|
The Tessarae Inn |
|
Regrets In Jade Tones
CHAPTER 21 Toni rushed into the living room seemingly oblivious to everyone but Todd. “We need to talk,” she said. “I think there is something important that you need to know.” Todd glanced at Toni and then yelled, “Not now.” He eased down from the writing table like a big cat with his sites on easy prey. He glared at Téa. “Where is she? Where did he take her?” Téa’s lower lip began to tremble and tears began to stream down her cheeks. He waited. He had seen the tears before. Usually about this time she would launch into her accusations of love. I love you, Todd. I love you. He never believed it. She got off on pretending to be shocked and surprised by his “badness” when in fact she loved it, cherished it, and created contrivances to make sure he kept his reputation but it had never been about him. She just wanted a badass she could control to make herself feel both superior and powerful. She was neither and that made playing with her head all those months twice as sweet. But he paid a price. He not only hadn’t loved her, half the time he hadn’t liked her, even when on his orders and like a barracuda for hire she gleefully cut Blair to shreds. The rest of the time he could barely tolerate her. He had been half crazy with pain after Ireland and he couldn’t seem to make himself stop hurting Blair. And ironically, Téa had been both his weapon and his hair shirt—his chosen means of self-flagellation for the crimes of the heart he committed against the only woman he loved. The funny thing was that Téa knew that and still got off on it. The window incident should have been a red flag but instead he had decided to adopt that as an obligation—a directed penance and Téa had been more than happy to play the martyr. Slowly he began to wonder whether she had always gotten off on the same thing and if so then … Todd snapped back into the present. He moved toward Téa. “Tell me where she is, now.” “Where is Blair?” echoed Antonio. “I…I …I don’t know.” Todd noted that she glanced frantically at Antonio but she was in for a surprise if she thought he had her back. Antonio took a step closer to Tea. “Tell him,” he said through clenched teeth. Téa glanced at Antonio then at Todd and finally moved closer to Antonio. “Tell him what? What could I know that I haven’t already told you?” “How long were you on the phone with him before I walked in?” “Well…it was only a few minutes.” Antonio’s cell phone rang. He stared at Téa for a few beats then said, “Excuse me, I need to take this but I’m not finished with you, Téa.” “You’re Tee …Téa?” asked Toni and then looked quickly at Todd. “Yes,” said Téa with seeming relief at being able to switch her attention to at least a neutral face. “You are?” Todd glanced over at Antonio whose face had darkened. Antonio looked up and locked gazes with him. Something was wrong. Very wrong. “Toni Reynolds.” Téa stumbled back a step. She righted herself and took a deep breath. “You’re RJ’s…? I thought you were older… You’re Jason’s mother?” “Yes. Are you Starr’s mother?” Todd whipped his head around. “What the hell is wrong with you? Blair is Starr’s mother and you know that.” Toni, however, was not looking at him and seemingly not listening to him either. “Are you Starr’s biological mother?” Téa looked down at her hands, “Why would you ask me that?” “Because Starr seems to think so.” “The child is just confused. I did raise her while she was younger. Todd and I were married…” “Starr told me that Wyatt Cooper told her specifically that you are her biological mother. She is distraught about it.” Todd started out of the room but Toni grabbed his arm in a gentle but firm grip. “We need to talk first. Starr’s finally asleep and very fragile right now. And I think it is more important that we get this straight with your ex-wife first.” Todd glanced down at her hand and shook himself free but then sighed. She was probably right. “All right, Téa. What’s going on? Why does Wyatt Cooper think you are Starr’s mother?” “How would I know?” “Is it possible that you told him that you were?” asked Antonio walking closer to them. “What are you saying?” “I just got the report, Téa. Seems you failed to tell us a few things, such as the fact that you lived with Wyatt Cooper for two years out in Arizona.” Téa jumped back as if a snake had lunged at her. “You covered your tracks really well but arrogance is a failing in a lot of people. You left a trail of pissed off people in your wake. Even well-paid malcontents tend to snitch eventually.” “You can’t believe those people. They always hated me because I wanted to make something of myself. I was better than any of them when I came and I left them back in that dust-eating town and made something of myself. No one gave me a damn thing.” “I guess you did earn that five million dollars,” said Toni. Todd refused to look at her. Obviously, either Blair or RJ had filled her in on the sorted details. “Where’s Blair, Téa?” yelled Todd. “I don’t know. I really don’t.” “How well do you know this man? Tell me everything you can. Anything that will help me find my wife.” “Know? I haven’t talked to him in years. And the truth is that Blair probably went with him willingly. You never wanted to face the truth about that woman. You’re better off without her. You always were.” Toni moved toward Téa. “What kind of backstabbing snake are you? You stand in Blair’s house, talking to her husband and disrespect her. Are you really crazy?” Téa crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the right. “Who are you to talk to me about anything? I know your story. You treated RJ like shit and now here you are acting like Mother Superior. You are nothing to him. I can tell that just by looking at you.” “Téa?” They all turned toward the voice. RJ walked into the room frowning. Téa ran to him and threw herself into his arms and began to sob uncontrollably. “You were right about him, RJ. I was such a fool. A complete fool.” Todd looked over at Antonio then at Toni. They both seemed frozen by incredulity. He tried to control the rage he felt bubbling below the surface of his emotional landscape as he alternately balled his hands and flexed them open. This really was bad karma coming back to bite him on the ass. In the end, he was the one who had put his family in danger. He was the one who brought Téa into their lives. And the piper always had to be paid. |