“Who are you?" Amelia stood still for a while trying to understand the question. What did he know? “What do you mean by who am I?" She tried sounding upset to mask her surprise. "I find your question very—" “Don't play dumb with me." Andrew cut her off. “I did a background check and it doesn't make sense, who are you?" He asked again. His P. I was the best in the whole of Australia and yet he couldn't find a single thing about her. Something was not right. "A background check?” She whispered but it was loud enough for Andrew to hear. " Is that why you haven't contacted me?” If she could just divert a little, perhaps they wouldn't need to go into details of who she really was. “Don't try to change the topic," Andrew warned, he was going to get his answer. “Mr Cooper, I don't understand your question." The tone of her voice changed, and Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her. He was finding it hard to deduce if she was really annoyed or if it was just an act. “You
“Another murder?” Andrew's voice echoed in the living room as he threw the pictures on the floor. He was enraged. This wasn't the first this month, nor was it the second. “Who the fuck is this." He roared, his voice was filled with rage and fury and everyone flinched at the sound of it. Tristan picked up the pictures with a blank expression. This was the first time he was unable to solve a case, he couldn't figure out who this person was or what their motives were. How is it that someone was able to disappear before they were caught? “You need to calm down.” "Calm down?” Andrew turned to Tristan angrily, his hands twitched as he slowly walked towards him. "You've refused to do your job and you're telling me to calm down? Someone is killing off my men without mercy and I don't fucking know who it is.” “What's taking you so long?" He growled as he peered at Andrew. Everyone's heads were either bowed or their eyes focused on anything but them. They dared not interr
He stared at her and she gave him a knowing smile as the name rolled off his lips. The resemblance was uncanny and if he was being truthful, it scared him a little. Who was this woman? “Manny?” A known voice interrupted him and reluctantly he tore his gaze from the lady on the pole. “You're here?” He grumbled. “And you are thinking about your dead wife.” She lamented, seemingly annoyed. She brought him here to have fun with her, not mop it and hallucinate about his dead wife. “I wasn't thinking about her.” He argued, not sure why he thought he'd seen her. “Of course you weren't.” She muttered still annoyed and took her seat beside him. Andrew looked back at the pole, but the woman was gone. His eyes scanned the room, yet he couldn't even see a glimpse of her. Giving him more reasons to question himself. He sat there thinking while Brenda stared angrily at him. He wasn't even making a move to touch her. “Andrew.” She snapped her fingers and he flinched at the soun
Amelia smacked her red lips as she looked into the mirror and fixed her makeup. She was finally getting to meet him, after a month and some days. She wondered what changed his mind. She looked at herself once again in the mirror. “Perfect." She remarked, blowing a kiss at her reflection. Grabbing her purse, she left the house. Her driving was chaotic. Amelia held the steering wheel tightly that her knuckles had started to turn white. Her wide eyes flickered between the road and the rearview mirror and her heart pounded as if it might burst through her chest. She had never been good at driving. Sebastian was the one who'd always drive her. Oh, how she wished he was here with her. “Why is it so hard to keep this car straight.” She yelled, her teeth clenched Amelia approached a stop sign, braking too late and jerking to a halt halfway through the intersection. She glanced around, hoping no one had witnessed what she had just done. "Focus, Amy, focus," she muttered t
“Do you think it's Andrew? Maybe he's trying to lure you out?” “No way.” Amelia blurted out in defense. “I don't think he suspects anything, he's too busy catching feelings for me.” She heard Sebastian snort through the phone and she threw her hands in the air, ready to fight. Only if she could see him. “So who can it be? Is staying here still a good idea?” She sounded scared. She wasn't afraid of death, she was afraid of her secret being out. It would spoil everything for her. “I don't know, the message was pretty coded.” He answered. “I can give the guys to check where the message was from…” He paused and waited for her response, he wasn't going to do anything she didn't want to. “Yeah do that and in the meantime, what do we do?” “I know you can't see, but I'm putting on my thinking face.” Sebastian joked, making Amelia snicker. “I'm serious, this can affect—” “I know, I know. I'll think of something.” He assured her. “And in the meantime, you have to stay in
“Let's be partners." Tristan's face held a grave look, never in his life has he been so serious about something. He was tired of working for Andrew, it was time she upgraded his status. “Partner?" Andrew repeated teasingly, what made him think that far? “Is there something wrong with that?" “No…not at all." He answered, almost laughing. “But I don't think my father will agree to that." He added. “When have you ever needed your father's permission to do anything?" A smile tugged at his lips. “Either we're partners or you can find someone else to do your dirty work for you." Andrew scoffed as he continued the work he was doing. “You aren't my only option." Tristan's face turned sour and Andrew relished the look. If he wanted to be partners with Andrew, he'd have to work harder for it. "Okay then. I hope they find who's killing your men.” He said, walking to the door furiously. All of a sudden remembering something, he turned to Andrew, that serious look back on hi
**FIVE YEARS AGO. Amelia's screams echoed in the tiny room as the belt landed on her back, leaving her with marks with each strike. “You've been a bad girl.” A gruff voice said and struck her back again. “Now, you'll have to pay.” Her screams got louder as his strikes got more painful. “Please…I'm sorry…spare me.” She begged as sweat and tears ran down her face and snot from her nose. Her body was read and filled with wounds that were left to fester. Her body ached from the beating and she felt pain on her vulnerable part. It was all too much for her. The door to the door opened and Alejandro entered, his face devoid of any human expression as he peered at her “Alejandro, help me…” Her breathing was ragged, and she stretched her hands to touch him. “Why did you do that?” He roared. “You know we need them!” His bored holes into her body with his now angry eyes, the only expression he seemed to have. “It…hu…hurts…” She cried, her breath ceasing. “No more, please.”
‘they're suffering because of you.’ His words rang in her head, reminding her that it was all her fault. ‘why did you run away?’ ‘it’s all your fault. come back!’ ‘if you want to see them again, you know exactly what to do….’ ‘or else—’ the sound of the gun firing replayed in her mind and she screamed. “Amelia! Are you okay?” Josie asked, rushing out of the kitchen with gloves on and sweating all over her face. Amelia looked at her confused, she herself not understanding what was going on. “You screamed, are you fine? You look pale and have wrinkles.” Josie touched her forehead, trying to crease the lines that appeared there. “I'm fine, just a little tired.” She gave Josie a smile just to get off her back. She was far from fine. Her mind was running with every action possible to take. Still, they all led back to her on the bed with him. There was no escaping it, that was her fate. “Thank God we're going shopping then. Since the death of Manny, I haven't really bee