Chapter 12 - Suspicions

Rose sat at her desk in her office actively surfing the net. Her visit to Whitney's grave got her thinking about the mysterious manner in which she died.

Her thoughts trailed back to the afternoon a shabby looking man came to the firm. Rose remembered how angry Mr Martin was when she asked him about the strange man. He practically kicked her out of his office. His reaction to her question got her thinking.

Rose visited the surveillance team and sought the necessary footage from them. She then proceeded to scan the man's face. His mugshot flashed on the screen and Rose jerked her brow up in surprise.

...assault and battery charges...

With every new website were links that she clicked on. The more she read, the more she wanted to know.

Danny Packet is the leader of the notorious Packet Brothers. A gang comprised of himself and his brothers; Billy, Jackson and Robert. The Packets are known for their robberies, rape and murder.

They were finally arrested on August third, 1993. At the time of the arrest, only three of the four Packets were arrested. These were Danny, Billy and Jackson.

The youngest, Robert Packet was rumored to have been killed in a failed heist. The Packets only served months of their life sentences because on March eighteenth, 1994, they escaped.

"How do you know this man Mr. Martin?" Rose whispered to herself tensed.

The sound of Steve's knock on her glass door took her eyes off her computer monitor. She gestured for him to go in.

"Hey, remember that dirty looking man that came in the other day?" Rose asked Steve after he sat down.

"Yeah, what about him?" Steve asked and placed a folder on Rose's desk.

"His name is Danny Packet. He is a ruthless rapist and murderer that leads a gang known as the Packet brothers. I wonder what Mr Martin is doing with such a dangerous man." Rose blurted out and turned her monitor to Steve.

Steve took one look at the screen and turned away—adjusting his tie. He licked his lips and cleared his throat in discomfort. Rose noticed his anxiety and crossed her arms. She raised one eyebrow at him when he suddenly got up.

"Can you do me a favor?" he asked, avoiding her eyes.

"Err, sure thing. What is it?" Rose asked him back.

"Stop your research on the Packet brothers. No good will come from it." Steve said and walked away before Rose could say anything to him.

Rose now turned her attention to Steve. She wondered why he wanted her to stop her research. Did he like Mr Martin have a connection to that man?

She remembered how the two glared at each other and Steve denying that he knew him. Now he was telling her to stop her research on Danny Packet. Rose smirked and leaned on her chair. She gave it a swing and faced her window.

"What are you up to Steve?" She asked aloud.

****

Sharaina got out of her bubble bath. She changed into her night dress and sat down to brush her golden hair. Sharaina hummed softly to herself as her soft brush smoothened her wet hair. Her sharp eyes met Whitney's reflection in the mirror.

Queen Sharaina put her brush down next to a picture of herself in a golden puffy dress. She had a veil on her head and a man in a golden jacket held her waist. His face was hidden by the flame from the scented candle.

"What brings you to my quarters tonight, Whitney?" she asked while tying her hair into a ponytail.

"It's so nice of you to call me by my name." Whitney replied thick with sarcasm. "I need answers from you." she crossed her arms.

"Can't it wait?" Sharaina got up and faced Whitney. "I need my beauty sleep." and with that, she yawned.

"No it cannot. I don't know what right you had to give me a new name without asking me first. And also, what is all this about me being your heir?" Whitney clenched her jaw annoyed.

"Possible heir," Sharaina corrected and let out another yawn.

"Whatever, I understand that you are a queen so you are used to getting your way. I can't, however, accept to be your heir. I don't intend on staying here long. I have business to take care of on Earth. And while we are still on this, I will not use that name you gave me. It's strange and I don't like it." Whitney aggressively said.

"That's enough, mortal." Sharaina's voice turned into a deep demonic one.

Her eyes glowed red and while her ponytail rose up in the air along with the furniture in the room. Her fangs stretched out as she gritted her teeth in fury. Whitney's feet left the floor. Whitney rose suspended in the air. Sharaina's beaming eyes brightened, and a heat wave hit Whitney, paralyzing her.

She stayed afloat gasping for air with her hands spread apart. Her blurry gaze fixed on Sharaina. Sharaina raised her hand and brought her fingers together. She tilted her head to Whitney's choking sounds.

"How dare you speak to me in such a tone?" Sharaina whispered, but this time, in a feminine echoing voice. "In case you have forgotten, I own you. I can do whatever I want with you. Do not forget that I gave you those powers and I can take them away whenever I want. You will talk to me with respect or else you will die by my hands and I will feed your bones to my dragons!"