He looked back at me once more while my mother cried and cried as he led her away. “We can’t help her now,” he said. My mother turned around almost desperately. She was pointing. Pointing at something behind me.
I turned my head and suddenly I was on the playground now. I saw a little boy a few feet away from me.
Keiran.
He was as I knew him first; eight again with the sun shining but this time the world was quiet. Quiet like death. It was then I noticed he was holding a gun in his hand and dangling from his fingers was the gold locket.
His eyes were sad when he looked at me but they were also full of anger. He looked down at his hand and I noticed the discoloring on the locket. It was…blood.
“Keiran?”
“I killed them,” he said.
“Who? Who did you kill?” He visibly shook as he took deep, ragged breaths. “You have to tell me who they are!” I yelled desperately.
His hand rose slowly and pointed the gun at me. I shook my head but instead of trying to get away, I moved closer. “I kill,” he cried and fired the gun.
* * *
I was ripped away from my nightmare and left drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. I would have thought my nightmare was over but my throbbing headache said otherwise. I opened my eyes and was looking out of a window. I could see the unkempt lawn but nothing else. “It’s good to see you awake. I was beginning to think I might have hit you too hard. How is your head by the way?”
“It was fine,” I said sarcastically. He smiled wide and for the first time I didn’t find anything charming about it.
“I’m sorry I had to do that but I didn’t think you would come with me willingly.” I stared back into the cold eyes of Mr. Martin as he sat in the corner of the room.
“Why are you doing this? You were behind the break-in, weren’t you?”
“Why does anyone ever do anything? For money, dear girl, and yes, I did leave the photo. Sad, what happened to that little girl.”
“But my aunt isn’t here and she isn’t rich.” He laughed as if I’d just told a joke or said something witty. Or maybe the man was just nuts. The latter explanation fit better.
“I don’t want money from your aunt or you. In fact, this has little to do with you at all.”
“What? Then why –”
“You are merely bait, Lake.”
“Bait for who?”
“Are you really this blind or is it by choice?”
“I’m sorry Mr. Martin. It must have been the blow to my head I recently received. You’ll have to help me with this one.”
“Well for starters my name isn’t Martin. It’s Masters and I’m here for my son.”
Chapter Thirty-One
The time it took for me to process what he’d just said was two and a half seconds. No shit – I counted. “But everyone thinks you’re dead.”
“No, I’m very much alive.” He crossed his leg over the other and appeared way too casual for my liking.
“If you’ve been alive all this time then why are you just now coming around?”
“Because my son would have put a bullet in my head the moment he saw me,” he answered, full of disdain. I frowned, because like everyone else, I was under the impression that Keiran had never met his father.
“If Keiran is your son…why would he want to kill you?”
“I haven’t been the best father.” He shrugged, noncommittally. “I’ve told a lot of lies, Miss Monroe and have done many ugly things. Things that were necessary to get what is rightfully mine.”
“Are you even sorry for it? Why should I believe you now?” There wasn’t a hint of compassion in the way he talked about his estranged son and his dead mother.
“I really don’t care if you believe or not. You serve one purpose and that is to bring Keiran to me. I’ve watched you both for some time now. Long before I ever made myself known to you. I must say it was intriguing to see the way my son treated the girl he loves.”
“What makes you so sure he’s in love with me?”
“For your sake I hope he is.”
“I’m sure a man such as yourself wouldn’t be willing to risk so much off of hope…that’s if you really even believe in it.”
His eyebrow lifted and he pursed his lips. “My son lets you get away with a mouth like that?” His eyes darkened much like the way Keiran’s often did and I was smart enough to know when I was out of my league.
“What amount of money is worth all this?”
“Millions.” His eyes shone with greed. “Millions that should have been mine years ago.”
“How do you expect your eighteen year old son to pay you that kind of money?”
“You and I both know Keiran is far from being helpless and more than capable of doing many illegal acts. Oh yes, I know all about Anya Risdell and Trevor Reynolds. I have connections too,” he said in a conspiratorial tone. “Keiran is part heir of a vast fortune that he will inherit once he turns twenty-one.”
“Where have I heard this before?”
“I realize the situation is extremely cliché and yet extremely real.”
“You said part…”
“Yes, the other boy – Keenan.” I didn’t miss the contempt in his voice as he spoke his name. “And my brother as well…if he ever marries.”
“So won’t you get part of the fortune too?”
“Unfortunately, I’ve already received the first portion of my inheritance. The same portion that Keiran is set to inherit in three years.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Our family has always been determined to continue the Masters lineage for many generations to come. For the past fifty or sixty years the rate at which we have been known to marry respectfully and reproduce has declined so much so that there are now stipulations in place to ensure our name does not die. In order for any of us to receive our full inheritance we must marry and produce children. We receive our initial and much smaller portion when we become of age and the rest once we have completed our duties.”
Talk about blackmail. Rich people were grade-A crazy. “So you have money –”
“I had money, Miss Monroe. I have expensive tastes and owe a great deal of debt that could cost me my life if it remains unpaid. I’ve got by the past ten years on a lucky gambling streak that has since ran out.”
“Ever heard of bargain shopping?” He regarded me with narrowed eyes that mirrored his son. How had I not seen this before?
“Please do try not to test my patience. I assure you I won’t hesitate to hurt you; although I can’t kill you…not yet anyway.”
I nodded once and held my tongue. “Understood.”
“Good.” He uncrossed his legs and stood, heading to the dresser where a bottle of brown liquid that I knew to be alcohol waited. He poured a glass and quickly tossed it back before pouring another. “Where was I?”
“You’re broke.” He sent me a sharp look and I shrunk back against the headboard. “Sorry…old habits. So if Keiran hates you and he doesn’t inherit for another three years why are you doing this now?”
“Those debts I previously mentioned aren’t willing to wait three years.”
“But I seriously doubt he will help you.”
“No…he won’t.”
“Then how…” Realization dawned on me at the look in his eyes. “No!” I yelled, jumping from the bed. My feet were planted wide as I faced him. “I won’t let you hurt him,” I growled. If Keiran died, then his money would undoubtedly forfeit to his father as his next of kin.
He laughed which pissed me off further. “You know it astounds me that you are so ready to protect him even if it means harm to yourself –”
“If that’s what it takes,” I interrupted with steel in my voice.
“That is truly remarkably Miss Monroe. My son has done nothing but hurt you for years.” He must have noticed the surprised look on my face when he said, “Yes, I know all about that. The Reynolds boy filled me in. He was all too willing to bring my son down. It’s a shame that Keiran got to him first because I would have eventually killed him myself. I could have had the money I needed a year ago if it wasn’t for him.”