An Unexpected Revenge

Chapter 2 - The Shock

Chapter 2 - The Shock

I left the motel on my own, through the back door and made sure that nobody had followed me. Then I drove Melody's obnoxious car all the way to her apartment, in the ‘good side’ of town, nonetheless. Surprise, surprise, her home looks like a stripper's lair and it makes my head hurt from all the kitsch and fake brands lying around, but I have to leave from here, to make it seem as natural as possible. 

Unfortunately it's kind of hard to sneak around where you are driving a bubble- gum pink VW Beetle with a fur steering wheel. A f*****g fur covered steering wheel. I mean, who the f**k has that? Melody, that's who. I’m not even that bothered about the colour of the car, the little girl buried deep inside me, secretly appreciating the shade of pink, it’s the fur that got me. My teeth grind against each other every time I touch the steering wheel, or even think about touching it. I may need therapy after all this.

Luckily for me, I don't think Alec Vaughan has assigned anyone to monitor one of his many girlfriends' whereabouts, for it looks like so far I'm in the clear and no one has tailed me. 

Due to the high risk of this mission, the RED team and I had to cut all communication when I left the motel room. As per protocol, I have to meet Laurie, Sean or Tom once a week in the pre established locations, and if it happens that my new identity forces me to miss one meeting, then I am due to leave them a physical sign, anytime I can, before the next scheduled one. Let's just hope that I will not have to leave a red piece of fabric or paper, because that would mean that I need immediate extraction. I've been in the field long enough to know that most of the time, you don't make it alive when your team finally comes to get you out.

With the letter from Alec in my hands, I take the pre- packed suitcase and walk out of Melody's apartment. The letter, or more like note, just says  ‘I'm sorry, Melody. Come to the compound and I promise I'll take care of you.’ It's signed A Vaughan, and dear old Melody has been boasting to everyone that would listen, how she and Alec will finally become official, and that her brother's untimely demise has served as a wake-up call for both of them. 

Chances are that Alec either wants to keep Melody quiet, which, let's hope it's not by killing her as well, or he wants to keep up appearances. And nothing clears you of murder suspicions in the eye of the public, than dating the victim's sister and talking fondly of the dead guy. It looks like he chose option number two, because if he would have chosen otherwise, Melody would be dead already.

Personally, I highly doubt that the notorious Alec Vaughan would ever settle for just one woman, but heck, it gives me an in, so who am I to question it? Therefore I shrug and tuck the piece of paper in my purse, before blinking once, hard, and remembering that I am supposed to be Melody. Cursing in my head and sighing loudly, I reluctantly take the folded paper out of the bag and tuck it in my bra instead. f**k. My. Life. I'll get a paper cut soon.

As I make my way to the car, in impossibly high heels and hauling a large suitcase, whilst trying to move my upper body as little as possible because of the paper that is slicing my left boob,  I wonder where Tom is hiding, so I can flip him off. I bet that he's having a blast watching me struggle like this. Jackass!

The RED team will always be as close by as they can, at least when I go out of the compound, and even though I can't see anyone, it doesn't mean they're not watching over me. After I successfully put the bags in the car, probably giving quite the show to anyone that was walking by, thanks to the dress that barely covers my ass, I catch a reflection that makes my trained eyes look far into the distance, zeroing in on top of a building. I notice the outline of a person by one of the antennas on the roof, and I smile to myself, knowing exactly who that is. I get a boost of confidence and a little adrenaline pumping through my veins as a result. I'm fine, my team is with me, and I can do this.

Pulling up at the gigantic gates of the vast domain that is Alec Vaughan's house, or 'the compound' as both him and the media like to call it, I start going over my facts again. I can’t afford to have any mishaps, as that might very well cost me my life.

Profile: Identity assumed

Name: Melody Bourne

Occupation: unofficially - gold digger; officially - still looking for opportunities, would ideally like to be an influencer. An influencer!! What kind of a job is that?

Age: her ID says 26 years old but she insists she's 22

Birthplace: Winthrop, ME

Parents: Tammie and Daniel Bourne, both blissfully unaware of the s**t their kids got involved in, although in the past couple of years Daniel had paid off their mortgage and they bask in little luxuries that a family like theirs never even dreamed of seeing up close.

Siblings: Daniel Bourne, deceased

Spouse: Currently dating Alec Vaughan

Everyone at the compound must have received a heads up regarding my arrival, because the gates opened swiftly to allow me in, as soon as I stopped in front of them. We were a little worried that although unlikely, Melody would have declined Alec's offer to move in with him, but it looks like she didn't, and the guy is waiting for her. Me. He's waiting for me.

With that in mind, I drive through the long, windy road that leads up to an impressive sized mansion. I have only seen aerial pictures of the compound, and let me tell you that looking at the building from the ground, makes it look far bigger than when I looked at the pictures taken by our spy drone.

I park the car next to the many that are neatly organised in a car park adjacent to the house, cringing at how out of place the small Beetle looks. The front door to the house seems to be opening, so I leave the bags and instead plaster a huge smile on my face, getting myself ready for the mission to really start. I try jogging as best as I can in these heels, straight towards the entrance to meet my mark.

Profile: Mark and murder suspect

Name: Alec Vaughan

Occupation: officially - CEO and owner of various business across the state; unofficially, the son of Satan and a crime lord

Age: 26 years old

Birthplace: Waterville, ME

Parents: Lorraine Cross ex Vaughan and Conrad Vaughan

Siblings: Cynthia Vaughan

Spouse: the list of girlfriends and side pieces is far too long, and I only need to remember one name off it anyway: Melody Bourne

---

Well, it turns out that darling Melody was hired to be Alec Vaughan's maid. THE MAID! 

She was talking s**t to everyone that listened that she is dating the guy, when in reality she somehow managed to weasel herself into getting hired as the maid. I feel like screaming in frustration now that I am finally alone again, on what is my day off. I refrain from screaming though, since I barely left the compound and someone might still be keeping a close eye on me.

After a torturous few days in that house, I understood Melody was a pity hire. Alec didn’t want nor need her there, yet he offered and she accepted. Reading the stupid letter again, knowing what I know now, I have to say it makes more sense than the story we originally thought to be true thanks to Melody and her need of romanticizing everything.

The woman boasted to everyone and anyone that was willing to listen, that Alec was concerned about her safety following her brother's murder, and wanted to move her into his secure compound. Nope, not true. Alec most likely wants her to be under his thumb until the whole murder investigation finishes and he’s not longer a person of interest, both officially and unofficially.

I f*****g knew it was too far- fetched, considering they were never even photographed together, but I just assumed Alec's security team did their job well and kept the paps away. Out of all the identities I have assumed over the years, this is by far the worst. Hell, at this point impersonating a call girl sounds better than a maid.

And since Alec and I only saw each other for 30 seconds before he completely disappeared, I was left in the compound with a lot of men who like to chat and gossip rather than make sure the premise is secure. Their favourite subject? You guessed it, their boss.

I presume it’s better than them hitting on me. And now that I think about it, I would much rather have their company in the house than Alec’s, despite him being the mark I’m supposed to get close to.

Melody's brother, Daniel, was one of Alec's right hand men, and was killed protecting him. That’s the official story that his men stick with, and that’s what Alec said to the Police when he was questioned. So that, I knew as much, but what I didn't know is that they had become close friends. And Ricky, one of the chattier guards, told me that Alec paid for the Bourne family home, and is also paying Melody's rent. Well, my rent, so I pretended I knew all about that, gushing over how sweet it really is of Alec to do so.

I leave the car in the beauty salon’s car park and walk inside, discreetly watching for anyone that might be following me. Once inside, I nod at the hairdresser and proceed into their back room, using the emergency exit to get back outside and then sprint towards the butcher’s shop two doors down. I make my way inside and the shopkeeper nods towards his left, to a closed door. I don’t say anything as I make my way there, furiously opening the door and then closing it with a bang behind me.

"Did you guys know she was the maid and not the girlfriend?" I accuse. They guys take a second for the things I just said to register in their brains. At least they look genuinely surprised. 

"Oh my God, don't tell me that you jumped into his arms the second you arrived, and that's how you found out." Tom asks with anticipation gleaming in his eyes. What did I tell you? Men are worse gossips than women.

"Not really, but I wasn't far from doing that, to be honest. In fact, the escort looking blonde that crawled out of his house just as I was hurrying in, was the first clue. The second was when Alec Vaughan himself, wearing only boxer briefs and the smell of s*x, asked me to go and clean his bedroom. No ‘hello’, no ‘what are you doing here’, nothing." I recount my first meeting with the mark.

Sean and Tom are laughing so hard that their eyes are watering. Laurie is coughing after she choked on whatever she was eating when I walked in and dropped that little bomb. I secretly hope that she's in pain, because I am. My hands are raw after I scrubbed a million toilets that are in the compound. I just stand, glaring at them with smoke coming out of my ears, and wait for my team to finish laughing, so we can get this meeting started.