by Terri Marie
“Oh. My. God.” Tyler smiled for the first time that day and pumped his fist in the air.
“Here are the rules, Ty. Seriously, listen to them carefully,” warned Vincent. He took a deep breath and began to explain.
“Rules? Who the hell’s playing by the rules, Vin?!” interrupted Tyler. “Not Robert, and certainly not our father! If I remember correctly, Sebastian broke every single one of them the day he married mom.”
Tyler grabbed his suit coat from the back of his chair and briskly left the office. He heard his brothers following close behind him, but had no intentions of discussing the matter further. It was time to find Angelique and make her talk.
“Tyler, stop!” demanded Vincent as they passed his office. Renee and Emma came running out into the hallway.
Renee grabbed ahold of Tyler’s arm. “Honey, where are you going? Talk to me!”
He stopped in his tracks and turned around. Tyler met Renee’s eyes before looking down to her small pregnant belly. He could see the fear in her eyes, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause her grief. Brian was standing beside her, his face full of worry.
“I want to talk to you alone, Ty. Will you come and sit with me for a second?” she pleaded calmly.
Tyler let his body rest against the wall for a minute. His breathing was rapid and his temples were pounding. With his head down he walked into Vincent’s office, sat behind the desk and stared into space. Renee walked in behind him and shut the door.
“What happened, Sweetheart?” She started to move a chair next to Tyler.
“Don’t lift that.” He grabbed the chair and slid it beside him. “We know where Angelique is. We have to get her to tell us where our father is hiding, Renee. He has a lot to answer for.” He spoke softly but his jaw remained tight.
“Listen to me. What can he say that’ll satisfy you? You’re looking for a reasonable explanation, but maybe you already know all of the answers.” She reached over and pulled on his chin, so he’d look at her.
“Don’t you think we deserve to know why? Why he did what he did? Why he caused our mother to hang herself?!” He got up and began to pace.
She went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. As his eyes watered, she took his hand and slid it down to her stomach. “You deserve so much more than life has given you. Despite all of the horrible things that have happened, you’re going to be the world’s greatest father.”
“I know what you’re trying to say, Renee, but there needs to be closure for us. All I want is answers, and we’re not going to get them unless we can get Angelique to disclose Sebastian’s whereabouts.” Tyler held her close to him.
“Then let me talk to her.” She took a step back and looked up at him.
“No. No way…” Tyler adamantly refused.
“Do you believe, for even one second, that she won’t take off running if she sees you coming? Let me convince her to speak to you. At least let me try. If you go after her, there won’t be a snowball’s chance in hell that you’ll get any information.”
“I don’t want you near her.” He held her gaze.
Renee walked to the door and waved everyone into the room. They filed inside with anxious looks on their faces.
“Tell me where Angelique is staying,” she insisted while looking directly at the brothers. I’m going to go talk to her.” Renee put her hands on her hips.
Vincent spoke immediately. His anxiety was evident. “No one is going to approach Angelique until after the verdict is read. If we do, Knowles will ask for a mistrial. He’ll claim that we threatened her into testifying. I’m not letting anyone leave this building.” He stood in front of the door.
Tyler’s temper instantly flared and he rushed towards Vincent. His brothers had him pinned to the floor in seconds.
Sean leaned forward while holding his brother’s shoulders down on the carpet. “We love you, Ty, and we’ll stand beside you, but we can’t allow you to act without thinking. Now, I’m willing to stay here as long as I have to. Hell, I’ll even feed you with a spoon, but you’re not leaving.”
“Alright! I’ll stay here, but let me up.” Tyler strained underneath the weight of his brothers.
Jacob, Sean, and Vincent got up and quickly stood arm to arm in front of the door. Tyler rose to his feet and glared at each of them.
Brian approached him and rested his hand on Tyler’s forearm. “Remember that day in Emma’s apartment, when you stopped me from running? I had no choice but to trust you. Now you have to trust us.”
Tyler looked at his face, and blinked, as if noticing everyone around him for the first time. He walked over to the sofa and sat down. Everything seemed to become clearer to him. His father had faked his own death, leaving sixteen-year-old Tyler to pick up the pieces from his wreckage. Renee was right; any explanation his father gave would never be good enough. Still, he had to make the man pay for all he’d done to his family. Tyler would make Sebastian look at him and his brothers. As much as they resembled their mother, perhaps he’d finally face her as well. I’ll find you, you bastard, Tyler vowed to himself. He looked up at Vincent and suddenly the answer to his dilemma hit him. “Vinnie, call Carrie Oliver. Start rehearsing your pillow talk.”
Chapter 2
Vincent stared at Tyler. He had no idea what his brother had up his sleeve, but whatever it was, he knew that he’d be pulled right into the mix. Reluctantly, he took his phone out of his pocket, but didn’t do as he was asked.
“Vin, call her.” Tyler stood up from the sofa.
“Not until you tell me why it can’t wait. I’m seeing her tonight anyway.” Vincent would feel like an idiot if he called Carrie back just to ask for another ‘favor.’
“If you won’t let me confront Angelique until the trial is over with, then at least ask Carrie to…follow her.” Tyler crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“No. We’re not going to resort to stalking that woman, Ty.” Vincent could just picture Carrie telling him to screw off.
“Please. Just ask her to come into the office. We’ll play it by ear. If she seems like she wants to steer clear of Angelique, we won’t involve her.” Tyler nervously looked at Jacob and Sean.
Vincent rolled his eyes, but he knew his oldest brother. That look of determination was enough to tell him that Tyler was going to get to Carrie one way or the other. He had a strange feeling that this was all going to backfire on them. As Tyler stared at him, Vincent called Carrie. She picked up on the second ring.
“Carrie! How are you?” Vincent turned his back to his brothers. “We’re all doing fine…No, that’s okay. A rain check is fine. Before you leave, do you think you’ll have time drop by Montclair Pharmaceuticals for a few minutes?...Security will escort you up to my office…Yep, they’re here with me right now…We’d just like to run something by you.” Vincent rubbed his forehead. He couldn’t believe he’d actually asked her to step into this nightmare. “Great. See you then.”
“She agreed to meet with us?” Tyler quickly asked.
“Yes, but this is a horrible idea.” Carrie had done a great job protecting them while they were in hiding from Robert, but Vincent couldn’t vouch for her discreetness beyond that. For all he knew, she’d become suspicious and report what they were doing to the prosecutor and the local cops.
“But Vinnie,” began Sean with a chuckle. “It’s fate. Just accept the fact that she has it bad for you.”
“Between now and the time that she shows up, Sean, you better grow the hell up. And by the way, she was going to call me anyway to cancel our coffee date.” Vincent didn’t expect to feel disappointed but he did.
“Excuse me guys,” began Emma. “Carrie protected us because she was being paid to do so. You can’t expect her to keep a tail on Angelique out of the kindness of her heart. Money talks. Hire her as an investigator or something, but you’d better put it all in writing.”
“She’s right,” agreed Vincent as he walked over to his desk. I still have the paperwork I drew u
p for the cops I’d hired to find Brian and Renee. Sorry, no offense to you two, but we were worried.” Brian laughed but Renee just looked at him in shock. “Give me a second.” Vincent walked into the adjacent room, to his secretary’s computer. He quickly logged on, found the forms he needed, and then printed out the six pages.
“Six pages? You had those poor guys read through six pages of bull, just to run around the neighborhood?” Jacob cracked up.
“The confidentiality clause is in here and we also had to cover our asses in case they were injured. I went to school for a couple of days, so back off.” Vincent playfully shoved Jacob, before handing the papers to Tyler.
Tyler began to read through the document. “This is nothing but a bunch of legal jargon. They actually understood what they were signing? From what I can tell, there’s nothing in here about what their exact duties were.”
“I’ll add in what her specific assignment is, so there will be no confusion. Her job will be to follow Angelique and promptly report to me, not you, her whereabouts. I’ll put it in writing that this is for the sole purpose of finding Sebastian. That way, there’s no question about our motive.” Vincent took the papers back from Tyler. “Let me fill in the blanks before she gets here.”
“…And add that if she spots Sebastian, she’s to report that to us as well.” Tyler realized that, while Carrie knew what Angelique looked like, she wouldn’t be able to identify Sebastian without a photo. “Do any of you guys have a picture of our father?” He’d hate to have to run home and dig through boxes to find one. They didn’t have that kind of time, nor did he think Carrie would wait around for his return.
“I do,” offered Jacob. He still had the pictures he’d downloaded for his proposal to Emma. “I’ll be right back.” He turned and jogged up the hallway to his office.
Vincent went back out to his secretary’s computer and began filling out the job description. In his gut, he knew two things: Angelique would refuse to talk, unless they cornered her, and if Carrie led Tyler to their father, he’d snap. An army wouldn’t be able to stop him. Though he remembered Sebastian, and it’d saddened him horribly when his parents’ died, Vincent knew he hadn’t gone through nearly as much as Tyler. Being the oldest, he’d had to fill their shoes for everything, from provider to nurturer. If that wasn’t enough, Tyler had acted as the gatekeeper to the painful past for seventeen years. Their father had definitely, and it seems willingly, dropped the ball. Who does that?
Because Vincent was an attorney, he’d been conditioned to listen to both sides of every story, but even he was struggling with this one. He couldn’t fathom an acceptable reason for why they’d been abandoned, nor why his mother had killed herself. Vincent remembered her as being strong and dedicated to her family. Certainly an affair wouldn’t have been enough to cause her to leave her children behind.
Just when Vincent thought the treacherous road they’d been forced upon was finally coming to an end, they were being led down another one. They definitely could have used some help from their father during their many struggles. What really got to him was that the shooting and fire were publicly broadcasted, even disclosing where Jacob was hospitalized, and yet, Sebastian decided to remain in hiding. Even if he was incapacitated in some way, he could have gotten word to them.
“Vin,” Sean called out, interrupting his deep thoughts. He was probably there to tell him Carrie had arrived and he hadn’t typed a thing yet. Damn.
“Yeah?” Vincent quickly began filling in the information.
“Security just called. You’d better get in here.” Sean turned and walked back into Vincent’s office.
“Hang on a sec. Carrie’s here?” He called out to his brother, but Sean was already gone.
Vincent left the program open, got up, and poked his head into his office. “Where is she?”
“It’s not Carrie. Angelique Barns is being escorted up to Tyler’s office right now.” Sean swallowed hard.
Vincent dropped into the chair as his legs turned to putty. When he saw Tyler spring to his feet, Vincent peeled off his suit jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and readied himself, just in case he had to help wrestle his brother to the floor again. Part of him wanted to head Angelique off at the elevator and make her leave.
“Tyler, hold it right there!” Vincent grabbed at his arm, to no avail. His brother was strong and determined, quickly pulling free from his grasp and leaving the office. Vincent ran out behind him. He knew that Tyler was planning to ambush the woman the second she stepped onto the twelfth floor. Thankfully Sean intercepted him, opened Tyler’s office door, and shoved him inside. The rest of the group followed.
“You sit right here, Tyler!” Sean pushed him into his desk chair. “So help me God, if you even look like you’re going to stand back up, we’ll be all over you,” he threatened.
Tyler slowly turned his head and glared at his brother. He gripped the arms of the chair until his knuckles turned white; his face showed nothing but anger. Vincent was afraid he’d get up as soon as Angelique arrived and start yelling in her face, demanding information. She’d hightail it right back out the door then. That’s all we need.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Tyler forced himself to take deep, calming breaths. He wanted to rip his office apart, but he knew he’d have to control the rage that was twisting his insides. He had so many questions for this woman, but he didn’t even know where to begin. When he heard the knock on the door, he wanted to fly out of his chair. Tyler would do his best to keep it together, but one word of small talk out of this woman and he was going to lose it. He followed every movement Vincent made towards the door.
When Angelique walked inside the office, Jacob got up and directed her to the soft, cushioned chair. Tyler knew it was a move meant to make her feel less intimidated as the seven of them burned holes through her with their eyes. His brothers’ faces were revealing their own emotions.
Angelique looked at the Montclairs. “We’ve never formally introduced ourselves. As you know by now, my name is Angelique Barns.” The woman looked frail, but it didn’t soften Tyler’s feelings towards her any.
His response showed his impatience. “I’m Tyler Montclair, and these are my brothers, Sean, Jacob, and Vincent. Over there, is Renee, Emma, and Brian.” He spoke quickly to avoid wasting time.
“Yes, I know who you are…” Angelique pulled her purse tightly to her and paused before speaking again. “I didn’t realize it until—Well, I’m glad you are all okay.” She reached inside of her bag, pulled out a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. “This is going to be harder than I’d imagined.”
Tyler felt his brothers’ eyes on him. He had to force himself to keep his voice as calm as he could. “First of all, I want to know why you barged into our house in Castle Lake?”
“I never, in a million years, thought that you boys would ever show up there,” she said as she kept her face down.
“You’ve been living on the estate.” Tyler wasn’t going to allow her to get out of that one.
“You all have every reason to be angry at me…to hate me. I hated myself for years, and in a way, I still do. I came here today because I’m tired of living this way. I used to be such a free spirit, but now I’m nothing more than a hermit.” She focused her eyes on Jacob. “I was so worried that you wouldn’t survive after you’d been shot.” Her lips began to quiver.
“I don’t believe that bullshit for a second!” Tyler stood up quickly.
“Sit back down, Bro,” whispered Sean, as he rushed over and placed his hands on Tyler’s shoulders, forcing him into the chair.
“I’m just upsetting you, and that’s the last thing I wanted to do. Perhaps this was a bad idea.” As Angelique got ready to rise from the chair, Vincent walked over to stand in front of her.
“We’re glad that you came here to talk with us. I know it won’t surprise you when I say that we have a lot of questions, and right now, you’re the only one with the answers. Our life hasn’t been easy, and we’re
not going to take that out on you, but please stay and help us put some of the pieces together. I promise we’ll try to keep our emotions under control.” Tyler felt Vincent’s eyes upon him.
“You boys deserve the truth. If I can help erase some of the pain that your past has caused you, then I’ll do whatever it takes. I think it’s best if I start from the beginning. When I’m finished, and only then, I’ll tell you where your father is.” Angelique looked at each of them. She had no smile this time. She reached into her purse and pulled out a case, removed her glasses, and put them on. “You young men still look like Natalie.”
“Don’t talk about her!” Tyler pointed his finger at Angelique. His hand was beginning to shake.
“Tyler!” He felt Sean grab his shoulders again and hold him still. No one spoke for a minute.
Vincent interrupted the silence. “How do you know our father?” His voice was direct, like he was questioning a witness.
“Like I said, I will start from the beginning and tell you everything I know. Understand that I’m not here to ask for your forgiveness, but I do apologize for my part in breaking up your family.” She lowered her face again, averting her eyes from the Montclair men.
“Your part in this? Did you kill our mother?!”Tyler yelled, pushing his shoulders out from under Sean’s grip.
“I think I certainly helped and I’m so sorry,” she cried as she buried her face in her hands.
Tyler felt himself explode inside. He grabbed the paperweight off of his desk and hurled it at the wall across the room. It went right through it. This time, his brothers were just as shocked and didn’t even try to stop him.
“Lady, you’ve got about two seconds to explain that statement, or you’re going to be in some deep shit!” threatened Jacob loudly.