by Jax Abbey
Stella untangled herself from Claudia and stood slowly with her hands raised.
“Christoph, it’s not her you want, it’s me! Just go ahead and shoot me!” Finn said.
Stella kept her body facing forward but directed her comments to Finn. “We did not go through all of this trouble just for you to go and get yourself killed at the last minute. I had better things to do tonight.”
“SHUT. UP. Shut up, shut up, shut up,” von Rothschild roared. He took a deep breath and looked around the room. “Where are Marc and Tobias? Marc went to receive a package for me, but hasn’t come back. And I sent Tobias to see about a noise downstairs.”
“She said ‘we.’ There are more of them,” Claudia said from the floor.
“Damn right there are!” said a familiar voice from behind von Rothschild.
“The other waitress!” Billy shouted. “Can someone please get me up from here?”
“Hold it right there,” Valerie said, “or I’ll shoot!”
“Daddy, she doesn’t have a gun, she’s just holding a keychain!”
Everything happened at once. Von Rothschild let go of his walking stick and spun around with his gun. Valerie squeezed her keychain. Some kind of mist poured from it, hitting von Rothschild in the face. As he reached for his eyes, the gun fell from his fingers, going off. The bullet missed Valerie entirely. She shoved him and ran through the dissolving cloud of mist, aiming the keychain in the direction of Claudia and Stella.
“My eyes!” Valerie screeched. With one hand batting at her face, she squeezed the keychain again and waved it around in large circles.
“Val—stop! You’re coating the room!” Stella shouted. “Ugh, my eyes.”
“What did you to me?” Claudia screeched from the floor. “My face is burning.”
Stella stumbled to Finn’s side, rubbing her streaming eyes. “I’ll be right back!” she promised.
Finn smiled. “I’ll be here.”
“I’m still here,” Billy added from the floor.
“EVERYONE, HANDS UP,” a voice boomed from the doorway to the hall.
Everyone who was able looked toward the door, where Derek stood clad in his FBI jacket. A group of other people in FBI jackets filled the hallway behind him. Finn had never been so glad to see someone he detested in his life. He sighed in relief and closed his eyes. Then he realized someone was missing.
“Wait a second, where’s von Rothschild?”
STELLA, 10:18 P.M.
What the hell is Derek doing here?
She had made it a point not to call him. Maybe Phoebe or Claudia had secretly contacted him when she wasn’t looking.
FBI agents poured into the library, quickly followed by emergency medical technicians. The EMTs immediately got down on the floor to help Valerie and Claudia. Two more EMTs released Finn from his restraints and picked a screaming Billy up off the floor. Derek rushed into the library and scooped Stella up into his arms. He studied her face for injury.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine! I just got spritzed by a little of Valerie’s pepper spray. Put me down!” Stella snapped. “What are you doing here?”
Derek reluctantly set her on her feet. “I should ask you the same thing. How could you do something so stupid? Especially after what happened to Phoebe?”
“I don’t want to argue with you. Not now,” Stella said. Now that she knew Finn was fine, she wanted to douse her face in a bucket of cold water, check on Valerie, and find Phoebe. She really hoped Phoebe hadn’t killed anybody—after what she’d seen earlier, Stella wouldn’t put it past her.
As Stella moved toward Valerie, the adrenaline that had been pumping through her veins during the whole adventure suddenly disappeared, and exhaustion took hold of her body. She sank down to the floor where Valerie was wrapped in a blanket. An EMT was swabbing a cloth across her face. The EMT pulled the cloth back and Stella saw that Valerie’s eyes were swollen shut.
“Yikes. You okay?”
“I can’t feel my face and I can barely breathe,” Valerie mumbled. “Whose great idea was this?”
“Maybe you should adopt Phoebe’s aerosol can and lighter solution,” Stella joked.
Valerie smiled. “You know what? My eyes may be swollen shut and my throat burning, but this is the most fun I’ve had in a while.”
“We have totally different definitions of fun,” Stella said.
By the door, another EMT finished with Claudia. As a nearby FBI agent attempted to handcuff her, she erupted into screams and started lashing out with her hands and feet. “Why would you arrest me? You need to arrest her; look what she did to my face!”
Another agent quickly joined the first and helped restrain Claudia by sitting on her. After they got the handcuffs on, they hauled her up by her upper arms. Her screeching escalated. “You can’t take me like this! I don’t have shoes on. It is my right as a human being to wear shoes. Daddy? Daddy?” With wild eyes, red thanks to the pepper spray, she whipped her head around the room.
“What a piece of work,” Valerie said.
“Tell me about it,” Stella said. “Did you see what happened to von Rothschild after you sprayed him?”
“Nope. I was basically blind about a second later. He couldn’t have gone far, though.”
The EMT moved over to Stella with a fresh, cooling cloth. Stella sighed in relief as the sting of the pepper spray ebbed. Another EMT placed a blanket around Stella’s shoulders. She felt as if she could lie down on the floor of the library and sleep for hours.
Instead, she glanced back at Finn. He still sat in the chair, but his hands were in his lap. On one side, an EMT examined his face, and on the other side, an FBI agent took notes. Finn’s wrists were red from chafing, he had cuts on his face, and his hair was a mess. He was dangerously handsome. Stella wanted to run to him, collapse into his arms, and pretend they were still on the road. Finn caught her watching and rolled his eyes, the corner of his mouth quirking up.
“Stella, they need to get your statement.” Derek knelt next to her and followed her gaze. “Phoebe’s downstairs in the sitting room giving hers, so you can join her there.” He paused. “You know, part of me wonders if you ever would have done something like this for me.”
Stella opened her mouth to tell Derek that of course she would, but stopped herself. Honestly, she didn’t know. For Derek, it seemed her moment of hesitation was answer enough.
He bit his lip and gave a resolute nod. “Just be careful, okay?”
“Will do.” Stella wanted to hug away the despondent look on his face, but that would only make things more confusing for everyone. She sat helplessly until a thought occurred to her. “Hold on—you never said how you found out we were here.”
Derek stood up. “I got a call from Julian Beckham. He said you left his son a voicemail saying where you were going. They’re downstairs as well.”
“Thanks again, Derek.”
Derek nodded, gave her a sad smile, and went over to another agent.
Valerie gave a blissful sigh. “Better than television.”
FINN, 11:35 P.M.
“I need a minute,” Finn said, fending off the EMT and standing up. The flustered FBI agent who had been talking to him scrambled up as well.
“But we’re not done—”
“It wasn’t a question.” Finn pushed past her and stalked from the room. He felt Stella’s eyes on him, but there was only one thing on his mind right now. He didn’t care about von Rothschild, the trip to Texas, or Billy. He needed to talk to Julian.
The house was still crawling with FBI agents and EMTs. Finn descended the stairs, but he didn’t see any of them. His eyes were locked on Julian’s tall form, standing off to the side of the rotunda, talking to someone.
“Hey,” Finn said when he approached. “I need to talk to you.”
Julian looked at the person he was talking to and then back at Finn. “Jacob, I’m glad you’re well, but I’m in the middle of a conversation.”
&nb
sp; “I need to talk to you now.” Finn’s voice was hard.
Julian’s companion backed away. Julian sighed and led Finn to the patio of the mansion.
“Well?” he asked.
Finn kept his eyes on the ground. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?”
“Stop fucking with me and tell me the truth. Are you my uncle?”
Julian blanched. “Where is this coming from?”
Finn held up a hand. He was over the bullshit; he wanted some straight answers from somebody. And right now, that somebody was the man standing in front of him. “It was a yes or no question. I’m guessing since you’re trying to get out of answering, it’s true. You have anything to say for yourself?”
Julian eyed the ominous clouds gathering above the estate’s backyard before meeting Finn’s stare. “Yes.”
Finn released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Deep down, ever since von Rothschild had said it, he knew it had to be true. It explained a lot, but Finn had so many questions, he didn’t know where to begin. And more than that, he was angry. Ten years he’d been working with this man, under his roof, and Julian had managed to hide a secret of this magnitude. Finn wanted—no, deserved answers. As he opened his mouth to speak, Julian held up a hand.
“What do you want to know?” he asked.
“Everything. Start at the beginning and don’t skip anything.” Finn crossed his arms. “Did you know my mother?”
Julian shook his head. “I never met Cheryl, but I heard about her from Elliott—your father.”
Elliott. Finn snorted. “Some father. I’ve never even met the guy; he ran off before I was born. So, where’s he at now? Partying in Monaco? On safari in Africa? Does he even give a shit about the fact that he has a kid?”
Julian’s face went slack. “He died twelve years ago.”
He died.
The words were a punch to the gut. Finn sank to the stone.
Julian sat down next to Finn and stared ahead. “Your father, Elliott—my younger brother—had been living in Miami for a few months when he met your mother.”
“Was he—”
“No,” Julian said before Finn could even get the rest of the question out. “He hated what I did. Said it was immoral. And he hated being cordial and making friends with people he didn’t like in order to gain their business.” A faint smile played at his lips. “Sound familiar?”
“Tell me more,” Finn said, desperation taking the place of his earlier anger. He wanted to know what else he shared with the father he would never meet.
“He was a financial analyst, but his dream was to own a rental jet-ski shack right on the beach. He was a man of contradictions: a fan of the simple life, but he liked his Armani suits too.”
“How the hell did a guy like that meet my mother?” Finn asked.
The last time Finn had seen his mother, he was thirteen. He had a few good memories of her, but they were from when he was around five or six. Most of his memories consisted of her stumbling into his room late at night, reeking of booze, and giving him a sloppy, sour kiss on the forehead. He couldn’t picture a woman like Cheryl Gilroy with someone as posh as the man Julian was describing.
“Elliott said they met at a bar. He’d gone out for a drink with a client, and there she was.” Julian’s eyes took on a faraway look. “I remember he called me the day after he met her. I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight—I don’t believe in that—but he was smitten.
“He knew she was…troubled…when he met her. But he thought he could change her.”
“You don’t have to sugarcoat it. She’s a drunk. I haven’t had contact with her in years,” Finn snapped. “So what happened? He got her pregnant, then gave up?”
“That’s not what happened at all. Firstly, Cheryl didn’t say anything about you until she couldn’t hide the pregnancy anymore. When Elliott finally found out, he was incensed and hurt. He wanted to be in your life, but your mother made it hard. Elliott wanted her to give up the crazy, partying lifestyle, but she didn’t want that. So she ran and hid from him.”
Finn sat back on his heels. “That’s not what I heard at all growing up. I was told he wasn’t interested.”
Julian shook his head. “Elliott wanted to be in your life very much, but Cheryl was good at going off the radar. Elliott asked for my help, and we searched for you both until he got in a car accident and passed away. At that point, the search for you became my first priority.”
Car accident. Passed away.
Finn shook his head. “It wasn’t all just a coincidence, was it? You staying at the hotel I was working at? You being at the pool that morning? You knew what you were doing?”
Julian nodded.
“So why the fuck didn’t you say anything?” Finn exploded.
“What was I supposed to say?” Julian asked. “‘Excuse me, but I’m your uncle, and your father died a couple of months ago. Give us a hug’?”
Finn shook his head again and got to his feet. He ran his hand through his hair. “It’s been ten. Fucking. Years.”
Julian stood as well. “I know that, Finn, and I wish I’d told you sooner. I kept waiting for the right time to bring it up, but it never presented itself. Eventually too much time had passed…”
“Too much time?” Finn rubbed a temple. “You had plenty of opportunities. God, Julian.”
The older man’s face fell as he sighed. At that moment, he looked tired and older than his years. “I know I made a terrible mistake. All I can say is that I’m sorry, Finn…but I want to be in your life. Sometimes when I talk you, I can almost swear I’m talking to Elliott.”
Finn refused to let up. “I’m not some reincarnation of your dead brother. And what if I don’t want to be in your life?”
Julian swallowed. “It’s your choice, but I’m not the only one you have to think about—there’s Alex, Billy, and Yvonne. Just remember what I said to you: I want to help you unlock your potential. And you are family, whether you like it or not.”
“I was doing just fine before I met you whether you want to believe it or not,” Finn said, turning away. “I can take care of myself.”
“Finn—”
“I need some space,” Finn said, walking toward the mansion. “I’ll talk to you…sometime.”
He didn’t know where he was going or what he was going to do, but Finn needed to keep moving. He could figure out his next move when he was out of this city.
STELLA, 11:50 P.M.
“Can we finish the interview later?” Stella asked, her eyes cutting from Derek to his coworker. She’d come here to rescue Finn, not to repeat her life story to a group of strangers. After the EMTs looked her over, Derek and his partner moved her to the room next to the library to go over her story. It was an enormous office, but Stella felt caged in by Derek’s hungry gaze and his partner’s invasive questions. With all the commotion going on, she’d tried her hardest to keep an eye out for Finn, but had lost him in what seemed like a second.
Stella rose from the uncomfortable chair in front of the large desk, which took up most of the room. “I need to talk to Finn.”
“Stella—” Derek moved to block her.
Stella shoved him aside. “Shut it, Derek.”
On the second-story landing, Stella scanned the chaos for Finn’s sandy-blond head. She walked down the stairs and poked into various rooms on the front of the house, but still didn’t see him.
She did, however, find Phoebe speaking to a police officer outside the front entrance of the mansion.
When Phoebe saw her, she beamed. “We did it! We saved him—well, you saved him.” Phoebe’s smile grew wider and she opened her fist, extending her hand to Stella.
Stella squinted. “Is that…a tooth? Where did it come from—wait, I don’t want to know.”
“All you need to know is that I took care of business,” Phoebe said.
Stella blinked, her mouth opening and closing without a sound. “I think I would be horrified rig
ht now if I weren’t so tired,” she said finally. “Have you seen Finn?”
Phoebe narrowed her eyes in thought. “I don’t think so. It’s so crazy—this whole mess started because of the guy, and I’ve only seen him from a distance.”
“Yeah. I’m glad you’re okay.” Stella eyed the police officer. “Is everything good here?”
“Yep, got what I came for. Where’s Valerie? I’m almost done.”
Stella grimaced. “Upstairs with some EMTs…she doused herself with pepper spray. I’m going to look for Finn, okay? When you finish here, can you go check on Val?”
“Sure,” Phoebe said, pocketing the tooth.
Stella leaned in and hugged her fiercely. “Thanks,” she whispered into Phoebe’s ear before pulling away. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” Phoebe said. “Now go find Finn.”
Stella walked back through the house, swiveling her head left and right.
Maybe he’s gone, she thought. But would he really leave without saying anything? Okay, I’m just going to check the rooms at the back of the house, and if he’s not there, I’ll leave.
Stella stepped into a large living room filled with furniture better suited to a museum. The French doors at the far end opened onto a grand stone patio.
And there he was.
Her heart ready to burst, she was running, exploding through the doors.
Finn stood to the side of the patio, facing the yard. He looked up as Stella approached, his brow losing its furrow, and one corner of his mouth quirking up. The mischief didn’t reach his eyes.
She threw her arms around him and the two of them stood on the patio, holding each other, as rain started to fall. Stella’s arms around Finn’s waist. Finn’s head on her shoulder. Stella didn’t know how long they stood like that, and she would have been happy to spend the rest of the day in his arms, but she needed to talk to him. As if reading her mind, Finn pulled away and stared at her without saying anything.