by M. M. Koenig
This is really bad. Since the accident, both my parents have pretty much disappeared. Jayden can find anyone, so this is not a good sign.
My face fell as the others sucked in a collective breath of air. “No,” I whispered, horrified.
“It’s not surprising. Your dad comes from a horrific family. They could’ve very well killed him if the accident didn’t.” Jayden’s eyes dropped to my scar as he placed his hands on my knees. “I’m sorry they murdered your grandparents, and for what they did to you. You should probably be thankful you don’t remember it. They’re vicious people.”
I shivered. In all of this, I hadn’t thought about how fortunate I was to have no memory of it. If the scar was any indicator, I doubted that being able to remember anything would be beneficial. I stared at my ring from Ethan for some sense of peace, only to end up feeling more broken than I already did.
Jayden titled my head to him before he continued, “They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want from people that cross them. It’s clear in their actions, and by branding you, that they probably have an agenda all their own when it comes to you.”
Super, something else to add to the never-ending list of issues to deal with. If I thought my life was fucked-up before, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Jayden watched me as I tried to wrap my head around everything. I shook off where my thoughts were headed and said, “I don’t get how this account works. My mom set it up under Sophia. As far as the world is concerned, she’s dead.”
Jayden grinned cockily. “There are loopholes. The larger the account, the more likely banks are to let things slide. You’re putting far too much thought into it. If you show up with your real birth certificate and ID backing up that you’re the account holder, they aren’t going to question it with an account as extravagant as yours.”
“My ID shows me as Mia Ryan. I don’t have anything under Sophia with how I look now, so I don’t understand how it would work,” I protested.
Jayden sighed. “You underestimate your mom. She erased several identities and disappeared without anyone being able to track her whereabouts. I doubt fabricating what you look like as an adult would be a challenge for her. Can I ask you one thing about your scar?”
My face stiffened before I forced out through gritted teeth, “Choose your words wisely.”
Jayden’s expression was curious as he said, “I can’t figure out how it took Sean and Colin until a year ago to discover your true identity. It’s obvious it all stemmed from that scar.”
“I’ve always kept it covered up. When I was younger, I had friendship bracelets over it. As I got older, I rotated different bracelets and watches to keep it covered. If I had a game, a sweatband was there. I must have got lazy in the last few years,” I admitted.
Trey chuckled before giving me a knowing grin. “It’s true. Mia used to make those damn bracelets all the time and expected Micah and I to wear them too. I don’t know how many times we had to tell her that boys didn’t wear that shit.”
“Why would Chase stay here?” I muttered quietly to myself.
“What did you say?” Jayden asked, patting my leg.
I rubbed my face to maintain my wits. “I don’t understand why Chase would stay here.”
“That’s a question for him. What I can confirm is that he bought the building he owns now months after his parents died,” Jayden answered with caution.
“Why? I don’t see why he’d open up shop blocks away from another threat to his existence,” I rebutted, irritated. As my anger increased, my cuticles began to pay the price. They were raw and ready to bleed from my constant picking.
Jayden took a deep breath and said, “Chase probably didn’t realize he was settling so close to another family that would want you someday.”
“No, he wasn’t aware. He confirmed that this morning,” I mumbled.
“I doubt your mom considered that either. I’m sure when she stole the money she assumed she was only robbing your dad’s family,” Jayden said, arching an eyebrow.
The other four inched closer to Jayden and me. We were practically in a semi-circle, like it was story-time at the library. The shitty part was that this particular story was my life. Out of fresh cuticles, I began fidgeting with my ring and crossly asked, “What do you mean? Does it have to do with F. F. & Sweeney? Is that why they’re interested in me?”
Jayden looked at Jackson before answering. Jackson walked over to me and tapped Jayden on the shoulder to continue. “Liam, Sean, and Colin brokered a deal with your dad’s family. There was an exchange of drugs for a return of millions. Your dad’s family was to sell the drugs Liam provided well above market price. It was a no-brainer for them to take the deal because there was a drug drought out east. The deal made your dad’s family the sole proprietors of the drug market, which was on the rise at the time.”
“What happened?”
“Your mom. The money she stole was the money from that deal. She robbed two mob families in one stroke. It’s quite amazing she pulled it off,” Jayden mused.
I frowned. “How much money did she steal?”
“When she stole it, it was around five million, but she invested it wisely. Now, it’s around twenty million dollars,” Jayden said, rising to his feet.
“Jesus Christ! No wonder they want me alive!” I shouted.
Jackson jumped up too and stared at Jayden as if he was trying to call him out for lying to us. He nodded uneasily at Jackson, who immediately began running his hands through his hair while keeping his eyes on me. Shane, Trey, and Bri tried to remain calm, but they each went into their own nervous tics. I had pretty much catapulted into the atmosphere. I had to move to keep from losing my mind. I leapt up and started pacing around the room. Bri stepped towards me, but I raised a hand. The last thing I needed was the rest of them throwing in their two-cents. I focused on Ethan and some of his more erratic explosions with me.
“Who else knows my true identity?” I asked angrily.
Jayden’s eyes dropped to floor as he answered, “Sean and Colin put a tail on you over a year ago. While I was digging, it became evident they weren’t the only ones with an agenda, but you already know that since Harrison was able to sink his hooks into you.” His face paled as he took a deep breath and continued, “Mia, I dug into your expulsion from Eckman. I went through everything I could get my hands on. Derrick isn’t who you think he is. He moonlights as an academic counselor, but he actually works for Harrison.”
My eyes became saucers as even more anger surged through me. I curled my shaking hands together in strong disgust with the world. A small part of me wanted to fall to my knees and let it all win, because my entire body was struggling to control the side of me begging for retribution.
How can we live in a world this corrupt?
“What does Harrison get out of it?”
“As you know, Harrison did the New Jersey piece, which brought out a lot of mob activity within the last twenty years on the East Coast. Again, without actually having my hands on his files, I’m speculating, but I believe while he was putting that piece together he stumbled across information on you and your parents, and more than likely the deal brokered with Sean, Colin and Liam. Harrison has people all over. Jackson’s already told me you know that firsthand. It doesn’t surprise me that he manipulated so many people before he even got to you.”
“So in actuality Harrison just got to me before Sean and Colin. What doesn’t make sense is that Harrison sealed a deal with Ethan to bring those two down. Why would Harrison ever make a deal with Ethan if he had me? I feel like this is a game of Clue, because none of this makes sense!”
Jayden flinched as the others looked to the ground. “Mia, it’s pretty obvious he’s in it for the money. I’m sure Harrison put you in F. F. & Sweeney for leverage, or for kicks. He’s an evil asshole. Everything I found shows Sean and Colin were suspicious for the better half of this past year, but they didn’t really zero in on the facts until the last few months – probably because y
ou were on their turf. From the dead ends I kept running into, it’s clear your mom is still fiddling around with anything she can to keep people from the truth. Harrison has remained a step ahead of Sean and Colin, and that’s because he has Ian. How Harrison has managed to stay ahead of your mom is disturbing – even for me.”
I stopped pacing and stared at Jayden. After several minutes of silence, I tossed a hand in the air for him to clarify, because I wasn’t following.
He sighed. “Mia, I can’t answer every question. From what I uncovered, Ian was within those walls well before Sean and Colin took an interest in you. It was right around the time Harrison’s magazine printed the article on the Jersey mob and our metro area. I assume the deal between Ethan and Harrison was for a significant amount of money. Finding out your real identity put Harrison on the path for more. It works in his favor that Ethan is at odds with Sean and Colin.”
“Son of a bitch!” I shouted, slamming the wall. My face became as hot as a radiator working overtime in the middle of winter. “That’s got to be it. Ethan said his deal with Harrison was for him to print a piece to expose the corruption at his company. According to Ethan, the payout is more than decent. If I’m given the chance, I’m killing Harrison myself!”
I resumed my pacing. Bri winced as the boys looked at me with concern. I was rarely one to be violent when losing my temper, but I didn’t care. I was more than pissed at myself for falling prey to Harrison. I was a person at the end of the day, but so many people had me pegged like a fucking chess piece for their own playing when the time was right. I banged the wall again as my wrath soared to a higher level. I wheeled around to face Jayden and bit out, “What about Micah? He told me he was playing both sides. What did he mean?”
Jayden gazed at me warily, but I gave him a pointed look to get on with it. “The handoff leading to your expulsion was with Ian, who gave everything to Derrick.”
I glared at Jayden to elaborate, because his face clearly showed there was more.
“What did Micah know before he left?” I asked through gritted teeth.
Jayden straightened up with a tentative smile and said, “After Ian passed over what was needed to frame you to Derrick, and those two were gone, Micah broke into his office and tore it apart. In his ransacking, he found your true identity, and your mom’s. He also found the name your mom has been going by all these years.”
I blinked several times, hoping that what seemed like a gunshot to the head wasn’t real. My hands fell to my sides as it all became clear. “And that would be why Micah disappeared,” I mouthed to myself.
“It’s unclear how Derrick got her name. I couldn’t locate it. I can’t crack Harrison’s network, so I’m assuming that’s how. It’s as secure as the government’s. To bounce around it, I have to be on the inside,” Jayden fumed, cracking his knuckles.
I stared at Jayden as he continued to silently stew about being blocked out. I glared daggers when he remained silent. He smiled sheepishly and continued, “After he tore apart Derrick’s office, Micah wiped any trace of him being there. I assume he figured staying in your life or revealing what he found obviously wasn’t the best way to help you. Tracking his credit card patterns since he left, he did everything he could to locate your mom, but he fell short. As your birthday approached, he knew he was out of time.”
Deep pain slashed through my heart as if a chainsaw had ripped through it. My airway was almost closed off when I rasped, “What name is my mom going by?”
“Grace Adams,” Jayden said quietly.
Bri started shaking uncontrollably. Her knees started to buckle as she continued to gasp. Trey traveled with her to the floor. She buried herself into his chest and let out a few sobs before looking at me. The deep-rooted pain in her face was enough to make me start to sway.
“What is it, Bri?” Trey asked frantically, rubbing her tears away with his thumbs.
“Grace Adams is the name Micah left Mia in his letter. He wanted her to look into it, but he warned her to do so with people she really trusted with her life. Looking back, I assume he meant the four of us,” Bri answered between sobs.
If I didn’t hate myself enough already, the disdain I felt now was enough to replace any misguidance on that front. I gave up on Micah when he never gave up on me. My body lost the will to remain upright. Thankfully, Jackson grabbed me before I fell face-first on the carpet. He pulled us to the recliner. I sank into his chest as my body experienced blow after blow of pain. I could scratch what being a boxer was like off my bucket list, because I now had a pretty decent idea. My legs curled into a ball as buried myself even deeper into Jackson. Shane glanced between Bri and me with so much sadness in his eyes before sitting on the floor next to us. He ran a hand along my back to help soothe me in the same way Jackson was doing as he repeatedly whispered that it was going to be OK.
“What does Ethan know?” I croaked in between my own sobs.
Jayden’s voice cracked as he answered, “Ethan has been on a quest in the last several weeks. I tracked him in and out of Sean and Colin’s files on a few occasions. It appears that he knows most of your past.”
I trembled. It wasn’t quite clear if it was from the agony of what happened to Micah because of my ignorance, or the fact that the guy I fell in love with had spent our entire relationship lying to me. Jackson squeezed me tighter as I continued to shake.
Jayden picked up the USB and waved it my way. “This is my opinion Mia, so you can take it as you want. Your mom involved you in a terrible mess. It’s clear she loved you or she wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to bury the truth from you. There’s a large amount of danger that surrounds you by knowing it. If Ethan loves you, I assume he kept his mouth shut to prevent anything from happening to you.”
I wiped away my tears and slowly lifted my head off Jackson’s chest. He loosened his grip, but kept his hand snug around my side. He squeezed it until I looked at him. His eyes flickered continuously as he studied my face to ensure I was OK. I sniffed and gave him a small nod. Jackson waved a hand at Jayden to wrap things up.
“I’ve done some of my own handiwork to help you,” Jayden declared proudly.
“What?” Jackson shouted.
His alarm was undeniable. He fiddled with his lip ring and stared Jayden down. I was in my own standoff with Jayden as he sat across from us, seemingly amused by our panicked states.
“Chill bro, it’s a backup plan for Mia,” Jayden said with a smug smile.
“What do you mean?” I questioned fearfully.
“Your mom isn’t the only one that can manipulate things,” Jayden replied without concern.
My anger took a sidebar indefinitely as air evaded me. Jayden continued to gaze at us without a worry in the world. Jackson squeezed my side even tighter as his jaw stiffened. I forced in a gush of air. The other three hadn’t made a peep, so I assumed they were experiencing the same dread as us.
“The USB contains enough ammo to take down Sean and Colin. I’ve gathered as much illegal activity as I can on Harrison and Derrick, but I can tell you it’s not nearly as much as the other two. There are separate files for everyone – including Ethan, if you need it. Last, but not least, I moved a portion of the money your mom stole to a new account. It’s under the new identity I created for you. The license, birth certificate, and social security card are in the manila folder, along with anything else you’d be asked to produce,” Jayden finished pompously.
“Ohmigod Jayden! You probably just put us all in even more danger!”
The obscenities and gasps around the room mirrored the thoughts I spoke.
“Trust me Mia. No one will know. I’m very good at wiping my digital tracks,” he declared confidently.
“How much did you move?” Jackson asked, his tone uneasy.
“Around five million.”
“Fuck, Jayden! I’m positive my mom will notice that a chunk of the money vanished!”
My heart rate shot up along with Jackson’s. He clearly shared my thou
ghts. Jayden had probably just signed his own death warrant by doing this for me.
Jayden glared at me and snapped, “She probably will. That’s all the more reason for her to get her ass out of hiding so you don’t pay the price for her mistakes.”
“Are you sure that was the brightest idea?” Jackson questioned anxiously.
“Yes. Mia needs a card in her back pocket with what she’s up against,” Jayden replied, unworried.
“Is that everything?” I asked, crawling out of Jackson’s lap.
Jackson rose with me and extended a hand to Shane to pull him up while nodding for Trey and Bri to join us.
“Yes. I have tabs on everything moving forward. If something alarming comes up, I’ll call Jackson. Mia, you should keep up appearances. I’m sure dropping off the radar today hasn’t gone unnoticed. I’d recommend getting back to normal by tomorrow,” Jayden advised, his tone severe.
I nodded as a wave of exhaustion hit me. I wasn’t even ready to consider what tomorrow had in store. The thunderclouds that rolled in when we arrived had given way to a sleety rain. I shuffled over to take the USB and manila folder from Jayden.
“I’ll find a way to repay you for this,” I promised softly before hugging Jayden tightly.
He gave me a warm smile and said, “It’s nothing Mia. I can see in your eyes that you’re worried for me. Don’t be. I’ll be fine.”
Jackson swooped in and gave him a bear hug. “I’m your big brother. I’ll never stop worrying about you. Thank you for what you did, but watch your back.”
“I’ll be fine bro,” Jayden reassured.
I led the pack as we made our way out of the house. We hastily scrambled into Jackson’s Range Rover to get out of the sleety mess. I dropped what was in my hands on the floor and caught Jackson’s careful gaze in the rearview mirror as I sat up.
“Please go to the hospital,” I requested, as a sharp pain twisted through my heart.
Jackson had had no issue with speeding earlier. Now, he was driving like a damn turtle. I almost kicked his seat out of frustration. Before long, we were back at the hospital. As a group, we shuffled through it like zombies. The waiting room was empty, so we checked with the nurse’s station for Micah’s room number. With that detail in hand, we headed that way and saw Lyla walking towards us.