“What kind of fool do you think I am?” Carter asked with what little shred of dignity he had left. He could feel his groin radiating, throbbing, as he hardened in response to her pressing her soft, curvy body against his.
“The kind,” she answered in a seductive whisper as her body tingled all over, “that wants to feel good in a way only I can make happen.”
Carter could no longer control himself. He grabbed her around the waist. “I may be a fool, but I won’t be your fool ever again.”
“Whatever you say,” she whispered as she ripped his shirt open.
Sitting at a granite picnic table bench, Kimberly tried to empty her mind as she watched Daniel, only inches away, observe a collection of butterfly paintings. She had spent the whole morning with Evan, reading his comic books to him, because the doctor told her it was possible he could hear her.
Michael had showed up with Daniel in tow, and she took Daniel to the gardens while Michael spent time with Evan. Kimberly wasn’t sure what had happened, but Michael was acting different. He had been completely exasperated in the beginning and so angry that she didn’t have any use for him and didn’t want him around either of the boys in his state. But for some reason, in the past day, he had been calmer and more positive, hopeful. It made a world of difference to Kimberly, who needed every bit of strength he had to help her through this. Their relationship was still something she struggled to understand and define, but right now she didn’t care. She just needed him to help her deal with this, and now that he had calmed down a bit, she felt as if he could.
She didn’t look down at the ID on her vibrating cell phone, but as soon as she answered it, she wished that she had.
“Keenan, I can’t talk to you right—”
“I heard about Evan.”
“Then you know I don’t have time to talk to you about anything.” Kimberly looked around to make sure no one was close. There was a couple with their ill son sitting in the grass, out of earshot, and no one else was around.
“I’m sorry for your son’s condition,” he said, “but we have an agreement.”
“Are you sorry?” she asked. “Sometimes I think nothing would make you happier than causing Steven pain. You must be happy to some degree.”
“I’m sure Steven is fond of his grandson, but you and I both know that nothing matters more to him than Chase Beauty, and I am counting on you.”
“Just stop calling me,” she said. “I’m focused on my son and getting him well. I don’t care about Steven, Janet, or you.”
“Have you forgotten the threat they still pose to you?”
“I don’t care about that! My son is in a fucking coma, Keenan.”
“Then it’s a good thing I can keep us focused. Now, I’ve heard that there were some discrepancies with some distribution centers and a factory in Mexico. I need you to find out more about—”
“Stop it,” she ordered. “You want to destroy Steven, do it yourself.”
There was a short silence before he responded. “You don’t really have the option of backing out of this, Kimberly. I can expose you to them. Once they find out that you conspired with me, what do you think they’ll do?”
“You’re not listening to me,” she said. “I don’t care. Besides, you would have to expose yourself to expose me, and you would never give Steven the upper hand.”
“Kimberly.”
Kimberly almost jumped out of her seat as she heard her name called. She knew who it sounded like, but she was hoping that she was terribly wrong.
She wasn’t. As Janet stood only a few feet from her, Kimberly searched her face for an expression to indicate what she’d heard. Had the person she hated most in the whole world just heard her discussing a plot for her destruction? Where had this sneaky bitch come from?
“Hey, Nana!” Daniel jumped and ran over to his grandmother, who knelt down and picked him up.
Janet kissed him on the cheek twice. She could never get enough of any of her grandchildren, but Evan’s condition only brought home to her how precious they really were. They were the family’s legacy, and they were her babies’ babies.
“Janet?” Kimberly slowly stood up, turning the phone off and stuffing it in the back pocket of her jeans. “How long have you been standing here?”
“You should go to the hotel and rest,” Janet said in the familiar cool tone she reserved for Kimberly.
Kimberly barely knew how to talk to this woman in any way other than screams and insults, but right now she was so happy that it seemed Janet hadn’t heard her that she was temporarily speechless.
“Are you listening to me?” Janet asked.
Kimberly looked like Janet felt—exhausted and spent—and despite Janet’s intense animosity toward this woman, she had compassion for her. There was something about being a mother that made one ache for any mother who suffered through the illness of her child.
Besides, Kimberly was mostly out of their lives now that Michael had divorced her, so Janet had gotten much of what she wanted. She would never forgive her for the pain she had caused the family, but Kimberly’s days as a threat to the Chase family and its legacy were over, placing Janet at ease with the very few times she had to deal with her.
“I’m sorry,” Kimberly said. “What?”
“Go to the hotel and rest for a while.” Janet placed Daniel on top of the bench next to her but still leaned him into her. “I’ll stay with Daniel, and when Michael comes down, he’ll take Daniel and I’ll stay with Evan for a few hours. Then you can come back having rested.”
“That sounds…fine.” Kimberly’s relief that Janet hadn’t heard her made her agreeable to anything. Besides, she needed to close her eyes, even if only for a few hours. And she would be sure to check that ID before answering her phone from now on.
When Avery returned home, she wanted nothing but to kiss her baby and head to bed, but Anthony was sitting in the hallway, making certain that this wasn’t going to happen. Guilt assailed her the second she saw the angry and suspicious look on his face. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but as she saw her life laid out before her, Avery convinced herself to ignore it. She was paying the price for her mistakes with Anthony, and she saw no escape from them. Carter was her only chance at a few moments of happiness, and she was going to get them.
“Let me stop you.” She held up her hand just as he opened his mouth. “I know I’m late, but I had errands to run, and I’m not going to explain myself to you.”
“Bullshit,” was all he offered back. “Do you think I’m just going to take your lies?”
“What do you mean?”
“How long have you been fucking Carter again?” he asked with a condescending tone. “Or have you never stopped fucking him?”
“That’s enough.” Avery walked by him, but he grabbed her wrist with a grip so tight it made her scream. He pulled her back so hard that she fell to the floor in front of him.
“What is the matter with you?” she yelled. “Are you crazy?”
“You were at his place,” he accused. “I know you were, so don’t try to deny it.”
Avery looked down at her throbbing wrist, then back to Anthony. As she slowly stood up, she met his eyes with hers. She could tell from his expression that he wasn’t being paranoid. He was serious. He knew.
“Are you having me followed?” she asked.
“Should I be grateful that at least you didn’t deny it?” Anthony peered into her eyes with contempt. “I’m trying to figure out who you’re making more a fool of—me or yourself.”
“You don’t know what happened,” she said, uncertain of where she was going with this. “And I don’t appreciate you following me.”
“You don’t appreciate it?” He laughed. “You cruel-hearted slut!”
“We were talking,” she protested, although she didn’t figure it was very convincing. The pain in her wrist made her not give too much of a damn. “Do you have any proof anything else happened?”
“You and C
arter don’t talk,” he said. “You either fuck or you fight.”
“Things are different,” Avery said. “Evan’s condition has softened him, and he’s being more reasonable.”
“It stops now, Avery!”
Avery watched as his hands gripped the edges of his wheelchair. She thought for a second he was going to stand up from the way he was holding on, and when she looked into his eyes, something was there that made her believe that was exactly what he was about to do.
Then he blinked and lowered his head. He looked down at his hands as they loosened their grip. He placed them weakly on his lap, never looking up again as he said, “You can’t leave me.”
Avery wanted to reach out to him, but she didn’t. She had been so sure that he was going to stand up but now realized that he wasn’t. He had only forgotten that he couldn’t, and it was her fault. He was pitiful and he knew it, which was why he wouldn’t look at her. Avery felt awful.
“I’m not going to leave you,” she said, because it was all she could say. It was all she could promise.
“Doctor, please follow me.”
Leigh was barely paying attention to Ellen Ogwayo, the diminutive but energetic woman who was giving her a tour of the makeshift refugee camp’s hospital two hours outside of Nairobi. It was the first stop on the senator’s tour, but Leigh, with bodyguard in tow, stepped away from the scene when she noticed how much press was present. She didn’t want to be a part of that.
She had barely gotten an hour of sleep last night after talking to Evan’s doctor. Dr. Kent tried to quell Leigh’s concerns, but after talking to Michael, Leigh had gotten even more upset—not as a doctor, but as a sister. She changed her mind several times about whether or not to go home, but before she knew it, the morning had come and the bus carrying the senator’s entourage showed up.
“As you’ll notice,” Ellen continued, “we’re much farther from the border than our original refugee camps are. Those camps are completely overstuffed, and we’re getting there as well. Our camp is a UN camp, but we can’t monitor all the camps, and there are complaints of mistreatment at some of them.”
Leigh looked down at her cell phone. She still wasn’t getting any signal, and it was starting to frustrate her.
“We’re trying to keep this section for the women and girls,” Ellen said. “There are…more sensitive issues they need help with, which is why I asked to take you aside.”
“Are you going to do this every time?”
Leigh and Ellen turned around to see Max giving Bem the evil eye as Bem held a hand up to keep him from Leigh.
“Bem, please,” Leigh said. “We’ve discussed this.”
Reluctantly, Bem stepped aside and Max approached Leigh with a concerned look on his face.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Senator!” Ellen almost giggled the words as she held out her hand.
It took Leigh a second to catch on, but she realized that Max was waiting for her to introduce the two of them. After she did, she ignored their small talk and tried to turn her cell phone off and then on again to see if it would work.
“You might be looking for this,” Max said as he held out a small cell phone.
Leigh looked at the phone, confused. “Another phone? None of the cell phones are working. I’ve tried Bem’s and—”
“This one will,” Max said. “It’s mine.”
“I can’t take your phone, Senator. You need that.”
“You need it more.” He gestured for her to take it. “Besides, I’ll get to use it as an excuse to stay near you—that is, if Bem doesn’t shoot me.”
Leigh smiled as she took the phone. Looking at it, she could see it was working. “Thank you. I’m dying to hear from my family.”
“I understand,” Max said. “And I’m happy you’ve chosen to stay.”
Leigh flipped the phone open. “I should really go call my—”
“Must you do this now?” Ellen asked.
Leigh was sure that Ellen had no idea who she really was or what was going on with her family. The woman was busy trying to help desperately lost people, and Leigh doubted she would understand.
“I will only be a few minutes,” she said.
“We have only a few minutes with Katna,” Ellen said. She looked nervously at the senator before stepping closer to Leigh. She lowered her voice to almost a whisper. “Katna is a sixteen-year-old refugee who was abused in the Sudan and…she has now contracted HIV. She is very reluctant to talk, and I was hoping you could try before she goes back to her family in the camp.”
Leigh felt her heart sink into her stomach as she thought of the young girl.
“Leigh?” Max asked, seeming to notice her change in demeanor. “Are you okay? Do you think you can handle this?”
After taking a deep breath, Leigh looked at him. “I’m a doctor. Of course I can handle it. I’ll talk to her now.”
7
“Do you want to talk to Leigh?” Carter asked Michael. “It’s not easy to get through to Kenya.”
Michael shook his head. “I just talked to her this morning. Nothing has changed.”
Sitting in a lounge chair out on the balcony of Carter’s condo, Michael stared out at an unusually clear L.A. skyline. He couldn’t really take any more questions from his sister, although he blamed himself for not letting Kimberly talk to her about Evan before she left for Africa. He blamed himself for everything.
Carter said good-bye to his sister and hung up. Placing the phone on the table near the balcony doors, he stepped outside. “You should at least eat something. I had a bunch of food brought over from—”
“I’m not hungry,” Michael said. “Besides, I have to go back to the hospital.”
Carter leaned against the brick wall, wishing there was more he could do. He’d seen Michael take a hit of scotch, but he hadn’t seen him eat. “You sure you can drive?”
“I have a driver.”
“Well, when you come back, I’ll make sure Julia has—”
“I’m not coming back,” Michael said. “I appreciate that you’re letting me stay here, because its closer to the hospital than my hotel, but I’m going to go back there tonight.”
“You shouldn’t be alone,” Carter said.
“Do you love her yet?” Michael asked, finally looking up at his brother, his best friend.
Carter was caught off guard by the question. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I got enough problems,” Michael answered. “I don’t need to have to wade through the thick air in this place. I can feel it and it makes me uncomfortable.”
“Since when did you give a damn?” Carter asked. “Nothing makes you uncomfortable.”
“Right now,” Michael said, “everything does.”
For several reasons, Carter knew better than to let Michael know that he was sleeping with Avery again. It was Michael who exposed their affair to the family and to Anthony last year. Michael didn’t approve of Carter’s continued pursuit of Avery, and Carter wasn’t interested in the lecture. Most importantly, Michael didn’t need to be bothered with anything right now.
He probably shouldn’t have even told Michael in the first place he didn’t love Julia but old habits are hard to break. Growing up on the East Coast at exclusive prep schools while their family was in L.A., the boys were the only family each other had most of their lives. They had formed a bond beyond mere brotherhood. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for each other. They helped each other out when one was in trouble, and they kept each other’s secrets. But lately that had changed. When Michael’s marriage to Kimberly was disintegrating, Carter knew that Michael was being extremely cruel to Kimberly, but he didn’t know to what extent. Michael was in his own hell, and while Carter, after Avery left him—again—was willing to spill the beans on his feelings for Julia, he was in no mood to be honest about how angry he was over Avery.
But right now, none of that mattered. Carter had never seen his brother, who had a fire inside of him that cou
ld be seen miles away, look vulnerable. Carter hated going to the hospital and seeing his nephew, looking so small and helpless. It made him feel powerless, and his grief only made him think of the limits to which he could protect his own daughter.
“I’m sorry,” Carter said. “Things are a little tense with the wedding planning and…I can talk to her.”
“No,” Michael said. “I don’t want to be pulled into your drama anymore. I’m going back to the hotel.”
“What do you want me to do?” Carter asked. “I’m trying to help you, but I can’t do anything if you don’t talk to me.”
“Don’t you get it?” Michael stood up, feeling a little light-headed. “There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do. Not even King Chase. After all his promises, all that is left is more promises.”
“You know Dad would do anything for Evan,” Carter said. Carter had noticed that his dad reacted more emotionally to Evan’s condition than he had ever seen him in his life. It was weird yet comforting to see this seemingly impenetrable man so openly penetrated. “So would I.”
“Dad can pray for Evan,” Michael said as the cell phone in his jeans pocket vibrated, “but you can’t. All I need is for everyone to pray for him, but you can’t pray for my son, can you?”
Carter’s atheism was an issue that put him at odds with everyone in his family, especially his mother. When they got engaged, Avery had told him it was the one thing she wanted from him, to give God a chance, and he’d promised her he would be open. Avery seemed convinced that she would bring him around, and he had agreed to let Connor be baptized to make Avery happy.
But he wasn’t convinced himself. He didn’t believe in much that didn’t make sense and couldn’t be proven, and he had to admit that the sickness of such an innocent boy made him more inclined not to believe in a God, because why would he let that happen?
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