“Oh, I’m not his father. I’m Tyler’s uncle.”
Ms. Jones shrugged. “I see.”
“Well, I’m afraid Jasper can’t make it and he sent me here in place of him.” Vince clarified, and his expression suddenly turned sad. “You know, sometimes his illness doesn’t allow him.”
Ms. Jones appeared confused, and I knew my expression matched hers. What was Vince talking about?
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware he had an illness.”
Vince sighed and glanced at me. “You never told the teacher, Kiara?”
“No,” I said. Vince would be crazy to tell the teacher that Jasper was diagnosed with psychopathy.
“Jasper goes through certain mood swings and his depression is getting worse. I would really appreciate if this remained between us Ms. Jones.”
“Of course, Mr. Lockhart. Maybe that would explain why the child is usually very quiet and unsocial.” Ms. Jones said who seemed to be throwing me looks of sympathy. She placed her hand on mine, “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Lockhart. I wasn’t aware of your husband’s condition.”
I remained silent, wondering why Vince had told the teacher lies.
***
Vince and I silently walked out of the school hallway. I was struggling to keep up with his long strides. It’d started raining heavily outside. We made a dash towards my car and without speaking a word, I slipped behind the wheel while he took the passenger side seat. It was pouring hard by now, and the rain pelted against the windshield with a vengeance, making it difficult to see outside. The wipers swiped violently.
“Believe it or not, I actually got a call from Tyler. He wanted me to see his teacher with you.”
“Thanks for the save. It was very nice of you to come to the meeting, Vince,” I said. “Tyler really likes you a lot.”
Vince smiled. “And what about you?”
I knew he was only teasing me, but I couldn’t miss the undertone to the question.
I felt his long elegant fingers coil around mine, I looked up at him and he smiled like he knew how I felt. His arm reached out towards me and tucked the loose hair behind my ear, his fingers caressing my cheek. And then he began frantically searching through the car and found something attached beneath his seat. It was hidden away from sight.
Vince placed a finger to his lips, retrieved his phone and typed something. Seconds later, he showed me a message he’d typed in his Notes.
Your car is bugged with audio surveillance.
I stared at the message, shocked. He typed more.
There’s a car parked at a distance. A black Cadillac. It has been following me since I was back in town.
I looked through the rearview mirror and spotted a black car at a distance parked idly by a tree.
He typed. I think Jasper is keeping tabs on you while keeping an eye on me, too. He suspects us.
Vince passed me a devilish grin and typed. He thinks he’s really smart. Guess he forgot we share the same blood.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Vince said, louder than necessary. “Did you miss me while I was away?”
“I did,” I admitted softly.
He stared at me for what felt like forever. “Can I make a confession?”
I nodded.
“When I was away at medical school, I often wondered where you were, what you were doing. And I wished I was the one who first met you that day in the alley instead of Jasper. I wish I was the one who saved you from the bad guys, Kiara. You have no idea how painful it was to watch you with him.” He clenched his hands into tight fists. “I just began to accept that it’s life. After everything that you’ve been through, I’m glad I can be here for you now.”
“Oh, Vincent. That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me,” I said, almost feeling the tears form in my eyes. “If you’d met me on that day in the alley, wouldn’t our story be different?”
His brown eyes twinkled. “It’s not too late for that. I want you to know something else. Something that I’d kept buried deep inside me because I was afraid to say it.”
“What is it?”
“I love you, Kiara,” Vincent said, and I knew then that the acting had been a disguise. He was conveying his true feelings.
I covered my face with my hands in mock shame, shaking my head. “I’m sorry, Vincent. I can’t…I can’t return your feelings. I’m a married woman, and I have a son. No matter how bad Jasper is, he is still my husband. No matter how badly he treats me, I cannot cheat on him.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t tell you I love you because I expected you to love me back. Some relationships are complicated, and I’ve come to accept the fact that you’d always love Jasper, and I can’t ever force you to fall in love with his brother.”
“Vincent…”
He sneaked a glance at the car. I followed his gaze and saw as it rolled forward. They were trying to get a better view of us, and then the car zoomed past us. Vince and I both saw it turn the corner. It was the same black Cadillac. Whoever had been watching us was going to report to Jasper what just transpired.
With Jasper, I knew I had to expect the unexpected. I could never figure out what was going on in his head, but with Vincent, I felt safe. He was someone I could trust. Vincent was my friend. They were brothers, and yet they had so many differences. While Jasper was stern, charming in ways; Vince was warm, kind and giving. The new information about Vincent having feelings for me didn’t change how I saw him.
He looked around, leaned in, and pecked my lips which actually took me by surprise. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Let’s keep that our little secret.”
He caught my wrist and traced cirles over it, “There is something else.”
“What is it?”
“You’re pregnant.”
I was stunned to hear him say that. I was quite happy to hear that at first until I had a reality check. “Another baby. This is not a good life for a child Vince.” I looked at my open palm. My hands were trembling.
“If it comes down to the worst, I’ll provide for you, Kiara. I’ll protect both your children and you.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Eight…nine…and ten. Here I come.” I declared as I pulled off the blindfold.
I could hear Tyler’s giggle as I tiptoed in the general direction of his voice. Tyler and I played these little games in the evening when Jasper was busy in his study or traveling out of the country.
I walked into the paddock where Tyler normally hid. The property was so large, there was a possibility for anyone to lose track of time and forget their way back to the mansion. Tyler had been lost once or twice when he wandered out of the mansion unsupervised. I hadn’t been worried for approximately two hours thinking he was just looking at the horses or playing with his imaginary friends. After eight hours, I’d panicked and the house staff was frantically searching every corner of the property, looking for the child. Finally, ten hours later, a maid found Tyler in the attic, matted in dirt and asleep.
After that incident and a few others following that, Jasper had been firm in telling Tyler that he was not to wander around the property unsupervised. Jasper had an authoritative impact over Tyler. He was a loving father, yet he knew when Tyler needed some grilling to keep the boy in order.
I walked towards the stables, all the horses stood tall and handsome, freshly groomed. Next, I checked the shed. “Tyler,” I called out.
I’d warned him to stay out of the woods, but I suspected he still wandered there, being the rule breaker that he was. I decided to first check the old barn which remained abandoned. It was a good walk away from the mansion and the courtyard. The lock of the barn was open, so there was a possibility that Tyler was being a smartass and hid inside.
I touched the wooden door and pushed it ajar.
“Kiara,” I stopped and spun around on my heel to see Jasper standing a few feet away from me, Tyler in his arms.
“You’re back
from your trip,” I said.
“I wanted to spend more time with my family, and I got Tyler and you some gifts from India,” he announced.
“Gifts!” Tyler exclaimed. I was one hundred and one percent sure he’d forgotten we were playing a game of hide and seek.
“I went inside the house and the maid told me that you and Tyler were playing in the courtyard. I found this little troublemaker hiding in the old garage.” Jasper passed me an accusing look as if Tyler hiding in the garage was my fault.
“Well, then we need a smaller house; one that doesn’t include a huge courtyard, stables, a barn and a forest. Tyler is a child, and he likes exploring. How can I confine—”
“You know that family, the Wilson’s. Their son used to do the exact same thing; running away from the mansion, hiding in places people can’t find him, and do you remember what became of him?” Jasper whispered to me. “His body was found later, floating in the lake waters, purple and bloated, completely unrecognizable.”
“Stop it, Jasper!” I said. “I knew the direction he’d walked in, and there was a maid here keeping an eye on us. Besides, I’m not stupid.”
“Tyler, go inside the house and open your gifts while Mommy and Daddy talk here for a while,” I suggested.
“Okay,” he said and started walking towards the maid standing at a distance.
Before he could walk away, I pulled out a small device stuck in Tyler’s shirt pocket. I showed Jasper my phone. “I had a GPS device attached to him. No matter where Tyler hides, I’d know where to find him. I had to pretend to waste some time before I went into the garage.”
Jasper appeared bored, because I nailed it. He didn’t have a reason to display his ideals and lecture me about parenting when he wasn’t doing a good job himself.
***
That night, surprisingly, Jasper went to bed on time after dinner. I’d watched the clock, and it was at eleven thirty sharp. I’d pretended to fall asleep, but I was awake. I needed to find out what Jasper was up to and why he woke up during the wee hours. What if the barn was the place where he kept his meth? Maybe it was a secret meth lab like the one Walter White had in Breaking Bad?
Knowing Jasper, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was associated with something dangerous like a mafia syndicate or a drug lord. I was hoping he wasn’t. He had connections worldwide, from Royal families to politicians and celebrities, down to the most ruthless people in the underworld.
Sometime in the middle of the night, I felt weight lifted off from the bed. I didn’t budge, didn’t even move, and just laid there pretending to be asleep. I waited a few minutes after I heard the door close and the footsteps retreat. I sat up and didn’t bother to switch on the lights as I looked out of the window.
I watched as Jasper walked through the courtyard and disappeared.
If that wasn’t fishy, I didn’t know what was. I quickly pulled on my robe and slipped on a pair of outside shoes. I slipped out of the room, closing it slowly behind me. I made my way out of the house using the back door of the kitchen. The one good thing about the mansion was the amount of doors leading to the outside. I was still pretty sure I hadn’t explored some of the rooms yet. I wasn’t really one to feel scared easily, but I’d always avoided walking out alone in the mansion grounds in the middle of the night. I could hear the distant howls of the night creatures, but I willed myself to walk forward, heart in my throat. The mansion was a huge intimidating property, and looked almost gothic at night, surrounded by mountains and a forest.
Suddenly, someone grasped my arm, and before I could make a sound, the hand clammed on my mouth. The person pulled me into a corner. I turned to see who it was, expecting to see Jasper catching me red-handed following him.
It was Vincent.
“Vince, what are you doing here?” I asked in a hushed whisper.
“Same thing you are. I saw my brother walk towards the woods, and I was waiting here for two hours now to see if he would come out tonight, and then I saw you,” he explained. “If he realizes someone is on his tail, its game over. We need to be careful. I’m going to find out what illegal business he’s been keeping from us. You head back to the mansion.”
I caught the end of his shirt. “I’m coming with you. I’m his wife and I deserve to know.”
A moment of hesitation crossed him. “Fine,” Vince sighed. “But only on one condition: if I tell you to duck, run or hide, you will do it, no questions asked.”
“Agreed”
Vince nodded. He knew he couldn’t protest with me when I was hell-bent on finding out what was going on.
We stayed hidden behind some bushes and waited. A few minutes later, we saw Jasper walk into the car garage, open the trunk of his SUV, and dump something inside. He was at a distance, so we couldn’t see. Next, he walked to the driver’s side and stopped. He literally turned to face in the direction we were hiding in. I clammed my mouth shut to stop from making any sound. He was looking straight at me, and I thought I was caught, but then he climbed into his car and drove away.
A few minutes later, Vince signaled me that it was safe to come out of hiding. Vince and I walked side by side, making sure we weren’t in anyone’s line of vision. If Jasper was being smart and recording surveillance footage, he wouldn’t see us because Vince and I both knew where all the cameras were installed and were good at dodging them.
Muddy footsteps led towards the huge red barn. My heartbeat was accelerating as I walked further. Would I find women kept there to satisfy Jasper’s sick desires or something more sinister? I’d always stayed away from the barn because it was a little far from the mansion, and there were stories the maids weaved that it was the place where Jasper’s aunt had been murdered and his grandmother had committed suicide. It was old, unused, and locked.
“Don’t make a sound,” Vince whispered. “And watch your step. We’re going inside.”
Slowly, Vince walked towards the barn and opened the wooden door which made a loud creaking sound. I grasped his hand, our fingers interlocked as we walked inside. The barn was large and it was pitch black inside. We could hear our own breathing and the soft crunches of our shoes on the ground. As we walked further, Vincent pulled out his phone and switched on the torchlight.
He moved the light in all four directions, finding the area empty. I scanned around, partly expecting to see a ghost attacking us from the high ceiling above.
Vincent tapped his foot on the barn door, and he threw me a suspicious look. “There’s a basement downstairs.” He found a tiny hook that he slid his finger into and pulled it open. “You stay here, and I will go down.”
I hugged myself. This place was giving me the chills. “I can’t stay here alone. I’m coming down with you.”
Vincent closed his eyes and sighed. “Alright, but make no sound and stay close beside me.”
I gave him a nod. Vince tested a step and slowly descended. The stairs were dusty and rickety; the creaking noise of old wood was eerie. I was debating telling Vince that this was a bad idea and that we should head back into the mansion but it was like we couldn’t stop ourselves until we’d investigated the depths of this situation. This maybe our only chance considering that Jasper had already drove out of the property.
As we stepped on the ground, a stench permeated the air; a very strong odor that I knew I wouldn’t forget for a long time even if I’d wanted to.
“What’s that smell?” I whispered to Vince.
“I think it’s a dead animal.”
Vince brought the phone torch higher, and I screamed when I witnessed the horror that neither of us knew we would see down here. No sound came because my ear-piercing scream was muffled by Vince’s hand covering my mouth. Vince stood frozen beside me, probably too shocked for words.
“What have you done, brother?” he whispered to himself in an anguished voice.
There were countless bodies neatly piled, wrapped in plastic that was stained in blood. Some bodies were hanging against the basement ceiling. The distur
bing sound of a swarm of flies buzzed around the area, some feasting over the rotting meat.
Vince took a step forward, then another. I stopped him with a shaky hand on his shoulder. “Don’t, Vincent!” I choked.
“Shhh...” He politely shrugged off my hold over him and walked further, throwing the light over each body. I could see the perspiration forming on his forehead, his eyes darting around in horror.
In the midst of the hanging and the piled bodies, Vincent stood there staring blankly at them. He spun around to face me. In a low voice he said. “Kiara, I need you to come here and identify the bodies.”
I tried to say something, but fear had seeped so deep in my bones that my voice felt clogged. “I…I can’t,” I faltered.
In few easy strides, he was right beside me, his hands holding me steady before I melted down on the ground. “You have to be stronger! For yourself and for Tyler! There are probably a dozen of innocent people that Jasper has killed. You’ve been with him for four years. You could recognize some faces.”
I slowly walked into the mess. It looked like a meat farm. Some of the bodies were intact; others chopped in half with innards hanging out in the open. I swallowed the bile rising up in my throat.
How could my husband be so despicable?
He killed people so brutally, and for what purpose?
The smell of the decomposing bodies grew stronger as I stood there looking. Vincent pointed at a body in plastic. The woman had an oval-shaped face, similar to my own. Her hair was black, but could be mistaken for dark coffee. What could’ve been her eyes were now hollows of darkness. The similarities between her and me were jarringly obvious, and I wondered if Vince had noticed too. The woman’s arms bore gashes that could’ve been carved with a sharp blade. Vince quickly took pictures in his phone.
I shook my head. “I don’t know her.”
He picked a note from the body that read.
Kiara needs punishing for her disobedience.
Vince and I exchanged looks. Both of us had the same thought in our minds. Did he punish and kill an innocent woman because he couldn’t hurt me?
Psycho Billionaire: A Dark Romance Page 24
