Her bed was made, every book she surrounded herself with was stacked around the room like erected monuments, and her curtains were closed. Breathing deeply, I walked over to her bed and grabbed every one of her pillows and threw them to the ground, creating a makeshift bed for me to lie on. I felt like a damn penguin, but it was the only way I could see her. The moment I was on my side, I saw her curled up under the bed, her eyes spilling tears she couldn’t control.
This was Adriana. After everything she had been through, the only place she ever really felt safe was under the bed. It was a habit she couldn’t shake after being taken.
“He asked me to marry him,” she whispered, moving her hand so I could see the ring. Even in the darkness, I could tell it was small and forged into the shape of a teardrop. It was very much Adriana. “I told him I wanted to think about it. I told him I wanted to talk to you. But the truth was, I was scared. He told me to keep the ring, that it would help me think. I should have just said yes.”
“We all know you would have. So did he.” I smiled at her. Like me, she just wanted to be difficult.
She rolled her eyes, hoping to stop her tears but it didn’t work. “I can’t move. If I move, life continues on and I can’t…I loved him so much.”
“Then don’t move,” I whispered to her. The problem with loving someone that much was the fact that it hurt ten times more to lose them. Great love only equaled great pain eventually…that’s why Liam was going to have to die after I did.
LIAM
“What number are you on?” Neal asked, stepping into my office.
Staring at the glass in my hand, I downed it quickly before pulling out another bottle from my bottom drawer.
“I’m not counting. What do you want?”
Sitting across from me, he sighed and pulled out two cigars. “I want to help you. I want to be your brother again. I’ve spent weeks on a campaign, being asked how it feels to be a Callahan, what we’re like, what do I think about families on food stamps right after I bought Olivia another diamond necklace. Father told me that I would hate it; being without the family and having to actually pretend I give fuck almost drove me mad. Olivia ate it up. She loved it. We were like string puppets on stage dancing for everyone else; going where we were told, keeping our comments rehearsed, being the better fucking person to people whose necks I could snap off if I wanted to. Part of me had a hard time dealing with you as my boss, but I’d rather dance under your strings than anyone else’s.”
Staring at him for a moment, I handed Neal a glass and took the cigar. “Do you have a light?”
“As long as you don’t tell my wife.” He laughed, holding the flame at the end of it.
“At least you can lie to yours. Mel can sense smoke like a bloodhound. Truthfully, she knows me well enough that she just lets me slide on some lies for the sake of my pride.” We both sucked in smoke.
“You’ve both come a long way from trying to kill each other.” He had no idea how wrong and right he was. She still tried to kill me, except now it usually had us both naked. “What are we going to do about this Aviela bitch?”
“She’s one step ahead of everything. We make a play, she makes one better. Any thoughts?” Because I was all out of motherfucking ideas.
He sat back, leaning against his chair and scratching the back of his head. “None. I don’t get it. That shot… it was a fucking good one. It’s the type of shot I aim to take.”
“Get to your point.”
“My point is, she could have easily killed Mel. Just like she could have after the accident. She had Mel in her crosshairs, so why didn’t she?”
“That I understand.” I wish I didn’t, but I did. “She gets off on the physical torture. She poisoned Orlando for years. Now she’s making sure her daughter lives in fear. I want to know her end game. There is a bigger picture here. What’s going to happen when Colemen wins office? We both know it’s going to happen, that’s why you’re home early. He has a ninety-one percent likelihood to win. That’s higher than any test you’ve ever taken.”
“Fuck you.”
I grinned, downing the rest of my brandy.
“So? What do you want us to do?” he asked seriously.
Smoking, I thought about that for a moment before pulling out the phone in my pocket.
“Aviela called Mel right before she took the shot. I’m sure it’s a burned phone, but still, look into it for me.” Dropping it on the table in front of him, I put out my cigar and stood.
“Yes, boss.”
I didn’t trust him as much I as I wished I could. Moreover, I didn’t trust his wife. There was a rift between us that went beyond just our childhood. However, if there was anyone in the world able to gain my trust, it was him. After all, he was blood.