Chapter 5

Evangeline walked at Alex's side as they made their way through various neighborhoods and streets. Dim had apparently heard of a job that the gang was interested in, a house full of rubies and deng for the whole lot of them. Evangeline was unsure she really wanted to be with them, but one look at Alex and his fiery eyes made all doubt in her heart disappear.

"All right droogs, so that's where the starry cheena lives then?" Alex said crouching down across the street from a very old house. Dim nodded and Alex got a wicked smile on his face.

"Let's go then" Alex said. The others made their way slowly up to the house, trying to not look suspect. "Alex" Evangeline said pulling him aside "What am I supposed to do?"

He smiled at her and held her face in his hand; it felt warm and soft compared to the wild creature she knew was inside of him. "Don't be poolgy love, dear Alex will keep thou safe, remember?" he said.

"Promise?" she said not wanting to keep him.

"I promise love" he said and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before heading towards the house. Evangeline watched as he tried the old trick he had used at her house the night he entered. The old woman was smart; she wasn't going to let some stranger into her house, especially if it was filled with money and riches.

She ran over to them as Alex was climbing on top of Dim to get to the window. "She didn't fall for it then?" she said looking at George. He just gave her an evil look and drew his attention back to Alex. Evangeline knew what that look meant, she was not welcomed in their party. She quietly moved away from the party and watched Alex disappear into the house.

"Now, to really get'em" Dim said turning to Evangeline. She didn't know what they were about to do, but George and Dim had a look of mischief in their eyes while Pete slowly drew back not wanting to be a part of it.

"You keep your grazny hands off of me!" she hissed as they approached.

"Sorry miss, but you'll have to bear with us for a malenky bit" George said grabbing her by the arms. Evangeline struggled against him but his hand was tight upon her mouth as she tried to scream for Alex. Something terrible was about to happen, and she had a feeling it was about Alex.

Suddenly Alex appeared at the door, he looked flushed and scared. "Come on let's go the police are coming" he said and suddenly spotted George holding Evangeline in a way that made his blood boil. Then like a flash of lighting Dim smashed a full bottle of milk in Alex's face sending him down on the ground.

"You bastards! If you hurt her I'll kill you! Bastards!" Alex screamed. He could hear the sound of fists beating against flesh before the police lights flashed in his eyes blinding him to everything.

Evangeline woke up in the police station, her brain beating against her skull. Her whole body was sore and she slowly blinked open her swollen eyes.

"I think this one's awake" the police officer said. Evangeline suddenly remembered the droogs and how they had ambushed her and Alex for the police.

"Where's Alex?" she said groggily trying to rub her eyes open.

"In the next room, mind telling us what happened?" the police said.

"It was a set up" she said "Alex was set up by others; he wasn't going to harm anyone."

"Well he killed the old crone, did you know that? Or was that a set up too?" the police man said flicking a cigarette at Evangeline's face.

"I'm not telling you anything" she defiantly said. She never liked police in the first place, and this treatment only made her hate them more. She knew Alex was guilty, she wouldn't put it past him, but her heart was too strong to give him up to them.

"Well then, I guess it's going to be the hard way" the policeman said turning up the sleeves of his shirt. Evangeline's eyes grew wide as two other men entered the room and feeling the first blow to her face, Evangeline blacked out.

Alex had taken the beating with stride, he knew he was guilty, the news of the old woman had sentenced him. He had tried to plea with them, tell them it was a set up, but they would have none of it. They had their man, and they would not dig any deeper into it.

"Where is Evangeline?" he finally spoke out to them. The question had burned into his mind since the start of all this, but he had refrained from giving them too much against him.

"The girl? Oh she's in the next room over" the inspector said "Getting about the same treatment as you. We believe she was a part of all this, pity since her mother just passed not an hour ago, but she won't be awake for that, she's been knocked out of her mind."

"You sodding bastard you leave her alone!" Alex screamed "She had nothing to do with it! If you've harmed one voloss on her gulliver I'll shive your litso to pieces!"

"Tsk Tsk young Alex, such violent talk" the inspector said "Well go have a look at your pretty thing, the ambulance is taking her out now" he said pointing to the window of the room that lead out to the hallway.

Alex rushed forward, ignoring the others in the room and only waited for her to pass by. He grew sick to his stomach and only wished he would be freed from this room to rush to her. Two men in blue jackets walked by the window, and he could hear a commotion outside of the doors.

Then like out of a nightmare from Alex's mind, Evangeline passed by on a cot, her arms bloodied and her face bruised so badly her skin looked black.

"Evangeline!" Alex screamed banging the window "Evangeline look at me!" He begged and screamed and banged on the window till the glass started cracking. Tears, something Alex had rarely come across, hit his face as he saw her pass by him, blood dripping from her beautiful lips and her wonderful eyes close to him. Then in an instant, she was gone from him.

"You sodding bastard" Alex whispered holding his face "I'll kill you for doing this to her."

"Now, now Alex, no need for such talk, just be a good boy and come with us to be charged with murder. No more harm will come to Miss Alexander if you come quietly" The inspector said handing him a cloth to wipe his face.

He did just as they asked, he went to trial, he took his sentence, all in the hope they would leave his seraphim alone. And now Alex DeLarge sat in his prison cell, dreaming of the day his arms would wrap around his fiery angel once more. It felt good to say her name, even if others did not understand what he was talking about.

She was his girl, she would always be, and it felt so good to call her that. His Evangeline, his Devotchka.

"My Devotchka" he whispered and drifted off to sleep thinking of her once more, for in his dreams, he was back there with her.