handled carefully, there was going to
be a shit storm but I had to make sure of who was involved.
There's no way
the person on that tape had access to my grandmother's jewelry, they had to
have had help. I needed to know who that help was. I flew off the rails last
time, jumped the gun, saw only what I was meant to see, this time I would be
more thorough.
I made a few
phone calls to set things in motion. This ended now, there were only a few
people who had access to the combination to my safe, and they were all family.
It was a running joke that the two brothers, meaning Don and I were so similar
when it came to pass codes. Not that mine was so easily known, unless you knew
me that is. Whoever was in on this knew me, but why had they chosen to do this?
I spent the next
few hours plotting in my head, trying to line up every possible scenario, the
one bright light in this whole mess was that Amber was innocent. The theft had
been the nail in her coffin it was the one thing that had convinced me of her
guilt. And it had all been a lie.
And I had...oh
fuck me. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. The thought of what I had said to
her, the way I had treated her. I'd contemplated taking her against her will,
and worst, I'd threatened to take her child away from her. A young innocent
girl, an orphan with no one in her corner; what the fuck have I done?
"Oh God
Amber I'm so sorry." I cried like a fucking child as my heart broke into a
million fucking pieces. I had done this to her, I'd brought her into my world
where I thought she would be safe, only to leave her at the mercy of jackals.
Chapter 16
By the time they
got home I had pulled myself together somewhat, I think I pulled it off since
mom left without noticing anything awry. I even helped Amber put the things
she’d bought away before giving our son his bath and getting him ready for bed.
When he was down
for the night I asked if she was hungry.
"No we
stopped and had something to eat I'm set." She seemed a little lighter, I
was glad for that.
"Let's go
into the study, I need to ask you something." She got that weary look on
her face but I smiled at her reassuringly. If I had my way she'd never look
like that again.
I didn't beat
around the bush, just got right to it as soon as we were seated.
"Why did
you leave me?" She seemed surprised by the question, I could imagine why.
After all every time she'd tried to talk to me in the last couple days I'd shut
her down. Maybe because subconsciously my mind was getting too close to the
truth and I couldn't handle it. Whatever, that shit was over now.
"Colin..."
She wrung her hands as if afraid to speak.
"Come ‘ere.
" I reached for her drawing her into my lap.
"It's okay,
you can tell me, I promise I'm not mad at you." I kissed her so she'd know
that I was being truthful. I pulled her head down to my shoulder and held her
close.
"I left
because...someone told me you were getting married."
"What the
fuck?" The words were out before I could control them.
"I'm sorry
baby, I didn't mean to yell, go on, who told you that I was getting
married?"
"Cindy."
And there it was the final piece of the puzzle. I didn't know what the fuck to
feel, this shit would tear my family apart, my brother, and my niece, fuck.
I could piece
the rest together, like the who I was supposed to marry, I just couldn't figure
out why my sister in law, a woman I had known for six years would do such a
thing.
"Do you
still believe that?"
She shook her
head timidly.
"I had a
talk with your mom."
"Oh yeah
what'd she say?"
"She
thanked me for coming back into your life, she said today was the first time
she saw her son in almost a year. She said whatever demons you were fighting
seemed to have left. So I started thinking and I realized if you were really in
love with someone else my leaving wouldn't have affected you this way."
"I promised
to love only you always remember? In Greece I told you my heart belonged to
you, why did you doubt
be a shit storm but I had to make sure of who was involved.
There's no way
the person on that tape had access to my grandmother's jewelry, they had to
have had help. I needed to know who that help was. I flew off the rails last
time, jumped the gun, saw only what I was meant to see, this time I would be
more thorough.
I made a few
phone calls to set things in motion. This ended now, there were only a few
people who had access to the combination to my safe, and they were all family.
It was a running joke that the two brothers, meaning Don and I were so similar
when it came to pass codes. Not that mine was so easily known, unless you knew
me that is. Whoever was in on this knew me, but why had they chosen to do this?
I spent the next
few hours plotting in my head, trying to line up every possible scenario, the
one bright light in this whole mess was that Amber was innocent. The theft had
been the nail in her coffin it was the one thing that had convinced me of her
guilt. And it had all been a lie.
And I had...oh
fuck me. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. The thought of what I had said to
her, the way I had treated her. I'd contemplated taking her against her will,
and worst, I'd threatened to take her child away from her. A young innocent
girl, an orphan with no one in her corner; what the fuck have I done?
"Oh God
Amber I'm so sorry." I cried like a fucking child as my heart broke into a
million fucking pieces. I had done this to her, I'd brought her into my world
where I thought she would be safe, only to leave her at the mercy of jackals.
Chapter 16
By the time they
got home I had pulled myself together somewhat, I think I pulled it off since
mom left without noticing anything awry. I even helped Amber put the things
she’d bought away before giving our son his bath and getting him ready for bed.
When he was down
for the night I asked if she was hungry.
"No we
stopped and had something to eat I'm set." She seemed a little lighter, I
was glad for that.
"Let's go
into the study, I need to ask you something." She got that weary look on
her face but I smiled at her reassuringly. If I had my way she'd never look
like that again.
I didn't beat
around the bush, just got right to it as soon as we were seated.
"Why did
you leave me?" She seemed surprised by the question, I could imagine why.
After all every time she'd tried to talk to me in the last couple days I'd shut
her down. Maybe because subconsciously my mind was getting too close to the
truth and I couldn't handle it. Whatever, that shit was over now.
"Colin..."
She wrung her hands as if afraid to speak.
"Come ‘ere.
" I reached for her drawing her into my lap.
"It's okay,
you can tell me, I promise I'm not mad at you." I kissed her so she'd know
that I was being truthful. I pulled her head down to my shoulder and held her
close.
"I left
because...someone told me you were getting married."
"What the
fuck?" The words were out before I could control them.
"I'm sorry
baby, I didn't mean to yell, go on, who told you that I was getting
married?"
"Cindy."
And there it was the final piece of the puzzle. I didn't know what the fuck to
feel, this shit would tear my family apart, my brother, and my niece, fuck.
I could piece
the rest together, like the who I was supposed to marry, I just couldn't figure
out why my sister in law, a woman I had known for six years would do such a
thing.
"Do you
still believe that?"
She shook her
head timidly.
"I had a
talk with your mom."
"Oh yeah
what'd she say?"
"She
thanked me for coming back into your life, she said today was the first time
she saw her son in almost a year. She said whatever demons you were fighting
seemed to have left. So I started thinking and I realized if you were really in
love with someone else my leaving wouldn't have affected you this way."
"I promised
to love only you always remember? In Greece I told you my heart belonged to
you, why did you doubt
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