Chapter Eighty-One
Gigi
W hen we got back to Boston, I followed up with Samuel to see how everything went while I was gone. Not surprising, but nothing blew up, accounting tasks were done, everyone was chill. It helped me feel better about my decision to let the spa go.
I also came back to a text from my mother saying she hoped she could see me before the wedding. I thought about it for a while, trying to decide if I wanted to meet with her again. After my last interaction with her, I realized she is simply a stranger. Seeing her didn’t change how I felt about her. I got myself through the hardest times in my life. I came to terms with the fact that I needed to move on from the need to understand her and my father’s actions. Now that things are good, I don’t need her acceptance. I don’t want to have a relationship with someone who could live without me for decades. So, I agreed to meet with her one final time to let her know I choose not to have a relationship with her.
It’s the day before the wedding, and I’m settling into a hotel room at the Boston Harbor hotel, just upstairs from the ballroom we will hold the ceremony in. I told Marcus that I refused to sleep at the house, that we needed to follow tradition. If one night away from him means a life of good luck, I’m willing to do it.
Audrey and Melonie are home with their babies, so I have a whole room to myself for the night. I unpack my bags, lay out all of my makeup and brushes for the morning, and hang my dress in the wardrobe. Satisfied that everything is ready to go, I pick up my phone to text my mother. She asked if we could meet for dinner in an hour at a small restaurant close by, so I freshen up my makeup, put on my Converse. Marcus said he had a call this evening, so I’ll FaceTime him when I get back. As I head out the door, I hope he’ll be proud of me when I tell him I cut this woman out of my life.
When I show up at the restaurant, it’s packed, so I stand outside to wait for Sarah. Just a few minutes later, I spot her white hair as she walks toward me.
“Hi, Gigi,” she greets me with a smile.
“Hello. It’s really busy in there. There’s a thirty-minute wait for a table.”
She glances around me through the window. “Oh, should we go somewhere else?”
“We probably should. Let me see what’s close by.” I retrieve my phone from my purse. I find a spot nearby—it’s a sports bar, but I don’t mind it, seeing as how this will probably be a short visit.
“I found somewhere a couple blocks from here. Are you okay to walk?”
She frowns, glancing down the dark, quiet street. “I’m parked just around the corner. How about I drive?”
“That would be fine,” I say, shrugging.
She leads me to her car, a sleek black SUV with tinted windows that gleam under the streetlights. A lot nicer than I expected.“You drive this big thing?” I joke, trying to lighten the strange tension in the air. “I might be old, but I’m not dead, Gigi,” she says with a grin, but something about her smile feels… off.
I open the passenger door, my hand gripping the metal handle. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a strong arm wraps around my waist, yanking me backward. Before I can scream, a rough hand slaps duct tape across my mouth, and panic surges through me like wildfire.
I thrash wildly, kicking, but another man appears from the shadows. He pries my legs off the ground like I weigh nothing. My muffled screams echo in my own ears, but the world outside remains deathly silent. The sidewalks are deserted. No witnesses. No escape.
The men shove me into the back of the SUV like a piece of luggage, binding my feet with practiced efficiency. The tailgate slams shut, sealing me inside.
They slip into the back seat, and through the blur of terror, I see Sarah behind the wheel. She glances at me in the rearview mirror, her eyes cold and steady. Without a word, she starts to drive.