Chapter Three

Chapter Three

  “This doesn’t make any sense,” Hayden growled to himself as he looked over the information he had about Britney’s whereabouts, looking for something, anything that could give him a fresh lead. He’d found the same trail that the Matthews fellow had traced. In fact, what he found fit Matthews’ findings to a T. The trouble was he couldn’t find anything new. He found what Matthews had, nothing more, and nothing less. It made no sense, unless…

  Could it be that this trail was only superficial, a decoy, meant to distract from the real one? It would explain why both he and Matthews had failed to find her so far. The evidence leading up to Canada was so strong that neither of them saw any reason to look elsewhere. Yet, what if it had been falsified to lead them off her trail? It was possible that she could still be in the states, or better yet, still in California somewhere.

  “It’s time to start hitting the streets,” Hayden decided aloud. Perhaps that was where he ought to have begun in the first place. Only two things could have happened when she left. Either she had had someone pick her up somewhere out of the security guards’ hearing or she’d gone out on her own by foot. The fact that a false trail had been fabricated for her, he was leaning towards the former. She had to be working with someone else. There was no way she could have managed this on her own. The question was, however, what was motivating that someone to help her? She hardly had enough money to make it worth the trouble to someone. Was it a secret boyfriend she’d had or something?

  Grabbing a few things and stashing them in his pockets, Hayden went down the ornate steps of the Larkin mansion. When he reached the landing he was met by Lawrence Larkin himself.

  “Anything?” Larkin questioned him with a hint of anticipation.

  “I’ve been looking at this from the wrong angle,” Hayden began. “I’ve been assuming that Matthews was right, that she’d gone to Canada. However, I think that we both stumbled upon a false trail created for her. It was very cleverly done for sure, but it just ends. I think that someone’s been helping her. It’s very likely that she is in fact still in the states, maybe even in California. I’ve decided to do some digging.”

  Larkin nodded as if he agreed with the younger man. After all, hadn’t he wondered similar things himself? He looked at the sharp grey eyes of his best friend’s only son.

  “Where will you go for information though? How do you intend to find a trail now? It’s already been over half a year, I would think any trail she’d left would be cold by now,” Larkin questioned him doubtfully.

  “There must be something left that could point to something. It’s possible there’s someone who might have seen or heard something about her. You’ve kept this all rather quiet. Perhaps if I was to start asking questions and letting it be known there is a reward for information,” he paused momentarily and looked pointedly at Larkin, “perhaps then we might find something out.”

   “Of course, offer a reward if you think that would help. Whatever you think will be tempting enough for those who might know something of value to help you locate her,” Larkin told him, catching onto Hayden’s unsubtle hint that he start to publicize the search for Britney and offer a reward. “I’d hoped to keep this quiet before, but if you think it could help, then make it known. My only request is that you keep this out of regular public knowledge. The last thing I want is for the media and law to get involved.”

  “Of course,” Hayden assured him. He had no intentions of telling anyone besides those street crawlers of the downtown what was going on. “Do you know where I might find LA’s less than reputable citizens?”

  Larkin considered the question before saying, “McKenna’s Bar. That’s where most of them tend to hang out. And, those that don’t know those who do. If any of them know anything, that’s where you’ll find it out.”

Hayden nodded and left Larkin, heading for and climbing into the sleek midnight blue Jaguar Larkin had given him to use as he looked for Britney. He searched the downtown streets for the bar Larkin had referred him to. When he finally found the place, he went in. Walking into the dimly lit building, he found himself a seat at the bar and carefully took in every single detail. Ordering a drink, he turned to the man next to him.

  “The name Lawrence Larkin mean anything to you?” Hayden inquired.

  “Everyone knows that name,” the man scoffed. “Just in different ways.”

  “I know him as DeRuise’s personal cleaner, how do you know him?” Hayden asked straight-forwardly, guessing he already knew the man’s answer.

  “I know him as the same.”

  “Good, you might just be worth talking to then. Have you ever seen this girl before?” Hayden asked, holding up a picture of Britney for the man to see. The man studied it a minute, squinting his eyes.

  “Yup,” the man finally confirmed, turning from the picture and taking a swig of his drink. Hayden tried not to let his complete contempt for the filthy, ill-bred man show.

  “Where?” inquired Hayden dryly, fully expecting the man to demand money before being willing to disclose anything. As he expected, the man looked pointedly into his empty cup.

  “Some scotch for my friend here,” Hayden instructed the bartender, cringing inwardly at the word friend. After the bartender had filled up the glass, the man was more than prepared to talk.

  “Right here, a long time back,” he said.

  “Could you be a bit less vague?” Hayden probed.

  The man scratched his head thoughtfully. “Sometime last winter maybe I think, pretty late.”

  “What was she doing here?”

  “Dunno, didn’t ask, didn’t care really,” shrugged the man, becoming disinterested with the subject now that he apparently had what he wanted.

  “Do you know who that girl was?” demanded Hayden harshly, impatient with the man. “She was Lawrence Larkin’s daughter. So, I would suggest you tell me all you remember about seeing her. He won’t take kindly to anyone withholding any information,” Hayden threatened.

  “I don’t know anything more than that, honest!” the man cried with upraised hands. “But, Ricky might know something more about it, I think he was here that night.”

  “Where can I find Ricky?”

  “Well, right here. He comes in just bout every night,” the man informed him.

  “Thank you for your help,” Hayden said, laying some money on the counter for the bartender and leaving the dingy little place, grateful to be gone. He would return tonight and see if he couldn’t find this Ricky. Finally he had found something that might truly prove to be useful. The only thing that had him wondering was what Britney would be doing in a place like that. Had she been meeting someone there? He got back into the Jaguar and sped back to Larkin’s place.

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  “Britt, what’s taking you so long?” Jonas called up the stairs. “I thought you were just changing your clothes.”

  I hurriedly put on a touch of perfume, checked my appearance in the mirror, and went to the stairs.

  “It hasn’t been that long,” I informed him, glancing at a clock when I reached the steps landing where he was waiting for me. I took in his worn out jeans and t-shirt and inwardly sighed. I’d hoped that if I changed into one of the dresses I’d gotten today that he would change into some of his new clothes too. Apparently, he hadn’t.

  “Ready to go? I have the sandwiches and everything ready,” Jonas told me.

  “I’m ready,” I said with a nod, moving towards the door.

  “That dress really is nice,” Jonas complimented from behind me as we went out to the car.

  “Thanks,” I replied. I got into the car and made sure I pulled the skirt of the simple white dress out of the way of the door before Jonas closed it. We drove to the park, and found my bench that was fast becoming our park bench. We went over to it and Jonas spread out a blanket in front of it for us to sit on and lean our backs against it. Next, he pulled some sandwiches and soda from his backpack and handed me one of each. We ate in silence for awhile, just watching the birds on the pond and a few other people nearby. Finally, I turned to Jonas when I was done eating.

  “So, do you have any idea what’s going on with Hayden?” I asked him. Jonas shook his head.

  “No, I don’t. I can’t risk asking around at all because it might cause suspicion and, of course, I haven’t heard anything from your father since he took me off the job. All I know is that they don’t know what happened yet because I would know it if they did,” Jonas replied.

  “What if they do know and they’re watching you to find me though?” I questioned.

  “Then they’d have found you by now, though that may be something we should be careful of,” Jonas responded. We were silent briefly, each lost in our own thoughts.

  “What’s your favorite color?” I asked him suddenly, leaning back against the park bench as I gazed out over the water.

  “Right now, white,” he told me. “Why?”

  “White?” I asked with surprise. Jonas smiled and I looked down at my dress with sudden understanding. “Jonas! Come on, what’s your real favorite color?”

  “Alright, alright,” he laughed. “Black I guess. What’s yours?” I considered it a moment and then answered.

  “Green,” I answered, thinking of his eyes. “What sports do you like?”

  Jonas wrinkled up his nose. “I’m not much of a sports fan to be honest. What’s with the weird questions Britt?”

  “Really? I don’t know. I just wanted to know some basic stuff about you I guess. It seems like we skipped the normal couple’s “getting-to-know-each-other” and silly question games stage in things.”

  “I suppose we did,” Jonas agreed thoughtfully. “Alright, then I get to ask questions too,” he decided.

  “We can take turns.”

  “Good, then I’m next,” he stated with a grin. “Do you like any sports?”

  “Volleyball, snowboarding, skating, and hockey,” I answered him automatically.

  “Hockey? Why would you like that? It just looks like a bunch of guys beating each other up over a little puck to me,” Jonas remarked skeptically.

  “It is not! It takes skill, speed, and strength. It’s an excellent sport,” I defended. “Ever had a girlfriend before?”

  Jonas shook his head. “No, you’re the first.”

  “Really?” I asked with surprise. Somehow, I’d expected to hear a long list or have him say something about not remembering how many there’d been over the years with a sly wink. “Why?”

  “Busy mostly. I never had much time for that kind of thing and I didn’t know anyone who really interested me in that way,” he replied. “Now, I already know you’ve never had a boyfriend before, so I have to think of something else to ask you.” He was silent for a few minutes, trying to decide what to ask.

  “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?” he finally asked me.  

  Thoughtfully, I considered Jonas’ question. I had always been content enough to stay in California. Once, not long after Steve had come to work for my dad, my father had insisted on taking me with him and my granddad to Mexico on a business trip, and now that I knew the nature of his profession I shuddered at the thought of it. My granddad had come all the way from Ireland to go with us, and Steve and another guy had also gone along as well.

  Mostly we just stayed in one city all the time that we were there. I rarely ever saw my dad the entire month that we were there during the summer. Usually, Steve or my granddad would take me out to see various different things within the better part of the city. Otherwise, I stayed at the house that we were renting, chatting with friends online, reading, or doing things by myself.

  About two years after that I managed to convince my dad to allow me to go with Andrea’s family to Canada, to visit her aunt that lived there, for most of my summer break after my freshman year of high school.

  Those had been my only out of country trips I had ever taken in my entire life, despite the fact that my dad made more than enough money for me to go pretty much anywhere that I desired.

  As for in-country trips, I’d gone to DC once for school and to Chicago a couple of times to visit family there. Otherwise, I had literally spent my entire life right in LA.

  My mind snapped back to Jonas, remembering that he was waiting for an answer from me.

  “Australia,” I announced.

  “Why?” he wondered, curiosity lacing his voice.

  I shrugged. “Because that’s where you and Ana are from, and I think it must be a beautiful and wild place,” I explained with a small shrug.

  “And why would you think that?” Jonas asked with a laugh, clearly amused by my explanation.

  “Because I can’t imagine you being from a boring and dull place.”

 “Well you’re right,” Jonas agreed, “but I didn’t really live there longer than in the states or Britain.”

  “Still, it’s your family’s homeland. That place is in your blood,” I pointed out. As the sun slid further down I scooted closer to Jonas and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders so that I could lean back against his shoulder. I sighed contentedly, momentarily forgetting all the things that had literally thrown us together in the first place. Jonas pressed his lips gently to the top of my head and then rested his cheek on top of my head, clearly as content as I.

  “You would love Europe, I think. One day I’m going to take you there, when this is all over,” Jonas told me quietly.

  “And to Australia?” I inquired, a little smile creeping onto my face as I closed my blue eyes.

 “Anywhere,” he promised. “Of course my money will run out eventually I think, so we may not be able to go everywhere that you want to,” he added with a soft laugh.

  “I don’t mind, I’ve spent most of my life right here in LA,” I assured him quickly. “Have you decided what you’ll do for work yet though?”

  “After I’ve got college out of the way I’ll figure something out that won’t be too boring for me. It will all depend on what’s going on,” Jonas answered.   Suddenly, I realized how much I’d messed up his life, causing him to have to live day to day and making him unable to make any real, solid plans for his future because he didn’t know what was going to happen.

  “I’ve messed up your entire life, haven’t I?” I questioned with resigned regret at the truth of it. “You can’t make any plans for the future since you don’t know what’s going to happen next because you’re helping me. I’m so sorry Jonas,” I felt Jonas’ arm tighten around me and pull me even closer to him.

  “No you haven’t Britney,” he reassured me fiercely. “You’ve only complicated things a little bit, that’s all. And I assure you that you are well worth a few complications, and I still have a few plans for the future that I intend to fulfill no matter what happens.” I gave a little push away from him and turned to look up into his breathtaking sea green eyes that now held a light of decided determination.

  “Jonas, what’ll they do when they find out what you’ve done?” As I saw him obviously preparing to assure me that he wouldn’t be caught, I held up a hand to stop him and shook my head. “Don’t try to tell me that you won’t get caught with me Jonas, because I’m not that dumb. What will happen?”
  “I would never dare think of you as dumb sweetheart,” Jonas promised, leaning over, kissing me lightly on the lips, and then backing off and flashing me one of his brilliant and infamous smiles, obviously attempting to distract me from the question I’d asked.

  “Jonas, I swear-“

  He sighed, seeing my determination and giving up on his attempts at distraction.

  “I don’t know what will happen Britney,” Jonas finally admitted with a serious expression finally overtaking the lighthearted one he’d previously worn. “Even though I’m not working for DeRuise anymore I think they’d hesitate before doing anything too drastic, especially if they aren’t sure where you are.

  “DeRuise remains a gentleman, despite his chosen profession, and a gentleman does not treat a promise lightly. My father requested a job when I was ready and protection for me when he began working for DeRuise, and DeRuise gave his word that he would, and assured me that his agreement with my father still stood when I left,” explained Jonas.

  “Protection?” I wondered in confusion. “Why would he have requested that? What did he think you needed protection from?”

  Jonas’ eyes darkened and suddenly I could no longer see so deeply into him through those normally bright and transparent, at least when it was just the two of us, windows into his heart and soul. I watched with dismay as he put up his guard.

  “It’s a dangerous business Britt, you know that,” Jonas reminded me with practiced nonchalance, but I could tell that there was much more to it then he was telling me.

  I sighed with frustration at once again having him keeping something from me and pulled away from him, folding my arms across my chest, and staring blankly out over the water of the pond. Jonas attempted to put his arm around my shoulders again, but I shrugged away from his arm sulkily and slid even further away from him until I was out of his reach.

  “Britney? What’s wrong?” he eventually asked in a silky, soothing voice as he moved close to me after a couple of minutes had passed us by.

  “Nothing, except that once again you’re refusing to tell me everything,” I answered rather sarcastically. “Every time I try to learn more about your past you shut me out and refuse to talk about it. I’m trusting you with my life, Jonas. Don’t you think you can trust me at all?” I asked, my eyes filling with tears that I immediately wiped away.

  “I do trust you Britney, more than anyone else except for maybe Ana,” he promised me reassuringly. “But some things are simply better left in the past,” he decided grimly.

  Seeing that he intended to remain resolute in his decision, I inwardly sighed in resignation to the fact. Then a thought struck me and I wondered if I dared to voice it, not knowing what his reaction to it might be.

  “Maybe Ana will be willing to tell me what I want to know,” I finally dared to comment, doing my best to sound as casual as possible.

“Ana won’t tell you anymore about it than I already have,” Jonas informed me as simply as I had made my comment.

  “She’s been more willing to talk about things from your past than you have before, I don’t see why she wouldn’t still be.”

  “Because I have forbidden her from telling anyone about this. She won’t tell you, even if she may wish to do so,” Jonas answered darkly.

  The resignation I’d felt earlier rapidly flared back into frustration and a bit of steadily rising anger with him. Slowly and purposefully, I got up, pulled together our things from our picnic, and headed to the car without a word. I was glad that we’d taken the Benz as I moved towards the driver’s door. I felt Jonas’ weary eyes on me from behind, but I didn’t turn to look at him. He knows that I’m angry, I thought to myself. Good.

  I climbed in behind the wheel and started up the car, debating on whether or not I should just leave without him and make him find another way to get back to his car. The debate was ended quickly however when he climbed into the seat beside me.

  As I pulled out of the parking lot my first instinct was to speed as fast as I dared to release some of my raging emotions. However, I remembered how much Jonas enjoyed speeding, so I decided to go as slow as I possibly could instead, even though I wanted to get away from him as quickly as I could. As I carried out my plan of slowness I was rewarded with the satisfaction of seeing Jonas restless and fidgeting in his seat uncomfortably.

  At last we made it back to the loft and I stopped the car and sprung out of it, slamming the door behind me and hurrying towards the building’s steps.

  “Britney,” Jonas called from behind me.

  “Just leave me alone Jonas, please,” I called back to him over my shoulder to him. “I just need to be alone for a little while, so please, just leave.”

  “Britney, Ana isn’t back yet. I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone here not knowing when she’ll be getting back,” Jonas called, following behind me.

  “Well you’re not coming inside,” I stated icily. I heard his footsteps stop short followed by a heavy sigh. Without a backwards glance I ran up the steps and into the loft, slamming the door behind me. I leaned my back against the door briefly to collect myself and then went over to peek out the window. I watched with a mixture of satisfaction and sadness as Jonas’ car ripped out of the parking lot and out onto the street.

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  Hayden walked through the door and into the dimly lit bar once again. Now that it was nighttime it was even darker inside. He looked around and wondered which one of the disgusting low-lives in the place was Ricky.

  “Can I help you sir?” asked the man from behind the bar who now stood eying him wearily , as he should. All of these sorry-excuses�"for-men ought to be careful. He could kill them all so easily, and, from the looks of them, not many, if any, would have anyone who’d mourn their passing.

  “I’m looking for a man known as Ricky,” Hayden informed the man. “Could you direct me towards him? I was told that he’d be here tonight.”

  “Ricky Ladino? Well, he’s usually here most nights, but he’s not tonight,” the bartender informed him. “Word is he won’t be back for awhile, that he’s out on some job or something.”

  “What type of job?” queried Hayden who was now standing directly across from the bartender.

  “Thug type stuff if I had to take a guess,” the bartender answered, shrugging his thin shoulders rather noncommittally. “Ricky isn’t exactly what you’d call bright by any means. He’s your basic street smart thug. Mostly just a drunk that has a lot of muscle. If he wasn’t drunk so much he might be half-ways intelligent.”

  “I see,” said Hayden, filing away the information for later. “Any idea when he might be back in these parts again?” he inquired, quelling his frustration that once again he’d have to wait to get the information he desired.

  “Dunno,” the man scratched his balding head, causing several white flakes to fall. Hayden made a mental note to never order any drinks while this man tended the bar, at least, not for himself.

  “Well thank-you for your assistance.” Hayden laid a substantial amount of money down on the bar as a reward to the man for the information he’d given, being sure that others nearby observed him and the amount he put down. In his line of work power was everything, and money signified power. He nodded to a particularly wide-eyed observer, and strode out with confidence.

  He got into his barrowed car and slammed the door slightly more firmly than was truly necessary. He was so close to getting extremely vital information about Britney, he could feel it. The fact that this Ricky knew what he needed to know, but he could not seem to be able to get his hands on the man frustrated him beyond words. Inwardly, he resolved to return to the horrid hole of a place every night until he found the man who knew what he needed to know himself.

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  I pulled up the hood of my light-weight hoodie as I hurried down the steps. I glanced around to assure myself that neither Ana’s nor Jonas’ cars were in sight. Satisfied that neither of the overly-protective siblings were around, I began jogging along the sidewalk.

  It was completely dark outside now except the street and building lights. I had to get out to clear my head and think through some things, despite the unusual chilly air. I went across the street and began to jog around the block adjacent to the one Ana’s loft was on in order to give myself a bit of a change of scenery from the all-too-familiar block the loft was located on.

  By now my anger and frustration at Jonas for obviously hiding things from me had cooled off. Now all that lingered was curiosity about what he didn’t want me to know about himself and what he thought was better left in the past. What could be so awful about his past that he felt he had to hide it from me, I wondered as I continued down the sidewalk at a fast clip.

  On the other hand, should I really be trying to figure it out when it was so obvious that he didn’t wish me to know whatever it was? I stopped dead in my tracks, panting slightly from the exertion of the jog that had become more of a run. I wrapped my hand around my side as I caught my breath and thought.

  I need to wait until he’s ready to talk to me about it, I decided with conviction. Whatever it is, I need to trust him to tell me about it in his own time. If it were anything truly important or that I needed to know, he’ll tell me.

  I looked up and noticed for the first time since stopping that I’d returned to where I’d first started going around this block, and was directly across the street from Ana’s.  I looked both ways quickly to assure myself there were no oncoming cars, and then crossed the street.

  I was almost across the road when a midnight blue Jaguar that blended into the night perfectly whipped around the corner. It swerved to the left when the driver obviously saw me in its path, and I instinctively leapt even further out of its path and up onto the sidewalk. I glanced only very briefly back at the car that was once again racing on its way down the street before heading inside.

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  Hayden cursed loudly when he swerved in order to miss the girl jogging across the street.

  “Idiot American!” he complained under his breath. He’d like to know what she was thinking, running around in dark clothing in the middle of the night. He hadn’t been able to see her face since it had been shadowed by the hood she wore, but he was sure that he must have scared her. He’d scared himself, truth be told. He may be a killer by profession, but even he had a basic moral code that included protecting women rather than plowing them over with his car, even if it would’ve been an accident, as well as her own fault no less.

  Perhaps next time the little idiot would think twice before she went running around late at night again. It was a stupid thing for anyone to do, but even more so for a girl. Getting hit by a car was not the only danger a young woman alone on a street at night faced.

  He shook his head in order to shake off thoughts of the girl. He had more important things than that stupid girl that he needed to be thinking about right now, like where Britney was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Zachary_James]

Your characters are amazing, Superb.