Chain of Title (27 page)

Shayna glanced out over the
desolate expanse of Jack’s rolling backyard visible through the two-story wall
of windows.  No green in sight.  No life anywhere.  She really hated the winter
and its cold reminder of what was ahead of her.

“I imagine she and Harper
will come back when they get tired of sexing it up and running around naked on nude
beaches.”  She flicked her eyes over her shoulder.  Bingo.  Her brother was
officially mortified.  Shayna tried hard to bite back the laughter.

“I cannot believe you just
said that about your own daughter.”

“I can’t believe you don’t
remember being that age and—”

“
And
she’s your
daughter!”

“And she’s doing exactly what
she should be doing.  I’m jealous as hell, if you want to know the truth.”

Jackson’s hands flew up to
cover his ears.  “Okay, I’m officially done with you.  Don’t want to hear it. 
I have grilling to do.”

“You’re such a prude!  This
is exactly why I miss Scotty.”  She grinned with her head tilted, knowing how
much that comment would irritate him.

His eyes narrowed.  “If I
didn’t have prime rib in my hands right now, I’d squeeze you until you took
that back.”

Shayna warmed on the inside remembering
those long ago, cherished days when he use to do just that to get his way with
her.

“There will be none of that,
Jackson Montgomery,” Emily quipped as she tossed her keys in a bowl and set her
bag on a barstool.  Then she yanked off her purple beanie, stuffed it into her
coat pocket, and smoothed down the strawberry blonde fly aways.  “Our kids have
gotten enough bad ideas from you,” she said with a feigned scowl, as she zeroed
in on Shayna for a hug.  Jackson headed outside and Natalie and Jake followed
behind their mom, the youngest of the Montgomery brood.  Shrugging off their
coats, the twins smiled, waved, and then took their karate-outfitted bodies in
the direction of the door leading down to the recreation room.

“Out of those gi’s first,”
Emily ordered without ever turning back to look at them.  She had eyes in the
back of her head.  All mothers do.  “Now that Jack is outside, we can talk,”
Emily said, as she pointed the remote and turned on the TV.

It was customary for the TV
to be on at all times whenever Emily was in the room.  Shayna could hear
Anderson Cooper’s voice in the background.  No surprise there.  Her
sister-in-law was a news junkie.  Emily grabbed two bottles of water and
motioned to Shayna to join her at the kitchen table.

“I am so glad things have
gotten back to normal, Shayna.  Jack will never admit it, but he was kind of
lost without you when all that business was going on with your mother and then,”
she glanced down at the floor, “everything else that happened.”

Shayna exhaled softly. 
Everything
else that happened
had brought her to her knees and forever changed her,
leaving no one to talk to about it.  Keeping the hurt locked away and not
giving it a voice had always been second nature to her in the past.  Now, as never
before, she wished there was someone she could talk to about it, wished for a
way to be free of it.

She clasped Emily’s hand. 
“I’m glad, too, Em.  I really am.  I missed all of you.”

“You know Jack really misses
Frank.  They were close and he was always so good with the kids...” she trailed
off clearly seeing images from the past.

“Yeah, I know,” Shayna murmured,
quickly glancing out at her brother working the grill and the smoker like a pro. 
“I miss him too,” Shayna said absently.  Not in the way Emily probably thought,
but in the way you miss a long-time friend, someone who was an important part
of shaping your life, regardless of unforgivable acts or how it had ended.  And
it couldn’t have ended worse.

Emily got up, moved closer to
the television, and boosted the volume.  “Score one for the good guys,” she
said decisively, seemingly transfixed by the events playing out on the screen
in front of her.  “You’re going to love this, Shayna!”

“What?”

“I heard a blurb about this
on the radio on the way home earlier.  Somebody finally brought down Hector
Morales, and I can only hope he suffered like hell before he met his maker.”

Jumping up from her seat, Shayna
joined Emily and scanned the devastation on the screen.  It was evident that
destruction on a massive scale had taken place.  The aerial view showed an
extensive compound carved out of the dense Mexican jungle, now a smoking ember,
coughing its last breath.  Shayna’s eyes flicked to the breaking news bar
crawling along the bottom of the television announcing the death toll and no
survivors found.

“When did this happen?”
Shayna asked in a hushed tone.

Emily gave Shayna a sideways glance. 
“Probably several days ago, but it hasn’t been reported on the news until today,”
she said, shaking her head.  Shayna could barely swallow let alone speak.  Fortunately,
Emily filled the silence for her.

“If ever there was a monster,
it was him.”  She paused.  “You already know that though,” she remarked
sympathetically, touching Shayna’s arm tenderly before turning back to the mayhem
on the screen.  “He was into everything and everywhere:  drugs, weapons and
worst of all sex slavery.  
Kids
.”  Emily shuddered.  “It makes me absolutely
sick to think about what could’ve happened to Dani, what’s already happened to
so many.”  Emily wrapped her arms tightly around herself and exhaled.  “They’ve
reported some military types found among the bodies, and there’s speculation
that a special team was sent in to take out the trash.  Of course, our government
is denying any involvement,” she muttered.  “But, you know, maybe they’re
telling the truth this time.  I mean, so many people wanted that S.O.B. dead
that it’s hard telling who put the money and men together to pull something
like that off.

Conversations from the past swirled
in a dizzying loop in Shayna’s head.  “Maybe the good guys and bad guys worked
together on this one.  Maybe they wanted the same thing—for different reasons.”

Emily nodded while still
focusing on the TV.  “You just might be right, Shayna.  One thing’s for sure,
nobody is going to claim responsibility.  We’ll never know for sure who to
thank and probably wouldn’t want to if we did.  Know what I mean?” Emily said,
with a crooked glance.

Shayna didn’t answer the
rhetorical question, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.  Her eyes kept
reading the scrolling words:  no survivors.  The feed panned out again to the
dramatic aerial view of the extensive compound surrounded by the thick jungle,
the canopy buffeted by the helicopters’ downdraft.  They must’ve been living
and hiding for months in there, planning each move carefully before they
struck.

“How do they know for sure no
one survived?  Look at that!” She paused, eyes unable to look away from the
scene.  “The people who carried out that attack must’ve known what they were
doing to get through that jungle undetected.”

“I don’t know, but they seem
pretty certain.  I mean the people who did this had to know it was a virtual
suicide mission.  Only someone with a death wish would sign up for something
like that.”

Dread and suffocating heat
wrapped around Shayna, and she collapsed to her knees, planting her hands on
the floor in front of her.  She couldn’t catch her breath as reality closed in
squeezing the life out of her.

“Shayna!  Are you all
right?”  Squatting down, Emily gripped Shayna’s shoulders.  “Jack!  Jack!” she
screamed.

And then the world went
black.

One
last look.  Shayna’s eyes roamed over the open layout of her home.  The clean
lines, soft hues of gray, blue, and cream, along with the contemporary design
had been her own conceptions.  Designing the home and decorating it had been a
labor of love at the time, had kept her busy after the separation from Frank. 
Now, looking at it, she felt like it had been someone else’s idea all along. 
Somewhere, she had gotten lost along the way.

Everywhere she looked, she
saw a canvas of shadowed vignettes playing out before her, telling the stories
of her time in this place and the people who had been here with her.  Then her
focus shifted out the glass panels and across the blue titan known as Lake
Indigo.  She would miss it.  All of it.  Mt. Pleasant would no longer be her
home.

Sighing, she turned to leave,
not knowing where home would even be.  This would be her last drive to Jack’s
house.  She was leaving her car with him, giving it to him actually, and he was
taking her to the airport today.  It was time to start over—anywhere but here. 
She picked up the metal box on the kitchen counter and headed to her car.

She managed to sell the house
with most of the contents, so there hadn’t been much to put in storage or sell. 
She planned to travel light, didn’t want things or memories weighing her down
anymore.  After the scare she had given Jack and Emily months earlier, Shayna
knew something had to change.  Stress, guilt, and grief had piled down on her
like an avalanche, all those months ago, scaring the hell out of her brother
and sister-in-law.  It had all been so embarrassing:  the ambulance; waking up
in the ER; her brother looking like he would die himself if she wasn’t okay.

Shayna stopped at a
particular point along the circuitous road, looked back at her former home on
the hilltop, and then glanced over to the lush, expansive green acreage adjacent
to it.  She smiled wistfully.  Some good would finally come out of all of this,
something she could be proud of.  The Trust for Public Land would finally get
the ten-thousand acres, and Mt. Pleasant residents would have beautiful
unspoiled land to enjoy for generations to come.  She breathed a deep sigh of
relief.  All major issues with the probate of Frank’s will now handled, she
could take care of any remaining items by email and fax.

Approaching Mt. Pleasant, she
felt the all too familiar pang of melancholy, as she viewed the panorama of the
city that Frank built.  Even though they’d had disagreements about the planning
and development of the city, she knew he’d had every right to be proud.  He had
worked hard his entire life and had accomplished what he set out to do here. 
She pushed back the sting of tears and shook off the still volatile mix of
emotions where he was concerned.  Someday, she hoped she would be able to
reconcile her conflicted memories and feelings about Frank Chastain, the
choices he had made, and her part in them.

Taking a deep breath and
switching mental gears, she turned left onto Benton Avenue.  It felt like a
lifetime had passed since she had driven down this street.  She could see the
maroon patio umbrellas in the distance protecting the patrons outside from the
noonday sun.  The lunch crowd was filtering into Gaetano’s, now, moving past
the large potted plants and into that oasis that had once felt like her
salvation.  In the end, it very much had been.

It was hard even now to
glance at the familiar exterior.  The name boldly etched on the big picture
window and the day’s specials written on a chalkboard under the arched interior
entryway.  This was the first time she had mustered the courage to come here since
Sean left.  She wondered who owned it now.  Who had handled his affairs after
what happened in the jungles of Mexico.  He must’ve had procedures in place,
people to handle the transition quietly.  There hadn’t even been an obituary. 
She had rather expected that.  A man like Sean Parker, without a family and
close friends, was expendable, easily forgotten—by everyone but her.  Walking
into his restaurant had changed her life in so many ways.  Some good.  Some bad.

She shook the raw emotions
out of her head and forced herself to look ahead at the traffic and life.  Jack
wasn’t happy about her decision to live a vagabond life, but Scotty certainly
supported it.  She giggled to herself.  Of course, he would encourage it.  He
had lived his entire adult life as a wanderer.  Shayna never really understood
what exactly he did for a living.  Scotty always had the same answer whenever
anybody asked:  import export.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what that
meant.

Scotty had been visiting Mt.
Pleasant much more the past few months.  She didn’t know if it had anything to
do with her episode at Jack’s house this past winter, but whatever the reason,
she was glad to have him back in her life on a frequent basis.  He had been
coming back once a month, and would stay for a week or so each time with her.  Oh,
how she he had loved having him with her.  They would stay up to all hours
watching cornball movies and reminiscing.  He had even managed to get her to
open up about Sean—a little.  Of course, there was so much that she couldn’t say.

Danielle and Harper were
deliriously happy in that young newlywed way and living in San Diego.  Dani
loved it in California and, surprisingly, supported Shayna’s decision to leave
and travel the world.  When Scotty wasn’t in Mt. Pleasant, Shayna had been
flying out to see Dani about once a month.  The after effects of the kidnapping
seemed to be gone now, although Shayna knew that an experience like that would
never truly go away.

A few months back, Dani asked
her to bring some of Frank’s things.  Shayna smiled at the recollection.  That
was a good sign.  They had stayed up late on more than one night looking through
pictures, watching old family movies and telling stories about him.  They had both
shed plenty of tears and shared many laughs along the journey down memory lane. 
If nothing else, Frank Chastain had been a wonderful father.  Shayna would do
her best never to forget that about him.

Now she sat parked in front
of Jack’s house and glanced over at the metal box on the passenger seat.  Over
the months, Shayna had learned the healing power of forgiveness.  It didn’t
mean forgetting or condoning, she understood that now.  Forgiveness meant
releasing the anger that festers and holds you back, takes away your power and
sometimes even the people that you love.

Jack opened the front door
before she even had a chance to knock.  His eyes dropped down to what she was
holding.  “What’s that?”

“It’s for you.”  She dangled
the car keys.  “And so are these,” she said with a smile, dropping them into
his hand.

“I still think you should
sell it, squirt.”

“Sell it if you want, but
I
don’t want the money.  Put it towards my nieces and nephews educations if it
makes you feel better, okay?”

Jack smiled wistfully, and
said quietly, “You’re really doing this, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Jack.  I’m leaving Mt.
Pleasant, but I’m not leaving you.  I will always be there for you.  You know
that.”

He engulfed her in a
trademark Montgomery bear hug.  Shayna burrowed her nose into his chest and
inhaled the mesquite from the wood chips he had obviously used earlier when
grilling.  God, she would miss that.

“I’m going to miss you,
Shayna,” he said, still holding her close.

“Ditto.  I’ll check in and
email tons of pictures to you and Em.  Promise,” she said, snuggling closer.

Jack sniffed, cleared his
throat, and broke away without looking at her.  “I’ll just get your bags out of
the car,” he muttered, failing at his attempt to hide the crack in his voice.

Shayna laughed to herself as
Jack searched her car and finally realized that she wasn’t joking, she really
did have only one bag and a carry-on.  After putting the luggage in the back of
his SUV, they went into the kitchen to grab some drinks for the trip to the
airport.

“So what’s in that box?” Jack
asked, pointing with his eyes and dropping his chin.

Shayna inhaled deeply.  She
probably should have done this before today, but she had chickened out.

“It has letters in it.” 
Jack’s brows knitted together.  Shayna took another gulp of air.  “Letters from
our mother...to Dad.”

Jack grimaced.  “Like love
letters from when they were dating?”

The distaste on his face made
her want to laugh.  “No, I wish they were though.  It’s letters she wrote to
Dad—after she left us.”  Jack stood slack-jawed, wide-eyed.  “I found them when
I was in high school, Jack.  I’ve kept them all this time and never told you or
Scotty.”

“Why?  Why would you do
that?  Have you read them?”

“Yes.  That’s
why
I
didn’t tell you and Scotty.  They’re not easy to read, Jack.  And at the time...,”
Shayna paused, worrying her lip.

“And at the time what?” he
asked impatiently.

Her eyes flicked to his, and
she saw the torment brewing.  “I thought we’d all been hurt enough.  I didn’t
want you and Scotty hurt more, so I kept it to myself.  I know now that I was
wrong to do that, and I’m sorry.  I’m trying hard to let things go and not hold
on to the stuff that’s hurt me, but it’s hard, Jack.  It’s hard to let go when
it’s not what you’ve done most of your life.”

She watched him move over to
the box and smooth his big hand across the top.  “Maybe it’s best I don’t read
them.”

A ragged sigh passed Shayna’s
lips.  “It’s your choice.  It always should’ve been.”  He glanced back at her,
and his eyes were soft with understanding and appreciation.  “I wrote Abigail a
letter a few weeks back.  I told her that I’ve forgiven her for what she did to
all of us, but that I will never forget it.  And I told her that I don’t think
I’ll ever want a relationship with her, and that I was forgiving her not
because she deserves it, but because I do.”

“Shit,” Jack whispered.

“I’m leaving it up to you
whether we tell Scotty about the letters.  We were all damaged in our own ways
by her choice, but I think in some ways him even more so.”

Jack closed his eyes and
nodded.  “Yeah.”  He fisted his hand on top of the box.  “I’ll probably read
some of these and let you know whether I think we should tell him or not.”

“That’s fine with me.”

Jack held her gaze for a few
moments and then held his arms open wide, walking back to her.  He scooped her
up and nearly squeezed the life out of her.  “I love you, squirt.  You know
that, right?”

“I always have,” she
whispered with a sigh.  “But then, I know everything,” she teased and giggled
when he squeezed her tighter.

“Say it, squirt, or I keep
squeezing.”

Shayna couldn’t believe a man
his age and size was still such a kid at heart.  “I love you too,
Jackson
,”
she laughed.  “But I’m not sure my admission counts under the threat of being
squeezed to death.”

He chuckled and gave her one
last squeeze before releasing her and planting a kiss on her forehead.  She
felt like a little girl again.

“Okay then.  Let’s get you to
the airport so you can start on those adventures you’ve been yammering about.”

****

He
was a welcome sight, with his messy blond hair and crooked smile.  Since Scotty
was already in the States on business, he had flown in to Mt. Pleasant to meet
up with her.  They were going to her first destination, her first adventure,
together.  He was excited to show her the area he was living in and where he
worked.  Of course, with his track record, he wouldn’t be there more than six
months, but Shayna was playing along.  She liked seeing him happy.

“Hey, sis!” he hollered and
waved over the other passengers blocking his path and exiting the gate in front
of him.  He picked her up, giving her yet another Montgomery bear hug for the
day.

“Well, don’t you look spiffy
in that torn AC/DC shirt and flip flops,” Shayna said with a giggle and wink.

“Jesus, does anyone other
than you say
spiffy
anymore?”  He grinned broadly, eyeing her up and
down and shaking his head.  “You look great, sis.  Really.  Every time I see
you, you look a little bit happier.”  He gave her cheek a soft squeeze.  “I’m
really glad.”

“Yeah, me too.  Out with the
old and in with the new, right?  You need to give me tips on this homeless
thing, you know,” she said as they checked the flight board and headed toward
their gate.  “Not having a home base is going to take some getting used to.” 
On the other hand, she could give her brother a tip or two on settling in the
same place for a while.

He waved off her comment. 
“Don’t even worry about that right now.  We’re going to have fun, and lots of
it.  Okay?”

He seemed bubbly and
overflowing with high spirits.  She wondered why, but whatever the reason, it
was fast becoming infectious.

On the plane, sitting in
first class, they caught up on everything since their last visit, watched
movies, read and slept.  It was a long, tiring flight, but Shayna marveled and
laughed at the way her incorrigible flirt of a brother had women eating out of
the palm of his hand.  She was certain he would never settle down:  too many
women, not enough time.