Her plan proved to be more difficult than expected. Although Papi was piss ass drunk, she needed him to be inebriated enough to hinder his motor functions. She heard him snoring, in a deep, and sound sleep, when she snuck into his room. She got as close as she could while he was passed out. Her anger gave her more strength, and when he fought against the pillow she held on his face, she kept him down with all her might. As he struggled and thrashed about in his stupor, she sat on his chest to gain her more leverage to keep him from taking a breath. It was exhilarating!
Finally, his strength failed. He’d become a frail, old drunk. The alcohol compromised him sufficiently for her plan to work, and he stopped struggling and went limp.
Once he stopped moving, she jumped off the bed and put the pillow back. She quietly returned to her room. The effects of adrenaline coursed through her. She sported a mixture of fear and excitement. Confident no one would suspect her, she pulled the sheet over her. Its coolness caused goose bumps to rise on her skin. She felt light, almost high, as she realized, for the first time, she was happy! Free! She’d emancipated her entire family with this one act, and in her mind the murder was justified. She had freed her mother, her siblings… and Manny. All of them would be able to choose their own futures. It was the first selfless thing she ever did.
She was too exhilarated for sleep, but remained in her bed. Her mind raced with future possibilities. Finally, she heard someone walking the hall to her father’s room. Her heart raced knowing what they’d find. She wasn’t sure who it was because several of her father’s men would check on him. She strained to hear as the man knocked on her mother’s bedroom door, and she recognized the voice as Manny’s. He spoke to her mother and then all was quiet, except the sound of muffled weeping. She was familiar with the sound. The same whimpers that came from a beating, now came from grief. How could her mother love a man who hurt her?
Mami came in the morning to tell them their father died in his sleep. Mari was the only child who shed no tears. She simply couldn’t justify them. At the cemetery, Manny told her she was brave. What he didn’t know was that her innocence died the same day as her father. She was a killer, and she felt not one bit of remorse. The change inside was instantaneous. She was proud of herself. She’d met an obstacle and removed it. The blood in her veins changed to acid.
She’d become just like her father.
She dragged her feet around the small cell, and her mind raced just as it did when she’d planned the first murder. With each step she took she devised another layer for her plan. She believed in karma, and somehow there was a reason for Manny coming back into her life.
…and then, she had a brainstorm!
Manny’s purpose was to be used for her purpose!
As crazy as it sounded, why else would it be Manny? There were too many people she could have hired, but of all the people who approached her to help, Manny was the one who showed up. She would need to keep her hands clean in order to get out of here, and he was her avenue. He was credible as well as calculating and would be the best liaison. He wasted his time on nothing. Every action was with a purpose in mind, no exceptions. Every conversation, meeting, and person was measured, studied, and considered. His actions were intentional. “Make every moment count” was his motto. As she reflected on their visit she knew he’d been sent by the universe to be the catalyst for her release.
Purpose and results! She could manipulate him and make him think she was grateful and repentant. It was delicious!
Suddenly a clicking came from the door. The locks were checked for the night, and she was too excited to sleep. It was the perfect opportunity to strategize.
In the dark she laid out a blueprint of revenge in her mind. Using Manny she would retaliate for the injustice done to her. No one would escape her retaliation. There would be payback for each person who played a part in her downfall. The sons of bitches would suffer like she was!
It was all their fault. They humiliated her in the press, then had the audacity to place another woman on her agency campaigns. Her career had been stolen from her, as well as her sister. She had no one to take care of her the way Marchelle did. She’d hoped to divorce Manny quietly and move Declan in with her. That plan, too, was stolen. Their crimes were many but the worst one was that they dared to get in her way.
Their interference was unforgiveable!
She was suddenly exhilarated. Her attitude improved instantaneously with new purpose.
“Yes!”
Her affirmation was shouted out to an empty room. One by one the details for retaliation were becoming clear. It would so validate her role as victim, and to carry it through she had the perfect weapon.
She would use Manny.
“That’s a wrap!”
Aimee was thrilled.
She was confident the client would be pleased with the final product. Jonatan’s infectious enthusiasm indicated all had gone well on this photo shoot. Now that it was over, they would return to the mainland and prepare for a small wrap party. It was being hosted at a villa owned by the CEO of the company. He’d contracted Bella Matrix for the marketing of their product. Having been pleased by the crew finishing right on schedule, he wanted to show his appreciation. She and her coworkers had a few hours to shower and dress for the get-together.
Lowering themselves into the boat, they headed toward shore from the island. The shoot was beautiful, and she was in a good mood. Fleeting thoughts of her recent good fortune ran effervescently through her mind. Marisol’s incarceration lightened the mood of Bella Matrix as a whole. The agency tried to distance themselves from any negative publicity which was reminiscent of her. No one wanted to be accused of a connection with her now she’d been deemed mentally incompetent. Every campaign which was associated with her dark, seductive persona, was now replaced with Aimee’s sweet and wholesome one.
Aimee’s All American Girl persona was featured in publication ads where Marisol once held a monopoly. Her days and nights were filled with business as well as pleasure, and she found both her career and popularity exploding.
It had been almost a year since Marisol was taken into custody. Carter remained at the beach to assist Aria and Declan while they recovered. He’d moved in with Blake, which allowed his brother and sister-in-law their privacy. Aimee had stayed at the beach with Paige for awhile. Declan watched over Aria with a protectiveness she’d never seen in him. Aria’s mom, Jeannie, was always stopping in and brought food with her. She brought Aria fresh flowers as she recovered. Katherine became more of a personal assistant to Declan, replacing her previous role as receptionist. Although he was still very much active at The Studio, he felt confident to leave the day to day repetitive tasks in Katherine’s capable hands. He wanted to be with Aria while she healed both physically and emotionally, and as Declan’s assistant, she offered him that luxury. One of Aria’s employees, Juan Moreno, offered her his expertise as foreman of their projects, while his sister, Liliana did the paperwork. While she healed Aria met with them regularly to insure their current projects went smoothly, and they marketed properly to secure new ones. They really stepped up for her and her company flourished. After Marisol’s assault, Paige recovered as well. Aimee stayed with her for a few weeks to help her as she healed. Paige was amazing! She refused to think like a victim, which prevented Marisol any satisfaction. At least, that was how Paige thought of it.
Of course Marisol had been remanded to the Perkins facility since right after her arrest. Although not yet convicted, it didn’t appear she would be released anytime soon. Charged with second degree murder, and aggravated assault, she refused to make any statement to the press. She hoped to avoid a trial and public scrutiny. Her attorney argued she was in need of psychiatric help, and thus not responsible for her actions. It was how she wound up at the Perkins facility, and was supposedly receiving treatment.
For what? Being a bitch? They should lock her in and throw away the key!
Aimee absentmindedly toyed with a blonde cur
l. In her opinion Marisol was getting off easy. The saying “the punishment didn’t fit the crime” came to mind. It was certainly accurate in this case, and she was certain everyone involved would share her opinion.
When Blake told her his clients were scrambling to disassociate themselves with Marisol, she offered to help out with a few of them. Aimee couldn’t have predicted this scenario, however. Marisol’s misfortune proved to be a lucrative opportunity for Aimee. She was a smart girl. She was a product of the foster care system and she could almost hear her social worker saying “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” The past year had taken her to exotic and adventurous locations. She found herself not just one of the models, she was THE model.
It’s a pretty good life for a kid from the system.
She loved every moment of this adventure. The clients of the agency found her to be a delight and a hard worker. After Marisol’s demanding and pretentious personality, Aimee was a welcome change. She refused to complain if the weather was too cold for a skimpy bathing suit or too hot for thickened leather. She was a refreshing difference for all involved. The agency, photographers, and clients had put up with the difficulties of working with Marisol. Promoting Aimee to the top model position proved to be a good choice.
There was only one drawback for Aimee—she was tired. Exhausted would be a better description.
She’d taken on a full schedule to prove the agency could count on her. She was grateful, dedicated, and making more money than she’d ever dreamed, but she needed a break. When she approached Blake with a request for some time off, he saw in her face she was overcompensating. There were tiny lines around her deep, blue eyes. Not good for a model.
Blake expressed concern. He knew he’d rewarded her diligence with an over-full work load. His guilt was definitely a factor when he approved her request. It helped to ease his conscience. In fact, he was so pleased none of their campaigns had run behind, he told her to take off until the new season started; “downtime” he called it. She was aware her efforts had Bella Matrix well ahead of schedule, and he commended her for it. He was the one who convinced Aimee her leave time was more than justified.
Finally! The time had come. This was her last job before getting away. She looked forward to going back to the beach to visit her friends. In fact, Blake invited himself to drive to Ocean City with her when this job was finished, and she took him up on his offer. The two of them planned to meet Paige for dinner. Aimee had several conversations with her over the last few months. She wanted a place of her own to vacation—somewhere remote where she could kick back and relax. She’d been a few places in Maryland with her friends. Paige and Blake, at her request, visited a few properties she was interested in. Finally, she fell in love with a most unusual house surrounded by beautiful trees and gardens. It would be a little bit of work, but she loved it. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became.
Also exciting was getting to see Declan and Aria. She couldn’t wait! Talking on the phone to them only made her want to see them more. Declan had “talked her down off the ledge” a few times since she was thrust into the main spotlight. He kept her grounded—just like a big brother! He’d even arranged for Katherine to visit her for a weekend in New York, and surprised them both with theater tickets and a day at the spa. She loved Katherine. They had much in common outside of their jobs. Working in the business, she and Declan had a way of keeping her in the present in the moment. Almost everyone in Aimee’s life growing up, and the superficial relationships in business, were responsible for giving her a hard shell. Most people thought she was a tough girl. She was like that at first with this group of people, but she was really sensitive. Having true friends not only allowed her to be herself, it reminded her not to get caught up in the fanfare. Katherine dealt with a lot of personalities at The Studio. She could spot a fake in a minute. She was the first person who she really considered a “girlfriend”. Although all the girls were close, she and Katherine were the closest in age. Aimee felt lucky to have all of them. For a girl who had no relatives, she had a great family. Heaven!
The closer the boat got to shore, the more excited she became. The thought of going to the beach made her feel like she was going home. She’d learned long ago home wasn’t a place, home was your family. Not only would she catch up with her girlfriends, but she’d see what she could learn about Carter. When Declan told her he was going to Deep Creek she got a sinking feeling in her stomach… and her heart. She knew he detected disappointment in her voice. She liked Carter—more than he liked her, apparently. She wasn’t ready to explore it, at least not until she saw him and saw how receptive he was to her. In true brother style, Declan tried to pry when they last spoke.
“Is Aria prepared for lots of hugs when I get there? I won’t hurt her if I squeeze her too tight, will I?”
Declan chuckled low as Aimee inflicted her enthusiasm.
“No, don’t worry,” he said. “Aria is still tickled with how popular you’ve become. She can’t believe she sees you on the cover of every magazine, and can’t believe she knows someone so famous. I suppose that makes me chopped liver!”
“OMG! She really said that?”
“Yes, and she always says you’re beautiful. I have to agree with her, kiddo. You are beautiful—both inside and out.”
Aimee’s eyes misted hearing the tenderness in his voice.
“I can’t wait to get to the beach,” she confessed. “The models are nice to me, and the guys are hot—but it isn’t the same as your own circle of friends, you know?”
He was sensitive to the loneliness he heard in her voice.
“Don’t worry,” he replied. “You’ll be here soon enough, and I’m sure you girls will be awake all night catching up.”
Aimee giggled remembering so many sleepless nights spent with Aria, Paige, and Katherine, especially before she went off to New York.
“Me?” she teased. “What about you? You’ll probably have Carter and Blake out till all hours for a boy’s night!”
“Nope. Not like that. I don’t stray too far from Aria these days. It seems she’s tamed me. Besides, my brother isn’t here anymore to get us into trouble.”
Suddenly, she felt emotional. The news about Carter was unexpected.
“What? Where did he go? He’s okay, isn’t he?”
Her behavior confirmed Aria’s suspicions; Aimee felt more for his brother than friendship. He weighed his words carefully.
“He’s fine, sweetheart. We knew he wouldn’t be here forever. He went back home. Aim, you know he had a life there. He stayed longer than he needed to, for Aria and me, but eventually he had to go back.”
The feeling in her stomach made her sad, and she didn’t like it.
“I guess it was for the best,” she said, resigned, “but he DID have a life at the ocean, Dec—with all of us.”
The line was silent. He wasn’t sure they hadn’t been disconnected.
“Aim—you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“You okay? Something you want to talk about?”
“No.”
Her voice was strained and slightly above a whisper.
“I’m just tired. I’m going to go.”
She cleared her throat, trying to disguise her emotions.
Declan spoke softly.
“You know you can talk to me about anything, Aim, right? Anything at all…”
She thought she knew why she felt this way, but she wasn’t ready to talk to Carter’s brother about it.
“I’m really fine. I’m just overtired. I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
He paused.
“I love you, kiddo, ya know?”
His words, and her feelings, made her more emotional. She silently swallowed a cry.
“I love you, too… I’ll see you soon.”
That was their last conversation. It was two months ago. She hadn’t heard his voice in eight weeks. She missed it—even h
is playful bickering and teasing. She’d become accustomed to either Aria or Declan putting Carter on the phone when she called. In fact, she’d come to rely on it. Most people would never understand, but when you went from family to family as a kid, once you had your real “family” you counted on things that became routine. That was how she felt when she called Declan. She was calling “home”. Things had changed at home when she last called, and she hadn’t been able to bring herself to call since then. She was going to miss Carter, and she did feel something for him, she just hadn’t admitted it to anyone. When her life became busy and complicated she called home. Declan and Aria grounded her, but when she heard Carter’s voice, something just felt… right. It was something she’d never felt before. She’d mentally catalogued all the time they spent talking. She loved getting to know him better. The strange thing was the feeling of homesickness. How could you feel homesick for a person?
The boat lurched as it skipped in the water, jogging her from her thoughts. It wouldn’t be long now. Exhaustion began to set in stronger than before. She needed the connection of family. It had been too long. She was trying to prepare herself because whenever she watched Declan and Aria together, it made her want to have someone special in her life.
Carter was special.
The one thing that had changed for her after hearing he’d left the beach was where she would buy a house. At first she thought she definitely wanted a place at the beach, but she changed her mind. Paige looked in several quiet places. She fell in love with the picture of the house before knowing where it was. It needed work, and she couldn’t wait! She’d learned so much “do it yourself” work when she lived in one of the foster homes. She remembered the first piece of furniture she worked on and the satisfaction she felt when it was done. She felt the same way when Paige sent her the picture of this house. Because she fell in love with it she didn’t trust her judgment to look at it. Afraid she would take it in any condition she sent Blake and Paige to inspect it. They assured her it was solid, so she decided to put in a bid for it. If things worked out the way she hoped, she would be headed somewhere peaceful and green, with a lake. It was a place she’d only visited for a few days, and those were under sad circumstances, but hearing other people talk about it—especially Carter—made it a perfect place to unwind. Paige told her there were lots of thrift stores and architectural salvage stores. It was right up her alley!
Here/Now Page 5
