Chapter 12
Dani
I don’t know who I want to clobber more. Ryker for volunteering us for the trip to Mansfield, Louisiana or Sadie-slash-Serafina for being the manipulative skank I’ve found that she is.
What doesn’t help the situation is that I’m completely exhausted. All four of my kids are with my parents, so that we could get up at the ass crack of dawn to get to the airport in Atlanta and soar through the air to Shreveport, Louisiana. Then, we had to get a rental car and drive to Mansfield.
Driving around the town to get to Sadie’s dad’s house reminds me of home in that small community sort of way, but what kills me is that I love my small town and would never give it up. Sadie seems to lay waste to everyone and every place that she comes into contact with. The more I learn about her, the more I wonder how I never had a clue. But she did play on my passion for helping others that had been in similar predicaments as I was and just like Trigger, I was blinded by the woman I called my best friend.
We pull down a gravel drive to a small yellow house on stilts. It’s a decent house and you can tell it recently had some cosmetic work done, like the bright yellow paint and navy blue shutters. The toys in the front yard signify that a child lives here and I can only hope that Lyla is being taken care of since her mother seems to have dropped her off with a man that Sadie supposedly hadn’t seen since the day she arrived in Cumming.
Before we can make it up the walk way to the porch, the door is yanked open and a blonde fury of a girl comes running towards us. I kneel to accept Lyla’s embrace.
“Lyla, I missed you so much.” I say into her hair.
“I’ve missed you too.” She sniffles. “Where’s my momma?”
“Baby,” I draw her away from me. “I don’t know exactly, but I know she’s in Cumming somewhere.”
A booming voice yells for Lyla from inside the house. When he appears at the door, he studies us and our interaction with Lyla. Lyla waves at him.
“Grandpappy, this is Dani and Ryker. Momma and I lived with them in Georgia.”
His eyes take in Ryker and me more suspiciously. “Lyla, why don’t you go into the house so I can speak to your friends.” She nods and skips into the house closing the door behind her. He takes the stairs and walks closer to us. “I’m Albin Breaux, but something tells me you already know that.” He holds out his hand to Ryker who nods. “What has she done now?” He says tiredly.
“Well sir,” I start, “we know your daughter as Sadie, but unbeknownst to us that her real name was Serafina.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” He says gruffly.
“We’re realizing that. She came to Cumming, Georgia about nine years ago and applied for a job at the bar I own. She told me she needed a job to support her unborn child and she needed to do it under the table so that her abusive ex wouldn’t be able to find her.” Mr. Breaux shakes his head in disgust. “Being as I was a single mother, I have employed her as well as given her and Lyla a place to stay until she left a few months ago to come back here.”
Ryker clears his throat to get Mr. Breaux’s attention. “I’m a part of the Southern Chaotic’s MC in Cumming. Your daughter has weaved herself quite the tangled web of deceit and apparently even with us knowing about her lies she’s still causing trouble in Cumming for one of my brothers.”
“Doux Jésus.” Sweet Jesus he mutters in French. “Come and sit. I need to explain Serafina to you both. I can no longer let her go unaccountable when it comes to her wrongdoings.” Ryker and I follow him up his porch and to the awaiting chairs as he leans against the railing. “Serafina’s mother, Delfina was a beautiful woman just like her daughter. They were replicas of each other. I met Delfina in high school, but she always had eyes for every other boy in school but me. My infatuation for her went on for years until a week after we graduated from high school. I was getting training for my CDLs so I could get a job driving a rig and bring in money for my family. Back then college wasn’t in my life plan, but I needed to help my parents support my brothers and sisters.”
Mr. Breaux starts pacing as he continues. “Anyway, Delfina was at the local drugstore that served breakfast and lunch. She was sitting all alone drinking a milkshake. I thought I’d finally had the chance to talk to her without the distractions of everyone else. There was no competition and no one else vying for her attention. So I sat beside her, ordered my drink and food, and started asking her about herself.” A happy smile tips his lips. “She lite up and that was the beginning of me courting her. Three months into our relationship, she told me she was pregnant with Serafina. I did what I knew I had to do for the woman I loved and my baby she was carrying, so I married her. We moved into this house.” He waves his hand towards the house. “I started working a lot to make sure I was able to provide for them. What I didn’t know was when I was gone so was Delfina. I thought everything was going good between us, but the wool was pulled over my eyes and then when Sadie was ten, Delfina had a breakdown. Her physician at the time recommended her going to Mansfield Mental Health Clinic. We made her an appointment for the next week, but the day before she was meant to have her appointment she skipped town.”
I interrupt him. “What did they diagnose her with?”
“They weren’t able to because I wasn’t around to witness any alleged symptoms. They wanted to claim a personality disorder, but without being about to pinpoint it, they couldn’t give me an answer.”
“Whatever it was, it’s apparently hereditary. Your daughter has done things that I’d never have suspected if I didn’t have the proof laid out in front of me. She’s sick and we don’t know how to help her before she ends up in jail or living permanently in a Psych facility.”
“Getting her admitted is the only way I know how to help her. She came here and as soon as I pushed for her to get a job, she left. I’d have never known where she was if you two hadn’t shown up on my doorstep.” He shakes his head. “She left Lyla here with a man she doesn’t even know. I have to remind Lyla every night before she goes to bed that her momma loves her and will come back for her, but in the back of my mind it reminds me of Delfina. She didn’t care about anyone, not even Serafina. So tell me how I explain to Lyla that she’ll probably never see her mother for more than a few minutes at a time.”
“Mr. Breaux, I can’t tell you because I’d never do that. I have four kids at home and just the thought of leaving them to make this trip hurt my heart.”
He nods in understanding. “Whatever you need. I can’t fathom what I can do, but I know that I don’t want to see my daughter behind bars or have to take my grandbaby there for visits.”
“Would you be willing to come to Cumming, Georgia if need be?” Ryker asks.
“Anything.”
“It might be the only thing that can get through to her.” Ryker adds.
I sigh. “Alright, enough of the heavy crap. I want to spend some time with Lyla before we have to leave to head to the airport.
The men chuckle and just a tiny bit of the stress releases from my body. I’m thankful that Lyla is taken care of and I’m hopeful that having the option of Mr. Breaux coming to Georgia might halt Sadie’s pursuit.