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Sequel: We Come Out At Night 4 ›
We Come Out At Night 3
Chapter 6
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Shadows
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Wonders never cease. When I got back up to the penthouse, Izzy was already sleeping. It was going to be a long sleepless night for me. After getting undressed, I got into bed and lay down beside Izzy. The same question played over and over in my head.
How could Izzy keep something like this from me? Kristina knew, so why was it news to me? As I lay there looking at the minutes pass on the clock, I thought about Izzy and when she first came here trying to find any way that I could have missed it.
The night that The Rev and Christ brought her to me because she stole my car, it was a mystery to me who she was. The days that followed still gave me no inclination of the secret that she has been keeping from me. How could this fucking be? How could I be so fucking stupid?
The last time I looked at the clock it said 4am. Izzy whimpered in her sleep and moved closer to me resting her head on my chest before falling right back to sleep. On impulse, I rested my hand on her bare back and started to rub it softly.
On purpose, I refused to let her into my life because of what Kiera did to me and now here I am wondering it was happening all over again right under my nose as it had done before. I let myself love again after Kiera and I swore I wouldn’t and now I have the worst feeling that The Rev was right. Maybe Izzy really is bad news.
Every time I tried to push it from my thoughts and close my eyes, I pictured Kristina sitting in front of me saying the words that knocked the wind out of me.
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Flashback
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Kristina looked up at me when I stepped into the office and closed the door. Her eyes seemed swollen, puffy even. I sat down and managed to remain calm and composed even though she did slap me two days ago.
“I see that you’re busy, but we have to talk.”
She sat back in her chair and didn’t say anything. I guess she knew what I wanted to talk to her about. “There are some things that need to be explained so that we’re all on the same page here. This place as you know belongs to me and Gates. Now, I know you know that we sometimes conduct other kinds of business here, but what you don’t know is that you being with Gates doesn’t entitle you to get involved in it.”
She lowered her eyes to her lap and didn’t say anything. “Kristina, you have to understand that this is dangerous and by you going to the cops, you are putting Marisol in more danger then she was in to begin with. I don’t owe you an explanation as to why I am keeping her at the mansion and I am not going to give you one either, but I will tell you this, she’s better off there. I am not asking you, I am telling you to stay out of this, because you will regret it if you don’t. Are we clear?”
She nodded, but still said nothing as she sipped her coffee. After setting the cup down she diverted her eyes to the desk. I expected her to put up some sort of a fight after that little display two days ago. “Kristina, look at me.”
When her eyes did meet mine, I saw the pain behind them and assumed it had been because of Gates. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, I’m fine.” The smile she gave me couldn’t have been more fake.
I sat back in my chair and folded my arms across my chest. “I’m not leaving until you tell me the truth.”
She sighed and turned her face away from me. “It’s my daughters birthday.”
“I didn’t know you had a daughter.”
“She’s deceased.” Now, that I didn’t expect.
“I’m sorry, I had no idea.”
She wiped a tear from her cheek with her hand and shook her head. “It’s fine, forget it.”
“How did she die?”
I waited as she drank from her coffee cup and set it back down on the desk. She was calm as she spoke, but it was easy to tell she could lose it at any minute. “I was 15 and got pregnant the first time I had sex. My parents threw me out and I had no medical care throughout my pregnancy, not to mention the fact that I was hardly able to take care of myself. Olivia was still born.”
I leaned forward and grabbed her hand and rubbed the top with my thumb. “What about her father? Couldn’t he have helped?”
She nodded. “Sure, he could have. He’s as rich as they get, but he wanted no part of a baby.”
That pissed me off. What kind of a man doesn’t own up to his obligations? “You want me to break his legs?”
She laughed sarcastically. “Sure, go for it.”
“Ok, just tell me where I can find this lucky bastard and it’s done!” I was joking when I responded, but what she said next fucking shocked me.
“You can probably find him somewhere in The Maker’s Marc right about now.”
“Marco?” No way. Izzy said Marco had two daughters and she only met one. Oh holy fuck. “Does Gates know?”
“No.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Kristina, you have to tell him.”
When she looked at me I really felt sorry for her. “I can’t and you can’t either.”
“Look, I know Gates and he isn’t going to be mad about this. It’s in the past, but he will be pissed if you keep it from him.”
She leaned forward and spoke with a shaky voice. “Really? Could you just picture the conversation over diner? Hey Bri, I slept with Marco and had his baby, could you pass the mashed potatoes?”
“If you love him even the slightest bit, you have to tell him. Even if he gets mad, it will pass. This is not something that is so bad he can’t get past it.”
She shook her head and when she looked at me again she looked as if she were going to cry. “Oh really? How long did it take for you to get past it when Izzy told you she was married to Marco? I’m sure you held it against her, just like Brian will hold this against me.”
“Wait…WHAT?”
Kristina looked at me and her eyes grew wider with every second. She covered her mouth with her hand. “You didn’t know did you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I didn’t.
“Oh my God. I …I ..I don’t know what to say. I thought you knew.”
I felt like I was going to throw up. She married him and here I thought that everything we had was real. When I stood from the chair I looked at Kristina one last time. “This conversation never happened. Got it?”
When she nodded, I left the office and went back to the penthouse. How the fuck could I not have known? I saw her driver’s license, it didn’t say Montes, it said Falco. The joke is on me……Again.
Shadows
--------------
Wonders never cease. When I got back up to the penthouse, Izzy was already sleeping. It was going to be a long sleepless night for me. After getting undressed, I got into bed and lay down beside Izzy. The same question played over and over in my head.
How could Izzy keep something like this from me? Kristina knew, so why was it news to me? As I lay there looking at the minutes pass on the clock, I thought about Izzy and when she first came here trying to find any way that I could have missed it.
The night that The Rev and Christ brought her to me because she stole my car, it was a mystery to me who she was. The days that followed still gave me no inclination of the secret that she has been keeping from me. How could this fucking be? How could I be so fucking stupid?
The last time I looked at the clock it said 4am. Izzy whimpered in her sleep and moved closer to me resting her head on my chest before falling right back to sleep. On impulse, I rested my hand on her bare back and started to rub it softly.
On purpose, I refused to let her into my life because of what Kiera did to me and now here I am wondering it was happening all over again right under my nose as it had done before. I let myself love again after Kiera and I swore I wouldn’t and now I have the worst feeling that The Rev was right. Maybe Izzy really is bad news.
Every time I tried to push it from my thoughts and close my eyes, I pictured Kristina sitting in front of me saying the words that knocked the wind out of me.
-------------
Flashback
-------------
Kristina looked up at me when I stepped into the office and closed the door. Her eyes seemed swollen, puffy even. I sat down and managed to remain calm and composed even though she did slap me two days ago.
“I see that you’re busy, but we have to talk.”
She sat back in her chair and didn’t say anything. I guess she knew what I wanted to talk to her about. “There are some things that need to be explained so that we’re all on the same page here. This place as you know belongs to me and Gates. Now, I know you know that we sometimes conduct other kinds of business here, but what you don’t know is that you being with Gates doesn’t entitle you to get involved in it.”
She lowered her eyes to her lap and didn’t say anything. “Kristina, you have to understand that this is dangerous and by you going to the cops, you are putting Marisol in more danger then she was in to begin with. I don’t owe you an explanation as to why I am keeping her at the mansion and I am not going to give you one either, but I will tell you this, she’s better off there. I am not asking you, I am telling you to stay out of this, because you will regret it if you don’t. Are we clear?”
She nodded, but still said nothing as she sipped her coffee. After setting the cup down she diverted her eyes to the desk. I expected her to put up some sort of a fight after that little display two days ago. “Kristina, look at me.”
When her eyes did meet mine, I saw the pain behind them and assumed it had been because of Gates. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, I’m fine.” The smile she gave me couldn’t have been more fake.
I sat back in my chair and folded my arms across my chest. “I’m not leaving until you tell me the truth.”
She sighed and turned her face away from me. “It’s my daughters birthday.”
“I didn’t know you had a daughter.”
“She’s deceased.” Now, that I didn’t expect.
“I’m sorry, I had no idea.”
She wiped a tear from her cheek with her hand and shook her head. “It’s fine, forget it.”
“How did she die?”
I waited as she drank from her coffee cup and set it back down on the desk. She was calm as she spoke, but it was easy to tell she could lose it at any minute. “I was 15 and got pregnant the first time I had sex. My parents threw me out and I had no medical care throughout my pregnancy, not to mention the fact that I was hardly able to take care of myself. Olivia was still born.”
I leaned forward and grabbed her hand and rubbed the top with my thumb. “What about her father? Couldn’t he have helped?”
She nodded. “Sure, he could have. He’s as rich as they get, but he wanted no part of a baby.”
That pissed me off. What kind of a man doesn’t own up to his obligations? “You want me to break his legs?”
She laughed sarcastically. “Sure, go for it.”
“Ok, just tell me where I can find this lucky bastard and it’s done!” I was joking when I responded, but what she said next fucking shocked me.
“You can probably find him somewhere in The Maker’s Marc right about now.”
“Marco?” No way. Izzy said Marco had two daughters and she only met one. Oh holy fuck. “Does Gates know?”
“No.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Kristina, you have to tell him.”
When she looked at me I really felt sorry for her. “I can’t and you can’t either.”
“Look, I know Gates and he isn’t going to be mad about this. It’s in the past, but he will be pissed if you keep it from him.”
She leaned forward and spoke with a shaky voice. “Really? Could you just picture the conversation over diner? Hey Bri, I slept with Marco and had his baby, could you pass the mashed potatoes?”
“If you love him even the slightest bit, you have to tell him. Even if he gets mad, it will pass. This is not something that is so bad he can’t get past it.”
She shook her head and when she looked at me again she looked as if she were going to cry. “Oh really? How long did it take for you to get past it when Izzy told you she was married to Marco? I’m sure you held it against her, just like Brian will hold this against me.”
“Wait…WHAT?”
Kristina looked at me and her eyes grew wider with every second. She covered her mouth with her hand. “You didn’t know did you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I didn’t.
“Oh my God. I …I ..I don’t know what to say. I thought you knew.”
I felt like I was going to throw up. She married him and here I thought that everything we had was real. When I stood from the chair I looked at Kristina one last time. “This conversation never happened. Got it?”
When she nodded, I left the office and went back to the penthouse. How the fuck could I not have known? I saw her driver’s license, it didn’t say Montes, it said Falco. The joke is on me……Again.
♠ ♠ ♠
P.S. Izzy hocked her wedding ring in the first chapter of the first book and no one caught on.ok ok...i'm a wee bit evil... :)