Finding Julian

by Morgan, Shane

  As the night progressed, I wandered around searching for Seven. I’d glimpsed him earlier talking with some editors. Now he was nowhere in sight. There was a waiter passing by with a tray of champagne, so I reached for a glass and made my way outside to the garden to evade the rest of the event.

  Just as I rounded the corner I saw Seven. My heart skipped a beat. I started over to him, only to halt in my tracks seeing who he was talking to. Bridget. Immediately, the smile evaporated from my face.

  Their conversation seemed intense. Seven dropped his eyes to the ground at her words. Then Bridget eased his chin up and pressed her lips to his. I staggered backwards, perplexed and hurt. Tears fell down my cheeks as I turned and started to run.

  I ran out of the garden, brushing against shrubs and flowers, trying to find an escape. When I finally came out at the entrance of the country club, I stumbled into Gavin.

  He wrapped his arms around me to steady me on my feet. “Julian, what’s wrong?”

  I panted and struggled to fight back tears as the sight of Bridget and Seven kissing flashed over and over in my head.

  “Can you take me home?” I whispered into his chest.

  Gavin stroked my hair then answered, “Sure. Let’s go.”

  I let him take my hand and lead me away from the country club and towards his jeep.

  When we pulled up outside the main gates, I opened the door and said “Thank you” before getting out.

  “Anytime,” he manufactured an understanding smile. “Sure you don’t want me to come in? You look like you could use a friend right now.”

  I shook my head, feeling awkward by his words. No matter how upset I was about Seven and Bridget, I still wouldn’t consider the possibility of Gavin. There was something about him now that intimidated me.

  “I’ll be okay,” I assured him, waving him off as I entered the gates. I didn’t wait to see if he drove off before running up the entrance and around to the guesthouse.

  As I hurried across the lawn, rumbling exploded above my head and the wind picked up suddenly. A storm was moving in tonight.

  Chapter Thirty

  I must have been out of mind, thinking I could build a new life here. Though Mackenzie had finally warmed up to me and Aunt Bev had always been so kind, it all came down to Seven. There was no way I could stay in Narragansett and definitely not at the guesthouse with him, feeling the way I did.

  He should be with someone like Bridget. She fitted perfectly into his world. Surely he’d pick her over me. And damn, that kiss hurt like hell.

  I quickly changed and scurried about in my room, getting together the few clothes I’d brought with me to Narragansett. Everything else would have to stay, since I was adamant about leaving this life behind.

  Draping the travel bag over my shoulder, I glanced around the room one last time, and at the painting leaning against the loveseat. I would leave it behind as well, together with everything having to do with Cole Vanderson. If I carried it with me I’d never be able to shake Narragansett out of my system. I’d be compelled to return here.

  This had to be it. I would finally say goodbye. Aunt Bev would understand, eventually. Had she been here, it’d undoubtedly be harder to leave. The party came in handy. Everyone would be too preoccupied to even notice my absence.

  I walked out of the room and closed the door, allowing my hand to dally on the knob as if finding it difficult to walk away. I recovered my strength and headed down the passage.

  As I walked past the kitchen and the living room, I heard a clicking sound at the front door—someone was going to catch me leaving without saying goodbye.

  Swallowing hard, I prepared myself to stand firm and not crack under their plea, but as the door opened I saw that it wasn’t Aunt Bev, Mackenzie, or even Seven. It was Gavin, with something dark in his hand pointed straight at me.

  I flinched, realizing it was a gun.

  “What are you doing?” I asked in a panicky voice.

  Gavin shut the front door and stepped closer to me, shoving my bag to the floor.

  “Why?” he smirked, “Because I’m not Seven? You sisters think you’re so much better than me. You trample all over my feelings as you like.”

  I gulped. This wasn’t good. Gavin was clearly out of his mind and most certainly angry with me.

  “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?” his voice sounded steely. “You and I were supposed to be together, to fall in love.”

  Easing back in fear, I spoke softly to calm him down, “Listen to me, whatever is wrong we can talk about—”

  “SHUT UP!” he yelled. My lips clamped shut instantly.

  Gavin started to pace around, keeping a watchful eye on me. He still had the gun pointed in my direction. It shook as he spoke. “My life is completely ruined because of you. My mother’s in jail, because of you.”

  My eyes narrowed in my confusion. “Mother?”

  “Yes! My mother. Rachel Evans.”

  The little boy in the picture—the familiar sea blue eyes. “But…” it was still hard to believe. “Detective Walters said her son died. His name was Nathan—”

  “Nathan was my twin. My father never wanted two kids so he made her give me away. I finally reunited with my mother seven years ago when she remarried and had started a happy life with her husband. Then your father decided to up and fire him. And you know what happened, Julian?”

  I shook my head.

  “My step-father committed suicide,” he grunted. “My mother was a wreck after that. I just had to find a way to get back at Cole Vanderson and make her happy. Lucky for her, I was longtime friends with his daughter, being that I grew up in a foster home not too far from here. After some researching, I found the untraceable drug, Anectine, on the black market. It was so perfect, how she managed to kill him without a single person figuring out his heart attack was induced.”

  I cried, hearing his dreadful confession.

  “You got your revenge, so why keep going? Why’d you attack me that night?”

  Gavin choked on laugher. “Well, after Mom took care of the snooping Robert Cornwell, she had to put the family in disarray because she wanted more. No one trusted each other.” He stepped closer. “And you, Julian…I just started having a little thing for you, especially after following you around in Manhattan. Mackenzie has spunk. It was her that I was supposed to marry but then you changed that…you have a fire that’s far better.”

  My stomach cringed. But I knew I couldn’t say anything to upset him further. I had to try and talk to him calmly. “Gavin, please put the gun—”

  “I said SHUT UP, and stop shaking!”

  Tears started to stream down my face. I wished I could at least see my mother and everyone again, because I was surely going to die at the hands of this lunatic. There was just no talking him out of it.

  “You and I are going for a little walk down by the cliff,” he spoke in a softened voice laced with pleasure.

  Grabbing my arm, he stuck the gun in my side and demanded, “Walk.”

  I did as told.

  It was raining when we got outside and around the guesthouse, heading towards the cliffs. There must be a way out of this. I’d never simply accepted defeat before. Then again, I’d never been held at gun point before.

  “I might end up enjoying this more than I thought,” Gavin eased into me and breathed on the back of my neck. I felt him bring his nose up to my hair, sniffing it. Then he combed his fingers through the wet strands.

  It churned my stomach. Bile started to burn my throat as I felt the wetness of his tongue, licking the tip of my right ear.

  “Get off me!” I squirmed. I didn’t care about the gun at my back then.

  Gavin gripped me tighter around the waist and raised the gun to my head. “Careful now,” he said. Then he placed his hand on my thigh and massaged it. “You know, if you weren’t such a pain in the ass I might show you what it feels like to be with a real man before you die.”

  “Trust me, I
would never be with someone like you. You’re just a coward. A piece of shit,” I spat.

  “Bitch!” he shoved me forward and I fell on my face. I could feel rain drops splash on my legs. The grass was soaking wet and bits of mud got on my blouse.

  The rain started to come down even heavier. My eyes flickered as I tried to look up ahead. We were getting closer to the edge of the cliff.

  Gavin gripped my elbow and yanked me off the ground. “Keep moving.”

  I hugged myself—feeling as cold as a wet puppy—and glanced around frantically. I tried to think of something, hoped to spot someone. I considered spinning fast to try and wrestle the gun out of his hand. Only that was too impulsive. Gavin could shoot me before I had the chance to face him. The gun was too close to my back.

  Finally, we got to the edge. I looked down at the waves below, beating against the rocks. Then I turned slowly and looked at him. Gavin had a satisfied grin on his face.

  “Well, Julian Vanderson, looks like you’ve reached the end of the line.”

  “Thank you,” I said sharply.

  Gavin creased his forehead and asked, “For what?” The question came out in a smirk.

  I inhaled deeply before answering, “For acknowledging me as a Vanderson.”

  His face stiffened again. My heart felt as if it was coming up to my throat as his finger slowly started to pull back on the trigger, but then I heard the voice of hope.

  “Gavin stop!”

  It was Seven.

  Gavin looked back, surprised. So was I. It was also my chance to save myself.

  I pushed his hand hard and it loosened his grip on the gun. It fell to the ground. Gavin dipped quickly to try and pick it up. I kicked it over the edge before he got the chance. Agitated, he shot up and tried to shove me off the cliff. I stumbled and slid to the ground, grabbing on to his pants to keep from falling.

  “Get away from her!” The urgency in Seven’s voice had my heart racing.

  My knees started to slide further in the mud as Gavin tried to move me closer to the edge to shake me off.

  He looked over the edge then back at me, a nasty grin plastered on his face. “This is it for you.”

  Gavin lowered and began to pry one of my hands from his pant leg. He snatched my fingers and forcefully pulled them back. They felt as if they were going to break.

  The ground started to slope a bit. It softened beneath my weight. Oh no. Looking up at Gavin’s face, I saw that he knew as well what was going to happen. We were both going to die here.

  He became hysterical, hurrying to get me off him. Just then, at the corner of my eye, I saw Seven. He rushed up to Gavin’s back and pulled him away from me.

  “I won’t let you hurt her!” he yelled.

  I released Gavin’s legs as Seven dragged him backwards onto the ground, wrestling with him. I clung to the wet grass and tried to pull myself up. The ground was too slippery and I kept sliding back.

  Realizing I wouldn’t be able to do it on my own, I glanced over at the two. They both sprang to their feet at the same time. Gavin panted. The left side of his face appeared swollen and unrecognizable. I thought at any moment now he would pass out, only when Seven lunged at him to attempt another blow, Gavin punched Seven in the stomach and sent him to the ground.

  Seven curled up in pain. A smug look formed on Gavin’s face, watching Seven find it hard to get off the ground. Then all of a sudden, as if remembering me, Gavin’s head spun. He hurried over to me and tried to loosen my hands from the grass to throw me over the cliff.

  He growled, “I won’t let you live. I’ll go with you if I have to.”

  Just as he finally pried one hand from the grass, I released the other and tugged on his leg again, my feet were already hanging over the edge.

  He staggered a bit but then recovered and tried to pluck my fingers from his leg. I didn’t see when Seven got up. Suddenly, his hands were wrapped around Gavin’s neck and he dragged him away once more. They fought each other for several long seconds when Seven knocked him out with a solid punch. Just as he raced over to help me up, I spotted Gavin at the corner of my eye getting up.

  “No!” I screamed. Seven turned around fast and shoved him hard. Gavin cried out in panic as he lost his balance and slid backward over the edge. He dug his fingers into the mud to save himself.

  It was useless.

  Seven dashed for his hand, only Gavin had already lost his grip. His hollering echoed all around us until he hit the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. Then all I heard again was the sound of heavy rainfall.

  Nearly out of breath, Seven continued to hunch over, peering down at Gavin’s body, when my hold on the grass started to loosen.

  “Seven!” I screamed out, slipping further over the edge. He dashed over and caught my hand just in time. I dangled in the air, clinging on with all I had.

  “Try to reach up with your other hand,” he shouted.

  I used the little strength left in me to reach up but failed each time. It felt like such a strain. What made it worse was that my arm felt as if it was about to slip out of the socket.

  “Come on, Jules. You can do it,” he implored. “Please, reach up. Reach up!”

  I tried again without success. When finally, I managed to reach up with the other hand, he held on to them both. Seven pulled me over the edge and I fell onto his chest. We both gasped tremendously as if we had just finished running a marathon.

  “I’m sorry,” he said between breaths. “I didn’t protect you again.”

  Steadying my breathing, I wrapped my shaking arms around his body. “It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you came when you did.”

  I pressed into his chest and cried uncontrollably from the whole ordeal. Seven eased me up and slowly got to his feet, clutching me tightly at his side. We took our time walking back to the guesthouse and out of the heavy rain.

  Resting me on the sofa, Seven hurried into his bedroom and brought back out a blanket, cloaking it around me.

  “I’m going to call the police,” he said in a whisper.

  My lips trembled so much I couldn’t get out a word. I simply nodded at him.

  Several minutes later the cops arrived, along with Aunt Bev and Mackenzie. They wrapped their arms around me, grateful I was okay after hearing what had happened.

  Detective Walters also showed up. He couldn’t believe they’d missed out on the fact that Rachel had covered up having twins, but it was all over now. She was arrested and Gavin was…dead. Not exactly a happy ending, still, it meant justice had been served for both my father and for Mr. Cornwell. I couldn’t believe how dramatic my trip to Narragansett had been—from a funeral to solving murders. It was quite a story, and I was glad to be alive to tell the tale.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Mom arrived in Narragansett the next day like she said she would. She was beyond shocked at all that had taken place over the past couple of weeks, and very upset with me for keeping it from her. There was definitely no way I could convince her I wanted to stay in Narragansett now, especially since I was still pretty sad about Seven and Bridget.

  Immediately after answering further questions about Gavin, the police gave me the go ahead to drive back to New York with Mom. I didn’t even say goodbye to Seven as he stayed inside his room at the guesthouse—It was just too hard to face him.

  I wondered if Mom saw how much it hurt, walking away from the place and how visible my feelings were for Seven. If she did, she certainly wasn’t letting on.

  “I’m so glad you’re all right,” she said, brushing my hair behind my ear as we walked from the guesthouse and crossed the lawn over to the side steps. “Geez, Julian. You should’ve come home right away when he told you your father was killed, much less when Mr. Cornwell himself got murdered. That whole thing is just scary to hear about.”

  “Mom, it’s okay,” I assured her. “I’m okay,”

  The second we got around to the front of the main house, her Beetle came into view. Mackenzie and Aunt Bev
were waiting there as well.

  Mom sighed, seeing them. She took her keys out and tugged on my hand, hauling me over to the car. I gripped Dad’s painting tightly at my side.

  “Don’t even think about asking her to stay after what happened,” she fumed, directing her words at Aunt Bev. “You said you’d look out for her.”

  Aunt Bev crossed her arms. “I’m sorry, Sarah. But I’m sure we can all agree that Julian is much stronger than you give her credit for. She can take care of herself.”

  Mom shuddered. “Whatever. She still doesn’t belong here. Her home is in Manhattan.”

  “I think that’s Julian’s decision,” Mackenzie chipped in. She stepped closer to me at the passenger side door and draped her arms around me.

  Once she let go, I noticed a pleading look in her eyes. “Please stay, Julian. I know I was a complete bitch to you before, but,” she held my hands. “I’d really like to get to know you more and I don’t think that’s possible if you’re far away in a big city. You can stay with me at the condo if you don’t want to live here.”

  I looked over the top of the car at Mom, standing with the driver’s side door opened. She raised an eyebrow and gestured for me to get in. “Julian, you don’t belong here.”

  “That’s not true.” Aunt Bev walked over and rested her hand on Mackenzie’s shoulder. “Julian is a Vanderson. Of course she belongs here—”

  “Oh please,” Mom guffawed. She placed her hand on her hip and pursed her lips. “Cole waited until he was dying before acknowledging my daughter. He left her with all his burdens—”

  “Love,” Aunt Bev corrected. Looking back at Mackenzie and me, she said, “He left them both with all his love.”

  I lowered my eyes, allowing her words to fill my head.

  Aunt Bev lifted my chin and smiled at me. “Julian, stop living your life trying to make your mother happy and do something for yourself. I see the young woman you are, how happy you’ve been the entire time you were here, working with me.”