39. Rachel
Chapter thirty-nine
Rachel
I park the 4Runner in my office spot. It’s Friday, and I usually have Fridays off, but my assistant called to tell me that a guy in the office was looking for me and wouldn’t leave without speaking to me. So, of course, I put on my most professional business outfit, but I decided against wearing a suit jacket. This blouse looks good enough without it.
I get in the elevator, press the 40 button, and head up to the office. I felt around my body to count each knife I had on my person. I only bought three because the pencil skirt is too tight to conceal more, but I don’t go anywhere without my knives. I learned the hard way with Andrew that people are shitty, I refuse to be a victim again.
The ding of the elevator brings my attention back to the office. I enter with the click of my heels on the pristine floor, walking up to the front desk and saying hello to Cheryl as I make my way towards my office. I can see Katie sitting at her desk outside my office with a fake smile. Something feels off, and her facial expression tells me all I need to know. That’s when I saw it. Andrew’s oldest brother, Tyler, is here. He sits at about 6’7”; he has the same bright red hair as Andrew. Unlike Andrew, though, he was fit; his biceps were as big as my head. Well fuck. Here is my past catching up to me.
I walk up to my office. “Tyler,” I say in my most unenthused voice. “Rachel! I have been waiting for you, " he says in his deep, gravelly voice.
“So I have been told. Please come in and have a seat,” I say as I walk in and motion to the chair in front of my desk. He sits in the chair and looks at me, concerned. Well, that's unexpected.
“What can I help you with, Tyler?” I ask, looking him up and down. It has always amazed me how Andrew was hit with the ugly stick compared to his brothers. Andrew is also the youngest of five brothers, so maybe his mom ran out of good-looking genes when she got to him.
“I am going to be blunt with you, Rachel. I haven’t heard from or seen Andrew in almost a month. The last time I heard from him, he said he was in trouble and needed money. Unfortunately, as much as I love my brother, I refuse to condone his bad habits, and he needs to pay off his debts on his own. I am tired of being the punching bag for his mistakes.”
“I completely agree with you. He was in a mess that he wouldn’t tell me about. The last time I saw him, he told me we had to leave. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going or why. I refused to go with him, and he got mad. I left and called my friend to come pick me up because Andrew was starting to get physical with me. I haven’t seen him since.” The partial lie slid right out of my mouth with ease. I wasn’t completely lying, though, so that’s probably why it seemed so easy. Tyler looks at me with pity, and my stomach drops. I fucking hate pity.
“I am so sorry he got physical with you, Rachel; you didn’t deserve that. I wish I could have stopped him.” I scoff at him.
“I know I didn’t deserve it, but it also wasn’t your responsibility to deal with him. But, if I am being frank, you don’t even know half of what I went through, Tyler. Andrew killed our baby! When I told him I was pregnant. He kicked me into a brick building. He would beat me until I lost consciousness! He blamed me for everything that went wrong with him, no matter what it was. Even when he had people coming at him for money, he was mad at me for it. Like I was the one who was involved with the people, or I sent them to come after him. I didn’t deserve any of it and am just starting to realize that. He deserved whatever fate he got! Someone he owed probably got to him and killed him for his debt, or had him strung up in a basement. Truthfully, I don’t even care, he was in a bunch of sketchy shit. I mean, for fuck sake, he tried to sell me to pay off his debt at one point. Like I was disposable.” I am screaming at this point. I don’t even care. The whole office could be standing at my door, and I would give no fucks.
Tyler’s face turns ghostly white as he takes in the words coming out of my mouth. “You were pregnant?” He asked. Out of everything I just told him, the only thing he cares about is me being pregnant. I am the one who lost the baby. I am the one who still has nightmares about it all. The baby at least passed, not having to deal with an abusive dad. The baby passed, knowing its mom loved it more than anything else in this world.
“Seriously?” I pinch the bridge of my nose, and I sigh at him. “Out of everything I just said to you, all you recall is that I was pregnant?” As soon as the question leaves my mouth, you can see the fact that he realized he fucked up.
“No, no, no, not at all, Rachel. I was shocked to find out that I was going to be an uncle. I didn’t know.” He stutters over his words, trying to backpedal his mistake.
“Yes, an uncle. To a dead baby because your brother kicked me into a wall of a building! And no, you didn’t know because the baby died before I had the chance to announce it because the father got pissed.” This catches his attention. ??
“I’m sorry that happened to you, Rachel. I know Andrew was raised better than that. I personally made sure to teach him not to disrespect women. I don’t know what happened. He was a good kid. I guess the thirteen-year age difference doesn’t help because I was out of the house when he was growing up." He looks sincere, but I know how his brother is a piece of shit. I don’t know him or the other three brothers well enough to judge them, but I do know Andrew. I know Andrew like the back of my hand. He made sure I knew every little detail he liked.
“Alright, now that you know what happened between Andrew and me,” I say through ragged breaths, still trying to lower my heart rate and rage, trying to keep the tears and grief at bay as the emotions flood through me. They are becoming unbearable; I need to hurry up this meeting.
“What else can I help you with, Tyler?” I say through a slight sob that I am hoping he doesn’t catch on to it.
I’m ready to get back home and figure out the plan the guys made. I need to get my mind off my baby and back on getting Olivia back so I can feel complete again. Who would have known that she would have started to mean so much to me in such a short amount of time? At least I have my new little family to hold me together when I fall apart because, after this conversation with Tyler, I am going to need to cry or stab someone.
“Um, yeah. I will need a lawyer for some… um.. business that I am… um… attending to.” This doesn’t sound suspicious at all… I roll my eyes at him.
“Okay, I need to know what kind of business this is and what you need my assistance with, but I am going to suggest that we conduct these meetings outside of my office in the future." I don’t mind helping Tyler, but I will not go down for this family again. His chances are limited, but he gets a chance because he has never wronged me. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have my eyes on the brothers. One wrong move, and I will wipe out the entire Starr brothers' generation.