UNMASKED: Sequel to Behind the Mask

by Heather Carnassale

  “I need to know that you can handle this job and when you are here, you are here!”

  Remi stood up and stated, “I’m here, I promise.”

  “Good, cause I need your help with this fundraiser.”

  “You can count on me,” she said with a straight face, as slight regurgitation worked its way up her throat. Lying again, Remi thought. Olivia handed her a thick manila folder. “Read through the contents and after lunch, we’ll talk,” she said. Remi collapsed onto the chair, exhaled and knew she had to get her shit together or she’d be out of a job.

  Liam sat in his truck for a half an hour, trying to build up the nerve to see Simon. As he stared up at the Braddock and Associates sign, it hit him that he was closing yet another chapter in his life. It wasn’t just giving up the actual job at Braddock; it was saying goodbye to designing altogether. Unfortunately, Simon had texted and called him numerous times already that morning, wanting to discuss the project, Liam was only prolonging the inevitable. So, he took a few deep breaths, picked up his carrying case and trekked inside the building for the last time. Greeting him, as usual with her always kind disposition was Mary. “Good morning, Liam,” she said. “Simon is expecting you.”

  Liam smiled back at her as he opened up his case, removed the notarized contract and a handwritten letter then without any hesitation entered Simon’s office. “Ah, Liam, finally,” declared Simon, standing up to say hello. Liam returned the pleasantry as he set the case on the floor. But before he could say anything else, Simon began raving about the designs. “You have outdone yourself,” he said, his grin wide and honest. “Your designs have always been impressive, but for this project, they are by far your best.”

  Liam thanked him but his expression remained vacant. “That’s it?” questioned Simon. “I mean I know you aren’t an emotional guy, but you have to be proud of this work,” he added. Liam just shrugged, trying to appear unaffected while Simon continued boasting. “I also can’t believe you finished this in such a short amount of time; you clearly know how to work under pressure.”

  As the excited man rambled on, Liam finally interrupted, “Simon!”

  That caught his attention while Liam handed him the contract and letter. “What are these?” he asked. Liam cleared his throat. “Umm, the one is a letter of my resignation, and the other is a notarized contract, signing off all rights to these designs.”

  Completely astonished at what he had just heard, he asked, “They’re what?”

  “Let me explain,” said Liam.

  “Yes please do,” begged Simon, who searched for his chair, suddenly needing to sit down. Liam inhaled a deep breath then waited a few seconds to exhale. “I can’t go into much detail, but after tonight, you won’t want me or my name associated with this company,” he said. “Trust me on this.”

  Simon just sat there bemused.

  “The right thing for me to do was to finish the project, but take my name off of it, and give you full credit for it,” he explained. Hearing this was so out of left field that it was difficult for him to comprehend what Liam was saying. When Simon arrived at work earlier that morning, he was thrilled with the designs, and couldn’t wait to congratulate Liam; now he had been blown away for the wrong reason. “Hold up for a minute, do you need some time off again, cause if that’s what this is about, we can work something out,” said Simon. Liam remained impervious, as he shook his head no. “Believe me, after tonight, you’d be forced to fire me anyway, so I’m just making this easier for you and the company, plus hopefully not tainting the company’s good name in the process.”

  Grasping for a clearer reasoning, Simon asked, “Does this have to do with that shooting back in December?”

  Liam looked him square in the eye and replied, “Kind of.”

  “I thought you were cleared of any wrongdoing since it was self-defense and you were protecting your friend.”

  Liam nodded. “I was, but that incident was tied into something much bigger.”

  Simon covered his head with his hands and questioned, “Something illegal?”

  A small grin erupted as Liam just nodded. Simon sighed. “I guess it’s safe to say you aren’t going to tell me anything, right?”

  “This time tomorrow, you and the rest of the world will probably know everything.”

  Simon got up and walked over to Liam. “I hate to lose you,” he said. “And I hate that you are just giving all of this up.”

  Liam tried to keep his composure. “Me too, but I don’t want to see you or this company dragged through the mud because of me.”

  “I appreciate that,” he said, shaking Liam’s hand. “I’ll have accounting cut you your last paycheck, and I’d still like you to get the commission on this project.”

  “Don’t worry about the commission, just take my name completely off the project, please,” begged Liam. “Okay,” he said, grudgingly. Liam then shook Simon’s hand one more time and said, “I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity you have given me and what a great experience it’s been working for you; I’m just sorry that it had to end like this.”

  “Me too.”

  Liam picked up his case, gave Simon a final nod then headed to his office to clean it out. While there, he realized there wasn’t much to take. Remi was right the night he had brought her there. His office was like a morgue, clinical and dull. For a brief moment, he actually laughed. And it felt good, but it didn’t last because he needed to get the hell out of there. So, he tossed anything that wasn’t important and took a couple drafting items, which he thought, was stupid cause when was he ever going to use them again. He was just about to leave when he glanced out the window at the shipyard. A view he enjoyed eyeing many a day, would soon just be a distant memory.

  Before exiting, he stopped to see Mary who gave him his paycheck along with a huge hug. “I’m going to miss you,” she cried. He hugged her back but before saying goodbye, he surprised her with a sweet peck on the cheek.

  Outside, he decided to take one last stroll around the dock, a decision that was both pleasing and painful at the same time. In fact, he was supposed to stop by his lawyer’s office to pick up the legal papers, but he called Victor to see if he would meet him down at the shipyard instead. Thankfully, the sympathetic lawyer agreed. When he showed up thirty minutes later, Liam immediately thanked him for coming. “No problem, I have a meeting not too far from here anyway,” he said, propping his briefcase up on the back of Liam’s truck. “Here are the papers for Marlene and Chris,” he said, handing Liam two separate folders. “And…here is Remi’s.”

  Liam held her folder in his hand, and suddenly it all felt very final. Victor asked him if he was sure about all of this. Liam nodded as he paid him with a check then thanked him for the expedited rate in which he made it all happen. “If any of them have any questions, just have them call me, I’ll gladly help,” he said. Liam appreciated that. “And if you ever need my help, you know where to find me,” he added. The two shook hands and parted ways. Liam then sadly bid adieu to the shipyard and headed back to the apartment where Chris was waiting outside for him. “I’m a few minutes early,” he said, noticing that Liam looked unusually tired. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like shit.”

  Liam managed to smile as he remarked, “I feel like it, too.”

  Chris knew things weren’t good but waited until they got inside the apartment to find out what was going on. Liam removed two cold beers from the fridge, tossed one to Chris then crumpled onto the couch. “Tonight I’m doing that job with Charles.”

  Chris gulped the beer then questioned. “Thought you were going to keep me informed?”

  “I didn’t want you to get into any trouble, so I chose to keep you out of it.”

  Chris laughed. “I love trouble; you know that.”

  “You don’t want this, trust me.”

  Chris suddenly slammed his bottle down onto the table his patience waning like Remi’s had. “Hold up here; I recall you stating that you w
ere doing this to set Charles and Denton up.”

  Liam nodded. “Is that still the plan?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then how does you doing a job only set them up?” he questioned.

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  Liam sighed. “Both.”

  Chris angrily shouted, “Then what the fuck am I doing here?”

  All of a sudden, Liam bowed his head between his legs, in total defeat. “I need you to tell me that I’m doing the right thing,” he whispered. Chris realized that his best friend in the whole wide world was seeking his approval, his validation, and it frightened him. “Oh God, you’re not just taking down Charles and Denton, you’re going down with them, aren’t you?”

  Liam raised his head, and just stared Chris in the eyes. Didn’t utter a single word, he didn’t have to. His silence was all the confirmation that was needed. “Does Remi know?”

  Liam stood up then stepped towards the sliding glass door. As he leaned up against it, he replied, “She knows about the job and knows there’s a possibility I could be arrested, but that’s it.”

  Chris surmised, “She probably thinks you won’t be arrested because she thinks you’re too smart to get caught, right?”

  Liam just nodded.

  Chris let out a long sigh. “Why don’t you just rat Charles and Denton out then take off for good?”

  “It’s too late, I’ve already made a deal.”

  “With whom?”

  “The police and feds.”

  “You what?” asked Chris, whose expression was one of utter shock. “What kind of deal?”

  Once Liam further explained it, Chris understood better, but he also needed something stronger than beer. “There’s a brand new bottle of Jack in the cabinet,” said Liam, pointing to the kitchen. He then told Chris to pour a shot for him as well. Soon, the two were standing at the counter, commiserating. However, the hard liquor managed to lighten the mood, albeit temporarily. “Remember back to the first couple jobs we did, just you and me, before we met Charles?” asked Chris, reminiscing. Liam started cracking up as he recalled a convenience store they had hit in Upper Darby. It wasn’t the actual robbing of the store that was funny, as they only stole a couple packages of Reese’s Peanut Cups and a bag of Doritos it was the fact that Chris had pissed his pants after they had gotten outside. Their early attempts were small items to see if they could succeed, what they hadn’t banked on was Chris’ anxiety in the beginning. He obviously got over it eventually, but for some reason, he had been so nervous about getting caught, that he wet himself. It took about six jobs for him to work through it, and that was the only time he had lost his faculties, but they never forgot it. Chris didn’t mind the laugh at his expense he knew Liam needed it. “Want another shot?” he asked. “No, I have to pick Remi up from work, I can’t get hammered.”

  Chris tossed back his third one then stated the obvious. “You know, this is going to kill her.”

  “I know,” said Liam. “But it’s the only way to keep her free from this mess.”

  “Do you think she’ll see it that way?”

  Liam thought about it and replied, “I honestly don’t know.”

  Chris did one more shot for good measure then told Liam he was there for him if there was anything he needed. “Now that you said that, there is something that I need you to do.”

  Chris watched as Liam removed the three folders from the carrying case. “One of these is yours, the others are for my grandmother and Remi,” he said, laying them down in front of Chris, who asked what they were.

  “Let’s just say, I needed to make sure all the people I care about are taken care of.”

  “Wow,” uttered Chris, who sounded choked up. “You’re really going through with this.”

  Liam nodded. “I have to.”

  Chris wiped his eyes in an obvious attempt to hide the tears that were welling up. “You okay?” asked Liam.

  “Yeah, I’m good, what do you need me to do?”

  “I need you to give these to Remi and my grandmother, after tonight,” he said.

  “Okay.”

  “And it’s up to you when you choose to look at yours,” said Liam. Chris lowered his head and nodded, avoiding eye contact. “Sure you don’t want my help tonight?” he then asked.

  Liam smiled. “No, I started this, it’s mine to end.”

  As if he were sending his brother off to war, Chris suddenly bear hugged Liam while pleading, “Just please be careful!”

  Liam assured he would and thanked him for his help. They said a long goodbye, which took about fifteen minutes then Chris left. Liam took a moment to collect his thoughts then accessed the safe. Inside was the 9mm semiautomatic pistol that he wanted to take with him, just in case. He had no plans to actually use it unless unforeseen circumstances arose. He took it out along with a box of bullets. After he had closed the safe, he hung his grandfather’s painting back up and took a minute to study it. A profound sense of sorrow began to filter in so he quickly walked away and ventured into the bedroom to gather up clothing he would need for later. Rummaging through the drawers, he yanked out a black t-shirt and a pair of black cargo pants then laid them on the bed. Out the corner of his eye, he spotted Remi’s pink slippers by the nightstand. She must have forgotten them because she hadn’t slept there for a couple of nights. The slippers were a minor reminder of her presence, not that he needed one. She was all over that apartment. Everything from clothes, to makeup, a brush, food, and of course the ever-present strawberry scented shampoo. But there was something about those fuzzy slippers that just made him smile. They were just—her.

  All of a sudden he dropped to his knees and as a surge of anger pumped through his veins; he shouted, “FUCK!”

  Finally, he unleashed all the suppressed emotions he’d been concealing for days. And in a moment of total weakness and vulnerability, Liam wept.

  Remi mindlessly tapped her foot, waiting impatiently for quitting time while keeping one eye on the clock. “Four fifty-eight,” she uttered. Olivia stepped out of her office, and Remi immediately thought, oh shit, she’s going to need me for something. But to her surprise, Olivia was looking for someone else. Remi breathed a sigh of relief, and the exact moment the clock struck five, she hightailed it out. Four minutes later, she raced towards the Ford F-150. Liam smiled then in an attempt to shoot the shit; he casually asked, “How was work?”

  Remi could tell he seemed out of sorts and could have sworn his eyes looked red and swollen. She thought maybe he’d been crying but then thought, this was Liam, no way he’d shed a tear for anything. “Work was okay,” she replied, not wanting to tell him about her run-in with Olivia. “Did you get all the stuff done that you needed to?” she asked, not letting on her day had been crappy. He nodded then casually reached his hand over to hold hers. The warmth and comforting feeling of that action, made her forget all about Olivia and Charles, well temporarily anyway. “I picked up a pizza, if you’re hungry,” he said. She turned to see a large flat box laying on the backseat. “That was very sweet of you to get me dinner.”

  He grinned. “Yeah, I’m a big spender tonight.”

  She pulled his hand up to give it a kiss. Again he just grinned, but not saying much, which made for an uncomfortable ride. Remi tried to keep the conversation going by talking about silly things, like office gossip. Every once in awhile, Liam would politely nod, to prove he had been listening, but Remi knew he didn’t care about that stuff. So when they finally got to the apartment, she was grateful to get out of the confined space of the truck. As soon as they got in inside his place, she kicked off her shoes and searched for her slippers. “They’re in the bedroom,” said Liam, who knew exactly what she was seeking. She hurried down the hall, and the moment her foot touched the bedroom floor, she spotted the all black apparel spread out neatly on the bed. Now wearing the color black wasn’t unusual for Liam, as he seemed to favor it but knowing exactly why he had chosen th
ose particular articles of clothing was upsetting. Even worse, she spotted the familiar 9mm on top of the dresser. If she needed a bigger dose of reality, there it was right in front of her. “Want anything to drink?” he yelled out from the kitchen. “Uh, water is fine,” she replied, sticking her feet inside the slippers then quickly retreating to Liam, who was already seated at the table, eating a slice. “What time do you have to leave?” she asked. Liam swallowed half of the crust then replied, “About eleven.”

  While nibbling on a piece, she clicked the button on her phone to check the time. It was 6:10. Liam noticed the time as well, which prompted her to ask, “Are you all set for the, uh, um—job?”

  “Yes,” he replied, somewhat coldly. Getting any answers out of him was futile, she knew that, but didn’t mean she wasn’t still going to try. “Since you haven’t done one in quite some time, are you nervous?”

  Liam tossed the remaining crust onto his plate then abruptly got up from the table. Great, she thought, assuming she had pissed him off. However, her assumption had been wrong. Liam plopped down onto the couch, stretched his arms out then admitted, “I’ve always gotten a little nervous before a job, no matter how big or small.”

  Pleasantly surprised that he didn’t just shut down, she joined him on the couch. He moved his arm so she could nestle in beside him. “I find that hard to believe.”

  With a side-eye glance, he asked why. She shrugged. “Because you’ve always come across so strong and fearless.”

  The wryest of grins arose. “You still see me as some superhero, when I’m not even close.”

  She ran her hand across his forehead, and down the side of his cheek, stopping there to feel the scruff that was growing in. “You’re only doing this job, to stop those assholes from threatening me, sounds like a hero to me.”

  Instinctively, his head tilted into her hand and he closed his eyes. She leaned forward and sweetly kissed his lips. “And how many times have you saved my life?” she asked, in between kisses. “Hmm, a couple,” he mumbled while drawing her down with him to lie on the couch. But it wasn’t sex he wanted he just wanted to curl up with her. With only a few hours to spare, he longed to hold her as close as possible. As she burrowed her face into the crook of his neck, he protectively held her head with his hand. Of all the things she and Liam had done, including making love, just lying with him, wrapped securely in his arms, was by far her favorite. “I could stay like this forever,” she said, sighing. There was no response from him, so she gently poked his chest. Still nothing. Not really wanting to move, she shifted just a tiny bit, to peek up at him and there he was, sound asleep. She immediately wondered what he would do if he slept past eleven. No Charles, no job, he could just stay with her, she thought. As wonderful as that sounded, she had a sneaky suspicion that Liam wasn’t going to allow that to happen and he probably already had his phone alarm set to go off anyway. Remi had two options, either keep herself occupied until Liam woke up, or enjoy being cuddled up with him and sleep too. She chose the latter.