DEVIL: A Stepbrother Romance (18 page)

“
W
ell
, whoever did this was really trying to send a message. I’ve never seen a vandalism case this bad,” the insurance inspector said. He had just finished going through the mansion room-by-room, inspecting the damage.

“You can say that again,” I mused. He scribbled a few notes on his clipboard, and I tried to sneak a glance. “So is there anything that can be done?”

“Well, I’m afraid your policy doesn’t have a flood clause,” he informed me with a frown. The dark skin on his bald head reflected the light of the slowly setting sun. I couldn’t help but think of how much he looked like Samuel L. Jackson.

I gritted my teeth and slumped my shoulders.

“But,” he added. “I think we can file all the damage under vandalism.” He smiled and reached his hand out for a shake. “I’m afraid that you’re only covered up to about $300,000 in damages. It won’t cover all of your lost art, but it will repair all the damage that was done to the house and give you about $100,000 additional to replace some of your lost interior items.”

I smiled, grabbed his hands, and began shaking it profusely. “That’ll be wonderful,” I beamed. “It’s been a rough couple of days. I thought I had lost everything.”

The inspector grinned. “Well, sometimes things look like they can only get worse, but you just got to have faith that it’ll all work out in the end.”

I gulped and stopped shaking his hand. “Faith…” I muttered. It was the second time in two days that I had heard that word.

The man eyed me suspiciously then tilted his head from side to side as if examining my ears. “Yes, faith…” he reiterated. He tucked his clipboard under his armpit, and began rustling through his pockets. “You seem like you’ve got a lot of weight on your shoulders, Mitch.” He pulled a business card out of his pocket and held it out towards me. “This insurance thing is just my part-time job. I’m actually a church minster. He pointed towards the lettering on the card. If you want to swing by sometime, we can teach you a lot about faith.”

“Thanks,” I said, “but I’m not really really religious.”

“You don’t have to be religious to have faith, Mitch. Go ahead and take it. Think it over.”

I took the card from his hand, and he gave a slight smile before turning and walking towards his black Cadillac. I looked down at the card and flipped it to both sides but didn’t really read it. I was more focused on what he had said.

Faith. It was what Annie said I was missing, and what the insurance guy had singled out right away.

I felt relieved that the vandalism issue was resolved, but I felt too empty to celebrate. I had broken Annie’s heart, just like
he
ordered me to do. I knew that something positive would happen with the insurance, but not because I had faith; because I had made a deal. All the other issues would work themselves out as well, so long as I let go of love. I didn’t hope for it. It was all part of the arrangement.

I turned around and walked slowly towards the house, considering the minister’s words. Even if everything worked out financially, I’d still be a sad son of a bitch. Hell, the only time I had felt truly happy in years was the time that I was with Annie. I opened my door and stuck a foot inside before pausing.

Faith.

Why didn’t I have faith?

I slowly reared my foot back and closed the door. “Are you there?” I muttered aloud. “It’s about the–“

“I’m here
,” the voice interrupted.

“Our other deal. I’ve already done half of it. Now I just tell my parents, set things in motion, and you’ll set me free?”

“That’s the deal Mitch.”

I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and began searching for a taxi number. “Yeah, can I get a pick-up at 158 Wonderland ln?” I asked when I got someone on the phone.

“Your ride will be there within 10 minutes,” the person on the other line replied.

I turned off my phone and slid it back in my pocket. “Prepare to set me free, motherfucker.”

“
D
inner’s ready
!” Mom yelled.

I wasn’t hungry. I wasn’t hungry at all, but after spending all night and all day in bed, I knew that I had to get up and eat something or else I’d get 101 questions about what was going on with me. I pulled myself reluctantly from under my sheets and began dabbing makeup over my face to hide the redness from the hours of intermittent crying.

When I was somewhat presentable, I put on my best fake smile and headed downstairs to the kitchen table. Mom had made salmon filet with several different sides of vegetables. It looked and smelled wonderful. I would’ve been salivating if I had been in the mood to eat.

I poked at my food while Mom and Dad ate, and eventually Mom spoke up. “You never told us what was going on with Mitch, honey. You said he was dealing with some issues but never went any further.”

The last thing I wanted to talk about was Mitch. “He… umm… someone vandalized his house.”

“What?” Dad asked. “You should’ve told us sooner.”

“Why would anyone Vandalize Mitch’s house?” Mom asked.

A loud knock came to the front door.

Dad wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood from the table. “I’ll get it. Hold that thought.”

After a few seconds, I heard Dad wail, “Hey Mitch! We were just talking about you. Come inside. We just started dinner…”

My heart raced, and I tried to jump out of my chair in such a rush that I banged my knee on the bottom of the table.

“Annie!” Mom’s jaw dropped, and she looked at me with dark eyes. “What is wrong with you? Where are you going?”

I grabbed the top of my knee and flinched. “I was just–“

“Your brother is here, Annie,” Dad said proudly as the pair walked in the kitchen, and I tried my best not to show the pain in my knee or make eye contact with Mitch. I scooted back into my chair and tried to remain calm.

“Have a seat, darling. We’ve got plenty of food for you to make a plate,” Mom gestured towards the table.

“No, that’s okay, Mom.” Mitch said. “I’m not that hungry. I’ve just come here to talk to you about something.”

“What is it Mitch?” Mom replied. “Annie told us that someone vandalized your home. Is it about that?”

“No, Mom,” Mitch said. “It’s about Annie.”

My will to make no eye contact with Mitch failed, and I whipped my head towards him as soon as he said my name. His face was straight and his eyes burned a hole into me.

“What about Annie, Mitch?” Dad chewed on a piece of salmon as he spoke.

“I… I love Annie,” Mitch answered.

Mom and Dad started chuckling, and I could feel tension rising between my thighs. I felt like I was going to pee in my pants, and my heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it.

“Well, gosh Mitch. We know that you love Annie, and so do we,” Mom said. “You don’t have to come all the way here to tell us that.”

“No, I love Annie more than you think,” he muttered. He walked over to me behind my seat and placed a hand on my shoulder. I instinctively lifted my hand and placed it on his. “I love her as something more than a sister. I want to be with her… if she’ll have me.”

My stomach filled with butterflies, but at the same time I thought I was going to hurl. The look on my parent’s faces was that of complete shock. Dad dropped his fork on the plate and Mom leaned back in his chair. After our last conversation at Mitch’s house, I never expected he would come out the way that he was.

“What the hell are you talking about, Mitch?” Dad chided. “You don’t mean–“

“Yes, Dad. I want to have relationship with Annie. As a couple… She’s the only girl for me.”

“Well, that’s just ludicrous,” Dad barked and half laughed at the same.

“Where is all this coming from?” Mom asked, her face etched with confusion. “It’s not like you guys have ever been in any sort of romance before.”

Both Mitch and I were silent.

Mom and Dad fell silent as well, but after a brief moment Dad jumped out of the chair and bolted for Mitch.

“Dad I–“ Mitch blurted, but he was cut off by the force of my Dad pushing him against the wall and grabbing him by the neck. Mitch was so much bigger than Dad, but Dad wasn’t the type to back down to anyone, and he knew that Mitch would never lash out at him.

“Dad!” I screamed.

“You little shit.” Dad hissed. “What did you do to Annie?”

“Daddy stop!” I got out of my chair and pulled on the back of his shirt. “He didn’t do anything to me! I love Mitch just the same!”

“You think because you’re some rich, hot-shot football player that you can do anything you want? To think you’d go and fuck your own sister…”

“Dad,” Mitch blurted out. His face was turning red, and it was obvious he couldn’t breathe. “I can’t help who I love.” He sounded so distant, like he was fading to black.

“Frank!” Mom screamed. “Let him go!”

Dad let go of Mitch’s neck and spit on the floor. “You’re despicable.”

Mitch pawed at his neck and coughed as he tried regain his breath, and I rushed to his side to comfort him.

“Can you believe this shit, Kim?” Dad started to walk back towards the kitchen table. “Our only two kids out playing doctor with each other.”

“Frank, stop…” Mom sighed.

“Did you even use a condom Annie, or are you trying to pick up your brother’s man-whore germs as well?”

“Dad, please stop talking like that,” I whined.

“Oh Christ.” Dad sat down and jammed his fork into his salmon. “We better take you to the clinic first thing into the morning for a STD test. Who knows what ‘The Wrecker’ has gone and picked up.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” I yelled.

“I’m clean Dad,” Mitch said. “I know this is a lot to take in, but I just want you to accept us.”

“Accept it? The whole neighborhood knows you two are brother and sister. What do you think they’ll say if they see you out holding hands together? Huh?” Dad asked.

“I don’t care what they say,” Mitch said defiantly. “I only care about Annie. No one can take care of her better than I can.”

Dad scoffed, “Take care of her? Okay...” He looked towards me. “Go pack your bags, Annie. If you’re going to be fucking your brother, you won’t be living under my roof.”

“No!” Mom stood up from the table, rattling the plates on top at the same time. “Don’t listen to your father, Annie. You don’t have to anywhere.”

“Are you fuckin’ serious, Kim?” Dad asked. His face was angrier than I had ever seen him. “You’re going to take their side over mine? I wear the pants in this family!”

“I’m not taking sides, Frank,” Mom said. “They’re our children. They need guidance. We can’t just kick Annie out.”

Dad leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Guidance.” He shook his head comically. “Here’s some guidance for you: Don’t fuck your family members!”

A sudden crash of glass exploded through the room, and we all turned to see a large fiery rock hurdling through the window. It landed on the living room floor and immediately cause the carpet to burn.

“What the fuck is that?” Dad yelled and stood from the table. He immediately ran for the rock and started dousing it with his glass of iced tea. “Martha, get some water!”

“That’s like the rock that busted through my window!” Mitch yelled, and he darted for the front door. When he arrived to the door he whipped it open, and to our surprise a large man with a ski mask was standing there with a gun aimed directly for Mitch’s chest. He didn’t hesitate before he pulled the trigger.

The shot rang out and Mitch grabbed his lower torso and stumbled backwards onto the ground.

“Mitch!” I yelled.

“Shutup bitch!” the masked man yelled as he stepped over Mitch’s body and closed the front door.

Dad put his hands up. “We don’t want any trouble.”

“Shutup!” the man snarled again.

“What do you want from us?” Dad continued to ramble, ignoring the masked man’s orders. “Take anything. Do you want money? We can give you money. Just don’t hurt my family.”

The man aimed his gun for me, and I could feel pressure building in my bladder. I slunk my neck into my shoulders, bracing myself for death. Mom had moved beside me and was holding onto my shoulder.

“What I want is revenge,” he hissed.

“Revenge?” Dad asked. “Who are you? We don’t have any enemies.”

The man reached his free hand around and whipped off his mask.

“Grant Wilson?” I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“That’s right,” he said, his face a mix of hysteria and madness. “Your brother took everything from me. He took my spot on the Strongbacks, and then he took my scholarship to UCLA. And you,” he wailed and jabbed his gun to me. “You made it worse. You made him embarrass me in front of the whole school. And when that bitch Sam left me, you wouldn’t even give me a simple date to make up for everything you did!”

“So you’re the one who vandalized Mitch’s house?” I questioned, still hunkering down at the sight of his gun.

“Me and my boys!” He spat. “How long I waited for the right time to pay him back, to destroy everything he took from me. You have no idea how hard it was to get inside and cut into his security system. But we did it. Finally, we did it. And now I’m going take the last few things that thief has got left… starting with you!” He took a step forward and pulled back the hammer on his pistol.

Out of nowhere, Mitch speared head-first into the side of the attacker, tackling him and making his gun go off. The kitchen window was shattered by the shot. I stood up straight to get a better look at what was happening, and I saw the man pull the gun back quickly once more, shooting Mitch in his upper body.

Mitch ignored his wounds, and grabbed the hand that was holding the pistol, pinning it against the ground, while he started punching the man squarely in the face. “No one messes with my family!” He screamed.

Grant struggled to squirm away, but by the fourth punch squarely in the face, his nose was bleeding and his eyes were closed. All of his limbs had gone limp. Mom ran towards the telephone and called 911, while Dad ran to Mitch, attempting to pull him off of Grant.

Mitch continued to batter the man’s face.

“Mitch!” Dad yelled. “Don’t kill him! He’s out! He’s out!” Dad yanked at Mitch shoulder, and it took all of his strength to get him off the man. When Mitch finally pulled away, I could see his shirt covered in dark blood in both his upper-left chest, and lower abdomen. He breathed heavily, and was clutching the wound on his stomach.

“Mitch!” I yelled and ran to his side. His eyes were glossy, and he was breathing erratically. “Don’t die on me, Mitch. Please don’t die on me…”

“I’m so sorry baby,” Mitch stuttered as he looked into my eyes. He gulped, and I could see him fading away. “I’m sorry that I didn’t have faith in us.”

“It’s okay Mitch. Just please don’t leave me.”

“Oh fuck, you’ve lost a lot of blood,” Dad cursed. “Hang in there buddy.” I could see Dad looking from side to side, trying to figure out what to do. “Martha did you call 911!?”

“I’ve got them on the phone!” Mom yelled.

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier, buddy.” Dad murmured. “I was just shocked by it all. Please don’t let those be the last words you hear from old pops. We all love you Mitch. We’ll be here for you no matter what.”

Mitch’s body began to convulse and his eyes were blank.

“Nooooo!” I screamed. “No, Mitch! I love you!” I lifted his head and pressed my lips against his. I could feel his lips quivering, trying to kiss me back, and then I felt him go slack.

“Oh God… They’re almost here Mitch. Hang in there honey,” Mom said. “Oh god! Please tell them to hurry!” she yelled into the phone.

I started to breathe into Mitch’s mouth, refusing to let him give up without a fight, and the minute or so more that it took for the ambulance to arrive seemed like an eternity.

Three men immediately busted through the front door, and two of them immediately headed for Grant. “No!” Mom screamed. “He’s the criminal!”

The three switched their attention to Mitch, and then immediately began assessing his condition. A fourth man was behind him with a stretcher, and after checking on the situation with Grant, also joined the first three in their effort to help Mitch.

Mom, Dad, and I all huddled together. Mom and I were crying, and Dad was trying to comfort us while fighting back his own tears. The lights of the ambulance flashed through our windows and off the walls, and a few minutes later the police lights added to the frenzy.

I wanted to die. I was losing my one true love just as soon as I had found him.