Chapter Nineteen
“What will you do?” Marcia’s voice came out with a trembling shake.
Rick paced the floor of her apartment. “You have so little faith in me. How can this relationship keep growing or ever stand a chance if you don’t believe in me?”
“I have faith in you but with cops all over the Rubin house there’s no way we can go back there.”
“Yes, I know. You don’t think I know that?” Rick stopped pacing, cleared his throat and took a breath. He needed to calm down. If he lost Marcia, he’d never be able to pull off his plan. He noticed her eyes had become teary. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure everything out. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to reinvent myself for The Cause.”
In fact, before his detective days he’d been a smuggler, a burglar and an extortionist. He never got caught and he wasn’t about to start now.
She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. “It might be easier to let them win this time. We could get out now before things get out of hand. We could still be together.”
Anger pulsed through his body.
Get out now? She needs to get out.
He hadn’t failed at much but clearly inviting Marcia into his world had been a mistake. She might spoil everything if he didn’t reel her in. Maybe a different approach was in order. “Now is not the time to underestimate me.” He smiled. “Do you know what my last name means?”
She frowned. “Drakon? No, what does it mean?”
“It’s Greek for dragon. That’s how I like to think of myself, as a powerful being capable of smashing through any challenge. And that’s why you should trust me. I will take us to where we want to be. If that means we change our ceremony’s location, so be it. We’ll adapt to any situation. But you have to trust me.”
“I trust you but what if we lie low for a bit instead? Temporarily, while the cops are interested in us.”
He turned away from her. Who did she think she was? He was the boss. He called the shots. “I can’t do that. We’ve already done so much in preparation for the next ritual.”
And I want the money.
Knowing he needed to regain control of the situation, he faced her. “Let’s calm down for a minute. I want to let you in on a little secret.”
“What kind of secret?”
“I’ve known James Rivers for years. I’ve been around him long enough to know some of his darkest moments.”
Her expression remained blank.
“I know things he wants to keep buried. If James wants to keep things quiet in his perfect home, he and his wife will need to turn a blind eye to our activities.”
Marcia frowned. “What do you know about him?”
“Don’t worry about the details but if I know James, he falls hard for the ladies. He’s not going to let anything come in between him and Lily, even if it costs him the case.”
“Really? It’s that bad?”
“Wouldn’t you be upset if I hadn’t been telling you the whole truth about me?”
Her eyes darted back and forth. “I’m starting to think maybe I don’t know enough. What have you been hiding?”
He knew this would come up eventually. “I’m not hiding anything. I’m an open book. What do you want to know?”
“Well…for starters I want to know how and why you got into rituals.”
He took a seat on the couch across from her. If he wanted her in his life, for now he’d have to give her something in return. But he would give her the milder version—which wouldn’t be easy. The con artist in him needed to take center stage.
He cleared his throat. “After my mom passed away, my dad decided to run an underground club for misfits looking for a place to bond with each other and network. I soon found that I loved hanging around troublemakers and outsiders. One of them, his name was Lucky, taught me how to clean and load a gun—a valuable skill within that crowd. My dad would charge admission, enough to make us some money to keep us afloat. From him I learned that people need and want to belong to something.”
“If you liked living on the outskirts what made you want to be a detective? It seems that would be the opposite choice.”
“True. As I got older life in the margins became less appealing. I wanted to go straight. I’d been on the other side of the law for so long it was time for a change.”
Lies. He always loved power and money. The criminal life he grew up in never left him and becoming a detective had kept his enemies close.
“So now, by having these sacrificial rituals, you are providing a service for people that they want?” she asked.
“Exactly, I provide an outlet where people can gather and pray. The sacrifices cleanse the spirit, appease the gods and the followers believe this will positively impact their lives—to have the power of Zeus and the others look favorably upon them.”
She took a deep breath. “I think it’s a beautiful thing to give people what they expect to see, and I also want the gods to look favorably upon me but I’m going to be honest I haven’t been feeling great about stealing bodies from the funeral home.”
She can’t start feeling guilty now, not right before our biggest turnout yet.
He got up to give her his signature shoulder rub. It usually helped to calm her down. “You can’t worry so much. Remember, I got you into this and I’ll get you out before anyone can do anything to you.”
Her shoulders tensed beneath his fingertips. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing. I mean I’ve got a plan and we should be fine.”
She looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “Should be fine? I need more than that.” She stood and walked away from him. “I’ve taken a risk to be with you and support The Cause, but I also trusted you with my life.”
“Relax, honey. Remember that everything you are doing is for The Cause, and that’s the most important thing. We can’t control everything, but our mission is to be pleased with our efforts no matter the cost.”
Her arms went out in a pleading gesture. “I don’t know if that’s good enough. It feels like my whole life is flashing before my eyes.”
Approaching her, he grabbed her hands. Although he wasn’t the most affectionate person, he knew when to pull out the stops. His fingers intertwined with hers. “Stop. You need to trust me. If we don’t have trust, we don’t have anything.”
“Tell me you’ll cancel the next event,” she pleaded. “You promised we could open our own funeral home one day. Let’s run away from Manorview. We can go anywhere.”
He took the gamble, confident his hold on her far exceeded her concerns. “Marcia, I’m not running away from anything. That’s not me. I know what I promised and if we keep working for The Cause we can make enough money to do whatever you want. But if you want to end this, tell me to leave now.”
She stared at the floor, seemingly contemplating her options. “I don’t want you to leave. I want everything to be normal for us.”
“It’s never going to be normal for us. You’ll have to accept that if you’re ever going to be happy with me.”
She looked at him. The desperation had left her eyes, replaced by reservation.
He’d laid it all on the table for her. But since she wasn’t the type to stand on her own, he would rely on that for her continued loyalty. “I promise,” he said, giving her hands a tight squeeze, “I’ll do everything I can to make this plan work.”
She gave him a slight smile but not much else.
He sighed with relief. Had he done enough to keep her in line? He thought so. “Deal?”
She nodded but stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact. “Deal.”
“Good. I’ll let you in on a little secret.”
She raised her eyes to meet his.
“I’ve been looking around at funeral homes for sale outside of Manorview a little farther north.”
She smiled wide. “Really?”
Lies.
“I’ve seen good options out there. But you just have to hold on a little longer.”
She nodded. Her eyes twinkled. “In that case I will.”
“That’s my girl.” He took her into a tight embrace. She needed to give him enough time to take the money and run. He believed she would.