SCARRED - Part 3 (The SCARRED Series - Book 3) (9 page)

As he got into his car, his phone rang. He saw that it was his dad and answered right away. “Hi Dad. What’s up?”

“I have bad news,” he said.

“What’s that?” Derek felt his stomach in his throat before his father even said, “Jesse gave our men the slip somehow yesterday. They followed him to Long Island and he went into a car lot. Somehow he managed to get out of the car lot without taking his own car. My guys got the salesman to tell them what kind of car he’d driven out in and even the license plate number. That car was found abandoned at the train station in Newark today.”

“Jesus, Dad! So we not only have no idea where he is, we don’t know what he’s driving either?”

“I’m so sorry, son. I went to Vince. He says he has no idea where Jesse is. I’m going to go back at him. He has to be supporting him. At the very least there should be some kind of financial trail we could chase.”

Derek felt like he was going to be sick. “It’s not your fault. Let me know if Vince offers anything. I get the feeling he’d go to his grave protecting his son though. Can you have some of your men help out with the guy who’s been watching her? I’m going to try and convince her again to stay with me, but she’s a little bit stubborn on that point.”

“I’ll send them over today.”

“Thanks.” Derek hung up and just sat there for a few seconds. How long was Chloe supposed to have to live like this? He beat his fists into the steering wheel and finally started the car and left. He needed to get back to Rhode Island. Shit!

*******

T
he next day as Derek left the yacht and headed to his car, he had no idea that he was being watched. Jesse sat in his car on the far side of the lot and watched through binoculars as Derek Stark...arrogant, rich, and apparently very stupid, got into his car. Jesse had been tracking him for two days after he’d given the fools Derek had following him the slip. He didn’t have confirmation they were working for Derek, but he was sure that Kelly didn’t have the kind of money or the pull something like that would take. Stark thought that she was his to protect now. He was in for a very rude awakening. He had no idea who he was dealing with here.

For two days, Jesse followed him everywhere he went, hoping that he’d eventually lead him to Kelly. He had followed him all the way to Albany the first day. Derek had gone into a nice house and was gone for a few hours before emerging with swollen red eyes like he’d been crying.
Wuss!
Jesse was mildly curious what that was about. He ran the address through his people finder program and came back with the names of a couple that ran a real estate agency in New York: Trevor and Samantha Whitemore. He assumed it was business, since that was the business that Derek was in...but the tears made him curious.

He waited until Derek left the parking lot and then he pulled his dark gray Prius out into the traffic. There was no better car to become invisible in than a Prius. People barely gave it a glance as it went by. There was nothing sleek or imposing about it whatsoever and it was almost like driving an invisible cloak. He hated how uncomfortable it was, but he’d sacrifice his comfort...for now.

Jesse followed him from the Marina to an exit near the beach. The traffic was thick in the late morning and he wasn’t even concerned that Derek would realize he was being followed as he merged off the exit and onto a street that ran parallel to the ocean. He saw Stark’s fancy little car pull off the street into the driveway of a cozy looking little white condominium. It had a little white fence and flower boxes with colorful flowers in the windows. It was like something out of a “Beach Living” magazine. Derek parked and went inside as Jesse cruised by. He parked his Prius a few blocks up and walked back. He knew he would be too conspicuous on the street so he found a spot on the beach where he could use the binoculars without attracting so much as a glance. It was a beautiful day and the tourists were out in force.

Jesse skimmed the water with the binoculars and then the rocks and then he casually turned them towards the condo. There was a huge man sitting on the little deck out back with a pretty little blonde woman. They were having breakfast and laughing and talking. He wondered who they were. Kelly wasn’t the type to maintain close friendships. He let the binoculars skim the horizon once more so that it didn’t look like he was watching them as he casually strolled along the beach with his shoes in his hand.

Turning back once more and placing the binoculars to his face, he was almost knocked down by the initial shock. He’d been searching for her, but he hadn’t realized the impact that first sight of her face would have. Kelly was standing in the doorway on the deck, talking to the blonde haired girl. Her hair was different, she’d ruined the bright blonde by dying it dark brown. It made her look cheap, he thought. She had definitely done some work to her skinny body too. Where she used to be rail thin and almost straight up and down, she now had gorgeous curves. He wondered if she’d gotten the boob job after all. She’d changed a lot, but it was most definitely her...his father had done well.

As he looked closer, he could see that her eyes looked different too, but from where he was standing, he couldn’t tell why. That was alright. Now that he knew where she was, he’d be seeing them up close soon enough.

Jesse didn’t want to stop looking at her, but he knew it was dangerous to stand there too long. He forced himself to stroll in the other direction and watch a flock of seagulls for a few minutes before allowing himself to turn back and look at her again. Just a glance. His breathing grew shallow and he felt himself getting excited again.

He was definitely going to find a place where no one would interrupt them and he was going to take his time with her. He watched her lean down and hug her friend and lay a hand on the big man’s shoulder and smile as she talked to him. She was definitely different. Kelly used to hide behind that long blonde hair of hers and it was like pulling teeth to coax a smile out of her. God knows he took good care of her and gave her enough things to smile about. Some people were too dense to know what they had until they lost it. Jesse would have to remind her, if she didn’t already remember.

He felt the tickle of anticipation in his gut again as he thought about how sweet their reunion would be...and how much fun he was going to have before finally sinking that knife into her soft flesh and watching the life drain from her eyes. He tore himself away and walked quickly back to his car. By the time he got back near the condo, Kelly and Derek were getting into his car. Once more around the block and he caught up with them, headed back towards the Interstate. He hung back and let four or five cars get between them and then he jumped on and followed. He already couldn’t wait to see her again.

––––––––

T
hey’d been driving for about a half an hour when Derek looked over at her and said, “Are you okay?”

She was fidgeting with her seatbelt. She felt like it was choking her all of a sudden and she was finding it hard to expand her lungs. She’d actually woken up this morning anticipating this meeting. She had resigned herself to the fact that she needed to do this...but now that they were on their way, she was having images of herself diving out of the moving car to avoid it. She could actually see herself tuck and roll along the side of the Interstate.

“I’m not sure how I am,” she told him, honestly. “I’m suddenly regretting that I agreed to this.”

He reached over and took her hand in his. Not taking his eyes from the road, he brought it to his lips and then lay it back down on the seat. “You’re the strongest person I know,” he told her. “I believe you can handle this far better than I or anyone else I know could.”

She laughed slightly and said, “I wish I had your confidence in me.”

“I’ll try and channel it to you,” he said with a smile. Turning serious again he said, “They’re as nervous as you are.”

“I guess that’s something,” she said. “This is just all so surreal.” He nodded. There was nothing to say to that.

The three hour drive was mostly silent then. He left her alone with her thoughts and for that she was grateful. She tried to imagine what this meeting would be like. She’d seen photos of them, so it was easy to draw up an image of their faces.

The woman...her biological mother, she supposed, had her face. It was so strange to Chloe who never felt like she belonged anywhere to suddenly realize there was someone walking around looking like her and sharing her DNA. She thought about how strange it would have been if Sarah was still alive...to look into a face that offered a mirror perfect image of your own. She glanced sideways at Derek.

Sometimes she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d gone through any of this trouble for her if his wife had lived. He thought about how much he loved and respected the Whitemore’s and she came to the conclusion that he probably would have. He would have done it for them, and for Sarah. As it were in reality, he was doing it for her as well as them. She was nervous as hell, but she was grateful to him for caring so much and she was coming around to completely trusting him. She wasn’t at the point just yet of handing her life over to him completely. She had come to terms with the fact that she may never be able to put her life in someone else’s hands ever again. But that was alright because she was confident about one thing...she could handle herself and if she did die, it would be fighting up to her last breath.

She looked out across the beautiful green pasture in front of the house as they drove towards it and the bluffs that rolled out behind the house. It was beautiful and somehow the scene served to calm her insides a bit. She let the confidence she had about facing Jesse someday transfer to doing this today. Either that, or Derek had really channeled her some. When Derek drove the car into the circular drive in front of the house, Chloe was sure she was ready.

When he looked at her with concern with his blue eyes he said, “You ready?”

She nodded, without hesitation. He came around and opened her car door and clutched her hand tightly as they walked up to the house. His hand was trembling and she was almost smiling, thinking that he was the one who needed her support when the door was pulled open. The sight of the woman standing there stole Chloe’s breath and the heat from her skin.  

She was wearing a simple but very nice sun dress and she looked like an aged version of Chloe, much more so than she had in the photograph. She had the same bone structure in her face, the high, symmetrical cheek bones and the heart-shaped chin. Her lips were full and her eyes were the same deep brown that hers were without the blue lenses. They were even shaped the same. The difference was they were touched at the corners by laugh lines that only served to add more character to an already beautiful and interesting face. She was in obvious good physical form for her age and her blonde hair shimmered with healthy luster. Chloe was torn between wanting to throw herself in the arms of the woman who had to be her mother and wanting to run as fast and as far as she could until she collapsed. She knew herself and had she been forced to choose, she would have chosen the latter.

“Hello,” the woman said, tears clouding her eyes. “I’m Samantha.”

“Samantha, this is Chloe,” Derek said.

The older woman put her hand out and Chloe hesitated for just a second before taking it. Samantha didn’t shake her hand once she took it. She squeezed it, as if trying to meld it into her own. Her pretty eyes hadn’t for a second left Chloe’s face even as she reluctantly let the younger woman take back her hand.

“Please, come in,” she said.

She stepped back and Chloe and Derek entered a foyer with a skylight that seemed to suck the sunlight in right out of the sky. The living room that lay out before them was at the same time elegant and comfortable and Chloe couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been like for Sarah to grow up here. The home she’d lived in had been nicely decorated and comfortable...but it had never had that home-like feel to it. It always seemed to Chloe like Marg and Tom and even Daphne were going through the motions on the outside, trying to convince others they were like them. In reality, Chloe knew from experience that you couldn’t stand on the outside and judge a family by how they seemed to live. Nonetheless, there was something about this woman and this home that made her certain that there had been no beatings and basements here.

“Where’s Trevor?” Derek asked, looking around.

One of the tears the woman had been holding back escaped and began its slow descent along her jawline. She wiped it away and said, “He’s out back. Will you take Chloe to meet him? I’m going to get us some tea.” Samantha was still looking at Chloe’s face and although it was slightly unnerving to her, it was oddly comforting at the same time.

“Of course,” Derek said.

He put his hand on the small of her back and Chloe could still feel Samantha watching them as he led her out through a set of beautiful French doors to a veranda decorated with wicker furniture with plush cushions and so many plants it was like being in the rain forest. A man sat at one end of the patio with a book in his hand. At the sound of the door, he looked up as if expecting his wife. When he saw Derek and Chloe, he dropped the book and seemed to not even notice as it hit the cement beneath his feet.

He stood up quickly and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d arrived.”

Derek smiled, looking like he was doing his best to ease the man’s nerves and he said, “Trevor, this is Chloe.”

Trevor came closer and Chloe could see that he, like his wife, seemed to take good care of himself. He was much taller than Chloe had imagined him. His hair was a mixture of brown and gray giving him a wise, distinguished look she thought and his eyes were large and much deeper brown than hers...like pools of dark chocolate.

He held out his hand and when Chloe reached out to take it, she was suddenly drawn into his arms and held so tightly that she could actually feel the beating of his heart against her chest. She was shocked and a little frightened, but as he held her there, she felt the deep wracking sobs begin to form in his chest and rise up into his throat and she found herself wanting to comfort him. She folded her own arms around him and let him pull her in tighter.