Page 52 of Obsession (Dark Revenge)
“That hasn’t stopped you before,” she retorted.
“I don’t wear lipstick!”
“I know you, Alison. You love pretending to be older than you are. You enjoy touching my things!” she snapped. “Haven’t I taught you how expensive these items are?”
“Yes,” I stammered.
“And yet you’ve ruined something so precious?” she accused.
“I didn’t. I swear, Mom, I didn’t...” I trailed off as something caught my eye in the doorway.
My father stood there, observing the scene from a distance. My mother paid him no attention, as was often the case, but there was something in his gaze that indicated he knew something. Yet, he didn’t intervene to rescue me. He averted his eyes, walked down the hallway, and pretended not to have witnessed anything.
Turning back to my mother, who still glared at me with fury, I whispered, “I didn’t.”
“You’re a liar, Alison,” she growled before seizing my arm and dragging me out of my room. I tried to resist, digging my heels into the ground, desperately pleading with her not to do this. I truly hadn’t touched her clothes. I wouldn’t risk it because I knew the consequences. However, it seemed like my father might have had a friend over who had tried on the dress.
I had known for a long time that my parents didn’t love each other, but I had never caught them with anyone else. Maybe I had been too blind to see it. Regardless, speaking up wouldn’t save me now. My mother had decided I was the culprit, and she dragged me to a special room downstairs, filled with cleaning supplies. It was relatively spacious but had no windows and plunged into darkness once the door closed.
She pushed me inside and slammed the door shut with a resounding thud. On the outside, she turned the key, locking me in.
“Mom!” I called, banging my hands against the door and begging her to let me out. The darkness closed in on me, making me feel suffocated. I knew she wouldn’t return for hours, so I began to rock back and forth, losing all sense of time. When I finally heard the lock turn again, I had no idea how much time had passed, but it was my dad on the other side. I scrambled up from the floor and hugged him tightly, relieved that he had come to my rescue. He ran his hand through my hair, comforting me as I cried.
“Tell me it’s over,” I whispered.
“Yes, she realized it wasn’t you,” he assured me.
“Who... was it?” I asked, though I knew I shouldn’t have.
“It wasn’t anyone but your mother. It wasn’t lipstick.”
“It wasn’t?” I looked up at him with confusion, and he gave me a small smile.
“No, it wasn’t. She had a small wound on her finger that stained the collar when she put it away. I made her take a closer look, and she realized it wasn’t lipstick,” he explained.
I stared at my father in bewilderment. My mother was an expert at identifying these small stains and their origins. She was like a bloodhound when it came to imperfections, but my father continued to smile. Then he guided me away from the supply closet, as if everything was back to normal.
Chapter 22
-Jared-
It wasn’t Vince who had called me. It was Michael, and he was growing impatient. We had agreed on a specific time to meet this evening, and I was already running late. I knew that this tardiness didn’t earn me any points with my new “family”, but Alison had taken me by surprise earlier today. Her revelations about her past had left me bewildered and distracted.
However, distractions were a luxury I couldn’t afford tonight. Michael and I were planning to investigate one of the houses belonging to the men running a human trafficking operation. We intended to gather information, one step at a time, as we prepared to dismantle their network. Yet, this task required patience and meticulous planning, as they operated collectively, and eliminating them one by one would send the rest into a panic. Hence, tonight, we were simply going to conduct an investigation.
Our initial target was Rick Sages. I had never seen him in the company of Alison's father, making it challenging to discern the connection between them. However, as I delved deeper into their respective backgrounds, it became increasingly evident that these men were never witnessed together. They had deliberately avoided any visible links, making them more cunning than I had thought.
They knew that if one of them got caught, it was best not to be associated with the arrested criminal. Thus, our task tonight was to uncover these hidden connections. We aimed to discern their means of communication, their meeting places, and the inner workings of their operation.
Rick lived in the city, in a spacious uptown penthouse, and gaining access posed no challenge, especially now that the wolves and the Hunter were collaborating. Their extensive connections within the city could secure us access almost anywhere.
Arriving at the building, I found Michael already there, leaning against his car while smoking. He shot me a disapproving look as I stepped out, shaking his head slightly.
“Don’t give me that look,” I growled as I passed by him.
“We only have an hour, and you’ve already wasted 20 minutes of it!”
“Do you have eyes on him?” I asked, and Michael put out the cigarette.
