Malcolm stole everything from me.
He tainted all of this.
“I don’t know if you’re ready to see any of this, Luke. Gregory and Malcolm were involved in some really dark stuff, but I don’t have the courage to tell you what it was.”
“Trust me. There isn’t much I have not seen or heard in my line of work.” He stood behind me, gently kneading my shoulders. I didn’t shy away from his touch. Instead, I leaned into him, letting him comfort me. His presence gave me strength. Knowing he was on my side meant the world to me.
“Let’s go,” I said, steadying myself.
We climbed the stairs quickly. The landing was just as it was before. I don’t know why I expected anything to have changed. It was odd being in this place I’d once lived in and feeling like a stranger. All the doors were opened, allowing me to peek in as I passed them. Passing Gracie’s room, I could still smell her Britney Spears perfume lingering in the air. It was all in my head, but it felt real. I could even hear the music she used to play.
Stepping into my bedroom left me feeling slightly lightheaded. Luke held my hand and squeezed. Needing assurance that this was real, I didn’t remove it from his grasp. This room held so many secrets, some more intimate ones only Malcolm and I knew about. I looked up at the portrait he’d had made of a picture he took on one of those nights. Looking back at Luke, I couldn’t stop the heat from flooding my cheeks. This was our private space, but Malcolm let the world into it.
He’d done this,I reminded myself.
Malcolm left me no choice.
“I’m ready,” I finally said softly, staring blankly ahead of me.
Luke and I walked into the dressing room, where he helped me with the drywall, and I put in the code for the safe.
“There is no going back from this. They’ll know you helped me.”
“There is no place I’d rather be. This was my choice. I wanted to get involved.” He ran his knuckles over my cheek. It was obvious Luke was falling harder for me every day we spent together. The way he looked at me scared me sometimes. His need to protect was obvious.
I wondered about Luke before we met.Did he have a life he was trying to forget in much the same way I was?
At first, all I wanted was for him to leave me alone, let me be, but he’d sacrificed his own future in trying to save me. When a man explicitly demonstrated his loyalty through self-sacrificial actions, his character was unquestionable.
I walked into the safe for the second time, and he followed close behind me. Turning on the light, it flooded the place, making everything real for me once again—the betrayal, the cruelty, the degradation. As I walked down the small staircase, I noticed this room was unchanged, still empty, save for the desk in front of the monitors.
This was it.
I switched the monitors on, but before I could log in, the phone in the room started to ring. I looked at Luke, who frowned. It kept ringing, and neither of us made a move to answer it. I felt frozen.
What were the chances this would happen today of all days? Anybody Malcolm was doing business with surely knew by now he was dead.
“Who would be calling?” Luke questioned.
It suddenly struck me I knew the answer, but I was afraid to admit it.How could he know I was here?I looked around the room, and my eyes rested on the corner of the ceiling, and there it was. Something I had missed the last time I was here. That was how he knew. It was why he took Gracie. Gregory knew I knew his sordid secrets, and he was calling to make sure I did too.
I picked up the receiver reminding myself I was not a victim anymore. Not his or Malcolm’s. I was a warrior, and he’d picked the wrong day to fuck with me.
“Alyssa Morgan? Awake at last.” His patronizing tone made me grit my teeth.
“Where is she, Gregory?” I growled into the receiver, only to be met with an amused chuckle. To think at one time I thought the man was friendly.
“All in good time, my dear. But for now, we should have dinner, catch up. So much has happened, you’ll agree?” His voice made me cringe inside.
“I do not want to have dinner with you! I want to know where my daughter is.” My hands shook, and my eyes started to water.
“That is not the answer I was hoping for.” He sounded genuinely disappointed, which I knew was all a part of his game. I had to think quickly. I couldn’t play into his hands, but I knew he was baiting me.
“I’m waiting, Alyssa. I’m a busy man, as you know.”
“Fine,” I hissed into the phone. “Name the time and place. Make it local for obvious reasons.”
“How about where we first met? Tonight at seven. Bring pretty boy with you.”
