Killing Me Softly: A Romantic Suspense Anthology, page 164
“Alejandra, this is Mason. I was his nanny when he was growing up, and these are his friends.” She waves her hand and smiles at Mason. “Please, come inside; my niece will get us some iced tea.”
As we follow Alejandra inside, the thought of iced tea sends a shiver up my spine. I will never understand why Americans think everything should be iced, especially tea. I take this moment to observe our surroundings. Everything seems to be very neat—nothing out of the ordinary, just like Nicole’s house. The only exception: this is a home. Nicole’s house was nothing but a gaudy display of “look what I have that you don’t.”
Mason begins to fidget. I’m not sure if he’s uneasy because Alejandra is in the room or if his nerves are getting the better of him. All I know is that the bouncing of his knee is becoming the only thing I can see or hear. Gracie can wait it out, but I can’t.
“Ms. Martinez, Mason has some questions that might be a little difficult.” I look over towards Alejandra and back towards Phyllis, hoping she gets it.
“Alejandra, I need to speak to Mason. Why don’t you go finish your homework,” she suggests.
The niece quickly excuses herself and leaves the room. If nothing else, she is very well-behaved.
“Mason, you said you were in some sort of accident and hired these people to fill in the blanks, what blanks? Are you okay now? What kind of accident?”
“I was hit by a car while riding my bike. When I woke up, I had no clue who I was or even where I was. Nicole basically blew me off saying it was for the best. How could I even think of moving forward with my life when I had no clue about my past? When I was finally released from the hospital, I was sent home to a place I had no recollection of. In my hunt to find my past, I found out what a monster my father was and who my real mother is—you.” Mason leans forward in his chair, his eyes are intently fixed on hers. I can’t believe he just blurted it out like he was ordering his lunch or something.
“Mason, I’ve never lied to you and I won’t start now. Are you really prepared to hear it all?”
This is the moment he’s been waiting for, his put up or shut up moment. I glance towards Gracie and she has her bottom lip locked tightly between her teeth while I’m holding my breath.
“I don’t think I have a choice, ma’am. I’ve got to know the truth, no matter how bad it is, before I can even consider moving forward with my life.”
She takes a deep breath and slowly exhales. Her hands are clenched together so tight that her knuckles are white.
“You’re right; your father was a monster. Unfortunately, I realized too late how much of a monster he was. When I came to this country with my sister, I spoke very little english. We came illegally with the same hopes of every other immigrant: to become an American. When I met him, I was only fifteen. He was much older than me and very charming. Before I knew it, I was pregnant. I was going to go back to my country, but when Mark found out I was pregnant, he came up with a plan. His plan would keep me in the country and keep you in my life. Nicole pretended she gave birth to you. I stayed on as your nanny while Nicole adopted you.” She looks down at her hands as if a current of disappointment in herself is bringing her under and she’s trying not to panic but ride it out.
“Why did you go along with it?” he proceeds.
“I didn’t know at the time that he was a monster. I thought I was giving you a good life, one that I couldn’t give you on my own. In my heart I believed I was doing what was right. As time went on, I saw what he really was . . . what they both were. I had no legal rights to you since Mark somehow had your birth certificate changed. As far as anyone was concerned, I was nothing but your nanny. When I saw that, I knew I couldn’t leave you to them. I stayed until I wasn’t given a choice. I had no idea she told you I died but, knowing Nicole, I can’t say I’m surprised.” She’s wringing her hands like she’s trying to rid herself of some sort of filth.
“Why didn’t you go to the police?” Mason’s brow furrows even though he seems to be trying real hard to keep his voice calm and nonjudgmental.
“I had some idea that Mark was up to something, but I thought he was just cheating on Nicole. I mean . . . a leopard doesn’t change its spots. He cheated on her with me, which I didn’t even know she existed until I found out I was pregnant. It was only when Mr. Rodriguez came to talk to Nicole that I came to a different understanding. He made me realize that while taking care of you, I was exposed to stuff that I thought was nothing. However, the reality was that I knew more than I thought. Once he helped me put it together, he was able to rescue Mark’s victims before it was too late. That day I realized what kind of monster he really was, the very same day he was dead. After that, I figured he was dead and couldn’t hurt anyone ever again. I thought I would be able to stay with you since all Nicole ever cared about was her career. To her, you were just an object she could pull out when she needed to.”
“So why did she force you to leave?” he continues without the slightest break.
A tear slides down Phyllis’s cheek and she quickly wipes it away. “The only thing I can think of is right after everything happened with Mark, she must have heard me on the phone with my sister. My sister questioned me as to what Nicole actually knew; I told her the truth. I thought back over my nine years with them, and I think she knew more than she told the police. Hell, I didn’t realize how much I really knew until after Mr. Rodriguez left that day. After that phone call with my sister, Nicole threatened me with deportation. She also threatened to go to the police and tell them I was an accomplice to what Mark did. I knew the right thing to do would be to go to the police myself and tell them everything I saw over the years that I was living with them. However, if I got deported, I would never see you again. I never in my wildest dreams thought she would tell you I was dead.” She throws her hands out as if pleading with him to understand her circumstances at the time.
“Did you think to look for me?”
“Of course, I did! It was like you and Nicole fell off the face of the earth. When Nicole was packing, I asked her if I was going with her and she said no. She was taking you to visit with your aunt, so you wouldn’t be in the spotlight. You can’t image how the reporters hounded us for days. You were so scared, you didn’t want to leave your room let alone the apartment. I thought it was a good idea for you to get away. I figured, by the time you got back, the news would be on to the next big story. I waited and waited until an eviction notice showed up. I tried calling her, but her cell phone number was disconnected. I had no clue what to do, so I came back here and moved in with my sister and waited for this day.”
The ball is in Mason’s court now. The room is so quiet you can hear a pin drop.
“Phyllis, I’m not sure when Nicole originally told me you were dead. My father left me a lot of money and explicit details about everything he did to all those women. I’m not sure if it’s everything or even how much of it is the truth. I washed my hands of everything. I don’t want to remember him. But in my gut, I’m feeling that you and I had a bond and that’s something I would like to remember.”
“Mason, what are your chances of remembering—everything?” her voice trails off with the fear of the unknown.
“One of the doctors told me the brain is a funny thing. It does what it has to do to protect itself. I think maybe he was right. Maybe this is my opportunity to restart my life. If you are willing to give me the chance, I would like to get to know you again . . . on our terms.” There’s not a dry eye in the house as Mason gets up and pulls Phyllis into his arms.
“I have a spare room and would love for you to stay.”
“Okay, let’s take it one day at a time and see where this leads us,” he agrees.
That’s our cue. I get up and give Gracie a hand. “Phyllis, we are going to head out. It was very nice meeting you. Mason, why don’t you walk us out.” We make our goodbyes and head outside. “Are you sure you want us to leave you here?” I ask as soon as we close the door behind us.
“I’ve never been surer. I have a feeling this is where I need to be right now. However, can you tell Ezmia I’ll get in touch with her soon?”
Gracie’s back instantly gets ramrod straight. She reaches out and gives his shoulder a squeeze. It must be harder than he expected since his eyes grow wider.
“Mason, for now, maybe you should concentrate on getting your life in order.” Gracie basically shuts down that whole budding relationship with a smile on her face. I need to quickly change gears here.
“Mason, you had asked us to dig further into your family background, do you still want us to do that?”
“No, Antonia, the more you and Grace dig, the worse things are. I rather move forward from today. If I learned anything from all of this, it’s that the past is called that for a reason. I can’t look too far into the future; I need to focus on the day-to-day life. My place right now is here. I’ll go back to New York in a few days and decide what I’ll do from there.”
“Well, not that my opinion matters, but I think you are doing the best thing. You’ve been given a second chance in life, don’t cock it up.”
We make our goodbyes and head out.
29
Grace
“Well, that went well, Toni, but I’m adamant about keeping Ezmia away from him. I have no proof that he did anything wrong, but I still can’t shake that creep factor feeling. I would rather be safe than sorry.”
“I would never want to interfere with your creep factor, but maybe we should give it some time before you go in guns blazing.”
We are always in sync but now that were not, it feels really weird.
“I will wait a little to drop the hammer, but I’m just throwing it out that I don’t feel comfortable about this. Anyway, I really want to get to the hanger and check out the plane.”
“Right now?”
“Look, it’s not like we are going to be able to do anything more until we get the information from the tech team. The NTSB is in charge and your dad is there with them. He’s probably driving them crazy. I say we head back to New York where you can get some rest and we can get some work done.”
“Toni, I need to see it,” my voice trails off as I try to make her understand something that I can’t really put into words.
“You know you’re not responsible. Wouldn’t it be best if we find out who is before we go any further? Besides, with your dad there, what makes you think he would miss something that you wouldn’t? Don’t answer that—you and I know he wouldn’t miss a thing. You need to stop beating yourself up over something that was not your fault. Let’s focus on what we can do, and that is find out who was responsible for this.”
“Okay, New York it is. Is your dad still following us?”
“Gracie, for fucks sake, what do you think? Of course, he is.”
I look back and I see his car right up our arse. I hit one of the many buttons and the glass partition in front of us rolls down. “Can you please pull over.”
Instead of looking at me, our driver looks to one of our guards. He pulls onto the shoulder and when I look back, Jax’s car is pulled over. He’s out of his car and in a trot towards us. Toni doesn’t look back, she just opens the car door and waits.
“What’s wrong?”
“No clue; ask Gracie.” She cocks her head towards me and gives me a smirk.
“Oh hell, Uncle Jax, you are following so close up our arse you might as well ride with us. Besides, I have some questions for you.” As he gets in, he instructs one of the guards to drive his car.
“Okay, Little Bits, you have my undivided attention. What do you want to know?”
“What did you find out about the plane? And please, don’t tell me nothing. I know you and my dad are practically joined at the hip. He’ll try to soften whatever happened. But you are the most direct, blunt person I know—worse than Toni—as if that’s even possible.”
“I promise you all I know is the preliminary report from the NTSB came back and it was definitely some sort of sabotage.”
“I didn’t need the NTSB to tell me that. I want to know why!” He takes my hand and loosens my fist.
“Your dad is waiting on some information. I’m sure the moment he gets it, he will share it with you. Now, where are we off to?”
“We are heading back to New York. We still have a business to run,” I remind him. He lets go of my hand and gets a faraway look in his eyes.
“Have you told the rest of the family?”
“No, we just decided this. Besides, won’t they be going home?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I’m sure Michael is ready to have private time to bond with the baby and Dagen. I guess the rest should be up to the two of you. You both keep saying you want your independence, now’s your chance to figure it out.”
The rest of the ride is in total silence. We pull up to Michael’s house and Jax quickly gets out, leaving Toni and me to figure out what to do about our family, which, at this point, is really a small army.
“Toni, what do you think that was all about?”
“Remember when we moved to New York . . . how hard it was for our dads to come and help us get settled? Maybe the past is too much for them right now, but we won’t know until we talk to everyone.”
Before I can even get into the house, my mum comes out the front door. My mum has always been the calm one in the family. She doesn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve. Yet, for the first time, I see another side of her. When I get closer, she wraps her arms around me, and I can feel her tremble.
“Mum, what’s wrong?” As I gently stroke her back, I can feel a calm come over her.
“I’m sorry. I’m not usually like this, but, then again, it’s not every day your daughter is able to walk away from a plane crash.”
“Why don’t we go inside?” Toni’s phone rings and she waves us in as she mouths that she’ll be in shortly.
“Mum, this is not like you; what’s really going on?”
She leads to Michael’s office and waits for me to get comfortable before she settles in next to me on the sofa.
“Grace, I have to be honest with you, I’m having a really difficult time coping with your life choices.”
“I understand that but . . .”
“No! No buts. You don’t understand, and that goes for Antonia, too. When you and your cousin decided to move to New York City and open a business, I honestly thought it was some sort of joke. I told your father we should tell you everything that happened to us, but he refused. Not even Jax could persuade him. Even though you’ll always be my baby, you’re not a child anymore. Maybe knowing will give you clarity into why this family is over protective and, for lack of a better term, just plain batshit crazy.”
I reach over and take her hands in mine. “Mum, you don’t have to go against his wishes. I promise that Toni and I are careful. Plus, we have more guards than the President of The United States and the Queen of England combined!” I smile as I say this as if I know I’m exaggerating but, in all honesty, I don’t feel like it’s too off-base.
“It doesn’t matter how careful you are, there are people in this world that hate this family. They would do anything to get revenge. Somethings are just out of your control.”
“So, the answer is to lock us away so nothing can happen to us? How is that living?” I raise my voice a little. It’s hard not to when your patience is running thin. She slowly closes her eyes and takes a few steadying breaths. When she finally opens them, I see something I’ve never seen before . . . sadness.
“It’s not, which is why you need to know about the past, so that you can protect yourself in the present.”
“Take your time, Mum.”
“Please tell me the truth. When you went to MI6 for your training, did you look into your father’s past?”
“No, of course not. I respect his privacy. Besides, you know me; I have to hear it from the horse’s mouth if I’m supposed to believe any of it. There was some talk about it, but I shrugged it off. Through the years, Toni and I found out some tidbits about our family. Most of it was about Aunt Raven’s family. We just ignored it, thinking it was embellishment on hearsay. Well, at least until this whole plane crash. Some things are better left alone.”
She pulls her hands from mine and wraps her arms around herself as if it’s a shield of protection. “That’s true, but I do think you should know this. Before I married your father, he was married to Samantha. They had a baby: Elliot. Soon after he was born, they were both murdered. It was after that he went to work for Jax, heading up security for him at Raiders, Jax’s company. At the time, they had no idea they were brothers. During this time, Raven and I were working together and living out our dreams in Manhattan. Then Jax met Raven and through them I met Max. Everyone kept secrets and I mean everyone.”
“I guess it’s true then that Aunt Raven and Dad jumped off of a cliff together and in the process they were shot. Dare I ask why they were even on the cliff?” I’m trying to hold back on my disbelief, but it’s not easy.
“That was only the beginning, however, that is Raven’s story to share with Antonia, if she wants to. It was after that Jax and Max found out they were actually brothers. It was their father that had a hand in the murder of Samantha and Elliot. That’s why your dad has some major trust issues. The events of the past made everyone over the top when it came to protection. All of that was only the tip of the iceberg. In the process of trying to make a life for ourselves, we lost some really special people along the way. In some ways, that broke all of us.”
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“It’s very hard to watch you walk out the door, knowing that you’re going back to the very place all of our nightmares started. I’m trying really hard to come to terms with it but honestly—I’m failing.”
I don’t know how to help her because, truthfully, it’s her fear. I mean, sure I empathize with her, but nothing short of locking me away will work.
“Mum, I can’t fix the past, so what can I do to make you okay with my choices?”
