The Legacy of Hatred

By M.N Providence

She ran but didn’t get far. Her captor caught her. Quickly, the black-coated man went over to them as his friend held Lisa firmly in position. The coated guy’s hands both went up and a thin light shone in the darkness. With a numbing realization I noticed that it was a sword. In one swift movement he brought the sword down. It cut clean through her neck...
1985: Duncan is trained in sexual acrobatics by a Vietnamese village courtesan.
2002: Duncan meets an emotionally-drained 22-year-old girl. He falls deeply in love with her.
2002: The girl is violently murdered by vampire-slayers who claim she was a vampire.
Revenge is best served last.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M.N Providence
• Release date: Apr 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301710065

M.N Providence

M.N Providence has worked in construction, in sales and most recently as a teacher at some high schools. I enjoy writing stories that I enjoy reading,and always pray that what I like will also interest readers. Thank very much for your time and patience in reading this profile.

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The Legacy of Hatred

M.N Providence

Published by M.N Providence at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 M.N Providence

PROLOGUE

End of February, 2002

A great day to die.

A beautiful day on which to die. Cloudless sky. A slight breeze coming from the north. Temperatures not so bad. A cool, lovely, dry day. No heat, unsurprisingly for this time of the year for New York. Pity about the traffic though. No telling where all these people are going. It’s only a few minutes after midday.

Again the traffic light went red and I brought the car to a stop behind five cars ahead of me. The last time I’d moved they’d been seven. At the rate traffic was moving there was a high chance the light would go to green and back to red before I went through. I sighed; there was no hurry. A man is in no hurry on his last day on earth.

I leaned forward and pressed a button. The hood of the car went back and down in three seconds flat, revealing the true beauty of the Mercedes Benz SL600, with its red nappa leather seats standing out exquisitely in its wonderful interior. I pressed another button. Rap music came loud from the speakers. Wanted to change the station but decided against that thought; all of them seemed to play rap music these days. Every new song that made it to the top of the charts was Rap or had some Rap lyrics in it. Even die-hard haters of that genre like myself were beginning to like it. I could recite lyrics of some of the songs, all often heard while driving to and from work.

I turned my head to the right, somebody’s gaze on me finally having worked its chemistry into my psyche. It was a brunette behind the wheel of a small Ford. She flashed me a smile and licked at her lips seductively with the tip of her tongue, and then she blew me kiss. I smiled back at her. The SL drew all sorts of reactions from people. Men loved it and hated its driver. Women loved it and its driver. If he could drive a beauty like that he had to have a large bank account…

The light went green and the cars started moving slowly forward. I made it through the lights this time. I drove on for a few more minutes before turning onto a lane towards my apartment. I saw an ice-cream vendor and stopped the car. I cut the engine dead and got out. I crossed the few feet to the vendor, not caring a bit that I had parked the SL in a NO-PARKING zone. I really didn’t give a shit what a traffic officer might do to me or the car. The City of New York might confiscate the car for all I cared.

I bought myself a big-cone nut-flavored ice-cream and left all the change to the vendor. When I returned to the Merc, I found a blonde staring at it with wide-open eyes. She didn’t move when I opened the door and slid in.

‘You got a nice car, Mister,’ she cooed.

I smiled my thanks at her.

‘Wanna take me for a ride?’ she purred.

I looked up at her. Big tits; spilling out of her small string top. Too much red-cherry lip-stick on her full, voluptuous lips. Wouldn’t hurt to have an afternoon shag with that marvelous body…

I shook my head. ‘Maybe some other time,’ I told her and quickly drove off. I looked in the mirror and saw her giving me the finger. Maybe she was right; I was being an asshole, but I really was too down to care. Not even the great body of a hot blonde could pull me out of my melancholic thoughts.

I got to the apartment and headed straight for the bathroom. I opened a glass closet and pulled out a small box of sleeping tablets. I threw two into my mouth and swallowed. The bitter taste rasped down my throat.

I returned the box to the closet and made my way to the living room. I crossed to the bar and poured myself a martini. I took a long pull of the drink and slowly walked to the bedroom. I placed the martini upon the bedside table and sat down on the bed. I picked up the remote and when I pressed one of its buttons the curtains slid open. Then I kicked the shoes off my feet and lay on the bed, my back resting on the head-board. I took a swig at my drink.

Don’t they say it’s dangerous to mix liquor with sleeping pills? It may be; but who cares? I am going to die anyway. After the events of the past few months, culminating in the betrayal by my own father, together with the one woman I would have married, it doesn’t matter anymore.

My father, the only man I respected and trusted with my life, doing such a thing to me. But maybe it was all for the good. Clarissa was an evil bitch.

I shook my head ruefully and gulped down the rest of the martini. It was a very rough time for me. Made me miss Uncle Giovanno. And Jessica Gauld. Really, truly miss her. I wonder where she is…

I dozed off.

Part 1

Chapter 1

1980

He came silently through the gate.

Brett, my elder brother, saw him first.

‘Uncle Gio! Uncle Gio!’ he yelled, sprinting towards him.

I followed Brett in a run and we slammed into Uncle Gio, almost knocking him over. Some of the large boxes he was carrying fell down as he tried to keep his hold on them and embrace us at the same time. Wayne, my little brother, came last, and the four of us became one crazy human ball as we embraced Uncle Gio elatedly.

A moment later we let go of him and picked the boxes from the ground. When we turned towards the house Mom and Dad were standing on the front porch, watching us in amusement. Uncle Gio walked up to Mom, kissed her hand and then brushed a kiss against her mouth. He turned and smacked kisses on both sides of Dad’s cheeks, Italian style. We were now used to that ritual greeting.

‘Roberto, how are you? And Prisca?’ Uncle Gio asked my parents but before they could answer he had turned to us.

‘And how are my three best boys doing?’ he asked and continued without waiting for an answer. ‘Look, I brought you birthday presents.’ He smiled, but his eyes were not smiling. His eyes always wore a sinister look. We were used to it.

‘But Uncle Gio, it’s nobody’s birthday,’ Wayne said with a frown.

‘No?’ Uncle Gio quizzed, frisking Wayne’s hair with his hands. ‘How old’s Duncan?’

‘I’m turning 17 in two weeks,’ I responded.

Uncle Gio shrugged. ‘Well, let’s call it a second Christmas. Come on, open your presents.’

We eagerly tore the wrappers off the boxes. Brett got a large volume of a Law encyclopedia. He was going to Yale after the vacations. Wayne got a big remote-controlled toy airplane. I got a beautiful saddle with my initials engraved on it. D.S

Uncle Gio certainly knew how to win a boy’s heart. He knew my passion for horse-riding had increased with each visit to his country estate in Texas. I loved the ranch. I couldn’t wait to close schools and go there. For the last vacation I hadn’t been able to go there because I had attained bad grades at school. Mom made a fuss about it and said I wouldn’t go to the ranch in future unless my grades improved. Which meant a term of hard work for me. I hated studying, but when I got down to it, with Mom’s keen eye, I produced good results. Results that sometimes surprised even me.

I came running home the end of the term and stuck the paper at my mother’s face. I could see the proud smile creep to her face as she read my results. Then she crushed me to her body in a strong, tight embrace and showered me with kisses. I discovered then and there how destructive 10 straight As could be to a teenage boy’s dignity. A 16-year-old who is just discovering his sexuality doesn’t particularly embrace ideas of being hugged by his mother. Kissing makes it even worse.

‘I’m going to Texas,’ Uncle Gio was presently saying. ‘Are my boys coming with me?’

‘Yes, Uncle Gio!’ Brett said quickly ahead of me. Then we remembered our parents. We turned to them with pleading eyes. ‘Can we go, Mom? Dad?’ the two of us asked simultaneously.

Dad nodded his approval.

‘Only if you promise to be good,’ said Mom. ‘You boys don’t get into any naughty business over there, okay?’

Uncle Gio spoke before neither one of us could respond. ‘That’s it, then. You guys go pack your things.’

We were starting off when we remembered Wayne, our little brother. He was just standing there, showing no signs to move.

‘I’m not going, Uncle Gio,’ he said in his soft voice.

Uncle Gio bent down slightly towards him. ‘Why, nipote mio? Is there something wrong?’

‘No, Uncle Gio,’ Wayne responded. ‘I’m going to be helping at church.’

‘It’s a lie,’ Brett cut in with a taunting voice. ‘Wayne’s a sissy. He’s afraid of the animals at the ranch.’

‘I’m not!’ Wayne retorted angrily, color flooding his face.

‘Yes, you are,’ Brett taunted.

‘Stop it, you two,’ Mom warned.

‘If Wayne doesn’t want to go, leave him be,’ Uncle Gio said. He pinched Wayne’s cheek playfully. ‘Don’t ever let anyone tell you what to do. Be your own boss, okay?’

Wayne nodded his head and smiled back.

‘Be like me and your father,’ Uncle Gio said, straightening up. ‘Tell them, Roberto.’

My father just smiled and said nothing.

Brett and I ran to our respective bedrooms. In less than ten minutes, I had badly stuffed my bag with some clothes. On my way downstairs I met Wayne. He looked at my bag with a disapproving eye.

‘Don’t tell me you’re going with your bag like that,’ he said.

‘Then I won’t tell you,’ I said crossly.

‘Come, let me pack for you.’

‘I’m in a hurry. Uncle Gio’ll leave me.’

‘No, he won’t,’ Wayne said steadily. ‘He’s having a drink with Dad. And Mom forced him to stay for dinner, so there’s plenty of time.’

He took the bag from my hand and went up the stairs. I didn’t argue with him. I followed him quietly into my room. He quickly began to pull the clothes out of the bag. I began to protest but he put up a silencing hand. ‘Just let me do this,’ he said calmly with that wise look of his.

The look that made you not want to argue with him. It commanded respect. When he switched it on you wanted to listen to him. Wayne had authority when he spoke to you calmly and gave you that look. Not assertive authority like Brett, but calm, gentle authority. It was many years later that I understood what it was about Wayne. Dignity. At only 15 years of age, my kid brother had dignity.

When he had finished packing the bag, he sat down on the bed. He stared at me, sitting on a stool before my piano.

‘Duncan,’ he called softly, almost in a whisper. ‘Can I tell you something?’

‘Sure.’

‘But promise me first you won’t tell Brett. He’ll make jokes and laugh at me.’

‘I promise,’ I winked conspiratorially at him.

‘I’m gonna be a priest,’ he said quietly.

I stared at him with an expressionless face.

‘I’m gonna be a priest, Duncan,’ he repeated.

* * * * *

Uncle Gio stayed a few days with us at the ranch, then he had to go away to do his business. The limousine came and two guys in suits and sunglasses jumped out. That there were guns concealed under their jackets was unmistakable; the bulges were quite clear. One of the guys held the limo’s door open for Uncle Gio, who first kissed Brett and goodbye before he and the bodyguard who was always present next to him got into the black limo and we watched it disappear towards the airport.

In the afternoon, I suggested riding to Brett but he declined. He wanted to finish reading a book about JFK. He was never really keen about horse-riding anyway. I went down to the stable with my saddle, which I had already tried on Mimosa, one of the horses that I had liked and adopted.

I grabbed a brush and started gently running it along Mimosa’s body, talking to him softly. I did this for a few more minutes before saddling him. I climbed onto him and rode off into the forest in an easy trot.

After a short while, we broke into clear territory and I urged Mimosa into a gallop. We went like this for about a mile and then I pulled his reins, slowing the big stallion down, as this part of the forest had thick foliage.

Suddenly, Mimosa neighed uncomfortably and changed direction, ignoring my command of his reins. We broke through the foliage and I noticed why Mimosa had become excited. We had come to a river. I looked around and saw a horse that was tied to a tree. My eyes quickly scanned the area for its owner. A hairy head appeared from a groove in the river bank. Then slowly the figure rose to full view. It turned and stared at me.

I jumped off Mimosa and quickly threw one of his reins around a tree three times. I walked to the figure by the bank and when I was a few feet away my heart skipped a beat. It was a girl. From a distance, I had not noticed because of her denims. I was looking at a strikingly beautiful girl. Particularly so because she had no make-up on her, unlike the girls I was used to back in Portland.

She was holding in her hands a fishing rod. The cork of her fishing line was bobbing on the water. I stared at her face. Such a gorgeous girl fishing! Growing up in Portland had not prepared me for this. I stood amazed, staring at her emerald green eyes. The greenest eyes I had ever seen. My jaw must have dropped open, because she smiled all of a sudden. She had the sweetest smile I had ever seen on any girl.

‘Hi,’ she said.

I smiled back at her foolishly, not trusting my voice to speak the words I wanted to say.

‘Who are you?’ she questioned with a curious frown. ‘I haven’t seen you here before.’

Everything about her was alright. Her eyes. Her lips. Her voice. Her hair. Her figure…I found my voice but my mind froze and my mouth spoke of its own volition. ‘I’m the man who’s gonna marry you.’

Her cheeks flushed. I would later discover that I had mistaken her blushing for anger.

‘I’m sorry,’ I said quickly. ‘Duncan. My name’s Duncan Shelley. I’m staying at Essence.’ The name of Uncle Gio’s ranch.

The color disappeared from her eyes as quickly as it had appeared. ‘Well, Duncan,’ she said, an amused smile coming to her face. ‘What makes you think I would marry a stranger like you?’

‘Because I love you.’

She laughed. ‘That’s absurd. You don’t even know me.’

‘I will if you tell me your name.’

Suddenly, she glanced down at her fishing line. The cork had disappeared under the water. Quickly, she started to reel in the line. With some effort, she jerked up the rod and a fish leapt out of the water, hanging at the end of the line, wriggling vigorously. She reeled in the end of the line and grabbed hold of the fish. With a practiced motion of her hands, she got the hook out of the fish’s mouth. Then she took two steps with the big bream and threw it into a bucket that was half-filled with water.

I marveled at this show of skill, which had lasted less than a minute. ‘Can you teach me to do that?’

She straightened up and looked at me curiously. ‘You don’t know anything about fishing, Duncan?’

I loved the way she said my name. ‘I was never interested in it,’ I said matter-of-factly. ‘But you make it look interesting.’

‘Bring a fishing rod here tomorrow and I will teach you,’ she said.

‘Same time?’

She hummed her response. ‘Uh-huh.’

‘And when they ask me at home who I’m going fishing with what should I say?’

‘Tell them the truth,’ she said with a teasing smile. ‘That you’ll be fishing with a mysterious girl you met today.’

‘And what’s the name of this mysterious girl, my brother is sure to ask, and he won’t believe my story unless it’s got a name attached to it.’

She chuckled. ‘It’s Jessica Gauld.’

* * * * *

The following day, I asked for a fishing rod with line from Clive Davis, the caretaker of Uncle Gio’s country estate. He and his wife stayed there and virtually ran all affairs on the estate, since Uncle Gio was rarely ever there. So, as usual, we were under the care of Uncle Gio and his wife.

‘It’s going to rain today,’ Clive said, squinting his eyes up at the sky.

‘Doesn’t matter. I’m going fishing anyhow.’ I wasn’t about to let the skepticism of an old man dampen my plans.

‘You won’t catch anything if it starts raining,’ said Clive.

‘I’ll take my chances,’ I said with steely determination.

Clive shrugged and led the way to the shed. He gave me what I needed for my fishing expedition and after lunch I headed to the stables to fetch Mimosa.

Brett stopped me on my way. ‘Can I come with you?’

‘No. I want to go alone.’ I wouldn’t let my brother find out my secret. ‘Why don’t you go read your book?’

‘I finished it,’ Brett answered.

‘Then find something else to do,’ I said impatiently. ‘You can’t come with me,’ I added, avoiding his eyes.

‘You’re up to something, aren’t you?’ A frown creased his forehead.

‘And what would that be?’ I feigned surprise.

He didn’t answer, but his look told me he didn’t believe me. Ignoring him, I climbed onto my horse and in a moment I was heading for the river. When I reached it, she had not yet arrived. I had to wait for half an hour before she arrived.

We went through the stages of shoving the hook into the bait, how to throw the line, how to read the cork movements, and the technique of reeling in the line if a fish got caught.

We made a friendly bet who was going to catch the first fish. She won that one. She yelled in excitement and I laughed with her, sharing in her joy. After what to me seemed like an hour, I had missed three fish and caught none, all those inside the bucket having been caught by Jessica. I was losing hope, especially as the sky was now overcast with thick, heavy, black clouds. We could see the rain would come any minute now.

Then it happened.

I felt the unmistakable tug at my line and looked for my cork. It was gone. I forgot all Jessica had told me and with all my strength I jerked the fishing rod up and back. The fish flew over my head and dropped with a thud a distance behind me. As if on cue, the rain started falling.

‘Ya-hoo-oo,’I screamed in excitement.

Jessica clapped her hands and rejoiced with me. In that moment of crazy excitement we got into each other’s arms and embraced. We both fell silent. I think we were both shocked by the powerful force of our bodies touching. Shyly, we let go of each other.

We pulled apart and went for our fishing rods. We were getting wet. When she straightened up I noticed the flush of her cheeks. She avoided my eyes. The front of her T-shirt was soaking wet and it clung to her breasts, their nipples straining against the thin cloth.

Suddenly, she ran to her horse and I watched her mount it hurriedly and ride away in an easy