I shrugged my shoulders. "I can"t see why not," I replied. Though I was still a little embarra.s.sed about the s.e.xual altercation that occurred between us, I was relieved that things weren"t completely weird between us.
We were still speaking to one another.
We pa.s.sed by other guests in the gardens who were too busy taking pictures of the lovely couple to pay us any attention. We stepped outside a white arch, decorated with exotic flowers, and found ourselves in front of a large secluded tree with two homemade swings attached from one of its ma.s.sive branches. They were simple, constructed out of a wooden plank and thick chords of fisherman"s rope.
I took a seat in the left swing while Lincoln took the empty one beside me.
"It"s been a while since I"ve done this," I said as I pushed off from the ground. "Brings back memories of the old swing set at my uncle"s cottage."
Lincoln joined in on the fun.
We were like two kids in a playground, bathed in the moonlight, as we flew through the air like a pair of carefree birds.
"So I"m curious, what was Isadora"s voodoo really like?" Lincoln asked. "I"m still very skeptical about all this magical hoopla."
I thought about the best way to describe the entire experience.
"I wouldn"t say it was exactly magic," I said. "I drank something sweet, and then was drawn to Isadora"s speech. It was like she pulled me into another world altogether with only the sound of her voice."
Lincoln couldn"t help but chuckle. "Of course," he said. "That"s what it is."
"Hmmm?"
"Hypnotism," he replied. "She"s a master in the art of hypnotism and spins it off as voodoo. You said she gave you something to drink?"
I nodded.
"It was probably a drug that stimulates the right side of the brain, otherwise known as the limbic system. It"s the part of our brain that allows us to dream as well as controls our emotions and fuels our s.e.xual appet.i.te."
"So there was no magic to it then?"
"No," Lincoln replied. "What Isadora pulled on you was more along the lines of manipulation."
Lincoln"s explanation did make sense, but a part of me still believed there were elements to my experience that couldn"t be explained with scientific reasoning. Like all other religions, what it came down to in the end was a leap of faith.
"So what now?" I asked. "You deduced that Isadora"s voodoo is fraud. Does that break your deal with her?"
Lincoln shook his head. "A deal is a deal," he replied, "And to be honest, I think what she"s doing could generate a lot of money. She"s a smart business woman."
"You just pointed out that her religion is based on manipulating the public."
Lincoln nodded. "Aren"t they all?"
I had no answer for him.
We continued to play on the swings, basking in the enchantment of this magical night.
"Where are we heading next?" I asked.
"To the House at the Edge of the World," Lincoln replied. "Shadow"s going to wait for us there."
"That sounds pretty mystical."
"Quite the ridiculous name, I know," Lincoln said. "The eastern edge of Moral City is composed of cliffs that overlook the Pacific Ocean. There"s a house that"s built right into the side of the cliff. It"s quite the masterpiece in modern day architecture, known to everyone as the House at the Edge of the World. It was once owned by a billionaire philanthropist, but Shadow owns it now-though no record of sale exists. He got it for quite a bargain, seeing as how no one wanted to go anywhere near the home."
"Why?" I asked.
"Well the philanthropist that lived there started going crazy, stating that the ocean lured him to jump into its arms every night," Lincoln explained. "Apparently the home itself is haunted by the ocean."
I rolled my eyes. "Give me a break."
"The poor guy did end up jumping. Of course, the media blew the news story out of proportion and suddenly the House at the Edge of the World became known as the Suicide House. It was another urban legend added onto the plethora of nonsensical stories out there."
"So why did Shadow buy it?"
"At the time, it was a private spot that he could go to get away from the Midnight Society. He created a fake alias and used an untraceable account to pay for the whole thing," Lincoln said. "I went there once or twice, when I needed a break from the daily grind of maintaining a multi-billion dollar corporation."
"And Calisto has no idea?" I asked.
Lincoln shook his head. "The only two people he told about that place were Abraham and I. Shadow figured that if Calisto knew anything about it, she"d throw wild parties there every night, which wasn"t what Shadow"s intentions for the place were. He just wanted a quiet place to escape everything-a place where he could take a couple of days off to recharge."
"Interesting," I said.
"Shadow told me he was thinking of taking you there for your next date," Lincoln said. "Just before s.h.i.t hit the fan."
Lincoln dug his feet into the dirt, putting the brakes onto the swing. I did the same.
"What"s wrong?" I asked.
Lincoln shrugged as he looked at me longingly. "You two were meant for each other," he said. "I can say that with absolute certainty, despite my heavy heart."
I looked at Lincoln and smiled. "I"m sorry," I replied. "People may think I"m stupid for staying in love with Shadow after everything that has happened, but I don"t think it"s stupid to follow your heart. My heart"s been telling me all along not to give up. It just took my head a little longer to get there."
Lincoln nodded.
"He loves you Aria. I can tell just from the sound of urgency in his voice every time he asks about you on the phone," Lincoln said.
"Why can"t he just talk to me then?" I asked. "Why does it have to drag out for so long?"
"Cause he"s an idiot and afraid," Lincoln replied. "This stupid game he"s playing is partially my fault as well."
He pulled a phone from out of his pocket and handed it to me. "This phone only takes incoming calls," Lincoln replied, "It"s different from the one you and I use to communicate. Shadow"s the only person who knows the number. The next time this phone rings, I want you to answer it."
I stared at the smartphone, my knuckles white from clutching it so tightly.
"There"s such a big rift between us, I don"t even know how to start the conversation," I said.
"You can always start with "I miss you" and see where that leads."
I looked at Lincoln affectionately.
"Thank you," I said. My heart began to swell within my chest while b.u.t.terflies fluttered inside my stomach. The thought of speaking to Shadow again made me tremble with antic.i.p.ation.
I looked at Lincoln, the sweet lovely man he was, and rested my hand gently on his shoulder. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Is this going to be the last of your three questions?" he said.
I smiled, as I recalled our flight over to Cambodia. Things were so much more innocent and exciting back then.
"Sure," I replied. "But you have to answer truthfully."
He pulled out the pocket watch and held it tightly in his hands, as tight as I was clinging onto the cellphone.
"The absolute truth," he promised.
"Do you think we ever had a chance together?"
Lincoln seemed taken aback by the question at first, but slowly the look of surprise on his face faded into one of thoughtful reflection. "I think at a different point in our lives, it could have worked out," he said. "Back when you were still developing your musical talent, and I was still a street rat, looking to survive. It could have been the picture perfect fairy tale."
"Oh?"
"In my desperation to find shelter from the cold, I would have walked into one of the concert halls where you were performing. I would have been enchanted by your beauty and a love could have blossomed between us, one that was pure and innocent. Who knows, we might have travelled the world together, you performing your music and I, being your manager. We would have never heard of the Midnight Society, and we"d live happily ever after."
"But that"s not what happened," I said.
"No," Lincoln agreed. "That"s not what happened. And here we are, sitting on a homemade swing set in the middle of the swamp, contemplating about what could have been."
"Do you believe a person can fall in love with two people at the same time?"
Lincoln shook his head. "The heart can only be devoted to one person at a time, otherwise it"s not considered true love," he replied.
I nodded. "I love Shadow. I don"t think that will ever change."
"And I don"t expect it to."
I leaned over and kissed Lincoln, gently on the lips-an innocent kiss that was laced with broken dreams and what ifs.
He returned the kiss briefly, before we pulled apart.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"I guess it"s kind of a goodbye and h.e.l.lo at the same time."
He looked puzzled.
"It"s a goodbye to whatever happened between us the other night, whatever physical temptations existed. And the h.e.l.lo is us moving forward towards a very long friendship."
Lincoln smiled. "I can live with that."
There was a moment of silence between us, one that was filled with comfort and tranquility as the moonlight bathed over us. In the distance, I heard the merriment of the guests from the wedding, dancing and shouting to the sounds of fiery jazz.
Suddenly, off in the distant swamp waters, I saw a set of three large spot lights, pointed towards the island. They were rotating around rather quickly, glowing eyes in search for something.
"What is that?" I asked.
"Trouble," Lincoln said as he gestured for me to get off the swing. He pulled me to the ground with him. I lay flat on my stomach, hidden underneath the tall gra.s.s, watching the lights draw closer to us.
I held my breath as I heard the grinding sounds of motors from speed boats.
There was shouting coming from the vessels as it docked onto the island. Men dressed all in black began jumping off the boats and into the waters, the sounds of their splashes causing me to cringe.
We were being invaded.
"Should I be worried?" I whispered. Lincoln pressed a finger to his lips.
A loud booming voice echoed from one of the boats.
"Lincoln Richards, this is the Louisiana state police," the voice thundered through an amp. "We know you are here. Surrender now and no one gets hurt."
The look of concern on Lincoln"s face was one I had seen before. It was the same look just before he was forced to kill Brevin and James in a s.a.d.i.s.tic game of Russian Roulette.
I was worried.
People were about to die.
Chapter Thirty.
Aria "Lincoln Richards, we know you are on the island. Surrender immediately and no one needs to get hurt," the voice, booming through the boat"s speaker phone, repeated.
We both remained hidden in the tall gra.s.s, just behind the large oak tree. I lifted my head and peered out, turning towards the wedding reception.
The men that had invaded the island were fully decked out in dark swat gear along with night vision goggles. Their appearance reminded me of black owls, hunting for their midnight prey.
They were armed to the nines with weapons that could shred dinosaurs into pieces in a matter of seconds.
Lincoln instinctively reached for his gun, but cursed when he realized he had left it with the ferryman.
No loaded weapons were allowed on Isadora"s island home, a stipulation which I a.s.sumed was for all the island"s visitors.