Chapter 154

(trigger warning: mentions of suicide and violence)

The plan was in full motion. He felt like a child on Christmas morning. After kidnapping Jessica Royce, the next target was Emma Wells. He didn’t relish the thought of harming a new mother, but he would do what needed to be done. However, Robert had developed a penchant for killing. And it was still new so he wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone or anything. He recognized that frenzy, that fresh desire to take life. It was a powerful feeling, to be the bringer of death.
Grace continued to come to him as she fell further and further into madness. That last rejection snapped something inside of her. He liked to think that it was her last grasp of reality. For a while he thought he was the catalyst of her insanity. However, it was always there. She left a perfect life in search of something she would have. Grace had everything. A man that essentially worshipped her. An heiress of high society. And she left all of that, chasing some dream, chasing an adventure.
No, her sanity had been on thin ice for a while. He just played his part in having her embrace her lunacy. It was evident when Emma Wells was finally obtained and brought to the location the first prisoner was being held in. It was like watching a caged lion snarling at the bars. Her energy was manic and dangerous. And it turned him on. It made for great sex, but all she did was cry about Will when they were together. He often thought of just killing her and getting it over with. But there was a better way.
***
He began spending most of his time at the building. “Command” they’d been calling it. Robert and Grace couldn’t be trusted. The first prisoner, Jennifer… Jessica… whatever ger name was, was being beaten even though he had given explicit instructions that she was not to be touched. And Grace could not at all be trusted with the other one. God, what was that one’s name? Ella? Emily? It was something with an “E”, he was certain. Either way, it didn’t matter. They had to keep them both alive and the two overly emotional idiots he was working with were going to mess it up.
Will was supposed to do a press conference and announce that he was relinquishing the company over to his uncle. The press conference was Robert’s idea. He wanted a public take down and humiliation of his nephew. He was all for anything that made William Stewart suffer. This plan wasn’t going to work. But he was interested to see how it would unfold.
They planned to watch the press conference together. After it, his plan was to slink back into the dark, and watch them all go down in his place. Grace showed up in her wedding dress and he rolled his eyes at the theatrics of it all.
“What’s this mess about?” he waved his hand at her.
“I want to be pretty for Will,” she said without blinking. “When Emma dies, I to be ready. I was going to use the gun you got for me.”
“No,” he said.
“Why? She has to die! Will won’t love me until she’s gone.” Grace stomped her foot like a spoiled toddler.
“Grace,” he held her by the shoulders. “I think we both know that isn’t going to happen.”
“It isn’t?” she squeaked, still not seeing him.
“No. It isn’t.”
“He’s going to forget me,” her voice was dreamy and far away. “He’s going to move on and forget me.”
“Yes, he is.” For about half a second, he felt sorry for her. It was clear that there was nothing left of her. It was like she was a doll. A beautiful plastic shell that was hollow. Grace was gone. Anyone could see that she had been gone a long time. “But I think I know of a way you can stay with him forever.”
“Yeah?” she smiled. “I’d like that. With Will forever.”
“If you do what I say, he’ll never be able to forget you.”
“That’s what I really want,” she breathed. Her eyes were glazed over. He shook his head in something like lament. Too bad, he thought. She was gorgeous and had the potential to be a queen in his empire. Not his queen, or anyone’s. Just a queen. She would have been amazing but let her need for love crumble her resolve. Grace didn’t want to be strong on her own. She didn’t want to be her own woman. She wanted to be someone’s pampered princess. He didn’t need anyone like that in his world. He didn’t need anyone. Everyone was just a tool for him. And when tools break, you throw them away. There was only one thing you could do for her now.
“Listen to me. I’m going to leave before the press conference starts. It’s not going to work the way Robert wants.”
“Will is so strong. He would never do want someone else wanted.”
“Right. So, what you’re going to do is…”
***
Will went off-script, as predicted. Robert went off the deep end, and suggested they kill their two hostages. It took some work, and a nice threat, but Robert backed down. And like the coward he was, Robert ran. No doubt to try and disappear. But it was always part of the plan to have Robert dealt with. He was loud and flashy. There was no place for him. He had to go.
He hadn’t counted on Grace having a lucid moment. There was no telling when she left that box and note behind. Perhaps it was at the beginning of it all. When she first saw that he was a part of everything. It made the most sense. He wasn’t watching her, and that was his mistake. It was for the best, though. Will would eventually find out who was behind this, and having Grace be the one to leave the clue for him was the cherry on top of the morbid sundae.
There was a chance she would chicken out. It was slight, but he could risk it. So, he positioned himself on the rooftops, following Grace until she ended up in the alleyway. Then Will appeared and he almost lost himself.
***
There he was. So close. His finger itched and tightened around the trigger of the sniper rifle. He could end this. His revenge, the hatred that fueled him for all this time, was right in his sight. He could end this now.
“Calm down,” he whispered to himself. “He needs to suffer first.”
He watched as he confronted Grace. Her tattered, bloody wedding dress only added to the dramatics of the situation. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but the sound of her gunshot, and Will’s resulting scream was music to his ears.
He watched as Will fell to the ground, a puddle of shock and grief. Grace had been right about him. Will was a big, sentimental softie. A teddy bear hidden behind a suit of armor. As much as he wanted to watch Will lose his mind even more, there was a loose end to take care of. He traveled to Robert’s house, where he found the older man frantically packing.
“Robbie!” he sang as he kicked down the door of the study. His gun was on the housekeeper’s head. She cried and struggled against him, and he pushed the barrel of the gun harder into her forehead. “Going somewhere?”
“I… uh…,” Robert stammered, his eyes wide as saucers with fear. “Sir, I figured we’d have to lay low for a while. Will knows I’m behind this. I need to go into hiding.”
“Do you? Why?”
Robert looked confused, as if running was the most logical option. It was. He just wouldn’t be the one that was going to run.
“If I’m caught, the whole operation will be blown.”
“Ooh, think highly of yourself, don’t you?” The terrified housekeeper yelped in his arms. “Shhh,” he soothed her. “Keep calm. If you move the wrong way, my finger might slip.”
“Please,” she pleaded through her tears. “I have kids. They’re twins. Lily and Logan, only two years old. They have no one else in the world.”
“Let us go,” Robert said with a little too much authority. “If I’m caught, all of this will lead back to you.”
“Wrong answer,” he smiled. The expression was filled with perverse, demented joy. He eased his grip on the housekeeper. She scrambled away from him. “Ma’am, you’ve touched the one soft spot I have. So, today is your lucky day. You get to run. Take your children and disappear. If I ever see or hear from you, I’ll obliterate your whole family.”
The housekeeper ran out of the mansion, and Robert’s eyes followed her.
“Sit at your desk,” he commanded, using his gun to direct Robert.
“What about me? I also have children!” Robert yelled.
“And yet, in all of our time together this is the first time you’ve mentioned them. I have a feeling they wouldn’t miss you.”
“I could be useful! I could help you!” Robert begged as he kept his hands up.
“Your usefulness has run out.” He marched over to Robert and grabbed a fist full of his hair and shoved him into his seat. He saw Robert’s eyes flash up the serene painting he’d been admiring before.
“Ah, yes. The hidden camera.”
“T-t-there’s no camera in there,” Robert attempted to save himself.
“A liar until the end. I’m not an idiot,” he waved to the camera. “I know they’ll find this, but they will have figured out who I am before they see this.” He leveled the gun at the back of Robert’s head. “Any last words?”
“Fuck you.”