Family Ties

Part 63

Beatrice Dealer sat anxiously waiting in her office, almost afraid to leave the building. For the past week, she'd seen people dressed in black with white masks greeting her at odd times throughout the day. Whether she was at her office or out and about. They kept popping up, not moving, simply staring straight at her, while greeting her in a monotone.

At the start, she thought it was just a coincidence. The person had disappeared before she could even look back or they would keep staring at her until they left her field of vision. It was quite unsettling and had her nerves frayed as each encounter made her feel like she was in more danger than before. This man sure knew how to make his presence known, she thought humorlessly, trying to plan what to do next.

Alexis had convinced her that the only logical place would be in Jackson's possession and now was the time to do everything to get it. She felt detached from the idea that Jackson had lied to them all these years. He'd put her through hell for so long, but now she was finally going to get what she wanted. No matter what.

Deciding to pick up her bag and leave, she walked straight into a figure dressed in black, with its white, lifeless mask. She jumped back in fear, feeling as if her heart had fallen to her stomach, her breath shallow. Steadying herself, she couldn't make sense of the presence in front of her.

"How, how did you get in here?" She looked behind him for any signs of the bodyguards that had been assigned to her.

"They won't bother us for a while. Don't worry, I haven't killed them..., yet. That will depend on what you decide to do, but then I guess having a few people's deaths on your hands may not be so much of a bother to you."

"What do you want? We have no business together." She stated, her heart still beating fast.

"As long as you and your lapdog are running around, not letting any of this go, we will always have some business together." Side-stepping her, he walked around inspecting the office. "Now, I don't need to know why you so desperately want this gem, which I'm sure you'll milk for all it's worth." Turning his back to her, he looked out over the skyline.

"If you want it so badly, I have it right here." He turned around to drop the jewels from a silk pouch. "This is what you were looking for, isn't it? He held it out for her to see.

Beatrice's breath caught in her throat at the sight of what she was so desperately looking for, right in front of her eyes.

"How, how did you find it?" She stammered, falling into a chair, her eyes still glued to the gems in front of her. "Alexis said... he was so sure..." She gasped.

"What was that?" He put the jewels back into the bag. "What was your precious Alexis so sure of?"

"He said that he said that he would..." Her voice died away as her face went white.

"What did he say? And say it in three sentences or less."

"That Jackson had the gems," her eyes flickered to the bag in Raymond's gloved hand, "He said that the only way to get it was..." Her voice died away again.

Raymond knew something wasn't right the moment she started stammering. It had something to do with Jackson and he didn't have a good feeling about it. Who knew what Alexis would do to get what he wanted, but from what he's heard everything always ended in a bloody mess, which he was desperately trying to avoid.

Grabbing her by her shoulders, she shook her sharply.

"What was he going to do to Jackson and when?" He put his face as close as possible to hers, holding her gaze in an almost trans-like stare. "Tell me what Alexis was planning?"

"He said that he was going to make him relive the memory..." She said fearfully, then continued in a whisper, as if forced against her will. "He said that I would have the gem before the day is over."

"I will be back for you!" He snarled, throwing her violently back into the chair. He righted himself and walked purposefully out of the office. Tapping a small sensor on the side of the mask, he called Eric.

"Find Jackson and Skye now! I need to know exactly where they are!" He barked to whoever was listening on the other side.

"On it." The controller answered

"They may be in danger and hopefully we can get to them in time." Jabbing the button of the elevator, he called his fathers while he waited.

"Skye and Jackson may be in trouble. The Russian is probably planning to grab them at some point today, so we have to get to them first. I don't care what you need to do, we have to stop them.  You're closer to school, so start there. I'm heading off to Jackson's office." He cut the call without waiting for them to speak, running toward an old black sedan.