The Shadow Murder

6

As Travis goes to take a step towards Meghan he freezes again as he hears a bullet being chambered and the safety being taken off. "Get your things and get out of my room. So help me, Travis, if I see you again anytime soon I'll shoot."

Travis looks at her helplessly, "Petra isn't my girlfriend. I swear she isn't Meg."

He looks at Meghan and doesn't see any softening in her face. "Too bad I don't believe you. Now pack your things before I start shooting."

Travis doesn't hesitate any longer. Careful to keep his distance he takes his bags out and repacks everything. "I don't lie and I haven't lied to you." 

Meghan sneers even as she scoffs, "You lie, we all do. It's necessary for the line of work we do and for covering it up."

"I'd never lie to you, Meg." Travis tries desperately to make Meghan understand.

Meghan sneers, "So Petra doesn't live with you?" Meghan demands.

"She does," Travis says but he's not happy about answering her. "She has her own room." Travis looks away from Meghan, "She's not my girlfriend."

Meghan snorts, "So why does she call me a leech?"

"I told her that you were my previous assignment. She's jealous of you." Travis replies carefully.

"Does my father know you are talking business to outsiders?" Meghan says bitterly.

"Meg-"

"You don't get to call me Meg anymore. I trusted you completely. I thought you were my friend." Meghan has tears in her eyes. "The only friend I had besides Vee." Meghan wipes her eyes in anger and betrayal.

"Meg-" Travis starts, his voice stricken. But then there's a shot that goes off. The sound deafening in the room. Travis stares at her shocked.

"I told you, you don't get to call me that. Now get out of my room. I never want to see you again." Meghan finishes as people come racing to her room to see what was going on. Most of them with guns drawn.

Joseph puts his gun away and motions for the others to do the same. "What's going on here?"

"Well father," Meghan responds her voice laden with sarcasm, "Your vice president's girlfriend has been texting him all morning. She's lonely, the house and bed are cold without him. She wants to know when he'll be done with his boss and the leech, meaning me. I want him out of my room and preferably out of the house."

Joseph turns his sharp eyed look to Travis. "You told me she wasn't your girlfriend."

Travis throws his hands up in the air in frustration. "She isn't. She's just a bed buddy that needed a place to stay."

Meghan sneers again, "You date her?" She demands.

Travis throws her a cautious look. Meghan hasn't put her gun away yet. "Yes."

"So you date her, sleep with her and live with her. Sounds like a girlfriend to me." Meghan says then demands, "When did you hook up with her." Travis is even more nervous about answering her.

Joseph is watching Travis narrowly and waits for the answer. Travis looks down unable to look either of them in the eye. "The day Mr. T. threw me out of the estate and placed me as the Vice President." Now Travis swallows nervously. Meghan's shot had only missed him by millimeters. He doesn't think she'll miss again.

"Get your things out of here, we'll talk in my study." Joseph says coldly.

Travis closes his eyes in pain. Now he's not sure if he'll live through this day.

Joseph then turns to Meghan. "We need to talk. Come to my study in an hour."

"Yes, father." Meghan says coldly. Her words more than a little sarcastic.

"I'm done," Meghan says as she enters her father's study and to his question.

"What do you mean, you're done?" Joseph says back carefully.

"Did you forget the whole reason for my going to high school?" Meghan demands. She just so tired of everything. She wants to get away and leave everything behind.

"No, you and Vee wanted you to have the social experience." Joseph replies he's tired and looks it.

"I'm done because that neanderthal you replaced Travis with doesn't let me even get within five feet of the other students. Not much social interaction if I can't talk to others. You have me on house arrest and I've done nothing to merit it.

"I kissed Travis, because he was my only friend. You sent him away leaving me with Vee. Now she's gone. This whole mess is your fault. I hate it here.

"I'm suing for emancipation, don't fight it. I'll finish my undergraduate studies then I'll leave. I should be emancipated about that time, I'm done.

"As for the kids, hire more nannies I won't take over mom's role. Time for you to step up and take more of a role in their lives." Meghan's voice is more than a little bitter.

Joseph closes his eyes. It's far worse than he thought it was with her. He wonders what happened to his little girl that loved him and never questioned his words. He misses her so much.

"I'm sorry." It all started when he sent Travis away. Hell how had it gotten so bad?

Meghan scoffs, "You're sorry? I guess you are. Aren't we all.  I told you before, Vee tried to tell you, but you don't want to listen if it's not your opinion or it doesn't match your opinion.

"I'll be staying in my room most of the time. I'll leave when I have reason to do so. I'll leave if I want and won't if I don't want to. Don't bother me if I don't come out I wouldn't want to see any undesirables, like Mr. Parker." Meghan spits out the name at the end.

"Meghan-you don't need to lock yourself into your room to avoid him." Joseph tries to tell her.

"Oh, so you are going to have him leave the estate again?" Meghan asks with raised eyebrows. She doesn't believe it. Her father loves Travis more than he loves her.

"I know how important he is to you. Just consider him my replacement for me. You love him more any way." Joseph can only stare at her with his mouth open in his shock at her words.

"I don't love him more." Joseph says once he can speak again. "How can you say anything like that?" He sits heavily in his chair. He adores Meghan and always has. If anything she's his favorite and until he messed up a few months ago she was daddy's little girl.

"Oh, please, I know you love yours and Vee's kids the most. The older twins, Dave and Jimmy have asked me about it too. It's likely to only get worse now that Vee is gone." Once more Meghan's tone has become bitter.

"But you won't have to deal with me for long. I will be moving out for my graduate studies and I won't take the neanderthal with me. As a matter of fact, if I see him again I'll shoot him on sight." 

Joseph sighs, "Jackson will be told to keep his distance from you. I never realized he was so overprotective of you..." Joseph tails off mistake after mistake he's made with her.

There's a knock at the door and at Joseph's answer Steve pokes his head in. "That detective is back. He would like to speak with you."

"Let him in. Better find Travis and send him in as well." Meghan glares at her father as Steve closes the door.

"This is just another reason why I'm done." Meghan says hotly standing and preparing to leave the room.

Joseph sighs deeply. "He needs to be here. You should be too but I won't force you to stay."

Meghan doesn't say anything as she turns sharply and leaves the room. She just stops herself from slamming the door, but she does shut it sharply.