Secret Affection

Chapter 18

The moon outside is at its peak and the chilly air outside accompanies it, making my Saturday night much worse than needed. Twenty-four hours is a lot of time to change multiple things in a persons life and who knew that person would be me.

The ding from my laptop echoes throughout the old run down apartment, indicating I have another email. Just like the last four, all it has is a sentence, a picture, and signed with a letter.

Continue our work, or the only work you'll ever see again is her blood on a canvas.

-R

The picture of my best friend, tied to a chair, badly beaten and afraid has been the only picture I've been sent over and over again. Every time my blood boiled at the anonymous pictures and threats, but the problem was still there.

My best friend was taken and I have no idea who did it or why.

My memories were slowly coming back with Grace's help within the last week of speaking again. The only thing I seemed to struggle with was when I came home months ago.

I sadly remembered the last ten years in the military, which I personally wish I was blind to. The deaths, not only around me but the ones I caused, haunted my dreams once again and there was nothing I could do about them. 

I thought Grace and I were in a good place the past week. Living like, oddly, a happy couple should, but of course it came crumbling down. Twenty-four hours, sixteen minutes and forty-three seconds is how long she hasn't been in my arms. It has been that long since I've had her voice behind me walking me through the struggle of my temporary memory loss and regaining my voice.

My thought process is interrupted by another ding coming from the laptop. Clicking on the email, I notice instead of a picture, it's a video.

"Why don't you tell the camera your name, pretty lady?"

A woman's voice is audible through the camera, but the only person within the frame is Grace.

"Bite me."

"That can be arranged, but do you know why you're here?"

"Cause you're some psychopath that thinks kidnapping a woman sounded like a good idea?"

The camera moves and before I can be confused, a loud smack is heard from the video, followed by a muffled whimper. When the camera turns to the one holding it, I'm met with long dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and half of a face covered with a bandana.

"She has no manners, Aly. I don't see why you ever kept that kind of company. Personally, I think Lauren was so much better, but you were always so hung up on Grace Phillips. You see, this is how this is going to go, Aly. You continue the work you've been neglecting for the past few weeks and she gets to see the light of another day."

"What work?"

"Or,"

She pauses a shows the camera a sidearm, waving it back and forth before pointing it where I believe Grace still sits.

"She gets a pretty little bullet in her pretty little head. Sound good? Great! Next contract will be sent. Don't disappoint, Crimson Bullet."

The video goes black, but the name she just called me rings clearly. My vision becomes fuzzy and I feel as though I might faint, but before I know it everything is back to normal. The only difference being, everything makes sense.

"Grace."

The computer makes yet another noise, indicating I was sent the contract as the mystery person had said. Opening the file, I'm met with another person who had no connection to my problems.