Parker
Porter drives us to the house. The car has been silent since we got in, our moods somber. There is so much to process. So many lies, mistakes, and hurt. Each one of us has played a hand in it. Instead of the poker hand we were playing, it’s almost like Russian Roulette. Someone isn’t going to have a happy ending. My only hope is to save as many as possible. More importantly, my children have to come first.
“What’s your take on everything?” Porter asks.
“I don’t know. There are definitely two very different sides to this story. The thing I’m having a hard time with is that they don’t seem to make sense. The cheating and whatnot, I don’t know. I can see how it would make someone angry, but to hold a grudge for this many years? To try and destroy your best friend’s family? I’m just not buying it.”
“I have the same feeling. Neither of our parents are telling the truth. There’s something they’re hiding and we need to get it out of them.”
I nod, completely in agreement, but my thoughts are focused elsewhere. “Why did you allow Beth to get hurt? I mean, I don’t like what she’s done to my family, but she’s a victim in all of this too. Why would you go after an underage girl? She’s innocent.”
“Innocent? I don’t think so. You and I both know that she’s screwing your husband and wants to take over your life. I hardly call that innocent.”
“Yeah, but we put her in the position to do so. We can’t expect anything different. Trent should’ve kept his eyes on his family instead of letting them stray. Besides, we don’t know that they actually slept together.” As much as I want to hate Beth, I feel bad for her. She’s set up to get her heart broken. This whole thing is bringing me and Trent closer together. I’m confident we’re going to make it through this.
“Are you hearing yourself? You’ve seen the pictures of them in the Caymans. She was naked and he was ogling her. Do you honestly think he handed her a robe and told her to get dressed? I’m single and I don’t think that I could do that. That girl is hot with a capital H!”
I scoff at the fact that so many men are finding this underage girl to be so attractive. Those other men can have her, just not mine. I may have been willing to give up on Trent this morning, but no more. Finding out what’s been going on has made me want to fight for everything I have. I don’t give a rat’s ass about the money. What I care about is providing my family with a normal life free from the scandal and lies of our parents.
“Come on, Parker. I was only kidding. Now that she’s eighteen I may take a second look, but I have no intention of going to jail over any woman.”
I sock him in the arm. I know he’s kidding, but he can be such a pig sometimes.
“What do you think about Dad? I mean Edward? How do you think we should approach him now that we know he’s not your father? I’d like to find out what he did with our trust funds.”
“We need to talk to Trent. It’s not just our dad we have to confront, it’s all of our parents. We need to have a strategic plan in place to approach them at the right time. It’s going to make it that much more complicated since Jonathan and Penny are out of the country. We also need to think about how to keep the kids safe. They are the biggest pawns in this game and will be used against you and Trent.”
I sigh, trying to hold back the tears my eyes so desperately want to spill. “Why did we ever go along with Dad’s stupid plan? Why would I ever agree to something like this? I feel like the biggest idiot. I have effectively destroyed my own life and the relationships I’ve built. What I wouldn’t give to go back a year and a half ago. My decisions would’ve been very different.”
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Of course we wouldn’t have gone along with it knowing what we do now. The Matthews’ have always had deep roots. We are one of the first American families. We’re bred differently, and we take care of our own. Edward instilled that in us from a very young age. There was no way we could say no to him. It would be going against our entire heritage. He would’ve disowned us.”
“Right now, I’d like to disown him. He’s ruined my life.”
Porter places his hand on my thigh. “We’ll get through this.” I promise.”
If only I could be sure. Unfortunately, the only thing I am sure of is the uncertainty life has to offer. Lord knows I’ve had my share lately.
We pull in the driveway. My heart races and the desire to hold my babies overcomes me. I sob as I run into the house past the security guards. Just as Trent said, they’re fast asleep in their beds. I gaze upon each of them for a few minutes. I’d love to hold them, but I don’t want to wake them. It’s been a long day for everyone. Satisfied they are okay, I head back downstairs, making a beeline to the kitchen. Before I can get there, the doorbell rings. I answer it, noting several police officers.
“Good evening, ma’am. I’m Detective Castro. There was a phone call regarding a break-in and potential hostage situation. I spoke with your security team and it’s my understanding the premises are secure?”
The detective is wearing street clothes, but has a badge on his shirt and shows me his identification. He looks to be of Hispanic origin and stands not much taller than me. His dark hair is neatly styled with a part on one side. Every hair is in place. His rugged jawline gives him a tough look.
“Yes, please come in. I believe everything took place in the kitchen. I just got home and haven’t had a chance to look yet.”
“It’s better that you didn’t. We don’t want to tamper with any potential evidence. Could you please escort me and my men in that direction?”
“Absolutely.” I walk to the kitchen with the men behind me. Never once did I think I shouldn’t go in here. I guess it’s lucky I didn’t. I point to the closed door. Even though I’d like to see, I don’t follow the men in. I head to the office to watch on the surveillance system instead.
When I pull up the screen, I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. There is a chair pulled away from the table and ropes are sitting at the feet of it. A broken glass is on the floor, and there looks to be some droplets of blood. I worry if they are Beth’s, and hope it’s from the guy who broke in.
The officers begin checking for fingerprints, taking pictures, and collecting their evidence. The detective leaves the kitchen and I can hear him calling for me. I step out of the office and greet him in the foyer.
“Mrs. Davis, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take a look at the video footage.” I escort him into the office and search through the last few hours during which the intruder would have entered. When I get to the timeframe, the screen goes black. I fast-forward and rewind a bit, but still there is nothing but a black screen while the intruder is in my house.
Chills form on my flesh. “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t it have recorded?”
“It looks as though either the video or the cameras were tampered with. Can you pull up any other rooms? Perhaps we can catch him on another angle.”
Again, I scroll through the various cameras and search through all of the rooms. During that time period, all the screens are black.
“I’d say your surveillance system was disarmed. I’m guessing it was done remotely since they turned it back on after the guy left. This is very concerning. Someone has access to your system and can watch everything you’re doing whenever they want. I’m no expert on these types of systems, but you may want to disconnect it or find someone who can prevent outside access.”
My mind races trying to figure out who would do this. What have they seen and how long have they been watching us? Here I thought up until recently we were a normal family living in a high end neighborhood where things like this don’t happen. This is something straight out of the movies.
“How could this possibly be? This is supposed to be a very secure system.”
“This certainly isn’t my specialty, but hackers are notorious for getting through anything. Whoever deleted the footage knows what they’re doing. This is no amateur. Until you get this resolved, I’d recommend unplugging all of the cameras.”
I wrap my arms around myself, feeling very violated. The sense of safety I once had living in this house has gone up in a poof of air. I want to get out of here so bad right now. I want to go back to that island where it was just my family. We were all together and the only concern was Trent pining after Beth. Why did I have to leave?
“Thank you, Detective.”
Detective Castro leaves the office and presumably heads back to where his men are.
I study the camera on the ceiling. The wires go through the walls and I don’t see a place where I can disconnect it. I go into the living room and it’s the same story. I don’t even know where to begin. It’s almost midnight and I’m completely overwhelmed.
Porter steps in through the front door. I give him the skinny on the surveillance system.
“There has to be some sort of shutoff or fuse somewhere. Do you know where your circuit breaker is?”
I laugh. “What do you think? Trent handles those types of jobs. I’m not interested in learning how to fix a house.”
“Nice. But seriously, you should know where you’re circuit breaker is in case the power goes out. That’s the quickest way to check to see if it’s something you can easily fix. Come on, we’ll go find it.” He starts walking toward the laundry room. “Usually they’re inside the garage or a mudroom.
I couldn’t care less about this sort of thing. Maybe I should call Trent. He’d know how to handle this. My mind wanders to what he and Beth must be discussing. Is he pulling her hair back as he kisses her on the lips? Is he professing his undying love? A pang of jealousy washes over me and almost consumes my thoughts.
“I found it! Come here, Parker. Let me teach you about circuit breakers.”
Yay! Just what I want to do this late at night after traveling all day and having my house broken into. I let Porter show me the ins and outs, although I barely pay attention. Just enough that he’s satisfied I might have actually learned something.
The one thing I did pick up on is that there is a circuit for the video system. Porter turned it off so it won’t work again unless someone manually flips the switch. It’s an easy temporary fix that will allow Trent to deal with it how he wants when he gets home. If he ever comes home.
“I’m really tired, Porter. Would you mind staying with the police until they’re finished? I need to close my eyes.”
Porter takes me into his arms and kisses my head. “Of course. I don’t want you to worry about another thing. It’s probably a good idea for all of us to get some rest and think about what we’re going to do in the morning. I’ll sleep in the guest bedroom tonight. I don’t want to leave you alone, and who knows when Trent will be back.”
I kiss my brother on his cheek and head upstairs. I don’t have the energy to deal with one more issue. I just need to rest and process everything in the morning. Most importantly, I’m going to have to figure out what to do to keep my children safe. They have to be my number one priority.