Burnt Bridges

I opened the door this morning surprised to find Coco standing there looking as forlorn as the weather she brought with her. I was tempted to close the door in her face as she had not exactly shown me great support when Jojo had wandered off with Lynx to do their TV show. I know that she probably had no idea what was going on between Lynx and Jojo but she had stayed her usual silent, vacant self when the news broke of his absence. Instead I waited for her to say something which for Coco amounted to bursting into tears. There was no point in leaving her on the doorstep it was too much like punishing a puppy.

I brought her inside and discovered that Coco was convinced her marriage was ending and it was all the fault of Gervais Dubois. While I did not believe her marriage was ending I knew that her distress was definitely caused by Gervais for only he could bring about such complete meltdown and not even be present! I asked Coco what was up and between hiccupping sobs she gave me the story on the latest disaster caused by our favorite Dubois.

Coco like the good little wife she was had packed up her bags and left to accompany her husband on his scouting trip for sites, this is how she started her story although the truth was probably closer to—she was going to make damn sure her husband was not anywhere near the clutches of Lynx. She was fairly certain Lynx was keeping Jojo busy but was not going to take any chances with that vixen around her husband. Lynx was fine until they reached her secluded little cabin which turned out to be a cedar home of magnificent proportions including two guest wings. It appears even that was not enough space for Lynx when another woman was in close proximity and she started finding issues with Coco right from the start.

Royce being the sort who would rather lie under a speeding truck than face any sort of confrontation avoided dealing with the issue until Gervais turned up on the doorstep. Since neither Jojo nor Royce knew that Gervais owned the studio that employed them they were not very pleased to see him there but Gervais found a way around this by saying he had created the little show to make up for their earlier fall out and was sparing no advertising in ensuring it was a huge success. In fact the buzz about it was huge already and this was no lie as Gervais had wasted no time having huge billboards erected all over town showing Lynx in a satin negligee facing the camera while two models—I suppose they are representing Jojo and Royce have their backs to the camera while wearing wet suits. She is smiling suggestively while the caption reads Extreme Lynx, discover the thrill--coming soon. The entire town was gossiping about the show already before it had even started filming and the boys were too stupid to notice that Gervais had cleverly covered himself by using models so they were easily replaced.

Gervais and Lynx went up to her wing to have a little confab about whatever was troubling her and did not come down until the next day. At first Coco was pleased to see Gervais hoping he would occupy Lynx enough to keep her off her back but the boys were very wary of his presence. They had learned before that presents from Gervais often had more like a noose attached than strings and they were not expecting anything good to come of this. Coco said they had pretty much burned all their bridges, even without considering that I was one of the bridges that Jojo had burned, and had to stick it out. In my heart I hoped that Gervais pulled the rug out from under them as that was all either of them deserved but I said nothing for I the last thing I wanted was another storm of tears.

Gervais came down the next morning with a subdued Lynx, I had a fairly good idea why as a night with Gervais would leave a person scarred in many different ways and told Coco point blank that she could no longer accompany Royce on scouting. He said the budget didn’t hold for family members and since she was not in any medical or psychological danger she would have to leave. Royce protested a bit feebly saying they were newly wed but Gervais brushed it aside saying it was only for a few weeks and that she would have to get used to the routine of him leaving for a few days a week to shoot as it was.

This was where Coco decided to start sobbing again for ten minutes before continuing that she returned to the Vanderhaven place to find Taryn completely rude, Tiah was in a miff as no one was paying attention to her and Jago was his usual absent self, there but not saying a thing. Braith tried to console her but even he could not reassure her that Royce would not get tangled up with Lynx as she was a sexual dynamo very few men resisted when she targeted them. I told her that she was probably preoccupied with Jojo but Coco said the minute Royce shows he is not interested is the minute she will decide she wants him and I had to agree for that is exactly how she operates.

Coco finally came out with the real reason she was here, she asked me to intervene with Gervais and I gave her a look like she had lost her mind. What on earth was she thinking, for if she thought any plea from me on her behalf would inspire Gervais to do something, she was more insane than I thought. Oh yes, he would do something alright, he would kill me or torture me or own me and I told her sternly it was out the question. Gervais had already taken Jojo from me and I was not about to plead for Royce as he was a married man and if he could not keep his trousers zipped it was not my issue. Coco started on the but we are friends bid but I told her point blank that Gervais Dubois was only interested in my total destruction and I could not give him any leverage over me. I could not help her out, he was far too dangerous to approach. After it finally sank into her thick head I was of no hope, Coco left in huff as if I had turned down giving rope to a drowning person. She just had no idea of the depths of Dubois depravity and I was not about to risk being in his debt, not at this point in time.

Of course I did not have to wait long before the inevitable phone call came only this time it took him a whole ten minutes after she left. His voiced oozed down the line poisoning my ears and I didn’t need to know who it was, I simply said “Hello Gervais” and then the dance began. He started with his usual small talk, asking if I had seen the billboards in town, then he moved onto Coco returning to town and I stayed silent waiting for him to come to the kill, but Gervais was becoming more patient these days. He liked to refine the torture a bit with each phone call so instead he asked for my opinion about his new show, gritting my teeth for I did not have the patience for his games, I asked him tersely just what he wanted.

His voice became steel as he told me I knew exactly what he wanted, all I had to do was to give it to him and Coco could be reunited with her husband, Zizi could be back recording and Braith and Jazz could marry in peace. My heart stopped for a minute when he said that and I realised he had something planned for them too, something to stop their wedding. I could not let him know my fear so instead of asking him I told him that the relationships of others were none of my business and could he please stop bothering me with nonsense calls. His response was the usual genuine laugh, why was it that the more I shout at him the more honest his emotion became but I was not about to stay around to find out. I hung up the phone without even a goodbye and wracked my brains trying to work out what on earth Gervais had on Jazz or Braith. It might be time I got all the girls together because if I am going to stop Gervais I am going to need all the help I can get.

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