“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Caleb chuckles in my ear.
“Yeah I did, and now I don’t,” I answer and pick up my glass of water.
The entire table laughs and I relax a bit.
“Look I was all pissed off at this asshole for trying to kick us out of our homes. He missed several appointments with me because he was here with you. I may have called you a crazy rich person.”
“Don’t forget about the dead living relative,” Caleb adds.
“Don’t forget I have a mean right hook,” I growl back under my breath.
“Are we talking about me?” Nick stands up. I really like Nick. He’s like the cool Dad every kid wanted growing up.
“I think that’s all that needs to be said on that topic,” I reply.
“Really? I do believe you called Edward, and I quote, ‘a serious douche bag.’”
“I called him that once too,” Dana steps in and then winks at me. “I was pretty drunk. He went all caveman on me and then I threw up in his Bugatti.”
After dinner Caleb pulls me to the side. “Are you ready to go home?”
“I couldn’t be more ready,” I lie with a convincing smile.
“Why won’t you talk to me? SJ, I can see it in your eyes. You laugh and you look like you’re having a good time but your eyes tell me a very different story.”
“I’m fine Caleb. What else do you want me to say?”
He shrugs and takes his phone out of his pocket. “I need to call Claire,” he explains, I nod and go to walk away. “She works for me now.”
Now that’s new information. Two weeks and he hasn’t said a thing about Claire working for him. My steps faulter slightly, but I manage to keep up the rhythm.
“She’s been overlooking the demolition of the building in Fort Lincoln.”
Now I stop, swivel on the spot and walk back to him. “What?” I try to keep my voice calm but my body is radiating anger. “You told me you got the go ahead to restore the building.”
“I lied. I got you all out and because you moved out voluntarily, your eviction date is now void.”
“You bastard!” I screech louder than a banshee. “You tricked us! What did you think I was going to be like when you told me. Did you think I would run into your arms after you offered to let me move in with you?”
“Yeah kind of.” He smirks and I see red. My anger goes from simmering to boiling in less than a second. I hit out, punching him in the chest and not really doing anything to elicit a response from him other than to laugh at my pathetic attempts.
“I hate you,” I yell as I hit him again. “How dare you take everything away from me? How dare you think you have the right to come in and take over my life? How dare you!”
He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight as I struggle in his embrace, comforting me with occasional shushing in my ear. “There’s my fighter. There’s the girl who gave the world a big fuck you and soldiered on anyway.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I grunt out as I continue to hit him.
He pushes me back to arms length and looks me in the eye. “There it is. That fire in your eyes. That will to fight and win. You were sweeping everything under the carpet like nothing ever happened. Eventually that carpet will need shaking out and you’re going to have to face it.”
“I’m not ready!” I cry out. “And now you’ve just told me my home is gone.”
“I’m sorry about the building, but it was deemed unsafe. There was no way the DCRA was going to permit us to restore it, it’s been rotting for years.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks angrily.
“This is where you hear my lame excuses. I was worried about how you would react. I didn’t want to lose you. I didn’t want to upset you. Pick one, SJ.”
“You lied to me! Why can’t anyone tell the truth? Everyone is a liar!” I yell, banging on his chest again.
“Tell me what happened to you, SJ. Open up and tell me so I can comfort you and be there for you. Tell me what that sick fuck did to you so I know what I’m going to do to him before I kill him,” he declares loud and clear.
I don’t know what makes me do it but suddenly I blurt out everything I endured at the hands of Buccieri. I go on and on, telling him every little minute detail, breaking down several times and wanting the world to swallow me whole at other times. He holds me, rocks me, allows me to pound on him and yell at him, but he never backs away. He listens intently as I pour my heart out.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you better. He should never have been allowed to touch a hair on your beautiful, innocent head.” His words are fierce, but his eyes tell a soul crushing story.
“Please don’t cry. We’ll make them pay,” I say and hold his face in my hands.
“I promise you everything is going to be okay. I promise to look after you and never let anything happen to you again.”
***
“I’m going to miss you so much. I’ve really enjoyed having you here,” Dana says and I can’t help but laugh.
“I’ll be calling you all the time to ask about every little pregnancy related problem I have.” I chuckle.
“Our babies are going to grow up together and be best friends, just like their dads. Me, you, and Scarlett are all due within three weeks of each other. How crazy is that?”
“I have Scarlett’s number saved too, just in case.”
“We hope we’re going to see you in November at the christening,” Edward says.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Caleb hugs him and claps him on the back.
“I should hope not, as Nathan’s godfather I expect you to be present,” Edward announces.
I watch as Caleb’s face practically lights up. “Really?”
“Dana and I both agreed while we were in London. We would be honored.”
“No the honor is mine,” Caleb answers. “Thank you for coming to help, Edward.”
“You’d do the same for me. Oh wait, you did.” He chortles. “I’ll see you in November.”
“Yes you will.”
We arrive at Westchester airport and get ready to board Edward’s private plane. “Why don’t you have a private plane?” I ask Caleb.
“Do you want me to get a private plane?” He smirks at me.
“Yes, I want to be able to jump on your private plane and go to New York every weekend.” I laugh.
“This technically isn’t Edward’s plane although I’m sure he’s considering buying it now, especially with Dana’s family being in England. Most of us rich boys hire planes and because we usually use the same company and plane, the company will assign us the plane on a permanent basis, ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
“So I could go somewhere and then call the airplane company and get a flight out to somewhere else, just like that?” I ask.
“Usually yeah, but there are the odd occasion when a plane will be booked and we’ll have to take another, but I know Edward trust the pilot of this plane and he never uses another,” he tells me and I wonder what other sort of trust issues these rich boys have. “Go get yourself and the twins settled and strapped in, I just need to make a quick phone call.”
I leave him to it and get Maddie and Mitch strapped in. “Mommy, you won’t leave us again, will you?” Maddie asks.
“I didn’t leave you Maddie. I promise I didn’t. Mommy’s eyes were just really sore and I needed to have them fixed—they’re fine now.”
“Are we going home now?” Mitch asks.
“Yeah, we’re going home now,” I reply, not really knowing how to explain we don’t have a home to go back to. “You start kindergarten next week, are you excited?”
“Why can’t we have a bedroom like Nathan’s?” he asks.
“Nathan’s daddy has the money to build him an indoor play area in his bedroom.” I see the look of understanding cross his face and guilt eats away at me. “You know what little man, I’m going to save up and you can have an indoor pla
y area okay?”
His smile is huge and I’m more than determined now to keep my promise. “Thank you, Mommy.”
“What’s this I hear?” Caleb says as he climbs the stairs into the cabin.
“Mitch wants a indoor play bedroom like Nathan’s,” I say.
“Mommy said she’s going to save for it.” Mitch’s grin widens, if that’s even possible.
“Oh yeah?” Caleb responds, but I don’t know what he means by that response. He doesn’t elaborate, takes his phone out of his pocket and sits in the chair across from me. What the fuck?
We’re in the air for almost two hours. We start our decent and suddenly my heart rate picks up.
“SJ, look at me,” Caleb orders. I try to see him, but instead I see darkness. I feel Buccieri’s breath on my neck.
“No! Please, I’m begging you. I’ll be good. I’ll behave.” I can’t deal with this, my breathing is fast and I barely feel like any air is getting into my lungs.
A splash of ice cold water to my face forces my lungs to take in air. My vision begins to return, but my pulse is still thrumming in my ears.
“It’s okay, SJ. I’m here. I sent the children into the bedroom as soon as I saw your eyes glaze over.”
“Thank you, Caleb. I don’t know what triggered that panic attack.”
“We’ll get you some professional help when we get home. I’ll come with you if you want, but we should find out what we can do to stop these attacks.” Caleb holds me as my beating heart returns to normal and my breathing evens out. “I’m going to get the children. They should really be strapped in. Look at me,” he orders. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
I nod and smile but my brain is unconvinced. He can’t save me every time. Can he?
***
I’m not really paying much attention in the car. I’m still coming down from my panic attack. It’s only when I see a sign post for Fort Lincoln that I realize I have no idea where we’re going.
“We’re going home,” Caleb says as if he’s reading my thoughts.
“I don’t understand,” I reply.
“You will, just five more minutes.”
I have no idea what he’s up to, but I do know that the next five minutes will be the slowest of my life. My brain is on overdrive. Even if Caleb has set us up somewhere, what about all the other residents? What about Rita and Claire?
I’m not sure when I first notice it, but when I do my heart almost beats out of my chest as hope begins to seep in. We drive down a road of half built houses and I know these weren’t here before. This was just grassland I’m sure.
We pull into a beautiful communal car park, full of flowers and greenery. There’s a crowd waiting at the doors to a brand new apartment building. It takes me a second but I realize it’s all the residents.
“Caleb, what is this?” I ask, completely stunned.
“Your new home, SJ,” he replies. “This is just two of the new apartment buildings.” There are thirty apartments in each row. The blocks are fifteen houses long each with two doors, they look huge.
“Welcome home!” the crowd says in unison as we step out of the car.
I have no words. I can’t even begin to take it all in.
“How?” I ask. I’ve only been gone four weeks.
“I’ve had contactors working around the clock. My main priority was these two building. I needed to make sure all the tenants from the old building had somewhere to go, even if it’s just temporary. Two hundred houses and another four apartment blocks will be going up in the next year. As the houses go up, they will be offered to the residents with families in the apartments first and then I’m going to get as many people off the street as I can. Rent will be the same as you paid at the last place, but I won’t earn from it. They’ll be buying these houses from me on a sort of rent to own basis.”
“Caleb, I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you did all this. Do you have any idea how many people you will help?” I manage to ask as I break down in tears.
“Those better be happy tears,” Rita says, Gur and Raj just behind her.
“Oh God, Rita. I’ve missed you so much,” I cry, just wanting to hold my friend. “I didn’t think I would see you again.”
“Caleb would never have let that happen,” she replies with her arms wrapped firmly around me. “We are going to talk about this later, with a bottle of non-alcoholic wine.” She winks.
“How did you know?”
“I knew at Jungle Rapids when you said you were feeling sick. I’ve had two children and I know the signs.”
“The area the old building was on is going to be turned into a kid’s playground in honor of Alonzo, your old landlord.”
“That’s such an amazing thing to do.” I sniffle.
“It the least I can do for such an amazing man,” he replies.
“Mr. Slate,” Claire calls out as she comes toward us. “These are the plans you asked for.”
Caleb takes them and gets down on Mitch’s level. “So I need you to look at the plan for your new house, I has this idea about putting in an indoor play area.”
“Really? I can have a room like Nathan’s?”
“You can have any room you want because it will be yours and Maddie can have whatever room she wants too because you’ll both have your own rooms. Mommy get’s her own room as well. That’s pretty awesome, right?”
“Will we have a bed?” Mitch asks causing me to cry even harder.
“You can pick whatever bed you want.”
“You really don’t need to do this Caleb, you’ve done so much already.”
“I’m doing it for all the residents. Plus I need to take care of my baby’s mommy,” he says, lowering his voice at the last part. “You see the house over there that’s almost finished?” We all look to where Caleb is pointing. “That’s your new home and you should be able to move in sometime next week.”
“I love you so much. I really, really do,” I cry and fall into his embrace.
“I love you SJ, and I love Maddie and Mitch too,” he says, kissing me gently on the lips. As he brushes his lips across mine, a whisper of breath escapes them. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I reply and pull his lips back to mine.
“What happens now?” he asks.
“You move in with us?” I suggest.
“Can I bring my bath tub?”
“Hell yes,” I say as I take hold of Mitch’s hand and Caleb picks Maddie up. Together we walk toward our new home and our new life. I would never have thought two months ago that this is where I would be now. I was just trying to make ends meet and keep a roof over our heads.
I’d like to think Caleb and I both learned something during the small period of his experiment. Caleb has decided he’d rather help people than make as much money as he can. I’ve realized my children need to be children and I need to be a little less worried about money.
I look forward to starting this next chapter of our lives together and I know I don’t have anything to worry about, because my very own superhero will always be here to fight in my corner for me.
Epilogue
“Well if it isn’t the man of the hour,” Grayson greets me on my first day back at the office. I wanted to start the day getting caught up on everything I missed while I was in New York, so I called a family meeting. “Does SJ like her new home?”
“She agreed to marry me so I’m going to say yes.”
“Congratulations,” Logan says quietly with his eyes downcast.
“Before we get into this, we need to clear something up,” I say to Logan.
“Caleb, I know and I’m sorry, I tried to warn you before you left—”
“Stop. I’m not angry at. I just need to know what the hell happened almost a year ago. You’re going to tell me what the ring is and you’re going to tell me about this greater cause so I can help,” I demand.
“I don’t know where to start. When we all got shipped here, I found out that the r
eason Dad left Mom was because he thought she had cheated on him and he didn’t think I was his son. He told me I was going to the same boarding school as Aiden and Jess, but it wasn’t a school, it was a damp house in the middle of nowhere full of children. Children that men and women would pay to use in whatever manner they wanted. You asked if I knew SJ’s mother, well I did. Intimately. Vitale and MJ loved involving us in their games.”
“Why have you never told me any of this?” I look between Logan and Aiden.
“Aiden, is this true?” Kade asks.
“Yes it’s true. I’m not looking to go into detail right now and neither is Logan. We just thought you should know the reason behind why we do what we do,” Aiden responds.
“And what is it you do?” I ask.
“We are ridding the world of vermin. Some of the kids in the ring didn’t survive the attacks on them. We’re avenging them while getting revenge for ourselves,” Aiden replies.
“We kidnapped Molly. Vitale had a week to get one million dollars wired to our account or we killed her. He never paid up. We told Molly the moment she came around from the sedative, what was going on. We showed her photos and films of what her father did to the children in the ring. She threw up a few times. She couldn’t believe her father wouldn’t pay up to save her life, so she joined us. She is currently being sponsored in Australia, on the understanding that she stay there until her father was dead,” Logan explains.
“But the police found her body. They said her abduction was because Vitale owed money to Buccieri. They found my semen during her autopsy,” I say, wanting to know how any of that was possible.
“There is a small section of the CIA that has given us permission to deal with the ring’s members. The FBI and the police can’t stop us, they don’t want to stop us and actually assist us. It was actually Molly’s idea to have the police find your semen—she’s pretty clever.” Aiden informs us.
“I take it Molly isn’t the only one you’ve kidnapped?” Grayson asked. “Is one of our senior executives also a member of the ring?”
“Yes and as you well know, his daughter was recently abducted,” Logan answers and now I know why he was smiling that day in Grayson’s office.
Caleb (The Unseen Series Book 1) Page 24
