Chapter 41

-Going Down

The thought of going to prison because of Amelia turns Logan’s stomach running behind a parked car he throws up.  After wiping his mouth he searches through his pockets to finds his keys then walks quickly to his car.  As Amelia is coming out of the restaurant she sees the back of a car that looks like Logan’s fleeing the parking lot. 

Doubtful at first that it’s him, she takes her time walking through the parking lot to wear she remembers Logan’s car was parked.  That really was his car she saw leaving how dare he make such a bitch move.   Angry at the change in her plan she hurries a row behind trying to find the hit man’s car, it isn’t there.  

Making her way through the parking lot she steps on a rock stumbling against a car in her five-inch booties causing her to squeal when her hip bangs into the side of a car catching her fall.  The pain she feels from it is nothing compared to the mess she realizes she may have gotten herself into tonight if she can’t salvage this. 

Her feet are aching in her sky heeled booties.  She’s wearing a pair of leggings and a short leather jacket with a thin t-shirt and scarf underneath.  She looks young, sexy and fashionable but the cold and the wind don’t care about those things.  Mother Nature is the ultimate bitch, it’s gotten colder and the wind has picked up.   

Amelia always seems to have a follow up plan for any situation.  Her quick thinking and willingness to use her youthful looks and great body assures that she can always get out of any situation she finds irksome.   The plan she instituted with such precise determination is not happening the way she executed it in her mind and it infuriates her.  She can’t see it happening or control when and how it all plays out.  

The hitman explained to her he was not interested in getting caught for her crazy schemes.  He told her either he does the job his way or not at all.  She reluctantly agreed thinking she could coherence him around to her way of thinking later.  There was always time.  Now there is no time it has run out.   

Fuming over her missteps she pulls out her phone trying again to reach the hitman but there is no answer.  She tries calling Logan he won’t pick up she’s yelling curses into the phone at him people passing by stare at her.  She calms down when a man coming from the restaurant to his car stops to ask her if she’s alright. 

Still angry at Logan for leaving her stranded, how dare he make such a bitch move she stomps up the stairs to the restaurant, she will have to call her driver to pick her up and take her home. 

Alexandra tries to call Lester again but he won’t answer his phone.  She’s stranded, maybe she can catch the ferry back to Manhattan.  Gathering her things together she walks through the back of the restaurant to a cash machine near the bar.  She’s counting her money when she hears that voice that crates and causes her to fill with anger. 

Shoving her money in her wallet and putting it into her purse Alexandra cautiously walks around the bar her eyes searching for the owner of that voice.  Walking up on the side of her she doesn’t want to get to close she’s not sure if she’s alone. 

Alexandra didn’t believe Maxim when he said he was there alone she sees Amelia sitting at the bar on the phone, she sounds angered with whoever she’s talking to.  Thinking Maxim’s still in the restaurant somewhere Alexandra circles around the bar moving through several of the guest tables to get out of the restaurant she’s not yet ready to face Amelia but she will be soon.  Making her way outside she ask one of the hostess to get her a cab. 

Liam slows down driving to the speed limit as he gets within sight of the exit ramp to get on the interstate.  He struggles to get the large envelope Amelia gave him out of his inside jacket pocket.  Trying to hold the steering wheel and open the envelope at the same time he smiles when he sees the wad of bills and what looks to be a credit card lying in the envelope.  Not seeing his plane ticket he pushes his thumb through the bills looking for it and finds that not all of the bills are worth a hundred dollars.  She has placed a hundred dollars on the outside bills with one dollar bills filling the insides.  He yanks a wad of the money out of the envelope spreading it out on the seat.  The credit card flips out he picks it up trying to look at it in the night riding car finding that it’s also a fake. Hitting his hand on the steering wheel showing his anger he yells obscenities at the non-present Amelia. 

In the car behind Liam, Lester reaches in his pocket for his phone.  Checking his messages he finds most are from Alexandra.  He doesn’t want to talk to her now, he can’t he’s so upset.  He knows he didn’t give her a chance to talk but he wasn’t prepared for what he just seen.  There’s two messages from Aaron.  He calls him back it goes to voicemail.  He leaves Aaron a message letting him know where he’s at and that he is on his way to his place now. 

Maxim is still upset about everything that’s happened, if he could have just been left alone with Alexandra without Lester’s interruption for a little while longer he’s sure he could have got her to understand that he had nothing to do with her losing the baby.  He can see Lester’s car again just ahead of him speeding up he tries to catch up to it.  If only Lester was out of the way…. 

The hitman is at the entrance to the interstate his car is partially hid by some overgrown trees.  There’s a slight breeze and the wind has picked up.  He adjust his coat around him and checks his scope measuring it for the wind and perfect distance.  His target is within his view he waits for him to get within the distance he needs to take the perfect shot. 

Without realizing it Liam has slowed his speed, he’s angry and trying to grab at his phone.  Lester has had second thoughts about not talking to Alexandra, he scrolls through his contacts to call her.  Maxim’s anger has increased he’s not really focused on the cars around him.  He swerves around the car in front of him to keep up with Lester’s car getting a little too close. 

The hitman sees the black BMW M5 coming down the road he aims his rifle to take the shot but in that split second it takes to squeeze his trigger he sees the black BMW M5 swerve into the lane of the Audi S8 while another black BMW M5 looking exactly the same but with a different driver slows down in front of the Audi.  The shot he took ricochet’s into the night and heavy wind hitting the front driver’s side of one of the BMW M5 shattering the windshield.  The BMW M5 swerves into the Audi then does a three-sixty spin into the other black BMW M5 the three cars swerve, flip and spin into a tangled wreckage of cannon sounds that echo into the night.  Glass and banged up car parts litter the road, smoke is coming from the wreckage and another car not far behind the three black cars swerves the driver of it hits his brakes to avoid the accident.  Drivers on the opposite side of the road and coming up behind the accident stop pulling over to see if they can help. 

The hitman lowers his rifle he’s not happy with where the bullet he shot actually landed.  He knows he blinked when he saw the two cars that look just alike he didn’t look at the car tags to make sure his aim was for the right one.  He also didn’t take into account that there would be other cars riding so close to his target or that one of those cars looked like it was swerving to run the other car off the road. 

Thinking about the situation as he gets back into his own vehicle the accident that just happen may keep this from drawing suspicion that it was actually a hit on one of the victims.  He might just have helped that crazy bitch with her disaster of a plan.  All she cared about was getting rid of one of the drivers laying in those pieces of wrecked fiberglass and metal sitting on the road with a swarm of people gathering around them. 

Bystanders have run to the cars to check the passengers, one of the men is pulled out of his smoking car and laid on the pavement.  Another is to hurt to move and the third is barely breathing.  Sirens can be heard off in the distance all the way back to the restaurant. 

Logan is coming down the road he slows down when he sees the commotion ahead.  He can tell that one of the cars is a BMW part of the front of it is still intact.  Getting out of his car he walks the distance to the wreckage to see what he already knows has happened. 

The hitman is in his car on his way, he calls Amelia for the other half of his payment.  She answers but refuses to give him the payment since she hasn’t seen proof of the job and he didn’t do it the way she asked him to.  He tells her to drive several miles down the road to see the car accident.  She tells him he will have to come and get her for that to happen, she doesn’t want anyone else to know what’s going on.  He agrees to come back to the restaurant to pick her up. 

Alexandra hears the sirens as she waits for her cab outside the restaurant it pulls up and she gets in telling him where she’s going. 

“I’m sorry miss, I don’t know if you’re going to make it to the ferry on time there’s been a horrible accident just down the road we’ll probably have to sit in traffic till they clean up a lane.  Seems pretty odd that it happened three cars just ran into each other.”  The driver explains. 

Alexandra is immediately filled with apprehension.  She doesn’t know where Lester or Maxim went.  She just knows that they both left she has no idea what type of cars either was driving.  

“Excuse me, you said that there were three cars.  Do you know anything else about the accident?  Ah….do you know who was in the cars?”  There’s a tremor in her voice the taxicab driver doesn’t miss. 

“Well, don’t know if I can tell you much, it’s odd because all three of the cars have Manhattan tags on em and the cars were all black.  The whole thing made a big mess out there on the road.  Seems some people stopped and got one of them out of his wrecked car.  He was laying on the pavement when I drove by.  Don’t know if he’s dead or anything about the others in the other cars.  Going to be a mess to clean up, I heard some talk that one of the cars crossed into the lane of another one.  Probably talking on the phone is what did it.  We get a lot of that around here.”  He rambles on but Alexandra isn’t listening anymore.  She anxiously pulls out her phone to try to call Lester again but it just goes to his voicemail. 

“Can you get me to that accident?”  She grips the back of the driver’s seat leaning her face toward him. 

“Well sure I can get you close.  The police are already there and have blocked off the lane, we’ll have to take the back road and you can see it from the side.”  He tells her. 

“No….no….I want you to drive down the main road to the accident, I need to get to it, I want to make sure it’s nobody I know, please don’t worry about the fare, I’ll pay it whatever it is just get me there.”  She says tears are already forming in her eyes. 

“Sure…sure…yeah lady I can do that.”  He says turning on the meter and driving out of the restaurant parking lot. 

In Manhattan Aaron is on a date.  He’s excused himself from her for the second time and they are just having dinner.  He’s finding her not as interesting to be with as she is to look at.  She’s a socialite who’s been married before for a short time and she thinks he wants to hear all about her millionaire ex-husband’s clothing line.   

Aaron is bored he met his date at the airport on his flight back from Paris.  She asked him out that night but he made her wait until tonight now he’s regretting his decision to go out with her at all. 

He’s at the bar calling Lester again.  There are several clicks on his phone then someone answers Lester’s phone, it isn’t Lester.  They want to know his name and relationship to Lester, he tells them, they tell him what hospital he needs to get to.

Aaron is frantic, hurrying back to his table he mumbles to his date that he’s got to go saying his cousin was in a car accident.  His face is pale he wants to get to the hospital they told him about as soon as possible he offers to get her cab.  She tells him to go ahead. 

Aaron pays the bill and still escorts her to get a cab putting her in it giving the driver a hundred dollar bill telling him to take her wherever she wants to go.  She ask if she can call him later.  He’s really not paying attention to what she says but agrees his cell phone is already at his ear he’s calling his brothers before the taxicab passenger door is closed all the way.  

Inside Braylin’s office he sets at his desk staring at the woman he loves waiting for the dam of emotions to break, her eyes are tearful but she doesn’t let the tears fall.  She sits across from him in one of his comfortable guest chairs, Michelle sits next to her and Cameron is standing reading out loud Liam’s journal the Sheffield’s have brought to them.  On Braylin’s office desk are receipts and pictures of Liam and Amelia together.  Liam has made list of places, dates and times of their meetings. 

One particular meeting catches the horror and attention of Michelle and Kara they learn that Liam was near them looking for Amelia in the same department store where they were shopping.  Cameron’s anger at this is barely containable when Michelle sees the picture of Liam and reveals that she bumped into him in the department store but didn’t know who he was at the time.  Braylin’s eyes burn with fury but he seems to be the one most in control after all that the Sheffield’s have showed them in addition to the things they’ve said.  He’s already called his private detective asking him to find out where Amelia is right now.  He wants to know her whereabouts day and night, twenty-four hours. 

They are trying to figure out whether to go to the police with what they have.  The Sheffield’s are anxious for them to if it will mean that their son can have a lighter sentence.  They assure the Hurst brothers that Liam will testify about anything illegal he knows Amelia has done. 

Kara sits listening to all of the damming evidence that just continues to build against her mother.  She knew of her mother’s promiscuity with men, she had no idea of her mother’s other activities or just how vicious Amelia could be.  The thought that her own mother could do something like this makes her ill, she excuses herself going into Braylin’s office bathroom to release the flood of emotions that are quietly racking her body, they push forward ready to burst and she can’t hold them any longer.  She cracks releasing a whimper before her hand gets to the door of the bathroom but Braylin is there by her side.  He helps her into the room she holds her hand against his chest stopping him from taking her into his arms. 

“Please, I know how much you care…..I need to be alone I’m not alright but I….I need to be alone, please wait for me outside the door I just need a minute then I think I’m going to really need you….alright?”  Her voice is shaky her hand trembles against his chest. 

Squeezing his eyes shut his jaw clinches trying to find the strength to do what she ask.  It’s killing him to see her like this but he doesn’t want to cause her anymore distress.  Sliding his hands around her waist he pulls her close kissing her on top of her head then he lightly brushes his lips against hers.  
“You’ll call me when you’re ready because I’m here.  I love you.”  He whispers his lips touching hers once more in a light kiss his hand slides out of hers he goes out the door.  

“Is she going to be alright?”  Michelle ask her voice full of emotion and concern.  Cameron is holding his wife’s hand. 

“I honestly don’t know.  What do you say to someone that just found out their mother wanted to hurt her in that way?  I don’t know what to do?”  Braylin’s distraught look hurts his brother.  He releases his wife’s hand to go hug his brother comforting him. 

Michelle and Mrs. Sheffield’s eyes water watching the two men show such love for one another.  Mr. Sheffield gets up from where he is sitting to go toward the window to look out it.  He’s thinking about how he feels about his own son. 

A cell phone rings on Braylin’s desk.  Cameron picks it up answering.  His face goes pale, his brow furrows in a frown Michelle can see anguish on his face. 

“What is it?”  She stands from her chair. 

“Lester’s been in a car accident.  Aaron’s on his way here in the helicopter.”  He quietly says falling into the nearest chair distraught.  Michelle goes to him. 

“Oh my god no….”  Kara exclaims from the open doorway of the bathroom.  Her eyes are filled with tears.  Braylin hasn’t moved from his spot.  Hearing that Lester is hurt seems to put him on the precipice of going over the edge.  Kara rushes over to him sliding her arm around his waist holding on to him trying to keep him from stepping off that cliff.  Her touch is welcome but he wonders how much more he can handle. 

It doesn’t take Aaron long to get to the office, he takes the emergency elevator downstairs from the helipad to Braylin’s office. 

Entering he sees the couple at the door about to leave he speaks but rushes past them. 

“Come on, we have to go.  He was in Staten Island they are taking him to the nearest trauma hospital.”  He hurriedly says to his family members. 

“Wait…Aaron, this is Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield.  Their son is the man that attacked Kara.”  Braylin softly says. 

Aaron looks at them with shock.  He seems nervous.  “Excuse me…”  He grabs his brothers by the arm dragging them outside of Braylin’s office to his PA’s desk.

“What are they doing here?”  His face is twisted with deep anger.  They understand he’s upset but don’t understand why he’s this furious about seeing them. 

“They came to us for help, they gave us their son’s journal.  Look we don’t have time for this we need to get to the hospital, you haven’t said is Lester alright.”  Cameron wants to know. 

“I don’t know, they wouldn’t tell me but the accident didn’t just involve Lester.  There were three cars involved.  Connor’s on his way there now.  One of the cars was registered to a Liam Sheffield.”  He quietly says. 

“Shit….”  Braylin pinches the bridge between his nose.  He walks back into his office followed by his brothers. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield….we need you to wait.  It seems your son…..your son was involved in the accident also.  You need to go with us?”  Braylin exclaims. 

Mrs. Sheffield looks like she’s going to faint.  Mr. Sheffield holds her up.  “How do you know this.”  He ask looking between the three brothers standing in front of him. 

“Sir….I got the information from one of our people that’s on his way there.  He already spoke with a police officer on the scene.  They got the information from his license.  I’m sorry.”  Aaron tells them. 

Mr. Sheffield is now hugging his wife.  Michelle walks over to Kara to hug her.  Kara doesn’t know what to think she doesn’t understand why Lester would be near Liam. 

“What happened?”  Kara ask Aaron. 

“I don’t know all of the details but we have to go, there’s not enough room on the chopper for all of us.”  He reluctantly says. 

“Go with your brothers Cam, I’ll have the driver bring me over.”  Michelle explains. 

“I’ll ride over with Michelle.”  Kara volunteers. 

“Kara….are you sure you’re going to be alright?”  Braylin walks up to her she pulls him in her arms squeezing him