Copula Chronicles: The Complete Collection: Origin, Descend, Ascend, Legacy Read online

  Yeah, I can be a gentleman. It’s still game over for her. A horn honks just beyond the courtyard fence. I look over and see the taxi pulled up. She glances back at me. “Thanks for the ride.”

  The way her voice dips down, I know she’s not talking about the taxi.

  I smile and recall how many times she came. I’d be surprised if Sam got any sleep last night with her howling. I wave her off and make sure she gets into the cab safely. Can’t have the high roller’s niece not make it home safe.

  I stand there for a few moments after the taxi drives off and look out into the pool of water. Yeah, the game of a one-night stand is a challenge and a rush that’s for goddamn sure. But, when its game over and I’m standing here alone, it feels like shit.

  A knock on the door behind me draws my attention. It’s my dad.

  “There’s my boy. I take it you had a good night with that one?”

  Dad raises his chin to the girl and taxi that just departed.

  I grin and fold my arms over my chest as I lean against the ledge. “Yeah, it was a good night. We had some heavy hitters come in around ten and they kept the flow of traffic coming.”

  Dad laughs and pulls his robe taut across his lean chest. “I was talking about the screamer that just left Xander.”

  I breathe in deep and stretch, still feeling the exhaustion from how busy we were at the club last night. “Yeah, you know the game. Blah, blah, blah let me tell you about my family’s money. Blah, blah, blah, I’m so full of myself and gorgeous. She was one of the heavy hitter’s nieces, so I took care of her.”

  Dad’s set grin widens to show his perfect smile as I continue, “I wasn’t about to leave a piece of precious future revenue ass unattended to after partying until three in the morning.”

  Dad chuckles softly as he closes his eyes and lets the warm morning sun touch his face. His graying hair ruffling in the breeze as he groans and stretches. “Ah, always thinking of the club. You’re just like I was in my twenties. Hey, I’m going to take a shower. Remember, we have a meeting with a few of my overseas associates tomorrow about a venture we’re trying to pull here. Oh, and good call on taking care of the screamer. Whatever it takes, right?”

  With that fatherly comment, I nod and he disappears back into his room. Yeah, you’re probably wondering what kind of father-son relationship talks so freely about one-night stands and the resulting sexcapades. I step down into the courtyard and lay back on the nearest recliner to take in the landscape surrounding the waterfalls into the pool. Sam Crest isn’t my real dad. That asshole never knew me. Sam’s the man that saved me years ago.

  I don’t remember my real parents. I only remember the distinct smell of my grandmother and her praying over me at night. Nina Fosston, my grandmother is the woman that raised me until I was five. She passed in the night and I found her the next morning. I screamed for her to wake up. My screams had the neighbor calling the police and within hours, I was watching her body being wheeled out of our apartment as I was escorted away by a policewoman. She told me everything would be all right. Huh. It’s amazing what a handful of awesome foster experiences can lead the system to believe. This policewoman had drunk the Kool-aid. Six. Six foster families. Six abusive foster parents, either to me or to the entire family. Six runaways. The sixth was when I took to the shelters. I put them on a rotation so the staff couldn’t track and report me to foster care. I went to every shelter I could find and would double back giving a few weeks between visiting the same place. I was only fourteen then and I can’t believe I survived the streets of Miami. Something, someone kept me alive and safe. I keep telling myself it was my Grandma Nina’s prayers all those nights before she died.

  I was walking up Sunset Drive one day when a car pulled up alongside of me. He said that he had something to talk to me about. He looked nervous—kept looking over his shoulder. It freaked me out so I kept moving and ignored him as he drove behind me slowly. By Kendall Drive, he was still lurking. I worried that he was some kind of undercover cop, so I took off running. As I crossed Old Cutlers Road, I ran into a shop and watched the car until it was down the road and turning out of sight. I took off running heading in the other direction toward Arvida Parkway and entered the Gables Estates. It was an exclusive gated neighborhood in the suburbs. I saw the open gate and made a run for it, making it in just before it closed. Knowing that the gate had shut, I stopped running and tried to act like I belonged in here as a woman walking her dog passed me. Out of nowhere, I hear the high rev of a car engine as it comes to my side. A ’99 silver Porsche 911 Carrera. This guy, maybe mid-30s, was driving along side of me. All of a sudden, I hear screeching tires behind me. As I look back, I see the guy in the car from earlier passing through the gate and heading toward me and Mr. Porsche.

  Feeling trapped, I looked down at the guy in the expensive car. I’m sure I looked scared, so he offered me a ride. I took it and he got us the hell out of there. That was the way I met Samson Crest. A car chase. From that day on, it was Sam and me. He took me into his home; no questions asked and accepted all the baggage that came along. My lack of trust, loyalty issues, all kinds of shit. He taught me everything he knew about life, business and power. He gave me confidence and built up my trust in him.

  Sam’s first mission was to talk me into enrolling at Pendleton Preparatory High School, one of the elite prep schools in Miami. With his dominating confidence, it was hard for it to not be contagious. I agreed to attend.

  As the days turned into weeks, then months, my past that had crippled me started vanishing from existence. Sam wouldn’t let me forget, though. It wasn’t to be cruel. He said remembering my past would make my character stronger. I seem to agree.

  It was my senior year when Sam made me a permanent part of his life. He explained that the adoption process would be conveniently accessible due to his ‘connections’.

  “I want to commit to be your father, your guardian,” were his words.

  I attended the University of Miami and was on the fast track to graduate college in three years, plus two years for my masters in business administration. By the time I was twenty-three, I was introduced to Sam’s new venture, product of his successful real estate days while I was growing up. The club business.

  I open my eyes to pull myself out of the memories, bringing me back to the now.

  As I take in the palm trees above, curiosity creeps into my head bringing the meeting Sam mentioned with the associates from Japan. This wasn’t the first overseas associate meeting. The past four months have encompassed at least three. And it wasn’t the first hint that Sam might be into something sketchy.

  A little over a month ago, Sam approached me with a proposition. He said he wanted my involvement to be more ‘hands on’ with a specific project.

  ***

  “Hands on? You mean like opening another club?”

  Sam paces back and forth “No, Xander, it’s nothing to do with the clubs. This is a separate endeavor. A key investor in our company has asked for my most trusted advisor to carry out some—research.”

  “Okay? What is it?”

  “You need to travel to Georgia and keep tabs on a person for me.”

  “Keep tabs. Like spy?”

  Sam stops pacing and rests his hands on his hips like he’s put out by the question. “Spy? No, this isn’t 007 shit. Just watch him. Casually.”

  “Who is he?”

  Sam raises his hand motioning me to stop talking. “No questions. The less you know right now, the better. If you were to be noticed, it’d unleash a hornets’ nest of chaos on our family and corporation. You’ll get the dossier when you get on the plane.”

  Sam runs his hands through his hair. “Just please no more questions.”

  His pleading with me is new and strays from the character Sam normally portrays. In that moment, he shows his age and vulnerability I haven’t seen before. “Yeah. Okay, I und
erstand. When do I leave?”

  ***

  I flew out to Georgia and reported the findings on the guy I was to follow. When I returned home after a week of following and watching, Sam said nothing more about what the information I got would be used for. And, like he asked, I kept my questions to myself. The questions keep surfacing in my mind though. Why Marietta, Georgia? Why this Ezra Kahn guy? What the hell did a physics professor have to do with our corporation here in Miami?

  The butler’s call from the balcony pulls me from the memory. “Mr. Crest. Coffee and croissants are on your desk, Sir.”

  “Thanks, Daniel.”

  CHAPTER 15: ANOTHER REALM

  Sam

  I turn on the shower and let the steam rise as I step in and let the waterfall over me. Closing my eyes, I let the ethereal realm seep in.

  ***

  Soft music is playing in the background as I walk into the dimly lit lounging room. Balthazar’s sitting by the fireplace with his cigar held between his finger and thumb casually.

  “Everything is in motion.”

  “Xander is unaware of the details, but he’s loyal and trustworthy. He’ll do as I ask.”

  Balthazar narrows his ageless eyes on me. “Are you certain?”

  His questioning my knowing Xander spurs my quick response. “I can hold him off.”

  He stares at me moments more, still questioning my judgment before speaking again. “Telling him about his purpose and the abilities he possesses can backfire and turn against all of us if he uncovers anything.”

  “Yes, I’m aware of that.”

  Balthazar takes a puff of his cigar. “Telling him of his lineage will come soon enough, but on my terms.”

  Balthazar stares into the fire, seemingly mesmerized for a few breaths, then announces. “They’re en route to Miami. The professor and a girl, a new guardian.”

  Shit! So much for giving us notice. I lean forward in the chair. “They’ve found us?”

  Balthazar glances at me then looks back into the fire. “They know you’re in Miami. That’s all.”

  I look into the fire where Balthazar has rested his gaze again.

  “Alexander will inquire of his parents, Sam. It’s undeniable that as his purpose unfolds, he’ll learn of their tragedy.”

  I recite the storyline that we’ve hid from Xander. “Paul and Rebekah Sera. Two Dobrian guardians murdered in cold blood by the Sondian fellowship. Survived by a son, Alexander Sera.”

  Suddenly, Balthazar comes at me and buries the tip of his cigar into my forearm. “Jesus Christ!”

  I try to snap my arm back, but Balthazar holds it in place as he glares at me. “Don’t mock the situation.”

  I squirm as the fiery pain buries deep into my skin. Gritting my teeth, I seethe, “I’m not.”

  His grip doesn’t relent as he twists the cigar’s tip then tosses it into the fire. “You may have the assurance of our golden boy right now. But your upper hand can easily be replaced. You can be replaced. Don’t undermine me, Samson. Your salvation, the power that you so desperately desire and hold dear can be gone in an instant.”

  He releases my arm and I clutch it to me as I bite through the pain as Balthazar walks toward the fireplace and leans his hand against the mantle. “It’s time to feed him the story we discussed.”

  “Now? You just said—”

  “I know what I just said!” Balthazar turns on me. “I know what I just said damn it! Plans have changed. Tell him that he’s been chosen as a guardian for Sonde. Don’t reveal his parents’ lineage.”

  I think of Xander’s questioning me about Georgia, Ezra, and the girl. He’s too innocent. An innocence I wish I had again. “He could hardly be ready to handle the weight of all of it.”

  Balthazar scoffs, “Don’t underestimate your boy, Sam. You may know him now. He may seem innocent now, but that’ll change in the blink of an eye. He’ll learn things, discover things. He’ll make choices. Can you guarantee to have his unfaltering loyalty, his trust then? Will he choose to be an ally or an enemy?”

  Him reading Xander’s unknown future as if he’s God pisses me off. I don’t fear for the kid. He’s not mine to fear for. I straighten my arm, the raw, fleshy burn flares as I flex, then tighten my fist by my side. Knowing Balthazar Onoch, I’ve got to keep the kid straight for my sake. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Balthazar snaps at me. “Yes, you will. If his unconditional loyalty fails, you’ll eliminate him, just like you did his parents.”

  ***

  As the water hits my back, I press my hands against the wall of the shower. I open my eyes and look at my forearm, expecting to see the result of the burn that still festers on my skin, but there’s nothing. I lean forward and let my forehead rest against the wall.

  CHAPTER 16: ABOVE GROUND

  Jesca

  Sunday’s finally here. I open my eyes to look at the clock—six a.m. In three hours, Ezra and I’ll be out of the underground, in sunlight and heading to Miami, Florida.

  When I wheel my bag into the hearth room, everyone is already present. Ang gives me a smile and nod, while Nick’s lying back on the recliner with his eyes closed and headphones on. Nate looks up at me and smiles softly before returning to a file he’s looking through with Luke. Everyone is focused on their inevitable departures.

  Luke told us last night that sometimes the first few days are tough. Day and night confusion, headaches from the sunlight, anxiety and panic attacks due to sensory overload from reacclimatizing to the world. The mentors have warned us to take everything slowly. Telling us to ease back into the world.

  Siobhan walks in looking at each of us. “All right, guardians. You’ve achieved your transformation from trainee. Now, you need to put to work all that you’ve learned, absorbed and experienced. Bow your heads.”

  We look at each other with confusion and surprise at how spiritual Siobhan sounds all of a sudden.

  Siobhan is irritated by our looks, rolling her eyes. “Bow your heads now.”

  She closes her eyes and begins, “Dear loving God. We’re your servants first and foremost. Please give each of the guardians the wisdom and knowledge only You can to make decisions and choices for the salvation of humanity. Amen.”

  There’s a pause. Then Siobhan raises her head. “Now, you know in your heart what you need to do. Don’t lose your focus out there. There’ll be distractions, temptations, and illusions to try to trip you up. Know that the fellowship has your back.”

  Siobhan walks over to Ang and Nick and pulls them toward her. Ezra grabs Nate’s and my hand and does the same.

  Ezra and I are the first to leave. The elevator seems larger than the day we arrived.

  “Jesca. Breathe. You’re fine. Put the sunglasses on. Once we get out of here, you’ll need them.”

  “How long will I have to wear them?”

  The glasses are huge and covered more than my Jackie-O’s ever did. Hideous really, but necessary apparently.

  I follow Ezra to the white Taurus as he responds, “Just for a few days.”

  The first thing I see as we exit the garage is the sandy red dirt of barren land, then cactus, the silhouette of a mountain range in the distance, the blue sky. The colors are dull because of the extra coating on the lenses of the sunglasses, but I imagine their vividness. I want to feel the air. I push the button to roll down the window then stick my hand out as we drive. The warm breeze whips a few hairs across my face. The warm air feels grainy from the dust, but still, it breathes life into me after being underground for four weeks.

  “You all right?”

  I look over at Ezra as he drives, exchanging glances between the road and me.

  I look ahead of us at the open road and nod. “Yeah. I’m all right.”

  I’m back in the facility running on the trail. The sound of my treading on dirt and rock
echoes through the cutout. The rhythm it takes matches my breath, until a second set of tread creeps into my head. Dense in sound and out of sync with mine. Someone else is down here running. I want to turn and look, but I can’t. My body won’t let me. I’m not in control. I’m. Not. In. Control.

  Ah, shit!

  I’m in a dream! Figures. First day out of the facility and BOOM, back to the nightmare bullshit!

  All of a sudden, my pace begins to slow. I look down and see my feet sinking into the ground with every strike, like the gravel has turned to sand. As I struggle to move forward, I see a tall figure in a hooded sweatshirt out of my peripheral. The hoodie; it’s familiar. As the figure keeps looking straight ahead and I labor through the quick sand passage, I notice the steam coming from his quick breaths. It’s eerie as shit, but I can’t look away. I can’t fucking look away.

  Then, it clicks—the hoodie, the guy on campus back home, the one I ran into!

  The memory floods back into my mind like a dam being released—his green eyes, how striking they were and how I wished I could’ve seen his face in more detail before he took off.

  Suddenly, the hood to the figures sweater flips back and he turns to me. There are no green eyes, only onyx filled sockets and a sunken, skeletal face, the flesh clinging to the deformity of what might’ve once been human. His smile is sinister, like the sides of his mouth are being stretched beyond a normal smile. The thing grabs both of my arms, pulls me from the quick sand and throws me up against the wall of the passage like a rag doll. I will myself to get up, but my body doesn’t listen as he takes hold of me again and pushes me deeper into the passage. As I stumble, I see the end of the trail drop into nothing. With nothing stopping my forward motion, I fall into the darkness. It’s a free fall, nothing to stop me, no end in sight. Just the fear of my imminent death as I scream.

  I pull out of the dream with a start, gripping the ceiling of the car and Ezra’s arm! The car veers to the right as I pull Ezra’s arm, then he rights it and pulls off the road.