by Scott, S. L.
Typical. He doesn’t even bother to turn around as he stands there like a statue, staring at her. “Told you my son would be here shortly.” Her hair is messed up, some hanging down, some still up. The woman’s body shakes with a sob, and I hear her start to cry. My anger converts into confusion. He shifts and very slowly looks back at me over his shoulder. “Just in time, Alex. I couldn’t have planned it better. Oh wait, I did plan it. I just expected to be inside her when you walked in.” My world is ripped out from under me. “You might know this whore.”
The woman moves her head to look at me and the air is gut-punched from my lungs as my mind grapples with familiarity. Through strands of chestnut hair, black streaks down her cheeks, and red that at first glance is mistaken as blood, I recognize those deep oceanic eyes. They’re mine. Mine. And they should never look that fucking devastated. My brain stumbles for a split second to make sense of what my father and the woman I gave my whole fucking heart to are doing. “Sara Jane?”
“Alexander,” she says, her voice breaking at the end. “Help.”
Only a split second. Then I’m there before she finishes her sentence, throwing him to the ground. Sara Jane remains standing, her hand unmoving, a pen held in the air like a knife.
Despite the scuffle behind me and Cruise yelling, I take hold of her wrist and lower her arm down slowly. “I’m here, Firefly.” Staring into her eyes, something wild has replaced the kindness I’m used to, her spirit dimmed, but her instincts unleashed.
“Alexander,” she says, sniffling. Her forehead hits my chest.
I push her hair back from her face and wipe the black streaks from her cheeks. “I’m here.” Sliding her dress down to cover her hips and underwear, I wrap my arms around her. “It’s okay. I’m here.” I turn just enough to see Cruise out of the corner of my eye blocking the door. I look at my father and make a promise I intend to keep. “When I kill you, you will die a slow and painful death.”
He laughs, pushing up off the floor. “I expect no less, but I was just testing to see if she was worthy of the Kingwood name. Like wine, she should be tasted before committing to the whole bottle.”
Turning back to Sara Jane, I rest my cheek against her head. My jaw is ticking, my hand shaking from the rage filling my muscles. But she needs me more. Through gritted teeth, I tell Cruise, “Get him out of here before I fucking kill him.”
“Don’t threaten me, son. If you want the truth, she came willingly. She wanted me. All along. She wanted me. Can’t blame her.”
My temper spikes. “Shut the fuck up.”
Sara Jane fists my shirt, pulling my attention back to her. “Get me out of here, Alexander. Please.”
The noise behind me grows, Cruise and my father fighting until his back hits the large window. Shielding Sara Jane with my body, I turn back. My father is frozen with fear. When I follow his line of sight, my gaze lands on April. My assumptions are finally confirmed. She played a role in the Kingwood mystery.
My father stammers, “Wha-what-t is she doing here?”
April stands just inside the doorway, her mouth open and her eyes full of tears as she stares at him. When she looks to me, she says, “He injected me the first time. I trusted him with my life . . . with my baby. I should have known better.”
Shocked by this turn, I say, “I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but you need to tell me now.”
April’s cries turn to sobs as she stares at the man on the other end of her hatred. “He turned me into a drug addict. One of his henchmen showed up every day after that first day. Pinning me down and shooting me up until I was the one roaming the streets looking for the next fix.”
Baby?
“She’s supposed to be dead.” My father points at the ghost that’s come back to haunt him. “She tried to take you from your mother.”
“What? What do you mean?” My gaze darts to April.
“She, she, she needs help. She—”
“I was so happy. I thought he’d be happy. I’d just given birth. I gave birth to the heir that woman couldn’t. But he,” she screams, pointing back at my father, “he took my baby. He stole you away from me.”
Blood rushes in my ears, and my head becomes light. My grip on Sara Jane and reality loosens. I’m not sure what happens in the next few seconds. My body along with my mind goes numb. Blackness replaces the air evaporating from the room and my thoughts float like I’m underwater. My body is shaken, my thoughts still racing toward reason, toward some rationale that can help me hold on to the words thrown out so recklessly.
Alexander is whispered, my skin tingling from warmth. I look down into the only eyes I can lose myself in. “Alexander,” Sara Jane says, cradling my face with her soft hands. “Alexander, look at me.”
“I am.”
“Look. At. Me.”
My eyes focus on her wide, worried eyes. Her expression breaks what’s left of my heart. Reaching out, I brush the pads of my thumbs over her cheeks, hoping to make the lines level out.
The mixture of loud voices and movement behind me drags my attention away from my sweet Firefly. But it’s not just my world that’s changed. All of ours have changed, forever more. Not sure what happened in the time my mind went numb, but when I scope out the scene behind me, April is crying and Cruise is holding the gun we bought after the attack last night. He’s pointing it right at my father, but his hand is steady, and I know his mind is focused, unlike mine. The standoff is amplified when my father stands strong, like a fool. We all watch as he reaches into the cabinet next to him and pulls his own weapon. My instincts kick in, and I shield Sara Jane instantly with my body. I won’t just die for her. I will go to hell to protect her without a second thought of my own ending. I tell her, “Get down.”
She slips under the desk behind me and both of my arms go wide, trying to stop the catastrophe playing out. “Get out, April,” I say. “Cruise, lower your gun.” He doesn’t. I understand under the circumstances. When I look at my father, I see the change—the fear in his eyes, the concern covering his expression. Looking at me, it’s for me, concern for me. “Father, don’t do this.”
“She’s a junkie, son. She lies for drugs. She does anything, says anything to get her next hit.” He wipes his brow on the sleeve of his jacket. “She wouldn’t leave us alone. Your sweet mother was so good to her, and look what she does. She fills your head with lies.”
April says, “I’m not lying, Alex. You can’t deny how much we look alike.”
My father shouts, “Shut up, you lying bitch!”
Cruise’s arms are solid, but he still asks, “What do I do, King?”
“Lower your gun.” Turning to my father, I say, “Dad, lower your gun.”
April drops to her knees, letting the floor take the blunt blow as she sobs. “I’m not lying. He ruined my life. He’s lying.”
When she looks up again, our eyes meet and in that moment, I see her. I see the truth running through her pained face and pleading in her eyes. “Oh my God, you’re telling the truth.” Betrayal rushes my veins and I turn in disgust to see the man who claims to care about me. “Is she my mother?”
“He took you from me,” April cries, “right out of my arms. They cut me open to save you. I couldn’t move. He took you from me and left me there to die. I’ve been dying every day since. But this is my redemption. This is yours. I’m the one who gave birth to you. You are my son.”
My father refuses to look at me, so I say it louder, “You did this. You did this as if this would never come to light.” My voice rages like my emotions. “Admit it!”
Something miraculous happens. My father shows real emotion. For the first time in history, I wish I could read his mind, but I think what I’m seeing is his heartbreak, his pain, and his loss over my mother’s death. And possibly, his failures with me. “I did everything for your mother. She wanted a child so desperately. I could give her anything she wanted in the world, but that’s all she wanted. Son, you’ve got to understand. I loved her.”
“I loved her more than anything.” He’s forgotten what love means. “I failed your mother when I couldn’t protect her from this bitch.” His gun lowers, but wags in April’s direction. “I met her when I’d drank too much. She made me feel powerful, not like the failure I did at home, but it was nothing. She was nothing to me. One time and my shame would live with me forever. My shame would not just hate me, but survive me and live on.” He cheated on Mom?
I stand with my arms hanging down, my life sinking to a new low. “Your shame lived on through me. You made me feel like nothing, nothing worth your time or love.”
“No. That’s not true. She was bringing my shame to life, to taunt the woman I loved. I begged her not to go through with it.”
I scrub my face. “Have I ever meant anything to you?” The defeat I feel seeps through my blood and I lean back on the desk for support. I can’t process that my life has been a sham. “My mother was an angel. She had so much love to give and showed me how to give it. I never felt worthy because I was your son, but I knew I was redeemable because I was her son. Who the fuck am I now?” My disgust seeps out. “You are the cause of her death. I know you’re a part of it, the cause of it, and I will spend my life proving it. You’re going down for what you did to April, but you’ll rot in a jail cell for what you did to my mother and for touching my girlfriend.” I take my phone from my pocket and flick it on to call the cops. “You’re going to pay for everything you’ve done—with your company and with your life.”
“No,” he pleads. “I gave your mother everything she wanted. Let me explain. We’d just foun—”
“There’s no explaining your way out of this. Say goodbye to your life.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, his body losing the fight and his shoulders sagging in response. “I love you.”
The explosion causes me to drop to the floor, my body covering Sara Jane. Her scream penetrates the silence of the aftermath. I hold her shaking body as tightly as I can. My eyes open when I hear Cruise yell, “Holy fuck.”
Daring to look, Cruise shoves the gun in the back of his pants, looks down, and rubs his temples. “Shit, King.”
April is a mess on the floor, so he leans down to help her up. I survey behind me. Blood is everywhere from the window to the floor, the bottom of my pants and some on my shoes. My father’s lifeless body flat on his back—eyes closed tight in the last emotion he ever experienced—fear. He fucking shot himself. The coward. Turning back to Sara Jane, I whisper, “I want you out of here.”
“Alexander. Alexander. He’s dead?” she asks, crying.
“Yes.” I shift to my knees and look over my shoulder. Fucking hell. When the reality of what just happened hits, it’s going to hit hard. But for now, I need to get her somewhere else, somewhere safe. “Don’t look anywhere but at the exit. Keep your eyes forward, Firefly. Okay?”
“All right.” I help her to her feet. When she’s standing steady, I wrap my arm around her waist, but she sees the blood on the floor and gasps. “Oh my God, Alexander. We need to call nine-one-one.”
“I will, but he’s dead. They can’t save him. Just keep moving.”
Cruise has April sitting at his cubicle when we round the corner. I walk Sara Jane to mine and set her in my chair. Bending down, I spin her toward me, holding her by the knees. “Look at me. Look at my eyes, Sara Jane.” Her hands cover mine, and she nods. “Good.” When I know I have her full attention, I tell her, “Stay here. Right here. Don’t move until I come for you. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” She sees me glance to April, but her tears dry and my strong, sweet girl comes back to me. “I’ll help her. You go.”
“You sure?”
She nods and I kiss her quickly. “Thank you.” I lower my voice. “When the cops arrive, don’t say anything about April and what she said or what my dad said. Can you do that for me?”
She touches my cheek and I lean into it, needing her comfort. “Don’t you know, Alexander? I would do anything for you.”
I nod, closing my eyes, absorbing the trust she’s given me and stealing her strength. When I open my eyes again, I say, “I will do anything for you. I love you. Remember that.”
“I love you. Now go. We’ll be okay.”
Nodding once again, I stand and dial the police while heading back to the huge fucking scene of a crime that is my life. What. The. Fuck. Just. Happened?
22
Sara Jane
Alexander walks away and I look at the woman in front of me. She’s crumpled over, her face hidden by her hands. I stare at her, curious. I heard what was said back there. She’s Alexander’s biological mother. Moving my chair closer, I reach out to touch her. She jumps, but when she looks up, she releases a long breath, and asks, “Who are you?”
I rest my hand on top of hers. “I’m Sara Jane.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “Who are you to him?”
“I’m Alexander’s girlfriend.”
She looks behind me. When I turn, I hear a woman scream and Alexander’s voice. I stand quickly, positioning myself in front of April protectively.
Over the tops of the cubicle, I see Alexander trying to calm the receptionist, Kimberly. Alexander had mentioned in passing once that she dated his father. I’m not sure how serious it was, but even if it wasn’t, she’s now dealing with a horrific loss.
Alexander embraces her as he walks her away from his father’s office. His tone is hushed, words whispered in a comforting tone. He handles her with such care, her full trust in his hands. When my gaze shifts to her, I see the way she looks at him, the way her arm wraps around his waist, the way she touches his chest, her hand resting on him like she’s done it a million times.
Are they close? He said he’s never cheated, and I believe him. Kimberly remembered me when I arrived tonight, so I dismiss the jealousy, and my heart begins to ache in what she must be feeling right now.
Turning around, I sit in the chair across from April again. “Did you look for him?”
Regret. Shame. Disappointment. Her expression floods with emotion while her fingers twist. “A couple times, but I was in no condition to continue.”
I see tissues on a desk two down from us and grab them. Offering her the box, she pulls a few and wipes her face. I take several and drag them under my eyes and across my cheeks.
She says, “He loves you. What he did for you in there, how he protected you. Love should always be that pure, that easy.”
“I’m not sure love is ever easy.”
“Then save yourself while you can. If it’s not easy now, it never will be.”
I dab my tongue to the tissue since I don’t have any water, and wipe lightly under my eyes, her words rattling me. Getting up, she says, “Hold still.” She takes another tissue and gently wipes under my lips. “Your lipstick is smeared.”
My spine bristles, the hair on my arms standing up. “I . . . I fought—”
I was nearly raped. Alexander’s father nearly raped me. Knowing Alexander would see.
“He didn’t get the best of you.”
The best of me . . . “My body’s not the best of me. My heart is. That’s what I protect the most.”
“Wise. I was dumb enough to fall in love once.” An actual smile, though very small, appears. “It didn’t turn out so well.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Looking out the window next to her, she says, “Just don’t repeat my mistake.”
“And what would that be?”
Her eyes meet mine. “Getting too involved with a Kingwood.”
Too late.
I don’t bother saying it though. There’s no point in defending my feelings. Cruise comes down the aisle where we’re sitting and hands me my purse. “King wanted me to give this to you. The police are on their way. They’re going to want to talk to us.” Looking at me, he asks, “How’s she doing?”
I stand and we lean on a
cubicle divider away from her. “I guess okay, considering.”
“How are you?”
“When did you start carrying a gun?”
“After we were jumped.”
The blood on Alexander’s lip. I remember and retort, “It’s not considered jumping if you’re looking for trouble.”
Cruise smiles. “You’re probably right. Guess we’ll keep those details from the cops.”
“Alexander wants to keep most things from the cops.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“It’s not about my feelings. It’s about Alexander.” I walk past, bumping his shoulder on the way. “And I’ll do anything to protect him.”
I hear a whistle. “I’m not sure what you did with that little Catholic schoolgirl, but damnnnnnn, the woman’s a badass.”
“Don’t forget it.”
“I won’t.”
Security rushes by me, running toward the office. They’re on their phones the moment they see what’s inside. I join Alexander and Kimberly near the door that leads to the reception area. She’s crying on his shoulder as he holds her, rubbing her back.
I tap him. “Alexander?”
He looks up and his arm drops down. “Come here.”
I take a step, but it’s not close enough for him to reach me. The line between his brows deepens and his eyes narrow as he tries to read me. My indifferent expression is enough to spur him to come to me. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but what are you doing?”
Taking me by the elbow, he moves us away from Kimberly. “You don’t have to worry. She’s a good woman.”
“How good?” Shoot. Why’d I say that?
