I walked back into the living room to find my phone.
Before I found it, someone knocked at the door. It couldn’t be Sally home. She wouldn’t knock anyway. Alex? My heart raced. I squished down the rising happiness inside me. It wouldn’t be him and, even if it was, I refused to be happy about it. I almost tripped over a cord running across the floor in my rush to the door.
If it was Alex, the man I intended to destroy, the man I hated, why was I so pleased? Maybe I had some mental illness.
It wasn’t Alex.
I took in the cool, sophisticated woman standing on the doorstep. Her hair pulled back into a bun, her makeup immaculate. Tall, bone thin and a face like she’d sucked on a lemon.
What the fuck was Alex’s mother doing here?
She swept past me, into the kitchen. Her face screwed up as though she’d smelt something bad. Maybe she had. To be honest, neither of us were the best of housekeepers and the place had rising damp. But that was beside the point. Who was Alex’s mother to come here and get all haughty about our smells? What the hell was she doing here in the first place?
“We need to talk,” she said.
That woman scared the hell out of me. She was so imposing and as hard as granite. All things considered, it was amazing that Alex had ended up as sweet as he was, and he sure was no fluffy kitten. I’d never spoken to her before but everyone in our hometown knew who she
was.
But screw all that. I made myself as tall as I could and pointed to a chair at the tiny kitchen table. I wouldn’t let this woman overpower me. She’d hunted me out, and that meant she must want something awfully bad.
“I want you to disappear,” she said. “And I’m prepared to pay for it.”
She sat with her fancy designer handbag on her lap, as though nowhere in the place was clean enough to set it. She even perched herself on the edge of the seat, as though it was not nearly clean enough for her.
“Is that right?” I said. I leaned against the bench, not wanting to sit down with her. Still, this kitchen was so small that I was almost touching her. She glared at me and I wanted to back away but there was nowhere to back to.
“When I found out you were here, fooling around with Alex, I knew there had to be some petty motive behind it. I’m not sure what you hope to achieve but I am sure we can settle it to both our satisfaction.” She pulled out a cheque book and an expensive-looking pen. “So, let’s talk numbers.”
I inhaled, trying to stop the bile from rising inside me. What the actual fuck?
“Is that what you did after Alex killed my brother? You got out your cheque book and waved some money around to make the problem disappear? Did you ever think how anyone else felt? The suffering of my family.”
She sighed as though she had to try to explain something simple to a child.
“But your brother was dead either way. It’s not like Alex going to jail would’ve brought him back to life.”
I couldn’t believe this woman. She wasn’t just cold; she was pure Arctic evil.
Even so, I wouldn’t get angry with her. I’d act just as cold as she was. She could say her piece then fly off on her broomstick and I’d never have to see her again.
“Don’t you think people should take responsibility for their actions? There are consequences. You can’t just get off scot free. Well, most people don’t.”
She gave a short, brittle laugh.
“There were consequences. Of course there were. Alex was going to work in the firm. He had a brilliant future in business and he had to leave all that behind. It’s like he’s been in exile.”
Whoa, that was too much. I folded my arms, hugging myself tight to hold in my emotions. I’m not sure Alex considered himself in exile and I was fully certain that being away from his mother was no punishment.
“Well, Jake is dead. That’s a helluva lot more consequences. And, no matter what your addled brain thinks, Alex never had any intention of working in your company. All he ever wanted was to play music.”
“A childish fancy he’ll grow out of. He has responsibilities. It’s been long enough now and it’s time he returned to his rightful position. I’m just tying up loose ends.”
Hell, I should just leave Alex to deal with his mother. That would be the greatest revenge of all. The woman was a monster. I was about to tell her to get the hell out of my apartment, to put her cheque book away because she was wasting her money. Alex would never come near me again, and I’d never go near him.
Before I could answer her, the apartment shook to a pounding on the door.
God, what next?