Chapter 39: In which she gets her justice.
"Wow!" I held the dress up with both hands, the soft pale lavender gown flowed like liquid silk to the floor. The gown was form-fitting and yet floated like the wind around me. The whole gown had white floral embroidery and appeared to be designer. The material sure didn’t feel cheap.
It was the most beautiful gown I'd ever seen and definitely more than I asked for. I owe her a big fat thanks for this.
Placing the dress on my bed, I lifted up the dress bag when something fell out of it and on to the floor.
"Savannah."
Startled, I looked around the room for whoever had spoken. Found none. I was alone in the entire apartment and I'm sure I'd locked the door after Lyric left.
"Nikki?" Am I loosing it?
"No Savannah, you're not losing your mind it's really me talking."
It took me a couple seconds to pinpoint the location of the sound but it wasn't long before I spotted the pearl bracelet lying on the floor, right next to my feet.
"And don't worry, this isn't going to self destruct after the message is over-" I picked up the bracelet from the floor and brought it closer to my eyes. "-this is just a recorder...scratch that, this is the best fucking recorder in the entire market. I was thinking spy cam but decided this will be more affective. You'll need it tomorrow if you're going to come face to face with Vincent McKenna."
My heart stopped beating. How on earth did she know? I didn't tell her about tomorrow.
"I know you didn't tell me about the Ball tomorrow but don't worry, you'll be invited. I handed the invitation out myself."
"Myself? Wh-what do you mean?" I asked into thin air, but got my answers anyway.
"Savannah...this is something that I'd wanted to tell you for a while now, face to face, but I never got the courage to do so. But today, I just have to tell you...Vincent McKenna...is my step-father."
It felt like the ground just slipped right under my feet. How can she be Vincent's daughter? The girl I saw with Sam in that restaurant all those months ago....she had blonde hair while Nikki has bright red hair. But the person's voice that I'm hearing right now is definitely Nikki's, there's no doubt about it.
"I don't understand....Nikki...how...why?" I asked, my body starting to feel numb.
"I know what's going through your mind right now and I swear I didn't mean to hurt you." The recorder chimed in, hidden in the clasp of the bracelet surrounded by large light lavender colored pearls. "I only found out after I saw you talking to Samuel that day in the restaurant. I researched you after that and found out the whole truth. When you took me to visit your mother and when you told me your story at the bar...that's when things became clearer and I knew that Vincent had to be stopped. Vincent isn't my biological father, he married my widowed mother because of her money, making him the most powerful man in Seattle. She married the wrong person and now she's in a coma, living on life support as the result of that mistake."
"Oh God!" How big a monster can he be? He ruined so many lives just to satisfy his greed. Is money really all that mattered to him?
"We have to stop him, Savannah. I'll help you any way I can, and no matter what happens tomorrow, just know that I'm on your side. Now, change the memory card as soon as this message is over. I've got a spare ready for you inside the bag. You’ll need this, trust me. Take care, Savannah. I’ll see you tomorrow."
The recorder gave out a low beeping sound and then switched off as I sat staring at it aimlessly; trying to absorb in everything I just heard.
*
*
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Vincent roared, taking the file from the lawyer, flipping through it and then throwing the papers on the ground.
"Just as it says....Vincent McKenna." Nikki bent down to gather the papers neatly in her arms. "You no longer have access to any of your property. You just signed it over to the three of us , Savannah, Samuel and me. And you did it yesterday, when I slipped these papers in between the property files you were signing to take control of my mother’s estate. As of right now, you're penniless and a criminal with an attempt to murder case of Natasha Samuels and the murder of Samantha Tresscot."
"And what proof do you have of any of the two cases?" Vincent asked smugly, unfazed by the fact that the tables have completely turned to our favor.
“Why did you let her die. You could’ve saved her. I called you thousands of time! You had the money and we wanted nothing more to do with you! Then why didn’t you save her?”
"You actually think I would want to save a woman who was trying to ruin my reputation?”
"Proof enough, daddy?" I held up my left hand, the pearl bracelet catching the light from the chandeliers. And after that, everyone could hear the police sirens getting closer to the Town Hall.
It wasn't long before the uniformed men entered the room, guns in their hands all pointed at Vincent.
"Mr. McKenna, you're being arrested for attempted murder and murder of two women. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law." An officer handcuffed him as Vincent tried to struggle and reach for us, cussing and yelling that he'll have his revenge.
It was useless now. Justice had finally been granted. Without any access to his money, Vincent will never be able to afford a good lawyer and with him confessing to his own crimes, he was doomed for life.
I took off my bracelet and handed it over to an officer as he came to stand in front of me. I had no idea what I was doing. Several people were talking all around the room, Vincent was being dragged, kicking and screaming out of the room...Some were talking to the police...but I couldn't hear anything. I could see everything but my ears were numb, no voices reached me.
And then, black spots appeared in my vision. Small at first but then they began to spread out, turning everything black. Faintly...I thought I heard voices...Nate...Nikki…
**************
"Savannah? Savannah!"
I groaned at the loud voice, turned my head to the side to avoid it, but the person started shaking me. Why didn't they understand that I didn't want to wake up? I was so tired....
I groaned again and the voices finally stopped...or so I thought.
Sprinkle of water hit my face and I gasped awake to a dimly lit room and surrounded by Nathan and Samuel and Nikki and...Lyric?
"Wh-here am I?" I swept my tongue over my dry lips. Noticing the notion, Nikki handed me a glass of water.
"You're home, Savannah. Everyone's here to see you." Nate wiped at my face with his hands and helped me sit up on the bed.
Looking around at the familiar surroundings, I could recognize it as Nathan's room. I could also remember, quiet vividly, the earlier events of tonight....if it was still the same day. But looking at the people all around me, it felt like coming home after a long, long time.
"What happened to me?" I asked Nate as soon as I'd gulped down the glass of water.
"The doctor said you'd been too stressed for a few days so blood supply to your brain was cut off for a few seconds. You'll be fine in a couple of days." It was Samuel who answered.
"Yeah. Thanks for dropping an atom bomb on me and then switching off your phone." I told him and Nikki with a glare, to which they both gave sheepish looks and looked away.
"It was safer this way," Samuel defended them. "Who knows what twisted plans he would've made to bring us down."
I agreed with him on that. "But...the first time I saw Nikki in that restaurant with you...she had blonde hair..."
"Oh! That was a wig." Nikki chimed in. "Whenever Vincent was around, we'd act like we hated each other, which was the only way I could've gotten him to sign the papers. But we did meet outside the house occasionally to discuss plans and you just happened to spot us during one of those discussions. Though I'm sure you wouldn't have been able to recognize me, I was practically dressed as a hooker!" Nikki laughed while Lyric made a face at her.
Argument and laughter raged on around me after that and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. This was home, this was my new family.
A squeeze on my arm had me looking at Nate, who took advantage of the distraction to place a lingering kiss on my lips and a promise that tonight, he'll be extracting his own revenge. And I couldn't have been happier.
"I do have one regret though." Nikki said suddenly, snapping all our attention towards her.
"What?" Me and Samuel asked in unison.
"That I wasn't actually Vincent's daughter. I would be so proud to call you guys my siblings." She looked rueful.
I simply laughed and pulled her in for a bear hug. "Silly! You don't have to be Vincent's daughter to be my sister. You already are."
This was home. This was family. And my mother could finally rest in peace.