Graceona's True Feelings

Leonard

I leaned back in the seat of the Lamborghini, "A penny for your thoughts?" I heard Grace sigh.

I looked at her as she handed me a cigarette, I accepted it with a sigh, "I've been sharing the sheets with Audra McGee, a murderer."

Gracing looked at me, "Ah, Audra, you call her a murderer. Why is that?"

"She was the one who Jay got to murder our mother. She had said that she had taken the unborn girl to Nantucket."

"So, the unborn child was a girl, and she is still alive. That would explain the reason your mother's stomach was gashed open. Audra had delivered the child, that way. It's frowned upon, but she saved one life."

I sighed, "Whose side are you on? What she did was wrong, she killed someone, saving another human doesn't justify what she did."

"It justifies nothing, you're right. But perhaps she had a reason for murder. The Audra I remember was a sweet girl, not one capable of murder, the girl wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone bash in someone's skull and gut someone."

I looked at her, "She stated that Jay had forced her, threatening to silence her if she didn't do what he asked. She had been hidden in Nantucket for the past few years, under the name Annette Ashford. That I know is wrong, she has every right to be fearful, but she gutted our dead mother, I didn't relish that idea."

"She did that to save the child. The girl was crazy about you even back then. She probably knew someway that the child was developed enough to be separated from the deceased mother, and she didn't want to be the murderer of two people that night. She probably didn't want to murder your mother. You said it yourself that he threatened her. You know Jay as much as we do, he's crocked, if he says he will silence someone. You know from experience that he will do whatever that is in his power to see that what he wants to be carried out, he will carry it out."

I sighed, "Why are you being so understanding about this?"

"Leonard, Audra looked up to your mother as a role model. The girl would tell me how she looked at your mother as her mother. You don't relish the idea of your mother being gutted. Maybe Audra didn't enjoy carrying the job out, having to look at the woman she loved and admired laying in a pool of blood. Lifeless, Leonard, your mother was a mother figure to most girls in the town. Myself included, no one would have been willing to carry her murder out, Audra was just the unlucky choice that Jay had picked, and he knew he could easily manipulate her. Everyone in the town knew that she was afraid of McGee, it wasn't a secret the girl could easily hide."

"You think I should go talk to her?"

Graceona sighed, "Leonard, you know what is the right decision to make as much as I do. You have your answers, they aren't the ones you wanted to hear, but then again when are these ever the answers that people want to hear. I think you should hear her side, with a clear mind. If she feels she is in danger, then she is on our side, if she feels that she needs to flee for her own father. Then nine times out of ten she is fearful for a reason, don't you find it odd that Virginia died of an 'overdose' when all this went down, everyone knows that Virginia had never done drugs, nor did she take medicine. Something is wrong with that picture, McGee is fooling no one but himself."

I looked at her, "She's going to hate me."

"I doubt it, it's Audra McGee, little miss perfect. The one person whom I can't compete with, she's crazy about you. Go to her before she leaves. You can still make this work. She'll forgive you."

I got from the car, "I'm sorry, Graceona."

"This isn't your fault, Leonard. You tried to love me, but we don't have that kind of chemistry, we're always going to be partners in crime, the packaged deal. All friendship stuff, you want more, I don't Audra will give you the family you want. Me, I look up to you as a brother, nothing more. Go get her and I'll wait here, then three of us can go to Nicolae's."I went to shut the door, "Wait," I looked at Graceona, "J.M. Enterprise employees are roaming around here, you're going to need some backup." She got a revolver from her dashboard, "You do remember how to use these things, right? Shoot without hesitation, it either them or us." I got the gun shutting the door placing the gun in my pants pocket making my way to the private jet.

Annette

I sat in the chair that Leonard had left me, tears falling from my eyes. I sighed, "It's better that he knew who killed his mother." I knew this relationship would fall apart when I told him that, but at least he wasn't in the dark anymore. The fear of being in New York again without Leonard to protect me, caused chills to run up my spine. My blood cold as my heart hammered inside my chest. I had gotten over the panic attacks years ago, but sitting in a jet plane in the place that my father ran, I shivered, a stray tear finding its way down my cheek as I leaned back into my seat. It was a tough pill to swallow when Leonard had told me about the call from Nicolae. The lump in my throat was the thoughts of what Nicolae's punishment was in leaking information on something that Jay did his best to keep in the shadows. A web of lies that he had killed many who dared to know the, who dared to scratch under the surface. The dark mystery is hidden in the J.M. Enterprise, those foolish to take the job silently, and unknowingly signing their life away. Jay was the puppeteer those unfortunate workers were his puppets.

I sighed, "When is this madness going to stop?" Jay would not stop until the whole Shepherd Family were underground, Leonard included, I stood up, walking to the private cabin seeing a pistol hanging on the wall. I sighed, "I have to try, I have to prove to him, that my love is true."

I got the gun from the wall, "Audra, did you finally come out of hiding to face the fate that you have delayed for so many years?"

The chills ran up my back, a cold sweat formed on my brow. The man that I had hidden from for ten years, now behind me. I swallowed the lump in my throat before slowly turning to face him.

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