A Tragic Wreck (39 page)

“Carol, I can’t lose her again.” He exhaled loudly. “I opened the letter, and it’s so much worse than I thought. Than we
both
thought.”

Alexander told her all the information he had learned, leaving out the part about Olivia’s father still being alive. Carol told him that she would look into Kiddish and see if she could come up with anything on him or his alias, Donovan O’Laughlin. Nothing had turned up in the last eight months and she wasn’t sure she would learn anything new. Their father did not know many of the details of Olivia’s father’s investigation into corruption, how high it went or who was involved, apart from basic speculation so that was a dead end.

After a long conversation, he hung up, promising to get together with her sometime during the weekend. He flipped open his laptop and sat staring at one of the pictures that had circulated the internet over the weekend. The now infamous kiss. The photo that started everything…and ruined everything.

Then a light went off in his head. Olivia was scared of being left alone, of being abandoned. She had admitted this many times, saying that she was trying to work through those issues, so her defense mechanism kicked in to push him away. It all became clear why she acted the way she did. She was scared to give her heart to someone only to be left alone again.

She loved him and he knew it.

He picked up his phone. “Mo? It’s Alex. I need a favor.”

“W
HY
,
HELLO
SUNSHINE
,” M
O
said when Olivia barged into his house around five Wednesday evening. He scowled when he saw Olivia’s face. She hadn’t been herself since Sunday. She was moody and irritable.

“Jesus. Who lit the fuse on your tampon?” Kiera joked.

“Yeah, whatever.” Olivia glared at Kiera standing by Mo’s side. At first, she was happy when Mo and Kiera got together but, now, she was over it. If she couldn’t be happy, then no one could. And she had spent the last twenty-four hours trying to convince herself that Alexander did not make her happy and was bad for her. It wasn’t going very well.

“Let’s get this rehearsal started,” she said before heading upstairs to Mo’s music room.
 

Mo looked at Kiera for an answer as to why Olivia was so moody. “Don’t look at me,” she responded.

“Stop talking about me behind my back!” Olivia shouted down the stairs. “And stop thinking I’m fucking crazy! I’m sick of it!”

Photos had surfaced mid-day Sunday of Olivia storming out of Alexander’s apartment building; of him running outside minutes after she left; of him shouting on the street, shirtless; and of him sobbing outside his building. And then of Olivia getting into a cab, hence how the photographers found her at Kiera’s. The magazines took the photos and concocted some story about how Olivia couldn’t deal with the pressures of a public relationship and she cracked. She was tired of all the internet sites simply publishing one unfavorable story after another.

Olivia set up her guitar and amp as the guys shuffled into the music room. They ran through the songs that Mo had chosen for their sets, doing Olivia’s songs first so that she could get out of there. When they finished running through the last song Olivia would perform with them, she turned to Mo. “Let’s add one more, if that’s okay.” She had calmed down significantly since first arriving at Mo’s. Music had that effect on her.

“Sure, Livvy. Which one?”

“That Delta Rae song we rehearsed a few weeks back. Let’s do that one.”

Mo glared at her. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Giacomo. Damn fucking sure.” The two friends glared at each other, Olivia willing Mo to try something stupid. The other band members stared at their stand-off, wondering what was going on. With a sigh, Mo started strumming his guitar and Olivia sang.

As she left Mo’s that evening, she noticed two black SUVs parked down the street. “Fucking stalker,” she muttered before cranking the engine to her Audi.

~~~~~~~~~~

Nathan Roberts had been sitting in his rental sedan outside of a house in Arlington where Olivia went every Wednesday evening for band rehearsal. He continued keeping an eye on her and was aware of her and Alexander’s rather public break-up, even though the news of their relationship had only hit the gossip magazines hours beforehand.

Just an hour after Olivia arrived at the house in Arlington, he saw her storm out, jumping in her car and speeding down the street, heading back toward the city. He was about to follow her when a black SUV peeled out, tailing her. He maintained his position, not wanting anyone to become suspicious.

At that moment, Nathan saw a man get out of another black SUV and walk up the front steps of the house that Olivia had just left. It was Alexander. He felt bad for him. He looked rather sad, his shoulders slumped forward as he waited for someone to answer the door.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, Alex,” Mo said, welcoming him into the house. Alexander turned to look at the street, noticing a gray sedan, the driver’s eyes trained on him. “The guys are upstairs. Are you sure about this?”

He turned his head back to Mo. “Yes. I’ve never been so sure about anything in my entire life.” He grinned, following Mo up the stairs of his house.

“What if she doesn’t go for it? I mean, she’s been a ball of fucking fire lately. Get too close and she’ll burn you, man.”

“Mo,” Alexander turned to him, stopping at the top of the stairs. “This is true love, and it’s worth fighting for. If I don’t do this, if I don’t at least try, I will regret every second of every minute of every day for the rest of my life.”

Kiera came out of the upstairs study, running toward Alexander. “Ooh!! Let me see! Let me see! Let me see!” she said excitedly, jumping up and down.

Alexander reached into his pocket.

“Oh, Alex,” she exhaled.

A
FTER
RETURNING
HOME
FROM
rehearsal and making a quick dinner, Olivia walked over to her large bay window and sat down, staring at the SUV that Carter sat in, his eyes trained on the house. She was reminded of all those months ago when Alexander turned her away after she came groveling back. She remembered sitting in that exact spot, staring into Alexander’s eyes as he sat in his SUV. She recalled the pain she felt after she returned, begging him to take her back. And then the incredible hurt when he turned her away, ready to marry Chelsea. But the pain she was feeling that night was far worse. Deep down, she knew that she did love Alexander. She was just too scared to admit it. Why couldn’t she just admit that she loved him? Why was she so frightened of saying those three little words to him?

Olivia’s breath caught when she saw a second SUV pull up in back of the one that Carter sat in, Martin sitting behind the wheel. She raised her hand to the glass, desperate to close the gap between her and Alexander, knowing he would be in the car with Martin.

Olivia closed her eyes, picturing him and his smile. His eyes. His arms around her. She thought about how much she loved waking up next to him. How much being in his presence calmed her and made her heart swell. How perfect it felt when she fell asleep in his embrace each night. She slowly opened her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alexander stared through the rear windows of the SUV at his Olivia, a sad look on her face as she sat in the bay window of her house.

“Sir, do you think she’s going to say yes?” Martin asked, turning to look at his boss.

Alexander saw tears falling down Olivia’s cheeks as she mouthed three words to him, the darkened glass of the car windows acting as a barrier, shielding her from getting hurt after muttering those words.

“Martin, I’d bet my fortune on it. Let’s get back home,” he said after debating whether to go to her, deciding to give her the space she requested. At least for the time being.

A block from Olivia’s house, Alexander noticed the same sedan that had been parked out front of Mo’s house. “Martin, stop here for a minute, please.”

“Is everything okay, sir?”

Alexander wasn’t sure what to think of it, but he could no longer take any chances when it came to Olivia’s safety. There was a very real threat against her life.

“I’m sure it’s nothing. Just give me a minute,” Alexander said, getting out of the SUV and removing the safety on his gun as he crossed the street, looking at the man behind the wheel. He knocked on the window, signaling the occupant to get out of the car.

The man slowly exhaled and opened the door, standing up.

Alexander remained silent for a moment, wishing his eyes were betraying him. He knew that wasn’t the case. “So it’s true then,” he said to the man. “My dad not only faked her death, but yours, as well. Isn’t that right, Jack?”

Nathan Roberts didn’t know what to say. He should have driven away when he saw Alexander approaching, but what good would that do?

He took a deep breath. “What does she know, son?”

“Nothing, Mr. DeLuca,” he replied, placing the safety back on his gun and sliding it into his holster. “She has no idea. I didn’t believe it myself at first.”

“How long have you known it was her?”

Alexander didn’t know whether he should say anything. He had known almost immediately. There were too many coincidences. That was probably why his father hid Olivia away for so many years. Anyone would have eventually been able to put all the pieces together if they were familiar enough with the story.

“Since August.”

“Fuck,” Nathan replied under his breath. “And she has no idea?”

“She’s starting to remember.” Alexander looked at the man standing next to him, remembering all those years ago. He looked the same, albeit with more gray hair. He was tall, almost the same height as Alexander. He had an athletic build and Alexander could see from where Olivia got her smile and skin tone. Olivia’s face, though, she got from her mother.

“Nathan. Call me Nathan. Please.” He looked over his shoulder, fearful someone on the street could have overheard their conversation.

“Sorry.” Alexander looked at Olivia’s father. “Nathan.”

There was a long pause before Alexander spoke again. “She’s been having these dreams, you know. Nightmares, really. She wakes up covered in sweat, screaming. She had a dream the other night about a conversation you and Dad might have had. About faking your deaths?”

Nathan bowed his head. He felt guilty for involving Olivia in the mess that he had created. It wasn’t supposed to be like that, but he felt as if there were no alternatives. Thomas had to fake his death and, in turn, hers. “It had to be done.”

“Why?” Alexander asked, pacing the street. He was losing his grasp on the entire situation. Almost overnight, Olivia’s father had miraculously appeared. Things were spinning out of control, and he couldn’t deal with that. He couldn’t risk losing her. Again.

“I was stupid, Alex. I tried to do the right thing, or what I thought was the right thing. I had a ton of evidence about corruption and ties to terrorist organizations. Some serious shit. I saw all these patterns when I was working at the CIA. I don’t want to get into it now. The less you know, the better. I tried to convince these people to come forward and turn themselves in. These were some very important people, higher-ups in various organizations. I couldn’t tell anyone what I had found. I didn’t know how deep it ran.”

“So why did you have to fake both your deaths?”

“They wanted me dead! And they weren’t going to stop until it happened. I knew something was wrong about a month before that accident. Marilyn got worried and asked for your father’s help. He suggested I turn over the evidence, but I didn’t know who to trust.”

He gazed off into the distance, the memory of that summer difficult to talk about. “A few months before, I placed a bunch of documents in a small locked chest to keep them safe, at least until things died down and I could turn it over to someone that I could trust. Someone I knew would do the right thing. And then the accident happened and I saw an opportunity to save both of our lives so we paid off a doctor and there you go.”

“But why did you have to do that to Olivia?”

“Those documents were still out there, Alex. Those were the days before the internet. You had one copy and that was it. I had the only proof of what was going on, and they weren’t going to stop until my entire family was dead. If I destroyed it myself, these people would never be brought to justice. Then, just before the accident, we picked up chatter to the effect that they would kidnap Livvy and make her lead them to the documents. They knew so much, right down to the fact that everything was locked in a box somewhere.” He let out a quiet sob.

“How could she lead them to something that she didn’t know the location of?” Alexander looked at him suspiciously.

Nathan stayed silent, his eyes meeting Alexander’s, a guilty look spreading across his face.

“She knows?!” Alexander exclaimed. “Were you fucking crazy?!” His eyes grew wide with fury. He was most certainly losing control of the situation. This was so much worse than his father’s letter let on.

“Olivia was so smart for her age, and we were playing our treasure map game. She wanted to create the map for once. She grabbed the box from me and said that once she buried it, she would draw me a map. I agreed before I realized that the chest contained all those documents. By the time it occurred to me, it was too late. She’s the only one who has any idea where it’s buried. And, believe me, I’ve looked everywhere. Our beach house. Our house in Mystic. Her grandparent’s house. The few weeks before the accident, I searched high and low for it. It could be anywhere. I’m a complete fool. You’d think with all my intelligence training that I wouldn’t make such a stupid mistake. But you know how it is when Livvy looks at you with her big brown eyes, so full of hope…you just melt. I’ve regretted that lapse of judgment every day since then. It’s tearing me apart.”