“So you grew up together?”
“Well, not exactly. But that was our first meeting. His mother had moved him to my small town.” His eyes held more questions than she had time to answer. “I wasn’t always from the city. Anyway, he wasn’t there long. Long story short we bumped into each other again about a year ago.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Guess it was just meant to be.”
Speaking those words made her feel the depth of treachery she entertained by being friends with Mason. Her mind and heart doubted the ability to remain simply that.
“You’re going to hate me for asking this, but I need to know for certain and be convinced,” he said.
“Okay? What is it?”
“Is it possible that Bryan ran off with another woman?”
There it was—the line that he should not have crossed.
“How could you say such a horrible thing? You don’t even know him.”
“I can’t apologize for asking. Jessica, you’re a beautiful woman, but maybe he had a hidden agenda? Used the death threat as an excuse to make a change in his life?”
Jessica stood. “It’s time for you to leave.”
It was not feasible that a man she shared her heart, her dreams, and her life with could be such a monster. Bryan’s existence was woven into the prestige his family had established in the community. The estate had been in his family for generations. He would never leave it. She shook her head. He would never leave her.
“I think it’s best you go.” Her eyes misted with tears.
Mason stood.
“I didn’t want to hurt you.” He reached for her arm, but she moved out of reach.
She fought not to cry.
“Please go.” She choked on the words. She refused to look at him as he left. When she heard the door shut, she cried loudly into her hands. Her chest heaved to catch a full breath.
-
Chapter 23
FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS, she sulked around the house looking at old photographs, reliving memories. Bryan had such a warm smile. Yet it had been so long since she saw it, her recollection of it was fading. The fact that her memories were tainted gray, the specifics muted, stung her almost as much as his absence.
Nine days had passed since she had seen Mason.
Her first assessment that a person could not stay mad at him had long been proven false. He had pressed her and pushed her into a corner, ultimately insulting her intelligence and woman’s intuition.
If Bryan had cheated on her, she would know. Besides, he would never hurt her this badly. And regardless of their relationship, he would never discard the life that his family had established, or his business. He took too much pride in both of those things to leave them.
The Lexan family esteemed themselves on strength and standing their ground. Bryan had been inundated with this philosophy growing up and, as a result, was a strong and proud man.
Dimitre’s men would have a painful time forcing him to do something against his will. And when Bryan broke free of them, they would end up facing the ultimate penalty. The Lexans had connections. Jessica had simply chosen to ignore it. Maybe she should seek them out...if only she knew where to start.
“JESS.” Nella stormed into her office with a newspaper in her hand. Her face was drawn like she had seen a ghost.
“This woman—” she pointed to a picture in the paper and sat across from Jessica. She began reading the article. “‘The body of Maxine Wallace, popular lounge singer at The Purple Petal and girlfriend of Russian Mafia Drug Boss Dimitre Petrov, was found today.’”
“And who is she to me?”
Nella slapped the paper down in front of Jessica and pointed to the woman’s photograph.
“That is the woman who was with Bryan. That night at Sneaky Pete’s in the back booth. I recognize her. The article says she was identified by dental records. Her body was torched.”
Jessica’s eyes rose from the photograph and met with Nella’s. She put her fingertips on the picture as if to somehow garner answers from it. She was a beautiful woman with long black hair, brown eyes, full lips, exactly as Nella had described her.
The newspaper had a five by seven colored print of Maxine on the arm of Dimitre. The sight of that man made her sick. She knew he was the person responsible for taking the love of her life away from her. Her eyes scanned the page and caught a glimpse of Bryan’s name and a small black and white photograph of him.
“What’s this?” She pointed it out to Nella, a scowl forming on her face.
“I don’t know.” She reached out to take the paper, but Jessica pulled it back and read it aloud.
“‘Defense Attorney, Bryan Lexan, is missing at this time and suspected of being a victim of foul play. He represented Dimitre Petrov in his recent trial. Bryan Lexan lost the case resulting in the mafia boss being handed a life sentence. Eyewitnesses from the courtroom the day of the verdict testify to a verbal threat on the lawyer’s life.’”
Her eyes remained on the picture. It was the one she had provided the detective.
“Jess, are you okay?”
She shook her head. “I never gave them permission to run this.”
She didn’t know whether she was more angry or devastated by seeing the part about Bryan. It was as if she had been hit on the head with a mallet that drove home the reality that Bryan may have met the same fate as the woman. But she refused to dwell on that. He would make it back to her. Alive.
“Jess?”
Jessica raised her eyes from the paper to face her friend.
“I can’t accept it, Nella. I mean I don’t care if they put this in the paper.” She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. “It might even help find him. It’s just I don’t want to think about him turning up dead.”
Torched, unrecognizable. Identified only by dental records.
Shivers ran down her back.
“How dare that man think he can get away with this? There will be a time he will pay. There will be.” Her voice rose in volume and intensity with every word. She tossed the used tissue in the can beside her desk. “He will pay.” She glared into her friend’s eyes.
She could tell Nella feared she pledged vengeance, but what Jessica referred to is the way life works. She believed that good always combated evil no matter how naive others might think that to be. In the end, it would be Dimitre who would be brought down. At that time, Jessica would willingly find amusement with it and be cheering his demise from the sidelines.
Jessica’s cell phone interrupted them, and she answered.
“Hi, Jessica, it’s Detective Knight. We need you to come down to the station.”
“If it’s to tell me about the article mentioning Bryan, I already know.”
“I’m sorry, Jessica. That information leaked to the press. But we need to speak to you about something else—something more serious.”
Jessica could not take a breath. Her lungs were frozen. She sat there in silence for a few seconds. “About what?”
She kept her eyes on her friend. Her instinct told her it would be bad news based on the tone of the detective’s voice and her articulation. Blood rushed from Jessica’s face, and it was obvious how pale she had gone by Nella’s reaction.
Nella mouthed, “Are you okay?” It was the catchphrase of the last two weeks.
Fresh tears formed in the corners of Jessica’s eyes.
“Please,” Detective Knight began. “Anytime that is good for you, the sooner, the better.”
“Okay.” Jessica closed her cell phone. She would heed the detective’s advice. “I’ve got to go, Nella. Please come with me.”
“Sure. I’ll just let Dominic know he’ll have to man the phones on his own.”
On the way out of her office, Jessica’s cell phone rang again. She answered without seeing the caller’s identity.
�
��Jessica, it’s Mason. Before you hang up, please listen to me.”
“Mason, I’m not sure our friendship is going to work.” Hearing herself say those words broke her heart. She wanted him in her life, but it was too complicated.
“And you have every right to say that after what I said the last time I saw you. I’m very sorry.”
The sound of his voice tore at the wall she had built around herself. The truth was she needed as many friends as she could get and needed to feed off their strength. She had a feeling the news at the police station would be bad. Otherwise, why not tell her over the phone?
Her next word was carried on breath. “Okay.”
The line went quiet. He must have expected more struggles before convincing her of his apology.
“I need you right now.”
Of all the things to say, why those words?
She rushed to explain. “I need to go down to the police station right now. They have some news for me. Meet me there?”
-
Chapter 24
HE LIFTED HIS HAT, wiped his brow of sweat drops, and replaced it on his head. Dimitre’s presence had that effect on him. It was as if his eyes could reach in and tug on the soul. Those eyes were capable of murder and had been witness to many—of this the man had no doubt. He pulled out on his collar. It suffocated him despite the loose fit.
Dimitre sat across from him, shackled like a wild predator. He picked up the receiver.
“Your news better make me happy.”
Swallowing loud enough to hear, he took his time before responding. He had to be convincing or Sergey and Anatolli would execute him. They directed him to tell Dimitre the lawyer was dead.
“Business has been taken care of.” His voice was barely audible.
“Excellent,” Dimitre snarled. He stood without another word, walked toward the door, and his guard escorted him out.
JESSICA, NELLA, AND MASON SAT in the sergeant’s office waiting for Detective Knight. The accreditations on the wall bore the name Patrick McAlexandar.
Jessica’s legs jumped up and down out of nervousness. The atmosphere was tense and heavy. She sensed it when she heard the detective’s voice on the phone, but was assured of her suspicions when she went into the station. The officer at the front counter had been too accommodating and too friendly.
Nella sat to her right, and Mason to her left. Nella placed a hand on Jessica’s knee.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Detective Knight said as she entered the room. Her eyes took in all three of them but rested on Mason for a while.
Jessica assumed the woman judged her, but maybe it was her conscience? She could be getting news of Bryan’s death while she sat beside a man she cared for.
“This is Detective Falkowski, you might remember him, Jessica,” Detective Knight said.
He was the detective who filed the missing persons report for her.
“Of course, I do.”
Falkowski’s eyes roamed over her two companions. He reached his hand out and introductions were made.
A large man came in and closed the door behind him.
“This is Sergeant McAlexandar,” Knight introduced him.
His presence overwhelmed the room. Jessica wouldn’t want to face him on the wrong side of the law. His aura was heavily masculine and foreboding. He was large in height and structure and commanded attention.
“Hello, Miss Pratt.” He held his hand out toward her.
Jessica wondered how he knew which one she was, but then noticed she had leaned toward him without realizing it. His grip was solid as one would surmise from his appearance.
“Unfortunately, we have some bad news,” Sergeant McAlexandar said.
The air stifled in her lungs, the weight of the situation crushing her.
Despite her efforts to remain strong, tears misted her eyes. Both Mason and Nella were watching her. Nella squeezed her hand, and Jessica found herself reaching for Mason. Their eyes had connected briefly before he encased her hand with his. She bit her bottom lip to prepare her mind for what they would say next.
“Detective Knight.” McAlexandar took a step back.
Ted Falkowski sat on the edge of the desk, his attention on the three of them.
KNIGHT SENSED THE PAIN EMANATING from Jessica. She was never any good at delivering negative news. She loathed it. And to pass on what she knew at this point made the detective nauseous.
“We found Bryan’s car.” Knight disregarded the knowing look in Jessica’s eyes. She knew, they always knew. “And it was torched.”
“His car? Just his car? So he’s okay?” Her attention skipped between the detectives. “Tell me he’s okay.” She strengthened her grip on her friends’ hands.
Detective Knight shared a glance with Sergeant McAlexandar. “Unfortunately, Jessica, Bryan’s body was found inside.”
Jessica stared blankly at her and said nothing.
“He’s dead?” Nella asked the rhetorical question on behalf of her friend. She squeezed Jessica’s hand.
Knight nodded.
JESSICA’S WORLD STOPPED ROTATING. These people were all strangers, talking away about nothing that concerned her.
Jessica could tell the detective was trying to avoid eye contact but eventually their eyes met. The dreaded truth was being spoken by her words and body language—her sagging shoulders and weary eyes.
“I’m sorry. If there’s anything the department or I can do, by all means, we’ll do it for you.”
Jessica remained speechless. She wanted to pitch a fit and protest. But to what avail? His soul, his life force was snuffed out.
“Here is his ring.” The detective handed her a plastic bag containing the onyx ring.
Jessica shivered, feeling frozen, and lightheaded.
She shook her head.
She recognized the ring but didn’t want to acknowledge what this meant. She lifted it out, examining it. It was relatively untouched by the fire. Why should a ring—a meaningless ring—survive such an ordeal yet her fiancé had to die?
Nella asked, “Besides the ring, how do you know that it was Bryan in the car?”
Sergeant McAlexandar shifted his stance.
“The remains were compared to his dental records, and they were a positive match.”
With those words, the hard truth was sinking in. Jessica released her grip on Nella’s hand and covered her mouth.
“We are…we were…supposed to get married.”
Her eyelashes were soaked in the tears that overfilled her eyes. Her vision blurred from them. She tightened her grasp on Mason’s hand. She was only made aware of it when the eyes of the sergeant shifted down to their clasped hands. The accusatory glint in his eyes caused her to release Mason’s hand.
“Again, we’re sorry for your loss, Miss Pratt,” the sergeant said.
“Can I at least see him?” Jessica asked.
“Unfortunately, we don’t think that would be a good idea.” McAlexandar clenched his jaw.
Nella shifted her position to face Jessica. She wrapped an arm around her.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Nella’s eyes brimmed with empathetic tears.
Minutes passed and no one said a word until Knight broke the silence.
“We have conducted an autopsy and have pulled any useful or possible leads from Bryan. We tried to speed things up so that his body could be released to you for burial. I want you to know that this is still being treated as an ongoing investigation. All evidence gathered will be reviewed with great care and due diligence to help us find a link to the person who would have set the bomb in place.”
“A bomb?” Jessica’s voice cracked. She had glanced at Mason before she moved toward Nella for a hug.
MASON WAS UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THE first time in his life. Awkward, useless, and helpless. Despite his lon
ging to be with her, he found no satisfaction in her fiancé’s death. He was remorseful—regretful that he had attempted to pressure her into a romantic relationship despite her strong commitment to Bryan. He felt like shit.
-
Chapter 25
THE NEXT SERIES OF MINUTES, hours, days blurred together. The hope that had held her together—made her garner any remote strength to carry on mundane daily activities—had vanished. Her dream, her belief that Bryan would return to her, shattered. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, the warmth of his breath on her naked body and experience the security in his arms. But it wasn’t going to happen now, or ever again. Those precious days were history and a point of reference she could only visit in her memories. The coldness left behind forged a void so vast, it would be impossible to approach filling it. Nothing would replace him—nothing, or no one.
Bryan’s estate had been left in the hands of the family lawyer, Glenn Baxter, who would oversee distribution in accordance with his Will. The allocation of assets would be completed over the next four weeks. And she wanted that over with as soon as possible.
Somehow she had to find the courage to transpose from this point in life to a more happy and simple state of being. But how could she get there without him? He was her love and where their opinions didn’t meet with perfect symmetry, they complimented each other. Their relationship had defined most of her life.
Jessica could only imagine how this would sound to some, and she pitied them. When your loved one is snatched away prematurely, no other pain can rival its intensity. Dropping her face into her hands, the image of Bryan’s coffin being lowered into its final resting place filled her mind. And now, she had a houseful of mourners and sympathetic well-wishers to greet.
The minister had given Bryan’s eulogy at the gravesite, yet with someone who had such influence as a Lexan there were many who wanted to share their memories. They would do this in the backyard of the Lexan estate. But she couldn’t bring herself to leave the bedroom.
She sat perched on the edge of the bed and ran her hand along the top of the duvet. She pondered the times they had shared and the love they had made here.
Life Sentence Page 17
