Heart of Ice

by Jalissa Pastorius

  Christina startled awake. She felt like crap and her eyes were cruddy. She turned her head towards the happy squeal. Martha sat in the chair holding her hand.

  “Thirsty,” she managed to rasped out. Martha quickly got her some water. She took little small sips.

  “It’s okay dear, Charles and I will take care of you.” She said rubbing soothing circles on her back. Christina bit her lip and tried to hold back the tears. She was hungry, exhausted and scared of what to do next. Matt was crazy. What if he came looking for her? She had to get out of town fast.

  Charles entered the room with Martha’s homemade chicken and dumplings soup. He passed the soup to Martha after she released Christina.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked. He was surprised that she looked at him with shame in her eyes. She had nothing to be ashamed of. He finally asked her the questioned that had been on his mind since the call.

  “What happened?”

  Christina looked at Charles and couldn’t hold it in anymore. She needed to talk to someone. She had to get a hold of Sarah and fast.

  “He found out, and he wasn’t happy.” She sobbed.

  “Calm down,” Charles said while Martha patted her on the back.

  “Oh Charlie, I had a doctor’s appointment on Monday, because I was late. I’m pregnant.”

  Martha shouted for joy and jumped up and down. She shoved Charles out of the way before taking Christina’s hands.

  “That’s lovely dear. I’m so excited.” She said bouncing in her seat. Christina began to laugh. She was happy that someone was excited about the babies. Wiping her tears away she decided to drop the bomb on them.

  “Well, I hope you are because there’s two. They are going to need papa and nana to take care of them.” She giggled.

  Charles and Martha looked at each other, and then Martha burst into tears. It took Christina completely by surprised.

  “I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong,” she asked bewildered.

  “No you’ve said everything right.” Charles said stroking his wife’s hair.

  “So I take it the boyfriend wasn’t too happy.”

  “No, I’ve never seen him so furious. I had just found out about being pregnant with twins and I was going to tell him everything when he got home. He went berserk. I can’t go back. I wouldn’t. I got to get away. He’s very powerful and probably has eyes and ears everywhere.” Christina said.

  Charles watched her carefully. He’d seen that look before. It was a hunted look, and clearly she was the prey. Was this her first time? Clearly the boyfriend couldn’t be that powerful.

  “Eat up,” Martha said smiling feeding Christina.

  “You’re eating for two.” Christina opened her mouth wide and ate. Tears sprung to her eyes, it must be the hormones. She was very grateful to have met this couple.

  ***

  Matt sat on the couch despondent while Collum cleaned the penthouse up. It was on this very couch that his little angel rocked his world. He remembered releasing into her mouth, her chanting his name. He stood up and screamed. Dammit! He would not let another woman run him from his home. He decided to help Collum clean up, at least that would take his mind off things. Picking up the glass, he saw little spots of blood among them. Had he hurt her? He hadn’t meant to. What if she was out there bleeding in the rain somewhere? He ran to the bathroom to cool down. He was a sicko. Even if she was a murderer he still wanted her. He could make her fall for him, and he’ll give her the world. If it was money she wanted she could have it. She didn’t have to kill him for it. He would give it to her as long as she stayed with him. They would be okay. Everything was going to be fine. He would need to check and make sure she wasn’t lost out in the rain. He grabbed a jacket and umbrella.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Collum asked him.

  “Out for a walk.”

  “In this shit, please.”

  “I’m going to get her back.”

  “No! I will not allow you to have another emotional breakdown. If you do it again the company wouldn’t be able to handle it Matt. You went off for so long that I didn’t sleep. I was worried about you, worried about the company. I am not skilled enough to be running a multibillion industry. I don’t want those responsibilities Matt. I will not stand in and take control of the reins anymore. Grow the fuck up.”

  “Pardon me,”

  “You fucking heard me man! Every time you lose something. You act like a child. They are nothing but women. They are like instruments, play them and then move on.”

  “Where did you get your analysis or experience from? Hmm, sounds like you’ve been played.”

  “Fuck you!”

  “Who’s the child now?” Matt said taunting Collum. In a fit of rage and a moment of stupidity, Collum rushed at Matt. He threw the first punch. Matt dodged it and brought his knee up to counterattack. Collum used both hands to thrust down before side stepping and appearing behind Matt. He grabbed his arm ready to flip him, when Matt widen his stance to throw of the momentum. They both hit the floor. At this point they rolled around trying to strangle each other.

  “You motherfucker, I hate you!” Collum said reaching up to strangle Matt.

  “Same, you dirty bastard.”

  They both gritted their teeth and yelled obscene terms at each other until they expended their energy. Lying on the floor the two men caught their breath.

  “Look man, I’m…”

  “Don’t worry about it. I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Matt said. His hearted ached in his chest. His fury had been so great with Natalia, but with Christina all he could think about was her wide innocent grey eyes. He fought back the tears. He would cry in private.

  ***

  A week had past. Christina had been spoiled rotten by the couple. Charles was at work and she was having tea with Martha. Christina was trying to come up with a plan. She couldn’t stay in New York forever. She had to get away. She brought the idea up, but they insisted that she stayed just a bit longer and before she knew it, she had been there for a week. She smiled as Martha kissed her on the forehead before tending to her small garden. Christina retreated to her bedroom. She decided to give Sarah a call.

  “Hello?”

  “I’m starting to think that you don’t want me around Chris,” Sarah said hurtfully into the phone.

  “That’s not true. I wasn’t safe.”

  “What?!”

  “Matt totally went ape shit on me, and that’s not even half of it,” she cried into the phone.

  “What happened? Where are you?”

  “Sarah I got to get out of New York. You know how powerful Matt is. I’m sure he has eyes and ears everywhere.”

  “Are you absolutely serious?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, I own a cottage, it yours for the taking everything works.”

  “What’s the problem then?”

  “It’s in Cornwall.”

  “Eh? You mean England?”

  “Yup.”

  Christina held the phone. Her thoughts raced around in her mind. It was definitely far enough from Matt. Could she do it? Hell yeah she could do it. She no longer had a choice. She really didn’t have to work; she invested enough in the stock market to be able to live off it.

  “I’ll do it.”

  “Good.”

  “How would we get there? I don’t want Matt to know where I’m going.”

  “I don’t know. You got me stumped with that one.”

  “Okay, I need to call around and figure something out. Then I call you back.”

  “Okay, I’ll be waiting.”

  Christina debated about calling Mr. Williams; she turned his business card over in her hand. He did tell her to call her if she needed anything. This was beyond needing anything though. She needed a whole new identity. She threw the card down. She couldn’t get any more people involved.

  It was there on her bed with glassy eyes Charles found her.

  “What’s wrong?”

>   “My friend has a cottage in Cornwall that I could live in until this stuff blows over, but I don’t want my boyfriend to know where I’m going.”

  “You need a new identity?”

  “Well yes.”

  “Perhaps, I could be of some assistance.” He said smirking at her. She looked at Charles in surprise. Just who in the hell was this old man?

  Chapter 22

  Two weeks later, Christina held all her official documents in her hand. She was no longer Christina Moore, she was now Tina Washington. She was so grateful to Charles. She hugged and held him tight and close.

  “You will always be my dad, Charlie. I’m so grateful.” She whispered into his ear bringing tears to his eyes.

  “Don’t think Martha and I would let you get far. We have home in Cornwall as well dear. It’s going to take some time wrapping up ties here before leaving, but you be safe.” Charles turned to Sarah; he knew instantly who she was when he saw her. He doubt if she recognized him, but he would be forever grateful for all the support she’s given Christina.

  “Okay, we’re ready to go now,” Sarah turned to the older couple and hugged both of them. When she hugged Charles, his cologne smelt familiar. She shook her head. Grabbing Christina’s hand they left.

  “You know you still haven’t told me the big secret?” Sarah said turning towards Christina.

  “I know. I was so focused on coming up with a plan of action. I just wanted to be safe, and oddly I didn’t realize how small New York was until I needed an out.”

  “Go on.”

  “I’m pregnant Sarah, with twins.”

  “Shut the fuck up!” Sarah yelled staring at Christina with wide eyes. Sarah watched Christina with speculative eyes. Her hair was no longer black, but a deep auburn color, her eye brows were dyed to match the color of her hair, but her large grey eyes still gave her away.

  “Do you think the cottage will be big enough?” Christina asked.

  “Yeah it’s big enough. It really just sleeps one but you’ll be able to accommodate the twins. I mean you can’t live there forever of course, because they’ll outgrow it. It sufficient for their toddler years.” She said looking at Christina.

  “This means, I’m going to be an aunt! Omg!” Sarah squealed.

  “Wait a minute, was this the reason you guys had that row?” Sarah asked.

  “Row?”

  “I meant argument.” Sarah said correcting herself.

  “Well yeah. What’s strange was even when I told him he still called me a liar. I didn’t have any idea what he was talking about.”

  “Weird. Is there anything about your past that someone of Matt’s caliber could have come across?”

  “No.” Christina said immediately. Matt was just crazy. She wasn’t ever going back to that bastard. The women boarded their flights and were soon airborne. They were on their way to Cornwall.

  ***

  Christina gasped as she took in the scenery. Sarah wasn’t kidding. It was definitely isolated, but it looked cozy and safe. She reminded herself that Charlie and Martha would be here soon after they wrapped up their business. The cottage was perfect. It was small but it would do. Its outer layer consisted of wooden material with a White Sea window. It was right on the ocean. She entered the cottage with Sarah.

  “Sarah this is lovely,” she said turning to hug her friend. The living room, bedroom, kitchen occupied one corner of the small floor plan. You could see the entry part from the corner of the cottage. She loved how the cottage was nested on the sea side. It was oddly peaceful and she could definitely take a break away from her crazy life. Just focus on nursing the two little babies that were growing inside of her.

  “No problem, you are my heart. Now go sit down while I whip us up something to eat.”

  Christina relaxed on the couch. It felt so good to let people take care of her for a change. She closed her eyes and was soon fast to sleep.

  ***

  Charles was upset. He didn’t want to press Christina for more information but he wanted to know who the identity of the bastard that harmed her. He would make him pay. He left Martha in the house and went to the gym. He was in great condition for a man in his early fifties. Charles’ body was in the same physical shape it was in his younger days. He took out his frustration out on the equipment. He decided to retire from the company. The only reason he remained at the corporation was due to loyalty. He didn’t want to leave Matt in a difficult position. He smiled when he realized that little Christina did enough work that the company would be fine for two years. She even did some investing into stocks and they were reaping the benefits now. The child was clearly a gift, and he was going to be a grandpa. After all the pain, the loneliness that he’d been through, he was finally going to have a family. He knew Martha had been devastated when they realized that she wouldn’t been able to give him what he always wanted, but they were going to be fine. He had a daughter now, and he could think of nothing better to do but spoil her and those future babies. He grinned; twins. Martha and his life would never be the same. He knew there was something about her the moment he met her. Lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t realized that someone had joined him.

  “How have you been doing old man?”

  “Collum Davenport, what are you doing here?” he asked him rising from the weight bench.

  “Same as you. Letting go some frustration.”

  “Just so you know; I’m retiring.”

  “What?”

  “Martha and I want to do some traveling. This old man is tired.”

  “Yeah right! You’re anything but old. You’re in tip top condition.”

  “Well I got to go. My wife is waiting for me.” Charles was exiting the gym when he turned around to look at Collum.

  “Oh Collum, whatever is bothering you, it’ll get better.”

  Collum was worried. It’s been two weeks since the fight between Christina and Matt. It perturbed him. He preferred Matt’s cold calculated eyes compared to the defeated look that took up residency since she left. He tried finding her, but it was as if she’d disappeared. He hadn’t ran into that leggy blonde either. Dammit! It wasn’t supposed to be like this. All he ever wanted to do was protect Matt. He owed it to him. He sighed in complete frustration. It was time to go back to the old days. He needed to find her.

  Christina tossed and turned on the bed. The question Sarah asked her replayed itself over and over in her mind.

  Is there anything about your past that someone of Matt caliber could have come across?

  It was then the memories that she tried to suppress for so long came bursting to the forefront of her mind. No, it couldn’t be. He couldn’t have. Those files were sealed away. How would he even get his hands on something like that?

  The day Christina killed her father she tried to escape from him. She was tired of doing dirty work for criminals, all they wanted for her to do was develop a strategy that they would use to remain on top, gamble, or tell them which stocks in the stock market they should invest in. This had been going on since she was eight. She longed for relationships with other children. All she knew was the comfort of a cold concrete floor. They kept her away to keep her from escaping.

  The first thing she did was run when she saw the sunlight. Lately, since turning fourteen the men had a look in their eyes that she didn’t like. It scared her more, and with her dad looking at her with a cold calculated eye, it made her paranoid. Her mother was more subdued than usual. Her mother never stood against anything her dad did. She stood idly by and let him do whatever he wanted with her. She didn’t care as long as she had her riches. She hated the woman with a passion. Christina thought mothers were supposed to protect their children. Not exploit them.

  “Get that look at of your eyes girl,” her mother said. Christina kept her eyes glued to the floor. She wasn’t allowed to make contact with anyone. A slave, servant, freedom was nothing but an illusion. Would they keep her here like this until she reached adult hood or would they simply cast her
aside like trash. She was treated worse than trash; at least one man’s trash was another man’s treasure. She was no one’s treasure. Perhaps she did something terrible, something unforgivable in a past life to deserve treatment like this. Her mind worked endlessly refusing to let her sleep. She returned to the room in the basement. Lying on the concrete floor, she wondered if it would ever get better. Her heart hoped for freedom. Her mind told her it was futile. Why must she rationalized everything?

  Her parents made sure to give her the bare essentials. They wanted to make sure she remained grateful for anything additional they gave her. She was surprised that they hadn’t chained her to the floor. Not that there was much room to move around. They ate succulent shrimp and she ate a bologna, bread and water. She reminded herself that she couldn’t let the hate consume her. There were still good people in the world.

  She was surprised when her father opened the door. She looked at his imposing figure. She got her black raven colored hair from him. She hated it.

  “Come, you need to bathe. I got some clothes for you.”

  Christina looked at him in bewilderment. She couldn’t believe she got new clothes, from the feel of them they looked like quality clothing.