I made this one longer as promised :)
Chapter 12
"You know, when you said you needed me I thought it was a sign we were getting back together," Jonathan teased as he bit into his pizza after I caught him up-to-date on the situation. He was surprisingly taking everything in stride.
Before I had moved to Pennsylvania, I had lived in New York where I had stayed for about three and a half months. Jonathan Reed was my boyfriend at the time. I took a liking to him after finding out that he enjoyed doing things I enjoyed. We had so many memorable adventures in New York.
He (very unlike me) was extremely smart, top of his class to be exact. He was very good at getting into things. If it was electronic and used satellite connections to function, he could break into it. If you had pockets, whether buttoned, zippered, or clipped, he could get in it. If you had a lock with a combo or not, he could open it. You get the idea.
A plus to him was how strong and gorgeous he was. He was tall with nice black hair, deep green eyes and his flirtatious trademark smirk. It was hard leaving him when I moved and he was the first boy I've ever tried the long distance thing with. When it didn't work out we agreed that if we ever needed each other we would call. Lucky thing he didn't change his number. He was an essential part in the plan I've been thinking over since my little call to Anne last week.
"Well I'm sorry to have burst that little bubble of hope of yours Natey boy," I laughed.
We sat in a small pizzeria and pasta place not to far from home. It was a nice little family shop that reminded me of a mini Olive Garden.
"I think we've gone way past bursting bubbles. I just get to find out now that my ex's real name is Adelaide and that she's an Italian mafia princess. You just dropped a bomb on my life." he smiled.
"Heiress," I corrected "And, I've never been the trusting type. Or the honest type either."
"I can see that. I guess its a good thing you were fun and pretty huh?" he smirked.
I rolled my eyes and grinned. "We both know that I'm much more than just a pretty face and a good time." I countered.
"That's true. You were the first girl I've dated that was laid back and down for anything. Especially whenever it came to pulling small jobs."
"Last I checked, hacking into the school's security tapes, editing a video of the principal and Mrs. Tate in the teacher's lounge and then showing it at the new student assembly wasn't exactly a 'small job'." I smirked.
"That was possibly the easiest thing I've ever done... after learning how to pick pockets... and locks... and-"
"I understand, Nate." I laughed. "You are a very skillful guy."
He winked at me. "Very skillful indeed. You of all people should know that. Or do you need a reminder." he leaned in suggestively.
"Behave. Boyfriend remember?" I pushed him back playfully.
He put his hands up in surrender and shot me his trademark smirk. "Well I'm sorry. It's not my fault you're still as beautiful if not more than I last remember."
I tried my best to keep my blush at bay. Before Caden, Jonathan was the only guy in my life I felt butterflies with and unfortunately I had to let him go due to my move. Even while we tried the long distance thing I wanted us to work. However, because I couldn't, and never will, stay out of trouble (illegal or not) my grandparents forced me to move. The fact that the butterflies were a little present now really scared me. I wasn't used to this mess.
"So are you sure about this plan? Because you want a confrontation. Confrontation can be deadly, especially with the type of woman you're telling me about." he asked interested.
"I don't care how deadly she is. I want her blood." I replied darkly.
"What the hell? Addy, killing someone isn't exactly easy or fun for the matter. It could and probably will haunt you for the rest of your life. I'm talking nightmares, paranoia. Once it's done it's done... no turning back." Jonathan spoke seriously. He searched my face for any signs of playfulness. Too bad I was being completely serious.
"I've been having nightmares ever since she killed whatever normalcy I had in my life. I'm sure I live with a bit more."
"Yeah but that's no way to live, Addy."
"Look, I need your help. I didn't bring you all the way out here just so that you could sit here and try to change my mind." I was starting to get a little annoyed. I needed to know Jonathan would help or else my whole plan would be diminished.
He leaned back in his chair and let out a deep breath before studying my face again for any sign that I was joking. When he found none, he ran his fingers through his hair in deep thought.
"Okay," he agreed after a moment, "I'll help you out. I can definitely see your temper is still as short as ever."
"Shut up. Okay so first thing's first: you meet the family... and friends. I haven't really told anyone else, except my dad, about you but-"
"Hold up. You're telling me you haven't told your boyfriend that you were meeting your ex this morning?" he grinned.
I rolled my eyes. "It's not like I lied or someth-"
"Oh no. You definitely lied by not saying anything." he was enjoying himself.
"What? No, what are you-"
"I mean I'm flattered that you feel like you have to sneak me around."
"Will you please just focus Nate? Please?" I was tired and feeling a little stressed. Anne was seriously consuming my thoughts and I still had to introduce Jonathan to everyone.
"Alright. Just make sure you let me know which one is the boyfriend immediately. I don't need to deal with all of that drama." he said after I gave him a quick run down.
"I'm sure you shouldn't have that much issue figuring it out on your own."
"We'll see."
He paid for our lunch. One of dad's men took Jonathan's duffel bag as we got in the car and set off home. I hope and prayed my whole way home that everything would work out perfectly.
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Kat was the first person we ran into when we entered the mansion. She looked at Jonathan with much appreciation and he the same to her. I did quick intros between the two. I kept my plan to myself for the time being however.
"Have you seen Caden? Or anyone else?" I asked her.
"Yeah but just so you know he's been in a bad mood like all week. I know you've been too busy with the Anne stuff to notice but you should just talk to him you know. He probably feels a bit neglected." she replied.
Just then, as if he heard his name, Caden walked into the foyer area and immediately frowned in Jonathan's direction. Kat whistled and grinned at the sight of Caden's face.
"Wow this is about to get really awkward. The ex and the current in the same room." Kat stepped back a bit to get a full view of the show.
I shook my head at her dramatics and stepped a bit closer to Caden. "Caden, this is Jonathan. Jonathan this is Caden."
"So you're the boyfriend," Jonathan gave him an amused look.
Caden on the other hand didn't share his amusement. "And you would be?"
"I'm her ex."
"Ex?"
"Ex- boyfriend," he said slower like he was talking to a small child. Kat snickered.
I could see the wheels turning in Caden's head as he tried to process it all. I could just see his questions on his face.
"Okay. So why are you here?" Caden asked him.
Jonathan look pointedly at me so Caden followed his gaze expectantly. I suddenly felt at lost for words. This was even weirder than the stupid butterflies I felt earlier.
"I have a plan... well I'm still making it kinda and I've decided that I need him involved." I said.
"You told him your plan and not me?" he asked a bit distant.
I could tell he was hurt. "No. He doesn't know the plan. I just told you I didn't fully come up with it yet. He just knows the situation and that I need his help." I lied and weird enough I didn't feel bad about it.
"So you're saying he didn't even need to know anything except that you needed him and he just said yes?" I could tell Caden was annoyed when he raised his voice a little. "What the hell, Addy?"
I wasn't sure why this was a big deal to him. One thing's for certain: I don't like being yelled at.
"What? He's a friend. That's what friends do. Help each other out." I said annoyed now.
"Oh now you have friends? Weren't you the same one who said she didn't have any friends except the people here and Chris and Serenity?" Caden got a little louder. He pointed his finger at Jonathan who just looked on amused. "He is definitely not Chris!"
"Obviously he's not Chris! Are you saying I can't have friends now just because I may not have mentioned them to you before you met them? "You're my boyfriend not my dad." This was ridiculous. I felt like Caden was just trying to pick a fight right now. He wasn't even making sense. And I was pissed.
The noise we were causing an audience to form. The twins, Gina, Hunter, and Eva all stood by Kat either watching Jonathan curiously or Caden and I interestedly.
"I never said you couldn't have friends, Adelaide. It wouldn't matter anyway because you wouldn't listen! You never do! You always just want to take things into your own hands!" he yelled at me.
"What you even talking about? Where is this even coming from?"
"You think no one's noticed how secluded and isolated you've been acting recently? It's annoying. Stop keeping secrets and j-"
"Woah," I held up a hand to pause him which he did. I knew what this was about. "You're seriously picking a fight right now because you haven't gotten the attention you've wanted me to give you? You know I've been busy trying to think about what I am gonna do with Anne-"
Caden suddenly groaned loudly in frustration. "Would you just shut up about Anne for once? You're right, you haven't even spoken two words to me for this whole week. It's like I'm not even your boyfriend anymore."
"Don't you think that's a bit dramatic?"
"No because this keeps happening. You keep closing yourself off to everyone who wants to help you! It's like Anne is what you sleep, eat and breathe!" Caden threw up his hands angrily. I guess Jonathan thought he was about to hit me because he stepped a bit closer.I held up a hand in his direction and Caden shot him a look that could kill.
"Hey man don't you think you're blowing things up for no reason?" Jonathan tried to intervene.
"Did someone ask you for your input?" Caden spat.
I gave Caden a hard shove which brought his attention back to me. "You're suppose to care about this situation as much as I do! You're suppose to be supporting me and helping me come up with a plan to get Serenity! She is your friend too, you know."
"Yeah? Well how am I suppose to do that if my girlfriend barely talks anymore. You're obsessed! You treat Anne like she's your boyfriend rather than me!"
I've had enough of this. Nothing was making any sense. It was all so sudden and childish and all I wanted to do right now is go to my room and continue planning. I exhaled deeply and folded my arms across my chest. "You know what? I'm done with this. Think what you want. I'm going to take down Anne with or without you."
Caden stared at me hard for a moment then nodded slowly but decisively. "I guess I'm done too." With that he walked out of the house and left me and everyone else standing there.
Everything was silent. Kat cleared her throat. I was still trying to process what just happened. I'm not sure anyone knew for certain. Eva came and placed her hand on my shoulder gently.
"Did, um, did you two just break up?" she asked gently.
I frowned. "I don't know."
And it was true. I had no idea of what to make out of what just happened. It almost felt like a dream. Like Caden was going to be standing over me with his boyish grin when I opened my eyes. I looked around and saw the sympathetic yet confused looks everyone had.
"That was the weirdest and most abrupt break-up I've ever seen." Jonathan commented. I had almost forgotten his presence.
One of dad's men came and said the I was wanted by my father.
I introduced Jonathan to everyone and went to look for my father. I found him on the phone in his room, which I'd never seen before. It was huge. A king-sized bed with a deep red velvet comforter and silky white sheets finished with an array of white and red pillows. The long white drapes were pulled aside to display the beautiful sea. A large flat screen television sat on the wall right above a redwood dresser.There were pictures and colognes and expensive jewels inhabiting the dresser top. Plush chairs, two deep red ones, sat in the corner next to the doorway of the walk in closet. In front of the chairs was a redwood coffee table with expensive foreign cigars side by side.
My father smiled as he sat in a plush chair and watched me observe the room.
"Do you like the room, mia figlia?" he asked softly.
"This is a beautiful room." I picked up a picture and watched a woman I couldn't fail to recognize my first glance. She had pretty short dark hair and bright blue eyes. Her full lips were curled up in a smile. In the picture she was standing on the beach. Her beauty and contentedness were captured in the picture.
"Your mother was beautiful wasn't she? That was taken a week before she passed." Father stood behind me smiling at a distant memory. I placed the picture back down on the dresser and smiled small.
"I wish I knew her better." I spoke softly.
Dad nodded. "She loved you with everything in her, Adelaide. As do I.To part with you was one of the most hardest decisions in her life. It broke her."
"So why'd she do it?" I snapped suddenly. Thinking of my mother was always hard for me. I didn't have the most vivid memory of her so sometimes it was hard to but her face to 'Mom'. Plus I've always had this nagging feeling that she just gave me away.
"You wanted to protect you in anyway possible." he replied stroking my hair.
"But she kept Evelina. Are you saying she didn't want to protect her?"
"Of course she wanted to protect her and she did. But Addy, it almost killed her to send you away. To lose both daughters would've been too hard to bear. For both of us."
I took in what he said and hugged him. I understood that my mother made a huge sacrifice and even though I barely knew her, I would never forget her. My father hugged me back tightly and squeezed my shoulders.
"So, what did you want me for?" I smiled.
He kissed the top of my head and moved toward the closet. He came out a small box and placed it in front of me.
"This is for you. Your mother left some things in there and had forbidden me to even take a peak. I've only tested her threats once and I promise you my lesson was learned." he laughed gently. "Take it to your room and open it when you get the chance."
I nodded and took the box. Its a bit heavy for its size. I noticed my father started to look uncomfortable. I frowned. "What is it?" I asked him.
"Since the passing of your mother, I've ... dated a few women but none made me feel happy anymore. Not that anyone could compare to your mother. I knew her since I was twelve and absolutely loved her. We had Eva when we were only eighteen. We were young and in love but I knew that she would hold my heart for the rest of my life."
I smiled small. "It's beautiful, what you two had Papà. But you know you can move on. I'm sure mom would want you to be be happy again."
He laughed. "I wanted to say that I had finally found the woman who could make me happy again. I married her two years ago and I wanted to introduce you two."
"You were nervous to ask me that? Of course I'll meet her. I loved what she did with the room, I'm sure I would love her as well." I grinned. I was happy for my father. He deserved to be happy and have someone to stand by him.
"How did you know?" He chuckled suspiciously.
I got up with the box. "I'm certain you don't wear the dresses that are in your closet."
"Carla left them by accident. She's been visiting a sick relative since the summer. I'll bring her back when this Anne woman gets out of our lives. We don't need to put anyone else in danger."
"Agreed," I nodded.
I was about to leave when my dad spoke again. "I heard about what happened downstairs. How are you doing?"
Somehow it didn't surprise me that the leader of the mafia still had time to be very in touch with his daughter's private life. I rolled my eyes.
"I'm fine. Caden was just being dramatic. I'll just talk to him later or something."
Later that evening, I decided to take a small nap to fix an oncoming headache. Eva barged into my room frantic and red-eyed. I immediately jumped up fully awake.
"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked quickly.
"Everyone was downstairs just hanging out and I was looking for Luke because I'd barely seen him all day and I found this by the door." she gave me a small piece of paper with trembling hands.
I took it and groaned inwardly.
It read:
I thought the first two lessons would've been enough. I guess not. Time for your final lesson. No more games.
-Anne
Anne had kidnapped Luke.