When the Heart Lies Page 13

  “You been at the café every day this week. You don’t need to be goin’ every day,” Wayde said.

  She scoffed. “You want the rent paid, don’t you?”

  “Don’t be a wise ass, and don’t go thinking you’re going to try to get outta here and run down to Veda’s when I’m down in the grove. I’ve got my people watching ya. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to that little boy of yours. Why don’t you turn that God damn music of yours down, too. I get sick listening to it.”

  “I need the music to drown you and Savannah out.”

  His head nodded slightly, coupled with a threatening stare. How much longer could she endure this?

  Chapter 10

  The walls of the motel room were closing in on Jackson. Weeks had gone by since Kinsley’s return from Lakeside, and he still wasn’t getting enough information. If Wayde had something he was hiding, he wasn’t talking to anyone about it from inside the house. The conversations he picked up were every day goings-on with a few cross words mixed in. Otherwise, the damn music played.

  He called Scar, hoping to put into motion the only idea he had now. “Hey, what are you up to today, around two? Good. I need you to do something for me. Can you come over then? I’ll tell you when you get here.” He hung up and dialed Xavier. “Xavier Wentworth, please.”

  “He’s not available right now.”

  His head rolled back in frustration. “When he is, would you tell him Jackson called?” He disconnected, and his phone rang back right away. Without thinking, he said, “Xavier?”

  “No. It’s Olivia.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced. He’d told her he’d call her with an update, but every day blended into the next lately. “Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t call you. I’ve been busy trying to figure out what the hell’s going on over at Wayde’s. She doesn’t seem to say much unless she’s talking to Max. I want to find out if Xavier wants to put video in.”

  “Pretty invasive. Do you think video is necessary?”

  “I think video’s the only way were going to find out what’s going on. Something’s not right there. I’m concerned. She’s still going to the café, but I haven’t seen her go down to her friend’s house. I wish I could simply walk in and ask her if everything’s okay. I’ve been doing everything I can to find out something on this guy—he’s paper clean.”

  “Jackson, I understand you’re worried, but you’ve been working without any breaks. Xavier can get relief to help. You need to sleep. You need to live. Why don’t you come over tonight, and I’ll cook you dinner. We need to discuss the case anyway.”

  “You don’t cook.”

  She sighed. “No, I guess I don’t cook. We can get take out.”

  “I’ll tell you what, let me determine how things go today. If things stay quiet, I’ll come by. Sound okay?”

  “Sounds a lot better than what I expected you to say. I miss you, Jackson.”

  He kneaded his forehead, staying silent for a minute. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Xavier rounded the corner of his office door into the hallway, briefcase in one hand while buttoning his suit coat with the other as he walked. His secretary stopped him.

  “Mr. Wentworth, a man named Jackson called for you.”

  “Thanks, I’ll give him a call. I’m going home for lunch; I’m not sure if I’ll be back today. Forward my calls to my cell.” He headed straight home.

  Angela’s car was in the driveway when he arrived. He went into the house through the side entrance, glanced up as he entered, and saw her. To find her in the kitchen was unusual, but today she looked at home there.

  She noticed him immediately and went to him, taking his briefcase. She smiled. “Xavier. I wasn’t expecting you home for lunch. What a nice coincidence. Nick’s coming over.”

  Surprised, his head lifted, so his eyes met hers. “Perhaps now’s a good time to talk to him about things.”

  “Hmm…” she said.

  They studied each other.

  He broke the connection by turning and hanging up his jacket. He took some extra time fixing it on the hanger. When Angela remained quiet, he nodded toward the stairs. “I need a break. I’ve had a lot on my mind. I’m going to go to my room and make a few calls. I’ll be down later for lunch.” He headed to his room, closed the door, and called Jackson.

  Jackson’s cell rang once. This time, he checked the caller ID. “Xavier, glad you were able to get back to me. Things aren’t getting any better here. I’m not getting much on audio, usually day-to-day talk. He talks to her as if she’s dirt under his feet. She doesn’t respond much. That doesn’t jive with the Kinsley I met at Lakeside. Anyway, I decided to give you a call, tell you what’s going on, and ask you about getting video in the house. I thought they might’ve found the feed, because there’s a lot of music playing all the time, but the radio plays a lot when she’s alone, too.”

  Xavier laughed. “She plays loud music a lot, that isn’t unusual. Max likes to dance until Kinsley falls to the floor, then he follows her down, with sidesplitting laughter. You said she isn’t going down to her friend’s anymore?”

  “Only to drop Max off when she goes to the café. Wayde takes her. Doesn’t look like she ever leaves him alone with the guy.”

  “I get some relief from the fact she’s thinking clearly enough to protect Max, but I’m still not convinced either one of them are safe. I’d like to go down there and shake some sense into her. But after these last five months, I’m not sure how she’d react.”

  “How do you feel about the video? I’m aware video sounds excessive, but with what we’re getting, audio is as good as not having anything.”

  “I’m inclined to agree about the video. We should only put it in the main rooms.”

  All of a sudden, the thought of what he might see crossed Jackson’s mind. He pushed away the bombarding images. “Isn’t going be easy getting the video in. There’s almost always someone home. There has to be a way to make contact with her without her realizing I’m watching her. Until I do, I thought my niece could accidentally run into her at the café. They met at Lakeside, and they got along well. She may be able to get some information for us. I talked to her today; she’s not busy. I’m going to ask her when she comes by this afternoon. I think she might be able to get her to open up. Any information we can get will help until the video’s in; it’s all we got.”

  “Great idea. Get back to me as soon as you hear anything. I’ll call Olivia about getting video in. We’ll talk later.”

  When the call ended, Xavier searched Jonathan out and found him in the garden. “Jonathan, I need to talk to you for a few minutes.”

  “Yes sir, what can I help you with?”

  “Jonathan, please, I’ve asked you to call me Xavier.

  “A habit from the old days. Hard to break at my age.”

  Xavier shook his head and smiled. Jonathan had been his chief confidant since he was a boy. He was dear to him.

  They sat on the garden bench. Xavier leaned over, his forearms bracing his weight against his knees. He clasped his hands together before turning to Jonathan. “You’re the only one who knows everything, Jonathan. I’m not sure what to do anymore. I’m worried. Jackson’s getting nowhere with the audio, and there’s almost nothing on this guy’s background. Don’t you think she’d call Nick if she were in danger? If not Nick, me?”

  “Yes, I’d assume she’d call you, if she were able. She might wonder, after the separation, if Nick would be there. Nevertheless, she would always believe you would be there for her. In time, you will find something on Wayde. There’s always something hidden in everyone’s past.”

  “Unfortunately, I’m well aware of the secrets people keep.”

  “I can’t tell you what to do, Xavier. If she thinks you’re trying to contact her and she isn’t aware of the reason, she may think the worst.”

  “You mean she’ll think we’re trying to contact her about Max? That Nick wants custody? You
’re right. You and I know I’d never let that happen, but she doesn’t, and the last thing I want to do is frighten her. I thought about telling Nick, not everything, just let him in on the fact I’ve been watching her. I can tell him I was worried for the three of them … explain how when she first left, he was angered to blindness, and I felt I needed to step in until he was able to do what he needed to do for their family. I wish I could get a message to her. What if something’s wrong? What if she thinks we don’t care anymore and disappears with this guy?” He looked at Jonathan. “What should I do?”

  “Nick’s letters were returned, but possibly she would read yours. With an overnight delivery, the letter would get there promptly. Maybe you would get a response.”

  “A letter would be okay. I’d need to be careful how I worded it, in case he reads it. Jackson said he treats her terribly. Should everything come out now?”

  “I don’t think divulging everything now would help.”

  Xavier looked completely beaten and exhausted, which was a rare. “Damn it, I want to talk to her. Why can’t Nick be stronger for her? She needs someone strong. And she needs to know she’s loved. I don’t fault Nick totally; he loves her, but his idea of love will never be enough for her. He thinks he can live any way he likes and still be with her. I can’t help blaming myself for his arrogance. We spoiled him.”

  “You said Jackson is sending his niece to the café? You’ll find out more after he calls you.”

  “I suppose,” Xavier said. “I think I’ll lie down. I’ll call Olivia later.” He never napped during the day.

  ~ ~ ~

  When Wayde left for the grove, Kinsley blasted her face with ice-cold water, looked into the mirror, and smiled. It was her rehearsal for going out into the living room and giving her son the impression he had a happy mother. She walked into the hall and stood watching Max from the doorway. He was playing with Legos, one of the few things he had to keep himself occupied. He was building a castle.

  Wouldn’t life be nice if we sneaked into the castle and live happily ever after?

  She sat, mimicking his, Indian style position, and started to help him build, following his directions.

  “I’m the prince.” He was always the prince.

  “I’ll be the princess.” She was always the princess.

  “No.”

  “Why not? I’m always the princess.”

  “The princess is sleeping.” He showed her the little figure of the princess in the bed. He covered her with a tiny blanket and bent the little prince down to give her a kiss.

  “We should wake her up, so I can play with you. Has she been sleeping long?”

  Max looked at her and nodded. She reached for the princess to wake her.

  He reached out his hand to stop her. “No. Don’t wake her up.”

  “Well, who am I going to be then?”

  “You’re the Bitch Queen.”

  At first, she didn’t think she heard him right and rewound the words in her head. No mistake, he spoke very matter-of-factly.

  “Max! Why would you say that word? That’s a naughty word.” She wanted to pretend he never heard anything and would never remember anything.

  “That’s your name now. Savannah and Wayde said so.” She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. If Max weren’t sitting next to her, she’d go into Savannah’s room, pull her from the bed by her hair, and beat her face bloody. If jail wasn’t a possible outcome, she’d do worse.

  “Max, sometimes adults are naughty, and Savannah and Wayde are naughty. A lot. I don’t want you listening to them. You need to listen to me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “Okay. But, who will you be if you’re not the Bitch Queen?”

  She hung her head and took another deep breath, trying to figure out how to explain this to him so he’d understand. “Max, queen is not a naughty word. The word bitch is naughty. A mean word, and only unkind people say mean words to other people. So, why don’t we put the queen to sleep now, and wake up the princess so I can play?”

  “I don’t know.” His lower lip puffed out covering the top. “I don’t want to play anymore.”

  She watched as he began to take the castle apart. “Wait. Why don’t you want to play anymore, honey?”

  “I’ll wait ‘til daddy comes, then you can be the princess again.” She tried closing her throat tight, to choke back the tears, but when she did, her eyes squeezed shut, and they came anyway. Not little ones that stuck out from the sides, but big heavy drops that wet her face and dropped down wetting her shirt, the kind she could keep silent, but couldn’t keep from flowing.

  She took him into her arms and held him. “I’m going to make sure you’re with daddy soon. Okay? It might take a little time because Daddy works hard to take care of the princess and the prince, and sometimes he has to go away for work. You remember, don’t you?”

  “What about Poppy? I miss him, too.” Her heart broke. She hadn’t considered nearly enough the effect of his being away from both Xavier and Nick. She’d been so selfish.

  “You’ll be with Poppy, too.” They picked up the castle. She set him up at the table to color, went into the bathroom, and cried until there were no more tears while she stared at the stranger in the mirror. Seeing the effect her decisions had on Max made facing herself difficult.

  When she cried all the tears she had in her, they took their daily nap. She didn’t fall asleep for a long time, letting her thoughts wander. She’d had to endure Nick’s affairs and drinking, but he’d never treated her like Wayde had. Nick, in most ways, treated her well. He even tried to keep his infidelities hush-hush. Maybe Angela was right; she should’ve looked the other way. Surely, being back with Nick would be better than this.

  Shortly after falling asleep, she startled awake when Wayde came through the bedroom door like a rocket and just as loud.

  “Git your ass out of bed if you want to go down to the café. I got things I gotta do in town.”

  Max stirred, but continued to sleep with the depth only a child is capable of. She pulled herself from the bed, and let him snooze until she was ready to go. She was too tired to argue with Wayde anymore about the way he treated her. Besides, arguing wouldn’t do any good, so why bother? There was no more paid writing to do, but she wouldn’t tell him. She’d just work on her new book.

  “Veda’s been bugging to talk to you. Use your skills and write a God damn note telling her you’re busy, you’ll get with her soon. I’ll give her the note when I take Max.”

  “Why don’t I tell her myself?”

  “Because you’re busy, and I got things to do.”

  “Yeah, I’m so busy. I’ve never been so bored.”

  He took her by surprise and pushed her hard against the kitchen sink. Her back bent in an unnatural way. Fat nicotine stained fingers grabbed her jaw roughly, and he pulled her face to his. Rank breath permeated her nostrils from the force of his words. “I’ll take care of that boredom tonight.” He pushed his lips cruelly against hers.

  She turned her head sharply, and her chin slipped from his grasp. Tears threatened, but she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction. She blinked and held in the breath that would otherwise expel words she was sure to regret.

  “I always thought you liked things a little rough, darlin’.” The pressure he held her with lessened, and he smiled.

  She slipped from beneath him and went to get Max ready to go. No one ever treated her that way before. Nick was a dream comparatively. The booze and the women? As much as those things hurt her, she felt sorry for him. Nick was like a baby in a man’s body. He needed love and care almost the same way a child did.

  Once she left the room, Wayde grabbed a cigarette and walked outside. He kicked the truck tire, opened his cell, and dialed. “Yeah, it’s me. Of course I’m alone. We need to decide what we’re doing here. I can’t keep her away from phones, internet, and people forever. I got her scared enough not to push things, but I had to threaten her good. What the hell did sh
e do to get under your skin? Shit, when she’s treated right, she don’t act half bad. I want more money. I didn’t agree to all this for a measly fifty thousand. What do you mean we’ll talk about money later? I said I want more money. If I can’t have you, you’re gonna pay. This is more than you let on. Damn you!”

  The phone went dead. He leaned against the dirty truck and pulled a picture from his wallet. As he studied the photo, tears rolled down his face. He snorted several times, wiped his snotty nose onto the shoulder of his T-shirt, then tucked the picture back into the billfold and headed into the house.

  ~ ~ ~

  Jonathan entered Xavier’s room, but there was no need to wake him. He was wide-eyed, lying face down, his arms crisscross beneath his chin on the plush oversized mahogany bed.

  “Are you rested?” Jonathan asked.

  “Physically. Emotionally, I’m consumed. After the last few years, I wonder if I’ve made any right choices.” He flipped over onto his back using his still crisscrossed arms for a pillow. “I’ve let this go on too long.”

  “If you didn’t think they were the best choices at the time, you wouldn’t have made them. The past is irrelevant. Now, more than ever, is when you need to be sure every decision is the right one.”