by Kasey Krane
I crossed my arms over my chest.
“I didn’t ask for your friendship, Libby.”
“No. But I tried to be your friend anyway because I pitied you. You sad little nerd. And you’re still the same. You’re just a boring no-fun.”
Her words stung me even though I knew she was irrational because she was drunk, but there had to be some truth to it, I thought.
“I don’t think you really want me staying with you,” I said.
“No, actually, I don’t. I was annoyed when you turned up at my door. Tonight was supposed to be fun, just a way to kill some time because I knew I’d be bored out of my fuckin’ mind if I was stuck at home with you all night. And now you’ve gone and ruined that too!”
“By refusing to have a threesome with you?” I snapped.
Libby rolled her eyes at me and walked away, and I had no choice but to follow her. Even though I didn’t want to.
Eventually I was able to convince her to get into a cab and go back to her apartment. I just wanted to get off the streets and be somewhere safe where I wouldn’t be seen or recognized. I’d already made up my mind. I couldn’t live with Libby any longer. I’d spend the night at her place, make sure she was okay and in the morning, I’d leave.
I didn’t know where I’d go but I hoped Libby would let me use her computer so I could look up a few things on the internet. I needed to figure out bus times and train schedules. I needed to go somewhere obscure where I could get lost.
We sat in silence in the cab. Libby was fuming. I felt her hatred coming off onto me. I never realized she disliked me this much. I was completely mistaken about her.
“If you had never sent me those postcards, I’d have never landed up here. I thought you genuinely wanted to keep in touch.”
“I sent you those fuckin’ postcards because I figured you didn’t have a life otherwise. I wasn’t expecting you to just turn up here. And seriously, what are you even doing here? Coming and messing up my buzz.”
Maybe I should’ve told her the truth. Maybe if she knew the kind of things I’d recently been through, she wouldn’t think I was so boring. But I wasn’t here to prove my ‘cool-quotient’, so I said nothing.
“Seriously, Elsie, the only thing you’ve ever had going for you are your looks. Your olive skin and brown eyes, etcetera,” she snarled, rolling her eyes and looking away.
So it was jealousy? Had Libby always been jealous of me?
“Well, I’m glad you’ve had a chance to come clean about how you feel. Our paths don’t ever have to again.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“I’ll leave tomorrow,” I added.
“Good,” she said as the cab came to a stop. She jumped out first, so I had to pay for the ride with my limited resources.
I followed her into the building, already regretting all the decisions I ever made. How could I be such a terrible judge of character?
It seemed like I’d judged everybody wrong. I didn’t really know Sonya, clearly, I’d never really known my father either. I was completely wrong about Libby too.
And Tristian.
I was wrong about him.
We took the stairs up to her apartment and Libby fumbled in her purse for her key.
As she stumbled through the door and flipped a light on, I noticed the shapes within the dark inside.
The door swiftly shut behind us before I had a chance to react.
The light came on and I saw the men standing in Libby’s apartment.
They looked so big and imposing in here, battling for space.
Aldo Baron and four of his men.
“What the fuck is this?” Libby screeched, staring at the men in the room.
I’d turned completely cold and numb when I saw them. I couldn’t feel my hands or my feet. My head spun out of control. I’d known I was in danger of being discovered by Aldo, but this quickly?
They had followed me this whole time. I wasn’t imagining it.
Aldo’s eyes were trained on me, he completely ignored Libby’s presence in the room.
“You want to tell me what this is about?” Libby turned to me when she caught Aldo looking.
“Let her leave, she has nothing to do with this,” I said, keeping my chin up.
My knees shook while I stood there in that damned dress. Libby looked confused. I figured she wasn’t feeling so drunk anymore.
“What the fuck have you gotten yourself into, Elsie? Who are these people and what do they want?” she snarled at me.
“I’m sorry,” I said, as my eyes filled with tears. I turned to Aldo again, who’d been completely silent this whole time. It was like he enjoyed observing us in silence.
“Please, just let her go. Libby, leave now. Go somewhere and don’t talk to anybody.”
She shook her head in confusion, looking around the room at the men.
“Please, Aldo, she won’t say anything to anyone. You can trust her,” I begged.
“This is fuckin’ bullshit,” Libby screamed.
I saw the darkness on Aldo’s face. He was irritated by her. Maybe by how she screeched or he just didn’t like her voice. I didn’t know what it was.
“Please…” I sobbed as the tears flooded down my cheeks.
I’d spent enough time around these men to know what they were capable of.
Aldo raised his gun and pointed it at Libby.
“What? No!” she screamed, just as he pulled the trigger.
Her screech was cut short when the bullet hit her on the side of the head and she fell with a thud to the floor. The sound was horrifying. I felt the ground give way underneath me and I crumpled down, losing all control of my mind and body.
I didn’t hear my voice anymore. I couldn’t hear myself screaming. I knew she was dead. I knew Libby was dead and it was because of me.
I’d just killed a friend.
One of the men was ordered by Aldo to pull me back up off the floor. I couldn’t stand. I didn’t have the strength in my legs. My mind had gone completely blank.
I didn’t want to look over my shoulder and see Libby there. I knew where she was. On the floor, bleeding from the head. Already dead.
The man gripped my elbow tightly, forcing me to stay up. I couldn’t stop shaking. I wished they’d killed me instead of her. I wished I was already dead so I wouldn’t have to live through this anymore.
“Please…no…please…” I begged.
My mind hadn’t processed the facts fully. I hadn’t come to terms with the reality— Libby was dead. I couldn’t change it now. For some reason I thought I could still save her.
Aldo put his gun away before taking a few steps in my direction.
“You’ve made some pretty bad mistakes in the last few days, Elsie. I’d have thought you knew better than that,” he hissed.
I couldn’t meet his eyes. I couldn’t even catch my breath. All I thought about was Libby and what I’d done to her. If I never left Tristian’s apartment, or even if I did—if I had gone somewhere else, taken a train somewhere—Libby would still be alive.
“Haven’t you learned anything, little girl?” Aldo groaned. “From what happened to your mother and father?”
I raised my head up, my eyes were filled with tears, his face was almost hazy in front of me. I saw flashing images of my parents slumping to the ground with each bullet that was fired at them. I felt the pain. It seared my skin.
“You’re killing everybody in my life. Why don’t you just kill me too? Why have you kept me alive?” I screamed.
Aldo drew in a deep breath, shaking his head.
“Because I need something from you. Don’t worry, this will all be over soon. Just as soon as you fulfill your tasks, you’ll get what you want.”
I sobbed even harder, forcing myself to keep looking at him. It was over. I didn’t even want to live anymore. I could never go on living with the guilt of Libby’s death hanging over me.
“Did you really think you’d escape me? Steal a prisoner and go right into
the arms of a Doherty? That I’d never find you?”
“You will never win this war,” I hissed.
Aldo’s slap was unexpected. He hadn’t touched me yet, but this time he slapped me right across the face. My body jerked to the side and I felt the sting on my face.
I swung my head around to look at him again. I didn’t give a shit anymore. He could slap me around as much as he wanted to. I couldn’t break any more than I was already broken.
“Take her away and lock her up,” he commanded his men.
I wasn’t surprised.
Twenty
Tristian
I was on my way back to my apartment where I expected to find Elsie.
Nolan was right—I should’ve seen and spoken to Christie a long time ago because now, I felt free. I felt free of her and free of my past.
I wasn’t exactly happy to have seen her again, but now it was done, I was relieved.
There were a lot of things I’d made up in my head about what happened eleven years ago. I thought my feelings for Christie were real. Now I knew they were nothing more than an adolescent crush.
Because of what Christie did, I had developed a latent mistrust in all women since then. Especially beautiful women I was attracted to. And that held me back from Elsie. Even though I knew I had feelings for her. I was suspicious of those feelings.
But now I knew it’d all been an illusion—I was free of Christie, and I could trust my feelings for Elsie.
Elsie wasn’t anything like Christie. What I felt for Elsie now had no resemblance to what I’d felt for Christie then.
I’d known that chick over the course of one meal at a diner.
I knew more about Elsie than I knew about any other chick in the world. I’d never allowed anyone to get this close to me. And the explanation was simple. Elsie was real. She was not an illusion. And my family was right about their perception of her.
She could be trusted.
I was excited to see her again. I hoped she’d forgive me for my strange behavior. Once I had explained everything to her, she’d have to see why it was important for me to gain some closure first.
I wanted to keep Elsie safe. I wanted to protect her from Aldo, and at the same time, I wanted to claim her as mine too.
I had never imagined a future with someone before, and now I saw it.
I was impatient in the elevator up to my apartment. I was already working on a speech to deliver to her. To try and get her to see my point of view.
I barged into the apartment but she wasn’t there, waiting for me as I expected her to be. She wasn’t in the kitchen. Not in my bedroom, in the bathroom, the spare room. Not even under the bed where I foolishly looked. Where the fuck did she go?
I had told her to stay put, to not go out, and I should’ve known she was too reckless and emotionally unstable right now to listen.
If she’d managed to gain some ground, then she’d be in serious trouble. Aldo had spies everywhere. They’d follow her. They’d find her. Depending on how long she was gone, she could be in real danger right now.
I called Nolan on the way to the family home. He said most of them were there already. I needed to speak to all of them.
My tires screeched as I zoomed into the driveway, running up the steps and into the house. Out of breath. With a thin film of sweat on my forehead.
I’d always been in control, until now.
I was the calm one.
I never let things get out of hand.
And for the first time since I could ever recall, I was actually afraid.
If that motherfucker laid a finger on my woman, I’d
skin him alive.
“Hey man, where’s Elsie?” Aidan asked when he found me in the hallway. He was drinking a cup of coffee, looking all casual and going about his day because he had no idea.
His woman was safe. He didn’t have anything to fuckin’ worry about.
“She’s missing. She’s gone,” I growled, stalking over in the direction of our father’s office. I knew Aidan would follow me in there.
“Wait. What did you say? Elsie’s gone? Where?”
I pushed the door open to find Killian and our father in conversation. Aidan and Nolan followed me into the room. I heard Brendan’s voice out in the hallway too. He must’ve just arrived.
“You look like you need a drink, son,” Dad said.
“Elsie. She’s gone. I was out. Had something to take care of, and when I got back, she was gone,” I said. My hands bunched up in fists. I felt a vein throbbing in the middle of my forehead. Rage and fear pulsed through the rest of my body.
Dad drew in a deep breath, looking at Killian.
“You fucking her?” Killian asked in a low deep voice.
“What? What does that have to do with anything?” I growled.
“Did you guys argue or something?” he continued.
“Are you hearing what I’m fuckin’ telling you? She’s gone. Possibly kidnapped by Aldo.”
“Or…she’s just returned to them,” he suggested, looking around the room.
I had to laugh at that. “Are you serious with that bullshit? Yesterday you fuckers were fawning at the mouth when she was here.”
“We could’ve been wrong about her. Does it look like she was forced out against her will? Kidnapped?” Brendan asked, stepping up to me.
“No, it’s possible she left of her own accord. I know she felt pretty frustrated being cooped up indoors all day. She’s been going through some…stuff…because of what happened to her parents.”
“So what do you want us to do about it, man?” Killian continued.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. I knew we were all busy. I knew everyone in the room had been personally affected by this war with Aldo and we all wanted to see it come to an end, but did they seriously not care? That Elsie could be seriously harmed?
I didn’t want to stand around and argue with them. Time was precious to me right now. Every minute she was out there—possibly being held by Aldo Baron, it was an extra minute she could’ve been safe here with me.
I needed to see her again.
I whipped away from them and headed to the door.
“Where are you going, son? Sit down and let’s discuss this!” Dad shouted after me.
I didn’t bother replying.
But Nolan followed me out.
“Come on, let’s go find her,” he said as he matched my steps. He nodded at me when I glanced at him.
It was pretty evident to me now that I had underestimated my little brother all our lives.
Twenty-One
Elsie
I knew this room well. It was the same place they’d kept me imprisoned the last time Aldo had me here. It was the same room they’d brought little Davey to, but there were some differences in my experience now.
Firstly, I was completely in isolation this time. Aldo made it clear I wouldn’t have any other human interaction for the foreseeable future. This was the form of torture he decided to employ.
And secondly, I wouldn’t be free to roam around. He had my feet and wrists bound and tied to a chair. He even had my mouth gagged so they wouldn’t have to hear me scream and hurl abuses at them.
They’d taken away every last ounce of freedom from me, and this time I knew there wouldn’t be an escape. Aldo wasn’t taking any chances with me.
His men had dragged me in here and tied me up. I was cold, alone, hungry and angry. But the one thing I had transitioned out of by now was that I felt no fear anymore.
I knew this was the worst thing that could’ve happened. I had seen it all. My own parents dying in front of my eyes. One of my friends shot and killed in her own apartment because I’d led these murderers to her.
What was left for me to lose?
I knew I wasn’t escaping. I’d die in this room. Aldo would make sure of it. I’d pay the price for rescuing Davey.
So I had nothing to be afraid of anymore. I knew my end was near.
After wh
at felt like hours, Aldo finally walked into the room smoking a thick cigar held between his fingers.
There were a lot of things I wanted to say to him but I couldn’t because of the gag in my mouth.
I had no choice but to wait for him to speak.
I fantasized about what it’d be like if Tristian was here right now. He would’ve killed Aldo. I was certain. Whether Tristian wanted me in his life or not—I knew he wanted Aldo dead.
As much as I hated the man, I didn’t look away. I wanted him to see it in my eyes—I had nothing to lose anymore.
Aldo didn’t take my gag off, even though it looked like he had a lot to say to me. Clearly, he didn’t want this to be a two-way conversation. He’d talk and I had no choice but to listen.
He stood in front of me, staring in silence for several minutes.
“You know, your poor daddy spoke very proudly of you. When he was alive,” he began, with a smile on his face that made me sick.
I didn’t want him talking about my father, but I knew he did it because he knew how it’d affect me. He wanted to hurt me, just like I’d hurt his business by freeing Davey.
“Every time we had lunch together, he’d tell me about his dear Elsie. How beautiful she is. How smart and intelligent. Big achiever. I used to laugh at him behind his back, you know? He sounded like a fat old grandma.”
I fought back the tears. I wasn’t going to let him make me cry.
I knew how much my father loved me. How proud he’d always been. He kept secrets from me and led a double life that cost him his own life and my mother’s—but that didn’t mean our relationship was false. He would’ve protected me with his life if he could. And in a way, he probably had.
At least he’d bought me time.
Aldo was still smiling, apparently enjoying reminiscing about my father.
“And then when I met you, I thought to myself…you know what? Jerry Harlow was on to something. He was right about his daughter all along. You’re beautiful. You’re smart and intelligent. You could have been a big achiever.”
