Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
When I manage to wrangle Emilio and convince him to come up to my apartment, no one is there. The first aid kit sits on the counter, but Tío E and Uncle Louie are gone. So is Jacob.
Shit. I knew I shouldn’t have left him alone with those two.
“Call your father and find out where he is,” I tell Emilio.
He is Tío E’s fourth child and probably the most troublesome one out of the five. But I blame that on my aunt and uncle for having too many kids. How can anyone keep tabs on five kids and know what each one is doing?
“Yeah, because he’s going to tell me his comings and goings.” Emilio laughs as he opens my fridge. His face screws up. “Why is everything in here healthy? What is wrong with you, Jaz?”
“Antonia did the shopping. And there is nothing wrong with eating healthy.” I pick up my phone and am about to message Jake when I realize I don’t have his number anymore. I message Bradley instead.
Me:
Is he with you?
Bradley:
Who?
Me:
Jake?
Bradley:
Yeah, your father did a number on him, Jaz. Why? This asshole won’t tell me shit.
Me:
My father overheard me yelling at him about prom night and how Jake took something from me and then never spoke to me again.
I’ve never discussed this with Bradley, and I’m guessing Jake hasn’t either.
The only person I ever told was Antonia—and my mother but it’s not like she can tell anyone from the grave.
Although I have no idea how long Jake has been listening to my conversations.
There haven’t been that many. I try to visit Mom at least once every time I come home, but I also haven’t come home that often.
I didn’t have to travel back to Vegas much because everyone kept coming to New York to see me. Was my family trying to keep me out of town? Why would they do that? I never questioned it at the time. I have so many questions now…
“He’s downstairs in your father’s office,” Emilio says.
“Oh good, you can go find him there then,” I reply.
“Nice seeing you too.” Emilio chuckles and makes his way to the elevator.
I head to my bedroom and change into something a little more appropriate for work. I am supposed to be taking some of the load off my father’s hands.
Once I’m dressed in a plain black pantsuit with a blush-pink blouse, I head back downstairs as if the events of the morning did not happen. The moment I step into my office, I’m accosted by the very fresh memory of Jake on the ground and my father beating the crap out of him.
I wonder if I can get the office saged or maybe just totally gut it and redecorate. Anything to get that scene out of my head.
I move towards the desk, sit down, and open the laptop I dropped off the other day.
As I look around, I realize the space needs a lot more personalization.
It’s really… sparse. I miss my office in New York, and honestly, I miss my job there too.
I do love being with my family, though. As annoying as they are, I love them and I do miss them when I’m away.
I push those thoughts aside, start up my computer, and open my email.
There’s nothing there. I don’t know why I’m surprised.
It’s my first day, and honestly, I expected my father to spend the morning with me, outlining exactly what it is I should be doing.
I really do not want to have to face him just yet.
So instead, I stare at the blank screen, contemplating my next move.
Ten minutes later, there’s a light tap at my door and my stepmother walks in. “Hey, how’s the first day going?” she asks.
My bottom lip wobbles. I do not want to cry. Not now, so I take a deep breath. “It could have been better.” I sigh.
Antonia shuts the door and then twists the lock. “I spoke to your father. He’s very sorry for what happened.”
“No, he’s not.” I snort.
“He’s not, but he wants to be.” She smiles and closes the distance.
I stand, meet her halfway, and engulf her in a hug. “I messed up.”
“Oh, baby, you didn’t mess anything up,” she says, running a hand through my hair.
“I did. I purposely taunted Jacob, but I didn’t know he’d come down here. I just wanted to prove a point.”
“And did you?”
“Did I what?” I ask.
“Prove your point?”
I turn and walk over to the sitting area, falling onto the white leather sofa. “I don’t think so. He was mad though.”
“So, you and Aurelio? What’s happening with that?”
“He was just playing along with my ruse. He’s a really good actor. He should move to Hollywood.” I laugh.
“Is Jacob okay?”
“I think Daddy cracked his ribs. And he’s really pissed at me. But I don’t care.” I sit up straighter. “What do you know about the Westmeads? Why would Dad say Jake was supposed to keep his shit away from me?”
Antonia looks to the floor, giving me the first sign that she knows something. “I don’t know much, but there are rumors that all those old money families aren’t always on the up-and-up,” she says.
I give her a knowing look. “Our family isn’t on the up-and-up, Antonia. That would not be reason enough for Dad to say that.”
“The fact Jake’s male is reason enough for your father, Jazzy.”
“I feel like there’s something else. And then Tío E and Uncle Louie turned up at my apartment. Sent me on some BS mission to find Emilio, and when I got back, they were all just gone,” I say. “I don’t get it.”
“This isn’t how I wanted your first day to go. It’s not always going to be this… turbulent,” Antonia tells me. “Please don’t leave us again. Give it a chance to all settle down.”
“I’m not leaving,” I assure her. “I just need to forget Jacob Westmead exists. It was easier when I was on the other side of the country.” It’s a lie. It wasn’t easier, but I couldn’t just go and see him. I couldn’t taunt him into coming to see me.
“How exactly did he know what you were doing with Aurelio?” Antonia asks.
Now it’s my turn to look away. I don’t want Jacob to get into trouble for hacking into our cameras. “I told Brad and I guess he passed the message along.” I shrug.
“Jazzy, don’t lie to me. How did he know what you were doing this morning?”
“Brad said Jake’s been keeping tabs on me. Yesterday, I found a listening device at my mother’s grave so I went and confronted Jake. He put it there. And I suspect he has cameras around?” I suggest.
“He was listening to your conversations with your mother? I’ll kill him! That’s an invasion of privacy, Jasmine.” Antonia is mad now, her hands waving around frantically.
“I held a gun to his head and told him if he did it again, I’d shoot him,” I admit.
“You what?” Antonia’s eyes widen.
“I made sure the gun wasn’t loaded. I just wanted him to take me serious,” I say sheepishly.
“I am so damn proud of you.” Antonia smiles. “But next time, make sure that gun is loaded and pull the damn trigger.”
“Okay,” I agree, while having no intention of ever doing that. “Thank you for coming to see me.”
“It’s your first day. Of course I came to see you,” she says. “Besides, don’t tell your brothers, but you’re my favorite person in this family. Visiting you isn’t a hardship.”
I laugh. Antonia has always said I was her favorite person. I know she worried I’d feel left out after CJ was born. But I never did, because she made sure I was included in everything. We even went on girl dates once a week, just the two of us. I really lucked out in the stepmother department.
“I love you.” I throw my arms around Antonia’s neck and squeeze. “Thank you for always being the best.”
“I love you too,” she says. “You know, you’ve grown into such a wonderful woman. A kind-hearted, hardworking, independent, strong woman. Your mother would be so proud of you.”
“How do you know?” I ask. Antonia always says stuff like this, but she didn’t know my mom. I have very few memories of the woman myself.
“Because I’m very proud of you, and if I am, then she is too.”
“I should go and see Dad.” I sigh. I really don’t want to see the disappointment on his face. I caused drama on my first day working for him. I’m so embarrassed.
“Maybe give him a few more hours. Go and have lunch. Walk the floor or whatever it is people do around here.” She waves a hand around the office.
“That’s the thing… I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing here.” I laugh.
The door opens, even though Antonia had locked it. “Turn on the news,” CJ says.
“Why?” I ask, but he’s already turning on the television that sits on the opposite wall.
“Celine and Toby Westmead were found dead in their million-dollar Nevada estate,” a news reporter announces on the screen. The same words are scrawled across the bottom.
“No…” I whisper. Jacob’s parents were killed. Who would do such a thing? “Oh god.”
“Shit,” Antonia mutters under her breath. She has a worried look on her face. “CJ, does your father know?”
“I don’t think so,” he says.
“Go and tell him. Jazzy, we need to go home, now,” Antonia insists.
“What? Why?”
“Because it’s not safe here.” She shoves me behind her, as if she’s my personal bodyguard.