The Variables (51 page)

“Don’t blame her. She is a troubled soul and I’m a persuasive woman.” Cass paused. “She said you love me. Is that true?”
 

Turning his head to the clock, he watched the seconds tick by. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty. “No,” he said. “It’s not true.”

Cass laughed and tilted her head back. People around them stopped and looked at her; some were compelled to smile themselves. She flashed him a bright smile and pulled him closer, he dragged his foot until he had to take a step. She was moving him toward the park.

“I don’t love you, too,” she replied.

“I don’t need your help.”

“You do,” she whispered. “And you’ll take it.”

She dropped his hand and spun away from him and walked straight into the park and up to Allison. The young nanny greeted Cass while looking around her and calling to Teddy to come close. Ethan’s heart began to pound. Five minutes. He stumbled forward and Allison took note of him walking forward and she rushed over to Teddy and leaned down and whispered something in his ear. Teddy frowned.

“I don’t want to leave,” Ethan heard him pout. Then Teddy looked up and saw Ethan and waved. “Uncle Ethan!” The child rushed forward, but Allison tugged him backward and held on to his shirt to keep him in place.

“We were just leaving,” Allison said.

“We just got here,” Teddy contradicted. A few of the other parents were watching the scene unfold.

“It’s simple,” Cass said. “I’m a divination expert and Blair has paid for me to read the tarot for you.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Allison said and she began to walk away.

Cass stepped in front of her. “It will take five minutes. She insisted.”

“Some other time.”

“Sit down,” Cass said and she put her hand on Allison’s shoulder. Allison looked at Ethan, still standing ten feet away, and then to Teddy who was about to burst into tears. Mumbling under her breath, she sat down at a different park bench and motioned for Cass to get on with it.

Cass pulled out her cards and displayed them in a line. Teddy wiggled on her lap. Ethan watched as Cass explained the cards and then announced, “That’s it. Painless.”

“Painless,” Allison repeated, annoyed. Cass piled the cards back up and slipped them into her pocket. Then she reached out and tapped Allison on the shoulder, and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry...I am...but I have a confession.” Cass signaled for Allison to come closer and Ethan watched as Cass brought a needle up and jabbed it quickly into the nanny’s shoulder. Allison’s response was quick—she buckled to the floor and Cass caught her, lowering her head to the ground. It happened seamlessly, as if the Haitian queen of all things amazing had also been gifted with the art of subterfuge.

Teddy hovered over his guardian, but Cass swept him away.

“Quick! This woman fainted! I need a guard and a medic!” Cass yelled. One of the mothers from the playground came trotting over and she leaned across Allison’s body.

“What happened?”

The other mothers and fathers began to congregate: little busybodies more curious than concerned.

“I read her tarot, told her the future, and she just...” Cass closed her eyes and swayed. “I’ll be right back. Keep her warm!” Cass slipped Teddy’s hand into hers and raced him over to Ethan.

“It can’t be that easy,” Ethan said as he scooped Teddy into his arms.

“I’m glad I made that look easy, darling,” she winked.

Ethan looked at Allison and the gathering crowd. “Is she—?”

“Just a little sleeping tonic. She’ll be right as rain in a bit. Go.” She gave his arm a squeeze. “Go. Now. You’re running out of time. Go. Be safe. Be brave. Be amazing.”

He hesitated and then leaned down and kissed Cass’s cheek. She smiled.

“See...I knew you didn’t love me,” she whispered. Then she turned back to the people fussing over Allison and slipped back in among the fray.

Ethan made it to the elevator. He made it to the atrium. He booked it as fast as he could across he large open expanse, darting past the concierge who called, “Good afternoon, Mr. King. Is there anything I can help—” before realizing that perhaps things were not as they should be.

“Wait!” the young woman yelled. “Mr. King, you’re not supposed to go up there without proper authorization!” she called as he reached the final elevator—the one that would carry him to his escape. Using Cass’s master key, he unlocked the elevator override box, pushed the button, and the elevator sped down to him. From the sky bridges he could see the guards running, their weapons drawn. The elevator leading from the North Tower dinged and Grant exited, looking confused. He saw Ethan, Teddy, and then he saw the guards. Racing forward he made it to the elevator to the helipad right as the doors opened, and the boys darted inside.

As the doors shut, Ethan exhaled in relief. But suddenly a hand sneaked its way between the metal and thrust the doors back open.

“Don’t shoot! I have the boy!” Ethan yelled and he crouched down to Teddy and wrapped his arms around the boy’s body.

But when he looked up, he realized that it wasn’t a guard who had slipped on board, but his father.

Scott was pale, his hair frizzy, and his hands shook.

“Push the close door button, dammit,” Scott said. And Grant did as he was told.

Ethan smiled. “You swore,” he said to his dad. “You never swear.”

“I swear,” Scott answered. “You just never heard me.” He was carrying a cardboard box. “You won’t have time...when you reach the top. And everyone will be coming for you, do you understand? I can stall them...”

“Dad,” Ethan said and his voice broke. “This wasn’t the way.”

“This is the only way.”

Ethan nodded and tried not to cry. Grant was wide-eyed in the corner. He stepped forward.

“Mr. King...you can’t...you shouldn’t...”

“I’m saving my sons,” Scott answered. “You hear me?” He looked down to Teddy, who was watching everything wide-eyed; Scott smiled at him. “It’s okay, little man. Everything is going to be okay.”

“Be strong, Teddy,” Ethan echoed. He picked up Teddy and held him tightly. “Trust Uncle Ethan and stay close.”
 

The doors opened to the helipad. Two armed guards rushed across the tarmacked roof and Scott stepped forward.

“I have a bomb!” he shouted. “Stand back! Or I’ll blow the whole tower up! You hear me?”

One of the guards radioed down to the tower. “He has a bomb. What should we do?”

“Stand down!” someone barked and the guards lowered their weapons.

“Drop them!” Scott demanded.

The guards set their weapons on the ground and backed away.

Ethan set Teddy down and Grant took the child’s other hand. Together they ran toward the waiting helicopter with Hank in the pilot seat. Scott followed close behind. Ethan turned to his father and shook his head; the wind was flapping all around them, and between the wind and the helicopter, it was hard to hear.

“Why?” Ethan called. “Why did you change your mind? Why are you doing this?”

“All I ever wanted to do was to save my family,” Scott yelled over the din. “All I ever wanted to do was protect you from the people who wanted to hurt you.”

“You did, Dad!” Ethan yelled back. “You did. This is suicide...”

“No!” Scott shook his head. He rushed forward and shoved the box into Ethan’s hands. “It’s on a timer. An egg timer. Set it and get out as fast as you can. I don’t know how you’re going to do this, son, but you better make damn sure this works.”

“Okay,” Ethan said, his voice shaking.

Grant yelled from inside the helicopter. He had strapped Teddy into a seat and leaned out the open door. “Ethan! Now! Now! Now!”

Ethan turned and jumped into the waiting chopper, and immediately Hank lifted them off the ground and began soaring over the roaring waters. He held the box tightly to his chest and watched as his father got smaller and further away. The guards rushed him, tackled him to the helipad, and still his father kept his eyes trained on the helicopter as they disappeared into the clouds.

His father had just purchased him, Grant, and Teddy a ticket off Kymberlin and paid for it with his own life

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The chopper blades cut through the air and disturbed the silence of the clown-centric fun land. Darla stopped trying to pull the paddleboat out of the small pool next to the kiddie rides and turned her face toward the sky. She had waited long enough for Blair to return with Teddy; the paddleboat was her next step. Dean and Ainsley had given up on trying to convince her it was a bad idea, and so she stood alone in the foot deep water, dragging the baby blue boat over to the edge and preparing to drag it out to the sea.

But she knew that sound. She knew a helicopter was closing in on the beach. Abandoning her project, she leapt out of the pool and rushed down the cement. Dean emerged from his nest under the counter in the balloon darts tent and Ainsley, who had climbed into one of the Ferris wheel cars, stood up and held on to the railing. She shouted down below, “Coming straight for the beach!”

“Guns!” Dean shouted. “Guns! And positions!”

Ainsley wrapped her legs over the edge, grabbed on to the metal beam and flung herself into the next car. From there she was able to glide down to the edge and shimmy her way to the grass below. Darla checked her weapon and then rushed to the wall separating the carnival from the beach. She watched through a small hole in the fence and her breath caught in her chest.

The helicopter landed and sand blew up around the door. The blades continued to swirl and flooded the area with deafening sound. Three figures ducked and hopped out and tore up the beach. Two big. One little.

Ethan. Grant.
 

And a little curly-haired boy.

Oh, how she recognized everything about him from so far away, as if her heart was a beacon tuned straight to Teddy. She knew his gait, the swing of his arms. The sight of him, unharmed and rushing toward up the beach was overwhelming. She had waited for this moment and nothing prepared her for the crushing emotion that poured over her.
 

Darla began to sob. Her tears blinded her. She tore back through the Palace Playland and out to the street, wiping her eyes and seeing only the fuzzy outlines approaching up the coast. Her legs had never pumped so hard and her heart hurt inside her chest. She rushed out past the retaining wall and hit the open street to the beach.
 

Grant was holding Teddy’s hand and helping him run up the sand. And Ethan was behind them, struggling to keep his balance. The helicopter ascended into the air; it was up and traveling north, away from them and into the sky. She watched it disappear behind a cloud.

“Teddy! TEDDY!” Darla cried and she ran straight into him, sweeping him up off the beach and into her arms. She smothered him with kisses and covered him with her own tears and snot. The sand clung to her wet pants and shoes, but Darla didn’t care. She sunk down to the ground and held Teddy so tight that she was worried her heart might burst.

“Mama!” Teddy cried. “Mama!” His little hands wrapped around her neck. He kissed her cheek.

“Are you real?” Darla asked and she laughed as she grabbed Teddy’s cheek and gave it a small pinch. He smiled and she tucked him closer. She inhaled his scent—fruity and fresh. He didn’t smell like her Teddy; she wanted to roll him around in the dirt and muddy him up—scrub him clean of evidence that strangers had kept him away from her. Those were weeks that were gone from her forever. That was time she’d never get back. She wanted to hold him tighter, squeeze him harder; she wished there was a way to physically express her relief and her love and her joy.
 

“I missed you, Mama,” Teddy said, and he was crying, too. Big tears. He kissed her cheek. “Your face is salty. Are you sad?”

“No, baby boy. I’m not sad,” Darla sobbed. She laughed. And cried and hugged him. “I’m not sad. I’m not sad at all. I missed you, too.”

She pulled him back and inspected him. He looked good. He was wearing clothes she didn’t recognize and brand-new canvas tennis shoes.

“I thought you were gone,” he whispered. “I thought you were never coming back.”

“I’m so sorry,” she mumbled, and she pulled him in close again. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”

“I was scared,” Teddy said.

“No need to be scared anymore. Your mama has you now. You hear me? I’m here. I’m here and I’m never going anywhere again. You hear me? I’m here forever.” Sometimes she thought of the promises parents make to their children—the ones that are used for comfort, but shrouded in half-truths: safe lies. She couldn’t promise Teddy forever, but she could come close.
 

An explosion startled her and Teddy screamed and clawed at her shoulder. Her heart leapt and her body went into panic mode. She threw her body over his and tried to shield him from the ensuing violence. There they were, on the beach, exposed. She waited for rapid gunfire, armed men, and the evidence that her reunion with Teddy was too good to be true. When none of those things happened, Darla lifted her head to the sky. She smelled smoke.

A yellow and red ball of fire appeared in the sky and then a pillar of black smoke followed it. From down the beach, Ethan stopped and looked at the place from which the sound and fire came—it was several miles up the coastline. He jumped and clapped. It took Darla a second to realize that he was celebrating.

“It worked! He did it! That son of a bitch did it!” Ethan cried and he moved up the sand with a quickened pace. “Come on! Go. Go!” He waved for Darla and Teddy to get off the beach, his arms flying in circles as he jumped up and down. “Go! Go!” he continued to yell.

Darla scooped Teddy up into her arms and rushed back toward the amusement park. She could feel the mixture of the sand and her wet clothes rubbing against her body; it created little stabs of sharp pain as she moved and rubbed her skin raw. She flew under the clown gateway and straight to Dean, who took Teddy from her arms and spun him around.

Grant went back for Ethan, grabbed his arm and wrapped it around his shoulder and then allowed Ethan to use him as a crutch to get off the dry sand. When they reached the road, Ethan untangled himself from Grant and they rushed forward into the Palace Playland—the clowns smiling at them, the smoke still billowing from out at sea.