Let It Burn

by Ruth Cardello

  Asher stepped out onto the top step. “Are we doing this or what?”

  Dale turned and said, “Asher—”

  Asher walked down to stand beside Andrew. “Get your ass in there, Andrew, and propose before Helene realizes how fucked up we all are and runs back to Florida. This family needs her.”

  “We are a sorry bunch,” Andrew said and gave Asher a hard pat on the arm.

  Asher returned the gesture. “But we pick good women.”

  Andrew glanced in the direction of the living room where he guessed the family and Helene were gathered. “Yes, we do.” He looked at Asher again. “Emily has almost brought you around to being likable.”

  “Almost, huh?” Asher asked. “Be nice or I’ll tell Helene you hurt my feelings. I bet she’d make you apologize.”

  “Oh, if I’m going to apologize anyway, then it should be for something I actually did, like put my foot up your ass—”

  “Enough,” Dale said with a laugh and two hands in the air as he called for a truce. “Let’s go add another member to our family.”

  Andrew and Asher exchanged a look and, for the first time in a very long time, Andrew didn’t feel as if they were on opposing sides. We can do better than we’ve done. We will do better. Shoulder to shoulder with his brother, he walked into his parents’ home. Someday he’d tell Asher about Lofton and Ahearn, but it could wait.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Fresh from a conversation with Sophie about key terms to use when wooing donations from the Boston elite, Helene turned to check if her parents were still enjoying themselves. They were smiling and talking comfortably with Ian and Grant. She overhead her mother describing the day-to-day routine of running the rescue and was pleased at how genuinely interested Andrew’s brothers appeared. The Barringtons might have complicated relationships with each other, but they weren’t snobs. Their warm welcome of her parents made her want to hug each and every one of them.

  A sudden silence fell over the room, and Helene glanced over her shoulder toward the hallway. Her stomach did a nervous flip when she saw Andrew crossing the room toward her. In what felt like slow motion she walked toward him until they met in the middle of the room.

  Everyone and everything else faded away until it was just the two of them. Neither spoke at first. Worry mixed with love as Helene searched his face. “You’re back.”

  “I’m sorry I left the way I did. There was something I had to do,” he said.

  A hundred questions flew to the tip of her tongue, but she voiced only one. “And it’s done?”

  “Yes.”

  When she’d first met him she would have worried what that simple answer was hiding, but she trusted Andrew in a way that didn’t require the details. He’d tell her when he was ready. What mattered more to her was that he’d said he wouldn’t come back until he could give her what she gave him. That had to mean what she hoped it did. She searched his face but it was carefully neutral.

  “I’m back for good.”

  Her knees went weak, but she steadied herself. “That sounds like a very long time.”

  “I sure as hell hope so.” He dropped to one knee and took out the ring box Art had brought from Florida. “Marry me, Helene.”

  Love like she’d never imagined filled her when she realized the ring was her grandmother’s. She glanced around at the smiling faces of his family and hers. She took the ring and held it up, turning it as if she were debating something within herself. She certainly wasn’t. Every cell in her wanted to scream yes, but she needed to talk to him first. She looked around and knew she couldn’t say no in front of his family, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t need to talk. For the moment, she decided to keep it light. “I suppose I could consider it.”

  He stood and pulled her to him with a laugh. “Consider it?”

  Her hands went to his shoulders and she gave him a cheeky smile. “Maybe if you say you love me it’ll help me make up my mind.”

  “You want to know how I feel?” He lifted her off her feet so she was smiling down at him. “When we met I was sure I’d never feel anything again, then you steamrolled right into my heart, fearless and loyal. I love you so much I can’t think straight.”

  With the ring still in one hand, she did her best to steady herself as he swung her around. Her heart was thudding wildly. “That does sound promising.”

  He slid her down his front and growled. “Maybe this will make up your mind.” The passionate kiss he gave her left her breathless and sagging against him.

  With a laugh and a prayer, she slid the ring on her finger. Something this good had to work out. It couldn’t crumble in the face of the truth. “I love you, too, Mr. Muscles.”

  “Mr. Muscles,” Asher parroted with a laugh.

  “It’s cute,” his wife said warmly.

  “And hard to live down,” Andrew’s youngest brother, Lance, added cheerfully.

  “I don’t think he cares right now,” Ian said dryly.

  Andrew kissed Helene again lightly, causing her to almost forget that they were very much the center of attention. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and after the kiss broke off she buried her face in his chest. They’d come into each other’s lives for a reason. She believed that. They might not know the answers, but together they would find them. With love, anything was possible.

  “Congratulations,” Art said loudly.

  Helene raised her head, looked down at the ring on her left hand, and said, “It’s perfect.” Then she wagged a finger at her parents. “I can’t believe you two knew and didn’t say anything.”

  “If you had been sad it would have been more difficult, but you knew he was coming back.” Her mother was all smiles, snuggling against her father’s side. “We’re so happy for you, honey.”

  Holding hands, Sophie and Dale said, “We are, too.”

  Helene looked up at Andrew and said a truth she could share. “I never doubted that you’d come back because I know you.” She tapped his heart, then his temple. “In here and in here. You’re a good man and I love you, all of you.”

  He hugged her closer. “I don’t know if I deserve the faith you have in me, but I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to.”

  They were about to kiss again when Sophie asked, “So who would like coffee?”

  The evening at his parents’ was passing too quickly and that in itself was a novel feeling for Andrew. He knew he’d never tire of watching Helene banter with his brothers and swap stories with Kenzi and his sisters-in-law. More than once he caught his parents nod in approval and understood.

  Every once in a while, though, he caught Helene looking away during a conversation and his gut clenched. He wanted the evening to be euphoric for both of them, and although she was happy there was something holding her back.

  Knowing what it was didn’t make it easier. He could compare it to why he would never tell Gabrielle how her husband had died, but it wasn’t the same.

  He tried to tell himself that he was wrong about what was bothering Helene, but he overheard Kenzi asking her for details about how they’d met and Helene looked torn and evasive again. Am I willing to ask the woman I love to spend a lifetime lying to my family because I’m not sure they can handle the truth?

  Is that fair to her?

  To them?

  He looked over at his mother and remembered what Dax had said about her not being as fragile as everyone thought. Not telling her would fit into the pattern his family was comfortable with, but wasn’t that what had stood in the way of them being close?

  Andrew walked over and asked Helene to step into the other room with him for a moment. She nodded without asking him why as if she knew that he knew what was bothering her.

  In the quiet of his father’s study, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently before cupping her face with his hands. “You know what your uncle did is not a burden you should carry. You weren’t there, you didn’t know, and his sins are not yours.”

  She blinked back
tears. “I know and I didn’t think about it at all when you were gone. All I focused on then was you coming back and how much I wanted everything to be perfect when you did. And you’re here. Everything is perfect. Unless I open my mouth and ruin it—”

  “I get it. Believe me, I get it.” He buried his face in her hair.

  “My parents won’t say anything if we don’t, but I can see that this will weigh on my parents, too. We’re not a family that keeps secrets.”

  Andrew raised his head. “I couldn’t be with you until I confronted Ahearn and you helped me see that. He resigned this morning. Your love gave me the strength to do what Lofton would have wanted for his family. There would be no gain in telling Gabrielle or the others, but now their memories have been honored in the way they needed to be. You did that.”

  She searched his face. “So, maybe we can do something but I need to keep it inside.”

  “No, the more I think about how my father lost his career around the same time as my brother dying, the more I believe that secrets are what is wrong with my family. The longer we keep denying that something happened, the more it holds us hostage. It’s time to set my family free. I’ll tell them.”

  Helene shook her head and laid a hand on his chest. “No. We’ll tell them.”

  “Yes, we will.” He smiled, pleased but not surprised by her correction. No matter what had happened in the past or what the future would bring, they had each other. He laced his fingers with hers and his heart pounded in his chest with love for her. She was a light the demons within him recoiled from and when he looked into her eyes he believed in possibilities again. Finding out that his brother’s death hadn’t been accidental might shake his family up, but they would survive and come out stronger. He’d made sure of it. “Let’s do it.”

  All eyes were on them when they walked back into the living room hand in hand. He said, “There’s something I need to tell you.” Andrew squared his shoulders. He met Art’s eyes across the room. As if understanding what was about to happen, Art put his arm around his wife and pulled her close.

  Helene said, “Thank you for welcoming me into your family. Sophie, Dale, I couldn’t have asked for a nicer reception. There’s something, though, that you need to know.”

  Still holding her hand, Andrew added, “The truth is ugly, but you deserve to hear it.”

  “My uncle told us to stay quiet because he was afraid. The advice of a coward is simply that.” She looked up at Andrew with a teary smile. “We won’t be held hostage by the lies of others.”

  Her mother rushed to her side. “Oh, Lenny.”

  Art followed his wife and the four stood together. “I’m proud of you.”

  Helene gave Andrew one last look then said, “My uncle is Clarence Stiles, and according to him, the death of your youngest son, Kent, was not an accident. I don’t know how, but my uncle was involved in whatever happened.”

  “What?” Sophie asked, looking confused. Her mouth opened and closed a few times but no further words came out.

  “What do you mean not an accident?” Asher stormed.

  “Involved how?” Dale asked hoarsely.

  Andrew raised a hand and said, “The most important thing you need to know is that neither Helene nor her parents had anything to do with it.”

  “I don’t understand,” Kenzi said slowly. “Are you suggesting Kent didn’t die at childbirth?” Dax put a support arm around her.

  When Andrew spoke next it was with calm authority. “Not according to what we were told by her uncle.”

  “I’m sure you misunderstood,” Ian said firmly, looking over at his mother. “This isn’t something we should discuss now.”

  Sophie walked over to stand in front of Helene and Andrew. “No. I need to know. Kent was alive when he was born, wasn’t he?” She gripped Helene’s arm.

  Helene looked at Andrew before answering. “It sounded that way. My uncle only said that his death wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate.”

  Grant strode over. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why would anyone do such a thing? It’s pure evil.”

  Sophie swayed on her feet. “I think I know.” She steadied herself by holding onto Helene’s arm. “But no. She wouldn’t go that far.”

  Andrew laid his hand over his mother’s. In the past he would have spared her the full reality, but the truth might be what she needed. “She knew about it. It was her journal that led us to Aruba. It is full of phone numbers and names of people who were there when Kent died. I wish I could tell you that she had nothing to do with it, but I believe she did.”

  Sophie brought a hand to her mouth. Dale went to her side in support. “Your sister was crazy, Sophie. She might have written all of that down after the fact. You know how obsessed she was with you.”

  Sophie released Helene’s arm and sat down heavily. “I knew it. I knew the clinic lied to us about when Kent died. I remembered holding him in my arms, but they said I had imagined it. They said I was crazy.” Dale sat beside her. “Kent wasn’t born dead. He was alive.” She looked around blindly, lost in memories. “I didn’t have a breakdown; I knew the truth. I knew someone had taken my baby and I was right. All that time I wasn’t crazy; I was right.”

  Kenzi went to her mother and took both of her hands in hers, nodding and looking her mother in the eye. “You’re not crazy, Mom. I’ve always felt him with me.”

  Andrew’s father swayed beside his wife. “The doctors said . . . Oh, my God.” His voice faded off.

  With tears pouring down her cheeks, Sophie said, “Kent is still alive. Someone has him.”

  Andrew exchanged a look with Helene. They both shook their heads. Andrew said, “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  Sophie looked to Helene’s parents. “You have to know something else. Where is my son?”

  Rose started crying right along with Sophie. “I’m so sorry, Sophie. I would tell you if I knew anything. My brother never spoke to me about it.”

  Sophie wiped her tears away and took several deep breaths. She stood and faced Helene. “You said your uncle was involved? Where is he? I want to talk to him.”

  Although it was heartbreaking to see his mother so upset, she was handling it better than he thought. Shock had put her into denial, but that would pass. “When we uncovered the truth he bolted, and we don’t know where he is.”

  Sophie looked around at everyone and said, “We need to find Kent.”

  Ian went to her side. “Mom, we know where he is. We buried him.”

  “That is not my son,” Sophie said angrily. “My son is not dead.”

  There was a steel in her tone that he hadn’t heard before. It made him want her to be right. This was ugly. It was dark, uncharted territory . . . territory where his family usually failed. Would it destroy them or could they do what Helene’s family did and pull together rather than apart? It would have been easy enough to tell his mother she was wrong and she would have to come to accept that Kent was dead, but wasn’t that what everyone had done when it happened? Wasn’t that how his family had gotten to this place? Change would require someone being brave enough to believe. Andrew looked down at Helene and knew he could be that man. “If Mom thinks Kent is alive, then we look for him.”

  Helene hugged Andrew’s side and smiled through tears. “I’m in.”

  Ever the voice of reason, Grant said, “If the man who was responsible said Kent is dead, the chance that he’s not is miniscule.”

  Andrew threw both of his hands up in the air. “I don’t need a fucking statistical probability of success. If Mom says he’s alive, he is.” He looked across to his father. “Did you run a blood test on the baby you buried?”

  Dale shook his head. His expression was blank from shock. “I don’t think so. It’s not something you ask for when you’re picking out your baby’s casket.”

  Sophie grabbed one of Andrew’s hands and one of Kenzi’s. “Thank you for believing me.” She looked around to each of her other children and Dale. “Kent is alive. Find him.”
>
  Helene glanced at Andrew. “Do you still have that card? The black one you said that woman gave you? Didn’t you say she sounded like she knew things?”

  Andrew hunted through his wallet for the card then took it out and frowned. “I’ve called it several times, but she doesn’t answer. I don’t know who she is.”

  Lance stepped forward. “I had a black card like that. A woman gave it to me after telling me to read Patrice’s journal.”

  Asher walked over and pulled out a matching card. “Her name is Alethea Niacharos. I hired her to help me solve the cause of the fire at Emily’s museum. Dominic warned me that if I invited her she would dig around, but no one else can do what she does. Did she say she thought Kent was alive?”

  “She said she’s one step ahead of us on this. But I’ve called that number and no one answered,” Andrew said impatiently.

  Sophie took the card out of Andrew’s hand. “She’ll answer me.”

  Helene slipped beneath Andrew’s arm. She laid a hand across his chest. “I hope telling her was the right thing to do.”

  “It was.” Andrew held her to him and kissed her forehead. His mother strode out of the room with the card in hand. Kenzi went with her. Dale raced after both of them, leaving the rest standing in stunned silence.

  Asher took out his phone.

  Ian nodded at it. “Who are you calling?”

  “Dominic Corisi. Alethea will answer Mom’s call.”

  “Do you think that’s wise?” Grant asked. “Maybe we should talk to her first.”

  “Who? Mom or the Niacharos woman?” Ian asked.

  Asher paused before dialing. “This whole situation is batshit crazy to me, but Andrew is right. This isn’t about Kent as much as it is about Mom. If someone told me that Joseph was dead and I thought he wasn’t—” His voice broke.

  Emily hugged his side. “Dead or alive, I would need to know. I would need to see the proof.”