In Their Shadows, page 19
April shook her head in apparent disgust as Erika waved Deuce into the kitchen. “I had him stop by since he took care of our little storage problem. You know he’s always been a greedy bastard when it comes to his money.”
Something like amusement danced in Deuce’s eye.
April frowned. She didn’t know whether to be angry or glad. It was great to know that Deuce was looking out for her, but why did Erika have to keep that secret? April would’ve liked to think she would’ve understood if she’d at least mentioned it.
Erika trotted to the bedroom to get some money for Deuce. Now alone, April took a deep breath. “Sorry for giving you a hard time,” she said. “I didn’t know Erika was the one you were working for. I thought it was . . .” she trailed off, not wanting to verbalize her thoughts.
Thankfully, Deuce didn’t seem to care. “No problem,” he said.
As he stood there, a thought crossed April’s mind. She glanced back to her bedroom to see if Erika was around before stepping closer and lowering her voice. “Hey, do you have time to locate someone for me?”
“If you got the money for it, I’ll make time.”
April nodded. “Actually, it’s two people,” she amended, the idea causing a bubble of excitement to simmer in her belly. Thanks to Deuce, she would be able to end this once and for all.
PART V: TESTING
A stage where a person tries to experiment with different ways to manage grief.
Chapter Thirty
Before
Warren was going to die tonight. She would make sure of it.
April woke up with the thought fresh on her mind. The events from the prior three weeks were like a dark cloud looming overhead. Knowing what he was saying, what he was doing to her in the privacy of their bedroom where no one could help. Knowing what she had to do in return. If she went through with it, she would have to live with the consequences for the rest of her life. But if she didn’t . . . well, she didn’t even know if that was an option. The choice had been made for her the moment she’d entered into this arrangement and the bad decisions in life it fostered. She was a prisoner in his home, but then again, she’d always been a prisoner in her own body. She knew she couldn’t react on impulse. She had to be patient and strategic to pull this off. So, she watched, waited, and planned. But tonight, tonight this would be her opportunity to be somewhat free.
April clung to that last thought with desperation as she moved about her day like she was on autopilot. On death row. She showered and got dressed in warm, comfortable clothes. The chef, Maurice, had prepared a lavish brunch that April didn’t attempt to eat. Her stomach wasn’t settled, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it down, even if she tried. She nibbled on toast and orange juice that tasted stale as she went over her plan again and again until her head ached.
“What’s your problem?” Erika strolled into the kitchen and caught her daughter staring off in a daze. She looked sun-kissed in her ritzy maxi dress and new blond wig. Of course, her makeup, as always, was immaculate so even if April thought her mother had a night as bad as her, she definitely wouldn’t show it.
Erika began piling food onto a china plate and poured herself some of the freshly prepped mimosa Maurice had stuck in the fridge.
April chewed silently, her mouth as dry as the remnants of toast. “Just tired,” she admitted.
“Did you stay up late?”
It was Erika’s code phrase asking if she’d been able to sneak down and take some more of Warren’s money. But April couldn’t admit what had really happened. It would ruin everything, and she wouldn’t be able to carry out her task. Erika would just be in the way.
Not this time. Her mother couldn’t help her. She would have to fix her own mess.
“Yes, I did,” April said and left it at that.
Erika nodded with a satisfied smirk. “That’s my girl. Hopefully not too much longer. This is it. I can feel it.” She clapped her hands emphatically and there was another sickening feeling of dread that ballooned in April’s stomach. If only she knew.
Warren would be working from home today, which meant he would be holed up in the basement with his clients. Erika would probably go shopping or to the spa or whatever it was she did to occupy her time. That would leave April to herself, for the most part. She just needed to take care of the witnesses.
When the afternoon rolled around, April began methodically sending the staff home. She had gained a positive rapport with everyone, so she was met with little resistance to the proposition. After they were gone, April snuck upstairs to make a call.
Erika picked up on the first ring, the background noise nearly drowning out her voice. She sounded like she was at some kind of party. “Yeah girl, what’s up?”
“Great news. Warren said he was treating us to a night in the city.” April piled the enthusiasm in her voice to really coat the lie. “He went ahead and got us a hotel for the night and reservations at Pipe City Steakhouse for seven o’clock.”
“Good. He knows how to treat you and I’m certainly not mad at that.”
“Go ahead and check in and I’ll meet you out there.”
“I know he’s going to give me some money for shopping, right?”
April rolled her eyes and at the same time, reached in the nightstand drawer for one of Warren’s credit cards. “Of course. I’m going to text you a picture of the card and the reservation confirmation for the hotel.” She hung up and did just that, sending Erika a screenshot of the hotel reservation she had made the previous night. The setup was necessary. April was already energized with the fact that this was going to be her last night in this prison. With Warren. And even with her mother. After the dust settled, she knew it would probably be the end of their relationship as well. There probably was a piece of her that would miss Erika, but that piece was long buried with the part of her that was already dead. April wondered how she would start over and where. Would she be alone? Would she be able to pull all of this off and escape unscathed?
The time now read 4:34. Her heart was picking up speed as all of the pieces were beginning to fall into place. She couldn’t afford to mess this up. Her life was depending on it at this point.
With Erika occupied and the staff gone for the evening, April began picking through the house, shoveling everything of value into large duffle bags for later. She’d been sneaking time over the past few days digging holes in the backyard and now she carried everything outside, along with stashes of money.
Finally, she grabbed a gun and pressed the intercom to call down to Warren in his office in the basement. “What?” he barked.
“Can you come up here, please?” she asked, her voice quivering. “I—uh—need to show you something.” When he hung up and she heard him stomping up the stairs, she aimed the gun and waited. She was going to end this once and for all. She just hoped she could live with the consequences.
Chapter Thirty-one
“What are you doing here?”
April frowned as she wheeled her bags toward Ian. She’d just emerged from the airport and, expecting to see Carter, her brother-in-law leaning against his car wasn’t a pleasant surprise.
Ian unfolded himself from his lazy waiting position and skirted the trunk, popping it open as he passed by. “Carter sent me. Come on. I got something to do.” He hadn’t even offered to help with her luggage.
April kept her attitude at bay as she loaded her stuff and slid into the front seat. He barely waited for her to close the door before he peeled away from the curb.
“Where’s Carter?” she grumbled once they hit the expressway.
“Busy.”
“Busy doing what?”
“How am I supposed to know? He just asked me if I could pick you up and drop you off at the house. That’s your husband, so why don’t you tell me what he’s busy doing.” He smirked at what he knew was a slick comment.
April swallowed her own retort and ignored the remark, as derisive and rude as it was. She didn’t dare voice the truth; that she hadn’t spoken to Carter. He hadn’t answered when she called, nor had he responded to her text messages other than to assure her she would have a ride from the airport. She didn’t realize he’d pushed the task off to his brother.
A stifled silence lingered between them, not relieved by music or noise of any kind. It was tormenting because she knew she needed to lighten the tension with a conversation. But she couldn’t push the recent events out of her mind, nor stomach the energy to engage with Ian. Still, April forced herself to initiate small talk. Anything to ease the discomfort.
“How was the birthday party?”
“Good.” His reply was intentionally terse. “Had a great time. Especially when Chloe stopped by.”
April tensed at that last comment. She didn’t need him to expound on that to know exactly who Chloe was. And he seemed to be gloating at the fact that Carter’s ex-girlfriend had shown up to the event. Which let April know that Ian, or probably his sister Valerie, had decided to extend the invitation. Was that why Carter was ignoring her? He was occupied with his precious Chloe? It probably was ridiculous to even allow the assumption to upset her, but she couldn’t help feeling the brunt of the blatant disrespect. It was infuriating.
April shifted in her seat. “Ian, do you get off on being an asshole?”
He laughed at that. “How am I an asshole?”
“Well, let’s see. You try to kiss me, which you’re lucky I didn’t tell your brother, then when I had a family emergency and couldn’t make his party, you invite his ex?”
“For the record, I didn’t invite Chloe. You should talk to your husband about that. And the only reason that happened was because I figured you would give in.”
“You were testing me?”
“Yeah. Did you think I actually liked you, Michelle?” He tossed an incredulous look out of the side of his eye.
April blinked, shocked at his admission. “What were you trying to prove? That I would entertain my brother-in-law?”
“Actually, yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I know you’re not serious about Carter.” There it was. April rolled her eyes. She couldn’t even bring herself to waste her energy. Ian used the silence as his springboard to continue his rant. “I didn’t think nothing of it at first. Then I started listening to Valerie and realizing that we really didn’t know much about you. That you just came in and now you’ve got my brother’s nose wide open.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Sounds to me like you’re just jealous,” she snapped. “You and your sister. You would think you’d be happy that your brother is in love.”
“We are. But note what you said. That my brother is in love. You didn’t mention your love for him. And that’s my issue with you.”
April shook her head in annoyance. Did the technicalities really matter? “Are you serious, Ian? I miss one birthday party and now you’re questioning my feelings for Carter?”
“I did some digging.” He let the words hang between them. April could tell he was analyzing how she would react, so she intentionally kept her composure, even though she was bracing inside.
“Okay, and?” she tossed with a flippant shrug. “What did you find?”
“Nothing.”
“Exactly.”
“No, nothing,” Ian said again with a suspicious frown. “No high school records, no social media, no background stuff, nothing. And that’s pretty strange, don’t you think?”
April rolled her eyes. He didn’t have anything. Just trying to scare her or bait her with his outlandish assumptions. At least, she hoped.
But she kept quiet as she turned to look out the window, watching the city whizz by in a blur. It had been a mistake to make niceties with Ian. She had more important things to focus on. Like Ian not blabbing his suspicions to his brother. And this ex-girlfriend Chloe not stepping in and ruining what she was so close to finishing.
Ian dropped her off at the high-rise without so much as a goodbye. She was thankful he didn’t bother being a gentleman and escorting her upstairs. She’d had enough of him and clearly the feeling was mutual.
The warm water felt relaxing as it dribbled along her back and down the muscles in her legs. It seemed to beat the tension out of her shoulders and her mind became clear, her troubles seeming to wash away like the soap on her body. She sighed in luxury, turning to allow the water to tickle her breasts and stomach. Her stomach. April looked down and laid her palm on her navel. She felt the sudden pull of sorrow, as if the baby were still inside her.
A loud crash had her nearly jumping clear out of the tub. Fear inched up her spine and tension drew her shoulders up. Her fingers trembled as she drew back the shower curtain just wide enough for her to peek out into the empty bathroom. She glanced around, squinting through the steam that enveloped the room like a damp fog. The door to the bedroom was left ajar, the adjoining bedroom’s light off. Hadn’t she left it on? Trapped. The realization hit her on a punch that had a frightened gasp whispering from her parted lips. Naked in the shower, her gun seemingly miles away. She could almost taste the fear on her tongue as her heart seemed to trip and stumble in her chest and she withdrew into the shower.
April fumbled with the nozzle and the warm spray cut off. Her breathing was roaring in her ears as she strained to listen. All was quiet. She was reaching for her towel when she saw the shadow. Her heart stopped and almost habitually, April lunged out for a weapon of defense, knocking her soap to the tub in the process. There was nothing to protect her. She plastered her back against the cold wall of the shower, shuddering more from the fear than from the wall’s temperature.
April saw the silhouette of something in his hand and her eyes rounded as she saw the length of the blade. A knife? As if on cue to some nineties horror film, the smell of blood and sweat dampened the air. A stubborn scream was locked in her throat, refusing to come out. “How did he find me?” her mind coiled around the thought. A hand came up and grasped the shower curtain, his fingers long and slender, and her worst fears were confirmed. He had found her.
Squeezing her eyes shut, April let out a hoarse plea as the curtain was snatched back and the first thing she saw was the blade glistening in the light, ready to be jammed into her heaving chest. April let out a shrill scream and lunged out to protect herself.
“Michelle, what the hell?”
Carter was standing in the bathroom with steam clouding around him, giving her a dubious look.
“Carter, what are you—” April clamped her mouth shut on the question. Of course, his presence in his own home shouldn’t have been a surprise. But since he was “busy” or at least too busy to pick her up from the airport, she hadn’t expected to see him for a few more hours. “I meant,” she tried again, this time calmer, “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”
“I kept calling your name.”
Had he? Instinctively, her gaze lowered to his hand, where he was clutching a razor, not a knife. She released the breath that had tightened in her chest.
He crossed out of the bathroom and April turned off the shower and stepped out. She grabbed her terrycloth robe from the back of the door and belted it at the waist as she joined him in the bedroom.
Carter had set up the ironing board and he was now pulling a pastel blue, button-up shirt from the closet. “How was your flight?” he asked.
She glanced around, noticing the suit he had spread out across the bed. Where was he going? “It was fine. How are you?”
“I’m good.”
Quiet. No kiss, no hug, no warmth whatsoever. April had to admit, it made her feel lonely. She sank to a chair and watched him go about his business like she wasn’t even there. “I tried to call you a few times.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Not even an explanation.
She waited until he had begun ironing before she spoke again. “Look, I’m sorry about the party thing. I know you’re probably upset I couldn’t be there.”
“Yeah. We had a good time anyway, though.”
She knew. With his ex.
April sighed. Now that her mind was clear, she knew what she had to do. “Carter, I was thinking,” she started, mustering as much sincerity as she could. “Before I left, we were talking about spending more time together. And I believe you’re right. I’m going to take a little time off work.”
Carter’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really? Where is this coming from?”
“I understand what you meant, and I certainly don’t want my job to put any type of strain on our marriage. I love you,” she added with a smile. It was a manipulative tactic, but she couldn’t have him being so distant. Nor distracted with Chloe. Not now. If that meant she needed to layer on some extra affection, so be it.
He had stopped ironing, but he hadn’t made a move to cross the room yet, as if he were conflicted. Or trying to see if he believed her. “Is this about Chloe?” he asked finally.
April’s face creased in feigned confusion. “Who?”
“My ex. I’m pretty sure you found out she was at the birthday party.”
Now, April did get up and close the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Yeah, I heard, but I don’t care about that,” she said. “I’m secure enough and I trust you completely. Like I hope you trust me.”
“I do, it’s just that . . .” Carter sighed as he put his hands on her shoulders. “I just didn’t like that you were so evasive about not coming. It was a huge surprise and I’m glad my siblings threw me a party. But the biggest letdown was that you weren’t there to share it with me. And to know that you keep talking about some family emergency, but you won’t tell me with who or what happened. Like you’re shutting me out with that part of your life. That hurts, Michelle.”
April leaned into him, resting her cheek on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat thundering against his ribs. Beating for her. Loving her. She felt horrible. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. And that was probably the most truthful thing she had ever said to him. Because she was sorry. Sorry that she couldn’t be the woman he loved, the woman he deserved, sorry that she was such a disastrous person with a messed-up childhood. She was sorry she wasn’t—couldn’t be a better person.
