by Leanne Davis
“Yes. How did you know? How did you know I wasn’t referring to your other brother?”
Tara stiffened. This girl knew her entire family?
“Tristan? Because he’d never do that. Not to anyone.”
“But you believe me? And you believe Tommy would? Without any hesitation?”
Tara licked her lips and nodded her head. “No. No, I don’t hesitate to believe you. I’m so sorry, Kylie. But how did you find me? And why? What can I do? I mean, is there something I can help you with to make up for it… or… well… what?”
Kylie smiled a soft, sweet smile. “You’re nothing like him.”
Tara breathed deeply. “No. Thank God.”
“Neither is Tristan. That’s why… that’s why I fell in love with him.”
Tara’s mouth again dropped open in disbelief. “What? Wait. You mean Tommy raped you before you fell in love with Tristan? How? How could that happen? How could that be? Why are you here?”
“Tristan came after me with the intention of smearing me and my reputation as your grandfather ordered him to do. But Tristan never did. Instead, we fell in love and he helped me. More than anyone else could, Tristan helped me overcome what Tommy did to me.”
Tara shook her head, jumping to her feet. Her hands trembled. Hearing her history pounded through her brain like one great, big flashback. Pain stabbed her head in more than one place. Then… shit. Ryder. There he sat. He was watching her because she reacted so dramatically. She shut her eyes.
“What do you want?”
“I’m sorry but he wants to see you. He’s not Tommy. Or your grandfather. He’s… pretty amazing. Loving. Kind. He won’t hurt you. But he does miss you. Please, will you just see him?”
“I—I...” Her words failed her.
“He’s right behind you. I’m sorry. We thought you’d run away if we didn’t just surprise you here. I hated to corner you. We’re both so sorry. But we both felt it was worth it.”
Kylie’s voice echoed in Tara’s brain like a gigantic alarm. Her breathing became more shallow and rapid. She clenched her fists and opened them, open-shut, open-shut. When she finally turned around, she had to force her eyes to rise… and there he stood. Her brother. Tristan.
Tall and blonde, he was so handsome, he could easily break any girl’s heart. Straight hair and clear skin with iridescent blue eyes and amazing bone structure. He wore a suit and a long coat. Always so dapper, her brother. Her big brother. She whimpered out loud and sniffled before hot tears rolled down her face. Her brother. Oh, God, she hadn’t seen him in years.
Tristan.
She never expected to cry. She didn’t know her heart would start breaking. She doubted she’d have any kind of reaction to him. But she did. Seeing Ryder in her periphery rising up from his table, she looked over and caught the concern and confusion on his face. But her gaze was still fixed on her brother, who was watching her with so much visible sorrow and… happiness. His relief at seeing her was undeniable. She didn’t think she’d care so much. She didn’t think her heart would soar. She didn’t expect tears to roll down her cheeks and clog her throat and sinuses while blurring her vision. She never expected she’d even care, much less so desperate to see her big brother again. She fought the urge to run past them all. Or start yelling at him to get out. She even worried about passing out.
But she chose to suddenly fling herself into the arms of her big brother. He caught her against his chest and she started sobbing. A lifetime’s worth of anguish, rejection, abuse, and neglect at the hands of the same family she shared with him rushed over her. She clutched him tightly and lost her sense of time and space. Her head became fuzzy and her tears obscured her vision. She wept for the little girl she once was. The girl who was so lost and got tarnished and ruined on the streets. The girl who was neglected and abused. So sad to be so far from the lap of total luxury on which she had been raised.
His head bowed and Tristan kissed the top of it. She could not stop sobbing. Her hiccups were making her gasp for air. She rubbed her face where his neck met his shoulder and shook her head. His hand combed through her hair. “Hey, Tara. Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’m here now. I’m here. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry it took me so long, but I’m here now and forever, Tara. Shhh.” He crooned softly in her ear but she still cried. The café became deathly quiet and only her loud sobs were audible. No words could describe the scene. Five years. It seemed like so long. Her brother had finally found her.
“Tara?”
Her neck nearly collapsed and her head fell forward as she took in a deep breath. She felt utterly defeated at the sound of Ryder’s voice. He was naturally concerned, troubled, and completely clueless as to why she was hugging and clutching a stranger. Seeing Tara have such an emotional outburst was indeed rare.
Tristan’s arms encircled her; he was ready to protect her. For so long, she had no one. Not one person. Now she was back in Tristan’s arms. And Ryder was overcome by obvious concern. She drew in a breath and tried to calm her sobs and tears. Leaning forward, she wiped her eyes. Tristan released her and she turned just far enough to see Ryder.
“This… this is my brother.”
Ryder’s neck jerked back. “Your brother?”
Tara closed her aching, burning eyes. “Brother,” she repeated. Glancing up at him, she saw his mouth tweaking upwards. “Tristan. Tristan Tamasy.” She practically wilted in his arms. Bolstered by his presence, the words she forbade herself from saying so many times, although she wanted to say them, were finally expelled from her mouth. “Yes. Same as mine. My name is actually Tara Tamasy. I ran away when I was seventeen and my family hasn’t seen me since. Not until now. Today.”
Tristan held her limp body up as he extended his right hand. “You’re her boyfriend?”
Ryder’s eyebrows jerked up and down. “How do you know that?”
Tristan tilted his head towards the girl behind them all. “That’s my girlfriend, Kylie. She thought we could talk to Tara first, just to get a feel for what her life was…”
“You mean, you were spying on me?” Tara asked.
Tristan shook his head. “We were unsure if you would enjoy seeing me again or not. But you always kept everything close to your vest. She still wasn’t sure. Until… well, maybe it’s okay, that is, if your reaction is any indication.”
Ryder’s face was stoic. “I take it then your name isn’t Aderly?”
Tara’s heart sank fast. “No. I used that alias after I ran away.”
“And also with me for this entire time.”
“Ryder… just let me explain. Let me talk to Tristan… I don’t know what to do first…” But Ryder was walking away. “Ryder! Please, wait! Let me explain…” Legs frozen she finally started after him.
He grabbed Wyatt and went out the door before she could catch him. She stared after them and her heart climbed up her throat. What had she done? She’d lied to him for so long, and about something so basic about herself, of course he was furious. Of course it was going to be a deal breaker. She’d broken his trust and there was nothing worse she could have done to Ryder, not after everything he’d survived from Ebony’s disappearance. Head tilted down, she shut her eyes, realizing she just lost Ryder and Wyatt.
And there was no one to blame but herself.
Chapter Seventeen
“I’M SORRY, TARA. I didn’t realize he didn’t know. We would have been more discreet.”
Tara glanced back at her brother. It was so incongruous. Her brother. Coming here. Tristan.
She nodded as Tristan did a courteous sweep of his hand and asked, “Would you sit down for a few minutes? We need to talk. Please, Tara?”
She sat down in the seat across from Kylie and Tristan sat down beside her. He rested his arm along the back of the booth and behind her neck. Gently pressing his fingers into her neck, he meant it as a subtle, sweet sign of support. Tara arched her eyebrows. “Since when are you so nice to girlfriends?”
Anger began to replace her initi
al rush of emotions. Her tone sounded almost surly.
“Since I fell in love with Kylie.”
“You fell in love?” Tara stared at the girl with shock. She was amazed at whom he chose. She was not Tristan’s kind of girl. No older than Tara, she was the exact opposite of Tristan’s usual type.
He nodded. “I did. I don’t even know where to start. Probably with I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t a better brother. I’m sorry I didn’t take better care of you. I’m sorry I wasn’t the big brother I should have been. I should have stopped Mom from demanding so much of you. I was so wrapped up in what I was doing, I just didn’t look back after I left home.”
Tara shrugged. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t do. I never looked back either. I can’t get mad at you for doing what I did.”
“But I knew about it. I knew what you were going through, and what they were like. I should have helped you.”
She stared at her fingernails. “We couldn’t help ourselves. How could we help each other? That’s why I ran away. It was better than living there.”
“I never dreamed you’d do that. Run away, I mean. If I’d just known, I would have helped you.”
“How did you manage to find me?”
“Private investigator. Grandfather was tracking you and using a different one until about eighteen months ago. That’s when they lost your trail completely.”
Her lips twitched. “I had no idea. I thought I had become invisible to the world. Right about then is when I left the streets and made my way down here. I worked at odd jobs off and on for about nine months before I got hired on here.”
“We knew you went by Tara Aderly. I figured you still did.”
“So they all knew where I was?” Tara’s heart sank with heavy resignation. Her limbs felt like anvils just realizing her family knew where she was, and whom she was. She saw again how toxic their very presence in her mind was, let alone the rest of her life.
“Yes. I should have come to you sooner. I didn’t know what to do or say.”
“Why now? Why did you have to come and find me now?”
“Because…” He shook his head, straightening up and leaning onto the table. He was staring at his own hands. “Because everything changed in the last six months.”
Tara glanced at the girl who had her arms wrapped around Tristan’s bicep. She pressed her head against his shoulder as he fell forward, showing remorse. Her move was intended to make him feel better and to convey her support for him. “Since you met Kylie?” Tara said.
Tristan’s lips lifted and his eyes lit up. Tara never imagined Tristan could look so smitten with someone. He was usually so remote and reserved. She always loved her big brother but he had never actually looked at her when she spoke to him. She never could connect. He might have been present, but she had never captured his full attention.
Nodding, he said, “Yes, since I met Kylie McKinley. I know it was a dirty trick to have her approach you… I just didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t know if I should have just walked in here and said hey or walked away and never let you know I was ever here. But I realized that’s what I used to do. Avoid any confrontation. Return to work. Ignore you.”
Her eyebrows wrinkled down. “And you think you’re different now?”
“I am very different.”
She spread her hands out. “Is Grandfather here with you?”
He shook his head, pursing his mouth. “No. No one else is here. Just Kylie and me. I don’t…”
“He doesn’t talk to his family anymore. Not at all. Ever. He gave them up… because of me,” spoke the solemn girl who was still clinging to her brother’s arm.
Tara froze with her mouth wide and agape. His words didn’t register. No! Tristan Tamasy was the essence of Tamasy Industries and the golden child of their grandfather. If Tara could have had half the attention and interest their grandfather gave to Tristan, she probably would never have run away. She didn’t really blame Tristan. He got the lion’s share of their family’s love, guidance, and attention. It came at a cost of course, namely, his soul, but Tara would have gladly taken what they offered too. She was well aware of how impossible it would be to defy Grandfather. “Gave up… what? You? But he was your mentor and supporter for your entire life. What about Tamasy Industries? That’s who you are.”
Tristan shook his head, tilting his lips up. “No. It was who I thought I was. Turns out, there’s a whole lot more to life and I was missing all of it. I quit Tamasy. I quit Grandfather. I quit our family. Kind of like you did. You just managed to do it a lot sooner than I did.”
Her mind was blown away. Tara didn’t know what to say. She stared at her brother. A virtual stranger after five years. But this might have been the only time he ever fully engaged her. “Why did you come to find me?”
“Because you’re the only family I have left that I still want to know and be around. I have no idea why you should forgive me or let me back into your life, but I had to try. I wanted to make sure you were okay too… basically, that you were alive. And seeing you are means the world to me. I didn’t expect you to be so… normal. Having a job and a boyfriend. You look better than I’ve ever seen you.”
A soft smile lifted Tara’s lips. “Perhaps that’s because you never really saw me happy before.”
Tristan held her gaze and they shared a long look. Only he could fully understand the why behind that statement. He’d been there and he knew. He experienced all of it. He just handled it better than her. “No. Nothing about our childhoods would have made anyone happy. I just had Grandfather’s influence and encouragement to blunt some of it for me. You didn’t. I’m sorry, Tara. I didn’t do better for you.”
Tara sucked in a deep breath. She’d never received a single apology from any of her family members before. “Thank you. But it wasn’t your responsibility. It was theirs. Our parents. They did it. Or didn’t do it, I guess. You really just disowned them?”
He nodded, smiling. “I really did. I live with Kylie now. Her parents are paying my rent until I can find a job.”
Tara took a sip of water and almost spat it out. “You don’t work right now? You’ve always worked. Excelled at work. Top performance stuff.”
“Now I’ve joined the ranks of the unemployed. Living off not just my girlfriend but her parents as well.”
Tara glanced at Kylie, who smiled while shaking her head. “He’s exaggerating. This all just happened a few months ago. He’s starting up his own company in direct competition to Tamasy Industries. He just got a bank loan and as soon as we go back home, he and his assistant, Reese, will open the doors to his own, smaller version of Tamasy Industries. His business will be founded on ethics and integrity so it will be different from the start. But he isn’t exaggerating about not talking to his family. You don’t have to worry about any of them ever finding you. Or bothering you. At least, not because of Tristan.”
Tara picked at her fingers. “You said Tommy really raped you?”
Kylie glanced up at Tristan as he gripped her hand. Tara observed so much affection and support. It was rather startling to see coming from her usually stern, hands-off older brother. “Yes. He really did.” Tristan’s voice was quiet and serious with undertones of regret and shame.
“How… how the hell did you two find each other then? Did he do it after you first got together?”
“No. He drugged me during my freshman year of college at a party. I don’t remember anything about it, but I had plenty of evidence on my body that he raped me. I kept it to myself for a long while, until another girl was raped and she accused him on a website. I commented and thought I did anonymously but…”
Tristan sighed as he added, “But we saw it on this website and had our tech guy find out who she was... Then Grandfather ordered me to do some damage control. That’s how I met Kylie. I went after her to convince her to stop bad-mouthing Tommy. Grandfather saw her as a liability…”
Tara shook her head. “If you told anyone else this story, they’
d stare at you in disbelief that anyone could be so evil. Or any family could be so cold. But I have no problem picturing all of it. What happened then? How did you advance from trying to shut down an innocent rape victim’s accusations to… to dating her?”
“I met her.”
His statement was soft, straightforward, and easy. As if that clarified it all. Kylie let out a small laugh. “Tristan thinks that somehow explains it. That it should be so… so obvious what he’s saying.” She rolled her eyes. “Only he sees that about me, the things he thinks everyone else should. Anyway, we went out on a date and he never tried anything. He didn’t take me out to use me or abuse me. I fell for him, and oddly enough, he fell for me. I didn’t know who he was though for a long while.”
“You lied to her?”
“Tristan Aderly.” His lips lifted up into a smile.
Tara shook her head, wilting in her seat, and slouching forward. “That’s… that’s what Ryder thinks my name is. Or was. Until about an hour ago. What is wrong with us?”
“Ryder, as in your boyfriend? The cop?” Tara nodded, biting her lip.
Tristan lifted his hand to take Tara’s and he squeezed it warmly. “What’s wrong with us? We were raised by people who would do anything to get what they wanted. Hurt anyone. Lie to anyone. Cut through anyone and anything, abandoning the usual standards of morality, for their own self-serving purposes. We only did what we were taught to do.”
Tara bit her lip, fully understanding what he was saying. She glanced towards Kylie. “You forgave Tristan? How?”
Kylie smiled easily. “Yes. He later saved me and stood up to his brother for me. After he quit his job and shunned his family, while taking my side against them, it was kind of easy to believe him when he said how sorry he was and that he didn’t want to hurt me.”
“Tommy… God, Kylie. I’m sorry.” She felt sick. Her brother. Her blood relative. Raping the thin, fragile-looking girl she saw before her?