Poker Face ✔

Chapter 27

I stood outside Uncle Jared's office, smiling at the boy on the other side of the glass. He sat with his chin against his desk and his hands in his light hair.

"I don't get it" Chris admitted to uncle Jared.

"Chris, its simple" He groaned, "you take out the common factors and then what are you left with?"

Chris' least favourite time of day — school. Everyone in my family are homeschooled by Uncle Jared, who was taught by uncle Nate and their father. Uncle Jared knew that math was a weakness for Chris, which meant he was forced to practice more often then anyone else. Once he had finished his schooling for the day, I was able to tell him all about my plan.

"Oh, I love Prague" Chris smiled, jumping up from his desk. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as tomorrow," I told him, sliding my hands into the pockets of my jacket.

Prague was my favourite getaway location. It was where I had chosen to escape to whenever something in my life felt too heavy for my shoulders to bare. That day felt like one of those moments.

"Thank you, Rina" Chris smiled before wrapping his arms around me, almost crushing every bone in my body.

I gasped for air "it's alright"

"I'm going to go pack" Chris dropped me to the ground before running in the opposite direction.

I began walking down the hallway slowly, pleased with myself.

"That's a nice thing you're doing for them" a male voice started slowly from behind me.

"Well, I figured since they're taking me off jobs, I should be at least a little productive," I admitted.

"things should be back to normal soon" Chace assured, following me down the staircase.

Chace was someone that knew everything that went on behind Ashton walls. He was always in the room during all the big talks. If anyone knew why they had suspended me, it would Chace.

"Right," I nodded "I suppose you know why I've been suspended?"

"No actually" he admitted "no one does"

"Come again?" I blinked.

We made it to the bottom of the staircase when I look at him directly in the eye for the first time since we started this conversation.

"Uncle Nate won't tell us why" Chace shrugged.

That didn't surprise me. Uncle Nate rarely informed anyone of his plans.

"Right" I nodded, "be up at five sharp" I ordered before walking towards the front door.

"Huh?" He looked at me blankly.

"Tomorrow...be up at five sharp" I repeated, walking through the front door "the boys and I need a lift to the airport"

I went for a run to the Koleawiskis medical centre, to visit my dad right before I went on vacation. The sky began to darken before rain fell from the clouds. The violent thunder started soon after.

"Jason stop! Put the gun down! This isn't you!"

"I need to do this! I feel like I'm losing mind!"

"Hey, we can call uncle Nate and he can fix this!"

"Do you know what its like to be around him every day, knowing what he's done?"

"King of diamonds! King of diamonds!"

"Jason wake up"

I shook off the memories as I entered the Koleawiskis medical centre. Immediately I found Sarah Koleawiskis sitting behind the front desk.

"Good afternoon, Taylor" Sarah greeted "You can go straight in"

Sarah was in her mid-thirties and had short blond straight hair that sat in her slender shoulders, light green eyes and fair skin. She wore a black maxi skirt with a white button up.

"Thanks" I gave her a small nod before walking down the narrow hallway where I found my fathers room.

He laid helpless in his bed, with white sheets, keeping him warm and a bunch of tubes lodged into his body. The Koleawiskis were the only people that we'd trust with one of our lives. I knew they were doing everything they could for him. I looked around the room to see flowers, sent by friends and family. My father looked peaceful for the first time in his life, despite being in the worse shape of his life.

He had been in this state for six months at that point, all because of Cotton and the Larrunzario's. Cotton had been sent to Russia after what happened that night. He had been staying with Aunt Christina's husband's family — The Parkers. The Parkers had been close family friends for decades, that's how Aunt Christina and her husband Shawn Parker met. Cotton was being punished for reckless behaviour and would be back in a few days, which also contributed to my sudden urge to leave the country.

I could hear the rain hitting the glass windows beside me while the thunder grew louder. The rain sounded so crisp, like those barbecues that the Loris' had on Sunday afternoon's when I was a kid. The last barbeque that I attended at their home was when I was three or maybe four years old but I still remember the taste of the pork ribs they would do. I wondered why we stopped attending those barbecues. I knew for certain that the Loris still held them at their home every year.

Vanessa's husband John is a Loris and thus he still attended the barbecues in 2008, only without Vanessa, who would refuse to go. My entire family refused to attended another one of their barbecues.

I kissed my fathers cheek slowly, before taking a seat because his bed.

"Why did we ever stop going to those barbecues?" I wondered out loud.