Louise

by Diana Nixon

  “I don’t remember saying I was angry with you.”

  “But you asked me to leave…”

  “I can’t get enough of looking at you,” I said, surprising both of us by the unexpected honesty. “It’s not like you gave me much time just to look at you.”

  “Speaking of which… I think there are a few more things that I need to explain.”

  “Will, wait…”

  He flinched at the sound of his name escaping my lips, and so did I. For some inexplicable reason, it felt so good to say his name aloud, especially now that I knew exactly who I was talking to.

  “Is there anything you would like to ask me about first?”

  “Yes. How did you know I went to The Dragon’s Kiss? I didn’t even know you were back from Paris.”

  “It was supposed to be a surprise. I went to your club, but the guards said you and the other girl, Natasha I guess, had left. Fortunately, the taxi driver that gave you a ride had already made it back to Le Papillon, and was waiting for more passengers. He heard me asking about you and he told me where I could find you.”

  “You said that my ideas about Rodger’s club were wrong. What do you know about it?”

  “They sell their girls into sexual slavery. That’s why I was so pissed to find you there. But even more, I was angry at myself… For leaving you alone, for letting you leave Paris without me. I should have taken you away from Drew a long time ago, but I just thought that kidnapping you wouldn’t solve your problems, it would only make them worse.”

  Now I knew what Christopher’s words meant. Will felt like he was somehow responsible for me.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, looking at him carefully. “I didn’t know anything about the reputation of that club.”

  “Of course, you didn’t.”

  Silence filled the room. Neither of us spoke, and even though there were many things I wanted to talk about, only one of them felt like the most important one.

  “Do you think it is possible to find my parents?” I asked.

  Will hesitated with the reply.

  “You know something, don’t you?” I guessed.

  “I do. But I don’t think you are ready to meet them, or at least one of them. Because I’ve managed to find only your father’s name. I don’t know anything about your mother.”

  I completely forgot about my coffee after he said that. I put the cup back on the tray and moved it aside, scooting closer to Will. “Please,” I said, touching his hand, “I need to know his name.”

  He looked at my hand touching his, and then at me again. “Do you know what I need most of all right now?” He asked in a whisper, as if he couldn’t make his voice go any louder.

  “I do. But I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  His eyes traveled down my face and stopped at my lips.

  “We shouldn’t do this,” I said, moving back quickly. “It’s better to put some distance between us, at least until we both know we are ready to … take the next step. Besides, you were right — there are things that I still want an explanation for.”

  God knew I couldn’t let him blind my mind again, not now that I knew so much about the things I had been dying to know more about for years.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you or anything… I just can’t stay away from you, especially now that I feel like I’m losing you and I don’t know what to do to make you stay.”

  “There’s nothing you can do, Will. I just need more time to get used to… everything.”

  “So you still want to know more about your parents and the rest?”

  “Yes. Please tell me everything. Or I will find out on my own.”

  “Okay… So as for my mask and my secrets… I didn’t have a choice but to keep hiding myself from you, because there were people who knew that I had been investigating things from your past, and I knew they would be following my every step. That’s why I couldn’t risk exposing my identity with you, especially that I was sure you would recognize me if you saw my face.”

  “Are you talking about the people working for my father?”

  “Yes. And Drew is one of them. Until a few days ago, I didn’t know he was not exactly playing for their team, but forced to follow their orders. The thing is that he’s not just your boss, Louise, he’s your uncle. He owes your father for everything he has now. And no matter how much he hates the idea of lying to you, he has no other choice but to keep playing his silent role.”

  “Wait a minute… Last night, Mike, one of his security guys, he didn’t say anything about seeing me with you. Does that mean Drew knows who you are?”

  “Yes. I spoke to him right before we left for Paris. Not that I was going to tell him that you were leaving with me, but I told him that I knew everything about you, even more than you do yourself. I also told him I knew who he is, and that if tries to hurt you, he will have to deal with me.”

  “Does he know that the night you came to the club was not the first time that we met?”

  “Yes, and it was one more reason to hide my face from you. Because Drew said that if your father or one of his men finds out that I’m visiting you, they will stop at nothing to keep me away from you.”

  “Why?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? I know who your father is, and I can prove your kinship. But you were never supposed to know his name.”

  “Is his precious reputation more important than my life?”

  “Apparently, yes.”

  “Okay, so who is he?”

  “His name is Fletcher Montgomery. He’s a senator, and if the polls are right, he may very well be the next president of the United States…”

  “No freaking way…”

  “I had the same reaction when I found out his name. He has a wife and two daughters about your age. His romance with your mother started right after he got married. He never loved his wife, their marriage was basically a sham to keep his family in the senate. It was about stacking the deck in their favor, or so to speak… He found out that his mistress was pregnant, but it was too late to make her have an abortion, and they couldn’t risk anyone finding out if they killed her to dispose of the problem. So he found a way to take you away from her. I found a nurse who was working in the hospital where you were born. At first, she refused to talk to me, and I immediately knew that she was hiding something. She was from Mexico, and her permanent residency was about to end, so I had to talk to a few people to make sure she was able to stay in the US. As you may have already guessed, it was a fair enough price for making her talk. So she told me your father paid the doctor to tell your mom you didn’t make it through labor. A few days later, you were sent to Paradise. You know the rest of the story.”

  “So he has been watching me all these years just to make sure that I would never find out his name, right?”

  “I don’t think he was worried about it, there were no papers to confirm your kinship, and I bet he paid Marlena a lot to keep her mouth shut.”

  “But then he found out about you and your investigation, right?”

  “Yeah… One day, one of his guys came to my office, threatening me. He told me to keep my curiosity to myself, but of course, I was never going to follow anyone’s orders but my own.” Will smiled slightly. “So I kept looking for more information about you and your mom. Unfortunately, the only thing that I managed to find out about her is that her maiden name is Smith. But there are too many women all over the US with the same name to figure out which one she could possibly be.”

  “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So she doesn’t even know I am alive, that I didn’t die while she was giving birth to me. I wonder if she has other children…”

  “Anything is possible. But hey, I don’t give up hope.” Will moved closer to me and took my hand in his, saying, “If you want, we can keep looking for her together.”

  I looked up into his eyes, my heart skipped a beat. God, I loved him so much, no secret could c
hange that.

  “I feel like I need to rewrite my life from the very beginning,” I said, lowering my eyes to where our hands were touching.

  Will put his thumb under my chin, making me look at him again. “I will always be there for you, Louise. Just tell me what you want me to do, and I will do it.”

  I forced a smile, running one palm down his cheek. “I think you need to shave.”

  “Is that all you want me to do?”

  “For now, yes.”

  He nodded and kissed the back of my palm. “Do you want to take a shower, or…”

  The thought of a shower made us both smile.

  “I’d like Christopher to take me back to Le Papillon.”

  Will frowned. “You don’t have to go back there.”

  “Actually, I do. There are a few things I need to take care of before I decide what to do with my life next.”

  “Would you like me to go with you?”

  “No. I need to do it on my own.”

  I rose to my feet, took my jacket lying on a small couch and turned to Will, saying, “I’ll call you.”

  He nodded without even looking at me. I opened the door and headed for the stairs, hoping he wouldn’t try to stop me. Because I wasn’t sure I would be able to leave seeing his beautiful eyes, and hearing his voice begging me to stay.

  “Good morning, Miss,” Christopher said, waiting for me at the front door. “To the club?” He asked, opening the door for me.

  “Yes, please.”

  My heart was shattering into a million small pieces. I got into the car, seeing new tears beginning to blind my eyes. I didn’t want to leave, but I had to. There were people who owed me explanations, and I intended to get the answers to my questions, whether they liked it or not.

  “Shall I wait for you, Miss Louise?” Christopher asked, as he pulled up to the club’s entrance. This time, he didn’t even try to hide the fact that he gave me a ride. Apparently, my relationship with Will was not a secret anymore.

  “No, thanks. I’ll call you if I need anything…”

  “Miss?”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t leave him,” Christopher said, turning around to look at me.

  “I wasn’t going to.” I got out of the car and headed for the club’s entrance.

  Everything felt so different there now, as if I had been away for years, and not just one night. I went to my room, hoping I would be able to take a shower before Drew, Kate, or Tess came knocking on my door. I sent Will a message, saying that I was at the club.

  “I hope your day will be good. Let me know if you need anything...”

  “Okay.”

  No more than a few seconds after I finished my shower, I heard Kate’s voice behind my closed door.

  “Louise? Are you in there?”

  “Yes,” I said, opening the door.

  “We need to talk,” she said, hands on her hips. She didn’t look angry, she looked a little worried.

  “I think I know what you want to talk to me about, but there’s one person who I’d like to talk to first.”

  “How much time do you need?”

  “Not much I hope. I’ll find you a little later, okay?”

  She nodded and stepped aside to let me out of the room.

  I didn’t expect Tess to be happy to see me, but I also didn’t expect her to be angry at me.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” Was the first thing she asked, opening the door to her room. “Do you even know what kind of a place the damn club is?”

  “I do now.”

  “Oh, really? Did your precious Mr. Blair tell you about it?”

  “I’m not here to talk about last night’s failure.”

  “Then what do you want?” She stared at me with so much hate. I couldn’t believe I was looking at the same Tess I knew two years ago.

  “Where are they?” I asked, looking around her room that as always was a complete mess.

  “They?” She repeated, puzzled.

  “The letters and presents that you have been stealing from my mailbox for years.”

  She looked genuinely surprised to hear that she had been caught. I was sure she thought her little discretion would never be revealed.

  “It was you stealing them, wasn’t it? Never mind, though. I won’t believe you, even if you swear it wasn’t your handiwork.”

  “Then I’m not going to deny anything,” she said, smirking.

  What a bitch…

  “Good, because I know for sure that you were the only person except for Marlena, who had the key to my mailbox. So I will ask you again — where is all of the stuff Will sent me?”

  “So you call him Will now?” She laughed, sitting in one of the chairs and lighting a cigarette. “How much did he pay you to sleep with him?”

  “Nothing. Unlike you, I don’t sleep around for money.”

  “Well, hell… That sounds almost like a slap in the face.”

  “The truth hurts, Sweetie, we both know it. But the fact remains.”

  I crossed my arms, watching her cynical expression grow even darker. Slowly, she rose to her feet and went to one of the bedside tables. She opened a drawer and took out a package of envelopes and threw them to my feet.

  “Here, take your precious letters.”

  I didn’t feel like I would lose my crown if I bent down to pick them up. Unlike Tess, I knew other ways to show people where their real place was.

  I took the letters and turned to her again saying, “There’s only one thing I don’t understand… Why would you do that to me? Did you think I wouldn’t share the presents I was supposed to receive?”

  “You thought we were friends, didn’t you? But the fact is that I have never considered you my friend. I’m a fighter Louise. Just like you are. And in this war, there can’t be friends, ever, neither in Paradise, nor here. Remember that the next time you decide you want to call someone your friend.”

  “So are you saying that all this time you’ve been using me to steal things from me? Do you even believe that? Because I don’t. You were not just a stranger from the street. We lived in one room, we shared everything with each other, except for Will’s gifts of course. But I always knew that you loved money more than anything else on this planet. So tell me, Tess, was it worth it? Chasing after luxury, jewelry, and shoes that you have more than enough now. Does all of this make you happy?” I gestured around the room. “Do you feel like you got everything you wanted?”

  Her lips trembled, and it was the first time in forever that I saw tears glistening in Tess’s eyes. Not that she was going to cry in front of me, of course, she would wait until I left the room.

  She smiled, coming closer to me. “Yes, I have everything I want and need. And yes, I am happy, happier than ever.”

  “Good to know, even though your words sound like a lie.”

  “So you think you know me, don’t you?” She took a step back and looked at me from head to toe. “Who do you think you are to teach me how to live? Yes, the day William came to talk to Marlena, I heard their conversation, and yes — that is why I came to you and asked you to let me use your mailbox. I was jealous, that’s it. I didn’t know why someone like Mr. Blair would start sending gifts to you. He didn’t know anything about you! The night I saw him here, I couldn’t believe my eyes. And when he paid for your private dance, I was more than happy to tell you about it, and you know why?”

  “I guess I do. You wanted him to believe that I was just another slut ready to sleep with anyone who could tip well.”

  “Well, yes, that covers most of it.”

  “Will said he had been sending me gifts and letters up until the day I was supposed to leave Paradise. But I didn’t receive any of that even after you left the orphanage. So who was checking my mailbox for you?”

  “I did it myself.”

  “What? Were you allowed to come back to Paradise? And you never thought about seeing me…”

  “I told you, Louise, there has never been anything bu
t a business relationship between us.”

  “What kind of business are you talking about? For crying out loud, we were just kids, Tess! I just can’t believe you are so heartless. But you know what? I’m sure one day you will understand how pointless everything you have been doing is.” I turned to the door and was just about to leave, when I remembered what Will told me about Rodger’s club. “Last night was the first and the last time I helped you get out of the trouble you so often find yourself in. Next time you want to know more about the guy who killed Isabel, find a better source of information than Rodger. He’s not going to help you, Sweetie. He will use you and then he will sell you like an unnecessary bag of shit.”

  I opened the door and shut it behind me, hoping Tess would listen to me. No matter how much of a soulless monster she wanted to be, I hoped she wouldn’t end up like her ‘friend’ Isabel.

  Chapter 22

  Kate was waiting for me not far from Tess’s room. Apparently she saw me going there.

  “Can we talk now?” She asked.

  “Yeah, I’m all yours for the rest of the day.”

  I tried to force a smile, but I think it looked more like a grimace. She laughed.

  “I’m not going to punish you or anything, but Drew has something to tell you.”

  “Drew?” I didn’t think I was ready to face my boss, aka uncle, but as always, I didn’t have a choice. “I thought you wanted to talk about last night.”

  “What about it?” Kate asked, as if she didn’t know I only returned to the club this morning.

  “Nothing,” I said, trying to understand how much she did or didn’t know.

  We entered Drew’s office and heard him talking on the phone, “No, I don’t need your trashy bourbon, I need tequila and whiskey! How many times do I need to repeat myself?” He hung up the phone, swearing aloud. “Sorry ladies, you were not supposed to hear that. Please, take a seat.” Kate and I did what he said. Unlike me, she looked a little nervous, and it was probably the first time that I saw her nervous in Drew’s presence.

  “I don’t think there’s a point in lying to you, Louise,” Drew said. “But I have both good and bad news that you might be interested in.” He and Kate shared a glance. “I guess there’s no need to tell that I know about your relationship with William Blair. As well as I don’t think there’s a necessity to introduce myself again.”