by S. M. West
She calms my nerves about telling Tate, and I only hope she’s right that my sister will understand and get over it.
The Uber Eats driver pulls up with our dinner, pho, a Vietnamese soup and Tate’s favorite, at the same time I do. Yes, I’m buttering up my sister since she won’t be happy with me when she learns about everything I’ve been doing behind her back for years.
My phone beeps on my way into the elevator and with my hands full, it’s tricky to check. A text from Taya. She wants me now.
I should stall. The elevator arrives at their floor and on the way to their front door, I think of an excuse to delay my mother. I text that I’m headed into surgery and won’t be able to come until much later. Then I power off the phone, not sure if it was the best move but I’ve got to tell Tate in person and the longer I wait, the worse it’ll get.
“Hey, come in,” Ry whispers at the door before I even have a chance to knock.
His son James is sleeping peacefully in his arms, swaddled in a light blue blanket. My smile is hard to contain at the sight of the proud papa.
Even though James is their second child, I still marvel at the tough ex-FBI agent and security expert when he’s with his children. He’s a big, soft teddy bear.
“Lookin’ good,” I say and his cheeks redden as his lips press together.
“Thanks. Listen, I’m going to put him down.”
“Okay and where’s Adam?” The little tyke is usually running around and making lots of noise but the place is quiet.
“He’s with Ma tonight.”
“Ah, that’s too bad.”
“I’ll be right back. Leave the food on the table, and Tate’s in the kitchen washing some baby things.”
“All right.” I’m tightly wound, anxious to see my sister.
One look at me and she’ll know something is up, and at first, she’ll be pissed. I can’t blame her, and I’d rather skip over that part.
I enter the kitchen and she turns to face me. Her blonde ponytail flicks to one side like a horse’s tail.
“Hey, Bear, how are you?” I shove my hands into my pockets, hoping to hide any sign of my nerves.
“Max.” She dries her hands on a kitchen towel and then hugs me.
We stand like that for a few beats, both of us finding our center. Being one half of a whole, which is what we’ve felt like our entire lives, our connection runs deep. I’m most balanced and feeling like myself when we’re physically close.
“I feel like pinching myself. I can hardly believe you’re here. Is this a dream?” Her sarcasm isn’t hard to miss as she pulls away. “Better yet, I should pinch you.”
She nips at my side and I wriggle, backing away. “Very funny. Smartass.”
“I can’t believe you’re actually here. What is this, like the second time in as many weeks? That’s unbelievable.”
“Okay, if you cut the ribbing, I’ll stay. If you can’t, because I know how much you can’t resist the chance, I’ve brought dinner for you, but I’m leaving.”
Laughing, she takes me in from head to toe. “Okay, I’ll stop even though this is fun.” Her eyes twinkle like she’s got a few more tricks up her sleeve. “Seriously, I was shocked when you called and said you’d bring dinner. What’s going on?”
I open my mouth to speak and she holds up a finger. “And before you feed me some line, Ry told me you have some news and that he’s going to leave us alone for a bit. So don’t bother avoiding the truth.”
“After dinner.” Partly relieved and partly annoyed that Ry told her there was news, I delay our conversation. “Where are the bowls?”
“We only need spoons and forks. We can eat out of the container.” She points to a top drawer. “Thanks for coming, Maxie. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.” The sharp edge to my tone doesn’t hide my dislike for the moniker I can’t seem to shake.
Dinner is relaxing, despite my nerves at our impending conversation, and something I didn’t realize I needed. My sister regales me with cute, funny and stinky stories of her days spent with her beautiful baby boy and rambunctious toddler.
And she’s glowing like a proud and loving mother, and Ry is also more relaxed than usual, never taking his eyes off his wife. The man worships my sister, but with the addition of their sons, he looks at her as if she set every single star in the sky.
“I only got a glimpse of the little guy, but he’s growing fast,” I say when Ry stands to leave, signaling time to get serious. “I had wanted to see Adam too.”
“I wish some days I could just stop it all. They are both growing so fast,” Tate says wistfully.
He leans over and kisses her forehead. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
“An hour?” She casts him a doubting look. “You’ve never gone to the office and been back in an hour.”
“Fine, I’ll be back in two.” This time, his hand grips the back of her neck and he plants a long, slow kiss on her lips.
I look away, my mind suddenly going to Tommie and all that’s happened in the past few days, adding new layers to our friendship. My heart pounds at the thought of my beautiful best friend.
It’s dangerous to want more, to consider more, yet I’ve flirted with the idea. And earlier today, when we kissed at HC, I saw a healthy dose of lust or longing or something similar in her eyes. There’s so much going on right now and I wonder if it’s the right time to ask for more. On the other hand, all this stuff with my mother and Ash only shows how precious life and time is. So why not now?
“See you later, Max.” Ry dips his chin.
“Sure. See you.”
“Okay, spill.”
“It’s Taya.” I cut to the chase, knowing Tate doesn’t need a preamble.
“Oh God, now what?” She drums her fingertips on the table, setting her mouth into a thin cross line.
“I’ve been working with her ever since I came back to the US.”
“What? Working with her? What does that mean?” She latches onto my forearm, gripping my muscle tightly.
“After Bobby and our father died, and you were with Ry, she threatened you. She told me she had plans for you, much like what she did with Bobby. Another marriage to another monster for the benefit of the organization. And I couldn’t have that.”
“There’s no way she would have gotten away with it.” She’s vehement.
We both know that isn’t true and ruling out Taya as a threat would have been a big mistake. She’s not above marrying Tate off, even if that meant kidnapping my sister, or worse.
“Really? I wasn’t going to let her hurt you again after everything you went through with Bobby.”
“So you let her put a bullseye on your back?” My sister slaps her hand on the table; the baby monitor crackles and I worry she’ll wake James.
“Look, I know you’re upset but I was in a position to stop her. In exchange for coming home and being her doctor, she agreed to leave you alone. And she’s done that.”
“Be her doctor?”
“I clean up her bloody messes. I take care of gunshot wounds, stabbings, the guys who are beaten up, the drug overdoses, you name it. I’m pretty much on call.”
Tate covers her face with her hands and lets out a sad sigh before looking to me. “And you’ve been doing this since you came back?”
“Yes. I didn’t really think it through at first. I had to figure out how I’d get supplies and drugs and I couldn’t use my normal, legal channels. The hospital wasn’t an option.”
“No way. Max, you’re a well-respected cardiac surgeon.” She rests her hand over her heart, the glow from earlier long gone. “If you got caught stealing stuff from the hospital your career would be over. What are you doing?”
“The black market. She set it up.”
“Max, she’s taken more than enough from us.” She slams her hand once more on the table and pushes to stand, now pacing the length of the dining table.
“Your safety is my biggest concern, Bear.” She stops in her
tracks, our eyes locking, and images of all the times I couldn’t help her flash in my mind, only serving to fuel my conviction. I did what I had to and even though I’ve hated every minute of it, I’d do it again.
“I’ll do anything to keep you safe. To keep Adam and James safe.”
Nodding, she presses her trembling lips together and grips the back of the chair, staring across the table at me. “You’ve got to stop. She can’t keep taking from us.”
“I am stopping.”
What is Tate going to think when she learns about how I’ve been helping Taya? How I let a woman die the other night? I can barely stand the thought.
“You might want to sit down for this.” I motion to the chair, not sure if I’m suggesting this out of concern for her or delaying the inevitable—telling her just how horrific our mother really is.
“Just tell me, dammit.” Tate leans into the chair, her nostrils flaring, and her palpable anxiety hits me in the chest.
“It looks like she’s involved in human trafficking.”
She sucks in a breath, her hand flying to her mouth as she closes her eyes. When she opens them again, water pools in her eyes and she blinks back the tears.
“Human trafficking?”
I nod solemnly and tell her about the woman with the gunshot wound at the warehouse. She listens, growing paler by the second.
“I wanted to go to the police but we both know how that could have turned out. That’s why I went to Ry and Van. I won’t be party to that. It was bad enough with the drugs and guns but snatching people off the street, selling them into sex and slavery of other kinds. I can’t and won’t abide by that.”
“Oh my God. I can’t even… this is horrible. I’m glad you went to Ry. You must feel… I can’t imagine how you feel.” She comes around to my side of the table and we embrace.
“I’m helping them and sharing everything.”
Tate nods, knowing all too well what it means to work with HC. Once upon a time, she was an FBI informant on her own husband. “You need to be careful. If she finds out…” Her voice cracks and she mashes her lips together.
“I will.” My voice is strong and reassuring. “Ry and Van are working with the NYPD and others. We have to stop her once and for all.”
I give her the run down about Ash and Tommie, knowing Ry will fill her in more and also sick to think of what will happen if we don’t put an end to this. Thoughts of the dying woman, Tate many years ago when she was at the mercy of my parents and Tommie rush at me.
Failure isn’t an option. I won’t allow Taya or Ash to ruin the lives of so many women and I can’t work for her any longer. If I keep this up, I’m afraid I might lose my sanity or worse, my humanity.
There’s a knock at the door and we both look to the front entrance.
“Who is that? Are you expecting someone?”
“No.” She chuckles, shaking her head. “It might be our neighbor, Mrs. Marzel. She adores Adam and now with the baby, she finds any excuse to drop by and see him. Earlier today she claimed to be out of sugar.”
Smiling, she ambles toward the door. “Why don’t you grab the wine bottle and our glasses and take them into the living room.”
“Tate, wait.” On edge from what we’ve just discussed, I quicken my pace to her side. “Let me get it.”
I gently shift her behind me and her features are a mixture of worry and disbelief as if I might be overreacting. “Okay, but I’m sure it’s fine.”
She’s been at a distance from my mother for some time now, but I know all too well what is possible. And I did dismiss Taya’s summons earlier tonight.
I open the door and my mother pushes past me to stand in the hallway with her hands on her hips. Platinum blonde hair is brushed tightly back into a bun, making her angular features appear even more severe. Suddenly, I’m regretting my stupid decision to lie to her.
And for a brief, insane moment, I wonder if Taya knows what I just shared with Tate. Is she on to me? Does she know I’m double-crossing her?
“Did you think you could lie to me and I wouldn’t find out?” She grabs hold of Tate’s bicep, bringing her close, and my focus is on where her bony fingers dig into my sister’s flesh.
Tate’s eyes widen like saucers and a whimper escapes her mouth; that’s when I notice my mother is holding a gun.
Fuck. This is my fault. I jump to separate them in some way, but Taya shoots me a deadly glare, pressing the weapon into her daughter’s temple. “I’d hoped to finally meet Adam, but one grandchild is better than none. I have a man with James as we speak.”
As if hit square in the gut, a guttural sound slips from my taut lips. Almost like an echo, my sister cries out, battling to be free of our mother’s hold. I’ve got to get to the baby.
“I will take the child and you’ll never see him again. Max, you seem to have forgotten that I am dead serious about our arrangement. You break your end of the deal and I’ll break mine.”
My mind races, trying to figure out if she’s bluffing about a man having James or not. At the end of the hallway to the bedrooms, there is an outdoor terrace.
We’re six floors up but there are fire escapes. Metal stairs on the exterior of the building that anyone, if they really wanted to, could climb.
She means business. My mother is determined if nothing else to always prove her point. Get her way. Why the hell didn’t I think of that before lying to her?
“Do not do this. Let Tate go and call off your dog. I’ll leave with you now.”
My hands are shaking, unable to contain my fury, and she laughs. My sister trembles, body tight, incensed, and like any mother—well except ours—she’ll kill before she lets any harm come to her son.
I won’t let it get to that. I’d rather kill my mother with my bare hands before I let that happen.
“Leave us alone.” Tate’s tone is dark and vibrating, despite the weapon, which is now pressed into her side.
Movement causes me to look toward the hall. A hulking shadow lumbers from the bedrooms and as the large man steps into the light, we can see baby James in his arms.
If the situation wasn’t fraught with danger, the scene would make me smile. It’s Thanos holding a baby. Fortunately, the baby’s still sleeping. I’m grateful for that small mercy.
Tate now tries even harder to pull away, but she’s wrenched around to face our mother, their noses almost touching with the gun wedged between them. The vision gives me pause.
Two blonde women, so similar in their striking bone structure and alluring figures that it’s clear they are related. One light like the bright sun and the other as dark as the pits of hell. How is it possible for someone so vile and heartless to bear a child as loving and kind as my sister?
“I will take him,” Mother says and Tate stills.
“Fuck. No.” I step forward. “I’ll do whatever you want.” Even if I live to regret it, I will do anything to prevent her from hurting the baby or my sister.
“Bring him to me.” Taya ignores me and her man moves with purpose, careful so as not to misstep and upset or harm the baby.
“I’ll leave now if you put him down.” I dip my chin toward the bassinet and the man stops, casting a glance at his boss, maybe hopeful to give the baby up.
Taya nods and his chest deflates, relieved to put the baby down. He places the child in the bassinet as he would a China doll. Then he passes me, watching warily, to stand beside Taya.
“Max, go to the door. Now.”
I obey and she releases Tate, who runs to her son, clutching him in her arms. “Get out.” Her face reddens. “Max, don’t go with her.”
“I have to.” I offer a dim smile. “I’ll call you later, Bear. It’s going to be okay.”
Max
Mother ignores me as we leave the building, staring straight ahead. Her thug keeps a tight hold on me and throws me into the back of the idling car, squeezing in after me.
Her driver, the same guy she’s had since I returned from England, pins me
with his steely blue eyes. I pause and his usually blank expression is somber, as if he knows what’s in store for me.
“Drive, Riff,” Taya says to him before turning to me. “Don’t you ever lie to me again.”
She’s out for blood and my major misstep tonight only proves she knows my whereabouts most of the time, if not all the time. I can’t screw this up further and risk tipping my hand. If she doesn’t already suspect me of something, tonight’s fiasco is sure to give her pause.
Dammit.
“Understood. It was stupid. I hadn’t seen Tate in a while and when your call came in…” I trail off, angry with myself for sounding like a kid begging his mother’s forgiveness and for getting myself into this situation. But this is how I must play this.
“Listen to me and listen good because I won’t repeat myself. Next time I will show you.” She grabs my face, holding my gaze. “You lie to me again or disobey and I will make you wish you were dead. And just in case you misconstrue that to mean your own death, no my dear son, I will get rid of someone you love.”
Cold paralyzing fear pierces my spine. Tommie, Tate, my nephews, those at HC or the hospital—anyone could be in danger. She has no limits and murder means nothing to her.
She violently releases her hold, pushing my head back into the seat rest and picking up her phone again. With that gesture, I realize I need to text Ry and tell him to get to my sister. Tate likely has already called him but just in case.
I fish my phone out of my pocket and the goon beside me clamps his fingers around my wrist, wrenching the phone out of my grasp.
“Let me just text Ry.” There’s no point lying. I’ve got to be on my best behavior with my mother if I’m to gain back any bit of her trust.
She nods. “One text.”
I turn on the phone and notice nothing from Ry, Tate or Tommie. I send a quick text to Ry and it’s only when I put the phone away that I realize Tommie was supposed to text me when she got back to HC. I suppose she could still be at her place and I make a mental note to check my phone again, as soon as is possible.