The Season of Sin (Peace In The Storm Publishing Presents)

by Stacy-Deanne

  “The only thing that threatens me about you is that you’re insane. I’m warning you, Nick.” Jasmine threw her head back. “Don’t mess with my family or you will regret it.”

  “I’m telling the truth.”

  She left.

  “Dylan?” Nick put his arms around her.

  “Don’t touch me.” She moved. “I don’t know what you’re up to but I won’t fall for your games again.”

  “I’m telling the truth.”

  Dylan turned to Bruce. “Can I stay with you tonight?”

  “You can stay with me for the rest of your life.”

  “Fine, let’s get outta here.”

  “Dylan.” Nick ran in behind her. “We can take a DNA test. DNA tests don’t lie right? That will be the only proof we need.”

  “No.”

  “Why not take the test if you don’t believe me?”

  “I said no. What I want is for you to take your pictures and all your shit and leave. I don’t ever wanna see you again.”

  “Dylan.”

  She slammed the door in Nick’s face. He fell over the table in tears.

  “Nick?” Jayce patted his arm. “Calm down okay?”

  “I feel like I did when she was first stolen from us! I thought when I told her the truth it would be the happiest day of my life but it’s not. She hates me!” He hit the table. “I finally found my little girl and she hates me!”

  “It’s gonna be okay. She’s just confused. You gotta admit this is strange to say the least.”

  “This was a big mistake.” Nick stuffed the photos in the briefcase. “I shouldn’t have told her the truth. Everything was fine the way it was. At least she wasn’t mad at me.”

  “You didn’t tell the complete truth, Nick.”

  He squinted through tears. “What?”

  “You didn’t tell Dylan that Zoë’s your adopted daughter.”

  “What? You know?”

  “Morris and Kemp told me. How they found out’s not important. It’s the truth isn’t it? Zoë is the daughter you and Elle adopted after Victoria was kidnapped isn’t she?”

  “Good lord.”

  “Why didn’t you tell Dylan?”

  “It’s hard to explain but I promised Zoë I wouldn’t say anything. She didn’t even want me to be around Dylan.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s a long story. Will you just keep this between us? Don’t tell them Zoë is my daughter.”

  “And you really think you can keep that a secret for long?”

  “I already hurt one daughter by telling the truth. I won’t betray the other.”

  “Why did you and Elle decide to adopt? Why didn’t you just have another baby?”

  Nick closed the briefcase. “Elle went through a horrible pregnancy with Victoria. After that the doctor said it would risk her health to have another baby.” He headed out.

  “Nick?” Jayce pushed the chairs under the table.

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t leave town all right?”

  “I didn’t kill anyone if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “Oh don’t worry.” Jayce threw the soda can in the trash. “If you are the killer I’ll find out. You can bet on that.”

  CHAPTER FORTY

  “No! Don’t touch me.” Zoë yanked away from Nick’s hands. “How could you do something so fuckin’ stupid?”

  “Just listen to me, please!”

  “Why should I?” She threw her purse on his bed and marched to the terrace. “Hell you did everything tonight without telling me first so why you need me to listen now?”

  “I know you’re mad but it was time. I had to do it.”

  “No what you had to do was keep your promise to me. You have no idea how much this could fuck everything up! You should’ve stayed your ass away like you promised!”

  “Well I tried.” He felt the back of his neck. “But I’d already been away from her all those years, how could you expect me to stay away the rest of my life?”

  “God I knew this would happen.” She dabbed her forehead. “Why am I not surprised? Nothing ever goes right for very long does it?”

  “Honey I love you. Nothing will ever change that.”

  “Right.” She clutched the railing. “And I am supposed to believe that your real daughter won’t impact our relationship at all?”

  “You are my real daughter.” He shook her. “No one will ever take your place. You’re a part of me. You don’t have to feel threatened.”

  “The fuck I don’t. You have no idea what you’ve done. Did you ever once think of me tonight when you were telling everyone the truth? Did I ever cross your mind?”

  “Yes! That’s why I didn’t tell them you were my daughter. I thought it would be better if you told Dylan yourself.”

  “What?” The ends of her hair tangled in the breeze. “God you are an idiot aren’t you, Dad?”

  “I know you’re angry but I will not condone you speaking to me like this much longer.”

  “I can speak to you any damn way I like after what you’ve pulled tonight! I’m not telling Dylan a damn thing and you won’t either.”

  “What the hell is the big deal about telling her the truth? She’ll forgive you and get over it. She loves you.”

  “And what fuckin’ planet are you on, Dad? Look from now on you can tell her any damn thing you like but do not tell her I’m your daughter and I mean it. If you do I will never forgive you.”

  “And how long do you think we can walk around here and she not find out?”

  “That’s not my problem. If you hadn’t opened your big mouth everything would be okay! No scratch that.” She flicked her hair out of her face. “If you’d stayed your ass away like I’d told you to, everything would’ve been okay!”

  “You found her, Zoë. You were the one who told me where she was and who she was. Why would you do that if you didn’t want me to ever meet her?”

  “Because I love you and I felt you were owed to know Victoria was alive and where she was. But you promised me you’d stay away and you couldn’t even do that.”

  “Put yourself in my shoes. If you’d gone through all that pain your mother and I had, would you have stayed away from her?”

  “Says you to the substitute.”

  “You are not a substitute.”

  “Bullshit, it’s all I ever was! You wouldn’t have adopted me if Victoria hadn’t been kidnapped.” She brushed a tear away. “I’ve been living in her shadow all these years and I guess you expect me to just move aside so you can make room for her?”

  “Stop it. This isn’t a competition.”

  “The fuck it’s not. That’s all it’s always been, Dad. Why did you adopt me?”

  “What the hell kind of question is that?”

  “Answer it. Why did you adopt me?”

  “I’m not gonna answer that question.”

  “I was the one who fixed everything! I was there when you suffered, not her. I was the one who put the pieces together! I’m the one who’s done my best to make everything right for you and Mom. How could you do this to me?”

  “What do you mean, you’ve made everything right?”

  “Damn it I fixed everything the best I could to show how much I love you and Mom. I did that out of duty and because I wanted to. I’m your daughter more than she is.”

  “Honey.”

  “She’ll never love you like I do. And if they find out I’m your daughter everything will be for nothing.”

  “Zoë.” He looked her straight in the eyes. “Is there something you need to tell me? Is something going on?”

  “No.”

  “You’re lying. What did you mean when you said you’ve made everything right?”

  “I gotta get outta here before someone finds out I’m here.” She got her purse off the bed.

  “Don’t go yet, honey. Please.”

  She dabbed tears. “Right now I’m so mad at you I can’t stand to hear your voice.”

  “Zoë
you’ll always be my daughter. There is room in my heart for the both of you.”

  “You always said you’d do anything to make me happy right?”

  “Always.”

  “Then leave Albany and never come back. Just go away like you never found out she was here.”

  “Honey I can’t do that. I can’t go off into the shadows again. My heart wouldn’t let me.”

  “And you claim things won’t change?”

  “They won’t, sweetheart.”

  “Really?” Tears dissolved on her lips. “You just picked the desire to be with her over what I want. I’d say things are changing fast as hell.”

  “And well, that’s it.” Jayce put his feet up on Brianna’s living room table and flipped through the cable channels. “Ever think of getting Direct TV, Bree?”

  “I can’t believe this shit.” Steven paced with his hands on his waist.

  He stopped in front of Brianna as if he expected her to make sense of the situation. Hell she couldn’t believe it herself. She’d been on many cases that started out one way and ended up doing a one-eighty in another direction. But never like this.

  “I know it’s shocking.” Jayce stopped on the Home Shopping Network. “Do you know I ordered something from them last year and never got it?” He switched the channel.

  “Poor, Dylan.” Brianna snuggled in her robe. “Couldn’t imagine how she’s feeling right now. And I don’t even wanna think about how Jasmine acted.”

  “Shit.” Jayce put his arm behind his head. “I’d be locking her up for Nick’s murder if she’d gotten her hands on him.”

  “Fuck, man.” Steven paced in front of the window. “I just can’t believe this.”

  “All this about Dylan possibly being Nick’s daughter is fascinating but is he connected to the murders? That’s the magic question,” Brianna said.

  “Well I told him not to leave town.”

  Steven scoffed. “And you think he’ll listen?”

  “He’s not running off believe me.” Jayce pulled his feet down. “He wants to get close to Dylan more than anything.”

  “God I hope he didn’t kill Nadia.” Brianna scooped up Davis. “But if he cares about Dylan like he seems to, I can’t see him doing something so horrible. Or am I just being naïve?”

  “I think we’re all being naïve when it comes to this case.” Jayce laid the remote in his lap.

  “He definitely has a motive to kill Nadia.” Steven sat on the table. “He could have been angry that Nadia had his daughter and killed her.”

  “But why would he be angry at Nadia?” Brianna stroked Davis’ head. “She only had Dylan, she didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “If she knew Dylan had been kidnapped she did.” Jayce looked at both of them. “That’s a possibility right?”

  “Please. Hell no. This woman was a therapist for goodness sakes. She spent her life helping others with their problems. She was a kind person despite what folks have been saying.”

  “What about how she hated Bruce and all the stuff she did to break him and Dylan up? What about her forcing Dylan to get an abortion? Is that the sign of a kind person or a master manipulator who’d do anything to get what she wanted? I think you’re seeing what you want to because she was your friend.”

  “Jayce I’m not saying she didn’t make mistakes but I don’t think Nadia would condone kidnapping. Who would do something like that?”

  “People do it all the time,” Steven said.

  “No.” Brianna nuzzled Davis. “Look I’ll accept the other stuff being said about Nadia but she wouldn’t keep a child that had been stolen from her family. She wouldn’t.”

  “Well why did she have those clippings?” Steven asked. “And don’t say it’s because she was collecting them like the others. We all know we found way more than clippings.”

  “Okay, what about Zoë? You think Nadia knew she was Elle’s daughter?”

  “No.” Jayce shook his foot.

  “What about Jasmine?” Steven shrugged. “Think she knew about this?”

  “If she did she deserves an Oscar for how she acted in the station. No I don’t think Jasmine knew anything either. She loves Dylan too much to hide something like this.”

  Steven turned toward Jayce. “Even if Nadia told Jasmine Dylan was kidnapped and made Jasmine promise not to tell?”

  “We don’t know Nadia even knew Dylan was kidnapped.”

  “She knew. You can stay in your fantasy land where Nadia is so great if you want, Bree. But if you start looking at this with sense you’d see what Jayce and I do.”

  Brianna scratched Davis’ ear. “Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot.”

  “Then stop acting like one.”

  “Hey.” Jayce leaned up. “Don’t go there, Steve. The last thing we need is to be fighting. We’re all on the same side.”

  “I apologize okay, Bree?” Steven tilted toward her. “But you gotta look at what’s going on here. I know it’s hard to imagine but you can’t ignore it. Nadia knew. I’d bet my life on it.”

  His scent.

  She sniffed several times to make sure her nose wasn’t playing tricks on her. Did she smell what she thought she smelled?

  “You okay, Bree?”

  She sniffed his shirt.

  “What?” Jayce raised his hand. “He needs deodorant or something?”

  She put Davis down, got on her knees and sniffed Steven harder.

  “Bree?” He wiggled. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Jayce set the remote on the table. “Uh, you guys want me to leave?”

  “Bree you’re freaking me out here.” Steven held her still. “Wanna tell me why you’re sniffing me?”

  “Cologne.” She pushed her face into his shirt. “What kind is it?”

  “I’m not wearing cologne.”

  “Smell.” She pushed Steven’s face into his shirt. “You smell that?”

  “Oh that? That’s Zoë’s perfume. I was with her earlier. You should see how many different perfumes she has, like a damn boutique.”

  “Bree you look like someone hit you over the head again,” Jayce said.

  That’s the smell.

  “That’s…that’s the smell. The smell, the cologne I smelled the night Nadia was murdered.”

  “What? Wait a minute.”

  “It is, Jayce.”

  “You’re mistaken, Bree.”

  “Steven I’d never forget it.” She sniffed him again. “No. This is the exact same smell.” She inhaled to her stomach. “Zoë was at Nadia’s that night. Oh god she was there.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Steven snatched his arm from her.

  “You heard me. She was at Nadia’s the night she was killed.”

  “This is fuckin’ crazy.”

  “Is it?” Jayce asked.

  “Yes. If Zoë had been at Nadia’s the night she was killed she wouldn’t have hidden it.”

  “Like she didn’t hide her relationship with Billy Curtis and the fact that she was Nick and Elle’s daughter?”

  “Stop it, Bree. She would’ve been honest about something this serious. She wouldn’t play with a murder investigation.”

  “Then ask her about everything straight out.” Brianna got up. “See if she for once tells you the truth.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Bruce cleaned his bedroom while Dylan changed in the bathroom. He sprayed some of the old air freshener he hadn’t used since she was last there. He hadn’t had a woman spend the night in a long time. Of course Dylan wasn’t just any woman. He didn’t want her smothered by unholy man-funk when she came in.

  They’d stopped by Jasmine’s for Dylan to get some things. Funny but her overnight bag had turned into two suitcases. Had she planned to stay longer than a night? She even brought her easel and paints. Thank goodness Jasmine hadn’t been there. He wasn’t ever in the mood for her shit but tonight he probably would’ve mangled her if she’d said the wrong thing to him.

  He threw dir
ty clothes into the closet and tossed junk into the dresser drawers.

  He thought of the last time they made love.

  “Snap out of it.” His dick pulsated.

  Why drive himself crazy with what could have been if it wasn’t possible? He got sheets out the linen closet in the hall. Or was it possible? Did Dylan want to be with him again?

  He stripped the sheets off the bed and threw them in the corner.

  He’d been the first person she ran to tonight. She’d clung onto him at the station. She’d held his hand as if she’d been afraid to walk without him.

  Didn’t that mean something? Oh god. Did she still love him?

  He smoothed the lavender sheet over the mattress. He imagined laying her down on top of it and moving his hands all over her body.

  “Shit.” He yanked the crotch of his jeans.

  The real question wasn’t if Dylan still wanted him. It was whether or not he could control himself if she did.

  She walked inside. He took one glimpse of her in that flimsy nightgown and his dick sprung up like a sword.

  “Jeez.” He held the sheet in front of him. He pretended to straighten out the wrinkles long enough to coerce his dick to behave. “Uh, you can sleep in here and I’ll take the couch.”

  “No I couldn’t do that. This is your place. I’ll be fine on the couch. Besides I don’t know if I’ll get much sleep in anyway.”

  “I’m not letting you sleep on that couch. It smells like ass.” He slapped the sheet. “You’re sleeping in here. Besides I sleep in there sometimes anyway to watch television.”

  “Oh I was gonna ask you what happened to the TV in here?”

  “Took it to the pawnshop.”

  “Oh. Uh…” She crossed her arms then uncrossed them. “You did?”

  She looked like she wanted him to explain but he wasn’t about to pile his financial problems on her when she had her own shit to deal with.

  Tkk…tkk…tkk…

  “God when are you gonna get that faucet fixed?” She propped her supple hip on the dresser. “You think I should take the DNA test?”

  “What?” He turned the sheet to her to block his cock.

  “Do you think I should take the DNA test?”

  “I can’t answer that.” His dick relaxed against him. Usually he’d be pissed when he lost a hard-on but thankful tonight.