Aftermath (The Deceptions Trilogy Book 2)

by Dana Mansfield

  With a lot of effort, I managed to uncurl my index and middle fingers a little as best I could with the handcuffs, and signed one word.

  Temporary. My signing was sloppy but Jack understood.

  “Temporary. Are you sure?”

  I thought about his question and thought back to when the drug was used. Each time my speech did come back but it also took longer and longer. I couldn’t sign that explanation so I just nodded. Jack sighed.

  “It never stops getting worse. Our hell only grows, no?”

  Chapter 4

  The next morning, Jack was not doing well although he tried to hide it from Penny. The pain in his stomach was intense and when Vivienne came to check them out, he reluctantly told her what he thought – his ulcer was definitely back. He hoped this would mean they would be released but Vivienne said she could treat ulcers as easily as a mosquito bite and added a new medication for him which he recognized as what he needed to fix his stomach.

  Penny was still silent and tired and slept a lot. Jack was so worried about her but he didn’t dare demand additional medical attention for her beyond Vivienne. As he watched her sleep beneath the blanket – she still had not received any clothing – he dozed off only to be woken up by Crystal. Images of her laughing at him shook him to consciousness. He wanted her out of his mind and he focused on the one place he rarely saw her visit over the last few years – their home in Hidden Hollow.

  Home. When Jack thought of the Prairie-style home, he saw himself with his children and with Penny but not with Crystal. He hadn’t envisioned her in his dreams of home in a very long time. Even before the 4th of July car accident, things were not well between them but he dismissed those struggles as something all couples went through. They’d had disagreements through the years but they’d had their first really big blowout where Crystal ran off to the condo in Atlantic City just three days after bringing Little Sofie home from the hospital.

  Crystal was hell bent on building a brand new house in a new section of Hidden Hollow. She wanted each child to have their own bedroom and bathroom and felt Jack should have a house with all the celebrity accoutrements such as a theater, wine room, guest house, and sauna. Jack didn’t agree with this. He loved the house they had and even though the kids had to share rooms, it wasn’t crowded at all. It was cozy; it was his home. He used part of his first royalty check as the down payment and with part of his next three checks, paid it off. The band’s first single had been released three months before graduation just to get momentum going and it took off quicker than anyone anticipated which certainly made his last semester at Princeton interesting. It also allowed him to buy a house earlier than he thought.

  Originally, Jack wanted to relocate his family to Haddonfield, New Jersey. He was opposed to something in New York City or Los Angeles or even the suburbs of either city. Jack wanted his family to have quietness and he fell in love with the Philly suburb during a day trip he took there with Crystal, Danny, Millie, and his three kids during his junior year at Princeton. There was a small town feel to the place but with Philadelphia and its history and culture so close and accessible, he thought it would be perfect. When it first became apparent he could buy a house, he and Crystal travelled to Haddonfield to look at housing possibilities but they could find nothing they liked in the way of available housing and there was no land to build on. Jack opted to wait until they could devote more than just a random Saturday looking.

  They chose to return to South Jersey during his final spring break. Since Penny knew the area around Haddonfield better, she identified some other neighborhoods in the area that might work so he bundled everyone up, including Penny, into a rented van with the goal of finding a house. They had nine days to find something and after pouring over real estate ads on that first weekend, he and Crystal set out on the Monday to look at some prospects. Penny and Danny stayed with the kids at the hotel and Jack enjoyed the alone time with Crystal even if they spent a good deal of time lost trying to find their way to the different houses. Crystal was actually not very picky in terms of houses at the time and she grew bored by the end of the second day while Jack was frustrated. He wanted the housing issue settled, or at least in the process, by the end of spring break since the rest of the semester was looking very, very hectic.

  Buying his first house was important to Jack. His parents had never owned a house and Jack’s apartment in Princeton was never big enough for the family he was supporting. Number one on his must have list was a big back yard. He loved green spaces. There were very few of them in the gray closed city he grew up in and when his mother would take him and Danny to the only park near their tiny gray apartment, he loved the limited time they had there. When they came to America, he spent so much time outside in those first few weeks he found their new apartment almost claustrophobic when he had to come inside. In Princeton, he made it a priority to make sure Danny and Millie had plenty of time at the park near the apartment and when the babies came, they made trips to the park also although it was sometimes a hassle to get them there. That’s why he wanted a house with its own big back yard.

  Both he and Crystal wanted a large family. Even though he had a brother and sister, Crystal was an only child and often voiced her wish she had at least one sibling. By the time they were looking for houses, they had three of their own plus Millie and although Danny was graduating too, Jack was hesitant to let him get his own house since he wasn’t even twenty-one yet. In his mind, Danny was still his little brother even though he was reaping the rewards of the Ivy Brothers’ early success. Danny finally convinced Jack he didn’t want a house but had his mind set on maybe a condo if he could find one near the house Jack and Crystal found. After much thought and debate and conversations with Penny, Jack acquiesced to this. Danny didn’t feel he needed to rush finding a place, though, since he was single.

  A large Petrov family was possible as long as Jack could provide for them so he knew he needed a house with a few bedrooms and a couple large rooms for gatherings. He always wanted a fireplace and for some reason, he didn’t like the idea of the master bedroom not being on the same level as the children’s rooms. This was one area where Crystal had an opinion.

  “We’ll have more privacy if our room is on the first floor,” she said as they ate a quick lunch at a McDonald’s on the third day.

  “But if Millie or Sasha or Ellie are scared and need to come to our room, I do not want to have them wandering around a house trying to find us,” he countered. “Do you not think it would be better if we were just down the hall?”

  “I suppose,” she sighed and they both went back to looking at real estate ads. They saw one more house that afternoon but it was in a neighborhood where the houses were too close together. Crystal was tired that night and retired early to their bedroom of the suite they were staying in for the week. Penny was putting Millie, Natalya, and the twins down while Jack and Danny were on a conference call with Emerson and the other guys in the band. Things were happening fast and it was time to make a video for their first single that was skyrocketing up the charts. It was exciting but Jack was starting to worry about getting his schoolwork done. Dropping out this close to the end was unacceptable; he had promised both his parents he would graduate college and make sure Danny and Millie did the same.

  It was decided that Jack, along with Danny and everyone else, would go back to Princeton late on Friday, cutting their house hunting expedition down to seven days instead of nine. The music video would be shot the next two days along with the following weekend. Jack was both excited and nervous about this and he could not fall asleep that night. Back in the living room, he found Penny sitting on the couch with two thick books in her lap. He recognized them as one of their half dozen books needed for the intensive course on the Ottoman Empire. She was reading one and highlighting in pink and then highlighting the secon
d book in blue.

  “What are you doing?” he asked and sat next to her.

  “Doing our reading for Ottoman,” she said. Jack should have realized what she was doing but he was both tired and wired. To make his life a little easier lately, she had taken to highlighting his textbooks. He never asked her to do this but honestly, it did help him although it was more work for her, especially when she typed up outlines to each chapter for them both.

  “We are on spring break,” he said and took both books from her, then looked at the syllabus. She had crossed off all but the last reading assignment. She was three weeks ahead of where they needed to be. He worried this would stress her out too much and affect her eating. She was doing well since the last anorexia scare but he knew how easily she could slip up, especially when stressed.

  “I was just trying to get ahead,” she replied and tried to grab for the books but he wouldn’t give them up. “Fine,” she said, pouting. Jack put her book in her backpack and his in his backpack which he didn’t know she brought along. Next to her on the couch were several housing brochures.

  “Where did you get these?” he asked and picked one up.

  “I took the kids on a walk this afternoon and there was a real estate agency around the corner. I went in and showed them your checklist and this is what they came up with. I was going to show you them in the morning at breakfast. I really like this one. It’s in a new development in Voorhees which is not too far from here and a quick drive to Haddonfield. It’s a gated community so that means an added level of security plus this house backs up to a still available patch of land you could invest in now for maybe adding a home studio in the future.”

  “Providing the Ivy Brothers are not one hit wonders,” he countered and perused the information on the house. The idea of maybe one day being successful enough for having a home studio excited Jack but also made him realize he and the guys would need to work very hard to get to that point. He looked forward to that actually. His dream was happening and he was not ready to end it any time soon.

  “This house has six total bedrooms, five on the second floor including the master suite and another one in the basement. The kitchen is gorgeous and there are actually two different fireplaces. A gas one in the fancy living room and then look at this one.” She opened the brochure and pointed to a wonderful two story fireplace made out of river rock. “There’s a big formal dining room but the kitchen has plenty of space for a big table too so you can eat most meals there and save the dining room for Passover and other important events. And look at this backyard.” Penny flipped the brochure over and Jack was stunned at how big it was. Even with an in-ground pool, there was a large area that already had a swing set and a big expanse of yard for the kids to run around on. “Those woods are the parcel of land you could invest in now for that studio. I think Crystal would love the master bath and these walk-in closets are almost bigger than the studio apartment I have now. There’s a big playroom in the basement and lots of storage. I love the kitchen. Look at that cooking island and the pretty tile.”

  Jack read and reread the brochure.

  “I think this is the house,” he said, drawing each word out as the realization hit him. He could envision his family, including any future Petrovs or Petrovas, running around the place. And, of course, Penny.

  Jack was unable to sleep that night and couldn’t wait for Crystal to wake up so he could show her the brochure. Finally, as his watch inched towards seven, he started nuzzling her.

  “Good morning,” he said as she smiled at him.

  “Good morning to you, too,” she replied and kissed him. He returned the kiss and then for an hour, he forgot about the house as he and Crystal enjoyed each other’s company. “That was fun,” she replied afterwards as she snuggled up to him.

  “We were not too loud, were we?” Jack asked a little worried. With three children, two siblings, and Penny in the other half of the suite, he became very self-conscious of their extracurricular activity.

  “I’m sure they are still asleep. Penny played the kids out yesterday,” she explained. Jack sat up and handed the brochure to Crystal.

  “I think this may be our future home,” he said and watched as Crystal went over the information. He liked that she seemed to really be studying the brochure. This was going to be her home too and he wanted to find a place they both liked.

  “It’s nice and not too far from our price range,” she said. He told her about the idea of buying the land behind the house also for a studio. She was very much for this. “I trust your decision, Jack. If you go and look at the house and you like it, I’m all for it.”

  “I think we should go together, Crystal,” he said, not hiding his disappointment. “It is where we are going to raise our children.”

  “I like what I see here plus I thought I would spend time with the kids at the pool. It’s supposed to be real hot today. There’s a little kiddie pool that would be okay even for Ellie,” she explained. “Take Millie with you and even Penny. She’ll be living there, too.” Jack was torn. Crystal wanted to spend time with all three of their kids and not just Natalya. He decided that was more important.

  “Okay,” he said and kissed her. The kiss lasted for quite a while and another hour passed before he finally showered and wandered into the living room where Penny, Danny, and the kids were finishing up breakfast. Millie was super excited about getting to look at a house. Penny was actually shocked when Jack asked her to go along.

  “Crystal might need some help,” she said, a touch of worry to her voice.

  “I’ll be here,” Danny said. “I have a philosophy paper to finish anyway. I can do that by the pool.” And so it was settled and Jack, Penny, and Millie met the real estate agent at the house. The agent was a touch snooty until Jack showed her the preapproval paperwork he had from the bank. That changed her tune quickly and when he asked if he, Penny and Millie could wander around the house and property alone, she acquiesced and retreated to her car.

  “This house is so big!” Millie said at the top of her lungs in the family room with the two story fireplace. Her voice echoed and she repeated what she said even louder to hear the echo again.

  “Milena!” Jack admonished her lightly.

  “Sorry, Jack,” she said. He gave her a quick hug and showed her the swing set in the back yard.

  “You will have fun on that, sestra, no?” he asked her and she took off running across the big deck.

  “This house is beautiful, Jack,” Penny said and ran her hands across the blue, white and yellow Italian tile of the cooking island. “So much space and even empty, it’s warm. It feels like a home already.”

  “I do not disagree with you, Penelope,” he said. “I want this house but I want to make the agent squirm a little bit first,” he laughed.

  “And no one has lived here yet,” Penny noted. “I don’t know why but I like the idea of this being yours without any other memories having been made here.”

  “I never thought of it like that,” he replied. The family that built the house moved to the west coast before they could even live in the house they designed. He and Penny walked through the house, from the basement to the second floor, three times and then around the property before Jack finally motioned towards the agent. By five the next evening, Jack was a homeowner. Although they couldn’t move in until the end of the school year, knowing he provided such a beautiful home for his family made him proud. The next task, however, was to work hard enough to pay it off early. That was important to him.

  The week they finally did move into the house was a crazy, crazy week for Jack. First there was graduation on Saturday and on Sunday he, Crystal, Danny and Millie flew to Las Vegas so Jack and Crystal could get married while Penny stayed in their apartment with
Sasha, Ellie, and Natalya and packed up the last few things. Jack and company then flew back late on Monday and everyone went into New York City on Tuesday as the Ivy Brothers’ debut album was released and the band performed on David Letterman.

  Jack drove his first brand new vehicle, a sensible mini-van to fit everyone, with a trailer behind it down to Voorhees on Wednesday. Most of their furniture was bought by other college students as he and Crystal spent the last two months buying new furniture for the new house. What was in the trailer were those items he could not part with like his mother’s rocking chair. There were also a few items of Penny’s but for the most part, they were moving into the house with very little old stuff. Most would be all new which actually made it pretty easy since the men from the various furniture stores they shopped from would be moving most of the items.

  That first night, everyone slept on the floor of the family room as the bedroom furniture had not arrived yet but that was okay. Everyone had a fun time and once the little ones were asleep, Jack, Crystal, Danny, and Penny sat on the raised hearth in front of the fireplace. Almost four years had passed since Jack brought his girlfriend – now wife – to New Jersey with his siblings and the plan he formulated with his bandmates in Atlanta was materializing right before him. Jack was emotional and the four adults group hugged that night.

  Chapter 5

  I lay beneath the scratchy blanket almost feeling warm. Jack was asleep next to me and was dreaming of home. I only knew this because he was talking in his sleep. Home… I want to go home… His voice was wanting and I understood that want. Jack’s home was my home and it was the only place I felt safe except for the cabin. I wondered how long it would be before both Jack and I were once again in the confines of his home.

  Jack stirred next to me and then his eyes lazily opened. It took him a moment or two to focus and when he did, he smiled at me. It eased my fear a bit. I hated that Jack was in this kidnapping situation but as he had said before, at least we were together.