Disclaimer: Still don't own it
Well I never expected to see Cyrus again.
The last time I heard about him, the guy had skipped town after confessing to Alison's fake kidnapping.
"You're late," Cyrus said, annoyed as he just stood there and looked around nervously. I could understand his paranoia given the situation.
"I had to make sure I wasn't followed; that was our agreement after all," Lucas said sarcastically and looked quite serious.
"Did you bring the money?" Cyrus asked and Lucas took out a pretty fat envelope and waved it in front of the man's face.
"Did you bring the tapes?" Lucas asked back as he held the envelope close to his chest. The man pulled out a small Ziploc bag full of small recording tapes.
It appeared that I was in the middle of some sort of exchange; which I wondered if it was once again divine intervention. It can't be a coincidence that I keep stumbling into these things without knowing it. It was a little weird since all I could do was simply watch without intervening. Then again, I could always tell the girls about this later but that would go against my plan to keep Lucas and his group as a hidden asset.
"How do I know that Alison is really on those tapes? For all I know, this is just a part of her plan," Lucas stated suspiciously. I smiled at his behavior since I would act the same way and was glad that he was be cautious.
"It's her; this is the only thing keeping me alive right now," Cyrus said and that perked my interest since it meant that Alison's killing spree wasn't widespread.
"Well included with the money is that passport you needed as well as a new id. Once we are done here, you can leave the country forever," stated my former subordinate. Cyrus has a brief look of relief on his face; as if he had been looking over his shoulder for a long time now.
"Toss on three?" he asked and Lucas nodded. They both counted together and then tossed each other what they had.
"The last time I met Alison, she gave me a plane ticket and said she never wanted to see me again; I thought I was done with her then," Cyrus stated and I was curious to what had changed; lucky for me, Lucas was curious as well.
"So what happened?" Lucas inquired with curiosity in his tone. While I kept an ear on the conversation, I made sure to patrol around the clearing in case we had any unwanted visitors since I had seen this movie before.
"My place blew up and the fire department said that someone had b*** trapped the place; I know of only one person who would have wanted me gone," the man explained and things were really starting to get interesting now.
"And you think it was Alison who tried to kill you?" I asked, temporarily forgetting that they couldn't hear me.
"You think it was Alison who did it?" asked my former friend; almost mimicking me but with a different play on the words.
"This happened a week after the girl on the news was murdered; so yes," Cyrus said as if he truly believed it was the blond who tried to kill him. I was curious though to which murder victim he meant.
"Do you mean Mona?" Lucas asked and he took a step forward and was obvious that he wanted the man to continue given the seriousness of the question.
"Yeah; Alison used to talk about her a lot. The bitch hated her and said that she wanted the girl dead for chasing her out of town," Cyrus informed us and my eyes widened at the implication of what had just been said.
"She knew that I was A," I said out loud; mostly to myself since no one could hear me.
This fit with my earlier conversation with Hanna about when this all started. If Alison knew I was A before she left, then so did her sister. I was curious to when they had found out about me; maybe Courtney had told Alison after I had stopped and even had tracked Alison down when she left town. I was only watching my back when it came to Alison and her friend; not expecting anyone else.
"Did she mention anyone else?" Lucas asked and I wanted to know that as well. Maybe Cyrus knew about the sister.
"A person picked her up when she last left me place a year ago; caught a glance of a blond but her back was to me. Alison had said that it was her sister," Cyrus stated and Lucas looked surprised even though I wasn't.
"Alison doesn't have a sister; just an older brother," Lucas stated and the man just shook his head as if he disagreed.
"No; sounded like a sister. She is on one of the tapes talking to Alison on the speaker during a phone conversation. I had left the recorder on by accident and found the conversation later on," he told Lucas and I realized that he had something very important. I was now going to stick to Lucas like glue to hear that conversation.
"I can understand why Alison would want you dead; she is killing off anyone who she considers a threat and I guess her partner is too. I suggest you run tonight and never look back," advised my former subordinate and I could see he quickly agreed. Before he turned to leave, he asked one last question.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you getting involved with her and risking your life?" Cyrus asked, like he truly couldn't understand why my friend was trying to bring down Alison.
"Because Alison and her partner killed a friend of mine; not just killed her but took her body too so she couldn't even have a proper burial. She is now threatening my other friends as well and needs to be stopped," Lucas said and I was moved by his conviction; though I was annoyed that it had been my death that gave him it.
"Well you are fool to take her on; though I wish you luck," Cyrus said and I watched him walk away. Lucas turned to head back to his car with me following from behind. While he was being observant and sticking to the trees, I made sure to watch his back in case he missed something with a possible threat.
When he got to his car, he didn't get into it right away and shined a flashlight into the backseat to make sure no one was hiding there. I had made that mistake once and almost got strangled for it; though I now wonder if that had been Alison or Courtney. Seeing that it was clear, he got on his hands and knees to check underneath his car while I kept watch. He then checked the hood of his car, finding nothing and then getting inside to start the engine. I got into the backseat just as he drove off.
"So where to now?" I asked him as he drove; hoping that he was going somewhere to listen to the tapes. I liked to think that Lucas would not make the same mistake that the girls made on occasion and not listen to important information right away; I hoped Lucas was still single and would not be distracted by useless drama.
If it weren't for their constant problems with their relationships, I might have been caught sooner by the girls; that went double for Alison and her sister. I have often wondered if I had just gotten lucky that Ezra, Caleb, Toby, and Paige came along and offered a way for me to get my way because they distracted the girls. I was good at keeping myself hidden but they had fooled me at times; though not for long. It would have gotten interesting and challenging if the girls had stayed single.
And more fun since I loved a good challenge.
I knew the route back to Lucas's house pretty well and it looked like we were not going in that direction. From the looks of it, the car was heading back towards the center of town and more than likely his lair. If he was smart, and Lucas learned well from me, he would have already called the others in his group and they would be on their way there. Better to have multiple people knowing what is on the tapes and just a few in case something happened.
The one thing I noticed was that Lucas was taking his time and being careful on his way to the lair. We often circled back and took side streets, all while he constantly checked his mirrors and out the sides of his car. I also made sure to look around for a hoodie or a familiar face; now that I knew what Courtney looked like, I knew who to look out for. There was a chance that the free twin was still working for Alison as well as Jenna and Sydney; but I doubted it since none yet knew about Lucas and his group.
Eventually we made it and Lucas parked in an alley next to the building. He got out and grabbed the tapes, looking around him before making sure his car was locked. He made upward glances and I followed his gaze to a number of hidden cameras in key places. It seemed that Lucas had made sure that his lair was well protected in case of possible intrusion in a way that I never thought of. I wished that I had made sure the RV had been this protected since I might have been able to hold onto it.
Going into the building using the side door, he locked it behind him and then used a key to unlock a second door that lay just past the one going outside. Once he was inside, he dead bolted the second door and looked to another hidden camera; which was located behind a face heater vent in the upper corner. I was curious to how many cameras were scattered about this place and was tempted to look for them all in case I needed to know. I could do it if I got bored and needed the distraction.
I followed him as he made his way to the center of the operation and he entered it a few minutes later. I was pleased to see Jason and Mike waiting for him with Jason going over some paperwork while Mike appeared to be doing his homework. I remembered helping him a few times back when we had been going out; which worked out since I was a grade ahead of him as well as the smartest person in the school. While Spencer and Andrew were at the top of the class in general belief, in reality I was at the top but just didn't broadcast it.
"What took you so long?" Jason asked as he looked up from whatever he was reading.
"Had to make sure I wasn't followed; I am not going to make the same mistake Mona and the girls made," Lucas said and that earned a glare from Mike even though I agreed with my former subordinate.
"Did Cyrus deliver?" Mike asked as he pushed his homework aside. The intensity of his tone was a little unnerving in my opinion.
"Yep; hope you guys don't have plans tonight because we got a lot of listening to do," Lucas stated as he held up the bag full of tapes. Putting them on the table, he went to find something to play them on.
"Those better be worth it; I had to lie about the expense to Ashley so that we could pay for them," Jason stated and I could hear the annoyance in his voice.
"Aren't you loaded; why didn't you just use your own money?" Mike asked and I considered it a good question.
"Because everything I had is tied to my business; since Alison has been back, I have been more or less cut off from the family," Jason explained and I felt sorry for him since he was almost alone now; except for the Hastings.
"Yeah, I suppose your real father would be a little suspicious if you had asked him for the money," Lucas stated and the older man nodded. While Peter Hastings might have loaned Jason the money he needed, there might have been a snag when it came to Veronica Hastings. I have yet to know how her husband embracing Jason was having an impact on the family.
"So we are just going to listen to tapes and hope we get something useful?" Mike asked and I could hear the impatience in his voice.
"No; you both are going to listen to the tapes while I dig up information about a possible sister to Alison," said my former subordinate and I could see Jason's eyes bulge in utter surprise at the words.
"Alison only has one sibling and that is me; who said she had another one?" he demanded to know and I watched as Lucas smirked at Jason.
"Cyrus said that a sister came to pick up Alison when she left him; he also claims to have a conversation of her and Alison on one of the tapes," Lucas informed his partners and I could see the confusion on Jason's face.
"That doesn't make sense; there can't be another sibling out there," Jason said and I could hear the disbelief in his voice.
"Why is it so hard to believe?" Mike inquired and I could hear the adolescent curiosity in his voice. Sometimes I forget that he is the youngest of everyone tied to this horror.
"Because I can't picture my mother hiding the fact that I have more siblings out there. I know she kept secrets from me but this is going a tad too far," he said and that did make sense.
"Why do you keep thinking that it is your mother's child; I am sure Kenneth had his share of affairs so maybe he has a secret kid out there," Mike said and I smiled at his intelligence; he was smarter than other people thought.
"It makes sense; if he did then we just have to find out who," stated my former boyfriend which was easier said than done. I knew the answer they were looking for but I couldn't tell them and having the others tell them was not an option.
"So what are you going to do? Even if Kenneth does have other children, it's going to be impossible to find them given that the bitch is good at keeping secrets," Jason said and I had to agree that it was like a needle in a haystack if you didn't know what you were looking for.
"Well, I will see what I can find and maybe I will get lucky. Each of you grab the headphones and listen to the tapes on these," Lucas instructed as he put two tape recorders on the table which would help everything go faster.
Everyone went to work and I just stood back, watching as they went at it. It was nice to see some efficiency for once and not just a reliance on dumb luck. Other than Caleb and Ezra, I had yet to see the others ever go at it when finding out what needed to be found out. Toby could be doing his part at the Rosewood Police Department but given their track record, I doubted that it amounted to much. Even with the State Police involved, they never found out what was going on underneath their noses.
Occasionally, I would look over Lucas's shoulder to see what he was researching and he seemed to be tracking the people in Kenneth DiLaurentis's life; especially the women that he could have slept with. I wondered which of the parents started the affairs, Kenneth or Jessica; either way, it was no wonder their children were all screwed up. It seemed that Emily's parents were the only ones who stayed true to themselves out of the entire group.
"Wow, your sister is a slut," Mike said suddenly as he took off the headphones and rubbed his eyes. I shuddered to think what brought him to that conclusion.
"Do I want to know?" Jason asked dryly as he continued to listen to his own tape; frowning the entire time so it had to suck to listen to it.
"No," Mike simply answered as he got up and walked over to the small refrigerator to grab a can of soda. It was well stock inside from what I could see with various drinks and snack foods; no alcohol which was a good thing.
After a minute, he took a few sips and went back to what he was doing. It must have been an hour before Mike suddenly leaned forward and intently concentrated on what he was listening to. Jason noticed this and looked over at the younger guy, curious to what Mike had discovered. Lucas also took a break from his computer and walked over to see what the fuss was about. I was also curious as well and hoped it was something good.
"You guys need to hear this," Mike said and handed the headphones over to Jason, who took them as Mike wound back the tape and played it so that the older guy could hear what he just heard.
"Courtney? Who is that?" Jason asked as he kept listening. Lucas also looked confused as well and it appeared that Courtney Young had yet to come up in their research.
"I don't know; but she mentions that she is hiding out in some place called "The Abyss" and that Alison could stay with her there," Mike informed and while they looked unsure on where the place was, I knew full well where the Lair was.
It was at Radley.
Please Read and Review and a special thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read. You should check out her fics; especially if you are a Paily fan