Episode 83
Episode 83
Never Come Home
MAIA
After Alana and Christophe shared their history with Angus Sokolov and why they believed he was after them, we were all a little taken aback. Alana was very clearly exhausted and emotionally drained and likely traumatized. Who wouldn’t be? Rhodes hadn’t said much when they went over the story, calmly listening and taking it all in. I wondered what he thought about everything. I knew he was grateful to Alana for taking care of Emily during their terrifying experience, but when he had Emily within the safety of his arms, he’d turned into stoic, serious Dad, taking charge and keeping an eye on his girl.
Once Christophe and Alana were done talking, the four of us headed upstairs, Rhodes and I to check on Emily, Alana and Christophe to get some much-needed rest. Just as we made it to Emily’s room, Aurelie exited.
“Emily’s asking for her dad and Maia,” she said to our group.
“ Merci , Aurelie. We’ve got it from here.” Rhodes smiled weakly.
The cook or housekeeper, I wasn’t really sure what her role was, seemed to manage just about everything inside the house, silently left and went back downstairs. Before we entered Emily’s room, Rhodes turned to Alana.
“You good?” Rhodes asked her.
“Not even close, but I will be.”
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “We’ll figure this out.”
“I hope so,” she whispered, her eyes becoming shimmery with tears. Alana crying was something I didn’t like seeing. It was unsettling. Mostly because in the years I’d known her, she was always so put together and reserved in her emotional responses. Seeing this side made my heart hurt, and I rubbed my chest.
Rhodes opened the door to Emily’s room and entered with me in tow.
“Hey, baby girl, you need us?”
Emily had the blankets up to her chin, her eyes wide and terrified. I could see her shaking even from a good fifteen feet away.
“Will you both lay down with me? I’m scared ,” Emily shared in a low, frightened tone.
“Of course we will. Anything to make you feel safe,” Rhodes murmured as he sat on one side of the bed.
Taking his lead, I kicked off the slippers Alana had loaned me and went to the opposite side. I pulled back the covers and got right into bed with Emily.
Rhodes smiled when I pushed next to Emily and looped my arm over her waist. He stayed on top of the covers but faced his girl.
“Wanna talk about it?” Rhodes asked.
“Every time I close my eyes, I see those men with guns.”
I clenched my teeth and held back my own response. I wanted to yell, kick, scream, and hunt down every last man that even looked at her, but that wouldn’t help Emily. She was our priority, not my own revenge.
“Most of those men were captured by the police. You were there, sweetheart, you saw it yourself.”
“But…” She let out a short, ragged breath. “But they…they killed the guards. And they were so nice. They didn’t do anything wrong.”
I could feel her body shake as she cried. Not knowing what to do or say, I stayed silent, but I lifted my hand from around her waist and ran my fingers over her hair, massaging her scalp.
“You know Daddy is going to take care of you right? Nothing like that is going to happen ever again. We’re talking to the police tomorrow and then we’re going home.”
“Home?” she croaked. The hope in her tone was heartbreaking.
“Yeah, Em. I’m taking you and Maia back to California. Far away from the trouble here in France. Would you like that sweetheart?”
She nodded then was quiet for a minute. “What about Auntie Alana and Uncle Christo? Won’t they be safe if they come with us to California?”
The air thickened with that request, and Rhodes took his time preparing his answer. My guess, he wanted his daughter far away from the men that wanted revenge on Alana, even though it was Christophe’s actions decades ago that set this problem into motion.
“Right now, it’s safest if you and Maia and I go back to California alone.”
“Then what are Auntie and Uncle going to do? They can’t stay here. The bad guys will find them. They need to run away,” Emily shared.
“We agree on that.” Rhodes sighed. “It’s just safer if they hide somewhere no one would expect.”
“For how long?” Her voice cracked.
Man, teenagers were ruthless. If they wanted to know something, they’d keep prodding you until they got whatever it was they wanted.
“I don’t know, Em. Probably until the head bad guy is found,” Rhodes answered.
“That scary Angus dude?” she asked.
“Yeah. The scary dude,” he chuckled, obviously trying to lighten the situation on his daughters behalf.
“But they’ll be safe. The police will help them hide.” Her body quivered so I inched closer sharing my body heat.
Rhodes cupped Emily’s cheek. “They’ll be safe. Alana and Christophe are very intelligent, and they know a lot of people. I’m certain they’ll find the perfect place to lay low while the authorities do their job. Now you need sleep, little miss,” he encouraged. “I want you to close your eyes—”
Emily suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist. “One of you will be here when I wake up, right?”
Rhodes glanced over Emily toward me. I nodded avidly. I wasn’t going anywhere. My job now was to be glued to Emily’s side while Rhodes helped get us all to safety.
“Yeah honey, me or Maia will be here when you wake. I promise.”
She let out a ragged breath. “Okay. I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, baby girl.”
Emily looked over her shoulder. “I love you, Maia.”
A shockwave of surprise tore through my body at hearing those words. My heart beat hard against my breastbone and zaps of electricity prickled against the surface of my skin. I couldn’t remember the last time someone told me they loved me.
“And I…I love you, Emily,” I said and was surprised to find how much I meant the sentiment. I hadn’t said those words to anyone in…years, but Emily had stolen my heart.
“Sleep now, buttercup.” He kissed her forehead.
I shut my eyes and slowed my breathing, letting go of everything that had happened today. I was used to sleeping under stressful circumstances. When I felt Emily’s body relax, I let myself rest.
Together, the three of us fell asleep.
* * * *
For the first time in years, I slept the entire night all the way through. More than that, as I opened my eyes, I realized I was incredibly warm. Not only did I have Emily snuggled up against my side, her head on my chest, Rhodes’ arm was locked around us both. And I didn’t wake up frightened.
Even when we had our weekend together before everything turned to shit, I still woke up scared, jumping out of bed each night terrified of where I was and who was in bed with me. Rhodes would calmly approach, walk me back to bed, and then wrap me in his arms as though none of it ever happened. I eventually would fall back asleep when my heartbeat calmed and my fight or flight dissipated, but it still happened every single night.
Last night, holding Emily and Rhodes holding both of us…nothing.
I did not have the time or the mental capacity to break all of that down as my bladder was screaming at me.
Slowly, I detangled myself from Rhodes, shifting his arm along his side. Then I rolled so that Emily rested on the pillow. She mewled like a baby cat in her sleep and Rhodes instinctively acted, his arm shooting out and curling around his girl. All while he slept. Emily settled, and I held my breath as I slid out of the blankets and headed to the bathroom.
When I came back from doing my business, brushing my teeth and washing my face, I noticed Rhodes’ eyes were on me.
“You okay?” His voice was a rumbled, gritty whisper.
I nodded and hooked my thumb at the restroom.
He extended his arm, and I walked over to his side of the bed. He curled his fingers around my hip then stroked my thigh affectionately.
“I’m going to get some coffee. You want some, or are you going to sleep more?”
“Coffee’s good. I’ll stay here in case she wakes.” He squeezed my leg, and for some reason, I felt compelled to bend in half and place my lips over his. Rhodes hummed as I teased his lips gently before pulling back, my cheeks heating as embarrassment flushed my face.
“A man could get used to that kind of wake up, babe.” He grinned and licked his lips.
I rolled my eyes as I moved around the bed and put on the slippers then quietly left the room.
When I reached the kitchen, I found Alana wrapped in one of her silk robes, this one a pristine white. Matching bottoms swished around her dainty feet, her cherry red painted toes just poking out from the hem.
“Morning,” I said.
She turned around and leaned against the counter, a coffee mug in her hand. “ Bonjour . Did you sleep okay?”
I nodded. “Better than normal. We ended up crashing with Emily. She was scared.”
Alana’s spine straightened and her jaw firmed. “I don’t know how we’re ever going to live with the pain and fear we’ve caused our niece,” she shared.
I frowned. “No one blames you or Christophe for anything that happened. Angus is a despicable human being. He put your best friend in a horrifying situation that ended up costing her life. I’d say the ten years he got wasn’t nearly enough.”
Alana sighed. “I hope Rhodes agrees.”
I moved around the island and approached her, once again feeling driven to make emotional and physical contact, something I always strayed far away from. Regardless of my desire to hold back from these connections, I pushed myself to comfort the one woman who’d been there the most for me. It was my turn to be there for her in whatever way I could. I reached out and put my hand on her arm and gave it a squeeze.
“You know he doesn’t blame you. He thinks you’re a hero for protecting his daughter. Both of you survived with no physical injuries. You made sure Emily was safe. That’s all that matters to him. Besides, he loves you and Christophe as though you were his brother and sister.”
Alana put her cup down and embraced me. I held on, hugging her back, and was surprised to find genuine comfort within her arms. Much like I remembered having with my own mother before I was forced out of the only home I knew. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I breathed through the sudden onslaught of emotion as I cleared my throat and pulled back.
She smiled gently in that coy, knowing way that was entirely Alana.
“Thank you, chérie . You’re a good friend.”
I looked down and away. “Of course,” I mumbled, feeling awkward and shy.
I didn’t have any female friends. The women at Sam’s motorcycle club were okay. They were civil to me as Sam’s chosen sister, but I wouldn’t call them friends. Sam called them ‘biker bunnies’ and they tended to the men in whatever capacity they wanted. I kept my opinions on that situation to myself. It wasn’t my business, and those women were not being held against their will. They came and went as they pleased and were treated pretty damn well as far as I could tell when I visited or attended one of their parties.
“How’s Emily?” Alana asked.
“Sleepin’. Rhodes is awake but staying with her. We promised she wouldn’t wake up alone. I’m here to get us both a cup of coffee, if that’s okay?”
Alana smiled. “Anything of mine is yours, chérie .” She gestured to the coffee pot. “Cups are in the cabinet above.”
I grabbed a couple mugs. “Soooo…tell me about Celine. Unless it’s too painful to talk about her,” I quickly amended.
“ Non . It isn’t too painful. She was sunshine and light. My opposite. Easy to laugh. Easy to make friends. Beautiful inside and out. I miss her a lot. Every day in fact.” Alana looked off into the distance with a dreamy expression.
“I feel that way about my mom and siblings,” I blurted, then covered my mouth, shocked I was openly talking about my family.
“Oh?” she responded, allowing me to fill in the blanks.
“It’s been years since I’ve seen any of them. They probably wouldn’t even recognize me or vice versa.”
Alana’s brows furrowed deeply. “Are you planning to see them anytime soon?”
Leave it to Alana to dig deeper without sounding intrusive.
“That’s the plan. Rhodes has promised to help me. My stepfather is not a good man. I’d like to get my mother and siblings away from him, and now I have the money to do so.”
“I see. And they are in Colorado, oui ?”
“Yeah. I’ve put calls in to my grandmother’s nursing home but hadn’t received a call back from my mother. It’s been months since I’ve spoken to her, and I’m really worried.”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone. “Then by all means, chérie , give them another call.”
“Right now?”
Alana shrugged. “Do you have somewhere else to be?”
“I need to take the coffee up to Rhodes.”
“No need. I’ll do it for you. I wanted to check on Emily and Christophe anyway.” She wiggled her fingers in a ‘go-on’ gesture.
“It’s international…” I tried one last time to avoid calling.
“Well then it’s good that my phone has an international plan, darling,” she cooed then grabbed the cup of coffee I’d made for Rhodes and sashayed out of the kitchen and up the back stairs. I’d forgotten about those, which were a direct shot to the second level.
I stared at the phone and let out a long breath then dialed the country code and the number to the nursing home. I’d had the number memorized for years. It rang three times before being picked up.
“Community Oak Convalescent & Rehabilitation Hospital,” the operator answered. “How may I help you?”
“Hello, my name is Maia Fields. My grandmother, Evelyn Fields, is a patient there…”
“Oh goodness me child, I hate to share this kind of news over the phone, but Evelyn Fields has passed away.”
“What?” I gasped. “When?”
“I’m so sorry. It happened yesterday evening. Mrs. Burke was with her, as were her other two grandchildren.”
My heart sank. Not because my grandmother was gone, but because I no longer had access to my mother. I didn’t know my grandmother well, had only seen her a handful of times when she’d been put into the nursing home. It was the one instance where I remembered my stepfather Damon being kind. He’d helped move Grandma across states and put her in the nursing home so that she was close to Mom. Grandma had arrived at the facility already unwell with the beginning stages of dementia.
“Um okay, thank you. Oh, did Mrs. Burke happen to leave a note of some type for me? She would have expected me to call and check on grandma.”
“Let me check, just a minute.”
I crossed my fingers and waited with my heart in my throat.
“Ah, here we are,” the older woman said. “It’s in an envelope with your name on it. Do you want me to open it and read it to you or do you want to come get it?”
“I’m in France. Please open it. Thank you.” My hands shook and chills ran up and down my spine. I maneuvered myself to one of the chairs and sunk into it.
“All right. It says, ‘My dearest Maia, stay away. Things are worse than before. Don’t ever come home. Stay safe. I love you. Mom.’ Oh honey…” the woman whispered.
“Thank you. Um, do you know anything about the funeral plans for Evelyn?”
“Let me see…” she said, and I could hear papers shifting. “Says here the service for Evelyn Fields will be this coming Sunday at our onsite church.” Sunday was six days from now.
“Thank you so much for your help,” I said and then abruptly hung up.
Tears fell down my cheeks as I got up and walked to the French doors. The entire room felt stifling hot and the air thick as molasses as I opened the doors and went out onto the balcony. I braced my hands on the concrete banister and looked out over the lush green gardens, my thoughts a turbulent whirlwind.
My dearest Maia, stay away.
Things are worse than before.
Don’t ever come home.
Stay safe.
I love you. Mom
Out of nowhere, a coffee cup appeared next to my hand and then a pair of arms came around me, locking around my waist.
“Hey, you look lost deep in your thoughts,” Rhodes rumbled against my shoulder as he rested his chin there and pressed his chest to my back, surrounding me with his warmth.
“I called home.” Even I could tell my voice was monotone as I responded.
“And?”
“My grandmother died.”
Instantly Rhodes spun me around and cupped the sides of my neck, pushing my chin up with his thumbs. His gaze was piercing and filled with sadness.
“I no longer have a way to reach my mother,” I breathed.
He shook his head. “That’s bullshit. I’ll make it happen.”
My bottom lip trembled. “You don’t understand,” I croaked and clung to the sides of his shirt. “She left a note. I had them read it to me.”
“And what did the note say?” His steely gray eyes were clouded with worry.
“She told me things were worse than before—and to never come home.”