Post by Eden Morgan on Oct 13, 2016 17:31:27 GMT -5
October 13, 2016- 6PM
New Orleans
Eden Morgan looks out over the courtyard of the Maison Dupuy Hotel, surveying the aging brick walls with their climbing ivy, the tall, black gas lamps situated here and there. This was it. Less than 48 hours to go, now.
The sun was just starting to drop low, casting the sky in vivid colors of yellow, orange, pink, and the purple of nighttime creeping at the edges. Outside the walls of the Maison Dupuy, it was the usual hustle and bustle of New Orleans, the sounds of life seeping through the cracks, but for the most part it seemed as if there were a shield over the Courtyard, making it a quiet, somber place. Eden turns as she hears a clucking noise behind her, Lou-Lou standing in the doorway, muscular shoulders bare in a pale blue tanktop.
“You gon' drink all the wine before the big day?”
Eden holds up the half-full glass in her hand.
“First glass.”
Lou-Lou laughs.
“Now, why don't I believe dat? You ain't gotta lie to me, I know what's goin' on wit'chu,” he points a finger at Eden. Eden raises an eyebrow.
“Oh?” she says noncommittally.
“Oh?” Lou-Lou mimics and then laughs again, moving his arms out in front of him and pressing his hands together. “You are just too precious for words, you. Now tell me so I can understand why the fuck you marryin' this couillon you don't love?”
Eden jerks, almost spilling wine on herself.
“Seriously, Lou-Lou, can we not? I do love him.”
Lou-Lou smirks.
“Who? Who exactly do you love, boo?”
Eden focuses on the huge peacock feather earrings swinging from Lou-Lou's earlobes.
“I uh... I love... Hugh,” she finishes with a smile and lifts her wine glass in a faux toast and then drinks. Lou-Lou's body goes somewhat limp as he leans backward and then comes up, sassy attitude in place.
“I just rolled my eyes so far up I saw Jesus. He says hi and yo ass needs to quit lyin'.”
Eden sighs.
“Lou-Lou, please--”
“Answer me this, Eden, cause a bitch dyin' to know. Where you went when you ran out all helter-skelter in that pretty white dress? What made you leave?”
Eden stiffens.
“Nothing.”
Lou-Lou raises a perfectly arched eyebrow.
“Oh, that wasn't no nothing. You can lie to ya mama, you can lie to Cyp and Jez, you can lie to whoever the fuck you want including your own damn self, but you can't lie to Lou-Lou. I knows what I knows,” he says assuredly.
Eden turns hostile eyes on him.
“And what exactly do you know?”
Lou-Lou laughs and then looks at her.
“Throw your damn shade, bitch, I'll throw the whole fuckin' tree, boo boo. You wanna know what I know? I know that you in love with another man, and that's yo business. I don't give a fuck. But what I wanna know is why you goin' through with this when you could be happy.”
Eden's face crumbles briefly before she pulls it all together again, wrapping a cold perfection around herself and shoving the fragility deep down. Even so, her voice catches as she speaks.
“I tried that Lou, it's where I went when I left the salon. Turns out, it was all a lie,” she looks over to Lou-Lou. “Not only is he with someone else, but he knows how I feel. He's been rubbing it in ever since.”
Lou-Lou shakes his head before moving over to the table with the wine and pouring himself a glass.
“Men are fucking dogs, baby girl, I know that for a fact. And you know Jet's gonna come with that bitch on his arm. Ooo,” he shudders, holding up a hand in warning and closes his eyes. “I'ma try to keep my cool cause it's yo day and shouldn't no body upstage that, but if that ho tries me, just samples me, she gonna get a whole buffet of bitch up in here,” he takes a long drink of the wine, draining the glass and then saluting Eden with it. “That's some good shit. So you can't be with the one you want, why you with the one you with?”
Eden shrugs.
“I kinda owe him. I mean- we were together last year, he was with me at my worst. And I know some of it was to get back at--- but anyway, if that's all it was, he wouldn't have come back, fought to get back to me. He's put a lot of effort into us, way more than I ever did. He admits it started out as revenge but it grew into more than that. What do you say to a man who wants to spend his life with you and he's seen you at your worst and still wants to be with you? It's not a fate worse than death by any means.”
Lou-Lou purses his lips and harrumphs, Eden's phone ringing before he can respond. Eden looks down at the screen, an unknown number flashing across it.
"Hello?" she answers the phone on what was likely the final ring with a question in her voice.
"Good evening, Eden."
Eden closes her eyes and almost groans at the voice.
"Gabriel, I really don't have time--"
"I appreciate you must be busy, but this can't wait."
"What can't wait?" she asks shortly.
"We need to talk - face to face. I would appreciate it if you would come to Angelfields. Alone."
"Yeah, I'm sure you would, but this is not even two days before my wedding, there's no way in hell I'm flying up to New York to play cat and mouse with you."
Lou-Lou raises an eyebrow at her words.
"I understand. At least I can say that I tried, The offer will remain open. Perhaps..." He pauses. "Perhaps something will change your mind. Perhaps, for example... If in five minutes Hugh gets a phone call, and promptly leaves the room. Perhaps then you'll decide the trip may be worth making."
"Why would Hugh get a phone call- Gabriel you're being weird, like weirder than usual," she gripes at him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Just... Trust me on this. I hope to speak to you soon."
The other end of the line goes silent, Eden staring at her phone in confusion. She glances at the time, shaking her head when she realizes she's done it.
"Do NOT let him get into your head, not now."
“I'd say he's already there, boo boo. And maybe you oughta listen,” Lou-Lou interjects, Eden blinking as if she'd forgotten he was there. Lou-Lou saunters away.
October 13, 2016
New Orleans to New York
Eden had tried not to look at the time, had tried to put Gabriel's phone call behind her, she really had, but she couldn't. She had left the Courtyard and found Hugh sitting on a couch in the mostly empty common area of the hotel. She hadn't gone to him. Instead, she had leaned against one of the columns, almost hiding behind it and watched him, looking down at her phone as the minutes ticked on. She watched as Hugh's relaxed pose turned to a stiff one and he sat forward, raising his phone to his ear. She watched as he got up quickly and glanced around, checking to see if anyone were watching, and she ducked a little more behind the column. She watched as he hurriedly left the room and she checked her own phone. Five minutes exactly.
She called the airport.
She had been lucky, able to catch a plane within the hour to make it to New York, but she had been a bundle of nerves the entire flight, trying to mute the voice inside her that told her to ignore everything around her, there was a perfectly good explanation. She shouldn't be flying to New York right now, she should be getting ready for her wedding. By the time she got back to New Orleans, it would be well into the next day, possibly even the next evening.
Eden told only one person where she was going and who she was seeing. Jet hadn't been happy when he met her at the airport, but to his credit, he hadn't tried to stop her.
“I don't like it,” he'd commented. Eden had shrugged.
“I don't like it either, but I don't see where I really have a choice. If I don't go, I'll always wonder. It'll eat at me. But I didn't want to just run off, I wanted you to know where I am, just in case...”
She had left it unsaid for a reason. Jet could fill in the blanks.
“Will you let me know when you get there?” he'd asked, and Eden knew it was a struggle for him not to ask for more. Jet was working through some issues, but at the base of it all, he was a protector.
“I'll text you when I arrive in New York. I'll text you again when I get to Angelfields. If you don't hear from me within two hours of sending that second text--” she'd given him a small smile and hugged him.
“I'll handle it,” Jet had promised her. “Go, you're gonna miss your flight.”
Eden blinks out of the memory from earlier, an announcement over the intercom warning of their approaching landing. She checks her watch. Almost three hours in the air. Time wasn't on her side.
The cab ride to Angelfields took almost another hour, and the further away from the city they drove, the more Eden's apprehension grew. And then when she saw the place, she felt as though a weight had dropped into her stomach. She quickly fires off a text to Jet and steps out of the cab, paying the driver. It wasn't hard to find the main building, and when she announced herself, it was as if everyone had been waiting for her, despite the late hour. It hadn't taken long at all for her to be lead to a set of double doors down a long hallway.
"He's right in there, ma'am, waiting for you," the smiling woman tells her, Eden suppressing a little shudder at her words, feeling much like the fly going into the spider's parlor. She pauses with her hand on the door handle. It was all happening too fast. Surely she was still on the plane and it was all a dream? Eden takes a deep breath, and opens the door.
Gabriel Baal sits at a heavy, ornate desk, looking relaxed in a plush, leather chair. He gives a small smile in greeting.
"I'm glad you made the right decision."
"Did I?" She asks him.
"I'd like to think so - and hopefully you will too. Can I get anything for you? A beverage? You've had a long flight."
"Just some water's fine, thank you," she answers, taking a seat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of his desk.
Gabriel brings over a pitcher of water and a glass, setting them on the desk in front of her. He leans back on the desk, a little closer than she would have liked.
"Before I begin, I want to get something out in the open. I understand you have a hesitance to trust me. Hence the reason I offered evidence as to why this meeting was for the best. I need you to understand that I know that I went too far before - trying to play mind games to win a match. I need you to know that... That I apologize."
Eden blinks at him, just barely able to conceal her surprise.
"Apology accepted, but I know you didn't bring me out here for that. What's going on, Gabriel?"
She leans around him, reaching for the pitcher and pouring the glass half full before settling back, forcing herself to appear at ease.
Baal stands up and walks around the desk and takes his seat. He leans back, surveying her.
"This is difficult - for so many reasons. I suppose... The best place to begin, is at the beginning."
"Usually is," she quips then holds a hand up in apology, gesturing for Gabriel to continue.
"I have my fingers in many pies, Eden. A jack of all trades if you will. One of my many roles over the years has been to make certain... Arrangements... For those from my homeland to make safe entry into this country. My skills range from... expediting official entries into the United States..." He pauses. "To arranging visas for those who would normally not be given the opportunity to come and live here."
Eden takes a sip of water, holding the glass.
"That's fantastic, Gabriel, but what does that have to do with me?"
"I'm sure that you've wondered over the past few months just how Hugh managed to return to the United States - given that last you saw him, he required your hand in marriage to prevent being deported back to the United Kingdom. You were shortly afterwards... Rendered unable to fulfil that promise. He was soon after removed from these shores."
"I... I just assumed he had a sponsor. Isn't that how things are-" she trails off, eyes widening. "You sponsored him? You brought him back?"
"Hugh wasn't eligible for a sponsor, having been deported. A mutual friend brought the two of us together and I provided him with a way to come back to this country. For that... I apologise sincerely."
Eden holds up a hand at his apology. "So you're telling me you helped him get back here when he couldn't do so legally... and you think this is a bad thing? Wait- I'm not sure I buy that it was some magical happenstance that brought you two together, but okay. Why are you telling me this?" She asks, the question coming out harder than she intended it to.
"There aren't many people who can arrange what I can arrange - even fewer who can do it within the time limits that Hugh had set. I had no idea who he was until he arrived in this country - a name on a piece of paper. It was only when we met here, in this office that I realised who he was. I'm telling you this, Eden, because Hugh's intentions are not at all what they seem."
Eden's jaw clenches as she fights down the urge to get up and walk out.
"Tell me," she says, her words clipped.
"He's here for revenge Eden."
Eden surprises him by bursting into laughter.
"Against Killian? Well, I mean, yes. Do you think I didn't know that? I know Hugh and Killian have a past, I know part of his feelings for me are because he wanted to rub it in Killian's face. But... that's not what brought him back here, Gabriel, despite what you think. He came back for me," she finishes soberly. "I owe him."
Gabriel lets out a sigh.
"You misunderstand me Eden - he's not here for revenge against Killian. He's here for revenge against you. He has a plan - a plan that will come to fruition the moment that you say I do." Gabriel rubs his hand across his jaw. "The moment his ring is on your finger - as soon as you're man and wife... He plans to have you committed."
Eden stares at him in disbelief. She starts to say something, then stops, starts again, then stops again.
"What?" is all she manages to get out, dazed by his words, feeling vaguely numb.
"I appreciate that this will be shocking for you to hear. And I understand the timing is less than ideal. You have so many people who care about you Eden. Colin, James, Jet, Cypress... Killian. I had hoped one of them would have seen what Hugh was... Had seen past his lies and recognised what he truly was. I hoped you would come to the realisation without me. I never wanted to be the one to tell you because I didn't want anyone to think I was currying favour. I wasn't even sure you would believe me, given our history. I didn't want to push you further into his arms, merely because you wouldn't believe me." He paused. "Yet now, this late in the game... I couldn't risk letting this happen."
Eden, so lost in thought, barely registers his words.
Hugh's insistence, demanding, pushing for the wedding date. For the date to be moved up.
The tantrums.
The baiting.
As Gabriel spoke, the story began to meld in her mind, Eden seeing things she hadn't noticed before or hadn't wanted to notice. Finally, she speaks.
"Thank you for telling me.” Her voices comes out in a breathy whisper. She clears her throat and then speaks again.
"I assume this... Angelfields... was where I was to be... held?"
"So he believes." Gabriel's reply was short and to the point.
She looks at Gabriel evenly.
"And why would he believe that?"
"Because I allowed him to. I'm not innocent in this, I'll freely admit. It was useful to have someone close to you. Especially in the lead up to our match... It was Hugh who tipped me off about your plans for this place. I'm not a good man Eden - but I knew one thing for sure. If he wasn't going to get what he wanted from me, he would get it from somewhere else. He was furious when I called my orderlies away at In Your Hands."
Eden studies him, taking in his words. "The restaurant, my birthday. That was planned?"
"He didn't know I was going to be there - but he made no attempt to stop me from coming to speak to you."
Eden gives the barest of nods.
"You're right, you're not innocent in this, but you also didn't have to tell me. Thank you for that."
"You have options, Eden. I want you to know that."
Eden raises an eyebrow. She gives a bitter laugh.
"Do I really have options, Gabriel? Because I don't see any from where I'm sitting."
"I have no doubt you plan on calling off the wedding - but you do have a choice. Call it off before hand - the easiest solution. Perhaps the solution by which he gets away scott free. He could well escape unwounded - other than what you do to him.”
“The option I urge you to take is much, much more satisfying. Offer him the humiliation he planned to bestow upon you. Allow the wedding to go ahead, and reveal him to be the charlatan he truly is... In front of your friends and family. Give him no chance to escape - allow him to be faced by those who love you the most.”
“I understand you may feel some trepidation about this course. But I offer you my service - I'm good at playing the bad guy. Lay the blame at my door - people would believe I would leave it until the very last moment to inform you. It would be just he kind of thing the hateful and despicable Gabriel Baal would do."
Eden listens to his words, a smile curving her lips as she closes her eyes and imagines the scene he describes. Everyone would know beforehand exactly what Hugh was, only he would be unaware, and just as he thought he had what he wanted most, she would take it from him. In front of everyone. Instead of saying 'I do', she would say 'I know' and watch the horror dawn across his face--
Her eyes fly open, the imagining bursting. She shakes her head.
"As much as I'd like to do it... I'm not that person anymore, Gabriel. It's too much. I can't do that to my family," she says evenly, her heart hammering in her chest, wild from the temptation he had presented her with, what she had almost said yes to.
Gabriel nods - a slight smile crossing his lips.
"Then I offer you an alternative choice. I hold Hugh's future in my hands - I offer that future to you. You have three options. You can let him go - allow him to live out the rest of his days with a warning that he may never darken your doorstep again."
"And my other two choices?" she asks.
"Deportation... Or incarceration."
Eden looks at him levelly.
"I understand the deportation, but explain incarceration."
"Say the word, and he'll be found, collected and locked away - much like he had planned for you. Deep in the bowels of this place - it would be no retreat for him."
Eden considers Gabriel's blunt words.
"Do I need to decide now, or can I call you on the number you used earlier?"
"There's no rush - let me know when you're ready. It's..." He takes a moment to look away from her. "... The least I can do."
Eden stares at him a moment and then nods.
"I'll call you after I speak with Hugh. But I want this quiet, Gabriel. I know you understand that." She looks down at her hands for a moment, the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand catching her attention as it gleams in the light. She opens and closes her fingers and then looks up again."You didn't have to tell me any of this, much less all of it. Thank you. If there's anything you want from me, I'll do my best to give it. Within reason," she adds quickly, giving him a warning look.
"At some point once this is all over, I'll ask you to meet with me again. I ask only two things - you agree to meet with me, and you keep an open mind." He smiles, a moment of rare sincerity. "That's all I want."
Eden watches him suspiciously for a moment then nods.
"Alright. That's fine."
"Thank you." Gabriel adds as he climbs to his feet.
"Is there anything else I can do for you while you're here?"
Eden shakes her head, getting to her feet as well.
"No, you've done enough. Thank you again. Now, I've got to get back to New Orleans and stop my own wedding." She looks meaningfully at him. "I'll call."
"I look forward to hearing from you - have a safe flight."
Lost in thought, Eden inclines her head in response before walking out of the office.
October 14, 2016
New York to New Orleans
After Gabriel's revelations, she just barely remembered to text Jet in time. The cab ride back to the airport, the tickets, the flight, it was all a mad race and a blur. By the time she made it back to New Orleans and stood in front of the Maison Dupuy, it was well over 12 hours from when she had left. She stood there on the sidewalk and looked up at the ornate hotel and wondered not for the first time if she should just keep on walking. Just disappear without telling anyone, without saying a word.
Except she had already told Jet. He knew it all, and it had been all she could do to stop him from going after Hugh himself. She had expected him to argue, to ask where the proof was, but it was as if he had already been suspicious and the story from Gabriel Baal simply put the final piece in place. In the end, he had promised to stay quiet and not say anything to anyone. He had only reminded her that rehearsal was tonight.
As if she'd needed reminding.
With a feeling as if she were on autopilot, Eden enters the hotel, moving through the lobby and approaching the elevator doors. She presses the uppermost round gold button, the doors chiming as if on cue and opening. She slips into the elevator, grateful to be the only one on it, staring at her distorted reflection in the mirrored doors as she moves smoothly and quietly up. When the doors open, she steps off and moves down the hallway to the room Hugh occupied. She gives a soft knock on the door and waits, Hugh opening the door, his face melting into a grin when he sees her.
“Is it time for the rehearsal, then?” he asks, Eden answering his grin with a small smile. Had he even noticed she had been gone?
“Yeah. It's time,” she answers him softly, putting a hand on the door and pushing her way into the hotel room, Hugh's smile starting to fade.
October 16, 2016
Chicago
“You know you're eventually going to have to tell them. At least your parents and Cyp,” Jet speaks softly from where he's leaned against the counter in Eden's apartment, arms crossed over a black t-shirt. Eden answers back hollowly, tired.
“Right now I just want it quiet, Jet. I don't want--”
A knock at the door stops her words, Jet tensing visibly. Eden crosses the room and opens the door, Hugh pushing past her, glaring at her as he enters the apartment.
“There's boxes in the bedroom,” Eden offers, shutting the door behind him.
“Well aren't you a fucking godsend," Hugh snarls back at her.
“Exactly how are you the injured party in this?” Eden wonders aloud. Hugh doesn't answer, the sound of things being packed hurriedly echoing through the apartment. Jet looks a question her way, Eden waving a hand at him to indicate she was fine. She wraps her arms around herself, rubbing either upper arm as if she were cold. Hugh comes from the bedroom carrying a box. He drops it on the couch and looks at her.
“Because I wasted a lot of time, invested a lot of energy, and put up with a lot of shite from you.”
“You're right, you did. Sucks to be you,” Eden responds, Hugh's hands clenching into fists. The anger seems to leave him and he laughs.
“You wouldn't have been mistreated, love. You would have been cared for, and in an environment conducive to betterment for someone like you. It's a shame, really, that you can't see I was trying to help you,” he moves closer to her, raising a hand to trace it down the side of her face. Eden steps away just before he can make contact, Hugh following her with a step of his own, bringing him right up against her. He presses his face down close to hers.
“You ruined everything, you fucking cunt,” he says slowly, Eden just looking up at him.
“Back off,” comes the warning from in the kitchen, Hugh stiffening at the sound of Jet's voice. He stays where he is a moment longer before pulling away with a cheerful smile, giving Jet a sarcastic salute. He disappears back into the bedroom. An abrupt chime is heard from Eden's phone, Eden taking it out of her pocket and checking it, the ghost of a smile creeping across her lips. She replaces the phone, aware of Jet's eyes on her.
“Actually, Hugh, I'd like to thank you,” she calls to him. The sounds coming from the bedroom stop abruptly, Hugh coming slowly down the hall.
“Thank me? And what would you think me for, love,” he says the last mockingly, Eden not rising to the bait.
“Because without you, I never would have realized how I feel about Killian. We probably would have gone on as we were, both of us missing something and neither knowing what. So yeah, thank you for that. You made it possible for us to be incredibly happy,” she finishes with a smile, Hugh laughing and shaking his head. Jet stares at Eden as if she's grown two heads, a frown forming between his eyes.
“Bollocks, you don't think I believe that pile of shite, do you? Killian doesn't give a fuck about you. I know for a fact that he's occupied at the moment, and it isn't with you.”
“We cleared it all up after I called off the wedding. In fact, last night, what was supposed to be our wedding night, I spent with him at his club. We were in New Orleans, Hugh. Where did you think I would go?” Eden asks, Hugh's jaw gritting tight, his color darkening.
“You fucking--”
He's cut off by another knock at the door. Eden holds a finger up.
“Hold that thought, love,” she mocks him back, going to the door. She opens it a crack, talking to the person on the other side, and then opens it all the way. Gabriel Baal stands in the doorway, two men behind him. Hugh's eyes widen in surprise, Jet coming away from the counter. Eden shakes her head at Jet, Jet looking from her to Gabriel suspiciously.
“I believe this is where I come in,” Gabriel says with a grin, the two men moving around him to get closer to Hugh. Hugh chuckles, looking at Eden and then to Gabriel.
“So it doesn't matter, you've found a way to take her anyway, even without the wedding. Bloody brilliant," Hugh practically gloats, Gabriel chuckling indulgently.
“Quite the contrary, Hugh. Now, you have a choice. Come along quietly or you can be persuaded," he draws a syringe out of the inner pocket of his jacket. "Either way, you'll find that I'm prepared."
Hugh looks confused for a moment, realization dawning on him as the two other men approach closer. His eyes widen and he shakes his head, holding his arms out to ward them off.
"No! No, no, no-- Edie, love, you don't want to do this, you can stop it, call them off- call them off you fucking bitch!" he screams the words at her in desperation and anger. There's a struggle as the two men lock onto Hugh, finally subduing him. Gabriel leans forward, satisfied.
"There's no point in fighting it, Hugh, this is what you planned for her," he darts a glance at Eden who stands watching, Jet having moved up beside her. "It's going to happen, the only choice you have is how."
Hugh struggles more, eyes flashing hatred at Eden then focusing once more on Gabriel. He stops his struggles, forcing himself to relax. Gabriel smirks.
"Good choice. You and I are going to have a long talk, Hugh."
With that he signals to the other two to lead him out, Gabriel turning to Eden and inclining his head.
"I would hope that you remember our deal."
"I remember, Gabriel. Just let me know when."
Gabriel nods and leaves the apartment, closing the door softly behind him. Jet speaks into the tense silence.
"Killian?"
"It was a lie, Jet. Killian is with someone else. He never really cared about me. He's aware of how I feel- felt- and has been mocking me for it ever since he found out."
Jet shakes his head slowly.
"You know it's a bad idea to trade one devil for another, right?"
"I know," Eden whispers softly before turning away. Jet runs a hand through his hair, looking around him.
"Fuck."
New Orleans
Eden Morgan looks out over the courtyard of the Maison Dupuy Hotel, surveying the aging brick walls with their climbing ivy, the tall, black gas lamps situated here and there. This was it. Less than 48 hours to go, now.
The sun was just starting to drop low, casting the sky in vivid colors of yellow, orange, pink, and the purple of nighttime creeping at the edges. Outside the walls of the Maison Dupuy, it was the usual hustle and bustle of New Orleans, the sounds of life seeping through the cracks, but for the most part it seemed as if there were a shield over the Courtyard, making it a quiet, somber place. Eden turns as she hears a clucking noise behind her, Lou-Lou standing in the doorway, muscular shoulders bare in a pale blue tanktop.
“You gon' drink all the wine before the big day?”
Eden holds up the half-full glass in her hand.
“First glass.”
Lou-Lou laughs.
“Now, why don't I believe dat? You ain't gotta lie to me, I know what's goin' on wit'chu,” he points a finger at Eden. Eden raises an eyebrow.
“Oh?” she says noncommittally.
“Oh?” Lou-Lou mimics and then laughs again, moving his arms out in front of him and pressing his hands together. “You are just too precious for words, you. Now tell me so I can understand why the fuck you marryin' this couillon you don't love?”
Eden jerks, almost spilling wine on herself.
“Seriously, Lou-Lou, can we not? I do love him.”
Lou-Lou smirks.
“Who? Who exactly do you love, boo?”
Eden focuses on the huge peacock feather earrings swinging from Lou-Lou's earlobes.
“I uh... I love... Hugh,” she finishes with a smile and lifts her wine glass in a faux toast and then drinks. Lou-Lou's body goes somewhat limp as he leans backward and then comes up, sassy attitude in place.
“I just rolled my eyes so far up I saw Jesus. He says hi and yo ass needs to quit lyin'.”
Eden sighs.
“Lou-Lou, please--”
“Answer me this, Eden, cause a bitch dyin' to know. Where you went when you ran out all helter-skelter in that pretty white dress? What made you leave?”
Eden stiffens.
“Nothing.”
Lou-Lou raises a perfectly arched eyebrow.
“Oh, that wasn't no nothing. You can lie to ya mama, you can lie to Cyp and Jez, you can lie to whoever the fuck you want including your own damn self, but you can't lie to Lou-Lou. I knows what I knows,” he says assuredly.
Eden turns hostile eyes on him.
“And what exactly do you know?”
Lou-Lou laughs and then looks at her.
“Throw your damn shade, bitch, I'll throw the whole fuckin' tree, boo boo. You wanna know what I know? I know that you in love with another man, and that's yo business. I don't give a fuck. But what I wanna know is why you goin' through with this when you could be happy.”
Eden's face crumbles briefly before she pulls it all together again, wrapping a cold perfection around herself and shoving the fragility deep down. Even so, her voice catches as she speaks.
“I tried that Lou, it's where I went when I left the salon. Turns out, it was all a lie,” she looks over to Lou-Lou. “Not only is he with someone else, but he knows how I feel. He's been rubbing it in ever since.”
Lou-Lou shakes his head before moving over to the table with the wine and pouring himself a glass.
“Men are fucking dogs, baby girl, I know that for a fact. And you know Jet's gonna come with that bitch on his arm. Ooo,” he shudders, holding up a hand in warning and closes his eyes. “I'ma try to keep my cool cause it's yo day and shouldn't no body upstage that, but if that ho tries me, just samples me, she gonna get a whole buffet of bitch up in here,” he takes a long drink of the wine, draining the glass and then saluting Eden with it. “That's some good shit. So you can't be with the one you want, why you with the one you with?”
Eden shrugs.
“I kinda owe him. I mean- we were together last year, he was with me at my worst. And I know some of it was to get back at--- but anyway, if that's all it was, he wouldn't have come back, fought to get back to me. He's put a lot of effort into us, way more than I ever did. He admits it started out as revenge but it grew into more than that. What do you say to a man who wants to spend his life with you and he's seen you at your worst and still wants to be with you? It's not a fate worse than death by any means.”
Lou-Lou purses his lips and harrumphs, Eden's phone ringing before he can respond. Eden looks down at the screen, an unknown number flashing across it.
"Hello?" she answers the phone on what was likely the final ring with a question in her voice.
"Good evening, Eden."
Eden closes her eyes and almost groans at the voice.
"Gabriel, I really don't have time--"
"I appreciate you must be busy, but this can't wait."
"What can't wait?" she asks shortly.
"We need to talk - face to face. I would appreciate it if you would come to Angelfields. Alone."
"Yeah, I'm sure you would, but this is not even two days before my wedding, there's no way in hell I'm flying up to New York to play cat and mouse with you."
Lou-Lou raises an eyebrow at her words.
"I understand. At least I can say that I tried, The offer will remain open. Perhaps..." He pauses. "Perhaps something will change your mind. Perhaps, for example... If in five minutes Hugh gets a phone call, and promptly leaves the room. Perhaps then you'll decide the trip may be worth making."
"Why would Hugh get a phone call- Gabriel you're being weird, like weirder than usual," she gripes at him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Just... Trust me on this. I hope to speak to you soon."
The other end of the line goes silent, Eden staring at her phone in confusion. She glances at the time, shaking her head when she realizes she's done it.
"Do NOT let him get into your head, not now."
“I'd say he's already there, boo boo. And maybe you oughta listen,” Lou-Lou interjects, Eden blinking as if she'd forgotten he was there. Lou-Lou saunters away.
October 13, 2016
New Orleans to New York
Eden had tried not to look at the time, had tried to put Gabriel's phone call behind her, she really had, but she couldn't. She had left the Courtyard and found Hugh sitting on a couch in the mostly empty common area of the hotel. She hadn't gone to him. Instead, she had leaned against one of the columns, almost hiding behind it and watched him, looking down at her phone as the minutes ticked on. She watched as Hugh's relaxed pose turned to a stiff one and he sat forward, raising his phone to his ear. She watched as he got up quickly and glanced around, checking to see if anyone were watching, and she ducked a little more behind the column. She watched as he hurriedly left the room and she checked her own phone. Five minutes exactly.
She called the airport.
She had been lucky, able to catch a plane within the hour to make it to New York, but she had been a bundle of nerves the entire flight, trying to mute the voice inside her that told her to ignore everything around her, there was a perfectly good explanation. She shouldn't be flying to New York right now, she should be getting ready for her wedding. By the time she got back to New Orleans, it would be well into the next day, possibly even the next evening.
Eden told only one person where she was going and who she was seeing. Jet hadn't been happy when he met her at the airport, but to his credit, he hadn't tried to stop her.
“I don't like it,” he'd commented. Eden had shrugged.
“I don't like it either, but I don't see where I really have a choice. If I don't go, I'll always wonder. It'll eat at me. But I didn't want to just run off, I wanted you to know where I am, just in case...”
She had left it unsaid for a reason. Jet could fill in the blanks.
“Will you let me know when you get there?” he'd asked, and Eden knew it was a struggle for him not to ask for more. Jet was working through some issues, but at the base of it all, he was a protector.
“I'll text you when I arrive in New York. I'll text you again when I get to Angelfields. If you don't hear from me within two hours of sending that second text--” she'd given him a small smile and hugged him.
“I'll handle it,” Jet had promised her. “Go, you're gonna miss your flight.”
Eden blinks out of the memory from earlier, an announcement over the intercom warning of their approaching landing. She checks her watch. Almost three hours in the air. Time wasn't on her side.
The cab ride to Angelfields took almost another hour, and the further away from the city they drove, the more Eden's apprehension grew. And then when she saw the place, she felt as though a weight had dropped into her stomach. She quickly fires off a text to Jet and steps out of the cab, paying the driver. It wasn't hard to find the main building, and when she announced herself, it was as if everyone had been waiting for her, despite the late hour. It hadn't taken long at all for her to be lead to a set of double doors down a long hallway.
"He's right in there, ma'am, waiting for you," the smiling woman tells her, Eden suppressing a little shudder at her words, feeling much like the fly going into the spider's parlor. She pauses with her hand on the door handle. It was all happening too fast. Surely she was still on the plane and it was all a dream? Eden takes a deep breath, and opens the door.
Gabriel Baal sits at a heavy, ornate desk, looking relaxed in a plush, leather chair. He gives a small smile in greeting.
"I'm glad you made the right decision."
"Did I?" She asks him.
"I'd like to think so - and hopefully you will too. Can I get anything for you? A beverage? You've had a long flight."
"Just some water's fine, thank you," she answers, taking a seat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of his desk.
Gabriel brings over a pitcher of water and a glass, setting them on the desk in front of her. He leans back on the desk, a little closer than she would have liked.
"Before I begin, I want to get something out in the open. I understand you have a hesitance to trust me. Hence the reason I offered evidence as to why this meeting was for the best. I need you to understand that I know that I went too far before - trying to play mind games to win a match. I need you to know that... That I apologize."
Eden blinks at him, just barely able to conceal her surprise.
"Apology accepted, but I know you didn't bring me out here for that. What's going on, Gabriel?"
She leans around him, reaching for the pitcher and pouring the glass half full before settling back, forcing herself to appear at ease.
Baal stands up and walks around the desk and takes his seat. He leans back, surveying her.
"This is difficult - for so many reasons. I suppose... The best place to begin, is at the beginning."
"Usually is," she quips then holds a hand up in apology, gesturing for Gabriel to continue.
"I have my fingers in many pies, Eden. A jack of all trades if you will. One of my many roles over the years has been to make certain... Arrangements... For those from my homeland to make safe entry into this country. My skills range from... expediting official entries into the United States..." He pauses. "To arranging visas for those who would normally not be given the opportunity to come and live here."
Eden takes a sip of water, holding the glass.
"That's fantastic, Gabriel, but what does that have to do with me?"
"I'm sure that you've wondered over the past few months just how Hugh managed to return to the United States - given that last you saw him, he required your hand in marriage to prevent being deported back to the United Kingdom. You were shortly afterwards... Rendered unable to fulfil that promise. He was soon after removed from these shores."
"I... I just assumed he had a sponsor. Isn't that how things are-" she trails off, eyes widening. "You sponsored him? You brought him back?"
"Hugh wasn't eligible for a sponsor, having been deported. A mutual friend brought the two of us together and I provided him with a way to come back to this country. For that... I apologise sincerely."
Eden holds up a hand at his apology. "So you're telling me you helped him get back here when he couldn't do so legally... and you think this is a bad thing? Wait- I'm not sure I buy that it was some magical happenstance that brought you two together, but okay. Why are you telling me this?" She asks, the question coming out harder than she intended it to.
"There aren't many people who can arrange what I can arrange - even fewer who can do it within the time limits that Hugh had set. I had no idea who he was until he arrived in this country - a name on a piece of paper. It was only when we met here, in this office that I realised who he was. I'm telling you this, Eden, because Hugh's intentions are not at all what they seem."
Eden's jaw clenches as she fights down the urge to get up and walk out.
"Tell me," she says, her words clipped.
"He's here for revenge Eden."
Eden surprises him by bursting into laughter.
"Against Killian? Well, I mean, yes. Do you think I didn't know that? I know Hugh and Killian have a past, I know part of his feelings for me are because he wanted to rub it in Killian's face. But... that's not what brought him back here, Gabriel, despite what you think. He came back for me," she finishes soberly. "I owe him."
Gabriel lets out a sigh.
"You misunderstand me Eden - he's not here for revenge against Killian. He's here for revenge against you. He has a plan - a plan that will come to fruition the moment that you say I do." Gabriel rubs his hand across his jaw. "The moment his ring is on your finger - as soon as you're man and wife... He plans to have you committed."
Eden stares at him in disbelief. She starts to say something, then stops, starts again, then stops again.
"What?" is all she manages to get out, dazed by his words, feeling vaguely numb.
"I appreciate that this will be shocking for you to hear. And I understand the timing is less than ideal. You have so many people who care about you Eden. Colin, James, Jet, Cypress... Killian. I had hoped one of them would have seen what Hugh was... Had seen past his lies and recognised what he truly was. I hoped you would come to the realisation without me. I never wanted to be the one to tell you because I didn't want anyone to think I was currying favour. I wasn't even sure you would believe me, given our history. I didn't want to push you further into his arms, merely because you wouldn't believe me." He paused. "Yet now, this late in the game... I couldn't risk letting this happen."
Eden, so lost in thought, barely registers his words.
Hugh's insistence, demanding, pushing for the wedding date. For the date to be moved up.
The tantrums.
The baiting.
As Gabriel spoke, the story began to meld in her mind, Eden seeing things she hadn't noticed before or hadn't wanted to notice. Finally, she speaks.
"Thank you for telling me.” Her voices comes out in a breathy whisper. She clears her throat and then speaks again.
"I assume this... Angelfields... was where I was to be... held?"
"So he believes." Gabriel's reply was short and to the point.
She looks at Gabriel evenly.
"And why would he believe that?"
"Because I allowed him to. I'm not innocent in this, I'll freely admit. It was useful to have someone close to you. Especially in the lead up to our match... It was Hugh who tipped me off about your plans for this place. I'm not a good man Eden - but I knew one thing for sure. If he wasn't going to get what he wanted from me, he would get it from somewhere else. He was furious when I called my orderlies away at In Your Hands."
Eden studies him, taking in his words. "The restaurant, my birthday. That was planned?"
"He didn't know I was going to be there - but he made no attempt to stop me from coming to speak to you."
Eden gives the barest of nods.
"You're right, you're not innocent in this, but you also didn't have to tell me. Thank you for that."
"You have options, Eden. I want you to know that."
Eden raises an eyebrow. She gives a bitter laugh.
"Do I really have options, Gabriel? Because I don't see any from where I'm sitting."
"I have no doubt you plan on calling off the wedding - but you do have a choice. Call it off before hand - the easiest solution. Perhaps the solution by which he gets away scott free. He could well escape unwounded - other than what you do to him.”
“The option I urge you to take is much, much more satisfying. Offer him the humiliation he planned to bestow upon you. Allow the wedding to go ahead, and reveal him to be the charlatan he truly is... In front of your friends and family. Give him no chance to escape - allow him to be faced by those who love you the most.”
“I understand you may feel some trepidation about this course. But I offer you my service - I'm good at playing the bad guy. Lay the blame at my door - people would believe I would leave it until the very last moment to inform you. It would be just he kind of thing the hateful and despicable Gabriel Baal would do."
Eden listens to his words, a smile curving her lips as she closes her eyes and imagines the scene he describes. Everyone would know beforehand exactly what Hugh was, only he would be unaware, and just as he thought he had what he wanted most, she would take it from him. In front of everyone. Instead of saying 'I do', she would say 'I know' and watch the horror dawn across his face--
Her eyes fly open, the imagining bursting. She shakes her head.
"As much as I'd like to do it... I'm not that person anymore, Gabriel. It's too much. I can't do that to my family," she says evenly, her heart hammering in her chest, wild from the temptation he had presented her with, what she had almost said yes to.
Gabriel nods - a slight smile crossing his lips.
"Then I offer you an alternative choice. I hold Hugh's future in my hands - I offer that future to you. You have three options. You can let him go - allow him to live out the rest of his days with a warning that he may never darken your doorstep again."
"And my other two choices?" she asks.
"Deportation... Or incarceration."
Eden looks at him levelly.
"I understand the deportation, but explain incarceration."
"Say the word, and he'll be found, collected and locked away - much like he had planned for you. Deep in the bowels of this place - it would be no retreat for him."
Eden considers Gabriel's blunt words.
"Do I need to decide now, or can I call you on the number you used earlier?"
"There's no rush - let me know when you're ready. It's..." He takes a moment to look away from her. "... The least I can do."
Eden stares at him a moment and then nods.
"I'll call you after I speak with Hugh. But I want this quiet, Gabriel. I know you understand that." She looks down at her hands for a moment, the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand catching her attention as it gleams in the light. She opens and closes her fingers and then looks up again."You didn't have to tell me any of this, much less all of it. Thank you. If there's anything you want from me, I'll do my best to give it. Within reason," she adds quickly, giving him a warning look.
"At some point once this is all over, I'll ask you to meet with me again. I ask only two things - you agree to meet with me, and you keep an open mind." He smiles, a moment of rare sincerity. "That's all I want."
Eden watches him suspiciously for a moment then nods.
"Alright. That's fine."
"Thank you." Gabriel adds as he climbs to his feet.
"Is there anything else I can do for you while you're here?"
Eden shakes her head, getting to her feet as well.
"No, you've done enough. Thank you again. Now, I've got to get back to New Orleans and stop my own wedding." She looks meaningfully at him. "I'll call."
"I look forward to hearing from you - have a safe flight."
Lost in thought, Eden inclines her head in response before walking out of the office.
October 14, 2016
New York to New Orleans
After Gabriel's revelations, she just barely remembered to text Jet in time. The cab ride back to the airport, the tickets, the flight, it was all a mad race and a blur. By the time she made it back to New Orleans and stood in front of the Maison Dupuy, it was well over 12 hours from when she had left. She stood there on the sidewalk and looked up at the ornate hotel and wondered not for the first time if she should just keep on walking. Just disappear without telling anyone, without saying a word.
Except she had already told Jet. He knew it all, and it had been all she could do to stop him from going after Hugh himself. She had expected him to argue, to ask where the proof was, but it was as if he had already been suspicious and the story from Gabriel Baal simply put the final piece in place. In the end, he had promised to stay quiet and not say anything to anyone. He had only reminded her that rehearsal was tonight.
As if she'd needed reminding.
With a feeling as if she were on autopilot, Eden enters the hotel, moving through the lobby and approaching the elevator doors. She presses the uppermost round gold button, the doors chiming as if on cue and opening. She slips into the elevator, grateful to be the only one on it, staring at her distorted reflection in the mirrored doors as she moves smoothly and quietly up. When the doors open, she steps off and moves down the hallway to the room Hugh occupied. She gives a soft knock on the door and waits, Hugh opening the door, his face melting into a grin when he sees her.
“Is it time for the rehearsal, then?” he asks, Eden answering his grin with a small smile. Had he even noticed she had been gone?
“Yeah. It's time,” she answers him softly, putting a hand on the door and pushing her way into the hotel room, Hugh's smile starting to fade.
October 16, 2016
Chicago
“You know you're eventually going to have to tell them. At least your parents and Cyp,” Jet speaks softly from where he's leaned against the counter in Eden's apartment, arms crossed over a black t-shirt. Eden answers back hollowly, tired.
“Right now I just want it quiet, Jet. I don't want--”
A knock at the door stops her words, Jet tensing visibly. Eden crosses the room and opens the door, Hugh pushing past her, glaring at her as he enters the apartment.
“There's boxes in the bedroom,” Eden offers, shutting the door behind him.
“Well aren't you a fucking godsend," Hugh snarls back at her.
“Exactly how are you the injured party in this?” Eden wonders aloud. Hugh doesn't answer, the sound of things being packed hurriedly echoing through the apartment. Jet looks a question her way, Eden waving a hand at him to indicate she was fine. She wraps her arms around herself, rubbing either upper arm as if she were cold. Hugh comes from the bedroom carrying a box. He drops it on the couch and looks at her.
“Because I wasted a lot of time, invested a lot of energy, and put up with a lot of shite from you.”
“You're right, you did. Sucks to be you,” Eden responds, Hugh's hands clenching into fists. The anger seems to leave him and he laughs.
“You wouldn't have been mistreated, love. You would have been cared for, and in an environment conducive to betterment for someone like you. It's a shame, really, that you can't see I was trying to help you,” he moves closer to her, raising a hand to trace it down the side of her face. Eden steps away just before he can make contact, Hugh following her with a step of his own, bringing him right up against her. He presses his face down close to hers.
“You ruined everything, you fucking cunt,” he says slowly, Eden just looking up at him.
“Back off,” comes the warning from in the kitchen, Hugh stiffening at the sound of Jet's voice. He stays where he is a moment longer before pulling away with a cheerful smile, giving Jet a sarcastic salute. He disappears back into the bedroom. An abrupt chime is heard from Eden's phone, Eden taking it out of her pocket and checking it, the ghost of a smile creeping across her lips. She replaces the phone, aware of Jet's eyes on her.
“Actually, Hugh, I'd like to thank you,” she calls to him. The sounds coming from the bedroom stop abruptly, Hugh coming slowly down the hall.
“Thank me? And what would you think me for, love,” he says the last mockingly, Eden not rising to the bait.
“Because without you, I never would have realized how I feel about Killian. We probably would have gone on as we were, both of us missing something and neither knowing what. So yeah, thank you for that. You made it possible for us to be incredibly happy,” she finishes with a smile, Hugh laughing and shaking his head. Jet stares at Eden as if she's grown two heads, a frown forming between his eyes.
“Bollocks, you don't think I believe that pile of shite, do you? Killian doesn't give a fuck about you. I know for a fact that he's occupied at the moment, and it isn't with you.”
“We cleared it all up after I called off the wedding. In fact, last night, what was supposed to be our wedding night, I spent with him at his club. We were in New Orleans, Hugh. Where did you think I would go?” Eden asks, Hugh's jaw gritting tight, his color darkening.
“You fucking--”
He's cut off by another knock at the door. Eden holds a finger up.
“Hold that thought, love,” she mocks him back, going to the door. She opens it a crack, talking to the person on the other side, and then opens it all the way. Gabriel Baal stands in the doorway, two men behind him. Hugh's eyes widen in surprise, Jet coming away from the counter. Eden shakes her head at Jet, Jet looking from her to Gabriel suspiciously.
“I believe this is where I come in,” Gabriel says with a grin, the two men moving around him to get closer to Hugh. Hugh chuckles, looking at Eden and then to Gabriel.
“So it doesn't matter, you've found a way to take her anyway, even without the wedding. Bloody brilliant," Hugh practically gloats, Gabriel chuckling indulgently.
“Quite the contrary, Hugh. Now, you have a choice. Come along quietly or you can be persuaded," he draws a syringe out of the inner pocket of his jacket. "Either way, you'll find that I'm prepared."
Hugh looks confused for a moment, realization dawning on him as the two other men approach closer. His eyes widen and he shakes his head, holding his arms out to ward them off.
"No! No, no, no-- Edie, love, you don't want to do this, you can stop it, call them off- call them off you fucking bitch!" he screams the words at her in desperation and anger. There's a struggle as the two men lock onto Hugh, finally subduing him. Gabriel leans forward, satisfied.
"There's no point in fighting it, Hugh, this is what you planned for her," he darts a glance at Eden who stands watching, Jet having moved up beside her. "It's going to happen, the only choice you have is how."
Hugh struggles more, eyes flashing hatred at Eden then focusing once more on Gabriel. He stops his struggles, forcing himself to relax. Gabriel smirks.
"Good choice. You and I are going to have a long talk, Hugh."
With that he signals to the other two to lead him out, Gabriel turning to Eden and inclining his head.
"I would hope that you remember our deal."
"I remember, Gabriel. Just let me know when."
Gabriel nods and leaves the apartment, closing the door softly behind him. Jet speaks into the tense silence.
"Killian?"
"It was a lie, Jet. Killian is with someone else. He never really cared about me. He's aware of how I feel- felt- and has been mocking me for it ever since he found out."
Jet shakes his head slowly.
"You know it's a bad idea to trade one devil for another, right?"
"I know," Eden whispers softly before turning away. Jet runs a hand through his hair, looking around him.
"Fuck."