Once it hit eight o'clock Victoria was already dressed in all black. A sleek black dress, heels, and a wide brimmed hat pulled low to obscure her face. She and Jeremy had agreed to go through with the plan. She would deliver the money the blackmailer demanded while Jeremy stayed behind to keep an eye on the house.
Victoria was still suspicious of Isaac. Everything up until now had been revolving around him. There was no way they could know Jeremy was in the house without someone on the inside ratting him out.
She'd already turned off all the security cameras in the house. For all she knew the person behind this could be some hacker who had infiltrated their home devices to keep tabs on them. Jeremy had even gone outside earlier to check if anyone was watching from a distance but he found no one. So they gave up trying to outsmart whoever it was and just did what the letter instructed.
Emma was already back from school. Emily was still out with her friends like she'd said that morning.
Once Victoria left Jeremy made his way to Isaac's room. He was going to threaten the boy into spilling everything he knew. He didn't really care about Victoria all that much. He knew if there was ever a chance for her to escape this mess she'd take it without giving him so much as a warning. That was just how things had always been between them. Their relationship was purely transactional, rooted in a shared criminal past and nothing more.
Jeremy knew he wasn't the brains behind any kind of sophisticated operation. But the fact that his real name had been exposed was deeply concerning. Even Victoria hadn't known it until today. And if she was really right about her suspicions then why not go after the person she suspected most? Seeing she wasn't going to do anything about it he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He knocked on Isaac's door. He needed to confirm the boy was still in his room and wasn't the one out there collecting the money. No one answered. He knocked again. Still nothing. So he barged inside.
What he saw surprised him.
Isaac stood in front of his bedroom window with a lit joint between his fingers. Smoke curled lazily into the night air.
He turned his head back and looked at Jeremy. His expression was calm. Almost amused. "Can you close the door after you come in?"
Jeremy's eyes narrowed as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him with a deliberate click. The small room felt suddenly smaller. The air was thick with tension and the sharp smell of weed. Isaac stayed at the window with his back still turned, taking another slow drag from the joint before exhaling into the night.
"I have to say you've got some balls kid," Jeremy said, his voice low and dangerous. He crossed his arms, muscles tensing beneath his shirt. "Smoking weed while your stepmother is home."
They both knew that wasn't the case. Victoria had already left to deliver the money. From the looks of it Jeremy was just trying to provoke him.
Isaac turned to him slightly. "I suppose she sent you here to keep an eye on me. Or did you just come on your own?"
Jeremy seemed to catch the hidden meaning behind those words. His jaw tightened.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Isaac shrugged and stubbed the joint out on the windowsill. "Nothing really. Just wondering why you're in my room instead of wherever you're supposed to be." He moved past Jeremy toward his desk and pulled open a drawer. "Actually since you're here I have something for you."
Jeremy's hand instinctively moved toward his waistband where his gun was resting. "What are you talking about?"
Isaac pulled out an envelope and held it out casually. "This. Someone gave it to me earlier. Said it was for Jeremy." He glanced at him. "That's you right?"
Jeremy stared at the envelope like it might explode. His name was written across the front in neat handwriting. The same style as the blackmail letters. "Who gave this to you?"
"Some kid. Maybe thirteen or fourteen. I can't really tell." Isaac's expression stayed neutral. Almost bored. "He gave me twenty bucks to make sure you got it. Said it was important."
"When?" Jeremy's voice was sharp.
"This afternoon. After school." Isaac frowned and dropped the envelope on the bed when Jeremy didn't take it. "Look I don't know what's going on with you and Victoria and I don't care. I just want to do what I was paid to do and go to sleep."
Jeremy snatched the envelope up with his hands trembling slightly as he tore it open. Inside was a single sheet of paper with written text.
[Well well well. Looks like you got the letter Owen. Or should I call you by your full name? Owen Marcus Reeves. That should be understandable considering you're just 34 years old. Still a kid who doesn't even know the bigger picture of what Lucy has caused. Which is understandable since she tends to be very secretive.
I can't believe you're going with the alias J or Jeremy. Well the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. He was just like that. Oh well. It's all in the past now.
Anyway here's what you need to understand. That kid Isaac works for me. His role is just to keep an eye on Lucy for me. You don't need to know why. You just need to know that if you're even thinking about hurting that kid you're done.
Right now there's a sniper 2 miles out with a clear line on that window you're standing near. Don't believe me? You might as well test it. But I promise you the moment you make a move toward the kid you'll be dead before you hit the ground.
The reason I'm not touching you is because I promised him I wouldn't. That is to say you will personally be handled by him. It's more like me giving you a heads up on how to plan your life from now on.
I won't tell you what to do about Lucy's case. You're free to decide what you want to do. I'm pretty sure you understand where I'm going with this. You can either go down with her or move toward the open door for your escape. All this is your choice.
Oh and one more thing. Isaac doesn't know anything about what's really in this letter. He thinks he's just a messenger. Keep it that way. The kid's useful and I'd prefer he stays ignorant and alive.
- A Friend]
Jeremy read it three times. His face drained of color with each pass. His eyes darted to the window then to Isaac, who was now lying on his bed staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. Completely oblivious.
"What does it say?" Isaac asked, turning his head toward him.
"None of your fucking business." Jeremy's voice was hoarse. He looked at Isaac more carefully now. Studying him. The kid really didn't seem to know anything. He was just there. Doing whatever this mysterious blackmailer had paid him to do.
But the details in the letter shook him. His real name. His age. What he couldn't understand was who the blackmailer even was to form a threat like this toward him. They had a sniper stationed somewhere around the house which meant the person they were dealing with was by no means an easy target.
This made him wonder who Lucy had offended to have this kind of person as her enemy. And they'd positioned Isaac as an unknowing pawn which meant hurting him would only make things worse.
Jeremy crumpled the letter and shoved it in his pocket. "How much did they pay you?"
Isaac kept his gaze on the ceiling. "Twenty bucks. Why?"
"How long have you been working for them?"
Isaac's brow furrowed. "Working for who? Some kid gave me money to deliver an envelope. That's it. I don't even know who sent it."
Jeremy studied him for a long moment. Either this kid was the world's best liar or he genuinely had no idea what he'd been pulled into. The letter had specifically said to keep Isaac ignorant. That meant the blackmailer wanted him alive and useful.
"Listen to me carefully," Jeremy said, his voice low and deadly serious. "Whatever that person paid you to do. Watching Victoria, delivering messages, whatever it is. You keep doing exactly what they tell you. Nothing more. Nothing less. Understand?"
Isaac sat up slowly. "Is there some kind of trouble? Should I be worried?"
"No." Jeremy moved toward the door. "Just do what you're told. Keep your head down and you'll be fine. Don't ask questions. Don't get curious. Just exist. Can you do that?"
Isaac nodded slowly with an uncertain look on his face. "Yeah. I guess."
"Good." Jeremy opened the door then paused. "And Isaac. If anyone asks I was never here tonight. You didn't see me. You didn't give me anything. Got it?"
"Got it."
Jeremy left without another word. His mind was racing. The letter had given him an out. A way to walk away from this mess without consequences. But what concerned him more was who the letter said would be coming for him. And who the blackmailer had promised not to touch him for. He'd already made up his mind. He was walking away from all of this. Especially anything involving Lucy.
It should have been an easy choice. But something about the whole situation made his skin crawl. Whoever this blackmailer was they were operating on a level he'd never encountered before. They knew things they shouldn't know. They had resources that shouldn't exist. And they'd put this entire thing together with surgical precision.
He descended the stairs quietly, slipping out the back door as he'd done countless times before. But this time, he knew it would be the last time. By sunrise, he'd be gone new city, new identity. He needed to change everything about himself.
Victoria would have to face her demons alone.