by Helen Vera
My head feels like it’s on the verge of exploding. I rest my head on the steering wheel and focus on breathing in and out. I need to calm down and plan my next step. First, I need to book us a flight to Hawaii. My cousins live in Honolulu and they keep in touch via phone calls and emails. I need to be surrounded with family right now. I need to be with people who won’t lie to my face and betray me the way Jax did.
I take a deep, calming breath and get out of the car. The daycare center is crowded with mothers who came to pick up their kids. I receive a few curious looks as I walk down the corridor towards Lucy’s classroom. I know I look like shit because I also feel like shit. Everything is just a big ball of shit right now. Look at them, smiling like they all have perfect lives with perfect, doting husbands. I freaking hate New York! I hate everyone in it. I wish I was never born here in the first place. Bitterness fills me as I walk past a bunch of snotty Upper East Side mothers. I should have known that living in their midst will bring me nothing but misery. Screw them all. I hug my bag tighter to my chest and walk the rest of the way with my head held high. The classroom is crowded with moms who seem to be celebrating the birthday of one of the kids. I plaster a fake smile on my lips and enter the spacious, colorful room. Lucy usually greets me with a hug when I first walk in, but she must be busy stealing a cupcake or two from the birthday boy’s table.
Weird. She seems to be either in the bathroom or taking a nap in the other room. I rush over to the older woman who’s in charge for the day. I ask her if she could take me to Lucy, but she gives me this weird look. A look that makes my blood run cold. “Where is my daughter?”
“Lucy left hours ago. A gentleman came by and picked her up. He even gave me this permission slip with your signature on it.” She shows me the paper complete with my signature and everything. “He said he was your brother.”
The paper falls from my hand as panic fills me for the second time today. I can hear her talking, but her words sound like gibberish. They make no sense. Nothing does. “Are you fucking kidding me?! I don’t have a brother.” I glare at her. She flinches and apologizes, saying this was her first week working here. My loud voice brings the birthday party to an end. Mothers begin freaking out and looking for their children. I storm out of the classroom, the blood rushing in my ears. I call out for Lucy, and everyone starts looking at me like I’m losing my mind.
I take out my phone and call Steven. My hands are shaking so bad that I almost drop it in the process. Luckily, he picks up on the first ring. “Steven! Lucy’s gone. I think Jax came in and took her. He took my baby.” I wipe away my tears and lean against my car for support.
“Vivian, listen, you need to stay away from Jax. Let the cops handle it. There’s no more room for blackmail or debate. That man has completely lost it. Your only option now is to call the cops and hope for the best.”
I hang up and get in the car. My baby’s sweet face is all I see.
If something happens to Lucy, I will never forgive myself.
31
JAX
How the fuck did we end up here?
I run my fingers through my damp hair and turn on the TV. The look on Vivian’s face when she saw me standing next to her Toyota made me feel like the monster everyone thinks I am. She couldn’t wait to get away from me. I have no idea what made her drive off in a hurry like that. It’s almost as if she’d seen a ghost. I thought about going after her, but something told me to give her some space. She’s still mourning the death of her best friend and dealing with the aftermath of that douchebag’s death. Maybe she came by to break up with me and then changed her mind at the last minute. Who knows?
At this point, everything is fucking possible. I’m frankly sick and tired of trying to prove to everyone that my temper no longer rules my life. I’m more in control now than I’ve ever been. I used to be angry at everything and everyone, but thanks to those long hours of therapy, I’ve learned how to cope with this anger and channel it into something useful.
I take a sip from my chilled beer bottle and turn up the volume. I can’t believe how much air time Andrew douchebag Caldwell is getting. They no longer call him abusive and unfaithful. He’s now the golden boy of Yale Law who had a secret lover because his wife was too busy with her career. I swear whoever is behind this wants to make profit selling salacious headlines and tabloid fodder. This is getting out of control. Now they’re saying that his secret lover may have killed him and then later committed suicide because she was unable to live with the pain and regret.
What kind of bullshit is this? No wonder Vivian’s depressed and upset. I don’t blame her for lashing out, but at the same time, I want her to trust me and confide in me like she used to confide in Sue. I spent all morning building Lucy her very own tree house. I’ve been planning on asking Vivian to move in with me for her protection. My castle is impenetrable and secluded enough to give her some privacy. I’m even willing to get rid of those gargoyles she hates so much. I also need to install a better security surveillance system. There’s no telling when he’ll come for me next.
I grab my phone and contemplate calling Vivian. We’ve been texting these past few days, but I need to hear her voice. I need to let her know that I’m here for her even if things between us are weird and tense and...
I hear a loud bang coming from the foyer and the sound of heels rushing through the house.
I quickly get up and jog down the corridor. Those heels sound incredibly familiar. They definitely belong to Vivian. I relax and make my way to the foyer. She turns around at the sound of my footsteps and I freeze mid-step when I see the gun in her hands. She points it straight at me.
“Where is Lucy?!!” She shouts. The blood drains from my face at the sight of her, flushed and angry. Her long hair is tousled and the bags under her eyes tell me that she’s been crying for hours. Fuck. What the hell happened?
“Vivian, slow down, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I keep my voice calm and my eyes on Andrew’s loaded gun.
She shouts Lucy’s name and her panicked voice echoes throughout the house. “How did you get your hands on my signature to steal my baby, huh? Answer me!” Her hands tremble, but she never loses her grip on the gun. The hatred in her eyes is too much to bear.
“I swear on my mother’s grave that I’ve been here all day making her a surprise tree house. I have nothing to do with her disappearance.” I reply, concerned and deeply troubled by what she just told me. I promised to protect them both, yet Lucy is now missing and Vivian is a mess.
Fuck. What a fucking nightmare this is.
Vivian suddenly digs into her bag and takes out a brown envelope. She throws it at me and I catch it mid-air. “Do you know how Andrew died? Because there’s a shitton of evidence in here that says you killed him.”
I open the envelope and take a look at the so called evidence. Years of experience as a lawyer have taught me a thing or two about forged papers. “Vivian, trust me when I tell you that these papers are a hundred percent fake. Anyone with an eye for these things will tell you what I just told you.”
Vivian eyes me suspiciously. I can tell that she no longer trusts me. “Stay here and do not move! I swear if you move, I will shoot you!” She threatens, fresh tears streaming down her flushed face.
I hear her search each and every room for Lucy. She sounds frantic and in pain. I tug on my hair in frustration and follow her up the spiral staircase. I’m used to having people point their weapons at me, so her gun does not scare me. I’m fucking scared for her though. She looks like she’s about to lose her mind.
I watch her kick open my bedroom door and scream Lucy’s name. “Vivian, I did not kidnap Lucy. For fuck’s sake I love her like she’s my own flesh and blood!”
She stands in the doorway, her red eyes burning into mine. “Vivian, look at me. There is no child in this house.”
I take one step forward, but she warns me to keep my distance. “How can I trust the words of someone who’s been lying to me al
l this time? Pretending like you didn’t know Andrew and acting all surprised when I showed you his papers. I opened my heart to you and so did my baby! How could you do this to us?”
I swallow the lump in my throat and beg her to let me explain. “I know I lied, but I also never expected to fall in love with you. I guess deep down I was afraid of losing you if you ever found out my secret.”
“What secret Jax?” She leans against the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks.
I take one more step forward. The barrel of the gun almost touches my chest. Vivian’s hands are shaking, and she looks pale as a ghost. I want to hold her in my arms and tell her that everything’s going to be okay, but who am I kidding? None of this is okay.
“I know for a fact that your husband was murdered, and I can tell you who did it.”
She snorts in derision. “Yeah. Right. Why should I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?”
“Because right now, I’m your only shot at getting Lucy back,” I tell her, reaching forward and placing my hands on top of the gun. “Now put the gun down and come sit with me. I swear I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
Her expression softens and I can tell that she’s beginning to believe me. “Babe, I promised I’d keep you and your little girl safe, so please help me keep that promise.”
She breaks out into tears and finally hands me the gun. I stuff it into the back pocket of my jeans and hold her in my arms. “I want my baby back.” She sniffles. “She must be so scared.”
I stroke her hair and guide her to sit on my bed. She’s wearing a light sweater over her leggings and I can tell that she’s freezing cold. I grab a jacket from my closet and drape it over her slumped shoulders.
“Last year, a client of mine filed a lawsuit against JC Construction. He accused them of committing fraud and claimed he had evidence that their new residential tower was built using unsafe and unapproved building materials. He also told me that someone from inside CCB Law used his city council connections to fly those violations under the radar.”
She rolls her eyes impatiently. ”I already know all this!”
“Yes, but what you don’t know is that I found incriminating information about Andrew. He was taking bribes by the millions and getting building plans approved even if those plans did not pass inspection. The guy was knee deep in shit. I had my investigator gather all the dirt he could find on Andrew and I took this evidence with me to CCB. Of course, your sad excuse of a husband was not there, so I handed the files to one of his partners instead.”
I can see the wheels turning in her head. She rubs a hand over her face tiredly and looks at me like she wants me to ease her pain. I swallow the lump in my throat and hold her close. “Why would Steven give me a bunch of forged documents and ask me to blackmail you? Why would he do any of this to begin with?”
“Vivian, have you signed anything recently? Any paper that he might have used or...”
“Yes. Oh God. They made me sign that NDA papers, remember?”
“Yeah.” I grab her hand and pull her to her feet. “Come on. We need to go get our baby.”
32
JAX
I unlock the Maserati and we both get in. The more I think of Lucy, the more I feel the monster in me rise to the surface. I rev the engine and speed past the iron gates. Vivian tries to call the guy who gave her those forged papers, but it seems like he’s not answering the phone. My grip on the steering wheel tightens as I drive like a maniac down Riverside Road. Vivian is restless as she keeps calling Steven. The blackmailing bastard finally picks up. She puts her phone on speaker so we can both listen to what he has to say.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re the one who called me, all frantic and worried about your daughter. There is nothing I can do to help you, Vivian. I’ve already told you to let the cops deal with Jax.”
“I spoke with Jax, and he swore to me that he had nothing to do with Andrew’s murder. I also know that he handed you the files that would ruin the reputation of your law firm, Bradshaw.”
I shake my head and tell her that his last name is not Bradshaw. “Vivian, his last name starts with a C as I recall. Steven is not our guy.”
Vivian quickly hangs up and hides her face in her hands. “No. It’s not possible.”
“What’s wrong?”
She rubs her face tiredly and glances at me with her bloodshot eyes. “The man you’re talking about is Lewis Cooper. He’s like a grandfather to Lucy! Why would he take her?”
Vivian rocks in her seat and hugs her knees to her chest. “There’s only one way to find out.” I spin the car around and floor the gas pedal. She gasps and holds on to her seatbelt.
“What are you doing? CCB Law is in the opposite direction!”
“We’re not going to the law firm. If Cooper is who I think he is, then he won’t be there. No. He enjoys playing games, and right now, I’m guessing he’s in your house.”
“Why would he be in my house?”
“Because hiding in plain sight is kind of his thing.”
“How do you know this?” She asks me curiously.
“Years of dealing with psychopaths have taught me a great deal about them. Most of them enjoy playing games. Cooper is no different.”
“And do you think he’s capable of harming Lucy?”
I grit my teeth and try not to think about that. “Over my dead body,” I grunt.
She gazes out the window and cries quietly as I race the clock to get to Lucy. I reach to my right and squeeze her hand. “When I found out that Andrew was killed the day after I handed those files to Cooper, I knew it was too late to go to the police. After all, the dirt I had on Andrew was now in his possession. I wish I could have done something more to prevent all of this from happening, but I was driven by anger and wanted to get back at your husband for treating my client like shit. I never expected Cooper to stab him in the back. I just wanted to scare Andrew into dropping the case and convince the construction company to settle. I never intended for him to get murdered.”
“No one could have seen this coming, Jax.” She says, wiping her face with a tissue paper. “Lewis was heavily involved in our lives. He celebrated Christmas with us on occasion and he was basically a godfather to Andrew. He taught him everything he knew.”
“Appearances can be deceiving, honey.” I pull up in front of her townhouse where a silver Mercedes is already parked in the small driveway.
“Oh God. This is without a doubt Lewis Cooper’s car.” She shudders, gripping my jacket tighter around her shoulders. “Oh God, Jax what do we do?”
She starts freaking out again. I switch off the engine and feel the fear of losing them both tugging at my mind. Fear makes me angry. It makes me go fucking berserk. It makes me want to lash out and destroy anything standing in my way. Right now, all I can think of is crushing Cooper’s skull like a fucking melon. I feel Vivian touch my arm and pull me out of my violent thoughts.
“Jax. Take a deep breath.” She whispers softly. “Promise me you won’t lose your shit in there. You’ll put Lucy in harm’s way if you do.”
“I promise.” I exhale, letting my anger flow out of me with every breath. This is not the time for fucking meditation, but I know that she’s right. My blind anger will only add fuel to the fire. The last thing I want is to scare Lucy or hurt her in any way.
If anything happens to my little girl, there will be hell to pay.
33
VIVIAN
Jax takes my hand and we both enter the house. The sun is kissing the walls goodbye as we walk past the foyer and into the living room. I feel my entire body shaking like a leaf, afraid of what I might find lurking in our family room. The room where we had slumber parties with Sue and watched Netflix while eating ice cream straight from the tub. There are so many memories linked to this part of the house. Memories that are about to be tarnished by violence and betrayal. We find Cooper sitting on the couch with Lucy sleeping peacefully in his lap. A strang
led sob escapes my lips. Jax stops me from going over to her. I suddenly notice the silver gun sitting by Cooper. My heart drops into my stomach as I glance back and forth between my daughter and the menacing gun.
“You fucking bastard!” I hiss.
Jax forces me behind him as Cooper looks on, seemingly amused. “And then there were three.” He grins menacingly, looking nothing like the old man I used to know.
“You sick son of a bitch, how dare you kidnap a child?” Jax clenches his fists, the vein in his forehead making a terrifying appearance. He looks beyond furious.
“The child needs to pay for the sins of the father,” Cooper replies in a cold, detached manner.
I stare at Lucy who is thankfully fast asleep. Fear grips my heart and squeezes it hard. “You evil, conniving man! We trusted you, Andrew and I. We invited you into our home and into our lives. You were like a father to us both!”