• • •
All Adrian wanted to do was to find this murderer on the run as quickly as possible and get back home to Cory. He had to go back and make her understand. He had to explain her everything.
Adrian hardly said anything for the entire two-hour-long drive to the south of the island. He stared at nothing in particular as the constant chatter of the others continued around him. He could only think about Cory. He never saw her looking so hysterical before. He hated seeing her cry or seeing her so unhappy. And to know that it was all his doing was just too much for Adrian to bear.
When the group of them was dropped off, they gathered their gear and started making their way through the dark forests. Adrian was leading this mission and he didn’t have any time to waste. He had to get this exercise completed successfully and as quickly as possible, then be on his way home. It was hard enough for him to concentrate on what he had to do to lead his team because he regretted not being with Cory, to comfort her.
For the very first time, he didn’t feel like being here or leading this mission. After the long trek further into the forests, when they finally stopped to set up their camp for the night, it was close to midnight. Several of the men were complaining about Adrian’s hectic pace Though he too was physically and emotionally drained, he couldn’t sleep a wink.
• • •
It was after eleven in the night when Cory’s taxi finally pulled up in front her grandmother’s house. She was physically exhausted and mentally drained. She had silently sat and cried for the entire twenty-minute flight over here. Thankfully, she had gotten a window seat so she just stared out into the blackness and cried her heart out.
Just this afternoon she was so happy. She felt so complete. Now, within a few hours, her world was turned upside down, all because of a stupid document she read. Cory blamed herself at first. She had no right to go snooping into Adrian’s private stuff. She should have trusted him and left it at that. But no! She had to play Curious George and read the damn thing.
Her grandmother was waiting up for her. When she opened the front door, concern and happiness were both etched on her aging face.
“Hi, Gran,” Cory tried her best to beam at her grandmother. She was still wearing her sunglasses when she entered the house.
“Hi, sugar.” Her grandmother gave her a long, tight squeeze. This felt so amazingly warm and genuine that it only caused Cory to start sobbing again.
“What’s the matter, sugar? Why’re you crying?”
“Oh, nothing, Gran. I’m just so happy to see you, that’s all. I haven’t seen you since the wedding, remember?”
Cory immediately changed the subject. “I love the new hair color, Gran. Purple looks good on you,” she laughed for the first time since earlier in the afternoon.
“Oh, this is a big mistake, love. My regular hairdresser was sick but I was desperate because I had this wedding to attend. So I had this new trainee color my hair for me. And this was the result,” Miss Millie announced pointing dramatically to her short but glowing purple hair. “So I said to her afterward. Honey, maybe hairdressing isn’t your thing.”
Cory laughed again. She was so glad she chose to come to her grandmother’s.
She felt warm and loved again in her arms. All it took was one knowing look and hug from her grandmother to ease some of her pain away. Instantly, Cory was able to forget her troubles and laugh out loud. Her grandmother could always weave that magic. She was the only one in her family who could get Cory to smile and laugh even when she was in her foulest or most depressed mood.
“Do you want me to fix you something to eat, Cory?”
“No, Gran. I’m fine. I bought dinner at the airport before I boarded. I believe my bed is calling me now.”
“Well, I fixed up the guest room for you already. There are clean sheets and everything in there waiting for you.”
“Thanks, Gran.” Cory kissed her grandmother goodnight and settled into her new room for the next couple of days. She didn’t know how long she would be hiding out here for. She switched off her cell and undressed. All she needed was a quick, hot shower and her pillow. She was way too exhausted. She didn’t even want to think anymore.
Chapter 29
Cory awoke Saturday morning to an excruciating headache. That wasn’t all, either. There were also the back pains. Maybe she slept badly on the tiny single bed in the room. It was only when she had to rush off the bed and dart into the bathroom to throw up, did she realize it was a hangover.
She knew there was a reason she didn’t drink scotch. But that was the only alcohol in the apartment yesterday. And she had so desperately needed something to ease her pain. Now she was sick with an upset stomach and a banging headache. Cory didn’t know why she was having the back pains, however. She needed some more sleep but the vomiting didn’t want to end.
Miss Millie passed her throwing up in the bathroom sink. “Morning, sweetie. I brought you some soup.”
“Good morning,” Cory managed to get in over the sink before another mouthful of the fried chicken she ate the night before came gushing through her mouth in liquid form. She remained by the sink hugging it until she felt assured her stomach was completely emptied of all its contents.
“Eat some of this, you’ll feel better,” her grandmother coaxed her.
“Soup for breakfast?” Cory asked, puzzled. “Gran, I don’t think I could get anything down my throat right now,” she admitted. “I had too much to drink yesterday.”
“You mean all of this is just from a hangover?” Miss Millie asked with concern in her voice.
“Yes, Gran! What else would it be?”
Miss Millie flashed a knowing look at her. “By the way, it’s almost lunch time, sweetie. So eat up.”
She left Cory to herself to try the soup. After only three spoonfuls of the steaming but delicious Tobago concoction, Cory couldn’t have anymore. There was something riding her mind. At this point she had no other choice. She had to do it. She grabbed her handbag and started rummaging through it. She found what she was looking for and went into the bathroom again. This time she locked the door behind her.
Cory opened the box of the pregnancy test and read the instructions. She had bought it weeks ago when she missed her last period. She had been too nervous to even look at it since. She never bothered to tell Adrian because she didn’t know how he would have reacted. She didn’t even know how he felt about having kids because they never discussed it. She was planning to bring the subject up when they were at the beach today. Cory only now realized that they were supposed to be at Maracas this very moment, relaxing and enjoying the day. If only things didn’t take such a drastic turn for the worse yesterday.
Cory paced the bedroom floor as she waited for the results. What an extremely bad time for her to be taking a pregnancy test, she thought. She didn’t know how she was going to deal with a positive result. It would be so cruel of her to bring an innocent baby into this whole mess. Her marriage was in shambles. Everyone was probably mad with her in her family. Her friends. Jay. The only one she had on her side at the moment was her grandmother. Cory prayed to God for it to be a negative outcome.
When she finally mustered enough courage to look at the test result, she picked it up off the bed and read it. All her feelings and emotions instantly got the better of her. Relief and somewhat of a happy feeling of finally knowing coursed through her as she once again sank to the bed and sobbed.
Cory must have cried herself to sleep again, because when she turned and opened her eyes, her grandmother was sitting at the foot of the bed intently watching her. The pregnancy test was still in her hand but luckily for her, safely hidden under the pillow.
“Okay, Cory since you’re up now, we need to talk, young lady,” her grandmother had a stern look on her face this time. “I think I gave you enough time. So tell me what’s wrong
, sweetie.”
This reminded Cory of being reprimanded as a child and that wasn’t a nice thing. “Gran, nothing’s wrong,” she weakly muttered.
“So explain to me then, why you suddenly show up at my house in the middle of the night, wearing sunglasses. You practically slept through the entire day. You haven’t eaten a thing,” Miss Millie’s eyes instantly darted to the now cold soup still sitting on the bed-side table. “Look at your eyes, they’re swollen and puffy,” she continued. “I may be old, Cory Mendez, but I’m no fool. And since you haven’t mentioned your husband’s name once since you’ve been here, I know this is all about him,” she softened. “So did you two have a fight?”
“Yes, Gran,” Cory quietly answered. “But it was a little more than that.” She couldn’t lie to her grandmother anymore.
“Well, I’m listening. I’ve nowhere else to go, sugar.”
Cory took a deep breath as she sat up on the bed. She left the test hidden under her pillow. “Gran, what I’m about to tell you would be very disturbing and shocking to you. All I ask is that you please don’t hate me for it.”
“Cory, I’ll never hate you for anything. I don’t care what you did. Just tell me the truth,” her grandmother said. “Okay?”
She began to tell her grandmother everything that happened as she knew it. From two nights before when Adrian was working on his computer game to when she showed up in Tobago last night. Miss Millie remained silent on the bed through the entire thing. She was visibly shaken and in shock after.
“Oh my Lord,” was all she could manage to say, clutching her chest.
“Gran, are you okay?” It was Cory’s turn to be concerned when she was finished talking.
“Yes. Don’t worry, sweetie. We’re going to be just fine.” She gave Cory one last reassuring hug and got up to leave.
“Where’re you going, Gran?” Cory asked.
“I need to think about all what you just told me here.”
“Gran, I’m so sorry for all this.”
“Sorry for what? Cory, this isn’t your fault.”
“Dad will hate me for this, though,” she blurted out.
“No! I wouldn’t let him,” Miss Millie said indignantly. “Sweetie, why don’t you go for a walk on the beach? Try to clear your head? It’s such a lovely evening. Go get some fresh air, you’ll feel much better.”
“I think I’ll do that, Gran,” Cory announced as she climbed out of bed. She had been holed up in the house all day. She could really do with taking a walk and stretching her legs a bit now.
Chapter 30
Adrian was thankful. Thankful that at last one of his prayers was answered pretty quickly. Late on Saturday evening, his team was informed that their man, the same one they were after, had surrendered. He realized he would be tracked down so he did the sensible thing and he was now back in police custody. After he escaped the forests, he apparently walked into the nearest police station and just gave himself up.
This news could not have come at a better time for Adrian. As soon as they got it, everyone began organizing their equipment, weapons and gear and started the trek back out. At least their stint there wasn’t a lost cause. Along the way, they found some marijuana fields and destroyed them. That would only mean less weed finding its way on the market.
When Adrian finally returned to the apartment late on Saturday night, it felt strange to him. It felt cold and empty and lonely. Although Cory’s car was parked outside, the minute he turned the lock and stepped inside, Adrian immediately knew she wasn’t there.
The apartment was too quiet. There was no laughter or giggles to soothe him. There were no delicious smells wafting through the air to greet his nose, either from her food or her signature scents of floral or citrus. None of these things greeted Adrian as he opened the door. He stared at an empty, cold apartment and was instantly reminded of the unhappiness and pain he’d caused Cory right there yesterday.
He dropped his gear and made his way to the bedroom. This only served to confirm his suspicions. Cory was gone. A golden glimmer on the bed caught his eyes. On closer inspection, it was something dear and precious to her. Her wedding ring. What was Cory’s wedding ring doing on the bed?
As he sat on the bed and played with it in his hand, the cold, harsh reality became all too real for him to bear. Adrian sank into the bed and his entire world crashed before him. The woman he loved wasn’t in it anymore. She left him and his worst fear had come true.
He was going crazy from not knowing where Cory was or what was going on with her. All sorts of madness rushed through his head. Adrian was becoming sick with worry. He grabbed his cell and dialed her number. It went immediately to her voicemail. He must have called her at least fifty times after that. She never once answered his call. He left just one voice message after all that.
Maybe he just needed to hear her voice again. No, that wasn’t enough. How could that ever be enough? He needed Cory here with him, back in his arms again. He had to find her. Wherever she was, he had to find her. He had to make her understand that it was never his intention to hurt her. That he loved her with all his heart. That he couldn’t possibly live here without her. In this apartment. On this island. On this earth.
Adrian needed a long cold shower but rushed out stark naked when he heard Pitbull and Chris Brown’s “International Love” lyrics belting out. His cell phone was ringing. He didn’t have time to see the caller flashing across the screen. He just grabbed the phone and answered. The first word to come out his mouth was, “Cory?”
“No, this isn’t Cory. What’s wrong with you? Didn’t you see my number calling?”
“Oh, hi, Anna.”
“Oh, hi, Anna? Is that all I get?” an irate Anna asked on the other end.
“I’m sorry. I thought it was Cory, okay?”
“Adrian, what’s wrong?” Anna asked. “And don’t tell me nothing because I’m hearing it in your voice. Where’s Cory, Adrian?”
“I don’t know, Anna. She left. I came home and she isn’t here, okay,” Adrian answered in a low voice.
“What do you mean she left? What’s going on over there?”
“Look, Cory found out some things she shouldn’t have. It should’ve come from me telling her personally. But now she knows and she hates me for it.”
“What exactly did she find out, Adrian?” Anna persisted.
“Anna, I never even told you this before, okay.”
“Told me what?”
“I can’t be without her. I love her too much, Anna. But she doesn’t want to even talk to me or see my face for that matter.”
“Adrian, but what could you’ve possibly done to deserve that?”
“Remember when I asked you to pull that news clip for me? The one when Cory’s brother was shot. I was there that night, Anna. I was part of the patrol unit that shot and killed four men two years ago. The driver of the car … that was Cory’s brother. He was killed innocently. But we didn’t know that, we had no prior knowledge that he wasn’t a gang member or that he was even in that car.”
“Hold up, Adrian. What’re you saying?”
“I’m saying that I was responsible for killing my wife’s brother,” Adrian shouted through the phone. “But I swear I didn’t know that before. But that’s not what she thinks.”
“Oh, God. So what does she think, then?” Anna asked in horror.
“She thinks that I deliberately lied to her and used her to hide the facts. She thinks I’m a murderer, Anna.” Adrian paused after saying this. He still couldn’t believe Cory called him that. “I had already fallen in love with her when I found out. What was I supposed to do? I know that I should’ve told her everything from the beginning. I know that. That was the biggest mistake of my life. I’m willing to take responsibility for it. But I just want to talk to her and tell her everything. I jus
t need her forgiveness. But it’s too late. She already left. I just want to see her again, Anna. I just want to hear her voice. I just want to hold her and comfort her.”
“Adrian, I know you, okay. I understand why you felt you couldn’t even tell me about this. Because you wanted to protect me. I get that. And I get that you didn’t tell Cory because you didn’t want to lose her. Though it was stupid! But I understand why you did what you did. And I know it couldn’t have been an easy decision for you. But Adrian, you have to tell her everything now. Why you did what you did. That you love her and can’t stand to be without her.”
“Anna, I want to. But I don’t know where she ran off to.”
“So you’re going to let that stop you? You just have to find her, Adrian,” Anna was beginning to sound just as frantic as Adrian now. “You have to find her and tell her and make her understand. Use all your resources dammit. You just have to find her.”
“I don’t think that’ll work, Anna. You know how stubborn Cory is. Besides she doesn’t even want to speak to me.”
“So that’s it? You’re just going to sit there and do nothing?” Anna’s voice was now rising. “Adrian, I know you’re a fighter and I know you love Cory more than anything in this world and I know you’ll do anything, whatever it takes to win her back. So don’t you dare give up now. I’ve seen you battle death. I’ve seen you battle terrorists. I’ve seen you battle loneliness. Now you have to battle for the woman you love and the life you want with her.”
Now he would have two hysterical women to calm down and Adrian couldn’t handle dealing with another frantic female on his hands again so soon. After a long silence, he finally broke it.
“Sis, thank you.”
Anna laughed. “For what? I love you, bro. And I want you to be so amazingly happy. In fact, Adrian, since the first time I saw you and Cory together, I’ve never seen you so happy before. You’re always there for me so all I need is for my one and only and most amazing brother in this whole world to be so very happy. You deserve it after all you’ve been through.”
Romance in Color Page 202
