Chapter 31

Luna was packing her bag as anguish gripped her body. She didn't want to leave, didn't want to, but she knew James wouldn't let her go with him.

Portia was still sleeping and her heart shrank at the thought of not being able to say goodbye to her. According to James, he wouldn't have to be gone too long as he planned to end the whole situation in less than a day, if there was a chance.

The house was going to be monitored and his phone was going to be tracked. It was not easy to get through to the owner of an unknown line, but he could not find any other option than that to reach Angelica. He hadn't heard from her since she had left her job at the office.

*

"I told you not to yell at me, you little bastard!" she yelled as she hit Michael. He sighed in pain.

"Please!" the young man begged.

"Where's my money? I don't see it anywhere. You have three seconds. Speak." commanded James.

"Please...My..."

He fired.

Angelica appeared and wearing latex gloves opened a dresser drawer. From it, she pulled out several pieces of jewelry and a couple hundred dollars.

"Well, there's nothing else to do. I'll go to the van."

James put the gun in his pocket and smiled.

*

That memory made him hate himself. This was all his fault, and no matter how hard he tried to remedy it, he could not.

He walked into his room, and looked at his face in the mirror. He hated the person he was before; a murderer, a thief, a person with no morals. His fight with Angelica had been the only thing that had kept him from that, and he was grateful he had done it.

He pulled his suitcase out of the closet and put away the necessary clothes. He sighed as he saw what a mess he had gotten himself into without realizing it.

His phone rang. He answered it.

- You wanted to run away? You can't fool me.

- Leave me alone, okay? What the fuck have I done to you?

- You want to see what I'm doing right now? We're so close, James. Just go downstairs, go to your beautiful living room...God, by the way, I really like the picture you have hanging on the wall, I think the painter managed to perfectly portray the desperation a person can feel when locked up.

James was alarmed. He rushed out of his room.

- Where the fuck are you?" he shouted loudly as he entered the living room.

- Watch your language!

She didn't hear that voice nearby. He approached the living room, there was no one there.

Angelica spoke.

- Luna has beautiful hair. Should I cut it, or should I cut something else?

James quickly went upstairs and headed for Luna's room, but no one was there. He checked the bathroom, inside the closet, Portia's room, Rose's room... There was nothing.

- You're not alone! - she exclaimed, her breath coming in short gasps.

She felt like screaming, like crying. If anything had happened to them, he vowed to kill himself.

- Of course not, James. Do you think I'd risk being an easy prey? Your friend took it upon herself to find someone who would want to hurt her. - she said.

Only one person popped into her head. Samuel?

She hurried outside and heard laughter. She noticed all the rooms in her house. Countless.

He went inside and climbed the stairs.

- You're close. - Angelica called from the other end of the line.

He checked the rooms again, and there was absolutely nothing. She approached Luna's old room. The door was closed.

- Portia? Luna? Rose?

He waited for an answer. He began to despair after a few seconds until Luna's desperate voice called out to him.

-James! - he shouted.

A loud knock sounded and James started banging on the door.

-Open the door, I swear to kill you! - he shouted in desperation. He tried to push it but the door wouldn't open.

- Not another word, the next one to die will be you," he heard. James recognized the voice. Those words echoed in his head, next to die? Had someone already died?

He backed away as far as he could and then picked up speed. He pushed on the door, but it only cracked a little. He cursed the day he decided to buy reinforced doors.

He pushed again. Angelica laughed.

James's breathing began to quicken and his chest to ache. No, God. He was having another seizure.

He kept pushing, even though he was feeling more and more dizzy. But he had to get in, he couldn't let them get hurt.

- Please... just....- he spoke with difficulty. He took three steps back. His vision was blurring and his breathing was labored.

-Have you given up, Yorke? - She heard. It was a man's voice.

He settled back in his place and tried to calm down. His fear and nerves were on edge. He couldn't, he mustn't let them get hurt.

- Are you still there, James? - they spoke.

- Do it. He's on the other side. - Samuel spoke, laughing. Angelica laughed.

James settled against the door, trying to push her out.

- If you do anything to them, I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands, I swear! - she shouted tearfully on the verge of leaving.

She moved a little away from the door when she felt a loud sound in her left ear. Someone had fired at the door.