Chapter 33
Hank shoved a frustrated hand through his brown hair. Muttering under his breath as her voice repeated the same words he'd listened to countless times in the last day.
"Still not answering?" Beth said. Walking around the counter and waving as the last customers exited the Book Café.
"Still," he sighed. "She…"
"Hold that thought," Beth held up a hand as she crossed the small distance to the front door and flipped the sign over so that it read CLOSED. "You were saying," she prompted. Pulling up a chair beside him and staring at him with kind brown eyes.
"She's avoiding me like the damn plague, Beth. I…"
"Well, Hank. You DO take great pleasure in annoying the hell out of her. Maybe she just needed a break. We all do sometimes," she kidded. Resting a friendly hand on his arm.
"No, Beth. I don't think it's that. I think I scared her…"
"Scared her, how? Hank? What did you DO to her?" Beth questioned quietly.
Hank lowered his head. "I kissed her," he mumbled.
"You what? It sounded like you said you kissed her," Beth laughed nervously. "Hank?"
"I did, Beth. I kissed Gwen."
"Oh," Beth released a shaky sigh.
"Beth?" Hank asked. Concerned. "Are you okay?"
Beth squashed down the disappointment rising in her chest and forced a smile on her lips as she raised her gaze to him. "Me? Of course, I'm okay. I'm fine, Hank. What about Gwen? Must have been some kiss if she's been avoiding you for all this time."
"I thought so," Hank said honestly. "It wasn't the kiss…"
"I don't follow," Beth shook her head.
"I hurt her. I…it was so sudden. Things were moving too fast. She's been so skittish for so long. I didn't want to hurt her, and that's exactly what I did," he groaned. "Dammit. I don't even know what came over me…I stopped it from going too far, and she thought I regretted it…"
"Did you…I mean, do you?" She held her breath. Waiting for his answer.
"No," he answered truthfully. Thoughtfully. "My only regret…"
"Hank," Beth rolled her eyes. "What are you doing? Sitting here in this dark, lonely place?" she said softly. Dark eyes glancing around at their surroundings. Without people it WAS lonely, and the lights were dim. She should have been home an hour ago, she thought absently.
"What are you saying, Beth? Do you think I should…"
"What are you waiting for?" she said. Slipping her purse on her shoulder. "I'm not the one you should be telling this to, you lovable jerk. Get your behind over to Gwen's apartment," she ordered as she pushed the door open in front of her, making the bells jingle.
Hank's brown eyes sparkled as he leaned forward to brush his lips gently across her cheek. "You always know what to say to get my ass in gear," he smirked. "Thanks for being such a great friend," he smiled as he hurried down the nearly empty sidewalk.
"A great friend," she whispered as she lifted a hand to her cheek. A wistful smile on her lips. "Call me if she has you arrested," she called after him as he rounded the street corner.
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"So let me get this straight," Gwen said icily. "You knew, all along, that Alistair was drugging my mother, and you did nothing to stop it? Dammit, Amanda. I thought you were different than the rest of them!"
Amanda hung her head. The sea breeze whipping her hair across her face.
"She IS different," a low voice spoke.
Gwen's blue eyes stared at him. Through him. Blazing with anger. Then she turned her gaze back on Amanda. "How did you meet up with this loser?"
Antonio bristled at her harsh words, but he stamped down his anger.
"Why are you so offended?" Gwen asked. Forgetting, for a moment, their precarious position, and walking toward him. Until she was a breath's distance away. "Only a loser would abandon his family, not giving them any indication if he were dead or alive. Only a loser would let his family suffer like that. They needed you. Hell! They need you now. Come on. Let me hear your excuse," she demanded. Crossing her arms over her chest expectantly.
"I'm working…" Antonio began.
But Amanda cut him off. "He's working with me."
Gwen's brows creased in confusion. "Doing WHAT exactly?" she questioned in exasperation. "Excuse me here, but I'm still not clear on a few things." Still not clear on a lot of things, she thought to herself, but at this particular moment in time, this issue begged immediate answers. "And no more cryptic answers," she warned with a raised brow.
"We're looking for the truth."
Amanda's calmly spoken statement only served to re-ignite Gwen's smoldering fury.
Dammit! Alistair Crane was drugging her mother to the gills to keep her quiet. Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY? she screamed inwardly. "You know what? To hell with you two. I'm leaving right now and going to that God-forsaken loony bin and taking Mother far, far away from this town ruled by lunatics. And there's NOTHING you," she paused. Glaring at first Antonio, then Amanda. "Can do to stop me," she finished. Whirling on her heels and striding toward the staircase door.
The click and slow cocking of a gun was audible even in the gusty wind.
Her hand froze on the door handle, and her eyes slammed shut.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice spoke. Hard and determined.
And she heaved a heavy sigh as she slowly turned around to look into Amanda's flinty blue eyes. Holding her hands up in defeat.
Amanda's hands shook only slightly as she lowered the gun to her side.
"I knew you were smart," Antonio smirked. Giving her an appreciative once over. YET AGAIN.
"Oh would you please keep your damn mouth shut," she snapped as she raised a weary hand to her brow. "That's it. I didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. No. I woke up IN Hell! Somebody PLEASE give me ANSWERS," she cried.
Antonio glanced sideways at Amanda.
And Amanda cleared her throat as she began to speak.
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She cried.
Endless tears of fear.
Pain.
Her screams were muffled by leather encased hands.
Strong hands that pulled and tore at her clothing.
And the tears became tears of shame.
She struggled.
Kicking and clawing her way to the door.
But the hands pulled her back.
Dragging her across the carpeted office.
She should never have come.
Never.
There were no more tears left by the time she felt the knife tearing into her flesh.
No more tears in her sightless eyes as her honey hair spread around her head like a halo.
Black gloved hands picked up the piece of paper that rolled from her limp hand.
The paper crumpled under the force of a leather fist.
A figure melted into the shadows, watching as a team of burly men made short work of any evidence left behind.
The elevator doors closed behind them.
And a figure emerged from the shadows.
Hank shoved a frustrated hand through his brown hair. Muttering under his breath as her voice repeated the same words he'd listened to countless times in the last day.
"Still not answering?" Beth said. Walking around the counter and waving as the last customers exited the Book Café.
"Still," he sighed. "She…"
"Hold that thought," Beth held up a hand as she crossed the small distance to the front door and flipped the sign over so that it read CLOSED. "You were saying," she prompted. Pulling up a chair beside him and staring at him with kind brown eyes.
"She's avoiding me like the damn plague, Beth. I…"
"Well, Hank. You DO take great pleasure in annoying the hell out of her. Maybe she just needed a break. We all do sometimes," she kidded. Resting a friendly hand on his arm.
"No, Beth. I don't think it's that. I think I scared her…"
"Scared her, how? Hank? What did you DO to her?" Beth questioned quietly.
Hank lowered his head. "I kissed her," he mumbled.
"You what? It sounded like you said you kissed her," Beth laughed nervously. "Hank?"
"I did, Beth. I kissed Gwen."
"Oh," Beth released a shaky sigh.
"Beth?" Hank asked. Concerned. "Are you okay?"
Beth squashed down the disappointment rising in her chest and forced a smile on her lips as she raised her gaze to him. "Me? Of course, I'm okay. I'm fine, Hank. What about Gwen? Must have been some kiss if she's been avoiding you for all this time."
"I thought so," Hank said honestly. "It wasn't the kiss…"
"I don't follow," Beth shook her head.
"I hurt her. I…it was so sudden. Things were moving too fast. She's been so skittish for so long. I didn't want to hurt her, and that's exactly what I did," he groaned. "Dammit. I don't even know what came over me…I stopped it from going too far, and she thought I regretted it…"
"Did you…I mean, do you?" She held her breath. Waiting for his answer.
"No," he answered truthfully. Thoughtfully. "My only regret…"
"Hank," Beth rolled her eyes. "What are you doing? Sitting here in this dark, lonely place?" she said softly. Dark eyes glancing around at their surroundings. Without people it WAS lonely, and the lights were dim. She should have been home an hour ago, she thought absently.
"What are you saying, Beth? Do you think I should…"
"What are you waiting for?" she said. Slipping her purse on her shoulder. "I'm not the one you should be telling this to, you lovable jerk. Get your behind over to Gwen's apartment," she ordered as she pushed the door open in front of her, making the bells jingle.
Hank's brown eyes sparkled as he leaned forward to brush his lips gently across her cheek. "You always know what to say to get my ass in gear," he smirked. "Thanks for being such a great friend," he smiled as he hurried down the nearly empty sidewalk.
"A great friend," she whispered as she lifted a hand to her cheek. A wistful smile on her lips. "Call me if she has you arrested," she called after him as he rounded the street corner.
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"So let me get this straight," Gwen said icily. "You knew, all along, that Alistair was drugging my mother, and you did nothing to stop it? Dammit, Amanda. I thought you were different than the rest of them!"
Amanda hung her head. The sea breeze whipping her hair across her face.
"She IS different," a low voice spoke.
Gwen's blue eyes stared at him. Through him. Blazing with anger. Then she turned her gaze back on Amanda. "How did you meet up with this loser?"
Antonio bristled at her harsh words, but he stamped down his anger.
"Why are you so offended?" Gwen asked. Forgetting, for a moment, their precarious position, and walking toward him. Until she was a breath's distance away. "Only a loser would abandon his family, not giving them any indication if he were dead or alive. Only a loser would let his family suffer like that. They needed you. Hell! They need you now. Come on. Let me hear your excuse," she demanded. Crossing her arms over her chest expectantly.
"I'm working…" Antonio began.
But Amanda cut him off. "He's working with me."
Gwen's brows creased in confusion. "Doing WHAT exactly?" she questioned in exasperation. "Excuse me here, but I'm still not clear on a few things." Still not clear on a lot of things, she thought to herself, but at this particular moment in time, this issue begged immediate answers. "And no more cryptic answers," she warned with a raised brow.
"We're looking for the truth."
Amanda's calmly spoken statement only served to re-ignite Gwen's smoldering fury.
Dammit! Alistair Crane was drugging her mother to the gills to keep her quiet. Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY? she screamed inwardly. "You know what? To hell with you two. I'm leaving right now and going to that God-forsaken loony bin and taking Mother far, far away from this town ruled by lunatics. And there's NOTHING you," she paused. Glaring at first Antonio, then Amanda. "Can do to stop me," she finished. Whirling on her heels and striding toward the staircase door.
The click and slow cocking of a gun was audible even in the gusty wind.
Her hand froze on the door handle, and her eyes slammed shut.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice spoke. Hard and determined.
And she heaved a heavy sigh as she slowly turned around to look into Amanda's flinty blue eyes. Holding her hands up in defeat.
Amanda's hands shook only slightly as she lowered the gun to her side.
"I knew you were smart," Antonio smirked. Giving her an appreciative once over. YET AGAIN.
"Oh would you please keep your damn mouth shut," she snapped as she raised a weary hand to her brow. "That's it. I didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. No. I woke up IN Hell! Somebody PLEASE give me ANSWERS," she cried.
Antonio glanced sideways at Amanda.
And Amanda cleared her throat as she began to speak.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
She cried.
Endless tears of fear.
Pain.
Her screams were muffled by leather encased hands.
Strong hands that pulled and tore at her clothing.
And the tears became tears of shame.
She struggled.
Kicking and clawing her way to the door.
But the hands pulled her back.
Dragging her across the carpeted office.
She should never have come.
Never.
There were no more tears left by the time she felt the knife tearing into her flesh.
No more tears in her sightless eyes as her honey hair spread around her head like a halo.
Black gloved hands picked up the piece of paper that rolled from her limp hand.
The paper crumpled under the force of a leather fist.
A figure melted into the shadows, watching as a team of burly men made short work of any evidence left behind.
The elevator doors closed behind them.
And a figure emerged from the shadows.