"He killed a man in front of me."
Sky gasped.
"Yeah," Milly said unmoved. "And he introduced me to the hard stuff cocaine and all of that. I slept with his friends while he watched. I even slept with Duke."
Milly made a face. "Heard he was my brother a couple weeks ago. Now I feel gross. I never thought I had it in me anymore to feel gross."
Sky put down the paper completely. Milly had her undivided attention.
"I worked at a bank then, went to all the parties, told them who in my crowd to rob. I even helped them when they robbed my bank." Milly laughed lightly, "and then Ramone found some other patsy to do his dirty work and I was no longer attractive to him. I was a washed up drugged up has been.
"He kicked me out of his apartment, told me that he paid Duke too much for me."
Sky frowned. "What?"
"Yep, I was sold to Ramone. I didn't even know I was for sale by Duke of all people."
Milly nodded and then went back into silence. Like her story had taken her too much effort.
Sky picked up the paper again.
"He was killed," Milly said nearly half an hour later.
Sky lowered the paper again.
"Gang violence." Milly continued. "I was in rehab. I relapsed."
Silence again. This time Milly started rocking.
"You ever tell anyone about this Milly?" Sky asked gently.
Milly didn't answer. She looked at Sky. "I am going to kill Duke. He is the reason I am like this. One day I am going to kill him. You can't just sell people."
Sky didn't respond. She didn't know how to react that passionate outburst.
She almost jumped higher than the chair when there was a knock on the door and then it was opened. June came in, her smile bright. She was dressed in her church clothes.
"Hello there, Miss Sky. Miss Milly."
Milly ignored her.
"Hello," Sky said in relief.
June looked at Sky. "Mr. Travis asked me to come over, said you probably would feel odd being her alone with Milly."
June must have read the relief on Sky's face because she chuckled and came over to sit by Sky. "What's in the news?"
"More of the same." Sky handed her the stack of papers and went to the kitchen for a snack.
****
"Who is Ramone Jarrett?" Sky asked Travis when they were heading to his parents house in the hills.
"Ramone Jarrett, I haven't heard that name in a long time." Travis looked at Sky and then back at the road.
"He was one of Duke's cronies, when my mom got Arlene fired they lived in the inner-city for a while with Arlene's cousin, I think her name was Peaches. Ramone, Randy and Reese, the three R's were Peaches children.
"They didn't have good role models growing up but they used to seem so cool to me. I can't understand why now. Maybe because they talked tough and seemed like they had the kind of freedom that a teenaged boy like myself didn't have and when they conversed they spoke about a world so alien to mine, it was fascinating to listen to, even though it was mostly crap.
"They barely made it out of their teenage years. I know Ramone died in a gang related turf war years ago.
Rocky is probably somewhere out there doing God knows what and Reese is in prison—on death row.
"Why did you ask about Ramone?"
"Because your sister said he was the one who lead her into taking drugs. Apparently, Duke sold her to Ramone."
Sky went on to tell Travis the conversation she had with Milly. When she was done Travis looked shell shocked. He slowed to a crawl on his way up the hill.
"She has never said that to me," he whispered. "Those three guys and Duke were not really my friends. They were always with Duke and he'd carry them to hang with us. They were the ones who started me drinking and smoking too."
Sky snorted, "Duke is just bad news."
"I am thinking he could have been a better person if his father had acknowledged him. If he wasn't made to feel like an outsider for most of his life. He must have resented us.
Travis sighed. "We were the children who had the Jefferson name who probably had everything he never had."
Sky glanced at him. "It's nice of you to emphatize with his story but let me tell you, he is rotten to the core and if what your sister said was true he is worse than I thought."
****
Pasha Jefferson was a pleasant surprise for Sky and instantly put her at ease. They were greeted in the large foyer of the marble tiled mansion that the Jefferson's called their home. Pasha was short. She wore a red sari and she had her hair in one jet-black plait all the way down to her hips.
Miguel Jefferson was different too. He was much more relaxed than when she saw him at the office. He was dressed in polo shirt and jeans; he led them into the open ceiling living room and proceeded to talk about sports.
There was no mention of the office, just polite banter. Sky watched Travis as he interacted with his parents.
His mother was obviously besotted with him. His father was more aloof.
Pasha was the one who cooked the entire Sunday dinner. There was enough food for an army.
And so many new dishes that Sky had never tried like Aloo Gobi and Vegetable Masala and Curried Beef in Pumpkin.
It was a gastronomical delight. Sky couldn't resist moaning when she tasted samples of some of the dishes.
Pasha laughed and beamed at her. "I like her, Travis!"
The warm family moment was broken when they heard a knock on the door.
Miguel went to answer and He came back with Duke. He was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt that had the Jackson company logo.
He was accompanied by a woman who looked like she was ripped right out of the centerfold of a magazine. Perfect skin, perfect hair, and perfect smile. She was dressed in a blue crochet dress that was off the shoulder and over her knees.
"Hello everyone," she greeted them huskily.
She looked at Travis and then Sky, dismissing her with a glance she looked back to Travis. "How are you all this lovely Sunday?"
"We are doing well," Pasha said the distaste heavy in her voice.
"I won't stay long," Duke registered the dismissal in Pasha's stance and his eyes flicked to the table, "I see you all are having a cozy family moment."
He looked at Sky with cold hostility. She hadn't seen him all week since he threatened to fire her.
He held up a briefcase. "I just came for Miguel to sign these documents I am off to Trinidad for the next couple of weeks. I will be back for your birthday though, Miguel."
Miguel nodded and then got up. "Let's go to the study. Excuse me everyone."
Melanie sat in the chair he vacated and then looked at Travis. "Well, you still look gorgeous."
Travis quirked his lip. "Thank you."
"And you, Pasha. You have got to cut down on the carbs you consume. You are looking a little round!" Melanie looked at Pasha and exclaimed.
Pasha glared at her. "As usual you tread where few people fear to go. Thank you for your very impolite observation about my weight."
Melanie laughed like it was a joke. "Somebody has to tell you. Might as well be me, I am practically family, am I not?"
She then looked at Sky. "So who is this young looking ingénue?"
Travis was the one to answer. "My girlfriend."
Sky looked at him swiftly and started to smile.
Melanie looked between the two of them and cackled.
"Oh heavens, I never imagined you could have one of those! I thought your thing was broken!" And then in fake sympathy said, "You had to rob the cradle to get a little comfort dear Travis. I empathize."
Sky concluded right then and there that Melanie wasn't that pretty.
When Melanie and Duke left the evening became much more pleasant.
Chapter Fifteen
"You dated her?" Sky asked Travis, accusation rife in her voice on Monday morning when they were getting ready for work.
"I was young and stupid." Trav
is pulled Sky down into his lap. "And that was years ago. Are you going to let this go. We already had this conversation yesterday, and last night."
"She still thinks you are gorgeous," Sky complained smoothing back Travis' hair, "and that's worrying."
"What's worrying is Duke." Travis sighed. "He is working on the Trinidad expansion like a man who is almost certain that he is going to get the big reward—president of the company."
Sky made a face. "Is he going to get it?"
"He can't," Travis frowned, "I have the weight of the shareholders behind me. My dad can't make that decision alone but I think he told Duke that he could."
"Oh," Sky widened her eyes and then started to chuckle. "Good for you bad for Duke."
"Which makes him dangerous," Travis said solemnly, "I wouldn't put it past him to do something about this situation. My dad is going to make an announcement on his birthday about his successor. Duke is going to be disappointed."
"He doesn't look like a person to be feared. He just looks like an arrogant stuck up jerk." Sky got up from Travis' lap. "I am looking forward to seeing his face when the succession is announced."
"Somehow I am not." Travis sighed. "He shouldn't be underestimated, he is after all my father's son.
That thought was at the back of Travis' mind all week. It was especially prominent when Duke came back from Trinidad.
Duke poked his head around Travis' office on Friday. "Remember Winston, the guy that you met in the accident with?"
Travis was in the middle of making sense of a contract with a supplier. He looked up.
"Yes."
"He is dead," Duke said smugly. "I told his dear grieving mother that you are working here at Jefferson's for the summer as alive and well as you please. While her dear Winston is dead."
Travis closed his eyes in remorse. Poor Winston. He had gotten the bad end of that accident.
"If you wish you were the one that is dead instead," Duke said from the door, "that can be arranged."
Travis opened his eyes and looked at him.
"It wouldn't be hard," Duke shrugged, "your legs are dead already I could take care of the next half easily."
"Are you threatening me?" Travis squinted his eyes and looked at Duke.
"No, just offering you some consolation in your time of grief." Duke smiled stiffly. "What exactly are you doing here?"
"What?" Travis frowned.
"What are you doing here in this office in this building, working with my...working with Miguel?" Duke corrected himself quickly.
"Ah," Travis caught his gaffe and decided to taunt him in retaliation for breaking the news about Winston so callously and coldly.
"He hasn't given you the permission to call him father in public, has he?"
A pained expression crossed Duke's face, but just as quickly as it appeared it left.
"This company is owned by share holders."
He watched as Duke straightened up from the doorframe. "All of my father's children have shares, 5% each, he has four legitimate, acknowledged children, so that's 20% of the shares."
Duke swallowed.
"And then there is my mother who has an equal amount to my father, 30% each and then there is 20% by other investors. My father cannot make a decision to hire anyone run this company who the board does not approve of.
"Apparently, my mother and siblings do not want the company to go into non-familial hands. To answer your question, that's why I am here."
Duke clenched his fist tightly; Travis could see the veins bulging at the side of his head. Maybe he had pushed him too far.
That thought was confirmed when Duke looked at him with cold murderous rage. "You are not going to win, all my life you win. Not this time brother."
"Stop being ridiculous," Travis said before Duke moved away, "when have I ever won and you lost at something."
Duke spun around. "Your very existence, my mother aborted ten of your mother's children before you came. She tried to kill you but you came anyway. A healthy boy. Before she died she confessed that to me."
"You are special," she said. "That Travis is a winner, God-blessed, a survivor. She cried when she heard you were in that accident." Duke snorted. I laughed. "It couldn't have worked out better."
Travis winced at the malice that was practically exuding from Duke. "I know that you have been trying to undermine me all of my life."
Duke snorted. "Not all of your life. Just since I found out that you were my brother and I was never going to get the same privileges and recognition that you get. Then I began to resent you and your whole family."
"You had the same privileges as we did," Travis said, "you just didn't have the name."
Duke laughed harshly. Really? The same privileges? When I was ten years old I was taken from the only home I ever knew and lived in the ghetto for two whole years. My mother had to whore herself out for a full year to feed us before Miguel even looked at us."
"Miguel was broke. His business was going down. A rogue accountant stole all his money," Travis said tiredly. "All of your hate is misguided. My grandfather was the one who bailed him out. Without him there would have been no Jefferson Pharmaceuticals or house in the hills or family wealth to be jealous over.
"You hate because you do not know the full story. It's easy to blame your sucky childhood on me but really I had as much of my father as you did back then.
Duke flinched. "You are deluded if you think that. I had nothing of Miguel. He could have acknowledged me. He could have made me feel wanted."
"Have you met the man?" Travis asked incredulously, "you have to hit him over the head when it comes with the finer feelings. I am crippled and I could count the number of times my father voluntarily called me in ten years. He is not the father that you are looking for. You, running this company would not have miraculously changed Miguel Jefferson into something he is not."
"You talk like this because you have not lived my life," Duke said bitterly.
He walked out of the office and closed the door with controlled hostility. It was louder than a slam in Travis' ears.
Travis shuddered involuntarily at all the malevolence that was left behind. His phone rang almost at the same time.
He glanced at the display. It was an outside call. He hoped it wasn't Winston's mother calling to give him an earful. He had about as much as he could take today.
He answered briskly with a no nonsense tone. It was his mother. He slumped at the desk.
"The planning for your father's birthday bash is coming along great," Pasha said brightly, "I have one teeny-weeny favor to ask of you."
"Mom, this is not the right time to be talking about parties," Travis said tiredly.
"I know you are at work, his mother sounded smug about that, I just want your advice on which three members of the press to invite. Just three."
Travis rubbed his hand over his face. "I only know one, Kenton Perkins. He deserves a scoop like this. He is the one who suggested to me that Duke was my brother."
"Oh," Pasha said dismissively.
"When exactly did you know?" Travis asked.
"About what?"
"About Duke."
"From the moment he was born," Pasha said grimly, "and I allowed Arlene to continue living at the house for ten years after that. I only let her go after she confessed something too dark for me to repeat."
"The miscarriages." Travis didn't push her to elaborate. "Duke is bitter about his whole growing up years," he said instead. "I think you, dad and Arlene created a monster."
Pasha snorted. "Don't blame me, blame your dad. If he had come out right and told me about Duke years ago I would have treated that boy like family. But that's all water under the bridge now."
"I'll invite Kenton Perkins and two other persons. Have a good day, honey." Pasha hung up the phone.
Travis put his head in his hands. He had too many things to process. Too many thoughts and regrets swimming around in his mind. He opted to have lunch with Sky. She could distrac
t him.
****
"Let us play that time travel game," Travis said to Sky as she hungrily bit into her tuna melt sandwich. She bought lunch for the two of them from an eatery across the road. She insisted that he tried their tuna melt sandwich.
"It's not a game," Sky mumbled with her mouth full. "You are a resetter. You can reset the events in your life. You read the book and did your own research."
"So I did. But I still think it's a fantastic tale."
Sky grinned at him. "Okay, Mr. Skeptic."
"If I go back, where would I go?" Travis ignored his food.
Sky looked at him without speaking.
"Come on, play along." Travis urged.
"You meant 'when' would you go. You would go back to the time that Milly met Ramone." Sky took another bite of her sandwich. "You could prevent her from being a junky."
"No, that's too late that was '82." Travis shook his head. "I was seventeen then, Milly twenty-two."
"You would go back to when you met evil Melanie." Sky grinned. "Tell her she is ugly as sin and destroy her self confidence forever."
Travis chuckled. "Thats still too late. I first met Melanie in '84 two years before the accident. I think I would go back to '75 that was the year that I was ten. Duke was nine. He was my very best friend in the whole world, Arlene was still at the house, my dad was a relatively good dad, and Munro, the accountant, hadn't run away with the money. Jefferson Pharmaceuticals was still in the black."
"Bob Marley was still alive," Sky said dreamily. "Tell him that he needs to get cancer treatment before it is too late."
Travis nodded. "Sure. I will tell him."
"I am serious." Sky wiped her lips on a napkin. "It would be nice to hear new music from him now."
"I'd be ten Sky," Travis picked up his sandwich. "Why would the reggae superstar listen to me, a kid? Besides, in 75 he was busy, that was the year the Jackson 5 came to Jamaica and they performed together."
"Cool." Sky's eyes lit up. "Did you go to the concert?"
"No." Travis shook his head. "My mom and Dad did. I remember that time so vividly."
"I wasn't born yet." Sky chuckled.
Never Say Never (Resetter Series Book 2) Page 11