Remember the Time

Chapter 102

“He beat my ass. Ma was there and-”

“Ma? What do you mean she was there? In my house?” Mariah shouted.

Elizabeth started to whine at Mariah's sudden change in demeanor.

Mariah took a deep breath. “What are you saying to me?”

“I'm telling you that mom told Shawn some shit and now he's against both of us.” Morgan said.

Mariah groaned. “Why can't she just go away? You know what? I'll call my assistant and have her arrange for you to come to Santa Barbara.”

Morgan breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Yeah.” Mariah replied.

She quickly hung up the phone and started to dial Mary's number. She hoped Shawn wouldn't have to find out about Pat the same way she and Morgan did.

“Hello?”

“Hi Mary.” Mariah said. “I need a favor.”

“Alright. What do you need?”

Mariah started again, trying to guide the spoon in Elizabeth’s mouth. “I need for you to arrange for my brother to come to Santa Barbara-”

“Okay.”

“And I need you for to change the locks on the penthouse in New York.” She added.

“I’m sorry?” Mary inquired.

“I need you to change the locks on the penthouse.” Mariah reiterated, offering Elizabeth another spoonful of baby food. “Can you do that?”

Mary seemed stunned. “Uh, yeah I can do that.”

“Thanks.”

Mariah set down the phone and folded her hands, feeling frustrated. There was no way in hell she was going to let Pat live off her and her husband again.

May 2nd, 2000

“He sent someone to serve me then had the case dropped in like a week. I don’t know what game he’s playing, Morgan.” Mariah explained, braiding the bottom of her ponytail. She’d pulled her hair back and dressed in a bikini top and jeans in an effort to feel the SoCal air breeze past her skin for the first time in a long time.

Earlier that day, Morgan had arrived to Santa Barbara and the two discreetly moved him into the guest house. On their way, she and Morgan had begun discussing issues of dysfunction in their family and how it all kept leading back to Tommy. With Tommy’s fear-mongering antics of suing her for assault, Mariah didn’t know how to keep her family safe anymore.

“Why would he even do that? Doesn’t he know you could sue him for so much more than that?” Morgan questioned.

“He does it for shits and giggles. He’s not gonna do nothing. Legally, at least.” She figured. The two stopped right in front of the guest house. “He just does things to scare me and then pulls away. He’s too afraid of Michael to actually go any further than that.”

“You think so?” Morgan asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, do you think he’s really afraid of Michael? He’s got all those ties to all those people in illegal activities. I don’t know that he’s afraid of Mike per se. Moreso plotting a slow burn. Breaking down your family from the root-”

Mariah, gobsmacked, slapped her hand on her brother’s chest in realization. “Morgan. What did you just say?”

“I said maybe he’s not really that afraid-”