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Hundred and Nineteen
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Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Twenty
VALERIAJudging by the dull headache I felt, I had been asleep for a long time. I had just woken up rather abruptly. Lately, I had been doing a lot of sleeping. Who would blame me? What else was there to do in my lonely cell but to plot on how to escape if I ever had the chance, and to sleep. At least dreams brought oblivion and made me forget how miserable I was for some time.I stretched my legs, began to sit up and froze. The hairs on the back of my neck began to prickle. The room was dark as usual, but I felt instinctively that there was someone with me in the room. Someone was there, watching me. Seconds later, I was sure it was this feeling that had woken me up.I blinked rapidly, shut my eyes tightly and blinked again. Opening or shutting my eyes made no difference in the oppressive darkness of the room. I could not see a thin, just a solid wall of darkness that somehow looked more solid at a spot on my left. Or maybe that was my imagination. The feeling of being watched made m
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Twenty-One
DIMITRI"Noah."I leaned back in my chair, thankful to get a break. I had been typing away on my computer for hours nonstop."Got any new info about the Rosy project?" I asked as this was almost always the reason he called me."No," he said. "There is nothing new. I'm not calling about work. I'm calling about Valeria."I sat bolt upright. "What about her?""You see, that's the thing. I honestly don't know. For days she has been ignoring my calls and messages. I have an idea why. Is she doing okay?""Oh yes. She is at work in her office as we speak. Er- did you two have a Falling out or something like that? Maybe you upset her without knowing it"His answer was immediate and sure. "I didn't. We were fine... until we weren't. Besides, Valeria would not ignore my calls since I'm part of the Rosy project she's working on. She knows I may want to also give her information about the project."That was a very good point, I thought when he had hung up. Even if Valeria was mad at Noah for some
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Twenty Two
VALERIAI laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. She stopped what she was doing immediately and turned. It amazed even me that I was somehow able to smile at her despite the hundred different thoughts that were going through my head now and all through yesterday. Valeria (or was it Grace now?) gave me a smile and leaned into my touch.It was a few minutes past 7 on a weekday, time to head out to work, but I couldn't trust her not to want to initiate sex no matter the hour. In her book these days, nothing seemed as important as getting laid. I now had an even stronger reason not to want it."Were you looking for something?" I asked quickly before she could start getting any ideas.Her smile slowly became a slight frown. She remembered what had got her to search her handbag and half the contents of her own side of the drawer for quite a while this morning."Actually, yes. I'm looking for a folder I brought home yesterday... or at least I think I did," she added in an undertone. In a norma
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Twenty-Three
DIMITRIWhile Silas and Vance expressed surprise and talked of how this situation had some to be in the first place, my head was bowed. I was deep in thought. At this point, it didn't really matter to me that the woman I had been living with was Grace. Actually, it did but it was pretty insignificant in the grander scheme or things. What I wanted to know, what I had to know, was Valeria's whereabouts.I had loved Grace. I thought I knew her and what she was capable of, but now, I really couldn't vouch for Valeria's safety if she was in Grace's hands. Perhaps the woman I had loved had hurt Valeria in some way. I didn't think Valeria had agreed to stay away from me at her own volition.I hit the table with my fist. Hard. "She has to be found!" The two men stopped talking and finally gave me their attention. "Later, we will probably be able to figure out how Grace is still alive and how she's managed this deception for so long. Now we need to find where the real Valeria is. I'm sure as h
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Twenty-Four
VALERIA"Wake up!"After this curt command, I was shaken roughly. I curled in more on myself, afraid to open my eyes, afraid of what was in store for me the moment I opened my eyes. I gasped in pain when I felt a stinging slap on my arm. My eyes flew open. The old man who brought my meals was squatting beside me. This close to me, his nose was wrinkled in disgust.I stank. I knew I stank. The only water Grace had allowed me during my incarceration here was just water to drink."Get up," the man barked, seeing I was fully awake. "You are coming with me.""Where?" I asked.His expression turned ugly. "Stop asking questions and move. Now!"He made a threatening gesture. Not wanting to be manhandled again, I scrambled to my feet. He got a hold of the chains which he had already loosened and used it to lead me out of the room into another room which was a bathroom.He pointed to the soap dish on the floor. "Use that. Take your bath."I started to nod, because frankly I couldn't wait to wa
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Twenty-Five
DIMITRI"Good morning, Mr Dimitri.""Good morning, Ellen," I replied. I watched Ellen's gaze shift to the spot beside and then behind me where Valeria almost always was whenever we came to work together."Valeria won't be coming to work today," I told her."Oh." Ellen nodded and continued with what she was doing.I started to walk past her desk, but stopped, making it look like an afterthought. "And Ellen? Make sure you delegate Valeria's workload for today to others. I trust there is nothing you all can't handle. And... before I forget, make sure everyone knows not to call her about anything work related at least for today. Direct all enquiries meant for her to Sasha.Ellen assured me that she and the others would handle everything. I left her briefing Sasha on the intercom. As I walked to the elevator that would take me to my floor, I thought of how nicely my plan was working out.Phase one had been to get Grace to stay home. It wasn't that had to do as she seemed to hate anything t
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Twenty-Six
DIMITRIMy phone rang for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, and without looking at it, I knew it was Noah, no doubt calling to learn of Valeria's whereabouts. The man had been blowing up my phone for hours and hours. I hadn't even had a clue on how to go about telling him about Valeria, about what was going on. It had seemed much simpler to ignore him which I was currently doing.There was blessed silence in the room seconds later when the phone stopped ringing. Just before I could begin to relax and marshall my thoughts, the ringing started up again. "Damned stubborn pest," I cursed.I threw a glare at the ringing phone before shooting to my feet. How badly I wanted to turn the ringer off, but I could not afford to do that. Not now.Not when Valeria was missing and Grace was still at large. There were lots of people out there, looking for Valeria. They could call me with information at any time and I had to be ready.I had heard nothing from anyone throughout that day, on
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Twenty-Seven
VALERIA"All clear," Silas said as he hurried out of my house.This meant Amelia was still asleep. At a signal from me, Vance got the old man out of the car and slung him over his shoulder. I went ahead of him, led the way into the house. Vance was right on my heels as I led him into a small room which was completely bare of furniture."Keep him here," I said and Vance laid the man on the floor at once.I stepped out into the corridor, looked both ways. No one was in sight, but then I hadn't expected anyone to be after Silas had given the all clear that Amelia was still asleep.Certainly she would raise eyebrows if she saw me with the body of the man who was most certainly Grace's accomplice. If she was in league with Grace, which I still suspected she was, she would warn her.I stepped back, shut the door, locked it. Vance was still standing over the man. Silas, on his knees beside the body, was patting him down."I'm looking for any clue he might have on him," Silas explained.Afte
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Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Six
VALERIAWith my hands on my hips, I took a step back to look at the decorations. After a few seconds or so, I had to admit that the decorators had done a pretty good job. I had as well. Jayden had his superhero theme decorations all in blue, his favourite colour. Jane had her favourite Princess whatsername theme also in bright yellow.I grinned, reflecting on how very different children's birthday parties were from those of adults. The entire living room area was a clash of yellow and blue, and then there were the balloons also, covering large sections of the floor."And what are you grinning about?"I felt myself relaxing at the sound of Dimitri's voice, leaning back against him until his arms went around me. He repeated his question."I was just thinking that the whole place looks like a rainbow exploded in it," I murmured."Mmm. I think I rather like the look of the place. It's an improvement if you ask me."I snorted. "Having kids have made you soft. There was a time when you woul
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Five
VALERIAIt was bone-chilling to see Amelia's expression when she realized the game was over. It was like she had been wearing a mask which had suddenly come off. Now I could clearly see what lay beneath the facade she presented to the world. The sight made me shiver and I unconsciously shifted close to Dimitri who gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Amelia, teeth bared, kept looking around like a trapped animal searching for a means of escape."There's no way out now," Dimitri said, leaving the sofa to stand in front of her. "You can't escape so bury that thought.""Why?" I said, the question drawn from my lips before I even thought of it. Everyone turned to look at me but I had eyes only for Amelia, the woman who was my mother but had done things to hurt me more than anyone in this world. "Why do you hate me so much? Why... all this? How could you-""You know nothing!" she declared vehemently. "So don't you think you can sit there and judge me when you don't know half of what happ
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Four
DIMITRII let my suggestions about Amelia's and Alexis' eventual capture sink in. When I was sure it did, and that Valeria was in agreement with all I had said, I stood up to leave. Valeria's hand on my arm prevented me from doing so."Wait," she said. "There is something more."I slowly sat back down. "Tell me.""I want to be part of the capture."My response was instant. "Oh no. You can't.""Why not?"Funny she would ask. Even the thought of putting Valeria, especially in her condition, through any form of danger was so abhorrent to me it made me shudder inwardly."Valeria," I said in the most reasonable tone of voice I could muster. "There may be danger when they are caught. I have no way of knowing, true. But I can't take the risk of you getting hurt. Silas, Vance and I with all the others I will bring in to help can handle them. Trust me. It will be best if you stay completely out of it."Then I groaned inwardly when I still saw that stubborn look on her face, the look I knew so
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Three
VALERIAOne of Ivy's nurse friends from the hospital clapped her hand over her lips to keep in a giggle."Ssh!" said a friend of Vance who just had to be a bodyguard. His tall, muscled figure could be made for nothing else.The man was smiling himself."Sorry," the giggler apologized as she smiled up at him.I felt much like giggling myself, especially at the look I was already picturing on Ivy's face when she eventually realized Vance had brought a lot of his friends and her friends on their date."They are here," Dimitri whispered in my ear.Dimitri's words were whispered back and forth between everyone."Remember everyone. Don't make a sound when they come in," someone said.I looked straight ahead and saw Vance, lead Ivy by the hand into the private booth of the restaurant where we were all hiding."It's beautiful in here," Ivy said, looking around. "But it's rather dark, don't you think? Maybe a little more light will-"She made a move to touch the light switch. I stiffened, drew
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Two
DIMITRISilas, who was to all appearances lounging on the verandah outside while making some calls, met my eyes. For the last few days, I had kept him in and around the house, ostensibly running a few errands for me, being extra security for Valeria, but really he was around to keep an eye on Amelia.We had all come to the conclusion that since she felt herself entirely free of suspicion, she would make a move to contact Alexis or to put her plans into action soon. I felt that she was about to do either or both of these things now.Just this morning, Amelia had been acting strangely. Although she had tried to hide it, Silas and I had noticed her acting ill at ease, although Valeria had of course remained oblivious. Amelia had started acting this way after Silas, as he told me, had overheard her yelling at someone over the phone.A few minutes later, with her handbag slung over her shoulder, she had said very casually, "I'm making a quick trip to the store to pick up some things we nee
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-One
VALERIAAlthough it had seemed impossible at first, the endless hours after Grandma Reese passed became days. Days became weeks. The weeks eventually added up to a month, and then several months. Though I missed her terribly with each passing day, life went on. My pregnancy became advanced. The doctors told Dimitri and I to expect our child soon.That was the only happy thought that kept me going all through those months. That, and the fact that I had Dimitri at my side.The rest of the time, I was consumed by fear, fear that at least one archenemy was still out there. Dimitri had gently broken the news of Grace's death to me, but had confessed that he still had not found a trace of Alexis. I was terrified that he would one day make an appearance and attempt to harm my child and I. Whenever I voiced out my concerns, Dimitri was quick to assure me that he was still on the lookout for Alexis.And though I took a little comfort in his assurances, I never once forgot that Dimitri was not
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty
AMELIAThey were fools. The lot of them. Stupid, trusting fools, but their stupidity suited me just fine. It was how I had stayed hidden all this time, after all.It was a shame about Grace, but it had to be done. She had been becoming a wild card, a disappointment to me. This early in the plot, she had shown that her emotions overruled her thoughts, and anyone who thought with the heart rather than the head was a liability, was expendable. This was why I had taken Dimitri and Silas to the spot where she was to meet with me. Grace was dead now and a lot of the future complications I knew she would bring had died with her.I glanced at the locked door of my room and continued pacing.I had to get word across to Alexis. Just calling him on the phone wouldn't do. I had to see him face to face in order to assure him that our plan was still on, and that Grace's death changed nothing.The only problem now was Dimitri wouldn't want to let me, a supposedly grieving mother, out of his sight. T
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Nine
DIMITRIThe place where Grace had chosen to meet with Amelia was very like the place where she had kept Valeria captive. It was on the grounds of a building, a deserted one by the looks of it. The building was in a scarcely frequented part of the city.Silas, Amelia and I got there a full hour before Amelia's appointment with Grace. We chose good hiding spots where we could see and not be seen. Then we settled down to wait for Grace to show up.Thirty minutes before the time of the appointment, we all clearly heard approaching footsteps. A woman came into view. She was wearing a scarf that obscured most of her face and huge sunglasses, but I knew it was Grace. My hands ached with the effort of keeping them still and not going for her right there and then. Grace gave a sweeping look around the area."Get down," I whispered to the persons with me.Though I was sure we couldn't be seen by her, we all went down and peered at her from between the thick foliage of overgrown shrubs we were h
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Eight
DIMITRI"I can't remember."Amelia had said this more times than I could count in so many different ways, but it still boiled down to the same thing. She still clearly could not remember anything about what Valeria's grandmother had said about her and her past."Why can't I remember?" she said again, with tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.She glanced over at Valeria. Whenever Amelia had declared that she didn't remember, Valeria, with her head resting on the sofa, nodded mechanically and simply kept staring at the blank wall before her.Seeing that Valeria was more or less unresponsive, Amelia turned to me. "What is wrong with me? Why can't I remember any of what happened?"I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring look, patted her hand. "It's okay. Don't worry. I promise you that I will do everything to find out how your memory was tampered with and if possible, you will get your memories back."Amelia nodded and then just sat there, crying and wringing her hands. I sat by
