The lady in Red (REWRITTEN!)

Chapter 44

  I had no idea what I was doing. I was lost in an unknown place, feeling out of place. In the dark interior, I had trouble identifying the paths I took. Initially, I considered turning around and leaving the building. But there was something stirring inside of me that I couldn't shake. I was also motivated by another feeling. A very distinctive smell of wet cement and mold filled my nostrils, and I scrunched up my nose, but kept walking. The only support I got for my vision was a very small beam of light coming from cracked, barred windows above me. Why was I really here? This question came to me a thousand times. 

The interior of the building reminded me of an abandoned mental institution. There were beds here with sheets that crumbled and legs that were broken. However, there wasn't much left here other than the beds. There were cracked bulbs attached to the ceilings hanging down. Broken glass was scattered across the floor, and I was careful enough not to step on it. My sense of smell intensified as I walked into the building. I walked the entire way in silence, and when I couldn't find him or hear anything close to his voice, disappointment stabbed at my chest. I was here for him. Where was he then? Where did Jason and the others go? It was a big place, and I felt lost. Maybe my gut was wrong. As I turned to leave, a distant sound stopped me in my tracks. As I listened closer, my heart accelerated. I recognized Jason's voice. Following the sound, uncertain of what I was trying to accomplish, I hid behind a wall to see if anyone was nearby. When I realized no one had caught me here, I began walking faster toward the sound. After approximately forty steps, I realized I had gotten extremely close to the sound of people talking. I felt the presence of multiple people in the room. And then...a muffled sound caught me dead in my tracks again.

It sounded strange to me at first. A muffled sound? Behind a wall, all I had to do was turn a little to see what was going on. I could sense multiple people in my vicinity at this point, so getting a closer look was going to be difficult. My patience was eroding as the muffled sounds grew louder. Was it Reece? Was someone hurting Reece? Tears stung the back of my eyes. The cells and nerves in my body were screaming at me to look. My heart briefly stopped beating when I picked up on the conversations taking place around me.

"You screwed up, Kapoor, and you know it." The voice I recognized was Jason's. Kapoor. Did I hear that right? No, it cannot be. It left me in a state of disbelief. As the muffled sound became stronger, I heard a strangled cough follow behind it. My rationality was hindered by uncertainty, and panic set in. My body remained still, sheltered from the danger around me, and I only breathed until my lungs hurt from trying to hold on to air. I listened. In the background, I heard the sounds of struggle against a scraping chair and the terror of uncertainty. The hairs on my body stood up in attention.

"How did I get here?" he screamed. "What is going on here?" he pleaded. Anyone could have had the name. I only knew one Kapoor, but knew there were hundreds of Kapoors in the world; however, that voice...that voice struck me hard. It was impossible for me to forget that voice. I hated that voice right now only because it belonged to the one person I hated the most. I fought my body to just turn a little and just have a small peak to confirm my worst nightmare, but my brain told me to do otherwise. No, not yet. Why would he be here? Singapore or Japan were supposed to have him in prison. Then how was this possible?

"You caused quite a stir back in Japan, Kapoor, and then even more here."

"I'm supposed to be having a fair trial. Not here! Why the fuck am I tied to this goddamn chair?!" Kapoor shouted. A deep, dark chuckle echoed somewhere in the distance and every hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"A fair trial? Surely you aren't that naive, Kapoor."

"Surely, we are not going to throw everything our hard work has brought us to this point for one stupid little girl?" Kapoor asked. "We can still merge, and earn millions if not billions. We're both powerful. We're both leaders." I stifled a gasp, remembering all of a sudden was this was all about. Me. I slumped a little at the realization, and my mouth went dry. Only one person threw away everything for me.

"How powerful are you, Kapoor?" the person opposite him finally asked. At the familiarity of the voice, my world came to a complete stop. I almost fell to the ground when the ground beneath my feet shifted. I couldn't help myself. I looked at them. I peered at the man leaning forward on a chair, facing Kapoor with both elbows leaning against his knees. I could feel the power he alluded to from where I stood. Faced with the horror that was happening before me, I could not turn my gaze away. Reece.

Kapoor replied, stupidly, "Powerful enough to end you." A deep laugh reverberated throughout the air, chilling my bones to the core.

"Under these circumstances?" His velvety voice said. "You can do better than that. Try again." I couldn't steer my eyes away from him. He sat calmly where he was while Kapoor struggled and fought against the chair. The more he struggled, the more I could tell the rope was cutting into him.

"Reece, why am I here?" asked Kapoor, this time with fear in his eyes. By the way his eyes bulged at the sight of Reece pulling out a knife out of nowhere, I knew he was losing. In my chest, I swear I felt my heart cease to beat. When Reece placed the blade on his own lap as support, I flinched. My fear spiked to the next level as I stared at the knife on his lap. What was he doing with the knife? What was he going to do with it?

"A fair trial right here. I'm going to give you a chance to defend yourself. Tell me why I shouldn't end your pathetic life right now?" He picked up the knife, and leaned forward again. A sense of unspoken threat hung in the air. All of my nerve endings, all of my cells, all of my muscles, and every bone in my body went on high alert in a single second. Jason taunted Kapoor and grabbed his neck harshly behind him. Kapoor swallowed audibly, realization dawning on him.

"She's...she's not worth it, Mr. Dean. You don't have to do this," Kapoor trembled.

"How did you get in touch with her family?"