Chapter Forty-One
Sawyer
I should’ve known Cameron would be able to tell something was wrong as soon as he walked in. Ripping off the Band-Aid was the only way I knew how to approach it.
I poured two glasses of wine and one glass of bourbon. “You guys are going to need this.”
Kurt, Cameron, and Monica took the proffered glasses. Instead of drinking his, Cameron looked me straight in the eye. “Get to the point, Sawyer. You’re scaring me.”
I took a deep breath and said, “Adriane is still alive. Mom and Dad faked her death. She’s been at a facility in Denver since then.”
“Come again?” Cameron set down his glass and put his hand on the counter.
“Let’s sit down. I’ll fill you in.” George laid at my feet, watching everyone.
We moved to the couch, and I wiped my hands along my pants. “Adriane is alive. Mom and Dad know about it.” I slid the manila folders toward Cameron and told him everything I knew. It made me sick to see the devastation in his eyes as he looked at what had been uncovered about Adriane’s “death” and our parents’ ties to the mob. Our childhood had been a lie in so many ways. The one piece of the current drama I left out was the stalker. Kurt and I agreed the fewer people who knew, the better.
After I finished, Cameron was silent. Monica, too. Though she hadn’t known Adriane, she knew what happened. And she was part of the family, had a relationship with my parents.
Surprisingly, Monica was the first to speak. “How could they do this to you guys? I was just on the phone with Tonya this morning. She said she was excited about the grandbaby.”
I cleared my throat. “I haven’t talked to Mom or Dad about the pregnancy. After how they were, I didn’t even call to tell them. I refused to let them be negative about this little miracle.”
Cameron was still in shock. “You’re sure? About Adriane? The mob?”
Kurt stepped in. “Yes, without a doubt.”
Kurt passed the phone over to Cameron and showed him the picture. Cameron paled. “It’s her. Why?”
Why? was the question of the hour. “I don’t know. I planned to call Mom and Dad tonight to ask them about it. But I wanted to give you the chance to be here if you wanted to listen. I don’t want to see them in person.”
Cameron’s face was closed off and expressionless, his jaw locked. Finally, he said, “Yeah, I want to hear it.”
“Are you ready for me to call?” I really did not want to do this. But it would be easier having Kurt and Cameron here with me.
Cameron shook his head. “I guess. I’m so fucking pissed and angry. Why would they do that to us—to you?”
“I don’t know.” And that cut me to the bone. But instead of thinking about that, I pulled out my phone and dialed their number.
After three rings, my mother picked up. “Hey, Sawyer.”
The cold, distant tone was gone. Instead, this was the loving mom I’d craved. “Hey, Mom. Can you get Dad on the phone, too? I need to talk to you.”
“Sure.” The phone rustled. “We’re here. We’ve been waiting for this phone call!”
They were waiting for the phone call? They were possessed. Insane. “For what reason?”
“To tell us you’re pregnant, of course. We’re excited to be grandparents. We were a little hurt you didn’t tell us before announcing it in that magazine. It’s not every day we learn of our first grandbaby.”
First? It was unacceptable to forget about Mattie. “Mom, Dylan isn’t the first. We had Mattie.”
For a second, there was nothing. “So…August? How have you been feeling?”
Kurt gave me a reassuring squeeze. No more games. “I know about Adriane.”
Silence.
And more silence.
“Why would you bring her up? You know that’s a painful subject for us. Why are you doing this? We’re trying to talk about your baby.”
“Why?”
“Sawyer, what is wrong with you?” Dad’s voice grew impatient.
“I don’t know. Maybe finding out Adriane is alive and living in a facility as Matilda Locke has me a little upset. I mean, you know, considering you made me believe I was responsible for her death. Shunned me. Maybe that has me a little irritated.”
No response.
Then the line went dead.
Cameron’s phone started ringing. “It’s them.”
“Answer it if you want.” I shrugged as the first tear fell. Another joined it. I will not let them win.
He pressed Accept and put the call on speakerphone. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
Cameron sounded pleasant, but his features were rigid.
“Where are you?” Mom asked.
“Out with Monica. Stopped to have some dinner.”
An audible huff of relief came over the line. “Oh, good. Listen, your sister has been brainwashed. I’m worried she may harm you or Monica.”
What. In. The. World?
Kurt’s hand flexed around my shoulder. With his jaw locked and his eyes staring straight ahead, it was clear he was fighting to keep quiet.
In a flash, Cameron stood. “You mean because she found out that Adriane is alive and living as Matilda Locke in a facility in Denver?”
There was a gasp. Then the phone went dead. Cameron looked at me. “Do you have security?”
“Yes, of course. Why?”
“Well, they’ve hidden our supposedly dead sister for the last six years. There’s something wrong with them.” He looked at Monica. “I’m hiring security for you, too.”
She only nodded.
He paced a few times, then pointed to both Monica and me. “And no more talking to them. We don’t know what they’re capable of.”
“I agree,” Kurt and I said at the same time.
After three days, I still hadn’t fully accepted it. My emotions swung from angry to crushed to livid at any given time.
Monica looked a little pale. “I can’t believe they’re capable of lying about Adriane’s death. I love them like my own parents.”
Considering how well-connected Monica’s parents were, our parents had probably pursued that relationship to better their own circumstances. This all felt like a terrible dream.
Cameron shifted his focus. “How are you doing with this? The baby?”
“We’re good. Well, I’m as good as can be expected. The baby is fine. He’s kicking, which I like. It reminds me that he’s okay. What are you going to do?”
“I want to go see Adriane.”
The thought of seeing her again sent chills down my spine. No, thank you. When she had lived under my parents’ roof, I swore Adriane did everything in her power to make me miserable. I wanted nothing to do with her.
“If you decide to go, let me know. I’d like to coordinate with the security team.” Kurt kept a firm grip on me while he spoke to Cameron.
“Of course. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
I stood, needing a hug from my brother. A few sticky notes floated out from underneath my shirt to the floor. Cameron quirked a brow. I lifted my shirt a little in explanation. “I’m hoping I can—through osmosis—convince this baby to love sticky notes, organization, and color-coded charts.”
Cameron grinned, knowing me well enough to see that I needed to move on from the subject of Adriane and our parents for just a bit. “Did you forget something again?”
“Yes! I’m worried that I’m getting preggers brain and morphing into Kurt. That. Cannot. Happen.” I sliced both hands through the air. “I’m really worried about it. This is a legit fear.”
Cameron hugged me tight. “Don’t ever change, Sawyer. You are an amazing person. Don’t ever forget.”
“I’m trying not to. But Kurt has infected me. I’m not sure of all the side effects.”
We all laughed, leaving the darker subject of our parents and sister to the side for just a little bit.