Page 36 of Devilish Prince

“Hey, Cal, need anything?” I shuffle toward him and he looks at me from the corner of his eye. Even he has been feeling better, slowly coming out of his depression. He thinks we are on avacation here, that I got a bonus and some time off. It’s a total lie meant to protect him from the awful truth, and maybe he suspects something, but I’m not planning on breaking the façade until I hear from Dr. Baker about the possibility of a new job elsewhere.

“A drink would be okay,” he says, slicking his lip with his tongue. “These old reruns are getting boring too. Maybe we can find a different channel?”

I’ve been caring for him alone for the past ten days. The most challenging part is getting him in and out of the bath alone, but thankfully he prefers a sponge bath over the real thing. Having his nurse here would definitely speed up every process, but this has given us time to bond. Besides, without work I feel entirely useless, as if I have nothing to do and no purpose in life, so taking care of Calvin has been a good distraction to that.

I set my tea down and flick through the channels until he grunts approval. It’s the I Love Lucy show with Lucille Ball. He chuckles before I even put the remote down to reach for his glass of water.

“I love this one…”

I smile and lift the cup to his lips, placing the end of the straw in his mouth. He sucks in, having a long drink. His lips are chapped; maybe he’s a little dehydrated. And his body is frail, underweight and pale too. His muscles are atrophied from being in this damn chair for so long, and I feel like his spirit has undergone a similar decay. I know he feels even more useless than I do right now, so I can’t complain. All I can do is continue to search for a new job and ask Dr. Baker for his help in facilitating Calvin’s completion of the trial in a few weeks.

“I am thinking of having a hot bath. Will you be alright for a while?” I readjust the chest strap holding him upright and he angles his chin up to look at me and smile.

“Of course, you deserve some time to relax.”

I pat his shoulder and set his drink down, then collect my tea and head for the bathroom. The giant soaker tub is large enough for two people, but unfortunately it doesn’t have jets. That would make it perfect. Still, I start the water to fill it while I strip my clothing off. I leave the door open so I can hear Cal if he needs me, knowing he is stuck there behind the TV until I’m finished here.

With my tea perched on the edge of the tub, I add a hefty dose of bubble solution beneath the flow of the water and set it back on the counter. I get a towel so I can dry my hands and use my phone while I soak, and I drape it over the edge near my phone. Then I open the blinds to the window so I can watch the scenery just beyond the walls of the cabin. There is an option to open the entire wall and make this bathroom part of the deck, but it’s way too much work just to soak alone.

I climb in, sinking into the water as it continues to fill, and watch a pair of cardinals out the window flitting about. It brings a smile to my face because I heard once that if you see a cardinal it means someone who has passed away is watching over you and keeping an eye on you. I think of my parents and their tragic deaths and feel a bit emotional. Dad would know what to do right now, how to help me. As a retired police officer, he had so much wisdom. But I’m alone to deal with this situation on my own.

Sighing, I draw some of the bubbles up to cover my chest and watch the birds fly away. For a late evening in June it’s growingdark early, probably due to the cloud cover which I suddenly feel matches my mood. I shut the water off and relax back into the water and close my eyes. I can’t stay in this cabin forever. It’s not feasible. I need to make money, and even though Jen is generous enough to allow me to use this place free of charge, eventually I will be out of savings and won’t have a way to buy food or toiletries. Calvin’s medications are expensive and that trial alone will eat up half my salary for July—if I get a salary.

I have to go somewhere, though I know I can’t go back to New York, at least not as myself. Lorenzo will find me and while I don’t think he personally will kill me, his father definitely will. The man is evil personified. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out they’ve been harassing people I know to get to me.

As if on cue, my phone rings. I rise up in the water to look at the number. Jen helped me get set up with a burner cell since my phone is at Lorenzo’s house with my purse and the last outfit I wore. I never found it that night I escaped, so I had to replace it. No one has this number except for her, though, so when I see her number flash on the screen I dry my hands and pick the phone up.

“Hey, girl…” I settle into the water again. She’s called a few times to check in, so this isn’t a shock or anything.

“Uh, Sofi, we need to talk.” Jen sounds rattled and it makes the hair on my arms stand on end. I submerge them in the water as far as I can without letting the bubbles get on the phone.

“Sure, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” I’ve had ten days to let the tension of the last four months out of my body, but with one sentence she’s managed to bring it all back. I feel my shoulders tighten as she continues.

“They killed that man… The one who followed Gatti around all the time. He’s dead…” The phone chimes, indicating a text message, and I pull it away from my ear to look at the screen. Jen sent a picture from the newspaper of Norm. His face on the front of the New York Times next to the headline of “Shocking Death being Investigated” makes my skin crawl.

“They what?” Lorenzo killed his right-hand man? He loves Norm. Why would he do that? If he killed Norm for letting me escape, what will he do to me?

“There is no story on how it happened, but the body was found floating in the Hudson. Sofi, this is fucked up, and it’s freaking me out.” I can picture her looking over her shoulder as she speaks to me. “Freaky shit has been happening.”

Norm is really dead? That sick fuck actually killed him because I stole some keys and left the house? My throat constricts and I press my eyes shut. This can’t be happening. I can’t carry the weight of that guilt on my shoulders the rest of my life. How could he do that to Norm?

“They followed me, Sofi.”

“They what?” My eyes snap open and I sit up straighter. “What happened?”

“Gatti and some older man with dark hair followed me from my apartment to the coffee shop on foot, then took the same subway car as me to work. They never looked at me, but they knew who I was. They walked behind me all the way to the hospital, and they watched me go right in the doors. What if they hurt me because they want to get to you?” She sounds terrified.

“Come to the cabin. Stay with me.” I can’t believe this. Why are they going after people who have nothing to do with their little plan? Norm I understand, but Jen? She’s innocent.

“Yeah, I think I will.” I can hear the trepidation in her tone. “Do you guys need anything? Because once I come up there I’m staying.”

“Uh, maybe some toilet paper.”

“Alright, give me a bit of time to get my affairs in order. This is insane. I can’t have the mafia following me around.”

“I’m so sorry I dragged you into this, Jen. I swear we’ll figure it out.”

She hangs up before saying goodbye and I stare at the screen as the call ends and my home screen appears. Then it goes black as I sit in shock, shivering as the air conditioning chills my exposed damp shoulders. I knew the Gatti family were into some horrible shit, and I knew Antonio was a horrible person, but Lorenzo? He’s not evil like his father, just misunderstood. I know with enough time and patience, I could have shown him how to run his business without killing and harming people.

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