Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
Alexander sent another message to Richard, telling him to proceed carefully around Kelly because she could be dangerous and manipulative.
Richard typed back a quick message and then put his phone back in his pocket. He started to head back to the living room, trying to ignore his instincts to help the scarred girl whose story had put a big lump in his throat.
But before he made it to the living room, he passed by a room where the awful smell was the worst it had been. Richard turned to the door and reached out of hand…
*Olivia*
“Were you born in Luceland?” I asked Kelly and took out my notebook to record her answers.
Throughout Ava and my investigation, I’d recorded everything that we have learned so far. This included Chloe’s drunk confession, and I added a quick summary of the traumatic events that Chloe had put Kelly through.
“Yes, I was born here,” she said.
“So, that must mean that you know the area pretty well?” Ava asked with excitement. She was bouncing in her seat.
Kelly shrugged. “I suppose so.
“1
I explained to her that Chloe had drunkenly confessed to the general spot where she had hidden Russell’s body. I told her that it was near a hill or mountain, by a field of flowers, a pond, and a cabin.
“Do you know a place like that?” Ava questioned, hope dripping through her tone.
Tears filled her eyes again, and she clasped her hands tightly together, but Kelly managed to tamper down her emotions enough to answer us. “Yes, I might know of a spot like that. My uncle lives in the country, actually.”
My heart slammed against my ribcage, and Ava squirmed in her seat with excitement. I tried not to allow myself to get too excited just yet. We still had a lot of work to do in order to get justice for Kelly and Russell.
“I could take you guys there if you want,” Kelly offered. “We could ask if my uncle knows of a place like that or even ask around the village if they know.”
“That sounds perfect” Ava said.
I nodded in agreement.
“Just give me five minutes to get some things together to get ready.” Kelly said and stood up, disappearing into one of the back rooms.
“I have to get some fresh air, or I’m going to die,” Aiden muttered as soon as Kelly was out of hearing range.
He clapped a hand over his mouth and plugged his noise. Then he ran out of the apartment, making Ava and me laugh at his dramatics.
“Honestly, he does have a point,” Ava said, following after her brother.
“I’m going to look around,” I told Richard.
“Be careful,” he warned.
I nodded.
As I walked down the short hallway, my stomach rolled from the smell that became even stronger the farther I went. Curiosity got the better of me. I plugged my nose like I was about to go for a dip in the pool and crept to the door where the stench was practically overpowering. My pulse quickened as I reached out my hand and grasped the door handle. What the hell could Kelly be hiding behind here?
Just before I could swing the door open, a warm hand touched my shoulder.
I jumped about ten feet in the air and spun around. “Richard!” I hissed and put a hand on my rapidly beating heart. “Don’t scare me like that.”
“I apologize, but I had to stop you from going in there,” he explained. “I didn’t actually go to the bathroom a few minutes ago. I was really investigating the scent.”
I gasped. “What did you find out?”
Richard shuddered and gagged. “It’s disgusting. I can’t get the image out of my head. Kelly has a…dead cat in that room. And by the looks of it, she’s had it for a long time.”
I curled my lip in disgust. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. The cat was slowly decaying. I’ve seen a lot of things in my life, and I can say with full confidence that this was one of the grossest things I’ve ever seen and smelled. Kelly doesn’t have AC, and the heat is making the smell worse.”
I clutched my stomach as it jolted. “Are you sure that it’s an animal?”
He nodded. “It’s definitely a cat.”
I shook my head in bewilderment but tried not to judge Kelly too harshly. Sometimes, going through a violent trauma made people do odd things. Like keeping their pets long after they died.
Richard and I hurried back into the living room and just in time, too. Kelly came back into the room dressed in all black clothing, a hat, sunglasses, and had tied a black handkerchief around her face.
I wanted to comment on her disguised appearance, but thought better of it. Maybe she was just scared that Chloe would find out that she was helping us.
Soon, the five of us were on the road. Richard offered to drive, and Aiden relented but called shotgun. The three of us girls sat in the back.
Kelly gave the address of her uncle’s house, and Richard put it into his phone.
“GPS says it will take an hour,” he informed us, and I settled in for the drive. “Then we will be at Osten Village.”
As we drove through the winding roads, we passed by high mountains and beautiful bright green landscapes. When we were halfway there, I texted Amelia and asked her to investigate if Mrs. Windsor or any of her relatives owned any property in the countryside of Luceland.
Amelia texted me back in less than a minute. She said that she would be happy to do that for me and was thrilled to know that we were getting somewhere with our investigation.
I showed Ava our messages, and she nodded approvingly. Maybe the cabin that Chloe had been talking about was owned by someone in her family, and she had used the property to find a safe place to
Russell.
The closer we got to the countryside, the closer we were to finding out a way to bring down Chloe.
*Olivia*
A twinge of guilt made my heart ache as I remembered Amelia’s past unfair treatment of Chloe. Was it wrong to enlist her help to bring Chloe down?
I stared at my messages with Amelia. A sense of unease settled over me like a heavy blanket that I couldn’t easily throw off. I sighed as I slid my phone back into my purse.
My stomach twisted with knots, and I looked out the window, wondering if I was doing the right thing. How was I supposed to know if I was on the right track? Sure, I wanted to stop Chloe before she could seriously injure anyone else, but was I sacrificing my own beliefs in order to get justice for her victims? To be fair, I was one of the people that she had wronged. She had even tried to run me over with her car.
“Hey, stop thinking so much,” Ava whispered and gently bumped my shoulder with hers.
I met her, knowing gaze, and grinned. She knew me too well.
Soon, I could tell that we were close to our destination because the road turned to dirt and gravel, and there was hardly any civilization around. Wherever I looked, I either saw large snow-capped mountains, cows munching on grass, or fields of flowers in a riot of bright colors.
If I were being honest, the view got old quickly as we passed by felt like the millionth cow, and I was anxious to get to our desti
But as we drove through little villages, my stomach filled with dread.
Ava turned to me, and I saw the same fear that was threatening to overwhelm me, reflected in my friends eyes.
“This isn’t good,” I whispered.
Ava nodded in agreement.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?