Chapter 29

-Jared-

It was working. Shane was allowing me to get close, laughter and smiles abounded around me, though all I dreamed of was sliding my knife into his and his friends' necks. I considered it. They were all there—Rick, Cal, Gary, Shane, and Louis. But committing such an obvious murder right in the driveway with cameras all around me was not a smart move. My face would be revealed to the world.

However, they were all interested in knowing more about me, trying to find spots to exploit. Shane was no different from his wife—manipulative, cunning, and pure evil. He relished the power he had over others, and I could see it in his eyes. He hid it so well that I almost wanted to give him a round of applause. I wasn't surprised to figure out that he was the leading figure in it all. The air of control around him made it so obvious.

But he was unwittingly inviting his own downfall when he suggested that I join them all for drinks tomorrow to discuss potential business opportunities. This was a rarity, having them all together in one room two days in a row. Was this my way inside? I couldn't decide yet. I still had information to gather.

After reaching the end of my cigarette and the others wanted to go back inside, I excused myself to go to the bathroom, only to sneak back to find the staircase.

Venturing upstairs, I wanted to locate the bedroom Shane used. I knew Alison's parents couldn't possibly be sleeping together, and his room was easy to find. He carried as much cologne on him as his wife carried perfume. His entire room reeked of that expensive scent, hitting me in the face as I opened the door to explore.

I smiled as I slipped inside, taking a look around, opening drawers, and rummaging through his closet. I wasn't surprised to find nothing incriminating in his room. He was too cunning to keep a key for a hidden sex room like Rick. Especially if his wife knew nothing, it was better not to make anything too obvious.

I ventured out of the bathroom, locating his office on the same floor. As voices echoed my way, I glanced down the hallway, freezing momentarily, but no one ventured upstairs. They were merely passing by the staircase. I slipped inside his office, feeling my blood pump with excitement.

I searched every drawer, finding one of them locked, but there was no key for it anywhere. I opened his laptop, but of course, it had a code. I found a safe behind a painting of a young Alison. He truly maintained the loving father image very well, but again, I wasn't getting into the safe that easily.

I hoped that, because of his age, he might have written the code down somewhere, but it could easily be on his locked computer, and it would take me some time to get through. I needed help with that, and I couldn't steal his computer.

I sat down in his chair, contemplating what to do next. Shane was much smarter, knowing how to cover his tracks. Even his personal home was devoid of any clues, and that meant my only weapon was getting closer to him, hoping to find a good opening to take them all down. It would be so easy if it was simply a swift kill, but how extensive was this operation? Were there more people involved? I needed answers to these questions before I made my move. It was for the family's sake. If I didn't cut off the head of the snake the first time, someone else might emerge to strike at our throats.

"Clever son of a bitch," I growled, before standing up, hating that I had to leave, but I would need the wolves' help to infiltrate this office. I couldn't do it on my own.

I left the office, closing the door behind me, and then ventured down the hallway, ready to rejoin the party, when I heard a tiny choked sob. I froze, then gazed to my right, noticing a slightly cracked door. I walked over to it, positioning myself in front of it, unsure if I had heard correctly. Another tiny sniffle followed, and with my foot, I pushed it open slowly.

The door swung open wide, revealing Alison sitting on the edge of her childhood bed, her gaze fixed on her hands in her lap, her head bowed. A solitary tear trickled down her cheek, landing softly on her hand, which she then wiped with deliberate slowness. I observed her quietly, wondering what had driven her to seek solace here, when I noticed red half-moon shaped marks on her bare arm.

"Alison?" I called out.

She jolted upright, hastily brushing away her tears and rising from the bed as if I hadn't just caught her in a moment of vulnerability.

"Oh, um, Jared, what are you doing up here?" she asked.

What should I tell her? "You aren't as quiet as you think you were," I pointed out, and she appeared a bit taken aback.

"You couldn't have heard me from downstairs, there's nothing to hear," she countered, more concerned with concealing her tears.

"You'd be surprised how well I hear things," I teased, but while I managed a slight smile, she didn't. Instead, she looked down, tracing her fingers over the marks on her arm.

"What's that?" I queried, nodding toward where she was touching.

"Um, nothing. I should go back to Warren. He's probably concerned about why I've been in the bathroom for so long," she chuckled nervously, attempting to sidestep me. But I extended my hand, bracing it against the doorframe to block her path.

"Could you lower your arm?" she asked, turning to face me.

"No."

"Jared, I need to go back downstairs."

"To your cheating husband?"

She glared at me. "I'm not exactly better."

"I would say you're much better because you're still trying, even though you hate every moment of it. I mean, has he even come searching for you? I bet if you go downstairs, he will smile at you, maybe put his arm around you like a possessive statement, but he won't engage with you," I reminded her.

"I-It doesn't matter."

"Of course, it does. But what I wonder is why you suddenly want to be so close to him," I pointed out. "I thought you were tired of listening to others and their orders."

It was strange saying it out loud, as I had always seen Alison as the one giving out orders, not the other way around. But while Alison was the one in power in my life, it had become quite obvious she held no power in this place. She was the Jared of her world, the lowlife. It was rather ironic, and once again it drew a connection between us that I would rather not have made.

"I was… I have to try," she whispered.

"Why?"

She didn't want to answer, so I reached out, grasping her arm just below the red marks.

"Because of this?" I asked.

She grew frightened and gazed away from me.

"Your mother still physically abuses you?" I questioned.

"There is a reason I don't visit much," she whispered, avoiding a direct answer.

I glanced at the marks, noting how deep they were. Did Callie not think about avoiding such obvious clues? Or maybe she simply didn't care, because even as I came to school with bruises, no one batted an eye. It truly was striking how much Alison looked like me. She just had finer clothes to wear as she was pushed to the ground.

"Let's just go downstairs. I promised I would be there in a moment," she said, trying to leave, but I stepped to the side, blocking her path, and she glared at me. "Now you're just trying to be obnoxious."

"Isn't that the way between us? Always trying to get on the other person's nerves?" I teased.

"Well, you can do that later, as I'm sure you'll climb through my window soon enough and want to play again."

It was tempting. I most certainly wanted to play with Alison, but I had indulged too much. Once I left tonight, I had work to do. I pushed Alison back, then kicked the door shut.

"Jared, I said later."

"I say now," I corrected, then pulled her closer, placing my hands on her hips, and her eyes filled with desire as she gazed up at me.

"Does my pain get you in the mood?" she mocked, as always not backing down.

"You know it does."