That calm exterior he’d exhibited over the years had faded away and what was left was something raw she didn’t recognize.
“I don’t know. What do you want to comment on first?” She didn’t know how else to answer.
He pressed down hard on his lips, sighed with frustration, and straightened up. “This is a disaster, Regina. All of it, and I’m to blame.”
“How are you to blame?” She failed to see how any of this was his fault.
“I should have fought for you. I should have done something when you came to me and told me you had to marry Ben. I should have taken a stand and did something. Instead of acting like a coward.”
She understood what he meant but couldn’t agree. Her parents were very persuasive at the time and would have seen to it that things were done their way. If either of them had ever defied them it would have gotten ugly and people would have suffered. As much as Brian loved her, he had his mother to worry about, and Regina’s parents had even threatened to fire her. Who knows what would have happened if they’d been more persistent.
It was a horrible time for both of them.
“You didn’t act like a coward.” She shook her head and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“Yes, I did. And since then I suffered for it in the worst way possible. I watched another man raise my child.”
Her eyes filled with tears, again. It was all such a mess. One big grand mess. “It’s my fault too, Brian. I should have told you about Taylor and I should have taken whatever steps I thought were necessary to leave Ben.”
“You were scared.”
She nodded. “I was scared he’d hurt you.” Because she knew what Ben was capable of.
She’d had over thirty years of experience with Ben and saw him do a lifetime of evil to people who would never be able to defend themselves. That whole incident with the oil rig still got to her. It still got to her that she wasn’t able to do anything and all she tried to do after never made up for the loss of lives that day.
Of course Ben felt nothing.
“I was scared he’d kill you.” It terrified her then, and it terrified her now.
After she first caught Ben cheating she decided that there was no way she was ever going to remain faithful to a man she didn’t love. No way, and definitely not when he saw her as nothing to him. Her getting pregnant with Wade was her trying to give the marriage a chance. It was her trying to give everything a chance. But that didn’t work out.
Ben didn’t care that she was pregnant with his child as he bedded their maids night after night, time and time again. And whoever else he slept with.
It was easy for her to take comfort in Brian. She didn’t even question it and she never felt bad. It felt like some form of redemption for her. It wasn’t the life she wanted but it was something. Until the day that she found out she was pregnant with Taylor. When the terror of what that meant filled her and she feared what Ben would do if he found out, she told Brian to keep his distance. They had such a big argument that day. When he left she didn’t think she’d ever see him again; she didn’t see him till the year after that, and by then Taylor was born.
“How’d you know she was yours?”
A hint of a smile lifted the corners of his mouth and he brought his hand up to his stubbly chin.
“I always knew. When I first saw her, I knew then and it made sense that you sent me away. I thought of every way possible to take you away from him but I couldn’t. As usual I was the poor guy trying to fight my way into a world that I didn’t belong in. So I watched and I waited, and came to see you when I could.”
“Ben was being serious, Brian.” Her voice sounded frail, and as she thought about it she didn’t know who she should be more terrified of. This psycho person, or Ben.
It was both. She knew that both were capable of terrible things, but because she knew Ben she could only imagine what he’d do. People who defied Ben disappeared. She’d hear that they moved or changed jobs or something like that, but she always had a sneaking suspicion that it was something more sinister. She couldn’t allow that to happen to Brian.
“I don’t give a shit. Regina, he can threaten me all he wants, he’s only doing it because he thinks he can, and because I did nothing over the years. He toyed with us, knowing the truth, and I allowed that to happen. Things are different now. My girl is in the hospital because of him, and that signaled war for me. So let him come. Let him come, Regina.”
She admired his strength and determination. She admired the drive she saw in him and the hope it gave her, but she was still afraid.
He put out his hands to her and she got up and went over to sit next to him. She sunk into his arms when he slipped them around her and rested against his chest.
“Don’t be scared of him, bellezza,” he whispered into her ear. “Let’s focus on finding this person who put our child in the hospital.”
“Okay.” She nodded, loving the warmth that came from him and the strength of his heartbeat.
“You have to tell Wade what happened, and anyone else you think will be in danger.”
Aside from Wade, Chloe and Kelly were the only ones left to tell. They would be devastated to hear how Taylor ended up in the hospital and then they’d be scared of what could happen to them.
Her poor Chloe. She meant so much to her. Regina couldn’t have been more proud to see Wade with someone so amazing.
She wished the circumstances were better. She wished things were better, instead she had the weight of this burden on her shoulders to carry. She moved out of his embrace so she could look at him.
“Thanks for sticking with me.”
“You knew I would.” He offered a loving smile.
“I’ll speak to Wade later.”
He nodded and stood up. “I forgot a package came for you while you were away.”
“A package? For me?” That was strange. She hadn’t told anyone she’d be staying here with Brian.
“Yeah.” He walked back into the room to retrieve it.
It was a brown padded envelope, medium sized. Before Brian handed it to her she straightened up as the thought of who it was from occurred to her.
Only one person could have known that she was here, and it was the person who was watching her.
“Brian.” She touched her cheek as something occurred to her and gazed up at him. “No one knew I was here. Wade maybe, but I never said which hotel we were staying at.”
Brian looked down at the package with wide eyes. “The concierge brought it up. He said it was left at the desk.”
She couldn’t open it. Her heart couldn’t take it. What would it be this time? “I can’t. It’s too much.” Her nerves were fried and she didn’t have any more resilience left.
Brian tore open the top and pulled out a paper. When she saw his face harden and his eyes blaze, she knew she had to be right.
She got up and rushed up to him so she could get a better look. Immediately she wished she hadn’t. It was indeed a drawing. It was of her and Detective Fray in the room in the station. That was bad on its own, but what freaked her out was the smear of fresh blood across the page and the words It doesn’t matter who you tell or what you do. You can’t stop me. No one can…
Jesus, what should she do? What could she do?
That message was loud and clear. It was like they were laughing in her face. Showing her that even when she went to the police station she couldn’t get away.
Brian opened the envelope again and shrieked, dropping it. She couldn’t imagine what could have been inside to make him react that way until a severed finger rolled out of the envelope as it hit the wooden floor.
Regina screamed.
Chapter 7
Wade
Everything had spiraled out of control and off to a level he could never anticipate.
He’d been talking to his mother now for over an hour. She told him what had happened, all that had happened, and he couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that thi
s person had actually tried to kill Taylor. That by itself had devastated him to no end and shocked him to the core. It opened his eyes to the seriousness of the situation and made him realize that this person who was after them was playing a deadly game. A game they reminded them of by sending the finger in the package.
The shock left him uncertain of how to proceed and fear stretched in the shadows of his mind, rendering him powerless.
When his mother called him and asked him to come to the hotel he knew straight away that something else was wrong. He left Chloe with Kelly at the hospital and came here straight away.
The police were just about leaving when he arrived. He found his mother looking truly devastated. Brian did too.
Brian had allowed them the privacy to talk.
“What are we going to do?” Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Wade shook his head. “Hope the police can stop this person.” He felt so useless. There was only one other time he felt this powerless and that was when his son died.
“We have to tell Chloe and Kelly.”
He nodded. He knew that, and feared the conversation.
“I’ll tell Chloe tonight and sort out more security for Kelly at the beach house.” He’d told her that Chloe was practically moved in with him. They were supposed to get her things tonight but perhaps they should hold off on that until next week.
After he saw Merissa earlier he thought of biting the bullet and telling Chloe about her and his past. But, now that this had happened… Well, if he told her about Merissa now there was a good chance she’d leave him and then he wouldn’t be able to keep her safe.
He’d go crazy not seeing her, and he’d go crazy wondering if she was safe.
So he couldn’t tell her. Not yet.
“This is such a mess, Mom.” He bit down on the inside of his lips.
“I know. It’s horrible and I don’t know what to do. It’s the first time I’ve not known what to do.” She shook her head. “They sent me a finger.”
Wade closed his eyes and pulled in a deep breath. It felt like they were living in a horror film. He could just imagine how terrified she must have been.
“Have you spoken to Dad?” Wade hadn’t seen him since Monday.
“I saw him today. I told him I want a divorce.”
Good. That was the best news he’d heard all week and he was proud of her for having the courage to tell his father and take a stand against him. “It’s way past time, Mom. Way past time. I’m so sorry for all that he put you through.”
“I’m sorry too. I’m sorry that you couldn’t have had a better role model.”
As if on cue Brian came back into the room and sat next to his mother.
“You okay?” Wade asked him.
“Yeah. Are you?” He liked that Brian always looked genuinely interested to know how he was.
Wade never knew what the story was with his mother and Brian. He suspected they were together. They looked like they were even if they didn’t make it known, and his mother sometimes got this uneasy look when Brian was nearby. As if she didn’t want to disrespect his father in front of him.
“I will be when this is over. I’d better get going. Chloe will be worried.”
It was late, practically approaching evening although it wasn’t quite dark yet outside.
“We’ll be at the hospital all day tomorrow,” his mother said. Wade knew she felt bad because she didn’t get the chance to go today.
“Don’t worry about today, and get there as normal tomorrow. Taylor would say the same thing.” He gave her a small smile and moved closer to kiss her forehead. “Take care of my mom, Brian.”
“Always,” Brian promised.
It didn’t take long to get back home. Chloe was waiting for him in her usual spot, on the large sofa with Pisces on her lap. She did indeed look worried.
She rushed over to him and gave him a hug. “Are you okay? I was worried.”
He brushed the delicate skin of her cheek and gazed into her beautiful eyes. “I’m okay, but I have some things to tell you.”
“Things?” She narrowed her eyes.
He nodded and ushered her back to sit. He sat in the chair opposite and leaned forward onto his elbows. “Chloe, there’s been a lot of things happening that you didn’t know about.”
“What kind of things?”
There was so much. He did think, though, that perhaps it was best to start with the most important. “I just found out that Taylor’s accident was… Well, it wasn’t an accident.”
Her eyes narrowed in confusion. “Wade, what does that mean?”
“Chloe, someone was trying to kill her.”
She gasped and brought her hand up to her chest, shock filling her face. “No. What? That makes no sense.”
Wade pulled in a deep breath and filled in the rest of the details while she listened, looking truly bewildered. He told her all that he knew and had found out. It really got to him when he showed her the drawings of herself. She looked so freaked out that her skin went pale and he felt worse for not telling her.
“Please, don’t get mad at me. I was actually hoping it was going to turn out to be nothing, but I still took precautions just in case.”
“This was why you were acting so weird. And Saturday when you packed my things, this was why.” A tear ran down her cheek when he nodded.
Tomorrow was Saturday again. He felt like he’d lived a lifetime in just this one week. So much had happened. They’d broken up, gotten back together, she’d moved in, Taylor had had her accident, Merissa blew in on a storm, and now the grand design was beginning to unfold.
“I’m sorry.”
She stood up and walked over to the window looking quite shaken. He was worried about the whole conversation he’d have about his past, but from the way she looked there was a chance she could leave him now.
Maybe she would be safer. He didn’t know and he didn’t want to find out. He was sure that this person must know how he felt about her and that was their leverage.
So, that meant Chloe would be a target either way. With or without him. It wouldn’t be about her. It would be about him, hurting him.
He got up and joined her by the window, hoping she wouldn’t be angry with him.
“There was a lot going on and I thought I could handle it myself. Please don’t be mad at me.”
He reached out to touch her waist. Relief washed over him in waves when she sunk back against his chest and turned into his embrace. He held her close feeling somehow better as the burden of keeping the secret left him.
“I’m not mad, I’m scared.”
“Don’t be scared. As long as I’m alive no one will ever hurt you.”
She hit him hard in his chest and moved back. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
“You think I want something to happen to you? Wade you should have told me what was going on so I could protect you too.”
“I’m supposed to take care of you.”
“And, I’m supposed to take care of you. It’s a two-way thing, Wade. That’s how it is when people love each other. Instead, you took on everything yourself.”
“Baby, someone is targeting my family because we’re Vandervilles. Because you’re with me, that makes you a target, and that makes this my responsibility to take care of you.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t. It’s the same thing. Wade, you can’t tell me that it was better for me not to know when you barely slept all week because you were so worried something was going to happen to me.”
He reached out and held her face. She leaned into his palm and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Then she opened them and lifted her head.
“What’s going to happen, Wade? I can’t believe any of this, and Taylor…”
He knew it was all sinking in now, but when she’d had time to think about it everything would feel worse.
“I’m hoping that we can leave it to the police.”
As he said that, Wade wasn’t s
ure if he could believe it. From what his mother had said he could see that the police were keen to sort everything out, and at least they knew what was happening. But he didn’t think they’d be able to help.
It was that last drawing and the message within that struck him deep.
It doesn’t matter who you tell. You can’t stop me. No one can.
Shit, if that didn’t say it all he didn’t know what else did. What he worried about was that this person was getting bolder. Things were happening fast and it felt like they were being propelled towards something. That was the part that worried him.
He didn’t know what was coming.
“The police should be able to catch this person, right?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, hoping like hell that they would.
“What else is there, Wade?” Her eyes searched his. “There’s more, isn’t there? There’s more that you aren’t telling me. Like where’s your dad? We’ve been at the hospital all week and not seen him once. I know he’s been because I saw that he signed the visitor book, but why is he going at times when no one else is around?”
He knew it was only a matter of time before she noticed that something was wrong in that respect too.
“It’s complicated, Chloe. My dad and I aren’t really on speaking terms.” And they never would be, ever again.
To be honest, Wade didn’t want to see his father ever again either. He really was done with him. All of this was his fault and the man had so many enemies it would take a year to compile the list of potential psychos.
“When did that happen?” She looked surprised.
“Baby, that is a whole other conversation.”
“I don’t want us to be the kind of couple who keeps things from each other.” She looked hurt.
No, he didn’t either, but yet he kept so much from her. In true Vanderville style. Or rather like his father would.
“We’re not, and I want to tell you things, but sometimes it’s hard, Chloe.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
Secrets and Lies Page 9
