Wishing Well(72)

In those weeks I spent luring the truth of Maurice’s spirit out from beneath the shadow that held him, I noticed that Vincent had backed off from his games. And after Maurice started showing actual improvement, Vincent not only complimented what I was doing, he set out to help me along.

During the day, I’d spend most of my time in Maurice’s basement, either sitting quietly by as he typed on his computer or talking to his counselors to learn what I could do to help crack his shell, and of course, my body was always left sore from the countless hours we’d spent exploring each other’s bodies to find some form of Heaven within his constant Hell.

Not once had he allowed me to kiss him, and on rare occasion would he let me touch his face. I still didn’t understand why he demanded that one barrier, but I knew not to push him by asking too many questions.

Most nights, Vincent would accompany us up to the garden, staying back as Maurice and I wandered the paths. And although he was always close enough to help should Maurice lose control, Vincent was also elated that Maurice never did. It was a turning point in the life of his brother, and for the role I’d played, Vincent rewarded me by becoming a more tolerable human.

That wasn’t to say that Vincent didn’t still make his sordid comments and rude jokes when Maurice wasn’t in the vicinity to hear, but he didn’t make demands of me that I’d find inappropriate, he didn’t threaten me with homelessness for not playing his games.

I could breathe easier in those weeks, and in the emails I was still sending to my sister, I was finally honest when telling her how happy I’d been. I felt bad that the emails were becoming less frequent and for longer time periods between each one, but Maurice was taking up so much of my time.

On a bright afternoon with the sun beaming down in waves of delicious warmth, I was taking a walk through the garden wondering if the day would come where Maurice could be walking beside me. I didn’t think he’d overreact too much to see guests pass by, didn’t think he’d panic to be out among society when the dark veil of night wasn’t there to keep him hidden. But each time I brought the subject up to Vincent, he was always quick to shut me down.

So, while standing by the well and peering down at the glimmer of coins beneath the surface of the water, I considered how I would convince Vincent to let Maurice out just once. As was always the way with my sadist for a boss, just thinking about him was like whispering his name, calling him to wherever I was standing.

“Tu faites un v?u, et espérons que cela devienne réalité.”

Recognizing the deep voice at my ear, I ignored the heat of Vincent’s chest against my back. “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t speak French?”

Masculine laughter was a deep note vibrating against my body. “I just said that I’d like to pick you up, dunk your head in the well, and laugh while you struggle to breathe.”

Finally turning, I glared at him until he took a step back, his green eyes glittering in the sunlight. Cocking a brow, I asked, “Is that really what you said?”

His smirk curled. “Your name is Penny, is it not? Or at least that’s the ridiculous name you like to be called. What I said was only fitting.”

Shaking my head, I vacillated between slapping him and laughing. Vincent Mercier deserved a hard smack, but I was in too good of a mood to get violent.

Levity lost, he confessed, “I’ve been thinking about what you said. And while I’m not yet comfortable bringing Maurice out into the garden during the busiest part of the day, perhaps baby steps can be taken.”

“Really?” My heart damn near burst from my chest. “What kind of steps?”

Vincent cocked his head, his eyes darting to an attractive couple that passed by arm in arm. After greeting them with a wave, his eyes returned to mine. “We can try bringing him out around sunset for the first time. There will be a few stragglers out wandering, but most will be inside. We’ll see how he reacts.”

My cheeks hurt from the stretch of my smile. “Thank you, Vincent.”

“You’re welcome,” he answered, turning to stroll off. But before he was more than a few feet away, he glanced back at me. “I just want you to know that if anything should go wrong, your ass will be on the line for it. Literally.”

Giving him the finger, I smiled sweetly, watching him stroll off with his shoulders shaking with laughter.

It didn’t matter if Vincent had threatened me directly, not when I realized that, for once, Maurice would witness a sunset.





CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR


Faiville Prison, 4:53 p.m.



Stretching her neck to ease the muscles, Meadow released a heavy breath, relaxing back in her chair as Vincent digested the portion of the story she told. Studying his face, she wondered about the shadows beneath his eyes, the exhaustion of a man who, until then, had been content to appear unaffected. Not wanting to give him the time to recover - to pull his professional mask back in place - she asked a simple question.

“I’ve thought about that part of the story quite often. Penny was so happy to learn Maurice would be able to see a sunset, that in the progress he’d made, he would gain new experiences in his life. But as you told me yesterday in our discussions, Maurice had escaped the basement on the night of the masquerade ball. Not just escaped, he’d been around a large group of people without striking out.”