Authors: Michelle McGriff
Blood Relations (22 page)
Chapter 62
Trina burst through the hospital doors. “Who the hell is in charge of this place? I need to see my sister!” she bellowed. Carlotta, hearing clear from the waiting room rushed into the lobby. “Trina!” she called. Trina, with a serious expression on her face, marched up to her big sister. “So where is she?”
“She's still in ICU. She's not letting go of the coma she drifted into. She was talking a little when she got here, asking for Reggie mostly, but now ...” Carlotta shook her head. “The doctors don't understand why she won't wake up. She had come out of it when Chance was here earlier but she went back in. And then they said there was a disturbance yesterday and they thought she was awake. The monitors read all kinds of brain activity but ... nothing.”
“What happened? Does anybody even know what happened? I mean, were there other people involved in the accident? I heard nothing on the news.”
“We don't really know,” Carlotta began.
“God,” Trina sighed.
“Reggie and Junior are missing,” she finally blurted.
“Well I know that shit now!” Trina got a little loud slamming her fist on her hip. “Shelby called me she was hysterical. She went to meet Reggie at the train station after Chance tricked her into believing he would be there. But he wasn't there, and then Chance told her that they were missing. They were kidnapped. Who kidnapped them? Do they know?”
“Allen Romanâtheir father,” Rita said, joining in the conversation. She had overheard most of the conversation.
“Their father!” Trina snapped.
“Their father?” Carlotta's eyes widened. “Roman?” Rita nodded. “Roman is alive?”
“Roman is alive and he's Junior's father too. Chance told me right after he found out. I guess he didn't know until now.”
“You know, I've always suspected that Junior was not Chance's son,” Trina added in. “But Allen Roman!”
“Well the boy doesn't look anything like Chance. Plus Juanita is like ...” Rita shook her head.
“So was she like dating him while he was torturing our sister! That woman, she needs to be slapped fa sho!” Carlotta jumped in.
“Let's not start on her. She's got a missing child, too. No matter who the father is. She's a mother just like us. It's just ... Let's not start on her,” Ta'Rae said, hoping to end the Juanita bashing before it began.
“It's been so crazy; I guess we all know a little bit of a little bit. Chance came over the house a few years back and was talking about Roman and the possibilities of him being aliveâwanted Terrell to do some investigating.” Rita went on. “Terrell convinced him that it was fruitless and Chance gave up the thought. He just wanted to raise Reggie in peace I guess.”
“And now this.” Ta'Rae sighed.
“So, is it kidnapping for Roman to have his own children?” Trina asked.
Carlotta swooned. “Oh Lord, I need to sit down. Does Rashawn know about this?”
“Maybe that's why she's not coming out of the coma!” Trina blurted. “Maybe in her back of her mind she's knowing all this and trying to block it out.”
“Hello everyone,” the doctor said entering the lobby. “Rashawn is awake again.” Trina jumped up from the seat and rushed behind Carlotta to the elevator that would take them to Rashawn's room.
Chapter 63
Junior, white-knuckling the wheel, tried not to pay Reggie's growing moans any mind but it was hard. He sounded wounded and in a lot of pain.
“You okay Bro?” he asked, realizing instantly how true his term was and how much a difference it made in how he felt suddenly. He tried to divert his eyes to look at him but the road curved mercilessly. Reggie had dug round the back pack that was still in the SUV and found the cell phone but here was no signal.
“Yeah, yeah,” Reggie groaned. “Watch the road. I'm okay.”
“I'm scared Reggie. I'm scared!” Junior confessed. This was no time to joke. There was no humor in this situation at all.
“I know.”
Twisting the wheel suddenly Junior followed the quick turning road. “This doesn't feel familiar. I think we're lost! I think we're lost!” Junior panicked.
“We can't be Junior. There's only one road.”
“No there isn't. You weren't driving. There were little roads that veered off. I think we veered off!”
“No we didn't!” Reggie growled while attempting to sit up in the seat.
“Shit! I wish I could see,” Junior cried out, just as a car with blinding high beams headed straight at them. “Shit!” Junior screamed twisting the wheel sharply to miss the oncoming car. The twist of the wheel caused the large vehicle to head into the shallow soft shoulder. “Oh no! We're stuck!” Junior panicked.
“Don't panic,” Reggie said, trying to reach for him with the arm that still worked, but missed. Junior was opening the door. “Stay in here!” Reggie called.
Junior ran around to the front of the car. Reggie could see Junior's wide eyes reflecting off the headlights like a deer frozen in fear from the horrible sight he was seeing. “What?” Reggie called, lowering the window.
“We're so stuck mannn!” Junior lamented, slapping the sides of his head. Reggie then opened the door, dragging himself from the front seat and out of the car. He could see Junior's eyes. They were covering him, noticing his leg dragging. “My God Reggie, your leg ... your leg is dead man. You're dying man! Dude killed you!” Junior was freaking out.
“I'm not dying,” Reggie hedged. He didn't know for sure if it was fact or not but now was not the time to throw Junior any deeper into already panicked state. “My shit is just asleep. I think Dude just shot me with a tranquilizer ... like what he gave Julia before ...”
Both boys suddenly thought about Julia at the same time. Regret caused them both to swallow thick lumps that formed in their throats. “I wish . . .” Reggie began. Junior nodded, knowingly.
“Me too,” Junior chimed in.
Just then the car with the lights was headed back. They could see it from far away. Junior ran around to the driver's side and snatched open the door, quickly grabbing the cell phone from off the seat where they had been waiting to get a signal. He stood in the road waving it back and forth, knowing the reflection from the face of it would appear strobe-likeâ
at least it work for the bus drivers back home.
The car approached quickly seemingly headed toward them.
at least it work for the bus drivers back home.
The car approached quickly seemingly headed toward them.
Pulling up close, the driver pulled over slightly without turning off the motor to the car. The door opened and out stepped a tall dark skinned man. So mirror-like were his features that just the sight of him tightened Reggie's stomach. Junior too seemed stunned at his powerful appearance, despite his age. As if hit by a brick suddenly both boys knew immediately who this man had to be. “Allen Romanâyou bastard,” Reggie said just above a whisper. He didn't know this man from the history of him as a rapist. He'd only known that Hap made this man seem to be, a monster, and that Julia had died back at that cabin to keep him from doing something horrible to them. Reggie knew he should fear this man, but he didn't realize at the moment, just how much.
In the silence of the night, his words were clearly heard. “Is that any way to address to your father,” Roman said.
Chapter 64
“Juanita isn't a bad woman,” Ovan said after many moments of silence between the two of them.
“I never said she was,” Chance grumbled.
“She thinks she's wicked.”
“How would you know what she thinks?”
“She told me. She thinks you hate her now.”
“Well my jury is out on that.”
“I know you don't. You could never hate our Nita,” Ovan grinned, flying the helicopter, without looking at him. “I could tell by that kiss you could never hate our girl.”
“Our girl?”
Ovan just smiled slyly. “She's got something I like in a woman,” he admitted.
“Yeah, I'm sure that's what they all thought,” Chance said with a smirk, glancing out over the ground below them. He was surprised at how little queasiness he felt. He was actually okay with this. “But if you open that box, you besta believe you about to get all cracked out. Addicted, like a meth head.” Chance confessed. Ovan smiled.
“I can handle it.”
“Yeah okay,” Chance said looking out over the whiteness below.
“So, how are you feeling about all this?”
“Shit, have I had any time to think about all this? I mean, I could get back and my wife could be dead.”
“And would it make a difference in how you feel about her lad? Does finding out that Nita was sleeping with Roman change how you feel about Junior?”
“Well, no.”
“If Rashawn, heaven forbid, were to pass away, would it change how you feel about Reggie?”
“God no!” Chance balked at the words, the thought of Rashawn dying.
“That's what I thought. You are a father, Chance, and a fuckin' fabulous one, too,” Ovan said with a wide grin crossing his lips. “I could only wish my father had been such.”
“You had a bad father?”
“Put it like this, my father liked being a father, unfortunately he wasn't careful with whom he fathered children with.”
“Aw,” Chance nodded understandingly.
“As I've told you, much too many people's mistake I'm not British by birth. I'm from South Africa,” Ovan began. “My mother was London born so she took me there when my father ... well anyway ... and now I do work in London so ...” Ovan was sounding as if rambling a little.
“And what do you do for a living there Ovan?” Chance dug. Ovan gave him a side glance and another of his most charming smiles.
“Oh, Chance, that is so not important, but if you must hear it again, I'm an international bounty hunter. I hunt people for money. I hunt people for the government. But in this case, I hunt Allen Roman for my own personal issues with the bastard.”
“Tell me more.” Chance said, feeling finally as if he was about to hear the truth.
Ovan went on, talking calmly all the while whipping the helicopter through the air. “My father was a travelerâhis work took him to many places around the world. He was a minister.”
“You're a preacher's son?” Chance asked sounding totally surprised. Ovan continued talking.
“I supposed you could say that. Anyway, my father eventually traveled to Jamaicaâwithout my mother I might add. He absolutely loved the people there. He said the people were very âreceptive.' And clearly so, as he, while there, got involved with a native woman and well, he fathered a child with her so yes ... He indeed loved it there and clearly had a good reception. It was some years before my mother became painfully aware of why he was actually traveling to Jamaica so often after that first trip.”
“To see his son, the one he made in there in Jamaica?”
“And the boy's motherâI'm sure over the years he'd fallen in love with her, despite the fact that strangely enough, the woman was marriedâand to a black-skinned man at that. Her husband didn't take to kindly to my father's visits and on one occasion he shot and killed him. I supposed I would have too.” Just then the snow/ rain mix began. “Damn Oregon. I had a feeling we'd catch bad weather. But as they say, wait twenty minutes and it will change,” he chuckled.
Chance digested Ovan's story for a moment. “What happened to the boy? He would be your brother ... right? I mean, wow, that's a tragic story Ovan. I'm sorry.”
“Yes. Well he would be my half brother and yes, it's truly tragic.”
“What happened to him?”
“Thanks to Allen Roman, your wife killed him.”
Chance gasped as he quickly put the story together. Rashawn had killed Allen Roman's half brother, Blain Tollome-known more by his alter ego as Doc. He was a big man, brutish and mad. He loved Rashawn and stalked her mercilessly, driven mostly by the mental control of Allen Roman who fed him drugs and influenced his thoughts through hypnosis. Rashawn thought he had raped her and that he was Reggie's father until it came to light that Blain was sterile due to a childhood trauma. Rashawn had killed Blain Tollome thinking he was Reggie's father, the rapist who had taken her in the parking lot of Moorman University so many years ago, leaving her pregnant. But no, the rapist was indeed Allen Roman. She found out after she'd shot and killed Blain the night he came to tell her the truth about Roman. Blain had his own set of issues but being a rapist wasn't one of them. Rashawn took many years to recover from shooting the wrong manâdespite the fact that Blain aka Doc was a wanton and deviant criminal who had been terrorizing the campus with a date rape drug. Roman too had terrorized with the use of the drug but he used the drug on Rashawn for his own purposes and framed Blain who easily looked guilty in Rashawn's eyes. Despite Blain's white skin, the slight family resemblance between Blain and Reggie, Rashawn in her weakened mental capacities due to the drug's grip had believed all she was told by Allen Roman about Blain being guilty of raping her.
“So there you have it. My name is Dominic Tollome ... well it was. When my mother died, I changed my name hoping it would change my life.”
“It's not that easy Ovan,” Chance commiserated. “Sometimes life is what it is.”
Ovan smiled. “Bloody well said.”
Just then Chance spotted a cabin. “Look!”
“That has to be the one. If not, it's a great place to start,” Ovan said, aiming for the clearing.
Landing the chopper, both men jumped out and headed for the door. “There's no car, and there's only one light onâlook, tire tracks. This doesn't feel right,” Ovan explained, holding Chance back with his hand outstretched while pulling out his gun. Chance had a feeling he was carrying a piece but hadn't seen it until now. Chance moved against the side of the cabin while Ovan crept up to the door. Unannounced he kicked it open only to barely miss the gun shots fired continually until the gun clicked empty. Pointing his gun, Ovan slowly looked around the door way only to quickly lower his weapon. “Julia! Aw loveâbloody hell!” he gasped rushing in. Chance followed him into the grisly scene. Ovan gathered up the young woman in his arms cradling her not caring that her blood spilled on his clothing and hands.
“Who is she?” Chanced asked.
“She's my partner. She's the one that was on the train.” Ovan stroked her face tenderly. “What's happened?”
Chance felt bad now for doubting Ovan earlier about having an actual partner in the field.
“I thought you were Roman. I was going to blow his head off for ya,” she whispered. “I killed that prick Hap. He did this to me.”
Ovan picked her up. “The boys?” he asked her, waiting for her to catch her breath between painful sounding pants.
“They got away,” she finally answered. “They're in a black SUV headed southâI hope.”
“Chance, you have to wait here for Roman. I'm going to fly Julia back to the National Guard station. They can help her there. I'll be right back in just a bit,” he said without given Chance much opportunity to answer while he tucked Julia's limp body in the helicopter. Chance felt himself nodding but that was all. “You'll need this,” he said, handing Chance the gun. The weight was heavier than he thought this being the first time he'd ever held one.
Watching the chopper lift off, Chance realized then he could be the one to kill Allen Romanâor be killed by himâthis night. He thought about Rashawn laying there in the hospital. He thought about Reggie and Junior and all the blood in the cabin. How much was theirs? He thought about the dead man laying there next to Julia and realized that no matter how cold it was out there that night he was not going back in that cabin.
In the darkness Chance waited for what felt like hours.
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