I shook my head. “It might be the one I used on Dunvan.”
“Nope,” Carter negated that. “My men took care of that one. This was his. He came here with a gun of his own, Emma. Put it all together. What are you getting?”
I shrugged. I was so tired, so damn tired of it all. I felt myself growing numb again and shutting down. He murdered Mallory. The son of a bitch killed my friend and took away her baby. We could’ve, at least, had the baby. I wouldn’t have cared if it was from Dunvan. It would’ve been half Mallory. She was a good person. The child would’ve been a good person too.
I wiped a tear away and sat on the other couch.
Carter sighed. His tone softened, “I’m sorry if I’m hurting you, but I’m helping you too right now. I’m trying to get you ready because he’s going to wake up soon. Right now you’re thinking that he didn’t know what he did and he’s going to use that on you. He’s going to beg and plead. He’s going to cry. He’s going to use every trick he can think, but that’s not the truth. None of it is. He knew what he was doing, Emma. He killed her and he bragged about it. You heard him. ‘We saw his handiwork?’ He wasn’t here to kill Amanda. He could’ve done that right away. He was waiting for you. He knew what he was doing. Look past his surface and get a feel for him inside. What do you feel? Use all of it. Add it all up in your mind.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t. He was pushing me too hard. “Why are you doing this to me?” I started to turn away.
He caught my arm and pulled me back. “Because you need to know everything and have all the facts in your head. I won’t let you walk out of this apartment with regrets. Those will eat you up inside and I love you too much to watch you go through that. You’re going to make a decision on what to do with him and you’re going to own it. You have to know everything first.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to do this.
He pulled me over to Ben’s things. His voice was hard now, cold again. “Look at his shit. He broke in. He tied up the owner of the place. He has drugs. He has a gun. He has a knife. He has a phone. He’s wearing good clothes. He’s got keys to go somewhere. A person has an agenda when they go somewhere. They have a reason for everything they do. He’s not looking for an immediate score. His last phone call was to Franco’s guy. He was waiting for you. What was he doing? When he wakes up, it’ll still be his goal. When you figure out the agenda, you figure out the person.”
It was too much. Too many things were being stirred inside of me.
Carter broke. He said in a soft voice, “He already sold you out once and he was awarded for it. What do you think he was here to do? Again?”
My eyes got big and my heart paused. He was going to do it again. Carter was laying the groundwork. He wanted me to figure it out for myself. He was right, Ben would’ve convinced me. He would’ve cried and begged. I would’ve felt bad for him. Hell, Amanda and I always felt bad for him. We made fun of him, but we thought he was pathetic for how much he loved Mallory and pined for her.
Carter was right. I would’ve bought it.
“He’s setting up long-term. He was here to grab you for Franco, or kill you himself.” Carter went over and kicked at his feet. “My guess is that he was going to grab you, then call Franco and ask what he wanted him to do. He probably doesn’t know that Franco’s dead, no one does unless they’re in the family.”
“What would’ve Franco said?”
He shrugged as he kicked his feet again. “Franco would’ve had him bring you in, then he would’ve killed the guy. Your friend would’ve thought he was being so smart, that he had all it all figured out. He was going to get a big reward this time, bigger than just telling him who the trigger had been.”
“It sounds so easy to him, killing me like that.” I shuddered. My voice trembled, “Did he kill her that easy too?”
Carter had bent down and was untying Ben’s shoes when he stopped and looked up. He stared at me for a minute before he replied, “This guy sounds like a normal controlling and abusive ass**le. He probably had a lot of fury built up over the years. He watched her with other guys?”
I nodded.
“Okay.” He nodded to himself, like he had come to a decision. “You’re not going to like hearing this, but this is what I think happened. The guy wanted your friend and he finally got her. And he got her all to himself. I’m sure he put on a whole show, how he didn’t want you to go, but then, in truth, he liked that you were gone. He had her to himself. But once he did, I don’t think it went how he thought it was going to be. Life spent in hiding ages a person. It was wearing on him. Franco got him hooked on drugs so he was getting high, he had a bunch of cash, and your friend started looking different to him. He started thinking about what he could do on his own. He started feeling more and more trapped by her. If it hadn’t been for her, he could be living life grand. He knew I was with you. Someone told him at one point so he was hiding from me too. He blamed that on her too, since you were her roommate.”
With each word, I felt more and more sick. My stomach had climbed into my throat by his last words. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because I’m painting you a picture so you understand that when he got high, he got angry, they probably got into a fight, and he killed her. He probably didn’t even care that much anymore. She was a burden to him by then.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because this is what I do. I figure people out. I figure out their agendas. And your buddy here, he’s not some mastermind. He only thinks he was.” He had Ben’s shoes off and ripped off his shirt next. His pants were last before he stood up. “Are you ready?”
“Why did you undress him?”
Carter flashed me a hard grin. “You don’t want to know that answer. Alright, here we go.” He started shaking Ben again, kicking more at his feet. At first there was no response, but after a few more vigorous slaps on the face, he started to wake up. He sputtered and threw himself backwards. When he came up against the couch, he scrambled to his feet.
Carter pushed him back to the floor. “You stay there. Okay?”
Trembling, Ben nodded. His face looked drained of all his blood. And then he turned to me. His eyes widened, remorse filled them, and his lip started to quiver.
“Nope,” Carter negated that. “My men took care of that one. This was his. He came here with a gun of his own, Emma. Put it all together. What are you getting?”
I shrugged. I was so tired, so damn tired of it all. I felt myself growing numb again and shutting down. He murdered Mallory. The son of a bitch killed my friend and took away her baby. We could’ve, at least, had the baby. I wouldn’t have cared if it was from Dunvan. It would’ve been half Mallory. She was a good person. The child would’ve been a good person too.
I wiped a tear away and sat on the other couch.
Carter sighed. His tone softened, “I’m sorry if I’m hurting you, but I’m helping you too right now. I’m trying to get you ready because he’s going to wake up soon. Right now you’re thinking that he didn’t know what he did and he’s going to use that on you. He’s going to beg and plead. He’s going to cry. He’s going to use every trick he can think, but that’s not the truth. None of it is. He knew what he was doing, Emma. He killed her and he bragged about it. You heard him. ‘We saw his handiwork?’ He wasn’t here to kill Amanda. He could’ve done that right away. He was waiting for you. He knew what he was doing. Look past his surface and get a feel for him inside. What do you feel? Use all of it. Add it all up in your mind.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t. He was pushing me too hard. “Why are you doing this to me?” I started to turn away.
He caught my arm and pulled me back. “Because you need to know everything and have all the facts in your head. I won’t let you walk out of this apartment with regrets. Those will eat you up inside and I love you too much to watch you go through that. You’re going to make a decision on what to do with him and you’re going to own it. You have to know everything first.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to do this.
He pulled me over to Ben’s things. His voice was hard now, cold again. “Look at his shit. He broke in. He tied up the owner of the place. He has drugs. He has a gun. He has a knife. He has a phone. He’s wearing good clothes. He’s got keys to go somewhere. A person has an agenda when they go somewhere. They have a reason for everything they do. He’s not looking for an immediate score. His last phone call was to Franco’s guy. He was waiting for you. What was he doing? When he wakes up, it’ll still be his goal. When you figure out the agenda, you figure out the person.”
It was too much. Too many things were being stirred inside of me.
Carter broke. He said in a soft voice, “He already sold you out once and he was awarded for it. What do you think he was here to do? Again?”
My eyes got big and my heart paused. He was going to do it again. Carter was laying the groundwork. He wanted me to figure it out for myself. He was right, Ben would’ve convinced me. He would’ve cried and begged. I would’ve felt bad for him. Hell, Amanda and I always felt bad for him. We made fun of him, but we thought he was pathetic for how much he loved Mallory and pined for her.
Carter was right. I would’ve bought it.
“He’s setting up long-term. He was here to grab you for Franco, or kill you himself.” Carter went over and kicked at his feet. “My guess is that he was going to grab you, then call Franco and ask what he wanted him to do. He probably doesn’t know that Franco’s dead, no one does unless they’re in the family.”
“What would’ve Franco said?”
He shrugged as he kicked his feet again. “Franco would’ve had him bring you in, then he would’ve killed the guy. Your friend would’ve thought he was being so smart, that he had all it all figured out. He was going to get a big reward this time, bigger than just telling him who the trigger had been.”
“It sounds so easy to him, killing me like that.” I shuddered. My voice trembled, “Did he kill her that easy too?”
Carter had bent down and was untying Ben’s shoes when he stopped and looked up. He stared at me for a minute before he replied, “This guy sounds like a normal controlling and abusive ass**le. He probably had a lot of fury built up over the years. He watched her with other guys?”
I nodded.
“Okay.” He nodded to himself, like he had come to a decision. “You’re not going to like hearing this, but this is what I think happened. The guy wanted your friend and he finally got her. And he got her all to himself. I’m sure he put on a whole show, how he didn’t want you to go, but then, in truth, he liked that you were gone. He had her to himself. But once he did, I don’t think it went how he thought it was going to be. Life spent in hiding ages a person. It was wearing on him. Franco got him hooked on drugs so he was getting high, he had a bunch of cash, and your friend started looking different to him. He started thinking about what he could do on his own. He started feeling more and more trapped by her. If it hadn’t been for her, he could be living life grand. He knew I was with you. Someone told him at one point so he was hiding from me too. He blamed that on her too, since you were her roommate.”
With each word, I felt more and more sick. My stomach had climbed into my throat by his last words. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because I’m painting you a picture so you understand that when he got high, he got angry, they probably got into a fight, and he killed her. He probably didn’t even care that much anymore. She was a burden to him by then.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because this is what I do. I figure people out. I figure out their agendas. And your buddy here, he’s not some mastermind. He only thinks he was.” He had Ben’s shoes off and ripped off his shirt next. His pants were last before he stood up. “Are you ready?”
“Why did you undress him?”
Carter flashed me a hard grin. “You don’t want to know that answer. Alright, here we go.” He started shaking Ben again, kicking more at his feet. At first there was no response, but after a few more vigorous slaps on the face, he started to wake up. He sputtered and threw himself backwards. When he came up against the couch, he scrambled to his feet.
Carter pushed him back to the floor. “You stay there. Okay?”
Trembling, Ben nodded. His face looked drained of all his blood. And then he turned to me. His eyes widened, remorse filled them, and his lip started to quiver.
