by Brenda Grate
“And why do you still persist in calling your brothers by that silly name?”
“I don’t know, that’s how I think of them in my head. They’ve always been The Brothers to me.”
Her mother gestured at the tray. “Go ahead, have some coffee and get cleaned up. I think your father’s right about you making a statement. They should see the damage Stephen inflicted on you. If he decides to bring a civil suit against you, he won’t have a leg to stand on. Or a cock.” She left the room laughing to herself.
“Ha, ha, ha.” Aja called out to her mother’s back. Why is everyone so amused? It’s humiliating.
Aja came down the stairs after cleaning up. She didn’t want to speak to the media, but her mother’s thoughts about the civil suit made sense, so Aja didn’t attempt to cover up the bruises. She could hardly stand to look at herself in the mirror. You could clearly see two handprints around her neck. Her arms had circular bruises on them and her cheek had a red welt with crusted blood in the middle where Stephen had punched her with his class ring. For once, Aja was glad she had a tendency to bruise easily.
“Come, Aja, let me see you.” Her father stepped through the alcove from the living room. He took her hands and scrutinized her face. “Did the police take photographs of your injuries?”
“Yes, but they didn’t look as bad as they do this morning.”
Aja could see the fury in her father’s eyes. He was trying to keep calm - for her sake, she knew. Ever since she was a little girl, she had felt that her father was indestructible. Now, as she watched him struggle with his anger and shame over not being able to protect his daughter, she was afraid of losing him. He had been such a pillar in her life that Aja couldn’t imagine how she would live without him.
“I love you, Daddy,” she said and threw her arms around him.
“I love you, too, pumpkin.” He brushed her hair back and asked, “Do you think you can make a statement to the media?”
“I think so, if you come with me. Mother explained the importance of showing what Stephen did in case he wants to bring a suit against me.”
“That’s right. We need to cut him off at the knees.” He smirked.
“Don’t say any more,” she warned him and rolled her eyes. Everyone is a comedian this morning.
Father and daughter walked outside and took up a position on the front porch. Aja stared at the multitude of jostling reporters, all of them there for a piece of her story. Her stomach rolled and she was afraid she would humiliate herself more by being sick in front of them. She clutched her father’s arm tightly and tried to steady her nerves.
Her father told the reporters that she would make a statement, but that she wouldn’t answer any questions as she was still very shaken up. He turned and pulled Aja in front of him, but kept his hands on her shoulders. He was a tall man, towering over her five feet, two inches. He made her feel protected and safe despite the horde of people in front of them.
She swallowed and started to speak. The first thing out of her mouth was a croaking sound. She stopped and cleared her throat, then tried again.
“Mr. Aldridge and I were living together. He was a very abusive man.”
A reporter called out, interrupting her. “He’s done this to you before?”
Her father stepped forward. “I told you that she would make a statement and will answer no questions. Please respect our wishes.”
There were no further comments.
Aja continued. “Yes, he has been abusive in the past, but never to this degree. He came home drunk last night and became abusive.” Aja felt her face turn red with embarrassment, but pushed on. “I fought with him, got away and ran to the kitchen where I grabbed a knife to defend myself. He followed me and tried to grab the knife. We fought over it and he accidentally got cut.”
They couldn’t restrain themselves. “Is it true you cut off his penis?” one reporter shouted.
Aja felt her father bristling behind her, but she patted his hand where it gripped her shoulder. “It’s okay, Daddy.”
She turned back to the crowd. “It’s true that I cut him there, but I have no way of knowing how bad the damage is. You’ll have to speak to Mr. Aldridge’s family about that. You can see from the bruises that I was defending myself against him. I’m much smaller and the knife was the only way I could stop him from strangling me.” Aja lifted her long hair and showed the extent of the bruising, blinking as the cameras began flashing from all sides.
“He tried to kill me. I defended myself the best I could. I didn’t mean to hurt him, but I think maybe he deserved it, don’t you?”
With that, Aja and her father turned and walked back inside the house. He hugged her and twirled her around. “You did a wonderful job, baby! That was a great way to end it. Just wait, that’s going to be the thing they quote over and over.” He grinned at her. Aja thought that maybe she would be able to get through this ordeal with her dignity intact after all.
The doorbell rang and her father pushed her toward the stairs. “You don’t need any more of this circus. Go upstairs and hide out for a bit. I’ll get Betty to bring you some lunch in a while. You need rest.”
Aja would be glad to see Betty, her parents’ housekeeper. She had been with the family since Aja was a baby.
Aja smiled at her father and headed back to her bedroom. She decided to call Mia, her best friend. Aja couldn’t leave the house, but Mia would be more than happy to come over. She’d probably heard the news, but - since Aja’s family wasn’t answering either the house phone or their mobiles - Mia wouldn’t have been able to get through.
Aja walked up the stairs, her muscles beginning to protest. It was going to be a while before she felt herself again. When she got to her room, she picked up the fuzzy pink phone her father had bought her for her tenth birthday.
It didn’t take long for Mia to get to the house. They ushered her in, past the reporters who were swarming the house. Apparently Aja had only whetted their appetite with her statement and they were frothing for more.
Aja took Mia to the library. They sat in the big comfy leather chairs. Aja waited while Mia examined her, struggling to overcome her anger.
“Oh, Ajakins. I can’t believe he did this to you. I can see where his hands were on your neck. It looks like he tried to strangle you.”
“He did.”
Mia got up and paced around the room, muttering curses. She whirled around. “This isn’t the first time, is it?”
“No.”
Mia dropped to her knees in front of Aja’s chair and grabbed her hands. “Why didn’t you tell anyone? Why didn’t you tell me? I’m your best friend!”
“Honestly, Mia? I really don’t know why. I told myself it was because I didn’t want my Dad and The Brothers to go to jail for killing Stephen, but I think I was lying to myself.”
“Do you love him?”
“That’s the thing, I’m not even sure I ever did. Somehow he had a hold on me that I don’t understand. It was like he had me chained up in his basement and I didn’t know it.”
Mia got tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Aja. I should have seen something was wrong. You were with him for a year.”
“It wasn’t always like that, though. Sometimes he treated me really well. You know Stephen, he can be a real charmer. He didn’t hit me often - only when he came home drunk. He forced himself on me more than once, though.”
“That bastard!” Mia shouted.
At that moment a curly dark head popped in the door and asked, “Who me?”
“Olly!” Aja shouted and jumped from her chair to throw herself into her big brother’s arms. It was what she’d called him since she was a little girl. The whole family had adopted the nickname.
“Hi Orlando,” Mia said. She’d had a crush on him since she was a little girl. She always got nervous around him.
Orlando swung his sister around and then put her down and stepped back to study her condition. “He’s dead,” he said in a perfectly calm voice that s
ent shivers down her spine.
Aja’s mother was 100% Italian. Her three sons had inherited every drop of her blood. They had vendetta on the brain, Aja liked to say, despite the fact that they’d never set foot in Italy.
“Please, Olly, don’t do anything rash.”
“Rash? Who said anything about rash? It will be carefully thought out and executed.”
Aja shivered again at the way he said executed. “But, I hurt him bad. He won’t be out of the hospital for a long time.”
“So I heard. I also heard you didn’t finish the job.” Orlando narrowed his eyes. “I mean to finish where you left off.”
Aja realized talking to her stubborn brother would do no good so she changed the subject. “When did you get in?”
“Just now. I came as soon as Dad called me.”
“Are you okay to leave your business?” Orlando ran an expensive resort on Vancouver Island. He seldom left it in the hands of his manager. He was the life-blood of the business. There was an exceptionally large amount of women that visited the resort every year but Olly remained single. He was handsome and charming, with his dark Italian looks. Women fell all over him wherever he went, and Orlando wasn’t one to argue with fate.
“The business is fine. My little sister is much more important,” Orlando stated. “Enrico and Carmine are coming home, too.”
“Really? Why?”
Orlando shook his head as if to say his little sister wasn’t too bright. “Because you need us, that’s why.”
Aja took a step back and put her hands on her hips. “Olly, I’m 25 years old.” Aja paused to clear her raspy throat. “I think I’m big enough to take care of my problems now.”
He raised one eyebrow.
“Okay, old enough. But, seriously, why do you still think you have to come running to my defense? I can take care of myself, you know.”
“Yah, I heard what you did to ol’ Stevie-boy.” Orlando crossed his hands over his crotch and made a tortured face. “I better start watching what I say around you, Aja.”
Tears came to her eyes. “Enough. Why does everyone think it’s so funny? It was a horrible experience and I feel guilty for what I did to him and no one will let me forget it!”
Orlando immediately turned contrite. “Sorry, sis. I didn’t think of it that way.” He put his arm around Aja and led her to the chairs where Mia was sitting. “Hey Mia-me. Aren’t you getting married?”
“Yes, the wedding is in six months.”
Orlando leaned back on the couch beside her, “Well, want to have one last fling with me?”
Mia pretended annoyance and smacked him, but Aja knew she’d probably love to.
Chapter 4
Aja entered the dining room. The entire family was already seated. Everyone looked at Aja, embarrassed looks on their faces. She felt as if she'd interrupted them, as if their conversation had halted as soon as she appeared. She took a seat and smiled at her two older brothers, who had arrived earlier that day.
"Hey Princess." Her father leaned over and kissed her cheek. He leaned back and with a proud smile looked over his family gathered around the table. "It's wonderful to have all of you home together again, despite the circumstances.”
Her mother gave him a tender glance and then said, "Betty, you can serve now, everyone's here."
Aja smiled at Carmine, "How’s Anna and Katie? She must be growing up so much."
"Anna's doing well and yes, Katie is growing like a weed.” Carmine's face beamed when he spoke of his wife and daughter.
"When are you going to bring them for a visit?" Aja asked.
"I will soon, I promise. I just didn't want them upset by what happened to you." Carmine said it softly, but there was a note of anger in his voice. He was a gentle soul - but in the way of most like him - if anyone dared to lay a finger on a family member, he could be fierce.
At the reminder, Aja dropped her eyes to her plate and tried to concentrate on the delicious meal. As always, Betty had done an outstanding job. With her precious 'boys' at home, she'd tried to make everyone their favorite. As a result, the meal was an eclectic one. Aja could only imagine the array of deserts to come.
“Enrico, when did you get in?” Aja asked. “I didn't notice you arriving."
"I got in this morning."
Aja widened her eyes. “Well, where have you been all this time? I've been home all day."
She noticed his guilty glance at Orlando and got suspicious. She turned to Orlando beside her. "What have you guys been doing?"
He grinned at her, irrepressible as always. "We've been up to no good."
Realizing she wouldn't get satisfaction from either Orlando or Enrico, she turned to Carmine. "Out with it. What did you guys do?"
"We did what any self-respecting family man would do, Aja. We beat up the bastard that dared lay a disrespecting hand on our sister."
Aja gasped and jumped up from her chair, glaring at each one of her brothers and then her father in turn. He had to be in on it, too. "Why can't you guys leave well enough alone?"
Enrico tossed his roll onto his plate and pushed back his chair. "Leave well enough alone?" he snapped. "He hurt you, Aja, he could have killed you. What did you expect us to do? We protect our family. We don't let people get away with things like that. If it had been Gloria or one of my children, I would have done the same thing. Don't try and make us feel bad for protecting you. You should be thanking us."
"Thanking you? I protected myself, I didn't need you to do anything more. You're all going to get thrown in jail for assault and then what am I going to do? I'll be responsible for you deserting your families." Aja's teeth were clenched so hard her jaw ached.
"I don't have a family,” Orlando threw out with glee.
"Shut up, Olly."
He grinned.
"Please, Aja, calm yourself,” her father said. "Your brothers are trying to take care of you."
"No, they're trying to get revenge."
"And why not?" Her mother put in. "It's the way of our family."
Aja glared at her mother. "Am I the only one that sees the absurdity of this? We have laws against vendettas. We're not living in Italy." Before she could continue, the doorbell rang. The family stopped talking, waiting for Betty to tell them who it was.
Aja sat back down and huffed out her breath. She was tired of her family doing what they wanted despite how she felt about it. Being the youngest was both torturous and wonderful. They loved her and doted on her, but it was often stifling. She wanted to get away from them, but felt guilty about it because it was their love that was smothering her.
Betty entered the dining room with an envelope in her hands. She was visibly shaking. "Aja, it's for you."
Before Aja could reach for it, her father stood and snatched it from Betty. He tore it open. "That bastard is suing you." He tossed the envelope on the table. "That's it. He's dead meat."
"No!" Aja shouted. "That's not going to solve anything." She stood up and walked to the head of the table beside her father. She looked each of her brothers in the eye and said, "I want you to make me a promise." They couldn't resist the force of her gaze and each nodded, although with obvious reluctance.
"I want you to promise me that you will leave Stephen alone. Daddy and I will handle the lawsuit. We're going to do it the right way, by the law. Stephen can't win. We all know that. But, beating him up again will only make him more determined to get back at me. I've already hurt him more than anyone else can. Let that be enough. Okay?"
Aja waited until each of her brothers gave an assenting nod. "Okay. Let's get back to our dinner."
Chapter 5
Aja and her father sat in the den, both trying not to look at the envelope sitting on the coffee table. Aja felt sick to the pit of her stomach as she realized this was proof that Stephen would never give up.
“I’ve called my lawyer. He’ll start working on the case. You have nothing to worry about, Aja. If the police thought you were at fault they would have char
ged you,” her father said with a reassuring smile.
Aja didn’t feel reassured. She knew Stephen better than her family did. She’d never met a more vindictive person. It wasn’t just that; Stephen was a man who always got his way. If he wanted something, he got it. End of story. His family had a lot of money, even more than her family, so he could fight for years without coming close to draining his resources. Aja felt afraid that her father wasn’t seeing the whole picture, but it was useless to try to convince him that they might not win.
“Thanks Daddy,” she said.
The phone rang and Aja jumped, then grabbed for it. Her father snatched it up before she could reach it and Aja pulled her hand back in shock. She’d forgotten about the media.