novelraw Chapter 178: Escaping A Crime Scene
Chapter 178: Escaping A Crime Scene
Chapter 178: Escaping A Crime Scene
The hum of the office air conditioning usually provided a soothing backdrop to Levi’s workday. Today, however, it seemed to mock him, a constant, irritating drone that mirrored the frantic beating of his heart.
He had finally managed to drag himself away from Lyse’s intoxicating presence, the promise of tonight fueling him through the morning. He had even arrived at work with a spring in his step, a lightness in his heart that had not been there in months. He had believed that it was going to be a very beautiful day, propelled by the excitement of seeing Lyse later. Now, that lightness had been replaced by a cold dread that settled deep in his gut.
He had originally barely glanced at his emails, at first assuming that they were the usual barrage of work-related correspondence that he could deal with later. Then, one subject line caught his eye: Regarding Sutton. His blood ran cold at the words.
He clicked the email open, his hand hovering over the mouse, a sense of foreboding washing over him. The image that loaded made his breath catch in his throat. It was him, driving a car. The photo’s quality was not very great and it was grainy but anyone could see that it was undeniably him. And the location... a shiver ran down his spine.
Beneath the image, the message was short, brutal, accusatory and straight to the point: Here is a picture of you conveniently near Sutton’s house on the day that she died. I know that you killed her, and I won’t let you get away with it.
Levi felt a wave of nausea wash over him and he shut his eyes. His mind raced, trying to make sense of it. Who could have sent this? Who knew about... about that? Who had seen him? He scrolled down, his eyes scanning the sender’s information. His blood ran cold. Brett.
A guttural curse ripped from Levi’s throat. He slammed his laptop shut, the force of the action echoing in the quiet office and making Ethan Jump and stare at him googly eyed, a mixture of concern and fear from the outburst on his face. Levi stood abruptly, knocking his chair back with a clatter.
"Is everything alright, sir?" Ethan asked, his brow furrowed. "Is there a problem?"
Levi did not answer. He could not. He just glared at Ethan for a moment, his mind a whirlwind of anger and panic, then he stormed out of the office, leaving Ethan staring after him, completely bewildered at his actions.
Levi practically ran to the parking garage, his fingers fumbling with his keys. He needed to confront Brett immediately. He needed answers and he needed them now! He needed to understand how, even though he had been so careful and he had thought that he had covered all the bases, this had still come back to haunt him.
He peeled out of the parking garage as if he was escaping a crime scene, his tires squealing in protest. He drove like a man possessed, his foot heavy on the accelerator, the city streets blurring into a meaningless rush of colors. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. He could feel the anger boiling inside him, a rage he had not felt in years.
When he arrived at Brett’s house, a stunning house in a quiet suburban neighborhood which was reknowned for its celebrity residents and expensive price tags, he slammed the car into park right in front of the house. He did not even bother to turn off the engine. He simply jumped out of the car and strode towards the front door, his footsteps echoing with barely contained fury. As he approached the gates, he was stopped by suited guards who tried to stop him.
One of them held a hand out to stop Levi from coming closer, instead of heeding him, Levi pulled the guard’s arm and twisted it painfully, making him fall to the ground in pain. As the other guard walked towards Levi, Levi already assumed a fighting position.
The guard stopped abruptly and pressed his ear, seemingly listening to something on his headphones before looking at Levi. "You may go in, the boss has been expecting you."
Levi straightened himself and did not even spare a glance at the guard who was groaning on the floor. He walked past the gate without anyone accosting him again.
When he got to the door, he rang the doorbell impatiently, his finger pressing down hard on the button. He could hear the chime ringing inside, but there was no answer. He rang again, harder this time, his frustration mounting with each passing second
.
Finally, the door creaked open, revealing a pretty young woman in a maid’s dress. She curtsied with her eyes remaining down to the ground. "The boss has been expecting you." She said and turned away, walking further into the house without waiting to see if Levi would follow her.
He followed her along the hallway until she got to a door which she knocked on and stepped aside, looking meaningfully at Levi before she walked away.
Levi opened the door, and Brett stood there in what looked like a study, not looking the least bit surprised to see Levi, a flicker of something that looked suspiciously like fear in his eyes. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a t-shirt, his usually smug expression replaced by a guarded unease.
"Levi" Brett said, his voice quiet. "I see that you have decided to come visit me today."
Levi did not waste a moment of the time with pleasantries, it had not been a courtesy visit and he wanted to get to what brought him there immediately. He grabbed Brett by the collar of his t-shirt, pulling him forward until their faces were inches apart. "You sent that email," Levi growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You sent that picture, why the fuck did you do that."