Chapter 99: Lillian
Chapter 99: Lillian
“ Joey, come on. Please stop crying. You've got to be strong for your godmother” I called gently to my
son who was crying silently on his bed as I stood in his doorway.
“ But mom, I'm missing Nora and Nadia so much. I don't know what's going on with them. And who the
fuck is Deborah? I so hate her” He screamed at me as he turned to watch me from the doorway trying
to dab at his now teary eyes.
I strolled to pull him close as I let him sobbed on my shoulder, ignoring him using the swear word. Any
other day, I would have scolded him but today, I decided to let him be since he was hurting so badly.
“ It's okay son, momma understands. I promise we'll find them soon but please you've got to be strong
for them. You know Nora and Nadia wouldn't like to see you like this” I told him pointing to his now lean
body since he has been wasting his meals these past few weeks.
“ I'm sorry, mom” He apologized to me as he turned to force a smile on his face trying not to make me
worry. I smiled back as I bent to ruffle his back hair, something he had always hated as he glared at
me.
“ Mom, I'm no longer a kid. Stop doing this” He frowned at me as he tried to strengthen his curls as he
pulled away from me.
“ Whatever, you are still my little baby. Now, fix yourself, I'm going back to your godmother” I told her as
I walked back to the door. I opened it just as I saw Nina tiptoeing down the stairs with her phone held
tightly in her hands.
I wanted to scream her name but pause. Seeing the way she was trying to be silent, something is not
right. I needed to follow her, which was exactly what I did. I let her go down the stairs and watched her
go into the elevator as I followed her by taking the stairs while dialing Danny's number.
He picked up on the second ring“ Hello” I called breathlessly into the phone as I was already out of
breath running down the fucking stairs. I still have two more steps before I'm on the ground floor.
“ Hey, beauty! What's wrong with you?” I felt Danny tensed as the smile fell from his voice as soon as
he noticed my tone.
“ I'm great” I called sarcastically at him rolling my eyes. He just asked the wrong question at the
moment.
“ Relax baby! I was only concern” He called through the phone, I could imagine him throwing his hands
up in surrender. Yes, that's how funny Danny could be?
“ So, what's up with you? Or is there a man with you cause I will fucking kill him this minute? Nobody
messes with my wife” He scowled into the phone causing me to roll my eyes at him. Typical Danny,
always jealous and so possessive of me.
“ And what if I was willing?” I taunted him further as I paused as soon as I got to the last stairs trying to
catch my breath. I just hope Nina won't be down before me.
“ You wouldn't dare!!” He growled menacingly at me, causing me to gasp at him in shock. I was only
joking with him; there was no need for him to take it personally.
“ Quite it, Loverboy. I have far better things to talk to you about than your jealousy and possessive
traits?” I told him as I resumed walking. That seems to get him to relax as he questions me further.
“ So, what's going on?” He asked me as he turned to call something to Michael in the background. I
always knew they were together with inspector Peller in Michael's office planning on how to get the twin
back from Deborah. Since they haven't received any phone calls from Deborah there was no way they
could track her which left me to believe that Nina was hiding something from us
“ I think Nina is going to meet Deborah” I called into the phone as I stepped out of the staircase. I saw
Nina rushing out of the Janitor's room, changed out of her dress, and clutching onto a waste bin in her
hands.
I swore as I cursed profanities into the air. Looking at her now, no one, especially not the new guards
Michael had just employed recently, could tell it was Nina but we grew up together. I could tell right
away that she was the one with the way she carried her shoulder and her hip-swaying behind her as
she forced herself not to draw attention to herself. I let her walk to the gate where the guards stopped
to search her before giving her the clear to leave.
“ What did you just say? What is she going to do?” I heard Danny shout across the phone jolting me
from my inner thoughts. I paused to see Nina half running to the gate, glad to be finally free. Things are
not looking good.
“ I've got to go, Danny. She's boarding a taxi now, can you have Michael track her phone?” I told him
already running to my car. I put the phone on the loudspeaker before dropping it in the passenger's
seat before pulling out of the parking lot.
“ Michael didn't tap her phone. He said something of trusting her that's why he couldn't do it” Danny
told me from the other line. His voice laced with concern, I could imagine him frustrated with everything
and himself. And with Joey telling him every night to find the twin, I'm sure he's hurting that he's failing
his son.
“ Fuck!!” I swore angrily with my fist punching the steering harshly as Danny's voice filled the interior of
the car. I don't know who I was more annoyed with, myself, Nina, or Michael? Or the fact that I'm letting
my son down too even after promising to make sure that the twin is alright
“ Then have him do something. She's going to meet Deborah alone and you know how fatal that can
be?” I shouted at him from the car as I looked up, praying that I might find Nina and talk some sense
into her.
I could hear Michael's cursing and commanding everyone to find his wife from the background just as
my eyes got a lone figure seated in a taxi two-lane away from me. I smiled as soon as I register that it
was Nina, I couldn't be more glad for the red traffic light that had pulled us to halt, now I could follow
her.
“ I've found her” I called excitedly into the phone. I could hear both Michael and Danny's excited Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
screams.
“ Please, follow her. We need you to find out who she meets? Please, Lillian, I'm counting on you”
Michael called to me pleading with me to find his wife at all cost.
“ Please be careful with yourself. I can't bear losing you too ” Danny's concerned voice called to me
from the other line as it filled the car. I couldn't help rolling my eyes at him. He's so scared! Such a
putty...
“ I will, bye. I'm going to hang up now” I ended the call just as I caught his protest which was along the
lines of“ Please don't. I want to talk to you all through the way” Like I'm ever going to allow that, I glare
at the phone which now lay on the couch
I put the car in motion just as the traffic light turned green. I watched Nina's taxi surging forward
speeding off as they took a left turn at the intersection. The road signal at my right caught my eyes as I
caught the name of the town___ Beacon.
We've been driving for a good two hours with no sign of stopping anytime soon__ I was tired from all
the driving and hungry and apart from everything, I had received a countless number of calls from
Danny and Michael but I refused to pick. I was not in the mood for his tantrums.
I pulled over at a large shrub tree as soon as I saw Nina's taxi pulling over at an abandoned cabin. I hid
inside my car as I watched Nina step out of the car. The door to the cabin opened and
Deborah strolled out clad in a black bicker suit and a cigarette in between her hands. When did she
learn to smoke? She never did that before or is this what revenge does to someone?
I froze as soon as I felt her eyes roaming through the property into the forest. I couldn't help shuddering
as soon as I remembered that this was the same place Nina was held captive by Austin. I couldn't help
wondering what this would mean to her health. We've spent months and money trying to get her to
forget the trauma of being held captive by Austin and now, Deborah is making her remember them all.
I waited for an hour after they had both gone inside the building before I could bring myself to step out
of my car after I had switched on my phone's GPS signal and locked it in my car. I never can tell,
anything could go wrong but I'm sure Michael and Danny can find us from my phone signal. I tiptoed
down the lane glad of the night sky that had descended on us.
The taxi driver was long gone, as the parking lot was cleared from any car. I wondered how Deborah
got here, did she drive her car? If she did, where did she park her car?
I walked to the front of the porch and tiptoed around the orange dried leaves scattered in front of the
door, careful not to make any sound from the crunchy lips that laid on the floor. I opened the door and
cringed as it makes a screeching sound. I paused to see that Deborah wasn't running down the stairs
to see what had caused the commotion.
I heaved a sigh of relief before allowing myself to enter the house before closing the door behind me.
The interior of the house was dark, the only light which illuminated the room was from the moon which
was from an open window across from me.
With it, I could see the big stairs which lead to the second floor. Where could Nina be? I wondered in
my mind as I took the stairs. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I was very scared but I forced
myself to take another step because Nina meant everything to me.
As soon as I got to the second floor, I heard whimpering from the door across from me. I rushed to
open the door but froze as the scent of cigarettes and beer hit my nostrils from behind.
I froze and turned around, I gasped as my eyes found the pairs of dark orbs staring directly at me with
a smirk on her face.
“ Well, well, well. Isn't this interesting” Deborah's cold voice called to me as she paused to take a drag
from her cigarette before exhaling the smoke on me sending me into a coughing spree.
“ What the hell, Deborah? What do you do that for?” I called angrily at her after I had recovered myself.
“ Consider it my welcoming present. Now, what are you doing here?” I watched as her voice changed
from teasing to a cold menacing killer in seconds. She came over to me and opened the door at my
back before dragging me into the room.
I squinted my eyes at the sudden darkness which was void of light. My eyes found some figure spray
on the floor holding on to another figure. My heartbeat escalated in my chest as I hope that wasn't
Nina. Please, dear God, don't let it be her.
“ Nina. Wake up. You've got a visitor” I heard Deborah called to her before pushing her awake with her
feet.
“ Don't do that to her. Can't you see she's tired? Oh my God! You're so heartless, Deborah” I shouted at
her before rushing over to Nina's side who was steering from the floor
“ Nina, are you alright?” I called gently to her trying to get her to stand.
“ Lillian. Oh my God, Lillian what are you doing here? She's going to kill us all and I can't find my
daughter. Nadia has been missing” Nina exclaimed bitterly as she sat up running her hands through my
face to confirm that I was really in the room with her.
“ I'm sorry, I couldn't resist following you. And what happened to Nadia? Why couldn't you find her?” I
asked her as I finally registered her last words to me. I wonder what could have gone wrong between
Nadia and Deborah? Did she piss her off? I know Nadia could be too smart for her age but____
“ Nay, Nay. You don't need to worry too much about it. I'm just teaching her manners. She should be
available for the hunt tonight” Deborah called to me as she turned to walk back outside the room but
before I heard her give instructions to the men outside the door.
Something like“ Whip her until she can't even remember her name again nor breathe” Before I hear the
door open and two hefty men stroll in the room holding two whips in each hand.
I groaned and as they dragged me out into the night, Nina's voice screaming my name accompanied
me out into the darkened night as the men whipped harshly on my skin.