Haunted Devotion

7.

A ringing noise wakes me up from my sleep, making me sleepily search for the source in the dark.

Light crashing of waves filled the other line as the person didn't speak.

"Yerlin if this is you, say something or so help me—" The person only says one thing that made all the hairs of my arm stand up, "It's time," And as soon as they said that, the phone goes out.

The rest of the night I sit up pacing in my mind but a drunken Linus distracts that.

"What is it with you always coming to me when you're a mess?" I huffed out as I helped him inside from being beaten on the gravel like last time except no water fountain.

A stifled laugh leaves his busted lips, while shrugging sluggishly.

"What? What is it?" I say tired of helping him walk, tossing him onto the couch.

Sitting up more, he says, "Figured I owe you an apology," Then pats himself for a cigarette.

Exhausted, I just laid on the other couch mumbling something about patching himself up for all I care.

Seeing me drift off, he places the cigarette in his mouth but then puts it back into his pocket, placing a blanket that was there over me.

Gerald walks in looking at Linus saying, "You fight then come crawling to her, it's becoming an issue, no?"

Linus looks down at me then to Gerald, "Would it be weird if I say she's the only person who might get me and that scares and intrigues me at the same time?"

Gerald chuckles low, "Devlin has that effect on people but very few admit it."

Linus nods, "I deserved the slap, what she said was the truth. My parents could give two shits about me. I figured if I just asked for money, ran and never seeing them again could solve everything but it won't."

Gerald looks to me asleep now, "Devlin might be the way that she is but there is no other like her I can tell you that."

Linus sucks in air, nodding while letting it out sheepishly, "Might be right about that," Looking at me one last time before he leaves, Gerald escorts him out and as soon as the door closes, I awake hearing everything that was said.

****

"What's going to happen when she finds out the truth?" An unknown voice says to a woman looking down at a mirror with the image of Devlin walking back to her bedroom after Linus left.

"She'll embrace her purpose and be as powerful," The woman says pridefully.

"But wouldn't she hate you knowing the true story of the Relishes?"

The woman snickers, waving her hand, "Soon all will be forgiven when reunited and loved properly by her true family."

"I mean her father has been with her this whole time hasn't he?"

The woman nods, "And doing one hell of a job at it as well."

****

Morning finally arrives with Yerlin calling for an update, having me rub my eyes scornfully.

"I'll meet with Gavin, have lunch, talk over some stuff and ask what I need to. Is that better? Because I'm getting really bitchy over here and you guys don't want me bitchy."

Yerlin agree's then hangs up as I slammed the phone back on the receiver and got up going over to the shower.

I turned the knob but it wouldn't turn on having me try to count to three before slamming my fist on the handle.

Walking away, I just gathered my stuff and when I walked back in the bathtub was filled with warm water, flower petals and calming oils.

Nolan being the reason for it, waves while holding a towel on his arm.

"Your bath," He says motioning towards it.

"I'm not in the mood for the Nolan show," I hissed out while undressing forgetting he's in fact real.

Keeping eye contact, having self control, he lets me slip in as the flower petals cover my body not doing anything to suggest he wanted something other than me relaxed.

"You need to ask before just popping up like you do, it's giving me whiplash."

Taking the loofah that's there, I dip it into the lavender smelling water, scrubbing my arms then chest.

"Why do you deal with such things by yourself?

I shrugged, "Had to learn for all the years I was alone."

Nolan takes the loofah from my hands and makes me lean forward covering my chest as he washes my back.

"Now I'm starting to see why I was brought to you," Washing lower, he stops himself then makes his way up again to my shoulder blades.

"Why were you," I say with a lowered tone.

Going over to my legs, he has me stretch one out to wash then the other.

"Tell me about the top secret mission you're working on," He says, avoiding my question.

"Wouldn't be a secret If I told you," I stood after he was done and grabbed the towel, lowering my hair from the hair clip it was in.

Drying off, I take my clothes and start to dress knowing Nolan had left and I was alone again.

Adding dark shades to block the sun, Gerald handed me a coffee as soon as I walked up to the car.

"Thanks," I take a sip then get in the car getting ready to see Gavin.

Pulling into the winery, Gavin is arguing with what seemed like a brand ambassador until I got out of the car and walked over, interrupting the both of them.

"Hey Dev," He says in a monotone as the other man smiles, kissing my hand without permission.

Gavin introduces him as I raise my shades above my head, "Louis this is Devlin Relish, Dev this is Louis Patrillo."

I eye the man suspiciously, "Who is he exactly?" I say not familiar with the last name.

"My new business partner to help with the winery for a bit."

I tilt my head seeing the woman in the torn jersey again, sliding her hand across the glass about to dig her nails into the window but stops as Gavin's father walks by with a cigar in his mouth.