Beneath Your Lies, page 23
I turn to run out of the hotel.
Just before I exit onto the street, Richard’s voice calls out after me.
“You’re probably too late.”
59
Veronica
Ifollow Sylvie into the house as a sense of unease creeps over me. Her mood has changed instantly in the five minutes we’ve been talking. As we enter the house, the air feels heavy, and my skin prickles.
“Do you know where he might have gone?” I ask Sylvie as I walk to sit on the couch.
She seems distracted, and it takes her a moment to acknowledge my words. She’s searching around the room like she’s looking for something.
I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong.
“No, I haven’t talked to him since I called him earlier,” she says.
Her voice sounds distant, and she never makes eye contact as she continues glancing around the room. She walks to the shelves and traces items with her fingers.
A nervous energy tingles through my veins, whispering that something is amiss, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Why does Sylvie seem so tense?
“Maybe I should call him.”
I shift on the couch to grab my phone from my pocket.
At that moment, Sylvie whips her head in my direction.
“Oh no, I’m sure he’s on his way home.” She chuckles sharply. “I’ll send him a quick message.”
I offer a strained smile, hoping to mask my uneasiness. Her knowing look tells me that my facade is failing. She walks over to the messy desk in the corner of the room. She pulls out a small envelope from the inside of her jacket and places it delicately onto the desk. She offers a small nod to me before getting out her phone and tapping on the screen.
“I was surprised to see you here. I heard you and Ronan were planning to get out of town. When are you leaving?”
I look up at Sylvie, puzzled. Before I have a chance to speak, she puts her phone down, and I’m surprised to feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.
“Uh, yeah. Hoping to leave this weekend, I think,” I lie.
I’m not sure what we’re doing here, but I decide to play along.
Her face relaxes further in relief as she lets out a deep breath. I glance at my phone’s screen to see a number I don’t have saved. I look up to her as she gently raises her finger to her lips before pointing it at my phone.
I open the text message and a sense of dread builds in my stomach.
Unknown: They're listening.
My eyes jerk back up to meet hers and she gives me a knowing look. How does she have my number?
“Yeah, Ronan told me that you guys were planning a weekend to visit The Homewood Grounds and Vineyard, right?” Sylvie says.
Her head dips forward, like she’s hanging on my every word.
The Homewood Grounds and Vineyard.
My eyes widen with realization at the message she’s trying to convey. Is Richard the one who is listening to us? “Yeah, just a quick trip. Maybe we’ll leave sooner.”
Sylvie quickly shakes her head at me, letting me know my response isn’t adequate. Fear rises in my stomach at the fact that I might’ve just made the situation worse.
“No, definitely wait until this weekend. Maybe on the way back from there, you guys can stop at this little place I told Ronan about.”
She pulls out her phone and glances at the screen for a moment before she begins tapping on the screen again. I pull out my phone, and it vibrates in my hand.
Unknown: Going to jam connection and then we need to run.
My body tenses as I read her message, my phone gripped tightly in my hand. My gaze rises to meet hers, and I see her hold up three fingers in a countdown as her other hand works on her phone screen.
Slowly, she drops a finger each time until only her pointer remains. Just before her last finger drops, I hear a distant beeping noise before I sprint to the back door, desperate to escape whatever is coming after us.
60
Ronan
Isprint up my porch and through the front door, which stands wide open.
With every step I take, a sinking feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. The scene before me looks like a nightmare. Pieces of furniture are flipped, cushions are torn from the sofa, and drawers are pulled out haphazardly.
I move cautiously through the wreckage, scanning for any sign of the perpetrators who did this, but the silence notifies me that whoever was here is long gone.
Veronica was here, but she’s not anymore.
I rush over to my security system and pull up today’s footage to play it back. Each frame feels like an eternity as I scan through the recording. I fast-forward to after I left earlier today. I watch Veronica as she stays on the couch, mouth open at something on the TV, probably the news on Miranda. She disappears upstairs, then comes down after hearing something at the front door. She looks through the peephole before opening the door to Sylvie. They chat for a moment, and it seems friendly. After a few minutes, Veronica gestures inside and Sylvie accepts.
The interaction is weird as they enter the house together. Sylvie and Veronica both watch each other at different times. Sylvie navigates around the room like she’s looking for something. She pulls out her phone before walking over to the same desk I’m standing at. She sets down a white envelope dramatically on the desk. I look down to see the exact one she placed there in the video.
Veronica gets a text message, and she looks up at Sylvie. They both look very uncomfortable as they continue their conversation. Sylvie asks Veronica about her and me taking a trip. Sylvie begins typing on her phone again, and she looks up at Veronica, who nods her head. Sylvie raises three fingers, a countdown. Right as she drops her final finger, the footage cuts to black as the signal is disconnected. So that’s what Sylvie was doing.
When the camera comes back on, the living room is empty. Veronica and Sylvie are nowhere to be found. Shortly after, a man kicks in my front door and comes running in, another man right behind him.
I pause the recording to get a better look at the two men.
It’s the two cops who came by my house a few days ago.
A few seconds later, the back door opens, and in walk three more men, but they’re not alone. One man has his arm around Veronica’s throat as he drags her across the floor. She’s kicking and clawing at his throat. Sylvie’s body is limp and thrown over the shoulder of one of the men. The two cops nod at the other men before they all exit through the open front door.
“Fuck,” I yell as I slam my fists down on the desk. I missed it. The obvious details that would have unraveled Richard’s plan—instead I played right into his hands.
My fury grows with every passing second, my mind replaying the scene in an infuriating loop. My oversight has put Veronica and Sylvie in serious danger.
My jaw tightens as I think about Richard’s smug face, still a step ahead, predicting my next move.
I rip open the envelope and hope that Sylvie has come through for me yet again.
61
Veronica
The throbbing in my head is what wakes me. I pry my eyes open and almost black out from the pain pulsating in my temples. I shut my eyes tight, trying to drown out the light. The dehydration headache is killing me, along with the few blows I’ve taken to the head.
I move my hands to my face to ease the discomfort, but they are restricted. I struggle against what’s holding my arms and find it unforgiving. My eyes shoot open as I try to piece together the most recent events. I look around the room, and while I should be surprised at where I’ve ended up, I’m not.
The silhouette of someone stands in front of me.
As the face becomes clearer, I see his lip turn up into a snarl.
“I told you that you’d regret this, Veronica.”
I see three men behind him. Two of them are dressed as cops and I’m sure they’re the ones who came into Ronan’s house. I hear someone groan next to me, and I roll my head over to see… Lauren? A gasp escapes my mouth at the sight of her.
Shadows linger beneath her eyes, and her hair is damp with sweat. She’s clearly been crying, and mascara streaks her face. Her arms are tied behind her back, like mine. Her head hangs heavy in defeat. I strain against the ropes in a desperate attempt to get to Lauren. Beside Lauren is Sylvie, who is also tied to a chair. She’s not moving.
“Don’t worry,” Richard says, nodding toward Lauren and Sylvie. “They’ll be okay, as long as you do exactly what you’re told.”
The metallic taste of blood pools in my mouth, and I spit it onto the floor at his feet.
“After all, Lauren is the reason I was able to get so much information on your comings and goings. She helped me make sure you were alone today.”
My spine stiffens as I look at Richard, hoping to call his bluff. Lauren would never do that to me. Lauren begins crying. My eyes cut over to search her face.
“Veronica,” she cries. “I had no idea! How could I have been so stupid?”
Panic shoots through me. There is no way Lauren would betray me. I’m about to ask what she means when the door creaks open and a tall figure steps into the room. It takes a moment for me to recognize him, but when I do, it all makes sense.
It’s Liam. The guy Lauren met at the bar.
Lauren’s cries intensify as she sees him. “You fucking betrayed me,” she yells through her sobs.
“Liam was supposed to be another one of your dates, Veronica,” Richard says as Liam holds my gaze confidently. “But it appears he was taken by your friend instead.” He looks at Lauren with disgust. “Still, he was very helpful in keeping track of all your movements. Having a slut for a friend only made this that much easier.”
I spit at Richard’s feet as Lauren only sobs harder.
“I’m-I’m sorry, Veronica.”
“Liam, please shut her up,” Richard says before Liam walks over to Lauren and puts a piece of duct tape across her mouth, then plants a kiss on it over her lips. She squirms to get away from him, but he holds her in place before turning around with a disturbing smile.
Richard’s attention turns back to me. “You thought I had no idea that you were the rat?”
He walks over and slaps me hard across the face. Hard enough that the spittle goes flying from the side of my face. I hear a muffled scream come from Lauren behind her duct tape.
I let my head droop to the side, and I see a line of blood streaming from my mouth and onto the floor. Lauren looks at me, eyes wide in panic.
“I can’t risk things going differently than I planned again,” he says.
I pull my eyes to look at him and spit the pooling blood in my mouth onto the floor in front of him again. “So, you’ve been the puppet master all this time?” I say. “Since I left the apartment, did you orchestrate everything?”
“What I couldn’t have planned for was that you’d fuck the person who was contracted to kill me,” he snaps, bitterness lining his tone.
His face twists in disgust, and my mouth falls open. My eyes widen at the realization that Richard knows that Ronan was hired to kill him.
“Should’ve known you’d open your legs for just anyone,” Richard says. “But there is a lot more you don’t know yet, my dear Veronica. And I suppose we don’t have to wait for our other special guest to arrive to get the fun started.”
62
Ronan
My tires screech as I slam on the brakes, my car barely making it into park before I’m out the door and running to the entrance. Sylvie had known something was going to happen today—she just couldn’t reach me in time. In order to protect Veronica and me, she put herself in danger. If something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself.
I burst through the metal doors, hoping I’m not too late.
Before me stands Richard, surrounded by three other men I don’t recognize. Behind them are three bodies tied to their chairs—Veronica, Lauren, and Sylvie.
Richard’s eyes light up when he sees me.
“Ah, you made it,” he says, clasping his hands together in delight. “I was hoping you’d find your way to us, eventually.”
I burn with rage. Veronica is slumped over in a chair with her hair hanging down past her face. Her arms are tied behind her back, and there are bloodstains on her clothes. Next to her are Lauren and Sylvie, who look to be in a similar disarray.
“Lovely to see you again, Ronan.”
With Richard’s words, Veronica’s eyes snap to me. My heart cracks in my chest at the sight of her. We haven’t had a chance to speak since our last conversation. The one where we basically told each other that we were falling in love with one another.
“I was wondering how quickly you’d be able to figure everything out after I saw you at the hotel,” Richard sneers. “I was just telling Veronica that it wasn’t part of my plan to have her sleep with the guy who was hired to kill me.” He shrugs as he says this.
I take slow steps closer to the center of the room, my eyes roaming over the setup to get the full picture.
“And what was your plan, Richard?” I say, masking any emotion that tries to show itself on my face. I know more about Richard’s plan than he thinks I do, but it’s essential I play along.
“So, you’re not as clever as I thought.” He sighs. “That’s a damn shame.”
It’s all about power with Richard. He needs to feel like he’s the one who has complete control. He takes a few steps closer to where Veronica is seated, and my body tenses up. Richard is too unpredictable. I can’t let him anywhere near her.
“You see, my team and I concocted a deal. If we were to bring in one of the ‘big bads’ of the city, I’d be untouchable. This city would call me their savior. Plus, rumors were spreading about me being a dirty politician.” He reaches behind Veronica’s head and grips a strand of her blond hair, then jerks it backward to pull her face up in my direction. “Thanks to this one for spreading filth to the journalists.”
He pauses for effect and keeps Veronica’s face tilted upward toward me. Tears streak down her face.
“I needed a sure way to get the people back on my side. I had to find a way to convince them that I was making a safer place for them.”
A door creaks open, and heavy footsteps begin approaching the light in the room.
My eyes widen as I recognize the person moving toward me.
Mark.
He comes to Richard and stands by his side.
“Lucky for Mark, he does have ears everywhere in this city,” Richard begins. “He caught wind of my plan to bring him in and proposed an even more interesting solution.”
I swallow as I recall my original meeting with Mark.
The only person in this city who could rival my notoriety.
“In exchange for leaving him out of your plan,” I say, “he’d bring you someone else.” My mouth is dry as I speak.
Richard’s eyes move back in my direction as he smiles. “Ding ding ding,” he chimes. “But that’s not all.”
My jaw clenches and my eyes narrow as he stares back at me. Everything makes sense now. “You needed someone to pin the disappearances and murders on.”
63
Veronica
Ronan’s jaw clenches, and his eyes narrow. I hear a slight growl escape his throat. My eyes fill with tears at the realization of what they’ve been planning. Setting Ronan up to take the fall for these horrendous murders that have been taking place. Making him look like the bad guy all along.
“Lucky for me, our state honors the death penalty.” Richard laughs. “That’ll be an easy case to wrap up. I can imagine anyone who sits on the jury will be eager to see you brought to justice.”
His head turns away from Ronan, and he looks at me. “And now, you’re tainted goods. I wouldn’t touch you, let alone fuck you, after that piece of shit has been inside you.” He shivers, as if his repulsion has taken over his body. I narrow my eyes at him.
His voice gets louder as his anger takes over, his frustration at how the events have played out, unlike how he had planned.
“You should’ve just taken my original deal. Fucked some young man like a good girl, and we could’ve moved on. But instead, you had to get involved with that piece of trash, getting right in the middle of my plan.” His face is blood red. His gray eyes are unforgiving and cold. There is so much hostility dancing behind them. “I tried to steer you away from it, of course. But then you played right into my hands. I had to get even more creative. What could make this situation even better for me?” His voice is diabolical.
He clears his throat before clasping his hands together in front of his chest, emphasizing the moment he reveals we’ve been outsmarted. “What if the narcissistic vigilante hit man running amok in our city violently killed the district attorney’s wife when he was trying to get to the DA?” Richard says. “What a tragic ending to a sad story. No one would ever question my stance on ensuring safety in our city.” His sinister smile sends a chill down my spine. “I’d be free to move on.”
I struggle against the restraints, knowing now how he wants this plan of his to end.
“I’m sorry to say that while I had planned to let you live, Veronica, your death benefits me more.”
64
Ronan
The blood drains from my face as I listen to Richard recite the rest of his plan and how Veronica is involved. It’s all my fault. Because of her involvement with me, he intends to kill her and pin it on me.
Focusing on something a little more predictable, I turn to Mark. “Thought you were better than this, Mark,” I snap. “What will people say about you when they find out you’ve been conspiring with this piece of shit?” I nod toward Richard.
