The Destroyer
- Thread starter Kritter
- Start date
Kritter
The one and only...
The elevator ascended slowly, the instrumental music playing through its speakers surrounding its silent occupants. Mallorie glanced at Armando, who stood clutching his cell phone, his hands continuously pumping and relaxing. His eyes met hers with a fearless expression. He was ready. They both were. Deep inside her pocket, Mallorie toyed with the building's master keys, anxiously running her fingertips along their bumpy edges. Maintenance hadn't questioned her need of them, nor had she expected them to. It almost seemed like everything was working to their advantage. Matthew and Ann were gone for the weekend, and Brooke had the weekend off. She only had to enter his apartment without being seen by anyone, and Armando was there to ensure she made her exit the same way.
The elevator doors opened up to the residential floor, which welcomed them with golden-colored walls and a rich burgundy carpet. "Take as long as you need," Armando whispered reassuringly, running a hand down the side of her arm. "I'll wait there.." He gestured to a spot where the hall met the elevator bank, which gave a clear view in all directions.
"Thank you for doing this," she whispered in return, not bothered when he didn't respond. She knew he felt both insulted and scorned when Matthew let him go purely for dating his daughter, and his desire for revenge reflected in his dark, focused eyes. She took a deep breath and held it in her lungs, staring at Matthew's door. Sucking in her lips, she made a beeline for it. Her heart started pounding wildly against her chest. Key in the lock, she turned the knob with trembling hands. The door silently opened. She entered and turned, closing it gently behind her, and then she leaned against it and exhaled.
The apartment's shades were down and its curtains were drawn. Mallorie walked slowly through the shadowy room, taking in its furniture and art. It was clean and stark, with a lot of black and beige accented by splashes of turquoise. The air in his apartment bordered on frigid, the same way it had in his home. Briefly, she scanned the ceiling and walls, wondering if he had cameras, although she saw nothing to suggest it.
Familiar with the apartment's layout from having shown similar units, she covered its area quickly, discovering the black metal cabinet right where she expected to find it, inside Matthew's bedroom closet. She opened a few drawers and carefully skimmed through financial papers, warranties and basic household files before taking a seat on the floor. Rolling out the bottom drawer, she lifted the first folder and opened it on her lap. It was, as Brooke said, a paternity test, which listed him as the father. She pulled out a pad and wrote down the mother and child's name and information, and then she did the same for the next five files, before coming to her own. Beyond that, there was only one more folder, filled with canceled checks. Each one was to a different person in a different denomination, most of them between ten and twenty-five thousand.
She thumbed through them, noticing they ran in date order, and then suddenly paused and blinked, flipping back one check. Her eyes narrowed on the name. "Willie Crosse," she whispered, tracing her finger across it. "Papa? What is this?" The sound of a woman's voice out in the hallway made her lift her head. Check folded, she stuffed it in her pocket and walked quietly to the door, dialing Armando's phone.
"Wait just a minute," he answered softly. She nodded, listening to the sound of his breaths, which grew increasingly inaudible. Her fingers pressed up against the door's cool brass knob. An infinite second ticked away. Her thoughts drifted briefly to Brooke. The girl had told her the truth, although she'd exaggerated the amount. It wasn't dozens of children like she had insisted, but seven was bad enough. Matthew had either had numerous affairs or her mother wasn't the only poor woman he'd attacked.
"Okay, all clear," Armando prompted.
----
Entering her mother's near empty apartment was depressing. With the exception of her bed and belongings, everything else had been removed. Nothing remained in the kitchen or bathroom outside of a handful of towels.
Armando's eyes grew round as he passed through the door. "What happened here?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," she said, crossing the freshly-swept hardwood floor. "My mother moved in with Mr. Gant. And I have a week to decide where to move my things."
"Your having second thoughts about NYU?"
"Big time," she answered honestly.
Armando smiled, his eyes lighting on the pictures over her desk as he followed her into her room. "You kept them."
"Of course," she laughed. "I looked at them every day. I really wanted to go out there with you...but, I needed to get to know my father." A heavy sigh slipped from her chest. "And look how well that turned out."
"A comedy of errors," Armando murmured in appraisal.
Mallorie pulled the pad from her purse and sat down on her bed by her laptop. "Do you think I should tell my mother?"
"About his other children?" he questioned. "I wouldn't. What point would it really serve, other than upsetting her more."
"What about the check?" she pouted, pulling it from her pocket. Her voice grew weak as she read the amount. "Five thousand dollars."
"You don't know what it's for so don't go assuming the worst."
"But look at the date." Mallorie frowned, trying to fight the horrible suspicion that grew in the pit of her stomach. "It was two days before he left us." The words hadn't even fully left her mouth before her eyes started tearing up.
Armando sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "I know it looks bad, but...try not to think about it. Here..." he said, lifting her laptop with his free hand and putting it in her lap. "Let's look up these siblings of yours."
Mallorie flashed him a bittersweet smile, letting her worries go for the time. She had six half-brothers and sisters spread across the city, and she wanted to find them all. Her fingers sprang into action on the keyboard, typing in the first name. Armando withdrew his arm, but he didn't move. Instead, he pressed his shoulder up against hers, peering down at the screen with her in interest. She suddenly found it hard to think, realizing they were alone together, sitting on her bed, although they weren't a couple anymore. Her eyes involuntarily glanced at him and he smiled in return.
Bradley, she silently reminded herself, for the first time noting she hadn't heard a word from her boyfriend since she'd gotten into her fight with Brooke in the building.
The elevator doors opened up to the residential floor, which welcomed them with golden-colored walls and a rich burgundy carpet. "Take as long as you need," Armando whispered reassuringly, running a hand down the side of her arm. "I'll wait there.." He gestured to a spot where the hall met the elevator bank, which gave a clear view in all directions.
"Thank you for doing this," she whispered in return, not bothered when he didn't respond. She knew he felt both insulted and scorned when Matthew let him go purely for dating his daughter, and his desire for revenge reflected in his dark, focused eyes. She took a deep breath and held it in her lungs, staring at Matthew's door. Sucking in her lips, she made a beeline for it. Her heart started pounding wildly against her chest. Key in the lock, she turned the knob with trembling hands. The door silently opened. She entered and turned, closing it gently behind her, and then she leaned against it and exhaled.
The apartment's shades were down and its curtains were drawn. Mallorie walked slowly through the shadowy room, taking in its furniture and art. It was clean and stark, with a lot of black and beige accented by splashes of turquoise. The air in his apartment bordered on frigid, the same way it had in his home. Briefly, she scanned the ceiling and walls, wondering if he had cameras, although she saw nothing to suggest it.
Familiar with the apartment's layout from having shown similar units, she covered its area quickly, discovering the black metal cabinet right where she expected to find it, inside Matthew's bedroom closet. She opened a few drawers and carefully skimmed through financial papers, warranties and basic household files before taking a seat on the floor. Rolling out the bottom drawer, she lifted the first folder and opened it on her lap. It was, as Brooke said, a paternity test, which listed him as the father. She pulled out a pad and wrote down the mother and child's name and information, and then she did the same for the next five files, before coming to her own. Beyond that, there was only one more folder, filled with canceled checks. Each one was to a different person in a different denomination, most of them between ten and twenty-five thousand.
She thumbed through them, noticing they ran in date order, and then suddenly paused and blinked, flipping back one check. Her eyes narrowed on the name. "Willie Crosse," she whispered, tracing her finger across it. "Papa? What is this?" The sound of a woman's voice out in the hallway made her lift her head. Check folded, she stuffed it in her pocket and walked quietly to the door, dialing Armando's phone.
"Wait just a minute," he answered softly. She nodded, listening to the sound of his breaths, which grew increasingly inaudible. Her fingers pressed up against the door's cool brass knob. An infinite second ticked away. Her thoughts drifted briefly to Brooke. The girl had told her the truth, although she'd exaggerated the amount. It wasn't dozens of children like she had insisted, but seven was bad enough. Matthew had either had numerous affairs or her mother wasn't the only poor woman he'd attacked.
"Okay, all clear," Armando prompted.
----
Entering her mother's near empty apartment was depressing. With the exception of her bed and belongings, everything else had been removed. Nothing remained in the kitchen or bathroom outside of a handful of towels.
Armando's eyes grew round as he passed through the door. "What happened here?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," she said, crossing the freshly-swept hardwood floor. "My mother moved in with Mr. Gant. And I have a week to decide where to move my things."
"Your having second thoughts about NYU?"
"Big time," she answered honestly.
Armando smiled, his eyes lighting on the pictures over her desk as he followed her into her room. "You kept them."
"Of course," she laughed. "I looked at them every day. I really wanted to go out there with you...but, I needed to get to know my father." A heavy sigh slipped from her chest. "And look how well that turned out."
"A comedy of errors," Armando murmured in appraisal.
Mallorie pulled the pad from her purse and sat down on her bed by her laptop. "Do you think I should tell my mother?"
"About his other children?" he questioned. "I wouldn't. What point would it really serve, other than upsetting her more."
"What about the check?" she pouted, pulling it from her pocket. Her voice grew weak as she read the amount. "Five thousand dollars."
"You don't know what it's for so don't go assuming the worst."
"But look at the date." Mallorie frowned, trying to fight the horrible suspicion that grew in the pit of her stomach. "It was two days before he left us." The words hadn't even fully left her mouth before her eyes started tearing up.
Armando sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "I know it looks bad, but...try not to think about it. Here..." he said, lifting her laptop with his free hand and putting it in her lap. "Let's look up these siblings of yours."
Mallorie flashed him a bittersweet smile, letting her worries go for the time. She had six half-brothers and sisters spread across the city, and she wanted to find them all. Her fingers sprang into action on the keyboard, typing in the first name. Armando withdrew his arm, but he didn't move. Instead, he pressed his shoulder up against hers, peering down at the screen with her in interest. She suddenly found it hard to think, realizing they were alone together, sitting on her bed, although they weren't a couple anymore. Her eyes involuntarily glanced at him and he smiled in return.
Bradley, she silently reminded herself, for the first time noting she hadn't heard a word from her boyfriend since she'd gotten into her fight with Brooke in the building.
Last edited:
stjwelding
Veteran Member
Kritter you just keep digging Mallorie in deeper and deeper. I sure hope that you have a life line planed in the future for her or she is headed for a ruff landing.
Wayne
Wayne
juco
Veteran Member
I was wondering the same thing. We know you're a busy gal Kritter, but would love to hear what's going on with Mallorie and Armando!
stjwelding
Veteran Member
Just checking to see if I misses a new chapter, I pray every thing is alright with you Kritter,
Wayne
Wayne
Genevieve
working on it
She's over at deviantart.com she may have finished it there. I haven't logged in there for a very long time so I don't know what all she's written
Kritter
The one and only...
Sorry, I stopped posting here a long time ago. This story (and the others) is indeed complete on DeviantArt : Deviant Art
Nature_Lover
Wait! What?
This is where the story picks up at deviantart...
www.deviantart.com
The Destroyer : 65 by safia3 on DeviantArt
www.deviantart.com
