Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Beckett wasn’t sure he had it in him to share more of his past. Unearthing memories he’d worked his ass off to bury deep down in the belly of hell where they belonged only pissed him the fuck off.
It’d taken months for him to get a good night’s sleep after Ivy had shown up two years ago, but as time passed without incident, he stopped anticipating one of the Barlowe sisters barging into his life and creating chaos. At least until three weeks ago when Cora shot his peace to hell.
Beckett expelled a deep, exhausted breath, aware that everyone in the room was waiting for him to share the Ivy arrest story.
He considered offering the bare minimum to end the conversation quickly and stole a look at Gray, now leaning against a pillar.
The snippets of Gray and Sydney’s conversation he’d heard earlier outside the bungalow moved through his mind in slow motion. “Your ex was a moron for cheating on you. The stupid son of a bitch threw you away.”
Beckett wished a thousand times over he hadn’t left the bungalow to check on Sydney at that exact moment. At the time, he wasn’t sure if the shocked look on her face was due to his presence or Gray revealing he knew Seth had cheated on her. His guess was both. Sydney didn’t strike him as the type to go around telling people, Gray included, that her ex had been having an affair.
But Gray’s further comments confirmed Beckett’s theory about her asshole ex—that he’d more than likely instilled some insecurities in her, ones she guarded well.
“Care to share more?” Carter’s deep voice drew Beckett’s attention.
“Yeah, sorry.” Beckett forced his shoulders to relax. “Two years ago, Ivy showed up on my doorstep late one night. She said she was there for McKenna. That she wanted to get to know her niece.” He cringed at the memory and the anger he’d felt at the sight of her. “I told her to get off my property and never come back.”
“You didn’t ask her about Cora?” Mya quickly asked. “Weren’t you curious?”
“I asked her the next night when she returned.” Ivy had been a persistent pain in his ass. Far more than just a burr in his saddle. “She said Cora was happy and safe. That she had a new life, and that life didn’t include Ivy. Not sure why she chose to avoid seeing her sister, but Ivy said although she and Cora spoke regularly, they hadn’t seen each other in person in years. Not since the last time I saw her, apparently.”
He’d considered them lies at the time, but now he had to believe that part of Ivy’s story. Otherwise, Ivy was jeopardizing her life by going to Chile with the cartel if someone from Cora’s new life might have recognized her.
“And then,” Beckett went on, “Ivy launched into a story about recently learning she couldn’t have children of her own, which was why she desperately wanted to meet and get to know McKenna.”
Despite the time crunch, the team remained quiet, allowing Beckett to unravel his twisted past at his own pace, and he appreciated that.
“I didn’t trust her, so I told her if she wanted a family, go visit her sister. To leave us alone.” He gripped his temples with his thumb and forefinger.
“She clearly didn’t heed your warning if you arrested her,” Mya said.
“No, I came home from work and found Ivy on the front porch talking to McKenna’s babysitter, trying to con her to get to McKenna. My babysitter was smart enough not to let a woman she didn’t know inside my house with my daughter.” He set his fist to his chest as he shared the bitter memory. “But when I saw her there, I was so pissed. I was in the process of slapping cuffs on her when my daughter came outside.”
“I take it McKenna never learned who she was?” Sydney asked.
Beckett looked her way and shook his head. “No, I didn’t want her to know.” He opened his fist, realizing he was letting his memories trigger him too much. “Once I took Ivy to the station to question her, to learn her real motives, she claimed Cora asked her to get an update on McKenna because she couldn’t come herself. To text her some new pictures. Details about her.”
“Why would she suddenly want to know about her daughter after so much time had passed? Doesn’t make sense,” Mya pointed out, which had been Beckett’s question too.
“Ivy said it wasn’t the first time Cora sent her to Walkins Glen for an update about McKenna. The damn woman had spied on my family for her in the past. She showed me old images on her phone. But this trip was the first time she’d decided to try and talk to her.” Beckett shoved away from the pillar, his back ramrod straight. “She said Cora was too afraid to ever come herself, worried she’d want to make contact if she saw McKenna in person.” The thought made him physically ill. “And Ivy said Cora’s new situation didn’t allow her to visit anyway.”
“Guessing her new situation has to do with this Jorge Rojas guy,” Carter noted. “Well, if Ivy was even telling the truth.”
“Yeah, hard to tell with those sisters.” Beckett shook his head. “I warned Ivy if she ever came around again, I’d put her behind bars next time.”
Before anyone else could say more, Gray stepped forward. “Your brother is calling me. I’m guessing he wants to talk to you.” The world of pain Beckett had seen in Gray’s eyes earlier had been replaced by a darker, graver look.
“Anything else you need to share about Ivy’s visit before you take that call?” Carter asked, glancing at his watch. Beckett shook his head and started toward Gray. There was nothing left to say. “Fine. Five minutes and we roll out. We’re flying direct, so we’ll be in the air for about nine hours. In case your brother wants to know, we should arrive in Santiago tonight by seven local time.”
Beckett acknowledged Carter with a lift of his chin. At least they’d arrive in time to meet Emily and Elaina at the airport.
Gray held the phone out in front of him as Beckett neared, and he saw that Gray had already answered it. An uncomfortable band of tension stretched between them as he accepted the phone.
This is going to be fun. Beckett turned away and said, “Hey, A.J., it’s me.”
“Liam told me what’s going on,” A.J. began as Beckett started for the glass doors to get outside. His heart was on a collision course with his ribs, pounding furiously with each step, as his body and mind prepared for what was sure to be a dressing-down by his brother. “He’s obviously not fit to operate here given the circumstances, and of course, he wants to be with his family.”
Beckett opened the door and stepped outside into the courtyard where he and Sydney had danced last night. “I’m so sorry,” was all he could manage as he paced along the length of the rectangular pool.
“This kind of recklessness from you only happens when that damn woman is involved. Only then.”
“Things are different this time.” And he vowed to keep that promise.
“How? How are they different?” A.J. rasped. “Cora’s still fucking with your head. Manipulating you to get whatever she wants. She’s the devil, brother. The devil. And yet, she seduces you into her trap, and you help her each time.”
“She’s not going to seduce me.” Beckett tossed a look to the wall of glass, hoping to catch sight of the only woman capable of seducing him right now.
Sydney’s back was to him as Valentina spoke with her.
“When it comes to Cora, she says jump, and you’ll ask how high.”
“I haven’t helped her in six years,” he reminded A.J.
“Only because she didn’t call you during that time,” he shot back.
“She’s still McKenna’s mom,” he defended, clinging to what felt like a flimsier excuse by the second.
“Sharing DNA with McKenna doesn’t make Cora a mother.”
Beckett turned back to the pool, the harsh sun reflecting off the water. And in that blinding light, it was hard not to face the fact he had screwed up.
But he reminded himself if he hadn’t come to Mexico looking for Cora, Mya would’ve met her cartel contact today, and she may have died.
“Everything happens for a reason,” he found himself mumbling, unsure if A.J. would buy into that.
“Not only is our pregnant sister’s husband in danger, but do you have any idea what that voicemail from Emily did to Liam? Your actions are sending his family to Chile and?—”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, doing his best to keep calm, to not let guilt cut him in half. He needed to keep it together to push through and figure out what in the hell was really going on.
“You promised me you’d never see Cora again. That you’d never let her get to you. No matter what.”
“I know, and Cora may not even be alive.”
“Regardless, you should have come to me. I should’ve been the first one you called.”
“And if I had, you would have refused to help. You would have talked me down. And Mya would be dead.” No matter how Beckett looked at it, there was someone alive because of his pursuit for McKenna’s mother. “We have to trust Elaina on this.” Was he crazy for putting his faith in a twelve-year-old? Yesterday he would’ve said yes. After his call with Emily, not anymore.
“Mya Vanzetti ?” A.J. paused to let it sink in. Beckett forgot A.J. didn’t know all the details of what had happened since Beckett had arrived in Mexico. A.J. had most likely gotten a bullet point version from Liam, who’d gotten it from Carter. Fucking bullet points. “ She’s there with you? I’m confused.”
Beckett quickly filled him in, then pointed out, “You see what I mean? It’s fate or whatever you want to call it.”
“Liam didn’t tell me about Mya or what happened to you all yesterday. I assume he doesn’t know. He was just in a panic to leave here for the airport.”
“And where are you now?”
“By the Black Sea. That’s all I can say,” A.J. shared.
Ukraine? Turkey? Somewhere around there, Beckett assumed, doing something important.
“I’d be on that plane with Liam if I could, but we’re down a sniper now. The second our mission is done, you know I’m on my way.”
“You don’t need to explain. Or come. We’ll be okay.” We have to be okay.
“Gray’s sister will use her Agency contacts to try and find out what she can about this billionaire. Natasha will send you what intelligence she can find as soon as your jet reaches Chile. And knowing her, before your wheels touch the ground,” A.J. added, and Beckett was grateful they had a connection to the CIA for help. “How’s Ella?”
“Ella’s Ella. She’s tough. More worried about me than Jesse.”
A.J. huffed a laugh. “Sounds like she and I are on the same page.” He paused. “And are you okay?” Another pause. “I should have led with that, I’m sorry.” A somberness filled his brother’s tone this time.
“I’m trying to be.” When he looked back inside, Sydney was peering his way, and his chest constricted as they made eye contact. But I’m pretty sure I’m about to get my heart broken again.