Chapter 4

LANCE

I couldn't wait to get back home. Ever since Gabe made that statement, something dark and ugly has been gnawing away at my gut. I'd spent the last day on the island pretending for the girls' sake, but my mind was in turmoil. As soon as we landed, I hot-footed it to his house in search of Unc. I had to wait for the reunion to end before I could get him alone, and by then, I was a mess of nerves.

"Gabe's up to something. Do you know what he's planning?" Even I could hear the panic in my voice.

"What did you see?"

"Nothing, as usual, he keeps everything hidden, but I get the sense that he's about to make a move. He had his special computer with him on the island." That got a rise out of him.

"So it's not about Gia? It's about the other thing?"

"Looks like it."

"Why are you so stressed all of a sudden? You knew about the secret computer long before this."

"Yes, but… he told me he loved me. Although I know it, Gabe isn't one to say it like that just out of nowhere. It's as if he was saying goodbye." I hated having to tell him this; I hated the look of almost fear that came into his eyes.

"Let's not panic, let's not panic, we have time. Shit, I knew this was going to happen."

"What? What's going to happen?"

"Lance, you're coming to Paris with us. I'll talk to your dad. I was going to invite you anyway; somebody has to escort one of the twins since Gabe will be with Gia, and I'll be with the other.

"I don't understand. Aren't they going to Paris for a coming-out ball? What could he be planning for that?" I could see he was struggling to find the right words. I've known for some time that there was some well-kept secret between the two of them, something that neither has ever shared; I've known it since Unc asked me to all but spy on Gabe, but not knowing why had never bothered me more than it did right now.

Unc paced the room back and forth, scaring the heck out of me the more he kept silent. "Don't be scared, Lance; nothing's going to happen to him." Yeah? So why do you look so worried?

"Pop, you in here? Oh, hi Lance, I thought you left without saying goodbye." Gabe knocked and opened the door to the home office before stepping inside.

I felt guilty, but that only lasted about a second. I'd much rather have the guilt than the fallout from whatever he's up to. He should know what saying those words would do to me. Not because there's anything wrong with an almost adult male saying I love you to another; that's bullshit. But because of who he is, those words carry more weight than most. Gabe's not big on showing emotion; he shows his love in other ways.

"What did you need, son? Lance was just telling me about your trip." I didn't even blink at the lie, just kept my eyes on Gabe, who looked his usual relaxed self. That's another thing; the guy never gives anything away, so his declaration is way out of place. Was it a cry for help? Is he somehow asking me to save him from himself and whatever this is? I have no idea.

"It can wait. I'll leave you two alone." He walked back out of the room, leaving Unc and me to look at each other.

"I'll talk to him, don't sweat it," Unc assured me, but I wasn't sure. I hated to leave, but my dad would be waiting for me since he acts like the prodigal son's returning anytime I go away for longer than a weekend.

***

GABRIEL

***

I think I messed up. It was a moment of weakness that led me to tell Lance I love him like that. Not sure where my head was that day; maybe everything was hitting me at once, and I realized that he was one of the people I'd be leaving behind. I'm pretty sure he was talking to Pop about my strange behavior before I walked in because he's been on my ass since yesterday.

I've seen the looks and the way he wouldn't leave my side, but at least Gianna hasn't noticed anything off. I've gone out of my way to make sure she had as good a time as she could, knowing what she'd face once we got back here. I waited for him to leave before going back to Pop, who looked like he was about to blow.

"Pop, it's time."

"Time for what?" Oh yeah, they were talking alright.

"The lawyer. Let Becky out on bail."

"You gonna finally tell me what's going on there?"

"Yeah!" I'd held off telling him until now so that he wouldn't take matters into his own hands. I told him all of it now, about the murder and everything that came after. I could tell from the way he watched me that he was trying to figure out if that was the only thing on my mind.

"No problem, I'll take care of it. Anything else bothering you?" Freaking Lance had sold me out.

"Nope, just this. I want to get it over with before Gianna leaves for Paris."

"I see! Well, okay then, I'll let you know what happens. It shouldn't take longer than end of day today. What're your plans? Do you want me there with you when you confront them?"

"Nah, I've got it. I don't expect any trouble from that end." I didn't; I've had more than enough time to plan, my only issue being how Gianna will handle things. She says she's ready to get it over with; in fact, she'd mentioned it as soon as we landed, but she has no idea. I've had years to deal with my shit, and it still gets me, so imagine someone as soft as her.

I left Pop to go back upstairs, where she was on my bed playing with the ankle biter. The twins had heard somewhere that pets were susceptible to the virus, something that had been proven false, but they still refused to take theirs on the trip, so this one was acting like she'd been gone for a month.

She looked up when I walked in, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. I wish we had more time that I could shield her a little bit longer, but I'd started the ball rolling, and there was no turning back. I'd already started putting things in place for my trip to Sicily, which was going to be a headache in itself.

The hardest part will be giving Pop the slip once we reach Paris. I'm almost certain he's going to have me watched every second, but I think I've found a way to get around him. I'll get the twins to cover for me as well, and with the Jetstream at my disposal, it shouldn't be that hard to do. A quick two and a half hours flight there and back, not counting the drive once I land.

It doesn't matter what time I arrive at my destination so I can leave in the middle of the night once everyone has gone to bed and be back before they wake in the morning. I've played it out a thousand times in my head already, granted everything goes as planned.

"Is something bothering you, Gabriel?"

"Why do you ask?" She shrugged as I plopped down on the bed with the dog between us.

"I don't know; you seem… distant. Is it the thing with my mom? Do you think something's going to go wrong?"

"No, nothing like that, sweetheart. I'm just going over everything in my head so that there are no mistakes."

"I hear you; I've been doing the same ever since we landed. Even though I told you to put it away until after the party and then the trip, it's all I can think about since the day I spoke to Greta."

"I know, but I'm glad you got to enjoy both; there's nothing wrong with that."

"What do you think my dad is going to say? Do you think he'd believe me, or will he brush it aside like he does everything else?" If he does, I just might throw his ass off a cliff.

"If he doesn't believe you, what will you do?" She seemed stumped by the question, which means she hadn't given it much thought.

I know in her naivete, she's expecting things to go smoothly; that just goes to show how innocent she truly is. After all the disappointments from her dad, she still expects him to accept the truth and act accordingly. The truth is, that's the thing that worries me the most. To me, Felix is already dead. To her, he's the last remaining parent she has left, and in her heart of hearts, she wants the old Felix back.

I'd love to give him to her, but I'm not holding out much hope. It would be awesome if he stepped up and became the father she needs; that might help ease the pain of my leaving; but I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up going with door number one, which is to destroy him along with the other two and give her a clean break from her past.

I can do that now because she has her grandmother and her aunts and a whole lotta cousins she hasn't seen since she was a child. I've done my homework there, too, digging into her family's background to make sure she'd be safe with them. I could tell by the way she absently played with the dog's fur that she was worried, though, and trying to put on a brave face.

It's times like this that get to me when she looks so vulnerable that it hurts. She gave me a questioning look when I reached out and ran my fingers along her soft cheek. "You look tired; why don't you take a nap?"

"Yeah, I am a bit tired. Stay with me." She was out as soon as I lifted her higher on the bed so she could lay her head on the pillow.

***

BECKY

***

"You've been sprung, lady." I rolled and sat up on the cot as the latest warden unlocked the door to my cell.

"What? What happened?"

"Your bails been made."

"Don't I have to go to court for that?"

"Listen, you wanna stay here? No skin off my nose."

"Is my husband here to pick me up?" Now that I was getting out of here, my anger came back full force. I'd been lying there feeling sorry for myself, wondering why the hell Felix hadn't come to see about me. A week and a half, that's how long he'd left me in there to rot, and I can't help but feel it has something to do with Gia and her lies of late.

I've run the gauntlet from fear to anger and back a thousand times, going almost crazy since no one was telling me anything. That phone call from Jimmy had only made my time here more stressful, not knowing how he found me, wondering if he'd shown up at the house. No wonder the ugly jumpsuit they'd made me wear was now hanging off me. I've lived on nothing but fear and angst this whole time.

"I don't know who's here to pick you up; I was just told you were free to go. You can collect your things upfront." He didn't even hang around long enough to listen to my complaints, of which I had plenty, just opened the cell and went about his business as if I didn't matter. It was insulting, to say the least, but that's becoming the norm here of late.

I made sure they returned everything I came in here with before stepping out into the waiting area, expecting to see my husband waiting for me and feeling that pit in my gut when he wasn't. I had to endure the embarrassment of having the desk sergeant call me a cab, which he did with a smirk on his face.

There I stood in designer wear, thousand-dollar shades, and a five-thousand-dollar purse and no way of getting home, no loving husband or daughter waiting for me. The fact that I'd spent most of my time here yelling about what my husband was going to do to them for keeping me here is probably what put the smirk on his face.

I'd cussed Felix out in my head a thousand times by the time the cab pulled into the driveway and was fighting mad by the time I put my key in the door. The house was deathly silent; not even the sound of the television could be heard as I walked in. "Hello, anybody home?"

"In here." I followed Felix's voice into the living room where it came from, ready to blast him, and came up short in the doorway.

"What the hell is that doing here?" I thought I shouted the words, but they came out as little more than a whisper.

Anything I was about to say died in my lungs as I took in the sight of Felix sitting in a chair that he'd drawn up close to the fireplace where the life-size portrait of Adrienne hung over the mantle. "Hello, Becky, you're finally home. Have a seat." I looked from him to the portrait and back with my mouth hanging open, and my feet stuck to the floor.

There was a strange tingling in my fingers and toes, and I felt as if my head was about to explode. The air grew thick, and I found it hard to breathe as question after question tumbled through my head, but none made it past my lips. A phone rang somewhere in the room, and I vaguely heard the din of his voice as he answered.

"Perfect timing, your stepmother just got home; come on over."