"If you need us, any of us, we are here to listen. Ghost too."
Ghost's ears prick up.
"He may not look it, but he's the best listener of all."
Now Henry leans in to whisper into Sash's ear. "Just don't tell my wife."
Sash can't help but laugh a little at that. Her dad always had the capacity to make her feel better.
"How long have they been out there?"
"All day so far", Tracy says. "I've called the police but they said they can't do anything if they're not on our property."
"Fucking animals", Abbey says again.
"Thank you, Abigail", Tracy comments.
Abbey shrugs.
"It's what they are. You should have seen them at Dante's office tower."
Sash turns to her.
"Thank you, by the way. I didn't say it before, you know, for being there."
"Sure."
Abbey smiles. "You looked like you needed rescuing."
"How did you know where to find me?"
"Didn't I tell you I've always got your back? That and I've been glued to the TV since the story broke. This is better than Game of Thrones. Where else was I going to be?!"
"Abbey", Henry warns her, unsure how sensitive his daughter will be to the mention of her stepbrother.
Abbey continues undeterred. "I had no idea you'd come flying out of those doors, but when I saw you in the middle of all that chaos, you know, swamped by those people with placards and banners and, by the way, did you see some of the sizes of those lenses, I mean talk about compensating, well I had to rescue you. Super Abbey to the rescue! So, it was like that, I guess."
"Thank you."
Sash takes Abbey's hand, thankful for her friendship.
"No problem."
Sash knows the look that Abbey gives her means "you better tell me more though, otherwise I'm disowning you."
Sash has her father's hand in hers. Against her soft skin his fingers feel rough, and shredded. She doesn't remember them being this coarse, but then it may have been a while since she's held them.
"Are you hungry?" Tracy asks.
"No, thank you. I think I'm going to rest for a while. It's been quite a busy day already."
There is another awkward silence while the four of them stand about like marionettes who have just become self aware.
"Well I guess that's it", Henry says after a while. "Welcome back home, sweetie, you know, again. Come down when you are ready to eat."
"Thanks Dad", Sash says, and this time, when he lifts the coffee cup to his mouth, she sees the red lines that mark the skin by his wrist.
***
Upstairs, back in Dante's room, simply because there is nowhere else she can go, she flops on the bed like a complete and utter failure, while Abbey lies down alongside her. This isn't the first time they've done this together, and Sash is more appreciative than she is able to demonstrate that it is clear that despite what has happened they are likely to do it again.
Abbey has always been there for her, and in the light of this recent revelation, a declaration that has already lost her a handful of her less open minded friends, it is an incredible feeling not only to have her support, but to feel like she doesn't owe her anything.
Her father and Tracy are the same. They could easily have freaked out about it, but neither one have given her any impression that what her and Dante have done is wrong.
Not only that, it seems as though neither of them are all that surprised by the news. Even though she's not asking, Sash feels like she owes Abbey. She owes her parents too, but talking to them is much more difficult, and she knows it will come only when it needs to, at another time in the future. Abbey is her best friend and she deserves to know the truth. The secrets, the lies and everything else in between.
While Sash does just that, the words flowing out of her as easily as the tears as soon as she gets going, and Abbey sits alongside her or opposite, or cross legged or reenacts the dance and the very first kiss until Sash pulls her back to the bed and the two girls giggle conspiratorially, Sash finally able to feel the weight lifting of carrying around a secret with her for so long, Tracy looks at her husband sat down at the long pine table he's had for longer than either of their children have been alive, a chaos of intricate metal pieces spread out on an old newspaper in front of him, of a mechanical jigsaw that refuses to come together, and can't keep it in any longer.
"Are you going to tell them?"
It is the first time she's had a chance to ask in the chaos of the day, wet hands from the sink wrapped briefly in a tea towel to the side, mostly just to do something with them.
Henry sighs. "I'm fine. You can see I'm fine. That's the main thing."
"That's not the point. She should know. She has to know."
Henry turns in his chair to face his wife. "We don't even know-."
He hangs his head, cutting the sentence short. "It's none of our business."
"Don't let me see you regret it. I mean it Henry, that boy is dangerous."
Abbey can't believe what she's hearing. Six years and she had no idea. How could she be Sash's best friend and not know such a huge secret. Dante was the douche that ran away, which kind of figures really, with the very latest twist to the story.
The billionaire that wants to put the business before everything else. Her very own stepbrother.
"You could have told me, you know?"
Abbey's not angry, she's just gutted to have missed out on something for so long, like being the last person to find out about a TV series everyone else has been watching.
"I wanted to tell you."
Sash holds Abbey's hand now. Finally the tears have stopped. Finally she's cried herself numb. "I just couldn't. I didn't know how you would react, and then it came and went and we were over. This. Dante and I, it's just so recent, and now it's over again. I can't believe it."
"I can't believe it either. You know, doing all of that for you, and then doing what he did to you, and now this. It fucking sucks. I mean what a douche. He's as hot as hell, and I'm so jealous right now over what you two lovebirds have done together, right here in this fricking bed, but seriously, what a douche ball."
"He just wanted to take my virginity, that was all",
The words sound so ridiculous she almost has to laugh. "It was all about that. Giving me my virginity so he could take it back. Nothing else mattered to him."
"That's fucked up. I mean, I knew Dante was weird, but that's fucked up."
"That's Dante for you. That's the guy I want to spend the rest of my life with. That's the father of my unborn child, the man I can't stop thinking about, even now."
"And Jason Walker?"
Sash looks away from Abbey for a moment. When she looks back, Abbey is still wearing the same face of mock horror.
"Dante had nothing to do with that. Jason Walker drowned. I saw it on the news this morning. He was drunk, went skinny dipping and got swept out with the tide. It was an accident."
"It's a hell of a coincidence."
"It's a coincidence, Abbey. Dante may be a class A jerk-hole, but he's not a murderer."
"I can't work him out. He tells you he loves you, and then he does all of this shit that clearly means that he doesn't."
"I know. I can't work him out either. I guess I never will. I mean I've been trying for so long. I thought it was me."
"It isn't you. Your stepbrother is a freak."
Sash can feel herself welling up again.
"I love him, Abbey. He may be a freak and he may treat me like shit, but I love him. I can't stop loving him. I'm broken."
"Oh, Sash. You're not broken, don't say that."
"It's not fair. It's not fair for him to do this to me. This fucking bullshit."
"I know."
"What am I going to do? I don't even know if I've done the right thing. I mean, he has a point. We can't go outside because of this, you've seen them hanging around out there like a pack of wolves. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't
have even made it here."
"He's putting his business before you. That should tell you all you need to know about his priorities. Look, Sash, I know you love him, but he needs to demonstrate to you that he loves you too, and that means showing you that you are the most important thing in the world to him."
"Dante will never do anything that will destroy his reputation and jeopardize his career."
"Then maybe you need to do it on his behalf. If you talk to the press and give them your side of the story, then Dante won't have a choice."
"It'll ruin him."
"So what? If he truly loves you, it won't matter."
"And what if he doesn't?"
"Then at least you'll know, you'll be able to move on and you'll have given him what he deserves for what he's done to you. You can't help the way you feel about him Sash, but if he doesn't truly feel the same way, then you need to cut him loose as quickly as possible no matter how much it hurts you to do it. If he doesn't love you, and he refuses to be there for you and your baby, then all he amounts to is dead weight."
Abbey puts her hand on Sash's belly while she lets the weight of her comments sink in. After a while and to shift the subject to something more positive she says, "I knew there was something different about you, even before you went to L.A."
Sash closes her hand around her best friend's, happy too that the subject has been changed. Could she go to the press, do an interview and hope to win him back like that? Or would it only serve to push him away further?
If Dante denies what they have together, where does that leave the three of them? What good is a relationship if it has to be so secret they have to virtually lock themselves inside for fear of the repercussions? That would be like living in a prison. Living in denial.
Does she really want that? And anyway, now that they know, the press will be stuck to both of them like glue.
As far as she can see it, it's either a complete and total declaration of acceptance of their relationship, regardless of the consequences, or nothing at all. And nothing at all means no Dante and Sash together, no happy families and a world full of tears and broken dreams that will never be able to be put back together again.
It's a fucking shit choice.
Either she speaks up and risks losing Dante, or she doesn't and she risks never being able to see him again. That's if he wants to anyway, of course. For all she knows, Dante has completely used her. Now that he's got what he wants, he's decided to get rid of her. It was Abbey's arm under hers at the tower block to rescue her, not Dante, and if she means so much to him, where is he now?
She doesn't want to think about it anymore. Once again, her stepbrother has made her feel like running away and the earth swallowing her up are the only two viable options.
"You won't be able to feel it kick you know. They don't do that for another few months at least."
Abbey takes her hand away. Really, Sash doesn't even look pregnant. If she hadn't been told, she wouldn't know. Sure she has a glow, but people have glows for a number of different reasons. It could be that she's just in love.
"You know, I can't believe you are pregnant. I mean, I totally wasn't expecting that. Ok, so I suppose I wasn't expecting the hymen reconstruction, nor the fact that Dante already has another kid as well, but this is, like, way out there. I mean, you've got a little thing growing inside you!"
"I know."
Suddenly Sash feels immensely proud, a tiny little bit embarrassed and very scared all at the same time. "Nobody knows that either", she adds. "Only me, you and Dante."
"My lips are sealed."
Abbey performs the corresponding action to indicate that fact. "Your dad is going to freak when he finds out though. I mean, I'm still freaking out. About everything."
Sash lowers her eyes.
"I know, me too."
Chapter 43
Dante stands by the window in a brand new suit, the last swallow of a limited edition Skye island whiskey in his hand, looking at the enormous crowd that has gathered below. When Alex comes into his office to cough nervously and tell him what he already knows, he takes a deep breath, sinks the golden liquid and turns towards her.
"Lets go", he says, the corner of his lips turned up into a smile and a storm already brewing in eyes that a thousand women have fought to lose themselves in.
This is a God about to greet his people. This is a movie star about to come face to face with a million adoring fans. This is Dante Hix, the billionaire owner of Hix Industries, who will do anything to keep things that way.
The elevator journey to the lower floor is taken in silence. This press conference could have been conducted anywhere, but Dante didn't see the reason for having it anywhere else but the ground on which he has built his empire.
If Alex had her way, she would have insisted on a script, several pre-agreed questions and a time limit. Dante being Dante, cocky and confident, what they are actually about to involve themselves in is nothing like that. He's refused a scriptwriter, has indicated that he will answer any question that are put to him, by journalists or civilians, and will not leave until he is satisfied that his message has been communicated and understood. They are both of the agreement that Sash not being by his side is a perfect way to demonstrate what he is about to say.
News channels from across the state have gathered, and the press conference is going to be broadcast in over a hundred and sixty countries across the world by over thirty network stations.
Almost a million people have gathered outside Hix tower, and a thousand times that amount, including Sash, her father and Tracy, are sat watching at home, waiting for the controversial billionaire to appear. If Sash was going to get dumped on live TV, three times the population of America watching, she wanted to be in the audience to hear it. Like that, at least, she could start to get on with her life.
Dante straightens his tie. He checks his hair in the wall mirror. The numbers count down. Finally the doors whoosh open, and immediately, even through the thick glass of a double layer of entrance doors, the crowd can be heard screaming for him.
As the two of them walk towards the wall of noise, and just before they leave the office tower and throw themselves into it, Dante leans over to Alex. She can feel him there even before he speaks, and expects him to utter words of encouragement, or perhaps even tell her to cancel the whole thing completely. Instead, his mouth so close to her ear he could bite her earlobe if he wanted to, he says - his voice firm and filled with menace -
"After this is over, you're fucking fired."
Alex feels like someone has just kicked a hole through her chest. She looks up to him to see if he's joking, but he doesn't look back to her. Instead, his head held high and his arm raised to wave at the crowd, he pushes through the entrance doors alone, and moves confidently to the pre-constructed lectern.
A moment later, a flustered Alex is by his side. Even though she's just as tall as her former boss, next to him she looks like she's wilting. The crowd don't care who she is, they've come to see Dante, and hear the story from the horse's mouth.
The crowd bays, hungry for information. Some hold placards of support, others hold placards of hatred. There are boos and insults and words thrown from the crowd that mash together and lose their sense completely.
Dante smiles at them as though he's about to make an Oscar's acceptance speech and this is a standing ovation for his winning role. Cameras flash and journalists jostle each other for the best position. Alex tries her best to look confident, even though she feels like dying inside. The world waits with baited breath. Sash sits on the edge of her stepbrother's bed, her hands hugged tightly around her. Eventually, after what seems like an eternity, the crowd finally settle down.
Dante taps the microphone.
"Hello", he begins, his voice hooked up to a huge stack of speakers that spread it all over New York and almost as far away as where Sash is sat watching. "Thank you for coming."
The crowd erupts in a wave of noise. From where Dante
is stood he can't tell what is a cheer and what is a boo, and he couldn't care less either way.
Up on his podium, he looks like a newly elected president giving his first national address, although Dante feels way more important than that. Sash stares at the deflated figure of Alex and knows she should be there standing in her place instead. Her stepbrother looks incredible in his suit, but he'd look incredible in anything he decided to wear.
If he stood there in Bermuda shorts and tie-dyed vest top he'd still be the best looking and most appealing man in the room, and the room in this instance, at least as far as Sash is concerned, isn't just New York or even America, it's the whole damn world.
When the crowd finally settle down enough to allow him to talk, Dante continues.
"My name is Dante Hix, and I am the CEO and owner of Hix industries and several other companies across the world. I have investments in gentleman's clubs, casinos, property, technology and telecoms, software, hardware, oil, mining and travel."
There are more outbursts from the crowd, but this time they last less time.
"My net worth is valued at forty billion dollars. According to Forbes magazine, I'm the tenth richest man in the world, and the youngest of the top thirty five. I began my career with a small inheritance from my father which allowed me to begin my computer programming company at twenty one. At twenty four I was a billionaire."
Sash seethes at the TV, her finger hovering over the standby button on the remote control, ready to turn it off as soon as it gets too much. The crowd murmur while Dante pauses, letting them take his words in.
"In short, I'm a big fucking deal, and I've got a hell of a lot to lose."
He sees it almost as soon as it is thrown, deciding to duck at the very last minute to make his escape look all that more spectacular, so the lanced egg breezes past and explodes impressively against the glass doors behind him. Undeterred, Dante continues, while the police work hard to settle down the crowd.
"Sash", Dante says, looking directly down the barrel of one of the cameras in front of him and instantly he appears on the huge screens that have been hung either side of the stage against the enormity of the black tower behind him. Across town, in the house that they both grew up in, his stepsister's heart stops dead as soon as she hears her name.
Heated: A Stepbrother Romance (Full Length Novel) Page 22
