The sun began to set farther to the west as the last of its rays hit the windows of the skyscrapers and other tall buildings. The sky gave out a soft yet strong glow of orange.
At this time, a lot of New Yorkers were knocking off from work and heading home. Some headed for the metro station or used whichever means of transport. Others stopped somewhere to run a late errand. Many people, students and working class; school children and those young enough to be held by the hand, were also heading for home.
Leo stared out of the window of his office, staring at the sun set. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the door open behind him.
"Is it a bad time?" came a voice at the door.
Leo turned his head and smiled at his father standing at the door.
"Not at all, dad," said Leo. "Please, come in."
His father did likewise, closing the door behind him. Leo turned his body towards his desk.
"I'm surprised that you haven't left the office yet," said Mr. McDonell as he sat down on the chair in front of Leo's desk.
"I was just about to," said Leo. "Just enjoying the sunset is all."
"You don't look like one who likes to look at the sunset."
"You'll be surprised."
"I need to talk to you about something."
Leo noticed the tone in his father's voice. He sounded serious, and Leo didn't like it.
"What is it about?" Leo asked.
"It's about Angel."
"Great! Just great!" Leo said in his thoughts. He had had enough of Angel already. First it was Eric and his paranoia that Angel might end up falling for her boss (that's if she hasn't already), and now, his father wanted to talk about her about who knows what. He felt like looking back at the window to continue looking at the sun, but he didn't want to seem rude.
He sat down on his chair and asked, "what about her?"
Before Mr. McDonell could speak, he noticed something wrong with his son after he mentioned Angel. Leo could do all he can to hide his expression, but his father somehow saw right through him.
"Your grandmother must have told you a while back that she wanted Angel to work here," Mr. McDonell said.
"Yes, she did," said Leo trying to keep his cool. "But didn't Angel say she would think about it?"
"She did."
"And....?" Leo hoped and prayed in his heart that Angel had refused the offer. But somewhere deep down, he knew it was the opposite.
"She agreed to work with us."
Leo almost held the edge of his desk as he felt the floor beneath him begin to spin, but he tried his best not to. His father was already giving him a look and he didn't want to seem weird.
He knew this was coming and he didn't know how to handle it. Right now, all he wanted was to be left alone and do God knows what.
"Umm, that's great," said Leo as he tried to sound enthusiastic.
Mr. McDonell still wasn't buying Leo's enthusiasm. He felt like he was missing something.
"She starts work tomorrow," Mr. McDonell added on.
"Tomorrow?" Leo couldn't believe it.
"Yes. She told your grandmother and the message was passed on to me."
"What about her job at the editing company?"
"I was told she met with her boss today. She hands in her resignation letter tomorrow."
Leo gulped. "Okay...., does mum know about this?"
Mr. McDonell leaned back in his seat and folded his arms. Leo knew his mother was the only trump card he had to prevent Angel from ever stepping foot in the company. If he can't have a say in this, she most definitely will.
"She doesn't know," his father replied.
Leo paused before he asked, "do you think she will like the idea of Angel working here?"
"No doubt she won't. That's just how she is."
"How are you going to break it to her?"
"Tonight at dinner you will be the one making the announcement to the whole family."
Leo straightened up even more on his seat, his eyes wide with surprise. "What?"
"You heard me."
Leo wanted to shake his head but stopped himself. "Why can't Eric do it?"
"He doesn't have to know right now. And if I do tell him, he will get excited and blurt it out as soon as he's home."
"Looks like you know him way more than I do."
"He's almost like my son, of course I know. And I know he likes Angel, so I would like that you deliver the news."
Leo had no idea why his cheeks heated up when his father said that last statement. "You know that Eric likes Angel?"
Mr. McDonell shrugged his shoulder with a smile. "It's not that hard to miss," he said, "especially with how he used to take care of her when she had that accident."
"Oh." Leo hoped his father didn't know about him and Carly.
Carly! Oh, goodness! Leo forgot it was her first day at college and so far, he hadn't called to check up on her. He felt pathetic and he had no one else to blame but Angel. If Eric hadn't come talking about her in the first place, he wouldn't have been brooding about her all day. And now, his father just made it even worse telling him to announce to everyone back home that Angel would be working for them. Angel continued to ruin his life even if she wasn't physically present.
"Leo, are you okay?" Mr. McDonell asked.
"Huh?" Leo turned to look at his father.
"Are you okay? You just hit your forehead just now as though you're angry or something."
Leo hadn't noticed his open palm upon his head and he felt like an idiot. He did that because he was mad at himself for not thinking about Carly when he had to.
"I have to go get something," Leo said. "I better rush before heading home."
"If you say so," said Mr. McDonell as he stood up from his seat.
"I'll see you back home?"
"Ya, you ride with Eric. I'll stay here for a bit to finish up. But I'll be there before supper."
"Sure. See you later, then."
Mr. McDonell gently nodded and made his way out of the office. As soon as he closed the door, Leo quickly stood up from his seat and got his jacket that was hanging at the back of his chair. He took his phone, the car keys, the keys to the office and left.
The hall was quiet and the working cubicles in the work area were almost empty except for two employees still at their desks. Leo passed the cubicles and went down the hall to Eric's office. Before he could even reach the door, it opened and out came Eric.
"I was just coming to get you," said Leo as Eric locked the door to his office.
"Don't tell me I'm taking the ride home with you," Eric said as he turned to look at his cousin.
"Yep, and we have to stop by somewhere."
"May I ask where and why?"
"Come on. I'll tell you."
***
"...I'm Harriet, by the way, what's yours?"
"I'm Carly," said Carly as she smiled and shook hands with a green eyed brunette. "A pleasure meeting you."
"Mine too," she said. "If you need any help with anything, I'm here to help."
"Thanks so much. See you tomorrow."
Harriet smiled back and quickly walked away so as to catch up with some of her friends who had gone ahead of her. Carly's first day had gone pretty well. Not only did she meet Robin, she also made new friends, Harriet being one of them. Her day couldn't get any better than this. But sadly, it was finally over and it was time to head back.
She still stood in the hall outside the lecture room. A few people who had stayed behind soon walked out. She checked for her phone in her backpack and removed it to see if she had any messages.
There was only one message from Angel that was sent to her almost thirty minutes ago asking her how her day went and if she needed to be picked up. Carly decided to call her sister as she walked down the hall.
"Hey, sis," said Carly when she heard the line pick up on the other end.
"Hey, how was your day?" Angel asked.
"It was great," Carly replied with a smile on her face. "You won't believe who I met here."
"Who?"
"Remember that guy with grey eyes who...., uh...., you met at the place I used to work at?"
Talking about Mr. Walter's club brought up some uneasiness in Carly. She felt embarrassed just talking about it.
"Oh, yes, I do." Angel answered quickly, knowing very well how it made them both uncomfortable. Just talking about it brought back very bad memories.
"In case you forgot, his name is Robin. And he sends his regards."
"I never got to know his name, sadly. Thanks. I hope he didn't try to convince you into going back to work there."
Carly turned round the corner that led to a open corridor. She saw a few students talking on the open green lawn, the sun slowly setting.
"Oh, no, he didn't. He's glad I never went back there. He always said that that place wasn't meant for me."
"Well, that shows how much of a good friend he is and I'm glad. I thought you needed a ride after your classes. I could easily ask one of the drivers here to pick you up."
"Nah, I'm cool. I'll take the bus."
"Ok. Just be careful out there."
"I'll be fine. Don't you worry."
"See you later then."
"Ya, see you."
Carly found herself at the college's parking lot. The place was almost empty. The last of the cars leaving the premises probably belonged to a student as it was an orange Lamborghini. Only a black old BMW and a white Cadillac remained in the parking lot.
Carly walked out of the main gate and across the street was the boarding campus for the students. Carly went down the street and went on straight till she reached the traffic lights. The traffic light turned red for the cars to stop and Carly gladly walked down the zebra crossing after the green pedestrian light turned on. She was the only pedestrian and when she reached the other side of the street, she continued straight on, heading for the bus stop in front of her.
When she got there, she found no one waiting for the bus. She shrugged her shoulders as she sat down on the little bench. It looked like she was going to sit there alone till the bus arrived.
She brought her backpack in front of her and placed it on her lap. She took out her phone and still no message from Leo. She figured that he must have had a busy day and probably forgot to call or text her. She decided to send him a text, considering that he must be driving back home from work.
Carly was oblivious that a black sedan that had been parked a block away had been following her from the time she left the college gates. She continued to look through her phone that she didn't hear the car slowly approach the bus stop. The cars driving by on the road, drowned the noise of the sedan's engine. Besides, the man behind the wheel made sure not to draw much attention by not turning on the car's headlights.
Carly grew bored going through social media with still no reply from Leo. She wanted to be pissed but couldn't. She had had a long day. But with no sign of the bus coming, it just set her peace of mind to a whole other level.
She put her phone back in her backpack and strapped it round her shoulder. It was then that she noticed the black sedan right next to the bus stop, a few feet away from her. She looked into the car through the windshield and the blaring light of a phone shone through the glass. She caught sight of the man looking down on his phone. Looked like he stopped to be on the phone, she thought. She sighed and wished Leo could do the same and reply to her text.
She turned her head, looking down the street and across. A few people walked by here and there, two couples had walked past her. She started to tap her foot impatiently on the concrete. The bus was a no show and she now felt like an idiot for not letting Angel send her a car. Maybe she could give her a call again and tell her to do so. But just before she could, a sound came from the car. She looked, surprised that there was a car there, and saw that the car door had opened. The man stepped out, closing the door behind him.
"You don't happen to have a cigarette lighter, do you, miss?" the man asked with a pack of cigarettes in his hands as he approached Carly. Carly realised how tall and well built the man was. He wore a black jumper with a hood over his head, but she was able to see his face.
"Oh, no, I don't," said Carly. "I don't even smoke."
"Oh," said the man, looking baffled as he now stood in front of her. "I was expecting you do."
"No, sorry," said Carly as she shook her head.
"Too bad," said the man as he placed the pack in his pockets. "I would have enjoyed smoking a cigar and talking to a pretty lady like yourself."
Carly felt her cheeks blush, but she tried to hide it with a chuckle. She knew where this was going. She had met a lot like him back at the club. They were the ones who tried to attract your attention by small talk.
"Too bad, indeed," said Carly as she smiled at him. "Maybe some other lady would like that idea. Not me."
"Funny. I don't think I would find someone as gorgeous as you."
Carly looked down the road to see if there was any sign of the bus. She went on to look at the man again.
"Sorry, I'm just not your girl."
The man scoffed as he took a step closer to her. "I wasn't really asking," he said with a grin.
Carly read the man's dark eyes and she knew she had to get up and run. But just before she could even stand, the man took hold of the back of her head and the next thing she knew, a piece of cloth that he withdrew from his pocket covered her nose and mouth.
The smell on the cloth was intoxicating. She tried to fight, clawing at the man's face and arms, but he was too strong for her. It took almost a minute and a half of struggling when her vision started to blur. She was soon losing her strength faster than she anticipated. She soon fell unconscious.
The man removed the cloth filled with chloroform from her face and held her steadily. He lifted her off the bench and carried her to his car. He laid her down on the sidewalk so as to open the passenger side door. He looked around to make sure there was no one around watching him. To his luck, there was none.
He lifted Carly into the car and laid her on the passenger seat in a sleeping position. He closed the door and went back to the bench to get her backpack. He turned back to his car, got inside, closed the door and threw her backpack to the passenger's seat.
His job had been much easier than he had thought. He couldn't help but smile when he pulled out his phone and called Mr. Walters.
"Is it done?" were the first words Mr. Walters asked upon picking the call.
"It's done. She's in my car right now."
"Great. I'll give you the address to the Red Lion and I'll inform him of the news."
The man cut the call. Seconds later, his phone beeped. He read the message and knew exactly where to go. He put the key in the ignition and started the engine. He looked at Carly lying unconscious in the backseat.
"Let's go meet the Red Lion," he said to her and he set his eyes on the road.
***
Leo climbed into the driver's seat with a brown paper bag in his hands. Kevin who sat on the passenger seat was looking through his phone.
"Can you stop looking at that darn thing?" Leo asked as he closed the car door and placed the bag at the back. "I left you looking at the phone and you're still on it."
"You were only in the store for like a minute," said Eric. "And it's also thanks to me that you managed to make a last minute call to Nate to get you a present for Carly."
"You expect a thank you from me, don't you?" Leo asked, giving Eric the look.
"Well, ya. You would have found the store closed if I didn't call Nate on time."
"Okay," Leo rolled his eyes before he focused them back on his cousin. "Thank you, Eric. You're the best brother ever."
"I wasn't expecting that last bit, but I'll take it."
"I wonder how I deal with you sometimes." Leo put the keys in the ignition and started the engine.
Leo's car took off to the streets, heading home. But as usual, they ran into a bit of traffic.
"Oh, I almost forgot," said Eric. "You have a message on your phone. I didn't want to read it because-you know-I might be invading your privacy."
"Knowing you, you must have read it already." Leo's eyes were still fixed on the road as the traffic ahead started to move.
"No." Eric looked out the window. "But I do know it's from Carly."
Leo winced. "Dang it! She must be wondering why I haven't given her a call the whole day."
"For someone who really cares about someone, you have a terrible way of showing it."
"That's why I'm making it up to her by getting her a gift. My mind was just off today."
"Hmmm, I wonder why," Eric turned to look at Leo.
"You know why. I don't even want to talk about it."
"Ya, let's not."
Leo sighed. "Can you read the message for me?"
"Gladly," said Eric as he almost jumped in his seat even with the seatbelt on. He took hold of Leo's phone on the dashboard and he didn't struggle with the phone's password because he already knew it.
"All she write was hi and asked how your day went," said Eric, his eyes on the lit screen. "Huh..., I was expecting her to write how upset she is that you hadn't communicated with her all day."
"Carly's understanding," said Leo as he tried to smile. "I bet she knew I have had a busy day at work and forgot."
"Oh, please! You weren't meeting with any clients and you weren't even busy. You were just sulking in your office over Angel coming to work at the company."
"I thought we weren't going to talk about it," Leo said through his gritted teeth, holding the steering wheel tightly. He prayed that he could keep himself under control and not cause an accident.
"I know. But you've to be honest with Carly and tell her what's on your mind."
"What are you now? My therapist?" Leo gave Eric a confused glance before focusing on the road again.
"No. But you have an issue with Angel. Carly might know it already, but she doesn't know to what extent."
"Pssh. That's ridiculous. I can't start telling Carly about these petty issues."
"I'm glad you agree that this whole Angel thing is petty."
"Wait-no-it's not-" Leo was at a loss for words. "What I mean to say is-"
"That you can't tell her that you have been thinking about Angel the whole day instead of focusing on work? Or maybe during your free time, you should have been thinking of her instead?"
Leo felt like giving Eric a punch as he shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you."
"But you can't deny it. I still think you should get help. You always think Angel is out to make your life miserable. That might end up being an obsession, you know?"
"Well..., you brought her up in the first place."
"I know, but that was only because I like Angel and I was telling you as a friend. You took it to a whole new level all on your own."
Leo shook his head. If only Eric knew that what he had feared is about to come true. He would know in a hour or so.
"Anyway, you're already in trouble with Carly over not communicating with her. She might sound sweet and sincere on text, but who knows when you get to meet her tonight."
"I know, women are complicated," said Leo.
"And so are you." Eric gave his cousin a mocking smile.
Leo would have said something back, but he realized that he didn't know what to say. Maybe Eric's right. He is complicated.
They soon reached home and Leo couldn't wait to see Carly and apologise. But then the thought of seeing Angel made his heartbeat even more. Why was he nervous all of the sudden?
"Hey, Leo, are you okay?" Eric asked.
"Huh?" Leo turned to look at his cousin.
"You seem lost. Are you sure you're okay?"
Leo tried to put up an embarrassing smile. He couldn't tell Eric about Angel. They had dwelled on her long enough.
"Oh, no," said Leo. "I'm just worried that Carly won't accept my gift."
"Mmmm...., not to worry, she will love it. Besides, I don't think she's mad. I bet she's tired to even be mad."
"I hope so."
"Come on, we better go inside."
Eric got out of the car first. Leo waited for a few seconds until he got the paper gift bag at the back, removed the key out of the ignition and got out of the car.
Leo walked up the stone path to the front door. The outdoor lights on the lawn had been turned on. He looked ahead at the open door in front of him. Eric had just entered the foyer, removing his jacket.
Leo joined his cousin, closing the door behind him. Eric carried his jacket with him to the living room. Leo heard him give out a cheerful greeting and he knew that his grandmother was there.
"Hello, dear," came Amanda's voice. "Where's Leo?"
"I'm here, grandma," said Leo as he came into the living room and found his grandmother on the wheelchair seating close to a chair where Oliver sat.
"Come give me a hug, dear," said Amanda and Leo did just that.
"Hey, Oliver," said Leo as he ruffled his cousin's hair.
"I'm great and how are you?" Oliver asked. "Were you so busy at work?"
"Not really. Why?"
"You look really tired."
Leo gave Oliver a smile and cleared his throat. Eric, on the other hand, joined his young brother on the couch and chuckled to himself. Leo knew Eric was only making fun of him.
"What's that in your hand, Leo?" Amanda asked as she looked at the paper bag in his hand.
"Oh..., this?" Leo lifted it. "Just something I got for myself from the store."
"Okay. Why don't you put that bag away in your room, then come back and tell me how your day went."
"Sure, grandma."
Leo felt relieved that his grandmother didn't ask further about the gift bag. Just as he turned around to head for the stairs, standing by the doorway leading into the living room, was Angel.
His heart stopped beating for a moment as he looked at her. He was out of breath too. His head started to feel a little fuzzy as he tried to say something, but somehow he couldn't. Angel's appearance had somehow left him dazed that he couldn't move or even speak.
Angel broke the ice between them saying, "hello, Leo."
Leo struggled to move his lips but he said something at least. "Hello."
Leo felt tiny beads of sweat appear on his forehead and he prayed that Angel didn't notice. It would be embarrassing. Why did he feel like he had just run a marathon? His heart still pumped like crazy.
"Hi, Angel," came Eric. "Wow..., Angel, you look amazing."
Angel looked at Eric behind Leo who stood up from his seat to look at her in her white summer dress. Angel smiled and slightly blushed. Leo who kept staring at her also couldn't help but blush himself. When he realised it, he quickly looked down at his feet, feeling angry with himself.
"Thanks, Eric," said Angel. Angel looked at Leo and then back at everyone else in the living room. "I thought Carly had arrived."
"Wait, Carly isn't here?" Leo asked as he looked up at Angel.
Angel shook her head. Her eyes were now filled with worry and Leo knew how that felt as he looked into them. He quickly looked away.
"Maybe she's still stuck in traffic," said Eric. "The bus she used must probably have used a longer route or something."
"That's what I told her, Eric," said Amanda. "But she has every right to be worried and now I am too. She should have been home by now."
"When was the last time you talked to her?" Leo asked, still not looking at Angel.
"That was close to 6 PM," Angel answered. "She was done with her classes then. I offered to send a car, but she assured me that she would take the bus."
"Try calling her again, dear," said Amanda. "I sure hope she's okay."
Angel already had her phone in her hand. She quickly dialled the number and called.
Leo hoped that Carly would pick up. But from where he stood, he could hear the ringing tune from Angel's phone which she placed on her ear. He closed his eyes and groaned in frustration when Carly didn't pick up.
"No answer," said Angel as she stared at her phone.
"Her phone's probably on silent or something," said Eric.
"Maybe. She does like to leave it that way when she goes for lectures that she forgets even when she's out of class."
"Well, she should be putting it on vibrate more often," said Amanda. "She's probably on her way, don't worry."
"I'll try not to." Angel tried to put up a smile but failed terribly. "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me."
Angel turned around and left the living room. Leo looked on at her as she walked down the hall. He almost got lost in thought until he shook his head.
"Angel's really worried," said Oliver. "I hope Carly gets here safely."
Amanda held Oliver's hand that was on the armrest of the couch. "Of course, she will," she said with a smile.
"I better head upstairs and change," said Leo and he made his way to the stairs.
Leo couldn't help but worry about Carly's whereabouts. Now he felt even more guilty for not calling her when he had the chance. He would have been the one to pick her up. As he headed up the stairs to his room, he couldn't help but wonder if Carly was okay.
***
Carly groaned as she felt her head spin. She tried to open her heavy eyes but everything in front of her was a blur. She tried to come around but everytime, she felt like she was slipping back into oblivion.
She heard muffled sounds that she couldn't make out. She wondered where she was. She tried to remember what happened earlier, but her head hurt like hell.
Gentle taps on her cheek made her nerves wake up a little bit. Her sight slowly started to clear up a bit. She made out a person in front of her, but she still couldn't see properly.
She heard a voice, but it sounded all muffled up in her ears. She started to black out, but again, she felt a gentle tap on her cheek.
This time she was wide awake and she looked at her surrounding. She was in a room with grey walls and with a fluorescent tube above her. She wondered how she got here. The last place she remembered was the bus stop.
"Glad you're awake, Carly," came the voice in the room.
Carly looked straight in front of her and there was a man squatting on the floor, looking at her with a smile on his face.
Carly felt like she knew who the man was, but she couldn't remember. And then at that moment, everything dawned on her. This man had drugged and brought her here. Carly started to panic but then she realised she couldn't move. She looked down at her hands. She was strapped onto a wooden chair with rope and so were her legs. She tried to scream for help, but that was then that she realised that she had a cloth in her mouth. All she made were muffled loud noises.
"Ssh," said the man in front of her, smiling gently. "All you've to do is cooperate and we won't hurt you, okay?"
Carly started to panic even more, trying her best to break free. The man stood up and walked away. Carly heard the door open and close behind her. More people came into the room. She stopped struggling and waited as the man who had tied her up and another man came to stand in front of her.
"Carly Barclay," said the tall African American man as he got close and squatted in front of her. "I finally get to meet you at last."