Chapter Sixteen
LUNCH THAT DAY was a loud and chaotic event with all four children sitting down together with the adults for a meal for the first time since they had arrived. Ari watched with mild alarm as Stella swooped over to Olivia, talking at a million words a minute. Olivia had already met her once for a movie night, but Ari knew it would probably take more than that for the shy little girl to open up. To her surprise, after initially freezing for about ten seconds, Livi had relaxed. Ari actually watched the tension melt out of she’s followed Stella around like a lost puppy. It made Ari smile because whenever she could get a word in around Stella, Olivia spoke up and was a well of questions. Ari was glad to see it because her sister had become a shy and withdrawn creature for the last two years.
Owen and Damien edged around each other a little more, but eventually settled on the topic of soccer and they, too, were chatting away, oblivious to the surrounding adults. Ari let herself take a deep breath and relax. Eventually she would need to get the kids to a counselor, but it looked like maybe all they had been through hadn’t traumatized them too much. They were probably hiding a lot though. She knew how good she was personally at putting up a front to make others think everything was fine. Kids were probably even better at that than she was until something happened to trigger them. She made a mental note to ask Rex about getting someone to come to the house to talk to the kids sooner rather than later.
As though summoned by her thoughts, Rex walked into the dining room. She hadn’t seen him all morning, but when she’d finally roused herself from bed, she’d discovered that the other two doors in her room, the one to the hall and the one to her personal en suite bathroom, had been unlocked. She hadn’t really known what to make of that development, so she watched him carefully as he walked around the room until he finally got to her. The smile he gave her was easy as he asked, “How did you sleep?”
A bland enough question. “Good. I was exhausted. How about you?”
If he could be vague, then so could she.
The smile broadened. “Yes. I was pretty tired myself. It’s been a very eventful couple of days.”
“You didn’t sleep long,” she said.
The smile dimmed a little. “Yeah, I had a lot on my mind, but the sleep I did get was good,” he finished.
At that she gave him a tentative smile in return. “I’m glad.”
The conversation ended when the trays of food were brought in, and they all settled down at the table to eat. Liesel, Tommy, and surprisingly Jordan joined them for lunch as well. The kids carried the conversation talking over and around each other in loud laughing voices and it made Ari’s heart ache with longing. The rich kids she had been friends with as a kid had always been part of families like this. She’d envied them for their homes and their money, but most of all for the sense of belonging that had always been present around a table. Having been an only child most of her life, Ari had wished more than once for this type of family.
She had to remind herself that it came with a price, though. The adults around this table, minus Jordan, were criminals in one way or the other. They had to be close to survive. Knowing that painted the family dinners she’d gone to as a kid in a different light, but didn’t change her longing for a big, loud, close family. Watching Owen and Olivia, she hated that they wouldn’t be able to have it, either. Her gaze was drawn to Rex laughing with Tommy.
Could they have it? She didn’t know what was going on between her and Rex. They had been together twice now, both times had been unplanned, and both times they hadn’t talked about it.
Ari could admit that her initial judgments about him had been wrong. He was neither a kindhearted good samaritan nor a criminal. He was both. And wasn’t that true of most people? The good came with the bad. She watched him as she filled her plate. He laughed and joked with his young cousins and listened attentively when Owen spoke up to contribute to the conversation.
He caught her attention when he spoke up and asked Stella, “Hey Stell, Ari and I have some things we need to do tonight. Would you be willing to watch Olivia and Owen for a couple of hours?”
Stella perked up, then just as fast, her face fell. “I can’t Liesel is taking me ice-skating.”
Ari watched Olivia’s eyes light up across the table and she wanted, in that moment, to tell Rex that whatever they had planned would have to wait. Then Liesel spoke up. “If it’s ok with Ari, Olivia can come with us. Then maybe you could hang out with Owen, Damien?”
Damien and Olivia spoke at the same time, “Yeah, that’s fine with me.” “Oh Ari, can I please?”
Ari glanced at Liesel, who gave her a tiny nod. “Sure kiddo, no problem. And thank you Damien, I appreciate it.”
“No problem. I didn’t feel much like skating anyway,” Damien said with a yawn. Ari privately thought he looked like he hadn’t been sleeping much either. His eyes had dark shadows under them. Maybe that was a just a pre-teenage boy thing?
The conversation flowed around her, with the kids discussing their evening activities and the other adults talking about business ventures. It surprised Ari how many of them they mentioned in front of her and realized that they must be legitimate ends of the businesses. After lunch, Rex disappeared into his office again and Ari took the kids down to the library and spent the afternoon reading to them. Setting them up in the den with a movie and some snacks, she slipped out of the room to call the hospital. The police had given her an update on her mother yesterday, but she hadn’t called yet today. She thought perhaps she should have felt guiltier about that, but she didn’t.
The call rang straight through to the nurses’ station on her mother’s floor and Ari marveled internally at how easy Rex’s intervention made things. A doctor was on the phone with her in less than five minutes.
“Ms. Sloane, I’m sorry. I wish I had better news, but there has been no change in your mother’s condition. We’re watching her blood work and vitals closely, but her kidney function continues to decline. It appears as though…”
He trailed off, and Ari knew what he was going to say. “She tried to overdose, didn’t she?”
A soft sigh of relief on the other end of the line told her all she needed to know, but the doctor confirmed it. “It appears that way. We’re still waiting to hear from your stepfather about treatment. Has he spoken to you?”
Ari shuddered and was glad that the doctor couldn’t actually see her. “No, but I haven’t been home in a couple weeks and we… well let’s just say we aren’t close.”
“I understand. If you do hear from him, please tell him to contact us immediately. Is there anyone else who would be able to make medical decisions for your mother?”
Ari thought over the short list of family before saying, “No, it’s just me.”
There was a beat of silence on the other end of the phone and then the doctor said, “We may have to discuss an emergency power of attorney if things don’t change.”
The unspoken “or if they get worse” was implicit.
Rex paced his room. Patience was not a virtue he’d ever had to cultivate as a Nardone, and he was feeling that now. Ari was next door getting her sister dressed for ice skating. He shook his head at the absurdity that was a girl getting dressed at any age.
“Ari, I don’t like blue!”
“I’m sorry, Liv, but the only coat I have that will fit you is blue. I promise as soon as I can I’ll get you one in a color you like.”
Rex heard the exasperation clear in Ari’s voice, but he was pretty sure the seven-year-old had missed it entirely.
A tiny thump, the little girl’s stomping foot, if Rex had to guess, sounded through the wall. “Who buys a blue coat for a girl?”
“It’s not all blue, it has pink lining and fur. And the kind of person who is trying their best to help said little girl who is acting very bratty.”
There was a mumble too soft for him to hear, then Ari spoke again, “Mr. Rex has been extremely kind to get you all these new clothes. I know you didn’t get to go, but we needed them quickly. If I hear you speak like that in front of him, or anyone in his family, there will be consequences.”
“I’m sorry, Ari,” came the forlorn reply. “I just miss Mommy and my coat at home.”
Ari’s voice was soft, but still clear. “I know princess, and if I can I’ll get the rest of your stuff from the house soon ok?”
“Thanks, Ari,” the younger girl said.
“You’re welcome, love. Come on, let’s finish getting dressed. Ms. Liesel and Stella are waiting for you.”
The room was silent for a few minutes before he heard the little girl’s voice again. “Ari, where are you and Mr. Rex going?”
There was a brief pause then Ari answered, “We have a meeting to go to tonight.”
Rex let out a soft chuckle. That was certainly one way of putting it. To be fair, Ari didn’t know what he truly had in mind for tonight, but he knew for sure that she didn’t think it was a meeting. Ah, the white lies of parenting. That thought sobered him. She really was parenting these children. It sounded like she had been for nearly five years. She was a responsible young woman with a bright future. What was she doing messing around with someone like him? Did she feel like she owed him something? He didn’t like that answer, but it’s not like she could feel more than that, though, right?
He made a mental bargain with himself to set clear expectations on the way to the club tonight. The club. The one’s he’d gone to in his late teens and early twenties had been shady places with questionable practices everywhere. He’d stopped going when he first realized that there were people underage who definitely hadn’t consented. That was what had led him to the trafficking ring over time. He’d used hook-up apps, but even ones who advertised to those with kinkier tastes had little to offer for him. The level of domination he preferred required more trust that a one-night stand could give, so although he got off, it was rarely satisfying.
Tonight was completely different, though. He’d sucked up his pride and called his sister. Boy, had that been a doozy of a conversation.
“Rex?”
“Hi, Kayla. I was wondering if it was possible to purchase single-night guest passes for Chicago Bound.”
A pause long enough to make him wonder if she’d hung up on him had dragged on. He’d even checked the phone for a connection.
“We do offer those on a referral basis.”
He’d sucked in a breath. “Would you be willing to refer me?”
It had been years since he’d actually seen his sister, but he doubted the little frown between her eyebrows when she was thinking had changed much.
“Who are you bringing?”
Rex had explained the situation with Ari and what he wanted to try with her tonight.
“She’s consented to this?”
“Yes, we’ve already done a few things here at the house. I just want her to try it out in a more formal environment.”
Another lengthy pause before Kayla finally answered, “Alright—”
“Thank you,” he said quickly.
“Don’t thank me yet. Jack and I want to speak to her alone before we actually let you in. If we’re satisfied that she’s fully onboard, we’ll admit you for the evening.”
Rex had sighed. “Kayla—”
“Take it or leave it, Rex. Trust me. You all keep tabs on me, but don’t you think that’s a two-way street? I know a lot of things, Rex. Some good, some… less so. This is the only way it happens.”
“As you wish,” he’d bit out.
“Is it harder to say that because I’m a woman, your sister, or the gatekeeper to what you want,” she asked, laughter clear in her voice.
“I plead the fifth,” Rex mumbled.
Kayla’s laugh had been loud and rich on the other end of the line. “See you tonight, little brother. I can’t wait,” she finished, and the line had gone dead.
Now, as he waited for Ari and Olivia to finish, he wondered if this had been the best idea. He didn’t want to ask Ari to lie to Kayla and Jack. They would know, but there was too much at stake for them to have all the information. Rex mulled that over before deciding that they could demand an audience with Ari, but he would insist on going first and expressing how much of the information they were getting was sensitive to an ongoing investigation.
When the door between their rooms finally opened, Ari’s sister was dressed in fleece leggings and socks under sturdy winter boots with the offensive blue coat over top. She was a truly adorable child. She gave him a small smile, saying, “Thank you for the clothes, Mr. Rex. They’re nice and warm for ice skating.”
“I’m very glad to hear that, Olivia. Have fun,” he finished with a gentle smile.
“I’ll be right back after I take her to Liesel,” Ari told him, heading out the door.
“Sounds good. We’ll talk first, then get dressed before we head out.”
“Yes, sir,” she whispered with a cheeky smile.
And damn if those words didn’t push every button he had.