Chapter 22 Mistake
Jordan's P.O.V.
I can't believe it. How is Gregory, my half-brother, and how did I not know? I feel like I can't breathe as my chest tightens up. Anushka takes my face in her hands and has me look at her.
"Jordan, take deep breaths and focus on me. We will figure this out. I need you to stay strong." Just looking into her eyes calms the panic attack I felt coming. I hadn't had one in years. I wrap my arms around her and cry against her shoulder. Gregory killed my mom, took pictures of it, and he's my brother. Once I'm a little calmer, I turn to Raymond.
"How is he, my half-brother?" Raymond sighs and pulls out another piece of paper.
"From what I found, I believe his mom and your dad dated briefly. They broke up right before he met your mom. I don't think he knew about Gregory's mom being pregnant, so he probably didn't know he had another son. She put the father on the birth certificate as unknown. I'm sorry, Jordan. I don't know his plan or why he's tried to stay close to you, but he's up to something, and it looks like he's been plotting it for a long time," Raymond says as he lays the file on the table.
"I don't want him to know that I know who he is. I think we'll just lie low for a while if that's okay with you?" I ask Anushka. The last thing I want is for her or Dakota to get hurt because of whatever Gregory's planning.
"We will do whatever you want. What about the pictures? Can you give them to the police to show what he did to your mom?" She asks, looking from Raymond to me.
"Probably not because you would have to explain how you got them. I didn't use legal methods to get that information or the information on Cora. I have a feeling he plans to show those pictures to you. There's no other reason for him to take pictures of the murder. Maybe call in someone you can trust who can help you trap him. Do you want me to say anything to Gregory about Anushka when he calls back?" Raymond and I look at Anushka, and she shrugs.
"Tell him who I am. We're not trying to hide that we're together." She smiles slightly, and once again, I'm thankful to have her. She's keeping me grounded.
"Okay, I'm going to leave. Please stay safe. There is too much going on, and I don't like it. Let me know if there's anything more I can do." Raymond shakes both of our hands before leaving. He left all his findings, but I don't want to look at them now. Anushka and I stay on the couch, holding each other. My heart hurts for all the years I blamed my mom for killing herself. Gregory stole her from me. I could have gotten her help for the drugs, and she would have been here now.
"Daddy, are we going to decorate my room?" Dakota runs in and jumps onto my lap. I snuggle her against me. I have to keep them safe. No matter what happens, their safety is my biggest concern.
"Yes, let's see who we can find to paint it like you want." I pull out my phone, but Anushka puts her hand over it.
"That can wait." I shake my head. We need something to distract us. I can't just sit here wallowing in my grief and guilt.
"It will be good to do something to take our minds off everything else." I go to a search engine and start looking for decorators. Dakota jumps off my lap and looks at the pictures on the table. She holds up one of Gregory, smirking.
"I saw him," she says, pointing at it. "He was sitting in a car outside when we came here yesterday."
"Are you sure?" Anushka asks. Dakota nods and looks closely at the picture again.
"Yes. He looks different. When Daddy was carrying me, he waved." She puts the picture back on the table. He was outside when we got home, and Cora was inside waiting for me. Was she with Gregory? Are they working together? I quickly text Raymond my suspicions and then return to looking for a decorator. When I find one specializing in children's rooms, I call him.
"Hello. Bill's Designs." He answers.
"Hello, I would like my daughter's room completely remodeled with murals on the walls and all new furniture. Can you come over to give us an estimate and let us know if it's something you can do?" Dakota watches me excitedly.
"I am swamped, but I may be able to get there in the next couple of months." He says, trailing off. I hear him flipping through what I assume is a calendar.
"If you can drop everything and do this for us, I will pay you triple whatever your estimate is. We would like this done as soon as possible." I entice him.
"What's your address? I'm on my way." I smile at Dakota as I give him the address. Sometimes, being rich has its advantages. Dakota's happiness is worth whatever he overcharges me.
"He's on his way," I tell her after disconnecting the call. She throws her arms around my neck, and I wrap my arms around her. There's something about a child's hug that warms your heart. My tears threaten to fall again, thinking about everything my mom is missing because of Gregory. She would have loved Dakota and Anushka.
"I love you, Daddy. I'm going to get my books to show him what I want." She jumps down and runs to her room. I'm starting to think she can't walk because she's always running. Anushka slides over and kisses me.
"You know if you keep spoiling her, she's going to be hard to deal with when she's older." I smile and run my fingers through her silky hair.
"She can be spoiled for right now because hopefully soon she'll have a little brother or sister to spoil herself." We haven't talked about kids or anything because, let's face it, we've been together for less than a week. However, that's all I've been thinking about. I want to marry Anushka and have a big family. She shakes her head.
"Sorry, one's enough for me. I don't want any more." My mouth falls open, and she starts laughing. "I'm just kidding. Of course, I want more."
Oh, she's going to get it now. I lean forward like I'm going to kiss her and then push her so she's lying on her back. When she tries to sit up, I tickle her ribs until she's laughing so hard tears are running down her cheeks. Dakota comes running out of her room.
"What's going on?" she asks.
"Mommy was teasing me, so I thought she needed a good tickle. Do you want to help me?" I ask, not letting Anushka get up, no matter how hard she tries. Dakota runs over to the couch, laughing and begins tickling her, too.
"You guys are going to make me pee my pants," Anushka says breathlessly. I finally relent, and we're all still laughing as we catch our breath. These times when we can just forget about everything else are some of my favorites. We have people coming after us from all directions for reasons we don't know, but we'll get through it and have the family we all want. When the doorbell rings, I jump up to answer it.
"Are you ready to tell the decorator what you want for your room?" I ask Dakota. She nods excitedly from Anushka's lap. However, when I opened the door, it was not the man I was expecting. It's a man with a gun pointed right at my chest. Why didn't I look through the peephole? I let my guard down, and now it may cost us our lives.