The Kiss Of Death

Chapter 21

The question still hung in the air as Lola stepped back. She didn't know how to answer the Devil. There were still more things that she had to consider.

Lola thought of herself as a benevolent person but to a certain point. Her wish for Jacqueline was offered but not granted. Lola was surprised that the Devil had even bothered to listen. She'd argued that a mother would not want to hand her child over to the creature from the abyss, regardless of the agreement made. Her years would be spent mourning his loss and wondering if he was okay. She would never rest. Her argument had fallen upon deaf ears, the Devil would not see reason because he'd spent so long with a festering hatred for Jacqueline.

All because she'd denied him a child.

When the Devil asked the question to Lola that she thought his need was peculiar, Lola didn't really know what to say and went with the easiest answer. Yearning for a child was common. Many wanted them, many couldn't have them. It was not unreasonable that the Devil would want to see his own flesh and blood in another, to watch them grow and become an amazing soul. Just because he was the epitome of evil did not negate his needs.

Still, her thoughts lingered with Jacqueline. Lola thought it was wrong of the Devil and asked him if she would suffer the same fate, should she refuse. The Devil answered her with a simple no. She pushed him further by saying that if he had no empathy for Jacqueline, then it would be unlikely that he'd have any for her or Frank.

The more that Lola thought about it, the more she realised that she was trapped in a box like situation. Every turn she was faced with a wall, and there was no escape. Her fate was sealed. Was it better to choose a life that might lead to her death or to walk away and hope for the best? Would the Devil be true to his word when he said that he wouldn't care if she did so? Lola didn't believe it.

If Lola were truly honest, she'd say that despite being scared, she was curious. Torn between the growing emerging affection for Frank and giving him an amazing life, Lola didn't know which way to turn. If she refused the Devil, he'd send them packing with nothing. They'd struggle. Did that matter to her? Lola knew that she could find work easily, money wouldn't be a problem. They'd get by, even if things were tight for a few years.

Lola would insist that Frank and Emma finished their education so that they could find a decent job. Pumping gas was going to be a thing of the past, time was ticking on that service. In this modern age, old fashioned service stations that offered an employee to pump gas, clean the windscreen and take the payment without the consumer even leaving the car was long gone. Lola couldn't even get Bobby to check the air in her tyres.

Then there was the issue with Bert. He was hanging around, which meant trouble. He was trouble. Lola had effectively shown him the way to Frank and Emma, and she felt a lot of guilt over her involvement. She was foolish with her research, knowing that Bert was watching her house.

Someone had placed Frank with the girl, so that meant that he had a solid lead. Frank would never lose the past, it would always haunt him. To add to her lowering mood, Lola thought that Frank would always remember that he'd murdered many women, and one of them was his mother. No matter how much reasoning and offering the truth, he would believe that it was his fault, not Jacqueline's. He'd picked his mother, agreeing to her death, then following through with the kiss.

Bert, despite his failings, could be tenacious when he got a whiff of something when he was searching. No doubt he'd wonder where Frank and Emma came from and then start making enquiries. It would end in eight murder charges and probably a whole lot of other things that Lola didn't know about. She couldn't remember how much information was left in the hiding spot, but if Bert had found it, then it was likely that he knew everything.

Lola could say no to the Devil. They could walk out of here, Bert would come knocking, and he'd eventually figure it out. There would be nowhere to run, not anymore. Frank's child like appearance that altered as he became a young man, was no longer changing. He'd almost finished growing, perhaps there might be a few years left. There was little that would change about him now. His picture would be sent to all the police stations around the country, and then all the cops would be looking for him.

The Devil leaned on the window frame, watching as the sadness crept through Lola's pretty features. Curiously, she began to frown.

"What the Hell?" She whispered.

The Devil moved to look out the window, seeing a beast of a woman whispering in the police officer's ear.

"She will pay for this,"

His tone was twisted, angry. Lola looked and watched as the black eyes turned luminous. She quickly turned back to Jacqueline as she laughed, turning to walk back up the street. Bert was crossing the road.

"Mephistopheles," The Devil's voice boomed. "Retrieve Jacqueline at once."

Lola lifted to her feet, noting that Bert was already at the door. He looked angry but didn't move to open the door. She watched as he looked around the street. By minute's end, several cop cars had arrived. The street was being blocked off.

"Save him," Lola begged, gripping the Devil's jacket. "I'm begging you, he only did it because he thought he had no choice. You know this is Jacqueline's fault. Please, save Frank and Emma."

"You have the power to save them, Lola. I gave you two options, they are still available to you. Say no, and I will leave you to deal with the police, say yes, and everything will be fixed. No police, no troubles for Frank and Emma. Just one long and very happy life."

Lola jumped at the sound of the door being broken down. Tears fell freely as she looked at Frank, blissfully unaware that he was seconds away from spending the rest of his life in jail. She hated that he'd suffer needlessly. All because of one womans sadistic need. Lola no longer had any empathy for Jacqueline. Not when she doomed Frank to this fate.

"If you're lying to me, I will never give you a child. Deal?"

"Deal."

Lola pulled the jacket, dragging the Devil to her. As her lips crashed to his, Lola prayed that she'd made the right decision. She prayed that her sacrifice was worth it.

For Frank's life, she gave her own.