by Nana Malone
I wrinkled my nose. I wasn’t really in the mood for shopping. Especially with him. No need to fit into that gold digger stereotype. “Actually, Lex, why don’t you hit the shops on your own? I might head to Hyde Park.”
He just rolled his eyes. “Mother, have you ever met anyone who's allergic to shopping? Abbie refuses to go with me. And every time I drag her along, she spends the time taking pictures outside the shops. It's crazy.” The ringing of his phone interrupted him. He looked down at his cell, then caressed my knuckles with his thumb. “I'm sorry, I have to take this.”
While Lex took his call, his mother regaled me with stories of Alexi and Xander and their antics as young children. “Even then, though he’s the younger one, Lex was so much more serious. If there was trouble, it was almost always Xander.” A shadow crossed her beautiful features then flickered away just as quickly.
The sound of footsteps from the back of the house had me turning to see who was coming. A tall, imposing man with a confident stride walked in, clutching his phone in a death grip.
Stephanie stood quickly. “Abbie, meet my ex-husband, Reginald.” To Alexi’s dad she said, “I didn’t expect to see you until much later. I don’t have the papers ready for you to sign yet for the charity. Lex is just visiting with his girlfriend.”
I studied the older man. It was easy to see where Alexi and Xander got their physical genes from. Their height, the broad shoulders, their lean, trim forms. They even inherited the silver-gray eyes of the older man. I suddenly wondered what it would be like to photograph all three of them together.
Although, the longer I studied the man, the more apparent it became that both Alexi and Xander got their smiles from their mother. Because this man did not smile. At all.
“Where is Alexi? I need to speak with him.”
Stephanie’s voice wavered slightly. “Reginald, don’t be rude. You can at least say hello to Alexi’s guest.”
The older man turned his gaze on me, and I wanted to shrink into the furniture. The look of hatred on his face was enough to make me bristle. Alexi had said his father was unpleasant, but I hadn’t expected something like this. Fantastic.
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t bother with Lex’s dalliance of the moment. There are so many you see. I can’t be bothered to learn all their names.”
Stephanie Chase’s face went bright red, then very pale. “Reginald, that is unacceptable. You apologize immediately.”
I squirmed in my seat. I made an attempt at escape. “Uhm, I’ll just go find Alexi and see what’s keeping him. If you—”
The older man's sharp voice cut off my attempted escape. “You think you love my son? You’ll soon realize he’s not who you think he is. He’ll betray you, just like he’s betrayed me. I had to find out today that he sold a software company right out from under me. If he’ll do that to his own father, imagine what he’ll do to you, a nobody.”
Suddenly unable to breathe, I blinked rapidly to ward off impending tears. No wonder Alexi avoided his father. The man was toxic. “This seems like a family discussion, I’ll—”
“No. My ex-wife wants me to play nice. Then let’s have a chat about my son.”
Stephanie put a hand on his arm. “Reginald, don’t. Leave the poor girl be.”
“You wanted me to play nice, I’m playing nice. I’m going to tell this young lady…” The gaze he slid over my body told me he considered me anything but. “…about my son.”
Well, I certainly wasn’t going to sit there while the asshole tore Alexi down in front of me. “With all due respect, Mr. Chase, I don’t need to hear what you have to say about Alexi. I know him.”
The older man’s brows rose. “Then he’s told you everything about himself?”
“We don’t keep secrets from each other.”
Reginald Chase laughed. Except the sound was cold and thin instead of rich, booming, and warm. “Is that so? Then you don’t mind shacking up with a thief and a murderer who let his brother take the blame for a murder he committed?”
Everyone in the room froze. Stephanie stood with her mouth agape. Reginald’s face was a mask of contorted fury, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Alexi’s stricken face as he stilled in the doorway.
No. No, no, no, no, no. I tried to swallow, tried desperately to breathe, but even my lungs were frozen. It was only when the room started to spin that I managed to drag in a breath.
It wasn’t true. I’d just gotten caught up in some family dynamics that were frankly none of my business. The man Reginald was talking about… That wasn’t Alexi. Except when I finally had the faculties to move my head and glance in his direction, he stared at me, a mask of horror and guilt stamped on his face.
Oh no. There had to be an explanation. It couldn’t be. “Alexi, is this true?”
He shook his head, his eyes wide with horror and grief. “Abbie, I need you to listen to me for a minute.”
I could see the truth in his eyes. But I didn’t want to believe it. I needed the words. “Is it true?”
“Yes, but—”
I shook my head. “No. You’ve been keeping this from me.”
“I tried to tell you. Then… I couldn’t find the right time…” His voice trailed.
“No. When you have something important to tell someone, you just do. You don’t lie to someone you care about.”
“Abbie—” He reached for me.
“Alexi, don't.” I shook my head trying to think. “I—I need to go.”
With my shoulders back and my head held high, I strode out of the living room into the foyer. I took my coat from the hall closet.
As I slid it on, Alexi tried to hold my coat for me. “Let me help you.”
I deliberately stepped out of his reach. “No, thank you. I have it.” I didn’t meet his gaze.
He ran his hands through his hair. “Abbie, don’t do this. I can explain.”
“Do what? Refuse to be lied to? You swore to me there was nothing else to tell me. And though I find it impossible to think you could ever hurt anyone, clearly, you’re still hiding something. I’m not dealing with secrets or lies anymore, Alexi.”
He reached for my hand. “Look, I'm coming with you. Just give me a minute. We can talk.”
I tilted my head up to meet his gaze. “Alexi, I need you to tell me. We already covered this. No more secrets. No more lies. What is it you’re hiding?”
His hands shook, and he shoved them into his pockets “Abbie, I’m sorry, I can’t. I—”
I held up a hand even as I felt my heart tearing into pieces. There wasn’t anything he could say that I wanted to hear. I tipped my chin up and leveled a stare at him. “I’m leaving.”
Chapter Twenty
Lex
After watching the woman I loved walk out of my life, I stalked back into the living room and rounded on my father. “Are you fucking happy now? She’s gone. She won’t ever be coming back. Thanks to you, I blew it.”
My father glowered at me. “Don’t you mean thanks to you? You’re the one who shoved that nonce off the top of the stairs. You’re the one who let Xander take the blame. And you’re the one who didn’t tell your little girlfriend.”
Even as I balled my fists to strike the old man, my mother shouted from behind him, “That is enough, Reginald! You might be angry with Lex, but you had no right. He’s your son. Don’t you think he deserves some kind of happiness?”
My father’s face turned first red, then purple. “My son? My fucking son? No son of mine would have sold a company that’s rightfully mine out from under me. No son of mine would wait and let me find out by reading the fucking Times!”
I’d had enough. “You forget, old man, that you were the one who pushed me into a corner. You’ve been threatening to cut off my trust fund ever since Uni. I had to make another way for myself. And I did. I don’t need you or the fucking money.”
“Stop being a spoiled brat, Alexi. Do you know how this makes me look in the industry? A multimillion-dollar deal lik
e that, and it happened under my nose. You signed a non-compete like every other employee.”
I chuckled mirthlessly. “What? You think that’s not the first thing I thought of? I’m not a fool. Take Back the Night is in no way related to any of the software you build at CET. And I had my lawyer look over my non-compete specifically. It stated that I would not enter or engage in any business that is in direct conflict with the Chase technologies umbrella. CET has no lifestyle products, direct apps, or games that are in any way related to the entertainment space or sector. My non-compete also states that any and all documents or code authored by me is property of CET. Well, you’ll be happy to know I didn’t write a stitch of that code. Oh, I meticulously reviewed it, and it’s my brainchild, but I didn’t write it.”
My father vibrated with anger. “You’re a slippery git, aren’t you?”
“Well this git just earned his freedom.”
Reginald stepped into my space, and for the first time, I realized I’d edged out my father in height by an inch.
“You think this is over? You’re still not touching that trust fund.”
I merely shrugged. “The good news is I don’t need it. I can actually work for myself doing something I love. And be paid handsomely. In case you hadn’t heard, I’m rich. Not as rich as I would be, but honestly, I don’t need much.” I glanced at my mother, who’d gone pale. “Besides, you can’t keep it from me forever. I have plans for that money. There’s a youth center in Brixton that would be happy to have the funds.”
In that moment, as my father glared at me, I saw how much the old man despised me.
“I knew I should have sent you off to school with your brother. I was a fool then to listen to your mother. After all, she was the reason there was a scandal to begin with.”
My mother’s gasp of shock made me contemplate beating the old man to a bloody pulp again. Grief tore through me as I said, “You leave her out of this. Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage today without going after Mum too? Why can’t you just care about our happiness? I love Abbie, and you did your level best to run her off.” The admission tore through my chest and left me bereft. For several seconds, I wasn’t sure I could breathe.
My father raised an eyebrow. “I’m talking about how your little deal has crippled my reputation, and you’re talking about a girl?” He scowled. “I should have seen then what I see now. You’re not worth it.”
I glared at my father’s retreating back as my mother sobbed quietly behind me. When I turned to face her, I tried to soften my voice. “Mum, are you okay?”
My mother’s hands shook as she placed them over her heart. “Lex, I—I’m sorry. I didn’t know he would come by now or how angry he would be. I would have warned you.”
“How could you know? I knew he’d be pissed about the sale, but I never thought he’d say those things. Dredge up the past like that. I mean you should have seen the look on her face.” I shoved a hand in my hair. Fear chased the disbelief. Then the dread settled in around me. Abbie was really gone. My heart squeezed. In the back of my mind I’d known this would happen when she found out. But I’d dared hope. After the dread came the panic. I wouldn’t ever get to hold her again.
My mother’s hands trembled as she reached for me. “Lex. Maybe we can fix this. Maybe if you told her what happened that night.”
I shook my head with enough force to bring my hair onto my brow. “No. I lied to her, again. She has no reason to ever believe anything I say. I’ve fucking lost her.” The hollow thud of my pulse drummed between my ears as my knees wobbled. I’d really lost her.
“This is all my fault.” My mother paled and braced herself on the arm of the couch before she sank into it. “I was so selfish I couldn’t see the devil and protect my own children. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret not protecting you enough. I wish I’d been the one to do it. I dream about it every day. I wish I could resurrect him just so I could have a mother’s pleasure of tearing his wretched flesh from his bones. I would kill to protect you.” Tears rolled down her face. “I would die to protect you.”
I winced. I didn’t need her reliving her guilt about what that asshole had tried to do to me and my brother. “No, Mum. This isn’t your fault. I should have found a way to tell Abbie. I know she has trust issues. Dad’s right. I’m the one who blew it.”
My mother’s dark brown eyes shimmered with tears. “You really do love her, don’t you?”
“Yes. I do.” But that didn’t matter now.
Abbie
I rolled my shoulders as I trudged up the stairs to my flat. Through the door, I could hear Sophie and Faith laughing about something. I briefly considered going out somewhere so I wouldn’t have to explain, but I was exhausted and just wanted my bed.
My hands shook as I thought of Alexi and what his father had said. I couldn’t believe that he’d deliberately killed someone. He might be keeping things from me, but he wasn’t a killer. I knew him well enough to know that. So, what the fuck was going on? What had happened?
When I opened the door, Faith gave me a cheery smile. “So how did it go with mummy? Does she love you as we all do?”
My glance skipped over her sunny, wholesome smile and landed on Sophie’s concerned one. Mimicking Faith's accent, I said, “Mummy was lovely, but Daddy was a pill and sent me packing. He aired all the family’s dirty laundry and said some horrible things about Alexi.”
Sophie’s face fell. “Abena, I'm so sorry. From what I’ve heard, his father is awful.”
“That he is.”
Faith looked back and forth between us. “So, what did the old geezer say exactly?”
I didn’t know how much to share. Alexi might have lied to me, but his business was still his business. I didn’t want to be the one to put him and his family in the crosshairs again. “Turns out, Lex is still lying. Protecting some family scandal.”
Sophie's eyes went wide. “A scandal? Honey, that’s what Google was invented for.”
I winced. “I dunno. That feels somehow icky. I—”
Sophie handed me the laptop. “Look, you guys have been through enough. You can either get to the bottom of it, or you can let him go. Sooner or later, you have to make a choice. You’ve been looking for a reason to run from him. Any reason. And while lying is a legit reason to not be with someone, you haven’t exactly been all in. You’ve been waiting for him to disappoint you like Easton did. And he’s a different guy.”
Faith shrugged. “I’m shocked to say it, but Sophie speaks sense.”
Sophie swatted her with a pillow. “Shit, I hate that he makes you hurt, but maybe he hasn’t told you everything because he knows you’ll run.”
I shook my head. “No, that’s bullshit. He could tell me anything. I wouldn’t judge him.”
Sophie wrapped an arm around me. “But how is he supposed to know that? You’ve run from this thing the moment there was trouble.”
“I’m not running. I’m just… thinking.”
Faith tapped the laptop. “Well, think fast. Because you seem happy with him. The faster you guys work out your issues, the sooner you get to the making-up portion of the fight. And I want a play by play.”
Sophie laughed, and I turned on the laptop. Alexi wasn’t Easton. I knew that. Alexi had always taken care of me. Treated me like I was special. Taken his time with me. The girls were right. If I wanted him, I needed to trust him. Which meant finding out what he was trying so hard to keep buried. But I wasn’t going to dig it up. I didn’t want some bullshit spun story on the Internet. I wanted him to tell me. I wanted him to trust me. But what would I do if he wouldn’t? Could I walk away from him?
Chapter Twenty-One
Lex
I turned off the video of the interview I'd done with BBC One that would air tomorrow. In less than twenty-four hours, I'd be a multimillionaire. All on my own, without a dime of my father's money. Toshino had given some leeway on the press, as it was about my personal life and Toshino Inc hadn’t been
mentioned.
I had no one to share it with. Not that Nick hadn’t already called to gloat over how good we looked on television. But the person I wanted to share it with was Abbie. But I’d ruined that. She wasn’t coming back.
When my doorbell rang, I checked the time. Ten thirty. It was far too late for a delivery. I'd just talked to Nick, so maybe it was Gemma needing someplace to crash. When I opened the door, my heart seized. Abbie stood on the threshold, sopping wet under her leaking umbrella.
Automatically, I held out a hand and helped her onto the barge. “Abbie, what—”
She put up her hands. “Wait, before you say anything. I have to say I'm sorry I ran. I couldn’t take the secrets, and I ran. I have no idea how to trust anymore.” Her tears mingled with the rain drops and streaked down her face. “I'm so sorry. I should have just stayed and listened, but I was scared that I was stepping back into an old pattern of accepting lies. I—I shouldn’t have run. I always run. I don’t want to run anymore.”
I watched her expressive face as she cried and explained and babbled. Her eyes widened, and she nervously licked at her lips with the tip of her tongue. She rubbed at her temples like she always did when she was having a full-scale meltdown, and I loved her.
She’d chased me down. She'd recognized the pattern, and she'd broken it all on her own. She’d come back to me. Without thought, I pulled her to me and kissed her, cutting off her stream of consciousness. With her still-dripping umbrella and her soaked-through coat and rain dripping off the ends of her braids, I kissed her with all the pent-up frustration and shame and love I had. I loved her. More than I deserved to, more than I dared to, but I loved her.
And regardless of what my father had said, she'd come back for me.
My hands shook. “I didn’t think I'd be seeing you again.”
“I need the truth, Alexi. I don’t want us to keep doing this. Please. Can you tell me?”
