THE LYING GAME

10

~JADE~

I looked at the corner where Eva was sitting, glaring after a police vehicle that had carted the boys away. After her statement had been taken down, she’d insisted it was a prank, in their defense. I knew she had done it for Nate, but It was a stupid call to make.

It might have been a prank, but it could also have been a real kidnap. I shuddered to think that anything could have happened to her within those moments.

“I would appreciate it if this matter is properly looked into, Officer. My ward was taken away without her consent. It’d be a hassle if such a nuisance is to be repeated ever again. Remember it could be anyone next time.” I urged the officer, against Eva’s plea. She stiffened beside me. I pretended not to notice. It was for the best.

The chauffeur arrived to pick us up and Eva’s mood soured even further. She rushed into the vehicle, eager to get away from the scene and I thanked the officers for their help and settled in after her.

“Did you have fun watching?.” Eva suddenly asked and I frowned.

My eyes narrowed, my line of sight, glued to the windows. “Well, it was an eventful first day of work for me. Would you have preferred if I didn't look for you at all? You were lucky that nothing terrible had happened...”

Eva scoffed, “Jeez… just quit it okay?. Drop the f*****g act. I don’t need you to act like you care or give a f**k about me. You are just the same. You care about money and you are here for it! So stop pretending that you have even a semblance of control in my life. It pisses me off.”

“Eva…”

“Just go back to whatever hell hole you had crawled out from. I don’t need a nanny and most certainly not you!.”

She plugged in her headphones for the rest of the drive, shutting me out.

I sighed, allowing the cool afternoon breeze to calm my nerves as Betty’s words earlier in the hallway itched the insides of my mind.

She seemed to believe that Eva had willingly gone to the entrance to wait. For what? To be kidn*pped?

I glanced at the girl beside me and wondered what the truth was.

“Goodness. Eva!.” Mrs. Lopez exclaimed the instant we stepped down. She cupped Eva’s cheeks in her hands and turned the flushed girl’s face to the sides. “Oh dear. Have you been crying?.”

“Of course not.” Eva laid off the housekeeper’s worry. Then disentangled herself from the woman’s hold. She looked so uncomfortable doing so and only glanced at me briefly before hurrying inside the mansion.

I waited till Eva turned around the corner to brief Mrs. Lopez on what had happened. Just like I’d thought, the older woman cared a lot about Eva. Her small lips were tightly pressed together and the faraway gaze in her eyes suggested she was thinking deeply about the incident.

“They are young and can't be charged with anything serious. They’d probably be bailed soon and sent off to their parents. I suggest we keep them off, Eva... For now.” I proposed, my thoughts wandering back to Nate’s conversation with Eva. They were up to no good. The kind of bunch that parents warned their wards to stay far away from. I wondered how Eva had gotten entangled with them.

“Thanks for the information, Miss Chantel.” Mrs. Lopez’s stuffed voice brought me back to reality. “I’ll look into it.”

“What I’m trying to say is, we can ask Eva to stay away from them…”

“Point taken. But I’ll advise that you refrain from doing that and stick to your job description. Leave the worrying to me, and remember, this stays between us. The second master has a lot on his plate already. I wouldn't like to trouble Mr. Axton further by carelessly spreading this… rumor.”

Rumor?. Mrs. Lopez’s annoyed face stopped me from arguing further. I had another pressing matter on my mind, so I readily nodded and watched her leave before hurrying into the mansion. Not to my room, but to a place where I hoped to find answers.

I found Kim in the kitchen, conversing loudly with a group of maids. Their laughter filled the air, rising and falling above the sounds of pans and fire. Their laughter ceased the instant they sighted me and they returned to their work awkwardly except Kim. I could tell they didn't trust me enough to be comfortable around me. Probably because I was still a stranger to them.

“Miss Chantel,” Kim called out with raised brows and a smile as she approached me. “What brings you here?.”

“Uhm. I’m here 'cause staying in my room for the rest of the day would be boring.” I started gently. The other maids appeared to be busy at work, but their frequent gazes in our direction told me otherwise.

Kim offered refreshments; but somehow she sensed my discomfort and suggested we move outside, away from the kitchen heat. I gratefully agreed and followed her out.

“Sorry about that. They will need some time getting used to you.”

“Nah it's completely normal.”

“Alright. So how was your first day at work? Wait. Why are you back so early?.”

I bit my lower lip as Mrs. Lopez’s warning crossed my mind. I had no plans of telling Kim that Eva had been kidn*pped so I told a little lie.

“Eva insisted on returning. Said she felt a bit off or something.”

“Oh. Alright.” Kim responded and I chuckled at the way she had said it. She laughed and picked up a snack from her plate to munch on.

I seized the opportunity to chip in the main reason I was there. “I’ve been wondering… where are the rest of the Axton family members? I mean it's been just Eva… and Angel…”

Kim’s hand which had set out to pick a second cookie instantly hung in the air and she slowly returned it to her side.

“I have no idea. It's my sixth month here and I am yet to see any other family members as well.” Kim responded, her mood instantly flat.

“Ohh.” I simply returned. Not pushing it.

Kim stopped eating but I was still hungry. I continued till I had my fill and thanked Kim. I asked her to point the way to the family’s library and she hastily did and returned to work.

The Axton family’s library was huge, easy to locate, and appeared to not have been visited for some time. The floor was sparkly and the books were neatly arranged, but I could feel the dust beneath the shelf as I ran my right hand on the smooth wood.

Twice in a day. Same straightforward question, the same tight-lipped response. Like Camille, had something sinister happened to the rest of the family? Was Salvatore… dead?.

Why won't anyone tell me anything? What was the family hiding?!

I swept through the books, not the new ones, but the old ones kept away on a special-looking shelf. Most of them were about the Axtons, history, journals, and keep stakes from their previous lives in the mafia world. I read a few pages from one of the books and my wonderment went up a notch.

Angel, Eva… They were nothing like what their families had been. Their lives at the moment looked so peaceful, so ordinary. But I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was missing something. They left me no clues, no loose ends, nothing to hold on to.

“Looking for something?.” A too-familiar voice suddenly said, startling me.

The book made a loud bang on the floor and I turned to see Angel, sitting casually by a window, a book nestling in his lap.

My heart raced, my mind running wild. Just how long had he been sitting there?… watching me…