I run my hands through my hair, trying to keep my temper in check. Max holds a hand up to silence me before I snap.
“Hage, Maxwell here. Amelia Jade was formerly Amelia Greene, Marco Greene’s sister. Marco, if nothing else, was a brilliant hacker and had her name changed with the records sealed. The motive very simply put: revenge. She wants a trial to get Raven out into the open. She wants to make Raven suffer the way she feels she has suffered. Vincent wants me to suffer, so there is a huge bounty on Jackie’s head.”
I look at the phone to see if the call has dropped as Max begins to pace. The silence is deafening. “Apparently, Hage, you knew none of this. My wife and Jackie will never step foot near that courthouse. My nephew is here for medical treatment and, as soon as I can make other arrangements, we will be leaving the country. What are the chances of him getting bail?”
“I didn’t even think he had a chance at getting a hearing, so what do I know? I haven’t been told what judge has been assigned to it yet. My understanding was that Annabelle found Ms. Jade, but now, after what you’re telling me, I’m not so sure. Where is Miss Gerhard now?”
“She is safe, and that is all you need to know. When you find out who the judge is, let me know what his chances are.” I don’t wait for his reply—I can’t or I might snap—so I just hang up.
I need coffee, but I don’t even know where the kitchen is in this place. Bless her; Mrs. Osla comes in with a tray, bearing coffee and pastries.
“Welcome home, Maxwell, and congratulations. I’m sorry about this home, it’s not as it was pictured. I’m trying to find something more suitable, however, getting close to the hospital is an issue.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Osla. Please don’t worry, we will figure something out.”
“I will be upstairs if you need anything more.”
As she leaves, the three of us grab our coffees and try to formulate some sort of plan.
“It’s not her fault, Max, it seemed that the house was more isolated in the pictures. So, first thing we need is a safer place to stay. There are too many windows and too many neighbors. Even if I purchased every house around us, it would still take too much time to process and get them cleared out. How about a penthouse? We can isolate ourselves like we did in New York. The only thing that might be an issue is traveling to and from the hospital.”
“ We could ferry everyone by helicopter. I will look at the regulations, but that might not be such a bad idea. I sent Tony whatever information Sammy had on Amelia, so I need to get in touch with him and see if he found out anything else.”
“How is he settling in? We gave him a sweet deal but, in the end, it’s never been about material stuff with him,” I ask. Max seems apprehensive as he pours himself another coffee.
Before he can answer, Sammy puts his hand on Max’s shoulder. “I know more than you think, Max. You’re going to have to get used to me being around and you’re going to have to trust me. You know I only have Jackie’s best interest at heart. I think I proved myself with Dylan.”
“What the fuck happened with that wanker?!”
“That is a story for another day, mate.” He shakes his head and rolls his eyes a bit. “It’s not easy for me, Sammy, but in time, I will come to trust you more.” He holds his mug up to Sammy in gesture before taking another sip. He puts his mug down and brings his attention back to me. “Tony is thrilled that at twenty-nine, he was able to semi-retire. But you know him; he can never be idle. He wired up the entire island, and now it’s like a fort. He loves it there and has since taken up fishing. He was happy that I gave him some work to do.”
“What are we going to do about Jackie? Every time she walks out that door, she is in danger. I know you want to be here, but maybe it would be for the best if you head back to Scotland.”
“Trust me, I thought about that, but she will never go for it. She is the most stubborn person I have ever met—worse than you, mate. Jeff found a private clinic in Switzerland that is doing a lot of cutting edge work with ALL. He gave me the file, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet. I’m going to have Rose look at it. I won’t leave Jackie’s side, Jax, ever. I just can’t do it.”
“I get it; I wouldn’t ask you to. We will figure something out. What are we going to do about Rose? If Vincent gets wind that she is alive, he’ll go crazy.”
“Best case scenario, we are going to have to keep her locked up here until we can get her out of the country. We are going to have to tell her what’s going on. I mean, we really don’t have a choice.”
“You think Jackie is stubborn? My mother in-law is worse!” I get up to get more coffee when I hear Raven scream. We fly up the steps and I find Raven with Antonia in her arms, and Bo attacking one of the new guards. Sammy pulls the guard out of the room, with Bo still trying to rip him apart. I push Raven and Antonia back into the bedroom.
“What happened? Why did you scream? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”
“Antonia woke up and I went in her room to take care of her like I always do. When I turned around, that guard was in the room. He was staring at me and he started to close the door. I screamed and gave Bo his command to attack.” She begins to shake and cry. Fuck.
I’m holding them tightly in my arms. “Shh, you’re okay, sweetheart. Max is here now, and he will make sure we are all safe.” The door flies open and Max comes barreling in with Jackie right behind him.
“Jackie!”
“Raven, it’s okay, he’s gone and no one will get near you. Are you and Antonia okay?”
“Yeah, Max, we are fine. I just got creeped out. Oh my God, Jackie, I’m so glad you’re finally here.”
“Me too, let’s get Antonia cleaned up; I have lots to tell you.” I watch my wife leave while trying to keep my temper in check.
“Where the fuck is he, Max?!”
“Come on, Sammy has him downstairs.”
We race downstairs and find Sammy in the den with the guard strapped to the chair. Bo is sitting in front of the guy, growling. I’m about to step in and snap the fucker’s neck when Max grabs me. “Don’t; you and I will kill him. Sammy will get information first. After that, be my guest.”
“This fuck was going after my wife and child, Max!”
“Was he going after Raven because she is beautiful or because of Vincent? If you kill him, we will never know. Let Sammy do his job. After that, I’m going upstairs, and you can do whatever you want. I won’t stop you.”
“I’M GOING TO MAKE this real easy on you. Tell me what you were doing up there. If you do, I will keep Jax out of here.” He has the nerve to sit here and smile, really?
“Look, I was doing a walk through and when I got to the baby’s room, I checked to see if everything was okay. She went nuts and sent that beast after me. I was just doing my fucking job.”
“That would be all well and good if your job was to be upstairs, but it’s not. You are supposed to be out back watching the perimeter. So, do you want to tell me the truth now?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just doing my job. Look, just let me go and I won’t press charges for that dog attacking me or you tying me to a chair.”
“Do you really think I care about you pressing charges? You should be more concerned about staying alive and possibly being able to keep your balls firmly attached right where they are.” I pet Bo as I glance down at the guy’s crotch for emphasis.
“I don’t know where you’re from, but I have rights.” Rights? Fucking scumbag I’ll show him ‘rights.’
“I totally agree with you. I told you, you have the right to live and keep both your balls firmly attached. I think that’s a great deal. Now, let’s start again. Who do you work for?” He says nothing. The more he smiles, the more I want to unleash Jax on him. I’m done being nice. I reach in my pocket and pull out my new pocket knife. This bad boy hosts thirty-two different tools, very versatile. I make a show of slowly opening each tool, which is supposed to offer a firm grip and precision when cutt
ing. I’m guessing it’s time to find out just how precise. I take the large blade first and hold it up to the light.
“I just got this for my birthday and I’ve wanted to try it out. You know, the advertising claims that all thirty-two tools are very versatile. This one looks like it could cut through just about anything. The company says it’s very precise; you better hope so.” I slowly swipe it up his crotch, cutting through his jeans and boxers, still leaving his balls intact. He’s breathing very heavy and beginning to sweat. Seems perfect to me.
“Wow, I guess their advertising is correct; one upward sweep and you still have your balls. So, are you ready to talk to me yet?”
“Go fuck yourself, pretty boy.”
“Have it your way. No skin off my balls; just yours.”
I take the little saw blade out and hold that one up to the light. His eyes are following my every move. I smile as I reach down and make a small, jagged slice right up the center of his balls.
“Are you fucking nuts? I don’t know anything!”
He seems to be trying his hardest not to scream, but then I pull a bottle of booze off the shelf and he gets where I’m going with this. One pour of this on the torn up skin of his balls and he will either hit the roof or pass out.
“Are you going to talk to me now?” I unscrew the bottle and slowly walk up to him, holding it over his lap. I tilt it slightly, and his jaw is tight, as his eyes stay focused on the bottle.
“Okay, I freelance for a private detective firm. He hired me to find out everything I can about the girl with the baseball cap. I was upstairs looking for her when I saw the other one and she was so hot. Then she started nursing that baby and I lost it, I swear that’s all I know.”
“What is the name of the firm you work for?”
“Look, if I tell you that, I’m a dead man.”
I look down at his balls, and blood is starting to pool around the jagged tears in the skin. I tilt the bottle a little bit more and his eyes grow wide. “Who?”
“Johnston Investigations; I swear that’s all I know.”
I tilt the bottle and watch the liquid land all over his balls. He is screaming and begging me to stop. “That’s for being a filthy fucking pig.” As I walk out, I see Jax with his fists clenched and Max trying to hold him back.
“I got what we needed. When you’re done, if there is anything left, I will have him put into the prison system and his paperwork lost for quite some time.”
Max let’s go of Jax. “Don’t go past what you can’t live with. I’m going upstairs to check on everyone,” Max growls. Jax heads into the den and closes the door as Max heads upstairs. I walk away, listening to the sound of the man begging. All the begging in the world isn’t going to help him.
RAVEN HAS ANTONIA TIGHTLY in her arms as we head into her bedroom to get her cleaned up.
“Let me take care of my beautiful niece,” I offer. She gives me Antonia, sits in the chair, and begins to cry. I don’t tell her not to—hell—I want to cry, too. The pressure is getting to all of us.
“I’m sorry, Jackie; this should be a happy time for you.”
“Stop apologizing for something that is out of your control.” Just then, Mick steps into the room. “Welcome home, Jackie, and congratulations. What went on here this morning?” He quickly turns his attention to Raven. “Are you okay?”
Rose, An, and Mrs. Osla come rushing in. “Raven, what happened? We heard yelling and Bo barking.”
“Oh, Mom, one of the new guards freaked me out. Everything is fine now.”
Swaying with the baby, back and forth, I glance up to Mick. He nods. “Ladies, I’m going to leave you all to catch up on the wedding while I find Max and congratulate him.”
“Okay, Mick, thanks.” I smile as he heads out.
An gives Jackie a big hug. “Jackie, we all watched the wedding ceremony, it was breath taking. It looked like you were standing under a thousand twinkling lights.”
“Thank you, An. It is a custom in the Japanese culture for the mother of a daughter to begin making paper cranes from the day she is born. They are then used to decorate for the wedding. She hung them from the ceiling; with the lights, and the breeze hitting them, they twinkled. The Kimono was my grandmother’s wedding Kimono. I felt very honored to wear it, but I have to tell, you getting in and out of it was a challenge!” I laugh as I look down and notice Antonia is out cold. I swear she will sleep through anything. I put her in her crib and it hits me; I’m really ready. Not just for Max, but for me. I want a baby with Max.
“Come on, ladies; let’s give them some time to catch up. An, it’s time for your meds. I’ll put up a pot of tea.” Mrs. Osla barks out orders, ushering everyone out of the room.
Before she leaves, she pulls me into a hug, “Thank you,” she whispers, and then wipes away a tear and rushes out of the room.
“Jackie, you okay?”
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that from Mrs. Osla. She is usually very stern and reserved.”
“She loves Max—hell, we all do. So, how did he react when you gave him the gift? Don’t even think about holding out on me. Hell, I couldn’t stop thinking about it all through the ceremony!”
We both begin to laugh and it feels good. “He was surprised and thrilled. I did warn him that it might not happen right away. He was okay with that.”
“What happened with Dylan; don’t think I didn’t notice he wasn’t there.”
“Ugh, it was really bad. He tried to physically take me from the house. Max grabbed him by the throat and lifted him right off the ground! My mother stepped in and called him out on his feelings for you.”
“Oh my God, you can’t be serious?”
“He said I’m going to be isolated and waiting to get knocked up. Max knows how I feel about the isolation and I understand, right now, there are not a lot of options. I can see past that, though. Once all this craziness dies down, we will be able to have the life that we want and not the one we are forced to have at this moment in time. I was never able to see past any of that until Max. That’s what Dylan doesn’t get; with Max I see the future, not just the moment.”
“Maybe in time he will come around. Don’t give up on him. What happened when you saw Sammy?”
“Max apologized to him and he said he understood that it was business.”
“Did Max bring you up to speed on the latest threats?”
“Not all the details; we were trying to get the wedding done, and then get here as quickly as possible. So, fill me in.”
“I don’t know all the details but, apparently, Marco had a sister who is now Vincent’s new attorney. I know that was the reason for the increase in guards. That’s really all I know.” She shrugs then lets out a big sigh. “I think we should get ready and get over to the hospital.”
“How is Michael doing? I bet the room cheered him up.”
“He’s brave and strong. You knew about the room?”
“I helped Mrs. Osla get it all together but you better never let Jax and Michael know, otherwise, I will get sucked into watching that ridiculous show.”
“Your secret is safe with me. I’m going to get ready; will you stay with Antonia?”
“Of course, go.”
I HURRY TO MY room to get ready. I want to be at the hospital as quickly as I can. I hear the water running; Jax must already be in the shower. I head in and find Jax with the water running over his hand. He has a grim look on his face. The sink is full of blood. What the hell? “Jax, what the hell happened?!”
“I think I broke the guy’s jaw and possibly my hand. He was working for a private investigation firm, trying to find out who Rose is.”
I can’t panic, my husband needs me now. I rummage under the sink and find a first aid kit. I open the peroxide and pour it over his hand.
“Can you move your fingers?”
“Yeah, barely, but I can. Please bandage it for me.” His plea breaks my heart. We are both silent as I clean and bandage his wound. I’m so afraid this is go
ing to break him, his spirit.
“Where’s the baby?”
“With Jackie, she is fine. Now talk to me, tell me everything.”
He sits down and fills me in on everything that he found out. “How the hell was he given a bail hearing? Wouldn’t he be considered a flight risk?”
“Sweetheart, my head is spinning from all of this. If he’s granted bail, the last thing I would be worried about is him being a flight risk. He’s fucking crazy and that’s what scares me. This house is not safe; too many neighbors and windows. Jackie’s dad found a private clinic in Switzerland that might be a good fit for Junior. Mrs. Osla is going to check that out today. If it’s possible, I would like to move him there.”
“Do you think Max and I will have to go to court?”
“I told Hage it’s never going to happen.”
“Maybe I should confront Ms. Jade, let her say what she needs to. Maybe all she wants is her day in court.”
“Have you lost your mind?! She wouldn’t go through all of this for a conversation. She wants revenge, not a fucking cup of tea and social chat.”
“Beating people up might make you feel good, but it doesn’t solve the problem. Maybe using something other than physical violence might help defuse the situation. Maybe a fucking cup of tea and social chat is just what she needs.” I’m not about to fight with him about all of this. I go turn on the shower and step in. I hear him growl and he slams the door. I go about my shower, trying to calm down, when I hear him come back in. He puts the music on pretty loud and then steps into the shower.
“Jax, what the hell are you doing and why is the music so loud?”
“The walls in this place are thin and I want to negotiate with you.”
Jax’s version of negotiation is a lot different from mine. “You’re getting the bandage wet.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the bandage. I need you to understand every move we make can be life and death. Think about the price that is hanging over Jackie’s head. Think about your mum . . . our daughter. What would happen to Antonia if you were gone? This girl is out for revenge. She wants you to suffer, just like she feels she is suffering. That guard was hired to find out who the lady in the baseball cap was. If Vincent finds out, then all bets are off. Even if you try to explain to her that you are not responsible for what happened to Marco, she won’t believe it. You can’t reason with crazy. Please, I’m begging you not to fight me on this.”
Shattered Lies Page 20