Forgotten Promise (Forgotten Series Book 2) (22 page)

The saddest day ever, I’ve cried a
thousand tears, and the pain won’t go away. I told her, I told her, but she
wouldn’t listen. My greatest fear, my worst nightmare just came true. My heart
is broken and my eyes blazing with hatred. Two distinct feelings that have
brought me to my knees, then add guilt to the mix—that’s a toxic combination.
I’m surprised I’m still functioning.

I hate him, I hate him, I hate
him…I don’t care if he’s my father, he can rot in hell for all I care. I’ll do
whatever it takes to help put him away forever. I still can’t believe she’s
gone, killed by her husband’s own hands. How horrific is that?

I regret not protecting her enough,
I didn’t even have a life insurance policy on her to bury her. David didn’t
blink an eye, shelling out a couple thousand dollars for the service, he said
she deserved the best. God I love him. I want Bryer to marry a man like David,
and I’ll insure she stays away from anyone like my father.

I asked David if we could put a
provision in the life insurance that if anything happens to me, she’s the only
beneficiary, but will only receive the benefits if she’s over twenty-five and
married. I know that sounds cruel making her wait, but she’ll benefit from
being older before she makes a commitment that will affect the rest of her
life.

Mary

My God, my poor
grandmother I never knew any of this story, my mother never told me, but I
understand why. All those years of instilling a certain code of morals, her
vision for me, it all came to life from the horrific lessons she experienced.
It all makes sense now. All but one thing. What life insurance?

~Nathan~

Clayton’s still
hangin’ at my house. I’m not sure why, I’m assuming something has happened. I
guess I’m going to have to fucking ask him about it. But I’ve been completely
distracted by my wife being out of town and we keep missing each other, I
haven’t spoken to her once since she left, granted it’s been two days, but
that’s long for us, for me.

I cautiously approach
the lump on my couch whose eyes are glued to Jon and Kate plus eight.

“I thought that was
canceled?” Pointing at the TV, still slightly worried over his choice of
programing.

“You’re right, these
are reruns, the happy days.”

Taking the remote
from his hand, I turn off the TV and sit back, mimicking his legs propped up on
my Italian handmade coffee table.

“What happened?” I
ask.

“Sometimes the person
you fall in love with isn’t ready to catch you.” He spills willingly.

“Well, you’re not
quite oozing masculinity, but let’s start there. I’m assuming Gen is the star of
this show,” I ask, knowing the answer.

“It was just a joke,
man.” Shaking his head back and forth. “I didn’t know she was serious.”

“Let’s hear it, pal.”
Mustering up the patience I‘ll need for the upcoming exchange.

“I told her I’d
rather take a bullet than pick up her tampons. She called me a mother-fucka’
and an insensitive ass.”

“Well, your timing
was perfect, I’m sure her hormones didn’t play a role in this, stupid man.”

“I kicked myself for
not just doing it, but the words pussy-whipped kept jumping out at me.”

“Clayton, my brother,
listen. This conversation will be used for training purposes only.” We both
smirk, knowing where this is going. “This is well customized for you.” I add.
“Always be sincere, even if you don’t mean it.”

He nods in understanding.

“Just smile when you
don’t know what the hell’s going on.”

He laughs.

I know I’m pulling
him out of it. “Her best friend could be battery operated, so you’re not needed
as much as you think.” I watch his head fly back in laughter. “You do realize
there is a slice of truth to all of these, don’t you, Clayton?”

“Fuck yes, that’s
what’s so funny. The hardest part in a relationship is when it’s not your turn
to talk,” he says.

“Never marry a woman
who was the captain of the debate team,” I offer. Although I’d bet my life that
Bryer was.

“Here’s what you’re
doing. Show up, all pussy-whipped with tampons, Midol, chocolate, a box of
Therma-Care heating pads, and the DVD
Sleepless in Seattle
. I promise it
will work. And never mention Aunt Flo coming to town.”

He looks at me as if
I’ve lost my mind, but doesn’t say a word, grabs a piece of paper, scribbles on
it and leaves without even a thank you. But that’s more than fine, I have other
things to deal with.

The phone rings and I
know it’s Bryer, Finally! But once I reach it, Stan’s name appears on the
screen. “Hey, Stan, sorry about the phone tag, what’s going on?” I hear a deep
sigh and several crazy scenarios play out at the speed of light.

“Nathan, we need to
talk. I’m still in Austin, or I would be face-to-face with you.”

Panic is starting to
rise and I’m feeling a little sick.

“Okay.” Is all I can
get out for now.

“You told me Bryer
was here for business with Jake, one of the people she manages, correct?”

“Yes. Is Bryer okay?
Has something happened, Stan?” I can’t breathe.

“No, Nathan, she’s
fine.”

Drawing a ragged
breath my heart starts to beat again. “Then what?” Unprepared for the words to
come.

“Bryer is here, but
she’s not with Jake. She’s here with Cash.”

“There’s no way in
hell she’s with him, you have to be mistaken, Stan.” Rage starting at the base
of my spine climbing fast, and I’m ready to blow.

“Now before you
panic, they each have their own room, and they did have a business meeting. I
followed them yesterday.”

“She lied.” She lied
to me, why would she lie to me?

“Nathan?”

“I’m here.” Barely.

“There’s one more
thing” Stan pauses.

This must be fucking
bad. “Okay.”

“A woman joined Cash overnight
in his room. But I don’t know who.”

There is black all
around me. Common sense long forgotten. “Oh fucking hell, I’m flying to Austin
right now, and fucking kill someone with my bare hands.” I know she wouldn’t, I
know it wasn’t her, deep in my soul I know it. But why the fuck couldn’t I
reach her, I’m on the edge of insanity and emotionless, numb.

“Her, I mean their
flight leaves today, Nathan, you’ll miss them. Just stay put, I’ll be flying
home too, I’m on the same flight, but I’m in coach, they won’t notice me.”

“Of course, first
class.” Flaring, wild disoriented by anger, it’s consuming me. Then, after a
long breath, the deepest sadness washes over me to the point of drowning.

“Nathan, are you
still there?”

Not realizing his
question.

“Do you want me
there, or not?”

“No.” Fear
suffocating me. “I’ll handle it. Thanks for doing your job.” I hang up. What
else can I say, thanks for tearing my world apart? For informing me my wife of
one fucking week has lied about going away with another man. And not just any
man, but her ex fiancé, who still wants to own her, not caring if we’re married
or not, he goes after what he wants. There’s no way to soften the blow.

Fuck, waiting in hell
as I descend into self-pity.

~CASH~

The limo pulls into the
driveway. I pause to admire the extensive beauty of this home, every light
shining through each window in a pattern intentionally designed to impress, and
it does indeed. I’ll miss it.

Taking this private
moment to reminisce about the evening I spent with Carla, the Niemen buyer,
what an easy lay that was. What man doesn’t like to hear they fuck like a
stallion, none. Laughing to myself, recalling the words pretty please following
let me suck your cock. Nature intended woman to please, and please she did. A
night to remember, and possibly one to repeat.

I’m met at the door
by Sonja, drink in hand. “Macallan?” I ask. “

“We’re out,” she says
over her shoulder as she walks away.

“You should know how
to please me by now, Sonja.” I slam it down anyway, storming towards her to the
main room where she sits at my desk, in my chair.

“So?” she asks.
Tossing her hair over her shoulder, not once but twice.

“Everything went as
planned, it’s done. I’m a lion on the battle field, I would advise you to
remember that.” Crossing my hands over my chest.

“Cash, you’re a
ruthless businessman, always has been,” she says with an unrelenting stare.

“If that’s what you
want to call it, Sonja, but there’s nothing sweeter than the smell of success.”
I pause.

“That is, if you did your
fucking part.”

“I got everything you
need concerning the bitch.”

Her eyes burning with
hatred.

“Stop the jealousy,
Sonja. I’m here with you, remember that.”

She rises, a smile
dangling on the corner of her lips. Once she reaches me, flicking a false piece
of lint off my suit. Our eyes meet, Needy little bitch, I take her mouth hard,
my tongue invading sadistically, claiming ownership like a piece of property.
Who’s in charge now? I break away, only long enough to whisper, “Who owns you?”

“You.” A hint of
defiance in her eyes. Leaving the uneasiness of my arms, she retrieves the
file.

And holds it close,
deliberately delaying what I want to know. It’s as if she wants me to punish
her, asking for it. Quite frankly nothing would please me more, but not now.

“There’s a back
story,” she starts.

And has my full
attention.

“Her parents owned
their own insurance and investment group, started it basically when Bryer was
born. The original policy was for a million dollars, quite unusual but I assume
if you’re in the business you over-compensate.”

Watching her go
through additional papers, I attempt to be patience.

“This particular
policy, a whole life insurance had several creative aspects. Paid-up additions,
which reinvest dividends, they were fucking lucky. The list is endless, Apple
and Walmart, just to name a few. They got in on the ground floor and kept
building,” she says.

“It’s bigger than we
thought, that adds up to a lot of zeros in twenty-eight years,” I say.

“All the stocks have
matured to unbelievable figures, and all for the taking. You can cash out
everything.” Her cocky wink and confident smile anxiously awaiting to tell me.

“So, how much? Was it
all fucking worth it?”

“5.2 million.”

In one fell swoop
I’ll be set for life. Collateral damage be damned.

“As you know her
mother put in two stipulations, she had to be over twenty-five and married to
touch a penny. “

“And the trustee is
dead, leaving no trace of it,” I add, pacing as my mind works at lightning
speed.

“And she signed the
marriage license?” Sulking over this mandatory detail.

I don’t care if this
bothers her, it’s part of the fucking plan. “Without a hitch, I had her
long-lost friend Dottie Ferguson there to distract her, and Dottie eating up
the attention, she didn’t realize what was what. She trusts me and has always
loved Bryer. All I had to do is pay a somewhat unethical preacher to sign it,
Bryer is clueless to her new marriage and the newly found wealth. It’s already
on its way to the courthouse for filing, making it legal.”

“Then it’s over?”
Tilting her head to one side while listening.

“No more levering
up,” I say.

“Levering up?”

“Spending money we
don’t have.” Unable to hold back my smile.

“Back to Austin
then?” she asks.

“Yes, home. We can
take care of the details there. It will only take a few days to record, and
then I’ll have legal rights to it all.”

“What about M&M
and Sea Blue, where Bryer works?” she questions.

Wishing I could
witness the reaction on Nathan’s face once he realizes Bryer was with me in Austin,
that shouldn’t take too long to get out. I have to admit this has been quite
the evil plan. “Trivial matters, I have a lawyer in place to handle my plans.
Adding to the generous gift
I’ve
just obtained.”

“You mean
we,
right, Cash?” Concern in her voice.

~Nathan~

My head in my hands,
gripping my hair as I sit propping my elbows on my knees, waiting impatiently.
The front door opens, but I can’t bear to look up. Hearing the click of high
heels and when they come to an abrupt halt, I know, I feel her in the room.
Slowly cocking my head to the left to meet her gaze. The icy contempt
surprising her.

Her, her…I can’t
stomach to say her name, not yet.

Her eyes move to the
table where several empty beer bottles sit, I see the question in her stare.
And the worry on her face. Gritting my teeth, attempting to find an ounce of
control in me.

A small wary smile
surfacing on her lips, in confusion. Yet the muscles in her face have
tightened.

I rub my hand over my
dark stubble as I sit up, legs spread, and silence spins all around us. Minutes
pass, and finally, the sound of her fiddling with her keys nervously, then
resting them on the table. She approaches me, cautiously.

Smart fucking girl.

With deliberate
slowness I stand, stuffing my hands in my pockets, self-consciously throwing a
barrier between us. “Don’t regret doing things, regret getting caught, is that
right, Bryer?’

“Of course not,
Nathan, tell me what’s wrong.” Desperation in her voice as it cracks.

Furious with pain and
betrayal. She reaches for me and I flinch away.

“No, Bryer, YOU.
TELL. ME.” The intensity of my stare mirrored on her face.

She says nothing.

I throw my arms up in
the air feeling powerless. “I’m all ears.” Yelling, sounding crazy even to
myself.

“Fine!” she shouts.

I stop to witness her
reaction, what right does she have to be angry. None as far as I’m concerned.

“I was with Cash on a
business trip,” she spills out.

“So you lied. LIED to
me.”

Her head falls,
hiding true feelings.

But I can’t tell any
more.

“I had to….”

But I interrupt her.
“Feast your eyes on this.” Holding my wedding ring in her face. “What does this
mean to you?”

“Everything,” she
says timidly.

“How can I believe that?
You made a deal with the devil?” I ask, pacing the floor, my inability to
decipher between hurt and anger, so they must be the same.

“I was coerced.”

This is her argument?
“How?” Demanding an answer. “How many times are you going to let that monster
come between us?”

“It was nothing.”
Tears threatening to fall.

“Fucking shattering
my heart is nothing? Answer me, Bryer, why would you allow him to do this to
us, again?”

“I didn’t intend to
hurt you, I thought I could explain when I returned, I knew you wouldn’t like
it, but I had to do this, I didn’t think of it as if I was choosing him over
you.”

“That was a stupid
fucking stunt, Bryer, gambling on our future.”

“No, I swear,
whatever you’re thinking happened, you’re wrong.”

Why those words set
me off, I’ll never know. The anger bottled up inside exploding, fear, hurt,
desperation knowing I may have lost her? All the above.

Smashing the vase
that once belonged to my mother. I see her eyes flooding with tears dropping
one by one.

“You’re acting
crazy.” Knowing the gravity of my actions and what that vase meant to me.

“Oh, this isn’t
crazy, you haven’t seen crazy.” Exploding, imploding a whirlwind consuming me.

Emotions pulling me
under until I’m in a tailspin. Reaching for her, I viciously yank her arm, clamping
my fingers into her tender flesh, my other hand fisting her hair, forcing her
face up to meet mine. Attempting to find control in an out-of-control
situation. “Goddamnit. Bryer, what have you done?” Violent desire betraying me.
My moral compass annihilated.

“Nathan, I swear to
God I would never do anything to betray you.”

“You just did.”
Screaming at the top of my lungs. Slamming her against the wall, taking myself
with her. Our bodies crushed together, leaving me shaken, I push away before I
do something stupid.

Distancing myself for
what’s to come, my half-assed attempt to keep a tantrum at bay is failing
miserably. The object of suspicion standing right in front of me. I take a deep
breath and choose my words carefully. The lack of eye contact obvious on my
part. “Any red-blooded male, any husband worth a damn, would ask.” Fearing the
worst. “A woman spent the night with Cash, I need to know, I need the truth
even if it will hurt me.” Little did I know the storm of words just said would
tear my heart out, as if a tornado twisted in my heart.

Her head shakes
 no before any words escape. Almost in disbelief. “It wasn’t me.” Sadness
and hurt appearing as if I just punched her in the gut.

Such a simple
statement, changing the trajectory of the world for me. There is a God. Shades
of hope flashing before me. But not enough to forget her actions, the lies and
the fact she willingly went with him is still a problem. “Fucking Christ,
Bryer. Why?”

She edges closer,
seeking forgiveness, comfort.

But I am unwilling to
give it, incapable of it.

“It’s complicated,”
she offers and no explanation.

“Complicated?” I
laugh out of pure frustration. “Do we need to redefine the parameters of our
marriage vows? I will not go away with my ex-fiancé and purposely hide it from
my husband?”

Still no fucking
answer to why. At least not one I’ll accept. How many times will that fucking
jack-off win? It’s like a pool of sharks circling around us constantly. Her
silence only heightening my distrust that’s still weighing heavy on me. I can’t
even fathom a good enough reason to justify what she’s done. “And if the tables
were turned, you’d castrate me.” Walking away in the direction of the kitchen
pulling yet another beer out. Letting those words sink in.

“You’re probably
right.”

“I don’t want you
here.” Suddenly shocked by the words that came spilling out. But that was
nothing compared to the look on Bryer’s face. Inflicting the same pain that’s
taken me prisoner.

Holding back her
disbelief of the blow I’d just given. I watch as her hand wipes the tears away,
and she turns to leave, suitcase in hand. The door slams, hard.

She’s gone…

I sag against the
wall, hitting the floor hard enough where my beer falls from my hand and spills,
I watch it spread on the floor, and in that exact moment, unsure of my actions
as I’m witnessing my entire world fall apart. “Fuuuucccckkk!” I scream.