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The Tessarae Inn |
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Regrets In Jade Tones
CHAPTER 22 “I worked the docks for a few years before I got dragged into the criminal justice system. When things get bad I always come back to the water.” Blair didn’t say anything. She was trying to reconcile Wyatt Cooper with the image of Rick St. Jean, who she worked with for months. She shivered and looked away from him. At least she knew that Starr was safe. Wyatt had been livid when he spied the police cars outside of his house. He ranted and raved with such ferocity that she was afraid that he was going to run the car into a tree, but the more he yelled the calmer she got. Starr and Jason were safe and out of that place. Still there was a question that she had to ask. She stilled herself and forced her breathing into a steady rhythmic pattern. Starr was alive. Starr was okay. Starr was probably home by now. Starr was alive. Starr was okay. Starr was… “Did you hurt my daughter?” “Hurt her? No, but someone needs to provide corrective discipline to that child. A swat on the behind might do her some good. She’s a brat. Did you know that?” “Did you touch her?” Wyatt stretched out his legs and stared at her for a minute. “Oh, you want to know if I sexually molested your daughter. The answer is no. Despite my reputation I do have standards. But thanks for asking.” Blair glared at him. “No. I really mean it. Most people wouldn’t have asked. They would have just assumed.” “What is this all about, Rick…Wyatt…Cooper?” “You can call me Rick. I don’t mind. He was one of my better manifestations. There is ‘Nothing more deceitful than the appearance of humility,’ Blair. That’s Jane Austen—Pride and Prejudice. See, how well read I am? Still, I enjoyed walking around in the skin of a lesser man. But like Sheridan said, There is no trusting appearances.” “What is this all about, Wyatt? I can’t believe my hiring Toni Reynolds set all of this off.” “What?” Wyatt stared at her for a few seconds. He narrowed his eyes and his forehead furrowed then he slapped his knee, threw back his head and laughed loudly. “You think this is about that smug, self-righteous bitch? I wouldn’t take the time to scrape the likes of her off my boots.” “Then what is it about? Why were you so insistent that I stew in my own juices? Why did you take Starr? Why did you want to meet me alone?” Wyatt shook his head so that his hair, which was just below his shoulders, moved gently. His strikingly eyes flashed with amusement. “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings but this has nothing to do with you. Talk about bad karma or just bad timing or bulletproof delusions. You’ve got it all working for you.” “Bulletproof delusions? What…” “I know you think of Starr as your daughter but it never dawned on me that you or that crazy mf husband of yours wouldn’t decode the message. I mean I did want the police to stay out of this at first. Of course, I guess I need to be grateful that you called them in because you two were in some kind of fog about all of this.” “What are you talking about?” “I wanted this to be private…on the down low as the current adolescents might say but you two were total dorks about everything. You may have erased her from your lives but she’s still Starr’s mother. Excuse me, birth mother. I guess that’s what I should have said. ‘Real mother’ is so open to multiple interpretations.” “I am Starr’s birth mother.” For a moment, Wyatt locked his gaze on her. She almost felt violated by the intensity of the look. He frowned then his face took on that sunny demeanor that she found so irritating. He threw his head back then clapped his hands together. “Almost had me going there. I thought she was the Queen of Delusions but you may have her beat.” “Who? Stop talking in circles and just tell me what is going on.” Wyatt stood up and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. He carefully drew out a folded piece of paper which Blair realized suddenly was a photograph from a newspaper or magazine. He smoothed it out carefully then handed it to her. The image of Todd, Téa and a very young Starr leaped at her. She felt her breath coalesce into a thick mucous. This psychopath had been tracking Starr for years. How long had he been planning this kidnapping? The image of him bending down to greet Star at her office rushed into her consciousness. ‘I’m so glad to finally get a chance to meet you, he said. Finally! Finally! Had Starr’s image been posted on one of those horrible boards used by pedophiles? Had he latched onto her image then concocted this elaborate ruse to get near to Starr so he could… “Where did you get this picture?” “Does it matter? I got it. We are not totally cut off from the world in prison. We get magazines and…” Blair felt her head spinning. She felt sick on her stomach. “You were in prison?” “Nothing to be ashamed of. I believe one has to embrace past regrets. Elevate them to a separate and integral interest.” “I don’t understand.” “A picture they say is worth a thousand words. That picture said she didn’t love me anymore.” “She? Tea?” Blair leaned back against the dirty, metal wall and exhaled. “Didn’t love you? Anymore?” “Don’t get so worried. It’s not true. I’m under her skin and nothing she can do or has done since I touched her the first time has or will ever change that fact.” “This is about Téa? You took Starr because of Téa?” “Had to be something that would bring her ass out of hiding. She loves me.” “If she’s hiding from you then she’s obviously not in love with you.” “Tsk. Tsk. Remember that I was in and out of your life there for a pretty long time. I’ve heard the stories about you and that crazy mf you’re married to now. People do all sorts of strange things to pretend they don’t love somebody and do even crazier things when they say they do. Téa put half a country between us, then married that loser, then put an ocean between us and it damn sure wasn’t because she doesn’t love me. Maybe you call it crazy love but it’s love.” What was he saying to her? Blair needed to think. Maybe if she distracted him, she would have time to put all of the pieces together. “She claimed that she loved Todd.” “By this time you should know the bitch claims all sorts of things but that doesn’t make it true. He was just her pathetic attempt to grab onto a gold plated brass ring. Money. Money. Money.” “You’ve seemed to have thought about this a long time.” “Don’t patronize me. Especially since I know you understand. You’re lucky if the person who you give your heart to is someone you like or respect or can take home to meet the people that matter to you but most of the time it doesn’t happen that way. I always understood that and accepted it but Téa was always fighting it—pretending to be so high and mighty—running when she should have stayed, staying when she should have run. But that’s her nature. I can’t fault her for that.” Blair looked away. This was even crazier than she ever imagined. “He was a fool though to hook up with her. He disrespected you and your capacity for forgiveness astounds me.” “I don’t want to talk to you about this.” “You know, Blair, there was a time when I considered abandoning this whole plan. That day in the office when you looked like sunlight in June. You looked at me and I said to myself. Why am I doing all of this to draw Téa out when I could have shades of gold in my life?” “You never could have had me.” “Careful, Blair. A man like me likes a challenge. That crazy mf you’re married to doesn’t appreciate you.” “Stop calling him that.” “Truth is a double edged sword.” “Téa is NOT Starr’s mother.” “Stop lying to me.” “I’m not lying to you.” Wyatt smiled but then his face turned dark and ugly so quickly that Blair didn’t have time to react. He lunged at her and twisted her arms behind her back. His breath was hot and moist next to her ear. “If you’re not lying then somebody has to pay for this mess. I don’t take kindly to messes.” Blair cried out in pain. “You need to cry, bitch.” He pushed her down then stood over her. “Maybe I need to add an element of poetic justice here,” he said. He reached for his belt and began to unbuckle it. “Something that crazy mf you’re married to will understand. He took what didn’t belong to him and even though that is the foremost passion, it’s payback time, now.” Blair scooted back, rolled over and tried to rise up on her knees but Wyatt caught her hair and dragged her back toward him. “Why make this difficult? You know better than most women that you can’t count on a prince, dark or otherwise, to come riding to your rescue. What will be will be. Sit back. Relax. Enjoy the damn ride.” |