Of Malice and Deceit

Of Malice and Deceit











It was ugly. All those years of expectations and wonderment, and that was her first thought. ‘Ugly.’ No, it wasn’t just that, it was something else too. Something like… It was scary. Ugly and scary.



“Well?” Pierce loomed above her, his tone slightly mocking. The raised eyebrow clearly questioning.



Nichole kneeled, her mouth still open. She snapped it shut. “Umm? Is that… am I supposed to put that in my mouth?” She asked looking up. From her position, Pierce looked even larger than before. And that thing, that thing in front of her, it couldn’t possibly be the thing he wanted her to suck.



“No. I want you to stare it to death. Of course put it your mouth!” The last came as an outburst. Clearly he was losing his patience.



“But… I don’t think… I can’t do this… I’m sorry.” She said hesitantly.



Pierce’s jaw tensed. His eyes narrowed. “Alright then.” He said, putting himself back into his jeans. He turned around and started walking back to the horses. Nichole kneeled on his jacket, unsure, but knowing that she wouldn’t do what he wanted her to do. She watched as he disappeared behind the large trees.



He had left her. He had simply walked away when she couldn’t give him what he wanted. Even though there was a part of her that had wanted to at least try this new thing, it felt wrong in some way. Her mother would never have allowed this. These kinds of things were done between married people. She would never do something like that outside the marriage bed.



Nichole looked around at the various scattered notes lying on the dirt. He hadn’t picked them up. She rose from her kneeling position and began picking up the notes. There was two hundred forty dollars there. She had never held such a large amount in her hands. She could find work. This money would be able to pay for a small place and food for at least six months. She was sure she could find work by the end of those six months. There were plenty of things she could do.



She looked back at the jacket. It stood dark against the dry dirt. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about a jacket during the winter. She walked over to it and picked it up. It lay heavily in her hands, the material smooth and soft. It was a kind of leather she had never felt before. There was a slight scent to it. She brought it to her nose. It smelled like Pierce. Like nature, animals and the faint scent of spice. It made the inside of her nose tickle.



Or she could always just by a gun with that money and kill herself.



And standing in a strange place, with no family and little to no chance of survival, Nichole resigned herself to the fact that that would be the best course.



She felt the wetness before she realized that she was crying. She brought her hand up to wipe the tears away. The evidence of them on her hand made her hate herself. She was so pathetically weak, so pathetically cowardly. Instead of facing life, she would end it. With the jacket clutched to her breasts, Nichole walked towards the road. She would follow that road until she reached a town.



James’s face danced in front of her mind. He would be sad, she was sure, but eventually he would get over it. She hoped that Pierce at least tried to come up with a nice story explaining why she wasn’t there. She hoped James would not worry.











****











He was waiting for her. The wagon was still there and so was Pierce. He was leaning against it, his face twisted in a mean frown. Her face was red and blotchy for her constant crying, and her expression was helpless.



He stood, his arms crossed over his chest, regarding her. “Changed your mind? If you do as you’re told, then I’ll let you stay on my ranch.” He said convincingly. He liked how defeated she looked. Defeat meant that she was vulnerable, and vulnerable people were desperate. He told himself not to smirk.



Nichole shook her head, not even hesitating. Pierce uncrossed his arms, willing himself to stay in control. The boy was clearly terrified of being alone, but he was fifteen. No, that wasn’t any excuse, by fifteen Pierce had already survived the streets of Boston, already killed a man and come close to death himself more times than he cared to remember. So what if this little boy had the face of a cherub? To get by in life you had to sacrifice a few things, he would learn.



She buried her face in his jacket again, the scent of it comforting, even though the presence of its owner never was. She mumbled her reason into the jacket, but she knew that he didn’t hear it.



His ‘Say that louder’ confirmed it.



“We’re not married.” She said more loudly, unaware of her absurd statement.



“Not married?” Pierce asked in an astonished whisper.



She lifted her head from the jacket, her eyes large and guileless. “Yes.”



“Boy, have you lost your damned mind?” He asked, looking at her like she was stupid.



“No sir. It’s just that my mama said I can’t do those things unless I’m married.” She answered. It never crossed her mind that she was playing the part of a boy. Pierce had a way of looking at her, like she was a woman, that made her completely forgot that she was, to his best knowledge, a boy.



He was in front of her within four long strides. He leaned his towering frame over her. “Now listen here. I don’t know if you retarded or just plain stupid, but you will follow these following rules. You will get in the wagon and keep your mouth shut. When we get into town, you will continue to keep your mouth shut. You will do as I say and most importantly, keep your god damned mouth shut. Do you understand me?” He asked in a forceful whisper.



Nichole, not being sure if the “shut you mouth” rule had already applied simply nodded her head. She wasn’t going to risk Pierce getting madder at her than he already was. She didn’t know if this meant that she would go back to the ranch, and frankly she didn’t care. Pierce with his fierce demands was the much better option than she, with her lack of strength, was.



“Get moving.” He finished gesturing to the wagon. Nichole climbed on hurriedly, still holding onto the jacket. Pierce climbed on after her, refusing to look at her direction, his face set in stone, his jaw tense. There was a heavy feeling deep in his chest, like a stone rested there. Nick sat beside him, still clutching at his jacket and looking at him like a trusting child. Pierce had many low points in his life, but propositioning a sweet-faced kid was the lowest. And worst of all, he couldn’t bring himself to care. He took hold of the reins and they were off.



Nichole wondered what she had done this time to make him so mad.









AN

Extremely short, but it is something. I’m glad I have this out of the way, now the story can continue.







Of Malice and Deceit