"You knew I'd come back for you, sweetie," the intruder said with an evil grin.
--
Getting caught up in the problem is the easy part.
Getting out unscathed though? Not so much.
Maya's life never seemed to be complicated but once her mother's murder...
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Derek, Quinton, Shawn, Nance and I all filed out of the car, heading towards the house that screamed old money. Sapphire was modern, beautiful, revamped but this house was big, stone-clad and majestic, towering over with its pointed roofs. A massive garden lay just outside the car parking area, lush green grass cut to perfection with what I could only imagine was a lawn mower too expensive for a regular man to pay off in years.
Mendez, Maya, Zayne and Caleb followed just a few seconds after us, having parked right next to our car.
A man, probably mid-forties nearing fifties walked out, a bright smile covering his wrinkled face. He was a man who had enjoyed his life, not a single stress line coming through.
Either that or he had a few pretty good facials, skin-care seemed to be top priorities for old folks with wads of cash.
His eyes scanned us all, faltering slightly when he looked over at Derek who was now standing next to me. I could see him tense as he looked at his father who he had not seen for over a decade.
If he was feeling angry, he wasn't showing it. By now, I'd have expected him to have been overcome with his 'red' that he spoke to me about but instead of getting angry and trying to steady his breaths, e just stood as composed as he was before he saw his father.
"You good, D?" I looked him up and down once, still surprised by how calm he looked.
"Yes, I'm fine." He'd said it too quickly though, hiding how he truly felt. "No man like him is worthy of being my father."
His strides didn't falter as he walked straight past his father whose arms were wide open, probably expecting a hug from his son.
What was he expecting though? Fat hugs and kisses after having left his son and wife to fend for their own for over a decade? I was surprised he wasn't getting fat fists and legs aimed straight for his throat.
Putting his arms down, Haran cleared his throat and outstretched his arms towards me.
"Jacob, I presume? Haran, just follow Melissa into the dining room, your seat has a name card placed on the table." Taking my hand and giving it a firm shake, he pointed to a lady wearing stereotypical maid uniform, black apron over a white shirt and black skirt.
He introduced himself to everyone behind me as I went to my seat. I was sat inbetween Derek and Nance. To the right of Derek's name card lay Haran's own seat. On Haran's other side was Mendez and next to him was Maya.
Put simply, I was sitting opposite Maya.
The last time I spoke to her was this morning when we were meant to train together but even then, Mendez stepped in and took over hardly giving me enough time to speak to her.
I'd gotten to know her over this month but with everything having happened, I didn't have time to get to know her and she didn't have time to get to know me. Next chance I got, I wasn't just going to let Mendez whisk her away into this nightmare.
