Making a decision, she turned away and began walking. There was little to no traffic out here, but it was nighttime, and if anything were to happen, no one would see, or if they did they wouldn’t do anything.
As she continued to walk, she cut through the park, and she noticed how there were no children here either. She wondered if parents still allowed their children to venture away from the house unattended, but she was certain with the way everything was these days that they couldn’t do such a thing.
Walking towards the parking lot, she watched as someone emerged from behind one of the walls, and she stopped dead in her tracks. “Isaac,” she said in utter disgust. Now she knew he was her half-brother, and she began to wonder how long he had known.
“Where do you think you are going?”
Looking over her shoulder, she saw as two others arrived, and she saw a car was being brought into the parking lot. No one would be able to help her now, and she knew she would not be able to help herself. Then she remembered the gun, and it was in her bag—loaded, too; she knew it was.
“I am going to see William,” she said. “There is something that I want to talk about.”
“You just bought a gun, so I strongly doubt that you would be talking to our father. So I will not be able to allow you to do anything.”
“And just what are you going to do, Isaac? Are you and your goons going to do to me what you did to James?”
He chuckled. “Your sister helped us every step of the way, and she had no guilt.”
“You have manipulated her,” Olivia said, venomously. “You are exploiting her weakness. Normal and decent people do not do that.”
“I was never raised to be decent. Now, tell me where the information James left for you is.”
Pulling her gun, she cocked it and pulled the trigger. She listened as it sounded, and Isaac fell to the ground. He had been hit, but she knew she did not deliver a killing shot. She felt pain as she was being tackled to the ground. There was no way for her to escape them, but she attempted to do so. She felt as one of them gagged her. She was no match for the strength that they possessed, and she had a sinking feeling. It was looking unlikely she was going to be able to avenge James or clear Castro’s name after all, but she wasn’t done trying.
###
He was sitting on the couch in his apartment, and he wondered where Emily had disappeared to. She said she had to finish something, and he wasn’t too sure what she meant by that. He didn’t want to admit that there was a possibility that she suspected him. Of course, he had never given her a reason to, but that was what he was worried about.
As he sat there, he wondered if he had lost her. He shouldn’t have… everything he had done was for her. He would never do anything to hurt what they obviously had. When he heard his phone sound off, he quickly answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” he heard Emily say. He couldn’t help but notice how exhausted she sounded, and he wondered what was wrong. Where had she been? “I finished what I needed to do, and I was hoping we could get a bite to eat. How does Chinese sound?”
“It sounds wonderful,” he said, as he was getting up. “Where can I pick you up?” he asked, hoping to get a hint as to what she had been doing.
“No, that will not be necessary at all. I will meet you there.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
Before he could say anything more, the phone was disconnected, and he wondered what he should wear. He had been hinting heavily to Emily he wanted to take everything to the next level, but she was cautious. He was beginning to wonder if she was even that into him, but why wouldn’t she be? He had never given her a reason not to be interested.
As he was looking at his reflection in the mirror, he knew he looked awesome, and hopefully tonight would be the night. Emily couldn’t say no forever, could she?
###
David had waited for ten minutes after Tom left before he entered the apartment. Emily had the spare key, and she was distracting Tom so he would be able to get inside Tom’s apartment for a little while. As he stepped inside, he realized that not all men were as messy as he was, but that was something he should not be concerned about at the moment.
Observing the apartment, he wondered where he would hide anything of importance if he was Tom. He took a moment, and he sat down where he would sit, and he looked at everything that was in clear view, noticing how everything was grouped. He saw a picture of a women he assumed was Tom’s grandmother.
Getting to his feet, he walked over to the entertainment center where it was standing, and he picked it up. Flipping it over, he opened up the back and popped the photograph out of place. Much to his dismay, there was nothing. Maybe Emily was just thinking he was involved, but it was very much possible he was not.
Setting the picture back how he had found it, he looked over the rest of the room, and there was nothing that jumped out at him. He walked into the bedroom, and saw that there was only one nightstand, and it was rather naked. There was not even a lamp on top of it, and there were no photographs. Compared to everything else, it was just odd.
As he walked over towards it, he pulled at the drawer, and he realized it was locked. Looking around the room, he didn’t see a key anywhere, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to complete everything tonight. He decided it was best to leave, and as he did so, he heard the front door open. David froze where he was, and looked around for potential hiding places, but there was nothing around him other than a closet, a bathroom, and underneath the bed.
His heart was beginning to pound in his chest, as he made his decision. He darted to the bathroom, and shut the door behind himself as quietly as he could. Looking around desperately, he saw the window, and as he attempted to open it, he realized that it was nailed shut. There was no way out of this, so he decided to make do with hiding behind the shower curtain.
Attempting to breathe normally and without sound, he heard voices. “What do you mean you’re not here,” he said viciously. David could only assume he was on the phone. “No, no, you listen here, punk. I own you. All of us do. You are just a pawn in our game, and if you do not do as we ask, then you will end up like the others.”
There was silence for a moment, and David jumped as he heard something crash. “No,” he heard him shout. “I’m not negotiating with you, and if you screw me over, it will be the end of it, do you understand? We allowed you to let your girlfriend live, but do not read anything into our kindness, because it does not come around very often.”
He listened as there was silence all around him, and he wondered what Tom had that they wanted. He realized that there was something Tom knew about him—that he kept hard copies of everything, and he did not keep them secured properly. Was it possible that he had stolen files for them?
David was not sure how much longer he was going to be able to wait for this man to leave, and he wondered if the guy was just going to stay here until Tom showed up. Hopefully he would just leave, but David was beginning to doubt he would have such luck.
Remaining where he was, he didn’t know how much more he could take, and he heard the front door slam shut. He wondered if the man had left, and he stepped out of the shower and walked over towards the door. Pressing his ear against it, he heard absolutely nothing, and he slowly opened the door.
Looking around, he didn’t see anyone else there, and he walked over towards the drawer and examined the lock. It shouldn’t be too difficult to get into, but he knew he didn’t have much time to fiddle with it.
Finding an aluminum ruler, he slid it in and jimmied it. He heard a click as it was unlocked, and soon he was able to see several different folders. He did not know what the contents were, but put them all underneath his arm.
Putting the drawer back, it was obvious it had been broken into, and he knew it was fine since the other man had been in the apartment. He didn’t care too much about any of that now.
Making his way to the front door,
he slipped outside and he saw no one around. Everything was perfectly fine, and as he walked out to the parking lot, he was able to breathe easier.
###
After he had stepped outside for a smoke, he came back inside the apartment. He was going to wait for that schmuck to come back home, and force Tom to give the information over. After that—well, orders were orders!
Stepping back into the bedroom, he realized something was wrong. Earlier when he had been here, this door had been shut, and now it was open. His attention then went to the nightstand, and he realized the drawer was not sitting correctly. Someone else had been in here the entire time, and he had no idea who it had been.
Chapter 23
When she woke, she was in complete darkness, but she was not disoriented. She knew where she most likely was, and she also knew why she was here. Looking around herself, her eyes had finally adjusted, and she heard someone stepping from the shadows into the dim light.
“Teresa, I truly thought you were smarter than this.”
“I am smarter than you think,” she said slowly. “You did not retrieve what you wanted from me, and even after everything you put me through, I still will not say a word to benefit you.”
William smiled, and it disgusted her to think that he was her biological father. It was evident that she took after her mother more than she did him, and she was thankful for that. “Teresa, Olivia, whatever name you want to go by, I am not a fool. You may have had your sister fooled, but you have never fooled us. We know you sent that to David Orlando, but the evidence that James compiled will never be enough to convict me. There is nothing that can link me to those crimes.”
She bowed her head, and she knew he was correct on that. “You are not a god, and you never will be. Monsters such as you only have one place.”
“Hell? Do you truly believe that I am afraid of what people try to make us believe? I will never have to pay for my crimes.”
“You mean more than the crimes you acknowledge you have committed. What of the murders of those women that you pinned on Carlisle Castor? What I still don’t understand is why you framed him.”
“He was the best candidate for it all. He knew all of the women, and any jury would see him as a sociopath that was in denial.”
“I know,” she said harshly. “Because you made me see him as that as well. My only question is why you had to kill him, too.”
“He was never meant to live. Plus, now that he is deceased, his assets are no longer frozen, and we are able to collect from the stocks quite nicely.”
“There has to be more to it than that.”
“No, all I wanted was more money. The more money you have, the better off you are long-term. Besides, the men who work for me don’t work cheap.”
There was nothing more she was willing to say at this point, and William took another step towards her. “I will be back, and you will tell me everything I want to know.”
“I really would love to see what you have in store for me.”
A malicious gleam entered his eyes and he smiled. “You are more like me then you probably realize.”
“And you are delirious to think that I am anything like you.”
“No, I see you for who you really are, and you are in denial about the qualities you possess that resemble me so closely.”
She watched as he walked away from her, and she was seething. This was not over, she kept telling herself. Despite being in the lion’s den, she knew that she still had a chance of escaping, of breaking free. She knew that her chance was slim, but she would not stop until she got what she wanted. She was stubborn, something that her mother had always pointed out to her.
###
Emily was not too sure why Tom had to leave so abruptly, but she was not going to question him. Bidding him farewell, she watched as he disappeared. Hopefully, everything David had gone in there to do had been done, but she wondered if something else had occurred, and she hoped he had made it out of there alright without being caught.
As she was wheeling herself down the street, she was not too sure where she was headed. She had longed to go home, but it was compromised, and until everything was restored and all of this resolved, she knew she would not return. She paused when she saw a woman walking down the sidewalk alone. There was a part of Emily that would never like Nancy, not even as a friend, and when Nancy saw her she attempted to change her route.
That was something she didn’t understand. Why did Nancy just leave David behind? He had been there for her when she needed him. Maybe she was scared by what had transpired, and instinctually she was getting away from him. Whatever the case may be, Emily was not going to ask, because it wasn’t her place.
As they passed, she let out her breath and continued on as if nothing had happened. The sun was shining brightly today, but the air was still chilled, and she wondered what was going to happen next. There were too many things they were not in control of, and it was beginning to make her anxious.
Continuing down the street, she heard her phone begin to sound off, and she dug it out of her bag.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Emily, it’s me. I just had to get to a pay phone, and I needed to let you know that I got everything I needed. Could you meet me back at the office?”
“Of course, boss,” she said, and she heard the click of the line disconnecting. Tom was guilty, and he had been helping them. Even though she was the one who had first suspected it, she was conflicted about how she felt. Tom had been more than kind towards her, but maybe that was the thing with people. Even if you think you know someone, they all have a façade, and it was disappointing.
Changing her course, she sometimes wished that things were just as they appeared. In an ideal world, there would be so much that would be different, but she knew she was not in an ideal world, nor would she ever be.
###
Marissa was covered in her satin sheets, and she was more than pleased. Isaac kissed her forehead, and she saw the wound that had been inflicted on him. Of course, he would not tell her how he had received it, but she knew he won, and that was all that mattered.
Sitting up, she watched as he was beginning to get dressed, and she wondered where he was heading off to. The clothes that he was wearing were disposable, unlike the others he had. She wondered why he had two different types of clothing, and she knew he must not be meeting anyone too important to be wearing that.
“Do you have to go?” she said. If she could have her way, he would stay in bed with her all day.
“Yes, Mar, I have to go. There is something I have to take care of.”
“Which is what?”
Fixing his collar, he turned back towards her, and he smiled. “Something that I am not allowed to discuss, but I do assure you that I will be back here as quickly as possible. Alright?”
Biting her lower lip, she knew there was no way for her to win this argument, and she nodded in defeat. She watched as Isaac turned away from her, and he began to leave. Remaining there for a moment, she knew she could not stay here all day, and she got up and slipped on a shirt and some pants.
Walking towards the window, she was hoping that she would be able to catch a glimpse of him before he drove off, but he never went to the car. In fact, she didn’t see him at all, and she wondered if he was speaking to his father before he left.
Continuing to wait, five minutes had passed, and she knew there was something wrong. The only place Isaac would go to get away from her was in the basement, but she had never been allowed down there. Ever since she was younger, she had been told it was forbidden for women to go down there, because only men had access. One time Teresa had attempted to go down there, and the next morning she had found her with a broken nose, but she never spoke of it.
Slipping out of the room, she looked around, and she saw no one around. Walking downstairs, she knew that there was only one main entrance to the basement, but that was only the normal entrance. This was an ol
der home that had been a hotel at one point, and she knew that there was a laundry chute that led all the way down as well.
Looking around, she didn’t see anything that would be able to hold her weight while she went down on her own, and she began to pace. Of course, she wanted to know what type of business men had that the women did not, but she knew she should stay away from it entirely. All she had ever done was obey, and she was getting sick and tired of it. Being obedient made her feel as though she was also blind.
Contemplating what she should do, she had a sudden realization. The laundry chute had metal bars going all the way down to the basement. She peered inside it and found where they were, then stepped inside and began the journey down. The bars were slippery, and she had to be very careful not to slip. She heard voices becoming louder the closer to the bottom she got. She stopped short when she heard her sister’s voice.
“I will shoot you the way you shot me,” she heard Isaac say. “Now, tell me where the information is!”
“Do not make empty threats, Isaac. You and I both know you are not a killer. You hire people to do that for you.”
He laughed menacingly, and he stopped. “Who do you think pulled the trigger on James? Ultimately, your sister should have been the one to do it, since she was the one who brought him to us.”
“My sister has been manipulated by you from the very beginning.”
“Are you saying you do not blame her?”
Remaining there, listening, she was not sure what to think. Her sister was here, and was being held prisoner, and now knew that Marissa was involved in what happened to James. Isaac had been lying to her all along, and now had betrayed her as well, but why? Because James was framing them? How did her sister figure into it?
Promised Box Set Page 67
