This Game Called Life (Kingdom Book 4) (11 page)

Chapter 16

The first thing
MacKenzie did after seeing the footage was call her family. It was important to
her that her elderly parents heard the news from her rather than from anyone
else. Although they were disappointed in what she had to tell them, to their
credit they never once asked her if there was any truth to the story.

Returning to the
family room, she noticed that Jackson and his youngest son were no longer
present. Although there couldn’t be a less judgmental family, having two less
Kingdoms privy to her every reaction brought a form of relief.

“So how do I go
about getting my baby back?”

“Those are some
pretty damning allegations, and from the messages I’m receiving from my team,
they're gaining weight,” Delphine answered with a serious air.

“I don’t care
about the allegations; they can wait. I want my baby back, today!”

“You may not care
about the allegations, young lady, but they matter. Tell me, is this Carlos
character’s name on your daughter’s birth certificate?”

Immediately
catching on to what Delphine was saying, MacKenzie brightened up. “No he’s
not.”

“I was hoping
you’d say that. Hold tight, I’ll make a few calls and get back to you.”

When Delphine left
the room, MacKenzie walked over to the window and looked out. The patio and the
grounds beyond were of no interest to her. In fact, she wasn’t even consciously
thinking as she stared sightlessly at the expanse of garden that was almost in
full bloom.

“Everything’s
going to be fine, Kenzie.”

Finally pulling
her gaze away from the window, MacKenzie looked at her friend and attempted to
pull up a confident smile. Knowing she failed miserably, she hoped her words
would accomplish what her smile had not. “I know it will, Vee.”

“Why is he doing
this to you?”

Looking across the
room, MacKenzie could see that the brothers were deep in conversation, and so
decided to be completely candid with her long-time friend.

“Delphine’s kinda
right, only it’s his mother who hates me. The way she behaves around Carlos
borders on the ridiculous. It’s almost as though she wants to run his life, and
he lets her. I think she suffers from a Jocasta Complex.” At Aviva’s blank
look, MacKenzie explained. “I looked it up; it’s a medical term for a mother
who has latent sexual desire for an intelligent son when the father isn’t on
the scene.

The first time
that woman set eyes on me was the day I knew there was little to no chance that
Carlos and I were going to end up together. When we were introduced, Lorna
smiled and made all the right noises, but her eyes told the truth. The moment
he was out of earshot, she told me exactly what she thought of me and it wasn’t
complimentary. What you just heard in that interview was a diluted version of
what I went through.

To be honest, I
think I stayed around as long as I did because I knew it pissed her off.”
MacKenzie concluded with a wry smile.

“I thought I knew
Carlos. I can’t understand why he’s allowing her to behave like this. When the
truth comes out, he’s going to look like a bloody fool; not to mention what
it’s going to do to his career and credibility.”

“Vee, the man you
know is a part of his public persona. Carlos is weak, and he’s a fully-fledged
member of his hype thanks mainly to his mother.”

The sound of the
door opening brought their conversation to an abrupt end. Delphine came into
the room as though a strong wind was blowing behind her.

“You should have
your little girl back in a few hours. By all means celebrate the anticipation
of getting her back. But from the sounds of things this is only the beginning.
I don’t know what those people want more, you out of their lives or publicity.
I say we accept the first and watch how the latter unfolds. Something isn’t
right in Ernesto land. He has to return the baby but by all accounts he’s going
to fight you.”

Before MacKenzie could
question her meaning, Jake spoke for the first time in a long while.

“What do you
mean?”

“I mean, from what
I can gather Carlos’ mother does not like MacKenzie. In fact, I’m going to
stretch my neck out and say that Mrs. Ernesto hates MacKenzie.”

Chapter 17

All the
arrangements were made as to when and who should collect, Noelle. It seemed he
was banned from the pick-up, and that the Ernesto family wanted MacKenzie to
come alone.
Like that was going to happen
, Jake thought.

He didn’t know
what game Carlos and his mother were playing, and he didn’t care. He was going
with her. He had been implicated in the whole media debacle, and he intended to
be up front and personal with Carlos. He had something to say, and he would be
heard.

It still rankled
how vehemently MacKenzie had denied a relationship with him. His annoyance at
the current situation had only grown in the hours that followed.

Both his brothers,
as well as Aviva, had wanted to accompany them to the Ernesto home. Jake was
sure MacKenzie would have liked Aviva to accompany them, but it was clear for
all to see that she still hadn’t recovered from her accident. In the end, they
all agreed; Josh would go with them.

Getting out the
gate had been a farce. Newspaper vans and the paparazzi had taken up residence
outside, and Jake nearly lost his temper at the sight of them. As he drove, he
was conscious that they were being followed. He was just grateful that
MacKenzie was in the back seat and hidden behind the tinted windows of the
vehicle.

When he reached
the Ernesto home, he had to use caution to ensure he didn’t collide with the
throng of yet more reporters. Inching his way forward, he opened the window and
identified himself at the gate only to be denied immediate entrance.

Before he knew
what was happening, Josh was out of the SUV and had placed himself as a barrier
between the car and any fool that thought to take photos through the window.

Camera after
camera clicked in his face, but Josh held on to his temper for longer than Jake
thought possible. Through the crack in the window, they all heard Josh’s deep
rumble of anger. “If those people inside that house don’t hurry up and open the
gate, I’m about to make one of these idiots eat metal.”

“Josh don’t do
anything we’re all going to regret!” Jake warned.

“Oh, I won’t
regret it!”

“Joshua!”

“Calm down, Jake,
I’ve got this!” Came a good humored chuckle.

When the gates
began to open. Josh jumped back into the car, and Jake took off towards the
house.

The door was
opened by a large man who resembled Carlos Ernesto enough for Jake to recognize
Curtis. The fact that he and Josh stood beside MacKenzie didn’t seem to bother him,
and Jake wondered why. They had blatantly disregarded the instruction that
MacKenzie come alone, yet the giant showed no reaction. On closer inspection,
it was almost as though his expression was saying that, in their place, he
would have done the same.

Their party of
three was led into a lavish room that looked as though it had been snatched off
the pages of an upscale interior design magazine. Without a doubt, the room was
beautiful, and Jake couldn’t have cared less, it had no soul.

Left alone to wait
for another fifteen minutes, Jake’s rage was nearly at breaking point. Looking
over at MacKenzie, he knew she couldn’t take much more of this waiting game.

“I was wondering
how long you were going to sit there and wait on these people,” Josh said as he
joined his brother who was angrily striding towards the door.

“Jake, where are
you going?” MacKenzie asked as she jumped to her feet.

For the first time
since they had entered the Ernesto’s house, MacKenzie allowed her distress to
show. The sight of her anguish further angered him. Without breaking stride,
Jake flung his response over his shoulder. “I’m going to find them. You’ve
waited long enough!”

“Please don’t.
Let’s just get Noelle and go. After I have her back, you have my permission to
do whatever you like.” In a show of renewed spirit, MacKenzie stiffened her
spine in resolve. “Hell, you’ll probably have to stand in line behind me!”

“Did I ever tell
you that I like the way you think, Ms. MacKenzie,” Jake said with a grin.

Before she could
respond the door opened to admit Carlos and his mother. The baby was nowhere in
sight.

Forgetting her
words from moments before, MacKenzie went on the offensive. “Have you people
lost your damn minds? You have until the count of five to turn around and go
get my baby, or I’m going to get her myself. One... two... three... four...
five.”

By the completion
of her countdown, Lorna Ernesto was smiling while Carlos appeared uncertain
whether he should heed MacKenzie’s warning, or follow where his mother led.

Up to that point,
Jake had stood aside and allowed MacKenzie to deal with the appearance of
mother and son. The nod Lorna gave Carlos, and his compliance to block
MacKenzie’s path put Jake in motion. Before Carlos could make contact with
MacKenzie, Jake inserted his body between them.

“Touch her and I
will rip your arm off and beat you with it!” His look was so deadly; Carlos
took an involuntary step backwards. “Since you’ve decided not to listen to her,
you had better listen to me. I’m not about to give you five seconds; you are
going to take me to Noelle right now!”

“You do not give
orders in this house, Jacob Kingdom!” Lorna answered for her son.

Turning his whole
body, Jake dismissed Carlos. He knew who was in charge of this little power
play. “Lady, if I weren't a gentleman I would hurt you. If you had the sense
you were born with, you’d get down on your knees and thank whatever God you
believe in that I was raised by Jackson Kingdom!”

“Get out of my
house, now! Who the hell do you think you are, coming up in my place and
speaking to me like that?”

The look Jake gave
Lorna had quelled many a strong- minded man, but he had to admit the woman had
bigger balls than most of those men, her son included.

“Josh, take
MacKenzie and pull this house apart if that’s what you have to do, but don’t
return to this room without the baby.” There was no inflection is his voice,
just a quiet deliberation that attested to his seriousness.

“My pleasure,
MacKenzie, please follow me,” Josh said, on his way to the door.

Jake could hear
voices from the other side of the door, but he had complete trust in the
ability of his brother to keep MacKenzie safe. He also knew that Josh wouldn’t
return without the baby.

Knowing Josh had
the situation under control, Jake turned his attention to the two members of
the Ernesto family that were currently staring at him in shocked disbelief.
Pulling on every method of silent intimidation in his arsenal, he stared them
down. For the moment, stillness was his friend. He wanted them to squirm; he
wanted their minds to be in a place where they ran scenarios of just what he
was capable of doing.

“Whatever you
thought to accomplish with this stunt, know now, it’s not going to happen. You
have no idea what I’m capable of,” Jake directed his words at Lorna. Then he
turned to Carlos. “Whatever you’re hiding has now become my sole mission to
uncover. I’m going to do you a favor and put your mind at rest; I will find
your deepest darkest secret, and then I will expose it. Your family is going to
rue the day it thought to devise this plan.”

“What’s it to you?
That woman is nothing but a man hungry whore!” Lorna injected responding for
her seemingly stunned son.

“I’ll tell you
what it is to me; you chose to bring my name into this situation. Further, by
using the word whore in reference to MacKenzie, you just sealed your fate. I’m
going to destroy you. When I’m finished with your family, your son will be wearing
a hamburger costume singing for his supper in the hope of maintaining his
ambiguity. Before you thought to mess with me and mine, you should have studied
your enemy.” As Jake spoke, he watched them carefully, his voice level. From
the shocked looks on their faces he realized Carlos and his mother were
amateurs, therefore; he needed to discover who was pulling their strings.

The silence that
encapsulated the room didn’t faze him. In fact, he had been counting on their
moments of introspection, and it was almost as though he could see their minds
at work.
Good
, he thought, the time had come to tighten the screws, for
this he chose Carlos.

“Because I’m the
nicest member of my family, I will give you this one opportunity to tell me who
put you up to this. Refuse and what I have already said stands.”

Missing nothing,
Jake witnessed a shared glance between mother and son. He knew it had been a
long shot, but it had been worth a try. Knowing there was no more to be said,
he folded his arms and eased back against the door. Pinning a deliberately
sinister smile on his face, he didn’t say another word until he heard the
sounds of footsteps echoing in the hallway outside the room.

**********

MacKenzie had been
to the Ernesto home before and knew her way around. Having an idea of which
room they may have placed her baby in, she led the way up the stairs. At the
top, she turned left and continued.

About to open a
bedroom door, Josh gently squeezed her arm. Responding to his touch, MacKenzie
looked in the direction in which Josh nodded, and saw Curtis standing a few
feet away. Without a word, he turned and disappeared inside another room.
Instinctively knowing who was inside, MacKenzie hurried forward.

With the first
sight of her child, she felt as though the fist that had been constricting her
heart was finally giving her relief. Noelle was fast asleep, and as she
watched, a smile appeared on her daughter’s face. At the sight of the smile,
MacKenzie chose to think that her child could sense her presence.

“She’s fine, MacKenzie,”
Curtis said after she had finished inspecting the baby.

Lifting Noelle,
MacKenzie took a few moments to study Carlos’ brother. He was such a quiet and
gentle man. The sheer size and strength of him belied his true nature. Curtis
was by no means a pushover, after all he was not only Carlos’ brother he also
doubled as his bodyguard. However, he was a man of integrity, and MacKenzie
knew that was the reason he had been standing guard over her child.

“What’s going on,
Curtis?”

“We’re just trying
to protect someone we love.”

“You’re trying to
protect my daughter from me?” MacKenzie asked, sure she was missing something
buried deep within his simple reply. “I don’t understand.” MacKenzie shook her
head in confusion even as her eyes implored Curtis to clarify the cryptic
meaning of his words.

“Take the baby and
go, MacKenzie. Her bag is over there,” Curtis advised with a lack of inflection
in his tone of voice.

“We’ll fight you,”
Josh broke into the conversation, speaking directly to Curtis. “Just as your family
is closing ranks, we’ll do the same. I don’t know what’s going on, but tell
your family that the Kingdoms are going to give them the fight of their lives.
You may also want to inform them that if this media character assassination of
MacKenzie continues, we won’t stop until everything you’re trying to hide is
exposed.”

The only
indication Curtis gave to Josh’s warning was a slight movement of his head.
What it meant, MacKenzie couldn’t tell. All she knew for sure was that the
Ernesto’s were hiding something, and she had been chosen as their smokescreen.

Aware that they
would garner no information from him, MacKenzie asked Josh to retrieve the
baby’s bag. With one final look in Curtis’ direction, she made her way to the
door. Unable to stop herself from giving one last look over her shoulder, she
saw a look of sorrow on Curtis’s face that saddened her.

“Curtis...”
MacKenzie’s words trailed off; she wanted to say something that would alleviate
his look of resignation, but she didn’t have the words. “Tell me one thing; how
far are y’all prepared to take this?”

“All the way,
little sister... all the way.”

MacKenzie had
heard enough; this was only the beginning, and with the cessation of his words,
she finally understood that the Ernesto’s intended to destroy her. The only
question was why?