“Now, I need you to listen carefully. What I say cannot be repeated. Not to Vivian or your parents. No one, Cora.” I feel the panic starting to build in my system while he’s so calm, it’s starting to piss me off. I restrain from saying it. Hold back from wanting to take this all out on him because this is Riddick. I know him. He has to be frightened. However, his training, his years in the Army have taught him how to harness his fears when the enemy strikes, to show strength and determination. I wish whatever repetitious thoughts he has right now he would recite to me before I completely lose my shit over this deceitful, cruel punishment.
I inhale deeply and let it out, vowing to do my best to stay quiet, to not interrupt. “Okay, but they have a right to know about all of this. I won’t keep the reason why from them. They took care of us, loved us as if we had the same blood. If Jesse is somehow coming for me, he’ll come after them, too. They’re my weakness, Riddick.” I take a deep breath and close my eyes to fight back the tears that eventually spill through the seams. My mind wonders if this will ever be over. If I am finally allowed the happiness I deserve. If my son will ever be safe from a man who somehow got away with obstructing the law. The law is supposed to protect you, and all the law did back then was help him commit crime after crime and get away with it. I’m sure it was the sheriff and his dumb ass people who helped. They all deserve to rot in hell.
I have the law on my side this time, though. Not like up there, where no one will help you because they’re all either scared or working for my brother.
Riddick regards me carefully. His intense stare makes my heartbeat race and love spread throughout my body. He’s adoring me again, worshipping with only the intensity of his mesmerizing eyes. He shakes his head, stands, and then kneels beside me, places his hands on my cheeks, and holds them there. Instinct has me leaning into his touch; nervousness has me wondering why he feels the need to trap me in place. Not that I mind being trapped by him. I only wish it weren’t this way.
“We have no idea where Cutter is. Jude is searching for him now. This has to be done my way, Angel. Once we have all the proof, the evidence we need, we will go to the FBI. I won’t lie to you and tell you I’m happy about doing this the right way. I know damn well the punishment they’ll give him won’t be good enough for me, for you, or Ethan. I’m going to do this by the eyes of the law. However, if he fucks up even an inch, I’ll blow his black-charred heart clear out of his chest. Do you get me?” My eyes spring open. Flashbacks from the few times Riddick told me he wanted to kill them stumble across my vision in rapid succession. Violence. Blood. Death. War. It’s all there in his eyes. He really wants to kill them himself.
“I’m sorry,” I say meaningfully. “I know this has to be hard for you to control the urge to take matters into your own hands. I know you’re doing the right thing for me, for our son. I’ll never be able to thank you for that. I’ve wanted them locked away for a long time. There were times I wanted them dead. I don’t know the law as you do. Is forging someone’s death, stealing their inheritance a federal crime? Is there evidence to put them on death row? Not to mention, they had to have paid a lot of people off to get the help they needed in pulling this off,” I say softly.
“They did have help. The guy is dead, Cora. Murdered ten years ago when he attempted to split up a gang fight.” The black cloud hanging over my head suddenly rolls in creating havoc in my skull. A vertical windstorm steals my breath, obscures my senses, and above all makes me want to run for cover.
“Oh God.” My mind reels from the heavy flooding. “They killed him, didn’t they?” I breathe out as my brain tries to return to its normal conditions.
“We’re checking into that. There’s red tape everywhere. It’s going to take time. My guess is yes, one of them killed him.” He says this as if it’s an everyday occurrence; to him it is. To me, it’s a nightmare I can’t escape from.
“What about my death certificate? You said they told you I was cremated; surely, they needed someone to sign it,” I ask, praying to God whoever forged their name on a made-up document is still alive.
“There wasn’t one. Not legally recorded anyway.” Jesus, I think I’m going into shock. This has to be the craziest story out there. One that a news broadcaster would love to get their hands on. For years, my brother probably lavished his life away, put money into his gang, lied to people about paying them off when he had every notion to kill them while he basked in the glory of knowing I was living in guilt thinking Riddick’s blood was all over my hands. A decent person would be thankful that a sick bastard like him let them live. The thing is, I’m thankful he did, because I was able to live with the greatest blessing a woman can be given. The right to be a mother. But it doesn’t mean that now I know what he has done that I don’t want him to suffer in the worst possible way. I do. Not at the possibility of Riddick losing the life he’s built for himself. Jesse and his cult are not worth it.
“Thank God you came to your senses about not killing them yourself. It nearly broke me when I thought you were dead. This time, if anything were to happen to you, it would destroy me. I wouldn’t survive and neither would Ethan. He can’t take what we’re building here away from us this time. With me being alive, he has no chance in hell of getting that money. The only thing he’ll be getting is life behind bars. Cutter will, too, once he’s found.” I catch my breath, the impending signs of a stress headache forming behind my weary pleading eyes. I’ll get on my hands and knees to beg if I have to make him understand that he can stay right here and protect us while he allows whomever to investigate this crime. I will not have my son fall in love with his father, then have to tell him he’s been hurt or worse, killed, because of me. It’s bad enough that once reality sinks in and Riddick goes back to work, that the dangers of his job will plague my mind like a contagious disease. I don’t know the ins and outs of his job. I can imagine drug dealers are extremely dangerous people to deal with. Riddick may be sitting here telling me he’ll do the right thing; however, if the opportunity arises, he’ll try to kill Jesse if he has the chance, just like he said. And both Jesse and Cutter are loose cannons. They won’t give up without a fight.
“Cora, I’ll protect you, that’s a promise. What I won’t do is sit around with my fingers shoved up my ass while waiting around for a phone call to tell me it’s over. I’m helping them. You need to give me that. Trust me when I say that my motivation for seeking revenge outweighs their want for all the money in the world. They took away the ability for me to see my son come into this world, to watch him take his first breath, to crawl, to talk, and walk. They stripped me fucking bare. And for that, my love, they deserve to die, whether it be by my hands or the gas chamber. They are going to pay somehow with their lives. My way is going to be much worse than them living. They took you away from me. Stole you right from under my nose. Lied. Turned me into a bitter man. So, fuck no, I won’t stand back. I want them to suffer. I want them to scream my name in vain when I watch them die. It’s time they paid for what they’ve done, and rotting in a goddamn jail cell isn’t going to cut it for me.” It’s pointless to argue with a man who now stands in front of you and within a blink of an eye becomes a whole different person. His eyes that have been shining brightly for the past few days have now turned an intense shade of hatred; they’re spitting fire. His hands are fisted with rage. His voice thunderously loud, so the words he says are muffled by the lightning that cracked above your head. Mixed with the dark gloomy cloud directly above you.
“Well, then.” I stand and meet his gaze, my nerves no longer tense. My heart no longer soft. I’m hard. A stone-cold figure. “How are you going to take care of my brother when he’s in prison? Surely, the evidence against him is enough for a trial. One that will send him to his death?” I cock my head to the side. The determination to settle the score is in my favor. I understand where Riddick is coming from. I honestly do. If I had even an ounce of the courage he does, I’d find a way to pull the trigger on Jesse myself.
> “Jesse’s not in prison anymore, Angel.”
“What did you say?” His words are registering in my head. Yet all I hear and see is Jesse’s voice, his hollowed out eyes as he starts screaming his threats, punching me in the face, and my ears ring with the fear he instilled in me, my heart wrenches. I can’t breathe. Darkness.
16
RIDDICK
“Fucking hell, Cora, you scared the shit out of me.” I caught her just before her limp body crashed to the floor. I lift her chin in order for her to look at me. Her usually warm eyes are unfocused; her beautiful face is slack as she stares wide-eyed past me more than likely remembering things that only she can see. The woman has gone into shock. Jesus, I feel like an asshole. She seemed to be handling the information I was feeding her just fine. That’s when I told her there isn’t a chance in hell I’m allowing anyone to take those cocksuckers down but me. I vowed never to lie to her, and I meant it. Now I wish I had kept my goddamn mouth shut about him being out.
Except the thing we all know is, he’s kept tabs on her, which basically means he knows where she lives and, being that he thinks he’s smart, he knows we’re together, which puts her in more danger.
He is one corrupted motherfucker, who will stop at nothing to get his hands on that money. That includes killing his sister if he even remotely suspects we know what he has done. I refuse to allow my mind to think of what he’ll do to my son. Ethan may know the reasons why Cora left, but Jesse… He has a detonator shoved up his ass and that bitch is waiting to go off. The kid is smart and protective of Cora, as he should be. And if I have anything to say about it, which I do, he will always remain in the dark of the beatings Jesse inflicted on his mother. With all the information we managed to dig up on Jesse and Cutter, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if they tried to come after Ethan, too. After all, legally, the boy is her next of kin. If anything were to happen to Cora, that money would be his.
Cora doesn’t want a damn thing to do with that money. It’s fucking blood money. Tainted by a corrupt man. Fuck, she would probably let him have it if his word to leave her alone was worth even a goddamn dime of it. It isn’t. It never will be.
Her parents living trust was easy to find. Before a person dies, it’s sealed up tight unless the person files with the courts to save the hassle and bullshit of the probate process. Which is exactly what her parents did. The public records were right there for Jude to make copies of.
The will held all the answers to why her brother did what he did. I’m surprised and thankful he didn’t kill her like he did everyone else involved. The only one he left living is the lawyer who drew up the will. I have every intention of bringing his ass in to see what he knows. If he’s involved in any way, he’ll go down. I’m not about to tell Cora that, though. My guess is the man does, since he’s some hotshot big-named criminal lawyer in Los Angeles with corrupted clients a mile long. Who the hell knows or cares at this point? My main goal is to find Jesse and Cutter before they grow a wild hair up their ass and decide that killing her for real this time is better than chancing getting caught by leaving her alive. Especially when the scum has spent time behind bars already. I’m sure he’s desperate enough not to take his chances on ever going back.
“What on earth is going on here?” I turn from my spot at the table to see her dad standing in the door. Shit.
“Dad,” Cora rasps his name out. Her voice is shaky, her eyes now full of tears. “Where’s Ethan?” She stands, wipes the sweat from her forehead, and gazes behind him with wide eyes. Thank fuck she’s coming around, and thank fuck even more it doesn’t appear Ethan’s with him.
“Vivian took him to his lesson,” he answers, brows lifted. He’s concerned. I would be, too, if I walked in and saw my daughter looking the way she does. Her face is pale compared to the rest of her tanned body, her frame tense, her eyes jumpy. Loose strands of hair fell out of her once perfect braid. The woman is on edge. Anyone who knows her can clearly see it, and this man knows her well. I hope to God she keeps the private part of our conversation to herself like I asked her. I’m not ready to expose anyone else to this shit, not until I’ve talked with the higher ups.
“And Mom?” she asks, confused.
“Working, Cora. We have patients all day. You of all people should know this, being that you’re usually the one in the office who knows the schedule better than anyone else. Now, will someone tell me why the hell my daughter doesn’t seem to know what day of the week it is? What the fuck is going on here? I have a right to know why she looks like she’s scared to death.” His eyes bore into mine. Fucking great. This is not how I planned on meeting the man I owe my thanks to for taking care of my family.
“Dad. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not it. Riddick shocked me with something he said. I’m fine.” She smiles. I know she is far from fine. She’s rattled, and there isn’t a hint of truth behind her usually beautiful smile.
“Riddick,” I say, holding my hand out for him to shake, doing my best to distract him from her. Get your shit together, Angel. He sets a brown paper bag down on the table before he takes hold of my hand, shaking it. Firmly.
“Ron Shepard. A pleasure to finally meet you. Now, do you mind telling me the truth since Cora seems to be lying to me for some reason?” I love how protective he is of her. Not enough to tell him the truth, though. The Army trained me to lie. I don’t often, but when I do it’s usually enough to appease my target. This man is not a target, though; he’s a saint. One who helped pull Cora’s life back together. One who loves her unconditionally. The door Cora opened for me makes this a problem easily solved, that is until he walks back out the door and all hell breaks loose from what I’m about to say. I’ll take my chances, though, at least it should lighten her mood. If anything, make her laugh.
“I asked her to marry me,” I divulge with a straight face.
“What?” he bellows out while my angel turns even whiter. She’ll be sprouting devil’s horns before this conversation is over. I nearly laugh over it.
“Jesus Christ. It’s only been a few days. Don’t you think you should get to know each other again or something? Fuck this, what I really mean is, isn’t this a little quick?” He glances from me to her. I’ve sent her into further shock, one that she may not recover from. At least until he leaves.
“I’ve dreamt about asking her for twelve years. Always waking up knowing that day would never come, so to answer your question, no, it’s not too soon. It’s past too late if you ask me.” I answer his question with the truth. I’d marry this woman tomorrow if she said yes. That’s how positive I am about the love we have for one another. There isn’t another woman on this earth who has or will ever replace her. Regardless if our lives have taken different paths over these years, I know as much as I am a man that I will love her for the rest of my life.
“Did you say yes?” He finally looks over at Cora, whose mouth is agape. Those eyes that were unfocused minutes ago turn to slowly burn into mine. I smirk. Bring it the fuck on, Angel. You’ll say yes when I ask anyway.
“No. I didn’t. You walked in right after he asked me. My head is still reeling from it,” she says with a bite. I fucking love it. Let that spark concealed by her eyes light up, let her tear into me. I’ll fuck her anger right out of her.
“Sorry to interrupt then,” he says politely. “Your mom and I were married two months after we met, so who am I to say wait? I’m also leaving the telling her up to you.” He winks at Cora tenderly, then reaches into the bag and takes out a cinnamon roll. He sure the hell is unbelievably oblivious to the steam rolling out of Cora’s curled up mouth. Must be the cinnamon roll he now takes a big bite of. “These are for you, freshly baked. Your mom asked me to drop them off on my way to the office. She also said to tell you to bring this guy here over for dinner very soon and not to worry about Ethan coming home again tonight.” Yeah, well, no chance in the devil’s hell that’s happening. I’m not letting either one of them out of my sight, until we find those two. H
e doesn’t need to know any of that right now.
“You didn’t interrupt, Dad. Riddick and I can talk about it later. Right, Riddick?” she snaps.
“The first chance we get,” I sarcastically answer.
“I don’t mean to come across as a pushover. However, I had plans to take Cora and Ethan to the drive-in. Any chance you guys could take him another night?” I lie, rub the back of my neck in an effort to appear disappointed. Also, to change the subject that has Cora planning my own murder right now. I am truly bummed out. Going one day without seeing him is a day too long for me.
“No need to change plans on our account. Ethan loves that place. Not to mention, the three of you deserve a family night. We understand, completely. I’ll call Vivian, have her drop him off after his lesson. He’s damn excited about that tournament. The kid won’t shut up about it. He won’t shut up about you either. He looks exactly like you. I feel as if I’m standing here talking to the adult version of my grandson.” He turns his attention my way. Fuck. I forgot about the tournament. I need to get the ball rolling here so he can compete. No fucking way am I disappointing that kid. Those two will not take this away from him. I simply won’t allow it.
“That’s a compliment I’ll always remember. My kid stole my heart the first time I set my eyes on him. You all raised him right. If I can influence him to grow up to be a caring man like you are, then he’ll be a better man than I am.” My truthful words have obviously struck a compassionate nerve as I stand there and watch this man’s eyes glaze over.
“No man is better than a boy’s father, Riddick. Not in their eyes anyway. You remember that as well as the knowledge that it wasn’t me who raised him. It was his mother. One of the reasons why I believe he loves you as much as he does is because she kept you alive in his heart. If anyone deserves the credit for the young man he is, it’s Cora. I have to get to the office. I hope I get to see you again soon, Riddick. Welcome to our family, son.” A pleasant grin rises at the corners of his mouth as he raises a hand to squeeze my shoulder.
Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection Page 23