Black Pearl (19 page)

Nikola toweled off as he walked back to his bed. Seeing he had another message, he checked to see if it was Devyn who called him. It wasn’t.

This was the third phone message he had from Raul. He thought about letting it go until later, but the tingling at the back of his neck told him he needed to speak with Raul. His friend was not one to call excessively. If Raul was repeatedly calling him, something was up.

“Where the hell have you been?!” Nikola’s senses went on full alert as he heard the near panic in Raul’s voice. Raul did not get riled up easily.

“What’s wrong?” Nikola asked skipping pleasantries.

“Have you talked to Devyn?” Nikola tightened the grip on his phone.

“Not since last night, why?” That was technically true, since she returned his last text to her. A lump of fear began to settle in his stomach.

“It’s Marcus, man.” After an investigation by the police department, sufficient evidence was found that Marcus committed a crime when he filmed his sexual encounters with Devyn without her knowledge. That there was email evidence of his threatening her with the videos, he could not deny it. He was dismissed from the police department and had promptly been arrested. The latest Nikola heard Marcus was still in jail. 

“Seems his parents posted his bail a few days ago and he’s been off the radar ever since.”

“Son of a bitch! Why are you just telling me this now?!” Nikola yelled into the phone.

Raul remained calm, knowing his friend needed to take his anger out on somebody. He could take it.

“I just found out today. I’ve been away on work, same as you,” Nikola ran his hand through his hair. He began rummaging in his drawers for clothes. He began taking clothes out to get dressed.

“I’m going to head over to her place. She’s not answering her phone; it’s going straight to voicemail.”

“I’ll meet you there with a few of my guys. If he’s there, we may need the extra man power,” Nikola nodded even though Raul couldn’t see him. The thought of Marcus getting to Devyn made Nikola see red. He knew a desperate man was a dangerous man. Nikola knew that after losing his job, and suffering the humiliation of being arrested as an officer, Marcus was probably as desperate as they came right about now.

“Fuck!” He yelled as he threw on a pair of dark blue jeans, a black Polo shirt and some running sneakers. He stood and walked over to his closet and went for his safe that was at the back corner of the closet. He opened the safe and pulled his loaded Beretta M9 that he’d had since his days in the Army. He usually kept it in his dresser drawer, but Devyn had seen it and asked him to keep it someplace else, so in the safe it went. Now, as he pulled it out, he hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, at least not in front of Devyn. He knew he would not hesitate to pull the trigger if it came to that, but the way he was feeling, he’d rather end Marcus’ life with his bare hands if he threatened or hurt Devyn in anyway. He quickly exited his condo and headed down to the underground garage. He could be to Devyn’s in twenty minutes.

“Did you think you could just get rid of me? Did you think I would just walk away after what you did?” Marcus asked with a crazed look in his eye as he stepped inside Devyn’s apartment, causing her to step back. He closed and locked the door behind him. Devyn eyed him and felt her stomach muscles tighten with fear when she heard the “click” of the lock.

“M-marcus, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t done anything to you,” she attempted to remain calm even as everything inside her shook with fear.

“Bullshit!” He sneered.

“You and that hotshot boyfriend of yours think you can take my job away from me and have me arrested?! Do you know what it’s like for a police officer to go to jail? Do you know how those thugs and criminals dared to look at
me
?? As if I was one of them. Fuck that! Somebody needs to pay for humiliating me like that!”

Devyn looked in his eye and saw the pure malice he had for her. He really blamed her for his troubles. Even after all this time, all he had done to her, he failed to take responsibility for his part in his own downfall.

“Marcus none of that is my fault. You were the one who illegally ta–.” The backhand smack caused Devyn’s mouth to snap shut, as she fell to the floor from the impact of his second smack. The pain radiated up from the bottom of the side of her face to the top of her head. She remained on the floor as she brought a trembling hand to hold the side of her face. Her vision blurred as her eyes watered from the pain. Devyn cowered into the floor even more as Marcus pointed the gun directly at her face.

“Watch your fucking mouth, bitch. You’re lucky I let you live this long. I’ve been watching you for days. I could have taken you out on your way to work or been waiting for you inside your apartment when you got home. I’ve been generous, but my generosity is over. Get up!” He commanded as he used his free hand to pull her to stand by her throat.

He pushed her into the wall behind her and his grip tightened around her neck. Devyn tried to grip his arm to loosen his grip in some way but she was powerless. She could feel him toying with her as he squeezed and loosened his grip, in a show of how much control he held over her life.

“What’s the matter? You used to like it when I choked you in bed,” he taunted her.

“Tell me does your white boy give it to you like I did? I bet he doesn’t. I bet he doesn’t bend you on all fours and make you beg for it like I used to,” Devyn closed her eyes as her stomach rumbled in disgust at his words and the memories he brought up.

Marcus moved closer to her to whisper in her ear.

“Maybe I’ll fuck you before I kill you, for old times’ sake. Make you beg for it one last time.” His evil laughter caused Devyn’s stomach to roil one more time. She looked into his eyes and knew he meant every word of what he just said.

“Maybe–…” His whisper was cut off by a loud knock at the door.

“Devyn, baby, open up. It’s me.” A fresh wave of tears hit Devyn’s eyes at the sound of Nikola’s voice. She closed her eyes wishing she could run into his arms and have him tell her everything was okay, that it was just a nightmare; a figment of her imagination and Marcus wasn’t really holding a gun to her with his hand around her neck.

Marcus lowered the gun and whispered, “Get rid of him. If I even fucking
think
you’re trying to warn him that I’m here, I will kill you and then I will kill him,” he removed his hand from her throat and Devyn gasped for a full breath of air.

“Shut up.” Marcus whispered angrily as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her closer to the door.

Another knock sounded at the door, harder this time. “Devyn I know you’re here. I saw your car in the parking lot,” Devyn picked up on a hint of worry in Nikola’s voice.

“Nik, I really don’t want to talk to you. Please go,” Devyn said pressing her hand on the door, and keeping her gaze downward.

He was silent for a few moments. “Devyn, baby I really need to see you. I left New York early to see you. Please, just open the door.” Devyn’s heart ached at the pleading she heard in his voice.

“Nik, just go–.”

“Not until I see you.” Nikola demanded. Marcus, growing impatient jammed the gun in her face and mouthed, “Get rid of him, now!”

The look of impatience and anger she saw on Marcus’ face let her know he would make good on his promise.

Devyn closed her eyes and prayed that if she made it out of this alive, Nikola would forgive her for the words she was about to say.

“Nik, I don’t want to see you. I don’t want or need to be in a relationship with you. You’re too controlling, too manipulative and I don’t need that in my life. That may have worked for your parents, but I’m not your mother. Now leave!” She said with all the force she could muster. Her heartbeat sped up as she waited for his response.

There was no response for long moments. Her body began trembling with fear and worry. She hoped Nikola didn’t believe what she’d just said, but part of her needed him to believe, so Marcus wouldn’t hurt him.

“If that’s how you want it. Fine. I don’t need this shit.” Devyn felt a fresh wave of nausea at his words. Her heart sank as she heard him move away from the door and walk back down the hallway. She looked at Marcus to see a sick look of satisfaction. He gained pleasure from seeing her in pain. He grabbed her arm tightly and began pushing her down the hall to her bedroom. He laughed.

“Did you see how easily he gave up? I told you no one like that would ever really want you. Why would he? He’s got loads of supermodels, actresses and socialites just lined up to fuck him. What would he want with an overweight administrative assistant? He probably…”

Devyn was hardly listening as Marcus continued to taunt her as they entered her bedroom. The fear she felt only moments before began to turn to white hot anger.

She grew angry as she replayed the many times Marcus called her ugly names and mocked her for not being skinny enough. She thought about the moment she walked in on him in bed with another woman, and his angry tirade blaming her for his cheating. She hated him for making her say those horrible words to the man she loved. She grew irate at the knowledge that even after five years of beating down her self-esteem and self-worth, it wasn’t enough.

After secretly video recording their sex life and threatening to release it for the whole world to see, he still wanted more. He was trying to take her very life.

Devyn’s anger rushed over her like a tidal wave. Devyn embraced her anger. Propelled by her fury, Devyn spun around, and with the precision and form she learned in her kickboxing class, she punched Marcus, where she knew it would inflict the most physical pain. Marcus howled in pain, and lost his grip on the gun.

Devyn barely registered the thump as the gun hit the floor. Marcus bent over at the waist, cupping his penis in obvious agony. Devyn wasted no time, as she clapped the sides of his head with all her strength, and brought her knee up to knee him in the face. A second howl rang from Marcus, as blood began to pour from his nose and he fell to the floor. Devyn wasn’t done.

She was too full of rage to recognize he was no longer a serious threat. She kicked Marcus in his side as hard as she could in her sneakered foot. She stomped on the hand that still covered his penis and he writhed in pain on the floor. She kicked and stomped him over and over, as she thought about his taunting words and his threats. She kicked him for the fear and disgust she felt at finding out about the pictures and video he had of her. She kicked him for the violation she felt at having her privacy invaded by someone who once claimed to love her.

Devyn was in such a rage that she didn’t even notice when her apartment door slammed open.

Nikola was shocked at the scene that greeted him when he and Raul entered Devyn’s bedroom. In front of him was one pissed off woman kicking the ever-loving shit out of her ex-boyfriend.

When Nikola arrived at Devyn’s apartment, he was slightly relieved to see her car in the parking lot. Hoping he wasn’t too late, he entered Devyn’s building and headed straight to her apartment. When he knocked on her door and he heard her refusal to see him, he knew something was wrong. He played along to try and nullify Marcus, who he suspected was inside with Devyn. He walked away and pulled out his cell phone to text Raul.

He’s inside.

As soon as he got the text, Raul sent his two men around the perimeter of the building just in case Marcus tried to escape out a side door. He then rushed up to Devyn’s floor, joining Nikola. They contemplated picking the lock or another way they could get inside. It was when they heard the first yell that Nikola took matters into his own hands and kicked the door in. Pulling out his gun, he and Raul rushed into Devyn’s apartment, following the yelps of obvious pain. Nikola was too far gone to realize it was a man’s screams of pain he was hearing. He just wanted to get to Devyn—to get her away from any sort of danger. To say he was shocked by the scene he found in her bedroom was an understatement.

Nikola saw Raul move to pick up a gun out of the corner of his eye. He assumed it was Marcus’ gun. Raul’s movement spurred him into action.

“Devyn!” He said loudly, trying to bring her out of her enraged state. She delivered another hard stomp to Marcus’ genitals. He smirked.

The bastard was getting what he deserved, and though Nikola preferred to be the one to deliver the ass whooping, he got a sense of relief knowing Devyn was getting her own revenge. But he couldn’t let it continue. He knew Devyn wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she actually caused a life-ending injury. Nikola didn’t have that problem though.

“Devyn, baby!” He grabbed her around her arms, not tightly, just enough to get her attention. When he spun her around to face him, he had to block one of her fists as it flew towards his face. He grabbed her around her wrists and looked into her eyes. They were wild with rage and revenge. He knew that look.

He’d seen that look on many soldiers’ faces when one of their comrades had been killed in battle, or as they fought for their lives with a combatant. He’d never wanted to see that look in the eyes of the woman he loved.

“Devyn, it’s okay. It’s me, baby. It’s okay,” he repeated it over and over again as he rubbed his arms up and down her shoulders. Slowly he felt the tension drain from her body.

“Ni-Nikola,” she said as recognition settled into her eyes, followed by relief.

“H-he tri-tried...”

“Shhh...It’s okay.” He pulled her in for a hug and stroked her back as he felt her tremble. She pulled away.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean those–”

“Don’t. I know you didn’t mean it,” she turned her head to look at Marcus’ still lying on the floor as Raul stood over him. Devyn blinked as if she was just realizing for the first time that Raul was in the room.

“Is he…?” Her words trailed off, not wanting to imagine that she could have killed Marcus in her fit of rage.

“Unfortunately not,” Raul said, a trace of danger in his voice. The same danger she saw in Nikola’s eyes when he looked at the man on the floor.

“Don’t worry about him, come–…”

Devyn jumped as two more big men ran into the room. “Police are on the way,” Nikola tightened his arm around Devyn and had to keep himself from yelling at Raul’s men for scaring her.

“Come on baby, you don’t need to see this,” Nikola said pulling her out of the room and down the hall.

“What are they going to do to him?” She asked fearfully.

“They’ll just hold him until the police arrive,” he said knowing that was only partially true. Devyn looked at him as if trying to figure out if he was telling the truth.

He reached out to caress the side of her face. “They won’t hurt him.”

He looked over the side of her face and could see where her skin was red and starting to swell, for the makings of a sizeable bruise. His eyes trailed down her face to her neck, seeing what appeared to be the outline of a handprint, as if she had been choked. Nikola’s body tightened and his face went rigid with anger. He was poised to go back in her room and finish the job on Marcus she’d started.

Devyn’s hand folded over his stroking hand. “It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt that bad.”

Nikola began to roam his hands over the rest of her body to inspect for any other marks or bruises. He needed her to be all right. He felt her stop his prodding hands, just as the police entered her apartment. He nodded his head in the direction of her bedroom for the police to follow Raul back down the hall. Marcus was now coming around, and was moaning that he needed medical attention. Hearing his voice made Devyn jump, and Nikola pulled her out of the apartment, telling the officers they would be able to question her at the hospital. Even as Devyn protested that she didn’t need to go to the hospital or be seen by a doctor, Nikola placed her in his car, texted Raul to meet him at the hospital and drove off.