Page 41 of Twisted Contract

“Connor would kill me if I left you and someone came here to hurt you. Let’s go. We need to get to the hospital.” I can see the pain etched across Jack’s face, the tear stains, and the water in his eyes, so I don’t give them any more resistance. It must be terrible right now. I pray that he makes it. Ian and I aren’t that close, but he was getting nicer to me. Like the rest, everybody is wary of me because of my father.

I have a lot of information to share, but I don’t know if they’ll like it. I don’t know what any of it means about their mother or their father. A bigger part of me wonders if their mother really died from the effects of childbirth, or if their father took his revenge out on her for the baby.

We hop into the SUV, and other SUVs follow while another one leads. We’re not going unarmed or unprepared today. “The house has been monitored. I don’t know who did this to Ian, but we’ll find out, girls, so just take it easy and relax, okay?” Jack says, trying to reassure us as the silence is pregnant with fear. He takes Nora’s hand in his and brings it to his lips, giving her a kiss.

She brushes his jaw. “I love you,” she whispers. He squeezes her hand again. We reach the hospital in record time and rush into the main area before we are directed to a waiting room for the OR area. Pacing there is Connor, who looks completely devastated. I pray that Ian made it here, and he’s in surgery and it’s not the end.

“What’s going on?” Jack asks.

“He’s in surgery. They’re asking for us to give blood. Apparently, there’s a fucking shortage. They’d like to test us.”

“Sure. Anything.” All four of us adults are brought up to the blood area, and they take samples and test for a possible blood transfusion. Even though I’m not related, my blood type might be a match, or at least a possible donor. I know I’m a possible donor because I know my blood type, but that doesn’t mean anything.

The phlebotomist nurse leads us to the special room for donations and says, “You can take a seat and we’ll call you as soon as we can, okay? We already have some more negative blood. However, your brother is going to need a lot more than we have on supply right now. Unfortunately, we had a severe multi-car accident on the expressway with sixteen other people severely injured, so we’re asking for donations.”

“Fuck. Of all the fucking hospitals,” Connor snarls, and we follow his gaze. We turn around, and there’s my father with his security detail and he’s staring right at all of us. A gaggle ofreporters follow him into the area, which I’m sure isn’t safe or allowed. “Governor Saunders, it’s a pleasure to have you here. We’re glad your people could bring you in to make a donation today,” the same woman who spoke to us says. Okay, totally get the PR move, and they need the support. Blood isn’t like money; you can’t just get anyone to do it easily. “Anything for the people.” He gives his killer smile, and then one of the reporters spots me and they all draw their attention and cameras toward me. “Well, your daughter’s here making a donation as well,” the reporter adds.

“Yes, I am,” I answer, giving them a sickly sweet smile, stepping away from my husband and his family to avoid any attention to their situation. “Anything for a good cause, of course. Right, Daddy?”

“Of course, sweet girl.” He puts his arm around my waist, and I can feel Connor’s eyes boring down on us. “I’ve taught her well, but it’s more because she has a heart of gold.”

“Please, this way, Governor Saunders, and we will get you started.” He gives me an apologetic look as the reporters are escorted by security. “I’m sorry, but your reporters have to leave now.”

I return to my family. “Great job making it look good,” Jack says.

“I just didn’t want them asking any questions.”

“Are you okay?” Connor asks me. As much as I want to tell him about the conversation with my father earlier, I don’t think now is the appropriate time. There’s so much about his mother I can’t mention. I don’t need them to be any more upset than they are already. I guess what they really believe the truth may be is better, but what does it mean? And how could that affect them and how they view their mother?

And what does this mean when it comes to the revenge plan against my father? He is John’s dad, after all—his real father. I look over at Jack, and I see the way he cradles his family and the possessiveness he has. What would Jack do if he lost Nora? He would go insane and kill everybody. Except that, being a man in a public position, he wouldn’t try to use legal means, and he’d use shady people to hide behind his political persona because Jack was a mobster and had no fear of the repercussions. My dad may not be as tough as Jack, but there were things I didn’t understand, and right now looking at the situation, I’m starting to understand that their relationship is complicated.

“Excuse me for a minute. There’s something I need to speak to my father about.”

“I don’t think that’s smart.” Connor is holding onto my arm, refusing to let me go.

I pull it free and stare into my husband’s worried yet angry eyes. “He’s not going to hurt me in there. I need to know some things. Just so you know, he may just be John’s dad for real because I’m not his blood daughter. My mother had an affair, and I’m the daughter of his limo driver.”

“How do you know that?”

“He called me while you were gone earlier. I didn’t get a chance to tell you. I asked him why he resented me so much, and he told me. It’s complicated, but I’m not his real daughter. Give me a moment.” I stand on my toes to kiss Connor’s cheek and walk away.

“I need to speak with my father,” I tell his security guards, and the nurses step away.

“Are you going to use this chance to blow air into my tube here?”

“No. Just want to ask you a question.”

He looks around and nods. I take a deep breath, wanting to make sure I ask the right one because he’s a professional question dodger. “Did you ever try to get her to leave with you?”

He nods. “Yes.” An emotion I’ve never seen from him before happens. His face is contorted with pain. Tears form in his eyes, and not just the crocodile tears he’s used for the cameras. No, these are the kind of tears I’ve never witnessed.

“She was going to leave him. After she had the baby. I wish I had taken her myself, but there was a gubernatorial conference for my re-election that I had to attend. She told me to go, that she would be safe and I could get her right after. We were wrong. I loved Eleanor Marie so much that I’d do anything for her, including letting her go when I wanted to keep her. You may hate me, and I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you the love that you deserved. For that, I’m sorry. But I hope you find that, and I hope Connor is nothing like his father and is everything that she was.”

“Thank you. Thank you for being honest.” I kiss his cheek and walk away, tears in my eyes. I wipe them away before I go back and see my husband, who I’m going to say goodbye to now.

I walk up to Connor and say, “I’d like to cancel our contract.”

He shakes his head at me. “No fucking way. No fucking way in hell.”

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