Chapter Thirty-Four
Tomás
There was always a moment just before I opened my eyes to the world after sleep that always grounded me. The chaos of my life. Daniel outside, radio playing, modding his car with something new. Mom listening to Olga Tanon bashing men in her songs, singing while eggs sizzled in the frying pan. The smell of bacon in the air. The memory latched on to my thoughts whenever the nightmares came. While some people held on to the bad, I always found myself remembering the good. Maybe it made me na?ve. I don’t know. But even after facing Alessandro after what he did … nope. That fucker needed to die.
I breathed in Kieran burrowed in my arms. We had no shortage of rooms to use for our debauchery. I moved back into Arcas House and the place had more hidden rooms than I thought.
Kieran and I had officially come out. Well, it was a bit anticlimactic really. We just held hands and kissed wherever we wanted. Even on school grounds. We got looks, sneers, but I really didn’t care.
Boyfriend.
Kieran was my official boyfriend. During my mom’s funeral, Kieran had introduced himself to Nick as my boyfriend. Nick had almost died laughing I had turned so red. But I loved my boyfriend and my brother.
Daniel didn’t show up. Not that I expected him to violate Maddox’s warning. But Brenda had shown up. Daniel’s ex-girlfriend. It was nice to talk to her. To see her. I wished her well and thanked her for everything she did for us when my mother couldn’t. The funeral was small. Mom was estranged from her family. They always knew she was going to OD one day. And although she hadn’t OD’d without help, I couldn’t deny that this would’ve been her end anyway.
I knew she had hated me. She’d hate being memorialized in a church, but it was customary. So. Fuck it. She was dead anyway. We buried her next to Daniel’s plot. An anonymous donor had paid for it (Maddox), and the tombstone that would go over her plot with just her name and date of birth and date of death etched into it. There wasn’t much else to say.
It'd been ten days since Wren took Alessandro. River turned into a ghost. Showing his face in class but ghosting everything else. Until we had information about where Wren was, we couldn’t do anything but move through life as if we had a purpose.
I found mine wrapped in Kieran whenever he came to Arcadia to visit, which was often. Whether he’d have to take the mantle as heir was up in the air. Tristan was alive and well and had enough support. He didn’t need Kieran.
Kieran shifted closer to me, digging in for warmth. “How are you doing with everything?”
“Well,” I said. “Fox is no longer an asshole to me. I think he feels sorry for me.”
“Fox wouldn’t feel sorry for his own mother. It’s just that now he trusts that your secret wasn’t about getting us killed.”
“But I did almost get you all killed.”
“It was our choice, Tomás. Because it’s what we do. We protect family.”
“And I’m family?”
He burrowed deeper into me, no space between us. “You’re everything to me.”
We kissed for a long time. Just kissing. Feeling each other, making sure we were still whole. Unbreakable. No matter what happened now, we were stronger together. I knew that now. No more lies between us. I pulled away and held him. “Maybe I should show Maddox.” I knew when Maddox found Wren I’d have to show him the video of what Alessandro did to me. It would save Wren’s life.
“It’s up to you,” Kieran said, lifting himself up on his elbow to look at me. Even half asleep the guy was sexy as hell. “But yes. I would prefer it to Wren’s death. Even if the asshole might deserve a good kick in the ass for doing this alone.”
I smiled. Worry bags under Kieran’s eyes suggested that he was more worried than angry with Wren. Maddox was scouring every corner of the earth looking for Alessandro. The Brennans would go to war. I owed Maddox the truth. He had saved my life when I had tried to kill him.
“I … I think it’s time to tell Maddox. I don’t want him to start a war on false information.”
“Tomás—”
I stopped Kieran’s words with a kiss.
A few hours later, I was in front of Dr. Casera’s house. I knocked on the small home. The sound of pitter patter breached through the door followed by a high pitched laugh then a shriek melding into a giggle before the door opened. Dr. Casera stood holding a little blond-haired boy. The baby had bright blue eyes the same color as Dr. Casera’s and was trying to eat his face.
“Tomás,” he said, more concerned than upset. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling the weight of what I had in my pocket dig me further into the ground. “I need to talk to you.”
“Can this wait?”
“No. I’m sorry. It can’t.”
He sighed, then opened the door wider. “Let me put him down.”
I walked inside and closed the door. The house was clean, organized in dark woods and cream walls. There were a few toys littered around. Casera handed the boy to a thin, dark haired older woman. “Thanks, Margie. I won’t be long. Promise.”
“Take your time, sweetie. This little guy needs a bath and a nap.”
Casera gave the boy a gentle kiss with a father’s love in his eyes.
He came back to me and gestured to a chair. I sat and rubbed my hands down my thighs, my palms sweaty. I’d been brave a few minutes ago in Kieran’s arms. Now, I was terrified.
“What is this about?”
I cleared my throat. “Alessandro Mancini.”
Casera’s expression turned sour. “Perhaps you should be talking to Maddox about Alessandro. If you know anything.”
“Alessandro paid Lina Novak to be artificially inseminated to carry your baby to term. After she gave birth and left you Matthew, I believe he killed her.” I backtracked. “She’s been missing since then. Alessandro doesn’t like leaving loose ends. It’s why he killed my mother and tried to kill me.”
Casera’s eyes flashed to where he’d left Matthew as if the boy were in danger. “The boy’s safe. Alessandro’s not going to hurt anyone else. Ever again.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
After Graham had given me the video file, I had watched it alone. My story was the longest recorded. He hadn’t hurt any of the other children. Only me.
Luca had been right. Alessandro had been angry at Maddox’s engagement to Dr. Casera and he had beaten me for it. He’d locked me in a room, chained me, and kept me for a week before my father came for me.
I pulled out the flash drive and handed it to Dr. Casera. “When I was ten, my mother sold me to Enzo. She hated me because I reminded her of Maddox, the son she regretted.” Dr. Casera didn’t react. As the keeper of secrets, he probably knew all this already. “I only knew him as Enzo until the night of the dinner. He knew I was Maddox’s half-brother. When he found out Maddox was going to marry you, he chained me in a room and beat me for a week. My father saved me that time.” I had to breathe. “I can’t give this to Maddox because I hate him. He killed my father and my brother. I’ve been his whipping boy since I was born. I know the whipping boy part isn’t his fault, but I still blame him for everything that’s happened to me. I can’t…” I cleared my throat, appreciating that Dr. Casera didn’t sugar coat my situation. He said nothing, let me ramble through what I needed to say. I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out before I continued. “The flash contains a video file of what Enzo did to me. I can’t give this to Maddox, but you can,” I went on. “I don’t want him to start a war for Alessandro. The fucker doesn’t deserve it. And I’d like to find my friend.”
Dr. Casera lifted a brow.
“Wren has Alessandro.”
Dr. Casera lifted his hand to stop me. Then he got up, poured two glasses with an amber liquid, and gave me one. It wasn’t until I tried to drink that I realized my hands were shaking. The burn of the liquor down my throat felt good.
“May I ask you a question?”
I cleared my throat in answer.
“Did he mention how the fuck he got my semen?”
I choked on my spit and coughed. I heard him chuckle while my eyes watered and I tried to breathe. “No,” I grunted out.
Then he started to laugh. It was more of a nervous laugh that died down too soon. Dr. Casera played with the flash in his hand. A saddened expression on his face from old painful memories. I knew that look.
“I could tell him what Alessandro said about Lina.”
He shook his head. “No. I’m afraid my time with Maddox is over. But I will give this to him. You’re right. He shouldn’t go to war for that piece of shit. But I’m not sure what you expect he’ll do.”
“Stop him starting a war? Not kill Wren?”
Dr. Casera looked at me with that expression he wore so well. As if looking inside my soul. “We’ll see then,” Dr. Casera said.
Then he walked me out and told me never to come to his house again.