Fatal Deception: Part I (2 page)

“Yes! What is it?” he snapped, remembering he had told his secretary he didn’t want to be disturbed except in extreme emergency.

“Sir, you have a visitor,” she humbly replied. He paused for a moment staring at the paper but not really seeing it. What part of ‘extreme emergency’ didn’t she understand?

“Miss Taylor, don’t I pay you well?” he blasted. He sensed a hesitation on the other end.

“Yes, Mr. McBain, you do!” Her voice was shaky.

“When I said I didn’t want to be disturbed–that’s exactly what I meant. I do not want to be disturbed! Get their name and make an appointment.” He relieved the button, ending the conversation.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at his door which caused his head to shoot upward. The door had swung open, and his secretary was struggling to keep someone from entering.

“Sir—” Miss Taylor started to address him with fear in her eyes.

“What the—” His eyes became fixed on the tall, dark-haired beauty who had barged into his office uninvited. Then he paused as recognition took place. “Deidra? Is that you?”

She smiled happily when he recognized her. He quickly made his way to her and they tightly embraced. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been just fine, Ben.” she replied.

Ben looked over to his secretary who seemed wary. He nodded his head and reassured her everything was all right.

“It’s okay, Miss Taylor, you can go. In fact, take a break!” He said with a smile.

Miss Taylor gave him a bewildered look. She wondered what had come over him. She let out a long sigh and left them to their reunion.

“So, to what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked returning to his seat.

She quickly began. “The magazine I work for will be doing a spread on retired sports superstars next spring. They want pictures along with an article on what their lifestyles have been since leaving sports. I’m personally taking care of all photos and interviewing–with the help of a very small crew of course.” She shifted in her seat as she relayed this to him.

“Go on,” he urged, reaching over to a small box atop of his desk, removing a cigar, and placing it in his mouth. He had given up smoking. But now and then when pressed with business, he liked to chew on one. It helped him think things through.

“Well,” she continued. “They have athletes from every venue. But they wanted to include wrestlers, since professional wrestling is very popular.”

He stared at her with blank eyes, preferring not to tip his hand. She squirmed in her seat, knowing what a hard nose he could be.

“I told them I knew you, and that two retired wrestlers who were once the greatest in the industry, were clients of yours. And that are you could probably get them on board.” She finished, and waited for him to respond.

He sat quietly, twirling the cigar in his mouth, eyes straight ahead, and pondered the idea.

“Have you been on the internet lately?” she interjected. People are still talking about these two and are quite curious as to how they are doing.”

He sat back thinking of the two brothers in question, Marc and Cain Caldwell. Their characters had been more than dominant in the promotion; there would never be another two like them.

She rose from her seat, and began to move about. She really wanted to drive home the pitch, and she knew that money was the key to get McBain’s consideration.

“Listen, Ben, if you could get them, could you imagine the magazine sales alone? It would make you a lot of money,” she pressed.

His eyes lit up at her last words. He stood to his feet, still deep in his thoughts. He raked over the idea in his mind and paced the room. It would be tricky, he thought, but there must be some way to get them to agree. He turned to look at her, then out the window. “Give me some time, Deidra. I need to think. I’ll get back to you as soon as I get their consent,” he said.

She ran over to him, and wrapped her arms about his neck. He pulled away from her. “But there is one thing you should know if I get them to do this: stay clear of their family and of questions pertaining to them. They spent years concealing them from the madness, and we don't want to start now,” he warned her.

She nodded her head in understanding. “Thank you! You are the best godfather a girl could have,” said Deidra. She kissed him on the cheek and left the office–mission accomplished.

Ben continued to peer out the window. His mind drifted to his old friend, Deidra’s father. He heard he was very ill. They hadn't spoken in some time, and he felt it was a good time to catch up with him.

Chapter 2

A woman reached the top of a small hill and paused. She placed her hands on her knees for balance, exhausted from her daily jog. She peered down below while trying to recapture her fleeting breath, and sway her racing heart from leaping from her chest. She drew in the morning air, filled her lungs with the fresh oxygen and rejuvenated her body.

She had moved into her new home several days before, and come to this spot each morning, secretly surveying the neighboring ranch below, and noting everything she could about the people who lived there.

It was ironic how things had come about. She’d had her eyes on these two properties for years, waiting for them to become available.

She knew that both properties had at one time been a complete ranch, and it was her desire to obtain both. So when she was notified one part was up for sale, she pounced on it. But she was very disheartened to learn the other wasn’t for sale, and probably never would be.

In the distance, a rumbling sound brought her out of her thoughts. Her eyes shot to the direction of the sound and observed two motorcycles speeding down the road side by side. They were neck and neck. One was noticeably larger than the other. The dust was rising like a heavy cloud behind them.

On the porch of the house they were approaching, stood a huge man leaning on one of the posts. He watched as the two closed the distance to the house.

Suddenly, and without warning, the smaller bike let out a burst of speed and left the larger one in its dust. It then came to rest in front of the man on the porch. He looked down smiling and nodded his head as the larger bike joined them. “Well, Bro, she beat you!” he proudly shouted, as the other large man turned the key and shut off the engine.

The smaller biker pulled off her helmet to reveal thick red hair, and piercing green eyes. Her skin was darker than that of her father, who was of Irish descent. It was a terrific blend of cool cream and the warm tone that came from her mother’s African-American heritage. She watched the men in amusement.

“Yep,” said the second biker, a tall, muscular man. He who wore a black and white bandana; his hair, past his shoulders, was pulled back into a braid. He dismounted, and pulled the dark glasses from his face mirroring the same piercing green eyes as the young woman’s. They met with hers proudly. “She beat me.” He took off his gloves and gave her a quick pat on the head.

“Oh, Dad! Must you do that?” she protested, snatching her head from under his hand.

“What?” he asked, looking confused, as she sneered and ran into the house. She was tall and a beautiful, and but for her eyes and hair she inherited from her father, she was the picture image of her mother.

“You have a good kid there,” his brother reminded him. He looked at him then to the doorway where she had just disappeared.

“Yeah, that she is. Her mother would’ve been proud of how she turned out.” He turned from his brother, and looked over the ranch he’d bought for the love of his life.

“It’s been seventeen years now, Marc; nearly eighteen,” said Cain. “Alondra will be off to college soon. You’ve got to start thinking about what you’re going do with your time. ‘Specially since you won’t be able to use her as an excuse for not dating. She’ll be out there seeking a life for herself. You’re gonna have to live yours.” Cain stared at his brother, studied him, and waited for a response.

But Marc said nothing. He looked at Cain, then back out at the open ranch. He could hear his brother’s footsteps fading into the house, but he didn’t turn around. He remained still. It had been a long time since the death of his beautiful wife, Clarice. She had blown into his life and out just as quickly, leaving him with a broken heart, and a newborn to attend to. Caring for Alondra may have been what helped him get through his grief.

He bent down to pick up a dry piece of grass, and fumbled with it between his fingers. He went deep into thought of what life would be like after she left for college. They had been inseparable since her birth. It would take some serious readjusting for sure. He tossed the grass in the air, and watched it struggle to the ground.

“Marc, phone call!” a feminine voice called out, interrupting his train of thought.

He turned to the house, and to the door where a kindhearted, brunette stood. It was Cain’s wife, Blair. Cain and Blair had moved in after Clarice died. Marc felt that having Blair around gave Alondra the feminine support she needed.

“Okay, thanks, Blair!” he yelled, and started toward the house. No one was aware they were being watched.

The Caldwell’s new neighbor had seen everything from her vantage point. She’d been searching for these people for years, for they had a mutual acquaintance. She’d vowed to seek them out. She would find them if it was the last thing she ever did. It was ironic that trying to buy the property gave her the information she needed. It was there all the time, right under her nose. She turned away, and jogged down the road back home with one thought in mind. She would make her introduction soon.

Chapter 3

Marc entered the house to take the phone call Blair had announced. Alondra was rushing down the stairs, and jumped from the last step onto the floor. Her hair was wrapped in a towel, evidence that she had just taken a shower and shampooed her hair.

“Girl, you know better than to come down here with your hair wet,” Blair chided. “Why do we spend money on a hair-dryer if you’re not going to use it?”

“I want it to air dry!” Alondra replied tartly, and pranced into the kitchen for a snack.

Marc smiled at the exchange very grateful for the love Blair had given his daughter. She filled in very well. He turned his attention to the phone. “Hello,” he answered.

It was Ben McBain. “The other day an offer came across my desk,” said Ben. “A well-known magazine is doing articles on retired sports figures. It’s all about their lives after retirement.”

Marc was silent.

Ben took the cue. “Well, being your agent, and always looking out for you, I thought it was a good idea for them to include professional wrestlers,” he lied.

“And?” Marc shifted from one foot to the other.

“I informed them that you and Cain were the top characters in your promotion, and that are you’re still quite popular on the net. I also told them it would boost their sales,” he said proudly, lying still about his role in the plans.

Marc would have to give it some thought. “Let me talk this over with the family, and I'll get back with you,” he replied and abruptly hung up the phone.

Cain was standing in the living room doorway listening. “What’s going on, Brother?” he asked.

Marc swirled around, half-startled. He’d just been pondering how to convince Cain to do the shoot. He exhaled sharply. “Some magazine is doing a story on retired athletes,” said Marc. He then walked past his brother and entered the living room.

Cain turned to follow, and took a seat in a chair. “What does that have to do with us?” he asked.

Suddenly, Blair joined them and took a seat on her husband’s lap. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Marc was just about to explain,” said Cain. “It’s something about a magazine article.”

Marc knew it would take some convincing to get Blair on board as well. She was just as much part of this as they were, and it was her home as well. He wasn’t sure if she’d go for it. “McBain says they want to do an article about our lives since we left wrestling,” he explained.

“Hey, that’s cool!” Alondra exclaimed as she came bounding in and sat near her dad.

“Alondra,” he sighed. “You know we’ve tried to keep you away from that world. And we’ve been very successful. No one but our close friends and colleagues even knew about you or Blair.” He looked at Blair when he said this.

Blair looked in his eyes. She always knew how important it was to him to keep them safe.

“And if we agree to this, then the secret will be out there,” Cain interjected.

Blair leaned back into him for security. All the years of being married to him, no one knew whether he was married or not, whether he had kids or not. They knew absolutely nothing about her, or of Alondra, who now stared at the ground, not fully understanding.

“Alondra,” her father said calmly. “There are a lot of crazy fans out there mixed in with some of the greatest. You just don’t know which is which until it’s too late.” He pulled her to him to clarify the intensity of the situation. She had never been to any of his shows in all the time he was active. He never wanted to take that chance. Neither did Cain.