Eluding Nirvana (The Dark Evoke Series Book 2) (6 page)

“Kady, this Laurie, she lives just above.”

Swapping hands, I grasped the cup in my left while extending my right. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” she smiled. She was onl
y a slight thing with glossy black hair sitting just beneath her shoulders, her bangs block-dyed purple. She was donning black jeans and a white turtle neck, and in that moment, a part of me was thankful that I wasn’t the only person at a Halloween Fancy Dress Party, without a costume.

By the time I had offered the pale, round-faced woman, who merely stood at my chest, a drink, The Devil had disappeared ba
ck into the swarm of strangers ransacking my home.

Sitting down
at the dining table in an awkward silence, our hands dipped every few minutes into the bowl of potato chips and pretzels. I used to love meeting new people and establishing new friendships. Yet, over the months, since I had cut a generous number of people from my life, I found that being in the company of very few people, with Liam at my side of course, was my comfort zone. Sitting at my dining table, in my kitchen, in my apartment, I felt completely out of my depths. I felt like a stranger to my surroundings.

Eventually, the deafening silence was too much to withstand.
“So what is it you do, Laurie?”

She cleared her throat
and took a swig of punch. “I’m actually in between jobs at the moment; it’s so hard out there at this time. But usually, I love being in the kitchen.”

“What
, you’re like a chef or something?”

Amus
ement shone in her hazel eyes and she released a girlish, innocent giggle. “No, I’m no good with actual meals, but more like baking.”

“As in cakes?”

She nodded her response.

“Wow.
That’s amazing. Even if I knew where to begin, I wouldn’t have the patience to complete it.”

Her hand was buried in the center of the
bowl of potato chips as she spoke, “It’s really relaxing. And it saves on family birthdays,” she laughed quietly, removing her hand and popped the nibbles into her mouth. “What about you?” she added around her food.

At that point in time
, I think it was more embarrassing for me to admit that I was unemployed than a stripper. But, through my humiliation, I fessed up, and did so with a very deep pleat scoring my brow.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Kady,” she rubbed my forearm
in a gesture of reassurance. “My cousin has just been laid-off from some steel factory place that he’s worked at for about a year. It’s really hard out there at the moment.”

Being laid-off and quitting of your own freewill was
two entirely different things. Although a stranger, I felt sorry for the poor guy. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Ah,”
as she waved off my compassion with a gesture of her hand and an eye roll, an idea struck me. One I was sure killed two birds with the same stone, and one that Liam was going to love me for.

“Steel factory you said?”

With her lips caressing the plastic cup, she peeked over the brim, “Mmm, hmm,” she sounded on a swallow.

“I’m not sure if I should be saying anything, becau
se it’s still in the pipeline,”––Laurie mirrored my movement as I inched forward on my seat and doubled over the table with my elbow perched on the edging––“Liam, that’s my boyfriend, he owns his own architect and construction company, DeLaney Constructs. Now”––I peeked over to the doorway, making sure we were indeed on our own––“do you know the old Williamson Estate a few miles from here?”

“Sure.”

“Liam’s drawing up a contract with someone or other, to have it demolished and have a new, up and coming estate of luxury homes built. He’s going to need more construction workers. If your cousin would be okay with construction…” I must have been addicted to making people happy. Watching Laurie’s eyes light up and sheen like toffee triggered warmth to radiate through my chest. It was the same elated expression I had been addicted to seeing, and being the cause of, on Liam.

“
Really? Oh, my, God that is fantastic. My cousin will do about anything, he’s so passionate and he always puts in two hundred per cent at whatever he does. Do you think Liam would do that?”

A
s if he knew he was the topic of conversation, Liam sauntered through the kitchen door. “Hello, ladies.” He was swaying. He was beaming. He was tipsy. “Kady baby, your sister is a menace,” he slurred and waved his arm with an over exaggerated, drunken flare. “You give that Wicked Witch of the West a few drinks, and off she trots, pinching everyone’s asses and cackling loud enough to wake the dead.”

That wasn’t news, at least, not to me. That was typical Brittany and something I was used to seeing. So, I simply brushed off his remark and
drew out his name like a child who’s about to ask for a pony off her parents, as the chips were invaded by his large, merry hand.

“Yes, baby.”

Laurie and I both broke into a smile as he mimicked my persuasive tone, kissing my head between crunching and swallowing.

I motioned a wave to the petite woman opposite. “This
is Laurie. She lives upstairs.”

“Well, hello, Laurie.”
Her pale cheeks flushed when he captured her hand and placed a chaste kiss on the back of her knuckles. Yeah, he really was drunk. “Welcome to the party.”

“Thank you, you got a wonderful girlfriend.”

“I know, she is wonderful,” he smiled down at me through his drunken haze, “and she’s all mine.” With his upper lip rolled to showcase his fake vampire teeth, he released a playful growl and lunged at my neck. The warmth of his mouth, alongside the sensations of his teeth and lips upon the tendon running from my neck to my shoulder, had me in an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

As I playfully battered him away and gasped
for vital breath through the small stitch in my ribs, I began to talk. “Liam, Laurie’s cousin used to work at the old steel factory, but he’s just been laid-off.”

He craned his head.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Laurie. See, that’s why it’s more fulfilling being your own boss.”

He was getting way off track
, and that haughtiness of his was sure to make a bad first impression. “Yes, well, you know what they say, ‘it’s not what you know; it’s who you know’?”

“Yes…” he drew out his word
with interest.

“And with this next project being as
huge as it is you’re obviously going to need more construction workers, aren’t you?” Motionless, I watched as Liam gradually sobered with each word I freed, and as realization dawned at which direction I was intending to steer this conversation…okay, persuasion. “And Laurie just stated that he always puts in two hundred per cent, and is very passionate about his work.”

I knew just as I had finished t
hat that was Liam’s final straw. His drunken, fun-loving state was a past moment and the ticking jaw was making a brutal appearance once again. Somehow, I began to realize that pitching ideas obviously wasn’t my forte.

“He wouldn’t let you down, Mr. DeLaney,” Laurie bolstered.

A weighted sigh in addition with the daggers he was firing at me, had me shrinking in my seat and nervously gnawing on my thumbnail. Setting about the opposite side of the kitchen with heavy strides, Liam tore some paper from the notepad and scribbled something down before rejoining us and handed it to my new friend. “It won’t be for a few more weeks just yet, but you can give him my number. Get him to call me.” Laurie was still nodding when hard emeralds turned to pin me in my chair. “Kady, can I have a word with you a moment, please.”

By the elbow, he pulled me up and marched me
out of the quiet kitchen into the hallway. The brusqueness of his movements had the air trapped under his black shimmering cape causing it to billow, while the rowdiness emanating from the throng in the living room was enough to drown out any words. Risking a glance, I peeked up and recoiled at once when I sighted his lifting hand. He tucked my hair behind my ear, and I found myself somewhat indebted that his touch was light and caring.

When he
proceeded to trail it across my neck and held my nape, and as he leaned in with his head intimidatingly low, the bitter smell of beer on his breath spiraling and pasting on my flesh, I was immediately aware that this wasn’t caring Liam at all…

“I would appreciate it if you allow
me
to decide who is on
my
payroll in the future, do you understand?” the underlining fury in his voice was poorly masked. My body began to shake nervously while the sickening, weighted sphere of anxiety in my gut had the small contents of my stomach rolling.

“I’m sorry, Liam. It just seemed like a logical
idea. You need more workers, and the woman in there knows someone who is in desperate need of work. I tho––”

“And don’t you think there are hundreds of people in Boston looking for the exact same
thing?” he hissed in disdain, the profound guilt I felt was revealed with a drooping of my head. I overstepped the mark. Liam was right, DeLaney Constructs was
his
business, I had nothing to do with it, yet here I was offering a job to someone, when I was in no position to do so.
What was I thinking?

“I’m sorry.
It was wrong of me to do that. I promise I won’t do it again.”

“Damn right you won’t, because you seem to be forgetting one significant factor in this relationship, Kady.
You
are unemployed.
I
am keeping
you
. Without me or my money, you would be on the streets. Do you understand?”

Barely a whisper, my voice was deep and cracked with remorse.
“Yes, Liam.” I muttered, our brows braced against one another.

“If he isn’t worth his salt, his pay-packet will be coming out of what I spend on
you
. No cosmetics, no nice new clothes, nothing. Do you understand?”

A sob had to be stifled, I nodded
with regret. “Yes, Liam.”

Slipping his hand from the nape of my neck, his warmth and tender
palm cradled my face while his lips slanted over mine, bestowing me with a lingering kiss that I just couldn’t reciprocate. “Good girl,” he mouthed, pulling away. “You’re looking tired. You’ve had such a long day preparing this. You’ve done such a great job on the decorating.”

I didn’t have to study my reflection to know that my eyes were
promptly alight with delight at his encouraging words. “I have?”

“Oh, Kady,” he smirked down at me
and cocked his head, his thumb skimming over the arch of my cheekbone. I pressed myself into his palm. “You really have. You’ve blown me away.” Each verbalized degree of his approval had me beaming further. Nevertheless, my stomach quickly sank when he suggested, “Why don’t you go to bed. We can tidy up in the morning.”

I may have looked tired, but I didn’t feel it.
Regardless of lacking familiar terms with most of the people in our apartment, I didn’t want to not be at my own party. “But, Liam, I don’t want to go to bed yet, I’m not sleepy,” my statement was underlined by a small awkward giggle. “And what sort of hostess would I be if I left y––”

“Baby,
” searching my eyes I didn’t doubt for a moment that he was endeavoring to hypnotize me with his Dracula-like enthralling eyes. “You’re looking drained. I don’t want you making yourself ill. You need your beauty sleep.”

He was right
, I suppose. I had had a long day, and I most certainly didn’t want to make myself ill. It wouldn’t be fair on Liam for me to burden him with cooking and chores after everything he has done for us. “Maybe you’re right. It is getting quite late,” I resigned.

“Go on, you go to bed
and I’ll keep all these quiet so you can rest.”

I reached up on my toes, and set my hand on the side of his face.
“You always take such good care of me, Liam. Thank you.”

After a kiss goodnight, I headed to bed while my boyfriend, sister, two friends, and a whole lot of strangers continued to party in my living room.

He really did care if he was going to put up with all of those on his own, just so I could sleep.

I rolled over to drape my arm over Liam, only to be fully awoken by the absence of his body as my fingers grazed the cool bedding. The covers pooled at my waist whilst I pressed my hands into the mattress, sitting myself up, and listened intently to my surroundings.

No music.
No raucous party noises. Just…silence. Well, near silence.

Once I shrugged
on my robe and removed myself from the blissful comfort of the empty bed which was calling out to me like Lucifer himself, beckoning me to return, the smell of coffee and sounds of cutlery clattering traveled through the door.

The gold doorknob was cold in my grasp…cold and
immovable. I twisted and shook the handle frantically, nevertheless it wasn’t shifting. It was jammed. The door was fucking jammed? We’d lived in the apartment for years and never had any of the doors gotten stuck.