by Ali Parker
"Really? No way. She looks like Mitch to me."
"Who knows?" I got back up, feeling beyond restless. "Either way, Pauly let Jeremy take her. Did Mitch force that on him?"
"That seems like the only logical explanation." My brother paused, and I let the comfortable silence settle between us for a few seconds. "Wasn't Pauly the one that came out to the house where you and Jeremy were?"
"Yes, but he was tracking me."
"And he picked you up from the police station?"
"Yeah." Sickness rolled through my stomach. "I don't like where the fuck this is going."
"Yeah, me either. Maybe he wasn't the good guy we thought he was."
I reached up and tugged at my hair as frustration ran through me. "I can't keep going back and forth. I have to believe that he was good, Cole. He loved Chloe. Anyone could tell that when talking to him about her."
"Then what the fuck?"
"I'm assuming that Mitch had him on lockdown. He did what the Senator told him to do without question. It was the only way to keep his little girl safe."
"You're really buying into the fact that Chloe might belong to Pauly?" My brother's tone told me that he wasn't at all subscribing to the possibility.
"Yes. Chloe believes it too, she's just not saying it."
"Because it changes everything. It means that her father's platform is a lie. He's used family as the foundation of his campaign. Him losing Melinda was all part of that too. Don't you remember the day they found her body? We were just teenagers, but the whole fucking state shut down and mourned with Mitch."
"I remember," I whispered and closed my eyes. "I know it's crazy, but I honestly think Chloe is Melinda and Pauly's. Mitch found out and had her killed. It served two purposes. He would reap the benefit of our hearts breaking for him and he'd have revenge on them both."
"That's almost too fucked up, Ian. There's no way that's right."
"No?" I couldn't seem to come up with another scenario that worked. That one fit too well.
"No, but you could easily prove that false."
"How so?"
"Get Chloe's birth certificate."
"It's going to show Mitch on it, Cole. Be realistic here. The man has incredible power. He's covered his tracks well."
"You need to get out of this. It's only going to get worse as he moves closer and closer to the White House. I know you love this girl, but-"
"No buts." I rolled my shoulders. "I'm going to give Jeremy the three zip drives and see if he follows through. If he does, then I'll sit back and protect her while Mitch's web of lies unravels in front of the whole world. If not, we lost nothing. You'll still have a few copies of the files."
"Have you watched them? Do you know what's on the drives?"
"No. I need to, but I'm almost scared of what the fuck I'll see."
"Understandable." My brother yelled at someone, causing me to smile. "Watch where the fuck you're going. Shit."
"I need you to do one more thing for me." I pursed my lips, knowing that I was asking a lot from Cole, but he was the only person I trusted.
"Anything."
"I know this has little to do with figuring out how to take Mitch down, but I need you to get into Pauly's apartment in Santa Barbara and sweep the place."
"All right. What am I looking for? Evidence against Mitch?"
"If you find it, yes, but namely I need you to see if you can find anything that would point to Pauly being Chloe's father or not. Letters, notes, pictures, fuck, anything. She needs some peace over who she really is, where she comes from."
"I understand that as much as you do, but maybe it's best if she doesn't know, Ian. We have no clue who our parents were, and we're stronger for it. We aren't a culmination of our past, but a product of our future. You and I have been fighting those demons for years. Why not just help her move forward and not look back? It's worked well for us."
"She's different, Cole. She needs to know." I let out a short sigh. "I need to know too. It's all part of the puzzle. I think if we have Mitch at the scene of Melinda's death, the Thomas' death and Pauly's... someone is going to have to fucking listen to us."
"So is this more about Mitch or Chloe? You're confusing."
"Both. Neither? Fuck, I don't know. It's about me trying to offer her something I'll never get. Mitch is going to be found out eventually. All the shit we do in the dark always comes to the light, right?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"I want to have Chloe prepared for the moment it happens. I love her, Cole. I want her as my wife when this shit all passes us by. She needs to know who she is, so that when everything blows up, she's not left with pieces of a person scattered around the ground in front of her."
"Like you were after Mandy." It wasn't a question.
"Exactly. Help me find out the truth about who her father is. Dig as best you can, and we'll hope that Jeremy does his part. If not, then we go to plan b."
"Which is?"
"I don't know yet, but I'll start working to figure it out."
"Knowing you, you'll come up with something by the morning."
"Be safe and don't get caught. You need Pauly's address? I'll get it from Chloe."
"No. I have some friends on the force. I'll figure it out."
"Be careful, Cole. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I'm the big brother, you pussy. Take care of the girl and I'll work on the rest. Besides, I'm used to cleaning up your shit."
I laughed deep in my chest. "I only leave a mess so you'll have something to feel useful over."
"Right. Fuck you too."
I dropped the call and tossed the phone onto the bed before walking toward the wall I shared with Chloe. I pressed my forehead against it and closed my eyes.
"We'll figure this out, baby. I promise. I won't let you down. I won't fuck this up for us." I tried to push Mandy from my mind, but the image of her bleeding out only seemed to grow bigger as the memory of my own screams from that night filled my ears.
Who was I kidding? I'd failed her and if the past predicted the future, I'd fail Chloe too. A growl ripped from my lips as I pushed off from the wall, lost in my own head, fighting the demons of my past as the day quickly morphed into night.
I wasn't enough, but maybe with Cole's help, I could be this one time. Just this once I could come out the hero instead of the villain.
It almost felt like too much to hope for.
Chapter 12
Chloe
I must have passed out the night before without eating dinner. I woke in the dark hotel room to complete silence, not knowing what time it was or what the hell was going on. My dreams played behind my eyes, the scene all too familiar as it haunted me.
"Come over here, silly." Pauly stretched out his hand and smiled. "Just step on the rock and you'll be fine."
I glanced down at the river as the water washed over the rocks. I couldn't have been more than six.
"I'm scared," I whispered, unsure of where to find my voice.
"Don't be. I'm right here." He stretched out his hand and brushed his fingers by mine. "See? We're already touching. Jump on this rock behind me and we'll be on the other side."
"I'm sorry I lied." I swallowed and picked up my foot, hoping that by moving forward I would force myself to make the leap of faith. Pauly told me not to get into the water while he walked around a large oak tree to go to the bathroom, but the water was so pretty and clear.
"It's okay, butterfly. Just jump on this rock and I'll grab you and toss you in the air like you love. I can't reach you and the water is pretty deep. Let's play it safe and you just focus on me and jump."
I shook my head no. The water was deep. I couldn't see the bottom of the river and the rock sticking up between us was small, just enough surface for me to hop across on one foot. I wouldn't make it back to him. I'd fall in and the water would force me down the river, pulling me under where I couldn't get enough air.
"Chloe." He pressed his hands against his knee
s and tilted his head to the side. "Who loves you more than anyone else in the world?"
"My mom does." I wrapped my arms around myself as I started to shiver.
"And who loves you a little more than her?"
There was no hesitation in my reply. "You do."
"Right, so come on and let's go bake some cookies for her like you wanted to. No more talking about what you did wrong. I'll help you make it right. It'll be our secret."
"You promise?" I dropped my hands to my side and took a deep breath. He would catch me. I knew he would.
"Absolutely. On the count of three..."
My sobs filled up the room around me, bringing me from the memory. I'd leapt into the air and he’d been there to snatch me up before I even touched down. It was the first of many times where I'd messed up and Pauly came after me. He might have been my father's head bodyguard, but he was so much more than that.
I forced myself to stand as I cradled my face in my hands. Why was I letting his death go by unnoticed? How could I be so calloused as to not weep for my loss?
"Chloe?" Daniel called out from the other side of my door.
"Leave me alone." I walked to the door and locked it. I wasn't sure where Ian was, but it was better to suffer alone. No one would mourn Pauly's death like I would. My mom might have, but they were close.
"They were close," I mumbled and brushed away my tears as the burn of sorrow continued to dance through the center of my chest. "How close?"
"Chloe?" Ian.
I walked to the door and opened it. "Come in here."
He moved into the room and turned on the light, half blinding me. "What's wrong? What the fuck happened?"
"Do you think my mother was having an affair with Pauly?" I brushed away the rest of my tears, though they seemed to refuse to stop coming.
Ian's eyebrow lifted. "Why do you ask?"
"Don't answer my question with a question. Do you think they were having an affair?"
He pursed his lips, aggravating me with his silence. Some part of me wanted to beat against his chest and force him to talk, but it would do no good. He had his own opinion about what the hell happened. I just needed to remain patient and try to be far more mature than I wanted to about all of it.
"I think they probably did." He reached out and gripped my hand. "I have Cole going over to Pauly's place to see what he can find. You mentioned your mom and dad being in a fight the day she died."
I nodded, thinking very much along the same lines that he was. "It's going to be impossible to pin my mother's death on him, even if he was involved in it."
"Why is that?"
"Because it was ruled an accident and closed down." I ran my fingers through my hair. "There was a whisper of the case having some mysterious things around it, but most people speculated that the media stirred that pot because she was a famous actress."
"I can see that being the case." He pulled me close, brushing my hair back and leaning down to steal a kiss. "We need to get away from here for a few days. Your father would never allow it, but fuck if I don't need to spend a night with you wrapped in my arms."
"Sounds like bliss," I mumbled as my numbness settled back over me. Sadly enough, it was the only protection mechanism I had left. "You think Pauly was my father, don't you?"
"Yes." He kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back. "Do you?"
"I don't know." I pulled out of his arms and brushed my fingers by my lips. "He was always there for me, always the one that took care of anything I needed and saved me from myself a million times. He was more like a guardian angel than a father, if that makes any sense at all."
"It does." Ian walked farther in the room and sat down on the edge of my bed as the door opened.
Daniel poked his head inside. "Mitch needs me. I'll be down the hall."
"All right." Ian nodded and turned his attention back toward me. "Today is the day we find out if your father has enough votes to hold the Democratic nomination."
"He does. I have no doubt." I walked to the closet and grabbed a light sweater.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to see if I can overhear what my father wants with Daniel. I know we need to lay low for a little while, but something inside of me is screaming that we're missing the big picture."
"Chloe. It isn't safe for you to be snooping around. We'll get the evidence we need and Jeremy will-"
"Jeremy? Now you trust Jeremy?" Why was I attacking Ian? It had to be because I was helpless to do anything else.
"No, I don't trust the bastard, but he's got the right motive. Let's just hang back and see if he goes through with what he promised."
"You really think he's going to take the information to the authorities?" I didn't believe it for a minute. He was playing us as bad as my father was.
"I don't know." Ian ran his fingers through his hair.
"I'll be back in a minute."
"Chloe."
"No. I'm not standing in the middle of this rushing river and waiting to drown. It's jump or drown." I turned and walked out of the bedroom toward the kitchen. The hotel room was a large multi-room suite at the top of the building. It was extravagant and over the top for even my father.
Pausing by the wall near the kitchen, I held my breath, hoping to hear something. My father's voice was nothing more than a whisper.
"Let Ian watch after her. We're almost there and all the work we've put into reaching this next step will be worth it." My father sounded so sure of himself.
"Yes, sir, Senator. Let's gather everyone up for the announcement. It's airing soon, right?"
"Yes." My father's voice was a little closer than I expected.
I jerked from the wall and plowed into him, yelping and forcing myself to chuckle, as if I was a clumsy idiot. "Sorry, Dad. I didn't see you there."
He reached out and gave me a tight smile. "It's fine. Come to the living room and let's watch as they announce who won the nomination for the Democratic Party."
"Shouldn't we be there?" I moved around him and walked to the living room. "I thought it was a live event."
"No. Everyone thinks it is, but we recorded it this morning just after the sun came up. They only wanted the politicians on the small stage. No one’s family was there."
"Interesting." As if I cared why I wasn’t invited to join the taping.
I took a seat on the couch and glanced over as my father sat down beside me and reached for my hand. Ian and Daniel stood off toward the kitchen talking quietly.
"I'm so excited. Thank you for always being so supportive, Pumpkin." He took my hand and squeezed it softly. "All of this is going to be worth it when I'm the leader of the free world. You'll have anything you want."
"Freedom?" I couldn't seem to stop myself.
"If that's what you choose." His smile faded a little, and he pulled his hands back as someone behind us turned on the TV. The sound of the crowd going wild left me feeling ill. No one understood who they were voting for. It was as if the building was flooded with feel-good chemicals. Hell, maybe they didn't care. My father was offering just enough to keep everyone pushing uphill behind him.
His win was their win, or so they thought.
"When are we going home?" I glanced behind me at Ian.
"Tonight around eleven. Your father has a few more appointments before we leave." He spoke in a clipped tone as if my question were agitating to him. It was all part of the facade.
"I want to go home early." I glanced over at my dad, who had his focus on the dog and pony show going on for the media.
He turned to study me for a minute. "Of course. You've been a good sport for all of these events. I'll have Ian take you back to San Diego." My father looked over his shoulder. "Take another guard with you and post outside of the beach house. We'll wrap up here and get back as soon as we can. You're capable of taking care of Chloe as we discussed?"
I couldn't help but look back toward the man who had my heart.
"Of course." He nodded and turn
ed back to Daniel, not acknowledging me again.
Take care of Chloe as we discussed? What the hell did that mean?
"Here we go." My father let out a low chuckle. The sound of it ran across my skin and left a chill running down my spine.
A dark-haired announcer moved in front of the crowd as the place went wild. "There you have it folks. Senator Mitch Moore from California will be taking the Democratic nomination. Great job, Senator. We'll be waiting with bated breath to see who his running mate will be, and we've just heard that he'll be announcing a new campaign manager as well."
"And who's that?" I turned toward my father.
"I'm not sure yet, baby. It's just time to step up to the plate and hit a home run. I need to make sure the people I surround myself with are ready to do just that." He got up and walked around the room, shaking the hands of our guards before walking toward the door. "Be safe and I'll see you soon."
Chapter 13
Ian
"Go pack up your stuff and we'll catch a commercial flight back to Cali." I moved past Chloe and grabbed the keys to the rental car Mitch had waiting for us in Maryland.
I wasn't sure what Chloe overheard with Mitch and Daniel, but I was itching to find out. Where I was almost certain that Jeremy was on our side, I couldn't seem to put my finger on Daniel. What part did he play in everything? How long had he worked for Mitch? They were all questions I could answer with a little bit of digging, but I had to find the time to dig while no one was around. That was the impossible part, or so it seemed.
The idea of Mitch having another kid kept playing along my mind. I walked out into the hallway and watched the other guard shuffle Mitch toward the elevators.
Chloe walked over a few seconds later with her bag in her hand. "I'm surprised he's letting you go with me, but I guess you did your job long enough. Now you get demoted to making sure I don't cause a fuss until he's locked in as president. Is that how this is going to work?"
I gave her a look and took her bag from her. "Come on. We're not taking anyone with us. I'll catch hell for it later, but I need some time with you. Maybe we can figure some of this stuff out."
