Unstoppable: Truth is Unstoppable (Truth and Love Series) (5 page)

DEREK

Twenty-Seven Days Before Victor King's Death

(Early Evening)

“Hey, you want something to eat?”

“Sure,” I say as I walk into Victoria's kitchen. The AC is finally cooling off my skin. I'm about two degrees away from being chilly, but right now it feels great to get out of the sun. Victoria and I are both still in our swimsuits. She's standing at the far counter, a plethora of food already spread out. Pickles and Jell-o mix, peanut butter and baby carrots, mayo, and a box of rice. I stand behind her and wrap my arms around her waist. I rest my chin on her shoulder.

“What are you making?”

She shrugs. “I don't know. What do you want?”

“Not anything with those ingredients in it.”

She jabs me in the stomach with her elbow. I step back and lean against the kitchen island. I watch as she takes a pickle from the jar then places it between her puckered lips. She winks slow at me.

I raise an eyebrow. “Really?”

With even more exaggeration, she slides it in and out of her mouth, her lips curling up at the corners.

I smile back. “Sexy.”

Her teeth accidentally knick some skin off it. A little piece hangs from her front tooth.

“Ouch,” I grimace. “Watch it.”

Victoria chuckles then takes a bit out of the pickle. I’m pretty sure Wisconsin heard the crunch. “You’re such a loser. I’ll be right back. Gotta pee.”

When she's gone, I move to the refrigerator and take stock: left over spaghetti, some lunch meat, eggs, a carton of milk, tons of fruits and vegetables, and hummus. I shut the door and check out the cabinets around me. Bread, crackers, more bread, soup. I open another cabinet. Soup, soup, soup. Resigning myself to a fate full of tomatoes, I reach for a can and—

“What are you doing?”

My body jolts so quick I almost go airborne. My eyes go wide, focusing on the guy in the doorway. Jesus, talk about a quiet entrance. I recognize him instantly as Victoria’s brother, but my mind is drawing a huge blank on his name. His eyes quickly look me over.

I clear my throat. “I, uh, I was just getting something to eat. Sorry I, uh...I’m Derek by the way, Victoria’s bo—”

“Don’t you have a towel?” He asks, his voice low, his lips curled in disgust. “You’re dripping all over the floor.”

“Sorry.” I look around the kitchen. No towel in sight. “We just came in from the pool.”

“Really? And here I thought you’re in soaking wet swim trunks because you just came back from a board meeting.”

I shift on my feet. I can feel my neck and face heat, like I just did something horrific and am being scolded like a three-year-old. 

“Shouldn't you be in school right now?”

“Um, no. I was—I am—fast tracked. Some days I only have classes until one.”

“Fast-tracked? What's your career?”

“Surgical medicines.”

If I was expecting any sort of admiration or at least
softening
in his expression, I was wrong. If anything, my career path seems to have done the opposite. His lips purse just slightly, like he tasted something sour and is trying to hide it. Finally, he sighs. He walks out of the kitchen and just when I’m not sure whether or not to follow him, he comes back with a towel in hand. He extends it to me. I accept it with a nod and wrap it around my waist.

“Sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean to get the floor wet. I’ll wipe it up.”

“See that you do.”

And with one final look at the puddles on the floor, he turns and heads out of the kitchen. Before he can leave the room, Victoria comes bounding in, nearly crashing into him.

“Whoa!” she says, putting her hands up. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t you tell? I just came inside from swimming.”

Victoria’s brows pull together. Her head tilts up and way down as she takes in her brother’s business attire. Suit, tie, the whole nine yards. She doesn't get the sarcasm. “What are you talking about? Did you change or something?”

He sighs. “Forget it.”

Victoria’s eyes alight on mine. “Derek, this is my brother William. William works with my dad as an attorney and is even more boring than he sounds. William, this is my boyfriend, Derek. He’s training to become a brain surgeon and cure rare genetic diseases.”

“Are you always allowed to invite people over without supervision?”

“Um, did you not get the memo that I’m nineteen, not nine? And that, furthermore, we’re moving in together in like, six months? We really don’t need anyone’s permission to do anything. Besides, Dad trusts me.”

“And his judgment is always so flawless, right?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He sighs softly. “Your brain, Victoria. Use it.”

William brushes by her, but before he can walk three feet, Victoria grabs his arm in both hands. She literally yanks him to a stop and plants herself right in front of him.

“Hey,” she says, “don’t just dismiss me. I asked you a question.”

He jerks his arm away. “Don’t. I’m not in the mood.”

“
Don’t
,” she mocks. “
I’m not in the mood
. Oh blah, blah. You're never in the mood. God, you have a stick the size of Nevada up your ass.”

“Nice. Very ladylike of you.” William glances at me. “And in front of your boyfriend, no less.”

This time, Victoria’s smile is slow, shaded with trouble and turned up at the corners. She leans in close to him. “Don’t worry. Derek likes my dirty mouth.”

William shoves by Victoria. Even I’m pretty taken aback by what she said. She just giggles though, laughs and yells after him as he goes upstairs. Lighten up, she says. Get a life, she yells. He comes down a few moments later, carrying a large box full of laptops and other electronics.

“Hey,” Victoria says as he sets the box at the foot of the stairs, “what are you doing with those? Does Dad want them?”

William heads back upstairs.

“Uh, hello?” she calls up. “I said what are you doing? Why are you taking them? William? William?” As he reaches the landing and disappears from sight, still not saying a word, Victoria looks at me with wide eyes. “What the fuck?”

“Is he always so nice?” I ask.

“He used to be. Not anymore. Now he's just so damn serious about everything. I meant it about the stick up his ass.” She bites her lip and places her hands on my arm. “Oh, and sorry about the whole dirty mouth thing. William is just such a prude I couldn't resist. He can’t even handle it when I say the word tampon. Or douche. Or—”

“I get it.”

He comes back down now, carrying another box, the devices piled high. “Don’t forget to clean up your mess. Other people shouldn’t have to do it.”

Victoria quickly moves in front of him, grabbing one side of the box with both hands. “No. You’re not taking his stuff.”

“Let go.”

“No.”

“I’m warning you, get off.”

“Victoria,” I interject, “just let him take them. It’s not worth the fight and if your dad wants them then—”

“It’s the principal of it, Derek,” she cuts in, still glaring at William. “He thinks he can just come in here and throw his weight around?” Her grip tightens. “We’re not his servants and he’s not in charge.”

“Victoria,” William warns. “I’m not saying it again.”

He pulls but she jerks the box against her stomach. “You’re not even making any sense. Why would Dad need these? They’re like, years old. He’s got his iBullet now. So what are you doing?”

It’s not a fair fight. William is taller than me, and I’m six feet. He rock climbs and kayaks; I’ve seen the photos. Victoria comes up to about my chest and can’t do a pushup. I start to walk over, hoping to—I don’t know—when suddenly, the smooth plastic box slips out of both their grasps. The devices hit the ground hard; some bounce, some roll, some land with a heavy thud and don’t move another inch. Keys snap off and slide across the floor. The screen of an object scanner splits right down the center. Springs and coils pop out from 3D printers and various tripods.

“Look what you’ve done!” Victoria gasps. She drops to the ground, gathering up the broken pieces.

I make a move to help her but William raises one hand. “Don’t.” Then he looks at Victoria. “Get off the floor.”

She ignores him. “You ruin everything. Everything.”

I crouch down beside her and gather the broken keys.

“God,” she continues, “you’re such a
fucking
asshole, Will. Why are you even here anyway? It’s been months since you last graced us with your presence. Why now?” He starts to say her name, but she cuts him off. “You know, me and Dad…we get it, okay? We get it. We can read the writing on the walls. You hate us. You hate this family.”

“I never said—”

“But you act like it!” Victoria yells. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard her really scream. The sound is startling, not because it’s loud or angry, but because it’s laced with so much pain.

Red crawls up her neck into her cheeks, her ears. Her breath hitches and her eyes are wide. I stand as she stands and place my hand on her arm. 

“Victoria,” I say softly. But she jerks away from me.

“No,” she says. “He needs to hear this.”

Turning back to William, she continues. “We just aren’t enough, huh? Me and Dad. We don’t even matter to you anymore. You come around for Christmas and that’s pretty much it. And then when you do show up, you can barely look at either one of us without glaring.”

“Quit being such a child.”

“Quit being such an asshole! God, you live eighteen miles away and you gave me my birthday present through the fucking mail! And not even on the right day!”

“Forgive me,” William says, “if some things are more important than your birthday party.”

“How about family? Are some things more important than that? Or how about a little loyalty to the people who’ve always been there for you? To the man who raised you? Doesn’t that mean anything?”

A tense, horrible moment passes. I can feel Victoria’s desperation, how badly she wants William to tell her that he
does
care, that family
does
matter, that
she
matters. The need radiates off her as powerfully as the heat from a wildfire. And William, well, he replies alright. He replies with an indecipherable look, and then he turns his back on her and walks away.

Pain hits me square as I take in Victoria’s devastated features. I reach for her hand but there’s suddenly nothing but air. She crouches down fast and in the next second, she’s up again, feet spread wide, arm outstretched like she’s pitching a fastball. And the laptop, once by my foot, is now flying through the air.

I can’t even scream look out. I can only watch, stunned, as it gets closer and closer to William’s head. Finally, just inches away from his ear, it smashes against the doorframe. He stops dead in his tracks. Slowly, he turns. He levels Victoria with a glare so potent, I’m surprised she doesn’t combust on the spot. As he closes the distance between them, I have to remind myself to breathe.

“Careful,” he whispers. “Don’t be so quick to burn your bridges.”

“Or what?  In case you hadn’t noticed…that card you sent? I already returned it, unopened.”

William stares at her for one long moment. But finally, he walks out the door. He doesn’t bother collecting the devices; I’m sure he’ll find some way to grab them later. It’s only when I hear his car start that I look at Victoria.

“You okay?”

She’s stock-still for the next half-minute, but then she flies against me, her arms wrapping around me tight. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry about all of this. I just…I got so angry at him. I didn’t mean to throw it. I didn’t.”

I glance at the mess around us: the broken laptop, the damage to the doorframe. I’ve never seen her temper flare so violently, but her apology easily slips past my shock. Tension drains from my body as she says sorry over and over. I stroke her hair, hoping it calms her. “It’s alright. You were upset.”

“He doesn’t even care. Family doesn’t mean anything to him. It’s unforgivable.” She shakes her head. “I don’t need him. I don’t. I have my dad. I have you.”

I kiss the top of her head. “You’ll always have me.”

She tilts her head up and kisses me. When she pulls back, she whispers against my lips, “And you’re all the family I need.”

DEREK

I've been to King Investment Securities, Victoria’s father’s company, about four times before. It’s housed in the K & M Building on Boulevard of the Allies and it really is gorgeous. You walk in, and if the white marbled floor doesn’t take your breath away, the ceiling certainly will. You look up, way up, and are rewarded with an elaborate, curving dreamscape meticulously sheared and sliced into white plaster, punctuated often by flecks of green and gold. Old and graceful, the intricacy of the architecture is something just not seen in this age of chrome and cold steel.

The M in the building stands for Meyers. The K stands for King. As in Victoria King. As in, her family has owned this forty-five story building since her great-great-great-grandparents came over to the US from Ireland.

And right now, I couldn't give a shit about any of it.

My mind is racing and my heart is beating out of my chest. Traffic was light on my way over here, but construction for the new Li Kang hotel made parking near-impossible. It took a good ten minutes to find a spot and it’s still an illegal one. The heat is almost unbearable as I run the two blocks from my car to the front door of the building. Sweat is rolling off me. Even the frigid AC does nothing to cool me down.

A young girl at the receptionist's desk smiles at me. “Hello. Welcome to—”

I walk right by her.

“Excuse me,” she says, her voice laced with surprise.

I ignore her.

“Hey, you can't go back there.”

I do anyway.

“Stop.”

I don't. I push open William's office door and slam it shut. He looks at me. Sighs.

“Chasing me to the office. Really?”

“So you did hear me call you.”

“Yes. And just like you chose to ignore my secretary seconds ago, I chose to ignore you.”

Silence. Then: “Did you see Victoria? What did she say?”

“Yes. Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Well, she probably wanted to say something but I wasn’t really in the mood to listen.”

Another silence. “I need your help.”

William rolls his eyes and swipes his hand across his smart desk, closing all the documents and apps. “Right. Of course you do. Spit it out already so you can leave. God knows if I don't hear you now, you'll just keep barging into my office until I do.”

I gulp. Even though I've rehearsed what I want to say about a million times during the drive over, I hadn't counted on William's blistering stare or the tense, almost violent thickness in the air. Finally, I say, “I want to find your father’s killer. The real killer.”

William leans back in his big, plush leather chair and shuts his eyes. “Please leave.”

“Look, I know this is difficult. I mean, I can't imagine. But the Corps, they're wrong about this. Everything...all of it...it's wrong. Victoria is incapable of this. Mentally incapable.” I take a breath. “They aren't taking this investigation seriously. If they were, they'd be looking at real
leads. I mean, they refuse to even talk to me. But between the two of us, I know we can figure this out.”

William opens his eyes. He stares at me like he doesn’t know me, like I'm some vagrant come to beg him for money. It’s a mixture of disbelief and, worse, disdain. The look on his face is dry, pitiless, perfectly cruel. His eyes bore into mine. Suddenly, he stands and walks across the room. He pulls open the door.

“You're throwing me out?”

“Would you rather have my security do it?”

I stand. “She’s your little sister. How can you just leave her alone like this?"

“I already gave you my answer. You trying to guilt trip me into helping you is wrong.”

“I’m not trying to guilt trip you. I just want to bring your father's killer to justice.”

“For God's sake.” His entire body is taut, tense. He shuts the door with extreme and utter care, as if he is afraid to really slam it like he wants to. “You're not talking justice, Derek. You're talking a wild goose chase. And I'm not being a part of it.”

“I don't understand. You have the money, time, and means, not to mention the opportunity, to find your dad's killer but you won't. How can you justify that?”

“Don't worry. I sleep fine at night.”

“Please, William. You can't ignore this responsibility.”

A ghost of a smile flickered across his face. “When it comes to my father, believe me, I have all the responsibility I can take.”

“I'm begging you. Help me.”

A tense moment passes. William and I don't take our eyes off each other; I don't think either of us blinks. I have never seen him more stern, more in charge, or more focused. For one blinding, painful moment, he looks exactly like his father.

“I told you once before. I'm done cleaning up her messes.”

And that's when realization dawns. It shears a hole in my stomach and drops lead in the space. “You can’t believe she really did this. You can’t.”

He doesn't answer, just walks back to his desk. He sits down. The only sound is the soft drumming of his fingers as he types on the keyboard holograph. With nothing more to say—I’m too shocked, too disgusted to even think of words to say to him—I walk to the door. But then William calls my name. I don't turn around, but I stop.

“One more thing,” he says. “If I find out that you've gone to any of my clients, including the city officials, the borough managers, or the Corps soldiers, I'll personally make sure you get arrested.”

“What for? Having a friendly conversation?”

“For interfering with an investigation. For bribes. For blackmail. I don't know, Derek. But I'm a pretty powerful guy in this city. I'll make something up. And I'll make sure it sticks. So you think about that, huh? Think about how a nice, little jail notation would look on all future applications. That is, if the Corps even lets you go.”

I finally turn to face him. “You're scared. Are you afraid of what I might find?”

“Derek,” William says, his eyes as turbulent as a hurricane, “I'm afraid of what you won't find.”