Seductive Truths (Seductive Trilogy) (27 page)

    
On second thoughts, I think I’d rather be back at the old farmhouse.  At least I could see my brother again and not the drugged up arseholes and the monster beside me
.

     The van slows and turns into a warehouse.

    
We have returned
.

     Gareth turns the engine off, but remains.  Awkward silence.  The only sound is the ticking of the cooling engine.

    
‘
Look, Alex…
’

    
‘
Don’t.
’

    
‘
You do believe me rig…
’

    
‘
I said don’t,
’
I snap, turning to look at him for the first time since I stormed out of the farmhouse. 
‘
I can’t think and to be honest, I don’t know what to think anymore.  The man I loved and thought I could trust with my life turns out to be a killer.  My brother kept secrets and the man I should hate with every fibre of my being is looking more and more likely the only one I can rely on, so excuse me if I’m not feeling myself at the moment, but my mind has been well and truly screwed up.
’

     With that I yank open the door, slam it behind me and storm towards the lift.  Gareth is right on my heels. 

     As we wait for the doors to open I’m unnerved at his closeness.  The warmth radiates off him and wraps me in a bubble.  Even after everything, he still makes me feel safe.  I just don’t understand why.

     Silence fills the lift as it takes us up towards his apartment.  I unconsciously start to rub my fingers together, a habit of mine whenever I’m nervous or uncomfortable.  The only minute sound is the tinkling of Gareth’s keys as he fiddles with them between his long, lean fingers that can do unexplainable things to my body.

    
Come on Alex!  Now’s not the time.

     Clink.

     Clink.

     Clink.

     Clonk.

     The doors seem to take an age to open when in actual fact only a second goes by.

     Numbly I step out into the darkened hallway, eyes trained on the floor, watching my feet, one after another.

     Click.

     The metallic sound of a lighter piercing the silence causes me to startle, hairs become prickly on my arm and there’s shortness of breath.  I am left weakened. 

     Embers of a freshly lit cigarette glimmers in the dark from a corner of the room then the light starts to lift higher and smoke disperses in the air.  Instantly I get a musty, repulsive scent.  It’s different to when Gareth smokes, there’s no lingering spiciness that I have come to find extremely provocative.

     Hearing the door close behind me, I automatically take a step back, searching for the protection Gareth provides. But he is already at my shoulder, gun drawn aiming down the intruder.

    
‘
Who’s there?
’
he spits.

     I unconsciously flinch as the floorboards cre
a
k under the weight of the person as they take a step towards us then another, rings of smoke evaporating in the air.  Before the particles have chance to disperse, the person emerges through the intoxicating concoction and into the dim light provided by the street lamps outside.

    
Oh God, please no.

     Brown orbs glint with a murderous vengeance.  His mouth slants upwards into an evil smirk, turning his classical handsome face into an ugly dimension of himself.  I have never seen features so harsh or threatening before, especially not on
him
.

    
‘
Hello sweetheart.  Long time no see.
’

    
‘
William,
’
I whisper.

    
‘
Ah, so you
do
remember me then,
’
my fiancé mocks. 
‘
I’m touched,
’
and he dramatically places his hand over his heart, but everything goes to the back of my mind when I catch sight of the item clasped in his other hand.  The shiny object sparkles dangerously.  It’s a handgun; similar to the one Gareth has cocked and ready to fire.  It is most likely the gun he had ordered from Gareth.

    
‘
Do you like my little pet,
’
he sneers, obviously catching my eye line. 
‘
It’s been my trusty companion for the last six months.  I can always depend on it to get me out of trouble and to frighten off unwanted visitors.  Well,
’
he turns his beady eyes on Gareth. 
‘
Most unwanted visitors.  Having a bit of trouble with a certain
pest
that keeps hanging around, always stealing what’s not his to have.
’

    
‘
You do not deserve her,
’
Gareth spits. 
‘
Not after destroying her life.
’

    
‘
And you do?  Ha!  You make me laugh.  You think you’re all high and moral, doing the right thing.  You’re no better than shit stuck to the bottom of a shoe.  You can wipe it away but the disgusting smell remains.  You’re the lowest of the low.  Everything you do you fail at.  You can never have a normal life, whereas I on the other hand can.  I have a respectful job, a comfortable house, friends and family who love me, plus the most beautiful fiancé ever.
’
  William smiles my way. 
How could I ever think that sickly smile was heart melting?

    
‘
You are nothing more than an errand boy for those with power, you live in a barely tolerable apartment and the only companion you’ll ever have is the one currently being aimed at my head.
’

    
What the hell is going on here?  This is not the man I fell in love with, the man I planned to spend the rest of my life with, have kids with.  In appearance he is still William, but inside he’s no more than a stranger to me.  I don’t like the feeling bubbling in my stomach.
 

     William’s hair is sticking out at all angles it’s as if he has been continuously gripping it.  His brooding brown eyes are no longer the tender spirit I am used to seeing staring at me, but are now as black as coal, burning with rage and a bloodthirsty hunger for revenge.  A week worth of growth covers his face, emphasising his haggard appearance.  His customary charcoal suit is dirty and wrinkled a total contrast to his usual fastidious appearance.  As I look towards his chest I notice he has a few more buttons undone than usual, giving me a tempting glimpse of his familiar, firm torso and I am mortified to admit, makes him look dangerously handsome, causing the pit of my stomach to simmer with unwanted desire.  He is usually so meticulous in his appearance this is something new.  He’s barely holding on to his sanity. 

    
What has happened to him?

    
‘
Look at you,
’
William stops about a foot in front of us, bringing the cigarette to his lips, inhaling then exhaling before continuing. 
‘
You’re past your sell by date.  You are no longer in your prime.  You definitely haven’t seen a gym in a year or two, obviously preferring the beer bottle to water bottle.  You’re nothing, just a waste of space only good for donkey work.  All you know is crime, you
live
for crime, and it’s in your blood.  There is no escape, no matter how many times you try and change it; it will always creep up on you and take those down around you.  So you see if you care for Alex here as much as much as I think you do, you’ll let her go.  Give her to me and I’ll be on my way and leave you to get back to your miserable little life, I won’t bother you again.
’

     William slowly reaches a hand out to grab my wrist, eyes remain locked on Gareth.

     I want to flee, hide behind Gareth’s secure bulk, but I can’t move.  I physically cannot move.  The one time I want my body to listen to my brain it doesn’t!  It’s as if my muscles have seized up.

    
‘
Don’t touch her.  Don’t
ever
touch her again.  If you’re as intelligent as I think you are, you’ll walk out of this room and never look back.  You’ll forget about us and move on with your life, disappear never to be heard of again.  Are you going to comply?
’

    
‘
Comply? 
Comply?
  You are too funny,
’
he cackles. 
‘
You do know who you are talking to right?
’

    
‘
The question is do
you
?
’

    
‘
This is priceless.  Really, you’re good.  You’re really good.  Good guy verses bad, but you’re more like a hero throwback.  I have never heard of a criminal turning out to be a hero…
’

    
‘
She knows.
’

     A dark cloud looms over William and his stance becomes rigid.  I see the muscles working in his jaw.

    
‘
You what?
’

    
‘
Alex knows.  About you, about her brother, about everything, so as you see, your persuasion methods are pointless.  She’d have to be stupid to go back to you after you murdered her brother.  So why don’t you do us all a favour and fuck off, forget everything.
’

    
I don’t like this; I don’t like this one bit.

     My body begins to tingle.

    
‘
The thing is,
’
William takes control, his body much more relaxed. 
‘
It’s not easy to forget the woman I love, but that’s not where my problem lays.  Over time I could no doubt forget her,
’
bloody cheek!
 
‘
Time’s a great healer after all.  No, that’s not it.  My problem is with you.  I will never forget what you did.  So no, I will not
“
fuck off
”
and forget everything.  I will
never
forget the killing of my father and sister.
’

    
Oh God, now what!  Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse
.
  This is turning out to be one hell of a nightmare
.
  Is everyone simply out to get each other?

    
‘
What?
’
the gun slackens in Gareth’s hand.

    
‘
Yes, I got to know your brother rather intimately in the end.  He was dating my sister after all.  Well, half-sister to be precise.  Mark had guts.  Misplaced and naive at times, but he had them all the same, a real criminal in the making.  You should have taken some pointers, could have learnt a lot from him.
’

     I turn to see Gareth’s face pale, frown marring his features, eyes a vibrant blue.  His gun is now aiming towards the ground, total lack of control.  William is getting to him.

     A smirk crawls onto William’s face and his eyes sparkle mischievously. 

    
‘
He did have a weakness though.  He was a sucker for a pretty face.  My sister was the perfect bait to lure him.  Catching Mark was easy.  Reeling him in was a doddle.  Mark adored the ground she walked on.  He’d do anything for her without a second thought.
’
  He takes a step closer. 
‘
If she asked him to jump in front of a train, he’d do it.  If she asked him to take responsibility of all she’d done, he’d do it.
’
 

     Now pretty much face to face, it is like a battle of wills.  Who can out do the other, who will be the first to fall?

    
‘
When she asked him to betray you and your father, he did it with a drop of a hat.
’

    
‘
H-he wouldn’t.  He c-couldn’t.  He loved us.  Mark looked up to our father, thought the sun shined out of his arse.  He wouldn’t betray him.
’

    
‘
You think that if it gives you comfort, but when it came down to it he preferred the supposed love of a woman to that of his family.  Screw family loyalties, truth be told, he thought only of himself. 

    
‘
He hated my father.  Despised me.  Loved my sister.  He was willing to forsake everything to be with her.  More fool him.
’
  Glaring into Gareth’s eyes with disgust William continues. 
‘
He was nothing but a pawn in our game.  Once he’d accomplished his task, he was surplus to requirements.  You saved me a bullet bumping him off.  I thank you for that. 
However, I’m not thankful for rushing out of my hiding place to find my remaining family lying dead on the cold, muddy ground.  On that day, standing numbly as the rain thrashed me with its drops, I vowed revenge on the family behind the murder of my father and sister.  No one was to be spared.
’
  William’s eyes turn to slits and his whole body is racked with spite.