Fallen Elements (27 page)

“Those tells my family have can be brutal.”
Lucy smiled broadly, her perfectly white teeth seemingly iridescent
in the dim light of the living room. Tapping her chin with her
finger, she took a step toward Leah. “My sister had a tell. Do you
remember what it was?”

In spite of her efforts, a single tear
trickled down Leah’s cheek. “Yes.”

Lucy nodded, her eyes shifting to Derek. “Can
you imagine something as refined as a biological warning about this
–
thing
– being misinterpreted as literally getting hot and
bothered?” Lucy snarled at Leah.

Derek shook his head, the stubble of a day’s
worth of beard growth rubbing against Leah’s neck.
“Disgusting.”

Lucy clasped her hands together. “So, you and
I know
exactly
why your comingling with
my
family
cannot be tolerated.” As she spoke, a single drop of blood ran from
her right nostril. Pulling a white handkerchief from her front
pocket, Lucy dabbed at the blood. “Speaking of warnings.”

Leah’s eyes widened. “Lucy, I told you, Ryan
and I are done.” Saying the words made Leah’s stomach sour.

Pursing her lips, Lucy shook her head, the
blood running steadily from nose. “Somehow I don’t believe you.”
She stepped back from Leah. “Let’s take stock of what we know,
shall we?” Lucy sat back down in the recliner, the distance between
her and Leah causing the stream of blood to lessen. “Ryan is
beautiful, smart, and in spite of her tendencies – or perhaps
because of them – is quite a catch.”

Leah set her jaw, forcing confidence into her
voice. “Do you really think I could ever be attracted to another
Myers woman after what you and your sister did?!” Leah strained
against Derek’s arm.

Lucy’s expression flattened as did her voice.
“The only thing Karen did wrong was lusting after you, and thinking
generations of legacy and sacrifice could be forgotten.” Lucy
pushed herself up out of the chair and walked to Leah. She brought
her face to within a few inches from Leah’s, and blood began
streaming from her nose, over her mouth, and onto the floor.
“Father
corrected
her.”

Leah tried to shift, her right shoulder and
throat aching from the crushing pressure of Derek’s grip. “Ryan and
I are friends. Nothing more.” She forced the last part out, her
heart breaking from the denial of her feelings for Ryan.

Lucy pulled her head back, a shocked
expression on her face. “Then you don’t even know that you’ve done
it again.”

“Done what again?” Leah squirmed.

“You’ve bewitched another Myers woman. I
assume you’re in need of money.”

“You’re wrong. Ryan and I are just friends,
and she knows that.” Leah struggled to keep the pleading out of her
voice.

“I’ll tell you what, Leah, you stay away from
Ryan and I won’t tell her about the absolute filth you come from,
or the filth that you are.” Lucy took a deep breath in through her
mouth as she looked up at the ceiling. “But, if you keep seeing her
- friend or otherwise - you’ll be forcing me to
correct
her
in much the same way my father corrected Karen.”

There was such venom in Lucy’s voice and rage
in her eyes. Leah thought in that moment Lucy would kill her, or
worse, that she truly meant to harm Ryan. Then the scowl on Lucy’s
face turned into a twisted, perverse version of a smile as the flow
of blood from her nose continued.

“Regardless, I’ll have you killed.” Lucy’s
full lips were pulled back in a semi-snarl, the blood from her nose
running downward, staining her perfectly white teeth a pinkish red
as she spoke.

Leah felt the pressure of Derek’s arm tighten
around her throat. The man smelled of stale liquor, nutmeg, and
cardamom. Leah’s heart pounded in her ears, and the surge of blood
drove shards of electricity into her hands.

Spreading her fingers wide, Leah laid her
right hand across Derek’s forearm. The coarse texture of his skin
and arm hair set off a tingling sensation in Leah’s palm as she
closed her eyes, allowing the electricity to shoot out of her
hand.

“Fuck!” Derek flung Leah to the floor as he
grabbed his arm. “The bitch burned me!” The imprint of Leah’s hand
had left the man’s skin red, swollen, and blistered. Using the
bottom of his foot, he kicked Leah in the hip, sending her tumbling
against the front of the sofa. “Cunt!”

A sharp pain, followed by a dull ache,
radiated out from Leah’s hip. Grabbing the injured area, she
quickly got to her feet. Derek now stood next to Lucy, his arm
clutched to his chest.

Leah held her hand out in front of her, her
body trembling as she forced air into her lungs. “Just leave, Lucy,
and that’s all this has to be.”

Lucy and Derek stood shoulder to shoulder
near the front door. Lucy held the now blood soaked handkerchief in
her clenched fist, wiping at her face before speaking. “I miss the
days of burning your kind at the stake. For generations we have
settled for financial ruin and ostracization of your whorish
ancestors - but know this, if you don’t leave Ryan alone, I will
personally gut you and put your head on a pike in my parlor.”

Leah wanted this woman out of her house. The
anger and frustration she had been managing throughout their
exchange came surging to the surface. Leah focused her attention on
the glistening blood that still clung to Lucy’s nose and lips.

“Get out!” Leah shrieked. A split second
later, Lucy’s nose, upper lip, and chin were cocooned in a thin
layer of ice, leaving the skin underneath swollen and red.

Lucy scratched at the ice with her manicured
nails. She cried out in pain as she pulled the icy, red substance
away, a layer of skin coming with it.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she backed
toward the front door. “End it with Ryan, or this was just a
warm-up, Leah!” Derek opened the door, and the two disappeared into
the night.

Leah rushed toward the door and slammed it
shut, locking the deadbolt and securing the chain. Moments later,
Leah heard a car’s engine revving in the distance, and then the
night fell silent.

Collapsing onto the sofa, Leah began to sob.
She placed her hand over her swollen throat in an effort to soothe
the burning sensation. Laying her head back on the coach, she
grabbed for the box of tissues that sat on the end table to her
left.

Jesus Christ, she’s insane and
homicidal.
Leah wondered if she shouldn’t call Ryan, but then
what would she tell her? The truth was abhorrent. Leah had no
intention of being the one to out Ryan’s family to her, and in the
process bring to light her own history.

Leah tried desperately to convince herself
that she could just let Ryan go. After all, they had fought at St.
Martin’s, and that could just be the end of it. The oppressive and
violent weight of Derek restraining her paled in comparison to the
suffocating feeling she had when thinking about pushing Ryan
away.

In the end though, she couldn’t put Ryan in
danger. Leah had no way of knowing how many of Lucy’s threats were
empty. But if Ryan’s safety was dependent on them not being in each
other’s lives, then Leah saw only one choice.

Chapter 13

“Hi, Marty.” Ryan’s smile was forced and
nervous as she closed the bookshop’s door behind her. There were
several patrons standing among the rows of books, but she didn’t
see Leah.

Marty was leaning on the wooden counter next
to the register. “Hi, Ryan. How have you been?”

Ryan assumed, given Leah’s affection for
Marty, that she had told her friend about their argument. Ryan
hoped Marty wasn’t as hostile toward her as no doubt Leah was.

“I’m doing well. How have you been?”

Marty offered Ryan a genuine smile, and
stepped out from behind the counter. “I think I’m doing a lot
better than you.”

Ryan looked down, her courage faltering. “No
doubt.” She glanced toward the back of the shop. “Is she here?”

“She isn’t.” Marty said plainly.

Ryan waited, hoping the man would divulge
Leah’s whereabouts. After several awkward seconds Ryan cleared her
throat. “She isn’t answering her phone. Do you know where she
is?”

Marty sighed deeply. “Ryan, I don’t want to
get in the middle of this, but I’ve known Leah for a long time, and
she’s really struggling right now.”

Ryan stepped forward eagerly, seeing an
opportunity to start setting things right. “I know. The exchange at
the church was just – well, shitty. That’s why I need to talk to
her.”

Marty shook his head and stepped back around
the counter. “I shouldn’t get in the middle of it.”

Ryan clutched the edge of the counter, her
arms tensing. “Marty, please. I – I really care for Leah and I
can’t have it end like this.”

Marty’s eyes narrowed as he considered what
Ryan said. “Lord, she’s going to kill me, but I believe you.” He
pulled a scrap of paper from a drawer next to him, and began
writing out Leah’s address. “She’s taken a few days. Here is her
home address.” He handed Ryan the paper.

Glancing at the paper, she smiled and reached
for Marty’s hand. “Thank you.”

Marty huffed. “Don’t thank me yet. You still
have to deal with her.”

Ryan turned and hurried from the shop. Marty
glanced down at the cordless phone that lay on the counter next to
him. He knew the right thing to do would be to give Leah advance
notice that Ryan was coming over. Marty decided his friend needed a
little jarring.

Ryan stood on the small covered patio outside
Leah’s house. Her palms were sweating.

Leah answered the door in her bare feet. She
was wearing a pair of faded Levis and a black V-neck t-shirt.
“Ryan?”

Ryan swallowed the lump in her throat. Her
nerves were threatening to get the better of her. “Hey, can I come
in?”

Leah hesitated, and then nodded. “Okay.”

Ryan stepped through the door, and closed it
behind her. “What happened?” Instinctively, Ryan reached for the
red swollen mark across Leah’s neck. Its edges were a faint black
and blue.

Leah stepped away, and covering the mark with
her hand, shrugged. “Minor fender bender. The seatbelt did more
damage than anything.”

Ryan forced her hands to her side. The need
to touch and comfort Leah was nearly overwhelming. “Was the other
guy okay?”

Leah looked surprised by the question, her
eyes widening. “The other guy? Oh, yes. He was fine. Just a little
mistiming at a stop light near Catonsville, and the guy rear-ended
me.”

Ryan nodded, unsure what to do with the fact
she didn’t altogether believe Leah. “That’s good.”

Leah stood with her hands behind her back,
her eyes moving nervously around the room. “Would you like some
tea?”

“That would be great.” Ryan decided to make
herself at home, and sat on the overstuffed sofa that took up
nearly the entire back wall of Leah’s living room. The brown fabric
was similar to corduroy, and in spite of the unease between her and
Leah, Ryan felt oddly cozy as she sank down into it.

Ryan scanned the room. The house was more
akin to a small cabin. The walls, ceiling, and floors were light
walnut, with dark maple trim throughout the space. The ceiling was
low, and the walls adorned with a variety of primitive style
paintings of the region and what looked like antique quilts and
tapestries.

The furnishings consisted of the sofa,
several country style tables, and a worn leather recliner. Where
there weren’t wall coverings, built in bookcases lined the walls,
each overflowing. Adjacent to the living room was the walkway
through to the kitchen. As Leah walked back into the living room,
Ryan could see behind her granite counter tops and dark maple
cabinets littered with decorative spice and oil bottles.

“You weren’t kidding about the books.” Ryan
commented as she took the mug of tea from Leah.

Leah frowned. “How do you mean?”

Ryan looked at one of the bookcases. “The
first time we met you assured me your house was – how did you say
it – bursting at the seams with real books.”

“Oh, that.” Leah seemed uninterested in the
conversation, and Ryan was struggling to strike the right tone.

“Anyway, I like your house.” Ryan managed to
smile even though she felt like she was suffocating from the
tension in the room.

“Thanks.” Leah sat in the recliner across
from the Ryan. “I bought it about four years ago. It needed some
work, but that allowed me to personalize it more than I could have
a newer home.” Leah took a tentative sip of her own tea.

Ryan squelched the stab of disappointment
that ran through her when Leah chose not to sit next to her. She
felt as if she were trapped in the longest, most awkward silence of
her life, and was fumbling to find her way out of it.

“Ryan, why are you here?” Leah’s tone wasn’t
accusatory, but in its flatness, triggered a new wave of
nervousness for Ryan.

Willing herself to take a deep breath before
speaking, Ryan leaned forward and placed her mug of tea on the
coffee table. Sitting back, Ryan crossed her legs as she plucked
nervously at her thumb nail with her index finger.

“We parted on bad terms at the convent, and I
don’t want that.” Ryan forced herself to look directly at Leah.

“The parting or the bad terms?” Leah
asked.

Ryan’s brow arched. She hadn’t expected the
quip, and was having difficulty reading Leah. “Both.”

Leah nodded, and sat her tea down on the
table next to the recliner. “I don’t want to be on bad terms with
you either, but I do feel the parting is for the best.”

Ryan’s chest tightened, and she felt a faint
sense of nausea roll over her, the tea souring in her stomach.
Besides
what
Leah was saying,
how
she was saying it,
flat and flawless, was pushing Ryan toward full-on despair.