Anabel Unraveled (17 page)

“I see,” she whispered.

“You need to give your brother credit, though,” Alexis continued. “He did fight for you, but we both knew it couldn’t be, Anabel! And then, what we all feared happened: you emerged, Caereon’s cover was blown, and Sam lost his political career. You can’t really do anything else after resigning from the presidency!”

Anabel looked at her brother. “I thought you didn’t blame me.”

“Sam doesn’t. I do,” she spat. “Do you think this is the life we wanted? Sam could have been president for at least another term. He was doing wonderful things for this country, and you ruined it!”

“That’s enough, Alexis!” Sam turned to her.

“No. No, you know what? Your spoiled brat sister needs to understand the repercussions of her actions!”

“It’s not my fault Jonathan was murdered!”

“I disagree,” snapped Alexis. Her heels clacked as she walked closer to Anabel. “Now, I have tolerated your presence. I have bent over backwards for you. I understood, Anabel, that it was a shock to have your father murdered and your life in danger—yes, I get it. But don’t you dare act like we haven’t been there for you. I sent my kids away for you. I have done everything I could for you. What kind of a life do you think I have now?” Her voice was filled with hysteria. “It revolves around you—and for what? Sam and I are young, what are we going to do for the rest of our lives? Play golf?”

“I said that is enough, Alexis!” Sam roared. “How dare you talk to my sister this way?”

“HALF! HALF-SISTER! WHOM YOU BARELY KNOW!” Alexis began striking at Sam. “I supported you! I helped you win your seat in the House! I used my connections to help propel you to the Presidency! And now look at you,” she sneered. “You threw it all away—and for what? For her?” She gestured in Anabel’s direction. “Do you think she’s grateful? She might be at first, but the fact of the matter is, as soon as she gets Jonathan’s will money, she’ll want nothing to do with her washed up brother!”

“Oh please,” scoffed Anabel. “Sam’s the only family I have. I would never cut him out. You’re just trying to stir up trouble.”

She lunged at Anabel, who shrieked and jumped back. “ALEXIS! I am pregnant, for crying out loud!”

“Oh, that’s another thing. I’m pretty sure you did that on purpose.” She pulled away from Sam and stamped up the stairs. We all heard the door slam.

Anabel and Sam looked at each other. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Anabel broke the silence. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I,” he told her.

“I think it would be best if I went somewhere,” she suggested.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Sam, this is your marriage. You two aren’t going to resolve anything with me here making it worse.”

“We have to talk about this,” he insisted. “I need you to understand—I wanted to get you out of there, I really did.”

She smiled sadly. “I know you did.” She ran her fingers through her hair and looked out the window. She walked over to her brother and slowly put her arms around him.

Then she tilted her chin. “I love you. But I also know that I can’t come first in your life. She’s your wife, and I am going to respect that.”

He didn’t meet her in the eye. “I didn’t realize she felt that way.”

Anabel broke into a rueful grin. “Of course you did, whether you acknowledged it to yourself or not. And of course you miss your kids. I’m so sorry that they were sent away; that is my fault.”

“I had to take care of you,” he began.

“Yes,” she cut him off. “Yes, and that’s the problem. You’ve been doing a wonderful job taking care of me; who’s been taking care of her?” She gestured up the stairs.

He was silent.

Anabel nodded. “I thought so.” She turned to me. “Can I stay with you for the night?”

“Absolutely not,” said Meghan. “That will look horrible, especially if you show up at the hearing together.”

“Agreed,” seconded Sam.

Anabel contemplated my sister for a moment. “Can I stay with you?”

Meghan didn’t really look like she liked this suggestion, but she nodded. “Sure. I can take you to the hearing tomorrow, I actually have business that way.”

“That’s very kind. Thank you.” She turned to me. “Let’s go then. You can buy me and your sister dinner, and we’ll figure out everything for tomorrow.”

“I live in Northwest,” said Meghan.

“Sam! What was that fantastic pizza place up there that we went to? Remember, where that crazy woman recognized us? Oh, it was so good!” Anabel’s eyes lit up.

Sam looked at Meghan, torn. “Nothing excites her more than good food. It was 2Amys.”

“That’s actually right by my apartment. I’m a bit surprised you know them.” My sister shrugged. “That’s fine with me, though.”

“I’ve eaten my way around this city,” Anabel was beaming. “Well, before they realized I shouldn’t talk to anybody. Come upstairs and help me pack.”

Meghan looked a bit unsure at how to deal with how forward Anabel was, but she got up and followed her.

As they headed up the stairs, Sam turned to me.

We had been friends, up until this business with his sister, and it was a friendship I had been sorry to lose. Before, even though he made me do the dirty work, he respected me. Now he could barely look me in the eye.

“Sam,” I began, but he stopped me.

“I realize she’s my half-sister, I realize that, up until now, I have never spent more than two weeks at a time with her, and yes, I realize that if it were not for her, I would still be in a position of power.” He sat down. “However, I also accept—even if my wife refuses to do so—that if we hadn’t lied about her existence in the first place, none of this would have ever happened. There were a million chances we had, all sorts of proactive things we could have done, and we didn’t. So, yes, Jared, I know that I brought this on myself.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“You know I could’ve handled this better.”

“Sam, all of us have things like this happen, where we handle the situation wrong.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have kept her a secret.” He sighed. “Alexis has always insisted she be a need-to-know. I didn’t tell her until after we were married, actually.” As he rubbed his temples, a trademark move of his, I noticed his hair. He was really starting to go gray.

“Well, I didn’t even know about Anabel until right before you sent me to Caereon,” I said. I sat down across from him. “And I was your best friend.”

He focused on the floor. “I felt guilty for not saving her before. You would have judged me, I know it.”

“I’m not in a position to judge anybody. You of all people know that.”

“I’ve seen how you treat your sister. Both of your sisters. You’ve always been there for them. You would never let what happened to Anabel happen to Meghan or Crystal. Look at her, she’s a mess. Alone, both her parents dead . . . pregnant . . .”

I couldn‘t argue with him. “We both betrayed her.”

He nodded.

“If I had been thinking, I never would have—”

“Don’t bother,” he cut me off. “I’m not interested in your excuses.”

“Jonathan got me drunk,” The words just came out, and relief washed through me. It felt good to tell the truth.

“What?” Sam stared at me.

“Anabel didn’t tell you?”

“She refused to go into it.”

“He got me wasted. It was the drunkest I’ve been since college. He challenged me to a drinking game . . . and then he threatened me.”

“He threatened you? With what?” Sam looked annoyed.

“Well, by that point I had kissed her, and he had seen. He threatened me with my job, he threatened to not let me see Anabel—which would have made her think that I wasn’t going to try and help her—and then he drank me under the table.” I hadn’t expected him to have an alcohol tolerance. “I was so drunk, I wound up roaming around the halls of Caereon—and it put me right outside of Anabel’s door.”

Sam was grim. “And we all know what happened there.”

“I don’t even remember it that well,” I said. “That’s the worst part. I don’t even know what I did to her, or how badly I hurt her.” The image of Anabel sitting in a pool of blood went through my brain.

“You’ll understand if I don’t wish to discuss this with you,” said Sam.

“You’ll hear about it tomorrow,” Anabel called from the stairs.

We both turned to look at her and Meghan. “That’s why we should leave it until then. I’m ready to go,” she announced. “Do we need to take a car?”

Chapter 19—Anabel

I loved 2Amys. They made Neapolitan Pizza, and it was amazing. It was much better than the stuff we frequently ordered in. As we placed our takeout order, I noticed some people staring. I wasn’t surprised. After my outburst, I was already a familiar face on all the talk circuits. I managed a terse smile and looked at Jared. “We should get out of here. I’m causing a bit of a stir.”

He looked at me, anxious. “That should go away at some point.”

“At some point,” I echoed.

He frowned. “I’m surprised you’re in such a good mood, given what just happened.”

I shrugged. “Jared, up until now, I was privy to some pretty intense emotional displays by my father. That was nothing.”

“Do you miss him?”

“Um, yes and no,” I admitted. “He was my father, and I loved him, but the man kind of ruined my life.” I caught his eye. “How’s that for honesty?”

He nodded. “He didn’t make it easy for you.”

“No, that wasn’t Jonathan’s style,” I mused. I looked down at the floor as he signed for our order. “But in his own, messed-up way, he did love me, I truly believe that.” I paused. “I have to believe that.”

“I do, too,” he told me, as we walked back to the car.

Meghan lived in a cute apartment building off of Massachusetts Avenue, up by Ward Circle. “This is a really nice neighborhood,” I exclaimed.

Meghan sort of grunted at me as we got out of her car. “It works,” she stated. “You can sleep in my office. I have a spare bed in there that I can make up.”

I smiled at her with gratitude. “Thank you for letting me stay. I’m sorry that I invited myself over.”

“No you’re not.” I rather admired how blunt she was. She caught my eye as she shut her door. “But I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want to be in that mess either.”

“I’ve never seen Sam and Alexis like that,” I continued. “Granted, I’ve only been here a couple months, but they don’t fight.”

“At least, not in front of you,” observed Meghan. I paused, and she gave me a patronizing look. “It’s no secret that they have a tempestuous marriage. Everyone knows it.”

“Oh,” I managed. I didn’t know what to say. I looked to Jared for guidance.

He was nodding. “You should read more tabloids. Alexis doesn’t exactly have a penchant for keeping things to herself, and your brother often hushes her in public.”

“Wow.” I was at a loss. I struggled with my bag—why I had thought I needed three different pairs of shoes for tomorrow was a mystery, even to me. Jared took it from me and groaned.

“What do you have in here?”

“Rocks,” I offered. Meghan snorted. I smiled to myself. I think I was growing on her.

We climbed into the elevator and got off on the fourth floor. Meghan’s apartment was small, but cozy: her furniture was mostly all the same shade of brown, but she had some brightly colored rugs and blankets that made the room feel homey. A painting of an elephant hung on one wall; a copy of a Renoir on another.

We all sat down at the table with our pizzas, but I only picked at mine. It looked delicious, but I was losing my appetite. “Eat, Anabel,” ordered Meghan. “You’re going to feel even worse if you don’t.”

I took a bite. “Very true.”

As I ate, I began to feel a little better. I even got down a rice ball and was on my second slice when Jared cleared his throat. “So what time is Mom coming tomorrow?”

This caught my attention. “Your mom is coming?”

Meghan nodded. “You have to understand, while my mother is not thrilled about all of this, she does like the prospect of a grandchild. If you let Jared see the baby, that is.”

I swallowed. “I’m not . . . I’m not really comfortable around other people,” I faltered.

“So we’ve noticed,” agreed Meghan. “It might make you feel better to know that our mother is completely unlike Jared. And me, for that matter. She’s really sweet, and is probably knitting something for the baby as we speak. Also,” she added, “something came up and she changed her itinerary and isn’t coming for another couple weeks, so you have time to get accustomed to the idea.”

“Oh.” I looked at my plate.

Jared patted my arm. “You don’t have to meet her if you don’t want to.”

“I’m pretty sure that would hurt her feelings,” I pointed out.

“Yes, but she would understand,” he said.

“It’s fine.” I was losing my patience. “It’s getting late, Jared. Let’s just talk about everything already.”

Meghan nodded. “Indeed. So you and Jonathan had a drinking contest?” she asked, turning to her brother.

I cut in. “Yeah, Jonathan drank him under the table. It was kind of amusing to watch.”

Jared looked startled. “What do you mean?”

“Well, my father had the whole thing planned, Jared. He made sure to do it in a room where I would be able to watch the whole thing. It’s not like you were in his office.”

“How did you watch it?”

“In my library, there is a video monitoring system. In case of emergency. The parlor where you two were is a room that I could monitor from my bedroom. It’s part of how we got out of that place alive.” I tucked some hair behind my ears. “So I saw the whole thing.”

The atmosphere during dinner was tense. I didn’t say much and pretended to be interested in my food, complimenting Evelyn on her masterful cooking. She gave me a rare smile.

“Are you alright, Anabel?” my father asked. “You’re quiet tonight.”

I managed a thin smile. “I’m fine, just tired. I was up late last night reading.” I made a show of yawning and stretching. “I think I may go to bed early, if that’s alright with you.”

“Of course.” Jonathan looked smug. I knew he thought he had won, especially since I wasn’t asking to tag along with him and Jared. “Mr. Sorensen and I have a great deal of business to go through this evening. We’ll be in the front parlor.”