Shattered Lies

by Theresa Sederholt

  WHAT THE HELL IS wrong with that woman? She can’t possibly think I would just lie down and let her walk all over me. I’m sure Matthew already called Jax, however, I still have to make the call. He answers on the first ring.

  “Jax, by now you must know Vincent made bail. I got an emergency Special Grand Jury hearing for tomorrow at one.”

  “Hage, just so we are clear, my wife and my brother will not be there.” I knew this was going to happen; the man is over the top protective, and personally, I don’t blame him.

  “Look, Jax, I don’t want to put either of them through that, but if the evidence gets thrown out, then we might not have a choice.”

  “There’s always a choice, Hage.” The bastard just hung up on me. Someone has to reason with him and I know it won’t be me. Maybe his attorney can talk some sense into him. I’m about to call Matthew when my assistant steps in.

  “Sir, I’m leaving for the night and Matthew Turner is on line one for you. Do you need anything else?”

  “No, thanks for staying.”

  “Matthew, I just hung up with Jax or should I say he hung up on me? You need to try and talk some sense into him.”

  “Look, I know he is intense, but the risk to his family is very high right now.”

  “If he pushes me, I’m going to order a Material Witness Warrant for the both of them. I can detain Mrs. Phillips from her husband for quite some time.”

  “Hage, do you really think you’re going to get anywhere with me by threatening my clients? You can prove that the chain of evidence was not tampered with. When that video was obtained, the letter of the law was followed. As far as the deal with Duke, that is also iron clad. Look, Ms. Jade is throwing up shit to get my clients out into the open. You’re playing right into her hands. They will not, under any circumstances, be anywhere near that courthouse. Enraging my client is the worst possible thing you could have done. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, but under no circumstances are you ever to contact my clients again. Goodnight, Hage.”

  Matthew is right; I need to keep in mind Ms. Jade is out for revenge. I can’t play into her hands. I can prove my case. I look up at the clock, it’s gonna be an all-nighter.

  I NEED SOMEPLACE TO work and the storage closet is getting old. Unfortunately, I really have no choice; it’s that or the washroom. I pull Max aside. “We need to talk to Matthew now. Hage called and had the fucking gall to threaten me. He told me he might not have a choice; you and Raven might have to testify.”

  “Get Matthew on the line.” He shuffles his hand at my cell.

  I hit Mathew’s number. “Matthew, you’re on speaker with us. What’s the status?”

  “Hage is at a loss as to what to do. Honestly, how the fuck this guy got where he is, is beyond me.” He quickly catches us up on his conversation with Hage. “The special grand jury must first say there is enough for a trial. They are meeting tomorrow at one. This is the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone pull this off. If they say there is enough for a trial, then they have to do a jury selection before it begins. We are talking months. What is the status with Junior?”

  “We have to stay here for a month for his initial treatment before we can head to the clinic.”

  “Maybe that will work to our favor. Let me tell Hage that you are not leaving the country. You need to stay here for Junior’s treatments. He doesn’t need to know that as soon as the kid can travel, you will be leaving. I will tell him that Raven and Max will be available to testify, this way he doesn’t order the warrants.”

  Max grabs the phone, “Matthew, there is a big problem with your plan. After everything happened the last time, and I enlisted help from the Queen’s grandson; I was made active in MI6. I can’t, and won’t testify; I have immunity. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ms. Jade tries to file civil charges against me for shooting the fucker. I will refuse to answer.”

  “Can I ask why I’m just finding this out now?”

  “With everything going on, I forgot all about it until now. While we are full disclosure, Jackie and I are married, and she will not be going anywhere near the court house.”

  “Okay, well, congratulations on the marriage and I don’t think that will be a problem. Like I said, I think the less we say the better we are. I will let Hage know that you’re not leaving the country. That should keep him calm. Max, keep your mouth shut about your status. I will keep everyone updated.”

  “Matthew, you’re sure Raven and Max shouldn’t leave tonight?”

  “Yes, Jax, please don’t poke the bear. I’ll keep you posted.”

  He hangs up and all I can think about is Hage trying to separate me from Raven.

  “Max, I need my wife now.”

  I walk out of the closet and head right into Junior’s room. Everyone is sitting around watching television like nothing has happened. If only . . .

  SO HAGE FIGURED OUT who I am a lot quicker than I thought he would. I wonder if it really was him that figured it out. Doesn’t matter—he can’t stop me—no one can. I will get my revenge. She will suffer a loss greater than she can ever imagine. You took from me, now I will do the same . . . an eye for an eye Raven. I’ve combed through the all the boxes that Hage sent over, looking for mistakes. He is very thorough, but I might be able to convince the Grand Jury that the tape was compromised. If they agree, I get my trial. I can then subpoena Raven to tell what she saw. After all, she is the only living witness to the events that day. That will put her in the same room with me. I can argue that when Maxwell Fleming and Jaxson Phillips rescued Raven from the villa in Italy, they planted that thumb drive for Duke to find. Thanks to Hage, Duke’s not here to say otherwise. The puzzle piece I can’t figure out is the lady in the hat. Still no word back from my investigator. Hopefully, he will have something for me before court tomorrow. In the meantime I need to check on Vincent to make sure he doesn’t do anything crazy. I’ll bring him dinner and prep him for court tomorrow. I also need to make sure he has the proper clothing, I can’t have him looking like the animal he really is. I’m reduced to a glorified babysitter. But if that’s what it takes, then I will do it. I head out and notice that I’m being followed. Chances are it’s the feds, they are not very subtle. I pick up everything I need to bring to Vincent and head over to the safe house. He ratted so many people out, I’d be surprised if he lives to even see the inside of a courtroom.

  I STEP OUT OF the closet and find Sammy waiting for me. “Max, what’s the problem?”

  I bring him up to speed on what I know. “Have you come up with any options for housing while we’re here for the month?”

  “Well, we could stay at the hotel downtown, which means a car ride everyday. We could fly by helicopter, but everyone can’t go at one time. The helipad is not big enough for anything very large. I think we should stay where we are. We can board up some of the windows so it’s not like a fish bowl.” He rubs the scruff on his chin then his eyes widen as if he’s thought of something. “The chief contacted me. Apparently Gerhard is applying pressure, which I suspected he would. More men will be arriving within the hour.” I hear what he is saying but something is bothering me.

  “Max, are you even listening to me?”

  “Yeah, something is bothering me and I’m not sure what—tingle sense.”

  “Oh hell, talk it out. When did it start?”

  “It’s like a giant chess board; the pieces are floating around in my head.” I close my eyes and rub my temples like Jackie usually does for me. The fog starts clearing. I need to talk to Jax now.

  “Sammy, can you quietly get Jax for me. If I go in there, they will know something is wrong.”

  He goes and it gives me a little bit more time to clear my head. Jax steps out of the room. I’m just now noticing how pale his face is and I wonder when the last time he slept was. This is going to put him over the edge, but I have to tell him.

  “Hey, what’s the problem?”

  “Well, something has been bugging me. In order for Jade to get V
incent to go along with her twisted plan, she needed to offer him Jackie. Now, I’m not saying that Jackie is no longer a target, I just think she was never the original target. The target has always been Raven. Raven’s brother killed Jade’s brother. But since Duke is no longer in the equation, she needs someone else. She doesn’t know about Rose, otherwise, she would not only be in Vincent’s crosshairs but Jade’s too. That leaves you and Antonia. Losing a child cuts to your soul, it’s a loss that not everyone can come back from. Think about it; when will Antonia be the most vulnerable? I know she has guards around her twenty-four seven, however, a mother’s worst fear is that something will happen to her child when she is not there to protect her. Jax, I need to stop thinking like a normal person and think like the sociopath Jade is. Once she has Raven in that courthouse, she will taunt her and make her believe she can and has gotten to Antonia. It’s a chess game of sorts. Personally, I don’t think Vincent realizes what he’s gotten himself into, or maybe he just doesn’t care. I’m sure she will do something to make sure in the end, Vincent rots in hell. After all, his son did murder her brother.”

  Jax is quiet and that’s bad for everyone. Sammy finally breaks the silence.

  “I have an idea. You may not like it, but hear me out. You’ve seen Gerhard’s compound. You know it’s locked up tighter than your Fort Knox. I say you take Rose, your mum, and Antonia out of the equation, move them to the compound tonight. Gerhard’s plane is like Air force One and I can have it ready within the hour. Once they are in that compound, they are locked up tight.”

  He’s still not saying a word, his jaw is tight and his eyes are closed. “Jax, talk to me, mate. What are you thinking?”

  “When I think with my head and leave my heart out of the equation, what you’re saying makes sense. It’s sick and twisted, but that’s what Jade is. I need to talk to Raven and Rose. I’m sure I can get Raven to go along with the plan, but Rose . . . I’m not so sure about. We will need to let everyone know what’s going on. What are we going to tell Junior?”

  “The truth. He can handle it. He would never believe that his grams just left for no apparent reason. Come on, Jax, let’s go talk to everyone while Sammy makes the arrangements.” We head back into the room and everyone is still sitting around watching television.

  The best thing right now is honesty. I don’t think sugarcoating the situation will help anyone.

  WE ENTER THE ROOM and everyone is still engrossed in a movie. I pull Raven close to me and whisper in her ear, “I love you.” She pulls back and searches my eyes, she can read so much.

  “What’s wrong, Jax?”

  Before I can answer, Max flips the television off and announces a family meeting.

  “There has been a change of plans. Junior, your doctor said we have to stay here for a month, so you can finish your initial chemo treatment. Unfortunately, not everyone can stay here for a month and remain safe. There is some danger and I need to move some of us to Jackie’s parents’ house ahead of schedule. Rose, An, and Mrs. Osla will take Antonia to Switzerland tonight, along with Jackie.”

  Jackie leaps up, “Max, you said I wouldn’t be without you!”

  He begins to explain the plan and I can feel Raven tense up. Rose is showing no emotion whatsoever and I just can’t get a read on her.

  “I know I did, but the more I take my heart out of the equation, the more it makes sense. You and Antonia are the triggers for a whole lot of pain for all of us. Knowing that the both of you are safe will help us do what we need to make sure everyone survives this nightmare.”

  Raven has a death grip on my arm. “Jax, you’re asking me to be separated from my baby for three weeks?!” She can barely get the words out.

  “Yes, sweetheart, I am. Ms. Jade wants you to pay the ultimate price and hurting our daughter would do it. Vincent wants Max to pay, and what better way than to hurt Jackie? I’m sorry it’s come to this, but there is no choice for any of us.” I hope Rose understands that includes her, too.

  “When will they have to 1-leave?” I pull her tightly against me, bracing for what’s coming. “Within the hour.” She begins to tremble and cry and my heart is breaking.

  “Why can’t I leave with my daughter and not come back? There is nothing legally keeping me here.”

  “Matthew is trying to pacify Hage by guaranteeing him you will not leave the country. He threatened to serve you with a Material Witness Warrant, which means he could detain you and keep us separated indefinitely.”

  “Max, can’t you have a passport made for me under another name?”

  “Oh, Raven, I wish I could, but this is not the movies and things like that don’t happen overnight. You are the only living witness. You and everyone around you are in a world of danger. You’re going to have to do this to protect your daughter . . . I’m sorry.”

  Sammy’s phone rings. Max and I get a text all at the same time. I look down and then to Max, will this madness ever end? A text from Matthew:

  Vincent escaped and took Ms. Jade hostage. Your men and the two feds are dead. Get the hell out of the country, be safe. I will keep in touch.

  I grab Max by the arm, “What do we do?”

  Sammy hangs up and stuffs his phone back in his pocket. “Vincent’s escaped! We need to get the hell out of here. Some of you will be taken to the roof where a helicopter will take you to the plane. We can’t all go together, but Michael Jr. needs to go first,” He starts barking orders. “I’ve had a medical team on stand-by in anticipation of any type of emergency. They have informed me that we must secure that he has minimal exposure to anything that might cause an infection. I have a Huey helicopter on the roof next door with some of my men on standby. They will shadow the transport helicopter to and from the airport. The first set to go: Michael, Bella, Junior, Antonia, Mick, and An. The next set will be: Rose, Jackie, Raven, Jax, Max and me. We need to move now,” he finishes out his commands, none of us getting a word in otherwise.

  He hands Max an ear bud. “Put this in so you can hear everything that is going on.”

  Raven grabs Antonia and holds her tightly in her arms. “Jax, please, I can’t leave my baby.”

  “I don’t like it any more than you do, but we have to protect her no matter what. Mick, so help me God, this is my family . . .”

  “Jax, I promise you; I would lay down my life for any one of them—you know that. They are like my family and all I have.”

  Bella secures a mask on Junior as we head to the rooftop heliport. Once again, we are running for our lives. It’s like being in a time warp over and over again. We reach the roof, and the first group is loaded. Raven and I are kissing the baby, trying desperately to let her go. Finally, Mick takes her and secures her in her seat. Raven gives Bo the sign to go with Antonia and protect her. Sammy closes the doors, and they take off. My wife collapses in my arms, hysterical. My heart is in my throat as I watch them fly away, not knowing if I will ever see my daughter again. I don’t know how much time passes, but I realize alarms are blaring and lights are flashing.

  “Max, what’s going on?” He’s got Jackie tightly in his arms.

  “There has been a breach in security. They are reporting that a man with a gun has entered the hospital. They are evacuating the patients that can be moved now.” He holds the ear bud in tighter, and then looks to Sammy. “Sammy, how much longer before the chopper is back with the guards?”

  “At best—fifteen minutes. We were limited to space and we wanted the heaviest protection on Antonia.”

  “We are on our own up here. I want everyone to do exactly as I tell you,” Max takes his turn at barking out orders. “Head to the far west corner of the building. There are stairs there leading to the landing below, take them now!” Before any of us can move, the door opens and Vincent steps through with Ms. Jade at gun point. Sammy turns and puts himself between Vincent and Jackie. Sammy gets a shot off, but his focus is on shielding Jackie. His shot is wide, but Vincent’s is not, and he hits Sammy in the chest. He collapse
s to the floor. Jackie is screaming as Max tries to hold her back, shielding her with his body. I’m trying to hold Raven back as Rose steps out from behind me. She drops to her knees and tries to stop the bleeding. The rage that takes over Vincent is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

  “Gabriella, it’s true; you’re alive, you cold-hearted bitch. You fucking gave my son away! I never had a chance with him. Was it because of Joseph? Were you in love with him and he didn’t want your bastard son? Is that why you gave away that bitch daughter of yours, too? Where have you been hiding?” He’s waving his gun around with one hand and has the other fisted in Ms. Jades hair. “Answer me, God damn it. Where the fuck have you been for the last twenty years?”

  Rose lifts her hands from Sammy’s chest and, at the same time, takes the gun from his hand. I see it, but I don’t know if Vincent does. “He’s dead. Another kind man; dead by your hands. You want to know where I’ve been? I’ve been in a clinic—silent—for twenty years, all because of you. I had to give my daughter up to protect her from you. I gave up your bastard son because I couldn’t look at him without being reminded of you raping and torturing me on a daily basis. You always looked for someone else to blame for who you are. You blamed Antonio because you couldn’t measure up to him. I could have saved your father if you would have come to me sooner, but you purposely waited until it was too late. Did you think I didn’t know? It was so obvious, but he told me right before he went under that you withheld his treatment. It was all about money and power for you. You think fear brings you power? You have taken so much from me, but so help me God, with all that I have, you will never take another person from me ever again.” Before any of us can react, she lifts the gun and shoots him in the chest. He lets go of Ms. Jade and drops to his knees.