Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
JADE
I never look forward to visiting my parents.
They aren’t kind or nurturing or fun like Shea and Niall’s parents were. Even though I never got to meet them—they passed away in November of freshman year, just before I was set to go home with Shea for Thanksgiving—I’ve heard so many wonderful things about them.
The Walshes created special holiday traditions for their kids, like caroling around the neighborhood and handing out cookies to all their neighbors. They went on family trips every year, visiting places like Disneyland, Maine, and Cape Cod. And Niall and Shea’s parents never, ever missed a school event, no matter how far away it was.
But I turned out okay, even if my parents weren’t interested in things like that. Like I told Niall, it taught me to be independent and make my own way. And if I hadn’t learned to rely on myself, I might not have had the strength and determination to get out of that facility. I might not have been brave enough to offer myself up as bait and help put an end to the whole thing.
If I follow along that path, it winds around all the decisions I’ve made. Like going to Brown instead of staying in Texas like my father wanted, and meeting Shea. And if I hadn’t met Shea, I wouldn’t have met Niall. I wouldn’t have found the love of my life.
So everything worked out for the best, really.
It doesn’t mean I feel all warm and fuzzy toward them, though. With my parents, warm and fuzzy is an impossibility. Visits are spent listening to my father harp on my life choices and how bad they are. Once he winds down, I get to hear from my mother about the next foundation fundraiser or the latest event at the club—whether the food was done right, if the seating arrangements were disastrous, or if the table settings were tasteful or tacky.
So that’s fun.
I know my parents love me, but they definitely don’t understand me. Or respect me. And every time I head home after one of these visits, my heart is heavy with the reminder that they just don’t like me very much.
I’m a huge disappointment, and as much as I say it doesn’t matter, it still stings.
But I still make an effort to have a relationship with them. They’re my parents . When I think about Niall and Shea, who would give anything to have their mom and dad back, I feel guilty for dreading these visits so much.
This time, at least I have Niall with me. No matter how bad it goes, I know he has my back—or my six, as he and his teammates say. The barbs my father throws at me won’t hurt as much with Niall there to support me. To remind me with a little squeeze of my hand or a kiss on my cheek that he loves me.
“Maybe they’ll be easier on you.” Niall glances away from the road for a second to look at me. “Knowing what you’ve been through, I can’t imagine your dad would want to talk about your work. He probably just wants to see for himself that you’re okay.”
“My father always wants to talk about work. And how I should quit and find a man who’ll support me.” My chest tightens and my pulse thuds hard. “He’s probably going to say something insulting to you. About your job, or your service, or that you don’t have a college degree.”
Now that we’re almost there, it’s hard to take a full breath. If my father says something terrible to Niall, there’s no way I can let it go. I’ll have to say something, and it’ll turn into an argument, and my mother will get all flustered and hide in her bedroom like she always does, and?—
“Jade. Sweetheart. Stop panicking.” Niall’s hand settles on my leg and squeezes gently. “It’s going to be fine.”
I turn to him. He looks so handsome; his strong features freshly shaven, hair glinting bronze and amber as the sun hits it, his eyes a gorgeous sapphire blue. He seems so confident, but he doesn’t know my father. And I can’t bear the thought of Niall being hurt. Insulted. Especially considering what an incredible man he is.
“What if it’s not?” I ask. “If he says something bad to you, I can’t let that slide. I’m used to it, but?—”
“Hey.” He makes a perfect left turn one-handed, still holding onto my leg with the other. “If he says something to me, it’s fine. I’m not insecure about what I’ve done or how much money I have. And—” He flashes me a cocky smile. “I think I’m kind of a catch. At least, my girlfriend seems to think so.”
“I do.” My anxiety cranks down a notch, and my lips lift a little. “You’re definitely a catch.”
“Right.” His smile slides into something more serious. “And your opinion is what matters to me. Not that I don’t care about your parents—I do. But we’re adults and I don’t need your father’s approval. All I need is yours.”
I cover his hand with mine. “You have it.”
“Okay, then.” He signals to turn and I realize we’re already at my parents’ house. But before my stomach can start to twist into knots again, Niall adds, “So we’ll do this visit. Talk to your parents. I’m sure it’ll be fine, but if it isn’t, that’s alright. As soon as we get home, I’ll take you in the bedroom and make sure you’re completely relaxed. And Dante is cooking lasagna tonight, so we can have dinner with him after, if you like.”
As we head down the familiar winding driveway, I give Niall a grateful smile. “Okay. I like that idea. And you’re right. It’ll be fine.”
It’ll be fine.
I keep telling myself that as we park the car and head to the front door—an ostentatious thing with gold detailing and a giant gold B smack dab in the middle. It’ll be fine. I’ve made it through plenty of visits with my parents before.
It’s just… this is the first time I’m bringing a man with me. Not just any man, but the one I can see myself marrying. Spending my life with. And there’s still a childish part of me that wants my parents’ approval, even though I know how ridiculous that is.
“It’s going to be fine,” Niall repeats just before I ring the buzzer. He frames my face and leans down to brush his lips across mine. “And just know—I think you’re the most incredible woman in the world. You’re smart and strong and brave and beautiful. And never a disappointment.”
It fills me with a floaty sort of hope. Like I can get through anything with Niall beside me. Hope that this visit will be better. That my parents will be happy for me.
At first, it seems like my hopes might be granted.
My father opens the door and flashes us one of his patented country club smiles. But his tone seems genuine as he says, “Jade. I’m so pleased to see you. Your mother and I have been so worried.”
Then he shifts his attention to Niall and offers his hand. “Garrett Bell. Welcome to our home.” There’s a brief pause before he adds, “And Jade says you’re a veteran. Thank you for your service.”
It’s not an enthusiastic greeting by any means, but it could be worse.
Niall takes my father’s hand and from the way Niall’s lips twitch, I just know my father is trying his power handshake, which might work on his employees but not with someone like Niall.
Still, Niall smiles pleasantly and replies, “Thank you. I’m Niall Walsh. It’s very nice to meet you.”
My father’s smile fades as soon as his gaze drops to Niall’s hand wrapped around mine, but he quickly recovers. “Well. Come inside. Mrs. Bell is waiting in the lounge. She’s been very eager to see you, Jade.”
As we follow my father, he says, “Your mother has been so worried about you. It’s a pity it took this long for you to visit. If you’d just stayed here, imagine how much better your mother would have felt.” He glances over his shoulder at me. “She lost sleep, you know.”
And there it is. The first volley.
Niall’s hand tightens around mine; not painfully, but comforting.
Once we get to the lounge—it’s really just another living room, but only used for guests, which is kind of messed up when I think about it—my mother claps her hands together and says brightly, “Oh, Jade. I’m so pleased you could come. I’ve been waiting to show you the seating arrangements for the company gala. And the table settings. I’m thinking silver and crimson this time. Or is that too garish? Passé?”
I can feel Niall’s eyes on me as I paste on a smile and reply, “I’d love to look at them.”
But honestly, it’s easier to just play along than to tell her I have no idea what table settings are currently in style. And really, she doesn’t care about my opinion. She just wants to tell me all about it.
“Vanessa.” My father’s voice is lightly scolding. “You haven’t seen Jade in ages. And she brought a young man with her. Perhaps you could greet them before talking about the gala.”
She pales, then jumps to her feet. After a stilted pause, she says, “Of course. How silly of me. Jade. I’ve missed you so much. And it’s lovely to meet your young man.”
“Niall Walsh.” Niall casts one of his infectious smiles at her. “It’s a pleasure to be here. And to meet Jade’s parents.”
The next few minutes after that, everything goes like a normal visit. My mother sits beside my father, bobbing her head in agreement every time he speaks. And my father gives me the rundown on his company—profits are still holding steady, but frivolous lawsuits are really threatening the industry.
“These people ,” he says dismissively, “trying to blame the company when they get addicted. There’s nothing wrong with the product when used responsibly. It would be like me suing the car company for getting into an accident after speeding.”
I swallow back what I want to say, which is that it’s not close to the same thing. That the cars weren’t built with the intent to make people speed. That cars aren’t addictive. That they’re not handed out to anyone who wants them.
But I’ve tried that argument before, and it goes nowhere. All it gets me is a heavy sigh and a look of disappointment, followed by a patronizing you couldn’t understand .
Once the business briefing is over, then my father lobs his second volley. Pinning Niall with his gaze, he says, “So. Niall. From what I understand, you went straight into the military after high school? No college degree? Do you have plans to go back to school?”
“No degree,” Niall agrees with a smile. “And I’m quite happy where I am, career-wise. I don’t think school would benefit me at this time.”
“Niall has been through extensive training,” I add, feeling both defensive and protective. “Years of it. Some of the hardest training anyone in the military can do.”
My father raises his eyebrows at me. “Well. I suppose that’s good.” Then he turns to my mother. “Vanessa. You wanted to talk to Jade privately, didn’t you? I recall you saying that over breakfast. Something about… girl talk?”
“Oh, yes.” My mother beams at me. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about… things.” Her gaze shifts to Niall before coming back to me. “Woman to woman.”
The tiny flame of hope kindles. I’ve never talked to my mother about guys before, but maybe she realizes Niall is the real thing. Maybe she’ll have some kind of advice. Or maybe she just wants to hear about him. Wants to know if I’m in love with him.
“Go,” Niall murmurs. “I’ll be fine out here.”
“Yes, let’s go chat.” My mother is already halfway out of the room. She stops to give me another bright smile. “We can talk in my bedroom. It’ll be lovely.”
Niall squeezes my hand and kisses me on the cheek. “Have a nice time talking to your mom. I’ll be right here.”
Although I’m loath to leave Niall—he makes this visit much more tolerable—I follow my mother with a cautious optimism brimming.
Maybe this will be one of those mother-daughter talks, like the ones Shea told me about. Even though I’ve never had one with my mother before, there’s always a first time, right?
Fifteen minutes later, I’ve come to the realization that I’m not having an intimate talk about love with my mother.
It’s disappointing, but not surprising.
Instead, I’ve been sitting on her bed with dozens of pictures of table settings all around me, listening to her explain the pros and cons of each of them. It’s mind numbingly boring, and I’ve been surreptitiously checking my watch while trying to determine how soon I can leave without being rude.
“Mom,” I finally say. “I should get back out to Niall. It’s rude leaving him alone this long.”
“Oh, no, Jade.” She drops the picture she’s describing and looks at me. “I have so much more to talk to you about. And…” Her brow squinches. “Your young man. We need to talk about him.”
At this point, I’m pretty much done with all this. I want to get back to Niall and wrap this visit up. Head home and make love and have lasagna and watch the newest Marvel movie Niall’s been waiting to see.
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “Another time.”
“Jade, please.” Her eyes widen, pleading with me. “Just stay. A little longer.”
“Just a few more minutes.”
“Oh, good!” Her phone buzzes, and she glances over at where it’s face down on the mattress. Picking it up, she quickly taps out a text and then says, “Just your father. Wanting to make sure we’re having a pleasant time talking. Isn’t that sweet?”
I’m not sure I’d call my father sweet, but okay.
Just as my mother finally says, “Well. Your young man is handsome. I’ll give him that,” my father walks into the room and shuts the door behind him.
He has a strange look on his face, kind of eager and nervous at the same time.
“Jade.” His tone is cold. Commanding. “It’s time to go.”
I’m confused. Did something happen with Niall? An argument? Our visits have never been the most pleasant, but I’ve never been instructed to leave the house before.
But I slide off the bed and say slowly, “Okay. I’ll leave. I’ll just get Niall.”
He walks closer, and there’s this odd glint in his eyes. “No, Jade. You’re not leaving with Niall. You’re coming with me.”
What?
I cast a quick glance at my mother, but she’s still smiling like this is completely normal.
“I’m not leaving without Niall.” I start to veer around my father as I add, “I don’t know what happened, but I’m going to get Niall and leave. We can talk about this another time.”
“No, Jade.” His voice goes flinty. “You don’t understand. You’re not going with him. You’re coming with me .”
“No.” Now I’m angry. “I’m leaving. This isn’t okay.”
“Stop.” It’s a whip cracking. “Don’t make this complicated.”
What?
Then.
He pulls out a gun.
Everything stops.
My father. Holding a gun.
Pointing it at me.
I don’t understand.
“Obviously, I don’t want to shoot you.” His blue eyes, so much like mine, turn icy. “But I need to get your attention.”
“What?”
My brain doesn’t want to work. Everything is splintered. I can’t pull my thoughts together.
Why? What is he doing?
Crap. Crap. I can’t stand here doing nothing.
Focus.
I can do this.
Clearly, my father has had some kind of mental break. But he said he didn’t want to shoot me. So if I can just get out of here, get my mother out…
I’m edging toward the door again when he says, “I wouldn’t do that. Unless you want something to happen to Niall.”
Everything goes cold inside. “What do you mean?”
“He’s okay, for now .” A serpentine smile appears. “But if you don’t come with me willingly, I’ll have to shoot him. I’d rather not, since it would be quite messy. But if you leave me no choice…”
Nothing makes sense.
But I have to do something. Warn Niall. He can call for help.
Surely my father won’t really shoot him.
But I left my phone in the lounge. And I couldn’t just whip it out and start texting right now, anyway.
“Jade. It’s time to go.” My father advances on me, and I instinctively take a step away.
The earrings. I can use those.
Niall gave them to me after everything that happened with Dr. Regan. They have a tracker in them, but also can be triggered to send a call for help.
“If you’re in trouble,” Niall explained, “just press one of them hard. I’ll get an alert. Everyone at B and A will. We’ll get to you right away.”
So I reach up like I’m pushing my hair back and jab at the right earring, hoping like anything I’m doing it right.
“Jade.” It’s more irritated now. “It’s time to leave.”
“Why do I have to leave?” I need to stall him. Maybe I can even talk my father down. Somehow. “I don’t understand.”
“Oh, Jade.” He gives me that patronizing smile he always does. “I thought you might have figured it out. But”—he moves closer, still with the gun held steady—“I guess I overestimated you. Again.”
I flick a glance at my mother again, but she seems completely unfazed by everything that’s happening. “What should I have figured out?”
My father’s voice drops; cold and menacing. “You’re not escaping again, Jade. Not after all the trouble you’ve caused.”
My heart stops.
“Do you know how much money you cost me?” His eyes narrow. “Millions. Tens of millions, really. The whole organization, destroyed. Because of you and your willfulness.”
No.
It can’t be.
I gasp, “You? How?” I spin toward my mother. “Did you know?”
She bobs her head. “It’s better this way, Jade. Just do as your father says.”
What?
“Of course she knows. She was the first.” My father reaches for my arm, but I jerk away. His expression shadows. “I started it all to deal with stubborn women like you. Women who didn’t know their place, but had so much potential.”
He casts a quick look at my mother, then says, “I had been looking for the perfect wife, but no one was right. They were beautiful, but… so demanding. Willful. Then I thought… what if I could create the ideal woman? One who’d do what I wanted? Who would look perfect on my arm? So I started experimenting.”
Ice encases my lungs. Air whistles through a narrowing throat. “ What?”
“It took a while to create the perfect drug. One that would make the women docile, but still alert. But once I found it…” His lips curve up. “Your mother was my first successful subject. And she’s perfect, isn’t she?”
“Perfect?” Anger melts away some of the icy shock. “You’re… drugging the women? Conditioning them?”
“Not all of them.” My father shakes his head, sighing. “Not all my clients want to pay for the additional training required. So I offer them women to train on their own. It’s not what I would do, but as long as they’re paying…” He shrugs. “I don’t really care.”
I can’t breathe past the pain in my chest. “You want to sell me? Drug me? Send me off to some man to use me?” Tears burn behind my eyes. “I’m your daughter .”
“Yes,” he snaps. “You’re supposed to bring value to the family. I had men lined up for you. Men who were prepared to compensate me generously for you. But you had to go off on your own. And now—” My father’s lip curls up in distaste. “Look at you. Almost past your peak. Soon you won’t be able to provide healthy children. I had to do something.”
Each word is a dagger flaying my heart. “Do something? Sell me?”
“Come on, Jade. It’s not that bad. All the men who were interested in you—they’re wealthy. Successful. You would have been treated like a treasured prize, just like your mother. You’d have a fulfilling life instead of this ridiculous job of yours, living in a crappy apartment, wasting your prime years…”
His jaw tightens. “Anyway. Enough of this. You ruined everything, so now you’re going to help me recreate a new operation.”
“You’ll be caught.” I take another step back and bump into the mattress. My gaze keeps jumping from the gun to my father’s eyes and back again. “Everyone is going to jail.”
“Not me.” He smirks. “I was so careful. None of my associates ever knew my name. All the payments were in cash. And it’s so easy to hide profits when you own a pharmaceutical company. It’s perfect, really.”
He’s crazy.
“Alright.” My father’s hand clamps on my arm. “I know what you’re doing. Trying to stall. Hoping I’ll change my mind. I won’t. And my patience is running thin. I have a client that is waiting for you. He’s very eager.”
“No.” I yank against him. “I won’t.”
Dimly, I can feel hot tears on my cheeks.
“Yes.” It’s a hiss. “You will. You’re going to make me millions. Enough to start my operation again. And if you fight me, I’ll kill your boyfriend.” His eyes are like ice. “So you’re coming with me now .”