Savage Bonds

by Ana Medeiros

  “That’s not true.”

  Tatiana stared him down, an expression of skepticism on her face. “Go get ready. I’ll watch Seth and Eli.”

  She turned and walked away, leaving him alone in the living room.

  As he showered and quickly got dressed, Julian went over in his mind what he would say when he saw Peter. After their conversation in Peter’s office, Julian didn’t think his friend would mention what he had seen the night Julian had called him over to his condo to take care of Tatiana. But he worried what Grace might say. He could no longer anticipate her actions.

  As Julian made his way to leave, he stopped by the playpen in the living room. Both Seth and Eli were fast asleep.

  “They won’t wake up for a while,” Tatiana said. “Probably the whole time you’re gone.”

  “You know my number. Call me if—”

  “Nothing’s going to happen. Go to this dinner and come back. We’ll all be here when you do.”

  Julian held his keys in his hand and he closed his fingers tightly around them. He felt the sharp edges dig into his flesh.

  “I’m trusting you with Seth and Eli. This is me waving a white flag at you,” he said.

  “You and I have hurt each other. Because of that, there are things I can’t ever say to you. Or give you.” While her words were directed at Julian she continued to watch over the sleeping boys. “But I can say and give you one thing—I love your sons. That’s my white flag.”

  Chapter 28

  Meredith got off at Grand Station and hurried the four blocks to Julian’s condo on North Wabash Avenue. Like any other summer Sunday afternoon, tourists filled the sidewalks. As she rushed through the crowds, Meredith called Tatiana’s phone. She didn’t answer and it eventually went to voicemail.

  Thompson’s description of the night’s events differed from Tatiana’s, and while she expected him to lie, the discrepancy bothered Meredith.

  She had just walked by the Dunkin’ Donuts across the street from the entrance to Julian’s building when she heard a voice call her name.

  “Meredith, get in the car.”

  She glanced at the blue car and saw Colton leaning toward the passenger window.

  “Get in,” he repeated.

  “What the hell are you—”

  “Meredith.” He paused, quickly scanning their surroundings. “Get in the fucking car. I need to talk to you.”

  She opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat. “Is this about the name on the deed of the Chinatown building?” she asked, frustrated he had stopped her.

  Colton drove down the street and turned right, parking as soon as he turned the corner.

  “Colton, c’mon—”

  “Ming-Yue Li,” he said, interrupting her.

  “What?”

  “That’s the name on the deed. Do you know how many Ming-Yue Lis there are in Chicago?” Colton shook his head. “A lot. And it’s a unisex name.”

  “And this couldn’t have waited until later? I’ve to go—”

  “Cozy up to Reeve?”

  She had been frustrated before, but now she was livid. “What’s it to you?”

  “Speak of the devil.” In the rearview mirror, Colton stared at the car that had just passed. He pulled out into traffic.

  “What are you doing?” Meredith asked, raising her voice. “Where are we going?”

  “That was Julian Reeve. I’m doing my job, which is to follow him.”

  “Let me out.”

  Colton kept his eyes on the road. “I thought you wanted to know what I was able to dig up.”

  The quicker Colton shared with her what he knew the faster she could go. “Fine. Tell me what you found.”

  “I told you, it’s under the name Ming-Yue Li.”

  “Shouldn’t there be an address or phone number associated with this person?”

  Meredith spotted Julian’s black Mercedes ahead of them. She worried he would see her.

  “The phone number on the deed is for the restaurant in the building and the address is for a retail management company, registered to another address,” Colton replied. “The name of the company is Ming-Yue Li, owned by Ming-Yue Li.”

  “You’re saying the information on the deed is of a company who is registered under the same information?’

  “You got it.”

  “Can you find more about this company?”

  “First, you’ll have to tell me why you asked me to look into this building. I’ve driven by it. It’s just a shitty-looking building in Chinatown.”

  “I know I promised, but I can’t tell you, I’m sorry.”

  “What the fuck, Meredith?”

  “I don’t want to lie to you.”

  “Why can’t you tell me? What’s going on?”

  She would jump out of the car the next time they came across a red light, she decided.

  “I just want you to be honest. Why is that so hard for you?”

  “I’m being honest,” she replied.

  “You have a fucked-up idea of what honest means. You’re using me.”

  Meredith felt her hair stick to her clammy neck. “You can be upset but I won’t tolerate you yelling at me.” Instead of shouting like Colton, she kept the tone of her voice low. “I’ve asked you to look into Thompson, share information about the murder investigation, find out who owns a building in Chinatown, but I didn’t point a gun to your head. You did all of it willingly. Or better, you did it because you believe it would help your career. You’ve used me as much as I’ve used you, so shut your fucking mouth.”

  They were moving again as they continued to follow Julian.

  “You do whatever the hell you want without giving a damn about how I feel,” he said. “We only talk about this damn investigation. It pisses me off.”

  They stopped at another red light and Meredith took this as her opportunity to leave. “I don’t have time for this bullshit,” she said, opening the car door.

  “Meredith, what the hell?”

  She stepped out, holding the door open. “Listen, Colton, I don’t want to fight right now. I thought you and I had an understanding.”

  “About what?”

  “About us.”

  “You want me to tell you everything but when I ask one question, you clam up. Don’t you think that would annoy any guy?”

  Soon the traffic light would change to green and the drivers behind them would start honking. If Julian looked in his rearview mirror he would be able to see her.

  “I came across something.” Colton paused and shook his head. “I’ll tell you what it is when you start telling me what you’re up to.”

  “You’re trying to corner me?” She slammed the car door shut but spoke through the rolled-down passenger window. “Won’t work. Want to know why? You care a whole hell of a lot more about me than I care about you.”

  She turned onto the side street to her right. She needed to get into a cab and head back to Julian’s condo.

  Colton drove up to her. “Meredith, wait!”

  “Your mark went that way.” She pointed in the direction he had come from. She continued to walk away but Colton persisted.

  “Reeve was at the New Jackson the night Sofia was killed,” he said. “I got footage from the security camera on the building beside the hotel. He went in at 1:17 in the morning and came out thirty minutes later.”

  Meredith came to a halt and Colton pressed the brakes.

  “He was there by himself,” Colton continued. “You weren’t with him.”

  Colton knew she had lied. Meredith faced him with defiance.

  “It shows that Tatiana was also at the New Jackson. She got there after Reeve left, at 2:09 in the morning. Tatiana was at the hotel for over two hours. She left at 4:47. We know Sofia was killed sometime between midnight and five in the morning.” Colton locked eyes with Meredith. “Both Tatiana and Reeve were there.”

  While Meredith had known all along that Julian had been at the New Jackson, what Colton was telling her
further contradicted Tatiana’s version of the events.

  “How about Thompson?” she asked.

  “No sign of him.”

  Meredith rushed toward the one-way street they had been on. Colton called after her but she didn’t look back. Instead, she flagged down a cab and hopped inside.

  Chapter 29

  Julian saw Peter as soon as he entered Maggie’s.

  He took his time approaching. He still hadn’t heard back from Grace and he had no idea when she might show up, if at all.

  “I don’t want to talk to you, man,” Peter said as Julian sat down.

  Before Julian could reply, the waiter stopped by and poured Julian some water.

  “I promise I won’t bring up the open marriage, Pete.”

  “Fuck you,” he mumbled under his breath.

  Julian spotted Grace waving at them. He sighed with relief.

  “Sorry I’m late.” She sat down at the table, a big smile on her face. “I hope you guys didn’t order without me. Maybe we can get some platters to share?”

  Julian reached for his water and Peter inched his chair away from him.

  “What were you guys chatting about before I got here?” she continued, oblivious to their silence.

  Peter cleared his throat. “I told you not to invite him.”

  “Don’t you think this little spat of yours has lasted long enough?” Grace asked. “It’s time you guys get over whatever this is.”

  “It’s none of your fucking business,” Peter said to Grace, his jaw clenched. “Stay out of it.”

  “Don’t talk to me like that. I’m your wife. Whatever happens with you is my business.”

  “Who’s watching the boys? I know our regular babysitter wasn’t free tonight.”

  Grace observed Peter through narrowed eyes. “How do you know that?”

  Peter started to speak but stammered, not being able to give Grace anything more than a couple of unintelligible words. For a man who had cheated on his wife multiple times, Peter was a horrible liar, Julian thought.

  “You’re fucking her, aren’t you?” Grace asked with a nervous laugh. “You son of a bitch, even Seth and Eli’s nanny is fair game to you. Could you be any more of a cliché?”

  “I’m not fucking her. Listen—”

  “Stop,” she cut him off. “Stop with the lies. We have an agreement and you still go and cheat on me.”

  “I didn’t cheat on you. We can have sex with other people, no?”

  “Just because we both agreed that we can have sex with others you think fucking the nanny behind my back is OK?”

  “What was I supposed to do? I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  “How about not fucking her? Did you think of that? We’re supposed to have a conversation about these things. Not just run off and do whatever the hell we want.”

  “You’re not being fair. You’ve gone on sleepovers with different guys and I never pressed you for answers.”

  “Because it was convenient for you.”

  “You still haven’t told me who’s watching the boys.”

  “You weren’t concerned about them when you took off for three straight days to fuck that slutty doctor you met at the conference.” Grace stopped talking and took a steadying breath. She sipped her water. “Julian is watching them.”

  “He’s sitting right here, so—”

  “I have a friend from the hospital watching them,” Julian rushed to say. “I trust her completely.”

  “I don’t want him watching my sons.”

  “He’s not watching your sons,” Grace replied. “They’re not yours.”

  Peter looked confused. Julian reached across the table and took hold of her hand. “Grace—”

  “Seth and Eli are Julian’s,” she said, not letting him stop her. “We slept together when you and I broke up, after I found out you cheated on me. He’s their dad. Not you.”

  His stare fixated on Grace, Peter blanched.

  “Have you had a chance to look at the menu?” the waiter approached and asked cheerfully.

  “We need more time,” Julian managed to say. His heart slammed so fast against his ribcage that he felt pain emanate from his chest and spread through his whole body.

  “Is it true?”

  Julian wanted to keep his eyes on the white tablecloth but he forced himself to face Peter. “It is.”

  “Jesus, man, I can’t believe this is happening.” Peter shook his head in disbelief. “I loved you like a brother.”

  Of all the possible emotions Julian expected to feel, shame was not one of them.

  “I thought we told each other everything,” Peter continued.

  “I didn’t want to hurt you.” He found himself using the same words Peter had used earlier.

  “Why?” Peter asked. “Why did you do it?”

  “It just happened…we didn’t plan it and it never happened again.”

  “Bullshit. I know you. You might have not planned it at the time, but you didn’t fuck my wife and lie to me about it for over two years without ever thinking about it again. Tell me why you, my best friend, fucked my wife.”

  “Pete, I don’t know.” Julian wished he could stand up. He felt trapped.

  “Don’t lie to me, asshole. Tell me the truth.”

  “Enough,” Grace interjected. Silent tears ran down her face. “We didn’t do it to get back at you, if that’s what you’re thinking. But knowing what I know now, I wish I had. You deserve to suffer.”

  “Because I had sex with other women?” Like Grace, Peter was now crying. “I’m a good husband and father”—he paused and looked at Julian—“and friend. No one can tell me different.”

  “You are a good friend,” Julian reassured him.

  “Seth and Eli are my kids. You can’t have them,” Peter said, raising his voice.

  “I’m not taking the boys away from you. You’re their dad.”

  “I don’t want you to have anything to do with them.” Peter sounded determined.

  “That’s not your call.” Grace held Julian’s hand tightly. “I want Seth and Eli to grow up knowing that Julian is their biological father. I won’t lie to my kids. Fight me on this and you’ll never see them again.”

  Peter stood up and his chair fell backward, hitting the floor. The noise of it echoed throughout the restaurant. “I don’t regret cheating on you. I just wish I had never felt guilty about it.”

  Peter stormed out and, as Julian picked up the overturned chair, the waiter rushed to the table and took care of it himself.

  “I’m very sorry,” Julian said to the waiter. He could feel the eyes of the entire restaurant on him and Grace. “We’re leaving.”

  “Not yet.” Grace dried her tears with the white napkin and then looked up at the waiter with a smile. “We’ll have a bottle of your best Cabernet Sauvignon.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Julian asked as soon as the waiter walked away.

  “A three hundred dollar bottle of wine is always a good idea. Especially when it’s going on my soon-to-be-ex-husband’s credit card.”

  The waiter brought them the bottle of wine with a hesitant smile.

  “We love it.” Grace didn’t bother to taste the wine.

  For a long while, Julian and Grace sat, side by side. She stared at her untouched glass of wine and he mulled over what would happen next.

  “I wished we’d had a chance to talk about it before you told Pete,” he finally said.

  “Julian, we’ve been talking about it for the last two years.”

  “Will you be filing for divorce?”

  “What do you think?”

  “He loves Seth and Eli. He will do anything he can not to lose them.”

  “Do you want shared custody?”

  “If I say I do, Pete won’t let them go quietly. He knows things about me that, if they came out, it would hurt you and the boys.”

  “What things?”

  Julian shook his head. “Not here.”

  “D
on’t be afraid of Peter.”

  “He’s my oldest friend. That gives him a lot of power over me.”

  “This is not about him or you. It’s about Seth and Eli.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you—whatever Pete decides to do with what he knows will affect Seth and Eli.”

  “You didn’t answer my question. I need to know, right now, if you want shared custody of Seth and Eli.”

  “I’m not better than Pete, Grace.”

  “One of the things I’ve learned from all of this is that I can’t raise two kids with a man I don’t respect.” She rested her hand on his cheek. “You and I aren’t in love with each other but we do respect each other. That doesn’t make you better than Pete, but it makes you better for Seth and Eli.”

  Julian took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips. “I don’t want to let you down,” he said, kissing the back of her fingers. “I’ll tell you what Pete knows, and if you still feel the same way, we’ll share custody of the boys.”

  “You will be a great—”

  The sound of Julian’s phone ringing made Grace pause.

  “Sorry, I have to get this.”

  Seeing the word Private on his phone caused Julian to hold his breath. He hoped it wasn’t Tatiana calling, but as soon as he answered and heard her voice he knew that something had happened. “OK,” he said. “I’ll be right there.” He kept his voice impassive when she told him that Seth and Eli were fine but she needed him to return home at once.

  “I have to go,” he said already on his feet. “I need to go and check on something at the hospital.”

  “Can you keep Seth and Eli for the night? There’s a lot Pete and I need to talk about.”

  “Sure, yeah, that’s not a problem.”

  Julian said a hasty goodbye to Grace and rushed out of the restaurant.

  Chapter 30

  Meredith turned the key in the front door of Julian’s condo. Stepping inside, she slammed the door so hard that she heard the painting on the wall rattle.

  “Tatiana, where are you?” Meredith shouted. “Tatiana!”

  “What’s going on?” she asked, joining her.