Page 48 of Believe In Us

“The fact that you still think I am not aware of your influence around here,” I pause, finally turning to face him, “About the absolute power you seem to hold. It’s honestly…” I don’t finish my statement, choosing instead to turn the inquisition on him. “Just tell me one thing,” I pause and notice a glimpse of something, if I thought it could be possible, resembling fear flash through his eyes. “How long have you known him?”

He closes his eyes, bringing his right hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples with his thumb and middle finger in a remorseful way. “I told you I’ve known he was your brother since around Thanksgiving,”

“I’m asking how long he’s been here, a part of your little gang.”

“He’s not part of us Jade, he was Wesley’s lackey for about five years. Wesley used to say he found him practically dead in front of some underground fight club andsavedhis life. If anything he just used it as an excuse to guarantee his loyalty, but even Roman knew Wesley was a pathetic son of a bitch, so he double crossed him and began working for Marchesi, well you know him as Macallan. Little did Roman know, he might have been fucking with the devil, but then jumped into bed and got fucked in the ass with his eviler counterpart.”

I sit in disbelief. My brother has been here in Hillcrest, working for Wesley, since the day he left me back in Providence. Five fucking years, which means that money he used to send, was Wesley’s dirty, blood money. My stomach churns, vomit threatening to expel if I don’t get out of here.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

JADE

Roman: Please Jade, I need you to talk to me.

That’s the fifteenth message I received from my brother this week.

Roman: If you won’t answer me, I’m coming to you. I’ve had enough.

And the sixteenth message I deleted just after reading it.

Roman’s been incessantly texting me for two weeks now, practically begging me to give him another chance to explain, well fuck I don’t know what’s left to say. To be honest I’m not sure I fully understand what it is that’s keeping me from seeing him, fromforgivinghim.

Is it because...

He left me for so long.

He never came backto look for me.

He killed my father.

It definitely can’t be the last one since I’m not even sure I’m truly pissed off about that. Maybe the fact he was capable of killing but knowing Roman, that could have always been a risk. I wasn’t planning on reaching out to him or answering any of his text messages, but ever since I found that strange note taped to the front door of our dorm room, I’ve been on edge.

Always watching you darling.

I constantly feel like I’m being watched, as if someone is tracking my every move and I don’t for one second doubt it’s connected to my less than pleasant conversation with Daddy Silver last week when I ran into him at the Silver Estate. I accompanied Stella to pick up some clothes she was going to donate to a shelter down in Pleasant Hills. He greeted us the moment we arrived, and immediately I noticed Stella was somewhat on edge. Her interaction with Silver Sr. Took a 360 degree turn from the first day she introduced him to us back on Halloween night last year. She nervously shifted beside me, refusing to look Stephan in the eye. I however stared directly into two familiar gray eyes that glared wickedly at me.

Intimidation. That was his goal, and dark, menacing glares were his tactic. Not to mention subtle, less than friendly threats.

“You and your sister have surely made yourselves comfortable here.” he murmured, obviously trying to ensure Stella wouldn’t overhear us. “You’ve adapted well to this new environment and adjusted to all the various changes you’ve encountered. It would be a shame for your stay here to be cut short for any reason. You see others weren’t so lucky and have found their stay here slightly more troubling. It’s a good thing my son, niece and their friends have taken a liking to you, otherwise things might be a tad more difficult.”

I scoffed at his attempt to intimidate me by threatening me with a ticket back to the slums I came from. I know well enough I’m a threat to him, a tempting vice his son seems to keep comingback for. He wouldn’t be wasting his time with me if he weren’t at least a little nervous that his well-oiled machine was starting to malfunction.

On top of that, I’m not sure if it’s my deranged imagination playing tricks on me, my paranoia finally pushing me over the edge, or if in fact I did see Skeet and his pathetic sidekick, outside of Scottie’s Diner last night. Watching me, just like the note said. I can’t take any chances, I need answers.

---