CHAPTER NINETY-ONE

CHAPTER NINETY-ONE

Jericho POV

How could this be happening.

As I stand in the Masters home.

Not able to move or say a word.

Trying to wrap my head around the confession Sarah had just made to us all.

All I could think about was Cassandra.

The fact that I had just learnt that I was a father had no space in my mind to process at all.

Just Cassandra.

And how I was going to tell her.

I needed to tell her before she heard it from somebody else.

I could hear them in the background arguing.

Alex was shouting at Sarah.

She was shouting back at him as if this was his fault.

Like he should have known.

I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.

And to be honest I didn’t care.

Dennis was also in the mix protecting his daughter like a real father would.

And the girl was just standing there looking between them all.

Trying to figure out who to believe.

Who to trust.

If she even believed half of anything that was being said.

I mean for 20 years she had been lied to.

The people who were supposed to love her the most had lied to her.

I felt sorry for her.

I couldn’t believe that this was still happening.

I grabbed for my cell.

And before I could contemplate my actions.

I found myself shouting at them all to…

“SHUT THE HELL UP!!!”

They all stood in front of me shock written all over their faces.

My daughter’s mouth was agape.

I don’t think they expected me to be so forward considering I hadn’t said anything at all for the past 20 minutes.

“I need to make a call.”

I stated to them all.

Alex nodded his head in understanding.

Then took his place beside me.

“Jericho.”

“Maybe this isn’t the time to make a call.”

I just stared at him.

Confusion on my face.

To be honest I didn’t give a flying fuck in his opinion.

But maybe he was right.

I still made the call anyway.

And waited.

After the second ring it was picked up.

The call connected and I heard her sweet angelic voice come through.

I couldn’t do this.

How could I tell her I was a father after we were just starting out.

What would she think.

“Hello.”

“Jericho.”

“What’s going on?”

“Are you ok?”

I stayed silent.

“Say something.”

How could I tell her this.

All I wanted to do was rush back to her arms.

Tell her how much I loved her and never wanted to leave her side.

I could hear the frailness in her voice.

I couldn’t put her through this.

I didn’t want her to feel obligated to deal with this bullshit because she loved me.

How was I going to tell her I was a father when I didn’t even know if Sarah was telling the truth.

Alex was right.

I shouldn’t have made this call.

Not until I had all the information at least.

But I owed it to her to tell her before somebody else did.

Before the information got twisted.

This was something I didn’t want the woman I loved finding out through the grape vine.

But the words weren’t coming out.

I was in too much of a shock.

I ended up dropping the phone on the floor.

As Alex watched he picked up the cell and started speaking to her.

Again.

I couldn’t hear what was being said.

So much was going on inside my head that I just blanked.

Cassandra was right about one thing.

Alex did need me.

But it turned out…

I was the one that would end up needing him.

Alex handed me back my cell.

“I told Cassandra we were making our way back home.”

“This is something that needs to be said in person brother.”

I looked up towards him.

I saw his sorrowful eyes that lay on me and knew he was being genuine.

Go figure.

Our whole lives he’s been competing with me.

And this gets me his remorse.

Ha.

I should have had an illegitimate child sooner.

I start to stand and look to the others.

I zone in on Sarah.

“We need to speak.”

She nods her head.

“But not now.”

“I need to go back and sort some stuff.”

“Give me your number and I’ll call you to arrange a meeting.”

I hand her my cell.

She quickly inputs her number into it.

“Alex.”

“We need to go.”

“Now.”

I start to head for the door.

Then I turn towards the girl.

“What’s your name?”

I ask her.

Making my way closer towards her.

She doesn’t answer straight away.

She looks nervous.

Like telling me was a betrayal to her family.

Even though…

I guess we are family.

She looks to Sarah.

Sarah gives a slight nod.

Her confirmation that it was ok.

“Sabrina.”

The girl replies.

“Sabrina Louise Masters.”

I give a slight smile.

Louise was my mother’s name.

Sarah knew that.

“Nice to meet you, Sabrina.”

I reach for her.

But quickly refrain from doing so.

“I’ll be in touch.”

I say this time to Sabrina.

I turn and leave.

As I enter the car with Alex waiting.

I start to think how this could be happening.

Alex turns to me and to my surprise he says…

“I knew she was pregnant when her and I got back together Jericho.”

Suddenly I felt so much anger and pain.

I punched him square in the face.

I must have gotten his nose because it started pissing with blood.

“Ah fuck.”

He screamed in pain.

“You’ve broke my nose.”

He said.

Holding his head back trying to contain the bleed.

I didn’t care.

I was fucking furious.

“You fucking prick.”

“You knew this whole time and you didn’t tell me.”

I punch him again.

“Ow.”

“Jesus Jericho.”

“Will you stop punching me in the face.”

Blood was just gushing everywhere now.

“I didn’t know for sure.”

He said.

The sound muffled by this hands covering his nose.

“When we got back together…”

“She said she thought she was and that she was going to take care of it.”

“She didn’t want a baby at 18 and you had gone back to college.”

“After that nothing was ever said about it.”

“I just assumed she took care of it like she said she would.”

The anger in me was getting worse.

“And you didn’t think to tell me Alex.”

I said through gritted teeth.

“What did you expect me to say.”

“Plus…”

“She was at the party…”

“Drinking.”

“I just thought it was over.”

I started to recall that night.

I didn’t see her drink anything.

The only thing I remember about that night was the disgusting thing those guys did to her.

And apparently my daughter.

That made me mad even more.

I look to Alex.

“She was pregnant when they did that to her Alex.”

He looked at me for a moment before realising what I was on about.

I then saw the anger flare up in his eyes.

His nose had slowed down with the bleeding.

But blood still covered his hands.

“Get me out of here now.”

I said furiously.

“Get me to Cassandra.”

“She needs to know before someone else tells her.”

Alex nodded.

He knew first-hand what could happen when a story gets twisted.

My parents had to ship him out of the Hamptons because of it.

“Then I need to find out everything I can about the last 20 years of my daughter’s life.”

Alex started the car.

But before leaving he had an idea.

“Maybe we should pay Greg a little visit.”

“Why…”

“He was the one who knew the guys that did that to Sarah.”

“Remember.”

“We were so consumed with rage and finding them to give Sarah some justice that we never thought that he might have been the one to set up the whole thing.”

“I mean he was pretty pissed when he found out she was dating me and him at the same time.”

“Then he found out about you.”

“I mean…”

“I’d be pissed man.”

“Not pissed like that but…”

“Maybe it was payback for hurting him.”

I pondered this for a moment.

And when I thought about it, he was right.

We never did think Greg would have had more to do with this than we thought.

We were so consumed with rage after what had happened that we didn’t really care about logistics.

We just wanted the pieces of scum to pay.

And boy did they.

A sly smile appeared on my face.

“Jericho what are you thinking.”

Alex looked nervous.

“Take me to Cassandra.”

“Let me deal with this first and then I’ll tell you.”

He shook his head.

“I don’t like the sounds of that.”

But he started the car and left the Hamptons post haste.

I just needed to get to Cassandra at this moment in time.

Everything else could wait.

I just hoped she would understand and still love me.

But afterwards…

If I find out that Greg was the organiser of Sarah’s heinous crime.

He was going to get what was coming to him.

Yeah, it might be 20 years too late.

But he hurt my baby and the woman my brother loved.

That doesn’t sit well with me.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

And Greg…

Your revenge is ice cold.

I’m coming for you.

And you won’t even see it.