“You can’t say anything, Alexa. Please. You don’t understand my mother. It will only make it worse if she thinks you know,” I said understanding all too well what happens when someone found out one of my mom’s secrets.
“Who am I going to tell? As you heard, my father wanted to make sure I would be married off to you. It feels like I’m living in the sixteenth century. Is this what wealthy families do? If so, I don’t want any of my parents’ money. They can keep it.” She waved her hands in the air.
I moved over to my bed and flopped down on my back. “I don’t know. It feels like it in my home. I’ve seen movies about that time period and royalty. There’s always intrigue and manipulation and murder. Just like being a Hawthorne.” I couldn’t stop the bitter chuckle that escaped my lips.
“What? Oh my God, Alex, that’s terrible. Do you think my parents are involved in all that?”
I rolled my head to the side and watched her. She’s so pretty, so innocent, and a part of me wanted to protect her.
“If they weren’t, then they are now. I used to feel lonely here, by myself. My mother never letting me out but now I think it was for the best. No one should ever get to know my mother. She used to be kind and loving, but that changed when my father died. Something snapped in her and she’s been on a mission ever since. I don’t know what that mission is but I have a feeling it’s not good.”
As terrified as I was for Alexa, I had grown used to what my mother did. A part of me was even happy. It felt good to confide in someone about my mother. I didn’t feel so alone anymore.
“We should run away.” Alexa stood and came to sit on the edge of the bed.
I sat up and scooted next to her. “Where? We won’t even be eighteen for several years. How would we get anywhere?”
Alexa frowned. “I don’t know.”
We sat in silence for a moment before I thought of something.
“How about when we are adults, we run off to a tropical island. Somewhere that no one will find us,” I said and smiled.
She turned her body toward me, excitement lighting her features. “Yeah, but we have to have money so we can leave without a trace. I’ve seen enough TV shows to know, you can only use cash to really disappear. You said your father died. Do you get an inheritance?”
“When I turn twenty-five I inherit my money. It should be more than enough to leave and live happily for a while.”
She nodded. “If I know my family, I will get a check when I graduate school. I’ll put it away and use it for when we leave. Maybe when they get us together for our wedding, we can sneak away and disappear.” She stuck out her hand. “Let’s shake on it.”
I shook her hand and then got an idea. Walking over to my bookshelf, I pulled out two books and handed it to Alexa. Taking the paper cover off one and placing it on the other, I handed her the one with the fake cover.
“This is a book about the Native American code talkers from World War Two. I’ll write to you. When I do, it will be a secret message. You can decode it. When you write me, you do the same. This way, no one, not even my mother, will be able to figure out what we are actually saying to each other.”
She jumped up. “Yes! That’s a great idea. But why did you put,” she looked down at the cover, “The Self-Taught Computer Programmer cover on this?”
“If anyone sees the book, they won’t know what it really is.”
“Ahh!” She smiled and tapped the side of her head. “Smart thinking.”
I gathered up the other book and cover and put it away on the shelf just as my bedroom door swung open. My mother stood there, her eyes on the hunt for anything out of place, like always.
“Alexa, I’m afraid it’s time to go. Your parents made dinner reservations. Alex and I can’t come, but we did invite you over for brunch tomorrow before you two head back to California.”
Alexa nodded and the brightness of the girl I was talking to dimmed in my mother’s presence.
“Bye, Alex. Thanks for the book. I have a lot to learn.”
My mother watched her go before she turned back to me. I kept my eyes level with my mother’s trying to find any sign that she knew what Alexa and I were up to. But there was nothing. Only the usual coldness I had come to expect from her.
THIRTY-ONE
Aria
Present Day
“I love you.” I stared at the elevator wall.
It’s silent. Which was what I expected as it’s a wall.
Sighing, I shook out my hands. They’re clammy and I feared I’d be too gross to kiss when I’m finished with my speech.
It’s been a week and a half since Morgana’s party. When Alex’s mom left her parents’ house, I asked Alex what she said and he explained he would tell me later.
He has yet to say anything. That’s why I’m here, riding up the elevator to his place. I came to the decision last night. Sitting in the kitchen with Morgana, eating some cake from Morgana’s favorite bakery, I realized that I needed to stop running. Since today is my birthday and I’m officially thirty years old, I figured there was no more using the ‘I’m in my twenties, I’m too young to fall in love’ excuse anymore.
I had to tell Alex I loved him.
It’s not so much the telling him that had my hands feeling like giant slippery otters, it’s his reaction. I knew, logically, he found me attractive and had a crush on me for years . . . But now that he knew me, had taken his time to witness all my flaws, would I hold a candle to the image he painted in his head of me so long ago?
Despite what his mother told him before and during the party, I couldn’t help but believe that Alex was stronger than her words. Besides, we had sex every chance we got. If he didn’t have feelings for me anymore then he would end things, not keep trying to bring me to orgasm.
The door opened and the sight of the paintings, the same masterpieces that captivated me all those months ago, gave me hope. They reminded me of Alex—so vibrant, almost magical, and could easily take my breath away with its power.
When I arrived at the front door it opened automatically. It still gave me the chills knowing no one was behind it. Once I started to paint Alex’s mural he added me to his list of approved people that the door would open for.
The mural had yet to be finished. It’s not that I’m a slow painter but in order to trick Alex’s mom into thinking I was only coming over to paint, I took my time with the mural.
“Alex!” I raised my voice to let him know I was here.
Listening for a response I heard nothing. Perhaps he was in the shower. My lips curved at the thought of joining him.
As I made my way to the bedroom I found it empty, as well as his bathroom. I turned and was stopped by a hard wall covered in a white button-down shirt.
I pulled back and realized it was Bradley. His usual scrutinizing gaze was unusually soft as it fell on me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.
“Alex asked me to watch his place while he’s gone.”
I sucked in a breath a little too fast and started to cough. It took a moment but I finally regained my composure. “You? Why would Alex ask you?”
My heart began pounding in my chest as none of this made sense. Where would he go? And why Bradley?
I thought back to when I saw him two days ago, the last time he stayed at my new place. Alex never mentioned going anywhere.
“He knew I could handle any security issues that came up. If you haven’t noticed, he has millions of dollars’ worth of art in his home.”
That did make sense. Perhaps Alex just needed to travel for a short time. That’s when a thought creeped into my head.
What if he’s finding us somewhere to stay on some tropical island somewhere like we dreamed? I bet that’s why he hasn’t told me anything. It’s a surprise.
Maybe he told his mother he was leaving before Morgana’s party and that’s why she showed up at the party to talk him out of it. He didn’t tell me because it would ruin the
surprise.
I turned my back to Bradley so he couldn’t see my smile.
“I guess that makes sense. When will Alex be back?” I asked but my mind raced with images of tropical beaches and eating fresh fish in the warm breeze.
“I don’t know. He left this note for you.”
I turned to find Bradley holding a small white envelope. Taking the note, my finger traced the black ink on the back of the envelope spelling out my name. I tore it open and barely noticed Bradley turning his back, this time to give me privacy.
Dear Aria,
I know I promised to tell you everything my mother said but there are things I must do first before I can explain. I understand now why my mother locked me away for all those years and I never thought I would think this, but I don’t blame her.
I paused and flip the paper over.
“Alex wrote this, Bradley? Are you sure about that?”
I didn’t believe for one minute that Alex would ever understand anything that awful woman did to him.
“Yes. I stood next to him as he wrote it and saw him seal it in the envelope.” He turned slightly until he could look me in the eye.
“Why don’t I believe you?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
As Alex mentioned, Bradley was being paid by Alex’s mom. He could easily lie to me. It’s not like I would know Alex’s handwriting. The most I ever saw was his signature on a few legal documents when I looked at the rental contract months ago.
Bradley turned fully to me and stepped closer. There was sorrow in his eyes. The normally tall and menacing Bradley slumped his shoulders with what I thought might be pity or perhaps, exhaustion.
“Aria, I know I haven’t done much to earn your trust, but you have to believe me when I say I care about Alex. I grew up knowing about Alex and playing with him when we were young. When I became a teenager, my mother told me what had happened in his life. All the bad people that surrounded him. That’s why I wanted to work for him. To make sure he was safe.”
“But you never worked for him. You worked for his mother.”
He rubbed his hand across his forehead looking conflicted. “I did, yeah. I did.”
“Did?” I asked.
“I don’t have a job at the moment. Alex said I could stay here while he was away, but his mother fired me when she found out I was locked out of her son’s condo. And I was so relieved. Relieved and scared at the same time.”
I waved my hands to stop him. “Wait. Wait. I don’t understand. I thought you liked Mrs. Hawthorne?”
Bradley threw his head back, laughing heartily. I had always thought of him as a man out to get Alex. His usual steely glare and rigid posture made me want to be as far from him as possible. But as he loosened up with a smile, I suddenly noticed how attractive he was. I’m sure some woman would be thrilled to take him home with her. I wonder if Tiffany would be interested in him. She deserved a man who would fall at her feet and protect her and her son.
“Emma Hawthorne. I don’t think it’s humanly possible to like that woman. My mother did, a long time ago, but Mrs. Hawthorne has changed in the decades Alex’s father’s death. The only reason I let her employ me was so I could keep an eye on Alex. He needed someone, even if it was just me, to look out for him.”
“I’m sorry. I always thought you wanted to hurt Alex, too,” I said.
“Same here. When I first met you and your friends, I thought Mrs. Hawthorne planted you. I didn’t trust you at all. But when you both removed the bugging devices from the room, I knew you weren’t with Emma. You actually cared about Alex.”
I opened my arms wide as a gesture of peace for Bradley. He took my offer and gave me a hug. When I pulled back, I realized I hadn’t finished the letter.
Lifting the paper, I continued.
There are things about my family, about the world we live in, that are dangerous and I am finally starting to understand that. I have to be with my family for a while. It may be days or weeks but know that when I come back, there will be a woman I want you to meet. A woman, though I haven’t seen her since I was too young to remember, I love no matter how much time has passed.
She will be a part of this family when I return. When you meet her, I know you will understand even if you may not right now.
Love,
Alexander
The paper turned translucent where it was pelted from my tears. He loved her? Was this about Alexa? He hadn’t told me much about her, but by the way Alex talked about their past, he had only met her once and neither of them wanted to marry each other.
“Who is Alex talking about, Bradley?” I lifted the paper as it shook in my hands. “Who is this woman?”
His brow knitted as he took the letter. “I don’t know. I was just in the room when he wrote it. I didn’t see what he put in here.”
Bradley began to read it. His eyes widened. He knew. Whoever Alex wrote about, Bradley understood who he mentioned.
“Who is she? You know, don’t you.”
He took a breath before lowering the letter to his side. “The only ‘she’ Alex could be writing about, that I know of, is Alexa Dorton. But I can’t imagine . . . Oh no!”
I snatched the letter out of his hand and made a fist, crumpling it and letting it fall to the ground.
Happy fucking birthday, Aria!
“Oh no? What, oh no?”
“Emma had me intercept Alex’s letters when I first started working here five years ago. He wrote to Alexa once or twice a year. Usually birthday or holiday cards. Nothing I thought was out of the ordinary. Except what he wrote on them. And not just that, but what she wrote back.”
His eyes searched the floor as if looking for answers to Alex’s letter on the hardwood.
“What did they write?” I asked.
“It was weird and made no sense. Like they were using a strange language. Nothing I had seen before. I thought maybe it was old Gaelic or German or Russian, but I couldn’t figure it out,” Bradley said and then held up a finger before disappearing out of the room.
My mind raced with two teenagers making up their own language to send secret messages of love to each other. Was I just something to trick Mrs. Hawthorne into thinking they weren’t in love? It’s not like his mom didn’t want them to marry. So why use me like that?
Bradley ran back into the room out of breath. “Here.” He handed a Christmas card to me. “Alexa sent that to him this past December.”
I opened the card to find two paragraphs of words in a completely different language. The words brought a smile to my face. My heart taking refuge in my throat as I tried to speak.
“Oh my God, I know this. I know what it says,” I said as tears ran down my cheeks.
THIRTY-TWO
Alexander
I waited nervously. My knee bounced up and down causing the bed to vibrate as I sat on the edge. I probably had pit stains the size of Nevada under each arm but I didn’t care.
It had been a few days since I’d left Chicago and seen Aria. I wanted to tell her so many times that my mother was bringing me to Vegas to meet my sister for the first time. But every time I opened my mouth something stopped me.
That something was fear and a little bit of selfishness. I wanted to meet her first. To get to know my sister on my terms. I love Aria but this was my time to discover my family.
But more than those selfish needs, I feared if I told Aria, I would have to tell her why my sister disappeared. My grandfather, and the man I thought was my father, were dead, but that didn’t mean there weren’t others willing to silence us. The less Aria knew, the better.
There was a knock at the hotel door and my head shot up. I hesitated for a moment before I stood and made my way to the door.
This was it. The moment I got to meet my twin sister.
I stood in front of the door, refusing to look through the peephole. I wanted this to be the best surprise. Better than any birthday present.
Taking a breath, I opened the door. The woman on the other side wa
s a surprise. My heart raced as I took in her petite form because I knew her.
“Tiffany?” I said staring at her as she nervously bit her bottom lip.
“Hi, uh, hi Alex,” she said without meeting my eyes.
Tiffany fumbled with a cloth bag in her hands before standing on her tiptoes and reaching for my head. She couldn’t seem to do whatever she was trying to do with that bag but that didn’t stop her from trying.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I stepped back before she fell on me.
“I’m trying to get this bag over your head but you are too tall. We should have waited for Evaleen. She would have the height to do this.”
“We? Did my sister send you?”
Is my sister in hiding? Maybe that’s why my mother wanted me to meet her in a hotel and not bring her to Chicago.
“Sister? Aria never said you had a sister,” Tiffany said before giving up on putting the bag over my head.
“Wait, I’m confused.” I held up my hands. “Is Aria here?”
Tiffany groaned. “I’m not supposed to tell you that. Can you just put the bag on your head and come with me? I’m here to help you.”
None of this made sense but the few times I met Tiffany when Aria started to work on the mural, she seemed like a caring and honest person. Maybe she had something to do with my sister. Maybe she was my sister and she needed to play dumb until she took me to a secure location.
I really hated how nothing about my life was normal.
Putting the bag over my head, I let Tiffany pull me out of my room and down the hall. The material was thin enough I could easily see where she was taking me.
“We are going to have so much fun at the bachelorette party tonight. Can’t wait for you to strip for my friends, stripper man,” Tiffany yelled.
“Stripper? What is happening?”
“Shh,” Tiffany whispered. “If anyone sees us I need to make it seem like this is all part of some crazy bachelorette party. Just play along. I have to say, this is a lot of fun kidnapping you.”
One Wild Ride Page 17