Reluctantly reciprocating the handshake, Sheena confirmed, "Nice to meet you...Sky. And yes, I'm Sheena. So you're the one I saw at Happy Scoops that night, right? The girl Aaron said was his sister?"
"Yes to the first part, no to the second part. I just happen to know some things about Galanos, and that's why we had to put on an act just now--people could've been watching us at that very moment. Now Faith, what all have you told her so far?"
"Not much," Faith replied. "Just that it's dangerous for her to continue dating Aaron, and that while I can't prove anything per se, you can."
"Right. But before we get into that, I just need to know something from the both of you--how and why did you first get to know him? And by the way, I'm guessing that CRV outside with the 'I Love Happy Scoops' decal is yours?" She raised one eyebrow at Faith.
Faith shifted uncomfortably, having figured this would come up in the conversation eventually. "Yeah. That one's mine."
"Um, is this an interrogation?" Sheena asked abruptly. "Are you with the police or something?"
"I'm a friend, Sheena," Sky replied. "That is, if you want me to be."
When Sheena said nothing in return, only perching herself on her couch with one leg propped over the other as she glared at them both, Faith knew she wouldn't have the luxury of Sheena going first in answering Sky's question. So taking a deep breath, Faith began, "Alright, so, the way I know him is through my now ex's brother, but he was never more than an acquaintance. And...recently I got back into contact with him because it was a desperate and extremely complicated situation, but of course, things didn't go the way I expected." Narrowing her eyes and leveling them with Sky's, she added, "So for the record, I didn't borrow from him to satisfy a gambling or drug addiction, or for some sort of illegal business deal. You'll find I'm not that kind of person, the more you get to know me. As for the sticker, that was Aaron's idea--not mine. I know everything about this probably looks shady--to both of you, really--but please believe me when I say that I want to make this right."
"Who're you tellin'?" Sky asked with a tilt of her head. "Innocent people can get caught up with loan sharks for all kinds of reasons. I ain't trying to grill either of you, I just wanted to get a better idea of what type of situation we're dealing with. And Sherm already told me some of your situation, Faith, so you can relax about that. I know not all of it was your fault."
"Oh..." Faith nodded, lowering her defenses a bit. She supposed she was still reeling from her earlier argument with Holly. "Sorry. As you can imagine, this whole thing has had me kind of on-edge. Anyway, I'll let her tell you her side." Faith turned to Sheena, as if to say, It's your turn now.
Sheena slowly shook her head, her eyes darting between Faith and Sky. "...Are you serious right now? Why should I tell her anything, anyway? I don't know her. These things that both of you are saying, I don't even understand--"
"You'll understand soon, trust me," Sky told her. "But first, how'd you meet him?"
Sheena sighed. "I mean, we went to the same high school, but never really knew each other that well at the time, so I'd say we first officially met at a local convention for small business owners and entrepreneurs, about half a year ago. He seemed to support my idea when no one else really did, and said I should do what I was passionate about. He seemed genuinely interested, in both me and what I wanted to do, and he's really the main reason I've gotten as far as I have. We've had our ups and downs, sure, but maybe that was my own fault. I think Faith is overreacting about this whole thing."
Sky shared a glance with Faith. "Well, both your stories match up with some things Sherm already mentioned, so that makes me feel a little better. So with all that said, I think we can get into the evidence now." She then pulled a smartphone out of the messenger bag she had been carrying. "The footage I've got on here was taken a little under a year ago by someone I work really closely with, and he almost died filming it. Galanos caught him, and threatened to have us disbanded at best and killed at worst if we ever sent it to the authorities. So while it might've made it to me, it never made it to the police. Thing is, though, he left out one little technicality that night: he never said anything about showing this to anyone outside of the authorities, though that was probably because most people who would actually believe us would either be unwilling or unable to help us do anything about it. But you two just might be the exception to that."
"Well, look...I'm sorry that happened to you, Sky," Sheena said apprehensively, "but I'm still not exactly sure myself whether we're talking about the same man, or if we could ever share the same opinions about him. So can you really say that about me for sure? That I'm an exception?"
Faith wondered how morally gray Sky was willing to be if it really came down to Sheena either not believing them or simply continuing to take Aaron's side. She didn't want to believe that her friend could no longer be trusted, but still... I don't suppose Sky brought anything like chloroform with her, if the worst case scenario really does happen. I could always make something up and deny this conversation ever happened, once Sheena woke up. She didn't want to go that far, but she would if it meant keeping Aaron from finding out about a plot to potentially overthrow him gone wrong.
"Well opinions are one thing, but facts--they're another. And if you're as close with him as you want us to believe, I think you'll be able to recognize your own boyfriend in this," Sky replied. "I'll warn the both of you, though--it ain't pretty."
Sheena continued to try to appear unconvinced, but Sky's persuasion skills seemed to finally be kicking in. "Alright then. Show me..."
"First, though--what is it footage of, exactly?" Faith asked.
"Oh, just another customer during after hours." Sky then pushed play on the video, holding the screen in front of Faith and Sheena as it showed some random unfortunate person being dragged into view and brutally beaten up by three people who Faith made out to be Aaron and two of his underlings--Keith (who appeared to be out of uniform) and Tracy. She may not have been shocked by any of it, but that didn't change the fact that a knot was beginning to form in her stomach.
Maybe that guy was no better than Spencer or Rowan, though--one of those "bums" like Aaron was talking about. That has to be it. It has to be. She would just have to stick to that theory for right now, as that was the only way she could keep herself calm and continue to appear strong in front of Sheena. Faith may have wanted Sheena to know the truth about who Aaron was, but she still didn't want to encourage her friend to panic.
The person recording the video appeared to be peering over a fence as they filmed the incident, and it wasn't until near the end of the footage that the three assailants' features and voices became truly undeniable as Tracy walked in the direction of the camera, where a van was parked nearby inside the fence. Tracy took out a set of keys, unlocked and opened the van's back doors, and as she turned around to walk back towards the others, her eyes must have spotted the camera recording them. It felt to Faith as though those painted cat eyes were staring straight into hers, like she was now witnessing this in person. "Hey, boss? Keith? You'd better take a look at this. We got some company..."
"What?!" Aaron's head shot up. "Keith, go see who that is!" he ordered, his 'customer' groaning in pain all the while.
Faith heard a small gasp next to her from Sheena, who had apparently recognized his voice.
"Right, boss. Hey, you! Stop right there. We wanna talk to you for a minute." Keith then walked in the direction of the camera, towards what appeared to be a door inside the fence, before the view suddenly became shaky and blurry and eventually went completely dark. The sound of a crash was suddenly heard, followed by that of brisk footsteps. And before Faith knew it, the video had ended.
"...What happened to him?" Faith asked flatly. "The customer, I mean."
Sky sighed. "That I don't know. I like to think maybe he managed to escape somehow, during all the chaos that happened. It was never supposed to turn out the way it did, but my partner's life had to come first that night--and ever since then I've been trying to find any loophole I can to make Aaron Galanos pay for what he's done."
"Why, though...?" Sheena asked, and although she was looking in Faith and Sky's direction, her mind looked to be somewhere else entirely. "Why would he do that to someone?"
"Easy. Somebody couldn't pay back all that interest, and somebody else ended up seeing too much," Sky said plainly. "Of course Galanos wasn't gonna show you this side of him, at least not right away."
"But I just don't get it," Sheena continued in a near whisper. By this point, she appeared to be doing all she could not to break down and cry. "How could he just lie to me like that about what he does? He can't actually be a-- No. No. I won't believe it!"
"I thought Rowan was an angel too, but look what happened there," Faith pointed out. "Now you know why I did this--because I couldn't stand seeing you live a lie anymore."
"No! There has to be an explanation for it! My phone... Where's my phone?! I have to talk to him! And if all of this is true, he needs to turn himself in right now!"
In one swift motion, Faith tackled Sheena to the floor as Sky lunged in front of the front door leading outside. "I'm sorry, Sheena," Faith muttered. "I can't let you leave here or call anyone until I know you won't try to contact him."
"Let me go, Faith! Let me go! "
"No," Faith snapped back. "I let Rowan get away, but not you!"
"Maybe y'all could be just a little louder?" Sky hissed at them through clenched teeth as Sheena burst into tears. As sarcastic as Sky's comment was, her face was anything but smug as she peered through the door's peephole, likely making sure none of the neighbors were coming to investigate.
Lowering her voice, Faith continued to Sheena, "You just got a glimpse of what he's capable of. So please...if you're the person I've always known and you genuinely had no idea about this, don't make yourself his next target. Sky can help you get somewhere safe--that's the main reason I brought her here."
When Sheena only continued to cry, Sky went over and crouched in front of her so that they were eye to eye. "Sheena? Sheena, listen to me. I'm gonna get you out of town and take you to some relatives or friends of your choice. And once you're there, you can cry and even scream as much as you have to, but not now. Not here."
"But..." Sheena sniffled, "it's not like I don't deserve to stay here and get hurt anyway. I fell for all his lies and I even told you to borrow from him, Faith. I feel so stupid...!"
Faith took a deep breath. Just stay calm a little longer. Sheena's going to be safe soon, and as for me, I've made all my payments so far and Aaron knows nothing about this. There's nothing to be afraid of. Nothing at all... "And I was stupid enough to do it," Faith finally said aloud, "let alone neglected to tell you the truth earlier on. So with all of that said, how could it really be your fault? I'm the one who should be apologizing. And anyway, it doesn't matter if you think you deserve a way out. You've got an opportunity right in front of you for a clean getaway regardless, so I suggest you grab hold of it and don't let go."
Sky nodded her agreement as Faith released Sheena and got up to give her friend a tissue. "Yeah, I mean...I get it--it's a lot to take in. But your friend here's risking a lot to get you out--we both are--so I hope you can appreciate it."
Sheena took the tissue from Faith, daintily dabbing at her eyes and nose. "Y--you're right. I do, and...I promise not to call Aaron for any reason. You have my word."
Faith nodded, hoping that she could relax a bit and believe her friend was telling the truth.
"Good," Sky said. "I'm gonna hold you to that, 'cause that's the last thing you'll wanna do right now, or ever again for that matter. Now listen, you need to leave here with me tonight, preferably within the hour, and take only what you can carry inside your biggest handbag. It can't be a suitcase, 'cause that would look too sketchy. And also, I will have to look through the things you plan on bringing--just to be on the safe side. You know how it is."
"Oh," Sheena said to Faith in a near whisper. "So, that's why you wanted me to leave the clothes out earlier...to pick a change of clothes to take with me. Actually...hold on a minute." Sheena turned and walked back toward her room, and Faith warily followed her to make sure this wasn't some kind of trick. And while Sheena did take her phone from her room, she didn't use it. "I'll turn it completely off, if it makes the both of you feel better."
"It would," Faith said. "No offense."
"None taken. I...need friends more than ever now, and I want you guys to trust me, which I know might be hard after the way I acted to both of you earlier. So, I get it...you both are just trying to help," Sheena said, holding up her phone's screen as it flashed its logo before vibrating once and then fading to black. "But Faith, why aren't you coming with me? You're probably in more danger than me, right?"
Faith looked away. "I can't. If I left now, it would look suspicious to the authorities since I just recently filed a missing report for Rowan. And almost all of my family and friends are here, too. So," Faith took a deep inhale, "if there are any...problems, I have to make sure that Aaron takes them up with me and only me."
"Sky, isn't there something we can do to get Faith out?" Sheena pleaded.
"I've made my decision," Faith said before Sky could respond. "My goal here is to make sure Aaron never knows I had anything to do with this. And at least now you'll be one less person involved, so you're helping me more than you realize by following Sky's directions. So, don't worry about me. Between Sherm, Sky and the others she works with, I'll be okay."
"You heard her yourself," Sky added. "We'll do what we can, but right now you need to do your part. So go ahead and throw a few essentials in your bag, then we'll discuss where you want to stay indefinitely. There's a lot more I need to tell you, but we can discuss it once we're on the road."
"Indefinitely?" Sheena asked, looking around her living room that she had been sitting so comfortably in earlier tonight.
"Yes," Faith said firmly. "Until we know it's safe for you to come back."
"Well, then...I guess I'll be right back. I'll try to be quick about it."
After Sheena had left the living room and gone into her bedroom to pack, Faith turned to Sky and said in a hushed tone, "So, about the context behind that video...I know what Aaron's capable of when it comes to 'customers', but do you really think he's the type that would go so far as to kill the only family he's ever known?"
Sky shook her head and shrugged, seeming to trust Faith with the knowledge of her double life. "For all I know he could've been bluffing, but I ain't willing to take any chances. He wasn't always this crazy, but then again, neither was that nasty ex of yours, right?"
"No," Faith agreed. "I don't imagine he was. I was just wondering is all."
"Well if you're thinkin' about trying to get inside Galanos's head, I wouldn't. He ain't exactly a stranger to psychological warfare."
That was exactly what Faith had been thinking of, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to actually admit it. "Well, I'm just saying it would be helpful to know of any weak points he has. In my experience, sometimes the more vulnerability that can be found in a person like that, the more it can take away from your own and give you more of a sense of control. Does that make any sense?"
Sky looked off to the side. "I guess in a way it does, but it ain't like he'd ever let his guard down like that in front of a customer of all people, even just a little."
"What if he did, though?" Faith mused aloud.
"Hmm?" Sky questioned with a confused wince.
"Never mind," Faith sighed. "It's stupid, really."
"No, try me."
"I'll tell you some other day in the near future, once we know Sheena is safe." The truth was, Faith didn't know how to properly convey what she was thinking without making it sound as though she sympathized with or condoned the things that Aaron had done, which she didn't--not anymore. However, as eager as she was to move on from this entire ordeal and never look back, it was still hard for her to directly see Aaron as an enemy. Of course he deserved punishment for the things he'd done, but she hoped that could happen without either of them having to harm one another in the process.
Sky seemed to respect Faith's temporary reluctance to elaborate. "Well, hey, I meant what I said earlier. Once we make sure Sheena's safe, we can focus on helping you. Cobalt and Admiral are already trying to find out about Rowan's whereabouts, and-- Oh." Sky stopped short upon seeing Sheena come back into the living room, holding a handbag that barely managed to contain what included but wasn't limited to a laptop and whatever change of clothes she had picked out for herself, the sleeve of a shirt hanging limply over the edge of the bag.
Faith had hoped to get more information out of Sky regarding Aaron's past (along with who 'Admiral' might be, although she had a guess), but she supposed she should have known better than to think they had that kind of time right now.
Catching Faith off guard, Sheena now threw her arms around her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry again, for causing this and for not believing you. If I had any idea--"
"Sheena, stop it," Faith scolded her, returning the hug. "We've already told each other we were sorry, and doing it all over again won't help either of us."
"So, did you make up your mind yet, on where you wanna go?" Sky asked Sheena.
"My sister's would be the best place. She'll be furious with me for getting into this mess, but she's the least likely to panic compared to the rest of my family, since...this is kind of complicated."
I know the feeling, Faith thought to herself.
As Sky proceeded to gingerly look through Sheena's things inside her bag, Faith thought of something else. "So, Sheena...once this is all over and you can come back here again, I have a strange request."
"Oh...okay. What is it?"
"Help me pick out a companion--from the animal shelter. That might be an investment both of us need to look into. From what I hear, they're more loyal and easier to care for than the human kind."
"I see what you mean. Yeah...I'd like that. And maybe if you found yourself the right pet, I'd get to see you smile again. I'd always wanted to have one too, but I was so focused on my business that I..." Sheena's words trailed off.
"Oh, and I'll even watch a chick flick or two with you," Faith added, continuing to try to keep her emotionally distracted.
Sheena raised one eyebrow at her. "Do you promise not to fall asleep during the most important parts?"
"Well...I can almost promise that I won't. We'll see."
"Alright, you're good to go," Sky now piped up, having finished looking through Sheena's bag. "Now, let's get you to safety."
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