A Tangled Web (Dangerous Secrets)

by Rose Francis

  Monique would be the first to come home at around six, and Carl and Pat would follow some time after.

  He had more than enough time.

  Luke and the men he hired had taken care of everything. All Damien had to do was show up and get Kimberly to go with him, the only part that wasn’t planned.

  Damien watched her on the monitor as he sat in his car a few blocks away from her home. It was a little strange—she had shifted her patterns a bit. Usually, she would have taken a bath by now.

  Damien dialed her phone number.

  “Hey Kim!”

  “Hi Damien. What’s up?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about something—drive with me?”

  “Oh I actually have plans pretty soon…”

  “Aw sis, come on—it won’t take long I promise! Quick question.”

  “Well then ask me now.”

  Damien sighed. She sure wasn’t making this easy.

  “Kim, I need someone to talk to about this—you said I could talk to you about anything—including my love life!” he said lightly, hoping she’d take the bait. “We’ll just go around the corner, I’ll buy you a quick brunch if you want or whatever. Twenty minutes, tops!”

  “Let’s see, I have Kent coming here in about two and a half hours...”

  “I need a woman’s opinion Kim. Please help me—I don’t know who else to ask.”

  He heard her sigh. He knew he had her.

  “Okay Damien. Just let me take a quick bath. How far are you by the way?”

  Damien suppressed his laugh.

  “Oh not that far,” he replied, “I can be there in ten.”

  “Well I better hurry then. See you soon!”

  “See you soon,” he replied, feeling satisfied as he watched her on the monitor.

  ***

  “Okay Damien, make it quick! I don’t have much time to spare,” Kimberly said as she got in the car.

  “Neither do I sis,” he replied in a way that made her wonder if this had been a very bad idea.

  He pulled off.

  After a couple of minutes, Kimberly noticed that he didn’t turn towards Candy Café.

  “Hey Damien—I thought we were stopping at the café?”

  “Oh, well there’s this other place I want to take you to. Do you mind?”

  “Well as long as it’s not far.”

  Kimberly tried to ignore the feeling of dread continuing to fill her stomach.

  ***

  What the…?

  Kent wasn’t sure if he was seeing correctly, but he could’ve sworn the guy driving the black Mazda that went past him going the opposite direction looked like Damien. But Damien didn’t have a car like that, not as far as he knew.

  For an intense moment, he wondered if he should turn around immediately and follow the car.

  But what if he was wrong? What if Kimberly was still at home?

  His brain won over his gut. After all, he wasn’t sure what he saw—suppose the time he spent chasing the wrong car, she was at home and in danger?

  He took note of the direction the car was going and sped to Kimberly’s house just a mile away.

  ***

  Kimberly wondered if she was seeing things—was that Kent’s car she had just seen speed past them?

  Then she saw Damien pull out his cell.

  “Code Blue,” he said lightly into it, then switched it back off.

  Kimberly stared at him.

  He laughed, looking at her face.

  “It’s just a shorthand way of me informing my assistants I’ll be a little late getting back to work. I didn’t plan to see you today at all,” he said.

  Kimberly wasn’t buying it. Something definitely felt off—had been feeling off for a while.

  ***

  Larry put away his cell.

  Code Blue, he repeated in his mind. Someone was on their tail. Time to find him and take care of him.

  ***

  It took Kent a minute to arrive at the Jordan home.

  He pulled up, hopped out and pounded furiously on the door, alternating between ringing the doorbell and shouting Kimberly’s name.

  There was no answer.

  He knew right then that his first instinct about the Mazda was correct.

  He hopped back in his car, speeding in the direction he had seen the car going.

  ***

  “Okay Damien, you want to start to talking to me about your situation? What did you want to ask me? And can you please slow down?”

  “I was just trying to get this done quickly since you were in a rush and all…”

  “You know Damien, on second thought, forget it. Just take me back home. I really don’t have time for this. And you’re scaring me. I mean, I’m pregnant for Christ’s sake.”

  Damien neither slowed down nor changed his direction. Instead, he replied:

  “Kim, you really look beautiful as you are right now. You’re glowing!”

  She paused.

  “Okay…”

  “When are you due again?”

  “About two weeks Damien.”

  “You sure?”

  “What the hell do you mean if I’m sure? Of course I am!”

  “Just asking.”

  “Damien, why aren’t you turning around?”

  “I thought it was sooner for some reason.”

  “Damien…”

  “Kim, did you ever wonder if we were actually brother and sister?”

  “Damien?”

  “I mean, suppose it was a setup or a mistake—we would have wasted all this time when we could’ve been together.”

  “Damien please stop talking like that—you’re starting to scare me…”

  “Scare you?”

  Damien turned towards her so quickly with such an insane look in his eyes and intensity to his voice that Kimberly was indeed terrified out of her wits.

  “Kimberly I love you!” he said, then turned his eyes back to the road.

  The feeling of dread that had started in her stomach now engulfed her entire being.

  ***

  Kent gained on the Mazda quicker than he expected but out of nowhere a car came and slammed into his side.

  “What the…”

  He turned to look at the car and driver.

  They were both unfamiliar, but by the look on the driver’s face, dead set on running him off the road.

  ***

  “Damien,” Kimberly began in a timid voice, “what is it you want?”

  “You Kimberly, you! And that baby. We’re going to be a family.”

  Kimberly closed her eyes and breathed deeply as one hand rested on her stomach.

  She tried to hear Mozart in her head.

  ***

  Kent put up a good battle, but the guy was clearly an expert. There was even a car bumping him from behind.

  He couldn’t beat them.

  His car slid off the road and flipped.

  ***

  Soon Kimberly felt the car slow down and stop.

  “We’re here,” said Damien.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Kimberly looked around. She had no idea where he’d taken her—the place was completely unfamiliar, yet cozy.

  “Damien, why did you bring me here?”

  “Kimberly, we have everything we need here. I can give you any and everything you want.”

  “Well can you start by taking me back home?”

  “Kimberly, you’re such a kidder—you are home!”

  “Place is all set up,” said a strange man with his face obscured coming out of one of the rooms, wiping his hands.

  “Great! Hey tell Luke everything worked out. Thanks guys. I can take it from here.”

  The man nodded and left, as another one seemingly came out of nowhere and left with him.

  “Luke?”

  “Yeah. You know, he’s actually not a bad guy that one—not as much as people say he is. He actually helped me set this whole thing up. He understood how important it was for me to be there fo
r the birth of my child…”

  “Your child? Damien where the hell did you get that idea? This is not your baby!”

  “Oh Kimberly, you can drop the act now. It’s okay—I know. I know you were hiding the true paternity and understandably so…I guess. It’s just that, well, I wish you had told me. I mean, it is my baby…”

  “Damien it’s not your baby—how many times do I have to say it?”

  “Kimberly, look. I know it’s hard to think you’re having a baby with me because you believe I’m your brother but it’s not our fault. And we might not be related after all!”

  “Damien, where on earth have you been getting your information?”

  “Kent and Elliott talked about it a few months back. Elliott’s place has been in the family for decades—they don’t know Luke’s got that place rigged. Anyway, he let me in on the info and I’ve got to tell you, it was so hard for me to sit still on it, but I had to plan carefully.”

  “Damien, you didn’t get the rest of the info. Yeah, I thought the baby was yours at first, but I found out when I first went to the hospital that I was wrong. Damien, I really am due weeks from now—do the math!”

  Kimberly was starting to get angry.

  “Look, I don’t know what the doctor told you…”

  “Damien, the last time we slept together was when, huh? Kent and I were together a few weeks later…”

  “I still can’t believe how quickly you jumped into bed with him…”

  “That’s not the point! Yes, I slept with Kent soon after and I did think I was already pregnant, but I was wrong! Kent got me pregnant when we slept together and you know what? I couldn’t be happier.”

  “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? Damien, I don’t want to have my brother’s baby! And guess what—even before I knew you were my brother and I thought I was pregnant by you, I didn’t want it!”

  “Kimberly...” Damien said in a low voice.

  “No, you listen Damien—I didn’t want your baby! I didn’t realize it till that moment I first thought I was pregnant with your child that I didn’t want to be with you anymore. And I certainly didn’t want something that would connect me to you forever like a child would.”

  “Kimberly…” Damien said again, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Kimberly went straight up to him.

  “Damien, Kent is the best thing that has ever happened to me…”

  Damien’s hand came down hard on her cheek, almost making her lose her balance and fall.

  She held her hands to her stinging cheek in shock.

  Damien came over to her.

  “Aw Kim, see what you made me do…”

  As he was about to hold her and help her, she narrowed her eyes at him in warning.

  “Don’t you dare touch me,” she said.

  “Kim I’m sorry. Let me help you…”

  She laughed.

  “Help me?” She laughed again.

  Then she felt a sharp pain in her belly.

  “Kimberly are you okay? You see, I knew that baby was mine—you should be due any day, any minute now…”

  “Damien shut up! I’m fine.”

  “Just let me help you over to the couch…”

  “I can walk, thanks,” she said as dryly as she could, still in shock over Damien hitting her. She started trying to walk to the couch, bent over. Damien helped her anyway.

  She sat down and looked around the place, studying it.

  “I know what you’re thinking Kimberly. No one who would help you knows you’re here. No one’s been here in years. And Luke’s making sure no one comes here. We’ll stay here for a while, until after you’ve had the baby. Luke has staff members who can take care of our needs. A few of them even fixed up the place for us—added some furnishings, a baby room, stocked the cupboards…”

  Kimberly watched him through the slit of her eyes as he went on and on. Never in her life did she want to physically hurt someone as she did right then.

  “So Kimberly, where?”

  “What?”

  “Which country would you like to move to?”

  “Damien, you’re out of your cotton-picking mind. I’m not moving anywhere with you! Kent and I…”

  “Man shut the hell up about Kent all right? There will be no more Kent, get used to it. You’re lucky I won’t have him killed…”

  Kimberly’s heart stopped.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. I thought about telling ‘grandfather’ to get rid of him…”

  “What makes you think he’d do it? Kent is his grandson too.”

  Damien laughed.

  “We’re talking about Luke here—I’m pretty sure that man would kill his own daughter.”

  “What makes you think he wouldn’t kill you? Us? This could be a whole setup right here, right now. Maybe this whole place is about to blow up with us in it.”

  “To be honest, I think he’s getting something out of this. I really don’t know what, but I doubt he’d bother to ‘do away’ with me. Besides, you and I will be out of his hair soon. And he won’t have to worry about Kent dirtying up the Davenport line having children with you.”

  Kimberly was half-listening—she couldn’t help it. She kept trying to think if it was really possible Luke or Damien would have Kent killed.

  “Why would you even think about having Kent killed?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? He’s in the way—I’d be eliminating the competition.”

  “Damien, you’re sick, and you’re sickening. In more ways than one.”

  Damien smiled deviously.

  “Maybe I need some sexual healing…” he said, leaning towards her as if for a kiss. She put her hand out, covering his mouth.

  She shook her head.

  “Damien, no.”

  “I get it,” he said, smiling, “no smooching till after I prove we’re not siblings right? I guess that’s fair.”

  Kimberly could only shake her head. He was certifiable.

  She rubbed her tummy.

  “Hey, are you hungry?” he asked suddenly.

  Kimberly looked at him.

  He was unbelievable! Acting as if this whole thing was normal.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. Now what do you want to eat? I know pregnant women can be picky but there’s quite a selection here.”

  “Make whatever you want Damien.”

  Anything to get him out of her face.

  Damien smiled.

  “You think you’re smart don’t you? As soon as I go in there, you’re gonna try to escape but guess what. I’m two steps ahead of you.”

  He pulled out a gun.

  “I shouldn’t have told those goons to leave but I can do this. You sit on that chair right there.”

  Kimberly looked at the gun and although she was almost sure he wouldn’t hurt her, every thought and instinct fled but self-perseverance; she had to protect herself and Kent’s baby.

  She obediently went to the chair and sat still as Damien got some ropes and tied her up.

  “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this,” he said sadly as he finished. “I’ll be right back okay? I’ll see if I can fix you something.”

  “Since when can you cook,” she said quietly, not really caring for an answer but wanting to distract herself a little from her terror and sadness.

  “Well, I said I’ll try. You see? I’ll do anything for you baby. Be right back.”

  ***

  Damien bumped his way around the kitchen, trying his best to make a good meal.

  He had cookbooks there to help him, but just couldn’t get it right. He decided to stop trying his hand at making chicken after overcooking the outside and realizing the inside was raw, then ultimately burning the pieces. He ended up just making some macaroni and cheese. He’d ask Luke about hiring a chef for them later.

  He shared out Kimberly’s portion, poured a glass of water for her, then headed back out to the living room where she
was being kept.

  “Well the chicken didn’t come out quite right…” he began, but was stopped dead in his tracks by the murderous look in Kent’s eyes.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Kent had already untied Kimberly.

  Damien was so shocked to see him there that it took him a few moments to take action, and it was a few moments too late. Before he knew what hit him, Kent had charged him and slammed him into the wall, pinning him against it. The plate of food and glass of water fell out of his hand and shattered against the ground. Kent briefly looked at the broken pieces.

  “You know I have half a mind to pick up one of those pieces and slice your throat right here. ‘Cept I don’t want anything of yours touching Kimberly ever again—even if it is your blood.”

  Damien started struggling against his grip, but the adrenalin rush from his fear was no match for the strength that came with Kent’s apparent rage.

  “Damien,” Kent said calmly, conversationally after taking a breath and looking away for a brief moment, “before I ask the obvious, why the fuck is Kimberly’s cheek red?”

  Damien didn’t know what to say. He knew that anything he said would be the wrong answer, so he just looked into Kent’s bruised face blankly wondering what had happened once Luke’s goons got to him. Eventually he focused on a sliver of dried blood on the side of Kent’s mouth.

  He was snapped out of it as Kent pulled him forward then slammed him backwards, banging his head against the wall.

  Damien tried to fight against him again, even attempting some blows, swinging at him fruitlessly.

  Kent slammed him against the wall once more and said in a low voice:

  “I’ve got a gun on me that says you won’t be trying that shit again. Now I will ask you one more time: why does my fiancé have a mark on her face?”

  Damien glanced over at Kimberly and saw a look of joy come over her face.

  “You...” Kent chuckled and shook his head. “You didn’t hit her did you? Kimberly, did he hit you?”

  Kimberly didn’t answer and looked frightened again.

  Damien decided he’d go ahead and answer the question.

  “Kent…brother—I didn’t mean to…”

  Damien was unable to finish. Kent rained into him with so many blows to the gut he thought he was going to die.