BURN THE TRUTH

Episode Thirty-nine

Its frosty air makes warm breath turn to a slight translucent haze; the continuous sound of water splashing echoes around the glossy polished tiling covering the whole bathroom. Being a few minutes into the night only reflections from the window.

Velda walks out of the shower and dried off before she wrapped herself in the cosy comfort of her robe, her damp hair wrapped with a white towel that falls behind, seeming longer than the usual head towel.

She made her way into her room and at the end corner of the bedroom, Velda began going through the series of dresses in her closet, after considering several options she finally unclipped one. She lay the exquisite dress on the bed and by the side a fabulous brown coat and then she tossed the now-soaked towel in a hamper, letting her damp hair fall to her shoulders.

Momentarily Velda moved to the mirror, her robe slowly falling apart which gradually expose her bare body. Her damp hair reached down her chest covering a part of her naked breast. She solely gaze into the mirror, and a silent moment went by with her staring continuously at the image of the stitch on her chest and that on her abdomen, and in parallel the image from the fight, the tiny voice of Asteria, the sound of the gun... And the faint image of a person fighting with her shooter runs through her mind in a haze.

Collectively Velda walks down the stairs in a set of flowery home wear while her both cheeks are covered with a piece of silky skincare mask. She grabbed up a mug and poured the hot, freshly brewed coffee inside. A splash of the coffee on her arm caused her to wince before reaching to rinse her hand. She sighed, now she would have to let it cool off as she had made it quite hot than normal.

The sound of her cell phone going off brought her mind to where the phone was placed. “Yes, Louisa,” She says sitting in the dining, finger slowly tracing the edge of the coffee mug. “Well, then let’s talk to someone from the crew, see if anyone knows anything” She suggested. “Yes, yes,”

She had barely lowered the cell phone on the table when a cord came to belt forcefully around her neck forcing her to thrust back with the pressure. She grunted, her hands straining to ease the grasp on her neck which came off to be much more violent.

Velda's painful grunt echoed as she struggled against his firm grip. Despite the pain, she reached out her hand and yanked him forward firmly by grabbing the scuffs at the back of his neck to lessen the intensity of the cord around her neck but he forced her hand off, shoving her off the chair. With a quick move, she reached forward to snatch the coffee mug, and with an instant reflex she spattered the hot coffee onto his face.

The burns caused his grip to slightly release from the cord and immediately she smashed an elbow into his side before slipping away from him – but was again snagged from behind before she could make any attempt, she grunts as the man's prominent arm curved around her neck. Firm, strong and torturously harsh that she felt her windpipe closing.

With the strength Velda managed to muster, she banged his nose with the back of her head pushed him away and again hit him left cross straight right and he staggered backwards. The man was much strong, and she felt her techniques meant nothing to him, or conceivably it was the fact that she is only using a minimum of her strength since she is yet to fully recover. Her chest was already in much pain with only a few actions but she needed to survive this.

Velda slipped to the left, which threw him off enough so that she could stride and get a handful of his hair. She pulled his head forward and broke his nose with her head before launching her knee into his crotch.

There was no time to absorb the trauma or to even swallow the pain before she charged. He threw up his forearms like an offensive lineman blocking a defensive back, but Velda slipped to the side, pushed his elbow down and away, and dived a brutal fist into his side as she rolled across the floor. Third of a second once contact was made, Velda was on her feet, watching the muscular man hurry toward her.

The muscular man reached under his shirt even as he pushed past the table but didn't get to pull out the gun when Velda's foot slammed into his arm and swiftly she grabbed the marble stand near her, with much force and anger she slammed the stand hard against his head and instantly he dropped to the ground.

Velda breathed out, her eyes dropping to check on the broken stand on the ground and then darting back, with equal measures of fury and terror, to the unknown man in front of her- in her living space. Her throat was sore. It had been an unbearable merciless strangle and was lucky enough to have gotten the code off her neck.

She exhaled and inhaled again, and then inched her hand to touch her bruised neck in a shallow thought before she reached to grab her cell phone.

"Hey, Devyn. I think I killed someone, again"...

The sound of Devyn’s car died off and not even a minute after he hurried into the house. “Hey, what happened? Are you alright?” The words came low and eager as he sauntered into the living space.

Devyn had only taken a few steps to the dining area where she sat when his eyes glimpsed the man on the floor, though he paid no attention as to the reason as he hastened to her, bringing her face calmly against his chest. He has only ever seen her startled like this, and it progressively worried Devyn so much as what might have transpired. “It's alright, I'm here now” He soothed. He held her for a brief moment before shifting to look at her.

“What happened?” His eyes searched hers.

Velda exhaled softly “Look, I'm sorry I... brought you into this”

Devyn leaned closer to her “Hey, hey. No. No, you did the right thing. I'm glad you called me. Good thing you weren't hurt” His voice - his eyes, his moves, were all suddenly foreign to her but this simple act of hers is much an uprise that demonstrate how much he now mean to her, calling him first during a crisis was beyond anything he might have wished.

Velda opened her mouth to talk but ended up sighing. The fact that she was attacked while she is yet to fully recover from the last incident was making Devyn almost lose his mind, but he tried as much as possible to remain calm before her “I already called the police,” She finally told him. “I called them just some moment after I called you”

Devyn’s eyes traced down to her neck where the bruised line lay naked for every to see. “He came up with a code from behind,” She explains, eyes shifting to glance at the man at the corner of the room.

Devyn suddenly shifted from her and moved to the supposed dead man, his eyes scanning every corner of the space as he analyzed the event that might have taken place during the fight “What are you doing?” Velda asked, rubbing her palm against the back of her wrist.

Devyn’s hands rested on either side of his waist at the question, “Get me a glove,” He requested and briefly glanced her way “...need to see what our dear friend has on him, it may lead us to something” He turned fully.

“The police will soon be here”

“That’s why you need to hurry up. I'm sure you also want to investigate on your own” She met his gaze and one of her brows was up in a rare show of interest. He shared the same sentiment, she is tough, a fighter and that's what Devyn is grateful for.

Velda’s hand folded across her chest as she watch him go through the man’s pockets, fingers securely trapped in a light-blue glove. “He was carrying a Beretta PX4. No serial number, custom compensator, six-inch silencer... Wow, he got it on him”

“Meaning?”

Devyn took a step away from the man “The guy was a pro. If we can I.D. him, we might be able to figure out who hired him” He said, taking off the glove, a small device in his hand “It's encrypted. I'm pretty good with technology, I guess you already know that. I should be able to crack it. Trust me on this. In a few seconds, the police will be here and as you know it, they will leave with every other evidence, so let me keep this”

Her face relaxed but she didn't take her eyes off him, slowly she nods and then sighed “I can't believe another person tried to kill me in my living room the same day I got a big win. I mean, how will I ever bring Asteria back to this house?” She muttered and Devyn walks closer to her, the faint sound of the police's incoming siren gradually got louder.

“Bruce,” Velda whispered as Devyn placed his hand on her now bare face, a few beats of silence pass before she tried to speak but Devyn’s voice came next. Gentle.

“Here is what you're gonna do,” He said rubbing her cheek soothingly “Once the police leaves, you're gonna go upstairs and get dressed as if I had only come to pick you up as we had earlier set. You're gonna put on your makeup. And we are gonna go out just like we've planned before. And later we will look into it together, alright?”

She watched him through her lashes and then a warm smile cross her lips “You sure love to make me think who the hell is this man?” She drawled, reading his expression. Well, for the first time, her logic about him makes an unfortunate amount of sense. Though it was not exactly a challenge, he was quite certain he is the only one who could reveal the true him to her.

“You gave me credit far too soon, don't you think so?” He responds evenly as he gazes at her with a shallow smug look on his face.

Velda sighed “Not that I could stop my mind from doing so”

“I bet I think the same about you” He narrowly tilts his head to the side.