All I Ask

by KT Webb

  Aria still wouldn’t answer the phone. Drew was getting irritated. If Erik had returned to find her, time was more limited than he thought. Luckily, Drew had already begun to plan for a way to make her see the truth. He just needed her to answer the phone, then they could start the next phase.

  “I have an idea, but I don’t think you’re going to like it,” Erik told her.

  Aria narrowed her eyes at him, she had a hard time believing that she would like any idea they came up with. Part of her still wanted to trust that Drew wouldn’t do the things she knew he had done. It made her stomach hurt just thinking about how twisted his mind must have become to lead him to justify murder.

  “At this point, I don’t think we have much choice but to entertain any possible plan,” Aria shrugged.

  “We need to get him to confess. But he isn’t going to do that for just anyone. He will only do it for you. He’s going to want you to believe that he did everything for your benefit.”

  Aria was listening, but really didn’t like the direction his suggestion was taking, “Go on.”

  “You need to get him to meet you somewhere. Tell him you want to talk. Tell him I’m back. If you can get him to believe that you still think he’s innocent and I’m the murderer, he will not hesitate to meet with you.”

  “Great, and let’s say he doesn’t buy it. I’m not just risking myself here,” Aria said as she gestured toward her belly.

  Erik paled, “I know. I won’t be far behind. I plan to arrive as though I’m going to confront you both. That’s when we can take him down.”

  “Listen, I think your plan has promise. But the one thing you’re forgetting is that we don’t have to do this alone. Detective Pahl is already suspicious of Drew. I’m only doing this if we can clue him in first.”

  Erik wasn’t sure if they would be able to get away with alerting the authorities. Drew wasn’t an idiot. If he thought something was off about his meeting with Aria, he wouldn’t have any qualms about destroying them all. But he wasn’t entirely comfortable with dangling the woman he loved and their unborn child within the grasp of a madman. Ultimately, he agreed to her request.

  Detective Pahl looked at his phone. He was off duty, but the caller was one he wanted to hear from. After leaving Christine and Patrick at the hospital, the Detective was eager to speak with Aria Durant.

  “Hello?”

  “Detective Pahl, I have some information for you, but it’s not going to be easy to get.”

  “You’ve got my attention, Miss Durant.”

  Aria explained everything she and Erik had spoken about. She left out the part about Erik Overland surviving the fire until she was sure he was actually taking her seriously. Detective Pahl wasn’t a fan of Andrew’s, but he tried to give people the benefit of the doubt. He wouldn’t just take someone’s word that the man had involvement in multiple murders.

  “Where did you get all this information?” He asked.

  “Erik Overland is alive,” Aria told him.

  “I know,” Detective Pahl began, “The night Lena Rossi was murdered, I met with her. She told me that Erik survived and how she helped him become D’Angelo.”

  When Madame Rossi first told him, he’d found it nearly impossible to believe. After looking into the discrepancies between the final police reports and the fire marshal’s report, he knew there was some merit to her theory. Now, he knew they should have taken a closer look at what was to be gained by the young man who had been implicated in multiple violent crimes.

  “So, Erik is alive, is he your source?”

  “He’s more than a source, he’s been gathering evidence against his brother. Drew had journals in a storage unit in London. There’s a man who gave Erik a jump drive with pictures proving that the drowning in London was anything but an accident.”

  “Can you get me this evidence?”

  “Yes, it’s all yours. But none of this proves that Drew killed Karen Moreau or Lena Rossi. Nothing links him to what happened to Christine. We are going to get him to admit it all,” Aria explained.

  “And how do you plan to do that, Miss Durant?”

  Aria filled him in on their plan to arrange a meeting with Drew. She shared the obsession he seemed to have with her and how they planned to use it to their advantage. Detective Pahl was feeling more uncomfortable with their plan by the second. If Aria was right, it would be the best way to get Drew to admit his guilt; but if she was wrong, it could spell disaster for both Erik and Aria. Not to mention the trouble it could bring for Detective Pahl himself if he sanctioned their actions without police involvement.

  “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. The only way I will agree to this plan is if you wear a wire when you meet with him. That way, we can record the entire interaction and bring him down.”

  Aria and Erik agreed to the terms Detective Pahl had insisted upon. Erik was concerned about the additions to the plan because it meant Aria would be vulnerable when she left the theater to meet the Detective at the hospital. Should Andrew see her or ask what Aria was doing, she was supposed to play it off as routine. With two dead bodies and one victim of a suspected attempted murder, it would be perfectly reasonable for her to be asked what she knew.

  Erik put the evidence in his vault. He told Aria to give the combination to Patrick and tell him how to find his apartment. It would be up to him to retrieve the evidence and deliver it to Detective Pahl should anything happen to Erik or Aria.

  “Please be careful, Aria,” Erik asked before he kissed her goodbye at the door.

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  After she left, Erik engaged the security system and returned to his apartment. It would be best for him to take the tunnels to the basement of the Majestic Theatre to reduce the possibility of exposure prior to when he intended to be seen. He would be there, waiting for Aria and Drew to meet.

  Aria took a cab to the hospital. The ride was uneventful, but she was on edge every second. She looked at her phone and noticed she had missed no fewer than eighteen calls from Drew. If she didn’t respond soon, he would probably come looking for her at Durant Theater. The possibility that he would find Erik instead was too terrible to consider. Aria quickly composed a text.

  Sorry, I was at the hospital with Christine. Went home to take a nap. Heading back to the hospital now. Will call soon.

  She slipped the phone back into her purse just as the cab pulled up to the front of the hospital. Aria gave him a generous tip and hurried into the building. She took the elevator to the third floor and followed the ridiculously confusing hallways until she arrived at Christine’s room. After lightly knocking on the door, Patrick opened it and enveloped her in a fierce bear hug.

  “We’ve been so worried about you; did you find Erik?”

  “Yes. He’s back. He’s safe. We’re going to need your help to stop Drew, though.”

  Both Christine and Patrick listened as Aria relayed the plan in its entirety. She gave Patrick the paper that held the information he needed to gain access to the evidence in the vault. They both stared at her, completely dumbfounded by everything they were told.

  “Detective Pahl is on his way up here. This way, if Drew were to show up or become suspicious, we can play it off as him wanting to ask me some questions about what happened to you last night,” Aria explained.

  “Wow,” Christine said as she leaned back into the pillows propped behind her in the hospital bed.

  “That’s one way to put it,” Detective Pahl walked into the room with a few other officers.

  Aria smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes. He knew she was nervous. When she told him she was expecting a child, he wanted to flat out deny her the plan she was so confident would work. More than anything, Aria Durant deserved an ordinary life without any further interference from Andrew Overland. If using her as bait was the only way to ensure it would happen, he would do everything he could to keep her safe while she did what had to be done.

  “We’re going to put this wire
on you. Don’t worry about it being there or picking anything up. Trust me, it will get everything we need if he’s feeling talkative. If you’re moving unnaturally because you’re worried about the wire, he’s going to pick up on that,” Detective Pahl allowed the officers to put everything in place before continuing, “Have you called Drew yet?”

  Aria shook her head, “I texted him to tell him I had taken a nap with my phone on silent. I let him know I was on my way up here to check on Christine. I told him I would call as soon as I could. I haven’t looked at my phone since then.”

  “Well, you may as well call him. The longer we wait, the longer he has to smell a rat,” Detective Pahl handed Aria her purse.

  She pulled out her phone and called Drew. He answered almost immediately.

  Finally, Aria was calling him back. Part of him wanted to make her worry the way he had when he couldn’t get in touch with her. Instead of putting her through that, he rewarded her by answering on the second ring.

  “Aria, thank God you’re okay. I’ve been so worried. After what happened to Christine, I wasn’t sure if Erik would come after you next,” he did his best to sound relieved.

  “I haven’t even had time to think about any of that. I’ve been so worried about Christine; she could have died. I’m so glad she’s okay.”

  “Me too.”

  “Drew, I think we need to meet. Obviously, Erik is back if he’s attacking Christine. We need to talk about how to catch him.”

  Drew couldn’t agree more. Drawing Erik out was the cherry on top of his plan to win Aria over once and for all. He knew Aria was at the hospital, so he offered to pick her up.

  “I can be there in fifteen minutes with my car, we can go to the Majestic,” he suggested.

  “The Majestic works great. I’ll grab the key from Patrick. I’ll meet you there, though. It’ll be quicker if I head over on foot.”

  “You’re not planning to crush my soul again by choosing another guy, are you?” He tried to sound like he was teasing her.

  Aria paused for a beat, she had to sound believable. She was an actress by trade, but this wasn’t just acting; this was flat out lying to the man who murdered two of the most influential people in her life. This was walking directly into the lion’s den with her soft lamb fur shaking in fear.

  “No, nothing like that. I’ll be there in fifteen, I got the key from Patrick.”

  “I’ll see you there.”

  After she hung up, Aria felt the sudden urge to throw her phone across the room. She kept her urges in check, but that was what she truly wanted more than anything at that moment. If their plan was going to work, she would have to get herself under control. She wondered if Erik was already at the Majestic, waiting for her to arrive. No matter what they faced the rest of the night, Aria could only hope they would both escape with their lives.

  Drew was already at the theatre. His plan was coming together perfectly. He would have to wait to put the final touches in place until Aria entered the building. He couldn’t have her opening the door just to spoil everything before he accomplished his goal.

  He didn’t buy her feigned innocence for one second. Aria had been tricked into loving Erik, and nothing was going to change that unless Drew didn’t give her a choice. Erik may have survived the first time he tried to get rid of him, but there was no way he would walk away from this reunion.

  Aria walked into the Majestic Theatre with one thought repeating in her mind. She was going to be okay. Over and over, the words continued on an unending loop. She expected to find Drew waiting for her outside, but the door was already unlocked. He was inside, and the open door that led into the auditorium beckoned her with a thin stream of light. Aria crossed to the door and peered inside.

  “Drew?” She called into the dimly lit room.

  “Up here!” He called from the stage.

  Aria fought the urge to run. She had to appear calm and collected if they were going to get what they came for. She took each step with a measured amount of control until she had climbed the stairs and stood on the stage near Drew.

  “How’s Christine?” His tone was flat as though he was simply dispensing pleasantries.

  “Much better. Where did you run off to last night? I went to help Christine, but when I looked up, you were gone!”

  “I wanted to see if I could find Erik. Obviously, he was somewhere in the theater. People like him want to watch the pain they inflict on others.”

  Aria furrowed her brow thinking about the other deaths. Other than the explosion, Drew had been physically responsible for each murder. A drowning, strangulation, and a stabbing were all very personal ways to kill someone; methods that allowed him to watch them die. Erik was right, the first killing had been opportunistic. It was calculated and planned, but it was based on the opportunity it presented rather than the act of murdering the people at Durant Manor.

  “That’s terrifying. I can’t believe I’ve been alone with him,” Aria shuddered.

  “Hey, it’s okay. I won’t let Erik near you anymore. You’re not going to be a prisoner to his twisted plans. We’re going to stop him,” Drew closed the distance between them in a few strides.

  Aria did her best not to flinch when he reached out to caress her cheek. He was a monster parading around with an angel face. Anger rose within her at the thought of Erik hiding away from the world, filled with self-loathing and guilt. It wasn’t his fault Andrew was a sociopath. It wasn’t his fault Andrew had a warped sense of reality. When everything was over, she would spend the rest of her life showing Erik that he was not alone and had no reason to hide.

  “Aria, I needed to see you so I could tell you I’m planning to return to London. I want you to come with me. Erik won’t be able to reach us there. We can be together; I will make you happy. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

  “London? But New York is my home. I love it here.”

  “Do you really want to stay in a place that worships your father as though he was theirs, not yours? Think about it, Aria. If we left this all behind, we could have a fresh start,” Drew put his hands on her shoulders.

  Aria stared at him, unsure what he was going to do next. He brought her closer and wrapped his arms around her. Drew kissed the top of her head. Her intuition told her something was off. Drew began gently rubbing her shoulders.

  “Aria, you and I were meant to be together. Don’t you see that? Erik is nothing. Our parents thought he was so wonderful, but if they could see him now, they’d know he amounted to nothing. What kind of prodigy hides away from the rest of the world?”

  “I don’t know, Drew. Tell me why you want to be with me.”

  “When you were a little girl, I was fascinated by you. Your beauty, intelligence, and talent set you apart from anyone I’d ever met. You were so innocent and pure. Even now, I can see that little girl staring back at me.”

  Aria shuddered involuntarily. The idea that Drew had been attracted to her as a child made her physically ill. Knowing he was a murderer was terrible enough, but thinking he may be a pedophile was too much.

  “You loved me even then?”

  “Yes,” Drew moved his hands up to cradle her face.

  “I could have died in that fire.”

  “But you didn’t. I’ve always wondered about that; it made me feel even more confident that you were meant to be mine.”

  Aria fought the instinct to run away. “And now that you know Erik saved me? How do you feel?”

  Drew’s nostrils flared. He tried not to think about Erik’s involvement, but Aria kept insisting on bringing him up. If they could ignore the less savory details, their love story was perfect. He ran his thumb along Aria’s cheek. The fear in her eyes excited him. It would be easy to end her life right then, to show her that if she wasn’t his, she was nothing. Instead, he wanted to give her the opportunity to make the right decision.

  “All I know is you’re alive. The rest of it will be sorted out later.”

  Andrew leaned down as h
e brought Aria’s face closer to his. He grabbed her roughly, running his hands along her body as though claiming her. His kiss verged on painful. Drew pressed his lips to hers with so much force that she tasted blood inside her mouth. He groaned against her and touched every inch of her body he could reach. It was sloppy and unpleasant. Aria felt more violated than she ever had in her life. Part of her hoped Erik hadn’t arrived yet; it wouldn’t help the situation if he witnessed his brother handling her so roughly. Drew pulled away to look into Aria’s eyes, expecting her to be wanting more. They were all alone if he wanted to take her right then and there, he could.

  “Did you start the fire, Drew?” Aria asked.

  In an unexpected move, he brought his hand under her shirt. Aria began to panic. She was terrified that he was going to assault her further. She screamed for him to take his hands off her. What she didn’t think about was the wire taped against her skin. He yanked it off her roughly.