Beyond Chance (4 page)

The two men bobbed and weaved as they worked
around the ring. Maxwell swung a jab and my brother ducked out of
the way. Another swing from Maxwell missed my brother, but Ayden
still didn’t throw a punch. Lily was on her tippy toes even though
there was no crowd in front of her. Her hands were clasped tightly
as she stared intently at the ring. No matter what she said,
watching Ayden made her as nervous as me. I turned my attention
back to the fight just as Ayden landed a punch on Maxwell’s cheek.
The skin split open as Maxwell attempted to shake off my brother’s
punch. Maxwell ducked and landed a punch on my brother’s ribs. Lily
let out a gasp, but Ayden barely flinched from the contact. The
ding of the bell signaled the end of the round, and I let out the
breath I didn’t even know I’d been holding in.

Ayden walked to the corner of the ring and
Mason spoke to him as he wiped off sweat. I think Ayden was
surprised that Maxwell managed to slip some contact in there. From
what I’d heard and seen, my brother dodged the punches ninety-nine
percent of the time. The next round began, and my brother’s gaze
penetrated straight through Maxwell as he effortlessly landed a
punch into Maxwell’s side. Spit flew out of the fighter’s mouth,
taking him off guard just enough for my brother to get in there
again. Strategy was as much a part of winning as brute force, and
my brother had both down pat.

I watched my brother’s arm become the weapon
of a victor as he looped over the shoulder of Maxwell. My brother’s
fist landed an overhead right punch into Maxwell’s jaw, producing a
spray of spit as his opponent’s mouth dropped open; his entire head
turning as his body flew to the ground. The look of triumph crept
onto my brother’s face as the match was called in his favor. It
didn’t take long for the crowd to go nuts as we all quickly exited.
Mason led Ayden back up the stairs with Lily right behind, while
the rest of us went to the parking lot.

Whether a person was into these fights or
not, it was impossible not to get caught up in the whole excitement
of everything. The exhilaration could be felt zapping through the
air as spectators triumphed with their pick. My brother had
obviously been the favorite.

“Wanna just meet at the place up the
street?” Gabby asked.

“Sounds good to me.” I climbed in my car and
turned on the overhead light to look at the envelope once again.
There were so many things about it that bothered me. I didn’t even
know what to be most concerned about: the fact that it had gotten
through the prison screeners, or the possibility that it had never
been mailed from behind the bars in the first place. Not to mention
the content of the letter. How did he know I was going to Paris? I
shoved the envelope into my purse and turned off the overhead
light. I spotted Lily, Ayden and Mason leaving the building and
waited for them to pile into their cars. The trepidation flowing
through my veins was exactly what I’d been running from ever since
the accident. I’d done a really good job of hiding it from
everyone, including myself, and now with this six-word sentence, my
bubble was threatened, and my fear was that escaping clear across
the globe wasn’t enough.

Pulling behind Mason’s car, I followed him
in a trance of uncertainty to the place we were all meeting. It
felt like I was on autopilot as I pulled into the lot and parked. I
watched them all pile into the bar and gave myself a few extra
minutes. I needed to calm myself down. I felt so alone without
Aaron here. He’d been the one who helped me cope this entire time.
It wasn’t until he was gone that I realized how much support he’d
lent over the last few months. I drew in a deep breath and glanced
around the lot. Even though it was almost nine o’clock in the
evening, the sun still hadn’t set, which made me feel marginally
safer. I swung open the door and made my way inside the bar.

Lily and Ayden were already huddled in a
large booth in the far corner. Gabby and Jason were still standing
at the edge of the booth gabbing, and I scoped the place for Mason,
spotting him at the bar ordering a round of victory shots. I made
my way toward my friends and brother and felt immensely better. No
more being alone with my thoughts.

“Was that intense or what?” Lily said,
shaking her head. “He’s certainly got that skill down.” She looked
up at Ayden admiringly, and he flashed a grin. There was nothing
more satisfying than seeing Lily with Ayden. They were meant to be.
There was no denying it.

I laughed and slid into the booth next to
Lily. Gabby and Jason slid in across the table and I nodded. “He
certainly does know how to get the job done.”

“Now spill the beans, knucklehead. What are
you hiding?” Ayden said, and Lily pressed her body to the back of
the booth, looking somewhat like a robot, so that Ayden’s gaze
landed on mine.

I let out a sigh. “Mason already blabbed?” I
asked.

“He didn’t have to,” Ayden said. “I could
tell the moment I saw you. And by the way, I didn’t buy your
story.”

“I didn’t know I was that transparent.”

Gabby chuckled and shook her head.
“Seriously? We can read what’s on your face before you ever open
that mouth of yours.”

I shot her a dirty look and grinned.

“I knew you were crushing on my brother from
the beginning,” she teased.

“You did not.”

She flashed a wicked grin, and I couldn’t
help but laugh. I was so lucky to have such an amazing group of
friends.

Mason walked over with a tray full of shots
and placed them on the table. He snatched a chair from an empty
table and spun it around, placing it at the head of the table, and
took a seat.

“To victory,” Mason said, as we all reached
for a shot.

“To victory,” we all sang back and slammed
the shot.

The sourness trickled down my throat, and my
lips puckered as I shook my head in protest. “No more of whatever
that was.”

I saw Ayden slam another shot and noticed
Lily beaming as he chugged on her behalf.

Curious.

“Let’s have it. What’s going on?” Mason
asked, as a round of waters arrived.

“Well, I picked up the mail today and didn’t
bother looking at it until right before the fight.” I opened my
purse and dug out the grey envelope. “This came to me. It looks
like it’s from Derek, but he’s still behind bars awaiting the
trial.”

I flipped the envelope around and looked at
the postmark.

“So it got through the screening at the
prison?” Gabby asked.

I shook my head.

“The zip code doesn’t match where he’s at,”
I sighed.

“Maybe they take all the mail to a different
sorting facility,” Ayden replied.

“I hope so. The alternative isn’t a pleasant
thought.” My body shuddered at the idea of another person connected
with Derek on the outside. It was something that had occurred to me
off and on, but I refused to go there.

“What was inside?” Mason asked.

I let out a deep breath and pressed my lips
together before speaking. It was like I was buying myself a few
more seconds of peace before my brothers came unglued. “Have a nice
time in Paris.”

Lily gasped, and Gabby bumped her water
glass, but Jason caught it before much liquid was spilled onto the
table.

“How is that possible?” Ayden asked. His
hands were fisted, and his body was completely tense as the
information soaked into us all.

“I’ve been racking my brain and can’t figure
it out. I mean, it isn’t a secret that Aaron’s sculptures will be
appearing in Paris, but I’d imagine it’s only a select few who know
about it. It’s hard to believe that someone in prison would be
running in the same circles.”

“I don’t like this one bit,” Lily said,
shaking her head. “Not one bit.”

“I don’t either, but I’m headed out of town,
and hopefully this whole thing will blow over. I honestly don’t
have time for it.”

“It’s too late for that,” Mason said. “You
have to make time for it. You need to let the authorities know, and
you need to let Aaron in on everything.”

“It’s not like I have to worry about this in
Paris,” I said, knowing that wasn’t the case, but it made me feel
better.

“You can’t count on that,” Ayden said. He
cleared his throat and brought in a deep breath. “You really can’t.
I’d like to believe it’s only Derek, but this has me worried. We
need to let mom know about it.”

I nodded, knowing he was right. Speaking
with detectives wasn’t how I wanted to spend my last night in
Seattle, but it was the right thing to do.

“Well, I was hoping you guys would hand it
over to the police for me, but I’m guessing…” I smiled.

Mason already had his cell in his hand. “Not
gonna happen.”

“Lily and I will stay with you tonight,”
Ayden replied. “We can take you to the airport tomorrow so Gabby
doesn’t have to run back and forth.”

“I don’t mind,” Gabby said. Her voice was
tipping on the verge of panic and my chest sank. This wasn’t how
I’d envisioned my bon voyage party.

“Nah. We got it,” Lily said.

Gabby nodded and smiled, but the sadness in
her eyes told me everything. She was as disturbed as I was about
this development.

Mason was already on the phone with mom, and
before I had a chance to take a breath, he shoved his phone in
front of me. I twisted my lips in frustration and took the
phone.

“Hey, mom.”

“Honey, what’s going on?”

“I got a letter in the mail that read
have a nice time in Paris
. I’m assuming it’s from Derek, but
I don’t have time to deal with this. I’m leaving for Paris in the
morning.” Fear had now been replaced with anger, and my mom seemed
to be feeling the same emotion. “But I know someone needs to see
it.”

“That creep will never see the light of
day,” my mother replied. “Listen, I’ll call the prosecuting
attorney and explain the situation. I’ll call you back in a few
minutes. My guess is that you’ll have to meet with him and a
detective tonight.”

“That’s fine. Just as long as I make my
flight tomorrow, I’ll meet with them whenever.”

“Good. And Brandy put your brother back on
the phone. I don’t want you alone.”

“Ayden already called dibs on spending the
night,” I half-chuckled.

“Great, but put Mason on.”

“Okay. Love you, mom.”

“Love you too. We’ll get this taken care of,
and you’ll be able to enjoy the rest of your summer.”

I knew there was more than she was telling
me, but I honestly didn’t care to know. I’d never been one to hide
in the shadows or not deal with reality, but this one time, I was
willing to bury my head in the sand until I arrived in Paris. I
needed to feel safe and a faraway location was my only salvation at
the moment.

“Thanks.”

I handed the phone back to my brother and a
chill crawled up my spine. I looked around the bar, but it didn’t
look as if anyone was paying attention to us. I definitely needed
to leave the states. The paranoia was already settling in. The bar
in the middle of the floor had several couples sitting at it, along
with a few singles, but everyone looked completely content either
watching the flat screen televisions or chatting it up with the
bartenders.

“You doing okay?” Lily whispered.

I shook my head. “No. Not this time. I don’t
think I am.”

My phone buzzed and a tingle of delight
pulsed through me at the thought of this new chapter in my life. I
glanced down at my cell as the endless texts from Aaron flooded my
screen from the flight over. The plane had just landed in Paris,
and we were allowed to turn on our devices. Aaron had surprised me
with a first class upgrade and the extra room was sensational. I
pulled my bag out from under the seat in front of me, careful not
to elbow the guy next to me. He’d been a perfect row companion for
this flight. He didn’t speak English so I didn’t feel any sort of
obligation for small chat.

I’d managed to meet with the authorities
before I’d left Seattle, and they assured me they’d get to the
bottom of things, but what made me feel the most at ease was
walking through the terminal and onto this plane. Poor Aaron only
got snippets of what was going on before I got on my flight, and my
hunch was that my brothers and Gabby managed to worry him the rest
of the time as I was blissfully unaware at thirty-five thousand
feet.

But now, none of it mattered.

I was in Paris!

Paris!

The door of the plane opened, and everyone
crowded into the aisle. Passengers lifted their bags out of the
overhead bins, plopping them on the floor, and quickly rolled them
down the aisle out to freedom. My heart literally sped up at the
thought of getting to see Aaron. It had been far too long. The man
next to me rolled his bag away as I hoisted my weekender bag onto
his empty seat. I managed to pull my heavy carryon out of the
overhead bin, and it landed with a thud behind me. I quickly
brought up the handles and snatched up my other bag, hoisting it
over my shoulder, as I wheeled myself out of the plane and onto the
jet bridge.