Page 20 of Get Me (The Keatyn Chronicles 6)
"Yeah . . ."
"Don't fucking say that."
"I'm saying it, B, because it's true. Now, go find your dad and let him tell you his side of the story."
"Fine. I will. Merry Christmas, Keats."
"Merry Christmas, B."
Aiden looks at me expectantly.
"Um, I need just a minute." I put my face into my hands, take a few deep breaths, and try to process everything that just happened.
After a few minutes, Aiden sits on the bed next to me, wraps his arm around me, and kisses the side of my face.
"You okay?"
I nod.
"Wanna talk about it?"
"Not really, Aiden," I say, but then I see his eyes and remember what he said at Stockton's about his imagination. "It was B, as you heard. He was upset."
"Where are you going with him?"
"To visit his mom. He hasn't seen or heard from her since she left over ten years ago. Until today. And, to top it off, he found out that his dad has been lying about her all this time. He told B he didn't know where she was, but he just didn't want him to see her."
"Why?"
"His dad says she was mentally unstable. They got into a fight about it. He was upset."
"Why were you crying?"
"Because he started crying when I said I'd go with him."
Aiden is quiet and seems to be choosing his words carefully. "Will you be gone for long?"
"He wants . . ."
"You?"
"He wants to see how we feel. When we're together."
Aiden looks up at the ceiling, closes his eyes, and goes, "Boom."
And that sets me off.
"You're right. I'm in no position to be saying I love someone or sleeping with them when my life is such a mess. It's not fair to you. It's just, you made me feel--never mind. I have to go." I'm ready to start crying, and I'm tired of letting him see me cry. "Uh, I'll see you later," I say as I rush out the door.
"Keatyn. Wait."
I don't. I run outside, down the long drive, and to the gate. I see the guards and feel trapped.
Caged.
Like an animal in the zoo.
I have to get out of here, so I walk to the gate and open it.
"You can't leave," one of the guards says to me in French, another guard quickly repeating the same phrase in English.
I drop to my knees, bang my head against the gate, and start bawling.
A few minutes later, I hear Grandpa's voice.
"What's all this ruckus about?"
I wipe my eyes and turn to look at him.
He hands me a to-go cup.
"What's this?"
Grandpa smiles. "My special lemonade, of course."
"I need to go for a walk," I tell him.
"Then let's go," he says. "Boys, open the gate."
Surprisingly, the guards listen to Grandpa.
As we walk out onto the road, he turns back and instructs them not to follow us.
I take a deep, cleansing breath, pulling as much air into my lungs as I can before exhaling it.
"Talk," Grandpa commands.
"I'm hurting people that I love."
Grandpa studies me for a moment. "Sam told me you picked out a resting place."
"I thought our dealings were supposed to be privileged."
"They are," he laughs. "From everyone but me."
"So you know everything I put in my will?"
"Yes. You're a smart and caring young woman. I'm very proud of how you've changed. You're not the same girl you were when you visited me last summer."
"Having your life in danger makes the things that should be important more clear."
"Like what?"
"Love, mostly."
He nods, agreeing. "In the grand scheme of life, that's all that really matters. The people who you love."
"I need a plan, Grandpa. Mine is a mess. And, between filming and the wedding, I haven't had time to think about what's next."
"Then start with what's first. What will you do when you take over the company? How will you handle it?"
"Mostly, I want Vincent to know it was me. I want to personally fire him. I want to tell him I'll be remaking A Day at the Lake. Then I want him escorted out of his building."
"So do it."
"Do you think it will actually happen?"
"Do you doubt your Grandpa?"
I smile. "No."
"I won't let you confront him in person. But if you want to see him, I'll agree to a video conference."
"Put me on a big screen, huh? Hell, that's even better. Honestly, if I really wanted to piss him off, I'd wear Mom's bikini from the movie and scream."
"That's brutal," he says, slapping me on the back. "I love it. Then what will you do?"
"The movie is cast except for three characters. I'm going to do a press release. And then I'm going to cast the parts. I'll go back to New York City. I'll go to Malibu. Be seen around."
Grandpa shakes his head.
"It will be okay. We'll have Mom's publicist set it all up. He'll only see pictures of where I was last night, not where I am now."
"I had a chat with Garrett. He thinks pushing Vincent is a bad idea."
"I think it's a bad idea too, but it's my only option."
"Your Cooper is very loyal to you, isn't he?"
"Yes. He's become more than a bodyguard to me. He's more like a friend. His sister was killed by a stalker."
"No wonder he's on your side."
"If something doesn't happen quickly, I may have to deal with Vincent face-to-face."
"Hotshot, there's bravery and there's stupidity. It's a fine line."
"I hope to be on the smart side of stupid."
Grandpa breaks out laughing. "Now tell me the real reason why you were crying."
"It's Aiden."
"You love him. It's pretty obvious."
"I do, but I shouldn't."
"Why not?"
"Because he makes my life feel like a fairy tale when it's not. I'm setting us both up for heartbreak. I told him I loved him. I shouldn't have."
"Did you mean it?"
"With everything I am."
Grandpa's face changes.
"What?" I ask.
"Grandma had a bit of a scare this week."
"What kind of scare?"
"A man followed her from the grocery store and tried to run her off the road."
"What did she do?!"
"Your grandmother is one smart cookie. She turned onto one of the dirt roads that lead through the fields. He didn't follow her."
"Do you know why?"
"We put the hostile takeover together fast. The ownership of one of the shell corporations wasn't as tight as it should have been. My name was on it. Since our last names are the same, it probably didn't take Vincent long to figure out who's behind the takeover. This trip came at a good time."
"Stay here. Until this is over."
"Your grandmother is."
"You too, Grandpa. You can help from here."
"I can handle myself."
"I know you can, but you're not getting any younger."
"Cunning beats youth any day."
"Except in a fight."
"We're in a fight right now. This takeover is part of the beat down. You want Vincent humiliated. You want him too hurt to fight back. The only problem is that when a man has nothing to lose, he becomes desperate."
"That's exactly what I want. For him to be so desperate he won't be able to think or plan. Up until now--following people, breaking into rehab, maybe even the killings--were probably jobs he paid someone to do. I need him so beat down that he won't be able to think straight. I want him so mad he'll do things himself. I want him to feel trapped. Caged. To feel like everything he loves is lost. I want him to feel like I do."
"Cooper told Garrett he's afraid you're going to let yourself get kidnapped."
"There's really no other way. And, once we take over the company, it's got to happen quickly. Because
no one I love will be safe. It would also make me feel better if you were here. Those highly-trained guards of Garrett's just let target number one walk out the front door simply because you have an authoritative voice. Vincent is a good actor and a good liar. I'd feel better with you here."
"Good point," he says with a nod. "If I agree to stay, will you agree to discuss your plans with me first?"
I consider lying to him, but I can't. "I'll try to. I value your opinion, Grandpa."
"That's good enough for me," he says as a black car pulls up next to us. "Looks like our walk is over."
Garrett gets out of the car and motions for us to get in.
On the short ride back to the house, he starts to chew me out, but Grandpa quickly intervenes.
"You should be chewing out your boys at the gate. They're the ones who let me walk out with her."
"You're a guest," Garrett counters.
"Shouldn't matter. It's a weakness."
