Abrelle's POV
"I'm not getting out of the car," I shake my head knowing exactly where wants to take me. "I don't know what this trip down memory lane is about, but I don't want any part of it Stone."
"Stop calling me Stone," he growls and it catches me by surprise, the anger in his voice. "Look I am trying to help you, but you are making it near impossible to even want to."
"So don't," I growl feeling a sudden surge of anger. "I don't need your help."
"For fucks sake Abrelle," he yells. "Grow the fuck up! You don't think we all notice! I mean, three bottles of wine a night for a week is a record, I mean that's impressive. . . . You are incapable of being real because you're scared of what that even means. "
His words feel like a hard slap to the face and I sit there trying my best to hold my anger in, but before I can say anything he sighs.
"I'm going," he says and I can hear how defeated he sounds. "You're welcome to come with me or you can stay here and wallow in your own self-pity. I'm tired of this."
Ok, that hurt.
I look down at my hands trying my best to hide the way his words hit me.
I mean, I get that I'm a difficult person to deal with, but how can he expect me to trust him? How can I allow myself to go there again with him? With anyone.
I know, I know I have trust issues. But I have plenty of reasons to have trust issues. I mean, Luis cheated on me. Sam and Alisson betrayed me. God, even my mom has blackmailed me.
"You know," he says. "I get that what I did was fucked up. I get that Abrelle, but I was always on your side. . .and yes I could have gone about it a different way. I could have stayed or made another decision, but I didn't. I know that it hurt you, but you have to believe that I was only trying to help . . . and I'm sorry."
Shit.
I mean what the hell am I supposed to do with that?
"Won't they recognize us?" I ask as I open the car door.
I really hope I don't regret this decision Stone.
He looks a bit surprised as I get off the car and walk toward him. He doesn't say anything but walks to the trunk of the car and pops it open. I see a box with what looks to be the worst-looking long blonde wig, a pair of sunglasses, red lipstick, and a different set of black clothes.
"I bought the building," he shrugs. "So no one will think anything of me coming. You, on the other hand, we need to hide."
Wait, blonde hair and red lipstick?
"Am I supposed to be Macy?" I scoff as I look up at him.
"She is my fiancee," he says, a small playful smile on his face.
Seriously? I'm going to dress up as Macy and walk next to Elliot so everyone thinks it's a fantastic lovers' outing.
"I don't like her," I say as I pull out the blonde wig. "And not even I would pick such a hideous wig. She's going to be pissed."
"Whatever," he shrugs. "It's all I could find last minute. Besides it kinda looks like her hair, I mean it's the same color."
"I'll be sure to mention you said that when I show it to her," I say as I unbraid my ponytail and take my hair down.
"Please don't" he chuckles. "Or she'll kill me".
***
I knew we were going to our building complex the minute Elliot parked the car, but seeing the building in front of me suddenly going inside feels daunting. We haven't said a word since I put the stupid blonde wig and Macy costume in the car. At least he was smart enough to bring me a pair of jeans and a hoodie that was my size.
I walk onto the front steps and stare at the front door of the building remembering how much I loved my apartment. It was small, shabby, and crowded, but it was perfect for Lydia. Elliot walks up the steps past me unlocking the front door and I follow slowly behind him. The same green dirty walls with an empty old front desk and a rusty elevator in the back greet us.
God, being here feels strange. He hasn't changed a thing about the building.
"Does this thing even still work?" I ask as the elevator opens letting out the familiar scratching sound.
"No clue," he says as he gets in and I hide a small smile as I go in behind him.
He presses the sixth-floor button and I prepare myself for the sudden movements that use to come with the elevator, but it rides smoothly. I guess he did have the elevator fixed.
"I hated riding this thing," he says as if reading my mind.
We walk out of the elevator and towards the same old apartment, number 653. He unlocks the front door and as we go inside I'm greeted with the familiarity of my old home.
He's kept the apartment mostly the same, with a few small changes. The living room has the same dark blue love seat couch and my old DVD player, but he's bought a new television. The same small dining table is still in the kitchen, but it seems to be more of an office now as it's covered with documents and brown boxes.
I walk to my old room and open the door. My old drawer cabinet is gone, but my bed is intact. The same old bed frame with my old sheets is neatly covering my old bed.
"You didn't change it," I say as I take a seat on the edge of my bed.
"I had to fix a few things and get a new t.v," he chuckles taking a seat next to me. "But why bother buying new furniture."
"Besides," he lays down. "I always loved this bed."
"Me too," I lay back staring up at the ceiling. "Sam bought it for me a few months after I moved in. I always assumed it was the most expensive thing I owned since it's so comfortable."
"That's probably an accurate assumption," he says and we lay in silence for a few seconds.
"What are we doing here Stone?" I ask and he groans.
"I've been using this space as an office," he says, not bothering to argue with me over calling him Stone. "I wanted to share with you what I've been working on."
Really? We're here to talk about work.
"If this is another attempt at the Fight for Hunger campaign," I stand up suddenly feeling irritated, but he cuts me off.
"It's not," he stands up and walks out of the room. I follow him as he makes his way to the dining table and I look down at the papers he has.
I assumed they were contract or official documents, but I recognize Elliot's writing on the white papers. Some of the documents have dates and names along with addresses.
"I've been working on Noah's accident," he says opening one of the brown boxes and handing it to me.
Wait, what?
I pull out one of the vanilla folders inside the box, it's labeled Elizabeth Louise. I take a seat in one of the dining chairs and open the folder. Inside he has a set of pictures paper clipped together with a few documents.
I scan through the documents most of them are L&F inc contracts, but I stop as I find a familiar one. It's the contract Noah made when I was in prison for my mother to take over the company.
What is he doing with all of this?
I put the folder down and look into the box for other folders. He has one labeled Tom, San Cafe. Another one is labeled, Liz and J. The third folder I pull out, is Stephan Ryder.
Oh god, he's doing the same thing I am. He's working on the case, finding information on everyone trying to figure out who is responsible for the accident.
"You're working the case," I look up at him.
"I'm working the case," he nods.
"You want to find who did this to Noah?" I ask and he shakes his head.
"I want to find out everything," he says. "Who organized all of this Abrelle? I mean, who wanted Luis Vazques dead? Who sent Tom to kill you that night?"
"What are you talking about?" I ask confused. "We know Alisson and Sam are behind Luis' death. And we can assume Alisson sent Tom to shoot me so I wouldn't turn myself in."
"No," he shakes his head. "There's is someone else behind all of this, someone much more powerful than Alisson and Sam. That person is the one that wanted you gone and they wanted Nathan gone too. I think Alisson and Sam were just tools. Someone organized all of this and is out free, we just haven't found them."
Oh god, he's obsessed. I mean, this all sounds like some huge conspiracy theory.
"Come on Stone," I scoff. "Alisson and Sam did all that because they were insane. Sam was obsessed with me and Alisson was jealous."
"No," he shakes his head as he goes through a brown box looking for a folder.
"Stone," I tell him. "You're looking for an explanation that is rational, but that's what happened. Sam told me himself."
"He lied," he says as he opens a vanilla folder labeled Samuel Beckett. "Sam was obsessed with Alisson, he didn't care about you and Luis. There are emails where he writes all about his obsession with Alisson, some of these are pages long. He would write them and send them to himself, almost like diary entries."
Wait, Sam was obsessed with Alisson? Why would he lie when I visited him? Was he just trying to scare me?
It doesn't matter, it doesn't change anything. Sam killed Luis because Alisson asked him to do it.
"Alisson had him kill Luis," I say not bothering to look down at the folder he's showing me. "If he was so obsessed with her then that's why he did it Stone."
"Yes," he nods. "But why did Alisson do it?"
"Because she was angry at me," I explain and he shakes his head.
"That's why she slept with him," he says. "But why kill him? She had already separated you two, you weren't going to marry him after he cheated, right?"
"Right," I nod not knowing where he's going with this.
"No wedding meant that she had won," he explains. "She separated you, so why go back and kill him?"
"I don't know," I shrug. "Maybe because she was angry, I don't know. I've been trying to answer that questions for years Stone. Only she knows. "
"Or," he says. "Because she was promised the company. You're gone, she gets the company."
"We know that her plan was to get the company," I say. "Nathan said that in his letter, but Alisson was just obsessed. Even if I was gone, Nathan was next in line."
"But she was sure she would get the company," he says sounding frustrated. "She was sure enough that removing you would get her the company that she killed Luis. Do you really think she killed him on a maybe?
"I'm sorry," I shake my head. "But your theories make no sense Elliot. Alisson told Sam to help her kill Luis. They killed him and framed me. I was going to turn myself in so Alisson got Tom to shoot me. If I died then the case was officially closed. Sam killed Nathan because he found he was helping me, that he was going to testify in my favor. We figured it all out and sent them to prison. Case closed."
"Do you really think Luis' death and Noah's accidents aren't connected?" he asks.
"Yes," I nod suddenly remembering what Elliot's dad told me in his office. He's the one that did this to Noah.
Should I tell Elliot? Or will that just send him down a new spiral of conspiracy theories?
"Okay," he sighs. "I didn't want to have to tell you this right now, but you're not seeing things clearly."
"Tell me what," I groan.
"Your dad was murdered," he says and I feel myself freeze at his words. "And I can prove it."
***
A/N: WOOOOO! New update!!!
Sorry, it took a while, but here it is.
Hope you all enjoyed it.
Who do you think killed Abrelle's dad??
Love,
Pam