The Devil's Sweetheart

Stacks of letters and pictures were scattered in front of him. Every part of him went into a pause while he tried to catch his thoughts. Almost robotically, his hands raised and picked the pictures from the table, his eyes as still as a mannequin. There were graven images of Leena as if she was an object of worship.

A sudden dread and sense of coldness took over on Devin. As if the cold wind went through him, he picked a letter and read the content written on it.

[My dear beloved Leena, someone touched your portrait today and I have sliced off his hand. Only I can touch you, right]

His mood sickened and he picked another letter without finishing it.

[I have written this letter with my own blood, my beloved, Leena. Only you could make me crazy for you. I promise you, I will soon come and take you away from everyone and we will live together happily, Only two of us.]

Devin threw the letters harshly onto the table. He didn't want to read those sickly letters anymore. Psycho. The only thought that came to Devin's mind at the moment.

"Who is it!" He demanded. His shouting was the result of the inner turmoil. The peaceful environment they had polluted with rage.

"There is no written address and I don't know the name." Francis sighed. When he first saw the letters, even he was like a powder keg bursting in anger. He swore once he sees that bastard, he would cut his head off for having sick thoughts on his darling baby.

"Why didn't you track the packages? I mean you couldn't get through a person who delivered it?" Devin frowned, he wasn't merely raising his voice. He was seething behind it. Bastard. Who the hell is he to claim Leena her's?

"I caught the people through CCTV. But it's of no use, Devin," Francis stated. That bastard has deliberately done everything openly challenging them.

"Why?"

"All the hired people work only for money and they don't care anything except for money, even if they want to kill, they would do it without a second thought." He continued. "They don't have any connections to the main head and they are just executing the task by taking the orders. They wait for the orders, execute them and the money would be delivered to random places but they don't see the person. If they dared, they would be killed."

"You mean like sleeper agents?" Sleeper cells were the ones who go underground, executing special assignments due to their devotion to the country. An organization hires some people, manipulates them accordingly, and uses them for their purposes to kill people for their countries. The irony is that those people don't have any connection with one another, they don't talk, or they don't communicate. In normal cases, they would work for the country without taking the money. But here they are working for someone. All in all, they are no worse than sleeper agents.

"We can somehow relate to them," Francis said.

"When did you start receiving?" Devin asked gazing at the letters with disgust.

"Three years back."

"Was it delivered to you directly, instead of Leena?" If Leena has seen them, she would have freaked out.

"First they were delivered to Leena. She was utterly devastated at that time. Reese contacted me secretly and from then on, she would secretly deliver them to me. So, she doesn't know." Francis explained. He couldn't think of her state if it continued. She was slowly recovering from her accident trauma but then an intruder entered to crash her again.

"That bastard has been sending the packages directly to my office. He is watching every move, Devin. All his men are blended into the crowd like common people and it's impossible to trace a clue related to him. But I am still not sure why he is hiding. What is his motive for not approaching Leena until now but still sending these creepy letters."

"Watch out. He is smart, intelligent, as sly as a fox. It's been three years and I couldn't get any clue of his name or how he looks. We never know when he is going to make a move."

"If he is cleverer than fox then I am poisonous than a snake. He has to reach my body before he has to touch her." He wouldn't let him touch a strand of her hair, he has already declared war against him. Even if he is hiding in the other part of the world, he will drag him here.

"I trust you," Francis patted Devin's shoulder as if a lump of stress has been relieved, Francis, sighed. For three years, he has been gripping the edge of his life, scared that something would happen to Leena. "I am entrusting her responsibility to you."

"I will arrange a tight security around her from now." Devin swallowed the anger but it was making him worse ready to explode.

"Okay," Francis nodded. Even he has arranged tight security who are working in shadows but still he is scared of the person. Who is going to be his first target to take Leena away? He shuddered at the thought.

"Leena would be alone, I will take my leave." Wordlessly, Devin strolled out not before taking the letters and pictures. He wanted to look more into them if he can get any clue in the letters.

..

The moment Devin reached home and before he keyed in the password, Leena opened the door and stood in front of him with a broad smile. "Devinnnnnn...I miss you." She jumped on to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I missed you too." He whispered patting her back. Leena released herself from the hug when something was poking behind her back and looked at the package curiously. "What is it? Did you bring a dress for me" Her smile amplified and before she tried to grab it, Devin pulled back.

"No." He leaned his forehead and poked her nose against his. "It's a file of the new project which I have to study." Leena did not probe into it further since it was project related.

"Okay." She added. "Get fresh. I will reheat the dishes."

He half nodded and went to the bedroom. After dinner, Devin was scanning a file related to the project while Leena was lying on his chest playing a game on her mobile. With one hand, he was caressing her head slowly. Despite he was looking into the file, his mind was drifting to Francis's words. He wanted to tell Leena but not until he gets clear information on that person. If he tells her how creepy that man is, she would get frightened.

"Leena, can I ask you a question?" Devin wants to start with her for any hint. Even if the slightest hint, it would be useful. Three years back she started her modeling career. So, by chance, if the person has seen her and obsessed with her during that time?

"Yes, babylicious. Anything for you."

"Have you ever met a phsyco?"

"I am meeting every day." She giggled.

"I am serious here."

"Okay. I am serious now. As far as I remember, I haven't met any. But why are you asking all these things now? Did something happen?" She looked at him with skepticism

"I am just curious." He smiled. "Forget those. You haven't told me the places you traveled for shoots from the time you started modeling." He shifted the topic not to sound so deliberate.

"That's a big list."

"I will listen, sweetheart."

"Okay. Here you go." With that Leena started telling him about the places she traveled.. Quietly he listened and made a note of all the places to try his luck, if he was lucky he would get some clue if he searches the people around her.