Adultery When We Were Married by DanielQSteele1

[Ramesh_Rocky]

She stopped.

“Please take the call. I love my husband, no matter what you might think. I can’t...he would...”

“I’ll take it. Get out and don’t worry. He’s... he likes cruel practical jokes. He

won’t do anything to you. Trust me. I’ve known him for a long time. He was just trying to get my attention.”

Debbie had heard part of that and her eyes showed her alarm. I motioned to her and the kids.

“I’m sorry, guys, I have to take this. Give me a moment, but don’t leave.”

In thirty seconds the phone rang again. I picked it up. There was a brief silence, a clicking sound and then a faint static and I heard his voice.

“Hello, Mr. Maitland.” “Hello.”

“I trust you are recovering. Our sources within the hospital’s medical department said your wounds were not believed to be life threatening but they are taking no chances.”

“That was a cruel thing you did.” There was a dry laugh.

“You might have heard, I can be cruel if the occasion calls for it.”

I knew he had killed many men and women, had watched men tortured to death, had men and women torn apart in front of him by other men and animals in medieval torments.
“As far as I know, those have all been for business, for matters that you considered crucial to your survival. Tormenting this poor woman wasn’t worthy of you.”
“What did I do, Mr. Maitland? I did not threaten her family or herself physically. I merely let her know that her betrayal of her husband, that poor, blind, hardworking idiot of a husband, has not gone unnoticed. Do you think that if I, through my contacts, could not discover her adultery in a few minutes, that her poor, blind husband will never stumble upon it?”
There was a short silence. Again the static on the line and the clicking.
“You think that was cruel? To give her a chance to save her marriage, to possibly spare her husband from...the pain that you know all too well? Tell me what I did that was so terrible?”
He was as intelligent as he was cold blooded and possibly even a little more dangerous because of all that. When you have almost limitless power and no moral compass at all, there were no limits to what you could do.
“Why are you calling?”
“Just to check in. When we heard that you had nearly been killed, I was notified and we investigated. This appears to be merely the act of an unhinged


man so there is nothing for me to do. I am glad that you came through mostly untouched. I am told the bullet wound should leave no appreciable scar.”
“As always, your sources are impeccable. I’m grateful that you are continuing to watch over me.”
There was another silence, longer this time.
“You know that I have never loved anything in this life, except for one person. And now there is nothing I love because he died without heir and my line died with him. But he died with dignity and in peace because of you. You didn’t know who he was and had no reason to treat him as you did, but you did because of the man you are. I can never repay the debt I owe you in this life, but I can try.”
There was another long silence and then I said, “I’m sure you’ve heard of the Mexican Cartel whose man is scheduled to be tried in the U.S.”
“Yes, and the Cartel has already moved against anyone they think will take part in that prosecution. I think I know more than you do.”

“Yes?”

“They are already planning ahead and there is one thing they fear.”

When I didn’t respond, he said, “That is you. The Angel of Death has acquired mythic status among many of the poor in Mexico and nearby countries. The Mexicans are queer for anything having to do with death, and the Angel of Death overlays the pre-Columbian myths about death gods. The Cartel leadership is hoping the trial doesn’t come to your office.”
“They’re frightened of a media myth?”
“Myths are real to those who believe in them and, if the trial does come to you, the Cartel faces a very real danger.”
“They face a danger?”
“They cannot allow you to prosecute their man. They would lose so much face rivals would pop up because the myth of their invincibility will have been shattered.”
“If they kill me that would solve that problem.” “True, but if they try and fail. ”
I thought about that, then, “It’s still a long way between here and there, but it brings up a point we need to discuss.”

“You need say nothing. If they move against your family, they will pay.” “And I will be your man and you will own me.”

“Yes.”

“Acceptable. If they hit my family, my life is over anyway. And if they hit me. ”

“Protection of your family is guaranteed if we have to kill every last one of them.”

“Then it is agreed. I’d appreciate your keeping an eye on things for me. And if they take out my family and myself. unleash hell upon all of them.”
“To the last drop of my blood and all who follow me.” “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Maitland.”
I hung up the phone softly. Whenever I had spoken with him, on the few occasions it had occurred, I always felt like I had crossed over into another realm of being, as far as you could get from the real 9-5 world that most people live in. It wasn’t a pleasant experience but it wasn’t anything I’d asked for. I had simply showed mercy to another human being and wound up being ensnared in a dark and deadly world that I wanted no part of.
But the Old Man who felt he owed me a debt couldn’t be persuaded or threatened into leaving me alone. It was like walking through a dark wood and finding a huge and dangerous wolf dogging your tracks and leaping to engage anything that threatened you. You might not want or need his protection, but how did you call him off? It was a trick I hadn’t figured out in more than seven years. Maybe I never would. Until he died, and hopefully those who followed wouldn’t feel the obligation he did.