Chapter Eighteen
Rodney watched in satisfaction as the large SUV plowed into the side of the black Mercedes, causing the smaller car to flip over on its hood. The accident was made even sweeter by the fact that Collins’s brat was with him.
Good. I hope they both die.
If this accident didn’t take care of the bastard, he would just have to keep trying. The thought brought a smile to his face. Rodney had known something had to be done when he had received letters about the night of Damon’s shooting. They intimated that if he didn’t stay away from Brandi, then the secret would come out.
Collins already hinted that he knew about it, and the only other person who did was Tina, and she couldn’t possibly have sent the letters. As though to drive the point home, the letters had been signed with Damon’s name and handwriting. How the hell did he find out and how had he gotten hold of Damon’s writing? Who the fuck was he to tell him to stay away from his woman? No one kept him from what was his.
There was something about Collins that he couldn’t quite put his finger on: something about the man niggled at him. Well, it didn’t matter now because with Collins out of the way, or at least temporarily, he could concentrate on what needed to be done about Brandi.
She called the police on him and he had spent one humiliating night in the tank, like a common criminal. People he had worked with were unable to look him in the eyes. Him! Once she realized that she belonged to him, he’d have to teach her a lesson.
It would hurt her as much as it hurt him.
Rodney watched while a crowd gathered around the big wreck and smiled. He hoped the bastard suffered. He popped in a CD of the Police’s greatest hits, started his engine, and headed off to find Brandi. “Yes!” he exclaimed in glee as the lyrics played.
Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break… I’ll be watching you.
‘Why the hell do you look so damn happy and where did you go?” Lisa demanded. “You’ve had that big cheesy grin on your face since you came back.” as they stuffed the birthday goodie bags.
Brandi smiled at her sister. “Can’t a girl just be happy for no reason?”
“No. You look like you just got laid or something.”
“Be quiet. One of the kids might hear you.”
“They’re all in the yard. Now tell me where you’ve been.”
Brandi rolled her eyes. Why did her sister always think she had a right to know everything? “If you must know, I had to go see a friend.”
Lisa’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “A friend, huh? A certain man, I suppose?”
“And if it was? What’s it to you?”
“What’s it to me? Nothing, as long as you’re happy. Are you happy?”
Brandi couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Deliriously so. Oh, Lisa, I know it’s only been a little over two months, but when I’m with him, I feel like I’ve known him forever.”
“Hmm, would this new man happen to be that hunky Mason Collins you were trying so hard to avoid a few months back?”
Brandi could feel her face grow hot with embarrassment. “And if he is?”
“Ha! I knew it! He’s hot and loaded, lucky you. So have you two bumped uglies yet?”
“Lisa! That’s none of your damn business!”
“I know. Did you?”
“You’re impossible. Why should I tell you?”
“You did, didn’t you?” Lisa must have seen something it in her face because she exclaimed, “Oh, my God! Was it good? Is he hung? I’ve never been with a white boy before. What’s it like?”
Brandi was torn between strangling her sister and laughing hysterically, but she knew there was no getting around the barrage of questions unless she told her persistent sister something. “Let’s just say I had no complaints.”
“I knew it! My little sister has jungle fever!” Lisa chortled.
“Yuck. I hate that expression. We’re just two people.”
“Two people of different races.”
“So what?”
“So what, indeed. Hey, I’m not knocking it. As long as he treats you well, you have my support. I just wonder what Dad will say.”
“What can he say? I’m thirty-four and I don’t need my parents’ approval for who I love.”
“So you love him, do you?” Lisa was like a dog with a bone.
“Maybe I do.”
“You know I only want you to be happy, right?”
“I know, but do you have to be so damn nosy?”
“That’s what big sisters are for. There was something else I wanted to ask.”
“What?”
“Has Rodney been bothering you lately?”
Brandi frowned. She didn’t want to be reminded of him. She still couldn’t believe how crazy he had turned out and it seriously made her wonder how he fooled her and Damon for so long. It also made her wonder about the night she’d gotten engaged. Was it possible that she hadn’t accepted his proposal? She certainly couldn’t remember having done so. Until recently, Brandi hadn’t given it much thought because she never would have suspected that Rodney might have lied. Just thinking about him now sent a chill down her spine.
“No. I haven’t seen him since the day in the park.”
“You never did tell me exactly what happened.”
“I’d rather not get into it. I’m just glad to have him out of my life.”
“I’m glad, too. I had this nagging feeling about him, but I didn’t realize that he was nuts.”
“I know,” Brandi agreed uneasily. So many things that didn’t quite add up plagued her, but hopefully with the restraining order against him, he would leave her and the children alone.
Lisa stood up. “Well, I guess I should get the cake out. I hear the little savages getting restless.” She walked over to the counter where the cake sat. “Damn!”
“What?” Brandi asked.
“I forgot to buy the candles. I’ll have to get Ed to run to the store.”
“I’ll go. The 7-11 is just a few blocks down. I can be there and back in fifteen minutes. Can you hold the kids off for that long?”
“Of course, I can. You sure you don’t mind?”
“Not a problem. I could use the exercise, and it’s such a nice day.”
“Thanks, hon, you’re an angel.” Lisa gave her a brief hug.
Brandi looked out the kitchen window to see her children happily playing with the rest of the partygoers. Satisfied that they were okay, she grabbed her purse and walked out the door.
She hummed to herself, excited that things felt right in her life again. She was so madly in love with Mason, and Rodney was out of her life. There was no more guilt, no more uncertainty, and she felt free for the first time in over two long years.
The convenience store was just ahead when a hand holding a rag covered her face. An arm wrapped around her waist, nearly squeezing the breath from her. She tried to scream, but the rag muffled her voice. With all her strength, she struggled against her assailant, kicking and clawing.
The awful smell of the rag overwhelmed her senses and she could feel herself blacking out. As she drifted into unconsciousness, a voice whispered, “I told you that you were mine.”
Mason’s head ached like a son of a bitch. When the car had flipped over, his head had slammed against the steering wheel before the airbags were deployed. When he had come to the doctors told him he had a mild concussion and a fractured collarbone.
Mason’s first concern, however, had been Ben. To his great relief, Ben was okay except for a few minor scratches on his face from the broken safety glass. His son was a bit shaken up, Mason was told, but nothing major to worry about. Ben had briefly visited his room to make sure he was okay.
The cops had just left after taking his statement. Where the hell were they when that psycho tampered with his brakes?
The doctors were running tests on him when Karen burst into his hospital room. She looked pissed. “You sorry motherfucker! You could have killed my son!” She was beyond enraged.
He winced, her loud voice aggravating his headache. “Could you please not yell? I hear you loud and clear. I’m sure the entire hospital hears you.”
“I’ll yell if I want to. What the hell were you thinking when you ran that stop sign? Did you think you were too good to stop or that you’re too important to obey the traffic laws?”
“Karen, calm down.”
“No, I will not calm down. You have been a complete and utter bastard, but I didn’t think that even you would endanger my son’s life. I want you to stay the hell away from him. You’ve hurt Ben for the last time.”
Mason sat up, ignoring the pain from his fractured collar. “Did it occur to you that maybe, just maybe, it was an accident?”
“I wouldn’t put anything past you. Well, now you’re going to pay. I’m going to sue your sorry ass for endangering my son, and I’m going to press charges against you with the police.”
“On what basis?” he asked incredulously.
“Child abuse. You wouldn’t have gotten into an accident if you drove like a responsible person. If you want to drive like a jackass, you shouldn’t have had Ben in the car with you! You can just die for all I care!”
“This has all been about you, hasn’t it? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in here raging against me for some imaginary sin against him.”
“Imaginary! My son has just been in a major car accident thanks to you, and you have the nerve to tell me it’s imaginary?”
“I’m not saying that the accident was imaginary. I’m saying that it wasn’t intentional. You’ve been waiting for me to mess up, haven’t you? You wanted something to happen so you can justify your irrational anger.”
“Oh, isn’t it just like a man to call a woman irrational when he knows she’s right. Let me tell you something, I will never let you see Ben again. I’m sure that given your track record as a deadbeat dad and all-around jerk that no court would disagree.”
“And if I fight you?”
“No court will grant you any type of visitation after this. I hate you and it’s time for you to suffer for what you have put me and Ben through.”
Mason lay against his pillow. His head hurt so badly that he could barely think straight. “Okay. You’ve said your piece. Now you can leave.”
Mason realized that no amount of arguing or pleading his case would make her see reason. If it took going to the courts to get visitation rights to see Ben, then that was what he would do. He opened one eye to see her still standing over him. She looked surprised.
“What? You don’t have anything else to say? You don’t care about not seeing Ben again?”
“I care very much about seeing my son again, and for whatever it’s worth, it was an accident.” He leaned his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes again.
“Just what I thought. You were looking for an out, weren’t you? This is exactly what you wanted me to say, wasn’t it? Now you can walk away neatly and cleanly and put the blame on me. I won’t let you do that!”
Mason sighed. Why wouldn’t she just go away? He turned his head to look at her. “You can’t have it both ways. You either want me in his life or you don’t. You’re making this more complicated than it has to be.”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m some errant child. I’m going to make sure Ben knows just what kind of bastard you are.”
“Are you finished?”
“Not by a long shot!” she snapped.
“Then hurry up and say whatever else you need to get off your chest and go. I’ve asked you once already.”
“You think you’re so clever, worming your way back into Ben’s affections as though it will make up for all your years of neglect.”
“So you’re willing to hurt Ben? I am begging you to think clearly about this. If you do this, he will get hurt in the process.”
“He’s already been hurt by you; this will be just more of the same. He needs to know what kind of person you are so he won’t be hurt by you anymore.”
Mason shook his head at her vehemence. He knew he shouldn’t take it personally because of what Mason had done to her. He had hurt her so badly she couldn’t stand the very sight of him and he wondered if he would have shown as much restraint as she did, if the situations been reversed. He still couldn’t believe Mason Collins would get off with just purgatory instead of the hell he deserved. As a cop he’d seen many kinds of evil, but nothing quite like this.
He was sure Karen was a good woman. She just happened to hate his guts. Ben seemed to love her, and that was what was important.
“Apparently, there’s nothing I can say or do that will make you forgive me. I’m sure I could apologize until my last breath but you won’t accept my apologies, will you?”
“You’re damn right I won’t!”
“Nonetheless, I am sorry, whether you want to hear it or not, whether you believe me or not. Before you go, though, I’ll be picking up Ben on my designated weekends. Not only that, I will be applying for joint custody of him. He’s going to need a positive male role model in his life and there’s no better role model than a child’s father.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m not letting you see my son, and I’ll be damned if you get custody of him in any way, shape, or form.” She advanced on him, then stopped short.
“I guess we’ll have to let the courts decide.”
“And I suppose with all your money, you will make sure to paint my reputation black. Nearly destroying me during our marriage was not enough for you, was it? Now you want to take my child away from me?”
“My intention is not to take Ben away from you. My goal is to be a bigger presence in his life. You can carry on your grudge against me if you’d like, but where our son is concerned, it has to stop. Ben deserves the love and support of both his parents. I’m not going to talk about this anymore.”
Karen went red to the very roots of her blonde head and she looked as though she was about to explode. “I would leave the country before you got your hands on him.”
Mason’s temper finally snapped. “You selfish bitch! I’m beginning to think you’re not a competent parent, after all. If I even think you’ll try to keep me from him by pulling a stunt like that, I will slap you with a petition for full custody so fast your head would spin. You might have thought I was a bastard in the past, but you haven’t seen anything yet if you keep this shit up! Now get the hell out of my room!” He made a move to get out of the bed, ignoring the pain.
Karen’s eyes widened before she quickly left. Mason fell back against the pillow and his anger subsided. He wanted to have a good relationship with Karen for Ben’s sake, but he now knew that it wasn’t possible. Her hatred of him was too deep.
He wondered if this meant he would fail his redemption project. The thought made him panic. He couldn’t go back when he had come so far and finally won Brandi’s love again.
He called out. “Paul.”
Nothing.
Where the hell was Paul when he needed him?
Mason knew Rodney would make his move eventually, but he hadn’t thought of something like this, especially with Ben in the car with him. The bastard had to be taken care of. It was obvious that Rodney didn’t care who he hurt.
Mason shuddered to think of what would have happened if Brandi or the kids had been in the car, too.
Brandi.
He needed to get to her and the children.