”

Mason nods, seeing I don’t want to talk about my Uncle anymore.  “All right.  I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

Staying true to my word, Faison and I take Mama Lynn to
Memphis so she can visit with Uncle Dan.

“Ever since h
e had that accident and became paralyzed back when you girls were teenagers, his health has just been deteriorating,” Mama Lynn says on the drive up.  “I swear it was like he just didn’t have anything to live for anymore.  Then this year when they found cancer in his lungs and saw that it had spread to his bones, it’s like he just completely gave up and is waiting for God to call him home.”

Both Faison and I remain silent.

I remembered Uncle Dan’s accident clearly.  I was the one who caused it.

It happened the day I confronted him with what he had done to me as a child. 
I was a spunky thirteen year old and wanted him to say he was sorry for doing the things he did but all he did was smirk and tell me I should stop trying to deny I didn’t enjoy it as much as him.  In that moment, all I saw was red.  I completely lost my temper and kicked him so hard in his groin he fell to his knees.  With him in such a compromising position I couldn’t prevent myself from kicking him under his chin, causing him to fall back and hit his head on the brick steps leading up to his front door.  Blood had poured from the wound on the back side of his skull.

To this day, I can remember just
standing there watching his dark red blood pool around him.  I can’t say for sure if it was due to shock or just a morbid need to watch him suffer, but I didn’t run for help immediately.  I think I stood there for a good fifteen minutes before I ran to find Mama Lynn.  I didn’t tell her what happened just that I had found Uncle Dan that way when I went over to see him.  She immediately called an ambulance and they arrived just in time to save his life but not his ability to walk.

When he awoke, he didn’t seem to remember that I was the cause for his fall
.  Shortly after that, we found out his spinal cord had been damaged and that he would forever be paralyzed from the waist down, a fitting sentence for a pedophile if you ask me.

When we reach Baptist Memorial, I allow Faison and Mama Lynn to walk ahead of me.  I d
on’t want to be here.  I don’t want to be near a man who took so much away from me.  Not only did I lose my parents, I was also placed in a position where my childhood innocence was snatched away from me.

Uncle Dan
is in the hospice ward since there’s no hope for him to recover.  We are basically just waiting for him to die.  I stand at the entrance to his room as Mama Lynn goes into caretaker mode and walks over to what remains of the man who terrorized me as a child more often than I allow myself to think about.  I can hear his ragged breathing from where I stand.  I watch as the living skeleton in the bed turns his head to look at his sister.  Uncle Dan once weighed a good 270 pounds but the person lying in the bed is nothing more than skin covering bones.  His once thick brown hair is now reduced to small patches scattered randomly on his scalp like a mangy dog.  His eyes are hollow and I’m not even sure he knows who Mama Lynn is, much less Faison and me.

I watch as Mama Lynn takes her brother’s hand and kisses
it tenderly.  I know seeing Uncle Dan in such a state is killing her and it’s that knowledge more than anything else that makes me turn away from the scene and walk down the hallway to a window overlooking the Memphis skyline.  I lean against the wall as I look out the window and feel my heart burn with a mixture of sorrow for Mama Lynn’s pain and righteousness for a death I feel is long overdue.  I’ve always hated Uncle Dan for the things he used to do to me, but a small part of my soul cries for the agony being suffered by the creature I see wasting away to nothingness.  I soon find myself crying for someone I have hated most of my life and can’t seem to make my heart stop aching for the pain Mama Lynn is enduring.

“Jess?”

“Jessica?”

I look up
at the window and see the reflections of both Mason and Lucifer.  They’re standing side by side directly behind me.

I turn
to face them, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“What are you both doing here?” I ask, feeling embarrassed for having been caught in such a vulnerable position.

“I felt you,” they say in unison.

“I felt you
r pain,” Lucifer says, narrowing his eyes on me.  “What’s wrong?  Why are you crying?”

I shake my head, not wanting to
have to explain anything.  “It’s nothing.”

“You’re lying,” Lucifer says knowingly.  “I don’t believe you are one to cry very often.” Lucifer looks at his surroundings.  “Is one of your family members sick?”

“Our uncle,” Faison says walking towards us from Uncle Dan’s room.

Lucifer turns to Faison and all I want to do is tell her to run.  My only solace is that Mason is there with me and can help
protect Faison if Lucifer attempts to harm her. 

“And pray tell,” Lucifer says in a voice which sounds beguiling, “why is his death affecting Jessica so deeply?”

Faison looks at me and I shake my head at her, warning her to not say anything.

“That’s Jess’
s business.  If she wanted you to know, she would tell you herself.”

Lucifer turns to look at me.  His gaze makes me feel like he’s
digging into the deepest recesses of my mind.  I try to make my expression impassive, revealing nothing; yet, Lucifer’s expression turns dark and I feel like I’ve just revealed everything to him.

“He abused you in some way didn’t he?”

I remain silent and still, but Faison gasps at Lucifer’s spot on deduction.

Returning his attention to
an easier target, Lucifer says to Faison, “Did he beat her?”

Faison looks to me
and shakes her head.

“Faison,” I say as a warning not to do or say anything else.

“Then he sexually abused her, did he?”  Lucifer says in a voice which doesn’t need confirmation.  He knows it’s true.

I watch as Mason’s eyes grow
dark at this news.  When he looks at me, I can see pity, something I don’t want.

Lucifer turns to me again.  “Why feel sorrow for such a person?
  You should be ready to dance on his grave.”

I look down not knowing how to explain how I feel.  Finally I shake my head, “I don’t know.  I shouldn’t
care but I don’t like seeing anyone in that much pain.”

Lucifer smiles and it sends shivers down my spine.

“I can promise you he won’t know true pain until after he dies.”

I watch
Lucifer turn on his heals and stroll down the hallway towards Uncle Dan’s room.

“What does he plan to do?” I ask Mason.

“I’m not sure but we should probably go see.”

The three of us quickly walk down to the entrance of the room.  When we get there
, I’m thankful to see Mama Lynn is no where to be seen.  I basically force Faison to stay behind me and Mason as we block the doorway to watch Lucifer.  Lucifer leans over and whispers something into Uncle Dan’s ear.  Uncle Dan’s body begins to tremble uncontrollably causing the bed to rattle as Lucifer stands straight again.

“There’s a special place for you in my world,” I hear Lucifer tell him.  “I can appreciate evil deeds when done right but those of you who pray on
children who are unable to defend themselves will find no quarter of safety.  I look forward to your time in my realm.  If you think you’re suffering now, you have no idea what suffering truly is.  But I can promise you, any pain you inflicted on your victims will be revisited on you a million fold.”

As Lucifer pulls away, I
’m able to see Uncle Dan’s face.  It’s a mask etched in terror as he stares at Lucifer.

I hear the toilet in the bathro
om flush and Mama Lynn steps back into the room.

“Who are you?” She asks Lucifer, then I see recognition dawn on her face.  “Oh, you’re one of Jess’s new friends.  I saw you earlier today at her house.  Hi,” she says holding out her hand.  “I’m Jess’s Mom.”

Lucifer shakes Mama Lynn’s hand and I quake inside.

“Please
d to make your acquaintance,” Lucifer says smoothly.  “I am truly sorry for what you must be going through right now.  But, I’m sure your brother will be going exactly where he needs to be when all is said and done here.”

Mama Lynn nods
thinking Lucifer’s words are meant as a comfort.  When she looks over at Uncle Dan, it’s only then that she notices how terrified he looks.

“Dan?” Mama Lynn says
, walking over to his bedside.  I hear Uncle Dan whimper like a child.

Lucifer s
aunters over to me.

“If you need me for anything
else,” he says.  “Please let me know.  I’m always around.”

Mason and I watch him
walk past us out of the room and continue to stroll down the hallway.

Faison
looks up at Mason.  “Jess might like a walk outside to get some fresh air,” she suggests, giving me an excuse to leave.

Mason holds his arm out to me.  I stare at it for a second, not sure if I want to leave or stay.
  I hear another whimper of despair come from Uncle Dan and my dilemma is quickly resolved.  Without taking Mason’s arm I turn and head towards the door leading to the stairs.  Mason follows close behind.  Once inside the stairwell, I take a seat on the top step of the floor we’re on and Mason sits down beside me.

He doesn’t say anything or even
attempt to look my way.  He simply sits with me.  I appreciate his silence because I really don’t want to talk about Uncle Dan or what just happened between him and Lucifer.  A small part of me rejoices at the fear I saw on Uncle Dan’s face from Lucifer’s promise and another part of me pities what awaits him when he dies.

“
Is there really a Hell?” I ask Mason, turning my head to look at him, awaiting his answer.

He in turn looks at me and says, “Yes.”

It’s all the confirmation I need.  I look away from Mason and stare down the well of stairs in front of us.  I feel Mason’s worried gaze still on me and silently wish he would just look away.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” He asks.

“I appreciate you coming,” I tell him, truly meaning it.  “But I would really just like sit here for a little while without talking.  I don’t want to be alone, but I don’t want to talk either.”

“I understand
,” he says and looks away.

We
sit there in silence.  I close my eyes but when I do all I can see is the terror Lucifer’s promise stamped on Uncle Dan’s face.  A part of me rejoices at what Lucifer has done to him and another part of me pities a man who never showed any pity for me.  Mama Lynn has always chalked up my refusal to date because of my determination to find my parents.  How could I tell her that it was her brother’s fault I was so emotionally backwards when it came to relationships with the opposite sex?  The guilt she would feel from such an admission would tear her apart at the seams. 

“
Would you allow me to take you somewhere for a few minutes?” Mason suddenly asks me.  “I would like to show you something.  I promise to have you back before you’re missed.”