Conklin's Corruption

by Brooke Page

  “Whatever you get will be beautiful,” I assured her. “I set up a meeting while you were in the shower.” I gulped, my stare becoming semi serious. “I’m meeting with Anderson.”

  Becca’s eyes looked hopeful as she read my mind.

  “I think you’re right. Anderson could help us.”

  “Did you talk to Nathan, too?”

  I shook my head no. “I’ll call him once you fall asleep and convince him it’s the right thing to do.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me then shook her head in disgust. She smiled though, knowing I was right and that she’d pass out as soon as we were passing the bridge.

  “We’ll see who falls asleep,” she said confidently.

  ***

  About two minutes after we were off the bridge, Becca was leaned against the window, mouth open and softly snoring. I laughed quietly to myself as I reached for my phone. Nothing was going to wake her up now.

  “Have a good getaway?” Nathan said after the second ring.

  “Shockingly, perfect,” I said truthfully.

  “Oh,” Nathan said, surprised. “ I wasn’t sure how the cabin would treat you.”

  I gulped, knowing Nathan was worried about the memories that would come back to me once I was in our old stomping ground. He knew what I had been going through. Sometimes I wondered if we were twins because of our brotherly connection.

  “It was good,” I said reassuringly. “But I thought a lot, and I want to go to Anderson.”

  “Tyler,” Nathan sighed. “Stop instigating him, he’s not—”

  “No. I want to ask for his help. I want to stop Chino.”

  Nathan was silent for a long moment.

  “Do you really think that will work? What happens when we catch him? The press will catch the Feds finding millions of dollars worth of cocaine on our properties.” Nathan wasn’t happy. This was exactly why he would be afraid. Nathan didn’t want to get a bad reputation, and neither did I, but sometimes you have to do what’s right.

  “I don’t think we have any other option,” I finally said.

  “What about Mitch?” Nathan said with a scared undertone to his voice.

  The only person I was worried about was Mitch. I loved him. He was my little brother, and along with memories of my mother, I had memories of him when we were younger. I forgot how much I wanted to protect him, and I forgot how often he’d sneak into my bedroom when we were kids, but in reality, we both snuck into Nathan’s. I’d never admit that to anyone else though.

  “We send him to Miami, permanently. Then he can’t get into trouble. If Anderson wants to go south, then we bring him into the offices. I won’t let him go down with Chino, even if he’s his right hand man.”

  Nathan was silent again, but then sighed, “All right. I’ll set up the meeting.”

  “I already did.”

  ***

  Becca and I rode together into the city for the first time in what felt like ages. I enjoyed seeing her smiling next to me, giving me her random shy glances as I’d stroke her knee. We were both dressed down, jeans and fleece jackets. The weather turned cooler again, closer to the lower 60s.

  While I’d be meeting with Anderson, Becca was going to do her shopping, and then we were going to meet up with Heather and Ray and the kids. I didn’t really care about ArtPrize, but Becca did, so I wanted to support her.

  We parked in the basement ramp of the Conklin building, an eerie feeling spreading throughout each of us. My biggest fear could take place in moments, me being handcuffed and taken in, leaving Becca with a convicted fiancé. The Conklin reputation would be destroyed forever because of drug trafficking accusations.

  She reached for me, wrapping her arms snugly around my waist. “It’ll be okay. Tell me everything will be okay,” she whispered.

  I nuzzled her hair. “Everything will be fine. I’ll meet you in an hour.”

  We still didn’t let go of each other. “I love you, Ty,” she murmured into my chest.

  I reached for her face, my eyes boring deep into hers. “We’ll be fine. This was your idea, and you’re always right,” I said with a smile.

  She half laughed then took a long blink. I kissed her before I saw her tears of fear. I needed to be strong now. I couldn’t let Anderson think the wrong thing. I needed a clear head, to be focused. I had to do this for my Becs.

  “I love you,” I said, finally let her go, turning to ride the elevator up to my fate.

  Chapter 25

  Becca

  I wasn’t sure why my nerves picked until stepping out of the car at the Conklin building to make an appearance. The thought of Tyler confessing every detail he knew about Chino ending badly had only been in the back of my mind. But when I saw him heading towards the elevator, I couldn’t stop myself from shaking. It wasn’t the fact that Tyler could be falsely accused or have a bad name that I was worried about. I was terrified how it would affect his mind. He was finally coming around and getting comfortable in his own skin again, who knows what a whole legal mess could do to him.

  And I really didn’t want to talk to him through a glass window. Ever.

  Letting go of his waist was damn near impossible, but it was the only way we could move forward and get Chino out of our lives. Tyler wasn’t going to let him harm his family any more.

  After watching the elevator doors close, I turned on my heels and headed to find some shops downtown. I needed to not think about what my Ty was doing but pretend this was going to be a normal day.

  I took my time finding shops, enjoying the large sculptures and artwork on the sidewalks and intersections of the city. ArtPrize helped keep my mind from not being so fuzzy.

  A store caught my eye after I walked passed it. Curiously, I walked backwards while looking into the window. It seemed to be a small boutique, probably a new designer getting their feet wet for the first time. Maybe they had bridal accessories?

  A bell rang as I stepped through the door, and a gentleman around my age greeted me from the counter.

  “Hi! Can I help you find anything?” he asked sincerely as he nudged his glasses higher on his nose. His hair was tousled and his clothing was average, jeans and a t-shirt, nothing over the top or fancy.

  “Hi, do you have any bridal accessories?” I asked, searching the store with my eyes, thinking I might need to find a different shop.

  “Um, I’m not sure. Let me ask my girlfriend, hold on. Hey Ash!” he said, turning into a backroom.

  As I thumbed through a rack of clothing, a voice I thought I’d never hear again whispered through the store, sending a chill through my body.

  “Hi ma’am, what kind of accessories were you looking for?” Her voice faded as her face went pale. She gulped hard, running a hand through her tousled pony tail.

  Living and breathing, there she was, my nemesis.

  Ashlynn.

  She looked totally different. Her hair wasn’t as blonde as usual, and there wasn’t a lick of makeup on her face. Her clothing was simple and respectable, not flashy and eye catching like normal.

  The gentleman watched as Ashlynn and I took each other in, confusion spreading over his face.

  “Everything okay?” he asked tentatively.

  Ashlynn looked horrified when she realized the three of us were in the same room. It was like she didn’t want him to know who I was.

  What a bitch.

  “I was just leaving,” I said confidently, turning to walk out the store.

  “No, Becca, wait!” Ashlynn pleaded.

  My mind fought against my muscles, every single one of them wanting to walk through that door, throwing my middle finger in her direction. But my heart pounded, telling me to be the bigger person. But I was always the bigger person when it came to Ashlynn. I was done with her shit and had been more than happy ever since she was permanently out of my life.

  “Becca, I,” she hesitated, her words sounding so broken, so hurt, so… real.

  “Would you mind going and stocking the new merchandise
in the back?” she asked the gentleman who was watching us skeptically.

  I slowly turned, noticing concern wash over his face as he watched Ashlynn. She gave him a gentle smile, and he returned one, kissing her forehead and heading to the backroom.

  He must have had money for her to be with him. Shallow Ashlynn would never be with someone so normal.

  I didn’t say anything as I watched her fumble with her hair. She wouldn’t meet my eyes for the longest time, and just as I was about to turn around and finally leave, she spoke.

  “Becca, I’m sorry. I know I was horrible to you our entire lives. I can’t change that.”

  Wow… that wasn’t what I was expecting. Ashlynn had never apologized or took responsibility for her actions. I simply watched her, wondering if she would ever get the courage to look me in the eye.

  “What are you looking for?” she asked quietly, finally meeting my gaze.

  The look on her face was sobering and humbling. The urge for me to coddle her like I always had crept up, but I quickly pushed it away.

  “Well… I was looking for a hairpiece.”

  Her lips slowly quirked up, and a hint of smile took over. “Let me show you what I have.”

  Reluctantly, I followed behind her through the tiny store. My heart pounded with every step I took. Was she going to secretly jump me and pull out all of my hair? Make my appearance terrible for the most important day of my life?

  “This is what we have. I assume it’s for your wedding? I saw the spread on MLIVE. You and Tyler looked amazing. You both looked happy.”

  “We are,” I said quickly, not wanting her to think anything was ever wrong between us.

  Her smile faded as she nodded. She hung her head then slowly started to walk away.

  Fuck. Why was I feeling so guilty for being bitchy? This girl typically radiated bitch. But her fakeness wasn’t there, and her tone was normal. She seemed remorseful and hurting.

  “I, um… How have you been?” I stuttered, pretending to look extra carefully at all the hairpieces.

  Her head popped up as she turned back to face me, a small ounce of hope in her eyes.

  “Well, after Connor and I broke up, I did some changing. I didn’t realize how much of a bitch I was until Connor let me have it. Well, until you said the things you said.” Ashlynn’s normal confident self shriveled like a dead plant.

  I blinked for a long second. Was I too hard on her?

  “Becca, you needed to say what you said. I needed to hear it. I can’t be so superficial and chase things I can’t have. I’m not going to get anywhere being fake and treating people the way I did. My whole life I’ve gotten everything that money could buy, yet I still wanted more. Trying to take someone’s love from them, and twice… was the most selfish thing I could have ever done. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out. I’m sorry I ruined our friendship.”

  I was speechless by her confession. Her ability to realize what she was doing shocked the hell out of me. This was so unlike Ashlynn. I kept waiting for the cameras to come out and say, JUST KIDDING! YOU’VE BEEN PUNKED!

  “But I can understand why you’d never forgive me.”

  Shit.

  “Ashlynn… ” I paused, taking a deep breath. What was I supposed to say? I always forgave everyone and anyone so quickly. But I just wasn’t ready to mend things with Ashlynn. I didn’t want her to try and come into my life again. I didn’t trust her and never would.

  She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “Why don’t you try this one on?”

  I stared at her for a moment then nodded my head. I was thankful she realized how uncomfortable I was with her apology.

  “Are you wearing your hair up or down?”

  “I, um… I haven’t really decided.”

  She gave me a warm smile, picking through different pieces and holding them up to my hair different ways. She was always good at helping me figure out what to wear.

  “Is everything else ready for the wedding?” she asked.

  “Yeah, for the most part. It’s been fun, stressful, but… Well, you know how my mom is.” I laughed. She let out a giggle as well.

  “Yes, Missy can be a bit much. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed wedding planning.” Her smile faded, and hurt crossed her face. “Maybe one day I’ll plan my wedding.”

  “Hey babe, are these supposed to be on sale?” the gentleman asked who greeted me earlier.

  Ashlynn turned her head and looked at him adoringly as he held up a pair of shirts with a confused expression. I smiled, enjoying his less-than-perfect appearance.

  “Yes. Thanks, Alex.” He grinned wide at her as though he was her puppy, like she had just patted him on the head for doing a good deed.

  She blushed as he turned back into the back room then met my eyes again. “He’s still learning,” she said softly.

  “Your boyfriend?” I blurted.

  She nodded her head. “He’s different from anyone else I’ve known. He’s pure, and I’ve learned so much from him. Maybe one day.” She was insinuating marriage, I’m sure.

  “You’ll get your fairytale,” I said sincerely.

  Her eyes watered as she nodded her head at me. “Do you like any of these?”

  “Yeah, I think I’ll take both. I’m not sure which one I like more,” I said truthfully. They were gorgeous. Intricate beading that I’m sure she did by hand. She was always creative when it came to designing. I’d imagined when we were younger that she’d be the one to make my wedding dress.

  I followed her to the register, an awkward silence passing between us.

  “You’re going to make a beautiful bride. I can’t wait to see pictures,” she whispered, pain laced with her words.

  “They won’t be on MLIVE,” I half laughed. Tyler promised, and I would personally go to the news station and have a major freak out until the photos were taken down.

  “Oh, well… maybe we could have lunch after and you could show me sometime,” she asked timidly.

  My eyes widened, that same fear of her creeping back into my life.

  I paid her for the headpieces then offered her a smile. “Maybe.”

  She nodded her head with a small bit of hope twinkling in her eyes.

  Turning to leave, I felt a peace in my heart. I didn’t hate her, not anymore, but I wouldn’t be showing her my wedding pictures either. Forgiveness was something I was willing to give, but I wouldn’t let her back into my life. Maybe that was low of me, but some things just can’t be repaired completely.

  The sun was warm on my face as I left the store. I took my time walking back to the Conklin building, reaching into my pocket to rub the ruby heart Tyler gave me. My breath hitched with worry. Just as I was reaching for my phone, it chirped.

  We’re by one of Conklin’s pieces at the Public Museum. They look awesome! Meet us here?- Heather

  Sure! Let me get Tyler and I’ll text you when we’re on our way- Becca

  Oh, Tyler! My heart raced as I went to dial his number, but a FaceTime message from Cooper’s phone came through. Odd. Cooper rarely called me. I only had his phone number if there was an emergency.

  Oh my God, Tyler! Anderson must’ve thought he was suspicious and took him into custody! My heart dropped, breaking into a thousand pieces as I slowly hit accept. A million thoughts rushed through my head as I waited for the phone to connect. What were people going to say? How was I going to tell Mary her sons were in jail? What was bail all about and would I be able to get Tyler and Nathan out? Maybe I should go see Connor?

  Finally the phone connected… and Cooper wasn’t on the screen. A snaky, smiling older man was on the other end.

  “Hello, Miss Stine,” Lee Chino greeted. His voice was friendly, but his eyes held something completely different. The Devil.

  “Hi Lee… I wasn’t expecting to see your face. Why do you have Cooper’s phone?” I asked, trying not to seem completely shaken. I began to walk faster, my eyes searching the streets for anything suspicious happening. May
be Tyler would still be with Anderson, and things were going smoothly enough that we could catch Chino saying something Anderson could use against him.

  “I borrowed it. I figured you wouldn’t answer an unknown number, but that doesn’t matter right now. What matters right now is that you listen to everything I say.”

  The phone he was holding rotated, making its surroundings shake. Finally, it focused on what appeared to be a mock of one of the ArtPrize pieces Louis made for Conklin.

  “Now. I need you to cooperate for me, Becca. If you don’t… I’ll show you what’s going to happen.” Chino zoomed into the piece as worry struck me. What was he up to?

  Just as I was about to say something, the mock up of the Public Museum exploded into a million pieces, spitting debris all over wherever Chino was.

  I gasped in horror, stopping dead in my tracks. Then something even more terrifying came on the screen as Chino turned, showing a video of Heather and her family standing outside of the museum. Josie was patting the small version of the building, and I was about to vomit.

  “I see your family likes the artwork. Every single stupid little model that crazy ass artist made has an explosive inside of it. And see this,” Chino moved the video to a list of buttons, 18 to be exact. 18 models. My mind went back to when we first met with the artist.

  “Can’t you see it?” he said in frustration. “It will be a masterpiece. I will need at least 18 spaces throughout the city.”

  “These buttons, all 18 of them, are connected to each art piece. If I’m not mistaken, that’s your sister and her family? Right?”

  I couldn’t answer him; my mouth was trembling along with my hands and heart.

  “Answer me, or I’ll push this button right here—”

  “STOP! Yes, that’s them. Please, don’t hurt them! This isn’t about them! What you want doesn’t involve my sister and her kids! Please!” I begged, tears running down my cheeks. I had never been more frightened in my life. I wanted to sprint to Josie, grab her from that small mock up building, and run thousands of miles away.