“You…” Chloe couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. “Why?”
A tear slowly ran down the doctor’s face. “How could I not? Helen wanted me to choose what I believed was right, which told me that she was willing to sacrifice herself if it meant saving another life. That’s what kind of woman she was and I have to believe she understands and forgives me. After the funeral, I had no choice but to sell my practice and go to work for Matthew, where he repeatedly reminds me of the two reasons I wasn’t with my wife when the house caught fire. One was because I could be used to his benefit, the other is to make me live with the consequences of my choices. He always has, and always will, blame me for forcing him to play father to you.”
Chloe turned to David. “Is Wyatt dead because of my father as well?”
David’s features softened as the memory of his son saddened him. “If I had tangible, undeniable proof that Matthew murdered my son—or ordered him murdered in Las Vegas—I would have no reservations whatsoever in doling out the consequences to him personally.”
“And he has no idea that you are here with David?” Chloe asked Elias.
“He knows I’m with David, but he doesn’t know where we are.”
“How do you know?”
David chimed in. “If he did, I would know it. The doctor comes to Chicago at least once a year to see me and that’s what Matthew believes now. When we found out where you were, the doctor was able to detain him for a few days so that we could try to get to you first.”
“How did you find out where I was, Elias?”
Dr. Michaelson told her the story of how she had been located and how he had overheard the conversation in Matthew’s office.
“Madeline?” Chloe asked, surprised. “Who does Madeline know in Louisiana?”
“She didn’t say,” Elias explained, “but she was adamant that her source was telling the truth.”
“Do you know there is another one here with me, another with the tattoo?” Chloe asked David.
He nodded. “We heard, but don’t know who she is.”
“It’s Alice.” Chloe turned to Christopher, whose silence throughout the evening had been bothering her. Chloe saw out of the corner of her eye that David was about to say something, and she held up a finger to stop him as she addressed Christopher. “You’ve been quiet so far. Other than being alive, do you have anything to contribute to the plethora of weight being thrown on me this week? Was I just someone for you to use as leverage too?”
“I put Christopher to work in Boston,” David said in Christopher’s defense. “When Sasha asked me about leaving Boston and recommended that you take her place, my concern for your safety grew. Without telling Matthew my reasons, I put Christopher in Boston solely to keep an eye on you, make sure that Matthew didn’t abuse his power or fail my expectations when it came to you and your new responsibilities.” David smiled and glanced between Christopher and Chloe. “The fact that you two fell in love just happened to be a happy bonus.”
Chloe had heard enough. She couldn’t seem to pick an emotion, although disgust and anger were the easiest to feel at the moment. In a matter of hours, she had learned she was a bastard child who was supposed to be murdered instead of born, both her mother and biological father had been murdered, the man she had once desperately loved and mourned was alive, and the man behind it all was who she believed to be her father. And in the midst of it all, she had two things on her mind that she couldn’t shake, and she had to deal with them sooner or later—she had to talk to Hunter and she had to find Alice.
“Renee,” David said as she stood to leave. She shot him a dangerous look and he corrected himself. “I apologize. Chloe, I know this is a lot of information to take in, but it is past time that you learned the truth. It’s also time that Matthew is stopped before the next one dead is you.”
“In an effort to get to you,” she clarified, and David nodded.
Chloe understood everything that had been said, and had to admit that while she wasn’t prepared for what she’d heard, she was grateful that it was David who’d found her first. Her features softened as she sat back down and faced David.
“Are you going to kill him?”
“Once I have an undisputable reason to, yes.”
Chloe wasn’t surprised by his abrupt honesty and wasn’t sure how to feel about David’s plans. There was a large part of her that understood David’s reasoning. “And you need my help?”
“Not as much as he needs you to get to me,” David replied. “I need you to not let Matthew use you as he intends to. I don’t care what happens to me, but if he decides he has no further use for you…well, let’s just say that his consequences will be swift and severe. He didn’t give a second thought to murdering your mother and father, and he wouldn’t think twice about putting you in the ground either.”
Chloe felt a chill run down her back at the truthfulness of David’s words. “I know this is a redundant question, but I’m going to ask it anyway. I have heard stories that Wyatt was more of a partier and playboy than he was interested in running the business. Not that I’m trying to defend Matthew, but is it possible that he didn’t have anything to do with Wyatt’s death?”
“Anything is possible.” David removed something from his coat pocket and held it in his fist. “Then one day, maybe a year or so after she left Boston, Sasha came to me. She was troubled and wouldn’t tell me exactly what it was that was bothering her, but she did say the reason she couldn’t tell me was because she was afraid of hurting you. Then she gave me this.”
David leaned forward and placed the item in Chloe’s hand. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat. Chloe held a small key, only about an inch and a half long, with three jagged teeth on one side. Not a key big enough for a big lock or a door, but a key just the right size for a small box. A box she had seen before. A box she had handled before. A small metal box that she wouldn’t open until she knew it was the right time.
Chloe stared at the key as David continued. “She never told me what the key represents and she never told me what they key fits. All she told me was that you would have the answers.”
Chloe looked at David from under her lashes, the weight of awareness of the key threatening to pull her arm to the floor. “I don’t have all of the answers you’re looking for, David.”
“Does that key have anything to do with Wyatt’s death?” David asked, hopeful.
“I don’t know that answer, but I do know what the key fits. Sasha gave me the key to the hiding place of a small metal lockbox the night of my sixteenth birthday and asked me not to try to open it. She said if I was as smart as she knew I was, I would know when to open it.”
“Did she tell you what is in the box?”
“Proof.”
“Where is the box now?”
“Alabama,” she stated. “I’ll leave tomorrow. I can be there and back in one day.”
David nodded in both satisfaction and gratitude. “You know what will happen if this box contains anything to do with my son’s death.”
The fact that she knew Matthew’s death warrant was signed didn’t bother her. “I’ll be leaving for Boston after I return with the box.”
Chapter 41
As the night went on, Chloe wasn’t really interested in small talk and it bothered her that Christopher hardly said a word. When she left Jack’s suite to go back to her room, he didn’t try to approach her or say anything other than good night.
She was able to sleep for a few hours before checking out of the hotel and getting ready to drive back to Lafayette in the early morning hours. Her first priority was to get to Alice and the key. Second would be getting the box and delivering it to David. Lastly, she would try to find Hunter and talk to him, even if it meant saying goodbye for good.
It was still dark as she walked through the parking lot toward her car and was not surprised to see Dr. Michaelson waiting for her. She had a feeling somebody would be waiting for her, but she thought i
t would be Christopher. She approached the doctor with a tired smile and saw he had coffee in his hands.
“I had a feeling you would be sneaking out in the middle of the night,” he said lightly, handing her a cup.
“Follow me to my car?” she asked in a tired voice. “You need to know that I’m not angry with you for the choice you made. If what I was told tonight was true, and I believe it was, it was the most difficult choice you have ever had to make.”
Elias waited until Chloe put her bags in her car to answer. “How could you not be angry with me after what I’ve done and what I should have told you years ago?”
She needed to find a way to reassure him that she forgave him. “If I had known her and grown up with her, I might feel differently. I don’t know if I could have made the same choice. You sacrificed everything for what you thought was right and I can only thank you for saving me. I cannot even begin to imagine the suffering he has put you through over the years.”
“I was hoping he would kill me too.” The doctor had a far-off look, like he was studying the world around him. “But after a few years, I was glad he didn’t because I had the opportunity to be with you and try to reassure myself that I did the right thing after all. You never disappointed me, but you constantly surprised me.”
Chloe gave him a sincere smile. “This may very well be over soon. It’s time you forgive yourself, Elias.”
He raised his eyebrows and gave a thin smile to say he would think about it, and softly hugged her. “Thank you,” he said in choked words. “I don’t deserve it, but thank you.”
When the hug broke, she said, “I was told he is sick.”
“That’s correct.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s got what’s called Long HQ Syndrome. It’s a rare heart condition. He could have inherited it and been born with it, or he could have simply developed it as he got older. It’s a delayed repolarization of the heart following a heartbeat that increases the risk of irregular heartbeats that originate from the ventricles, which could lead to palpitations, fainting, or even death. I’ve been giving him beta blockers to help blunt the surges of adrenaline that trigger episodes of arrhythmia, but it’s no guarantee that it will work.”
“What would cause a surge of adrenaline that might cause him to have an episode?”
“It could be anything from stress to a sudden loud noise taking him by surprise. There is actually a case study where a little girl died from her teacher yelling at her. That’s why it’s important he take his medication and try to avoid as much stress as he can.”
“Then it would behoove him not to miss a dosage. Is David aware of the seriousness of his condition?”
Dr. Michaelson slowly nodded and smiled. “I will stop talking now and let you get done what you need to. I am flying back to Boston later this morning. I will be sure to act happily surprised to see you in a few days.”
Both she and Elias turned to see Christopher walking toward them, Elias with an unsurprised smile on his face while Chloe’s expression showed skepticism and distrust.
“I’m coming with you.” Christopher’s tone said he was not taking no for an answer and there was no use arguing with him. She gave a resigned sigh and waved toward the car, indicating that he should get in before she left without him. Christopher stood where he was for a moment as Chloe stared into his eyes with uncertainty of how she should feel at that exact moment.
Irritation, mixed with being commanded, momentarily got the best of her. “Unless you have developed teleportation powers over the past eight years, you need to get in the car if you’re coming with me.”
Christopher was amused by her reaction and it showed in the smile he gave her as he got in the passenger seat.
Chloe turned and gave Elias a strong hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Now it’s time for you to forgive yourself. I’ll see you in a few days.”
“Be patient with him,” Elias said, clearly talking about Christopher. “If you think the years have been hard on you, don’t think for a second he doesn’t have regrets. He punished himself for years. I suspect he still does.”
Chloe nodded in understanding and got into the car, preparing herself for what was to come and feeling better about not being alone anymore.
Chapter 42
Alice pulled into her parking space across the street from the office building, hoping Chloe would be there and anxious to know if there were any answers to unresolved questions. Alice hadn’t seen Chloe for almost two days and didn’t have the first clue where she was. All she knew was that Chloe had promised to get more information for her, and all Alice could do was wait. Alice thought about never again having to live in fear. She thought about her boys, who wouldn’t understand why their lives were being turned upside down, but she knew they would be strong enough to handle it, each in their own way.
Alice was so preoccupied with her thoughts of a possible future and planning her day that she never saw them coming. One second she was turning from her car to walk to her office building, and the next thing she knew she was waking up in the back of a limousine, slowly sitting up in the leather seat, confusion filling her head. As she batted her eyes open and they began to focus, she found herself staring into the hard, spiteful eyes of Matthew Parnell.
“Where is my daughter?” Matthew, sitting in the seat across from her, spoke severely with concentrated aggression in his expression. Crescent was sitting beside Matthew in his ever-stoic manner, silent and observant, always ready to pounce at the snap of Matthew’s fingers. They were both still as intimidating as she had always known them to be, but this time there was a difference—in addition to their icy stares, there was also fury running through them both.
The partition that separated driver from passengers was raised and she wondered two things: who was driving and where they were going. Alice became immediately hysterical, uncontrollably shaking and tears free-falling down her face as she stared into Crescent’s black, piercing eyes that warned her if she misbehaved, he would take the necessary steps to remedy her behavior. She tried to inhale deep breaths through her nose to compose herself, but was failing miserably.
“I know she’s here and I know you two have been spending time together. Where is she?”
Alice tried to control the terror in her voice as she answered. “I don’t know. Please, Matthew! I promise you, I don’t know!”
Matthew narrowed his eyes at her, as if trying to decide if she was telling the truth. “When was the last time you saw her?”
Alice was trying to breath in between stifled sobs. “A…few…days…ago.”
“When do you expect to see her again?”
“I don’t know,” Alice said, still shaking but otherwise gaining control of her thoughts. “I was hoping she would be back to work today but she makes her own schedule.”
“I see.” Matthew cocked his head and studied her for a few moments, watching as she tried to control her breathing through the intense fear, yet unable to stop the flow of tears streaming down her face. “I’m curious why you left me, Alice. I haven’t had an opportunity to ask any of the other girls except Sasha, and I didn’t like what she had to say.”
There was no sense in lying. No matter what she said or did, she already knew she would not see tomorrow. Alice momentarily caught her breath and answered simply, “I felt like a prisoner.”
“So you ran away like she did. I don’t understand. I treated all of you better than anyone else ever could. I gave you food, shelter, and opportunities you would never have had otherwise. You traveled, you spent time with powerful and influential people, and you were paid extraordinarily well for your work. You were safe and always had my protection. I just don’t understand why so many of you felt the need to leave.”
Matthew’s arrogance was enough to make Alice nauseous. She had no idea how to respond so she sat silently, the tears beginning to lessen and her breathing beginning to even. She looked out the window, watching the scenery go by, realiz
ing they were on the interstate and heading east. The tears began to flow again as she thought of Charlie and Samuel, and everything she was going to miss as they grew up.
I won’t get to say goodbye.
Matthew gave her a mixed look of anger and amusement. “You ran away from me. You humiliated and embarrassed me.” Matthew leaned forward, his face inches away from Alice’s terrified and slightly ashamed gaze. “You stole from me.”
Alice turned her head to stare out the window, noting that they were approaching Baton Rouge, the limousine preparing to exit and continue on to places unknown to her. There was no point in pleading with him. Matthew would do what he would do and there was nothing she could do to stop it. “Renee took the money and gave it to us.”
“So you used my money to get away from me.” When Alice didn’t answer, Matthew gave a quiet, disappointed sigh and turned to Crescent. “Go ahead.”
Crescent retrieved a laptop computer from a bag next to him, opened the lid, punched a few keys, and handed it to Matthew.
“Today’s technology always amazes me. There are so many things a person can accomplish just with a push of a button or the download of software. I like that it can make a person’s life—my life—so much easier.” He turned the computer screen for Alice to see. “What you’re looking at is a live feed. Do you recognize the location?”
Matthew sat quietly, watching Alice with a cruel grin on his face as her eyes widened in horror, everything in her replaced by absolute knowledge, agonizing grief, and ultimate fear. Of course she recognized what she was looking at. The camera was in an elevated position and aimed at the recess yard of the boys’ school. Children began running into the yard for their morning playtime. In Alice’s mind, it was too early for morning recess; she had just dropped the boys off at school minutes ago. How long have we been driving? Who is on the other end of this feed? Instinctively she knew it was Tucker as she looked from the computer screen to Matthew with pleading eyes. “No! Please don’t hurt them! They haven’t done anything! Do whatever you want to me, but please, I’m begging you, don’t hurt them!”
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