Blood Ties_A Magnolia Novel

by Ashley Fontainne

  The memory made LiAnn chuckle, and Andrew said, “That’s what I’ve been waiting for. Your sweet laughter. I knew you’d be okay once I heard it. Willing to share what made you laugh?”

  LiAnn turned her head and gazed up at Andrew, her heart full of love, even in the midst of all the turmoil. “Oh, just the irony of internal radar.”

  Andrew leaned down and kissed her, and LiAnn knew her daughter was right: her man radar was on point.

  39

  One and Done

  “Mom, I want him there with me today, so please, be civil. For me, okay?” Karina watched her mother force a smile.

  “Only because I love you.”

  “Thank you. Look, I know you still blame him, but you shouldn’t. Things might have turned out worse than they did, if he’d been at the house with me. You think I would be able to live with myself if Bo had been injured, or killed? Trust me, I wouldn’t. As I’ve said before, I’ve grown fond of him.”

  LiAnn held her hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. The horse is dead. Stop beating it.”

  “Good. Now, let me finish getting ready. Bo will be here any minute to pick me up. We’ll follow you.”

  Karina sensed her mother was about to protest, but didn’t. Alone, Karina stared at her reflection in the mirror. The bruises were an ugly shade of yellow and green, in stark contrast to the white bandage across her swollen nose. There wasn’t enough concealer in the world to make Karina look presentable, so she concentrated on her hair.

  In less than an hour, she would be blinded by the lights of the news cameras at The Magnolia. Karina’s rationale for agreeing to an interview was simple–one and done. Give the media ghouls some juicy tidbits and let them feast. Like throwing a bloody stump at a horde of zombies. Karina made sure all outlets knew this was the only time she would speak publicly about what happened, and her family wasn’t to be bothered, harassed or questioned.

  Ever.

  After the news conference was over, a celebration lunch for her and her mother would follow. Cecil Pickard insisted on it. He, along with all the other residents, wanted to thank them both for not only uncovering the nightmare at The Magnolia, but for potentially saving numerous lives in the process.

  Finally finished and dressed, Karina sat on the edge of the bed and ran her hands across the warm fur of Ranger’s back. A lump of tears caught in her throat as Karina stared at the bare spot around Ranger’s neck and the stitches.

  A spark of fury replaced her sadness, followed by satisfaction. She made the two bastards pay the ultimate payment for the damage they caused. Their disgusting, worthless lives were over, and they would never be able to harm anyone again.

  Sometimes, late at night while Ranger slept quietly next to her, Karina wished she could have witnessed the death of Carmella. Watching her get tossed into an oven would have been priceless. That image would be one she’d actually enjoy reliving in her dreams. Karina bent down and kissed the top of Ranger’s head, glad he was still a part of her life.

  A soft tap on the door made Karina jump. Ranger swung his head toward the sound but didn’t bark or growl.

  “Hey, babe, ya decent?”

  “Come on in, Bo.”

  Karina blinked twice, startled by his attire. Bo was wearing a white dress shirt with a crimson red tie, black slacks and shoes buffed to perfection. A massive bouquet of red and white roses was in his left hand, and a small, ornately decorated gift box in the right. The man looked and smelled amazing. Even Ranger whined and thumped his tail.

  “Thought ya might like some flowers, seein’ as it’s a big day for ya and all.”

  “Wow, look at you! The ladies at The Magnolia will have heart palpitations when you walk in. These are lovely. Thank you.” Taking the flowers, Karina leaned in and gave Bo a gentle kiss. She couldn’t wait for her lips to get back to normal so she could really enjoy the act of kissing. Eyeballing the gift box, Karina asked, “And this is?”

  Bo blushed and handed Karina the box. “Just a little somethin’ I thought ya might need.”

  She fumbled with the bow and opened the gift. Inside was a brand new cell phone. “Oh, no doubt! Been jonesing for one for days now. Funny, I was going to ask you to take me after lunch to get a new one.”

  “I hope it’s okay, but I got ya an Arkansas number. Figured you’d be stayin’ a while. It’s…on my plan, but that don’t mean we’re engaged or nothin’. The lady at the cell store said ya can transfer it to another plan anytime.”

  Staring into Bo’s vibrant blue eyes, Karina’s heart melted. She could see the emotions swimming behind them. The look of lust had been replaced with concern, compassion and, dared she think it?–love.

  She remembered the day when Bo brought Ranger home. He almost broke down while apologizing for leaving her alone. Remorse and grief beamed across his face. He held her close and she could feel the tension in his muscles. Karina finally made him laugh when she said, “Hey, stop. Recall, I took out not one, but two, former mobsters. My injuries look ugly, but really, I’m no worse for the wear. So, did I pass the country girl test?”

  Bo had laughed. “A plus.”

  She had pulled him close and whispered, “I’m thankful you weren’t injured because I’m addicted to you, too.”

  Shaking the memory away, Karina took a step back from Bo and set her new phone on the table. “Thanks, Bo. Let’s worry about all the particulars later. Come on. We’ll be late for the press conference. I want to hurry up and get it over with, so I can spend some time with Cecil. He’s been a basket case, according to Mom and Grampa, ever since all this mess happened.”

  “Sure thing, darlin’.” Bo reached out and took Karina’s hand.

  Karina grabbed on to it like it was a lifeline.

  “Boy, howdy! I ain’t never seen so many bright lights and fake smiles in all my days! Honey, did ya feel like you was talkin’ to a wax statue?”

  Karina laughed at her new friend, Wylie Wilson. He sat across the round dining table from her, sandwiched between Cecil and Grampa. The remaining chairs were filled with Gram, Mom, Bo, Crigger and gram’s friend Betty Dravis, and another new face, Seth Thomas.

  “They certainly had the personalities of wax, that’s for sure. So glad it’s over. Hopefully, they’ll leave us all alone. They got the gory details and plenty of images of my banged-up face, which is what they wanted.”

  “Ya gonna watch the news tonight? I know I am. Save all the news clippin’s too. You two are heroes, and the first ones I’ve ever met in person.” Wylie gushed.

  Junior chimed in. “Ain’t no two people in this world ever been prouder of their family than us. That’s for sure. Ain’t that right, Ruth?”

  “Proud and relieved. My two precious girls are alive and that’s all that matters. Period.” Ruth added.

  Wylie looked over at LiAnn and winked. “I always knew there was somethin’ not right about that black-haired minx. And it weren’t just the fact she was jealous about how beautiful you are. Felt it in my bones, ya know?”

  Seth interjected. “That is the biggest load of…hogwash I’ve ever heard you say, Wylie! You drooled every time Carmella walked…”

  Cecil interrupted Seth’s outburst. “Ms. LiAnn, Ms. Karina? We all have somethin’ we’d like to give you, as a thank ya for what ya done for all of us.”

  Karina noticed tears filled Cecil’s eyes. Bo tapped her shoulder and she glanced around. All the residents had gathered behind the table, smiling. “There’s no need to…” Karina said.

  Cecil interjected. “Never ya mind that kind of talk. I was the next in line, and y’all came to my aid. After me, it could have been any of the others here,” he said, sweeping his arms around toward the group. “We all owe both of you our lives.”

  Betty added. “Cecil’s right, ladies. Though it’s not much, since all of us are on edge worrying about where we’ll be living soon, us gals made one for each of you. Stayed up for almost two days straight! It was like old college days for us again. Hope you li
ke the colors.”

  Wylie and Betty each produced a large box from under their chairs. Wylie handed his package to LiAnn, and Betty set hers in front of Karina.

  Karina exchanged an embarrassed glance with her mom before tearing into the box. Inside was a handmade quilt. The background was white, and the squares red, each boasting a beautiful magnolia bud. In the very center square, the words Thank you were embroidered. Karina looked over at her mom’s gift, which was an exact replica. Tears formed in her eyes at the thought of the countless hours spent by women who were total strangers, to create something so beautiful. “These are…absolutely breathtaking, ladies. Thank you so much.”

  “Oh, yes, thank you!” LiAnn choked back her own tears.

  “We just wanted you both to have something from our hearts. A little thing to remind you every time you snuggle up underneath one, how much we admire and appreciate you both.” Betty said.

  Cecil stood up and addressed everyone. “The events of the last week have been hard on us all. Almost lost people I love, and at my age, I ain’t got many of those left. No matter what any of ya say, it’s my fault this here wonderful family don’t have no home anymore and almost died. Now, I know all of us have been rubbin’ our worry stones, wonderin’ what will happen to this old place, now that the monsters who owned it are gone, so I wanted to let y’all know not to fret no more.”

  “Them’s the most words I’ve ever heard ya say, Cecil, even though I don’t understand what ya meant. Why shouldn’t we fret no more? Tomorrow we might be livin’ on the streets!” Wylie moaned.

  Cecil took a deep breath and walked over to where Karina and LiAnn sat. He put a hand on each of their shoulders and announced, “Because I put in an offer to buy this old place and it’s been approved.” The room erupted in applause and murmurs as all the elderly residents piped up at once. Cecil yelled over the noise. “I ain’t done with my news, so hang on.”

  Cecil squatted down in between Karina and LiAnn. Tears ran down his face and he implored “Ms. LiAnn, Ms. Karina, ain’t none of us ever gonna feel safe here again unless the two of you run it. I know ya can. You’ve got the knowhow. And we trust y’all. Completely. All of ya can even stay here for free while Junior and Ruthie’s place is bein’ rebuilt. Please, please say yes. We need ya. And, when I go, I’ll leave the place to ya both.”

  The room fell silent as tears streamed down the faces of everyone, including Karina and her entire family. Thirty pairs of cloudy eyes bored into her heart. After all that happened, how in the world could Karina say no? She certainly knew what not to do in regards to the day-to-day running of a senior living facility, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to figure out the correct ways.

  Karina looked at her mom. The second their eyes locked, she knew they were on the same wavelength. She glanced at Bo, who was grinning from ear to ear with pride. Crigger had the same beaming smile. “Gram? Grampa? What do you two think?”

  Ruth cleared her throat as she wiped her tears away with a napkin. “I think that’s the best job offer I’ve ever heard.”

  “I agree. Mr. Wilson, we accept!” LiAnn answered. The words were followed by an outburst from the entire group. Tears flowed, hugs ensued, handshakes all around.

  Wylie Wilson surprised them all when he jumped up on the table, glass in hand, and yelled, “Well, today certainly is my day, ’cause now I’ve got two gun-totin’ muses to drool over every day! Amen!”

  A few minutes later, while everyone else was talking about the crazy twist of events, LiAnn leaned over and whispered, “You’re sure about this, right?”

  Karina nodded in response. It took her a few seconds to swallow the lump of tears in her throat. The irony of the entire situation was almost comical. She’d left Cali for a variety of reasons, including a chance to steer clear of anything to do with the senior housing industry. Now, she would be running one. The rulers of the cosmos sometimes had a sadistic sense of humor.

  “Yes, Mom. I’m sure. We wanted a new life, and boy, did we ever get one. So,” Karina lowered her voice and winked, “which one of us is the boss?”

  LiAnn laughed. “As stubborn as we both are, it would be best to be equals.”

  Karina didn’t respond. She threw her arms around LiAnn’s neck and hugged tight. Their embrace said more than words ever could.

  About the authors

  Ashley Fontainne

  Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.

  Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film (www.number75thmovie.com).

  Ashley’s paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film entitled Foreseen (www.foreseenmovie.com).

  The paranormal/southern gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, released in September of 2014. To learn more about Ashley, visit her website at www.ashleyfontainne.com

  Lillian Hansen

  Lillian Hansen is the proud mother of Ashley Fontainne. A grateful daughter of parents who raised her to love and respect the principles upon which America was founded. Lillian is the granddaughter of a brave young woman who immigrated to the United States from Denmark at the age of 18 without speaking any English, who built a career, a family, and became a proud U.S. citizen.

  Lillian values the diverse, life-enriching experiences squirreled away in her memory banks and is fond of all four-legged critters, especially cats. Lillian resides in Oregon, and Blood Ties is her first novel.

  Coming soon

  Blood Loss, Book Two of The Magnolia Series

  Author's Note

  A special thank you to Jeff LaFerney and Elaine Raco Chase for countless hours of hard work and effort in helping me create this book!

  Other Books by Author

  Novels by Ashley Fontainne

  Growl

  Empty Shell

  The Lie – soon to be the feature film FORESEEN

  www.foreseenmovie.com

  Number Seventy-Five – soon to be a feature film

  www.number75themovie.com

  Eviscerating the Snake Trilogy:

  Accountable to None

  Zero Balance

  Adjusting Journal Entries

  Poetry and Short Story Collection

  Ramblings of a Mad Southern Woman

  Coming soon

  The Magnolia Series – co-authored with Lillian Hansen

  Blood Loss

  Blood Stain