His Sister's Return

by Mary Goldberger

  Down the hall in her room, Marla looked at herself in her vanity mirror as her mother said, “You look beautiful, my baby girl.”

  “The dress is absolutely beautiful, Marla, and you look beautiful in it,” Theadora told her as she finished doing her hair and stepped back from her so Marla could see the finished result.

  “Beautiful,” they all murmured, and Marla giggled as the others laughed.

  “I hope everything goes well,” Theadora murmured a haunted look in her eyes and Marla stood up turning to look at her.

  “Samuel and I are getting married today,” she said in a quiet, but determined voice. Her eyes shadowed a little as she added, “I just wish Alina was to support us like Samuel wanted.”

  Theadora and her mother nodded her head as a knock sounded on the door, and Sarette stuck his head in.

  “Are you ready, ladies?” He asked with a smile as his flashing eyes landed on Marla. “You make a lovely bride, my dear.”

  Marla blushed as she nodded her head in ‘thank you’ and Theadora waved him out as she said, “She is already blushing and she hasn’t even seen her groom yet.”

  He laughed as he eased his head out closing the door behind him and Theadora turned back to Marla.

  “Ready?” She asked as her mother smoothed down her dress.

  “Ready,” Marla answered after taking a deep breath and letting it out before she smiled her eyes sparkling with excitement and happiness.

  Everyone was outside waiting for the bride at the makeshift altar when one of the helpers who they hired to help set up walked over to Trystan and whispered in his ear.

  “What do you mean the reporters are here?” He said in a sharp voice getting Trace and Samuel’s attention as Sarette hurried over with a scowl on his face.

  “There are reporters in the driveway,” he said as he reached them. “The men you hired are keeping them at bay, but I don’t know for how much longer.”

  Trace glanced around noting the smug smile on Bea’s face as she sat in the front row on Marla’s side, and he frowned as he turned back to Trystan.

  “I will go and get Marla,” Trystan said as he started for the house and Bea got up to follow only to be halted by Trace’s voice.

  “If anything happens here today, Bea, then I will hold you personally responsible,” he told her.

  Bea glanced at him and smiled as she said, “Why, sir, whatever do you mean?”

  He gave her a hard stare before he said quietly with full meaning, “Remember what I said.”

  He walked over to his son’s side seeing the harshness in his face and he whispered, “It will be all right, Sam.”

  Bea frowned staring at him before she shrugged her shoulders as she settled back in the seat she had just evacuated pulling a compact mirror from her handbag checking her reflection. She was planning on making a little announcement herself when the reporters finally made their way in.

  Alina hands were clenched in her lap as Jimmy drove with a speed she envied although it made her a little lightheaded even after sleeping most of the night and into the morning.

  “I can slow down, Miss Alina,” he had asked earlier and Alina had shaken her head.

  “No because we need to get there before something happens,” Alina had stated a frown on her face as she stared out the window. She had a feeling that Sam’s stalker may decide if she can’t have him, then no one will and Alina wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

  At her words, Jimmy increased his speed hearing the fearful note in her voice.

  “I should’ve called the police,” Alina murmured as she stared out the window shield and Jimmy tossed her the cell phone. “We already called them about the incident with the car and they wanted to talk with you anyway,” he told her giving her a speaking glance before returning his eyes to the road as traffic suddenly started slowing down.

  Alina nodded her head as she dialed the police and when they answered asking for the same officer who had come to the hotel at that time. When he answered, she said, “I’m not sure if you would remember me, sir, but…” as she explained the other occurrences that happened to her including the most recent one.

  Samuel watched Marla walk toward him on her brother’s arm and smiled although his eyes scanned the area around her before giving Marla his full attention as they reached him.

  As Trystan handed her over, he gave Samuel a nod and smiled stepping off to the side sitting down next to Bea.

  Sam clasped Marla’s hand tightly as she took a few steps closer to him and smiled.

  “Are you ready?” The older gentlemen asked standing in the gazebo that sat in the Tyeson’s backyard.

  Both Marla and Samuel smiled as they turned to him, and said, “We are.”

  Everyone smiled as the ceremony began and few members had tears in their eyes when Samuel and Marla repeated their vows to one another.

  After exchanging rings, and the man pronounced them husband and wife, Samuel pulled Marla tight against him muttering, “Finally you are mine.”

  Marla laughed wrapping her arms around his neck eyes bright with happiness as she told him, “I always have been since the day we met, you just never noticed.”

  At her response, Sam kissed her lingering and deeply as applause broke out among the small crowd gathered.

  Sam broke away first grinning down at her before he turned to face the crowd his arm snug around her waist.

  “Let’s celebrate,” Marla said loudly happiness threaded through her voice as the crowd laughed heading for the tables set up not too far from the gazebo.

  “I’m sorry that Alina couldn’t be here, Samuel,” Marla said quietly leaning against him as they waded through their guest.

  Samuel’s eyes darkened briefly before he smiled and hugged her to him telling her, “She will be here soon so that’s better than nothing especially I never really expected to see her again.”

  After his words, they made their way over to the champagne table as everyone grabbed a glass preparing to toast the newly married couple when suddenly someone screamed and Samuel moved quickly putting Marla behind him.

  A woman came walking over to them in fast strides a gun in her hand which she was swinging from side to side, the wild look in her eyes telling people she would shoot if prompted.

  “Dana,” Marla said in surprise looking around her husband’s body.

  The woman laughed in a harsh voice and Trystan shifted slightly scanning the crowd as the men he hired moved steadily closer to her. Unfortunately, in response to the scream they had left the reporters who hurried to the noise and were now snapping shots at the situation unfolding before them.

  “You were supposed to be mine,” she screamed wildly aiming the gun. “You felt the connection that day too, I know you did.”

  Samuel frowned at her as he said slowly, “We met one time, Dana, when you first arrived in town and I helped you at the airport.”

  He was shocked when Marla murmured behind him, “She works at my shop.”

  “I never noticed,” he said softly his eyes focused on the woman in front of him and he was grateful that she hadn’t heard them.

  “I knew you felt it too,” she told him in a different tone of voice as if Samuel had just told her he loved her.

  “Dana,” Marla began only to stop as Dana turned to her with cold eyes.

  “SHUT UP,” Dana screamed the gun steady as she aimed at her and Samuel straightened up shifting slightly shielding her. Her eyes widened even more at his reaction and she said in a deranged voice, “How many more women do I have to get rid of before you become mine? I already got rid of that crazy secretary who thought she could take what was mine.”

  She laughed as Trace and Sarette glanced at each other with haunted eyes before turning back to the situation and the bodyguards eased closer.

  Trystan swore silently at the reporters knowing that with them there, the bodyguards wouldn’t chance getting any closer just in case someone got hurt.

  “Yeah, she thoug
ht she was so smart playing me while telling Marla all about the new woman in your life. Oh, Marla,” she said with a sing-song tone, “you don’t have to worry about her anymore because I took care of her too.”

  “What do you mean?” Samuel and Marla said together their faces pales with worry as Samuel glanced over at his Uncle Sarette.

  Sarette had only told them that Alina had called he didn’t tell them what he heard when she first called him. Only his wife, Theadora, and Trace knew what happened that day when Alina’s call was dropped.

  “She went boom, boom,” she said in glee. “BOOM!”

  Her voice echoed across the yard although Trystan had heard every word from the beginning when she first began speaking, yet his body still froze as her voice got louder.

  “Dana,” Marla said. “Why are you doing this? If you had told me that you two were dating, I wouldn’t have…”

  “LIE,” she screamed her finger tightening around the trigger.

  Samuel yelled, “NO!” as he curled his body around Marla a second before the gun went off.

  “I love you,” he murmured in Marla’s ear waiting for the impact of the bullet.

  Jimmy pulled up to the house with a squeal of his brakes later than they would have been if there hadn’t been accident on the way there, and Alina was opening the door throwing over her shoulder, “Thank you, Jimmy for everything.”

  She closed the door and Jimmy watched her rush toward the house before he pulled away mindful of what he was told before he left Tiers. He was not to interfere in what was going to happen and he had a feeling something bad was going to happen, but he wouldn’t disregard what he was told. He drove away glancing once in the rearview mirror seeing the reporters’ sudden rush toward the house.

  Alina rushed in the house berating herself for not going around to the backyard instead through the house, and she exited the backdoor just as someone screamed.

  She had to fight the crowd as reporters came running from around the house and guest members tried to get away from the mad woman with the gun.

  Dana Smitherson, Alina mocked with a twist of her lips, remembering her gut reaction she had of her when she first met her in Marla’s shop.

  She listened to her words and she flinched as she saw her brother and Marla’s reaction to what Dana told them about her before Marla tried to speak.

  Alina could see it in her eyes and she knew Dana wouldn’t hesitate to shoot her Sam too even though she professed that she loved him. Alina pushed her way through the crowd noticing the nicely dressed men that were keeping the reporters at bay while trying to stay alert to Dana and her movements.

  Bodyguards, Alina surmised her eyes drifting over to Trystan for a second seeing the worry in his eyes as he kept them on the situation in front of him.

  Dana lifted the gun and her eyes were wide almost covering her face and Alina moved fast as she rushed in front of the gun hearing Sam telling Marla that he loved her a second before the gun went off.

  Alina felt the impact from the bullet as it entered her and she wondered if this time, Dana would succeeded in killing her as pain swept through her.

  Chapter 20

  “Samuel,” Marla said in a trembling voice a few seconds after Dana fired the gun.

  Samuel eased his eyes back open as he released Marla slowly and turned around both of their eyes wide in surprise at what they saw.

  Alina stood in front of them her hand pressed to her side where blood was running from her hand down to her shoes.

  Dana screamed shaking her head wildly, “Why won’t you die? DIE!”

  She raised the gun one more time before she was tackled to the ground by one of the bodyguards.

  “Let me go,” she screamed thrashing around as another bodyguard wrestled the gun away from her before she fired again. “Let me go!”

  The police arrived a few minutes later to arrest her after talking with the bodyguards and a few guests. A few stayed behind to take witness statements from everyone gathered including a wounded Alina.

  The police had taken custody of her when suddenly she wrestled from their grasp and rushed toward Alina. She was able to tackle Alina to the ground and Alina gasped as pain went through her.

  “Bitch, why can’t you die? Why did you come here?” She screamed hitting Alina heard in the side.

  Alina blocked her hits weakly as well as she could before she clenched her fist sending it straight into Dana’s face sending her flying off of her.

  “Why did I come here?” Alina repeated breathlessly as she laid there pain racking her body and she closed her eyes. “I came to see my brother’s wedding.”

  The silence at her words circled the whole yard and one of the reporters gasped as she recognized her. “Alina Barks, the restaurant owner and restorer.”

  Within minutes, the reporters were on their cell and Alina sighed heavily which caused pain to slice through her.

  “You just hit the news,” Samuel told her his voice harsh with worry as he leaned over her and Alina sat up slowly gritting in pain the whole time.

  “Is that a bad thing?” Marla asked standing next to him as he helped Alina to her feet.

  “Watch your dress,” Alina gritted at her, but Marla ignored her as Alina collapsed against her brother.

  “You don’t know Alina’s mother,” Trace remarked walking over to them seeing how pale his baby girl was.

  She lifted pain filled eyes to him before she whispered, “Daddy.”

  Trace didn’t even hesitate as he took her from Sam pulling her gently in his arms. “I’m sorry, baby girl, I’m so sorry.”

  Alina began to cry for the second time in a matter of days as she felt her father’s arms wrap around her in hug for the first time in a long time.

  Then they heard it, the chatting of the reporters and the other guests but it was Dana’s voice that overrode all the others.

  “Sister, she is his sister,” Dana muttered to herself. “I still have a chance. He still loves me only me.”

  The officers shook their head as they lifted Dana to her feet as she mumbled and rambled on.

  “Her mind has snapped,” one of the bodyguards muttered. “I guess finding out the woman she believed was an obstacle could’ve been her greatest ally finally pushed her over the edge.”

  Alina shook her head, but she didn’t comment as she sagged against her father.

  “Daddy,” she said as her head started spinning. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner that I had come back to town.”

  She passed out after saying those words and her father caught her before she slipped through his arms to the ground.

  “Alina,” he called out as the others surrounded them including Trystan who rushed over to them after he finished talked with the police.

  Trystan knelt down putting a hand to her head noticing the bandage she still had wrapped around it.

  “We need to get her to the hospital,” he said in a hard voice and without asking for permission, he lifted her away from Trace standing in the same motion.

  Trace frowned as he stood up about to follow him when Samuel stepped in front of Trystan giving him a narrowed stare.

  “In this, I agree,” he said his hard eyes on Trystan who nodded his head once as he turned and headed through the crowd.

  Marla, Sam, Trace and Delilah, who was confused, followed behind him as Uncle Sarette said in a firm voice, “We will follow once we clear everyone out.”

  Trace nodded his head as he hurried after only to stop briefly as a thought flashed through his head and he turned suddenly to Sarette.

  “Don’t worry, brother, I can handle Janice if she calls,” Sarette said his jaw hardening at the mention of her name.

  Trace gave him a look before he nodded and hurried to catch up with the others.

  “What just happened?” Bea asked in confusion where Trystan left her when the woman had first appeared.

  Theadora glanced over at her before saying, “It is a long story and I don’t have time to tell
you because I want to finish up here so I can go see how my niece is doing.”

  After those words, Theadora walked away with a short ‘excuse me’ as she hurried to clear the backyard with the exception of the cleaning crew that had been hired.

  Bea’s eyes narrowed as she headed to the front of the house where she called a cab. She stood there waiting as she muttered to herself, “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I’m going to find out.”

  The cab arrived a few minutes later and she got in giving the driver the name of the closest hospital in a clipped voice.

  At the hospital, everyone was in the surgery waiting room for word of Alina as she had been rushed in emergency surgery the second they arrived.

  Trystan stood staring at the closed door as Sam and Marla sat in the padded chairs provided as Trace unable to sit still had volunteered to deal with the paperwork.

  “Dad, I can do it. I know…” Samuel began only to have his father give him a half smile.

  “You would be surprised at what I know, Sam,” Trace remarked before giving him a thoughtful stare. “Although I didn’t know that you two had stayed in contact or that she had returned home, but we will talk about that later.”

  Samuel nodded his head as his father followed the nurse who had come to ask about the paperwork and Marla remarked thoughtfully, “Sounds like your father knows more than you thought.”

  “So it seems,” Sam said his eyes still staring down the hallway as nurses moved quietly about their work.

  The sound of high heels were loud in the quietness of the hallway as Trystan turned at the sound so did Marla, but Sam kept his gaze fixed on the doorway leading to the operating rooms.

  Bea walked over to Trystan first giving him a confused glance but all Trystan did was shake his head as he turned his gaze back to the double doors. Bea turned her gaze to Sam and Marla as she headed over to them and the first thing she noticed was the blood that smeared Marla’s wedding dress.