Rejected (Imperfectly Perfect Book 2)

by Lym Cruz

  “You could have talked to me like a normal person instead of playing all of these games.”

  She made a pfft sound. “You would have rejected me after all the lies you’ve been told. I needed to prove to your family that you are just like me. Greedy and ambitious.”

  I was at a loss for words for a moment wondering if this woman was real. “I’m not an object that you can toy around with. I’m a fucking person whose life you’re trying to ruin.”

  “Oh please, the same way I don’t force anyone to take drugs or buy them I didn’t force you into this. I might have shown you the path, but you decided to take the walk all on your own.”

  Her words were painfully truthful. The revelation made bile rise to my stomach. I was disgusted with myself more than I’d ever been before. I was indeed my mother’s son.

  “Why did you abandon us?” The question rolled off my tongue and caught us both by surprise.

  Blinking back what seemed like a flood of emotions, she said, “I didn’t abandon you. Is that what they told you? I was—” She paused, collecting herself. “I left for a while and now I have returned. I couldn’t stay in the mediocre life your father was offering me. I was born for greatness. When my dancing career went to shit, I reinvented myself and here I am today. Powerful, wealthy, and feared by many. I have what I’ve always wanted.”

  “Then why come after me if you have everything you need? My life was fine without you.”

  “Because as unbelievable as it might sound, I never stopped thinking about you, Ezra. At first, I didn’t have a way to contact you—this was before the internet era—but eventually I was able to reach your uncle. We agreed that he’d keep me informed about you and in exchange, I would stay away. Then I realized how unfair that was to me. If I wanted to see my son no one should stop me.”

  “I wished you’d kept your promise and stayed away.”

  “You say that because you don’t know everything.”

  “Why don’t you tell me then?”

  “You’re not ready for the truth and even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

  I was done. I didn’t want to hear anymore. Something was terribly wrong with that woman. All I knew was that I needed to stay away from her.

  “I’m leaving.” I turned for the door. “I’m done with this.”

  “Don’t even think about it, Ezra. You have no idea what I’m capable of to get what I want. I said that you will be my successor and it shall be so. If you dare cross me, I will take it out on that precious family of yours and I’ll make you watch while they plead for their lives. Then I’ll finish with you.”

  I spun on my heels. Her posture was stiff, her jaw rigid and her eyes hard. She meant every word.

  “You’d kill your only son? The successor you want so badly?”

  “God sacrificed His son for the greater good, and He’s considered to be the epitome of love. Imagine what I’ll do to you since the devil and I are on a first-name basis. I will have things my way whether you’re dead or alive.”

  Chichi was hollow—completely dead inside. She didn’t care about me in the slightest, I was just a piece in this very twisted game.

  “The time to make choices is long past, Ezra. Welcome to your new life.”

  “You’re sickening.”

  “And you’re no better than me.”

  I wasn’t. I had inherited her tainted DNA.

  I left her hotel room more troubled than when I entered. I spent the day driving around, planning my exit strategy.

  The fan in my room shuddered from side to side, blowing a light breeze as it moved. Christina was fast asleep next to me, she rested on her stomach using her folded arms as a pillow. Her hair was messy and spread around her bare back. I ran my finger tracing the line of her spine till where the sheets stopped. Then moved up, all the way to her neck. She stirred but didn’t wake. I planted a light kiss on her back and refrained from touching her further.

  Every day I was falling deeper for her. She was the first thing on my mind when I woke and the last before I closed my eyes. Her presence was mandatory. A day without her had me restless, and every single time she smiled it unraveled me.

  I didn’t tell her the truth because I was thinking, concocting another plan to get out of this chaos.

  I made a call to Nunes that night. He affirmed that if I could give him Chichi, along with hardcore incriminating evidence on her, he could give me anything I asked for. What I demanded was protection for my family, and he said it would be done. I didn’t know how impenetrable their witness protection program was, but it was my best option at that moment.

  Closing my eyes, I sighed striving to clear my head for sleep when I heard a sound coming from outside. I sat up in my bed and turned my ear towards the window, faintly I heard it again, a desperate whine and what sounded like someone or something moving around the bushes of the backyard.

  I shot out of bed and pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, then sneaked to the door and opened it a crack listening. The house was dark and silent, I crept along the doorway and slowly took one step at a time down the stairs. In the closet by the entrance, I found a baseball bat.

  The sound of footsteps was getting closer. Then there was a rattle of keys in the knob and immediately I dropped the bat unwinding. Seconds later, the alarm was disarmed and the front door pushed open.

  “Holy shit,” my father cursed, startled by my darkened silhouette. I flicked on the switch and the darkness faded. “Are you trying to kill me?” He rubbed his chest.

  “No, but it seems like you’re trying to get yourself killed. Were you in the garden?”

  “Why would I be in there? I’m coming from the airport, a taxi dropped me off.”

  I peeked out the window. “Didn’t see or hear a car.”

  “That’s because he left a while ago, I was looking for my keys. What is this? Why are you questioning me?”

  He wheeled in his luggage and locked the door. I studied my father with pity. He was a mess. The shirt he had on was wrinkled like he hadn’t changed it in days. His entire demeanor was wilting. He was thin with dark-hued circles around his eyes, shading his eyelids making him appear lifeless. He was younger than Uncle Vinnie but had much more gray hair than he did. He was pale, his skin flaccid, almost translucent where it was stretched against his cheekbones.

  “I heard something out in the garden.”

  “Well, it wasn’t me.” He started up the stairs. “I’m going to bed.”

  He didn’t go to bed. He went into his shrine. I ran my hands through my hair blowing out a harsh breath. I didn’t know how to help my father, although many times I attempted to broach the subject. He was killing himself by not accepting the fact that Pamela was gone and never going to return. Chichi, on the other hand, was alive and well, but there was no way I would tell him about her.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Christina

  Ibrushed my hair while Ezra stared at me through the mirror, shamelessly gawking. The way he watched me always left me marveled. It was curious how much interest he had in me. I blew him a kiss and he winked with a gorgeous grin.

  “My father’s here,” he announced. “He got in last night.”

  “Oh.” Rolling my hair up, I turned to him. “Should I be worried?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “He’s probably gone to the hospital by this time. He practically lives there.”

  I moved closer until I was standing in front of him, needing to address the subject we’d been putting off. “We never talked last night.”

  “I’m sorry. I couldn’t handle having you in my bed and just talk.” He placed his hands on my waist, hauling me nearer. “Let’s go have something to eat and then we’ll talk.”

  “Sure, in a bit.” I smiled weakly, disappointed with his answer. He was buying time and we both knew it. “I have to take a shower first.”

  He kissed me and then rushed out of the room. The secrecy was killing me. I didn’t know how much longer I would hold
on before demanding an explanation. In all fairness, I’d been patient. More patient than I ever thought I could be.

  I headed for the closet to search for a towel. My mind raced, trying to envision what Ezra’s secret could have been. What could be so awful that he couldn’t tell me? Briskly, I pulled on the handle but something heavy pushed the door from the inside. I let go and the door sprung open. Just in time, I leaped back, avoiding being crushed by a duffle bag on its descent and money disbursed from it, flying in all directions. So much money.

  Slightly dazed I blinked, glancing around the room as if the explanation of what happened was hidden in one of the white walls. What the fuck is Ezra doing with all this money? I looked down as the last few green notes settled around my feet. My mouth agape.

  Amongst the pile of green, I noticed a blue booklet. I crouched to pick it up and there was more than one. They were three. And passports. I opened the first, flipping through the pages, it was blank. When I landed on the page with the personal data, all the blood drained from my face straight to my heart which was beating harder than ever.

  It was Ezra’s picture on it, however the name read: John Perry Linett. I knew the passport was recent, even though the issue date was two years back, because in the picture his hair was short.

  “I thought I heard a noise,” Ezra said, walking in. “Is everything ok—”

  He froze, taking in the sight of me ankle deep in dollar bills. Slowly his eyes leveled with mine and we were both rendered speechless, locked in a stare-down.

  “I think we need to talk,” he finally spoke.

  I threw the passport at him. “You think?”

  Ezra

  This wasn’t how I wanted her to find out. I paced forward, trying to close the gap between us.

  “Don’t come any further.” She raised her hand. “I can hear you perfectly well from here.”

  I was cornered and my only escape was the truth. I sucked in a breath and began, “Christina, last year I got myself—” I was cut short by the sound of the doorbell ringing. I tried to start again but the ringing was incessant. “Let me get rid of whoever that is and I’ll be right back.” Before I left, I paused at the door. “Benefit of the doubt, remember?”

  She nodded.

  I ran down the stairs to find it was Rowan.

  “What the fuck?” I paused. “Can’t you people leave me alone?”

  “I would like nothing more than to never see you again, but Mommy wants to see you.” He flashed an annoying toothy grin.

  “Tell Mommy to shove ten pounds of cocaine up her ass.”

  He placed his hand on my shoulder ushering me forward. “Tell her yourself.”

  “I’m busy.” I shrugged from his hold.

  Rowan reached for his gun but did not draw it at the sound of a crack from the old wood of the stairs. His eyes moved up, past my head. Letting go of the gun, he adjusted his jacket to conceal it.

  “I didn’t know you had a visitor. Is she why you can’t go?”

  I flushed. My hands quivered at my sides anxiously. The only thing running through my mind was how to get Christina out and away from Rowan.

  “She’s nobody,” I spat and heard her gasp. “That’s just a pussy I’ve been hitting as a distraction. In fact, I was looking for a way to get her out of here.”

  “That’s no way to talk about a lady.”

  “She’s not a lady, just a piece of ass.”

  Rowan squinted his eyes and addressed Christina. “Have we met? I feel like I’ve seen you before.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said curtly. I could sense her eyes burning a hole through my head.

  I couldn’t let Rowan make the connection, and I needed Christina to leave. So, I hit her where I knew it would hurt the most.

  “What, now you wanna have her? Let me save you the trouble and tell you that what is beneath that shirt is repulsive. Not worth anyone’s time, if you ask me. She’s just useful in the dark.”

  I gathered that the emerging sound was from her marching down the steps. Without saying a word, she pushed past the both of us. I saw the tears reflecting in her eyes. Christina left with only my shirt on. I fought to keep my eyes from following her as her bare feet ran down the street.

  Rowan furrowed his brows watching me closely. “What was that all about?”

  “I don’t know,” I snapped on purpose. “I’m going crazy. There is too much going on and now I took it out on the poor girl.”

  “C’mon let’s go, I’m sure Mommy can afford a therapist to figure your shit out. Move.”

  Rowan wasn’t stupid. I only hoped my acting skills were believable enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Christina

  Practically naked, I found my way back home. I’d cried for so long that the muscles in my stomach ached and my jaw hurt from the tension. And to make matters worse, my stomach growled with a sinking emptiness. I wasn’t exactly hungry. I was like a part of me was absent and I needed to claim it back by filling the void with food.

  Every insult that left Ezra’s mouth slashed me open. At first, I wanted to fire an equally painful retort. But I couldn’t. I had nothing bad to say about him. My senses clogged and all I wanted to do was get away from him. In a few seconds and with a few words, all that we were collapsed like a house of cards.

  Deep within, in a tiny part of my soul, I held on to the hope that there would be an explanation for it all. Perhaps it was because I found the money, or possibly because of the man he was talking to. I’d seen him before at the office, but it felt right at the time to deny we’d met before.

  My knee bounced nervously as I stared at the door. I wanted to run out to the closest Pizza Hut. The image of the greasiest slice of pizza forced itself into my brain—my mouth salivated.

  I remembered the word repulsive dropping out of his mouth and the craving grew exponentially. He called me worthless. I was teetering on the edge, about to tip over and give in to my weakness.

  Hours later the doorman told me Ezra was in the lobby requesting to come up. The moment I swung the door open my heart raced a little.

  Ezra swallowed and said, “Thank you for letting me come up. I wasn’t sure you would.”

  He should have thanked Dr. Burk. I managed not to give in to the impulse, instead, I picked up my computer and Skyped my therapist. She’d advised me to identify the cause of my anxiety—Ezra. And to fact-check my thoughts, making sure it wasn’t all in my head. It wasn’t. This time things were real. Mostly I opened because only Ezra held answers to questions I had.

  I shrugged. “Well …”

  He crept in with caution as if walking into a minefield. “Christina, I’m sorry about this morning.”

  “Which part?” I was all sharp edges, shoulders taut and straight. Even my voice was sharp and tight. “The one you called me ugly or repul—”

  “You know I never meant any of that,” he interrupted with a dismissive wave, “if you truly believed that I was trying to hurt you then I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

  “Then why did you say it?”

  “I needed you to leave. I couldn’t have Rowan knowing what was going on between us.”

  I stopped and flung a hand over my chest realizing what he was saying. “Oh my God, are you involved with Rowan? Is he your secret?”

  It all made perfect sense. The sneaking around. The hushed phone calls. His disappearances. The way he’d reacted when Rowan stopped by the office. The only thing it didn’t explain was the money or the passports.

  His entire posture shifted to one of outrage and a growl like a chained Rottweiler came from the back of his throat. “What the … There is nobody else, man or woman, Christina. And I’m offended that you even entertained the thought. I could never be unfaithful to you.”

  “Offended?” I scoffed. “I’m the one who’s been putting up with your bullshit and never getting any answers. I’m the one who is always left in the dark. Here is your last chance. You better spill every dark
and dirty secret or leave me the fuck alone.”

  Slowly he drew in a breath and then expelled it with a whoosh. “I work for Rowan.” He paused.

  “For fuck’s sake Ezra—”

  “I help him launder drug money.”

  I stumbled a bit on my feet, to prevent a fall, I grabbed the counter. Had I heard right? Drug money!

  “It all started about nine months ago, I got mixed up with a guy, Neo. He promised me quick cash and in exchange I had to run a few errands for Rowan. The errands were distributing drugs around town. We made the deliveries and got paid quick and upfront.” He looked ashamed.

  “I’m not going to lie, it was fun and exhilarating at first, but then it wasn’t. I felt guilty and tried to get out but it was too late. Rowan found out that I was an accountant, and that my uncle owned an accounting firm. Since then, I’ve helped him keep track and launder money.”

  Ezra scanned my face for a reaction as silence hung in the air suspending the moment. I stared into those bright eyes burning with the need of acceptance but my heart fell quiet.

  “Christina, please say something.”

  My mind was blank as I gazed at him with horror. His eyes desperately continued to search mine … waiting. I had nothing.

  “I know it’s a fucked-up situation and one I regret every single day. The choices I’ve made haven’t been the wisest—”