The Chase, Volume 4

by Jessica Wood

  “I love you, Dad.” I whipped away the tears from my eyes. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me through the years. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make you proud.”

  “I have no doubt, Son.”

  For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged. I felt loved. I felt like a real Parker.

  ***

  “I’m glad to have you back, big brother.” Blair giggled as we walked toward our cars that were parked along Dad’s circular driveway.

  I laughed, feeling the dark clouds that’d surrounded me throughout my life had finally disappeared. “Well technically I’ve been legally your big brother since we were young.”

  She joined in my laughter. “I’m glad you’ve always been there.”

  Just then, I recalled something that had bothered me earlier. “Hey, Blair?”

  “Yeah?”

  “When Dad was talking about the living trust fund for Katherine, why did you seem confused?”

  She frowned. “Well on the first day I’d met Katherine a week or so ago, she told me that after her parents died, she had to deal with the mortgage and funeral expenses. She ended up swimming in debt ever since.” She shook her head in confusion. “I even wrote her a check for $5,000 to help her out…but now, I don’t know why she lied. If she was getting more than enough from the trust fund, why did she need me to think she was poor? Why did she cash the $5,000?”

  “Hmm. That is strange behavior. So why didn’t you bring this up earlier?”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I guess I didn’t want to break Dad’s heart if he knew Katherine was lying to me about money and how bad her life had been. I didn’t want Dad to worry.”

  “Blair, sometimes you’re too selfless. I know you want to get to know your biological sister, but from everything that you’ve told me, please be careful with her.”

  Her face suddenly fell, and I suddenly noticed the pain and heartache in her sad emerald eyes and I knew that something had happened that I wasn’t aware of.

  “What happened, Blair?”

  Tears immediately streamed down her face. “Dean and I broke up,” she sobbed.

  “What? How did that happen?” I couldn’t believe my ears. From what I had seen between the two of them, I thought they were meant for one another.

  “I…God this just sounds too crazy to believe.”

  I’d never seen Blair fall apart like this before. “Start from the beginning, Blair.”

  I was shell-shocked by Blair’s account of what had happened and what Dean had told her. I’d met people like Katherine, the cold, manipulative type who preyed on others to get what she wanted.

  “Blair, I once promised you when we were kids that I’d protect you forever.”

  A small smile appeared on her lips as she blinked back her tears. “You remember that?”

  I nodded. “I never told you this, but my happiest moments in childhood were with you. Outside of my mom, you were the closest family to me—you always loved me unconditionally, and you always giggled and looked at me like I was the most important thing in your life. You were the only person that seemed to look at me like that. Even though I hadn’t known then that I was switched at birth, I had always felt like an outsider. But you were always there to love me. I want to be always there to protect you.”

  “Thank you, Trent. That means a lot to me.”

  I smiled at her, “The big brother in me is dying to give you some advice.”

  She chuckled lightly. “Okay, lay it on me.”

  “Okay, I know you don’t want to believe it, but it’s clear to me that Katherine’s intentions aren’t genuine. She lied about not having money. She lied about not knowing Dean. And from what you told me, she was the one in the wrong when she cheated on him.”

  “I’ll be more careful with her.”

  “Good. And for my second, and more important, advice.”

  She laughed. “You’re on a roll.”

  “You betcha.” I winked. “But in all seriousness, from the interactions I’ve had with Dean, I can tell he’s a good guy. I also know that he cares about you a lot. Six months ago, the temporarily-insane Trent tried to recruit him to help me get you kicked out of the company.”

  “I remember that.” She shot me a knowing look.

  “Sorry again,” I said sheepishly. “Anyway, he wouldn’t do it. He said he cared about you and wouldn’t do that to you. I knew then that he loved you.”

  Tears returned to her eyes.

  “Blair, you know me. You know I’m a pretty good judge of character. I know the type of guy Dean is, and I think he’s perfect for you.”

  “But I…I don’t know if we’re meant to be.”

  I frowned. “What are you scared of, Blair?”

  Her voice cracked as she answered me. “I’m scared that he’s not over her. She was his very first love, and if she hadn’t cheated on him, he would have proposed. It was because of her crushing his heart that he’d been a commitment-phobe bachelor for the last decade.” She sighed. “I’m worried that she will always be a part of him—that there are feelings there that he doesn’t even know he has because he’s been resisting her because he wants to be faithful to me.”

  “Blair,” I grabbed both her arms and looked intently into her eyes. “Fuck Katherine! There was a reason that relationship ended. It’s also been over ten years. People change. Dean’s changed. Blair, I let the secret of Katherine almost destroy our relationship. Don’t let her destroy the relationship you have with Dean. I can tell you both love each other.”

  I could tell my words were marinating in her mind as she tried to decide what to do. Finally she smiled and threw her hands around me, hugging me as tightly as she could. “Thank you, Trent! You’re right. I made a big mistake.” She then walked quickly to her car.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to go tell Dean exactly how I feel about him before it’s too late!”

  Before I could respond and wish her luck, she sped off. I stood there smiling after her, happy that she was going to go fight for her happiness.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Dean

  I felt numb as I stared up at the off-white ceiling over my bed. I had been awake for a while now, but I had no motivation to get up. I knew time had passed. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours. But I continued to stare up at the off-white ceiling in a vegetative state, willing myself to not think about anything or anyone. It was the only way to numb out the excruciating pain that radiated from my chest and into every fiber of my body.

  It must have been early afternoon when I heard the lobby intercom to my condo buzz. Blair! I immediately thought, my spirits instantly lifted from the possibility that she’d changed her mind.

  I raced to my door and looked at the video surveillance of the lobby entrance. My chest tightened and anger enveloped my body when I saw who it was. The Blonde Bitch.

  I was about to shut off the surveillance and ignore her, but her voice boomed through the intercom.

  “Dean, I know you can see me. Don’t ignore me. I need to talk to you about Blair.”

  The mention of Blair’s name through her lips grated against my last nerve.

  “Don’t fucking say her name to me,” I said through gritted teeth. “You don’t deserve to say her name.”

  Adding fuel to my fury, she laughed coolly. “Well that’s a new one. Now come on, Dean. Let me in.”

  “Go fuck yourself, Katherine!” I screamed into the intercom.

  “Well I’d much rather you fuck me,” she purred.

  My mouth gaped open at how brazen this bitch was. “You know very well that shit will never happen!”

  I saw her roll her eyes. “Dean, I’ll ask you one more time. Let me in now.”

  I snorted. “Or what?”

  A smirk appeared on her face. “If you don’t, I’ll destroy any shred of a chance you might still have with Blair.”

  “Don’t threaten me. Y
ou’re just talking out of your ass.”

  “Are you sure about that?” She looked directly at the surveillance camera. “Do you really think it’s worth risking it?”

  I clenched my fists, trying to stabilize my rage. “How do I know you’re not going to try to destroy my chances of a relationship with Blair even if I let you in?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t.”

  “Katherine, I’m fucking tired of your mind games.”

  “Well then, that’s easy. Just let me in.”

  I thought about my options and knew that I had to let her in. From my conversation with Blair last night, I knew that she still wanted to make her relationship with her sister work. I didn’t know how much power Katherine had over Blair and I wasn’t ready to risk it before I had a chance to talk to Blair again.

  Begrudgingly, I pressed the intercom button.

  “That’s what I thought.” Katherine beamed at me before walking through the unlocked lobby door.

  I punched the wall in frustration as I waited for her to come up.

  “Well hello, Dean.” Katherine walked through the front door.

  “What do you want, Katherine? I asked impatiently as I walked to my living room without looking over at her.

  “Shit, Dean!” she suddenly cried.

  I glanced over to see what happened, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “What wrong?”

  “You, actually. You look like shit.” She shook her head in disapproval. “I’ll need to teach Blair a few things about taking care of her boyfriend.”

  I bit my tongue and didn’t react. I knew she wanted to get a reaction out of me, and it was the last thing I was going to give her.

  “What do you want, Katherine. I’m busy.”

  “Well I was just concerned about you after everything that had happened yesterday.”

  She walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I immediately yanked her hands off me and took several steps back.

  “Cut the bullshit, Katherine. I know you well enough to know this is all an act. What is it that you want?”

  She sighed and her tone changed. “You’re right, Dean.” I knew immediately this was her normal voice. “I’m tired of this cat and mouse game and I came to ask you something.”

  I looked over at her and met her gaze. “Okay, what is it?”

  Her expression changed and it unnerved me when I saw a glimpse of the Katherine I remembered from years ago flashed before my eyes.

  “Now that Blair knows everything, I want to tell you something I’d wanted to tell you over a decade ago.”

  “And what is that?”

  “I’m sorry for cheating on you. I was young and stupid. I couldn’t see the incredible man that I had in front of me. I took you for granted.”

  “Katherine,” I cut her off, “I need to stop you there. All that is ancient history. We don’t need to rehash anything. None of that is important to me anymore.”

  “I don’t believe you,” she insisted.

  I groaned in frustration. “I don’t know what I can say to make you believe me, but I have no reasons to lie to you. I’ve long moved passed everything that’d happened between us. So let’s not waste each other’s time in talking about it.”

  “But our kiss last night? That was amazing.”

  I stared at her in disbelief. “What the fuck are you smoking? Because clearly we are not talking about the same kiss.”

  For a split second, I saw her face fall in despair. But it quickly disappeared, and in its place was a stone, cold expressionless Katherine.

  “Do you want to know a secret, Dean?”

  “Not particularly when it’s coming from you.”

  “Well I think you’ll be interested in hearing this one. It’s about how I came back into your life.”

  My ears perked up but I kept my face free from expression. “I don’t think I can stop you from telling it, so be my guest.”

  A grin spread across her face. “Well so I haven’t been exactly honest with Blair when she called me that first time.”

  I glared at her. “How am I not surprised by this?”

  She ignored my comment. “You see about a year or so ago, I had seen your picture in Forbes Magazine under San Francisco’s ‘30 Most Eligible Bachelors Under 30.’ It was then that I had realized the mistake I’d made years ago when I cheated on you with your frat bro. And then months later, something cosmic had happened. Blair had found me and called me for the first time to tell me that I was her sister, something I had already known actually. But what I hadn’t known at the time was a pleasant surprise. While she was rambling on and on over the phone about how she’d been looking for me and how much she wanted to meet, I’d jumped on Google and looked her up. That was when I saw a picture of her with you in some local social magazine. When I saw your picture, I knew it was fate. I knew it was the Universe giving me a second chance. And as if the signs hadn’t been clear enough, Blair had then asked me if I could meet that week.”

  She paused and smiled at me. “It was destiny that brought us back together, Dean. So I vowed to do whatever it took to get you back.”

  “But she’s your sister, Katherine. Your real sister. And you knew that I was her boyfriend. How could you hurt her like that?”

  Katherine’s expression hardened. “Because you were my boyfriend first! I was your first love. I was the first person you made passionate love to. And if I hadn’t cheated on you, you’d already be my husband. And you know what, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m the person you pictured when you were fucking her and all the other women you’d slept with after me.”

  “You’re delusional! I was your boyfriend over a decade ago! I am no longer that guy anymore. I’m Blair’s boyfriend and nothing you say will change that.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Dean. Blair’s the delusional one. Now that she knows everything, she knows that I was your first. For such a family-oriented girl like her, I’m not sure she can let you fuck her without picturing how hard you’d once fucked me, how wet you’d once made me, and how much you’d loved eating me out. That’s something she can’t change. I was your first love, your first fuck, and your pussy that you worshiped. She’ll always know when you’re deep inside her, she’s having my slopping seconds.”

  Katherine threw her head back in laughter and that was when I’d lost it. But before I go over and slap her across the face, a sudden movement from the corner of my eyes caught my attention.

  It was Blair, and she’d walked through the half-open front door and stormed toward Katherine. Katherine turned to see who it was but before she could react, Blair curled her hand into a tight fist and threw it across the air. As if in slow motion, I watched the fist of the woman I loved forcefully pound across the face of the woman I hated.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Blair

  “Fuck!” Pain radiated from my hand immediately after my fist collided against Katherine’s jaw. I watched as she toppled back and fell to her knees. A visible gash appeared on the corner of her lips.

  “Shit, that was quite a punch! Are you okay?” Dean rushed to my side to take a look at my hand.

  “Yeah, I didn’t know it’d hurt this much.” I looked at my battered hand and then at Katherine who had just regained her grounding. “But it was totally worth it!” I flashed Dean a smile of satisfaction.

  Dean laughed. “If that’s the first time you’ve thrown a punch, you’re a fucking natural.”

  “I guess I am.” I relished in this moment as Katherine began to glare at me.

  “Why the fuck did you hit me!” I could see the vile hatred she had for me in her dark eyes and I knew she wasn’t the person I had first thought she was.

  “Why did you think?” I challenged. “I heard everything you’d just said to Dean.”

  “Really, little sister, you really should learn to grown some backbone.”

  “I’m not your little sister, you bitch! So don’t think you can use that to somehow
push me around. Yes, we may be sisters by blood, but Trent is more of a family than you’ll ever be. I don’t ever want to see you again! I want you out of my life!”

  She flashed me a condescending smile and licked some of the blood from the corner of her mouth. “Or what? You’ll throw a girly punch at me again?”

  “No,” I smiled back and took a step toward her, “I have something even better. I spoke with my Dad today and it appears that you’ve been living comfortably since you turned 25 five years ago when the living trust Dad set up for you went into effect.”

  “So what if I lied about being poor?” she shot back.

  I smirked. “You see, I threw you a lifeline today. I didn’t tell Dad about how you treated me or about how you lied to me. Since you were legally adopted to your parents, you can’t inherit any money from my family. And if you mess with me or the ones I care about ever again, I will make sure that living trust is revoked and you’ll never see another dime from my father again!”

  “You wouldn’t!” She sneered at me. “I’m your sister!”

  I looked at her with disdain. “You lost the right to call me your sister the moment you lied to me. I’d do anything to protect those I care about. You may have confused my initial love and care toward you as a sister for weakness, but let me warn you now, there’s nothing weak about me when you get on my bad side.”

  Katherine’s face with bright right with anger as she gritted teeth. But she remained silent. Finally she stormed to the front door with a puff. When she got to the frame of the door, she stopped. “He’s just my leftovers. He’s nothing special. If you really want my sloppy seconds so much, then he’s all yours. But Blair,” she paused and turned to me with a wide smile on her face, “be sure to think of me when you’re sucking his cock tonight.”

  “Get the fuck out of my house, Katherine.” Dean shoved Katherine to the hallway and slammed the door on her.

  After Katherine was gone, Dean and I smiled at each other, and I felt my heart ache at the sight of him. He reached his hands and caressed my cheeks, pulling me up to kiss him.