My heart went out to her, I wished things were different. I recalled that feeling of reaching out for someone who was always there, only to discover when I needed her she was no longer there.
But in the end, friends were the ones who showed up, cared, helped joined me in the freshly inflicted wounds, helped to finally put the past behind me.
“So that’s it?” I asked Cash.
“That’s it.” Cash said and plastered a smile on his face. “Stay here, I’ll make copies, five minutes, tops.” He said as I watched him walk away and ease out of the room.
“Why do I get the feeling that could have all been done through Fed Ex.” I said once we were alone. “Dottie,” I turned to face her, and bit the inside of my lip, she shifted slightly. “Do you know anything about my mother’s legal papers?”
“Of course, dear.”
“So, there wasn’t anything missed?”
“No, I’m afraid not. Why do you ask?”
As her words sank in my lower lip quivered, but I schooled my expression and tightened my jaw. I tried to hide the disappointment etched across my face. Erasing the crestfallen look when I was so full of promise. Then she distinguished that tiny spark of hope, that there was more of her.
“No reason.” I answered once again putting an end to the subject. “Grand kids?” I asked, and saw the brightening of her face. Which was a good thing, she had family.
“Three now, Bryer, I have a few pictures on my phone.” She offered.
“I would love to see them.” As I watched her pull her phone out of her pocket and scroll down to find just the right one, she smiled.
“Beautiful, Dottie, you should be so proud.”
“Thanks, dear.”
“Time to go.” Cash said while he shrugged his arms into the sleeves of his suit jacket.
“It was so nice to see you again, Dottie.”
We embraced and walked away from her, the office and the triggers of my past.
The quiet drive from the office, was noticeably thick. But we made it to the hotel and my whole body relaxed.
“We have a breakfast meeting in the solarium on the west wing, with the Marcus buyer at eight am, and our flight leaves at noon.” Cash confirmed, lifting a brow.
“I remember.” I said, surprised he didn’t try to force dinner on me. “Good night.”
I was already feeling the wow entering the extravagant lobby of the Austin Four Seasons Hotel. Once inside my room that sense of awe continued. It’s elegant surroundings and luxurious amenities made the hotel very exciting.
But not by choice, this was Cash’s taste, costly and excessive. This was something alright. The mini bar offered wines paired with artisan snacks and scented candles. A wall mounted television hung above bathtub and a private toilet chamber with its heated toilet seat screamed wealth. Drinking in the warm fresh breeze from the private balcony with fire pit that looked out over the cityscape, with their manicure lawns, gardens overlooking idyllic Lady bird Lake, it was paradise.
I ordered dinner in then dialed Nathan’s number and lifted the phone to my ear as it started to ring.
“Hey baby, I’m glad you called.” He said then let out a long breath.” I didn’t want to disturb you but—just know I’m okay.”
“Why, what’s so urgent, what happened?”
“Just relax.” He said. “Some kid, or someone grabbed my back pack and ran off with it.”
“Wait. Let me get this straight, you were mugged?”
“You could say that. But he only wanted my stuff, I’m fine.”
“You keep saying that. For crying out loud you could have been hurt, or worse.”
My hands shook, sweat dotted my spine as memories surged from that dark day after the ambush, after I was taken, fear was enough the sink the almighty, but I pushed away the ghost, I wouldn’t give him that.
“But I wasn’t. Turns out all they got was my paperwork.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Who’s to say, it depends on whose hands they end up in.” He inhaled an unsteady breath. “Listen, Steel’s on it, who knows we might get lucky. Try not to worry, I’m safe.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
Then ended the phone call. But a growing feeling in my heart pounded rapidly in its own unique rhythm. I pulled out my mother’s journal hoping it would calm the storm that just rolled in.
There is so much I have to say on this rollercoaster ride of grief. I find it extremely difficult to summarize all my thoughts and feelings on this single page.
It doesn’t matter how much time goes by, the pain of losing someone you love never dulls. The sharp agony may soften, but it never goes away, not entirely. And justice is never served. No witnesses meant no consequences, that’s a tough pill to swallow.
It’s like being right beside someone but not being able to reach out to save them. I wish I took more time fostering my relationship instead of watching from a far.
My mother will never be here to put her arms around me, wipe the tears away and tell me it will be okay. If I could capture just a glimpse of my emotions, I would say savior every moment, for time is never promised.
I wished I’d spent more time with her, learning how beautiful she really was, and that domestic abuse doesn’t define who she was. She was so much more; she was powerful in her own way. That’s the only way I can live each day, without falling apart.
David has become distant at times, that’s when I know the anger has won. He feels he could have done more. He won’t discuss his pain. I guess men rarely do.
Bryer, she’s too young to understand, losing her grandma was confusing, only understood through words about angels in heaven.
Having a child has made me realize you truly need to love, trust and have faith. David and I have a will in place. You never know what tomorrow brings. I don’t have a crystal ball to predict what life’s outcome will be. Live in the moment, but plan for the future.
Mary
Egotistical, self-centered, black hearted son of a bitch and so fucking skilled in deception, I found myself in the center of his fumes. So, evil, he twisted the story, changed the facts and retold it so convincingly that I believed his version of events. The only word that could even begin to describe him was diabolical.
His actions were malicious making sure what he said goes, regardless of how it happened or who got hurt. He believed his method of madness was the best and only way because it guaranteed his needs would be met and that was all that mattered.
But murder? There’s no blood on my hands, which proves how vile he really could be. Evil manipulators like James persuade, lie and do anything to get what he wanted and he didn’t feel guilty or have remorse, not even a little bit. Somehow, he reeled me in to help him get the job done. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Self-righteous, compulsive liar who didn’t care about the repercussions of his actions, as long as he wasn’t the one blamed for them. His deep dark need to feed his ego and control every aspect of everyone’s life just proved he was narcissistic.
He only looked out for himself, he had no trouble stepping on me to get what he wanted. It was second nature to him, to assert his power and dominance to control everything and everyone. But I didn’t sign up for this.
The limo pulled into the driveway. I paused and took a moment and brushed off what James had done, having the ability to mentally and emotionally separate my actions from his. Passing the blame on to James because I knew it was all his doing. My only bad intentions were financial, his were evil, malicious, he enjoyed other people’s miseries.
I was met at the door by Sonja, drink in hand. “Macallan?” I asked.
“We’re out.” She said glancing over her shoulder then whooshed past me. “So?”
“Everything went as planned, it’s done. Soon, I’ll be out of her life, forever.”
“Famous last words.”
“You’re jealous.”
She was relentless, her suspicions were growing by leaps and boun
ds, her eyes flicked from me to the floor and back again. She was too wrapped up in her own insecurities to trust me, I knew she was close to the breaking point.
“There’s nothing romantic between us.” I said forcing a half smile. “How many times do I have to tell you, it’s all about the money.”
But she crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself.
“You married her.”
“Temporarily.”
I knew she’d get stuck on this, her jealousy lied somewhere in the gray area between sanity and madness. And now, it was suffocating me, she only focused on her feelings of inferiority and insecurity. I realized I held my gaze too long, when she frowned.
“Have all the loose ends have been tied up?” I asked.
“I did everything you asked me too.” She said and winced. “I know what happened, and I don’t like hurting people.”
“That wasn’t my doing, Sonja.”
I had trouble with murder as well.
“Really?”
No matter how horrible my actions were, James was relentless. As if he lived a double life, never revealing his true identity, fooling everyone in his path. Pretending to be someone else, he felt no shame when luring people into his poisonous world of deceit and now I was caught in his web, wary of his next move.
“He’s using you, Cash.”
“Do you think I’m stupid?” I smirked. “Screw James. There’s nothing sweeter than the taste of victory. That is, if you did your fucking part.”
“I said I did. Her parents owned their own insurance and investment group, started it basically when Bryer was born. The original policy was for a million dollars, quite unusual back them, but I assume if you’re in the business you over-compensate.”
“Go on.”
“As you know her mother put in two stipulations, she had to be over twenty-five and married.”
“And the trustee is dead, leaving no trace.” I added.
“Right. This particular policy, a whole life insurance had several creative aspects. Paid-up additions, which reinvest dividends, they were smart, her father had the Midas touch. Apple, Microsoft and Walmart, just to name a few. They got in on the ground floor and kept building, it’s bigger than we thought, that adds up to a lot of zeros in twenty-six years.”
“How big?
“All the stocks have matured you can cash out everything.”
“How much, Sonja?”
“10.2 million.”
Christ. I’d be set for life. Not just merely rich, but wealthy and there was a difference. Sustainable wealth would last a lifetime even future generations. I had what it took, knowledge. I understood how to make money work for me, therefore the money would never stop coming. Wisdom and knowledge, I’d learn everything about formulating a strategy to build on the capital.
Bryer was clueless that her new marriage to me, the one Dottie witnessed, validated and her newly found wealth was now a reality. The paperwork was already on its way to the courthouse for filing, making it legal.
“Then it’s over?” Sonja asked. “No more levering up?”
“Right. No more spending money we don’t have.”
“Then back to Austin.”
“Yes, we can take care of the details there. It will only take a few days to record, and then I’ll have legal rights to it all.”
“What about M&M and Tranquility?”
“Trivial matters, I have a lawyer, Kendrick he’s in place to sell tranquility and cash in on the patents. Adding to the generous bonus to our newly found riches.”
I have to admit this has been quite the plan. The world should just fall at my feet, I was owed this money, this success. I deserved every happiness I’d acquired. She never should have walked away from me in the first place.
The skyscraper was a gray blur and on this cloudy day it mirrored the clouds that rolled overhead. And once I crossed the threshold it opened up to a modern design all the way. The floors were polished to a high sheen and once I exited the elevator, I noticed John’s door was left ajar, I approached and knocked.
“Nathan, come in.”
“Thanks.”
I took a seat across from him but he looked rather grim. There were no guarantees that our heroic efforts would save the day, however as the emerging leaders we had the tools to succeed once we prepared for the fight.
“Hey you okay?” He asked. “You don’t look so good.”
“I’m fine.”
He made a steeple of his fingers. “I had a conference call with the Storm brothers, they emailed the papers that were taken from you, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Oh that, yes.” I said tired of the unwanted attention. “Let’s get down to business, don’t sugar coat the severity of the situation.”
“Have I ever?” He asked. “It happens Nathan, businesses get into trouble. You’ll have to make some difficult decisions and you’ll need to take decisive action to save your business. I want to go over all options with you. Cash doesn’t own the patents, according to the lawyers, but he can still control them.”
Surviving while the company was in the process of slowly imploding offered a completely different set of challenges. Especially when the vantage point was from the highest ranks.
“There seems to be a small window where the lawyers can step in and take control of the provisional patents, before the official patents are filed by Cash. They will dispute the application before it hits the government offices.”
“Don’t delay John, you have the drive, knowledge and experience needed to get it done. When others throw in the towel, you are more determined than ever.”
Johns been to war and back. He knew how to identify the right mix of survival tactics while enduring and even cultivating a solution. It will be difficult but doable with his experience.
“If we take the legal approach, I can have the lawyers file a patent infringement lawsuit in your name in federal court. We can even involve the Federal Trade Commission and get the courts involved, possible disbar Harrison.”
“Don’t wait for permission, you know what needs to be done.”
“Sign here.”
John was a top leader who dealt with the brunt of the stress even if this situation sounded hopeless. I watched an otherwise productive machine get highjacked and now we just needed to be one step ahead of Cash.
“And the foundation, are we monitoring the funds?”
“Of course, I took a look at all the business assets.”
“Do whatever it takes to bring him down and wait for the end to come. Keep me apprised of progress.”
“I’m on it, Nathan.”
But just the thought of it left me with a sense of dread. Bryer was right Cash was poison. I left John to conclude his discrete tasks, knowing I was trusting the right person.
Dusk was starting to settle over the city as I glanced at my watch. Bryer must be in the air her departure left an hour ago. My phone buzzed in my pocket, I pulled it out and glanced at the screen, swiped across and answered.
“Steel, I’ve—"
“Nathan, we need to talk.”
Frozen in place, I skidded to a halt. A low boil rumbled in my gut.
“Is it Bryer, is she alright?”
“She’s fine. I had a man on Bryer in Austin, for protection.”
I drew in a ragged breath as my heart started to beat again.
“Okay, good.”
That made a lot of sense, although Bryer had a high danger detector she was far from a damsel in distress kind of woman. Still, I might not be able to prevent something dangerous from so far away. And that protective instinct filled a need in me I knew I couldn’t control.
“Bryer left Austin.” He said slowly. “Cash escorted her on the trip, you didn’t mention that.”
It felt like my heart had left my body, a mind trick were I actually felt that it wasn’t real, that Steel was wrong. In a healthy marriage both partners trust each other unconditionally, and respect each other’s right to pri
vacy, personal space, knowing we each had a life that extended past our relationship. What did this reveal about our us, our trust, or lack thereof.
“I-I didn’t know.”
“Flynn stayed behind in Austin; he’s investigating a suspicious paper trail.
“Paper trail?”
“That’s the goal, to figure out his motives.” He said warily. “Don’t jump to conclusion Nathan, it was simply platonic. They each had their own rooms and didn’t socialize out of the work environment.”
Being in tune with another person, required the ability to understand, and display that emotion unconditionally. Strength lies in the strong, but it wasn’t easy being that person right now.
I told myself to stop. We are happy, we are in love, we laugh together, cry together and are there for each other. In a sense we were each other’s life preserver. Together we turned our pain into trust, our grief into hope. Love was the guiding light to a better life, a muti-faceted motivator that came in many forms.
“Nathan? Are you still there?”
“What? Yes.”
“Like I said, I’ll keep you updated as things develop.”
“Thanks.”
And ended the call. But my brain was still unable to process the lie. So, I trusted my instinct instead, I imagined it was all so innocent to help my mind learn to use common sense and wisdom, trust because she warned me about Cash and everything, she had ever told me had turned out to be right.
Once again, I was forced to play the hand Cash has dealt me. What the hell did I have to do to get this guy out of our lives, out of Bryer’s life? Until then, I couldn’t let myself get sucked into his web of deception.
Music played as I opened the door and entered the house. His soulful voice had a pleading, folk aspect with an unabashed beauty, mixed with the strong acoustic sound and layers of electronic synthesizers, the hum echoed through the house like a prayer.
As I made my way to his studio, the slow-paced guitar work sounded dramatic and deep. My interest piqued, I gravitated towards the door’s entry way. And found myself leaning on the door frame gazing into his eyes. He sat on his stool playing a sad melody, he lifted his chin and our eyes locked.
Forgotten Chance: Book Three (Forgotten Trilogy) Page 11
