by JA Huss
“What the hell?” Wald asks, pushing me out of the way. “Brooke!” he says, rushing forward. “Are you OK?”
Johnny turns in his chair. They’re both sitting in front of the window, knees bent, feet pressed against the glass, drinking.
“Uh… What the fuck is going on here?” I ask.
“Oh, good!” Brooke says, bringing her feet down to the floor and standing up. “You’re here. And just in time!”
“Just in time for what?” I ask. Because of all the things I envisioned happening up here between Johnny and Brooke, them laughing over drinks wasn’t one of them.
Brooke walks over to us, takes my hand, smiles at me, then Wald, then Huck, and says, “The plan, of course.”
“What plan?” Mila asks. “Someone better tell me why the hell I just got dragged into this creepy Johnny Boston meeting if there’s no crisis!”
Johnny takes a step towards her with narrowed eyes.
Mila, normally not one to cower, takes a step back.
He has that effect on people.
“You’re here because you drugged up my baby brother last month, Mila Sanchez.” He kinda growls her name and I do have to admit, my brother is a scary dude.
But Mila finds her strength and takes back that cowering step. She actually points a finger at his face. “You’re the one who sent that footage to them, Johnny Boston. So don’t play your little badass game with me, OK? I’m not gonna cower in front of you.”
Everyone is looking at her when this all comes out. But as soon as she finishes, we all look at Johnny.
Way to go, Mila. You have his attention now.
“I had my reasons,” Johnny snaps.
Mila opens her mouth to reply, then kinda loses momentum or maybe just forgets what she’s gonna say, because all she comes back with is, “Well… good.”
Johnny stares at her for one more moment. Solidifying his dominance and control over this room. Then his head swings to me.
And fuck me. My brother really is a scary dude. Looking into his eyes is a strange experience. I knew this guy. We were kids together. We had fun, and laughed, and loved each other.
But those eyes. I don’t know those eyes.
“You want your daughter back?” he asks.
“Uh…” I mean, of course I want my fucking daughter back. But having Johnny ask me if I want my daughter back isn’t a simple question. Because it implies I’m asking him to get my daughter back for me.
And that… I shake my head.
“Is that a no?” Johnny asks.
“I do,” I say. “But I don’t want to hurt them.”
Johnny lifts his chin up and stares down at me. We’re pretty much the same height, so this is all illusion. But it works.
He reaches for Brooke, grabs her by the arm, and pushes her forward. Then he points to her and says, “She has a plan.”
“She does?” I ask, eyes locked with Johnny. But then I slowly, kinda reluctantly, shift my eyes over to Brooke.
“Tell them,” Johnny says.
She gives me a faint smile. “Look,” she says, holding up a hand. “I didn’t mean to stick my nose into this or anything—”
“Yes, she did,” Johnny counters.
She turns to him and says, “Will you shut up for a minute? I told you, I’d handle this.”
Johnny puts up both hands in surrender and takes a step back.
“What the fuck is happening?” Zach blurts.
“One second, Zach,” Jesse says. “I think we’re about to find out.”
And then Brooke smiles and says, “I have an idea…”
And all these words come spilling out of her mouth. By the time she’s done Mila, Natalie, and Hannah are sitting on Johnny’s desk sipping whiskey. Zach and Emma are on the floor, backs up against the window. Johnny is swiveling in his chair like a kid, Wald and Huck are leaning against a bookshelf with arms folded and heads nodding, and Jesse and I are just standing in the middle of the office unable to believe all our friends are up here in our older brother’s office, plotting with him.
“Well,” Brooke says, letting out a breath. “What do you think?”
Her eyes find mine first. But they soon dart over to Huck and Wald too.
Johnny swivels his chair towards me and says, “There’s one more thing you should know before we take a vote.”
“Vote?” Jesse and I both say together. And we look at each other. Because… since when is this little family business a democracy?
“I know where Charlotte is,” Johnny says.
“What?” I say.
“Who?” a whole bunch of other people say.
“Maisy’s mother,” Wald explains.
“She’s not dead, Joe,” Johnny says. “She left. She had to leave just like our mom had to leave.”
And I know there’s a lot to unpack in that sentence. But the one takeaway I have is that he’s not looking at me when he says our mom.
He’s looking at Jesse.
“She’s not dead?” Emma and Jesse say at the same time.
But Johnny has already moved on. Because he’s looking at me again. “I have to go find Charlotte.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Why isn’t the point. Yet. My point is, I have to go find Charlotte, which means you’re in charge now, Joe.”
“No fuckin’ way,” Huck says, stepping away from the wall and standing between Johnny and me. “No fucking way. He’s not—”
“It’s OK, Huck,” I say, placing my hand on his arm.
“It’s not OK,” Huck protests. “It’s not OK. None of this is fucking OK!”
“Look,” I say, leaning into him a little. “It’s the least I can do. Johnny’s been taking care of this shit for the past five years. Alone. I owe him. And if he says he needs my help, then…” I look at Johnny. “You have it.”
“What’s Charlotte got to do with this?” Wald asks. He’s staring at Johnny when he says this, but his eyes turn to me. “We need all the facts before you make this decision.”
“I don’t know yet,” Johnny asks. “But she needs to come back and I’m gonna go make sure that happens.”
“And what about Maisy?” I ask.
“I’ll leave that up to you,” Johnny says. “You don’t really understand what we’re up against.” He looks around. “None of you do. I’m the only one here who knows how big this truly is. And it’s very irresponsible of me to allow this plan to go forward. But…” He sighs a little. “I can’t do this anymore. I sit up here, every day, and think about killing myself to make it stop.”
Everyone is standing now. All eyes on Johnny.
“But I can’t,” he continues. “Because if I did, they’d just come to you next, Joey. That’s why I told you to go away. Get far, far away from this building, and this family, and this… evil. We are the bad guys. And I’ve done my best but I can’t do it anymore. I’d rather die trying to bring it down than live another five years building it up.”
CHAPTER FORTY - BROOKE
Getting a meeting with Michael Conner is not an easy task. But I am nothing if not persistent.
Hell, who am I kidding?
I lied my way in.
“Mr. Conner will see you now,” the perky assistant calls out to me. I’m in his office reception area on an interview. Which kinda makes me internally chuckle. Is it fate that his media conglomerate was headhunting for a new VP of marketing?
Maybe. Or maybe it’s just luck.
Either way, I have a brand-new résumé with almost-real references. Not to mention a ten-year job history that makes me look like some hidden gem freshly chipped off a cave wall in the jungle.
Johnny Boston didn’t quite know what to think about me when I reminded him that he controls the world’s money. He squinted his eyes a lot as I talked. He sat down, stood up, paced his office. Took two phone calls—one he left the room for, the other was the security people downstairs letting him know our new team was on their way up.
And I could not have planned that if I tri
ed. So yeah. Maybe fate has a hand in all this after all.
But when that was all done, just before that last phone call came in, he went back to his chair at the window and planted his boots on the glass. I grabbed a chair of my own, wheeled it over, and joined him.
“You don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“No,” I agreed. “I really don’t. But I don’t care. You can’t do this anymore. And I am in love with your brother and his partners. Something has to be done or we’re all going down. It’s not just you. It’s falling apart, Johnny. And it’s time to make a choice. Which side are you on?”
“I’m on my side,” he said.
“Great. Me too. We’re all on your side. And you don’t really have anything to lose, you know. Because none of this is yours.”
He got up, grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Poured us drinks, sat back down, gave one to me, and we clinked glasses as we sipped.
“You’re sure you’re up for this?” he asked.
“I’ve been preparing for this my whole life.”
And even though I didn’t really know that was true when I said it, I do now.
Sure, Johnny bought me and gave me to Miklos. But Miklos didn’t have to teach me the things he did. He didn’t have to give me the weird combination of skills I have. He didn’t have to turn me into a con woman. Miklos made me into the person I am today for a reason. Maybe he knew what that reason was when he did it, and maybe he didn’t. But somewhere along the line, my purpose in life manifested.
And it was all his doing.
So again… maybe it’s fate?
I get up from my chair and smooth my skirt. I copied that Big Pharma bitch. Remember her and her pink and grey suit? Only I chose a skirt instead of pants. Because… men, right?
Then I smile at the assistant, who is waiting to walk me into the internal offices, and follow her down the hallway.
She knocks once on Michael Conner’s door, then opens it one inch. “Ms. Birch to see you, Mr. Conner,” she whispers.
I hear nothing, but she must, because she smiles at me and opens the door just enough so I can slide in.
Michael doesn’t even look up from his computer, just type-type-types away and says, “Take a seat, Ms. Birch. I’ll be right with you.”
I smile at the receptionist as she closes the door.
That was my first hurdle and I got over it.
Because if he had looked up that door would still be open and security would be coming through it.
But he didn’t.
I take a seat, smooth my skirt again, and say, “We’re ready to make you an offer, Michael.”
His eyes snap up from the computer and squint at me. “You,” he says.
“Me,” I say brightly. And then I hold up a hand because he’s already got his finger on the button that will get me the hell out of here. “Before you do that,” I say, “I’m here with a message from Johnny Boston.”
Oh, that glare he shoots me should be illegal. It’s filled with so much hate. So much loathing.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “It’s not for the reason you think. We’re on the same side this time, Michael.”
“I highly doubt that, Ms. Alder. Cute name, by the way.”
“Wasn’t it clever?” I ask. “An alder is a kind of birch. I’m pretty sure Johnny would’ve seen past that little charade, but… I’m really glad you’re not as astute as he is.”
“Why are you here?” he snaps.
I take a fresh, crisp, white envelope out of my pink padfolio, stand up, and place it on his desk.
“What’s this?”
“Our offer,” I say.
“Give it to my lawyers. Maisy isn’t going anywhere. I thought I made that clear, but if you need more convincing—”
“No,” I say, holding up a hand. “You’re right. Maisy is staying right where she is.”
“What?”
I nod. This was hard for Joey. But in the end he had to admit that nothing good could come from ripping Maisy away from that totally secure, as-safe-as-it-gets, family compound.
Not until this is all over, anyway.
“She’s staying with you. For now,” I add. Just so it’s clear that this is temporary. “But if you agree to our plan, and you help us, and we win—which is a big if—then… then Joey gets his chance with Maisy. He won’t rip her away from you. He just wants his chance.”
“What plan?”
“Read the offer,” I say. “It’s OK. I’ll wait.”
He opens the envelope, takes out the letter and begins to read.
It only takes him a second to look back up at me.
“Keep reading,” I say.
He does, and when he’s done, he puts the letter back inside the envelope and hands it back to me. I get up and take it. Then sit back down.
“Well?” I ask.
He turns his head away from me. Looks out the window.
“You’re the one who wanted out,” I remind him. “You’re the one who set us up last weekend. You started this, Michael. You. And if you want to be a coward and pretend none of this is happening, well… too bad. It is happening. With or without you, it’s happening. Because regardless of what you think, the Boston brothers aren’t running this show. They want out too. This is your one and only chance to finally make it stop. If you truly love Joey’s little girl, then you’ll think of her first. Because Charlotte isn’t dead and she isn’t missing either.”
“What?” he says, turning to look at me.
“You heard me. Johnny knows where she is. Johnny knows what she’s doing. And he’s on his way right now to bring her back.”
He looks off to the side. Thinking. Maybe wondering… Do I want her back?
Probably not.
But his feelings for her aren’t the last card I’m holding.
“They’ll take Maisy too, you know.”
This is.
“Maisy won’t escape. Her day will come, just like ours did, and there won’t be a goddamned thing you can do to stop it if you chicken out now.”
He swallows hard and says, “We can’t stop them. It’s not going to work.”
He’s scared. And he has a right to be scared. So I look him straight in the eyes and say, “Do you even know who we are?”
He smiles. Granted, it’s a very small smile. But it’s there. And he’s probably tallying up all the whos and whats about the people involved in this money-laundering scam of global proportions. And he must figure… yeah. We might not be in charge, but we’re a whole lot of big-time somebodies when you put us all together in the same room. Because then he says, “What do I have to do?”
“Nothing,” I say. “Yet. We can’t do anything until Johnny gets back. But Joey’s in charge now so he won’t bother you about Maisy again. Not until this is over. But he has one ask, Michael. Just one.”
“What is it?”
“Tell her… tell her… she is loved.”
EPILOGUE - JOEY
Bright Berry Beach takes the entire month of August off. Everyone at the corporate office, from top to bottom, gets four weeks of paid vacation every August.
And once the Dumas clan gets their fish hooks and diving spears in you, they have a hard time letting go. Because Mrs. Dumas invited everyone down to Key West for this annual break and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Huck, Wald, Brooke and I are in one of their middle-class vacation bungalows just a couple blocks off the marina. Jesse and Emma are next to us. Hannah and her man—can’t remember his name for the life of me, so I call him nerd dude—are in the one across the street. Natalie brought two, yes, two, dudes with her. I think I like Natalie the best of all those crazy lipstick girls. Mila has her whole family packed into the house next to hers and Zach is actually staying with Luke Dumas, who is Emma’s youngest brother. He’s helping him run some boat tours.
But last night was our first huge, new-family dinner with the Dumas clan.
It was an experience I didn’t realize
I was missing out on.
It was fun, and exciting, and loud, and we all ate too much… it was, in a word, amazing.
I never thought I could have something like this. I never thought I deserved it.
The only way it could get any better is if Maisy and Johnny were here with us.
But as fun as this all is, it’s just an interlude. Just a pause. Because once Johnny gets back with Charlotte everything will change.
So I enjoy my partners while I can.
We’re sitting on the beach waiting for the sun to set. It’s not quite there yet. The colors the sky will be in a few minutes as the world turns are still a mystery waiting to happen. But I think I know what color the sky will be tonight.
I’m lying on the white sand propped up on my elbows. Huck is sitting next to me, Brooke’s head in his lap. He’s absently playing with her hair as he and Wald talk about fishing with Emma’s brother, Alonzo, tomorrow. Brooke is looking up at them, laughing as they joke about stupid shit I’m not even paying attention to.
Wald is sitting on the other side of me. And every few seconds, while he’s chatting with Huck, he glances down at me like he’s checking to make sure I’m still here.
I’m still here.
I’m just soaking it all up.
For the first time in my life I know who I am.
I know who we are.
Every night we go in to the bedroom and squeeze together on the too-small bed. There’s three bedrooms in our house and I’m sure, eventually, one of us will get tired of having no elbow room at night.
One of us might get tired of someone’s arm draped over their chest, or head on their shoulder, or impromptu sex in the middle of the night when we’re trying to sleep.
But not yet.
We’re not there yet.
This love affair I’ve been having with my best friends for the past sixteen years might not be normal, or conventional, or even emotionally stable. And bringing Brooke in was never in the plan when we came back to the States for Jesse’s tabloid crisis.
But you know what?
Who cares?
Not one damn person out there can guarantee that their well-planned, emotionally stable, couple relationship will make it.