The Storm Inside

Chapter Twenty Nine: Above The Law

I could only really see the part I stood in now, the far ends of the hallway were just fragments with nothing behind them. I was in a pocket world that did not exist outside of my viewpoint.

The hospital had been much stronger, but I knew Sophia was tired and stressed. And Mary had wanted me to see and know everything, so maybe this was Beatrix's subconscious walls closing me off from everything but exactly what she had seen.

I stood beside Beatrix, who looked down at the gun in her hand. It looked a bit dusty, a bit old. It didn't look very heavy. But even if it didn't look like it would go off, I knew this was the weapon that had ended Thomas's life. But I just didn't know if Beatrix had gotten the  guard to give it to her or if he'd done it of his own will. The police that had watched the security footage had assumed that she had made him, and that would work in the web of the story they were spinning, but now I wasn't sure.

Maybe he had just killed himself. Then Beatrix would have no problem showing me this memory because it would clear her name. Or maybe she'd done it and didn't care if I knew.

Maybe it didn't matter. Either way, he was dead.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside, and I followed, preparing myself to come face to face with the man who'd taken any chance of a normal life from me. I felt chills down my back as I saw him, and reminded myself that he wasn't real, he couldn't hurt me.

"Hello Beatrix," he said, looking satisfied with himself, that he'd gotten her to show up. "Come to visit me?"

"Where is she?" Beatrix asked, repeating the question with more force as he remained silent.

"Did you really think it was going to be that easy?"

"Tell me where she is, or I'll shoot you."

He sighed. "Now Beatrix, we both know you're not going to do that. I've already put you in a situation that's going to be extremely hard to get out of, and impossible if you shoot me. You're not above the law, do you think you can just kill me and walk away?"

"What is this? A test? Another one of your fucked up games?" she demanded. "You and your friends aren't above the law either."

He let out a wry chuckle. "We are the law. Now, put that down on the table next to you, I have a proposal for you."

They stared at each other for a moment, until Beatrix carefully put the gun down, staying close to it.

"That's better," Thomas said. "Do you remember the promise I made to you, when I first brought you to my orphanage?"

"Were you really going to get some rich family to adopt me? Or just give me to the highest bidder?"

"That's not important now," Thomas said. "My point is, your story doesn't have to end here. I can still help you."

"You lured me here with a fake letter to help me?! I did everything you said until Damira killed Alyssa, what more do you want?"

"I'll cut to the chase," he said smoothly. "As you know, I have a lot of power, even from behind bars. I can get you thrown in here with me if I want. And that will probably happen anyway, without me needing to lift a finger. I don't think they're going to let you pin my guards' assisted suicide on me. The others have the excuses that they couldn't control their powers, but you killed them on purpose."

Beatrix didn't flinch, just stared him down.

"You were always the best of them, the cleverest," he continues. "You belong with me, on my side, and that's where you would be right now if you hadn't let your teenaged romance get in the way of everything. After everything, I still care about you. I never wanted you to end up frightened of me. You have so much potential, if you'd only let me guide you."