CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
TWO WEEKS LATER
OWEN
HOLY FUCK! I can’t even process all the shit that is going on as I speed my way down to meet with Jones. I sure as hell hope that he is in his office because I can’t even begin to deal with this mess.
I call on the way and the secretary confirms he is in meetings all day. “Well, that is a freaking positive in all of this.”
I’m surprised I’m not pulled over on the way, but I get here okay and rush into the office.
“Owen!” says Jones’ assistant.
“I need to talk to Jones,” I say, out of breath.
“He is in a meeting.”
“It’s urgent.”
She looks like she doesn’t know what to do and then she grabs her cell to text him.
“Tell him it’s about Arianna and Blake.”
She gives me a confused look but does as I ask… at least I think she does, because I see Jones come out of one of his conference rooms.
“Owen? What is going on? Are they okay?”
“We need to talk in private.”
He looks overly concerned, as he should be, and leads me to his office.
“Well?” he asks as he makes his way around his desk.
I throw the book on top of his desk, “The Ugly Truth”, with my grandfather’s name at the bottom.
“What is this?” he asks.
“This is Blake being stupid, that is what it is. That is hundreds of pages filled with stories of my father’s abuse, not to mention what happened to Arianna.”
Jones’ eyes widen in surprise. I must say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him caught off guard before.
“How did you find out about this book?”
I sigh, “Well, it apparently became a bestseller after the first few days of it being released. Mom heard about it and happened to see grandpa’s name, and her curiosity peaked. Then with everything laid out in front her, of course, she put stuff together.”
Jones shakes his head. “Does your father know?”
“Fuck yes, he knows. Is there anything he doesn’t know? Besides, mom threw the book at his face and said she wants a divorce, then he threatened to take Molly and she backed down.”
“Is there anything about Arianna’s family in there?”
“Why the hell would that matter?” I ask, starting to panic. “Mom is keeping dad around as I come to talk to you, but it is a hell of a lot easier for him to find Blake now that he knows, not to mention that he is threatening to sue Blake for invasion of privacy and misappropriation of the right of publicity.”
“Wait. What?” Jones laughs. “You can’t be serious.”
“Well, he is.”
Jones is really laughing now. “Is he that desperate for money and control that he is not thinking straight?” he pauses and shakes his head. “Is he using one of our lawyers?”
“Of course. Last I heard, he is waiting to hear back from one of the lawyers who handle those cases. He is in quite a hurry to get this done too. I’m not sure what he is doing with money, but things aren’t good at the house.”
Jones nods. “I’m going to find out where Blake is. Get someone to collect a written statement from your father on the accusations before he has time to clear his head. I don’t want any advice given. Just get me the signed papers and make sure my name isn’t mentioned.”
“Can I ask you why? Why wouldn’t you talk him out of it?”
Jones smiles. “Take a deep breath and think, son. You are panicking and not thinking clearly, which is exactly what your father is doing. He is desperate and when you are desperate, you make mistakes.” But he doesn’t even give me time to clear my head, “Owen, by filing this lawsuit, your father is admitting guilt to everything in this book.”
My head starts to spin as soon as the last word comes out of his mouth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
OWEN
I meet back with Jones a few hours later.
“I have the papers,” I say. “They faxed it over a few minutes ago.”
“Good.”
“Any word on where Blake and Arianna are?”
“Actually, yes. I was able to find him through his publisher. They are in a small town in North Carolina.” Jones grins. “Here is what we are going to do… you are going to call your dad and mention the name of the city that they are in. It’s a small town and your dad has his resources, so he will find his way. We are driving up there now.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to lead him there,” I say.
“Trust me. It is.” He pauses. “And make sure you bring a copy of the papers.”
I follow him out and we drive up to North Carolina. It’s early evening when we get there. Jones stops the car in front of a small house with a white fence all around it.
I shake my head. “They live here?”
“I sure hope so. This is the only address I was able to get and we don’t have much time before your dad comes around.”
“Let’s go,” I say.
We get out of the car and knock on the front door a few times.
No one answers.
“What now?” I ask.
“Hey. Are you looking for Blake?” asks the neighbor as he comes out of his house.
“Yes, sir.” I say. “I’m his brother, Owen.”
“Ah. Well, I’m sure he is out back. You can go around through the side.”
“Hmm. I’m not sure I should surprise him like this.”
“Should I go get him for you?” he asks.
“If you don’t mind.”
I see the neighbor disappear around the back of the house and a few minutes later, Blake comes to open the front door.
As expected, he looks shocked. His hair is a freaking mess and he is wearing jeans and a white t-shirt.
He looks past us, obviously looking for someone else.
“It’s just us,” says Jones. Jones then gives me a warning look to shut up about dad.
“Come in,” says Blake.
We walk in after him and he calls out to Arianna.
She seems surprised at first, but quickly comes to hug us. She seems different… happy, relaxed.
I take a good look at her. I’m honestly happy that she is happy.
“Holy shit!” I say, taking everyone by surprise.
“What?” Jones asks.
I look over at Blake and he knows what I saw. He grins.
“Are you two fucking married?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says, “so quit checking out my wife.”
“Nice!” I say.
Jones doesn’t look pleased and we all notice it.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “Congratulations. I just—I wish Carol and I could’ve been there, that is all.”
We all sit down in their living room.
“So…” I say, “The Ugly Truth, huh?”
“How did you find out?” asks Blake.
“Well, you wrote a bestseller. Mom likes to read and the name of the author got her attention, even though she didn’t really ‘know’ until after she read most of it.”
“Does everyone know?” he asks.
We nod.
Jones clears his throat. “Blake, I have something to show you and I’m not sure how much time we have. Your dad knows where we are, and you have to trust us that everything will be okay.”
Arianna looks nervously at him and he grabs her hand.
“Tell him before they start freaking out,” I tell Jones.
“Give him the papers,” says Jones.
I grab the papers and hand it to Blake. One by one, he scans through it. I can see the look of confusion of his face before he starts to laugh.
“Is this real?” he asks.
Jones nods as he smiles. “Call it my wedding gift to you. Owen and I will be here. It’s your decision how you want to use these papers against him.”
BLAKE
This is unbelievable. I look over at Arianna and explain what the papers mea
n to us and to our safety. We excuse ourselves and go to the back of the house where we sit on the steps and talk for a long time about what we should do with this and about what’s best, but not just for us for the rest of my family too. We come to an agreement, but she seems worried.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I don’t want to see him,” she says.
“You don’t have to. Owen can stay out here with you while Jones and I talk to him.”
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “Blake, I don’t like the idea of him stepping foot in our house. This is our home and I don’t want it tainted by him.”
I smile at her. “You’re right. You’re so right. Once we see that he is here, Jones and I will go out of the house. We will take him somewhere. Are you okay staying here with Owen?”
She nods.
“This is it, Arianna. We won’t have to hide anymore or even worry about him.”
I see that her hands are trembling and I hold her hands in mine.
“We’ll be okay,” I assure her.
“I know, it’s just—“
“I know… it’s him in our lives once again, but it won’t be for long.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
As soon as we see his car through the window, Jones and I get up. I give Arianna a quick kiss. I can tell how nervous she is. I look over at Owen, “take care of my wife,” I warn him.
“Yes, sir,” he says jokingly and I roll my eyes at him.
Jones and I step outside as dad is getting out of the car.
“Don’t bother,” says Jones. “Follow us.”
Jones and I get into his car and I tell Jones how to get to the nearest restaurant. I just want to get this over with.
We park the car at a steakhouse right after the dinner rush. Dad parks right next to us.
He doesn’t say a word until we are inside and seated. As soon as the waitress leaves with our food order, I throw the papers on the table and I make damn well sure to throw it using my left hand, and then, I tap my fingers on the table until he sees the wedding ring.
He shakes his head, “You have made a lot of stupid decisions in your life, this is by far the worst,” he says.
I grin, “I think it’s safe to say that stupid was you signing those papers.”
He laughs. “What? The lawsuit? You threw my name out there. I’m sure as hell going to clean you for everything you get out of this book.”
“Actually, I didn’t use your real name. It was all nothing but a work of fiction, until you not only claimed otherwise, but also signed a paper admitting guilt to every single thing mentioned in the book.”
I know the moment he realizes his mistake. His eyes widen and he grabs the papers and starts reading them back-to-back.
“You wouldn’t throw me in jail,” he says. “It will be damaging to the firm and to the family… and Molly.”
I take a deep breath, “I think it’s safe to say that you are the one damaging everything that you just mentioned.”
“What do you want?” he asks desperately.
“I don’t want anything from you.”
“You little shit. You throw me in jail and I will give Molly back to her real mom.”
The waitress gets close and Jones waives her away.
“Listen to what he is about to offer you,” warns Jones, “and listen carefully, because your decision will be made now and then you are going to leave Blake and his wife the hell alone.”
He is about to say something in return, but I stop him.
“You are going to give some of your shares of the company to Owen and mom.”
“The hell I am.”
“Shut up and listen, Crawford,” says Jones, “If you ask me, he is being too nice.”
“Jones agreed to let you keep working at the firm, but you are giving mom a divorce and sole custody of Molly, and half of your pay for child and spousal support.”
He straightens his back and looks like his old self again. “And if I don’t?” he asks.
“If you don’t, these papers will be all over the media and everywhere else it needs to be.”
He laughs, “What do you think that will do to the firm? Come on Jones, do you know how many jobs you are putting at risk with the firm's reputation?”
Jones knew he would bluff and use that as his way out of everything. He warned me in the car when I told him what Arianna and I had talked about.
Jones shrugs, “Don’t play the ‘if I go down, you go down with me’ card, Crawford. We can rebuild. You on the other hand—“
“Alright. I’ve had enough of this bullshit. You want me to give your mom Molly and a divorce, fine.”
“And your shares of the company to Owen?”
“How many exactly?”
“All of them.”
He shakes his head.
“And if you come anywhere near me or Arianna, these papers will get to the media just the same.”
He pushes himself away from the table, letting the chair fall back as he starts to walk out, taking the copies with him.
“You have a week to get it all done,” Jones yells back at him.
Once he leaves, I feel like I can breathe again.
“How does it feel?” asks Jones.
“Not as great as it should. I feel like I should just let him rot in jail for everything.”
Jones looks at me. “I know you are an honest man, Blake. But you don’t have to keep your word. As soon as he gives your mom full custody of Molly, you do what you need to do.”
“We will see what happens.”
When the waitress comes back with my glass of water, and Jones and dad’s drinks, Jones asks for the bill.
I have my head down, getting ready to text Arianna, when I see a blur of movements from something being thrown across the table. I look up and dad is standing across from us.
“I’m not giving you a damn thing you asked for.” He turns around and walks out.
I stand up before he is even out of the restaurant. “We have to go!” I warn Jones.
“We have to wait for—“
I interrupt him. “Just throw some money on the table. He wouldn’t do this unless he has leverage. We have to get back to the house. I can feel it. Something is wrong.”
I grab my phone and start calling Arianna as we rush out of the restaurant.
She answers it right away and I try to sound calm. “Hey, Arianna. Let me talk to Owen for a moment.”
“Is everything okay?” she asks.
I can’t lie to her. “I’m not sure.”
I hear Owen’s voice on the phone now, “What’s going on?” he asks.
“Get her out of house. There is a shed in the back of Jeff’s house. Hide there until we get home.”
“Jeff?” he asks.
“The neighbor.”
“Fuck!” I hear Jones.
I look over at him and he is looking at the car. I follow his gaze and one by one, I see that all of his tires have been slashed.
We don’t live too far away. I leave Jones there and start to run toward the house.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
I approach the house carefully. I see a black SUV across the street and recognize it as one of the men who works for my dad. The lights are on and I can hear the sound of things breaking. I distance myself from the house trying to keep as hidden as possible, and make my way to the other side of Jeff’s house, and then to his backyard.
I’m thankful he always leaves his lights off. I slowly approach the shed and right before I open the door I whisper, “It’s me. Blake.”
I get in, closing the door behind me.
Owen holds up his phone, using the light to see me. He is holding a baseball bat with his other hand. Arianna is standing behind him. I go to her, putting my arms around her waist and bring her closer.
“What the fuck is going on?” he whispers.
“Dad isn’t giving in. I don’t know if he thinks we won't go through with it or what, but he refused everything we
offered him.”
“Well, shit.”
“His men are at the house. Sounds like more than one anyway. I say we stay here until they leave and then get as far away as possible.”
He nods. “Where the hell is Jones?”
“We had car troubles. All tires were slashed.”
“Of course.” He shakes his head.
We sit on the floor and wait… and wait… until we hear a noise outside.
“Should we go look?” Owen whispers, still holding on to the baseball bat.
I shake my head. “Stay still.”
The doors swing open and Owen and I are up within seconds. Owen goes toward the man while swinging the baseball bat. “RUN!” he yells.
I hesitate leaving my brother behind, but I have to get her out of here. We start to run when another man shows up right in front of us, pointing a gun at me.
“Get in the SUV. All of you,” he orders.
Having a gun pointed at us, we don’t really have a choice, but Owen and I manage to block Arianna from both men.
Before we get in the SUV, one of the men grabs zip-ties to put around our wrists.
“Is that really necessary?” Owen asks sarcastically, “I mean, it’s not like you have a freaking gun to shoot us with or anything,” he rolls his eyes and I swear, I could kill him myself right now.
The man looks at the other for guidance and the other man shrugs. “If either of them try anything, shoot the girl.”
I give Owen a warning look to say that he better not even think about doing anything stupid.
We get in the back of the SUV, with Arianna sitting behind the driver and me in the middle. She is latching on to my hand and all I can do is lean toward her and whisper that we will be okay… and hope that is true.
We drive for a while and all I can tell is that we are going north.
At some point, the driver takes a call and I know it is dad.
“We have both of your sons too,” he says.
“Yes, sir,” and he hangs up.
“Can you tell us where you are taking us? Owen asks.
“We have orders to take you to the Island.”
“And then what?”
“You’ll find out when it’s time,” says the driver.
Unbreakable (A Mermaid's Curse Book 3) Page 9