SIDETRACKED : Book 1 I'm Not Who You Think I Am Series(On Hold for Week)

Chapter 4: Shots!.... and New Found Trust

Song for the Chapter:

"If I Didn't Know Better" by : Clare Bowen and Sam Pallad

"Your awake," Richard says over the video. I don't respond to him and he takes the liberty of turning to face me. "You know your gonna have to do a lot better when it comes to sneaking up on me. Especially when you were just screaming like a school girl."

"I wasn't sneaking anything. I was just trying to listen in. I'm allowed that luxury, right?"

"I suppose," he says as he slides in my direction. The video is of Levington and a man in a hat. It looks old judging by the fact that I barely noticed Levington with hair and a physique. The man passes Levington a briefcase and turns to walk away.

Before the man can get a good feet away Levington pulls a gun and shoots him in the leg. The man with the hat must have some idea that this was about to happen because he spins and clips Levington in the ear. He falls after the shot and starts to slide backwards out of Levington's direction.

Levington shoots again and misses because the man has rolled to the opposite side of a black, old model Mercedes. The car door opens to the Mercedes and the man gets in. He starts the car and attempts to run Levington over before speeding away. Lucky for Levington he jumps out of the way just in time. After that, Levington gets up and is about to call someone when he notices the servalience camera and shoots it, making the video go gray and static like.

"What was that," I ask Richard after a few moments.

"The last video or anything of my father to record," Richard says, in a voice one would hear as a wounded growl.

"I'm sorry," I say and somewhere inside me I actually am sorry for Richard. Not in a way of pity but of a understanding in how it feels to lose a parent.

"Don't pity me. I don't need "your" pity of all people," he growled at me in a more prominent British accent than I have ever heard from him.

"I don't pity you," I simply say. "I just understand how it feels to lose a dad. The grief and the thought of what ifs. The dreams of your dad with camcorder in hand recording you walk across a stage to receive a diploma that he wasn't ever there to witness you get. Yeah, its called similarity not pity."

"I don't need that either. The moment you heal well enough to fend for yourself I'll never see you again and that's fact, unless of course to kill you."

I wanted to cry, to ball my eyes out at how he regarded me as less than nothing, but I would never give him that satisfaction again. In fact, I don't even have an accurate reason as to why I would cry over Richard's comment in the first place.

Instead, I did my best at making it to the edge of the bed and swinging my feet off the side before saying, "How about now. You're so ready to be rid of me, I'll leave."

"Goddamn it Ariemella, don't move," Richard warned. If only he knew his threat fell to deaf ears because Ariemella Lovecloake takes orders from no one. No matter how much the stinging pain hurt I wasn't going to stop trying to get away from this controlling, egotistical bastard. "I mean it. Stop! Now!" By the time I tried to stand Richard had placed the computer aside and pulled me back to the center of the bed.

"Quit acting like such a child," he scolded.

"Child! If you don't want me to respond like a child, then don't act as if you are my father," I countered.

"I don't have time for this," Richard said. "I'm going out to get dinner. How do you feel about Chinese?"

"Anything to get you away from me, and Chinese is fine."