I’ve been planning many ways to escape in my head, but it seems impossible. I don’t have my wallet or my phone. Drake threw them all away back at the event hall. We are accompanied at the airport by three men who appear to be his security detail.
“How can I go with you? I don’t have my things with me,” I say, trying to reason.
“You don’t need those. Come, we’re taking off for a few minutes.” He grabs my wrist and pulls me to him, but I struggle.
“No!” I yank my hand away, crying again. “Please, Drake. Don’t do this to me. I can’t go with you.”
He grunts under his breath and reaches for my wrist again. “I have men outside your mother’s house. With only one call, I can order them to blow up your house.”
“No, you said you didn’t lie.” I sniffle. “But you are lying now. You’re maybe a narcissist and a sadist asshole, but you’re not a murderer.”
A muscle in his jaw ticks. “Not yet, I’m not. But I will be if you challenge me. Your family’s blood will be in your hands. Amir?” He presents the phone to me and shows me a picture of my apartment.
I clasp my hand to my mouth. Oh, no.“How dare you?” I toss the phone at him and slap his face with my shaking hands. “Don’t you ever hurt my family! I swear, Drake. I will kill you in your sleep. You violent piece of shit.”
“Goddammit…” he hisses and seethes under his breath. His hand grips my wrist as his other hand touches his face. “Don’t try my patience, Alayna. You won’t want to see that side I gulp my throat dry. ThatThe pounding in my chest quickens when I hear the airline’s announcement.
“This is the final boarding call for passengers booked on flight 587A to Wichita. Please proceed to gate three immediately. The final checks are being completed, and the captain will order for the aircraft’s doors to close in approximately five minutes. I repeat. This is the final boarding call for passengers booked on flight 587A to Wichita. Thank you.”
“That’s our call. Come.” He drags me with him.
Wichita! We land in Wichita after almost half a day in the air. I am now thousands of miles away from my family and my fiancé. I’m just too tired to protest and powerless to do anything but follow Drake’s command, so I just keep my mouth shut to conserve energy. I can think of something else later. His guards are just right next to us.
We stop at a hotel first, where he rented a suite with one bed. One bed! For fuck’s sake.
“We stay here for the night, but we’re leaving tomorrow. My sister is expecting our arrival.” He tosses his stuff on the couch and sits.
I scowl in confusion. “You have a sister? I thought you were an only child.”
“It doesn’t hurt if you sit, Laynie.”
I remain still. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Yes, a half-sister. She’s my mother’s eldest. She knows about you and your dad and everything my father did to us—to our mother.”
My limbs and legs feel frail, so I just eat my pride and perch on the edge of the bed.
“I’m not sharing beds with you, Drake. If you ever try to force me, I’ll fight you. I’m not the same as before.”
“Oh, are you?” A smirk curls on his lips, crossing his legs. “Shame. I was looking forward to making you mine again.”
I cringe. “Don’t you dare!”
“But I won’t force you.” Suddenly, he stands up again and starts undoing his shirt while watching me as he does. Slowly, he moves closer to me, and goosebumps roll over my body.
I stagger back, grabbing a pillow from the bed to cover myself. “Stop. Stay away from me.”
Drake halts a foot away from me and completely peels off his shirt, displaying his bare torso. Compared to his physique before, he is broader and leaner now. With his huge arms, he can break my bones if he wants to, and I won’t be able to defend myself. It hurts to be weak.
“I will not force you because eventually,“Never,” I promise. The last time was different. I loved him then, but all I feel for him now is anger and disgust.
“Not now, yes, but I know you will.” He takes a step back and grabs something from his stuff, then throws it at me. They’re his clothes.
“Get changed. There’s the bathroom.” He points to the door behind me. “Hurry. We have a lot to discuss before we leave.”
“Discuss?”
“I’m a man of my words, Laynie. Didn’t you say you wish to know about Richard?”
I manage a gasp and clutch the shirt I’m holding. At least, there’s still some decency left in his soul, but he’s still strange to me. I realize I’m never going to figure out what kind of man he is.
I rush to the bathroom and change into his T-shirt and sweatpants. Although the size is big for my petite frame, I would rather wear this than nothing at all. He used to let me walk around naked for days in his room.
Drake is already dressed in a plain white shirt and jeans when I come out of the bathroom. He is in front of the TV, watching the news, but then shuts it off when he senses me. I keep the distance between us.
“Closer, I will not touch you. Not tonight. Sit over there.” He directs me to the chaise next to his.
Not tonight.I close my eyes briefly and take a deep breath. Then I step toward the chaise and sit silently.
“What happened to my dad? How did you get his eyes?”
“First, I want you to know that I’m willing to cooperate. I mean it, Laynie. But I can’t help you if your fiancé is antagonizing me. This is one of the reasons why I have to take you away.”
“One of the reasons?” I chuckle sarcastically. “What other reasons do you have then? Hurt me? You’ll force me? What, you’ll fuck me?”
He rolls his eyes and hurls an exhale. “Will you calm down? That is the problem with you now. You have forgotten what I taught you. You used to be controlled and calm all the time. But you became hostile, doubtful, you have trust issues, and you are unmanageable. Do I need to teach you that again? Is that what Brandon Lucien has been putting in your head?”
“Don’t you dare drag his name over this! I’m like this because of you. You made me this person. He only set me free—”
“Set you free?” He laughs derisively. “Then why Alayna, you are acting feral? Didn’t I teach you how to listen when someone is talking?”
I bite my lip closed. Drake stares at me.
“Now that’s better.”
Silence.
He clears his throat, then starts another conversation. “It was an accident. I was there when dad killed Richard. I saw him stab your dad in his chest. My father, instead of confessing to his sin, asked Morris—his chauffeur—to transfer Richard’s body to his office, and made it look like he was killed from robbery.”
“That’s why his vault is open,” I mumble.
“But he died in our house—not in his office. I helped my dad clean up his mess, Laynie. I saw him there, angry, holding a knife, covered with your father’s blood. I could still remember the image of Richard’s lifeless body on dad’s rug.”
“What about his eyes?” I find my voice again, and inexplicably, I calm down. Despite my reluctance to admit it, he still affects me.
“Dad knew I needed another surgery, so in exchange for my silence, he promised he’d get me another transplant. He didn’t want me to because he always said I was ungrateful, but he did. However, he didn’t even feel any remorse. He called the eye surgeon, and he had him take Richard’s eyes for my corneal transplant. It was revolting, Laynie. I felt so sick that I threw up. But I was desperate because I still wanted to see, and I didn’t want it to be the end of me. Unlike him, I had a conscience. I left because I was ashamed to face you. I was mortified to look at you with your dad’s eyes.”
That’s also why dad’s skull was broken, so we wouldn’t know they took his eyes. We almost couldn’t recognize him. I barely even looked at his ruined body.
My chest explodes as despair rushes through me. All the remaining energy in my body drains out of my system.
“That’s also why you disappeared,” I conclude.
“Yes. I’m sorry if it took me this long to tell you.”
I wipe the tears on my face with the back of my hands, but I just can’t stop crying. Everything has come to pieces now.
“Why did Donovan kill him?”
“Because Richard knew Dad wasn’t the person the world thought he was. All the good things he did in front of people, it’s camouflage. He would cover up his crimes by putting up foundations and charities to help kids suffering from illnesses. What they didn’t know, he was stealing children from those orphanages, selling them to foreigners. Your father threatened to divulge him, and so Dad killed him.”
“Oh my God.” I grit my teeth, suddenly feeling nauseous down my stomach. I can taste the bitterness on my tongue. “They were college friends. How could he? Dad trusted him.”
“I’ve started to expose him, Laynie. It’s time he pays for his sins. I should’ve done it a long time ago. That’s why I’ve disclosed the information and evidence I have to someone I trust in the media. It’s already in the news.”
His revelations make me feel dizzy. I stand up. “Let me guess. You fled here because he knows it’s you. He knew you had turned against him.”
He nods, looking up at me. “I’m his only witness, and he probably knows now that I’m sabotaging him.”
“Does he know you found me?”
“Yes. I told him, and I threatened him that I’d tell you.”
“You told him? Are you crazy?!” I exclaim.
“I was just so pissed at him that time.” He scratches his scalp. “For him, I wasn’t his son, but his subject. You knew that. I became a mayor to try to understand him, but I couldn’t. It turned out he’s really just an asshole.”
And he’s probably not aware that he’s becoming like his father. The things Donovan did to him as a child, he was doing it now too… to himself and me.
“No, Drake. You became a mayor to gain power. You hated your father all your life because of what he did to you, and you wanted to show him what you’re capable of.”
He sighs. “Yes…”
“Okay, and you took me here because?”
“Because he won’t find you here. You don’t know the things he could do to clean his name. The law won’t work for him because he is“Then why tell him in the first place? And how about my family, Drake? They’ll be in danger too.” I throw my arms and laugh contemptuously. “Great! Now, he would think we are working together, which we are not!” “Because you wouldn’t talk to me if I didn’t do this! Your fucking fiancé was always getting in the way.” His voice raises as he stands up. “I finally found you, Laynie, and I don’t know when I would ever see you again if I left without you. I am going blind and—”
“Stop, stop! Oh my God.” I slap my forehead. “I knew it! I knew you were going to use your eyes as an excuse. You are still as selfish and cruel as before. You’re a narcissist!”
His eyes darken and advance toward me. He grabs my face. “Stop it. Don’t talk to me that way. Didn’t I tell you to behave? Huh?” he roars.
“Because it’s true…” I whisper, but his fingers clutch my face, crushing my jaws.
“Shut up! Be grateful that after all this time, I still chose to do the right thing. I waited for so long to see you again. Donovan Mallory will be sent to jail. After that, we are finally free. I will be free of him.”
“Drake…” I say as tears rush down my cheeks. “You’re hurting me… You don’t know this, but you are just like him.” There.His eyes grow wide. “What did you just say?”
“You are just like your father. You are both a madman. You’re just as evil as him.”
“Shut up! Shut the fuck up!” He slaps me.
“Ah!” I cry as pain stings my cheek, and I collapse to the floor.
I know he’ll hurt me again, and he doesn’t like it when I look into his eyes. “You said you’ll set me free, so if you’re not really who I think you are, you will let me go.”
“I will, but that’s not today. However, sweetheart, don’t keep testing me… Because I might change my mind. Get some rest.” His voice trails off, and I sense his footsteps behind me, then get onto the bed.
BrandonI tread back and forth in my living room, listening to Cary and Stan’s report about their investigation. Oliver and Cassius are already speaking with the police while everyone is waiting for the news. I needed Arianna and Jason’s help, but the Valentine siblings sent their mother and kids home.
“Yep, if my speculations are correct, he’s taking her to Kansas—to Wichita.”
“Back to Kansas?” I halt when I hear Cary’s conclusion. “Are you sure?”
“I am.” He stares into my eyes with great seriousness.
According to their research, the piece of shit was born in Wichita. He is Donovan Mallory’s illegitimate child with his mistress, Annalise Miller, who died from suicide many years ago. Drake Mallory was a victim of child abuse and was rehabbed because of his traumatizing childhood events. He had a history of corneal transplant—twiceAm I hearing a story about the most unfortunate Annalise Miller?
But it doesn’t justify his actions and sins. He hurt Alayna when she was younger—passing on his disastrous fate to her.
“We’re not even sure he’s our suspect. If proven wrong, this is a serious accusation. He’s still the mayor of this city,” Stan inserts.
“He’s the only one I suspect, Stan.” I cross my arms. “He’s been stalking her around, appearing like a mushroom everywhere Alayna turns. We have witnesses—the gallery’s owner, John, her friends from the restaurant. But why would he take her to Wichita?”
“To flee, maybe? Because that isn’t it. Hold on.”
To flee? Stan tosses another black folder on the center table and opens it. “He’s been sabotaging his father’s deeds in the last couple of years under a firm named Mariel International owned by a Mariel Miller, the foundation founded in Wichita” Stan continues. “Mariel is the name of his sister. She is Annalise Miller’s first child from her legal husband.”
I snatch the folder and read the contents.
There are numbers—funds, actually. Mayor Mallory has been transferring massive amounts to Mariel International’s account. The firm is an organization that supports children with eye disease and orphans. I turn the pages and find that Mariel International handles all the foundations under Senator Mallory’s care.
I’m impressed.“Senator Mallory needs these foundations for his publicity,” Cary explains. “It’s necessary to him because it’s his advocacy as a politician and nothing more. Mariel International is sabotaging the senator’s work by stealing all these foundations, tripling their fund donations—not only millions of dollars but also updated facilities and education assistance. In exchange, these smaller foundations must accept MI as their sole“Why would he do this to his own father?” I ask. “Is he using his own money?”
“His mother left him quite a fortune.” Stan shrugs. “And maybe because he used to abuse him?”
“To this extent? No.” I shake my head. “There’s something more.”
“Yes, because perhaps he’s telling the truth when he told your fiancée that the senator murdered Richard Hart—given the current news about Donovan today,” Cary presses.
“Wait.” I hold up a finger. “That still isn’t proven. That fucker could be lying.”
“Or not.” Stan frowns. “Aren’t you following the news?”
“What news?”
Stan picks up his phone and types on the screen, then shows it to me.
CHILD TRAFFICKING AND SENATOR DONOVAN MALLORY SCANDALSENATOR MALLORY: “THIS IS AN ENEMY’S WORK. I LOVE CHILDREN!”SENATOR MALLORY DENIED ALL ACCUSATIONS REGARDING CHILD TRAFFICKINGINSIDER’S REPORT: SENATOR DONOVAN MALLORY IS BEING ACCUSED OF MURDER?“That has been going on for a week now, Brandon,” Cary informs. “It must be his son’s doing, and so he’s on the run. But you know we’ve always analyzed a situation, right, Brandon?” he convinces.
I shut the folder. I have decided. “We need to move.”
“To where?” the twins ask simultaneously.
“I’m not wasting my time here. We’re going to Wichita. Now