Held Captive

Mystery

Vixen's POV

I'm drying my hair off from my very cold shower as I walk into my room and see Jackson sitting on my bed. 

"What's going on between you two?" He asks. I stare at him in confusion until it dawns on me that he's talking about the little daredevil in the kitchen. I don't even spare him a backward glance as I unlock my hidden safe and take out my gun. 

"Nothing" I clip, glaring at him. Daring him to say something. He eventually sighs and picks up the folder sitting next to him. He opens it and I gesture for him to read.

"Laylah Clayton. 16 years old. Lost her parents, James and Elena Clayton, along with her older brother, Nate Russo in a car crash last year that was written off as an accident. She works at Dave's on the weekdays and a local pub, Night Shift, on Saturdays. She is currently living with her uncle, Kadence Marchetti. Her friends associate with Gwen Perkins, Neil Long and Chase Compton. "

I sit at my desk, my back facing him as I disassemble my gun. "Compton is not her friend."

He nods and grabs the pen behind his ear to scribble something out on the paper. As i'm cleaning the inside of my gun something dawns on me from what he said.

"The last name." I turn around in my chair, "Her brother's last name is an Italian last name." 

Jackson flashes me his 100-watt smile and shuffles through some of the papers. "I noticed the same thing so I did some research and it turns out..." He takes out a sheet of paper from the stack and hands it to me. I turn on my desk lamp and scan the paper.

"It's a list of transactions." I muse. He plasters that stupid smile back on his face and sets the folder aside.

"Not just any transactions. Transactions dating back to 3 years ago and you may be wondering why all of this is relevant but just..look at the names."

I put on my glasses and look at the paper closely. My eyes bulge when I read the names aloud, "Thomas Russo was sending money to Elena Clayton."

"Exactly, now why would he do that, I thought. Because they were highschool sweethearts." He hands me a picture that looks like it dated back in the 19th century of a young Thomas and Elena wedding photo. 

"They got married and had Nate but that still leaves the question of why the transactions started three years ago."  Jackson quips like he doesn't already know the answer.

"Because he didn't know Nate existed." I finished for him. It's all starting to make sense. Like the missing pieces to a puzzle. I knew Laylah had relations with the Italians but I didn't think they were family relations.

"Exactly. He found out, insisted on being part of his life but-" 

"She wouldn't let him. Not with James in the picture. The money was his way of being in his life without being present. It was child support." 

He nods, "That isn't even the worst part, not only did the transactions stop coming through a year ago on the 18th of May, two days before the crash but Elena also had an affair with Thomas 16 years ago after James and Elena got married. Meaning-"

"The car crash wasn't an accident and Thomas may be Laylah's father." I cut him off again, still trying to process it myself. 

"Anything else?" I asked, wanting to get everything out right now. He blew out a long breath and handed me another piece of paper. It was more of a pamphlet. For a memorial service. With Thomas Russo's face splattered across the front of it. 

"Thomas Russo died on May 13th. Ruled Suicide." Jackson stated. I stared up at him with a knowing expression on my face. We both knew that it wasn't a coincidence that he died 5 days before the crash.