MELODY
All of them looked at me with some form of confusion and anger in their eyes, even Liam. He seemed to be permanently fixed in his spot between Neal and his father. There was so much I wanted to say, to tell him, but I couldn’t, not now anyways.
Ethan fussed as the phone dropped from his chubby fingers and onto the seat, and as I reached down to get it, Olivia immediately reached for Ethan.
“Mel, be careful, he just ate. He should be going down for a nap anyway.” Olivia reached for him, but I gave her a look that clearly stated she needed to back the fuck off, now.
I reached over to give Coraline her phone. At the same time Ethan tried to grab it from my hands, but Olivia snatched it from my grasp.
“It needs to be wiped down for germs. Seriously, Mel, give him to me so he can rest. This is madness, you can’t just come back and take over—”
“I did and I am. I’ve got him, Olivia. Today of all days is not one to test me,” I told her as I pulled Ethan to my chest. I reached into my pocket to get my phone and give it to him. The moment he had it, he clapped his hands against it.
“Oh look, you do have a phone. Care to explain why the fuck you haven’t used it?” Evelyn snapped at me again.
She looked as if she needed to be put down for a nap as well.
“I just got it today,” I told her, trying to get used to the feeling of him in my arms again. He felt so much heavier, but he still smelled the same.
“Mel, this isn’t a game! Where have you been? Neal and I spent millions looking for you. We sent men all over the fucking globe,” Declan stepped up.
“Not to mention the damned late nights, the worrying, and the fact that our brother spent five months in jail because you up and disappeared off the face of the earth. And now, out of the blue, you’re back,” Neal said as he squeezed the bench’s backrest so hard I thought it would break.
“Yes, now I’m back,” I repeated.
The door swung open and DiMarco, I believe his name was, stepped out with Anna along with the two extra Interpol agents who worked for me. The prosecutor kept his head down as he walked directly to his table that was littered with papers.
DiMarco walked up to Liam and shook his hand. “Mr. Callahan, when this story gets out, I do believe I’m going to be out of a job, and I doubt you all will ever need a lawyer again.”
“Never say never, DiMarco,” Liam nodded, his voice barely over a whisper.
DiMarco looked at me and reached for a handshake as well. Shifting Ethan over to my hip, just like I’d envisioned doing for months, I reached for his hand.
“And thank you for everything you’ve done, Mrs. Callahan, I’m sure it couldn’t have been easy. I will keep a lookout for the President’s press conference,” he said to me.
Smiling, I nodded. “Thank you too. I’m so sorry you were not told—”
“No, I completely understand. National security trumps a hotshot Chicago lawyer, I’m just glad I’m on the right side of history. Again, good luck to you all!” he said as he waved once more before he exited the courtroom.
Liam’s eyes snapped to me like he was trying to piece together the web of lies I had spent the last few months concocting. The prosecutor came over next, he opened, then shut, and opened his mouth before sighing.
Turning to Liam, his head hung low in defeat.
“The damage has already begun. I’m sure by morning I will be completely broken,” he tried to laugh it off.
“Word of advice; move. The damage will linger, but at least there is hope that you may one day be able to show your face again,” I told him seriously.
He closed eyes, sighed, and nodded. “I’m truly sorry, I didn’t know. I will make a formal apology as well.”
When he left, Anna snickered as she looked me dead in the eye. “No more favors. I’m done.”
“No you aren’t,” I told her. She was family, no matter how many times she was removed or added.
“I fucking hate this family,” she muttered as she gave Liam a small hug, which he didn’t return. “Oh right, you have to fill them in. Well good luck with that, I have a press conference to get ready for.”
When everyone else left, they turned to me expectantly.
“How big is this cover up?” Sedric finally spoke. He seemed just as reluctant as Liam.
“When your grandfather is head of the FBI, as big as humanly possible.” And judging by their reactions, I guessed that he hadn’t told them because all of their eyes, with the exception of Olivia who kept watching Ethan, just about fell out of their heads.
“Liam?” Sedric turned to him.
He nodded, and finally moved closer to me, but he didn’t to touch me like I had hoped. Instead, he reached out for Ethan, but I didn’t want to release him. It hurt to let him go again, but I gave up. Ethan giggled, as he smacked his father’s face a little bit.
“Neal, have Monte and Fedel bring the car around back. Liam and I need to talk,” I commanded, resuming my position as if I had not disappeared for almost half a year. The sooner they got back to the way we ran this ship, the better it would be, for them. Because no matter what, we were the heads of this family and I was never giving up that position.
Olivia must have pressed down on her heel too hard because it broke. Without a word, she took off and stomped out with Neal following behind her. Evelyn pulled Liam into a small hug, which he returned.
“I’m so glad this is finally over,” she whispered.
But it wasn’t. In fact, we were only at the beginning, and looking around at the way things were within this family, I knew that everyone wouldn’t be intact at the finish line.
Evelyn turned to me, but she didn’t say a word; she kissed Ethan’s head before leaving.
“Babe, we should head back as well, I’m going to need a whole lot of booze to handle this shit,” Declan muttered as he took Coraline’s hand. But she broke away for a moment and came over to me.
“The entire family has to wear one, no exceptions,” she smirked, as she pulled her ‘Free Liam’ campaign button off, and pinned it onto my suit jacket. “Welcome home, Mel.”
I nodded not wanting to speak. I wasn’t sure if I could put into words what I was feeling.
In a matter of moments, we were alone. Liam, Ethan, and I; our fucked up, beautiful, little family. Liam sat down and placed Ethan on his lap.
“Liam—”
“Four minutes, Melody. Four minutes, that how long it’s going to take them to bring the car around, and I just want four minutes with the most important person in my life, and to not deal with what the hell you’re about to drag me into,” he spat at me causing Ethan to frown and smack his check again until he smiled at him.
What I was dragging him into?
I felt a cold sweat envelope my body at his words. It wasn’t what he said, I’ve heard worse things directed at me. But, it was how he said it. Disdain was the prevalent emotion that I could hear. Although I didn’t expect to be welcomed back with open arms, just hearing his voice and being beside him made me wish that that was what greeted me instead of this. Sitting down, I didn’t say anything more. He tried to distract himself with Ethan, but my little one couldn't even keep his green eyes open for more than a minute. His head started to nod back and forth, and I reached for him but Liam shook his head and held Ethan to his chest tightly.
“Why start pretending like you care now?” he muttered.
I guess our four minutes were up.
“Is this the game we’re going to play?” I whispered, trying not to look at him.
“No one is playing any games but you. Did you find yourself wherever the fuck you went? Was it amazing? Please tell me, was it worth keeping me in jail, and away from my son? Was it worth abandoning him?!” he snapped and Ethan stirred for a moment before he readjusted himself. “I thought about everything I would say to you when you got back. And all I can think of saying is I’m done. I’m done worrying or caring about you. You are as coldhearted and as ma
nipulative as your fucking mother.”
Closing my eyes, I bit the inside of my cheek as I tried to calm down. He wanted to hurt me. He was pissed, and he was trying to hurt me. It was working.
“Either way, I’m done. If I knew marrying you—” he stopped.
“You would of what?” I asked him seriously. “Married Natasha? I’m brewing with jealousy.”
“Really? When did the wizard give you your heart back? When did you develop emotions or care about anyone other than your fucking self? Not even your own fucking child…”
“Enough!” I hissed rising from the chair.
I was trying to fight off the stinging in my eyes. I had to turn away. I refused to be weak. Weakness got you killed, it was what had been the end of Aviela. It had turned her into a sniveling, pathetic maniac, and I refused to be compared to her. Especially by the one person I loved more than anything in this world, with the exception of the little person he was holding onto.
There were so many things I needed to say to him. I didn’t know if he would even care. They weren’t excuses, they were reasons. I had to make him see that what I did was for him and Ethan. He had to understand that only they mattered, and I refused to put them in danger without a way to eradicate it myself. I wasn’t physically or mentally capable of doing those things after I’d gotten free from Aviela, and I doubted that I would’ve been able to. Not with the roadblocks I’d encountered at every turn.
I tried not to think about it…about what had happened. I didn’t want to fight with him. I wanted to talk, to explain everything to him. How each time I tried to get closer to him, things only got worse. But most of all, I needed him on my side, not against me. I could take on everyone in the world, but I needed a reason to. He and Ethan were that reason. But if he gave up…
“Ma’am.”
I turned around and there was Monte.
“Welcome back.”
“Thank you, Monte, I hope you all have enjoyed your vacation. From now on, everyone will be working overtime.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said.
“Good. Is a car-seat installed?” I glanced at Ethan again. His thumb was in his mouth. I used to do it as well…until my father cut my thumb and placed a bandage on it so I could break the habit.
“Yes, ma’am, your mother-in-law had it put in.”
Liam stood without saying a word. He was focused on his son in his arms. I wasn’t sure what he wanted from me. I couldn’t regret my choice. There was so much that I had to tell him, and I didn’t want to do it screaming. In the back of my mind, he had always been there. Every day, I thought of him and Ethan. But Avian hadn’t only made me suffer. If I were the forgiving type, I could overlook that. But he’d made Liam suffer…he’d left our son without his parents, and for that, I was going to get my revenge, even if it killed me.
FIVE
“We have the best government that money can buy.”
—Mark Twain
LIAM
“Good evening, I’m Stan Mercy.”
“And I’m Toni Blake.”
“This is KW4 Evening news. Tonight, we will be running live coverage on the story that has captivated the nation. The Callahan name has been heavily gossiped, and in national news for years, but no more than in the past few months. In a surprising turn of events, the Callahan name is now synonymous with national security. For the past few months, federal agents have been conducting an investigation that has resulted in the deaths of Joseph Williams and two other homegrown terrorists responsible for bombings across the Mexican border and Europe.
“Five months ago, government agents uncovered information, through the help of a witness, which led to this discovery. The world knows her as Mrs. Melody Callahan. After an attempt on her life, she was placed into witness protection. The only people knowing of her whereabouts were her husband and those of the highest clearance. This operation required a great deal of sacrifice from a great deal of people. At the latest report, the total casualty count has reached six. These were all government agents that unfortunately lost their lives protecting their country. Roger Kane, Kimberly Green, Beatrice Sinclair, Adam…”
“Holy shit,” Neal whispered as he stared at the six agents on the screen. “Did she really kill them for the cover up?”
All of us, with the exception of Mel, Evelyn, and Coraline who were in Ethan’s room, were watching the news coverage. We watched as the President, the one I had spent a fortune creating, covered for Mel…covered for us all.
“I wouldn’t put anything past her,” Declan came around, and handed me a glass of brandy on the rocks. Taking in the scent, I almost moaned as I took a large gulp.
“How did I live without this?” I asked him. “I should have had it smuggled in instead of the rocks. I could have made a whole lot more money.”
“You shouldn’t have needed anything to be smuggle in,” Olivia snapped, crossing her legs in the chair as she glared at the President on the screen.
“Thank you for your concern. Five months without a visit, I wouldn’t have thought you cared.” Downing all of the brandy, I walked across the room to the mahogany bar in the corner.
“This cover-up…it’s deep. Why did she choose terrorism?” Neal asked, looking at the television as the President went on.
“Because there are only two wars in this country that people care about,” I muttered, “the war on drugs and the war on terror; she’d rather them focus on the latter, for obvious reasons.”
What a smart wife I had, she’d planned it all out perfectly.
“We’re going to have to do press conferences, and a lot of them, this isn’t just going to go away. We’ll be in the news for weeks, if not years,” Declan moaned, and I was there with him. The last thing I wanted do was sit in front of the same sharks who were calling for my blood only a few hours ago.
“Did Melody speak about any of this with you?” my father asked.
“Talk to me about something? What do I look like, her husband?” I laughed bitterly as I drank.
“Liam?” he questioned me again.
“Why the hell did you let me get married?” I sighed, as I pinched the bridge of my nose. “She didn’t say anything about it, and I didn’t give her the chance.”
“What are you going to do?” Neal asked.
“Right now I’m going to try to wash the stench of jail off of me. Then I’m going to drink…actually I’m going to do both at the same time¸ and only after that I may speak with her.” Or strangle her…Walking out the room, a few maids curtsied as I passed them, which reminded me that I needed to do another background check and establish some sort of leverage on all of them.
“Liam,” Olivia called out from behind me.
I stopped in the middle of the marble staircase.
“Liam, I’m sorry I didn’t come to visit you,” she whispered. “I spent most of my time with Ethan.”
“I noticed, you seem attached,” I replied, as I turned back to face her. Which was why I hadn’t wanted her near him to begin with.
She squeezed her hands, and bit her bottom lip. “I am, and that’s not my fault. I’ve been here for five months and I’ve watched him become more amazing with each passing day. I care about him, and I’m worried that whatever you all are getting into is going to affect him. I’m sorry to say it, but neither of you have been great parents. In fact, neither of you have been parents. But what do you expect when the both of you are so wrapped up in this family. I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“He is not your son, Olivia.”
She looked as if I’d just slapped her. “I…I know that.”
“Do you really?”
I stared at her for a moment, but apparently she couldn’t find the words to say anything else, so I turned around and walked away.
“Goodnight, Olivia, I hope for your sake you never bring this up again, ever.”
“Threaten me all you want, Liam, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong!”
Rolling
my eyes, I tried to ignore the headache that seemed to have been building all day. I’d literally just gotten out of jail for the love of Christ. There should be a waiting period before dealing with all this shit.
But I knew I wouldn’t get one.
I knew we would have to face off with Ivan—Avian—whatever the hell he called himself. But we couldn’t just jump back into everything like nothing had happened.
Step one was to fix my family.
It was going to take some time to get to our revenge.
But it would be worth it.
MELODY
“Mel, I’m sure this can wait,” Coraline said to me as I moved the furniture in Ethan’s room around. But it couldn’t wait. It wasn’t safe.
“I’d rather not,” I said to her.
Ethan was fast asleep under his custom-initialed, teal, cashmere blanket. They had kept the theme I had chosen for him—the rainforest, though they’d done what they always did and made it over the top, but it was still beautiful. However, his crib needed to be further away from the door and the window. Surprisingly, as I moved it, he didn’t wake up.
Evelyn sat in the rocking chair, glaring at me as I ignored her. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t do it here. So instead, she threw out small jabs at me.
“He’ll wake up at three a.m. No matter when we let him down for his nap, he’ll sleep until three a.m. and then wake up again,” Coraline snickered, as she picked a pair of tiny socks up off the ground and moved it to his dresser.
“Yes, if you plan on being in his life longer than a day this time, you should get used to it.”
That had been Evelyn’s fourth underhanded comment since we had stepped into the room.
Turning to her, it took all the strength I had to not strangle the life out her.
“Okay, that’s our cue to leave,” Coraline wrapped her arm around her mother-in-law and lifted her out of the chair as if she were some old woman.
“And we’re supposed to just leave her in here? She has no idea how to raise him…or what he likes…”