Beneath The Lies

by Riann C. Miller

  “I’m not,” I snap back without looking at him. Finally he must get the hint that I’m truly pissed off because he steps even closer and nuzzles my neck.

  “I’m sorry. I came home late last night. I was pissed and I wanted to make sure I got it out of my system before I came here. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

  Nowhere in his comment did he agree to open up to me. He went somewhere last night and something happened to upset him, but he doesn’t make any attempt to tell me what. “I won’t go near that fight, I promise. Now I need to go before I’m late for class.”

  Gavin sighs but he steps back, allowing me to leave, which is exactly what I do without glancing his direction.

  All day I replay last night and this morning. Did he go out and get drunk because he’s concerned about money or is it something else entirely? And why won’t he talk to me about it? He claims we’re a team, but he’s definitely not acting like we’re one right now.

  These same types of questions stay on repeat in my head all day long, keeping me unfocused, which is how I manage to run straight into the guy I saw the other day at the library.

  I turn the corner of a building on campus heading to my car when I literally run straight into him knocking myself to the ground. At first I didn’t realize who I ran into, but when I get my first good look at his face, it causes my body to go into overdrive.

  I get up as fast as I can and I start running to my car. When I make it there I frantically fumble around for my keys, but when I look up I don’t see him anywhere around. Suddenly I feel like a fool for reacting the way I did without any real reason. Sure he was staring at me the other day but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s out to harm me.

  I hit unlock on my key fob when I hear Alyssa’s voice shouting at me. “What the hell? You told Kyler I was going to Phil’s fight tonight?” She screeches loud enough that people turn to watch us.

  “No.” The look she’s giving me clearly states she believes otherwise. “I didn’t. I said something to Gavin about it. He must have said something to him or Kiran.”

  Her anger lessens, but not by much. “Yeah, well I got my ass chewed out by Kyler who thinks Phil’s isn’t safe for me but it’s safe enough for him.”

  Anything I say right now could easily be the wrong thing. “Gavin said Kyler was lucky he didn’t get hurt being there. Maybe it’s best that you don’t go.”

  I’m worried that my comment is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Instead, Alyssa takes a deep breath and gives me a half-smile.

  “I’m sorry for acting like a bitch. I’m just sick of everyone telling me what to do, especially a guy who’s not even my boyfriend.” Alyssa huffs out a fake laugh. “Do you want to go do something tonight? Dinner? Maybe a movie afterwards?” Her eyes are pleading with me to say yes, and to top it off she gives me a pouty smile.

  “I don’t know. Gavin wants me to come straight home.”

  “Please, Kate. We won’t go anywhere near the fight. I promise.” I’m pissed at Gavin but at the same time I don’t want him to worry about me. I planned to spend the night with him and Callie, and as much as I still would like to, I don’t want to run back to our apartment just to please him.

  “Okay, but we aren’t going anywhere near that fight,” I firmly add.

  “Deal. Meet me at my place and we’ll drive together.” Before I even have a chance to reply, Alyssa is heading off in the other direction. Dinner and a movie should be long enough to make my point to Gavin that I’m not about to bow down to his demands, at least not when he’s not doing the same.

  ****

  My night has not gone as planned. First, I met Alyssa at her parent’s house, where not long after I arrived she had me change into an Alyssa approved outfit. Next, somehow, Alyssa convinced me she was going to drive us, and it didn’t take long to discover why.

  Instead of going to dinner like we talked about she drove us straight to a frat party where Alyssa starts pounding down drinks. I sent a text earlier in the night telling Gavin that I was going out for dinner and a movie where he once again reminded me I was to go nowhere near the fight that Phil was in fact hosting. He’s concerned, I get it, but I hate feeling like a child that’s being scolded, especially when I’ve repeatedly told him I wouldn’t go near Phil’s. I think Gavin wanted to demand that I come straight home, but thankfully, he held his tongue.

  About an hour ago, I managed to get Alyssa’s keys away from her. Now I just have to figure out how to get her to either slow down or go home before she passes out.

  “We need to go to that thing. What do you call it?” she slurs out. “You know that place.” Alyssa is pointing toward the wall while she’s babbling on and not making any sense. “Fight. That’s where we need to go. I bet we’d find a big bad boy that would take good care of us,” she adds with a giggle.

  Thank God she doesn’t have her keys. “No, we wouldn’t find a boy, instead we’d meet a nasty man who would tie us up and probably rape us. We’re not going...so stop asking, Alyssa.” I roll my eyes, ready to drag her ass out of here.

  “Fine. You don’t have to take me. I know a guy here that’s going, he can take me.” My patience with Alyssa is fading fast. This explains why she skipped going to a restaurant and came straight here.

  “Alyssa, stop. Neither one of us is going near that fight,” I snap back.

  “You’re not my parent. You don’t get to tell me what I can do.” Alyssa rips her hand away from me then turns and walks away. Screw me. I’m not equipped to know how to handle drunken fits. Gabby is the only person I know who might be able to help. I pull out my cell phone and call her, but my call goes straight to voicemail.

  I decide to wait a few more minutes then try again when suddenly the party starts to thin out dramatically. I stop a girl who was heading off to the front door. “What’s going on?” She quickly turns to me.

  “Oh, there’s some fight that everyone is heading to.”

  Holy shit. I have no idea where Alyssa is, but I frantically start looking for her. But after ten minutes and opening every door in the house, she’s nowhere to be found.

  I try Gabby’s number one more time. It still goes straight to voicemail, leaving me only one other option. Gavin.

  He’s going to be pissed. For starters, I’m not out to dinner or a movie, and secondly I went out with Alyssa while she did exactly what he was afraid of.

  Right now, I’m out of options. I pick up the phone and dial Gavin, who answers on the first ring. “Hello?”

  “Hey.” I can hear Callie giggling in the background. “Don’t be pissed.”

  Gavin makes a growling sound through the phone. “You better not tell me you’re at that fight. I heard the message went out about an hour ago.”

  An hour ago? There’s no way Alyssa has been gone that long. Maybe twenty minutes tops. “No, but I think Alyssa did. She drove us to some party. I managed to get her keys away from her, but she heard about the fight and now I can’t find her.”

  I can hear him breathing, which is the only reason I’m not asking him if he’s still there. “You have a way to come home?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you haven’t been drinking?”

  “No.” I almost follow my answer with “No, Dad,” but I decide now is probably not the time to poke him.

  “Okay. Come home and I’ll call Kiran to find out if either him or Kyler want to go fetch her.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there in a few.” Gavin sighs again.

  “Your friend is either a moron or has a death wish. I really hope she didn’t bite off more than she can chew.”

  Me too, I want to add, but I don’t. “Be there soon.”

  ****

  When I arrive at Gavin’s, Kiran is already there, pacing back and forth as he rants about something.

  “What’s going on?”

  Kiran’s head snaps to mine when he hears my voice. “Your friend is what’s going on. Kyler took off after her when Gavin called him.r />
  “Shit, he has no business going near that place again. But...fuck, he won’t listen to anyone. Especially if he thinks that dumb girl is going to get hurt.”

  I turn my head toward Gavin and notice the harsh look on his face. He’s looking me up and down, apparently not approving of my outfit. “I don’t remember you wearing that to school today.”

  I’m wearing a form fitting mini skirt with a wavy sheer blouse and a cami underneath. It’s cute but not slutty. “I changed at Alyssa’s before we went out.”

  Gavin’s eyes flare again. “So you knew you were going to a frat party when you told me you were going to dinner?”

  Okay, I’m done with the father/daughter conversation. “No, Dad, I didn’t lie. I went back to my friend’s house, who changed into something nicer than she wore to school all day, so I cleaned up too, thinking I was going out to dinner, but instead we ended up at a party.

  “You better think long and hard before you speak to me like I’m a child again. Last night you went out and came home—drunk, I might add—in the middle of the night without a word to me about where you were or who you were with, and I’m not about to stand here and allow you to act like the same rules don’t apply to me.”

  Gavin’s body language completely changes. He goes from angry and pissed off to calm and collected. “Babe, I went to see Leeta last night. After talking to her I needed too cool down before I would allow myself to come home. I’m sorry for making you wonder where I was at for even a second. Honestly, she pissed me off to the point that I never even thought about how last night must have looked to you.”

  Leeta? He was with his mother last night? I watch him closely for any signs that he’s lying, but I don’t see any. I’m about to tell him I believe him when Kiran’s phone rings.

  “Yeah?” He’s still pacing the room like a caged animal. “You’re fucking lucky, bro. Take her ass home with you and when she sobers up come and get her car and keys from Gavin’s house.

  “His woman ended up with her car. Yeah, okay. See you then.”

  Kiran lets out a deep breath. “He found her. With the amount of co-eds that were there they managed to blend in. Kyler thinks he got in and out without anyone tipping off Phil that he was there. Bad news is, he saw Carly down there.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Gavin quickly replies. “Well, it looks like Elsa fell asleep.” Gavin and I look over to see Callie out cold on the couch, not surprising when it’s close to mid-night. “Yeah, I need to put her in bed.” Gavin walks over and scoops up Callie then walks down the hallway.

  “If your girl doesn’t want to be with my brother, then tell her to cut him loose. He’s been hurt once already and I don’t want to see it happen to him again.”

  I clear my throat. “Alyssa is a good person. Sounds like she has a rocky past when it comes to relationships as well. They need to figure out whatever it is they want without either of us telling them what to do.”

  Kiran looks at me like he doesn’t agree, but when Gavin walks back in the room he turns and heads toward the door. “I’m out of here. I’ll see you later.”

  “Okay, thanks for helping out tonight, man.” Kiran gives the two of us an odd look then walks out of the apartment.

  “You saw Leeta last night?”

  Gavin looks annoyed by my question. “Yes, and I promise to tell you all about it, but not right now. Right now, I want to take you to our bed and forget all about the last twenty-four hours.”

  Without even considering what I think is right or wrong, I walk up and wrap my arms around him because there’s nowhere else I would rather be.

  When I wake up the next morning, Gavin is still sound asleep. As much as I want to stay snuggled up next to him, my need to use the bathroom and check on Callie overrides my desire to stay in bed.

  After I checked on a very passed out little girl and use the bathroom, I decide to send my dad’s lawyer an email regarding my stock options.

  From: Kate Reynolds

  To: Jim Togg,

  Subject: Re: Stock

  * * *

  Mr. Togg,

  I know it was only a week ago when I told you that I didn’t want to sell my stock, but I’m rethinking that choice. However, I don’t want to sell to The Jentar Group. Is there any way to guarantee the stock I sell doesn’t make it into their hands?

  Also, thanks for contacting your father regarding my adoption.

  Sincerely,

  Kate Reynolds

  Gavin needs money, and clearly he doesn’t have any intentions of telling me he’s strapped for cash, which doesn’t leave me any other option at the moment. Unlike Gavin, I log out of my email account so he won’t accidentally see what I’m planning, then I head to the kitchen to start breakfast.

  ****

  Today is a beautiful Saturday in October, and Gavin and I end up taking Callie to the park. While she’s playing tag with a group of kids, I decide to bring up Leeta and where he went Thursday night. “Why did you see Leeta the other night?”

  Gavin sighs. I know he hates thinking about his mother, let alone carry on a conversation about her, but he knew this question was coming. “Kate unlike you I don’t need any evidence to know that Leeta was the person leaving you those messages and that damn article about the missing baby. I went to her place to confront her about it. I was hoping to find out what she knew regarding your adoption.”

  My breathing speeds up as does my heart, but when he stops talking my eyes jerk to his. “Leeta is a deranged bitch. She always has been. Anything and everything she says one should question. Keep that in mind.”

  Now I can almost feel the acid turning in my stomach. “Leeta claims she found some papers years ago where your dad paid a lot of money to adopt you. The person he paid is related to the family of that kidnapped child.”

  My eyes instantly become watery. “She’s lying. She has to be.” Gavin grabs ahold of my hand and gives it a big squeeze. “She probably is. She also told me that in exchange for her silence your father sold her twenty-four percent of his company, so she’s definitely The Jentar Group. I still can’t figure out why she seems desperate for even more stock.”

  My mind is racing. “How could my dad do that...steal someone’s baby? And how could my mother not know? She had to, which means...Oh, God.” My voice cracks and I can’t finish my sentence.

  “Hey. My mother is a fucking crazy person. Anything she says needs to be taken with a grain of salt. We have no proof that your parents did anything.” I chew on my lip, fighting off tears.

  “I hired a PI to look into things, hopefully we’ll know more soon.”

  A PI? Gavin is paying for a PI when money is already tight? There’s no question now that I have to sell my stock. I can’t let him fall into anymore debt because of me.

  “Daddy, look at me! I can swing high now.” We both look over at the cutest little girl I’ve ever seen swinging with the biggest smile on her face.

  “Wow, what a big girl!” Gavin says as Callie giggles and keeps swinging as fast as she can. “I don’t think her mother has ever taken her to a park before. Instead, she spends time on her back with guys like Phil.” Gavin shakes his head with disgust. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand her.” Since we’re on the topic of Carly, I decide to ask him something else that’s been bothering me.

  “Why did you host that fight last week at The Hill?” Gavin’s body tenses at my comment. “I’m asking because you left me home alone with Callie when she showed up. I didn’t know what to do. Thankfully, she left and didn’t come back but that night could have turned horrible in a second if I had answered the door.”

  Gavin’s eyes flicker over to mine then back to Callie. “The fight that night was supposed to happen at Phil’s place, but one of the fighters was bitching about his payouts being lower than ours. I don’t know why, but this fight was important to Phil. When one of the fighters asked me about hosting it, I thought what the hell. I could stick it to Phil and possibly Carly and make a few G’
s in the process.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about it?” I ask immediately.

  “I left the house that night with Kiran to do some digging into this kidnapping article we found at your place. He got the call from one of the fighters, the other one got on board, and then Kiran sent out his mass text. Less than two hours later, the fight happened.

  “The rumor I heard was Phil turned frantic and went off on Carly, which is why she ended up at our place. When I didn’t answer she showed up at The Hill acting every bit the psychotic Carly I’ve known over the years.”

  His tone sounds irritated but I could tell it wasn’t aimed at me. “When she saw you and Kiran at the fight she figured you left Callie with me?”

  Gavin’s jaw clenches slightly, but other than that I almost question if he heard me. “Carly is...bitter, angry like normal, but she’s also out for revenge. She’s not worried about how you’re treating her daughter. She’s worried that she might actually lose some sense of control she thinks she has over me, especially since Callie prefers to be with you.”

  I don’t doubt that in the slightest. I’ve only had the displeasure of seeing Carly a handful of times, but she’s clearly insane.

  “Daddy, I’m getting hungry.” Callie’s cute little voice brings me back to the present and away from her batty mother. “Then we better feed you, baby.”

  “Come on, Kate. Let’s go,” Callie sweetly says. I look over as Gavin’s eyes find mine. We both love how quickly Callie went from nervous to carefree around me. Something I don’t think she’s ever been around her own mother.

  ****

  From: Jim Togg, Sr.

  To: Kate Reynolds

  Subject: Re: Adoption

  * * *

  Ms. Reynolds,

  I helped with the paperwork regarding your adoption and I can assure you in no way, shape, or form did anything as unhinged as a kidnapping take place.

  Your birth mother willingly gave you up and wanted to ensure that your birth father was not a part of the process. She felt he was dangerous and was concerned for your safety.