“Part of what, Farrah? What are you part of?”
“Where is London? Is she okay?”
“Why? Because you care? Take us up,” I ordered with my M&M’s.
Farrah pushed the button and we moved swiftly to the ninth level. I urged her toward the far wall with a nudge from my baby M&M gun. Her heels tapped like a temptress across the concrete and she did as she was told.
“You’re in enough trouble without adding murder one,” Farrah claimed.
“Shut up. You think I give a shit? You think I won’t shoot you right here?” I asked. Jesus. Whoa. Down girl, down. Wherever that came from is beyond me, but it worked.
“Okay, I’m sorry. What do you want?” Farrah asked, shuttering from the sudden fear of death.
“Why were you with Ryan?”
“Why do you think?”
“Can you not feel the barrel of this gun?”
“I feel it, but what do you want me to say? You think I’m stupid. He was in love with you. I’m sure Blake told you all about us.”
“No. He didn’t. He told me about Janie.”
“Oh, yes. Poor Janie,” Farrah sang. I stepped back when she spun around. She snorted and leaned against the half a wall with her elbows. Her long legs crossed at the ankle and I noticed for the first time how beautiful she was. It’s amazing how much the ugliness on the inside bleeds through a person. Farrah could have had any man she wanted. She was successful, driven, and gorgeous. I had a feeling Farrah didn’t want any man. She wanted one.
“What did Blake tell you? I’ll be frank. Tell me what he said about me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. He didn’t talk about you.”
“I don’t get it. He couldn’t love me, because of Janie, and then you show up and it’s like déjà vu all over again. Here’s some advice, Makayla,” Farrah said, dramatizing my name with attitude while she flipped her hair with a jerk, “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s about the money. Not you. It’s about the Holden fortune. Not you.”
“I don’t want that money and neither does Blake.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, princess. Blake Coast has always put his work before anyone. That goes for London too, until you showed up anyway. Now all of a sudden he wants the father of the year title? Most parents fight over who’s going to get custody. We fought over who was taking it. Neither of us wanted it.”
That pissed me off, “Then why would you bring her into this world? Why didn’t you give her to someone who would love her? What kind of mother does that to a child?”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
“What do you mean you didn’t have a choice?”
“I wanted to give her up. I wanted to hand her over to the Holden’s the day she was born. Blake wouldn’t let me.”
“Why would you do that?” I pondered. I didn’t get it. No matter how hard I tried to understand how a mother could treat her own child this way, I couldn’t do it. I may have only had my mom for less than eighteen years, but I would take that over a mother like this any day.
Twenty Eight
“If you were as smart as you think you are, you would have already figured it out Einstein. Think about it. When is London’s birthday?”
“September eighth,” I replied, feeling like Farrah was the one with the gun.
“What year?” Farrah pried.
“2010. Why?”
“Janie died January of 2010. How could Blake have a baby with me eight months after she died? Do you honestly think Blake’s the cheating type? He’s not. Blake’s the kind of man every girl wants; smart, handsome, witty, successful, and rich. And when Blake loves, Blake loves hard. I wanted Blake ever since the first time I met him.”
I lowered my hand when Farrah stood and took a deep breath. She placed her hands over her head and paced a few steps. She turned and looked at me and talked to me like she’d been waiting to tell someone for an eternity; like I was her jury or something, “The first time I ever saw him, he didn’t see me. I wasn’t supposed to be there. I told Janie I was going home for the weekend. After drinking more than I’d planned in the middle of the day, I decided to stay in at the dorm instead.
“Janie talked about Blake like there was no one like him on earth. If they weren’t texting each other’s phone, they were talking on the phone. I knew by the end of our first semester that their little school kid, puppy love would come to an abrupt halt once she started partying. It didn’t. Blake and Janie had a love that only comes around once every so many life times.
“I was sleeping in my loft bed when Janie sneaked him in. I could tell they were both drunk, but that didn’t stop them from being too loud. That was the night I decided I wanted Blake Coast. Janie was barely eighteen and I wanted to be her. The erotic way they made love and fucked in front of me was something you can’t describe. There was something so powerful between them that even I felt it.”
“I know what that feels like,” I assured her.
“Oh, I know you do. I saw it the very first time I laid eyes on you. And it infuriated me. Why do you get to fill those shoes? I’m the one that gave everything up for him.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“That’s because you’re one of those happy go lucky people that gets shit handed to them because they fall into it, not because they work hard and deserve it.”
“I disagree,” I said dropping my free arms to my sides, keeping her phone in my hand. I was pretty sure she knew I wasn’t going to shoot her at this point. And she was telling me more than I expected her to tell me, “I think you get back what you put out. I think we share different opinions on what would make us happy. I want Pea. That’s all I want. You can have the money. I don’t want any money from anyone.”
“I can’t give you Pea.”
“Why?”
“Ryan would have me killed.”
“Ryan? What does Ryan have to do with Pea? You know he set Blake up. You know he didn’t steal any money from Holden.”
“Doesn’t matter. With both you and Blake in prison, I’m the soul provider for London. Once Holden finds out the truth. We’ll be living in Bermuda and London will be in some boarding school some place.”
“I don’t understand how you can say that. How can you not love her and want nothing out of life but for her to be safe and happy? She’s your child. I will never understand that.”
“Let me put it to you in layman’s terms. I carried London in my womb for nine months. That’s it. That was my part. That was my good deed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you really that slow? London was conceived in a petri dish. There was no love making between Blake and I, London was supposed to be their baby and I was going to be the hero. Janie had her eggs frozen before any treatment the first go around with cancer. London belongs to Blake and Janie, not Blake and Farrah. I wanted that, I used London for that, but it didn’t work. Blake wasn’t in love with London any more than he was in love with me.”
“Wait. Are you telling me that my sister is Pea’s mom?” My heart sped to that unhealthy beat while I comprehended what she was saying.
“Yes.”
“That makes me her aunt. I’ve been taking care of my sister’s baby?” I asked, pointing to myself while my knees began to shake. It all made so much sense now. I knew there was an instant bond there. Something you can only feel and not explain with words. I was taking care of my sister’s baby. It felt so surreal.
“Yes, but it doesn’t matter. Ryan’s got it all planned out. Once Holden finds out the truth, you’ll be behind bars with the same fraudulent charges as her dad, and kidnapping. Holden already knows you were involved. It was actually kind of brilliant if you ask me. Ryan thought there for a second he was going to have to marry you.”
“Thank God that never happened,” I smartly replied.
“Getting Holden to see how you and Blake stole millions from him was easy. Ryan knew Blake was distracted with you. He told me the first
time he met you he knew. You played into every bit of it.”
“I knew Ryan was up to something. So did Blake.”
“Yes, but you were a day late. I was the one that told Ryan he would never get away with it,” Farrah laughed and crossed her arms, “The bastard proved me wrong. I never thought I would see the day Ryan Ford outsmarted Blake Coast. It worked. Ryan’s walking around like proud cock and Blake’s behind bars. He’s got him by the balls and there’s nothing he can do about it.”
“Why didn’t Blake tell the Holden’s about Pea? They know he has her. What did he tell them? Sarah would have loved Pea.”
“I was inseminated with two fertile eggs on December first. Blake and Janie were going to announce the pregnancy to their parents if it took. Janie passed out at work the day after I was inseminated with her child.”
“The cancer was back,” I stated.
“Yes, only this time it was in her brain and surgery wasn’t probable. I told Blake about the pregnancy on a very bad day. They hit Janie hard with every treatment possible and she was sick. She was so sick that day. Blake was mad. He didn’t want me to tell her, but I had to. She was so sick. She deserved some good news, and I thought maybe it would help her to live. You know, like she would want London so bad, she wouldn’t die. She would fight, but she didn’t.
“She was given three months. She died in a little over a month after she was diagnosed with the terminal brain tumor. I never told Blake that I told her. He doesn’t know that she knew, but Ryan does. He was standing at the door. He knew.”
By the time Farrah told me more than I asked for; she was actually wiping away tears.
“You have to make this right. You have to help me get Pea back. You know I took her because you didn’t want her. You know you only took her for her ties. The only reason you agreed to any of this was for money and power. You don’t love her. You have to help me get Blake out of jail, he doesn’t belong there and you know it. Do it for Janie. She wouldn’t want her baby to live like this. She would want her to be happy.”
“None of it matters little girl. It’s all about money and power. It’s already done. Once Ryan goes to Holden with the news about his granddaughter, Holden will hang Blake himself.”
“Holden doesn’t believe that. He can’t. He knows Blake would never take anything from him.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong. He already thinks Blake has been taking his money for the past five years; you coming into the picture only helped his case. Millions of dollars sitting in a bank account in Switzerland with no name. All of a sudden Holden’s long lost daughter shows up with the one guy he hated the most and bam, there you go. All the money was deposited to the red flagged account in the name of Makayla Carlie. It didn’t take five months after your arrival; three months before you were both being watched.”
“Ryan did all of that out of spite? That makes no sense.”
“It does when Blake had everything he wanted. Including Janie.”
“Ryan was in love with Janie?”
“Yes, see what I mean when I say poor little Janie?”
“No. I see so much spite and jealousy over power that it makes me sick. This is my life. This is Blake’s life. You know he was set up. You know Pea belongs with me. You have to come forward. This is your chance to do the right thing. Do it, Farrah,” I begged. I gave the bitch her chance to prove herself. She blew it.
Farrah laughed at me, “Sure. I will go right in there and broadcast it on my family owned television station. You lose. You’re not getting Blake, you’re not getting London, and you’re not getting Ryan. It’s over. You’re going to spend a good many years behind bars. Ryan and I are getting the hell out of New York, and London is going back to Sheffield. Game over.”
“And there you have it folks. This is Mikki Carlie coming to you live here at KSTV. Would you like to add anything else, Ms. KSTV?” I pointed the rolling camera on her own phone to my smile and then to her. She stopped in her tracks when she saw that I indeed just recorded everything she just said.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Give me my phone,” Farrah yelled, coming after it. My hiking shoes got me places a lot faster than her five inch heels and I sprinted a few feet.”
“You should probably scream,” I suggested, working my thumbs on her screen, “I can’t believe you don’t have a password on your phone. You know, with all that power and all. You wouldn’t want it to get in the wrong hands.”
“Give me my phone. What are you doing?”
“Hang on. I’m going to give it back. I just need to upload this video to YouTube really quick. Don’t worry, it’s going pretty quick.”
“Okay, okay. What do you want?”
“I want your first born. I had no intentions on using this until I gave you the chance to do the right thing. You didn’t.”
“I will. You can’t post that. This is a family business. I can’t be involved in any of this.”
“But you said you wanted to leave here, get out of New York. Oh, done. Here you go. I’ve got to go, but this has been one of the best talks I’ve ever had in my life. I’ll see ya around,” I said handing over her phone, “I wouldn’t call the cops just yet if I were you.”
“You can’t show that video.”
“I already did. How long do you think it will take to go live? Maybe I should call one of your competitors. I bet they would jump on the story. How many hits do you think I will get? You’ve got a little time first if you want come clean with your family or something. I have it set to private. Nobody can see it yet. Not until I have Pea.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll give you the kid. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“That’s just it, Farrah. I don’t want anything. I want my family. I want Blake and Pea.”
That was my last word to Farrah. I darted down the steps, skipping two at a time. I wasn’t worried about her calling the cops. I didn’t care if she did.
I tied my hoodie around my waist and held my head high while I walked proudly up the street. Maybe this was another one of those things that had to happen. Had Blake and I just run away with Pea, Ryan and Farrah would still be the villains. There was still one thing I didn’t understand. Why didn’t Blake tell Holden about Pea? They had a right to know. Why didn’t he tell me? He had every chance to tell me Pea was my niece. He could have told me the night I met Sarah. I laid it out on the table for him just like I did Sarah, and he chose not to do the right thing either. Why? Was it all for nothing? Pea was my family, my real family. For what it was worth. That meant the world to me. One thing was for sure, Farrah was right, Blake did love hard when he loved.
***
Alone in Blake’s room, I asked. “Why am I all of a sudden nervous around you?”
“Because I am about to make you come,” Blake assured me.
“I feel weird now,” I said, stopping the slow moving kiss.
Blake continued to remove the clothes I wouldn’t let Ryan remove. No. Wait. I removed those clothes, Blake and I matched in basketball shorts. I’d already changed.
“Weird?”
“Yeah, like I’m cheating or something.”
“On Ryan?”
“No, you idiot. Janie.”
“Janie’s been gone for almost four years?” Blake questioned. I spun in a circle away from him and he dropped his arms in defeat.
“But now I know she was my sister and you were her childhood sweetheart. Your soul mate.”
“You have no idea how much Janie is smiling right now. Janie is ecstatic that you’re here.”
“Tell me about her.”
“Now?” Blake asked with a very prominent erection showing through his basketball shorts. I sat on his bed and looked up to him. I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t trying to kill the mood. I wasn’t feeling the mood. I had so many questions that I didn’t understand and I wanted answers. “Fine, okay. What do you want to know?”
Blake moved toward me and moved me back on the bed with soft kisses. I thought we were
finished with the talking when he laid me down and towered above me. We kissed and the love that I longed for emotionally permeated my body in steps. Once I felt the tingling between my legs, Blake rolled to his elbow and smiled at me, “What do you want to know?” He repeated. I liked this position. Blake was shirtless in black basketball shorts. I was shirtless in white basketball shorts. My light pink bra matched the two pink stripes going down the legs and Blake’s hand rested on my stomach.
“Just tell me about her. What was she like?”
Blake’s leg slid across my midsection when I placed my hands over my head. I started at him in contentment while he smiled down at me and thought about what to say. His small smile spread into a bigger one once he spoke, “She was a lot like you.”
“She was?”
“Yes, it’s really cool, actually.”
“Like what do you mean?”
“Well, she dressed like this,” he explained, wrapping the small string around his pinky finger.
“She did?”
“Yup, even when we were married. She used to stop by the office in basketball shorts all the time; drove Holden nuts.”
“You’re calling him Holden a lot more now.”
“Yeah, I guess so. I think I liked him better when he was Holden.”
“Janie’s dad?”
“Yeah,” he agreed, kissing my lips.
“What else?”
“Hmmm, well she was very close to her mother. Holden didn’t want kids. He wanted an empire, so when he agreed to Janie, Sarah knew she was getting one chance. They were very close.”
“I love that. I was close with my mom to,. I’m going to be that way with Pea.”
“You already are.”
“What else?” I smiled, “Did you take Janie’s virginity too?”
“I did. We were fourteen.”
“What?” I asked, trying to sit up. He laughed and held me down with his leg and strong arm, “You were fourteen?”
“Yes, and guess where it was at?”
“I don’t know.”
“On the top of an August Förster piano. We were practicing.”