67__Dead men tell no tales

Belinda was still waiting twenty minutes after the appointed time. Impatiently tapping her foot, she glanced at her bag and irately reached in for her phone.

She stopped, released a quiet scoff. The girl had had the decency to text, at least.

Opening the message, Linda read for a couple of seconds before glaring darkly at the busy street outside.

It appeared that Amelia Parker thought Linda had time to waste. Linda had been kind enough to give her a chance to have control over the situation by calling her to show her what she’d found and this was how she thanked her? By being carelessly late and then cancelling?

Linda scoffed. Fine.

If that was how she wanted to play it, then Linda was in total accord. She’d just go ahead and release the evidence without telling Amelia about it.

Either way, the Aryans would pay for their sins and the company would fall to her father and her brother.

Standing up, she grabbed her bag and put on her sunglasses before marching to the door.

By tomorrow, all hell would break loose

***********

Amelia gingerly followed her dad down the rocky path he was leading her along. There was nothing but trees ahead of them and she wondered where exactly he was taking her.

“Dad… for the hundredth time. Where are we going?”

“Just come along,” he called back, hurrying down the path.

Huffing, Amelia tried to remain as steady as possible in her heels. She hadn’t plan to do any bloody hiking today so hadn’t packed any trainers.

Luckily, the path wasn’t as long as she’d thought and they soon came to a small camping area.

Blinking at the tent and other camping gear scattered about the place, Amelia realized this was where her father had been hidden all this time.

“Come, love,” he said, dragging out a chair. “Sit down.”

“This is where you’ve been?” she asked, sitting. “Why?” She gasped. “Are you hiding? Is it because of Marc and that time he—”

“Never mind that,” he said, pacing up and down before her. “It isn’t that.”

Marc Aryan had only done that to question him. Jeffery had no doubt that Marc had been suspicious of Amelia, considering the kind of questions his henchmen had asked him. It wasn’t Marc, he was hiding from, no.

It was John Aryan. There was danger.

The moment a man in a sharp, black suit had appeared on Jeffery’s doorstep, he’d known that things would come to a very horrid, very dark end if he did nothing to stop it. Just like they had for his beloved wife.

Spending most of his time in the woods had been how Jeffery had stayed out of John Aryan’s sight, but now that Amelia had gotten into that family and had gotten John’s anxiety skyrocketing, no amount of running would be enough to save Jeffery from the evil that was John Aryan.

The man on his doorstep had only asked for one thing: To see a photograph of his now adult daughter.

Jeffery had known then that John Aryan had caught on, Amelia was in danger.

“Dad, you’re scaring me…” she said softly.

Sighing, he slowly crouched, hanging his head. There was no saying when they’d come for him. Dying and leaving his darling Amelia all alone made Jeffery’s gut twist painfully, bringing tears to his eyes. It was a sick bit of comfort that she wouldn’t miss him anyway. Not after she learnt the truth.

“Amelia…”

She sat straighter. “Yes, Dad?”

Her voice was so soft, so innocent and sincere. She called him dad with a loving heart and he knew how strong her love for him was. Amelia meant everything to him.

Jeffery lowered his head, hiding his tears. Would she ever forgive them for this?

“I’m sorry, pumpkin. We’ve lied to you…”

She blinked cluelessly, staring at him. “Who’s we?”

He sighed. “Your mother and I. It’s… unforgivable.”

She had no idea what he was talking about, but her gut churned with unease, tensing as she held her breath. “Dad...”

Swallowing hard, Jeffery pushed himself to his feet and stood before her, feet and hands moving agitatedly.

She frowned, watching his nervous movements. “Dad, it’s *alright.* It’s fine. Whatever it is, we can talk about it.”

Her gentle words made his guilt weigh heavier, crushing his heart beneath its mass. They never deserved this angelic girl.

A mute sob shook his shoulders and Jeffery’s face reddened, tears spilling over. “I’m so sorry, pumpkin. It’s all my fault. I never should’ve let your mother accept this.”

Alarmed, Amelia jumped up, rushing forward. “Wait, you’re crying? What’s going on?”

Grasping his arms, she anxiously studied his face. “Dad, you’re scaring me.”

“We should’ve chosen to remain childless, it would’ve been better,” he cried. “I’m so sorry, pumpkin.”

“Dad, could you just tell me what on earth’s the matter?!” she cried, her own eyes filling with tears. “You’ve got me heart jumping out of me chest!”

“Amelia, we’re…” He sighed, shaking his head slowly. “We’re not your real parents, love…”

She stared at him, her frowning face a mixture of confusion, frustration, and blank shock. “I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“Pumpkin, I mean just what I’ve said.” He grasped her hand, holding it. “I had to tell you. I’m so sorry we’ve kept it from you all these years, we just wanted you to have a normal life. Your mum and I, we had no kids. And then you came, so perfect and so beautiful and you even looked just like her, it was like you were made for us.”

“Woah, woah!” She gave her head a rapid shake. “You’ve lost me. Dad, what are you talking about?! Is this one of your pranks, cause I’ll have you know, I’m not in the mood—”

“No, Amelia, I’m not joking.” He shook his head firmly. “I could die. If I die, I want you to know that your mum and I, we loved you. We love you so dearly, my pumpkin.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Dad…”

“You’ll always be my little girl, I’ll always be your Da’ and that’ll never change.”

“Dad, I don’t know what—”

“There’s no time, love. Your real father… his name is Vincent Harris and he is a big shareholder of Aryan Gold, your mother’s old company. I don’t know if you want to do anything with that information, but I had to tell you. It’s the least I owe you…”

His face was drenched in tears and she reached up, wiping them as she shook her head. “Dad, let’s first get you home, okay? My apartment’s still empty. You can stay there for the time being, yeah?”

“I love you, pumpkin and I’m so s-sorry…” His voice was distorted by his tears and the sight broke her heart.

“Dad, please don’t cry.” Panic was simmering just below the surface at the words he’d just spoken, but she kept it in check by ignoring it all. It didn’t make sense, she wouldn’t think about it. She needed to take care of her dad first.

She wrapped her arms around him for a warm hug. “It’s okay, dad. Don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry I let you down…”

She shook her head firmly, denying it all and denying the tears that burned in her eyes. “No. You’re all I have, dad. We’re all we have in this world, you could never let me down.”

“Amelia—”

He suddenly jerked sharply in her arms. Gripping him, Amelia’s eyes went wide. Was he going into shock?

“Dad? Dad?!”

Pulling away, she looked up at him and froze.

In the middle of his abdomen, a round patch of red was quickly growing.

“Da… Dad!!”

He dropped out of her arms and Amelia screamed, her fear amplifying the sound. “Dad!!”

She crashed to her knees beside him, hands frantically gripping his arms. He’d been shot. Her father had been shot whilst she’d held him.

“Dad! Dad… oh, my God, dad!” Her eyes blurred with tears and her trembling hands jerked back and forth between her phone and his gunshot wound. She watched in terror as his staring eyes slowly went dim. Her mind was screaming with so many different urgencies, she didn’t know what to do first. She had to call an ambulance! She had to put pressure to his wound!

Amelia was losing her mind.

“Dad!” She grabbed his jacket, shaking him.

“Amelia!”

Two arms wrapped around her, snatching her off the ground.

She screamed, thrashing against her captor.

“Amelia, it’s me!”

Crying, she looked up and stared into ocean-green eyes. “Marc… Marc, my dad—”

He swept her into his arms and took off running.

“W-wait! My dad needs medical attention! H-he’s been shot!”

“There’s no time!” he shouted breathlessly. He’d nearly had half a heart attack when her father had gotten hit. The sniper was still in the area. It was more than likely that he’d been taking aim for Amelia next, Marc had nearly died of anxiety while running down to her.

She was crying in his arms, hands clinging to him as she stared over his shoulder and her father’s still body.

“Dad… my dad! Stop! My dad needs help!”

“Your dad’s dead!” he shouted as he ran. “If you go back there, you’ll die too.”

His words cut into her mind like a mercilessly sharpened blade, swiping her remaining sanity in two.

The sheer disbelief of what she’d just seen poured swiftly in, dragging pain in along with it.

Tears poured incessantly down her face, her vision shaken by Marc’s running. Horrified, she stared into space.

Her dad was dead. Her dad was killed.

No…

Amelia’s heart shattered. Pain twisted her heart until she felt physically ill, shutting her eyes on the gut-wrenching sobs.

Her dad… wasn’t her dad.

********

“You’ve gone too far,” Marc growled on the phone. “Will you not stop until I lose my temper?”

“You provoked me first,” his father countered. “How dare you? You knew, didn’t you?! You knew who she was! You married her with plans to ruin me! My company!”

A shuddering breath of disgust parted Marc’s lips, his eyes closing in exasperation. “If I had *known* who she was, I would have stayed far away from her, I have that much decency! She’s gone through enough! Because of you, because of your greed. I stepped away from your sick games and left your company, left this country. I wanted nothing to do with any of it, but now you’ve tested me far beyond what I can handle. You tried to hurt her... I’m going to end you.”

It was a promise, one that carried all the doom that Arthur had ever feared from his son.

“D… do your worst! I’ll kill anyone who stands in my way. Even if it’s that little wife of yours!”

Marc’s grip on the phone tightened, rage threatening to drive him mad for a moment. “Come get her. I dare you. Get past me, Arthur. Just try. You’ve always accused me of killing my mother. It’s time I live up to my name, time I send you back to hell.”

His father scoffed. “You’re threatening me? Then, you can kiss the company goodbye! It’s not like I can trust you anymore. What? You thought I wouldn’t find out about the vile secrets you and Elizabeth have been keeping?! My own children, having babies with the enemy and lying to my face!! Where is she? She and the boy are in hiding, aren’t they? Well, you better hand your little wife over, Marc, or I’ll take my anger out on Elizabeth and her bastard of a boy! Let’s see who you treasure more. Your little wife or your so-called son!”

Marc’s face went red with rage, a vein appearing on his forehead as he used every ounce of his strength to contain the catastrophic fury boiling in his blood. How dare he threaten James’s safety? How *dare* he?!

A hand gently picked the phone out of his hand.

Gripping his hair, Marc paced tensely in his living room.

“Arthur,” Arson said calmly into the phone. “The corpse of the man you had assassinated today is already in the possession of the authorities.”

“Rubbish!” spat Marc’s father. “Robert understood that the body was to be brought back! I made sure of it!”

“Your Robert is currently sinking to the bottom of the lake on your private golf course. I made sure of *that.”*

“Wha… what?”

“The authorities have Jeffery Parker’s body. Every shred of evidence that they need to put you in prison for the rest of your miserable life will be in their offices by tomorrow morning. I’ll be making sure of that too. Of course…” He eyed Marc. “I’ll try to keep Marc inside until then so you actually survive to pay for your sins.”

Pulling the device away from his ear, Arson hung up on the sound of Arthur’s fear-fuelled threats.

He dialled another number and put the phone to his ear.

Moments later he said, “Elizabeth. It’s Arson. It is of utmost importance that neither you nor James set foot outside right now. Arthur is currently in a state of panic, you two are the only thing he could use to get his way. It would be impossible for him to locate you as long as you stay inside. So, stay hidden.”

Without waiting for her response, he promptly ended the call and put the phone down. One look at Marc was enough to see the green light. He’d calmed down a little, it was safe to proceed.

Arson approached him. “Where is she?”

Sighing, Marc glanced up. “Upstairs. Asleep. She’d fainted by the time I got her home.”

“What are you going to do, Marc?”

Marc cursed, pacing faster like he couldn’t contain his agitation. “I don’t know. First, I have to protect her.”

Arson tilted his head, looking over his glasses at Marc. “If I may make a suggestion—”

“I’m not leaving her.”

“Marc, distancing yourself from Dr Parker at this time would be most beneficial—”

“I’m not leaving her, Anthony!”

Arson paused, blinking in silent shock.

“I don’t care what happens,” Marc went on. “I’m not leaving her. I don’t care if I have to take every bullet fired at her. I’ll be her human shield.”

His friend sighed. “Pity you’re not bulletproof. I think you’re forgetting that.”

“She’s done nothing to deserve any of this, Arson. I’m not letting anyone hurt her further, even if I have to sell my *soul* for it, I’m keeping her safe!”

Stepping into Marc’s way, Arson was going to argue further but then stopped, looking up at the stairs. “Oh?”

Amelia was rushing down the stairs, shoving her arms into a coat. Marc spun around in time to see her rush past him.

“Woah!” He caught her hand. “Where are you going?”

She snatched her hand away. “My d-dad. My dad needs me.”

She ran off and Marc rushed after her.

“Amelia!” He grabbed her, catching her in his arms. “You can’t go out there!”

She struggled in his arms, clenching her teeth as tears blurred her eyes. “Let me go! I… I have to get him to the emergency room!”

“Amelia—”

“Stop it! My dad… my dad needs help…” She was weakening, but tried to keep fighting him.

“Amelia, you’ve been in and out of consciousness for an hour already,” he said gently. “It’s too late.”

She was crying now, shaking her head. “No… no, my dad…”

His words sunk into her brain like bitter venom, turning her body weak until every ounce of fight was gone.

When she screamed in pain, he simply held her, clutching her against him. Her legs lost strength and Marc held her up, feeling the most horrendous pain he’d ever felt tear at his heart as he listened to her cry.

“Marc, m-my… my dad…”

He hugged her against him, letting her cry into his chest. “I’m sorry, darling. I’m so sorry.”

Groaning, she shoved him away, slapping his chest. “You knew! You knew, didn’t you! You knew they would kill him, that’s why you were there!” Her face went slack, her reddened eyes widening as tears trickled down her cheeks. “Was it you? Did you k-kill my dad? Why? He was all I had.”

His arms hung at his sides, Marc’s face unreadable once again. “No. I didn’t kill your dad.”

“Th-then who? And why?!”

She dropped to the floor, wailing as she buried her face in her hands. “It’s all my fault. I should’ve… I should’ve stayed away… The Aryans, the Harris family, I… I should’ve left it all alone…”

Marc knelt beside her, wanting to hold her.

“H-he wanted to go to Yorshire,” she cried. “I should’ve gone. It’s all my fault. I’ll go. I’ll go to Yorkshire, I’ll leave it all behind, so… so b-bring back my dad!”

He swallowed hard, his vision blurred over with tears as he watched her.

“Bring him back!” she screamed.

The pain in her voice tore him apart. Drawing her close, he wrapped her tightly in his arms. He wanted so badly to take her pain away.

That he couldn’t do that for her, made Marc feel useless.

“I never should’ve married you,” she whimpered, trembling as she cried against his chest.

The words were painful to hear. But he took it. He would take everything Amelia threw at him, he deserved it all.

“I’m sorry, darling. I’m sorry.”

Arson sighed, looking down at them. Arthur John Aryan was a dirty, rabid dog. It was time someone put that dog down.