Chapter 42 #2
“And you think that's where he is now? Out there killing the men on that list?” I’ve barely let myself think about the fact that he killed Jonah. Jack seems too gentle and kind to be a murderer.
“Well, he did leave with that little, black holdall.” She shrugs, this time not looking like she’s enjoying being right. “Gracie, if that list got into the wrong hands, or if Jack has handed it over to the wrong person…” She clamps her hand over her mouth and shakes her head.
“How long has Jack had the list?” I grab her arm with my free hand to try to get her focused.
“I hid it somewhere I was sure he’d find it, in Bernard's office, the night of that ball he threw.”
I think back to that night I saw her sneak in there; she’s been planning this the entire time I’ve been here.
“I would never have asked Jack to kill his own father, not even I’m that cruel. I made sure Bernard got what he deserved.”
My mouth falls open as she makes her confession. “And in doing so I….I. Thomas wasn’t supposed to be in the car,” she blurts out, dropping her head into her hands and sobbing loudly.
“Cecelia.” I wrap my arm around her, unable to imagine how she must feel. The woman is callous and beyond rude, but she clearly loved her son; she must be devastated that his death was her fault.
“I knew the risk that list would bring, and I tried pushing you away so you wouldn’t be involved. The last thing I wanted was more innocent people getting hurt. But you're a very persistent, young woman.”
“You could have spoken to Jack about this, but you’ve used him as a pawn,” I point out, knowing that her well-thought-out plan is sure to have worked, and Jack will want the men on that list dead.
“I’d just lost my son. I was angry at myself; angry at the men on that list. I was hell-bent on vengeance and, well, I’m persistent, too,” she admits.
“So you think whoever's out there knows about the list?” I point at the huge, heavy door that's keeping us safe.
“I figured Jack had found it when he started employing all those men as guards. I’ve been waiting for him to start taking action, but all the men on the list are still alive. Jack even stood down his guards and pulled back security.” She looks as confused as she is frustrated.
“The guards were here because of me,” I explain, taking a deep breath and focusing on keeping Benjamin asleep.
“There was someone from my past, who I thought would hurt me. Jack didn’t want me worrying during the pregnancy.
Are you sure we’re safe in here?” I check, as mad as I am about how she’s involved Jack in her games, I’m starting to believe I can trust this woman.
There's a sincere sadness in her eyes; this was her trying to put things right.
“We’re safe; like I said, this room is bomb proof.
Barely anyone knows about it, not even the staff…
I don’t think Jack even knows about it,” she assures me, taking my hand tightly in hers.
I don’t remember seeing any panic rooms on the blueprints of the house that Selena got for us, so they really must be secret.
Suddenly, I hear a loud crash, and quickly back myself up against the wall.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” A muffled, male voice comes from the other side of the door, and I hold my son tight to my chest, hoping he remains silent.
Cecelia places her fingers against her lips as if I need reminding to do the same.
“I know you're there.” The male chuckles, and when the door pops open, my heart drops, and I gasp when I see who's standing in its frame.
“Kaleb?” Celiela whispers, seeming every bit as shocked as I am.
“Mrs. Ravenshaw.” He nods his head and smiles at her charmingly, all the while pointing the gun in his hand directly at us.
“Thomas and I used to have so much fun playing in here.” He glances around the room, which he has us trapped in.
“Let them go; they have nothing to do with this.” Cecelia stands in front of me, blocking me and Benjamin from his aim.
“Move out the way, Cecelia.” He laughs at her heroics, sarcastically.
“I’d like to take a look at the next Duke of Fairfax.” His eyes lower to my son, and I snarl at the prick like a mother wolf.
“Who are you protecting, Kaleb? No one from your family is on that list,” Cecelia questions him.
“What list?” The frown he makes suggests he’s not here for that reason at all, but before Cecelia can answer, his mind is back on his task. “Look at him, sleeping soundly. Set up to live the perfect life.” Kaleb’s attention returns to my son, and it makes my skin prickle.
“Whatever this is about, you should have it out with Jack; this doesn’t concern him,” I speak out, hoping I can talk some sense into him. He’s obviously lost his mind.
“I think it does concern him; just like his daddy, he’s going to die.” He smiles, while my whole world collapses.
“Jack's dead?” I start to cry, clutching my son and wondering how the hell I'm going to get us out of this. I can’t let this man kill my child. I won't. “Why? Why would you do this?” I know how much Jack and Kaleb hate each other, but this is all too extreme.
“Life has been much kinder to Jack than it was to Bernard's other bastard,” Kaleb explains, and when Cecelia turns her head to look at me, I can see she’s as clueless as I am.
“You, you’re Bernard's son, too?” I check.
“Me? No, I’m pure Jefferies; no bastards in our bloodline,” he assures me, proudly.
“I’m merely here to help the rightful heir take what they deserve,” he sniggers as he looks over his shoulder, and when a voice comes from behind him that I recognise, I almost drop Benjamin out of my arms.
“Thank you, Kaleb.” Sophia steps through the gap between him and the door, dressed head to toe in black, with her hair scraped up high on top of her head. She looks nothing like the sweet, innocent girl I took in from the streets and invested all my time and efforts into helping.
“And to think, you didn’t trust me to pull off a long con,” she giggles sweetly, before turning her head and shooting Kaleb directly in his face.
I scream as his blood splatters the walls, and clutch Benjamin so tight to me, I fear I’ll suffocate him.
The noise of the gun wasn’t as loud as I expected it to be at such a close range, but it still makes him cry.
“Won’t be needing him anymore.” She laughs some more as she stands over his body and watches him bleed. “Stupid fuck thought I was going to marry him.”
“Sophia.” I go to hand Benjamin to Cecelia so I can try and talk her down, but she quickly points her gun at me, causing me to freeze.
“Don’t fucking move. Stay where you are,” she orders, looking completely unhinged.
“Sophia, where’s Jack? Did yo—”
“I don’t know where Jack is; I just know he’s not here. You won’t believe how long I’ve spent waiting for him to leave your side.”
“Sophia, why do you want to hurt us?” I ask her, staring at my friend and wondering how she managed to fool me so well.
“Three measly million.” She shakes her head. “That's what your husband thought years of neglect and rejection were worth,” Sophia explains to Cecelia.
“Sophia, I swear Jack had no idea about you. If he did, he would have made sure you were taken care of,” I promise her, realising I don’t know anything about this girl in front of me. She really did play the long con.
“Of course, he didn’t know. Bernard Ravenshaw had no use for a daughter. As soon as I was born and he realised I was a girl, he sent my mother on her way and denied all knowledge of me.”
“I’m sorry, Sophia. I’m so sorry that happened to you, but this isn’t Benjamin's or Jack's fault. Look, he’s just a baby.” I have to hold on to what she said about not knowing where Jack is; keep it as hope that he’s still alive, so I can put all my efforts into protecting our son.
“You think that's the worst thing this family did to me?” She laughs spitefully
“Try getting raped by your own brother, and his nasty, little buddy.” She kicks Kaleb’s corpse as I gasp.
“No.” I shake my head. Thinking back to the story Jack told me after we left the Winfield’s garden party.
“Oh, yes.” She nods back, looking haunted.
“What do you think this is all about, Grace? I’m not crazy.
” She smiles so vacantly. “I’d been following Thomas for some time before it happened.
He was my brother, the rightful heir, the perfect son.
I wanted to observe his life, take it in, and imagine how it would be if Daddy had bothered to acknowledge me.
I’d often put myself in situations, hoping I’d get the opportunity to meet him, but I never expected to be his initiation to that stupid club.
” Her face remains blank of emotion as my eyes fill with tears
“Thomas wouldn’t. He–-”
“Thomas was a cunt, and he was just as evil as his father,” Sophia shuts Cecelia down.
“There must be some mistake my–”
“Thomas and Kaleb took turns holding me down while the other one raped me, and they did it all in front of their friends,” she interrupts Cecelia’s defence.
“I don’t know if he knew who I was, but there was something in his eyes while he did it that told me he did.
I’ll bet it got that sick prick off.” She zones out for a while, and I reach back to check if the letter opener is still in my pocket.
“Sophia, Jack helped you that night. He told me what happened,” I remind her, remembering the story Jack told me word for word.
“Helped?” she laughs. “You think finding out that my dad had another bastard, helped? He may not have been father of the fucking year to Jack, but at least he acknowledged his existence.”
I can’t argue with what she’s saying. I understand her pain, but it doesn’t warrant killing innocent people.
“Jack took time speaking to me; he was kind, but he still paid me to keep my mouth shut, to keep his precious family's secrets. He even popped me a pill to make sure Thomas didn’t make the same mistake our father did.” She shakes her head and looks up at the ceiling.
“Sophia; that's your name, right?” Cecelia clears her throat and talks to her softly. “What are you hoping to gain from all of this? If it’s money you need, we can talk. We can come to an arrangement.”
“Money…Money, money, money.” Sophia laughs like a child. “This is bigger than money. This is about years of hurt. Of Ravenshaw men thinking they can do whatever they want, without consequence.”
“Sophia, I don’t understand. You came to me for help; you ran from your job at The Residence. Why did you not tell us who you were?”
“When I came to you, all I was focused on was taking Bernard and Thomas down. You hated them, and I didn’t want you to hate me.
I knew I couldn’t do it on my own.” She steps over Kaleb’s body so that she’s standing on the opposite side of the room.
“Turns out fate had it covered and stole all my fun.” She clearly has no idea that fate is standing right here in this room.
“You couldn’t have predicted this.” I look down at my son, who she now wants dead.
“No, but I knew how much you hated this family. I figured, given time, you would have been useful to me. Stealing that necklace was just going to be the start. But instead of making sure we obliterated the family name, you decided to help make it stronger.” All her attention goes to Benjamin, and the hate she projects makes me shudder.
“Sorry, Grace, I’m stopping the legacy; it all ends here. Kiss your little boy goodbye.”
She points the gun towards my son, and just as I’m about to turn my body to protect him, her head gets thrust back, and a blade slices across her throat. More blood splatters the walls, painting my skin as her body drops to the floor with Jack still clutching her head by the ponytail in his hand.
“Everyone okay?” he checks, releasing her and the knife, and dropping his hands to rest on his knees so he can catch his breath.
“We’re fine…” I promise, kissing our little boy's head, then watching the relief on his face turn to horror when he sees who the person lying at his feet is.