by S C Jones
Her head moved toward the sound; Garrett's stayed glued on hers. “Aren’t you going to get that?” he said with a sudden blissfulness that made him seem even more cynical than before. Still rooted to the floor her eyes moved between him and the door.
“Why?” she asked frowning.
“This is your home and you’re supposed to be a gracious host. Now be a good girl and answer the door,” he commanded. Pushing one foot in front of the other she walked slowly, turning slightly to glimpse at Sylas still guarding the kitchen behind her. He hadn’t said a word this entire time which made her wonder what he was really here for. Was he the muscle? The one that would grab her, stuff her lungs full with chloroform and carry her off to the trunk. And what had Garrett meant when he said he liked her the day Castell bought her to him she thought. She had never officially met Castell, let alone been taken by him to meet his father.
Reaching for the door knob she turned, pulling it open only to come face to face with the man himself. “O?” he said with questioning brows of confusion. Surprised by the one vowel she blinked repeatedly while he looked her over. “What are you doing here?” he asked, she still didn’t respond.
“Why don’t you come in, Son? You’re letting all the cool air out?” Garrett stood from the couch making his presence known.
Castell looked beyond Lane, his eyes becoming angry almost instantaneously. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he growled walking past her. “What is he doing here, O?” he asked turning to look at her. Now standing between the two, Castell looked from one to the other for an answer.
“Son…”
“Don’t. Why are you here?” he demanded.
“I came here to meet your girlfriend of course,” said Garrett with a knowing smirk.
“And you expect me to believe that?”
He shrugged. “Believe what you want, but since your girl has been working as my assistant for the past month, I figured this was as good a time as any for all of us to get together. You know sort of like a family meeting.”
Removing his eyes from his father's Castell gazed at her with uncertainty. “You’ve been working for him,” he asked gruffly. “Why?”
“I—I… why are you here?” she mumbled looking down at the floor.
“I’m here because he called me.” He pointed. “Why do you work for him, Olivia?” She didn’t respond, blinking at the use of a name that wasn't hers.
“Seems she doesn’t respond to that name, since she goes by Lane now.”
Castell's eyes snapped from his father back to her. “What is he talking about?”
“I don’t know. I am Lane.”
“No, you’re Olivia. Is this some kinda joke? What kind of game are you playing?” Castell spewed looking at her enraged.
She started shaking her head profusely trying to make it all go away while tears finally sprung from her eyes. “No…no I’m not Olivia, I’m Lane. I don’t know who Olivia is, I don’t know who you are.”
“Bull shit. We’ve been together enough times for you to know who I am. Just like I know exactly who you are,” he said between clenched teeth, coming to stand in front of her.
When he touched her shoulders, she fell to the floor sliding away from him and pressing her back against the open door. “No…no, no, no, no,” she repeated.
Castell scowled at this father. “What did you do to her?”
“I didn’t do anything. She’s the one who’s been lying to the both of us. She’s the one that’s been sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong and I’m going to make sure she stays quiet.”
“By doing what? Breaking into her apartment and scaring her to death.”
“No, by doing what you should have done eight years ago.” He narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re the reason I’m here, cleaning up your mess once again.”
“You’re going to take her,” he said surprised.
“She is very beautiful and has a fine body to match. You should know, you didn’t even fuck her before you went and fell for her. Imagine what one would pay for an exterior like that and the pussy must be good for you to be acting like this?” It was swift when Castell's knuckles connected with his father’s face. It only sent him off balance for a minute, splitting his lip just slightly to the side, but it was enough to draw blood.
“You will not fucking touch her,” he growled looking ravenous before Sylas quickly moved in.
Sylas paused when Garrett lifted his hand to stop him. Taking the handkerchief from his breast pocket and pressing it against his lip Garrett said, “you’ll pay for that later, but for now I think I’ll just take the girl, after all, she was mine to begin with.” When Sylas made a beeline for Lane who was still sitting on the floor willing herself to wake up, Cas's gun was quickly drawn and pointed toward Garrett’s head.
He cocked it, Sylas pausing mid step at the sound, and turned his attention to Castell, who had easily moved behind Garrett, pressing the gun to his temple. “Move again and I won’t hesitate,” he warned.
“You underestimate me, Cas.” Sylas smirked. “You forget I never travel empty handed.” Easing his hand behind his jacket for the revolver Cas knew he had tucked in his pants, Sylas paused.
Cas smirked. “I never forget, but do you think you’re quick enough to stop this bullet before yours hits me?”
“You won’t do it,” Sylas said matter- of- factly.
“You don’t know me that well, but my father does. Don’t you?”
“You’d kill me? Your own father?” Garrett gritted out.
“My father died many years ago, so killing you won’t make a fucking difference. Olivia,” he called willing her to look at him, but she didn’t. She continued rocking, talking softly to herself.
He sighed. “Lane, look at me,” he said sternly, before her puffy red eyes met his.
Lane didn’t know what had happened; how the scene in front of her had transpired, but all eyes were on her, waiting for her next move. “I need you to go, now,” Castell demanded, gesturing with a tilt of his chin toward the open door she hadn’t notice was still opened “I need you to focus, Lane.” Her eyes moved to his. It was almost as if he was trying to tell her something that she couldn’t understand, but inside she knew. Inside she understood.
“I need you to run.” Standing on shaky legs, she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes trying to seem stronger than she was, and moved toward the hall before pausing.
“Go, leave, now!” he yelled.
“What about you?” she said looking back with a small voice of uncertainty. She had no idea why he was helping her, and was scared of what would happen to him once she left. Even if he was the one holding the gun.
He shook his head with a sad smile. “Don’t worry about me. You go.” Hesitantly she swallowed, before running down the hall.
Twenty-Four
Stumbling into the quiet street, she took a breath, looking from left to right before turning back toward her building. Not knowing if Sylas would soon come barreling through the doors, she figured before he or anyone else did, she had to get out of dodge and quick. Realizing she didn’t have her keys, wallet, or phone and the only money she had were the thirty five dollars left over from her trip to the store earlier, she knew her options were limited and pretty much nonexistent, especially when she couldn’t think straight.
Mindlessly, she stepped off the pavement as an oncoming taxi she didn’t notice screeched to a halt inches away from turning her into a permanent part of the street. Eyes wide like a deer in headlights she froze, when the driver stuck his head through the open window and yelled, “what the hell, lady. Get out of the road.” She jumped, when he sounded the horn and signaled for her to get out of the way as other cars were beginning to pile up behind him.
Looking back at her apartment building, the fear came back, pushing her into moving to the back door of the taxi before climbing in. “What do you think you’re doing?” said the annoyed man turning to look at her.
Looking around
the empty back seat, she let out a puff of air before moving forward and holding the barrier between them. “I’m so sorry about before, but I really need to get to Clifton MI,” she said almost breathlessly.
“Lady that’s almost an hour away and besides I’m off duty,” he said carelessly pointing to the off duty sign up front. Cars started speeding past them, some of the drivers spewing obscenities as they went.
“I know, but please I really need to get to Clifton.”
“Look, lady, I said I’m off duty which mean—”
“Which means you can easily be on duty if you just flip that switch and drive. I really need your help in getting out of here and I have no other means, if I did, I wouldn’t be begging. So please, please sir. Help me,” she pleaded looking at his impassive face as a brief moment passed between them.
“Isn’t that that mental place?” he asked curiously.
She nodded. “Yes.” Defeated, he let out an exasperated breath before turning and pulling off, which caused Lane to sigh before falling back into the seat.
Breathing a sigh of relief that her apartment was no longer in view, she let her head fall onto the seat while she gazed out at the moving city. The tears soon came back, the fear that this wasn’t over. He wanted her, said she couldn’t run, so what was the point in even trying she thought. A man like that always got what he wanted. He had said that one time when he was on the phone. He always got what he wanted. Her mind drifted back to the apartment and what had happened. She wondered what she would find if she were to turn back and face it, an empty place, or blood and dead bodies.
Castell, a man she didn’t know had protected her, turned against his own father for her like they were forever friends or worse, lovers. He said they knew each other, called her by the wrong name like it was natural for him to call her at all. And yet looking into his eyes while he pleaded with her to leave, she could have sworn something had passed between them. An unspoken moment where he needed her to know he’d always save her.
The taxi slowed to a stop outside the gates of Clifton. She had fallen asleep somewhere between the tears and trying to numb her mind into thinking everything was going to be okay. Jolting awake as the driver tapped on the steel barrier to get her attention he said, “you’re here. If you don’t mind my asking, but are you going to admit yourself here?”
Wiping her eyes, she looked at him shaking her head. “No, why do you ask?”
“Well you seem out of sorts. Back there I thought you were going to throw yourself in front of my taxi and kill yourself and you have been crying and mumbling to yourself the whole ride.”
She briefly laughed and pulled the thirty five dollars from her pocket pushing it through one of the barrier holes. She was relieved it didn’t run over, but was two dollars less than what she had. “I have no idea why I’m here. I guess you could say there’s something I need to fix.”
“Well…good luck then,” he said giving her a sad smile for the first time since they’ve met. Climbing out, she stood on the sidewalk waving goodbye as he pulled away. She really had no idea why she chose to come back to this place. Not after her father had left, and the way she had left things with Scott. But she wanted to see him, thought he was the only one who would know how she was feeling right now. The only question was, if he wanted to see her.
Opening the gate, she walked in eager to find him. Walking quickly up the long drive that split into two ending at a circular impasse, she rounded the side of the huge cream building, heading through the freshly cut grass that soon opened into the garden area. There weren’t many people outside, maybe four or five idly standing around or fiddling here and there doing the normal mundane things.
She looked over at the bench they usually sat, the same one he had said was his favorite, but it was empty, no sign of him anywhere. No one had noticed her, not even the nurses who were busily keeping watch of the patients on hand. She turned and headed up the stairs to the second floor landing heading inside, taking the stairs to the third floor.
Once on the floor, she noticed it was drug hour, as most of the patients were crookedly lined up near the wall, waiting to be handed a small plastic cup with colorful pills inside. Walking a couple steps into the social room that was practically empty, she turned heading back into the hallway, spotting the back of Scott’s figure as he was about to turn down the end of the hallway. “Scott! Scott, wait!” she yelled when he turned disappearing from view. The nurses turned looking at her when she sprinted down the hallway to catch him.
Almost to the end, Martha stepped out of the linen closet, holding some sheets in her hands that fell to the floor when Lane bumped into her, sending them both off balance and onto the floor as well. Catching her bearings while Lane frantically gathered the sheets, standing quickly and handing them back to her she said, “Lane, I didn’t see you there. Are you okay,” she asked concerned placing one hand on her shoulder to keep her steady.
Lane kept trying to see around her. “Sorry…just…I.” She couldn’t stop looking, wanting to run off and catch him.
Martha now turned looking behind herself to see what she was looking for, but found nothing. “Lane, what are you looking for?”
“I’m okay, Martha. I just have to catch up to Scott.”
“Catch who?” she asked confused looking back once more.
Lane started rubbing her hand again. “Scott, he was just here. I just saw him go down that hallway.”
“Lane, there’s nothing down that hallway, you know that it’s a dead end and besides I don’t think there’s anyone here by the name of Scott.” Everything stopped when the words slowly left her mouth.
“NO— no, this is not happening again," she cried. "I just saw him go down that hallway, you know who I’m talking about. You’ve seen me talking to him more than once, Martha.”
Martha dropped the sheets on the chair against the wall and held onto Lane’s shoulders as she spoke. “Darling, I don’t know what to say here. I didn’t see you talking to anyone but your father and there is no one named Scott in his building. I should know, I register every one that enter here.”
Stepping out of her hold Lane cried, “yes—yes there is, you’ve seen me talking to him. Don’t do that, don’t make me out to seem crazy too, because I’m not, I’m not crazy, I didn’t imagine him,” she said despondently turning to run, but Martha grabbed her arm holding her in place.
“Lane, I didn’t say you were crazy, I just don’t know who you’re talking about,” she explained carefully. “Now, you need to calm down,” she warned.
“No, don’t tell me to calm down, I can’t calm down, not after what I’ve been through.” The tears came back as she shook. “He has to be here, he— has to be— real,” her voice cracked as she began to crumble holding her head.
“I… don’t understand what’s going on,” Martha said calmly. “Why don’t you come over here and have a seat and we'll try to figure this out—”
“No,” she yelled pulling on her arm to get out of Martha’s hold, but Martha wouldn’t let go. “I need to find Scott. I know he’s here, he is here,” she screamed louder.
“Lane, stop this," Martha said in a hushed tone, glancing around. "I already told you there is no one here—”
“You’re lying!” she yelled “Stop lying, just stop lying. You just don’t want me to see him.”
“Lane—”
“No! I’m going to find him; I’m going to find him and I'll prove h—.” Lane felt the prick in her neck, but it hadn’t registered until she felt herself drifting, like on a raft in the middle of the ocean being carried away, she fell limp in the arms of a male attendant before it all went blank.
Twenty- Five
Back at her apartment…
“You know I should shoot you. I really want to shoot you…” Castell debated, sticking the gun harder into his father's head. He knew if he pulled the trigger soon after a bullet would be penetrating his flesh, since Sylas's gun was still aimed at his head from the othe
r corner of the room.
Garrett didn’t flinch. “So why don’t you, Son?” he pushed. “You have the gun to my head, I’m practically at your mercy. Why not pull the trigger. I’m only your father.” Garrett said, baiting him like he always did. The man loved being threatened, and he always pushed harder knowing the other person hated it.
“No, what I want is to see you bloody and beaten so badly you’ll be begging for death because it’s the only way to make all the pain you caused others go away. This… ” he lifted the gun shaking it at his head, “is too good for you.” Cas tucked the gun back into his pants.
Garrett turned to face him as his laughter echoed through the almost empty apartment. “You really think you can ever get me like this again? Just point a gun at me and expect me not to retaliate,” he said amused taking the gun from Sylas’s outstretched hand. Castell smiled and shook his head looking down at the floor. He knew his father better than anyone. Knew that the man had a mean streak and was eager to put a bullet in him faster than any of his enemies, but not now, no. Just like Cas he wanted him caught and at his mercy, his father wanted the same. Like father like son he thought.
“I am your son.”
“Which doesn’t mean shit, to either of us and you know it. What were you expecting to accomplish? You let her go. What if she goes to the police?”
“She won’t—”
“That’s right, you fucked her so you know her better than anyone,” he said sarcastically.
“You were the one that came here. That called me here to prove what? What was the whole point of this?” Cas said.
“She was digging. It was only a matter of time. Why she doesn’t remember us is beyond me, but like I said it was only a matter of time.”
“I don’t fucking care! You, are not taking her,” he pointed a finger in his chest. “You’re the one that jeopardize yourself by coming here and putting on this whole show. You wanted to make an example, and look what it fucking got you.”