by Lynn Faye
“For heaven’s sake, Helen, sit down. You’re making me dizzy,” Harold’s voice broke her thoughts.
Stopping directly in front of him while he relaxed in his high back La-Z-Boy, she glowered at him. “You may not have heard me when I told you what that fox is up to,” she barked. “Shall I repeat it?”
“No need, I heard you the first time,” he easily replied.
“My second son is marrying that coyote,” she flared.
“Fox,” Harold corrected with a chuckle. She gave him a daggering look. “You said fox. She can’t be both.”
“You find this amusing, that our son is caught in the clutches of that woman, just like our Andrew?”
“Despite what you think, Andrew wasn’t the saint you thought he was,” he informed her.
Helen stared at him bug-eyed. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing, just that he wasn’t perfect.” Harold rose. “I’m going to make an important phone call. I’ll be in the study.”
“Wait,” Helen grabbed his arm. “Help me stop her. This is for our son’s sake. He is still out son!”
“I told you I want no part of this,” he replied succinctly.
“You’re a coward,” Helen returned. “Do what you want. I will fight this battle on my own.”
“Don’t you think you’re going too far taking that child away from her mother?”
“No, never.”
“Hailey will grow to resent you.”
“I will make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“How?”
“I have my ways. I will make sure that Hailey loves only us and eventually her love for Kristen will fade.”
“You aren’t planning on lying to that little girl, are you? You know Kristen is a great mother who loves her daughter.”
“If I have to I will. Hailey will grow to hate her, you watch and see.”
Harold walked away, leaving her feeling alone. Helen made a promise to herself that she would not lose this battle and that Hailey would not return to that house. She’d do anything necessary to stop Kristen from ruining another son of hers.
With this in mind, she ascended the spiraled staircase leading to her third-floor bedroom suite on the west wing. Locking the door behind her, she pulled out her cellular and made a very important call.
The person on the other end of the line picked up after two rings.
“It’s Helen. Remember what we talked about the other day?”
“Yes, ma’am,” a man’s voice returned.
“Do it, and do it fast. We have no time to spare. I need results.”
“Yes. Will get right on it.”
There were no goodbyes, just a beep to indicate the other party ended the call. Helen felt better that she was getting something done rather than twiddling her thumbs and waiting for the judge to rule. It was apparent Judge Lorde wasn’t easy to bribe. She’d offered him a tidy sum if she ruled in her favor. Instead, he refused her and allowed Kristen a long leash.
There was no way Helen was going wait on Judge Lorde to disappoint her again. She’d have to take matters into her own hands if she wanted to win.
Chapter 8
It was settled. Kristen stared at Ethan’s signature scrawled across the bottom of the contract. It was like déjà vu. She recalled doing the same thing with Andrew after making a devastating discovery that made her rethink having any relationships with men. A morning just like this was when she got the courage to listen to her husband’s side of the story. They’d sat at this very table and made an agreement which they both signed to. Eight years later, she was doing the same thing with his brother.
This family’s trust was based on nothing but signed legal agreements. Ethan’s parents had him sign over his birthright when they renounced him as their son. From what Andrew told her, Ethan would lay claim to nothing upon their deaths. They must have thought that Andrew would live forever.
This marriage was somehow different. When she signed the agreement with Andrew, she didn’t have a daughter to consider. Now, Hailey was involved, she needed to make sure it was in her daughter’s best interest. She and Ethan would get married within two weeks at the town hall after they completed the necessary requirements.
“I want us both to do a blood test,” Kristen added to the list.
Ethan frowned. “Why? If nothing is going to happen between us, why bother?”
“Nothing is going to happen, and don’t you dare think you can do as you please with other women. How’s that gonna look? I won’t stand for that,” she retorted.
“What am I to do? A man has needs.”
“Fist it off.”
“You’re one cruel woman,” he complained, but she knew he was teasing her.
“Anyway, not every illness shows itself easily. Isn’t it best we know that we are both healthy before going into this? Makes it easier to handle.”
Ethan softened his tone. “Was Andrew carrying around some illness you’re not telling me about?”
“This is not about Andrew. It’s about us.”
“He was my brother,” he said. “Kristen, I am not the enemy.”
“Aren’t you?”
“We used to be close, friends even.”
“That was a long time ago, Ethan. Things change.”
He ignored the last statement and continued his grilling. “Was Andrew sick? Was that why you had him cremated?”
“I didn’t have him cremated. It was his wish not to be cut open for an autopsy and that his body would be cremated upon his death,” she informed him. “The agreement stated that unless he was murdered, they would not perform an autopsy. He signed an agreement with the hospital and his personal physician.”
Ethan nodded with understanding. “A stroke would rule that out.”
“Yes. He was in the hospital for three days after the stroke. It was not my decision to cremate, but apparently, his parents were not aware of this agreement.”
“What was he hiding?” he asked.
The subject of her husband was not easy to discuss. There were too many things that happened, too many secrets she was sworn to protect. In addition, she too had her own secrets from the world, secrets that only Andrew knew. Still, she needed to tell somebody at some point in time, but not now.
“I’ll tell you when I think the time is right.”
“All right, I won’t push.”
The conversation returned to the current situation. Ethan promised to seek the help of a psychiatrist to determine whether his dreams were stress related or not. With the promise made, he made the appointment in her presence.
She still had doubts about marrying him, but at least she could keep an eye on him if he was around. If she married someone else, she would likely never see him again as he had threatened to leave.
“Do you want me to come with you?” she asked.
Ethan’s jaw visibly tightened. “You don’t have to police me. I’ll go.”
Getting to her feet, she picked up her copy of the contract. “I was just offering support. You obviously don’t need it,” she snapped. “If you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do than argue with you.”
“Kristen…”
Ignoring him, she pushed through the kitchen door and headed toward the staircase in the living room. He followed behind but her feet hastened away. When she was about to make the first step up the stairs, she felt him grab her arm.
Spinning around, she shrugged him off. “Don’t keep grabbing me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Truce?”
Her reply came with a deep sigh. “If we’re going to do this, we can’t argue around my daughter.”
“I won’t.” He held his hands up defensively. “But I can’t say the same for you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Since I returned, you’ve been nothing but cantankerous and you haven’t told me what I did to cause it. It can’t be about us dating or not dating ten years ago.”
“Don’t be silly.
Why would I be angry about a relationship that never happened?”
“Then what is it?”
“I can’t talk about that right now, Ethan,” her voice came out crisp.
“So, there is something,” he said it as though a realization dawned on him.
She started up the stairs when she heard him say, “It’s not like we slept together.” Kristen whirled, her heart thundering and knees weak. “Are you crazy?”
He came up to where she stood on the third step, a dark look clouding his face. “We did, didn’t we?” When she didn’t offer an answer, he gripped her shoulders. “Answer me, damn it.”
“I don’t have time for this.” she tried to shrug him off, but his hold tightened.
“How come I can’t remember?”
“Let go.”
His fingers dug into her flesh, matching the intensity of his stare. “Not until you tell me what happened.”
This wasn’t happening. The one thing she swore would never happen was now facing her. The one mistake of her life was now confronting her. However, it wasn’t her fault alone. They were both to blame, but most of all, Andrew was the main culprit in all this.
“I’m waiting for your answer Kristen, and I’m not letting you leave without telling me,” he said, his voice thick.
With skin flushed, knees still weak and heart thudding heavily, she looked away. Ethan was unrelenting, giving her shoulders a light shake. This was not something that should be discussed, not now, not ever. Still, the burden of what happened weighed on her.
“Yes!” she shrieked. “Yes, and I have hated you ever since.”
Ethan’s hands fell as his mouth opened and his eyes widened. “I knew it. I see snippets of it, but I can’t remember it, not entirely. I thought it was my imagination.”
The heaviness of the burden weighed in. Her chest heaved as her eyes burned and tears she’d held back for so many years burst forth.
“How?” Ethan raked his hand through his hair.
She knew it was not his fault. She knew he wasn’t to blame, but the fact that he could not remember angered her. How could he not remember making passionate love to her? Or maybe her guilt for responding to him so passionately was what made her feel bad. Fighting the tears that started to stream down her face, she sought to regain her composure. If she was going to reveal what happened, she might as well do it with some dignity. Ethan should never know how that night affected her emotionally.
“It was your brother. He planned the whole thing and when I realized that it was you I was making love to, it was too damn late!”
“Andrew did this? How…?”
The ringing of her cell phone interrupted him. Kristen reached into her jeans pocket, picked it out and swiped the screen. Bringing it to her ear, she answered, “Hello.”
A woman’s voice responded, “Mrs. Broderick. This is your daughter’s school. Hailey has been in an accident. Please come right away.” A click indicated that the call was dropped.
“Hello,” she said into the phone, her blood draining from her head. “Hello!”
“Kristen, what is it?”
She heard Ethan asked the question, but his voice seemed distant. Kristen pushed passed him, picking up her car keys from the mantle and heading out the door. All she could think of was Hailey being badly hurt.
Ethan caught up with her. “What’s the matter?”
“I’ll tell you when I get back,” she managed. “I have to go now.”
Before he could delay her further, Kristen sprinted out the door. She was in her car in less than a minute and reversing onto the residential street. On her way, she opened her phone and looked for the number to return the call for more information, but to her dismay, the number was hidden.
“Crap,” she yelled. “Why would they call me on a private number?”
They told her it was an accident. What kind of accident was it? Why didn’t Helen herself call? Did Helen know? Was Helen in the accident? Without a second thought, she turned the radio on for any news of road accidents.
She then activated the hands-free and dialed Helen’s number. The call went unanswered. She was on the main street when she decided to call Hailey’s school. Just as she heard the voice come on the line, the car jolted violently. Pressing the brake, she hoped to slow the vehicle to figure out what made the car lurch like that.
The car sped forward. The more she pressed the brake the faster the vehicle went. It was happening so fast, faster than she could think. The car hit a bump and she was thrust into the air. Kristen screamed as the car lifted, spun several times, and started twirling back down. The airbag engaged just as the car made impact with the ground. She felt her head whip back, hitting something hard before everything went black.
Chapter 9
Ethan racked his brain, trying to remember making love with Kristen. The images from his fantasy surfaced but quickly faded. He walked to the mantle and stared into the unlit fireplace.
Andrew did this? How? Why?
The answers he needed could only come from Kristen and she had taken off without a word. A tingling sensation presented in his chest as cold fingers crawled over his neck.
“Kristen,” he breathed, his heart going at a sluggishly heavy beat.
What just came over him was something he’d developed over the years he’d been in the Navy. Call it a sixth sense, but he knew the feeling well enough to know that something was wrong. Without delay, he picked up the house phone, not wanting to waste time to get his cell phone. The tightness in his chest gripped him as he dialed her number with stiff fingers. The line was busy. With a growl, he hung up, waited a minute, and dialed again. The same results came back as before.
Ethan traipsed across the living and back. For several minutes, he trampled the rug, then stopped, dialed, and listened as the phone beeped rapidly. After an hour of dialing and getting a busy signal, he was certain his gut was right. He didn’t give up and finally got through.
“You have reached the mailbox of Kristen, please leave a message after the tone,” her voice came back to him.
He hung up in frustration without leaving a message. Just as he hung up the phone, it rang. Ethan picked up before the second ring. “Kristen?”
“Hello,” a woman’s voice returned.
That was not Kristen’s voice, Ethan silently observed. “Hello?” he answered.
“This is the administrative department of Boston General Hospital,” she said. “Are you related to Kristen Broderick?”
Something punched him in the gut. “I’m her bro… her fiancé,” he informed the woman, trying to keep his voice level. “Is she all right?”
“I’m afraid Miss Broderick has been involved in a motor vehicle accident. She is now in emergency surgery.”
Ethan was a Navy seal, trained to handle any situation that may arise. He’d been on many dangerous Missions, been abducted, tortured, and faced death numerous times. However, nothing prepared him for the shock of being informed him that Kristen had been in an accident.
He took the details from the woman who said her name was Miss Myles from the hospital administrative office. Five minutes later, Ethan was clamping on his helmet, astride his bike and ready to leave the house when a silver car blocked his path.
“What the fuck?” he swore aloud. Dragging off the helmet he shouted to a man emerging from the vehicle. “You’re blocking my fucking path. Move your damn car!”
“I’m sorry, I need to talk with Kristen, it’s urgent.”
Ethan stared at the man for five seconds before he realized he was the lawyer. What the fuck does he want now? was what popped into his head.
Mark pulled up to Kristen’s house and emerged from the car into a barrage of expletives. This brother-in-law of hers was a real tool. Mark swallowed hard and walked up the drive.
He didn’t handle bad situations well on a good day, and today was not a good day. Just about an hour ago, he witnessed a horrific accident on the freeway and that gave him the chills. He�
��d had to stop at a nearby bar to down a few drinks.
“Is Kristen there? It’s urgent I see her,” he politely restated.
“Move your fucking car. I need to leave.”
“Okay, but first let me just ring the bell.”
As Mark tried to pass, Ethan grabbed his arm and dragged him back. He was immediately reminded of the scuffle between Kristen and Ethan on the day of the hearing.
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather you not touch me,” he told Ethan, brushing off his hand. “I’m here to see my client and I will move the car once I have seen her.”
“Suit yourself,” Ethan returned, jumping from the motorcycle.
Mark watched open-mouthed as Ethan trotted to his car. He could not believe when Ethan placed his hand on the trunk and started pushing the car forward.
Finally finding his voice, Mark rushed forward. “What are you doing?”
“Clearing my path,” Ethan grunted.
The car moved a few feet forward, giving enough room for the motorbike to pass. Ethan returned to his Harley, clamped his helmet in place and sped away.
Mark hurried to the door and pressed the button. He heard the chime come from inside, but no one answered. He rang a few more times, but still no one.
“That sonofabitch knew she wasn’t here and just left me hanging,” he cursed.
An hour earlier…
Nervous excitement was what she called it. Heart racing, stomach churning, and glee mingled together. Camila was feeling all of those at the prospect of seeing her best friend. She’d returned from New York against the wishes of the person who sent her there. For two years, she had hidden away. No more.
It seemed that fate was sending her a message. As she entered the freeway, she noticed the pile-up. Just a fifty feet meters ahead, she clearly made out an ambulance driving away with a patient. Police were directing traffic to the opposite side of the street.
