by Ana Medeiros
“You said you went to the New Jackson Hotel, found Sofia dead, and you left.” Meredith took a step closer to Tatiana. “I know that’s not true. You were there for over two hours. Two whole hours. What happened in that hotel room?”
“I didn’t lie to you.” Tatiana didn’t raise her voice, but her biting tone showed she was now as angry as Meredith. “I told you what happened. You didn’t listen, though.”
“What else did you lie to me about?” Meredith demanded. “Did you and Julian run into each other at the New Jackson? Was Sofia dead when he left? Was she dead when you left? Tell me the truth, Tatiana. Who beat you the night Sofia died?” Meredith was now yelling. “Was it really your husband?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“He was in my living room earlier today and he got me thinking—”
“You spoke with him?” Tatiana asked, her eyes wide.
“You didn’t expect him to pay me a visit, did you?”
Tatiana closed her hands on Meredith’s upper arms and shook her. “Are you stupid? I don’t know what he told you but he’s trying to mess with your head.”
“I want the truth,” Meredith replied.
“You speak to Steven once and suddenly you question everything I’ve told you?”
“Yes!”
Tatiana slapped Meredith across the face. Suddenly, they both had their hands on each other. They hit, scratched any body part they could get a hold of. Meredith pushed Tatiana to the ground but Tatiana held on to her and seconds later they were wrestling each other on the hardwood floor.
Abruptly, Meredith was pulled away from Tatiana.
“What the hell is going on here?” Julian grabbed Meredith, stopping her from lunging forward.
Tatiana got up and came toward Meredith. Julian put his other arm out, trying to keep them apart. “Enough! Have you both lost your minds?”
Meredith punched him in the crotch with her closed fist. Even though he still didn’t let go of her, Julian grunted in pain.
He dragged her by the waist toward the foyer and, after managing to open the door with his free hand, pulled her into the hallway. Once they were out of his condo, he let her go.
“Why were you two fighting?”
“She lied—”
“You know what?” Julian said, cutting her off. “My house key. Give it back.”
Julian’s demand felt like a shot to the stomach. “I guess this is it, huh?” Meredith hoped she was able to keep her composure. “My purse is in your condo. Can you get it for me?”
Tatiana stood by the door, watching Meredith and Julian. Meredith refused to look at her.
Julian returned with her purse, and Meredith searched inside for the key. She passed it to him and he took it.
“The police know I wasn’t with you when you were at the New Jackson.” She didn’t face Julian as she spoke. “They know I lied to protect you.”
The elevator door opened and she stepped inside. At first she decided not to look in his direction, but she needed to see if he looked as crushed as she felt. Before Meredith could turn around, the doors closed and she missed her chance to look at Julian one last time.
Chapter 31
“Where are the boys?” Julian asked, now back inside the condo. “Why did you call me? Because of Meredith?”
The key Meredith had just returned to him felt heavy and cold in his palm.
“Your friend Pete was here. He just walked in. How many keys to your place have you given out?”
“Did he take Seth and Eli?”
“He said he was taking them home.”
Blood rushed to his ears and no words came out of his mouth.
“Julian, Pete was here. He saw me.”
“I forgot he had a key. I can’t believe I forgot.”
“What matters is that he knows.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I didn’t tell him anything. Julian?” Tatiana went up to him. “How bad is it that he knows? Will he go to the cops?”
“Pack your things.” Julian ran into his bedroom and entered his closet. “You can’t be here.”
“You’re throwing me out?” she asked, following him. “You know I don’t have anywhere to go.”
“I’m taking you to Hazel’s.” Julian came out with an envelope in his hand. He put it in his pocket. “We can’t trust Pete. Grace told him the boys are mine.”
He made his way to the bedroom where Tatiana was staying and started to open and close the dresser’s drawers. “Where the hell are your things?” he asked when he found them empty.
“I’m not staying there.”
“It’s the only other place I can take you.”
“I’m not going.”
“Listen to me, Tatiana. If you don’t do exactly what I say the police will find you here and there’s nothing I can do to protect you. Your husband will eventually kill you and use the fact you’ve gone missing in the past as a cover-up. Please, Tatiana, let me get you out of here.”
“I can’t stay with Hazel.”
“It’s just for a couple of days until we can come up with a better plan.”
Tatiana shook her head.
“Just for a couple of days,” Julian repeated.
“You promise?” she asked, resolve in her voice.
“I promise. Now, get your things. We need to leave.”
Tatiana grabbed a plastic bag from the nightstand table. “I’m ready.”
“That’s it?”
“I don’t have anything else.”
She wore one of his t-shirts and a faded pair of gray sweatpants. He pointed at her bare feet. “How about shoes?”
She shook her head.
Julian got one of his hoodies and passed it to her. “Put this on and cover your head. When we step out, look down. Make sure your face can’t be seen by any of the security cameras.”
As they walked out of the condo, Julian texted Grace with the news that Peter had picked up Seth and Eli. He told himself over and over again that the boys were safe, and if Peter did act on his anger, Julian would be the target, not the twins.
Julian and Tatiana got into the empty elevator and Julian scanned the key that gained him access to the garage. Tatiana kept her eyes on the floor. The sweatshirt was big and the hood covered her whole face.
“Why were you and Meredith fighting?”
“Ask her.”
“Tatiana—”
“Ask her,” she insisted, more forcefully this time.
Julian unlocked his car and opened the trunk. “It’s the only safe way I can get you out of here.”
She lay down on the floor of the trunk. “It’s not my first time.”
He closed the trunk and got behind the wheel. He checked his rearview mirror and saw a late nineties dark blue Ford sedan. Driving around the city while being followed by the police made it hard for him to concentrate. Now, with Tatiana hiding in the trunk, it became even harder. Sweat pooled on his lower back.
When he stopped at a red light on his way to Bridgeport, he checked the rearview mirror again. The unmarked police car still followed him. His phone beeped and he jumped in his seat. Grace had just replied to his message—she didn’t know where Peter and the boys were.
He needed to calm down, Julian told himself as he wiped his brow. He raised the AC inside of the car. The driver behind him pressed the horn and Julian cursed, accelerating out of the intersection.
As Julian pulled into Hazel’s garage, he glanced at the rearview mirror again and he saw the dark blue Ford sedan drive by. He turned off the engine and waited for the garage door to come down.
Inside, Julian maneuvered his body through the tight space between the car and the concrete wall. No sounds came from the house or the street beyond the old garage door. Julian unlocked the trunk.
“It’s about time,” Tatiana said as she climbed out.
“Pete didn’t take the boys home. We don’t know where they are.”
“Do you think he’d h
urt them?”
“No,” he paused, trying to collect himself. “Of course not. Those boys mean the world to him.”
“You need to take it easy, OK?” Tatiana spoke as if she feared he would break down in front of her. “They’re safe.”
“What if they’re not?”
“Stop. Don’t let your mind go there. Have you called Grace?”
“I texted her and she—” He stopped when he heard his phone beep. He hurriedly grabbed it from his pocket. “It’s her again.”
“What did she say?”
“They’re home.” Julian exhaled with relief. “They’re all home.”
“See? Everything’s alright.” Tatiana tried to sound reassuring, but Julian heard concern in her voice.
“I need to talk to you before I take you into the house.” He took the envelope out of his pocket and, glad they couldn’t see each other in the dark of the garage, put the envelope in her hand. “Here’s ten thousand dollars in cash. If I call you on your cell phone or text you the word busy it means it’s no longer safe for you to stay here. You get on the first bus out of Chicago and you lay low for a while. Use the money to survive.”
He closed his fingers around hers, tightening her grasp on the envelope. “Take the money.”
“Where did you get it from?”
“It doesn’t matter. Take it.”
Keeping his hands on hers, he felt her fold the envelope and put it in her pocket.
“The police followed us here,” he continued. “When we go inside the house you stay away from the windows. Understand?”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Another thing, it might be hard for you, but don’t antagonize Hazel. She becomes angry and it leads to screaming, crying fits. Think of it as a child having a tantrum. A really bad one. Whatever she says, whatever she asks, you keep that in mind.”
“Do I have to see her?”
“It’s her house. She spends a lot of time in bed but she still gets up and moves around. She’s mentally sick, not crippled.”
“Anything else?”
“She has a live-in caregiver, Carla. Do not tell her anything.”
“Do you trust this Carla?”
“I trust her to take care of Hazel. I don’t trust her not to mention to anyone that I brought over a woman who looks like she barely survived the streets of Chicago.”
“I’ve been barely surviving you.”
“Listen, I’m—”
“Is there anything else?” Tatiana asked. “I’m starving and my feet hurt. I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
“You don’t have to do anything. Just keep your mouth shut.”
“Fine. But don’t forget your promise to me—a couple of days.”
“I never break my word.”
He expected Tatiana to challenge him but she remained silent.
“Here, use the flashlight on my phone to see where you’re stepping. This garage hasn’t been cleaned in years.” He passed his phone to her. “I’ll follow you.”
They started to make their way toward the door that would take them into the house.
“Maybe Hazel won’t know who I am. We don’t have to tell her.”
“She appears to have an uncanny ability to remember the past. I didn’t recognize you when I saw you but I suspect Hazel will.”
They entered the house. “It’s late. She’ll be in bed,” Julian said as he removed his shoes.
He turned on the kitchen light. As he was opening one of the cupboards, he saw Hazel’s caregiver coming down the stairs.
“Hi Carla, how’s Hazel?” he asked, noticing the surprised look she gave Tatiana, who stood in the middle of the kitchen, holding her plastic bag.
“She’s in bed,” Carla replied. “She had a good day. She asked for you, as usual.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to come over earlier.”
“It’s not like it’ll make that much of a difference for her, right?”
“Right,” Julian answered with a sigh.
The loud ticking of the wall clock stood out in the now silent kitchen.
Carla smiled at Tatiana. “I’m Carla, Julian’s mom’s caregiver.”
Tatiana hesitated. “I’m Julian’s foster sister.”
Carla’s smile widened. “You’re family then. Does Julian’s mom know you?”
“She’ll be staying here for a day or two.” Julian jumped in. He hoped he didn’t look as nervous as Tatiana did. “Do you know where I can find some sheets for the bed in the spare bedroom?”
“I’ll take care of that,” Carla replied, already leaving the kitchen. “It looked like you were searching for food when I came down. I went grocery shopping today so there should be plenty.”
Julian watched Carla walk up the stairs. When he could no longer hear her, he turned to Tatiana. “Foster sister?”
“Not a lie.” Tatiana opened the fridge and peeked inside. “I didn’t tell her my name. What do I say when she asks?”
“She won’t. She’s about to get a substantial raise.”
Tatiana closed the fridge door. “There’s nothing in there I can eat. I just want to shower.”
“You can’t afford to be a vegan now. Eat whatever you can get your hands on. I’m sure there’s chicken or tuna. Have you looked at yourself?”
Tatiana pulled out a chair and sat down. “Are you telling me to abandon my morals?”
“I’m telling you to eat.”
“Telling me to eat chicken or tuna is the same as telling me to abandon my morals.”
“My god, Tatiana, I’m sure you won’t go to hell for eating some defenseless animals.”
“I don’t believe in hell or heaven.” She looked at Julian and frowned. “Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. I know what I believe—unless my beliefs change, of course.”
“Any chance of your beliefs changing tonight?”
Tatiana left the table and Julian rested his forehead on one of the cupboard doors. He and Tatiana could not go back to fighting with each other the way they did after Sofia’s death.
About fifteen minutes later, Tatiana returned from a shower and Julian slid a bowl down the table, toward her. “Vegetable soup. Came from a can, but it’s vegan. Not a threat to your high morals.”
She sat down, grabbed the spoon, and started to eat. “How bad is it with Pete?” she asked between mouthfuls.
“Bad. He knows too much and he’s angry at me for what I did.”
“What exactly does he know?”
“He knows about the club and what I do there.”
“Everything you do there?”
“Pete is as vanilla as they come,” Julian replied. “He thinks I’m into BDSM, edge-play. I never tried to correct him.”
“How about the club? Does he know details, how it operates?”
“Of course not.”
“But you told Meredith.”
“I took her there. That was all.”
“Do you think Pete would really go to the police?”
“Why wouldn’t he?”
“He’s your friend.”
“Not anymore.”
“You need to talk to him,” Tatiana said as she chewed. “Make him see your side of the story. Tell him you’re trying to protect me, how much you care. Does he know how you came to know Sofia and me? What happened then?”
Julian drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Parts of it.”
“Good. Remind him of it. Don’t hold back on the details. Lay it on thick. Make him feel sorry for you, empathize with you. Telling him that you need him might be a good idea, too. Make yourself look vulnerable. It will make him feel powerful by comparison and that might be all he needs.”
“I don’t need to make myself look vulnerable.” There was a hint of despair in Julian’s voice. “I already am. Giving him more power over me when he’s this furious is basically just asking him to destroy my life.”
“How about Grace? Can she help you keep Pete quiet? No one likes a cheate
r.”
“I don’t want to involve her in any of this.”
“Pete might have already done that for you.”
The t-shirt she wore was absorbing the water that dripped from her wet hair. It made it impossible for Julian not to notice the shape of her breasts.
“Stop!” Tatiana shouted, startling Julian. “Stop drumming your fingers on the table. You always do that when you’re nervous. Drives me crazy.”
Julian brought his hands together. “I do it without realizing. It’s not on purpose.”
“Just stop, OK?”
“Grace asked me if I wanted shared custody of the boys.”
“And?”
The prospect of being a father to Seth and Eli gave Julian hope. He needed to hold on to that emotion. “I want to.”
Tatiana smiled. “You’ll have your own family.”
“First, I have to tell her about the club and why I go there.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because Pete’s going to tell her if he hasn’t already, and it will be better if it comes from me. I can make sure she gets the truth and not some perverted tale Pete’s built in his mind. Also, because she’s the mother of my children. We’ll be raising Seth and Eli together. She needs to know.”
“No, she doesn’t. You need Grace to know, which is different. Telling her will make you feel better but it will also force her to make your secrets her own. If Pete’s already opened his mouth you can deny it—he has no proof—and, if everything else fails, you know the people who can help you manage Pete.”
“You have a distorted way of looking at things, do you know that?”
“Don’t tell her, Julian. You made that mistake with Meredith.”
They grew silent. With only the stove light on, they sat in near darkness.
“When can I leave this house?” Tatiana asked.
“I said a couple of days. Not an hour or two.”
“Maybe I can stay with Meredith?”
“Have you forgotten what happened earlier?”
“You should have stayed out of it,” Tatiana said. “We would have figured it out.”
“By hitting each other? I don’t think so.”
“Steven spoke with her.”
Julian looked at Tatiana with alarm. “What? When?”
“He made Meredith doubt me. I can’t believe she’d doubt me.”