Façade

Chapter 28

There are many venomous creatures in this world that, if given the chance, will seek to exploit your greatest weaknesses for their own purposes. They do not only exist in nature, no, those creatures are harmless compared to those that compose most of the Hamptons' elite, and those who prowl the shadows. Their greatest weapon being the fact that they drift through life, day by day, going unnoticed, hiding in plain sight. At least, the majority of these venomous creatures do not attempt to hide their maliciousness, but wear it like a crown. There will always be those few, nonetheless, that mask the truth of their being in artifice, concealing the true nature of their desires, and ulterior motives. They hide. Behind masks that they've made; stories they've woven. Emily Grayson was just such a venomous creature. Only her venom, as of late, had lost its potency. Her inate need for revenge was dying, and with it, she had felt that so too was her allegiance to her father.

The light overhead swung back and forth, every now and then casting seconds of irritatingly bright light over the two beneath it, strapped their chairs. The wooden beams of the ceiling, which were clearly visible during the day, weren't able to be discerned from underneath the harsh beams of the light. Aiden was still jeering them. Trying to highlight Daniel's stupidity in Emily's eyes, in a futile attempt to make himself seem more appealing to her. ''How didn't you even try to pevent some sort of attempt on your lives? And you didn't hide the presumed dead Emily either? Are you really that dim?'' he cuckled to himself as he circled them again. Emily was certain that Daniel would've defended himself- had he not been gagged. He was struggling against the sturdy ropes that inveloped him, as Emily's chair jarred too, and she wasn't going to lie; it was rather attractive seeing his vengeful side.

Nolan walked briskly through the hallways of the Hamptons PD precinct. Halls which, by now, he knew all too well. His mind drifted to swaggering behind Daniel, eager to locate Emily. He then thought of the previous day's phone conversation with Garcia. As sad as he was to be back here because of Daniel and Emily's having gone MIA, he was happy to see her.

He stepped apprehensively into her office, not wanting to startle her, as she had her back turned, and was looking out the window. He didn't know it, but she was thinking of him. The way his voice sounded, the way he walked, he held himself. To her, everything about him exuded attractiveness. Nolan shut the door behind him, and Garcia quickly spun around. ''Long time no see'' ah. There it was. His dulcet tones hitting her ears felt like home. Not wanting to seem desperate, she decided to play it cool. ''I gather you're in need of some assistance?'' Nolan looked into her light brown eyes and replied ''Maria, you don't know the half of it''

Aiden had removed Daniel's gag, and was spoonfeeeding him a pickled assortment of fish with a wicked, toothless grin. The more Daniel protested, the more forceful Aiden became, until, eventually, it was all gone. "Worlds away from fois gras and caviar, I expect" Aiden gloated with a chuckle, before leaving. A still blindfolded Daniel called out for his wife, "Em?" Emily had fallen asleep, but was woken by his words "Hey. Is everything alright? Are you okay?" "Kinda silly questions, Em. Don't you think?" The two couldn't help but laugh at her foolishness. It was, Emily thought, a testament to them that they could remain upbeat in such a situation, something that can be difficult at the best of times. However, she was determined that the best had yet to come, and that one morsel of hope was enough for her to subside on. Her only problem was keeping Daniel's alive, as it was fading fast. Aiden was really twisting the knife before such time as he finally decided to off Daniel, and run away with her. Emily shuddered, and resumed her long overdue conversation with her husband.

"So you did find Emily after all?" Garcia becoming increasingly frustrated and confused by Nolan's rather complicated tale. "Yes" Nolan confirmed "but, before I continue, the rest of it is not to be disclosed to anyone. Not. A. Soul. Got it?" "Got it. No one knows but me." Nolan leaned in, his eyes locked on hers and whispered "Emily found Conrad's corpse in the bath, and a letter to Daniel telling him to go to Zurich to get evidence to exonerate David Clarke, Emily's father." A bewildered look swept Garcia's face as she whispered "Making Emily-" "- Amanda Clarke. And while they were there, they were kidnapped. I need to find them." Nolan smirked as Garcia flopped down on the chair nearest her. She looked up to him, the same shock plastered on her face as she said "I'll help you find them."

© Sarah Egan 2013 - 2014 This story is subject to copyright and may not be copied or reproduced without the express permission of the author.