Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Regina
T he funeral service for Joseph Darvy, Elida’s ex-mayor and the owner of Darvy’s Tech Repair & Solutions, was standing room only. The townsfolk packed the Lutheran chapel off Pine Street. My parents and I sat in the back pews, since I didn’t want to be anyone’s focus.
I’d seen Maya and her mother, Briney Darvy, along with several other family members in the front pews. We never made eye contact until the procession out of the chapel. Even then, our glance toward each other lasted for less than a second.
The whole time I sat there, I was on the edge of my seat.
For one, I’d expected Decker and Krew to crash inside, causing all sorts of ruckus.
But no, they hadn’t shown up… Yet. And two, Teke had arrived, dressed in dirty jeans and a jean jacket that had seen better days, and he sat kitty-corner from us.
My mother forcibly restrained my father from jumping up from the pew and beating the hell out of Teke. “Bob. We’re in church.” It was all she said before my dad settled on sneering at my attacker, with an unspoken promise of retribution.
After the service at the chapel and interment at Memorial Park Cemetery in Lima, most of the mourners headed over to the Darvy’s home in Lima for a luncheon. My mother contributed a broccoli casserole in her favorite fish-shaped dish. It was one of my favorites of her foods.
Not a half an hour in from talking to people I hadn’t seen in years, and I was anxious to confront Maya about the past, the lies she had told, and the kill contracts on my and Krew’s heads.
I looked for Maya in the kitchen but quickly scooted out of there, because nosy Ms. Gina Smith was the last person I wanted to chat with. She’d make all sorts of innuendos about where I’d been all these years. And she’d keep on digging until she was satisfied with the answers. No thank you.
I diverted to the hallway that led to Joseph Darvy’s den and the powder room. Half way down, I heard voices coming from the den—Maya and her mother were arguing.
Without thought, I slipped into the powder room and partially closed the door so I could still hear what the mother-daughter duo were fighting about.
“I still can’t believe you’d invite all these people back here, Mother,” Maya huffed.
“We have to keep up with appearances—your father would have wanted that?—”
“You have no money! Your husband gambled it all away. There’s nothing left, except what Grandma Katie left me and he couldn’t…”
The next thing I heard was glass crashing—like someone had thrown something through the window, and then Maya was screaming. “Are you fucking kidding me? How in the hell did he get his hands on my money, Mother?”
“Quiet down. And you’re going to pay for that window and have my Persian rug cleaned.”
“I think I already did,” Maya shot back in a hiss.
“I’m sorry but I needed that money or I would have lost this house.”
“Maybe you were better off without it,” Maya grated out in rage.
“I said quiet. I don’t want rumors?—”
Maya started laughing maniacally. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Everyone in this fucking town knows your husband had a gambling addiction.”
“Stop calling your father that.”
“Joseph wasn’t my father, was he? Or did you forget that tidbit about sleeping with Frank Moss?”
Holy shit. Did I just hear Maya say that she could be Decker’s sister?
“I told you those rumors are false. You are your father’s daughter. Always criticizing. Always listening to others when I’ve been telling you and your father the truth all these years. You are Joseph Darvy’s child.”
“I don’t fucking believe you, Mother.”
“I told you that I won’t tolerate swearing in this house,” Briney groused in a schoolmarm tone. “Now that you’re done making my day the worst, I’m going back and see to the guests.”
“You know what, I’m done, too. After today, I’m fucking out of here and you won’t have to see me again,” Maya warned.
“Maya, you don’t have to tell me that. I already know you’re leaving for good.” Briney’s words were cold and impassionate. Nothing like how my mother treated me last night.
I almost felt sorry for Maya, until I remembered why I was here in the first place.
Then I saw Briney Darvy stride past the powder room, toward the main part of the house. This was my chance, and I didn’t care if Maya was in a foul mood.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, I found Maya standing in the den’s doorway, watching her mother stride away.
“I want to talk to you,” I demanded, and without giving her the chance to deflect, I strode up to Maya and pushed her back into the den.
“What the hell, Regi,” Maya grated out, but back-peddled into the room.
I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, purposefully blocking the only exit from the room.
I whirled around and faced her, not trusting what she’d do if I gave her the chance to physically hurt me.
Then I got the full scope of what I heard.
The shattered window, the broken vase and the glass all over the Persian rug.
“Regi—”
“No Maya.” I cut her off. “I need answers from you.”
“Fine.” She dropped into a leather side chair, folded her arms across her chest and glared at me.
“You’ve been lying to me all these years.”
“What are you talking about?” She narrowed her eyes on me, but I knew my best friend—or ex best friend, and the games she played.
“You lied about Decker and Krew. They got caught by the cops that day with Teke. You knew Krew went to jail and Decker had to enlist in the military. This whole time I thought they were okay and together, but they weren’t.
” I raised a hand in front of her face—palm out—I didn’t want to hear any bullshit out of her mouth.
She needed to listen. “You also lied about how you were never interested in my men—and yes, they were my guys. Even back in high school, you wanted them.”
“Whoever told you all this is a liar. I only wanted what was best for you and your reputation.”
“Don’t lie to me anymore,” I shouted and took a step toward her. “I know for a fact you were jealous of me and my relationship with Krew and Decker. You even went as far as trying to break our friendship up by making up shit—I know this to be true.”
“Fuck you.” Maya jumped up and got in my face. “You had to be a greedy bitch and take the two best looking guys all for yourself.”
“They were my friends,” I defended. “We were kids.”
“Don’t accuse me of making up rumors. Who do you think saw you and the boys heading into the Honey Pot—like all the fucking time? Other kids—our classmates. I was the one who protected you—made sure no one called you a whore, or a slut.”
“I don’t?—”
“That’s your problem, Regi. You always think about yourself. I was your best friend—I looked out for you and when those cunt-lickers came into the picture, I was shoved to the side. I was a second thought to you.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this shit. Krew and Decker told me you were a manipulative bitch and you’d tried numerous times to sleep with them. Krew said you even tried when he got out of prison. All this damn time, I could have been with them.”
“Krew and Decker—when did you talk to them?” she asked in a growl. Something flickered behind her cornflower blue eyes and I stepped back, because I suddenly became wary of being near her. But nothing was going to stop me from getting to the truth.
“The morning after the fight in Chicago. This whole time we’ve been hiding from killers who want us dead, Maya. Did you know we had a hitman in our apartment? Did you know they were looking for you, and thought I was you?”
“That’s not my fault they got the wrong person.” The casualness in her voice sent signals to my brain that screamed Run now! And still, I didn’t listen to those warnings. I was too pissed off to think clearly.
“You purposefully changed your looks to mimic mine a few days before the fight, knowing whoever was after you would come after me instead. You and Jess set Krew and me up for the fall. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re wrong.” Maya smiled, and casually walked around her father’s desk, and then picked up the letter opener that was an exact replica of the sword that hung over the fireplace in the living room, only much smaller.
She flipped the knife around in her right hand like an expert sword wielder.
“You know, I could use that hundred grand about now.”
I gasped—there was only one way she knew the amount, and I stepped backward until my back hit the door again. “Maya—” I said cautiously as I reached behind me for the door handle.
Before I was able to twist the knob, Maya launched herself at me and she held the blade against my throat. “Don’t fucking move. Now you’re going to listen. I didn’t think I had to do this, but I don’t have a choice now.”
“You always have a choice,” I uttered, then swallowed hard as she pressed the edge of the blade harder against my jugular. I flinched as I felt a slight sting across my skin.
“Oops, I cut you.” Maya’s eyes were glued to my neck as she pulled the blade back enough for me to see my blood on its edge. “I’d suggest you don’t move.”
“What happened to you?” I asked, trying to distract her from focusing on the knife.
Maya chuckled, tilted her head back slightly and I knew—cut or not, this was my chance to get the letter opener away from her. I had only a second to get the advantage and use what I’d learned in the self-defense classes I took.
I grabbed her right wrist with both hands and twisted it to the left at the same time I moved away from the door. I had her bent over, her right arm—and the knife, pointing away from me.
Maya started fighting me. “Bitch,” she hissed and tried to wrangle her wrist out of my hold. I dug in and tightened my grip.
“Drop the letter opener, Maya.” I twisted her wrist more, which had her screaming.
“Fuck you, Regi. You’re dead to me.” Maya twisted, and punched my stomach with her free hand. I gasped in pain, but I still didn’t release her right arm.
“Let go of the knife,” I grated out, feeling my grip begin to loosen. “Maya!”
I wrestled with her until we were by her father’s desk. Without a second thought, I slammed her knife-wielding hand down onto the desktop twice. Maya screamed and released the letter opener. It dropped to the floor and we fought against each other to get to the weapon.
I was there first and got a hold of the handle. Maya was on top of me and started punching wildly—not caring what part of my body her fist landed on. My head, my back, my arm—anywhere she could do damage, while a litany of curses and excuses flew out of her mouth.
“This is for all the times I had to protect you.” Punch. “This is for taking what I wanted the most.” Punch. “This is for Teke.” Teke? “This is for my father. This is for the hatred I have for you, Regina Morton. My best friend—not.”
No matter what she said and did, I was determined to not relinquish the letter opener.
I finally got to my knees—ready to stand to defend myself, when Maya flipped around.
We were face to face—so close that I saw her pupils swallow up the brown.
Her eyes went wide—wider than I’d ever seen them, and her mouth was a gaping maw of silence.
I slowly looked down and realized that the letter opener was embedded her left shoulder and blood began to seep out.
“Oh my god,” I uttered, releasing the handle and stumbling backward.
There was a loud thud, then the den door flew open and crashed against the wall. My eyes darted that way and I saw Krew and Decker storm into the room.
“Regi,” Krew shouted.
My eyes riveted back to the still-silent Maya, who was now looking at the embedded letter opener protruding from her shoulder. Then she looked at Krew and Deck before her eyes shifted to me. “You tried to kill me.”
“I didn’t—I swear,” I said in a shudder. Decker and Krew, who were squatting beside me nodded. “I was defending myself and she came at me.”
“I’m calling the police,” I heard Briney Darvy declare.
“Come on,” Decker urged, and he and Krew grabbed my arms and lifted me onto my feet. My eyes dropped to my hand, which somehow become covered in Maya’s blood. My attention shifted to Maya, who was laying on the floor, clutching at her bloody chest, screaming that I was trying to kill her.
The world around me turned into a cyclone. My vision spun and spun until everything went black.