by R. G. Angel
Anne White pressed the gun a bit more firmly against my temple. “I told you to stop looking. I told you nothing good would come from it, but you didn’t listen.” Her voice was quivering, with anger or fear I wasn’t sure, but it didn't fit the ‘stone-cold killer’ persona she was trying to invoke.
“I did listen. I stopped!” And I'd done it only because I'd believed her. Why had I been that stupid?
“Don’t lie to me. Everybody lies. I can’t take it anymore,” she growled.
“I’m not lying. We started the whole investigation when you tried to kill me with the wine. That is what made us speed up.”
“The wine was not for you; it was for her!” She jerked her head toward Jacklyn, who took an involuntary step toward us. “Don’t move or I swear you’ll have to scrape her brains from your wall,” Anne barked at Jacklyn before turning back to me. “James always told me how high she was on her meds. An overdose wouldn’t have been suspicious. It would have been kind really.”
The gun shook against my head, making it all even more terrifying. She was unstable enough to just pull the trigger by accident at this point.
“You were supposed to be back! I heard them talk in the corridor. Your son said you would be back and I knew what a train wreck you are. You can’t resist Gewurst! You were supposed to drink the wine and die. Why didn’t you die?!” she cried out. “If you did, James would have been free and he would have married me like he promised.”
Jacklyn threw me a worried look, bringing her hands up in surrender. “James made me the train wreck I am, just as he made you the woman holding a gun at an innocent child's head. With or without me, James wouldn’t have picked you. He would not leave me for anyone. Killing Esmeralda won’t help you with that.”
“Esmeralda brought this on herself,” she spat.
I prayed Caleb would realize I was missing. I hoped Taylor would call someone, anyone. I’d been gone longer than planned.
My heart was in my throat. I didn't want to die. Why was life so determined to kill me? I started to sweat. I had so much more to do, so much more to say. I couldn’t go now. Caleb needed to know how I felt.
“Please, Miss White, I swear I don't know anything. Just let us go.”
She laughed. “I’m not stupid. I would not make it as far as the property boundary before being gunned down like a dog. You should never have sent someone to Oklahoma. This was none of your business.”
“Is that why you cut the brakes on my car? Because you thought I sent someone to investigate you?”
“No, I cut the brakes of your car because of the yearbook, because you kept looking into me when I told you to stop. I thought you would die and when that stupid bitch Aleksandra died in your stead, I thought you would be scared and smart enough to let it go. I liked you enough to give you another chance to reconsider and make the right choice, but you had to keep on going! Because of you, he doesn’t want me anymore! He said I'd gone too far and then told me to leave and never come back. He said we were through for good just because of precious little Esmeralda Forbes.” She sneered. “Perfect. Little. Esmeralda. Forbes.” She tapped the barrel against my temple with each word.
“No, we didn't send anyone there. We didn't want to waste resources on someone we didn't think was relevant. I didn't send anyone to Oklahoma, I swear.”
“You did,” she insisted. “Your little boyfriend from Missouri, he talked to the wrong people, Esmeralda.”
“No, she didn’t send him. I did,” Caleb announced, sidling into the room followed by his father, who was looking at White with murder in his eyes.
I felt both strangely at peace and terrified to have him in the room with me and the unstable woman with a gun.
“Anna, what do you think you’re doing?” James asked coldly, his eyes on the weapon.
Ah, he knew who she really was. I glanced at Caleb. He was looking around the room trying to assess the situation, but his eyes always came back to the gun against my head.
“Anna, come on. I’ll take you home.”
“This is all on you! You will not mess with my head again. I don’t believe you anymore. You played me for twenty years! No more!” She spat at James, some of her spittle covering my cheek.
“Just put the gun down, Anna, and let’s talk,” James tried again, bringing a hand forward in a pacifying gesture.
She shook her head. “I hate you! I finally hate you…” she sobbed, the gun shaking against my head again.
I took a deep, shaky breath as my eyes locked with Caleb’s. Despite the fear I saw in his, I felt a certain comfort. ‘I love you,’ I mouthed to him.
His jaw locked, his eyes morphing from fear to determination. “Take me instead,” he told her. “I’m his heir.”
“Caleb, have you lost your damn mind?!” James barked at him and for the first time, I saw genuine concern in his eyes.
“Why not?” White asked, taking the bait. “You took our baby away. Maybe it will be retribution. I was eighteen, James! Eighteen! ‘It’s not the right time for a child, Anna; Jacklyn is pregnant, Anna; we'll have a family soon, you and I, but I need time to make things right for us. We need to deal with your commitment to William first. You can’t have my child now, but later. I swear, Anna,’ and I'd listened! I. LISTENED!”
I froze. Despite having a gun to my head, I couldn't help but feel bad for her. This was the man she'd told me she was in love with. She'd been so into him that she had done all of his biddings.
“Anna, doing this will get you nowhere,” James pleaded.
Jacklyn snorted. “You’re really good at destroying a woman’s sanity, James. I have to give you that.” Her bravado was back. She was standing straighter, her arms crossed on her chest. The hate she felt for her husband finally had purpose.
“Not now, Jacklyn. Not now.”
I had to hand it to her. She was a cold bitch, but I couldn’t help but be impressed. She was a force to be reckoned with.
“When you told me that you couldn’t get over your obsession with Victoria, I understood what you wanted!” White pressed on. “When you told me you would be able to move on and be with me if she was gone, I did it for you! Always for you! You made me a murderer and gave me nothing more than empty promises.”
“Don't listen to her. She is obviously lying,” James scoffed.
I glared at him. Sure, why not antagonize the scorned woman with a gun.
“Actually, I don't think she is,” Caleb piped in, taking a step closer. Anne missed it, but I didn't. I silently begged him to stay back. “She might have done it, but she didn’t have the means or the power to get Phang on board, to hide evidence and create fake reports. Only you did,” he added, looking at his father. His voice was eerily calm like he was planning something.
“Caleb, you don't know what you’re talking about. You’d better shut up,” James barked, letting go of his mask and showing us the monster he truly was.
“Phang called you, didn’t he? He told you we went poking around. We were tracking his phone by the way. You walked right into that one.”
“Victoria didn’t want him. That was inconceivable for James Astor, but he was much too proud to just take her out,” Jacklyn said. She waved her hand toward Ms. White. “He used the idiot here to do it for him. Don’t blame yourself, honey, you’re not the first one to do idiotic things for this man, me included.”
I looked at her with confusion. Then anger overtook my fear. Was she trying to get me killed? How could she look so cool and composed?
Jacklyn waved her hand dismissively. “Let the little girl go. Kill him instead. It’ll teach him.”
Ah, I see. Redirecting the gun was her tactic and it wasn't a bad one for anyone who wanted to take her husband out.
“He is obsessed with her,” Anne countered. “She looks just like Victoria.”
Jacklyn shook her head. “He is just obsessed with her because she is Caleb’s and the boy was foolish enough to fall in love with her. James thrives on misery. Caleb is
not allowed to succeed where he failed. Isn’t that right James? Whoever your son will ever love, you’ll take away? To make him the perfect, cold, and bitter heir you want him to be?”
“You’re right,” White whispered so softly that I was convinced it was not meant for anyone’s ears. “The only thing that matters to him is his heir.”
The gun moved from the side of my head, but I didn't feel any relief as she pointed it at Caleb’s instead. “The only thing you care about is your legacy. I’m going to take it from you, even if it’s the last thing I do! You took my child, I'm taking yours!”
Caleb looked at me, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He gave me a small smile as if to say 'it’s okay. I’ll happily die for you. I love you.'
“ANNA, DON’T!” James roared as Jacklyn's face morphed into pure horror.
I felt it before she did it. White's body tensed, bracing for the recoil of the gun, and I just reacted. I couldn't let Caleb die, not for me, not for anyone. I pushed backward with all my strength, with all that I felt, the fear of Caleb being gone. The power these feelings, this surge of adrenaline, gave me, surprised me as we went through the French doors in an audible crash.
I heard her scream at the same time as pain slashed through me. The remains of broken glass had broken through my skin. Then suddenly White was not behind me anymore and I fell freely. The last thing I saw before my head connected with the hard floor of the balcony was James holding his throat. Blood poured through his fingers. His face was frozen in sheer shock.
I felt the crack of my skull all the way to the bottom of my spine. Everything became blurry, the voices muffled. But I knew Caleb was safe and so I sank into oblivion in relative peace.
Chapter 21- Caleb
I fell in and out of sleep to the rhythmic beat of the hospital heart monitor – the proof that my Esmeralda was still with us. I moved in my seat, wincing as my neck cracked. I was going to pay for these last two nights spent on this uncomfortable chair, but there was no way in hell I was going to leave Esme after she'd risked her life for me.
That crazy bitch had really planned on killing me. If it hadn't been for Esmeralda, I would have been gone.
“That really doesn't look comfortable.”
I opened my eyes wide and looked at the most beautiful eyes in the world. My heart finally started to beat normally again.
“Then please stop trying to die on me – three times is the maximum I can endure losing you for a lifetime.” I stood up and winced at the pain shooting through my back and legs. “Are you thirsty?” I asked.
She looked at the pitcher of water like it was the gift of life and nodded eagerly. Her voice had been thick and gravelly, most likely due to both the prolonged sleep and dry throat.
I poured her a glass and sat gently on the bed by her head. Sliding my arm under her back, I helped her rest her head against my shoulder. Lord, how would I ever be able to live without her by my side?
You might have to. You might have to be the bigger person and let her go, my conscience claimed. It was a voice I’d always ignored before. I'd had it smothered, but she had revived it. Oh, the irony of it all…
“How long have I been out?” she asked after taking a long drink.
“Two days,” I replied, kissing her forehead.
“Your father? Oh God, Caleb.” She shook her head against my arm. “I killed him, didn’t I?”
Was she crazy? I looked down at her. The man had organized her mother’s murder and she felt bad? I frowned. “Do you remember what happened?”
She blinked back her tears. “Mostly.”
I sighed, kissing the crown of her head. “You didn't kill him; White did. And she would have killed me if it wasn’t for you Esmeralda. In retrospect I think it was a good trade-off.”
“No, I know that. It’s just–”
“Listen, Angel, listen to me carefully. He was a very bad man who did terrible things. He was happy only when he destroyed and hurt others. He had your mother killed, Esmeralda, and Lord knows who else.” I tightened my hold around her shoulders, resting my cheek on top of her head. “He had it coming and it was what he deserved. You saved my life, but you can’t ever do that again, okay? Never put yourself in danger for me or anyone else. I don’t think I could live in a world you’re not in.”
She nuzzled into my neck silently and I loved that. I loved that she was seeking me for comfort. “What about White?”
“She got arrested, but she killed herself in the cell. She'd lost the source of her obsession by her own hand. She wasn’t equipped to deal with that.” I didn’t specify that I was almost certain her suicide had been a cover-up. She'd known too much, but Esmeralda didn’t need the added burden – not all truths had to be revealed.
“Let’s just ring for the doctor, okay? Just to make sure everything is fine.” I reluctantly removed myself from the bed and pressed the buzzer.
“What are you doing?” she asked when I reached for my phone.
“Texting your brother.” I sighed. “He’s going to be so pissed at me.” Well more than he'd previously been. I'd thought he was going to kill me when Esmeralda was put into an ambulance. I rubbed at my jaw, wincing at the phantom pain of his fist.
I hadn’t defended myself. I'd deserved it. I was the one who used Esmeralda for this investigation. Willingly or not, I'd put her in danger.
“Why would Archibald be mad at you?”
Take your pick. “Because I’d only just convinced him to go home and rest. Oh well.”
“He’ll be okay.” She smiled reassuringly.
Dr. Willis walked in with a nurse. “Miss Forbes, we really need to stop meeting like this.”
She nodded with a small smile. “It’s the last time, I promise.”
He looked at me expectantly and I sat on the chair. Crossing my arms on my chest, I made my intentions clear.
“He can stay,” Esmeralda offered as the doctor started his assessment.
“You got lucky, Miss Forbes. Once again you defied the odds,” he said, draping his stethoscope over his shoulders.
And thank fuck for that! I wanted to say. At least life was not fucked up enough to take away the only good thing left in it.
“You suffered a closed skull fracture due to your fall. It was luckily minimal enough to avoid surgery, but you may still suffer from side effects given the two-day coma you were in.”
“Okay?” She sounded frightened and started chewing on her bottom lip as she often did when she was anxious. I was somehow pleased by it. I hoped he would scare her enough to stop her from doing something this stupid in the future.
“We’re going to keep you here for the next seventy-two hours. I’m sure you will be fine, but it will just be an extra precaution.”
“Whatever you think is best,” I responded in her stead.
She threw me an annoyed look that I held steadily. She could fight me on this all she wanted. She was going to stay in this bed even if I had to tie her to it.
“Very good. Just don’t hesitate to beep should you need anything.” He took a few steps and stopped in front of me. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.” I pretended to believe it and he pretended I cared.
“When is the funeral?” she asked with a small voice after the doctor had left.
“Tomorrow.”
Her eyes widened. “That fast? Oh, I’m sorry, Caleb. I won’t be there to support you.”
“My mother wants it all to be done and dusted as quickly as possible.” I waved my hand dismissively from my spot on the chair. “I don’t need support. You know what I felt when he was declared dead on the scene? Relief, a relief that would have made me laugh on the spot if I was not sick with worry for you.” I sighed. “I just need you to get better.”
She frowned. “When you came into the room that day, you said you'd sent someone to Oklahoma. Was that true?”
I nodded, pulling the chair closer to her to take her hand. I feared she might get angry with me.
>
I pulled her hand to my mouth and kissed it. “Yes, none of you wanted to listen to me. I knew there was more to her.” I shook my head. “So just before New York, I called someone to help. He was reluctant at first–” I cocked my head to the side. “I mean, his pet name for me is ‘sociopath,’ but he did it for you.”
“Ben?” she cried with incredulity.
I nodded. Ben Deluca, my ally and enemy in so many ways. My rival who was now sitting in the waiting room to talk to my girl, my heart. One I needed to offer an out. “He went under the pretense of a campus visit and managed to talk to some of White’s old friends.” I rolled my eyes. “He didn't do it for free though. He stayed in the most luxurious hotel and is now the proud owner of a Ducati Panigale V4R.”
She chuckled. “Good for him.”
“Yeah.”” I nodded. “Talking about Ben, he is not a bad choice, you know.” Fuck, why was this so hard? I had all the best intentions, but I felt like my heart was being shredded into pieces. “He is annoyingly good with his ‘knight in shining armor’ complex, but you could pick worse.”
“Caleb, I don't understand.” She gripped my hand tighter.
I removed my hand from hers and leaned back in my chair. I couldn’t do it if I kept touching her. It would be impossible.
“I’m saying that with my father gone, I’ve been put in charge now and I can grant you your freedom. You can go and be who you want to be, study wherever you want to, and…be with Ben if you want to”.
“What about us? You said you loved me.” The hurt in her voice made me ache, but I had to give her a real choice.
“I did, I do, but if you were to choose Ben, I'd be okay– Knowing that you’re happy and well somewhere, I’d be fine.” I gave her a smile even though I was dying inside. With her gone I'd keep on breathing, functioning, but I would not be alive, not anymore – not like when she was in my arms.
“You want me to leave you?” Her voice was so small, so feeble I almost changed my mind.