Forever Distraction (Distraction #3) (2 page)

“
Good morning, Gracey,” I pivoted toward the bodyguard, “Smith.” His arms fell from his chest to his sides, but no emotion was given. I heard a loud sigh indicating his annoyance and irritation. I focused back on Gracey. “Before we get started, Gracey, I want to pay off these accounts.” I handed her the paper and she scanned it over. It had Jason’s name at the top, followed by his dad’s, Jessica’s, and his oldest sister, Janie’s. I put Shannon’s name in there as well; I worked with her at the dental office. She was having a baby, and I knew what a difference having all her bills paid off would mean to her. “I wrote the addresses and phone numbers next to the names, but some addresses I didn’t know. I want everything they owe paid off right away. This will be my going away present to them. Label it for my accountant as a donation.” I went back and forth about paying off Jason’s debts, but mostly, it just felt right. It was my final ‘thank you’ to a man I would never see again. We lived in two worlds; even if I misunderstood what William said, we could never be together. She took the paper and stepped aside to make a phone call. I walked over to a table near the entrance to set my purse down, when Gracey came back in the room and began talking.

“There are some things we should go over. Are you hungry
? Should I order some food from the kitchen?” she asked, but I shook my head. My stomach actually hurt, it felt like it was filled with acid, and the feeling as if I was about to puke kept surfacing. “I would like to schedule some appointments for you today and tomorrow. I need to know if there’s anything you want me to work on, anything important you came back for.”

Again
, I shook my head no. I snuck a peek at Smith and continued over to the plain white couch he stood next to. He wasn’t a big talker, not like Gracey, so I wasn’t surprised by his silence. I sat down, still looking at him, and asked, “How’s Sara?” Sara was his oldest daughter. The way his jaw twitched made me flinch.

“She’s fine
. She has been enjoying her new iPod. She gave me the envelope, if that’s what you’re asking.” His voice was professional…too professional. He was really mad at me, his hands shifting to clasp behind his back. I gave Sara my iPod thinking Smith tagged it with a GPS. I also gave her a letter and an envelope full of money to give to her father after I was gone, because I knew he would be furious, and I learned, with
most
people money made everything better, putting a Band-Aid on the fury. That was my reasoning, but looking at Smith’s flared nostrils, I doubted my vacation money did anything but piss him off more.
What was it with alpha males, and giving them money that always fed their rage?

“I’m sorry
. I couldn’t stay,” I explained quietly.

H
e faced away from me toward the fire blazing in the fireplace. He was done with the conversation, so I turned my attention back to Gracey. She went on about times and places, but I wasn’t even listening and fell asleep in my head with my eyes still open. When I came to again, it was quiet; she was making notes in her computer.

Smith approached me
. “These are your things.”

I held out my hands and he placed my cell phone, a
Rolex, and a necklace into my palms. I took them with a begrudging, “Thank you.” Smith was a smart guy. I already knew this was his way of tracking me; he hid GPSs in all my stuff. When I ran away, I left everything behind so he couldn’t trace me. My Mercedes was serviced the day I left, and the tracking devices had been severed.

My father walked in
to the living room, his presence taking the wind out of me. I stood up to walk over to him, close enough to touch him. “Breakfast is ready; there is a place set for you.” He looked cold and detached, and my shaky legs halted directly in front of him. I expected something, but I am not sure what.

I
glanced down and forced my words out. “Bruce, of course, I will be right there.” My voice was small, my body signals already submitting to his control. I was weak, that seven-year-old, head down, no eye contact girl with no backbone taking over wherever my father was concerned. He turned from me, and his Italian loafers vanished from my vision as he exited without another word.

I
rolled my shoulders and took a deep breath. I focused my attention back on Gracey and Smith, trying to snap back into the role of the perfect daughter. My back straightened in sync with my lifted chin. I stood tall, my hands clutched in front of my body. “I guess it would be a good time for you both to eat too. I will meet you in the entry in 30 minutes.” My eyes found Gracey’s. “I will be staying at the beach house. Will you take care of that?”

She replied
affirmatively and was again busy on her computer. I didn’t look at Smith before leaving; I knew he was upset with me still, and I needed all the strength I could get in order to face the people I stayed away from for so many years. I crossed the room to the entry and put my belongings inside my purse. My hands were shaking uncontrollably as I attempted to put my watch on. My nerves battled with fear, fear of what my father had planned for me. I felt Smith studying me and pulled from his strength. He was the most powerful man I knew, and just having him on my side made me invincible. He might be mad at me, but Smith was the most loyal kind of Rottweiler. A smile crossed my face at the thought that Smith was
my
Bo.

I
inhaled some calming breaths and made my way to the dining room. Everyone was sitting at a large, rectangular table that I didn’t remember, but they had their same spots. Mirrors hung on the walls, and a large chandelier hung in the center of the table. I focused on that. I glided in just like I had done for many years before, shoulders back, chin up, small steps, and hands still clutched in front of my body. Nobody got up as I walked in; although, I was hyperaware that everyone’s eyes remained on me as I took my seat.

What
, no ‘I missed you’ greeting?
I’m sure it was an order from my father to make me feel even more like the black sheep, isolating me from the herd so he could pounce on me without interference. He sat at the head of the table wearing a dark suit with a blue tie that matched his eyes; his brown and gray hair was longer than I remembered, reaching the bottom of his dress shirt’s collar. My mother sat beside him, staring at me. Her hair was black, long, and wavy, and she had it meticulously done. Her controlled bangs were pulled into a barrette. She wore a dark blue blouse, which made her eyes look an even darker blue. She wore a half-smile, half-grimace. I watched wrinkles around her face take form around her lips.
Is it weird I know how many stairs there are and the exact number of physical steps it takes me to get from my bedroom door to the outside, but I could barely remember what these people looked like?

My oldest brother
, Luke, sat at her side and smiled at me, a smile that never reached his eyes, but fell when I didn’t smile back. He looked more like my father, with his square jaw and a cleft in his chin.

My other brother
, Brian, sat between father and me. He was a couple years older, but we looked the same age and were always mistaken for twins; there was no mistaking he was my sibling. He grabbed my hand when I sat down, and I yanked it away without a glance in his direction. I grabbed my cloth napkin and placed it over my lap. I smoothed it, creating a perfect, non-wrinkled appearance during the silence. There was never any talking while the servants came in; it was a rule. They moved around us carrying our breakfast and skillfully set one in front of each of us, never making sound.

“Thank you,” I said as mine was placed before me
, but the sight of the decorated food had my stomach turning, and I felt bile in my throat
. Why do people decorate food? It doesn’t need to be pretty; you’re just going to eat it anyway.
My mother must have noticed the look on my face.

“
They’re lox and bagels, and a rolled omelet with spinach.” Her voice was snooty. I smiled my ‘years of practicing in front of mirror’ smile. “No, thanks, Adeline, I am not hungry.” I had taken to calling my parents by their first names when I was about nine. They wanted me to act like an adult, so after a bout of punishment, I told myself two things: I needed to always be prepared to run and hide, and to pretend to be an adult. I mirrored their actions, the proper ones. I scanned around the table at my family, all of them enjoying their food, and it was just one more reason I didn’t fit in.

My mother took over the conversation
, and
I am sure that’s why everyone was here
, to support her. Her mouth was tight and she wasn’t looking at me, her attention focusing on my father. I knew what she was doing; she did it my whole life, she got him all riled up, and
I
would end up in the hot seat. It was a hobby for her, a game; she loved it when he was mad at the world. I hated it, because it was
my
ass that was beaten the shit out of, or thrown in a closet for hours, or both, but she ran the show. I settled back in my chair and planned my escape. I knew my only safe exit was to walk past him; if I went through the kitchen, it would only slow me down. I was fast, and my size made me slippery. Past him to the front door was my plan. It did dawn on me to text Smith and have him escort me out, but my phone was in my purse by the front door.

I shook my head slightly
, still looking down at my white cloth napkin, and tried to focus on her words. “So, Mark said you had Gracey call him to pay off some debts.” I raised my eyes to peer at her, going over her words in my head. Mark Richardson was the family accountant. When we graduated from high school, my grandmother left each grandchild a large sum of money to do with whatever we wanted. I hadn’t used any of that money yet. I didn’t need to. Mark was placed in charge of my finances when I was a minor, because my parents used him. She continued to talk, her voice reminding me of the sound a fork makes on a ceramic plate, causing me to clench my teeth. “Is that what you’ve been up to? Were you gone for four months playing house with an animal doctor?”

I was in shock
. She had pieced together who I was with by the names I gave Gracey, figuring out who I was with so quickly. My back straightened as I returned her glare, anger beginning to fuel me until it was the only thing inside me. I was furious over the lack of privacy, the strong hold she had on everyone who worked for her. Mark had snitched me out. I would have to fix that. I saw my father’s hand tighten around his fork; it was probably the mention of the animal doctor. I lifted my chin and squared my shoulders, remembering my role as a perfect daughter even as anger crawled up my spine. I forced myself to remain stoic, showing no reaction to the news spilling from my mother’s lips. I rubbed my hands, which were now completely sweaty, and began pulling at my cloth napkin, fighting the urge to defend myself, to throw this radish resembling a flower at her, or this sliver of an orange against one of her sterilized white walls.

“You know
, Katarina, I think it is time for you to settle down, so I told Gracey to block off some nights. Thomas has been asking about you, and I called him this morning to tell him you were ready to be pursued. After dating the animal guy, you understand pedigree now I’m sure. You need to be with someone of your same…breed.” She talked slowly, like I was stupid. Thomas was one of my responsibilities as a Covington, one I could never forget about. Since I was young, I was told he was my future. When I was old enough to understand what that meant, I rebelled against it, which only caused my father to force the issue more. Thomas Holtin’s family was very wealthy, not just rich, not just a millionaire,
wealthy
. They clarified it many times for me; apparently, there is a huge difference.

T
hey were close to my family. Dr. Holtin owned many hospitals, including the private hospital my parents worked in, as well as others. I didn’t care to know how many. Thomas and I were equally screw-ups in our parents’ eyes, defiant and unruly. So, naturally, our parents pushed us toward each other, and we hated each other as a consequence. Thomas wasn’t a bad guy; he just viewed me like I viewed him, another version of a prison. Thomas was there the night Jared attacked me. He was studying with me. Well, I was studying, and he was talking about early graduation. I hadn’t seen or talked to him since that day. He tried to reach out to me, but I denied every effort. I knew he was just checking on what he assumed was his asset, his future, but I didn’t want to think about what our parents set in motion until I absolutely had to.

I took a drink of the orange juice in the champagne glass and almost choked
; it had alcohol in it. Adeline smirked at me and I wanted to smack it off her face, but instead, I smirked back. She continued to talk. “I also scheduled a doctor’s appointment for you today to make sure you didn’t come home with anything contagious.” I felt my mouth fall open and glanced around the table at everyone engrossed in their breakfasts. I knew everyone at that table had livelier sex habits and a lot more chances of carrying something ‘contagious’ than I did, so I was livid. I let my eyes shift toward the door; I could leave, and I am sure no one would miss me.

“One more thing before you
take off.” She waved a slow hand elegantly toward the door, letting me know subtly that she saw my eyes flicker there. “I called the family, and everyone will be at Grandfather’s office. The lawyer will be there today at two for the reading of your grandfather’s will. They need everyone present, Katarina, and you made a lot of people upset and angry when you disappeared last time.”