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Hundred and Twenty-Nine
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Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty
DIMITRIThe policemen, looking grave and worried, were holding a whispered conversation in a corner of their office. I wanted to yell at them to get a move on at finding Grace, then I remembered that they had already sent out some officers a while ago for that exact same purpose.Gosh! I was gradually loosing it.I sighed, massaged my aching temples. There was no way I could rest easy while the Grace and her accomplice were running loose. What if Alexis decided to have a another go at Valeria?My eyes got caught on a photograph of Grace lying between some documents in a file. Her features were exactly like Valeria's and I wondered how somebody so innocent looking, someone sharing the exact same body with another so kind and good, could be so devious."Mr Dimitri." The policeman splayed his hands over the table and fixed me with a steely stare. "This is a very serious case you have brought to our notice-""Of course I know that," I interrupted. "Why else do you think I'm here?""My poi
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-One
VALERIASomeone was beside me. I could hear the sound of deep, heavy breathing, could feel the featherlight touch of hands moving over me; checking my temperature with a hand placed on my brow, adjusting the covers of the bed I was lying in, fluffing out my pillows and so on.I struggled towards wakefulness. It was hard to do because I had a feeling I had been in the darkness for long, too long. But I did it. I opened my eyes. Although her figure was hazy at first, I saw Amelia staring at me. She gave a loud gasp of surprise, a sigh of relief and promptly burst into tears."Oh Valeria," she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You are awake. It's been two whole weeks and I thought you would never-"Her next words were drowned out by renewed sobs. I felt myself tearing up too. My heart burst with love for this woman who loved me as her own, who loved me to the extent that she had exposed her own daughter.She wiped my tears with her fingertips. "Don't cry," she said, even though
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Two
DIMITRII had to wait until a minute before Stan, the pudgy policeman from the other day walked into the office. He was poring over a sheaf of papers in his hand."What news?" I asked, leaning forward eagerly as he took his seat."Just going through what I have here." He indicated the papers he held. "I have been going through documents like this all day and they all say the same thing." He stopped and sighed. "It's like we are dealing with a ghost, so to speak, Mr Dimitri. On paper, Grace is basically still dead. Her death certificate, the day of her death, the doctor's proposed cause of death all tally. To everyone else, she died four odd years ago.""But she didn't. There has to be a loophole somewhere in these so called evidence you have collected since she isn't actually dead." My eyes narrowed. "Or are you suggesting that I'm mistaken?""I didn't say that.""Good because I saw her myself. Also, I was not the only one who saw her, you know. There were others too. You can intervie
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Three
VALERIAI opened the door and there was Vance standing there, wearing a tight smile eyeing me dubiously."Hello," he said. "Can I come in?""Of course."I threw the door open at once and I could have sworn I heard him exhale in relief. Just before he came, I had been wondering what to do with myself. It was so nice to have company, even if it was just Vance and even though I knew Dimitri, who I was trying my damnedest not to think about was the one who had sent him. I smiled a little as Vance walked past me into the living room. It was no wonder he had looked wary when I had opened that door. He had probably been expecting me to throw him out or to tell him off like I had done Dimitri."What have you been doing with yourself since you got back?"With his hands thrust into his pockets, Vance turned to face me.I shrugged. "Just resting. Mostly."Was he going to talk to me about returning to Dimitri's house? I sincerely hoped not. To my relief, he didn't pursue the subject. After I had
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Four
VALERIA"For goodness sake!"The furious exclamation came from directly behind me as I got close to my office. How has he materialized so quickly? When I had stepped out from the elevator, I had not gotten a glimpse of him. I had been sure I would make it to my office without the 'discussion' which would in reality be an argument that was sure to follow. It turned out he had seen me after all.Now I could hear him stomping after me. A second later he had my wrist in a grip that was firm enough to be uncomfortable, but not firm enough to hurt."Move," he growled when I planted my feet and stared at him mutinously."Move," he repeated.I didn't. There was no one observing us yet, but even if they were, I would not care. They knew there was something between us anyway and I was done having Dimitri have his way. He simply dragged me along. With his superior strength, I was powerless to resist. He shut the door of my office immediately we were in. With his back to the door so I could not m
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Five
VALERIAI opened the door and Dimitri was standing right there, at the front door of my house. I had not sent for him. I had not invited him. He had not told me he was coming and I had certainly not given him permission to. Several times I had clearly told him that I didn't want to have anything to do with him, and yet here he was."What are you doing here?" I bit off."Valeria, we need to talk," he said.Talk. I knew that was what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth."Leave now," I ordered.He gave no indication that he had heard me. I hurried to close the door in his face. My bare foot slipped on the tile. I put out my hand to grab something to regain my balance. My hands touched nothing but air and I went down. The force of the fall knocked all the breath from my body and I just lay there, panting, gasping for breath, riding the waves of pain that came from my waist region which had taken the brunt of the fall. Dimitri, calling my name frantically was at my side in
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Six
VALERIA"I am so relieved that you are feeling so much better, dear," Amelia said as she cleared away my dinner tray, a task she had insisted on doing.In reply, I nodded and smiled. Amelia looked like she would burst with happiness at finding that I had finished everything she had given me to eat.She had been attending to me for quite a few days now, days when I had not felt well at all. She had rarely ever left my side, but being just at home for a long period of time has it's downsides as I had reason to know. And so I found myself wanting to get out of seeing the four walls of that house again. I felt I had rested enough. I had to get back to work. "You are better, but still not quite well."I started a little and accidentally slopped the juice in my cup. I had not been paying attention and subsequently had not heard her walk up to me."I'm fine. Really," I said as I set my cup down."Oh. Valeria, please don't lie to me. I can tell. You are much better than before but that does
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Seven
VALERIA"I need to see her," I told Amelia who nodded and slowly said, "Yes... you spoke of seeing her a while ago.""I did," I said. "I think I have put off my visit to her long enough. I need to ask her about my parents and my past. I need to know the truth."The look on Amelia's face clearly said she didn't believe I would glean much information from my proposed visit to my grandmother. But something told me that there was much to be learnt despite the evidence to the contrary."You don't think there is much to learn from her, do you?"Amelia hesitated, shook her head. "I am not against knowing all about your roots, Valeria, but I don't think this will reveal anything new about Grace.""I think it will," I replied, after musing on her statement. And then I again remembered what Grace had said. "I know I have probably told you this before, but when Grace kidnapped me, she said something about us being sisters. In fact she seemed to be quite sure of that. She had no reason to lie the
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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
