Page 74 of Whatever Will Be

Once I’m in my car I can breathe again. I click my seatbelt closed and flatten one palm to my growing stomach as Cassini Brewery fades in the rearview mirror.

“It’s all right,” I say, as much to myself as to the occupant in my belly who will not be able to hear me for a while yet. “We’re all right.”

With my eyes on the road, I reach into the glove box and pull out the only CD I keep in there.

“Meet Abigail Fisher,” I say to my baby.

I even manage to smile as I take us all home.

16

Trent

Gretchen won’t wait until the morning.

“This ends tonight,” she insists.

I don’t argue with her.

Parts of the audio recording made by Jules were muffled but we were able to hear enough.

Enough for our hearts to break for Jules.

Enough to bury that son of a bitch who calls himself my brother.

Gretchen sobbed in my arms after listening to the entirety of her sister’s anguish. Her tears dried quickly and now she wants vengeance. For Jules, for the girls, for me, for whoever else has suffered at the hands of Liam Cassini.

I stand back and listen as Gretch phones Barbara Bianco to ask if she’s available to babysit for the girls tonight.

“No, it’s not a family emergency. Nothing to worry about. I just have something to take care of. Thank you, Barbara. We’ll be there soon.”

Gretchen sets her phone down, her expression calm.

“Ready?” I ask her.

She nods. “Absolutely.”

The girls are sleepily confused as to why we are leaving the house so late. We wrap them in their quilts to keep them warm in the cool night air. Caitlin is carried in my arms while Gretch holds Mara.

“You girls can sleep at Barbara’s,” Gretchen promises while ensuring they are properly secured in their booster seats. “We’ll be back to get you before long.”

Caitlin yawns and gives me a sleepy smile. “Barbara has a black cat named Buttons.”

I smile back at my niece. “That’s good to know.”

Gretchen hands over the keys to the minivan and sits tensely in the passenger seat as I steer us three short blocks away. Barbara Bianco waits at the door and she clearly doesn’t mind the late visit at all. She already has the sofa bed pulled out and cozily made up for the girls. They nestle together with Buttons the black cat purring at their feet. Barbara’s eyes are full of questions but she assures us there is no need to hurry. The girls will be safe here.

As we pass by the lake, I remind Gretchen of something. “We’re walking into his party. His crowd, his territory.”

Instinct tells me that it would be wiser to confront him alone. A man of Liam’s nature becomes a rabid dog when backed into a corner. But I can’t deny Gretchen the chance to see the fear register on his face when Liam understands that he has lost.

She gazes out the window at the peaceful water. “I know.”

Cassini Brewery is decked out in absurd finery tonight. String lights are wrapped around every light pole and layered across the roof. Tall potted topiaries stand at attention across the length of the building. There’s even a narrow red carpet, unfurled like a tongue and already trampled by a hundred of Liam’s closest friends, most of them likely visiting from the city to pay homage to Lake Stuart royalty.

Well, King Liam, here we come.

Ready to storm the ever loving shit out of your castle.

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