Devil Woman

Chapter 14

Nyra

"Boss, that man is outside, and he says he's not leaving until she speaks with you."

"Don't let him in. If he wants to wait outside, then he can." I said.

"Yes, boss."

Beth gave me a hard look which I ignored. She continued whipping her batter while keeping judgemental eyes on me.

"It's freezing out." She noted as she added the fresh berries.

"It is? I didn't notice."

She sat the spatula down on the counter, and Orion reached for it and began licking it. "Orion, drop it." She scolded lightly as she swatted him away.

She washed the spatula while Orion licked his mouth. I leaned over the counter so I could dip my finger to taste it.

"Not you too." She said and smacked my hand away. "This berry crumble is for good people who don't let men wait outside in the cold."

"You think I'm a good person?" I said and laughed lightly. "Come on, Beth, you know me better than anyone."

She huffed. "Don't play this game with me, young lady. I have four granddaughters around your age, and if I can handle them, I'm sure I can handle you. Go let him in, and I'll make you both some tea."

"He doesn't deserve tea. He deserves to eat a bullet." I said with a scowl.

An entire round of bullets.

"A bullet, eh?" She cackled halfway through her sentence, and I crossed my arms over my chest in defiance and anger. "You almost seem affected by this benefit man of yours."

"I am not affected. He can stay outside my house all night if he wants to. Now, you said something about tea. I'm going to draw a bath and wait for it upstairs in my bedroom. Thank you, Beth." I said and waved at her as I walked away.

Orion followed me, and when we passed by his brothers, he barked loudly at them. "Go play with your brothers," I told him, but he insisted on following me up to my bedroom.

I kicked off my slippers by the door and walked inside my grandeur bathroom. I turned on the faucet for the water and pressed down on the stopper at the end of the tub. I tossed in some rose and lavender calming oils and some bath salts.

I took off the pins in my hair and placed them on the bathroom sink. Orion planted himself on the carpet by the tub so he could be near me, and I leaned down to kiss his head a few times.

Slipping off the robe and taking off my clothes, I checked the water temperature. Perfect. I turned off the faucets, ensured I had my gun hidden in my towel, and then got inside the tub. I hummed at the smell and heat of the bath and leaned my head back.

It was supposed to be a soft and soothing bath, but my mind was on high alert. It always was. I couldn't get a moment of peace, not in my alone time or even at night when I tried to sleep. My brain jumped from my businesses to my dancers to my establishments, and then sometimes, I'd sulk and think about my parents.

Sometimes I could remember every detail of how they looked, while other times, I could only remember how I saw them the next morning. Bloody, cut up, and dead. At night, I could still smell the rusty and rotten smell of their blood filling the air.

Sometimes I wonder why I didn't hear them scream or yell out for help. But there were moments of self-loathing where I wished whoever killed them killed me as well. Why didn't he kill me? It wasn't worth it to stay alive, but living with these memories and those gruesome images felt like its own way of torture.