November
I stand, completely and utterly terrified of what's beyond the doorframe.
Everything is either shattered or torn. Red and black ink cover the entirety of the walls, from roof to floor. My hand involuntarily covers my mouth in shock.
I hear Lewis in the back of the penthouse, his voice full of anger and hints of fear as he and James speak through the small device in his hand.
He told me to stay by the door since it'd be safer for me but I don't get how. Who's to say the criminal isn't in the hall about to drag me to my doom?
I walk further into the apartment over all of the destroyed expensive furniture, over all of the broken wine glasses, over all of the ripped up portraits.
I almost slip on a clear liquid on the floor. I just barely catch my balance but in the process I bump into a lamp, sending it crashing to the ground. The echoing of Lewis' voice comes to an abrupt stop. I hear heavy footsteps ascending from the back of the apartment and seconds later he comes around the corner.
With a gun.
I gasp when he mindlessly points it at me. Once he realizes there's no one other than me in the living room he sighs a relieved sigh and lowers his gun, stuffing it in his pants. "What happened?" He stalks toward me and wraps an arm around my waist cautiously.
"I slipped, I'm sorry." My voice is small. As if I had lost my voice but I knew that wasn't the case. It's not like I broke everything in here but I added to the problem. I bet everything in here is 10x more expensive than everything I've owned in my 21 years of life on earth.
I look up into his eyes, his arm around me tightens. His free hand rests gently on my cheek, his thumb rubbing comforting circles repeatedly. He looks from my right eye down to my lips and lingers before looking back up to my left eye. "I need you to know," He waves his arm around signaling the contents of the room. "means nothing to me. Absolutely nothing. The only thing here that I care about, is you." He lowers his head and places a soft kiss on my forehead. Before he pulls away he whispers against my skin.
"Your all I care about." I inhale his scent and it instantly calms me. He smells expensive although it's not overwhelming. I smile as he pulls away from me. He's told me this before, he's made it known that he wants me. That he cares about me. But so have the people of my past. There's not much I can use as an example of how it feels to be cared for, to not have to worry about anything.
I look away from his hot gaze and focus my attention on the scribbles that cover the walls. I walk away from him and towards the closest wall to me. I run my fingers over the dried paint, reading the words as I walk.
'It's Over'
'The one time you should've listened'
'Times Up'
'You filled the glass, I spilled it'
'Thanks, bud'
It varies from threats to sayings and quotes. The more I read the scarier it is. I feel a hand on my lower back and jump. I turn toward the owner of the hand. "Who would do this?" He looks at the wall with tears in his eyes although they stay in place as if he isn't letting them fall or even accepting the fact that he's crying.
"I know exactly who." Just then the front door swings open and James comes rushing inside. He looks like he ran here from wherever he was before. Lewis stalls over to him in strong steps.
"What the hell is this? He's taking action now." James looks like he's on the verge of having a panic attack. He's walking back and forth and Lewis is trying his best to calm him down.
"James," Lewis says trying to get his attention.
"We can't be here, who knows how close he is. Or how many people he has with him."
"James," he yells loud enough for his brother to stop moving. He places his hands on his shoulders and speaks in a tone so calm it's as if that's how he actually feels but I know it's not. "Calm down, we can stay in the lake house for a few weeks until we figure this whole thing out. We have a court meeting next week so until that, we'll stay off the radar. Okay?"
James nods his head slowly trying to catch his breath. He takes in the state of the place before he notices me. "Does she know?" He looks at Lewis curiously.
Lewis then looks over at me and as if he'd forgotten I was here, his own anxiety takes over.
"We should leave, now." He steps over the broken glass and grabs his keys off of the coffee table. "But I have to pack-" he grabs my wrist and drags me to the door. "I'll have my assistant get you new ones and have them delivered." He locks the door and the three of us take the elevator to the car parking garage.
They both take powerful steps and I struggle to keep up. "So why aren't we letting the driver take us?" I ask, low on breath.
"Because I don't trust many people and I need as few people to know of our location as possible." He explains as he takes hold of my hand again so I can walk beside him.
"What exactly is the plan?" James asks as we enter a glossy black car. Lewis backs out of the parking spot and drives out of the garage.
"We stay on the low until we have enough to take him out. I know a few people but they're not as high powered as Keiths." He keeps his eyes glued on the road and at every stop light, he taps his thumb nervously on the wheel.
I place a comforting hand on his thigh causing him to look down in his lap. He looks at me with a grateful smile, it's barely noticeable but still there.
He places his hand on top of mine and now rubs his thumb along the top of my hand.
I look out of the darkly tinted windows as he begins driving again. "I don't get what more he wants. He already took our childhoods and now he's after adulthood. He's out of it, I swear." James throws his head back on the seat in the back.
From what I've learned from what Lewis has told me, James was the one who was physically abused daily. Lewis was the younger of the two so he got less attention. Most of what he experienced was mental abuse.
Either way, he's a terrible person for putting his own children through that. Anyone could see that they're terrified of their father.
"This is just the tip of the ice burg." He directs the statement toward me. James snorts in agreement.
How big is the ice burg?
•••
"Are we there yet?"
"No." I've had to pee for the last 30 minutes. We've been driving for about 2 hours and I don't even know where we are.
Or where we're going.
I remember Lewis saying something about a lake house though so that would explain all the trees.
"Are we there yet?"
"Yes." Oh.
I sit up straight In my seat and look around. "Woah." how do they know so many beautiful places? The lake is so big and secluded with trees all around and there's a huge, beautiful house right at the edge.
Before I know it, my door is being opened and a hand is held out in front of me.
"Cone on let's get inside." I grab Lewis's hand and step out of the car. I barely can look around before he pulls me to the front door, unlocking it with one of the many keys on his keychain.
Obviously, like every other place he's taken me, the inside is gorgeous. Unlike all of the others he's shown me, the style is more earthy than anything else. There are plants everywhere and glass windows here and there to show off the miles and miles of breathtaking trees and wildlife.
"We're going to be in my office if you need me okay, amore mio?" I nod my head barely even paying attention to anything that leaves his mouth.
I hear their footsteps ascend down the hall and I continue to look at the artifacts and decor pieces on the walls and side tables.
I pick up a small stone statue of a woman kneeling with her hands in her lap. I handle the statue with steady hands. I don't even want to touch anything.
It's so clean and everything looks brand new, as if nothing had been used.
I run my hands on the black marbled kitchen countertop. I can't even imagine how much it must cost for a place like this. Enough to feed an entire neighborhood I bet. A hundred neighborhoods at that.
I almost jump when I hear yelling. I contemplate following the voices for a few seconds.
My mind won.
Here I am standing outside the office door trying my very best to be quiet.
"I don't fucking care. He knows where we live. Had he been a week earlier, I would be at work and Astoria would've been home alone." Lewis is the one yelling but he doesn't seem angry at James. He seems scared.
I can't see his face but his voice is trembling and there are small cracks in his voice every so often.
"I just," his voice is softer. "if anything were to happen to her, it'd be my fault. I brought her into this. I did." I feel my face and mood drop by one hundred.
I don't want him blaming himself. He couldn't have known any if this would be happened. And plus I chose to say yes to him, I signed that contract. The decision was mutual.
I walk away from the door with a slight mope in my step. I wish I could do more. I wish they could get the peace they deserve.
I wish.
•••
I feel someone shaking my shoulder and I jolt up.
Lewis and James stand in front of me. "Hey, sleeping beauty." James jokes and Lewis elbows his rib causing him to bend over holding his side.
I giggle to myself as Lewis takes the seat next to me. "So, we've decided we're not going back to work." he notices my face scrunch in confusion and adds, "Until it's safe at least. Me and James will work from here, I already called your boss. You are off the hook until further notice."
The more he talks the more my smile slips off of my face. "Well, what am I supposed to do until then?" I ask in a more defensive tone than intended.
"You could skip rocks on the lake. Or draw straws." Lewis sends a glare towards him and he shuts his mouth instantly. In any other situation, I'd be laughing at their sibling banter but this isn't any other situation.
"Look Astoria I know you love your job but it's just not safe for us to be in the city. Our father has eyes everywhere."
I jump up from my seat on the couch. "It's not just the job, I love dancing. I love being a dancer. And it's like my dreams don't matter to you." it's becoming an ongoing thing where I miss out on shifts and it's getting old.
He stands up and grabs my hands in his. "I know and I wish-"
I snatch my hands from him before he could say anything. "I am who I am and you're taking the one thing that's gotten me through even the toughest situations away from me." I scoff and turn before he could say anything else and before he could the tears at the brim of falling.
I hear him curse under his breath before I wall up the stairs and into what I believe is a guest room. The room I'll be staying in.
Maybe I overreacted.
But I meant what I said. I danced since I was a child. I obviously wasn't an exotic dancer but I have always had a passion for dance.
When I was pushed around as a kid or mistreated by my foster parents, I'd distract myself by dancing and pretending that I was the most famous dancer in the world. I'd imagine big audiences who'd flown miles just to see me perform.
Those dreams are just dreams, but the little girl inside me still believes that they could've been more, maybe in another lifetime.
In another lifetime.
-hey my lovelies, how are we feeling about the plot, characters, and overall chapters so far?
-thank you all for coming this far into the journey. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!