"He loves you."

"No he doesn't." I sobbed. I pushed the tray of food away from me. It hit the wall and toppled over. After another fit of rage, my father had sent me into the basement again. In a dark corner, sitting on dust covered, odorous boxes, I couldn't stop the thought that maybe I wasn't dad's child. None of my friends at school were left to starve by their parents and we had more money than them. I hated my dad, ever since I was young and being here again, cobwebs sticking to my dress, wasn't doing much to alleviate that.

Mom frowned at the spilled food, but turned back to me with her ever sympathizing eyes. "Maybe he isn't like other dads but it doesn't make him any worse. He loves you and your brother in his own way."

"I'd prefer any other dad over him." I sobbed as my mother embraced me without a word.

As a child I never believed her, as an adult I applaud my young self for knowing better.

"What did she say?" I ask, sitting forward in my chair.

"She told me to take care of you." I wait for her to continue but she is silent.

"That is not all." I state resolutely.

She sighs and gives a small smile, "You don't miss anything do you?" I do not reply. "She said she thought her life was in danger. She wasn't mayor anymore, but she obviously didn't have enemies." My mother was a very benevolent woman; she couldn't hurt a fly without feeling a pang in her heart. "I kind of surmised it was your father. But still I thought she was being paranoid. I asked her why she thought so and she said she was going to tell me later. She hung up the phone and that night I couldn't sleep. She was dead by the time I summoned the courage to call her again and ask. That woman died with too many secrets." A smile fleets across her face.

"Agreed." I rummage through my handbag and produce a piece of paper. One of the many Fiona handed me before she left. I pass it to Violetta who examines it for a while, her eyebrows knitted with concentration. "Can you tell me something about that?"

After a while she hands back the letter, "Ms. Maria, wrote this letter on your fifteenth birthday." I nod. It clearly says so on the date, "Why specifically? I also don't know. But it was a particularly hard time for her." Silence passes between us.

"Why so?" My voice has evened out to the calm, collected voice characteristic of my interviews.

"It was the first time he beat her." I do not flinch anymore.

"What did she mean by 'stray from the hand that fed my fare.'?"

Violetta smiles briefly, "Very poetic of her." The smile wanes as fast as it appeared, "She was alluding to leaving your father, and life at the mansion."

"Why didn't she?" That's what puzzled me the most. My mother had enough money to live comfortably, even with me and August she would have supported us in a bit of luxe. But she didn't and she obviously paid for it.

"She loved your father for so long. It was only natural for her to stay." She must have sensed my incredulousness, "You'll understand too when you find real love."

Carter's image in his apron cooking breakfast for me crosses my mind. My eyes widened with surprise. Violetta laughs at my expense. "I see you've found someone." I shake my head vigorously. Partly to stop her wild imaginings and also clear my head of such absurd thoughts.

A chime interrupts us. Violetta gets up quickly to remove the macaroons from the oven. A sweet scent wafts from the tray. I am drawn to get one. My hand instantly retracts at the heat. The tips of my fingers turn a scorching pink color. "Careful." Violetta chimes. As she places the new batch on the window and hands me the former batch instead.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about her?" Violetta shakes her head with sympathy in her eyes.

"I have nothing else for you dear. I guess there is a lot I didn't know about her. Same as you."

She packs the cooler macaroons in a tupperware and hands it to me. "You'll be okay." She says as she hugs me tightly. I thank her and walk to the door. I look behind me and see her waiting patiently in the corridor, I wave and close the door behind me.

I am quite disappointed that Violetta wasn't able to help me. I had hoped for more and that maybe she would testify in court later but it's a shame.

I still have one tramp card; Fiona's key. I take a cab to her apartment building. I get out of the card and look around. I can't be too careful.

I press the elevator button for the fourth floor. It takes a while to come. It is open and people poor out. A man in a brown suit bumps into me causing me to lose balance. I catch a portion of his face and oddly, he looks familiar. The same feeling of recognition registers in his eyes but he turns and leaves quickly. I teach my floor before I can put a name to the face.

With Fiona's apartment looming ahead, I forget all about the man. I look both ways before jamming the key in the hole and twisting. It clicks open. I enter and lock behind me. I turn to be met with carnage.

Everything is in tatters, furniture is broken, plaster was peeled off unevenly, drapes have been cut through and papers are strewn across the floor.

Papers!

I scramble to collect the tatters I see on the floor. They are the papers I was looking for. They are so torn they are useless to me. Despondency sets in. They got here before me. These are all signs of dad's involvement. I scoop the up as tears race down my cheeks.

It's not right to cry, I know, but I feel so helpless and weak for being bested again. He just had to be two steps ahead every time, I think bitterly.

"Ahhhhhh" I scream and toss the papers at me. I get up looking for a bathroom. I must freshen up and leave.

Cold water brings back color in my cheeks. I run a wet palm on my hair to tame it into looking humane. My reflection looks back at me with empty defeated eyes. Eyes of a loser.

As I turn to leave my foot slips on a fallen makeup brush and I fall. My head lands at the foot of the toilet. My nose scrunches up at the smell. My head hurts but not as much as I'd expected. Surprisingly, my head feel cushioned. I roll over and look where I landed. The linoleum that is covering the entire floor seems weirdly uneven from upclose. I pass my hand over it and feel a gap in the floor.

My heart beat speeds at the possibility. I get into a kneeling position and peel the lino off. I land on a wooden compartment whereas the rest of the floor is concrete. I slide two fingers in and try the lid. It comes off easily. A lone flash drive is inside. I stash it in my pocket and return everything to how it was. I exit the apartment as cautiously as I got in.

Later when I am back in my room, it finally clicks where I know that man in the brown coat. I can't mistake that imposing figure that was always at my dad's side. I am very glad, I reached there when I did. Imagine if I had walked in on them trashing the apartment. I would be in dire trouble with my dad.

Over the night, I transfer files on the flashdrive onto my computer. I fall asleep a little after midnight. In the wee hours of the morning, I am woken by a soft step in the corridor. I get up and listen for a moment. I lay back to sleep thinķing it's Carter. I am so drowsy I drift to sleep instantly.

Sometime later, I am jolted awake by a presence in my room. I can feel it moving around but I take my time to open my eyes; give myself some time to think.

My gun is too far, by the time I lunge for it they'll have caught me or worse shot me. I hear the person move to my bedside.

In a swift motion, I am on top of him, strangling him from the back. The man tries to fend me off but I over power him for a moment until he slams backwards into the wall breaking my grip on him.

Pain shoots through my back but I get try to strangle him again. He grasps my hands and throws me onto the bed. In the heat of the moment, I do not register that my arm got cut as it landed on the headboard.

I get up and aim a punch at him which he deflects and serves one od his own to my midriff. My stomach feels like it has been split in half. I bend over tears brimming on my lashes. It hurts so bad. The man is too strong for me, it was a bad idea to confront him.

I resolve to get the gun. I run to the cabinet and fumble for the gun. Stupidly, i do not realize that in so doing, i present him a window to attack me easily. I can't seem to find the gun! Panic sets in. What do i do now? I am going to die just like that?

I howl in pain when he yanks me up by the hair. I claw at his hands but he still has the upper hand. He tosses me on the floor and delivers a kick to my side. I cry out in pain. I roll into a ball to protect my already sore stomach from more attacks.

They never come. I hear someone gasping as they are forcefully pulled away. I look up and meet eyes with Carter's fierce ones as he locks the intruder in a chokehold. I try to get up but i double over with pain.

"Take it easy." Carter says through clenched teeth. In a swift motion, he slams the intruder on door making him unconscious instantly. He lays him down and comes to me. He rolls his shirtsleeves to his elbows and sweeps down to my level.

He picks me up gently as I wince with pain. He lays me on the bed and raises my tshirt to survey the damage. He scowls at the purple bruises forming on my side and midriff. He hold my forearm and helps me up. His hand returns smeared in blood.

Carter's already intense eyes turn stormy. His jaw clenches and unclenches as anger soundlessly crosses hia features. He gets up and harshly makes the man sit up.

A couple of slaps on the cheek bring him back. He looks dazed for a moment before registering his current predicament.

"Don't test me, buddy." Carter rasps icily. The man obeys instantly. Carter's hand grasps him by the jaw forcing him to look up. "What do you want here?"

The man keeps quiet. Carter increases the force on the man's jaw, veins appearing on his revealed forearms. The man groans with pain. Carter retracts hid hand. A punch lands whee the hand was. Blood flows from a cut on the intruder's lip.

I am appaled by the sheer animalistic intensity of Carter's attacks. I want to stop him but I can't bring myself to say it. Another punch. I flinch and want to hide my face from it all. I roll over but feel a searing pain midmotion. I flop back with a whimper. Carter's attention falls on me, allowing the intruder to land a blow on his chin. He falls over. I scream with fear.

Luckily, he gets up quickly and detains the man again. "Who sent you? What do you want from her?"

The man seeing no other way out starts talking. "Papers. They sent me to get papers." He breaks down into tears, "i don't know who they are. Please." Carter looks at me quizzically, I pretend like I do not know what he is talking about. "I don't know anything else."

Carter doesn't look eager to let him go. "What kind of papers?" He roars at him.

"I don't know what kind." Carter pulls him by the lapels until they are eye to eye.

"Don't dare lie to me." His icy gaze scares me. I am not used to this side of him and it terrifies me to know that he can loose his cool to such brutal lengths.

"Accounts, bank statements, ledgers, the likes." The man replies in a choked tone.

"Let him go."

Carter looks at me sharply. His gaze softens a little too late. "Please let him go." My voice is so small, i wonder how he can hear me.

Carter doesn't move for a while. He gets up afterwards and steps away from the man. He kicks his leg in passing, intentionally. "You're lucky for now." He says under his breath. He escorts the man out of the house and double locks the door.

He returns with swift steps. He pries my wardrobe open and start pouring clothes into a bag. "What are you doing?" I ask with confusion.

"We are leaving immediately." He grabs some toiletries from the bathroom and clothes and closes the bag. I am too ashamed to remind him of something important he forgot. He catches me as I am trying to hide a flushed face. "What?"

"You forgot underwear." He looks bewildereed too. A tint of pink colors his cheeks.

"Where?" I point to the bottom drawer. He opens it and grabs the nearest things he can find. "Is that enough?"

"No." I feel like dying right here and now. He empties the whole drawer into the bag and closes it finally. I grab my computer and phone which are closest to me.

He carries the bag. I sit up but almost faint as my vision darkens with pain. My head is swimming for a dizzying moment.

Carter is at my side in an instant. "Don't get up." He puts one hand under my thighs, the other on my back and lifts me up bridal style.

I am surprised by the sheer strength in his hands. He doesn't even look bothered by my weight. He grabs his briefcase from the kitchen counter and leads us to the door.

"Where are we going?" I ask. He sets me on my feet to lock the door.

"My penthouse."

"We don't have to go." I protest. He looks at me like I am being unreasonable. "I am serious. I'll be fine. They won't come back." I say confidently.

He frames my face with his hands, I flinch remembering how he held that man.

His thumb caresses my cheek. "I don't want to see you hurt again." His eyes bore into mine, searing my mouth shut. The concern, pain and frustration I see in them, makes a shiver run down my spine, I can only nod in response.

He lifts me up and takes me down the elevator. Tiredness catches up to me on the ride down, I start nodding off.

"Why are you so stubborn? You'll get us both killed one of these days." I hear Carter says as I fall into oblivion, still in his arms