My father had made the reservation for us to attend. But being on deployment had prevented him from coming, not that we would have wanted him there. Picking up the menu, I felt the sudden urge I wanted to leave and find another place to eat.
‘Mom, could we go somewhere else?’ The fact that my father had booked the table just made me uncomfortable, and I had a weird feeling that I could not decipher all day. Putting it down to emotions running high earlier, but now that we were in the restaurant, I just could not shake the uncertainty.
‘We could, but I can’t reach your sister on the phone. I don’t want her to get here and we have already left. Let’s just order drinks and then when she gets here we will leave,’ my mom confirmed, looking around the restaurant as though she was feeling uncomfortable too.
I kept trying Caitlan’s cell, but it just went straight to voice mail. Nursing JC and settling him down for his nap in the car seat, attachment, I folded the stroller at the request of the waiter.
This whole place was giving me the creeps and the fact that it had a neon sign above the bar and old red fabric booths, just reminded me of a b rated gangster movie. This was so not the place to celebrate Caitlan’s success.
‘Mom, I’m just going outside to see if I can get a better reception. Can you watch JC for a minute?’ I asked, putting my coat back on and heading to the door. As I pushed it open, a rather dubious looking guy entered, almost knocking me flying without even apologising.
‘Wow, could you be ruder?’ I uttered sarcastically as he turned and grinned at me, his tooth chipped at the front and badly in need of a haircut. I turned away, repulsed at the way he was looking at me, those dark beady eyes trying to infiltrate my clothes. Trying again to call Caitlan.
‘Hey, it is me. We are at the restaurant, but this place is giving me the creeps. We are going to leave now and will meet you at Serendipity instead,’ I advised, leaving the message on her voice mail and headed back into the restaurant.
‘Mom, I left a message for Lexi. Let’s go to Serendipity, it is so much nicer,’ I suggested, hoping she would agree to leave, not wanting to stay another second in this place.
‘Sure, honey. As soon as your sister arrives, we will leave. Excuse me, can I have the bill please,’ my mother asked the waiter who stared at us as though leaving was the last thing we were supposed to do. Moving JC closer to me, I suddenly felt like if I did not leave now, I never would.
Picking up the handle of JC’s car seat, I was just about to tell my mom I would meet them at Serendipity when her cell phone went off.
Answering the phone, she stood up from the table and moved over to a corner in the room. She was clearly talking to my dad, and I put my coat on ready to leave as soon as she had finished.
‘Yes, dear, of course. See you later,’ my mother confirmed, hanging up the phone and tossing it onto the table.
‘Something wrong, Mom?’ Seth asked, frowning at her expression in confusion.
‘No, darling, everything is fine,’ she reassured, giving me the look to not say anything more.
I waited another ten minutes, trying Caitlan’s cell every few minutes, nothing; this was getting ridiculous. She should have been here an hour ago. I peeked over to the bar and saw the guy from earlier leering at me. That was it, I was done, getting up to leave, I was about to tell mom when her phone went off again.
‘Hi, sweetie, yes we are still waiting for you,’ my mom advised, and I slumped back into my chair with relief. As soon as she arrived, we were leaving this place.
Caitlan – in the end
‘Mom, it’s me Lexi.’ After lying for the past two years about who I was, who we were, my mind still on occasion wanted to leap out and say, no, it is Caitlan, I am Caitlan, but I always fought it back. This was for Lexi and JC, one day we could tell them the truth, one day very soon. ‘The audition went great, they offered me a place, Mom, and I’m going to be the principal someday.’
‘Oh, honey, I’m so proud of you, I always knew you would do it.’ A lump rose in my throat, she had so much faith in me, I longed to make her proud and now hearing her say those words my heart burst with happiness.
‘Thanks, Mom, I am just around the corner. Getting a cab was crazy. How’s everyone else?’ I could hear my sister and Seth in the background.
‘All good, sweetie, JC is asleep and we are going to pay now and head to Serendipity for some yummy dessert instead, how close are you?’ I could see her through the window and waved as I entered the restaurant.
‘How did it go, sis?’ Seth bounded over to me, pulling me into a twelve-year-old bear hug. ‘Are you going to keep the hair?’ he muttered at me under his breath. He did not approve that I had dyed my hair black for the audition and wore brown contact lenses, wanting to get into the character of the Black Swan. Changing my hair felt like my connection to the darkness within her.
Everyone hated it and looking in the mirror I knew why. I looked like a completely different person. Having spent the last eighteen years of my life looking in the mirror, figuratively speaking, every time I saw my sister it was a pleasant experience to feel truly different, not only in name, but in looks too.
‘Hey, sis, you look hot.’ My soul sister winked at me, the fake tan she had plastered all over me still glowing radiantly. I peeked at JC asleep in his car seat, so blissfully ignorant and beautiful.
I surveyed the restaurant, we were the only ones here except for the staff and it seemed eerie somehow. It was a typical mid-range Italian restaurant in New York, all red interior with brown wooden furniture. Pictures hanging on the walls of old Italian gangsters, Al Capone, newspapers too in frames. It was rustic and with the neon sign overlooking the bar, a little tacky, but my father had booked the restaurant as a treat so I could not complain.
I was so caught up in my thoughts I had not heard the door slam behind me, only feeling Seth jump in reaction at my side.
‘Folks, stay where you are, there will be no trouble,’ A burly man in his twenties called from behind and I reflexively turned, he was holding a gun, an M16. My grandpa was a gun collector and a butterfly collector, go figure, and I would recognise that weapon a mile away. My heart stopped, behind him were two other men and a third was keeping watch at the door.
‘Why are they here? It’s meant to be closed now,’ one of the men huffed to the other. The restaurant should have been closed, but had agreed to stay open a little later for my celebration party, my father having paid them a considerable amount to do so.
‘Shut it and go get the cash.’ He gestured towards the waiter who was frozen in place at the bar, unable to breathe let alone open the cash register. I do not know what came over me, all my life I had been the meek, quiet one, sitting in a corner, the observer of life rather than the participant, but right in that moment, I knew what I had to do. My family were here because of me and I needed to get them out safely, they wanted money, I would get them the money.
‘Here, I will open it for you.’ After spending the past six months working as a waitress I knew how to open a register and with that as my thought, getting the money, I ignored the yells of my mom and sister and walked calmly to the bar, brushing aside the waiter who was on the verge of collapse and opened the cash drawer.
‘Where would you like me to put the money?’ I whispered daring to raise my eyes a little, but not wanting to see their faces. That is the golden rule of survival, you do not see them to recognise them, and they let you go.
‘Aren’t you a brave one and pretty too, so god-damn pretty, I like brunettes and look at those big chocolate eyes.’ His voice was husky and wanton. I recoiled, focusing on my hair, it was black not brunette, but mixed with my blonde under this light, yes, maybe a brunette. I stole a glance at his gun, again the M16, same as the other guy, my head was yelling, these are not common thieves, Caitlan, get out of there.
‘Here’s the money.’ I kept my eyes down, handing the bag I had filled with the register’s contents across the bar, and slowly made my way b
ack towards my family.
‘No you don’t.’ I froze. ‘You are such a sweet thing, look at that ass.’ He made a kissing sound with his lips and I wanted to throw up. ‘What I could do with that ass.’
‘She is just a kid, leave her alone,’ my mom hollered, standing and looking them straight in the face. No, Mom, I inwardly screamed, don’t look at them.
‘Ah, this is mommy then, yes I can see the resemblance now and you’re still hot, hmm this is going to be fun. Oh, what have we here, another, big sister, now this is going to be a party.’ I wanted to run, to scream, to hide, all of those things and more, but I was rooted to the spot with this sick guy who was now holding onto my arm tightly.
I looked at Seth, he had been quiet the whole time, but was now gesturing something to me, the kitchen door, I could see it, he was pointing towards the baby who, thank God, was still asleep and they had not seemed to notice him. Why was Seth directing me to the kitchen? Then I saw, a man, wow a beautiful man, dark hair and sapphire blue eyes, he was gesturing to me to come to him. He looked familiar, but I could not place where I had seen him before.
My mother and sister were facing the other way and had not seen him. Could I get to him? Was he the police? So many thoughts ran through my head, my brain felt like it had been steamed and pressed.
The door next to the kitchen was the bathroom, that is it, that is my way. I turned and with my most daring smile addressed the man that had been the first to enter.
‘Please can I use the bathroom?’ Keeping my eyes as low as possible, my posture submissive, I was no threat.
‘Be quick, let her go now.’ Reluctantly he obeyed and leached over to my mom and sister. My heart was beating so fast as I headed towards the bathroom, checking to see if they were watching me, crap, one still was. Seth saw too and jumped out of his seat, running towards them screaming for them to let us go, his diversion.
Grabbing the baby seat, I flew through the kitchen door, glancing behind me, my eyes meeting with my sister as she turned around, a smile lingering on her lips, her eyes at peace, into the arms of the dark-haired man.
‘Thank God, are you the police?’ I asked, my voice shaking, the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
‘No, but I have called them, are you all right, did they hurt you?’ The man gently stroked his finger down the side of my cheek and my body throbbed in response.
‘No, please take Jacob, I have to get back,’ I whispered, placing the seat down on the ground.
‘No you can’t, wait.’ He had grabbed onto my arm, pulling me back towards him.
‘My family is in there, let go.’ I struggled, and he released me.
‘What’s your name? The police will be coming, please wait with me,’ the man urged, but I couldn’t, my heart was being torn in two, JC was safe, but the others needed me.
‘It’s Caitlan, my name is Caitlan.’ It felt so good to say that, tell somebody who I really was again and the elation it brought, disconnected me from the moment briefly until I heard the gun shot.
The man lunged for me, but it was too late, I had run back into the restaurant and there lying face down on the floor was my sister in a pool of blood, slowly cascading out across the linoleum floor, spreading towards the beige-coloured carpet. I froze, the wails of my mother and brother echoing, reverberating throughout my head.
‘No,’ I screamed, running and pulling my sister into my arms, her face was white, eyes once bright lifeless, so still, she was never that still, always on the move, always in trouble. ‘Lexi, please wake up.’ I was always the morning person; she was such a grump if you woke her up. I was fighting with her, wrestling with her subconscious, please wake up. Come back to me.
‘Caitlan?’ My mother’s face, her eyes, so confused, she had lost a daughter, but she had come back and now she had lost the other.
‘I’m sorry, Mom, I’m so sorry,’ I whispered, and a slight smile spread across her lips as the gun went off again and she slumped down to the ground, the light extinguishing from her until there was nothing. I could not breathe; my lungs wouldn’t fill. I was choking and drowning.
Seth was screaming behind me and on reflex without even thinking I grabbed the gun guy number two had left on the table and started shooting at anything. The wooden booths that diners would sit in for ambiance and privacy, the group tables, the chairs splintering like tissue paper under my rain of fire. The bar, the bottles and glasses shattering, decorating the room with crystal shards, glinting under the neon lights.
Guy number one had attempted to shoot back at me, but missed and I thundered on, the automatic weapon seemingly endless with ammunition until all I could smell was the stench of alcohol and hear the flames flickering in the distance, the place was on fire. I turned for Seth who had been behind me and found him lying down as though he was sleeping; he had fainted. Oh Seth, I pulled him into my arms, stroking his head, we were okay now, they were gone.
He was not moving; wake up, Seth, my mind spoke to his. Why wouldn’t he move? I felt the blood seeping through and soaking my jeans, I had been shot, no wait, it was not me, it was not my blood, I had killed my brother.
LEXI - ECHO
I was lay on the floor, completely immobile and my eyes would not open, no matter how hard I tried to make them. I could hear Caitlan screaming close by me at Seth to wake up. She was completely hysterical, and I just wanted to reach out and tell her everything was going to be okay. The shooting had long since stopped and there was no other noise except for the crackling of flames that I could hear in the distance.
Everything suddenly went quiet, and I strained to hear my sister’s voice, nothing it was as though she had been struck dumb. I urged my voice to make a sound, pushing through the pain that was now starting to take over my body and the strongest need of all over took. I had to get to my baby. I had seen Caitlan hand him off to someone in the kitchen who I had assumed was the police, but why were they not coming back?
Willing my body to move once more, everything I had I put into forming the words.
‘Help,’ I heard the sound, but did not recognise my own voice.
‘Fuck, she is alive.’ A voice from behind me, moving closer, the sound of crunching glass leading him to me. I tried to open my eyes and finally succeeded, seeing my sister, lay on the floor not too far from me, shielding Seth, she was not moving at all and I reached my hand out to touch them.
‘Please, help us,’ I managed to force out, the pain speaking created more than I could ever describe or want to again.
‘Oh, dearie, what have we here?’ a female voice rang out, somewhere from behind. I felt her feeling in my pockets. Was she trying to steal my wallet?
‘I don’t know who is who?’ the male voice spluttered out. They are both hot though, can’t we take them both?’ his creepy laugh sending my fear level soaring. Take us both where? Realising they were not here to help us at all I felt the desire to live stronger than before. My baby needed me.
‘Stay away from us,’ I forced the words out, trying to sound as menacing as I could, still unable to move, I glared at the guy in front of me.
‘Lexi?’ I heard my sister cry out, muffled, but it was definitely her.
‘I’m here,’ was all I managed to squeeze out when everything went dark and I felt my eyes close without my consent.
‘That will keep her quiet for a bit, now we know who they are, get that one in the car and tie her up,’ she demanded, her voiced pitched with such an evil tone, I felt myself shake involuntarily.
‘What about the other one?’ another male voice questioned, awaiting his orders from the voice that had haunted my dreams for months.
‘Inject this into her arm, she won’t remember a thing, dump her outside and crank this fire up. I don’t want anyone knowing we have taken the girl,’ she shouted, and I felt myself moving forward.
Not knowing who was being dumped outside and who was going in the car, I internally screamed and fought to regain control over my body.
&n
bsp; It was no use; whatever they had given me had me completely paralysed, unable to even open my eyes.
The sound of a car door and sirens in the distant woke me before the pain did. I had been thrown into the trunk of a car, smelling the gasoline and feeling around my enclosed space, encased in complete darkness.
The drug had started to wear off and I could just about move my leg when it dawned on me. I was the one they were taking with them, my sister, alive or dead I do not know was left at the restaurant, and who had my baby? The hysterical screams hit me remembering that my mother and brother had been murdered and someone had my baby.
‘Shut the fuck up,’ a voice boomed. The trunk opened and through the blinding light, after being immersed in darkness for so long, I saw her face clearly for the first time. Memories ploughing over me to the first time I had seen her, in the forest, my father kissing her. I had told Caitlan at the time, but she had disregarded it and never mentioned it again. We were so young, but I had never forgotten.
She was the start of the end of my relationship with my father and now I was bound and gagged in the back of her car. The bullet wound had just grazed me, hitting my head on the way down had caused me to black out, but I was completely awake now and ready to fight.
‘You thought you could take my son away from me?’ she screamed, visibly raging and I could not understand what she was talking about. The realisation slowly dawning on me that she was Lucas’s mother and thought I was Lexi. The Lexi who was dating her son.
So many times, I had wanted to tell the truth to my mother about switching places, realising that the longer it went on, the more the lies would tear us apart.
Caitlan calling my real name at the restaurant had made her think I was the Lexi her son was with and now I was in more danger than I could ever possibly have dreamt in my worst nightmares.
The Beginning (The Butterfly Series Book 2) Page 23