The train began to move just as he flopped off her onto the covers breathing hard and smiling. Sophie turned and curled herself into him, falling asleep at once.
The train was still in Texas when they awoke for breakfast but as they crossed the Sabine river, the landscape changed to the swamps, forests and rivers of Louisiana. Sophie became quiet, watching the familiar countryside fly by. She sank deeper into her chair, trying not to think of her brother, lost in the aftermath of Katrina; or her grandmother, too weak to evacuate when the levees broke; or her parents, buried side by side in Lafayette cemetery. She wanted to shout and rail at Tony for bringing her here, making her think of these painful things. But she also wanted him to hold her and tell her it would be alright, she could take it, everything would be fine. She didn’t realize she was crying until Tony brought her a handkerchief then picked her up and sat with her in his lap.
“It will be fine. You’ll see,” he said as he rubbed her back.
Chapter 2
The humidity hit her as she stepped off the train. It wasn’t so bad this time of year but she felt like she might suffocate. She didn’t know if it was the memories or the possibility of what she might find that was sucking the air out of her lungs. Tony came up from securing their luggage and took hold of her hand.
“You alright?” he asked.
Sophie looked at him but said nothing. What was there to say? His eyes acknowledged the sentiment and he covered her hands with both of his and squeezed hard.
“Come on, the car is waiting,” he said taking hold of her hand and pulling her along. She went but reluctantly; trying to avoid looking around her. She didn’t want to see how much New Orleans had changed, or worse, stayed the same. They arrived at their hotel and Tony decided it was time to tell her. He couldn’t postpone it any longer.
“Sophie darling…” he begun.
“Uh oh,” Sophie interrupted, “any conversation which begins with those words is probably not going to end well.”
Tony sighed but didn’t demur making Sophie’s blood run a little cold, “ I…I wanted to make you happy, to solve this tragedy for you. So I asked my uncle to look for your brother-”
“-You what?” Sophie interrupted again.
“I asked him to look for Solomon and he thinks that he may have found him.”
“WHAT?!”
“Yes, there is a possible match, a John Doe incarcerated in a mental health facility but the only way to know for sure is if you identify him. So I had to bring you here. I’m sorry, but there was no other way,” Tony said apologetically.
“No, go back to the part about how you found him? Where is he? When can I see him?” Sophie spluttered.
Tony lifted his hands to calm her down but then put them back down. How could one be calm in this situation?
“I’ll take you to him”, he said.
“Yes. Take me now.” Sophie said urgently.
***
The East Louisiana State Hospital was situated on the Louisiana highway 10, in the Parish of East Feliciana. The hospital had several building clusters called ‘colonies’. One of which was used for committed criminals. The In-charge informed them that the John Doe they were looking for was transferred from New Orleans Parish prison, unable to speak and barely moving except to break out in occasional violent screams and fits. He and a number of other prisoners had been left alone for five days after the dam broke and they had been in bad shape when found. Office records were destroyed and they could not find him in the system. The John Doe could not remember his name or any other information about himself. The only information the hospital could provide was his description, a photo of him and his talent for drawing. Sophie’s ears perked up at this last bit of information and she leaned forward in supplication wanting to scream at the nurse to give her the information already but she tried to control herself.
“Can we see the files please?” Tony said making Sophie turn to him with a grateful look.
“Of course. Forgive me,” the nurse said standing up and going to the drawer to retrieve the file. Sophie glanced at Tony almost breathless with hope and trying desperately not to let it overwhelm her. She didn’t know what she would do if it turned out that it wasn’t him. The nurse was walking toward them. It wasn’t more than two or three steps but Sophie felt as if it took forever and three days.
The nurse placed the folder in front of her. Sophie experienced it in slow motion. The room seemed to pulsate with strange lights and she was light headed. She heard Tony shout something but the darkness was closing in on her and her vision was getting narrower and narrower until it disappeared altogether.
“Sophie! Are you alright?” she could hear Tony’s worried voice from afar calling urgently to her, “Sophie wake up!” It was only when she opened her eyes that she realized they had been closed. Her eyes fell on the clover leaf pattern that decorated the ceiling and that’s how she knew she was horizontal. She sat up looking around her in confusion.
“What happened?” she asked Tony.
“I think you fainted,” Tony told her helping her up.
“I’m sorry,” she told the room at large but the nurse was already shaking her head in dismissal as she brought Sophie a glass of water to drink and Tony settled her tenderly back into her seat.
“Are you okay?” he asked anxiously.
“I’m fine. Let’s see the file,” she said reaching out for it. She opened the first page to see a picture of a young man with a goatee and long dreadlocks. He looked different, but the birthmark on his neck was unmistakable. It was in the shape of a star and was responsible for his nickname: Starship.
“It’s him,” she whispered, “It’s Starship.”
Then she collapsed in on herself and burst into loud aching sobs.
Tony knelt by her feet and put his arms around her. Tears rolled down his own face and he didn’t try to stop hers. He was so happy this had worked out for the best. He didn’t know what he would have done if it wasn’t him. He had known that he definitely couldn’t put her through this again the minute they’d walked into this hell hole. Sophie cried for a long time with the nurse nervously wringing her hands and Tony just holding her.
Eventually he looked up at her, smiling in apology and asked, “Can we see him?”
The awkward look didn’t leave her face and Tony began to be worried that something else was the matter.
“What?” he asked.
The nurse sighed loudly, a look of distress displacing the awkwardness, “Look, I only remember because he was our only John Doe and he did draw the most remarkable pictures so we were very glad for him when someone came to claim him. They said that they were family – by marriage of course, them being Caucasian and all - and that they were taking him to the rest of his family who were not in the country. We had no reason to doubt his story and he had all the right credentials,” she said anxiously.
“Who took him?” Sophie demanded wetly.
“He was a man, he had a Russian accent, a scar on his face…” the nurse began, causing Tony to tense up. He slowly stood up and went to stand menacingly over the nurse.
“What.was.his.name?” he demanded coldly.
“I…I don’t know. He spoke directly with the hospital administrator and…then they told us...they told us that Picasso was going with them,” she stuttered.
“Picasso?” Sophie and Tony asked simultaneously.
“That’s what we called him, because he was drawing all the time. He did a lovely still life for me on my birthday. It’s hanging in my living room. We always thought there must have been some mistake with him being in the criminal ward and all. And the man who came for him must have proved it. Otherwise. why would the administrator let him take Picasso away?”
Tony and Sophie stared bemused at each other but had no words to say to the nurse.
“Do you know where they went?” Tony asked at last.
The nurse pursed her lips and regretfully shook her head.
“I’m sor
ry,” she said.
***
Solomon had a bad feeling about this trip. First of all, the in-flight pep talk was in Russian which kind of put him on the alert that they might not be going to Jamaica. Furthermore, the Roman guy had taken his passport and hung on to it. He might not remember much about his life, but he was pretty sure that was a bad thing. He wanted to ask Roman again about where they were going and maybe where his family was or if he even had any or was he going to harvest his kidneys or what… He figured he wouldn’t get a straight answer anyway. He studied the flight attendant, wondering if he could ask them for help but what could he say really? He didn’t know shit about shit.
“Are you going to harvest my kidneys?” he asked Roman before he knew he had decided to do so. Roman stared at him in surprise then laughed soundlessly and leaned back in his seat.
“Don’t worry young boy,” he said in that cold voice that made Solomon shiver inside, “I will not hurt you.”
***
“What does your father want with my brother? Will he hurt him?” Sophie asked Tony, trying her best not to sound accusing. She was pacing up and down the hotel room unable to relax.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what he’s up to but I’ll find out. I need to make some phone calls. Would you book us a flight home?”
“Sure.” Sophie said. Tony picked up the phone; he was speaking in rapid fire Russian so she couldn’t follow any of it. She was hoping with every fiber of her being that he was getting answers. She picked up her own cell phone and called the airline, trying to secure a flight home. If there were any answers, they would be there. Not here. She couldn’t believe she had found her brother only to lose him again. Her grandfather would –
Sophie stopped short, thinking about what her grandfather would feel. He had had so much loss in his life already; could she really burden him with this? But Solomon was alive! How could she not tell him that? She looked at Tony’s back as he tried to find out what was going on and sent as much energy as she could his way so he would find what they needed.
Finally, he hung up the phone as Sophie had secured flights for that evening.
“Well?” she asked anxiously.
“My uncle doesn’t know, but he gave me a number in Russia where I might be able to reach my father.”
“So what are you waiting for?” Sophie asked, wringing her hands.
“I don’t know if I should call him. I wouldn’t want to tip him off.”
“Why not? He must have known that your uncle would give you Solomon’s location. So he must have known you would find out that he took him. It must be a kidnapping. Maybe because of the money.”
“The money? You mean he wants me to pay a ransom?”
“Or let him keep the money he stole without repercussions.”
Tony pondered this for a moment and then nodded his head, “You could be right.”
“Okay then, so what are you waiting for?”
Tony hesitated a moment and then raised his phone to his face, tapping in the number. Sophie found that she couldn’t draw a breath. To her relief he spoke in English so she could understand. He even put it on speaker so she could hear what the other guy was saying. She shot him a grateful glance and tried to exhale.
“Hallo. I’m looking for Roman Petrov?”
“Is that any way to address your father young man?”
“Father. What have you done with my wife’s brother?”
“Your wife is it? That would make her brother my son-in-law, yes? Why would you think I would do anything to my son-in-law?”
“Give him back to us.”
“I am happy to do that. But you have something that belongs to me.”
“And what is it that you think belongs to you?”
“You want the boy back? I want April Shower.”
Tony and Sophie stared at each other, stupefied. Sophie mouthed, “Why?” at Tony. Tony shrugged.
“Why?” he asked his father.
“Why, does not concern you. If you really value your new brother-in-law you will give me the restaurant.”
Sophie sat back on the bed, eyes on the ceiling, wondering what Tony would decide.
“I’ll have the paperwork ready for you when you return Solomon to us.”
“Ah ha,” Roman’s cold laugh reverberated around the room, “you think I am dumb? And then what, you have the police waiting for me too? No. You mail the papers to me, duly certified and legal and then I send the boy to you.”
“You think I would do that to you?”
“You agreed too fast. You have no intention of keeping your word.”
“You confuse me for you Papa. I don’t tell lies.”
There was silence on the line and Tony held his breath, afraid he’d gone too far.
“This is not getting us anywhere,“ Roman said.
“You’re right, so here’s my counteroffer. I will bring the papers to you where you are, and you will give me Solomon.”
“Your mother’s grave in three days time,” Roman said, and hung up.
Tony slowly lowered the phone then dropped it on the bed looking at Sophie.
“I’ll bring him back to you, I promise.”
Sophie stared back at him, “You can’t think I’m letting you go alone.”
Tony opened his mouth to protest and then closed it again and nodded his head, “Do you have a passport?” he asked.
Sophie exhaled in relief and nodded.
“Good. Let’s go,” he said gathering their bags together.
Chapter 3
Elijah watched the car as it came down the driveway. There was a feeling of foreboding in his chest and he didn’t know why. Yes, Sophie and Tony were early from their honeymoon, but not so early that something had to be wrong. They could have just decided to come back and deal with that whole kerfuffle at the April Shower. After all, the accountant was still at large, possibly causing havoc in God knew what ways. It didn’t mean there was a problem that they were early. Well, it didn’t mean there was another problem.
They were alighting from the vehicle and Tony was holding Sophie in a way that made Elijah’s heart sink. It was not an amorous hold, neither was it affectionate. It was supportive in a way that told Elijah that something was wrong. He heaved a big sigh and went down to lend his support to Tony. Whatever it was, they would deal with it. Just like they dealt with everything else – together. That’s what family was for after all.
***
Sophie looked up from the lobby and saw her grandfather descending the stairs, the stoic look he always wore when he was trying to contain fear-filled emotion on his face. She smiled just seeing him – and then a feeling of horror filled her. She would have to tell him about Solomon. There was no way she could keep it from him.
“Grandpa,” she mumbled as if to herself but somehow he heard her and the next thing she knew she was in his arms. He was stroking her hair and murmuring reassurances as if she was three years old and had had a nightmare. Tony stepped aside and let him.
“What’s upset you my darling?” Elijah asked gently at last, holding her away from him and looking concerned. Sophie opened her mouth but found that she couldn’t speak.
“It’s Solomon. We found him,” Tony told him.
Elijah stared at him, “Excuse me?” he said.
“Solomon is alive. We found out where he was and we are going to retrieve him,” Tony said.
Elijah let go of Sophie and reached out to Tony, confusion written all over his face. His hand dropped slowly to his side and he sank down. He would have fallen on the floor if Tony hadn’t leapt forward with an exclamation and deposited him in the chair.
“Are you alright grandpa?” he asked anxiously. Elijah closed and opened his mouth but couldn’t seem to talk. The housekeeper came hurrying into the lobby, drawn by the anxious shout Tony gave.
“Water! Bring some water,” he urged her. She went hurrying off without a word and was soon back with a jug of water and a glass. She poured some
and handed it to Elijah and then hurried off for more glasses and a bottle of brandy. She dispensed them liberally to everyone, saving a glass for herself.
“What’s going on?” she asked. Being an old employee of Tony’s from the April Shower kitchens she was quite familiar with them all.
“A family member lost in Katrina has been found.” Tony told her.
“Oh? And where are they? Shall I make up a room for them?” the housekeeper asked.
“Not just yet Katarina. We have to retrieve them first.”
“You keep saying ‘retrieve’…” Elijah said with a question hanging unasked in its wake.
Tony sighed deeply, “There were some…complications. My…father…has him for now. But he will give Solomon back to us in exchange for the April Shower. We will have him back within the week grandpa, I do promise you.”
“You will give him the restaurant?” Elijah asked in disbelief, “Why?”
Tony looked at Elijah solemnly and then at Sophie. “Are you my family?” he asked them.
Elijah studied him for a moment and then nodded, “I see…well, what can we do to help?”
“Prepare a room for him, get ready to receive him. He may have memory loss, be prepared for the person he is, not the person he was.”
Elijah nodded and then stood up; holding out his hand to Tony to shake, “Thank you,” he said.
“Nothing to thank me for. You’d do the same for me right?” Tony said.
“Absolutely,” Elijah replied, “Now let us drink to this news. We thought Solomon was dead, and now he is alive. The gods be praised.” Elijah held up his brandy glass in a toast and Tony, Sophie and Katarina did the same.
You Complete Me: A BWWM Single Parent Older Couple Romance (Brothers From Money Book 1) Page 13