Chapter 6 #2
With blurry vision, she slid behind the wheel of her car. She wiped the tears away, trying to focus as she typed the address into her GPS and pulled the car down the drive.
Her grip remained unnaturally tight on the wheel, every mile she drove made her heart beat harder against her ribs. “Please be okay, Ally,” she squeaked as she urged more speed from the car.
As the building came into view, Julia stared up at the old Victorian mansion. Secluded, on the outskirts of town, the overgrown ivy and weathered neglect sent a shiver down her spine.
She imagined her sister being help inside, eyeing the dancing lights glowing from within. She eased the car to a stop and leapt from it, her eyes rising to take in the structure.
With a hard swallow, Julia forced her legs to move forward, climbing the ramshackle stairs to the wide, sagging porch. She pushed through the front door. The strong odor of decay filled her nostrils as she stepped into the dusty space.
“Hello?” she called.
“Upstairs!” Lydia’s voice answered.
Julia’s eyes rose to the second level, her throat going dry. She wrapped her fingers around the peeling banister and slowly climbed past the candles lighting her way.
“Lydia?” she questioned as she reached the top of the stairs.
“In here,” Lydia answered.
A dark figure stood limned in light at the end of the hall.
Julia steadied her nerves as best she could as she took a step toward the room. “My sister better not be hurt.”
Lydia’s cackle made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
“I’m serious. You’re on the losing end, Lydia. The last thing you need while you’re out on bail is another accusation.”
“Oh, those charges will soon be dropped. My husband is making sure of that.”
“I’m not sure your husband is as powerful as you think he is.” Julia stepped into the room, scanning it. Candlelight cast deep shadows across the room. She centered her gaze on Lydia. The lighting made her look even more sinister.
“Where is my sister?”
Lydia shrugged. “Probably somewhere alone with her husband, trying to work things out.”
“You sent a picture–”
“That my husband faked. Still think he’s not as good as he says he is?”
Heat washed over Julia as she realized she’d been tricked. “You lured me here.”
“I did.”
“Why?” Julia asked.
Lydia sauntered a few steps closer. “Because we need to talk. Woman to woman.”
“I have nothing to say to you, Lydia. Your game is over. You lost Harrington Global, you lost your leverage on Sierra, and we are going to make certain you never hurt any of us again.”
Lydia narrowed her eyes, her voice lowering to a hiss. “So certain. I could kill you right now.”
“But you won’t. You want something from me.”
Lydia grinned, her features sinister in the low light. “You’re right, I do. I have a request for you.”
“I’m dying to hear it.”
Lydia paced across the room toward the window, her high-heeled footsteps echoing off the empty room’s walls. “You have proven yourself to be a strong opponent. Much stronger than I anticipated.”
Julia raised her chin at the words.
“You saved Grant from a murder charge, managed to discover my identity while CEO of Harrington Global, rescued the good doctor from my clutches, and managed to block my attempted to take over the company.” She whipped around to face Julia. “I’m impressed.”
“I doubt you baited me to come here so you can stroke me ego.”
“I don’t suppose I could get you to join me.”
Julia shook her head. “You’d be no more successful than I’m sure I would be at convincing you to abandon this.”
“Clever girl,” Lydia said. “I have put far too much into this to drop it.”
“Why?” Julia asked. “Why are you doing this?”
Lydia smirked at her, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “I’m sure you’ll find out in a few years. You’ll see when you’re left for the umpteenth time for a late night at the office, meetings that go too long, investor dinners, the list goes on and on.”
“Really? Grant left you alone for too long, and so now you’re set to destroy him? Lydia, that’s–”
“What? Crazy? Maybe it is. But he’s made me that way.”
“By going to too many meetings?”
“No,” she answered, her voice a low growl, “it’s the rest of what happened between us. Your little doctor friend wasn’t far from the truth when he accused Grant of being abusive.”
Julia lowered her chin to her chest, arching an eyebrow. “You’re saying Grant hit you?”
“No. He never physically abused me. He didn’t need to. He could break me in so many other ways. And that’s why I’m going to break him.”
“Lydia, I find this very difficult to believe. In the time I’ve known him–”
“You didn’t know him then,” Lydia screamed. “You didn’t know what he was like. Ignored, alone, constantly told it was me, not him. The long parade of women lined up. The constant taunts that I could be replaced.”
Julia sucked in a breath as she chewed her lower lip. “I’m sorry you had a difficult marriage with Grant, but…”
“What?” Lydia prodded, her arms crossed. “He’s changed? I don’t care. He needs to pay for the mental pain I’ve lived through.”
“Maybe if you took the time to get to know your family as they are now–” Julia tried.
“I’d what? Fall in love with them? Realize how wonderful they really are?” Lydia placed a hand over her heart as she pretended to flick a tear from the corner of her eye. “No.”
“What about your daughter, Lydia? Doesn’t she mean anything to you?”
Lydia shook her head.
“She’s angry with you because of what you did, but I’m sure we could repair the damage. You could have a relationship with Sierra.”
“I can’t. I can barely stand to look at her.”
Julia’s features twisted. “Why? Lydia, you’re missing out on a wonderful girl. Sierra is strong and brave. She’s loyal and–”
“She’s not Grant’s.”
The words stopped Julia cold. “What?”
“She isn’t Grant’s daughter. Maybe you’re not as smart as I think you are. That was a pretty simple statement, Julia.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not. Do a DNA test. She’s not Grant’s. I had an affair. Things got worse after that. Our marriage almost ended then, but…I was pregnant. And we stayed together for the baby. Every time I look at her, I think about how much I wish I wouldn’t have had her. I would have left him so much sooner.”
The words burned into her mind. Was this a clever ploy on Lydia’s part to keep Julia off balance or was this the truth? “I can’t believe this.”
“Believe it, sister.”
“Wait, no,” Julia said as she shook her head, then massaged her temples. “That doesn’t ring true. Grant was so awful to you that when you got pregnant with another man’s baby, you stayed–“
“He thought the kid was his. I thought it would fix our marriage. It didn’t. It made it so much worse.”
“Still, you’re saying he was abusive, and yet you left your child with him. Lydia, you’re lying.”
“I’m not. He wasn’t abusive toward Sierra. Had he known she wasn’t his, maybe he would have been, but I didn’t let that happen.”
“Why?” Julia asked. “Why didn’t you tell him?”
Lydia rolled her eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”
Julia screwed up her face and shook her head.
“Our prenup had an infidelity clause, you dimwit. Oh, wait, you probably don’t know that because you don’t have one. He worships the ground you walk on for some reason. I still haven’t figured out why.”
“That’s neither here nor there,” Julia answered. “Okay, so, you’ve had some bad breaks. That doesn’t give you the right to destroy anyone, especially not the daughter you left behind.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Mother Teresa, some of us aren’t so saintly as you are when it comes to repay people for the misery they’ve doled out.”
Julia’s shoulders slumped as the conversation went round and around. “Lydia, please. Drop this insanity. It’s only going to lead to heartache. You’re missing out on a wonderful daughter.”
“Save it,” Lydia interrupted. “I’m not here for your psychobabble. You’re not going to talk me out of this little plan to destroy Grant. But what you can do is honor one last request.”
A chuckle bubbled from Julia’s lips. “What? Why would I do anything you ask?”
“Because,” Lydia said as she slid her phone from her purse and tapped on it, “I may not have your sister here with me tonight, but I know where she is at all times. So, it’s in your best interest to play by my rules.”
“And what rules are those?”
Lydia puckered her lips as she returned her phone to her bag. “Disappear. Take your sister and your brother-in-law and leave. He’ll crumble once you’re gone.”
“No,” Julia answered. “I’m not going to leave Grant.”
Lydia heaved a sigh before she clicked her tongue. “Then I guess you’ll just have to all suffer the consequences. I thought I’d spare you.”
“Why would I believe you?”
“You don’t have to, but…since you were so impressive, I offered you a chance. Too bad you’re not as impressive as I thought. And now you’ll suffer right alongside Grant.”
Lydia stomped closer, forcing Julia back a few steps as she strode past her. Anger burned inside her, and she reached out, clamping a hand down on Lydia’s arm. “I’m not going to let you destroy my family.”
Lydia glanced down at the hand on her arm. “You’re not going to be able to stop me.”
She tugged at her arm, but Julia held firm. “No. You’re not leaving here until we’ve gotten a few things straight.”
“Let go of me!” Lydia shouted as she yanked at her sleeve.
“I will not.”
Lydia’s features twisted into a mask of anger as she lunged toward Julia. “Fine. Then we’ll just have to have this out.”
She clamped her hands down around Julia’s arms and flung her toward the wall. Julia stumbled back a few steps, smashing into it. She glanced up to find Lydia’s purse swinging toward her.
“Stop it!” Julia shouted as she ducked before she shoved at Lydia’s stomach, sending the woman sprawling onto the floor.
She knocked a few candles over as she struggled to scramble to her feet. Julia hurried past her, but Lydia latched on to her ankle, dragging her down to the floor. “I don’t think so, Mary Sunshine.”
“Get off!” Julia shrieked as she kicked her foot in a desperate attempt to free it.
Lydia tugged her closer, and Julia rolled onto her back, shoving Lydia away from her. The woman toppled across the room as the flames from the overturned candles kissed the floor.
Julia twisted onto her belly and pushed up to her feet. She dashed toward the door but before she could reach it, Lydia pummeled her.
“We’re not finished yet, Mrs. Harrington.”
Julia twisted underneath her and slapped Lydia across the cheek hard enough to knock her sideways.
Both women climbed to their feet, eyeing each other warily.
“I’ll give you this, I did not think you could fight,” Lydia said as she crouched lower, trying to anticipate Julia’s next move. “Must be the Maine in you.”
“The Maine in me is ready to knock the stuffing out of you,” Julia answered as the fire inching across the floor reached the dusty, dry-rotted curtains. They went up like kindling, sending the flames racing toward the ceiling.
“Whoops, I think that’s my cue to leave,” Lydia said.
“Yes, I think we need to get out of here. This place is a tinder box,” Julia answered, taking a step toward the door.
“I don’t think so, sweetheart. It’d be better for me if you stayed here.” Lydia grabbed Julia’s wrist and flung her closer to the fire before she dashed from the room and pulled the door shut. The sound of a lock clicking sent a wave of nausea through Julia.
“Lydia!” she screamed as she crossed toward the closed door. Before she reached it, fire burst from the ceiling. A beam fell from the floor above her, stretching from floor to ceiling and blocking the door as it continued to burn.
She stared at it in horror as she realized she was now trapped inside of a burning room.