Lethal Bride - (Part 26)

CHRISTMAS VACATION

“Enjoy your stay”, the escort bowed a little and left.

Crystal sat on the bed and felt the sheet, it was silky. Then a thought hit her.

“Easton where would you be sleeping?”

“on the bed you are sitting on” he replied

“where would I be sleeping?

“on that same bed”, her eyes widened a little

“there is no way that would happen”

“then what option do you have”

“why didn’t you book another room for me”

“actually I thought about that, but it didn’t make sense to me, this place is too big for one person”

“in that case I will sleep on the bed and you would make yourself comfortable on the couch”, she had a mischievous smile on

“why in heavens name would you want to sleep alone on this large bed”

“if it worries you then I don’t mind the couch”

“don’t worry I would use the couch”. She had a triumphant smile on. She knew Easton would want to please her. She watched him as he whistled and arranged his things in the closet. He seemed relaxed and happy. She remembered what he said at the reception.

“why did you say Mr. and Mrs. Easton?, we are not married neither dating, we don’t even have any form of chemistry between us, nothing romantic between us no spark at all, I’m more like a sister to you, you are my boss and I work for you”.

“I just thought it was the proper thing to do and I wanted to look responsible. Anyway that’s not important, get yourself together and settle in. The day is still young; I would like us to check out the restaurant”.

“alright”, she said as she started arranging her things into the closet too. In no time they had placed everything into their right positions and were ready to see restaurant. She loved being away from what she was used to, but the thought of she and Easton staying together bothered her a little, it felt a bit out of place.

They got down to the restaurant and were wowed by what they saw. Everything down to the sitting arrangement was different from what they were used to. Easton spotted a table that seemed secluded and pulled her towards it. He behaved like the perfect gentle man and pulled out her chair for her. She thanked him and sat down. She looked at him and noticed something different about him. He seemed at peace and happy but there was something more than that but she couldn’t place her finger on. A polite and smiling waiter came and took their order. The enzymes in her stomach became active; she remembered that what she ate on the plane satisfied only one percentage out of the hundred percentage of hunger she felt. She placed her left palm on her stomach and shut her eyes.

“what is it?’ he sounded really worried,

“I’m hungry”. He laughed, “once you are hungry everything stops making sense to you. Don’t worry the food would soon be here”. She smiled and nodded. The waiter came with everything they requested neatly arranged on a large tray and served them with a touch of expertise. “have a beautiful day”, the waiter bowed a little and left. Crystal smiled and looked at Easton, “I love being treated like royalty”.

“that’s who are”, he placed his right palm on her hand that rested on the table, “my beautiful princess”. She looked at his hand on her hand and pulled away gently and felt somewhat uneasy by the way he touched her. An awkward silence lasted between them until Crystal caught sight of a familiar figure that walked in with the corner of her eye. She turned to get a better view and spotted Brian, she frowned a little then drew the attention of Easton to who she saw.

“what does he want here?, looks like he’s stalking us”, she sounded curious

“calm down, it might just be a coincidence”, immediately Easton finished his statement, Brian turned and saw them, he smiled and waved, he seemed happy to see them. He got up and moved towards them. Crystal felt uneasy and almost got up from her seat.

“Easton why is he coming towards us?”

“relax, he means no harm”. Brian got to where they were and stretched his hand quickly towards Easton. Easton shook his hand firmly, then Brian turned to Crystal, held her right hand and kissed it. “A beautiful evening to you my lady”, “good evening Brian it’s good to see you again. What brings you here?”.

“everyone knows that New York is place for the Christmas holidays, everywhere bustling with the spirit of Christmas. Beautiful lights on the streets. Gifts under Christmas trees, the colors and the love that feels the air”. He inhaled and exhaled loudly “beautiful city. Anyway let me be on my way and leave you two”. He shoved his hands into his pockets, smiled and left. Crystal let out a sigh of relief “mehnn! I thought he was going to stay longer; he freaks me out anytime I see him. When I see him I see Bruce”.

“get used to it, you can’t change anything. Just enjoy your meal and relax, it’s Christmas”.

She took his advise and resumed eating her meal, nothing was going to ruin the luxury she was experiencing, not Bruce, not Brian, and not even herself. She and Easton talked on and on about so many things. It felt different because they weren’t talking about killing a target, stealing or arranging a business with someone. After a long while she felt sleepy and rubbed her eyes, she covered her mouth as she yawned.

“its about time you take a shower and rest”, Easton said, he got up and took her hand. She didn’t like the way he held her, she pulled her hand away, “Can’t I hold my wife’s hand again?”

“I can’t be your wife Easton”

“meaning you can’t be with someone like me” he smiled revealing his white teeth. She frowned and glared at him a little, “Easton are you sure you are okay. Right now I have a slight headache, I need to sleep”. She got up and walked towards their suite, he followed her. Easton paid close attention to the way she walked, the way she took her steps with poise, he watched her arms as they moved while she walked. Looking at her from behind he discovered she had a perfectly shaped hour glass body. He shut his eyes and increased his pace to walk beside her, walking behind her was going to make him imagine things.

As soon as they got to the suite, Crystal got to the bathroom, took off her clothes and had a quick warm shower. After the shower she remembered that she didn’t take the clothes she would change into. She got pissed, what was she going to do? She contemplated calling him and telling him to help her with her clothes. She toweled herself and prayed that he would leave the room. He didn’t, she heard him humming to a Christmas song that was playing. She decided she was going to call him.

“Easton”, she called out

“yep”

“I need my shorts and a shirt, help me bring them please”

“alright”. He got to the closet and searched for what she asked for. He found it and got to the bathroom door and knocked. She opened the door slightly and snatched the clothes from him. Easton smiled and shook his head. He had never seen her feel uncomfortable. He got back to the couch and sat down. Crystal came out from the bathroom dressed in her black shorts and white shirt and holding the clothes she removed in her arms. She frowned when she saw a smirk playing on his face.

“wipe that smirk from your face Easton, this is not funny”

“it is my dear, I have never seen where a wife is ashamed to dress in front of her man”. She ignored him and folded the clothes in her hands then laid down on the bed.

Two quick knocks on the door made Crystal groan. Easton got to the door,

“who’s there?”

“its Brian”

“Brian?”

“yea”. Easton got a bit suspicious and frowned. Crystal got up from the bed when she heard Brian. “what does he want Easton”, she whispered with her arms folded. “I don’t know”, he whispered too. Easton courageously open the door and saw Brian holding a banquet of red roses in his right hand.

“good evening Mr. Easton”

“evening Brian”

“red roses for the lady” he stepped forward and gave the roses to the already nervous Crystal. “thank you”, she said with almost a whisper.

“you are welcome”

“how did you know the exact door to knock Brian” Easton asked with a suspicious tone.

“errr, well I just discovered your suite is next to mine”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello, Thank you for taking your time to read this. Please like, comment and share.

Thank you.

‪#‎BarbraAustin‬

Lethal Bride - (Part 25)

CHRISTMAS VACATION

Christmas was four days away. It was always one of the best seasons in the year. The air had some sort of a special fragrance; most things had a different look and feel during the festive season. A season loved by many. Christmas trees had already been decorated in most houses. The streets were not left out. Christmas lights were already hung in front of houses, stores and mall. Everywhere had a touch of Christmas. Christmas movies and songs were shown on TV, radio stations also played Christmas songs.

Easton’s home wasn’t left out. A huge white Christmas tree stood in the living room; it was decorated with all the Christmas colors and Christmas lights. At the peak of the tree was a big gold star. It was a beautiful tree to behold.

The weather was a beautiful one, Crystal stayed in bed curled under her blanket, Mistletoe by Justin Bieber oozed from her phone, she nodded her head to the rhythm as she sang along. All she wanted for Christmas was to stay indoors dressed in her pink pajamas and fluffy slipper, eat and watch movies. The knock on her door distracted her, she frowned, she didn’t want any form of disturbance.

“who is it?”, she asked

“It’s me, can I come in?” there was some excitement in his tone, she wondered what it was.

“yea, come in”. He was dressed casually, his hair wasn’t combed. “Good morning Crystal”

“good morning Easton”. He sat by the edge of the bed and smiled a little. She sat up and studied him. “are you alright ?” she asked,

“yes I am, what would you like for Christmas”

“you know that already Easton, I want to be indoors, I don’t need gifts or any special treat”, he shook his head,

“I disagree. We are going to Manhattan, New York together, not just that I have booked a reservation in Trump International Hotel and Tower”. Her eyes widened, she became excited. She had heard many stories about it but never experienced it.

“really?” she said with smiling

“yes, so change that indoor mentality. We are flying tomorrow, flight is for nine, I have done the booking. It would be one of your best Christmas. I will give the maids their holiday too, they are leaving this evening. I just came to let you know”. He got up and shoved his hand into his pocket “beautiful day to you Crystal”,

“you too”. He turned to go, “Easton”, he turned to look at her “yea”

“thank you” she said,

“you’re welcome”.

She spent the rest of the day daydreaming about the Christmas holiday and the kind of luxury she would experience. Her stomach churned in excitement like a little girl. In the evening packed for the trip. Like Easton said, this Christmas was going to be one of the best she had ever had. She couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive. The day seemed to be crawling. She got into bed at about 10pm, in anticipation that when she opened her eyes again it would be broad day light, but unfortunately she woke and everywhere was still dark, she checked the time, it was 2:00am. She sighed and went back to bed, but every trace of sleep had disappeared from her eyes. She tossed and turned on the bed, she tried shutting her eyes, but they flicked open again. She took a book and started reading, it worked all the time. Before she finished the first page, she was already sleepy. She slept off with the book on her chest. Her dreams were about New York, she loved that city.

At 7am, Easton paced downstairs wondering what delayed Crystal. He looked at his watch several times. He couldn’t wait any longer, he raced and pushed her door open and to his amazement she was sleeping peacefully. “how beautiful”, he said to himself. He watched her sleep, he noticed her eyes were completely shut, her lips small and inviting. Right there he felt like prince Charming and she was his sleeping beauty. He admired how she slept like a baby. He did that for few minutes before tapping her arm.

”wake up Crystal”. She groaned and opened her eyes, “what is it Easton, isn’t it a little too early to wake up”. He smiled, “yea I know, but today we are going to New York, and the flight is for nine”. Her hands went straight to her mouth as she mouthed “oh my god”. She sprang up from bed and rushed to the bathroom. “Give me thirty minutes and I will be down”. He left her room and went down to wait for her. In forty minutes she came down dragging her baggage behind her. He helped her with it to the car.

In fifteen minutes they arrived Bradley International Airport, they did all the processes and got into the aircraft at exactly 9am. The flight attendants made sure everyone was seated and comfortable. The pre-flight safety demonstration started. Crystal watched the flight attendant demonstrate and wondered if she wasn’t tired of doing the same thing over and over again. “All these demonstrations are not needed; most people on this plane are already familiar with everything. Anyway it’s none of my business, it’s a routine safety measure for all air-crafts”, she thought. She relaxed more on her seat as she waited for the flight attendants to serve the light refreshments, she was hungry.

In forty minutes the plane landed in New York City. She wasn’t excited because she hadn’t been in New York before, she had visited it several times, what made her excited was the fact that this time she was going to be in absolute Luxury. They took a cab and headed straight to Trump International Hotel and Tower. As she came out of the cab she was wowed by the magnificent building that stood with pure elegance. Easton and Crystal were helped with their baggage into the hotel, they got to the reception and met a beautiful young lady who loved showing off her beautiful set of teeth.

“how may I help you please”, the lady asked

“I have a reservation in the Executive City View Suite”

“and you are………?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Easton”. At the mention of that Crystal frowned and looked at him. He squeezed her hand a little to stop her from protesting. The lady searched through reservations and saw his reservation.

“I see it”, she handed him a card with the number of the suite on it. Your things would be brought to you and an escort would lead you to your suite. Enjoy your stay Mr. and Mrs. Easton and a Merry Christmas to you in advance”

“thank you”

As they were being led to the executive suite, Crystal looked and saw an imperious chandelier hung in the marble lobby. They finally got to the door, Crystal anticipated the beauty that would meet her eyes and sure enough she wasn’t disappointed.

It was a spacious suite. It had a luxurious king sized bed, 55 inch flat panel HDTV with Blu-ray player and iPod docking station. She got to the closet and opened it, it was large. The suite had a living room, dining room table and chairs with a hand crafted schonbek crystals, chandelier, and a full European style kitchen with appliances by sub-zero. Crystal noticed that the Floor to ceiling windows displayed spectacular views of the city. She smiled deeply “this is beautiful” she whispered to herself as she took a tour round.

Easton turned to the escort “thank you very much”

“you are welcome sir, but before I leave let me tell you about Trump”

“ok, go on” Easton urged him

“we have an impeccable star studded Jean Georges Restaurant at the base, our hotel guests enjoy full access to our five star health club and spa, as well as our personal attached service exclusive to trump. It’s everything you could need from a boutique hotel in Manhattan. You have come to the right place and we are at your service”

“thank you”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello, Thank you for taking your time to read this. Please like, comment and share.

Thank you.

‪#‎BarbraAustin‬

Lethal Bride - (Part 24)

SKEPTISM

“do you know him”

“yes I do”

“do you know he was part of the people that killed my parents”

“Crystal, I have no idea he had a part in the deaths of your parents”

“why did he come back here”

“Crystal, trust me I don’t know anything, I was also trying to find out why he came. I have always been there for you trust me”

“Easton he said I was spared for a reason, why did he say that”

“sincerely I don’t know what you are talking about”

“I lost my parents when I needed them the most”, she broke down as fresh tears streamed her eyes, she threw the gun to floor. He reached out to her and comforted her. He felt her hot tears on his shoulder as he held her. “everything would be fine”. Suddenly she stopped crying and pulled her head away from his shoulder.

“I want a favor from you”

“what is it?”

“light up his body and scatter his ashes. Will you do that for me?”

“if it makes you better I will”. She wiped her eyes, took one last glance at the body and walked out. As soon as she left, he dragged a long sigh of relief. “that was close”, he thought, he looked at the body and knew what Crystal demanded was necessary, he wasn’t planning on letting his dad know. This was his mess, he had to clean it up himself. He needed some fresh air, he left and headed to Crystal room. He knocked but no reply came, he knocked again, still no reply. He decided to get in uninvited. He searched for her but didn’t see a sign of her, he only saw a note on the bed, “i’m out for a long ride, I need to clear my head”. He left the room and hoped she came back safely. The images he had tried shutting away suddenly became fresh in his head. He still remembered the terrified eyes of her mother pleading that he spared her life. He ignored her pleas and shot her still .

He lost appetite for food. Guilt was what fed him through out the day. He kept looking at the clock. It was getting late and Crystal was still out, he became worried and feared the worst. He took out his cell phone and dialed her number. He was surprised when she picked the call.

“Crystal, where are you?”

“in a dump, called a motel”

“are you still coming home tonight?”

“no, I won’t, I need to be far away for now, but I will be back home tomorrow”

“its alright, take care of yourself. I am expecting you tomorrow”.

“alright”. He ended the call. He wondered how he was going to make her forget this event. She was deeply hurt and it hurt him to see her that way. He ran his fingers through his head and paced. He remembered the favor she asked for, he took out his cell phone and dialed Reuben’s number. It kept ringing but no response, he swore and dialed Francesca’s number, it rang twice before she picked it up.

“hello Mr. Easton”

“do you have any idea where Reuben is?”. She hesitated a bit,

“no, I don’t”. he paused to listen to her environment

“anyway I need both up you to come here tomorrow, take the body far away and light it up”

“he’s dead!” she asked with a surprised tone

“yes”. He ended the call and sat down. His thoughts hovered around Crystal; he wondered how she actually felt. How would she react when she finds out it was him that pulled the trigger on her mother. Everything would be ruined. A part of him didn’t want to loose her; she had lived with him for eight years and he had grown attached to her presence. She was already his family. He remembered the day he picked her up from the street, he remembered how frail and sickly she looked, he remembered the eagerness in her to leave the street. He remembered how she rushed the food given to her, he smiled when he remembered the loud belch that came out of her and how she innocently apologized when she finished eating. He needed to fix this, if not everything would be ruined.

Crystal laid on the filthy sheets and thought things through. She thought about everything, left right, back forth, and centre. She wondered if Easton and his father had a hand in the deaths of her parents. She wondered why she was spared. Maybe she was spared to be trained into an assassin. Maybe why she was spared was for the life she was currently living. She shoved the thought of Easton having anything to do with it. He was a killer but he wouldn’t have done it. If he had, when he saw the tears in her eyes and the gun pointing at him, he would have confessed, he wasn’t scared of anything. She kept thinking till her head hurt. She knew she would fall ill if she continued this way. She looked at the bottle in her hand and shook it, it was empty, she craved for more liquor, but she couldn’t go out in her state. She slept off fully clothed.

She opened her eyes and looked around her. She was sitting down her childhood bed. She opened her eyes more to see her environment. She saw a picture of her parents beside her, they looked happy. She wondered why she was there and how she got there. Crystal got up and left the room. She heard the voices of her parents laughing in the kitchen. She moved towards the voices and saw her parents making dinner.

“mom, dad”, she still didn’t believe what she was seeing.

“hey honey, you’re up” her mom smiled and hugged her

“what’s going on?” Crystal looked confused

“it’s your sixteenth birthday baby”, her dad said kissing her on her cheek.

“I am not sixteen anymore dad, I am twenty-four”

“don’t be silly dear” her mom laughed, “come lets go to the dinning section, we have a surprise for you. Her parents dragged her to the dinning, there she saw a huge red cake with sixteen candles on it.

“make a wish and blow your candles” her father told her as he placed his hand on her shoulders. She looked at their faces and saw the calmness in them, the joy they felt. She closed her eyes, made her wish and blew. When she opened her eyes, the cake wasn’t there anymore, she turned and saw her parents lying down in the pool of their own blood. She screamed so hard, she looked at her hands and saw blood dripping from them, she was frightened, she didn’t understand what was happening. She ran out, and kept running. She noticed a man in black chasing her. She doubled her pace and kept running, she panted heavily. She searched for a place to hide but couldn’t find any, she knocked on doors and no one answered. She kept running. The man in black wasn’t relenting, he kept chasing. She finally saw a trash can and dived into it, closing the lid tight. She tried calming her breath so that the strange man wouldn’t hear her.

Someone started banging the cover of the trash can, she became really scared and screamed. The lid of the trash can was forced open, she shut her eyes, whimpering and waiting for the worse to happen.

“hey, it’s me Crystal”. She knew the voice and opened her eyes to see Easton’s hands stretched towards her.

“come let me give you a better life”. She grabbed his hand and came out of the trash can.

She opened her eyes and looked around, she was still in the motel room, her head throbbed severely. She got up quickly. She needed to go back home, back to Easton. She drove back , her mind still dwelling in the dream she had.

She got home to meet Easton in the sitting room sleeping, she got closer to him and tapped him. He opened his eyes slowly, when he saw her, he sat up quickly.

“when did you get in?”

“just now”

“how are you?”

“my head hurts terribly”. He got up and cupped her chin with his palm

“Crystal, some things are better when they not revisited, you have a whole lot in front of you and you have me, I will always be there to protect you, just trust me”. She nodded weakly and rested her head on his chest, every form of doubt she had, was going to be wiped out. She believed and trusted Easton.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello, Thank you for taking your time to read this. Please like, comment and share.

Thank you.

‪#‎BarbraAustin‬

Lethal Bride - (Part 23)

SKEPTISM

“how did you know my parents?, what was your relationship with them? tell me”. He didn’t respond. That made her very impatient, “answer me damn it!, you can’t say something sensitive like that and expect me to take it lightly”. He dropped his head down again and shut his eyes. She clenched her teeth in frustration “answer me now or I will do mean things to you”. He laughed hysterically “I am not scared of what you would do to me, I am ready for anything, I have gone through worse situations”. His statements made her desperate to get answers out of him. She searched round the room, looking for a perfect object to use on him. She sighted a pen knife on the table; she raced for it, went behind and drew his head backwards, placing the knife on his throat”,

“now tell me how you knew my parents, if you don’t, you won’t witness another sunrise”

“I was there”, he said through a cough,

“louder, I can’t hear you”

“I knew your parents because I was there that night”

“what night?”, the expression on his face showed that he regretted saying anything. Crystal got angry, “answer me damn it!, open your mouth and talk”. He didn’t respond, she got frustrated and folded her left hand into a fist and punched him in his stomach. He grunted in pain.

“ I was there the night they got killed, I was part of the men. All we had was a family picture and the address, our job was just to kill everybody, everybody except you, but you went missing”. Hot tears streamed her eyes.

“why was I spared?”

“you were spared for a reason”

“what reason”. Just then the door opened and Easton stepped in. He noticed the tears in her eyes as she looked at him.

“what’s the problem Crystal?”. She couldn’t bring herself to answer him the emotional pain she felt inside took over her entire being. She ignored him and ran out of the place to her room. She slumped on her bed and sobbed bitterly.

Easton glared at the man “Nathaniel what did you say to her?”, Nathaniel let out a dry laugh,

“I simply introduced her to the truth Easton, she is living a lie and she has to know”

“what do you mean by that”, Easton face showed nervousness

“I told her about the raid and how she was spared because your father ordered us not to kill her, because she would come in handy in his dirty business”. Easton heartbeat hit against his chest hard. Nathaniel noticed his nervousness and smiled,

“don’t worry I have not told her who is behind the deaths of her parents”. Easton looked around and spotted a rod, he picked it up and hit Nathaniel’s shoulder with it,

“bastard, how dare you!”. Nathaniel bit his lower lip in pain and smiled. “you can hit me all you can. But aren’t you haunted by her mother, because you wanted to please your father you left a bullet in her forehead”. Easton shook with hatred for him

“can you remember how she begged you, how she cried, how she knelt in front of you with clasped hands begging you to spare her life. Did you listen to her? No you didn’t, you listened to the manipulative voice of your father, urging you to shoot and finish her off”. Easton eyes were slowly turning red.

“ I didn’t mean to kill that woman”

“you killed her anyway, then turned her daughter to an assassin”. Easton dugged his hand into his left pocket and brought out a gun.

“tell me why you are here Nathaniel”

“I am here to free myself of the guilt by telling her the truth myself”. Easton cocked his gun,

“I won’t give you that luxury Nathaniel; I won’t allow you ruin everything”, he got closer to Nathaniel, pressed the gun to his forehead “say sorry to her parents in hell”, then he pulled the trigger. He felt a huge burden lifted away from him as he looked at the body of Nathaniel. What was he going to tell Crystal about his death and why he killed him? He wondered. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of the right hand. Suddenly the door opened, he turned round to see Crystal, her eyes were still misty. She looked at the gun in his hand, then looked at the man on the chair.

“why did you kill him Easton, I wanted to get out the truth from him, he was part of the men that killed my parents”. He felt a huge guilt surging from him,

“I wanted to get some answers from him as well”

“then why did you kill him Easton”

“I got pissed and impatient with him, I shot him out of anger”

“but this was my only chance Easton, only chance to know the reason behind their deaths and who killed them”

”I’m sorry Crystal”,

”I need that man alive”

“he’s already dead Crystal”

“no, I want him alive”. She rushed to the body on the chair and started hitting the face, “wake up murderer” she sobbed as she hit the body. Easton watched her hit the body for a while before going to pull her away, “enough Crystal, he’s dead”. She turned to him and looked at the gun in his hand, her eyes were blazing, her chest heaved up and down, her hair disheveled.

“give me the gun”

“what for?”

“I said give me the gun”. He handed the gun to her wondering what she wanted to do with the gun. She took it from him and faced the body. She pulled the trigger thrice, each bullet went through the same spot on the chest of the body. She faced Easton with the gun still raised.

“whoa whoa, Crystal, what are you doing?” his hands already lifted up

“I want to know the truth”

“what truth are you talking about”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello, Thank you for taking your time to read this. Please like, comment and share.

Thank you.

‪#‎BarbraAustin‬

Lethal Bride - (Part 22)

SKEPTISM

 

The weather gradually changed. It became cold and chilly. She curled under her blanket shivering. Why would God just decide to make human habitation so cold like this? She thought. She wondered how the homeless people survived this kind of weather, she imagined little children in the cold finding warmth in their mother’s bosoms. She understood the feeling because she was once homeless. If not for Easton, she would have been somewhere not conducive and freezing away.

She heard a knock on the door, “come in”, she said. She watched the door open slowly. The maid got in with a mug.

“a mug of hot chocolate ma’am”

“thank you Linda”. The maid handed her the cup and left, shutting the door gently. Crystal sipped from it slowly. She got up and moved towards her window, she stood there thinking. This was a weather when everyone walked fast, all in a hurry to get inside somewhere, escaping the cold. She missed the sun and it’s warmth. It was going to take a while before the summer comes back. A hot bath was inevitable this morning. She sipped her hot chocolate quickly. She undressed and stepped into the bathroom. After few minutes she came out feeling refreshed. She dressed slowly into a casual outfit. She loved Saturdays maybe because breakfast on Saturdays always had a different delicious taste. She got out of her room and headed towards the kitchen. Today she felt like helping out. As soon as she got into the kitchen the maids greeting her in Unison,

“goodmorning ma’am”

“goodmorning”. She picked up the iceberg lettuce on the kitchen sink and washed it, took out the chopping board and began to slice it. As she sliced she felt somewhat uneasy

“have you seen Easton today?”

“yes ma’am”, one of the maids answered, “but he has been in the basement for a long time now, he warned all of us not to come close to the basement”.

“hmmm, ok”, Crystal dropped what she was doing and headed towards the basement, she wondered why he just decided to be locked up in the basement. As she walked down towards the basement, she heard muffled sounds. She quickened her pace, afraid that Easton might be in some sort of trouble. She got to the door and kicked it open. What she saw stopped her in her track. Easton, Reuben and Francesca turned to look at her, the expression on their faces showed that they didn’t expect her to be there at that time. Crystal stepped further into the room, her eyes got accustomed to the dim light, then she saw a man on a chair, he was tied and was drenched in blood. He looked as though he had been deprived of sleep for several days, she could tell by the large eye bags around his eyes. When the unknown saw her, he looked at Easton and shook his head.

“what is going here?” Crystal asked

“Crystal you are not supposed to be here” Easton looked uneasy

“what do you mean by that Easton. Francesca and Reuben are here, what makes me different?. I demand to know what is going on, don’t leave me out”

“Fine. This man here worked for my father a long time ago, but suddenly turned his back on us. I caught him around my premises and I know he is up to something. He is working for someone else and that is what I want to find out. What he is doing around my house and who he is working for”. Francesca and Reuben seemed not to have anything to say, they just looked on with folded arms.

“but everything you just said does not warrant a torture like this”

“look Crystal you don’t know the half of that man sitting there, he is dangerous. Why is he here after a long time?, I know he is up to something and that is what I want to find out”. Easton turned to Francesca and Reuben, “please excuse us”, they left without any complaint. Crystal turned to him, “do what you must Easton, but don’t frighten the maids”

Easton sighed “this is enough for now, I will be back for him later, I have lots on my table”

Crystal left, Easton followed.

All through the day she thought about the look that the unknown man had on his face when he saw her. She remembered how he looked at her and looked at Easton and shook his head. Why would he do that? She wondered, “it’s like he recognized me from somewhere”, she thought. She felt something wasn’t right and she wanted to know why. She paced and bit her fingers as she searched her memory for any detail of him. She wanted to talk to him herself alone. She hesitated a bit, she didn’t want to ask him questions when Easton was there. She kept pacing, then finally made up her mind regardless of the presence of Easton.

She reached the basement door and pinned her ears. She didn’t hear a sound. She summoned courage and pushed the door open. The unknown man lifted his head weakly and looked at her.

“what is your name? and why are you here?”

“go to hell”

“look mister, you are the one tied to a chair, not me. So start spilling or I do worse than what he has done to you”.

“what have they turned you into?”. She looked confused. “what are you talking about?”. He didn’t respond, he dropped his head down and shut his eyes. She wanted to get something meaningful out of him, but with the way he was behaving, she wasn’t going to get anywhere with him. She lifted his head up.

“talk to me, what do you want?, why are you here?”. He clenched his teeth, “I am not going to say anything, I don’t owe any explanation to you”. She took her hand away from his chin with frustration. Maybe Easton was going to force out some information out of him. She turned to go, as she reached the door, he called her back, “Crystal”, she took her hand away from the door and turned back, “you know my name?”,

“yes and not only that that”

“what else do you know about me?”

“I knew your father, I knew your mother and I knew the innocent you”. Her heart beat shot up, it beat so fast and loud that she could swear he could hear it. Everything came rushing back. She remembered her mother hiding her under the bed and promising to get her as soon as everything because alright. She remembered the gun shots, she remembered her father pleading with the men that came in, she remembered how scared she was, she remembered the devastation she felt when she saw the bodies of her parents, she remembered the loneliness and bitterness she felt. She remembered how she wandered on the streets afraid the men might come for her too. Her eyes became misty as she remembered all these. She got closer to him as she wiped her eyes with her left palm.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello, Thank you for taking your time to read this. Please like, comment and share.

Thank you.

‪#‎BarbraAustin‬

Lethal Bride - (Part 21)

BRUCE
Brian noticed his stare “do I look out of place?”. Easton shook his head “no you don’t”. Crystal wasn’t in any way finding this funny. She wondered if Bruce came back from the dead to haunt them. she never believed in ghost or any thing related to the after world, but with what she was seeing , she believed. If this wasn’t Bruce then it had to be his twin, but she remembered him say that the guy she killed at the club was his only family. She watched Easton and noticed how he concealed his shock like a pro. Brian winked at her and faced Easton
“your girlfriend is really something”
“explain”
“I mean she is drop dead gorgeous”
“oh thank you, but she isn’t my girlfriend, she’s just like a sister to me”. Brian smiled.
“then in that case, a brother is interested”. Crystal gave him the “don’t you dare” look and folded her arms. Easton cleared his throat and sipped from the glass in his hand, “well, errrrrr, I could allow her keep you company this night, when I say this night I mean in this casino and not on your bed”. There was an awkward silence for few seconds until Brian looked at the straight faced Crystal, “so shall we?”, she looked at Easton “you really do permit this”,
“yep”, she pulled him aside “how can I possibly chat with the man I murdered? Every time I look at him I see bullets flying into his head and it makes me sick, please don’t do this”, Easton placed his hand on her shoulder “look, just pretend everything is fine and get to know him, it might just be a look alike or a sibling who knows nothing of us killing Bruce, it happens all the time, so don’t freak out, take a deep breath and have a beautiful evening, don’t worry my eyes are everywhere nothing bad will happen to you. And make sure every discussion should be right here, do you understand?” she nodded and walked towards Brian.
“I see you have a very protective big brother, I wouldn’t blame him, you are like a goddess and every man with blood flowing in his veins would want to have a piece of you”. She smiled. He stretched his hand she took it then turned back to look at Easton, he gave her the ok sign and resumed his fun.
Brian took her away from the crowded side, he spotted an empty couch and he led her to it, they both sit simultaneously. She looked really tense and couldn’t look at him in the eye, he noticed this and smiled with the corner of his mouth, “I don’t bite miss, loosen up and be free, it’s just going to be a conversation and not an interrogation”
“I am not tensed, I really don’t like the casino that much”
“okay then, I could take you to a different place, but we have to take your big brother’s permission”. She remembered Easton’s instruction. “nope, I will be fine here”
“ok then, if you say so. But come to think of it, Easton your supposed big brother readily allowed you to spend an evening with a strange person, is that how much he trust’s people”
“believe me when I say this, for him to allow you spend the evening with me shows there is something tremendously different about you. Tell me about yourself”
“why don’t you start first”
“I asked first”.
“alright”. He started talking about himself, she watched him and saw Bruce in him. He stopped talking and looked at her “why are you looking at me in a funny way. She regained herself and blinked severally “ sorry I got carried away, I noticed you didn’t talk about your family”
“oh yea, there is nothing much to talk about on that aspect”
“are you a twin”, suddenly an aura of sadness came over him, “I was a twin but not anymore, we found his body in his apartment and that was after my elder brother died. We never really got along up to our adulthood, we didn’t even speak to each other , he hated my guts and I hated his. That was really strange for twins, I know most twins always have a bond but ours’ was different, we fought over every little thing. When he died that’s when I knew I loved him, sometimes I wish I had the power to control time. I would take it to when we were little and start all over again”
A pang of guilt hit her, but she didn’t allow it to show. “I’m sorry to hear that. What was his name?”
“his name was Ben, Benjamin”. She realized Bruce lied about his name.
“I think he was involved in a shady deal and that got him killed, Benjamin had always been the lawless one”.
“I’m sorry for you loss” she simply said
“okay enough about me, tell me about yourself”
“well, I …….” Her cell phone beeped, she took it out of her purse and saw a message from Easton telling her to meet him by the car. She sprang up “it was nice knowing you Brian”
He looked confused “you are already leaving?. Can I have your contact atleast”. She shook her head “no you can’t and this might be the last time we see”. With that she took quick strides out of the casino.
She met Easton holding a stick of cigarette in his hand and puffing out smoke from his mouth slowly.
“so what did you find out?”
“ first of all he is not Bruce, he is Bruce twin and again Bruce lied to me about his name, his real name was Benjamin”
“okay that’s relieving”
“so what do we do?”
“what do you mean by what do we do?, you simply stay away from Brian and let the chapter end”
“alright”.
“let’s go home”. Easton got behind the wheels as she hopped into the car, she was eager to leave. Bruce, Benjamin, Brian, whatever, she was leaving the B family behind. Easton inhaled the air and for the first time he perceived the cologne she wore
“what cologne is that?, it smells really good”
“oh, thank you, I am wearing a Clive Christian Imperial Majesty , a fragrance made for royalty alone”.
“that’s way too expensive Crystal”
“well, it’s my money I do what I want to do with it, what’s really expensive is talking to the twin of the man we killed, that’s expensive”. Easton turned to her and smiled
“but you concealed your emotions properly”
“yea right”. She relaxed more on the chair as they zoomed off towards home.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello, Thank you for taking your time to read this. Please like, comment and share.
Thank you.
‪#‎BarbraAustin‬

Lethal Bride - (Part 20)

BRUCE

She found her standing in the kitchen looking regretful. Crystal cleared her throat loudly, the maid turned round to see the face of the boss lady.
“what were you doing with Mr. Easton Rita”, the maid couldn’t say anything, she looked really remorseful and scared of losing her job, her hands went behind her and her head bowed.
“anyway, I am not giving you another chance to prove anything, I need you out of this out for good in the next one hour, we can get a replacement, its not a problem for us”
“yes ma’am”, she moved away from crystal and got to her room to get her things out, there was no arguing this one, she was caught red handed. Rita had always crushed on Easton. Everything about him seemed perfect, she held herself from falling for a long time. Sometimes she saw herself as the lady of the house but not with Crystal in it. She pulled out drawers, the closet and threw her clothes on the bed. She felt terrible and stupid for her actions. She wished she could turn back the hands of time, she would have held herself from behaving stupid.
“what are you doing Rita?” she turned to see Easton standing with his hands shoved into his pocket.
“I am going away”
“did I tell you to leave?”
“Miss Crystal told me to and I have to please”
“stay”
“I can’t, I messed up big time, I regret my actions, and I have to pay for it”
“you don’t have to. We all have our moments of weakness and I understand”
“no you don’t sir. I can’t be in the same house with you after this. I have to leave”
“so there is nothing I can say to stop you”
“nothing sir”. He nodded and turned to go but stopped when he saw Crystal standing with her hands folded.
“why are you begging her to stay”, he ignored her and walked past her, he had no answer for that question. She moved to the door of the room and made sure she left the house for good.
Later in the day, she jolted out of her sleep by the nagging knocks on her door. She slipped out of her bed and walked towards the door. She got to the door and turned the door knob. The door opened to Easton looking drawn and tired.
“I am hungry and that maid was good and knew what I like and how I liked it, she paid close attention to every little detail of a meal, hope you are working on a replacement someone as good as she was”
“you mean someone with her kind of body right”, she raised an eye brow “anyway a new person would be here soon, besides you have other hands and they can cook too, why are you insisting? Or you are punishing me for sending your mistress away. I know what to do, I will bring in a maid that has no form of attraction whatsoever”, she laughed, he saw nothing funny in what she said and kept a straight face.
“okay, okay Eason. Everything would be fine, you don’t need her. Lets go out tonight Easton, somewhere different apart from the club, maybe a restaurant and have dinner or a casino, you look troubled and stressed”.
“ I prefer the casino to the restaurant ”
“not a problem boss, at 8pm I would be ready”
“alright”. He smiled a little and left. Immediately he left all she could think about was the dress, the shoe and accessory she would put on. She had a thing of showing off and she felt like showing off this evening. She opened her closet and started searching for that perfect dress.
At 7:45pm she was all set. Her white contoured Jovani dress clung to her body, it brought out her hour glass physique. Her gold Miu Miu shoes had an eclectic style. She loved packing her hair into a high bun for occasions like this. Her neck wore a twenty two carat gold pacchi necklace adorned with cz stones, emeralds and south sea pearls. She stood in front of her mirror and admired her look. Her make up was simple. She picked up her gold purse from the bed, walked to the door and opened it to see Easton already dressed. She looked at his Salvatore Ferragamo brown shoes and up to what he wore, he looked so classy and smart.
“is that Gucci Guilty Black cologne” he smiled
“yea, you like it?”
“yes I do, its sensual, brave and magnificient”
“so shall we?”
“yes boss”. They walked down to his car and faced the direction of the casino. When they got to the casino he seemed more relaxed, as usual she received long stares from both sexes. Easton dressed the part, played the right game, acted like a pro and girls hovered around him. He drew one lady close to him and spoke in her ear saying
“winning is cool, loosing is nerdy”. The lady laughed out clinging her body to him, she obviously had a crush on him. Crystal never really liked the idea of gambling. She moved away from the table and looked for a seat to sit down. She finally got one and sat down. She took out her cell phone from her purse and started surfing the internet.
“hey beautiful” came a deep voice, she lifted her head to meet his familiar face, her eyes widened. He ignored the shock on her face “ I met you at party not too long ago, can you remember?” all that came out of her mouth was “Bruce”
“no I am not Bruce, you called me that once, my name is Brian”, she got up “please can you excuse me for some minutes. She looked for Easton but didn’t see him by the table she left him. She finally saw him by another table, she rushed there and pulled him away.
“why did you do that? You brought me here to have fun, why spoil it?”
“look Easton there is something going on here that I cant wrap my head around it”
“Bruce is here”
“please who is Bruce?, she frowned “the guy we killed that wanted to kill me by seducing me”. Easton laughed “you must be joking”, “no I am not, if you don’t believe me follow me”. Easton followed her, eager to laugh at her madness. Brian was still standing at the spot she left him. Immediately Easton saw him “holy shit” escaped his mouth.
“how in God’s name is this possible”
“now you know I am not insane, I knew what I was talking about”. Brian saw her and he moved closer. He looked at Easton “hey I am Brian and you must be….”
“Easton” Easton completed the statement for him. Easton kept staring at Brian, wondering about the possibility of what stood in front of him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello, Thank you for taking your time to read this. Please like, comment and share.
Thank you.
‪#‎BarbraAustin‬