by M. Skye
“Let’s go!”
Tyree raced out behind Rick, who still had a stack of envelopes in his hand. They both jumped in the car not even bothering to lock up the house and sped off toward Livingston. Rick tried to settle himself by opening the remaining envelopes, and they both got the shock of their lives. “Ty, how long have you known Rock?”
Tyree took his eyes off the road for a second and looked at him. “For years now, why?”
“He’s sleeping with your mother, and your father knows.”
“That’s crazy. Mom wouldn’t do that. I mean, I hate the old bastard, but she wouldn’t cheat on him.”
“She is and has been for years now if this is correct,” he said, holding up a few pictures.
“It would make sense, but why would she stay with him if that’s the case? Why wouldn’t she just go and be happy with Rock?”
Rick looked at the papers that were also with the pictures and then he sighed. “Because if he could prove she was cheating, he gets everything in the divorce. This says the company was never his to turn over. He was just placed in charge for a certain amount of time. Akio set it up to where, on Asha’s twenty-fifth birthday, the company was turned over to the three of you, but if you hadn’t come back to the company, everything would have gone to Karen. John would have nothing, but if he could prove infidelity on her part, he inherits all of her money. I’m assuming he was fine with that because he knew he could weasel in on the company. With you back, he still has a shot at getting back into the company, and we all know how obsessed he is with it. My guess is he was going to target Asha because she is the one who bends over backward for him.”
“Bastard,” Tyree growled. “So why didn’t we know? How has he been getting away with this?”
“You see, this is the will he never meant for anyone to see. He must have given another copy to the lawyers.”
“Why hold on to it? Why keep it if he would end up with nothing?”
“Insurance. If you hadn’t come back, he would still have the leverage to take your mother’s money.”
“So this shit is all a game to him? So, tell me, why take Mia? What does she have to do with any of this?”
“He sees her as the obstacle between you two. We have known for a while how John feels about Mia. He knows she’s the only one who could ever make you walk away from it all.”
“And I gave him the ammunition, dammit!” He banged his hands against the steering wheel. “I sat there in that fucking dinner and told him I was leaving with her and Kyan! Fuck!” Rick looked like he wanted to say something to reassure him but, honestly, nothing would make Tyree feel any better. They were just going to have to wait and see how things played out.
Just as he was about to suggest calling the police, Tyree’s phone rang, and he put it on speaker. They both sat there horrified as they heard what was on the other end.
* * *
“What have you done?” Mia gasped, taking in the sadistic look on John’s face.
“First of all, let’s not sit here and act like you’re surprised by any of this. Your father has done way worse than I have. At least I didn’t kill my wife and daughter to stay on top. Now that’s cold,” he laughed. “I did what was necessary to ensure my kids’ futures. I always knew I wanted kids, but I couldn’t have them with just any old woman, which is where Karen came in. She was perfect: worldly and well trained. Her parents made sure she had class, and she had connections none of those other women could have dreamed of, so I approached her. I knew all about her arranged marriage, but she didn’t stand a chance against my charm. I made sure when I wooed her to plant my seed and secure our future.”
“So, you never loved her? Why stay with her?”
“She served a purpose. She gave me my beautiful kids and got me into all the things I needed with her international connections. Akio all but gave me the keys to the kingdom once he saw Tyree and Miguel. I knew then and there my boys would be something special, and then Asha came. My little doll face made my life almost complete. I could have been happy with Karen if you hadn’t come along.”
“How did I affect your marriage?”
“When you started fucking my son,” he growled. “He was smart and focused before you. When you started throwing your ass in his face, he lost his way. He was meant to be great, and you made him mediocre. I was fine with Karen until you made me realize what women like you and her do to men like us.”
“He’s nothing like you, him or Miguel. They’re caring and two of the most decent men I’ve ever known. You would be lucky to be half as great as they are.”
“Miguel? That’s who you praise?” He laughed. “Tyree stood a chance before he met you, but Miguel lacked the motivation. He’s a good boy, but he never would have achieved all Tyree could, and he was too nosy for his own good.”
“So you tried to kill your own son for not being as great as you thought he should be? That’s outrageous.”
“No! You know nothing. He was never going to die. I just needed him out of the way. I needed him out of it. You know, all of this could have been avoided if you would have just died when you tried to off yourself two years ago. You’re messing up all my kids’ lives; you, and that damn spawn of yours.”
Mia’s breathing became shallow as the realization hit her. Now she knew why Kyan left so quietly and why there was never an attempt at a ransom. John had taken him. “You took my son?”
John didn’t respond; he only laughed.
“How could you kidnap your own grandson?”
“He is nothing to me. You’re lucky I didn’t kill the little bastard like I planned. You’re lucky my girl has a heart.”
Mia’s eyes shifted to Renee and then back to John. When Renee cast her eyes down, Mia knew something more was going on. “So, the information Jake had, where did he get it?”
“You know, it’s easy to place things in plain sight and sit back and wait for the results. Your little lover boy picked up all the crumbs I left and reported back to you just like I assumed he would. When I saw how you reacted, I felt like it would be better for me to go a different route. The rest was all on you. I couldn’t have planned it better myself. You offering Tyree those divorce papers and skipping town was more than I could have ever hoped for, but then you had to bring your ass back.”
Tears were streaming down Mia’s face, and he grinned, looking pleased with himself. “Yeah, I might have manipulated it, but you made the final call. How does it feel to know he was willing to give up everything for you and you were such a selfish bitch?”
“I love him. If you had just let him be, he wouldn’t hate you so much. What’s wrong with you and Richmond? Why couldn’t you just let us be happy?”
“Happiness just because of love is for the weak. I want my son to have happiness because he’s untouchable. You could never help him accomplish that. It’s not in your DNA. Your whole family is pathetic. That’s what made it so easy to destroy your father.”
“How?”
“Richmond was a gofer, a lackey. I found the companies. I made the calls. I just sent him in to do the dirty work. We built these companies together, and he wanted to try to fly solo after I made him what he is. That wasn’t going to stand. I made damn sure of it.”
“How?”
“I turned him in. His name was all over everything, and I got to play the innocent role. I always made sure to keep my name off everything.”
“How could he take over anything without a name?”
“Oh, there was a name; it just wasn’t mine.” He laughed, standing up, turning his back to her. “It was nice chatting with you, but it’s time for you to die. Say hello to Janelle and Helen for me.”
He cocked the gun back and aimed at her. Mia felt the air leaving her lungs, and she was sweating bullets. She wasn’t ready to die. She still had her son to think about, and she had Tyree. She couldn’t say good-bye to him, not yet. Without thinking, she screamed out at them.
“Tell him I love him. Would you at l
east do that?”
“He will know nothing of this. Just shut up.”
Mia closed her eyes and tried to do like Rock said and picture Maui; and then the lights flickered off, and gunshots rang out in the room. Mia felt herself being pushed to the floor and felt her arms being untied. When she let out the breath she had been holding, she felt a pair of lips on hers. It was pitch-black, but she knew Tyree’s kiss anywhere. She felt him pull her toward what she assumed was the entrance and then she felt the fear shoot through her when she realized he was gone.
The gunshots had stopped by then, and when the lights flickered on, she saw John on the floor in a puddle of his own blood with Renee standing over him. Mia scanned the room further and found Rock, Rick, and Tyree in a huddle with a few task force officers. She was confused as to what was going on, and it was only heightened when Karen rounded the corner and placed a hand on her back. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, you’re fine now.” She pulled her into a rough embrace, and Mia wrapped her arms around her waist.
“What the hell is going on around here?”
“Tyree will explain everything to you. Right now, let me go and make sure they’re all okay.”
Watching his mother cross the room, Tyree shivered when her hand hit his shoulder. Turning to face her, he held her tightly. “Dammit, Mom, why didn’t you just tell me about all of this instead of giving me a heart attack? I was scared out of my mind.”
“That’s why I called you. I knew you would be, but I needed you to know we had it under control. If you had barged in here when you first arrived, she would have been shot. I knew Rock had this under control.”
“Yeah, well, a warning would have been nice. Snatching her in the parking lot had us worried.”
“It had to look authentic. If you had known, you would have never let us take her, and we needed her to actually be frightened, so it made it all seem real for him.”
“And Renee? How is she involved?”
“She was in this with him, but Rock flipped her. Now she’s working for us.”
“Us? What is all this?”
John was on the floor gasping for air, and Renee pushed her foot down on his shoulder wound. “Shut up! You deserve everything you get, you sorry bastard.”
“You little bitch,” he snarled. “How could you betray me?”
“The same way you betrayed me! I guess you didn’t think I figured out that all that shit was in my name. You had it switched over last year, so if anybody was going down for this, it was going to be me.”
“You were just collateral damage. You were nothing to me!”
The other occupants of the room had stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the bickering couple. Tyree reacted to the craziness of it all with short bursts of nervous laughter, and he turned to look at Mia. She offered him a sad smile and then walked over to meet him. She stopped short when she heard the glass break. Tyree raced over, covering her with his body as they waited for the noise to cease. When he lifted himself from her, he turned to scan the room and see what happened and turned to find John with two more gunshot wounds. He was gasping for air, flailing his hands around, signaling for help, and Renee was lying beside him shaking. She had a gunshot wound to the chest.
Tyree raced over to Renee and tried to sit her up. He could tell she was trying to tell them something, but her breathing was so shallow, he could hardly make it out. He leaned his head closer, but all he could understand was, “Get Richmond.” She was fading fast, and then he heard it again: “Get Richmond to . . .” He tried to hold pressure down on her wound, but she died right there in his arms.
Mia was next to him in an instant, taking his hands and removing them from Renee’s body, dragging him away. “Come on, baby,” she whispered, pulling him to her.
“I know I shouldn’t care, but she saved you. She shot him to save you,” he whispered into her hair.
“She shot him to save her own ass,” Karen boomed behind them. “He was planning to kill her after Rick and Cassandra.”
Upon hearing that, the situation seemed to really take hold in Mia’s mind, and she buried her head into Tyree’s shoulder, sobbing. He tried to soothe her, but he knew it was no use. It was just too much to take in for one day. While he held her, he looked over to see his mother on the move.
Karen went over to John, pulling him away from the open window, and she leaned down to whisper in his ear, “You got what you deserve. Burn in hell, you evil bastard.”
Right after the words left her lips, Tyree watched John’s body go limp in her arms. A few seconds later, the building was filled with agents taking statements. Tyree was giving his statement, but he couldn’t help looking out the window. The officers had swept the roof of the other building and found no trace of the shooter, but he knew in his mind who pulled the trigger. He knew it was Richmond.
Chapter Thirty-four
The week had been a blur, and Tyree was still unable to wrap his mind around it all. After giving their statements that night and seeing his mother off, Tyree took Mia home and put her in the tub. He scrubbed her body and placed her in the bed. When he went in to take his shower, she screamed out and ended up running back into the bathroom with him. He finished his shower quickly and hurried to get back to the bedroom. Knowing she was still shaken up, he decided against what he really wanted. He wanted the answers only she would have about that night, but he didn’t want to badger her after everything she had gone through.
He knew sleep wasn’t coming to him, but still he lay back on the bed, trying to help her along. He felt her drifting off after a few minutes, and he tried to will himself to go, but couldn’t. Instead, he ended up watching her sleep.
It was like this every night for a week. Tyree had tried in so many ways to get her to speak to him, but she had yet to say a word. Every day, he cooked, and she picked at her food, taking a few bites, and then she fell asleep. He had been in touch with Milan and Jackson, and they were returning to Los Angeles and wanted to know if keeping Kyan was an option, and he told them yes. Honestly, he didn’t think bringing him home now was for the best. Mia wasn’t herself, and he didn’t want him seeing her that way.
He assumed this was what everyone had been telling him she was like when he was gone, and it broke his heart. His father had caused it both times, and there was no way to make it up to her. All he could do now was make sure she knew he wasn’t going anywhere. After all, he wasn’t leaving her side until she was better.
They had buried John a few days earlier and sent Renee’s body to her mother, and he was still trying to make peace in his mind about it. His heart was conflicted. John was his father, but he had also hated him for almost half his life, and Renee was the woman he once wanted to marry who had turned his life upside down.
Even though Renee had changed her mind about everything, she was still the one who assisted in helping John create this nightmare in the first place. That fact alone made his blood boil when he thought about her. As much as he hated Renee, even she outranked John in his opinion.
He had grown to have no emotions when it came to John but, for some reason, he was sad. No matter what happened between them, he never wished him dead. He actually wished he had lived so he could at least get the closure he needed. He wanted to be able to tell him how much he hated him and be able to see the look in his eyes when he said it.
When they had arrived at Livingston that night, Tyree and Rick had heard the better part of the conversation, thanks to Karen. She was hiding out in the hallway, watching the whole scene unfold. She’d pulled him to the side and explained that this was all a part of some plan she cooked up with Rock and Renee to get John to admit to everything. They knew he would be stupid enough to give away everything if he had Mia in front of him. He hated her enough to let down his guard and gloat about all his past misdeeds.
Once Rock had his confession recorded, one of the undercover officers killed the lights, and the extra gunshots started because John fired off his weapon. It was all
supposed to go off without anyone being shot or killed, but someone had other plans. They could never prove that it was Richmond who ordered the second attack, but everyone involved knew it was him. If it hadn’t been apparent before, when Renee uttered his name with her dying breath it was made clear.
Rock and Karen had been by several times, checking on them, and also to fill in the gaps. Rock told them all how he had found out that Renee was involved with John by following Asha and taking what he learned then to dig deeper. He then explained to them how that night in the kitchen was his way of letting Renee know he was on to them. She met him a few days later, and he showed her the proof that John had been using her as well. After that, she readily agreed to help and even helped in convincing John that Rock was to be trusted and only interested in Karen’s money.
Renee was the one to tell John that Rock had been playing up his attraction to Karen to get a payoff, which John matched if he promised to provide him with proof of their affair. Renee had been such a help to him, but he could tell she was still hiding something. Even after all the information she gave them about John, Rock knew there was more and, now, he knew what it was.
When Renee entered Tyree’s life, John had put her there, but when she entered John’s life, Richmond had brought her in. Rock searched her things and found a paper trail dating back to before she met John with large sums of money, money only someone with Richmond’s connections could provide. He also figured out through her journals that her car breaking down that night was staged. She had been given John’s itinerary, and she knew exactly where he would be headed that night.
Her journals shed light on everything she had helped John with from the kidnapping all the way to her pregnancy. She and John had planned the pregnancy just as a ruse to get Tyree away from Mia. In her journal, Renee revealed her thoughts on the pregnancy and how she didn’t even want the child. John was the father, she admitted, and she was just going to pretend it was Tyree’s and end up using the child to forever be a reminder of his past mistakes. They had gone to great lengths to keep Tyree away from Mia.