Sins of the Father (California Dreaming Book 2)

by Stacey Johnston

Chapter Thirteen

  Sherlyn

  Today’s the day I get to leave this hospital, more precisely this room, which has been my prison for the past week or so. I cried the day Stephen left, not in front of him of course. That I saved for once I knew he was gone. I didn’t want him to see me like that, in such a morbid, depressive state. It’s ridiculous that I feel the kind of attachment to him as I do, but it’s something I can’t help. He sat beside me every night after I was shot, and I’m ashamed to admit that I have gotten used to it. I have become dependent on him being around. When the nurses came in that first day to get me out of bed I turned them away. Knowing I was upset they gave me no resistance and it wasn’t until my favorite nurse came past later that day did I realize why. Nurse Dee was amazing and old enough to be my mother. She asked why I wouldn’t get up, so I told her the truth. I was getting a little annoyed when she didn’t respond straight away, until she made a sly comment about Stephen. She sneakily commented that if stayed in bed any longer, it would mean longer time away from my boy.

  That little comment had me out of my bed and walking with assistance to the bathroom and back by the end of the night. Her snicker as she walked out of my room, alerted me to her little trick. Since then, I have been up and about as often as I could, which is why they are letting me go home today. I have been walking unaided, okay maybe with a little assistance, since yesterday. All I need to do is gradually increase my exercise and I will be fine. The doctor has even referred a buddy of his in California if I have any more trouble. I am not allowed to fly for another week, but that’s okay because I have heaps to catch up on school wise, to make sure I graduate with my friends.

  Speaking of my friends, I don’t think I have ever spent as much time with them, as what I have done in the past week. Some days you wish they would just stay at home. Peace and quiet is a hard thing to come by in a hospital, especially with that lot around. I can’t complain too much, though because it has been nice having the company now that Stephen has flown home. Just the mention of his name brings a smile to my face. His messages have been non-stop. Actually, let’s correct that statement, his flirting has been nonstop. We still have so much to talk about, but that can all wait until I get to California next week. Right now I want to get up and shower so that Anthony isn’t waiting around for me. Looking for the walking stick they have given me, I slowly get off my bed and move toward the adjoining bathroom. Having to use this walking stick makes me feel like I’m eighty years old. The doctor has told me it won’t be a permanent thing, it’s more for stability until my side is completely healed.

  “Are you ready for to go home Sherlyn?” Anthony asks me an hour later.

  Having a shower on your own in this state is not exactly what I would call fun. If I wasn’t so damn proud and determined to do it myself, I would have called one of the nurses. I don’t want them to see me struggle, I’m scared they will make me stay here longer.

  “Definitely,” I excitedly reply, swinging my legs off the bed.

  Hesitantly I wiggle my butt to the edge of the bed and slowly place my feet on the floor. I shouldn’t have worried about falling because Anthony was by my side just in case I needed him. Grabbing hold of the walking stick I watch as Soph grabs my bag allowing me to slowly follow her and her father.

  “Are you sure you are okay?” a concerned Sophie challenges as we approach the lift. Her face is pale and etched with worry.

  “I’m fine, I just need to get home to my own bed.” I counter, turning back to the doors as they open.

  A gentle hand on my elbow guides me in through the doors, steadying me. I don’t want the grimace on my face to elude them into worrying about how much pain I am actually in. Once I can sit down I will be fine and the lovely doctor has given me pain killers just in case.

  “Okay, you’d tell me if you need help, wouldn’t you?” she directs at me once the doors close.

  Their concern for my wellbeing is wonderful but a little embarrassing for me. I haven’t had anyone worry about me in this way for a very long time. It’s going to take some getting used to, that’s all.

  Twisting my head, I smile at her, “Yes Soph, you know I will.”

  This seems to make her happy, as she returns my small smile with a grin that threatens to cover her whole face.

  Arriving back at the Valentine’s sees more fussing over me. Sarah has me laying on the lounge suite with a blanket over my legs and a tray of food on my lap. She had made me soup, pumpkin to be exact and it’s delicious. I’d always wanted to have one of those moms who made you soup when you were sick, unfortunately for me, it was never meant to be………… until now.

  Sarah’s fussing makes me feel wanted in a way I didn’t think was possible. It’s hard to believe I am here some days, surrounded by such caring people. I had gotten used to it just being mom and me, and me always looking after her. Her concern for me faded when I killed her dreams.

  I am also waiting for Soph’s dad to return. Anthony has promised to sit down with me now that I’m better and talk about what happened. I’m at a loss as to why, even though Hawke explained it in part back at the hospital. He is very mysterious that man, you never know just quite how to act around him. I don’t think he knows how to have fun, that one. It is a very rare occasion that sees him smile. I try not to focus on him too much when he is around, but he has such a commanding presence about him, that makes it hard not to. I am curious, though, as to the bond that he has with Sarah and Anthony that makes him so loyal to them. There is definitely something there, I just can’t put my finger on it. I’m particularly observant now, especially after everything that has happened with my father. He makes me take more notice of what’s going on around me.

  Sean is the other mystery. For a boy of seventeen, he certainly doesn’t act like one. He behaves a lot older than his age depicts, that’s for sure. I know that he has been helping his father and Hawke for a couple of years now, which surprises me considering he was only fifteen at the time. Apparently, he possesses a set of skills that the C.B.I found useful and exploitable. If you ask me it has changed him, made him harder somewhat. It’s like he has lost his innocence, forcing him to be older than he ever needed to be. We have something in common there. The problem is that I haven’t seen him since the last time he visited me in the hospital. I was devastated when he left, so much so, that I couldn’t tell Stephen what was wrong when he asked. I know he isn’t stupid, he would have put two and two together. I just couldn’t believe that he was walking out of my life so easily. It took me a while to understand his reasoning’s and get past the hurt. He doesn’t understand that by him leaving, it’s just another person to grieve. I can only hope that over time that will change.

  Sophie had mentioned that the day after Sean stopped in to see me, he left with Hawke and she hasn’t seen him since. I know she isn’t happy about the situation, especially with him not moving to California with us. She understands his reasoning but doesn’t understand why he would want to live with their parents in the middle of nowhere. As much as she says otherwise, I believe she is struggling with living away from her family for the first time. For me, though, that isn’t a concern, and not because my parents are both dead. I just didn’t have the closeness that she does with her family, with mine.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sean

  It’s been a month since I last saw Sherlyn, hell it’s been a month since I’ve seen anyone, with the exception of my parents and Hawke. After seeing her that last time in the hospital and how devastated she was when I told her I was leaving, I couldn’t stick around. Everything that I brought to Brooklyn with me had already been packed, so I made the trip to our home in Solana Beach to do the same with my bedroom there. My mother reassured me that she would make sure it all got shipped to Hawke’s cottage. I think cottage is probably the wrong description because this place is huge. It’s the only structure on an island, roughly eight hundred miles off the shores of the Coast of Costa Rica. It has a small dock th
at looks old and rickety, giving the impression that no one inhabits the island. If you were flying over the island though you may get a glimpse of the helipad Hawke has built to house his helicopter. I don’t know how he managed to get his hands on one, but I think it’s cool. Both he, and my father can fly it, and I’m hoping that they will teach me as well one day. How fucking bad ass would that make me if I could fly a god damned helicopter?!

  The girls moved across to California about a week after Sheri was released from the hospital. From what my father had told me, my mom spent the whole week fussing over them both. I just think dad likes to keep me in the loop, as if he somehow senses how I feel about Sheri. According to him, her movements have become smoother, and her pain has apparently subsided considerably. He has appointed bodyguards to protect both the girls as a precautionary, while we are trying to locate the actual gunman responsible for her injuries. Hawke believes that he will be watching, waiting to strike again. I agree, there is no way he will just let her live. We need to locate him before he gets another chance. That’s why Hawke himself is also based in Solana Beach as well at the moment. I thought it would be better for me to stay on the island, doing all our recon work instead. Hawke has state of the art equipment, giving me complete access to everything I need. It may not look like much on the outside, but Hawke’s island hideaway is a fortress, equipped with everything you could think of. If there was ever a nuclear war, I have no doubt he would be safe here.

  From the intel we have gathered, it appears that the guy we are hunting is connected to a smaller yet very powerful mafia family based in Brooklyn. Although it is one we already knew of, up until recently we have never had any reason to suspect them. After Sherlyn was shot, I intercepted someone trying to remotely access Sherlyn’s dad’s laptop. Unfortunately, they disconnected their connection before I had a chance to track them. It’s going to take me some time to find out how, and who it was. During my search, I did find that whoever it was, has been monitoring his laptop for a long time. I can’t be sure if he knew, but I believe this was their way of keeping an eye on him. It wasn’t until we started messing around with it that they realized he was dead, triggering the contract clause. We acted stupidly, or should I say, I acted stupidly. Of all people, I am the one who should have known to be more careful. They were watching everything I did, which is how we believe they found Sherlyn to begin with. I was careless and had no idea what I had set in motion, until the hit on Sheri.

  I was distracted….

  Going back over the contracts we found in Silo’s apartment, we found the hidden clause. In each of them it stated that in the event of his death or failure to complete, they would take the life of his wife or daughter. It was their insurance policy, we believe, in making sure he never backed out.

  I’m also trying to find the connection between Silo and this mafia family, anything that will tell me why he agreed to it, or how he was linked to them. There has to be a reason as to why he was loyal enough to put his own family in jeopardy. What I need to do is dig deeper and find out what it is. He has never given us any reason to think he was loyal to anyone except himself. He was really good at concealing his identity, in all aspects of his life.

  For the first few days after I disappeared, Sherlyn tried continuously to reach out to me, texting daily. Even though it was killing me to do so, I ignored them. It was hard enough leaving her behind, without reading her pleas for me to come home as well. After a while I just deleted them, leaving them unopened, and unread. She must have gotten the hint, or maybe Sophie said something because they dwindled down to nothing after a couple of weeks. I can’t deny being grateful. She needed to anyway because she has Stephen. It’s not like she needed the added worry about me as well.

  Glancing over at my phone on the desk, I notice the missed call from my father. He and my mother are due back today and he was probably calling to tell me they were leaving. My mother wanted to check on the girls. She made dad fly her to the mainland so she could fly home to make sure they were doing okay. Smiling to myself, I don’t know why she agreed to Soph living on her own in the first place. It’s funny because she has been beside herself since moving away from her. If it wasn’t for the fact that Hawke is living there, I’m sure she would have moved with them herself.

  Pinching the bridge of my nose I rise to head toward the kitchen for some painkillers. My head has been fucking aching all day. I will need to get that shit under control before my parents get back, or it will give my mother something else to worry about. The fact that I haven’t been sleeping either won’t be helping. All I have wanted to do is find the asshole responsible for Sherlyn’s injuries and put an end to this whole mess. I feel responsible for her getting hurt in the first place. If I had been more focused, I would have found the intrusion sooner, stopping her attacker before he could get to her. I got myself caught up in my own self-pity and missed vital clues. Clues that would have located his ass a lot sooner.

  Now it’s a fucking game of hide and seek with him. He knows we are on to him, there is no element of surprise anymore. In watching Sherlyn, he was also watching us and that has made us vulnerable. It was stupidity on my part for wanting to rush back into the game so quickly after everything that happened. I let my guard down, thus allowing Sherlyn to get hurt. I will never let that happen again. Hearing the chopper approaching, I look out the window to see my father landing. I better go out and greet them or they will think something is wrong.

  Something is wrong, I fucked up….

  Chapter Fifteen

  Stephen

  We are heading back to Brooklyn today, for the last fucking time I hope, to watch Sherlyn and Sophie graduate. With everything that has happened, it was decided that there was no point in the girls transferring to another school. They have spent their time being home schooled or something along those lines, under the direction of our old principal. With there only being a few weeks left in the school term, Principal Peters didn’t think it was worth the girls relocating. He apparently tailored something to make sure they had enough credits to graduate in Brooklyn. It’s not like either of those two girls had much to worry about, they are both beyond smart and were on track to do well anyway.

  My hesitation comes down to the unwelcome thought that they still haven’t located the guy that shot my girl. He has become like a ghost, much like Sherlyn’s father was. Maybe they trained together, who fucking knows. We have all been on edge since the plane took off an hour ago. Everything appears perfectly normal, except for the fact that you have six teenagers with four big burly guys sitting behind them. When I say big, I mean massive, they even make Hawke look fucking tiny and he isn’t small by any stretch of the imagination. If it wasn’t a serious situation, it would be fucking funny.

  When both Sheri and Sophie flew back to California, we were right there at the airport waiting for them. On that trip, they only had Hawke, Sarah and Anthony shadowing them. It was a relief to see my dream girl up and walking around. Regardless of what had happened, she was still a sight to behold. We helped them with their bags and followed them back to Solana Beach. Mine and Ben’s parents tagged along, bringing me, Kyle, Luke and Ben. Since four of us had grown tired of depending on our parents, we enrolled in the driver’s ED course as soon as the girls flew back. It seriously sucked balls having them whine at us all the time about driving us to and from Soph’s house, but that won’t be a problem for too much longer.

  I was god damned nervous when we finally had a chance to spend some time together alone. That first weekend was so fucking awkward for both of us. It was as if neither of us knew what to do, or expect. I don’t know where the fuck that sprung from, especially since we had been talking and flirting continuously since I flew home. All I wanted to do was worship her body, and show her exactly what she should have experienced that first time we were together. I knew I could never do over her first time, because I ruined it, so I promised to make it up to her somehow. It hasn’t made it an easy thing to do, though, c
onsidering she is still recovering. She constantly reassures me she is fine, but every now and again I watch her wince when she thinks I don’t notice. It devastates me that she feels she has to lie to save my feelings. My feelings don’t need saving, they need her and her love.

  The closest I have gotten to that gorgeous body of hers has been when we have stayed with them. I made a point of sleeping in her room, next to her. I underestimated how fucking frustrating that could be, though. Do you know how hard it is sleeping next to a goddess whom you can’t touch? I’ve no doubt she noticed my rock hard cock wedged between her ass cheeks every morning. Fuck…. I shouldn’t be thinking of anything like that. It’s bad enough that I’m permanently hard around her as it is, and thoughts like that are not helping. I think I’m just scared of hurting her. I don’t want to be gentle, which I know is what she deserves. It’s getting harder, though, especially as my need for her is driving me crazy.

  Crazy like right now, as she runs her hand up and down my thigh. Subconsciously, I don’t think she realizes that her slow motion movements are excruciatingly painful for my balls. Let’s not get me started on what it’s doing to my cock either, which is trying to burst from my sweatpants. More precisely, burst in my boxers if she keeps that pace up with her hand. Her inexperience is fucking cute, even though she has no idea what she is provoking in me.

  Grabbing her hand, I halt her movements, leaning in I whisper in her ear.

  “Just a word of warning, babe. If you keep that up I’m going to have to look for a change of pants. If we didn’t have eyes watching us, I would place your hand on my crotch to show you how hard you are making my cock right now.”

  Letting go of her hand, her face goes a beautiful shade of pink. I laugh to myself when she switches on to what she has done and quickly removes her hand. Chuckling next to me alerts me that Luke has overheard us. A sharp elbow to the ribs shuts him up quickly.