Lastly there was that group of people whose whole identity was tied up in the myth of Silver Glade, who would rather go along with something they found slightly distasteful rather than lose the prestige of being a premier resident of this affluent town. He was counting on their unwillingness to rock the boat to sway any remaining doubters.
Sadly for Charles Sinclair a few pesky rebels failed to understand the lengths he had gone to, nor were they willing to sit back and let the town be destroyed. Such was his confidence that he overlooked the warning signs, which would be a costly mistake and yet Charles Sinclair got half his wish that night.
The Homecoming Pep Rally did prove memorable. It did earn it's place in the folklore of Silver Glade. His most troublesome servant did show the people of the town what kind of a man he was, his actions inspiring legends, the likes of which Charles had never yet seen.
There were fireworks galore that made neighboring towns envious, and Charles Sinclair learned his most valuable lesson yet; never underestimate the wrath of a teenage girl who has nothing left to lose.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The usual twenty minute journey from Jack's house to the school took just over ten minutes, with Dylan showing off his crazy skills as a driver. Therefore it gave Nate a certain sense of satisfaction when the car came to a stop, directly in front of the welcoming committee at exactly eight pm. Scowls firmly in place, minion number one reached to open Mimi's door.
"It's a bit late to be showing any form of manners. Your grandmother would be ashamed."
The man, who Nate now recognized as the football coach lowered his eyes, whispering a quiet apology. Mimi, who it seemed had decided that she would be playing the role of disappointed, cantankerous, older lady, was not hiding her attitude.
"Oh do stop that muttering. Own your actions boy, or rethink them and quickly." Then she turned her back to the coach, grabbing on to Nate as if she required the support of his arm, alongside her walking stick.
"Dylan you are to escort Ms Riley to her seat, your father is waiting there for you both." This was the first time the other person had spoken.
"So you can't be bothered to escort me yourself Issac Carter? I thought that you were supposed to be in charge of this sorry excuse of a school?" The Principal actually stepped back at the venom in her voice.
"I don't think that you are in any position to speak to my colleague that way Margaret." Officer Camden had found their group, his hand rested on his gun holster, a warning or reminder Nate guessed, as if any of them could forget just what was at stake.
"Trust me Joseph when I say that I never forget. I remember everything; including the fact that you have never been given permission to address me by my first name. I sure hope that you three are not the best of Mr Sinclair's associates. Now young Dylan I think it best that we find our seats. It would be terrible to miss any of the pep rally!"
"I need to check you all for weapons first." Officer Camden sounded smug, his enjoyment of the situation clear.
"It's school policy," Principal Carter added, who for some reason seemed to want to appease Mimi. Nate wondered if that meant that the educator was beginning to regret his support of Sinclair.
"Naturally the safety of all your students is a priority," the tone of her voice contradicted her words. Having expected at least one check for weapons neither he or Jack made any attempt to stop the very eager Officer Camden when he ran a metal detector wand over them, followed by a frisking that Nate felt was a little rougher than usual standard police procedure.
Still they had been prepared for this event, and both he and Jack knew that given the right opportunity there were any number of ways to disarm an attacker.
"Lay a hand on me and it will be the last thing that you do." This was Mimi addressing not just Joey Camden, but the other men standing there. All three looked confused as they had their orders, but they also didn't doubt that Ms Margaret Riley would find a way to make her threat a reality.
"If you'll allow me Ms Riley?" Dylan asked quietly, motioning for the wand, which seemed to solve the dilemma for the men.
"Your father will be most pleased when he hears about this." The fact that Camden thought that Dylan wanted his father's approval was further proof that the man's observational skills were severely lacking, and that was not counting the blatant ignorance he was showing.
Nate watched as the other boy ran the wand in the general direction of Mimi, so that anyone looking would see nothing wrong with what he was doing, but a trained law enforcement officer should have noticed that the wand was not close enough to detect anything.
However Officer Camden was distracted by Jack calling his name, asking if they were going to stand around all evening. This seemed to remind the officer, who for some reason appeared to be in charge of the group, that they did have a schedule to follow, and so they watched Mimi walk towards the football field, her steps slow, the staccato beat of her walking stick loud on the pavement, until they turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
"This way gentlemen." With little choice, Nate and Jack allowed themselves to be directed inside the school building itself, where more of his stepfather's henchmen began to gather, all watching with growing smirks. If he thought it would make any difference, he would have tried appealing to their better nature, but then they had reached Carter's office which had been chosen as command center for whatever his stepfather had planned.
"There are some papers for you both to sign, but that can be done later." Officer Camden sounded positively giddy with excitement and he felt his mentor tense beside him.
"I want to see Grace." Jack's voice was low, hinting at his rage.
"Riley, this may come as a surprise to someone like you, but you are not in charge here. You'll see Ms Andrews when you've earned the right to."
There was a leer to the officer's voice, and Nate could see the effort it took his mentor not to react to the unspoken threat. He too was fighting the urge to lash out at the way the other man was making suggestive comments about Grace, but he knew that he had to remain calm.
"You think you are so special don't you Riley, the good son, who goes to the fancy school only to swan back into town and have everyone fawn all over you for how kind and selfless you are, taking in the orphan. She's a pretty little thing, so I can see the draw."
As he listened to Camden's words, Nate vowed that by the time the night was over he would have made the man pay for the vile things he had just said.
"After tonight, you won't have to worry about her anymore. She will belong to Mr Sinclair."
"Grace is not property. She is a person." Jack spat out.
"Things change Riley. The sooner you accept that the easier tonight will be, for all of you." Nate knew, with a growing sick feeling just what Camden was talking about. The meaning of his words was not lost on Jack either.
"Enough," Nate spoke before Jack lost his temper. "Is there a reason why I'm listening to your banter about some girl I hardly know." It had been decided that it was safer if Charles Sinclair never became aware of just how close he and Grace truly were.
The plan was to make it look like they had the most basic of acquaintances so as much as his words hurt to say, the most important thing was that they might keep her out of additional danger.
"You behave yourself and that will all change. Of course you will have to wait your turn." Something about this comment pushed Jack too far, and he grabbed Joey Camden's hand, the snapping of a bone was heard, followed by a pained scream.
"You will be sorry you did that. For everything you do to me or anyone of us we have the right to return the favor, and Grace is so breakable isn't she?" Camden held his wounded hand close to his body, his face leeched of color.
"You still have nine more that I can break, you pathetic..." Jack had reached his limits, yet he still managed to abstain from using a certain expletive. However,if Camden was stupid enough to push; which based on precedent seemed likely, then
he would be in a world of pain.
"Now, now, gentlemen, what is happening here?"
"Wonderful," Nate thought to himself, watching as his stepfather swanned into the room, as usual dressed like he was an old time Southern landowner, the only thing missing was the monocle.
"I invited you here for a civilized conversation, and already you are acting like ill-mannered louts. I expect this kind of behavior from my son, but I had always heard that Jack Riley was a pacifist." No one responded, though Camden was glaring at Jack, still cradling his injured hand.
"Joseph explain please." The alleged law enforcement officer mumbled a little, then repeated what had been said.
"You never explained the rules to our guest Joseph, therefore on this occasion you can't retaliate. That would be unfair. We have important business to get through so if we could all please refrain from tantrums, for now at least."
It was like a slap on the wrist to two small children fighting over the same toy, only in this case these were grown men speaking about a person as if she were nothing more than a doll to be shared. Nate's resolve to keep Joey Camden's grubby hands away from Grace grew.
It had not escaped him that while the other man still held his injured hand in a protective manner, there had been no offer of medical treatment from his stepfather. Nor had anyone, outside of himself, realized that even in the midst of his anger, Jack had had the presence of mind to break Camden's trigger finger, thus practically incapacitating him.
"Time has been wasted, I had hoped to bring Ms Andrews here, so that she could be formally introduced to my son, but alas it will have to wait." His stepfather paused as if waiting for some form of response, which neither he or Jack gave.
Their silence displeased Sinclair and it showed in his next announcement. Producing two document folders, he held one in his hand, the other was placed on the desk in front of him.
"Victoria has confirmed that she will be here tomorrow with the necessary and legally binding paperwork regarding the transferring of access to the Henderson Foundation's fund into my very capable hands."
The call to his lawyer had been filled with plenty of curse words about the extreme stunt his stepfather was trying to pull. She had reminded Nate that anything signed under duress would not hold up in court, and then she had connected the call to Charles, giving her word that the paperwork would be there by start of business.
"Furthermore, my own, very capable legal team has been kind enough to prepare papers that you, Mr Riley will sign. These will relinquish your guardianship of Ms Andrews to me." Jack looked stunned and Nate couldn't blame him. Grace was almost eighteen, practically a legal adult, so none of this made sense. Then his stepfather spoke again.
"Tonight, as part of the rally, Jack and I will announce the happy news of my son Nate's engagement to Ms Andrews. Meanwhile my obedient son will also announce his decision to put the Henderson Foundation into my care while he and Ms Andrews focus on finishing their senior year, decide on schools for next year and they will of course need all the time they can get to organize their wedding this Christmas."
Of all that Nate had thought his stepfather was planning, making him marry Grace had never crossed his mind.
"Naturally Grace shall remain under my protection until all the paperwork is dealt with, and since I know what a charming girl she is, I can only guess how anxious you are Mr Riley to have her home."
There was an obvious threat to his words, and just the idea of Grace spending any time in close proximity to Charles was repulsive to Nate.
His stepfather pointed to the second folder. "To ensure that you don't try to do something stupid; like reneging on our deal, you will both sign these affidavits of intent. They will serve as my legal guarantee, and trust me I have been informed that they are binding."
"You got new representation? Someone who didn't need to pay another student to take the bar exam for them?" Jack sneered, but he still motioned for the papers.
"As you can see they are exactly as they should be." His stepfather sounded beyond smug, but he didn't know Jack, didn't know the other man's tells, not like Nate did. His mentor made a fuss about the papers, as it would have been strange if he had signed straight away, even with Grace being held as a hostage.
Still Nate paused, not trusting his stepfather one bit. The name he scrawled on the paper was barely legible, but Charles seemed happy with it.
"Now because I am a most generous host; and a man of my word, and I feel as if you have both been mostly cooperative I feel as if you deserve a reward." His stepfather clicked his fingers, and a tablet appeared from somewhere. Pressing a couple of buttons, the device was handed to Nate, and he felt Jack get closer to see what was happening on the screen.
There she was, his Grace, his Belle. The layers of make-up highlighted the paleness of her skin, and there was nothing to hide the terror in her eyes. There was someone there with her, someone he couldn't identify from the angle of the camera, but whoever they were they were holding Grace's hand. They seemed to be in the middle of an ongoing conversation, but the volume was too low to hear what was being said.
"It's not a live feed, as Ms Andrews is currently on her way to join us here at the school. As you can see she is in safe hands, my young soldiers all know that she is not for them. You see how young Luke keeps his hands in respectable places, and if you keep watching you will see that Grace has accepted her new position."
With the volume increased Nate heard her soft voice explain that she belonged to someone else, that she was not for Luke. He tried not to throw up at the sanctimoniousness of his stepfather's voice, and he was actively ignoring the shackle that was locked around her ankle.
"Oh don't look so worried Jack, the chains will be removed before our darling girl makes her official début. It's just sad that my dear wife can not be here for this special occasion, but given her fragile nature we both felt that she should remain at home."
There was an underlying message in this statement, and as much as it pained him to think so badly of his mother; even knowing what she must have suffered under Sinclair, for Nate his immediate priority and focus was on Grace. There was a knock on the door, which was apparently the signal that his stepfather was waiting for.
"Everything is ready for us, shall we gentlemen?" Then with little choice Nate and Jack followed his stepfather out to the football field.
The minions had been busy. There was a large stage built in the center of the field, with a small bonfire at each corner. Extra lights had been set up, and there was not an area of the stage that was not lit up and visible to the crowds that were gathered in the stands.
Nate was surprised to see the group of his fellow classmates huddled on the sidelines, the boys looking uncomfortable in their suit jackets and ties, while the girls were wearing dresses that did little to keep out the cold.
Somewhat absentmindedly he wondered how it was possible that they were able to walk in their high heels, but then a slight commotion caught his attention.
"Grace."
He heard the anguish in Jack's voice, the undercurrent of anger, then saw the bruises around her ankle that were no doubt the cause. She was surrounded by football players, though Luke was the closest to her, and he was glaring at the others around them.
It was then that Nate saw what he has been desperately trying to ignore, namely that the material of Grace's dress was wrinkled and her hair seemed to have fallen from it's former elaborate style.
"Boys, you were told to keep your hands to yourself." Surprisingly his stepfather sounded genuinely angry, and the footballers immediately looked contrite and ill at ease.
"She must look unmolested until after tonight's events." Of course his stepfather was only annoyed at the optics being presented, not the fact that Grace had been subjected to unwanted touches.
"Dylan, Maddison." The two people his stepfather called for moved quickly, apparently knowing what was required of them, even if Maddie looked
like she wanted to be anywhere else. Dylan was gently trying to fix Grace's hair, and it was growing more difficult for Nate to remain where he was, once again a helpless bystander to his stepfather's schemes.
Finished with their tasks, Dylan returned to where Mimi was sitting, and Maddie rejoined the group of students on the sidelines. Grace was still in a daze, and he didn't know if she had seen him or Jack, if she was aware that they were there, just waiting for an opportunity to present itself.
"If he touches her, I'm going to kill him," Jack whispered, his eyes fixed to where Sinclair now stood beside Grace.
"Take even one step and it's curtains for the old biddy." Camden had overheard, and he pointed to where Mimi was sitting on the stage. "McGinley has his orders, and he can't miss. You're too far away to save either of them, just like we planned."
Jack growled, it was a warning but of course Camden was too stupid to notice it, and again he suffered as Jack grabbed his other hand, and snapped another finger.
"Two down Joey, just give me a reason to make it a hat trick." Camden just about bit back a scream, but his look promised revenge.
"Everything okay here? I do hope we are getting along." Camden stayed quiet but there was no way that Sinclair could miss the way his goon was holding his hand.
"Oh for goodness sake. Jack you shouldn't have done that," he glanced once at Grace, his meaning clear. "Let's get this show on the road before the crowd get restless."
Nate was really beginning to question his stepfather's sanity; he was way too happy and it was then that he knew that Sinclair was going to crash and burn.
The older man was so convinced of his success that he was not paying enough attention to everything going on, his complacency was obvious in the way that he was trusting his minions to have everything prepared as he wished.
Chasing Shadows Page 27