The Millionaire's Secret

by Susan Stevens

  Her mind was too preoccupied on what was waiting for her on the top to think about what he was hiding from her. She took the stairs two at a time, smacking on her gum, and practically skidded into the room, locking the door behind her. She paused a moment, listening for anyone outside the hall, before heading to her drawer and opening it. There, beneath her leotard, was her stash, waiting for her and gleaming in the dying light.

  At first, she had hated the needles, waiting to pierce her skin and always leaving a trail of blood behind. She bruised easily, and it was hard to cover them up in the morning. But now, she was an expert, tying a stocking around her arm and finding the vein in under a minute flat.

  The second the drugs hit her system, she sighed a great sigh and fell back onto the bed, closing her eyes and letting them do their work. This was a different kind of floating, of falling through bliss and landing in heaven. The trembling stopped, her stomach paused in turning over and her head felt like a million stars had exploded inside. She could see the sounds from downstairs, each mummer a colour. The sensation of her bed sheets felt like silk and she rolled over, enjoying the simplicity of breathing in and out, feeling her breath hit her arm. She was in bliss, and she never wanted to move.

  After a moment, she loosened her makeshift tourniquet, and opened her eyes. Thank God traffic hadn’t been that bad, she wasn’t sure she’d have been able to last another moment. And thank God Adam hadn’t followed her upstairs. No doubt he’d disapprove, or worry, as always.

  Downstairs, Adam’s mind was not on what Behati was or wasn’t doing. He straightened his tie in the mirror, and headed into the kitchen, where Rick was sitting with Maurice, a tumbler of whiskey in both their hands.

  He gave Rick a pat on the back as he passed, reaching to shake Maurice’s hand. He tried to understand how hard Rick was trying to act normal, when, as the doctor’s explained, his mind was like a poisonous fog rolling in every afternoon. The effort he made was appreciated, although his brother was a shadow of his former self.

  “Maurice,” he said, cautiously. “I didn’t expect you.”

  Maurice was a big man, probably weighing more than both the brother’s combined. And unlike the brothers, he did not have an aura of attractiveness about him. His face was pock marked, with huge cheeks hanging off his face, and a nose that had been broken more than once. His eyes were a non descript brown, and squinty, almost pig like. And he had a leer about him, even if he was being friendly that made other’s uncomfortable. His teeth were yellow, and some were missing, and his clothes, while expensive, seemed unkempt. Adam did not like him on sight, but if they were to be in this business, he was the one that they needed to do business with.

  “I just wanted to come to make sure our deal was done,” Maurice said, smiling with his broken smile. “The product will be shipped out tomorrow.”

  “Starting tomorrow, yes,” Adam said, as he poured himself a drink. He wasn’t a big drinker, he enjoyed having a clear head, especially when dealing with clients. But Maurice was the kind of client who you dealt with, shot by shot, no matter how much of a lightweight you were. “16 of the shipping containers will have varying amounts of cocaine in them, due to cross the border in America on Wednesday. If they happen to choose those ones to ship, they will never find the false walls inside. I can guarantee your supply will be safe or I will take the hit myself.”

  “You will indeed, Mr. Katz,” Maurice said. “Because I’m always leery about bringing someone new on board. This is a small payout, a million or so, but you do a good job, and they’ll be many more like this.”

  ‘Our trucks have a reputation and they are backed by the Katz name. And this is not the first time we have dealt in the black market,” Adam replied. “Do not worry about a thing.”

  “I’m glad you said that to my face, Adam, because I hear you are a man of your word. It would kill you to break your word, wouldn’t it?” There was something evil in Maurice’s sneer, and Rick shifted uncomfortably. He had a feeling that it wouldn’t be Adam killing himself if his word was broken. This wasn’t the first time the Katz’s had dipped into the black market, it was true. But it was certainly the biggest. Their business had always bordered on illegal, crossing over to grey areas, and getting out before anyone noticed. For Adam, the acquisition of a transport truck company and smuggling went hand in hand. It was quick, simple and mostly anonymous. No one was hurt, according to him. Rick trusted his older brother’s advice, even if he didn’t trust the client.

  “Glad to be of service,” Adam replied. “Is there anything else?”

  Maurice lumbered up with quite an effort, shaking his head.

  “No, that will be all. I’m headed down to Victory, find myself a little piece of trash. I’m partial to redheads, do you know any?” He looked Adam right in the eye. The oldest Katz held his gaze steadily, without blinking. For the briefest second, he wondered if Maurice knew who and what he harbored upstairs. There was no way he could, he and Behati were rarely seen together.

  He wondered why it bothered him so much, to know another man would consider her. Behati certainly hadn’t been faithful to her vows, she was always up front about that, and he never cared before. And he had been a monk of late simply because no one else interested him. But when this drug lord looked him right in the eye, it made him uncomfortable, thinking of Behati on his arm.

  “Not at my disposable, no, “Adam answered, with a slight smile. “It’s a pleasure to see you as always, Maurice.”

  “And you,” Maurice said, heading towards the door.

  Only once he was in his car and his car was down the street did Rick speak.

  “What the hell was that about?”

  “Who knows?” Adam replied, shaking his head. “One more thing on a pile of disasters.”

  “How did the visit to the consulate go?” Rick asked, as they went back into the kitchen.

  “Awful. Apparently, we shouldn’t have been allowed to be married in the first place. But since we did, somehow, they are making it impossible to undo. It’s ignorance really. Just because it shouldn’t have happened doesn’t mean it didn’t. It’s like there’s no policy to undo a loop hole like this,” Adam poured himself another tumbler of whiskey. “How was your day?”

  Rick shrugged.

  “Fine, until Maurice showed up. Mother called and said that she is planning a ball for her grand return, and we should expect the invitations to arrive to be mailed out. “

  “Grand return,” Adam snorted. “She thinks she’s some sort of Duchess. A ball. Well, that will be fun.”

  “Hardly,” Rick replied. “A bunch of people pretending to be happy when they are really just showing off.”

  “Well hopefully we can have this all wrapped up by then. I sent Behati upstairs, I have no intention of her finding out about Maurice and the business there. If he already knows about her, she’s in danger, and the sooner we get her untangled, the better. Make sure to tell the others.”

  “Aye,” Rick replied, thinking his brother sounded more and more like the caring husband he denied being every day.

  CHAPTER 4

  “Ooo,” Behati was sitting on the counter, wrapped a cardigan and leggings, and texting on her blackberry when she let out a noise of excitement. In the past 2 weeks, the Katz home had become a comfortable place, where she could do away with the makeup and public personality, to be comfortable. The leggings were skintight and the sweater was dangerously low cut, but she still looked warmer than she did when she had walked in the door. Adam looked up from where he was stirring pasta over the stove, the boys taking a break for dinner. “Etalk wants to do a story on me. Can they film it here?”

  Adam glanced around as if she had just asked him what the time was. Keith, sitting in the kitchen working on college courses, looked up with a snap.

  “What, really?” He knocked his textbook off the counter in excitement. Adam smirked.

  “Keith, you were well aware Behati had some celebrity, there’s no reason to behave
that way.”

  “But to have a big new channel here, filming in our home? Of course you can! Can I be in it?”

  Behati grinned.

  “Sure you can.”

  “Behati,” Adam said. “This house is well known for being our residence. Are you sure you want to film an interview here?”

  “It won’t air for a month,” she said, scrolling down the email. “By then, all of this crap will be over.”

  “What crap?” Keith asked and Adam gave her a look, to silence her. While they were farther ahead in the divorce proceedings than before, they still had a long way to go. And if they had their way, no one would know that they were married at all.

  “A month? Perhaps that would be alright,” Adam replied. “Rick is the one who handles all of our media relations. If you need some help, he could assist you.”

  “I think I just have to reply to this email,” she replied. “And my agent will set it up. But cool, thanks.”

  “And then we can say we knew you!” Keith said and she laughed.

  “You can say that anyways,” she replied, leaning her head against the counter and closing her eyes. This moment felt perfect. She was warm, and happy and having fun. There was good food cooking and she was going out that night to a party that promised to end with sunrise. There was only one more thing that would make it more perfect; the floating feeling of bliss that came with a chemical high. Then she could really enjoy herself. Everything would be unparallel and wonderful if she could feel like she was walking on air.

  She hopped off the counter and was about to head to the stairs when Adam called to her.

  “Everything is almost ready.”

  “I’ll be right back,” she said, in a sing song voice, heading up the winding stair case. It was taking more and more to achieve the high she wanted, and she was almost out. But tonight, at the party, she was promised a new supply, with a better cut too.

  The second she injected herself, pushing the syringe half way, she knew something was wrong. She felt like her heart was going to pound out of her chest, and her stomach flipped over. She took a deep breath, and then another, but nothing was working.

  In a clatter, crashing into a wall, she barely made it to the bathroom before she threw up, hurling up every chip that she had eaten in the afternoon and even the scrambled eggs at breakfast.

  The world was going hazy, and she clutched the counter, slamming her knee into the counter and knowing it would leave a bruise. In her haste to grab a hold of something, she took the tension rod shower curtain down with her, in a giant crash. There were spots, large black spots, and she felt like her vision was tripled.

  Her head was millimeters away from smashing into the toilet bowl when strong arms caught her, in a jolt.

  “Woah, woah. I got you, love.”

  It was Liam, the middle brother, who caught her, his wiry arms proving stronger than they looked. He lowered her to the ground carefully, keen eyes going over her to make sure there was no immediate danger.

  “Liam, I…I…” she was panting and couldn’t get the words properly out. He put a cool hand to her forehead, brushing away sweaty hair.

  “Sssh, it’s ok,” he said, his voice remaining calm. “Adam!” he called, although it wasn’t in a panic. “Adam, can you come up here please?”

  Behati appreciated the level of calm in his voice, because if he started to panic, she was pretty sure that she would as well. She didn’t know what was happening to her, and she was terrified she was going to expire, then and there, in an ugly sweater and black eyeliner. But underneath the fear, her mouth still salivated for the high she would have gotten, had something not gone wrong. Her nails twitch, scratching at her skin to try and distract herself, even as Adam came thundering into the bathroom.

  Her head was clearing, and she figured that she had just done too much too fast. Her system had rejected it, and already, she felt like she could sit up.

  The first thing that came into focus was Adam’s concern, his eyes wide and his face frantic. She tried to smile, to reassure him.

  “I’m ok, it’s ok. I just got a little dizzy.”

  “Should I call 9-1-1?” Liam had the cordless phone in his hand, hovering over them.

  “It’s ok, really,” Behati managed, her mouth dry. “I just think that I didn’t eat enough today. I’m fine, please.” She forced a smile on her face, as Adam helped her sit up.

  “You’re bleeding,” he said, looking at her arm, and she immediately covered it up with her hand.

  “Must have knocked it somewhere. No big deal. I’m alright, really. Is dinner ready?”

  She was a performer, used to rolling with whatever happened. But what kept her going, although she did not have the energy to keep talking, was the thought that she might be kept inside tonight, kept from getting a new stash. And if Adam wanted a guaranteed reason to divorce her, she would give him one right there and then.

  “Why don’t I help you to your room and you can rest before dinner?” he asked, taking her under the arm and helping her up.

  “Uh, maybe, what time is it?”

  “It’s only 5:30, darling, relax,” he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead, and she closed her eyes. She was tired, and it was nice to have someone to take care of her. There had been too many nights of lonely hotel rooms, or even men who left when they were done with her. It was hard to get warm without someone else’s body heat, even when there was enough blankets to kill a horse. She relaxed into his arms, letting him take her to the bedroom. At the last minute, in the hall, however, she made a dive for the split.

  “Take me to your room, it’s more comfy,” the last thing that she wanted was to have him walk in on broken needles and pieces of glass. She didn’t know what state she left the room in, but it was guaranteed that there was some evidence lying around.

  Luckily, he didn’t question her preference, and steered her into his master bedroom, the king size bed light and fluffy and inviting.

  “I’m alright, I’m not going to break,” she said, reassured, as he sat her on the bed. At her insistence, he sat beside her, and she rested her head on his chest. His voice had a deep rumbling tone in it as he spoke.

  “I am worried about you, Behati. You have become awful thin lately. Are you sure you’re alright?”

  “Just need to stuff my face more,” she yawned. “Besides, what do you care?”

  He smiled.

  “I care because I…”

  And then he stopped himself, before the words came out. She pulled up to look at him so fast that her head spun. She fought the momentary dizziness however, in the seriousness of the moment.

  “Because you what?”

  He opened his mouth and then closed it, after a moment.

  “I’ve know you 10 years, Behati, and whether you like it or not, we did take vows. It’s built into a man to care about his wife.”

  “No,” she snapped at him, her eyes widening. “Those vows weren’t real, Adam. Have you got so caught up in the charade that you’ve believed your own lies?”

  “I have not forgotten the reason for our marriage, Behati. But after 10 years, you don’t just let someone die on your bathroom floor.”

  She coloured.

  “I wasn’t going to die, Adam. Don’t be silly.”

  “Of course,” he pulled himself off the bed. “And if you are so cold and callous, why haven’t you found a hotel room and shown up in black sunglasses every day with a frosty air?”

  “What?” her mouth dropped. “It isn’t like that, you know that. I just don’t want you thinking this is something it’s not.”

  “I was burned by love once, my dear, and I will not make the mistake again,” he replied, bitterly. “Anyone who feels that way over another person is a fool, setting themselves up for disaster.”

  “Well…good,” she had no come back to that, and so she let it be, leaning against the pillows. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

  “Quite,” he replied, head
ing for the door. “You seem better now. Come down when you are ready.”

  “I will,” she called, and fiddled with her nails until he left. And then she let out a giant sigh. That was the closest they had come to saying anything real to each other, and it scared her.

  Of course, they were emotional, she told herself, something scary just happened. It was expected, and she shouldn’t look into it further. Adam was a rich man, a king among men, and he had gotten a bit emotional and had a bit too much to drink one night and married her as a casual favour, that was all. And she had accepted his offer because she loved dance more than anything in the world. What a different person she had been then, when it was the dance that fueled her and not the drugs. What a different heart she had then, when it was music and not chemicals that drove her emotions.

  But that girl was weak, and vulnerable, two things she promised herself that she would never be again.

  She didn’t say a word to him when she left the house that night, although it was clear he wanted her to. But Behati’s mind was on one thing and one thing alone, and she was gone before he could even bid her goodbye.

  “You’re mopey,” Liam said, as they chose that night to stay in. “Especially for a man who just made a million dollars at the snap of his finger. Could it be the impending arrival of mother, or the fact that your redhead dancer has gone out without you?”

  “Neither,” Adam said, carelessly. “Although this house is a mess, we will have to have it cleaned at some point. You know, despite being grown adults, whenever mother comes around, I still feel like a child. Especially when she scolds me.”

  “No doubt she will scold us, for whatever reason,” Liam replied. “Everything is perfectly in place for the welcome home ball she wants to have, we’ve executed her every move, and yet somehow, we will be in trouble.”

  “I don’t doubt it. Ah, if only I was Keith, the one who can do no wrong,” Adam said, glancing to where his younger brother was playing a video game rather than working on homework. Keith had been the favourite of their parents, there was no doubt about it. The miracle child, the surprise, and the last one before their father passed, he had always been the baby of the family. He was particularly close to his father, and while his brothers had done a good job of keeping him distracted, it was clear that Keith missed his father more than any of them. One day, being the youngest, he would likely be the last of the generation to take over this empire they had built. Adam wondered what a legacy they would leave him. Millions, yes, but at the moment, most of it dirty money.