Page 18 of Sweet Lies

Closing my eyes, I control my sorrow.No, it can’t wait, Claire. I wish it could.

“Claire, you need to come now. It’s Dad. He’s…gone. Please…come… Please.”

After I’ve given her the address, I hear the phone go dead and know she’s on her way. Next I call Elijah, knowing he should be on his way back from his meeting by now.

After the third ring, he picks up. “Rebecca, what’s going on?” he asks.

“He’s gone.” My voice has lost all emotion.

“Who’s gone?” he demands, but we both know he already knows the answer.

“Dad,” I get out.

“I’m on my way home. Lock everything down. I’ll call the others. I’ll call Claire.”

“No. Claire knows. I called her,” I respond, needing to get off the phone. Once I hang up, I can go back to breaking.

“I’ll be there soon,” he rushes out, and I know he will be. He always keeps his promises, much like our father. Only Dad didn’t keep his promise from this morning—there’ll be no rain check for breakfast.

There will be nothing.

ChapterSix

REBECCA

The day is dark and gloomy, a good fit for my mood. The clouds hide the sun, removing any warmth. My heels slip deeper into the wet earth, having no protection from the elements, unlike the rest of me, which has found sanctuary under an umbrella. I’ve never been more thankful for dark sunglasses than at this moment. They hide the depth of my despair from the onlookers and my siblings. I feel cold to my very core, and not just because of the poor weather conditions. I wonder if I’ll ever get the warmth back into my body that was there just last week.

I was mistaken when I assumed the worst part of the loss was finding out and telling my siblings. I was naïve in that belief. The worst part will be tomorrow morning and all the rest to follow when everything is quiet. That will be worse than watching them drop the casket into the ground. When I wake up, it will be a new reality. The cards will still come, as will the flowers, but that will stop within the month. Then everyone will return to their own lives and disregard our loss.

Elijah and Claire will do what they always do and bury themselves in the business and revenge. They’ll bury their loss and pain in a sea of other emotions till it’s almost forgotten. On the other hand, I’ll wear the pain around my neck, letting it drag me down slowly beneath the water till I drown. My siblings won’t even notice. That’s the hard part about being the quiet family member in a sea of extroverts who always know the right thing to say and have the confidence to do anything.

At times I’ve been envious of their skills. I’ve practiced scenarios in the mirror, but even that gives me anxiety, that voice in the back of my head telling me I’m going to say the wrong thing. I’m much happier being left on my own, making sure everything is in order. Claire and Elijah go into situations like tornadoes, and I’m the one who cleans up the mess so no one trips over the flipped-over chairs.

Now that Elijah is one of the Five—the bosses that rule New York—I don’t know what will become of me. I don’t see how I can get out of marrying for an alliance. The tables have turned, and I don’t see a way out unless Elijah can set things right.

The thought of marrying someone I don’t love almost has me breaking out into hives. I can’t marry someone I don’t know.

I won’t.

It may be someone I’ve met, but they’ll still be a stranger, as my family have kept me away from our lifestyle as much as they could. They feared I couldn’t handle it, and they were right, as always.

Each family runs its own business, from laundering money to the horrific crime of human trafficking and everything in between. We deal in the realm of weapons and drugs. Still morally corrupt, but on the better end of the scale at least.

Adrian Regio ripped my world out from under me, and I hate him. At least, I think it’s hate. I’ve never felt such rage and grief before. I want him to pay, which is unlike me. I sound like my sister, and I don’t want to have this rage inside me. It’s too much, and I feel like I’m going to explode.

If my father were here, he would know what to say. But he’s not here. He’s gone, and it’s all Adrian’s fault.Adrian was the one behind my father’s death. He and the other families had put the plan in place. They would all pay. Elijah would see to that.

Anger destroys a person from the inside, I remind myself, trying to release what I can, but I feel it burning brighter the harder I try to rid myself of the feeling.

Uncle Wil jolts me, and I realize the service is over. It’s time to leave. Glancing at my siblings, I debate waiting on them, but I’m sure they have business, and I’m not privy to that. It’s best I stay far away from it.

I follow my uncle to the car, rest my head against the window, and watch the rain beat down. Glancing down, I see the mud covering the heels of my black shoes. I pull out a tissue from my purse, slide the shoes off, and start cleaning them.

They need to be clean and cleaned now.

I feel the tears slide down my face as I rub, but I ignore them. The shoes need to be cleaned, and tears have no place in cleaning.

Once the shoes are pristine again, I put them back on and smooth out my dress before moving the hair from my face and wiping the tears away. Everything is perfect again.

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