Chapter track: Hold On We're Going Home by SoMo.
[ LUCA'S POV ]
Damien Thornton was a dead man.
It did not take a genius to figure out that he was the one behind all the malevolent schemes and supposed revenge. I had started to catch on the moment he made the mistake of calling me for the second time, his voice not as deep as it was before and a familiar impulsive nature present in the way he retorted. The way he reacted to my jabs at him with such passion made my emotions gather into something meaningful. An epiphany at the situation occurred and I realized the truth was always there - I just had to do the necessary eliminations.
Firstly, Paige could not have been the culprit. Among the many evidences, the most outstanding was the way she clumsily fixed the mask as she was being taped by the security camera. It was almost as if it was her first time wearing something like that, which was most likely the case. Secondly, Natasha did not have a strong enough reason for doing something like that to me nor Della. I had denied her ogling and rejected her but for people who had crushes on others that outcome was growing more common. It did not matter if she was not used to being in that predicament. Yeah, it would hurt her pride like hell but not to the extent where she'd do things this drastic. It just wouldn't make any sense. Unless she has some mental issues that I was unaware of.
Initially there was the possibility that it was someone that loathed Della and wanted to see her in pain. Therefore, they taped her in an uncomfortable situation but that hypothesis was ruled out after the conversations I had on the phone. Those showed that his intentions were to hurt me, that he disliked her but hated me.
Then I attempted to recall my enemies, quite frankly, there were many of them. However, the first person to head the list due to recent encounters was Damien. The pieces all came together after that, especially when I had detected a little monologue he had with himself in between our calls as he cursed. Nobody else I knew called someone a 'pussyed cunt'. The redundancy was something that was unforgettable.
Now that, ladies and gentlemen, explained my current location in front of the Thorton's residence, joined by the police and their warrant for his arrest.
The time that he was going to spend for all he did kept extending with the crimes he committed becoming more serious. He dodged the sentence of fourteen years in prison because of the compassion of Della during the last trial. Regrettably, I had been relieved that it was changed to two years of community service with a hefty fine but this time I was showing no mercy.
As bad as it may sound I was not going to think of how we were back then; how good our companionship was. No matter what, he was going to spend the time he deserved and rot away behind bars with regret. Pests like him walking around and making others' lives difficult became a necessity to exterminate.
I adjusted the beanie on my head after brushing off a few snowflakes off my grey jacket. The policemen journeyed inside the house after being buzzed in by a female who had spoken over the intercoming, querying about their identifications. I watched from the sidelines, deciding to go in when it became awfully quiet and that was abandoned as I went inside the room.
"How dare you accuse my son of such things?!"
A policeman was standing in front of a greying man that had fury seeping through his bones.
"There's enough evidence to prove that your son is in fact guilty of these charges. It would help us a lot if you'd reveal his whereabouts at this moment."
"Bullshit!"
"Sir, I would like it if you'd refrain from using such language in my presence," The officer was trying his best to keep his professionalism. "I'm not quite sure what sort of environment you thrive in but I assure you mine does not include curses and ignorance."
"Why I ought to- do you know who I am? I could turn your life into a living nightmare with all the assets I own!" He shouted. A frail-looking woman who I knew for a fact was his wife tried to call him down. Unlike her husband, she was willing to accept the truth of the situation. If anything, I think she already had an idea that the cop's presence would appear in her home one day. Maybe she had grown familiar with that devious side to her son that I didn't know of. She looked disappointed and distraught.
"I think the bigger question is: do you know who I am?"
Six pairs of eyes turned my way. Only a pair of them were not completely terrified by the sight of me. Cold sweat visibly ran down the side of the man's face as he said, "L-Luca, what a surprise to see you here! Did your father send you for something?"
"I do not recall being in a kind of relationship where you may refer to me by my first name."
My comment sliced through the air and caused the smile on his face to fall abruptly.
He coughed awkwardly. "As you can see I'm trying to deal with a misunderstandi-"
"Is that what you refer to it as nowadays? Sexual harassment, invasion of one's privacy, blackmail. Those are all...misunderstandings?"
His mind quickly adjusted to the change of mood around him. He was a bright man after all, he wouldn't have started to where he was if he wasn't. Too bad he used that brain for engaging in illegal activities and bribery to get more shares in the company.
His dark eyes travelled from me and to the policemen searching his house. Mr. Thornton's lips pursed.
"Lu- Mister Meyers, are you implying that I don't know my own son?"
I smirked at that, my hands stuffed into a fist within my suit before walking up to them. "No, I'm telling you that you don't."
The hand dangling by his side began to shake as my face leveled with his. "Your precious son is the lowest person I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. He doesn't deserve to be forgiven twice for all that he has done. I am going to make sure of it. I promise." My eyes darkened with every word spoken, bringing the chill of them like I had intended to.
He was rendered speechless.
"Now," I shifted on a lighter note. "Inform the policeman here where your son is."
Not a word came from Mr. Thornton and I realized that my words had more of an effect on him than I'd thought.
His wife though was willing to comply. "We haven't seen him for the past week."
My eyebrows raised in surprise at her confession. What? A week!
"One day he came home and started packing his things. My husband tried to stop him but they ended up getting into an argument and he left in the middle of it. Since then, he hasn't returned. And now you're telling me he's done all these awful things, I can't help but-" A sob broke from her mouth which she covered with her hands, looking away teary-eyed.
I knew it was going to be alot to take in for her. The few times I met her she seemed so weak-hearted and incapable of any kind of pain. My pity for her grew further when she excused herself for a minute.
If what she said was true it was going to be harder to find him. The little scum could have scampered off to any hiding place.
"He's not here." One man of the searching lot announced causing the other that was interrogating to turn to me questionably.
I looked at Mr. Thornton once again. His eyes were aimed to the floor.
"We'll have to find him elsewhere then."
Without so much of a farewell, we all exited the house in a hurried fashion. I spotted a man dressed in black standing tensely beside my car. It was Joseph.
"Why haven't you been answering any of my calls?" Was the first thing he said. No polite greeting nor a 'Mr. Meyers'.
I frowned. "You called? I haven't received a call from anyon-" My space in my pants was empty. I was wondering why my hands could go down so deep earlier.
"I think I left my phone at home."
Joseph looked around as if he was uncertain if he could talk with all the police around. "Is there something wrong?"
He wiped at a sheen of sweat before saying. "Damien Thornton has gone missing."
"I know."
Joseph's face scrunched up in confusion. "You know?"
"Yeah, I know. We just heard it from his parents inside."
Is that it? Is that why he was looking like he's seen a ghost?
He waved his hands dismissively. "I do not think you have fully grasped the situation at hand."
"What do you mean?"
"Damien is missing...but so is Della."
The world beneath my feet shifted for a minute. I felt my throat closing up as I stared at Joseph wide eyed, demanding for him to explain.
"Ms. Anderson's co-worker has reported that she was going to meet with Damien per his request. She told him in case anything was supposed to happen to her. However, she failed to contact him for hours now."
I couldn't help but feel a pang in my heart at the fact that my girlfriend didn't feel comfortable to tell me this. Did that mean she didn't trust me as much as she did that guy Peter?
The idea of that being true made me feel hurt.
Nonetheless, it wasn't the place and time so I pushed back those feelings. Instead I focused on finding out where that bastard had taken my princess.