I’m in a basement.
Panic rises in my chest as I try to recall how I got here, but my memory fails me.
The bar. There was a fight.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t get past the fight. Tears well in my eyes and threaten to fall.
Don’t. Breathe. Find a way out.
I inhale deeply, pushing the tears out and start looking for anything I can use to cut the ropes binding my hands. A sharp edge on the wall or maybe a piece of glass or something that I can grab with my fingers. The sound of a door opening stops my search, and my heart leaps into my throat. Scooting backward on the mattress, I don’t stop until my back touches the wall behind me. Footsteps sound down a flight of old wooden stairs, and slowly make their way toward me. My still blurry vision is making it hard for me to make out more than a dark silhouette. As the figure moves closer, my vision clears and my heart slams violently against my rib cage and bile rises into my throat.
I thought I left my past behind me, that no one would find me. There was no way for anyone to know what I had done. I was free, safe to live my life. But as the dark shadow moves closer to me, I realize just how wrong I was.
Chapter thirty-seven
My Butterfly. Sitting rightat my feet, looking more terrified of me now than she ever did before.Good.She thought she could escape me. I always told her that she’d never be able to, and she just didn’t want to listen. Her glossed over eyes finally focus on me, and the look on her face is priceless. She looks like she’s seen a ghost.
Boo, bitch!
Stepping closer to her, I squat down, reaching a hand forward to twirl a piece of her hair between two fingers. She tries to yank her head away from me, but I yank the strand forward–it’s just enough to keep her from going anywhere. I watch my fingers go back to twirling her ratty, blood matted hair in my hands–mesmerized by the motion.
“Miss me, Butterfly? Cause Isure didmiss you.”
“No. No, this isn’t real. This can’t be real. I killed you!” She shouts. Her expression has shifted from shock to fury.That’s cute. She’s tough now. Aww.Clicking my tongue, I tip my head to the side and look her in the eye.
“Ya know I gotta say, not loving this new attitude of yours. You’re all…” I wave my hand, looking for the word and she flinches. It’s subtle, but I don’t miss it. “Feisty and shit. Not a fan. But, I do like that I still have some sort of effect on you.”
“You’re supposed to be dead.” She says through gritted teeth, drawing her knees into her chest and tries to scoot closer to the wall.
“Oh I know. You tried so hard.” I pout. “But, as you can see.” I stick my arms out to my side. “I’m alive and kickin’!” Slapping my knees, she flinches again and I stand fully. “I’ll give you credit though, you almost succeeded.” Walking over to a corner of the basement of our old home, I pick up a chair. Stopping back in front of her, I slam it to the ground. Turning it so the back faces her, I straddle the seat and fold my arms across the top.
“If it wasn’t for your precious Uncle Nicky’s goons–who were also on my fathers payroll by the way–we wouldn’t be here today. I should really send them a thank you card.” Her face pales and I raise my right hand into a pinching motion. “So close.” I whisper. “Yeah, they were supposed to let it all burn down, and they did! But not before they found me on the back deck. See you thought I was dead, between beating me with a fucking bat and stabbing me with…what was that again? A plate? Anyway, I don't blame you for thinking you had killed me, hell that should have done me in. But, I only lost consciousness. I came to and was able to drag myself outside before the house burnt to the ground and I went unconscious again. They were able to bring me back. Isn’t that something? I guess the villains really do never die.” Tears stream down her cheeks and her body shakes uncontrollably.
“He’ll kill you.” She rasps, a few stray tears falling down her cheeks and I can’t help but laugh.
“Who?Nick?Or your fucking boyfriend?” Her eyes snap to mine and I see a rage build under the surface. “Hit a nerve, Lizzy?”
“Don’t fucking call me that. And how do you know about him?” She seethes.
“Oh I’m sorry, it’s Parker now.” My lip curls in disgust. “I fucking hate that name by the way. I’m not going to call you that. Where was I?” I snap my fingers. “Ah yes, the boyfriend. I’ve been watching you, Lizzy.” What little color is left in her face, drains and I chuckle. “I’ve been watching you for a little while now, actually. You see, it took quite some time for me to recover from you trying to kill me. But once I did, I hid far away from here and started trying to find you. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. Nick hid you well. He left no trace of you. He even had a funeral for you when our bodies weren’t found, did you know that?” She shakes her head, squeezes her eyes shut and lowers her head to her knees. Standing, I knock the chair out of the way and reach her in one stride. Grabbing her hair, I wrench her head back to force her to look at me.
“Listen. To. Me.” I demand coolly. “He had a funeral, and put a head stone right next to mommy and daddy Moretti.” Sobs wrack her body and I roll my eyes. “Ugh, save the dramatics Elizabeth. I haven’t even told you the best part. Your dad…he never laid so much as a hand on your mother, let alone kill her. No. That…that was my father. He shot your mother right in front of him. Then put the gun in dear old dads mouth, and blew his fucking head off.” She’s hysterical now, and the sound of her cries is really beginning to grate on my last fucking nerve. I stand and give her my back, pick up my chair and sit back down.
“You remember that day, don’t you Lizzy?” I ask. She nods
“N-nick, p-picked me up from ballet. When he brought me home, he found them in my dads office.” She says through sobs.
“Glad your memory is still intact. That’s good. Yes. I don’t know all of the specifics, but your daddy was going to send mine to prison. Embezzlement of all things, can you believe that? The big, hot shot district attorneyfor the fucking mob, mind you. The mob! Was going to send my dad to prison, for doing what all politicians around here do. It makes nosense to me, but that’s the story. The end. Now, moving on.” I stand again and walk back over to her.
“Now, as I was saying. I finally found you, thanks to those goons I was telling you about. Your uncle didn’t tell a soul where he sent you, and most of his men still think you’re dead. But, oaf number one overheard a phone call Nick had a couple of months ago with a woman, and got just enough out of it to learn where you were. So, I got on a plane to come get you. I watched you for a while. From far away, couldn't get too close too soon now could I? Watching you think you were free was really something, Lizzy. Kind of amusing actually, but I digress. By the time I was ready, your fucking boyfriend was doing the exact same thing I was.” I reach over and push some hair out of her face. She glares at me, and pulls herself away from my hand and I let out a sigh.
“I watched him, and you. I watched him break into your house, follow you around town, I even watched him fuck you for the first time on that pool table.” I whisper in her ear. Pain slams into my nose and I pull back.
She fucking headbutted me.
Wiping my nose with the back of my hand, I look down and see it’s covered in blood, and I laugh. She glares at me, and licks the blood that’s dripping out of her nose, off of her lips.
“I almost got you. The night the power went out? That was me.” I say through ragged breaths. “I was so close! You were so scared, but he had to come in and fucking save the day. Like some fucking hero. I had to get him away from you. So I paid that dope fiend Alex and a couple of his friends. I saw how you rejected him at your pathetic job that one night, and I knew it wouldn't be hard. Half a mil, and they did exactly what I wanted. Alex started the fight, and his shit head friends, they were tasked to take your boyfriend down.” She goes ramrod straight.
