Blood Money

8

Danielle opens the door, she doesn't know anybody here and so is a little shocked that anyone is knocking on her door. She figures that someone is lost or something.

"Trevor?" Danielle says turning white with shock. She backs up automatically and lets him in. She doesn't see the two men that are with him. They stay out in the hall.

"Danielle. How are you?" Danielle isn't sure if that's genuine concern or not she hears in his voice.

"How did you find me? I promise I won't bother you."

Trevor looks at her puzzled, "You aren't bothering me, Danielle. I came to you." Trevor looks around the apartment. It's small, a studio apartment. More than a little shabby. Now his confusion is turning to anger.

"What the hell are you doing living in a dump like this?"

Danielle edges back from him. Now is one of those times that she's truly afraid of Trevor. Just like she'd been when she first married Max.

"Are you here to kill me?" Danielle asks her voice so soft it's barely above a whisper.

It is loud enough for Trevor to hear though and he whips his head to look at her. "Why would I want to kill you?"

"Because you think I killed your father, right?" Danielle says trying hard to hold back the tears.

Trevor lets out a sigh, "Danielle, you damn near died in that wreck. If you were going to kill my father you'd have done it in a manner that wouldn't involve your death as well. I don't blame you for father's death. You proved that you were no gold digger when you signed over millions without anything in return.

"But this," Trevor gestures at the shabby apartment. "You could do better than this, Danielle." Trevor looks at Danielle, "Why'd you leave?" He's wanted to know that since she left without a trace.

"It was too hard living there without Max. You hate me, I didn't see the need to stick around." Danielle says still not speaking very loud. Trevor moves closer to her.

"You left without a word, I've been looking all over for you. How'd you learn to disappear so completely?" Trevor grabs her chin so that she doesn't look away or move from him.

Danielle can't hold back the tears any longer. "I-I learned it from researching it. College paper. I never thought I'd have a reason to do so." In fact she now has large caches of money and her most prized possessions in stashes in this city and others. Just in case she has need to run again. She rather thinks with Trevor here that she'll need to.

"Why, Danielle?" Trevor demands to know.

"I'm afraid, someone's after me. I haven't seen them, but I've felt them. I don't want anyone else hurt because of me. You should go, Trevor. I don't want you to die because of me too."

"Who?"

Danielle's eyes flood with tears. "I don't know. I don't know why or who. I've done my best to stay quiet, to be invisible. I don't want anyone else killed because of me.

"Max is dead because of me and I don't even know why." Danielle says and the tears start falling.

"Why did you think I'd come to kill you?"

"I'm not stupid, Trevor. You and Max, I know what you are and Max was. Go ahead and take your gun out and shoot me. It will be better than wondering when that other person is going to do it. It will end my pain. I miss Max more than you will believe."

Trevor is astounded. He had no idea that she knew what he is and Max was. "How did you figure it out?"

"I can tell when someone is carrying a gun and although Max didn't always carry, he did more often than not. The fact that you are business men helped to cover things up, but there were just little things here and there that just didn't fit with a normal businessman's life." Danielle looks at him with no hope left in her eyes.

"I tried to not be in your way," Danielle says, "but-"

"I'm not here to kill you Danielle. But you can't live like this either, this is beneath you."

"I was brought up like this. Some living places were better, most were worse. The life of luxury I only had while I was married to Max." And that's as much as Danielle could take. She collapses and Trevor has to scramble to catch her. 

He takes her over to the bed and searches the apartment for her blood sugar monitor. When he finds it he tests her.

"Shit. Dammit, Danielle why aren't you eating properly?" He can tell that she hasn't been because she's lost weight. She didn't have any to lose. She's starting to look like a refugee from war.

He tears the apartment apart looking for something to boost her sugar. Not finding anything else he takes a spoonful of sugar and sprinkles it in her mouth. He hopes that it will work.

After a few minutes she starts to wake up. "Trevor," she holds her hand to her head. "I need water, please?"

Trevor goes over to the kitchen area and takes down a glass and fills it with water. "You need to eat. When was the last time you did eat?"

"I don't know, the days just blend together. Sometimes I eat and others I don't. I don't get hungry very often." Danielle says gingerly trying to sit up before taking the water from Trevor.

Trevor helps her to sit up and hands her the water. "Finish the water. Then I'm taking you out to eat. After that we're going grocery shopping. You haven't been for a few days at least." He'd been sickened at how little there was in the fridge.

"There's no need for you to worry about me, Trevor. I know you don't think much of me. Just take your gun out and shoot me. You'll be rid of me once and for all and at least I'll know the person that kills me."
"I can't do that, Danielle. Father wanted me to take care of you. Would you consider coming back home?" Trevor asks. He's willing to beg her if he has too.

"No, I've gotten in your way too much already. Besides, I no longer have a home. This is the closest thing I have to one.

"Do me a favor, when I die, would you bury me near your father? I know I don't have any right to make demands."

"I'm going to do my best to make sure you don't die any time soon, Danielle."

Danielle looks at him and bursts into tears once more.