Page 15 of Save Us
“Tell me, how is your daughter, Fenton?” He widens his smile into a full-on grin with teeth, knowing his reference to Rosie will instantly force me to put my guard up. “I was just talking to Carl Steele the other day about his urge to meet his great-granddaughter. Perhaps you could give me your number to pass onto him?”
Beth
From the sliver of a gap between the two doors, I can’t see very much at all. But the sound of his voice is enough to crack my heart open and try to suck in the melodious timbre of his words, even if they are laced with anger. Leo is not far behind but gives me the space to take this all in without comment or action other than to remain watching me. I know he thinks I’m at risk of losing my senses and marching in there, but he should know me better. I will keep myself hidden for their sakes, even if it feels like I’m dying that little bit more.
As soon as Oliver mentions Rosie within his insidious little threat, I gasp and look straight up at the dark figure who has suddenly leaped to his feet in disgust. Still, I can only see his back as he points his finger angrily in Oliver’s direction, promising to kill him if he dares to threaten our daughter’s safety or freedom in any way, ever again.
Why are you here, Xander?
His raised voice prompts the other figure on the sofa to get up and pull Xander away from Oliver, who remains seated and looking smug in that damn chair of his. Part of me would love to see Xander beat the smile off his face, while the other part hopes and prays for him to leave. To stay safe and hidden from this ugly and corrupt organization.
Thankfully, Stephen manages to pull his nephew away, but is now only inches away from me. It’s a heavy feeling to be so close, yet still a world away from the man you know you should have been with, had it not been for Mayfield. As I gaze upward, I finally see his face for the very first time; his beautiful, pained face, which is trying so hard to keep it together. My legs turn to jelly, forcing me to sink to the floor with my arms still stretched up high and my hands lying flat against the wooden panels above. I place my nose in between the tiny space between them, and attempt to breathe him in. All the while, I blink away tears, desperately trying to study his face more closely. He looks very much like a man, but also lost like the boy I remember, back when I had to leave him in that classroom all those years ago.
“I’m going to bring you down, Lawrence, that’s why I came here,” he sneers with a quiet but eerie voice. I can tell he is quickly getting close to losing it. He is still facing toward the door and away from Oliver. He knows facing the smug bastard will be too much for him to keep it together. “I’m going to make you pay for what you did to her!”
“Not still in mourning are we, Fenton?” Oliver asks with a taunting tone to his voice. “Well, now, if only there was somewhere for you to go and pay your respects. Let’s see now, where did I bury her?”
My heart breaks when I see Xander close his eyes with a sadness so great, it’s a wonder he doesn’t fall to the floor with me. A few tears escape his eyes, and it takes every last piece of strength not to rip down these doors and throw my arms around him.
“I love you, Beth,” he whispers so quietly, no one else but he and I can hear it.
“I love you too,” I mouth silently.
“Save it, Lawrence!” he eventually snaps as he turns back to face his enemy. “I don’t need a piece of stone to pay my respects to the mother of my child. I know where Beth left her spirit, her heart, and I get to look into her eyes every single day. She never loved you, Lawrence, and I take extreme pleasure in knowing that. She loved me and I loved her more fiercely than you’ll ever understand, because you’re a fucking monster who is going to return to hell someday soon!”
“Xander!” Stephen cries out in warning.
Threatening Oliver is the last thing I want Xander to be doing, even though I can’t blame him. But Stephen is right, they need to go; to leave and remain safely away from this awful place.
“Time to leave, Fenton,” Oliver says with a growl of a voice, “enjoy your little fantasy, but I can assure you, I am going nowhere.”
“The abduction of your wife is just the beginning, Lawrence,” Xander warns him, now sounding more restrained after his recent outburst. “You’ve fucked with the wrong people because you’re too greedy to keep on the downlow. They’re coming for you, Lawrence; they’re coming real soon!”
“Beth,” Leo whispers with urgency from behind me, “we gotta get out of here, please!”
Without looking back at him, I nod, even though I can’t bring myself to move. I don’t want to leave him. It might be the last time I get to gaze upon the boy who I’m still in love with, the father of my child.
“Help me to move, Leo,” I whisper, “please?”
Leo shuffles up behind me and lifts me into his arms like a sleeping baby, while I fall limp against his chest. I let him carry me away with a heavy, painful reluctance as I get further and further away from the man I should be with; the man I will always love with all my heart.
Xander
I burst out of those God-awful looking doors with even more anger and determination to destroy Lawrence beating inside of my heart. I want to tear the place apart, to rip Lawrence limb from limb and leave him burning inside, but I need to keep it together for Rosie’s sake. Stephen is close behind as I storm away, probably to ensure I don’t change my mind at the last minute and run back to kill the bastard sitting inside of that gaudy armchair.
I don’t blame him, I don’t trust myself right now. For that reason alone, I don’t look back for a second when we exit the front door, not until I am safely next to the rental car. Once there, with a firm barrier between Lawrence and me, something inexplicable makes me look up to a set of windows on the first floor. At first, it’s hard to make out what’s behind them, but when I squint my eyes, adjusting them to the much brighter light out here, I manage to see a flash of somebody cross the room. It is for but a few seconds, but enough to have seen it. Lawrence’s secret wife. Stephen has to nudge me again, to stop me from staring at the now empty window. I can’t help but feel intrigued by the woman who is related to the girl who I’m still in love with.
Stephen practically shoves me inside of the passenger seat of the car. Luckily for him, we have somewhere else we need to be. With that in mind, I release my pent-up energy and try to breathe normally again, with my head dropped to my knees. My uncle offers me a pat on the back before I right myself into a sitting position, putting my game face back on and readying myself for the next asshole we need to go and speak to. We may have come out empty, seeing as Lawrence’s wife is already back home safely, but we came here for more than one lead. It’s finally time to begin collecting evidence against Lawrence and Mayfield so we can bring them down and tell the entire country who and what they are.
I know others have tried before me, and up until now, I’ve only been half-assing my attempts to uncover their secrets. After all, being a single father has been a huge learning curve, and our little girl has needed me. She still does, but with his enemies beginning to up their own game, I can no longer hold back. We gotta take him down when he’s at his most vulnerable, when everyone is trying to knock him down. The evidence is all out there alright, but every fucker who has come forward has either been silenced or paid off by their corrupt leaders. Unfortunately for them, this bastard won’t be silenced, no matter how hard they try.
Chapter 6
Xander
Our next stop is in a less affluent part of the city, somewhere Lawrence wouldn’t be caught dead in. The street is messy and full of the remnants of last night’s trash. A homeless guy curls up tightly inside of a sleeping bag with an empty beer can sitting next to him. He pats a small dog which clings to his side as if his life depends on it. Without taking my eyes away from the sad-looking pair, I reach inside my pocket and hand him a note, ignoring the smell of urine that lingers on his clothes. He says nothing in return, merely offers a smile of acknowledgment before his expression turns back to one of despair and misery. Stephen tuts before swinging left down a small alleyway that smells much the same as the homeless man.
Towards the end, a small, black door with dirty glass and a cheap handle stands before us. Stephen raps three times, then waits for the sound of heavy footsteps thudding down the wooden floorboards from inside, to approach where we’re standing. The door groans when a woman pulls it open to invite us inside. Thankfully, both she and the inside of her apartment smell decidedly better than the alley.