Chapter 38 Chapter 37:
Liam:
Today, I tried to write but as funny as that sounds, I couldn’t get a word done, so instead of burying myself at the hotel room, trying to conjure up new ideas, I am in a coffee shop, about to get a drink.
Devon texted me earlier that we are going to Golden Retreat, apparently he’s introducing him to his mafia friend, Xavier and I get to see my cousin, Leto after so many years. She’s also part of the mafia, which was a real shocker when I found out.
In the middle of getting my coffee, someone calls my name. My first thought is that it’s a fan, but when I turn. I see Wanda, dressed in an orange tank top with graphic pants, waving frantically at me, while clutching a paper cup.
Do I wave back or just give her a nod? Socializing is so freaking hard. I nod instead, turning back to the line to wait for my coffee, but she just have to walk towards me.
“Hey.” She’s grinning brightly, and since grinning is one of my worst facial expression, I settle for another nod.
“Hi.” I say lamely.
“It’s my lunch break, so just thought to grab a cup.” She waves the cup in my face, eyeing me over. “However, what are you doing here? No offense, but you don’t exactly strike me as someone ordering coffee in this kind of place.”
I look around the coffee shop, a bunch of women are huddled in a corner, whispering under hushed tones, a visibly sweaty man is giving me some sort of eye from the corner. Wanda’s right, this place is not for me.
My phone pings that very moment, it must be Devon informing me to come outside. Guess I don’t need that cup anymore.
“Well, Wanda. It was nice catching up with you, but I have to go now.” without waiting, I turn and begin walking out of the coffee shop, however she bounces right beside me.
“What are you doing?” I ask, irritation seeping into my voice, I really don’t mean to be rude, but I am not good at talking to people.
“Acting as your escort. Where are we going though?” She asks, her voice bright as we walk side by side.
“You never will leave me alone,” I sigh and she shakes her head, feeling overjoyed. When we come outside of the coffee shop, Devon’s leaning against the car, dressed in casual clothes. Wanda’s eyes brighten as she waves frantically.
Gosh, I need this woman out of my life as soon as possible.
“Are you set?” Devon asks when we reach in front him, he takes one look at Wanda and gives me a very flay look, shrugging, I get into the back seat of the car.
“Are we going or what?” I ask, and he glares at me, which in turn makes me grin. I am only free like this whenever I am with Devon, he’s my twin brother since birth, we did everything together when we were little, our mother got us the same exact thing. Even if we did drift apart for many years, that bond is still there.
Wanda gets into the seat beside me, casting me a look as she puts on her seat belt. Devon starts driving. “So Devon told me we are going to golden retreat?” She’s still talking, “He mentioned something about the underworld that I don’t get.”
She cranes her neck towards Devon. “Oh and I don’t know if I should mention this, but Arya seems pretty freaked out this morning, when I asked her what was going on, she said nothing.”
Devon raises a brow. “Really?” He stays silent and I know he’s doing that thing where his brain is processing ideas, he’s thinking deeply.
On cue, my phone starts ringing. I bring it out and see the unknown number displaying over it, I know who it is, that’s why I won’t pick up the phone. It’s father and he has been calling me like this for the past several days. I miss my dad, but I just can’t bring myself to accept the call.
“Aren’t you going to get that?” Devon raises his brows, hands calmly on the steering.
“I will help.” Wanda reaches out and clicks the accept button, I glare hardly at her, before sighing. Why did she do that? There’s only one option available; talk to my father.
“Hello? Liam, is that you?” My father’s earnest voice fills the car, the moment Devon recognizes the voices, his back stiffens and his jaw tightens.
“Father.” I answer, Wanda sinks into the chair, knowing really well the atmosphere is thick with tension.
“Is Devon there with you?” How does he know? My father is good at those things, he could easily tell when we were apart or not, he knew when we were fighting. He was the best father, until he wasn’t.
“Yes.” This time, Devon answers, his voice cold.
“Well good.” Nervousness seeps into his voice. “I just wanted to ask if you both want to have dinner with your pops, we could go to that favourite restaurant you used to love when you were kids. We could talk; have some father-son quality time, please.”
“Are you dying, do you have a health condition that we know nothing about?” Devon asks, and I can’t help but bring myself to agree with him. People only know to amend themselves and those they have hurt when they are dying.
“Goodness no, I just want my sons back, that’s all.” Bitterness is laced in his voice, “I have all the money, but in the end, I am just a lonely old man.”
I feel pity for him, even Devon does. I can see the way his shoulders relax.
We are already in front of golden retreat; the enormous lounge stands majestically in front of us. Devon parks in the parking space reserved for VIPS.
“We will think about it.” I say, and Wanda glances at me.
“Alright.” My father sighs from the other end. “I love you both very much; I just needed you to know that.” The call ends and we come out of the car. As we walk inside, Devon and I don’t say a word about father’s call, it’s a bit like our coping mechanism. Wanda follows silently behind us.
The elevator takes us down to the underworld, and it’s like an entirely different world, a whole uncomfortable world not meant for people like me. The air is thicker here, heavy with the stench of smoke, and alcohol.
People are huddled in corners; some are fighting in the boxing ring. For someone like me, who has spent all his life crafting fictional true crime, thriller and horror, it can't be compared to the unease of walking straight into the underworld.
“Devon! Liam!” A woman with bright, fuzzy blonde hair with pink highlights makes her way towards us, dressed in a corset style blouse with leather pants.
I stare at her, finding it hard to believe it’s my cousin, Leto.
“It’s been so long, Liam-Bear.” She uses the nickname I have hated since we were kids, but I miss it either way. She pulls me into a tight hug. “I missed you so much, thanks for coming back to New York.”
“The heart belongs home.” Leto looks at Wanda, and she hugs her too.
“Is this your girlfriend?” She asks me. “You are so pretty, gosh.”
“No...I am not his girlfriend.” I notice that Wanda blushes harder as she says the words and just by watching the redness in her face makes something in my chest tighten.
“Where’s Xavier?” Devon interrupts. “Let’s start the discussion.”
“Right. Let’s leave this place.” Leto says, before walking. We all follow her; she fills me in on the details. She and Xavier are co-founders of the mafia organization The Nexus. We enter a room where Xavier is seated behind a table. It’s like his personal office; countless stacks of books fill the shelves behind him.
There are two sofas and a coffee table.
“Glad you came.” Xavier says, his voice is laced in an Italian accent, but he doesn’t quite look Italian. His hair is dark, with strands falling over his face. There’s something so mysterious in his eyes that I can’t place. He seems like the type of person I always make the villain in my books.
“Who’s she?” Xavier stares at Wanda, his mouth set in a thin line.
“Pretend that I am not even here, alright?” She moves to the bookcase, running her hands through the vintage books, while pretending not to stare at us. We all sit down.
“I know this is irrelevant, but Xavier and I found the leader of the silver vipers. We only got his name; he’s more secretive than any other person on the planet.” Leto chips in first.
Devon already filled me in about everything that happened to Maryanne and how they think Theo is behind it. In just a few days that I have been here, I have been let on every single thing that has happened in my brother’s life.
“I thought the purpose of our gathering was to expose your step-mother?” Xavier looks at us pointedly.
Devon inhales sharply, I had been the one to come up with the idea, Barbara has spent loads of years roaming free, with no one accusing her of the crime both she and my father committed, it’s high time they recognize their wrong.
However, what I have come to realize is that people like Barbara don’t change; the mask facade only slips once in a while.
“No offense, but we can’t just walk to the public and talk about what happened years ago, that doesn’t quite make any sense.” Leto explains, and we all believe her, there’s no way the public will believe us, Barbara will manipulate them and paint us as the villain. “We need proof.”
“How are we going to get that?” Devon asks before going quiet, I can tell he’s doing that thing again where his mind is running countless of ideas all at once, we all wait for his big revelation and finally, his lips call up a bit. “Mother’s journals.”
It brings back bitter-sweet memories, of mother seating in the dining room, completely absorbed in her own writing, maybe that’s where I got my talent, there was always this look in her eyes whenever she scribbled ink of paper, that look was enough to melt anyone’s day, but they took it away from her.
Immediately, I am angry. Barbara needs to pay for her sins, “Yes, she used to journal a lot.”
We all give him a flat look and he explains further. “What if she had a secret stash of journals, or diaries? Surely, she must have written about Barbara a lot, they were best-friends.”
Devon’s right. Something clicks; an old forgotten memory that I had no idea was still there. “The library,” I blurt out without thinking. “Behind the library is a secret room, I found out once when I was like nine, I don’t know but it seemed like their resting place? There were a bunch of books, mom’s art collection. I have no doubt that her journals and diaries will be there.”
Everyone stays quiet, but Wanda’s delicate brown eyes are piercing into me.
“What if Barbara knows about the room?” Leto asks after deep thinking. She probably thinks much faster than everybody in this room.
“She can’t.” Devon’s voice is shaky around the edges. “Dad won’t betray mother like that.” He’s shaking his head, almost as if trying to convince himself of that. “It was their thing, he wouldn’t ever do that to her.”
I agree with Devon, there’s a bond you must have with the love of your life, and you can’t just share that bond with anybody, it won’t just click.
“So what now?” Xavier asks.
“I am going to find the room, get the journals, and bring them here.” I say.
“I want to assist.” Wanda jumps in, her eyes gleaming at the prospect of an adventure.
“It’s too dangerous, you might get hurt.” I have to do it secretly, maybe at night? And, I am not about to drag Wanda into all of these, she’s innocent; she doesn’t have a messed up life. I can’t do that to her, hell I can’t do that to anybody.
“Please,” She’s blinking up at me, “I can be like your secret ninja. It would be fun, both of us together.”
I look at Devon, expecting him to say something but the bastard is busy on his phone, Leto and Xavier give me the shrug, as if to tell me I am on my own.
“Alright, fine. You can tag along.”
“Yes!” She pumps her fists in the air, as if to congratulate herself. “Can I tell Arya about all these?”
“No, you certainly can’t.” Devon says quickly, the last thing he wants is dragging her into all these. “You can’t tell anybody, everything said here remains here, okay?”
“Okay,” Determination spreads across her face.
“Great, now that we have all established everything. It’s time to leave.” Xavier stands up, his gaze directed at the door.
As we leave the underworld, I can’t help but think that Barbara won’t just sit back and not do anything, it’s unlike her. What is she waiting for?
The perfect strike or the right time?