Criminal Record
Author's Note:Well hello there. I'm hoping everyone is good and in the mood for reviewing because I have a new chapter here! Please read and review. And please, if you have time, please read and review my story 'Incomplete'. It means a lot to me and it would make me feel happy right now.
Chapter Summary: Troy learns the truth about Victor's past when someone leaves a file on Chad's doorstep. When Troy talks to the only person to have survived Victor's wrath, he finds out disturbing and terrifying information.
The hunt is his obsession. He's never gonna stop!
-Edward Cullen 'Twilight'
--
Troy awoke to the bright sunlight that streamed in through his room. It had been two days since the shooting and two days since Troy and Gabriella learned the fate of Ethan. Troy rolled onto his back and he sighed to himself. So much was happening and so much he had to put his family through. He didn't know how much longer he could take. It was all too much. It wasn't fair. He never did anything to deserve this. He was a charitable person, he preferred the company of Gabriella than any other woman and he would rather play with his son than go to work or going out to clubs. He was a family man and he didn't think about his fame. He just tried to be a normal person and give his child a happy and ordinary life. What did he do to deserve going through this kind of hell? He couldn't fathom a single reason why.
Troy turned on his left side and he watched as his wife slept. She had been having problems sleeping and Troy was thrilled to see that she was getting some sleep. Troy gently placed a hand on her very pregnant belly and he could feel the baby moving under his hand. Whatever gender their baby was, Troy already knew that he was going to love it to death. But he wouldn't replace Ethan with this baby. No child could ever replace his son. But Troy remained optimistic that Ethan would wake up to see his younger sibling be born. Troy gently began to run his hand up and down Gabriella's engorged stomach and he smiled feebly. Even though she had been stressed out during the whole pregnancy, she also loved being pregnant. She was in love with the idea that she was bringing a new life into the world. She always felt like pregnancy was a job and she loved her child before she would even know what it was. He loved her for it.
As Troy admired his wife's pregnant beauty, he heard his cell phone ringing. Troy looked over at his clock and saw that it was seven thirty in the morning. Who was calling at this hour? Being as quiet and gentle as he could, Troy go out of bed and he tiptoed to his dresser and he grabbed his phone before stepping out into the hallway. The caller ID said that it was Chad calling. Flipping his phone open, Troy put the phone to his mouth and ear and began to talk to his best friend. It must've been something important for him to be calling him this early.
"Hello?" Troy answered causally.
"Troy, man I'm sorry I woke you up so early but I have some information on Victor that I think you might want to know!" Chad exclaimed into the phone. Troy's heart thumped loudly in his chest. Chad found information about Victor?
"You do? Dude, that's awesome but how did you do that?" Troy asked.
"Someone just rang my doorbell and when I answered the door, I found a huge folder with a record on Victor in it. Whoever got this information must seriously have it out for Victor." Chad stated.
"Why? What do you mean?" Troy asked as he walked into Ethan's bedroom, which he always went into so he could feel some sort of long distance connection to him.
"Troy, this record that they left on my doorstep…it's at least twenty pages of his criminal acts. This guy is one screwed up dude. And get this; Victor's real name is Balthazar Coyle. Victor used to work for the FBI under that name and that's probably why the police couldn't find him when they searched Victor Costello." Chad stated. As Troy sat on Ethan's pirate themed bed, he tried to catch himself. Something was happening and he had to keep up with it all.
"What does his record say? And why isn't he an FBI agent anymore?" Troy asked as a series of questions popped into his head. He couldn't just pick out one question to ask. He could hear Chad flipping pages and then he made an 'Ah' sound, to indicate that he found what he was looking for.
"Here we go. Well it seems that 'Balthazar' had a pretty troubled life. His mother left him when he was a baby and his alcoholic father used to throw punches at him until finally Victor runs away and he begins to get into trouble with some drugs and alcohol. But then he seemed to have cleaned up his act and began to work for the FBI. He worked there for three years until he took an interest in a twenty year old woman named Lilith Guevara. He began to stalk and send disturbing letters to her until she put a restraining order against him and this led to Victor being suspended from the FBI unit. He, of course, goes crazy and this leads to him stalking two more women and he raped and murdered both of them. Police searched for him but have never found him because it seems like he changed his name and moved around so no one could catch his trail." Chad said, reading the criminal record out loud to Troy. Troy was frozen and stiff. He knew Victor was screwed to hell, but he didn't think that he was that messed up. If he thought he was afraid of him before, he clearly didn't know what Victor was capable of now.
"This guy is screwed up. I don't think that makes me feel any better." Troy told Chad as he thought about those three women he had stalked and even murdered. He couldn't let Gabriella be the fourth.
"But there's more man. I cross-referenced the three victims and I also did with Gabriella. And get this…all four women have two things in common. They were both of Spanish or Filipino descent and they were all models." Chad informed Troy, the news being like a punch in the face. Gabriella had both qualities; she was the type of victim that Victor goes after. He had to put an end to this. But he needed to know how to; he needed to talk to someone who experienced something like this before.
"Chad, what's the only survivor's name? Lilith? I need you to find me an address or a phone number so I can talk to her." Troy said in a rush as he got up from Ethan's bed.
"Whoever left me this file also left that information too. She lives on 234 Wormwood road, about half an hour away from your house." Chad informed Troy. Troy said a quick thank you before hanging up on Chad and bolting into his bedroom. He threw open his cupboards of clothes and the ruckus woke up Gabriella. She looked up at Troy with weary eyes.
"Troy, what are you doing?" Gabriella asked with a yawn. Troy turned to face her as he threw on a shirt and slipped into his jeans. He wouldn't tell her the news about Victor; not yet at least.
"I have to go out for a bit. When I leave, I want you to call my mom and she'll come and stay with you until I come back. You got that?" Troy asked as he quickly put on his sandals. Gabriella groaned and rolled her eyes as she collapsed back down onto the bed.
"You're leaving me again? I feel like I see your parents babysitting me more than I see you there to love me a little bit." Gabriella complained, angered that Troy was leaving her again. She needed him; not his mom. Just because both her parents died before Ethan was born and she had a stalker on her tail, that didn't mean that she needed Troy's parents to act as her parents. She just needed Troy to stay with her and not become obsessed with finding Victor. Troy sighed to himself as he walked over to Gabriella's side of the bed and he got down on his knees so his face was at the same level as hers.
"Gabriella, Victor is not going to stop until he has you. Lord only knows what he did with Philip, and he's only getting started. You're his obsession. I want to go out knowing that you're with someone I can trust." Troy told her. Gabriella shook her head and looked away from Troy.
"It's not the same Troy. You're not even telling me where you're going. When we got married, we promised each other that there would be no secrets." Gabriella said with dejected eyes. Troy sighed as he took hold of her face in his hands. He remembered that promise; he remembered Gabriella was crying tears of love and joy when she heard his words. But he had to do this; he couldn't let her know about why he had to leave again.
"I know Gabriella. But this is just one more bump in the road that we have to face so we can help Ethan. I know you're tired and you're getting fed up, but I just have to do this one thing. I'll be back soon okay? I love you." Troy said, trying to convince her how much he truly loved and cared for her. Gabriella said nothing; she only smiled feebly and nodded her head. She wanted his actions to speak louder than his words. Troy nodded his head and he stroked her cheek one last time before he got up and left the house.
--
Troy hesitated before ringing the doorbell. He stood in front of Lilith's mansion door and tried to arrange what he was going to say in his mind. How should he tell her about Victor's stalking? How was he going to ask for her help? How was he going to even introduce himself? Questions circled through Troy's frenzied mind as he brought his finger up to the doorbell and he pushed it down, hearing a faint ringing in the background. He stood there waiting to be answered when he heard someone running to the door. His heart skipped a beat when Lilith opened the door. Lilith was indeed beautiful. It was obvious that she had been a model; she had the appearance and grace of one. She even looked like Gabriella. She had the same tanned skin as Gabriella; she had the dark chocolate eyes and the dark raven hair. She appeared to be about thirty or thirty-two years of age but there was not even a crease in her skin. She blinked in surprise when she saw Troy and she smiled nervously. She must have been a fan.
"Lilith Guevara?" Troy asked, his eyes locked in on hers. Lilith nodded her head, still in shock of seeing Troy Bolton at her front door.
"That's right." Lilith said. Troy smiled nervously to himself and he shook her hand.
"Hi, I'm Troy Bolton and I was wondering if it was alright if I came in and talked to you for a moment." Troy asked, deciding that he would take the conversation nice and slow. Lilith nodded her head and allowed him into her house. Troy accepted the gesture and he walked into her house and he followed Lilith as she led him to the living room. He took a seat on her couch as she sat on the other. Lilith smiled warmly at Troy and shrugged her shoulders in surprise.
"So what brings that famous Troy Bolton to my house?" Lilith asked inquisitively. Troy sighed to himself as he bit his lip. Now he had to tell her why he really came. She may not have wanted to talk about Victor, but he had no choice.
"Some sources have told me that you were once stalked by a man named Balthazar Coyle when you were twenty. Well that same man is stalking my wife and me, but he's going under the name Victor Costello. I came here today because I want to hear your side of the story. I want to hear how you escaped from him. Please, my son is in the hospital dying because of this man…please I need your help." Troy practically pleaded. Lilith's eyes were moistening at the memory of her stalker. It was painful; she had hoped to leave that in her past. But if she had the power to help the Bolton family from suffering the same kind of pain that she did, than she would hold her head up high and help.
"Well Troy…that was twelve years ago and I still get scared of what's moving in the shadows. After the restraining order was put against him, I still feared that he would come after me. I moved from my old home and I moved here. I even went as far as changing my name to Celine Fleur. You're the first person in twelve years, other than my family to have called me Lilith." Lilith told Troy.
"Why didn't he keep trying to go after you? I mean, he hasn't stopped attempting to get Gabriella but he seemed to have stopped with you." Troy stated. Lilith looked away from Troy and allowed tears to fall from her eyes. There was obviously more that happened that was being kept out of the papers.
"Something else happened…didn't it?" Troy asked skeptically. Lilith nodded her head as more tears fell from her eyes.
"It was about a month after the restraining order was put against him. It happened when I lived back in my old house. I was at work during fashion week and when I came home…I found my cat hanging by its back paws from the staircase and its head was decapitated. And on the walls, in my cats blood, the words 'you're next' were written. I then found a note from Victor telling me that if I called the police, he would find me, regardless of the restraining order and he would make me suffer a slow death just like my cat. I was so scared and I just had to leave. Do not underestimate this man Troy; you have no idea what he's capable of. If you think that he is sick and twisted, you have not seen him on his bad days. He's never going to stop!" Lilith warned Troy, her hands beginning to shake. Troy soon felt remorse for Lilith and Gabriella. He felt remorse for Lilith because she had been put through hell at such a young age and the pain clearly eats away at her. And he felt remorse for Gabriella because he didn't want this to dominate her life. He didn't want her to have a breakdown like the one Lilith was having. Troy put a hand on Lilith's shoulder and he tried to calm her down. He was successful.
"Hey it's alright. You're okay and he hasn't come after you since then." Troy encouraged her with a weak smile. Lilith looked over at him and she managed to smile weakly and nod her head.
"Thanks Troy. Now…you said that he's stalking you now?" Lilith asked. Troy nodded his head.
"Yeah he's going after my wife. He caused us to get into a car accident a few months ago and our son is in a coma." Troy briefly explained. He didn't bother to tell her that he only had a month; he refused to believe it was true.
"I see. And your wife…is she pretty?" Lilith asked. The abrupt question caused Troy to blush and smile. Gabriella always made him happy. She always knew how to make him smile.
"No, she's…she's beautiful." Troy gushed involuntarily. Lilith nodded her head and looked at a magazine article that had a photograph of a pregnant Gabriella walking to the store.
"And by the looks of it, she's pregnant with your baby." Lilith stated. Troy nodded with a smile once again.
"Yeah it's a miracle of life." Troy said, expecting Lilith to smile and congratulate him. But she didn't; she just gave him a stern stare and she said nothing.
"Keep her as far away from that man as you can." Lilith warned. The smile fell from Troy's face.
"I have been. I mean, I haven't had a good night sleep in months because I had to fight to keep her away from Victor. I have sacrificed sleep and a life just to keep her away from that man." Troy said in his defense. But Lilith shook her head from side to side.
"I'm not talking about Gabriella. I'm talking about that baby." Lilith informed Troy. Troy blinked in surprise. Troy had to protect their unborn baby more than Gabriella?
"Why do I have to make sure the baby doesn't go near Victor?" Troy asked. Lilith pointed to the picture of Gabriella very pregnant stomach and nodded her head.
"Like I said, that man is sick beyond belief. If a woman he stalks is pregnant with someone else's kid, he will go for the baby first. And I'm not supposed to know this information or even tell you this, but I'm assuming you heard about the two other models he raped and murdered." Lilith assumed. Troy nodded his head.
"Yeah I did." Troy mumbled.
"Well one of them died because she was pregnant with her boyfriend's child. I found out because my cousin was one of the police officers investigating the case." Lilith warned.
"But he said that he wanted Gabriella." Troy said, letting the news sink in.
"Why do you think he crashed into Gabriella's side of the car? Because he must've known she was pregnant, and it was also another way for him to get rid of your son. Troy, you really should go home. Lord only knows how long it will be before that vile creature breaks into your house to get the baby, as well as your wife." Lilith demanded. With no hesitation, Troy jumped up from the couch and he quickly hugged Lilith before he escorted himself out of her house and he ran to his car. And, almost at the speed of light, he zoomed half way down the street.
As Troy struggled not to go over the speed limit, he grabbed his phone and dialed his mother's cell number. He prayed and hoped that she was with Gabriella and that he was just being paranoid. Lilith's information about Victor rang through his head. It all made sense to him now. Victor kept trying to hurt Gabriella because she was pregnant. As much as he wanted her, he couldn't stand the fact that she was going to have another child with Troy. And that would also explain why he put Ethan in the hospital. Everyone was a victim now; everyone was going to die at the hands of Victor. But Troy was going to stop it if it was the last thing he did.
"Hello?" Lucille Bolton, Troy's mother, answered.
"Hi mom it's me." Troy said, trying to hide all paranoia in his voice.
"Oh hi honey, how are you?" Lucille asked politely and very motherly.
"I'm fine thanks mom. Are you with Gabriella? I asked her to call you so you could watch her while I was gone." Troy said, praying in his mind that she was with Gabriella.
"No, I'm not with Gabriella. I was for about half an hour, but then her friend came and took her out to lunch. I believe it was Tess. Gabriella saw that she seemed a little heartbroken that Philip was still missing so she went with her. I didn't go with them because Gabriella hasn't had much freedom since this big ordeal happened and Tess seems like a lovely girl and I know that she is very close to you and Gabriella." Lucille explained over the phone. Troy's head was spinning. Gabriella wasn't with his mom; she was with Tess. As much as he trusted Tess, he wanted her to be with his mom; she was a fighter like his father and she would've kept Gabriella safe from Victor. Tess didn't know how far Victor will go to get Gabriella.
"Are you at my house mom? And how long ago did they leave?" Troy asked, panic in his voice.
"They left about an hour ago. No, I'm not at your house. I'm visiting Ethan at the hospital with your father." Lucille informed Troy. Troy was going to shoot himself. This can't be happening. He wasn't there to protect Gabriella and neither was his family; Victor was going to be on the prowl for Gabriella, for sure.
"Thanks mom, I'll call you later." Troy quickly said as he hung up on his mother. Troy threw his phone down onto the passengers' seat next to him and he angrily groaned to himself.
"Damn it!" He yelled to himself. Slamming his foot onto the gas pedal, Troy sped home as fast as he could. He could only think of bad thing's happening. He had to get home before Gabriella would; he may have been looking into this too much, but he would risk it all for his family. He wouldn't have it any other way.
To be continued…
Hmm, so what will happen in the next chapter? Will Gabriella be alright? 10 or more reviews to find out!!
Alanna xo
