"Yes! A small cake with sugar icing- surely you've heard of such a thing!"
"Of course, Sir. Right away."
Listening to Maura's desperate hitching sobs, James urgently added, "A £50 note if it's here within ten minutes!" By the time he heard the knock on the door and the muted voice of his security, he'd soothed her down to soft weeping. Seizing the tray from the perplexed bodyguard and shutting the door in his face, James was back to the bed in an instant.
"There dove, no more crying, here's your cupcake." Still hovering between asleep and awake, Maura sat, blindly reaching for the plate.
She hitched a sob, "You have to light the candle or it's not right."
Shaking his head, James got up to find a lighter, putting the candle into the cupcake.
Maura bowed her head, whispering,"Breithlá sona duit, Abigail and Carin... Sláinte chugat... Bail ó Dhia ort. Morrighan brea' liom tu'. Gcónaí."Smiling tenderly, she blew out the candle and crossed herself. "In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen."
"In the Lord's name, Amen," James echoed automatically, taking the plate from her and helping her lie down. Fetching a dampened cloth from the bathroom, he gently wiped her face clear of tears and helped her drink some water. "Do you think you can rest now?" She nodded sleepily and laid her head on his lap, asleep within seconds. He sat up for hours, idly stroking her hair. He couldn't remember the last time he uttered the name of a God he no longer believed in.
Chapter 22: Welcome to The Sahara
In which Maura gets to blow shit up.
The first thing that met Maura's bleary gaze the next afternoon was the cupcake, still sitting with the candle on her bedside table. Staring at it, her mouth watered. As children, she and the others never got sweets. The closest thing to dessert in their shabby apartment was the nauseatingly sweet, cheap wine her Ma could afford, guzzling it as Maura put the others to bed. So, any baked item with a dab of frosting would have been heaven.
Slowly reaching out, she picked up the candle, still coated with the icing at the base. Putting it to her mouth, she tried to remember why it was there. The memories of the night before came back slowly James enraged about the necklace and promising "discipline" today. Fuzzier were the flashes of memory of him handing her the cupcake and lighting the candle for her.
Maura smiled. No matter what horrible thing happened today, she'd hold on to the memory of being able to wish her girls a “Happy Birthday” after all, thanks to James's puzzling kindness.
Dragging herself out of bed, Maura moved slowly through the room.I'm feeling better sooner today,she speculated.I wonder if James lowered the amount, thinking he was overdosing me?She grinned spitefully. Good. Let him wonder. She was stubbornly going through a few martial arts warm-ups with all the energy of an octogenarian when she heard the outside door open. Leaping back into bed, Maura curled to her side, facing the door.
"Pet." His low, sultry voice always made her quiver a little. She felt his warm hand on her forehead. "How do you feel?"
She shifted under the covers, hoping he couldn't feel her speeding heartbeat. "M'okay. What time is it?"
"Lunchtime," he said to her surprise. "You're not eating enough and you're getting too thin."
Maura let him roll her over and help her sit up. "Thank you... for last night, I mean," she offered awkwardly.
His eyes were cobalt this afternoon, studying her intently. "When did you see your sisters last?"
She tucked a curl behind her ear, uncomfortable with the intimacy of the moment. "Um, ten years."
***
The cold and indifferent James Pine felt a twinge in his chest. Ten years. She'd been lighting candles for sisters who thought she was dead for a decade, praying for their protection and happiness with her Irish Gaelic and a cheap cupcake. Speaking of that cupcake... He looked to the bedside table. "You've eaten, Pet. That pleases me greatly."
Remembering she'd not had anything else for nearly forty-eight hours, James stood and brought over a tray, fragrant with spices. He watched as Maura shrank back from the food. "Pet," he said, "I will not add drugs to your food. You have my word. You're losing too much weight and you're going to become very sick." His tone turned chilly again. "But if you insult me by purging again, I will tie you to the bed and feed you protein drinks through an IV." James leaned forward menacingly. "Do you understand?"
"Perfectly," Maura whispered through dry lips.
"Let's have some lunch, you need calories.” James gave her an indulgent smile, helping her to the bathroom first, enjoying her look of gratitude as he didn’t remain to watch her use the toilet and wash her hands. Before he carried her back, he straightened the sheets on the bed and fluffed her pillows. To his surprise, she sat passively as he hand-fed her lunch. Wiping her mouth between sips of soup, James examined her closely. "We're moving out today," he said abruptly.
Eyes wide, Maura asked, "Where? All of us?"
He shook his head, standing up to put the tray on the table. "There are three separate units from the Corporation, now." Looking over his shoulder at her, he said, “Let's get you up and walking a bit. We'll need to leave soon."
***
To her shock and happiness, her confusing jailer took her down the elevator and out the back of the hotel to the white sand beach. Maura stubbornly quelled her joy by reciting from the operative lectures.Containment and dependence require the balance of denial and generosity. Seventy-five percent denial, coupled with twenty-five percent indulgence cement the subject's dependence and gratitude for their captor.Even while stubbornly reciting the chapter in her head, she couldn't help feeling the pleasure of the salt breeze against her face, the texture of the sand on her bare feet.
They walked for a bit, James shortening the stride of his long legs for her. This beach would be beautiful at sunrise, she thought, imagining running through the shallow water and seeing the first rays of the sun turning the water gold. When her weakened stamina finally caught up with her desire to stay outside, Maura ground to a halt.
