Kith and Kin ✔️

45. Another Disclosure

Michael was the first one to break the silence. It was around half past eight but nothing had gotten any clearer.

"Guys, I need to go and see Mrs. Woods. I'll call you if I find something that makes sense." Saying this, Michael stormed out of the house.

In less than fifteen minutes, he was standing outside Elise's home.
Every time he came here, he felt warm knowing that Elise was inside these four walls, that she was safe, and happy.
Today, it felt cold, icy cold. He couldn't muster up the courage to take another step towards that house. But he had to.

He rang the doorbell for the second time and there was no answer. Nothing out of the ordinary. But every second was passing by really slow, excruciatingly slow.

Finally, the lock clicked. What did Michael expect to see? Mrs. Woods crying, her eyes swollen, her hair disheveled, and she'll ask him if he had gotten any information about Elise.

Mrs. Woods looked surprisingly normal. She had flour on her apron and her hair was neatly tied in a bun. She welcomed Michael with the same warmth and love but it was obvious that she was surprised.

"Did you want to have dinner with me and my husband? I am so glad that came, Michael. With Elise not at home, I really felt like that I needed young company." She smiled at him.

Michael was beyond confused now. Did she even know that Elise had been
missing since last night? They gave the police the right address. How couldn't didn't they know then?

"Thank you, but I had a little argument with Elise and she has been ignoring me for two days now. Can you tell me where she is, so we can, you know, sort it out?" Michael tried sounding casual.
"Oh dear, she went out of town with a few of her friends last night. It was unplanned so she called after she had left the town. Kinda surprising, since she didn't take any luggage with her. Also, I thought she had no friends. But she assured me that she'll be back in a few days." Mrs. Woods chuckled.
"Are you sure it was Elise you talked to?" He questioned, this concerned her.
"Yes, it was her number, her voice, I can recognise it even in my sleep. Is everything alright? Are you hiding something from me?" She sounded panicked.
"No, no, it's all okay. Don't stress. Actually, I remember, I need to go somewhere, see you later." Saying this, he ran back. As soon as he was out of Mrs. Wood's sight, he called Jason.

**********

She had been sleeping this whole time, probably under medication. The only time she could remember was when she was forced to talk on her phone, it was a blur. Then, a woman shoving bread and water into her mouth.
She could remember other things too. Michael's smile and his expression suddenly turning into that of horror. The handkerchief on her face and then, darkness.

She opened his eyes to see that there was only a little light in the open space. The ceiling went higher and higher. There was this unique smell but she couldn't hypothesize much about it. It could be a warehouse, pretty basic.
She was still trying to understand her surroundings when she heard footsteps, loud, heavy footsteps.

She tried faking being unconscious but the man had somehow sensed that she was awake.

"Stop faking it, girl. Your friends are dead worried and here you are, trying to play stupid games." His voice was casual, almost warm, but there was bitterness in the way he spoke.

'I hope they are okay.' Elise thought to herself.
As she opened her eyes she realised that she couldn't see anything. The source of illumination was gone and there was not even a speck of light in the vast room.

"Elise Woods, you're intelligent and strong-willed. I admire this trait. Maybe after I am done with this, you can work under my wing." The bitterness in his voice was now gone. But she wasn't going to give in. In the response to his compliment, she just snickered.

"Well, well, well, you need to stop playing smart to save your life. Your curiosity brought you to the gallows." He laughed, an empty cold laugh.
"As the saying goes, Curiosity killed the cat." He inched closer to her and she sensed it, that he was close, really close.
"But satisfaction brought it back." She spat at him.

"You're gonna pay for this!" He shouted and slapped her face, harder than she had imagined.
Before she could open her mouth, she felt a pickling sensation on her neck. Again, she felt like she was slowly losing grasp of her surroundings. The last thing she heard before losing consciousness was his heavy steps walking away from her.

*********

Jason and Michael hadn't showed up to school today. Alex saw Abby thrice today but he didn't have the energy to confront her. There were so many things he deserved an explanation for. No one ever told him about anything, maybe he just didn't want to hear. He knew he was lost but somehow he felt like he knew more than any of his friends did.

The last bell rang and he was eager to go home now. Even just existing made him tired and weak. He thought he needed a good sleep.

"Alex!" Abby called him in the corridor. For a minute, he stopped but then continued walking. He didn't have energy for any conversation.

"Alex, please, stop!" She quickly caught up with him and was now walking by his side.

"Jason isn't answering my calls and by the way you're ignoring me, I think they told you about it." She was taking short breaths.
"Yes, I know and that's the exact reason why I've been ignoring you." He abruptly stopped and turned to face her.
"But I want to tell you something. For God's sake, we've been friends for long enough. You can at least listen to me. I just want to help." She, too, was now facing him.

"I made it clear, Abigail. I have no reason to trust you." Alex spat.

"Just wait for a second, think of it. Why was I paid to get information about you when it's Jason who's under constant threat?" Now the corridor was deserted, someone stopped to see them, but quickly walked away.

"I don't care. I'm not involved in this." He was quick to reply.
"I'm not accusing you of anything. But maybe the guy I worked for is on our side. Please, think about it. I hate that guy, I'd probably kill him if I ever see him again. But he never asked me about Jason or Michael. And he never knew about the murders or anything. And he--" She was interrupted.
"Abigail, shut up. Don't say another word. I don't want to hear you!" Saying this, he stormed out of the corridor.

Even though he kept telling himself that he won't believe Abby, a part of him believed it. The man was Mike's father, why would he want to kill his friend and kidnap his girlfriend? The man was Mr. Steiner's friend, why would he try to kill his grandson?

He felt his thoughts materalise in front of him and it made him stop dead in his tracks. The man was leaning against Alex's car, his brilliant blue eyes staring with intensity. Alex didn't expect that he'll recognise him in an instant, but he did. The man, standing in front of him, was the same man he had been thinking about since last night, Michael's father, Abby's employer, the man who wanted his information.

He blinked twice, the man didn't disappear.

"You can walk here, I won't bite." The man smirked. Alex walked near him and the little shreds of doubt disappeared too.

"I guess you've recognised me. Looks like I'm pretty famous in your circle. But quite the opposite of what you all think, I'm not your enemy." The man spoke in a low voice.
"Why are you here?" Alex asked, almost involuntarily.
"I wanted to talk. Let's do it somewhere private." The man stood straight now.

Alex had a moment to consider his offer. He could either corner him and call for help or he could believe him and talk. The latter seemed irrational but he still chose it.

"Ok, but first I need to know your name." Alex's eyes showed distrust.
"Smart boy. I am Misha Cortese, I wish we had met in a different situation."

**********

A/N
Hallo people!
*internal screaming* It's our very own Misha!!!
Did anyone already knew that it was him? Or am I too good at creating suspense ;)

Don't forget to vote and share.

^^I'll finally escape this typical line in a few weeks. Yay^^