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“He’s the arsonist. He was setting those fires, but he got sloppy on this last one and I saw the lighter. The one he always carried, but he claimed he lost it.”
Lionel’s eyes go wide when I mention the last part. And I wonder if he knows it was Dimitri or if he was just trying to set him up and got lucky.
“That’s terrible. But how did he get sloppy?”
Yeah, Lionel, I never gave you specifics on the case. Gotcha. I hope you are sweating. There’s one more thing. Something he can’t know because it hasn’t been released to the press yet. I just need the confession.
“He left the lighter and accelerant container. He’s never done it before. He claims he didn’t set this one, but all he’s told me is lies.” I cry, playing this up as much as I can.
“How was I so naïve, Lionel? He even claimed you threatened him, but that he wasn’t scared of some weak ass bitch boy like you.”
Lionel goes rigid and I know I’m hitting him right where it counts—his manhood. God forbid someone threatens that.
“He went on and on about how you tried to scare him, but when he got in your face, you started cowering, shaking in your boots. Dimitri even said he’s almost a hundred percent positive you pissed your pants.”
I can hear Lionel’s jaw clicking as he clenches it tightly. He’s stiff as a board and his hands are fisted, with fire in his eyes. If I looked close enough, I could probably see steam coming out of his ears. All I need is to keep feeding into his insecurities.
“But it’s okay, Lionel baby, I’m not going to let him hurt you. I'll protect you from him. I’m going to make sure he’s put away behind bars. He tried to blame the recent fire on you, like you could ever do that. He’s a psycho.”
Lionel never wants to feel like a woman is protecting him. He sees us as weak and helpless. It’s one of the reasons he hates my job.
“I don’t need you to fucking protect me, Alexis.” His voice rises, and I can tell he’s aboutto explode.
“Of course not, it’s just he’s so much stronger than you. Not to mention he has Donovan in his corner and he owns a gym. I just can’t believe Dimitri wanted to blame his thoughtlessness on you, saying you were trying to frame him. It’s not like you could even come up with that idea.”
Those are the words that send him over the edge. His leg flies out, kicking my coffee table and knocking it over. The glass sitting on top of it shatters when it hits the floor.
“I’m not scared of anyone, Alexis. I came over here to discuss our pending wedding and all you can do is talk about them, even after I showed you who he truly was. What else do I have to do to get your dumb ass to see the light?”
He stands from the couch and begins to pace. Talking the entire time, unaware he’s going to be the reason he’s caught. I’m just going to sit back and let him tell on himself.
“I watched you with them, how you opened your legs and whored yourself out. But I was still willing to take you back. I had to, especially if I wanted my inheritance and my place in the company. For some reason, my father likes you. I even approached him about Courtney, but he turned her down. She didn’t fit the image of what a Newton woman should be.”
“What are you saying?” I say in mock shock, my hand immediately covering my heart.
“Shut the fuck up, cunt. You think I’m scared of those two meatheads? Would someone scared of them confront them and call them out on their secrets? You don’t need to think about the answer. I know how hard it’s for you to do that with those two brain cells you have. The answer is no. That’s right Alexis, I went to them without an ounce of fear. And when he dropped his lighter, I saw the perfect opportunity to make him pay, just like I said I would. So, I used the story you told me and set fire to a building and left his lighter. The distinct emblem on it, along with his prints, would send the cops right to him and get him out of my way. Then I could move on to the other one. Once they were out of the way, and there weren't any more obstacles between us, you’d be mine again. How fitting, though, that he is the firebug. I never saw that one coming, I’ll admit.”
He said it. He confessed. I just need to make it a little clearer.
“Lionel, are you saying you set the fire to the building the other night and left the lighter and container there to frame someone else? That you are, in fact, the arsonist?”
He glares at me, hands fisted, and I know he’s becoming irate.
“Can you not understand English? Yes, I set the fire. I framed Dimitri.”
“And you’re a murderer. You killed people that night. Something that hasn’t been done in any of the other fires and you’re going to jail.”
His eyes go wide and his face drains of all color. Before I know what’s happening, he’s flying across the room at me, his hands slipping around my neck, gripping it tightly, cutting off all the air supply to my lungs.
He slams into me so fast that we both go crashing to the floor, his body falling on top of me.
My arms flail about, slapping at him, pushing against his face, doing everything in my power to get him off of me. But nothing works.
My vision becomes fuzzy as I gasp, trying to breathe. Nothing is helping and the only thing that gives me any type of comfort is knowing that this is all being recorded and sent to a backup feed in Taira’s apartment. We needed a fallback just in case he noticed the cameras.
I hear a loud noise, but I can’t focus.
A crash sounds as pounding vibrates the floor, just before the weight of Lionel’s body disappears. I roll to my side, coughing and gasping for air.
