Relinquished (27 page)

This was all un-fucking-believable. I’d been one of those foster kids who’d been bullied, but killing someone had never crossed my mind.  God knew I’d come across plenty of evil people, but I hoped I never crossed paths with these psychos.

“Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be working there, but up to that point, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That was until the day his goons dragged a girl, screaming and fighting, into one of the bedrooms upstairs.  I was ordered to keep watch and could hear her sobbing for hours.  I knew something was very wrong.”

A look of regret covered his face as he blinked hard. Holden gently moved me to his lap without a word.  I probably knew what he was thinking—that could’ve been me had I not gotten out of that motel.

“Anyway,” he sighed, looking pained. “That day, Nicholette walked out of her office downstairs and stared up at me on her way toward the front door.  She heard the cries too, but there wasn’t anything either of us could do. That guy ran a tight ship, and everyone who worked there knew we would have hell to pay if we ever crossed him.”

I watched Mr. Riley age right before us as he talked about the nightmare he’d lived through.

“When I got home that night, I was furious and told Elisabeth there was no way I could work for that psychotic fuck anymore.  She reminded me of my place and commanded me to keep my shit together.  Her family’s company didn’t get paid to feel sorry for, and I quote, ‘some little bitch toy of Raymond Maxwell’s’.”

Maxwell?

It was him? 

Holden and I exchanged a look, then we glanced over at Dante who was sitting on the edge of the cushion, completely tense.  

Holden said, “That motherfucker was here tonight, giving both Jules and I a hard time, asking me how much I would be willing to do to keep my woman.”

Dropping his head, Mr. Riley let out a distressed sigh. “I heard he was here, but I wasn’t worried until I saw you tonight.” His eyes met mine, the pain so evident. It was the first moment I wondered what it would’ve been like to grow up knowing him as my father. Although he hadn’t answered the big question yet, I kept trying to guess how he was our father but we weren’t siblings.  Maybe he’d adopted me when I was young and had to return me because my mother hadn’t been around?

I had to stay focused and hear more of this story. “Please keep going,” I said, unable to help the shakiness in my voice. “What does he want with us?”

“A month or so after Sofia—that was the girl’s name—was brought to the house, Nicholette and I just couldn’t take it anymore, the way he’d abuse her, the things we heard.  We never saw what Maxwell did to her, but we knew it was really bad.  I caught glimpses of her frail body in bed when her attendants brought in food and showered her. The towels and very few pieces of clothing that were carried out always had blood on them.” Anguish covered his face, as though he was picturing exactly what he was talking about.

“So Nicholette and I came up with a plan. We were willing to risk our own lives to carry it out. We weren’t trying to be heroes, we just couldn’t be part of that horrific situation any longer. I didn’t want her involved, but she’d insisted. I knew the layout of the house and the routine of each guard like the back of my hand.

“One evening, immediately after my shift, I came back and snagged Sofia.  At first she fought me, thinking I was trying to harm her, but once she realized I was there to save her, she followed willingly.  She looked so much worse than I’d thought.  Her poor body was so weak and broken by that son of a bitch.” He pounded his fist on the table next to him.

We were all so captivated, the sound of his fist meeting the hard surface made us jump.  Holden held me closer.

“I’d rented a car using a fake ID, and Nicholette met us on the highway in my car. She jumped in the driver’s seat of the rental next to Sofia, and I got in mine, hauling ass home for my alibi while the ladies took the three-hour drive south to the border of Mexico.  I knew how Maxwell operated and figured I’d be his prime suspect since I stood guard by her room. By the time his men got to our home, I’d already eaten, showered, and was sitting down to watch the news with Elisabeth. I left with them, and we searched all night, me leading them in the opposite direction.”

“Did she make it out alive? Sofia, I mean,” I blurted out, dying to know her fate.

“I’ll get to that part soon, I promise.” The sad expression on his face assured me that this horror tale was far from over. “Nicholette and I went back to work the next day, pretending to be caught in the buzz, as though we didn’t know anything more than anyone else.  I didn’t know the people Sofia was staying with, but Nicholette assured me they were family friends and could be trusted.  Maxwell had the means to follow and track every step we made, so we got updates about her through a third party.  We didn’t have a game plan further than what we’d done for her until we found out she was carrying Maxwell’s child and refused to have an abortion, regardless of how she’d gotten pregnant.”

Oh, God…

Reaching out, he picked up the glass filled with an amber liquid I hadn’t noticed there and took a drink.  “As luck would have it, about four months into the pregnancy, Nicholette’s aunt became deathly ill, and Nicholette was allowed to leave to be by her side until she passed.  Thankfully, Maxwell had found a replacement right away, so she never had to return. I stayed on to make sure all suspicion was off us and traveled on weekends to spend time with them. And…” His face became wistful, sad. “Nicholette and I fell in love.”

“What excuse did you tell Mom while you went on these weekend getaways with your mistress?” Dante glared at his father. It was the first time I realized that he was also a victim in all of this.  He’d had to live in a family ripped apart by adultery and divorce. No wonder he never had a steady relationship with a woman. I didn’t blame him for not buying into the romantic spin his father was trying to put on this story.

Mr. Riley shrugged. “She was off doing her own exploring and didn’t really care what I was up to. Anyway, one weekend we were sloppy and got caught on film, in a, um, compromising position.” His eyes darted to Dante, who seemed bored and definitely not surprised.

“Yeah, Dad, I’ve already heard all about the pictures.”

Mr. Riley’s eyes narrowed slightly.  “I love how she’s told you all about my indiscretions and not about the fact that she was fucking your stepfather at the same time.  I know you can’t help yourself sometimes, but stop being so damn smug, Dante. This is serious, and I haven’t even told you why you guys are in danger yet.”

That got Dante’s attention as he sucked in a breath.

As bad as I felt for Dante, I didn’t have time for this tug of war. “This is a really fucked up story and all, but can you please get to why we’re in danger and if Maxwell’s the one we need to be watching for?”
And tell me if you really are my father!

His narrowed eyes turned on me then. “You seem to lack a bit of patience, young lady. Just like your mother. Now everyone, please stop talking so I can get to the parts you’re all waiting to hear.”

I wasn’t sure if I should be offended or impressed that he found a way to shut us all up, but it worked.

“As you can imagine, Maxwell had a field day trying to blackmail me because he liked having dirt on everyone. Little did he know, he only gave me a reason to finally leave my loveless marriage and shitty job.” His gaze shifted to Dante. “Your mother didn’t fight it since she already had someone else that actually did listen to her commands.  He stepped into my place, and the funny thing is, your stepfather and I really got along.  He’d fill me in whenever Maxwell decided to look at us again.”

He clapped his hands then rubbed them together. “Okay, fast forward, and this is the part I really need you to hear me on.” He looked at Holden with an expression that could only mean he wished he could spare his son from the next part of this story.  “Sofia gave birth to a boy but knew, as long as she kept him, neither would ever be safe.  None of us had planned for any of this, but after holding that beautiful baby in our arms, Nicholette and I agreed to raise you as our own.”

What. The. Fuck.

Bomb number two, and it wasn’t even for me.

My eyes were wide, and my heart raced as I watched Mr. Riley’s gaze shift, begging Holden to understand.

Holden sat there for a moment, shocked, his breaths shallow. I felt bad just staring at him, but I couldn’t look away. I was almost waiting for someone to jump in and say we were all being pranked.  This was all so unreal.

The corner of Holden’s lip began to tremor before he finally spoke. “So that’s it, huh?  You aren’t my dad, and on top of that, my biological father kidnapped my mother, raped her, and that’s how I was conceived?” He sounded like he was breaking, and I hated that I couldn’t do anything to help.

Mr. Riley’s eyes went tender then, the first real and true gentle emotion I’d seen from him so far. “Holden, even though we don’t share the same gene pool, you are my son. 
Not
his. Nicholette and Sofia paid with their lives to make sure you had a chance.”

Exhaling loudly, Holden moved me to the side, got out of the seat, and stared at the ceiling. “I am Holden- fucking-Maxwell?” He sounded like a lost, angry little boy.

It was awful, watching him like this. Seeing the man I loved shatter in front of me.

Dante jumped up before I could gather the strength to do it myself. Grabbing the back of Holden’s neck, Dante forced him to stare into his eyes. “Don’t you ever say that again! You are
my
brother and a Riley in every way that counts.  My brother forever.  Now shut that damn nonsense up and let’s figure the rest of this shit out.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Holden whipped his head toward Mr. Riley. “Did you say our moms paid with their lives? It really happened...I was there when they were murdered, wasn’t I?  I saw our mothers being slaughtered.” He bent over, swallowing repeatedly as Mr. Riley nodded somberly.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I shot up, grabbed the small trashcan by the desk and moved over beside him, afraid he was about to be sick.  Rubbing calming circles on his back, I tried to quietly soothe him, but he was lost in his head.

“Oh my god, I can still see it,” he choked out. “A woman came over to the house, and she was so upset.  She was crying. I was so young, and I…I didn’t understand what was going on. Mom, I mean, Nicholette, took me to the garage downstairs and made me hide in the closet by the washer and dryer. I heard men running down the stairs with the other woman as she cried. Nicholette called out to her...
Sofia
.” That last word was a haunted whisper, and he said it again, over and over.
Sofia, Sofia…

I took my hands and rested them on his shoulders, softly caressing his jaw with my thumbs. When he still didn’t respond, I turned to Dante, silently pleading for help, but he looked just as lost. 

“I was so scared when I peeked through the slats of wood on the door and saw the guy rip off Nicholette’s dress and jammed a knife into her stomach. Fuuuuck!” Anguish covered his face as his hands shook, and he gasped for air. “I remember dropping to the floor and closing my eyes again. Nicholette was screaming so loud, ‘my baby, my baby...my baby’. It sounded like someone was being hit. I jumped when Sofia’s body hit the ground. Strands of her hair pushed through the slats of wood beside my feet. I was so afraid, and it was so damn hard to be quiet, then I heard a baby cry.”

Audible gasps could be heard throughout the room.  I wrapped my arms around my stomach and fought the urge to vomit myself as it hit me that I was the baby who’d been ripped away from my mother's womb.  Mr. Riley—
my father—
sobbed behind me. What the hell had he come home to that day? Dante was sitting with his hands clasped together, elbows on his knees, his head hanging low. 

Holden was in some sort of a trance and kept going. “I don’t remember anything else except the gargling sounds. Those have haunted me forever, but I didn’t think they were real. And the blood that leaked in from under the door…”

“Stop! Stop! I can’t take anymore.” I crumbled to my knees, rocking back and forth as vomit crept into my throat. 

My father walked over and kneeled down on the floor beside me.  I could feel his hesitance as he pulled me into his arms and cradled me while he cried.  I raised my head and looked at the face of
my dad
. This man was my father. It was so hard to believe. And I was beginning to realize that he, too, had been robbed of his daughter, of me. 

“Your mother and I had a room picked out for you.  We were going to do everything in pink and make it perfect for our sweet Anabella, who would’ve completed our family of five.” He sighed as he continued to rock me. 

Holden dropped to his knees in front of us with a lost look on his face. “Jules, that son of a bitch killed both of our mothers.”

“I can’t believe this,” I wept. “Raymond Maxwell killed our mothers and kidnapped me?”

“No, Jules.” Holden shook his head, his jaw clenching. “Travis Malcolm murdered them and stole you from us.”

Travis?

Travis…

Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe again.

I flew to my feet as the space around me begin to shrink. All three men were moving closer, and I wanted to scream at them, to get away, but I couldn’t.

It took a minute, but words finally found their way out. “Travis Malcolm?” The name was shaky on my tongue.

But how?

He’s known me since…?

I didn’t even understand.
How does this involve Maxwell then?
  

Dante and Holden both started to speak at the same time, but my father raised his hand and bluntly stated, “Travis Malcolm was Raymond’s foster brother.”

Bomb number…what now? I couldn’t even keep track, I was so numb, in shock, you name it, I felt it.

“He’s always been his right-hand man.” My father clenched his fists, an enraged expression taking over his face. “Raymond Maxwell may not have gotten his own hands dirty, but he sure as hell ordered it, and I’ve been working on a plan for a long time to make that sorry motherfucker pay for it.”