Reckless Karma (Sinners & Saints #2) (31 page)

           
“Makes
sense. My wife was always very fragile. Far too fragile for anyone to not
notice, even me. But she was beautiful and I was smitten and after I married
her, I realized she was not cut out.”

           
“Cut
out for what? A husband who cheats.”

           
“I
wasn’t perfect, but I gave her everything.”

           
“You
gave a rich woman more luxury. That’s what you considered to be everything? How
about love?”

           
“I
watched my mother forgive my father for every mistress, every bastard child he
conceived, and in return he gave her security and reassurance of his devotion
to keeping their marriage intact.”

           
“We
are the product of our environment.”

           
“It
is a well said saying.”

           
“Still
not an excuse.”

           
“I
agree, but what is it you want from me? What do you want?”

           
I
pull out the picture I brought with me and place it on his desk in front of
him. He’s now staring at two of the most beautiful children the world has ever
been blessed to see.

           
“Those
are your grandchildren. Twins. Inseparable like their uncles. Eyes like their
father. Mischievous like him. Intense like the whole Mandrake and Voncliff
clan. But not monsters. No, they are not that. They won’t be because they got
me. Gabriel had me. He loved me with whatever love he had left. Whatever love
that was not badly damaged by you and his mother. He did fail me. Not by
stopping what happened to me, but by giving up. He failed because that was all
he knew. Failure runs deep in this family… but your sons that are still here.
Your sons that you pretend are as dead as Gabriel and your wife… I don’t think they
are gonna be failures when it comes to what matters most. It’s gonna be a
struggle for Hugo… but I think he’ll persevere. I think that was something
Gabriel wanted for him. I should’ve fought back that day I called and told you
I was pregnant. I should’ve told you how sick you made me feel. It’s something
when someone makes you feel less of a human and all you people did. You made me
feel less… but I now see that hating you is a waste. I feel sorry for you, Mr.
Mandrake. I just wanted you to see your grandchildren and for whatever heart
and soul you have left… I wanted to see if there was a possibility that it was
capable of feeling something. I will be letting everyone know who my children’s
father is and it will be their choice if they want to bear the Mandrake name
proud. And I hope they will.”

           
He’s
furious. Maybe even upset, but it doesn’t matter anymore. This is my closure.
It was well worth it and Juliet was right. He isn’t that tall.

JULIET

“Hey,”
I say to Hugo once we get back to the house.

           
“Hey.”
He’s sitting on his bed staring off at the chalkboard wall. The word ‘done’ is
written in big letters.

           
I
sit on the bed next to him and he grabs my hand.

           
“How
was your day?”

           
“Hard…
but well fulfilling.”

           
“You
got answers.”

           
“Yes.
How about your day?”

           
“It
was hard for Karlie. I was only an observer.”

           
He
looks at me. “How are you?”

           
“Tired.”

           
“Me
too.”

           
“Think
we can rest soon?” I ask hoping for a good answer.

           
“After
I tell the world about my uncle… yeah.”

           
“I
was hoping you would say that.”

           
His
hand comes around my neck and he leans in for a kiss. I kiss him back and
together we fall back into the comfort we seek in each other. The only comfort
I’ll ever want to know. I hold on to him as his kisses cover me and a knock on
the door ruins the comfort.

           
“Hugo!”
Cody sounds frantic so Hugo quickly stands up and tells him to enter.

           
“There’s
a cop downstairs,” he says and we follow him downstairs where two detectives
are standing in the living room with Ms. Eleanor, Anika, and Karlie. Jaz,
Poppy, Jordana, and Margaret Jacobs are standing in the hallway and they give
us nervous looks once we walk in.

           
“Hugo
Mandrake?” the female detective asks.

           
“Yes,”
he says.

           
“I’m
Detective James and this is Detective Sandro. Could we speak to you privately
for a moment?”
 
her partner, a
heavyset man with a beard, asks.

           
“I
think I’m fine with my family present,” he says calmly and he grabs my hand as
we brace ourselves for whatever Scarlett has probably done this time because we
all know it. It’s a natural feeling now when Scarlett is up to something. A
feeling that crawls into your skin and raises the anxiety up to a level
hundred.

           
“Do
you know a Chad Michelson?”
 
Detective Sandro asks.

           
“We
all do,” Ms. Eleanor says.

           
“Yes,”
Hugo answers.

           
“Were
you with him two nights ago?” Detective James asks.

           
“No.
What is this about?”

           
The
detectives glance at each other before answering.

           
“Chad
Michelson was found dead in his apartment this afternoon.”

           
Ms.
Eleanor gasps and covers her mouth with her hands and Cody puts his arm around
her shoulder.

           
Hugo
is unfazed by this and Detective Sandro takes notice.

           
“You
don’t seem shocked,” she says.

           
“Chad
and I weren’t friends, but he did have problems with drugs and we used to live
together. He always overdid it.”

           
“Yes,
well the cocaine he used was unfortunately laced with pain killers. Enough to
kill anyone who uses it.”

           
“So
you think someone did this to him intentionally?” I ask.

           
“It’s
a high possibility and Mr. Mandrake’s jacket was found at the crime scene.”

           
“So
because my jacket was found at the crime scene you think I killed Chad?” Hugo
asks.

           
“We
also questioned a dealer we traced it back to. A local one within Mr.
Michelson’s neighborhood,” Detective James has this arrogant tone once he looks
at his mini notepad. “And he claims that a young white male that looked to be
in his early twenties, brown hair, wearing ray ban aviator sunglasses
approached him and asked to buy cocaine from him. Also a witness said that they
saw you leaving Mr. Michelson’s home around that time.”

           
“He
was in London with me,” I say.

           
“We’ll
check that out, but there is still the point of the jacket.”

           
“Look,
I’m sorry you wasted your time, but I didn’t kill Chad. Chad Michelson was a
pathetic person and a rapist and I despised him. I won’t weep for him… but I’ve
always prided myself on not being an idiot. I wouldn’t ruin my life for him.”

           
“What
about Rebecca Townsend?” There’s a smug smirk on Detective James’s fat face.

           
“Those
charges were dropped,” I quickly say in frustration.

           
“Well
you people always find a way to clean up house without any notice.”

           
“I
think you should leave.” Now Ms. Eleanor is pissed and steps up to Detective
James. “Hugo is a good boy and Chad, although very dear to me, was troubled
extremely. So unless you have a warrant, I suggest you leave now.”

           
The
detectives don’t protest and before walking out the door they look at Hugo.
Targets and assumptions already incorrect yet confirmed for them in their eyes
that Hugo is guilty.

           
“We’ll
be keeping in touch,” Detective James says before closing the door behind them.

           
“What
the fuck?” Jordana says in disbelief.

           
“Is
there anything Scarlett won’t do?” Cody says.

           
“Yes,”
Hugo says it and something registers in him. “Yes… there is something she won’t
do.”

           
“So
just to be clear,” Jaz says, “this Scarlett girl killed this Chad and framed
Hugo?”

           
“That’s
about right,” Anika says.

           
“I
knew Scarlett was crazy but this… this is insane,” Margaret Jacobs says.

           
“Guys
what are we gonna do?” Poppy asks.

           
“I’m
gonna finish this,” Hugo says. “Stay here.”

HUGO

           
I
head into my room. I’m only wearing pants and a white sleeveless shirt, so I
pick up my dark blue blazer and throw it on. I grab shoes and put them on, not
caring about socks. I grab my phone and I hear the rain outside, which is very
fitting for tonight. I’m about to leave out until I remember one more thing. I
go into my walk-in closet and reach up on the top shelf. A dark brown box is
pulled down from it. When I found this, I never opened it. I never wanted to
see it. I never thought I’d need it, but to kill a beast you need a weapon.

JULIET

           
Hugo comes back down the stairs in a blazer and
shoes.

           
“Where
you going?” I ask.

           
He
grabs my hands and gazes his eyes into mine.

           
“I
need you to trust me. Do you trust me?”

           
“Yes.”

           
“This
ends tonight. I need to do this on my own. I don’t want any protests, no
annoying speeches about sticking together. This is mine. It’s inevitable and I
need you… you out of everyone to tell me that you trust me and to let me go do
this on my own.”

           
Ugh,
I hate him. I open my mouth to say every possible reason why it is a bad idea,
but instead I am fair and I do. I do trust him.

           
“Alright…
but if something bad happens tonight, something that will break my heart… I’ll
hate you forever.”

           
A
quick laugh comes out of him and he smiles. “I know.”

           
He
grabs my face and kisses me before leaving out.

           
“You
know this is a bad idea, right?” Karlie says.

           
“Maybe
he’ll surprise us. At some point the villain has to die.”

20

PATRICK

I
get the call from the doorman that Hugo Mandrake is here and I give permission
for him to come up. I roll up my sleeves and ball my fists standing in the
living room after unlocking and opening the door. I think I want to kill him
and I’m scared I will… and I hope I do.

           
He
walks in, that stoic, cold expression on his face. He is soaked from the rain
outside, his hair sticking to his forehead. Tension is building inside of me
and my heart feels as if it’s about to explode.

           
“A
bit dramatic, don’t you think?” he asks, arching his brow and I can’t wait to
beat that smug face in. He takes a step down the stairs and comes near me. “I
guess you’re going to make this hard.”

           
“You’ve
ruined everything. You destroyed my sister.”

           
“Technically
I saved her from jumping off a building.”

           
“Yeah,
she said that. Guilty over what you did to her?”

           
“Do
I even look like I’m capable of an immense amount of guilt? I feel guilty for
two people. My brother. My girlfriend. I didn’t do anything to your sister.
Scarlett’s been lying to you.”

           
“You’re
gonna pay.”

           
“Stop
the frat boy act. Scarlett is playing you. She plays everyone. She made me the
way I am. She made my brother Gabriel and she drove him to his suicide.”

           
“Do
you ever own up for your shit?”

           
“I’m
starting to, yes. Let me guess… Scarlett told you that her father molested her
when she was a kid.”

           
My
fists release and my eyes are frozen on his smirk.

           
“She
never told me, by the way, so see yourself quite special. Special as in most
enjoyable bitch boy.”

           
Bitch
and boy triggers something in me along with the acknowledgement of Scarlett’s
torturous past. Yes she did tell me. She told me because she knew I wouldn’t
treat her different and her strength only made me love her more, and for him to
disrespect it is the knife that cuts the boundary line. I charge at him and
throw a punch to his face. He falls back and hits his head on the steps. I
crouch down and grab him by the collar of his blazer. I throw in two more hard
punches before he takes a cheap shot by kneeing me in the balls. The pain
surges through my groin and I lose my breath as I fall on my side. He forces
himself up and spits the blood from his mouth and wipes it from his nose.

           
“I
semi-deserve that. Not for raping your sister, but for not doing anything to stop
her pain.”

           
I
press my hands on the floor and slowly get up. My hatred for him is what gives
me the strength to stand tall and prepare to hit him again. I step one foot
forward but come to a complete stop once I see the gun he is pointing at me. It
looks like a vintage revolver and my heart stops at the sound of it cocking.

           
“What
the hell is wrong with you?” I ask in disbelief.

           
“Desperation
has finally come back to haunt me.”

SCARLETT

I
walk in my apartment and the lights are off. Patrick told me he would be home,
so I don’t know why he’s not in here. I step into the living room and turn on
the light switch on the wall. Everything becomes clear and visible… including a
soaked and furious Hugo who is sitting in the chair near the floor lamp. I
think the green eye is bigger than the blue one.

           
“You
don’t look so good,” I say to him.

           
“You
look ravishing as always.”

           
I
smile. “So I suppose you received a not so sweet visit from someone today.”

           
“Chad’s
dead.”

           
“I
heard. It’s such a tragedy.”

           
“I
won’t shed any tears… in fact you killing him, well, you’ve done everyone a
favor.”

           
I
continue smiling and walk over to the mini bar, fixing myself a glass of
cognac.

           
“From
my understanding, Chad died of a drug overdose.”

           
“The
drugs were laced. My jacket was found right next to him. Now how do you suppose
that happened?”

           
“You
should be careful about leaving things around.”

           
“Or
maybe we should take that spare key away from your scrawny hands.”

           
“So
what? You came here to get a confession.”

           
“I
was in London when Chad was killed… I was there for Juliet when she needed me
because that is what you do when you love someone.”

           
That
remark sort of bothers me, but I still stay smiling.

           
“You
were always there for me,” I remind him.

           
“Because
you were a good fuck… and maybe I did care. It’s all blurred because of
everything now. I have your box.”

           
I
knew that, but then I realize by the look in his eyes he means the original,
and boy have I missed my box.

           
“He
left it with August.”

           
I
try not to laugh, but I can’t help it.

“Son
of a bitch… Gabriel always had a funny sense of humor.”

“I’ve
seen the videos. Every powerful man doing things that I don’t even want to
imagine could happen.”

“You
see your mother?”

“No…
Gabriel erased it. But he saw it and then killed our uncle. Then he killed
himself… but not before confronting you.”

           
“You
don’t think I killed him?”

           
“I
never thought you did. Gabriel always had the same look in his face… like our
mother. I was the one that made him promise. I was the one that asked him to make
the pact that no matter what we would all stick together and not share the same
fate as him.” Tears actually fall from his angelic eyes. “I did it because I
knew. I knew he was capable of it.” He stands up and reaches behind his back. A
revolver is pointed right at me, the same one Gabriel pointed at me years ago.

           
“Well
this is Déjà vu.” I drink up before placing the glass back and walking closer
to the gun. “So are you going to blow your brains out as well?”

           
“No,
see I’m more level headed than my brother now. I will just kill you.”

           
I
laugh a little at that.

           
“It
may seem funny, but what’s the point? I have nothing to live for.”

           
“Wrong.
You have your sweet heroine. Your brother, your house of misfits to live for.
You wouldn’t give that all up on little old me.”

           
“But
isn’t that what you wanted?!” he screams. “Huh?!”

           
“Hugo…
yelling isn’t very suitable for you.”

           
“Yeah,
well tonight is the final act.” The gun makes that annoying cocking sound. “And
I want you to tell me the truth. I want to know what happened that night
Gabriel killed himself. You’re gonna tell me or your brains will be the ones
splattered all over this floor.”

           
“Okay…
I’ve been dying to tell you a bedtime story anyway.”

GABRIEL

           
“You
did this. You made me like this!” I wave the gun around at her. Sometimes I’m
not pointing it. Just pacing back and forth like the mad man I am.

“You
made yourself like this.”

“I
killed someone because of you.”

“You
killed someone because of her. Your own mother… molested by her own brother.
She was bound to be fucked up. He ruined your family. I gave you retribution.”

“You
gave me nothing.”

“When
I met you, you yourself were one step away from offing yourself.” The words
spew out of her mouth like a waterfall. “All you did was cry and cry and whine
about your sad fucking life! You wanted your mommy back. You wanted a purpose
and I gave you purpose. I gave you fun. I fucked you. I made you mine. I
fucking gave you life.”

           
“You
really do think you’re God, huh?”

           
“Close
enough. Stop crying. Stop whining, Gabriel. You are better than this. Just
shoot me and destroy your entire life. It won’t matter. Your precious Karlie is
still damaged goods… and it’s your fault.”

           
I
nod my head.

           
“You’re
right. I’m not gonna kill you. I’m gonna do what I should’ve done a long time
ago.”

           
There
is no right of mind once I point the gun to my head. Scarlett actually looks a
bit afraid. Scared to see me go maybe.

           
“Don’t
expect me to cry for you… I cry for no one.”

           
“I
don’t expect anything from anyone anymore. I just want it all to stop.” On
second thought, forget about the head. I put the revolver in my mouth and as
she watches stone faced and unbothered… I realize I’m at peace. Because I don’t
get to see the outcome of all of this and I know that one day Scarlett will get
her day of reckoning.

           
Or
maybe that’s the shit I make up to myself so I can pull the trigger. It’s
amazing how easy it is do it.

SCARLETT

 
   
He’s quiet. His eyes wander as he takes in what
I’ve told him. The gun is still pointed at me. He lowers it and looks at me.

           
“What
did you do after he pulled the trigger?”

           
“I
watched the hole in his head glisten… and then I walked over his body and went
to the party I was attending,” I tell the truth. “I didn’t really enjoy the
party. The image of Gabriel’s death kept fucking with my high, but not out of
guilt, just out of disappointment.”

           
He
scoffs, smiling. Tears falling down his face.

           
“Your
father molested you.”

           
Finally
Hugo has cracked it. “There’s that word. I like to think that he gave me
special treatment.”

           
“It
probably was horrible for you at the beginning… but then you figured all the
nice gifts and stuff would make up for the pain and soon that pain became no
more.”

           
“Maybe
that’s true. Maybe it’s not. I can’t really tell you when it stopped bothering
me. All I know is that I loved the attention. I loved it.”

           
“Until
he started giving his attention to others.” I didn’t think he would put this
together. “You killed him. I remember when you told me how he died. He was
driving and it was snowing and he made sure your seatbelt was on. But he forgot
his wasn’t. Or maybe you reached over and unbuckled it. Either way you probably
grabbed the wheel and caused it.”

           
“Let’s
say it’s true... Maybe I was jealous of his mistress. I, a sad and depressed
girl who was damaged, only saw myself as my father’s one true love. I didn’t
want to share.”

           
“You
really are fucked up.”

           
“To
the extreme… but all this is still alleged.” I wink and shrug.

           
“Well,
at least Rebecca knows the truth now.”

           
“Truth
about what?”

           
“That
it was Chad and that you had him do it. She told me… and she will tell your
precious fiancé and his annoying mother.”

           
“I
can handle Rebecca. She’s very sick. She has an ill imagination. She probably
wasn’t even raped,” I say calmly and smoothly. I am arrogant and I have a right
to be. “So what now? You’re gonna kill me? Or kill yourself because my fiancé
will be home soon. Make a choice, Hugo.”

           
“I
have,” he says painfully. “I have made a choice. My choice is… fuck you. I have
everything that you will never have. It doesn’t matter if you want it or not,
Scarlett. I have everything that assures that I will not be alone and although
you don’t need the good… you do need the companionship. You do need the
admiration and the need for you. That’s why you created us… so you wouldn’t be
alone. You hate being alone. That is what scares you the most… to be left all
alone.”