Reckless Karma (Sinners & Saints #2) (24 page)

           
He
looks at the kids playing in the park. His eyes slightly open as he gasps. He
quickly closes his mouth, clenches his jaw, gets up and walks away. I take a
deep breath and make a phone call.

HUGO

“Ugh!”
Anika groans after Cody puts in the code and the box still does not unlock.
“This is like the thirtieth code.”

           
“More
like code number thirty-three,” Juliet says.

           
“We’ve
tried everything from her birthday to her dad’s to one two three,” Karlie says
shaking her head and sitting back against the headboard.

           
“It’s
gotta be something symbolic,” I say with my arms crossed staring at the black
box. My mind juggling everything I know about Scarlett. My phone rings and I
check it.

           
“It’s
Scarlett,” I say before answering. “Scarlett.”

           
“I
hear you’ve been a very bad boy, Hugo.” Her voice sounds amused but slightly
agitated.

           
“Well
you know me. I can’t help myself when it comes to trouble.”

           
“I
know and I know you’ve asked my dear good friend Dr. Rodman about my source of
income.”

           
“So
you are admitting to blackmailing powerful men to guarantee your fortune?”

           
“You
can never be too sure with the economy these days. My mother spends my trust
every day. A girl’s got to eat.”

           
“Children
in Cambodia and Africa need to eat; you just need to feel powerful.”

           
“That
too. Now what do you need?”

           
“I
need the truth.”

           
“No,
you don’t. You just think you do. Trust me, Hugo, you don’t. You’ll end up like
Gabriel. That’s what really led him to kill himself. The truth.”

           
This
sparks interest. “What truth?”

           
“You
open that box, you’ll meet your death.” It’s a threat in her tone.

           
“What
more truth could break Gabriel? Personally, if you ask me, my brother was shit.
He betrayed Karlie by letting you get away with what you did.”

           
“In
his defense, he probably wouldn’t have if I didn’t give him a good enough
distraction. Come on, Hugo. You have to get a clue at some point. You Mandrake
boys have always had a problem with helping women. Why not start with the
root?”

           
It
hits me. Knocks me out in fact.

           
“My
mother.” My blood boils as everyone looks at me wondering what Scarlett is
saying. “What the hell do you know about my mother?”

           
“Nothing
but that she was a sweet and fragile woman.” I hear the amusement in her voice
and I clench my jaw.

           
“Don’t
fuck with me, Scarlett.”

           
“No,
the fucking is over with, remember? Hugo, you are playing a very dangerous
game. A game I only know how to play. I kept you in the dark for a reason. To
protect you. You may not think it, but… you mean more to me than you think.”

           
That
phrase echoes in my brain. “Me,” I say. “Me…” I snap my fingers and point to
the box. “Put my birthday in that box.” Cody does what I say and just like that
the green light indicator blinks and Cody opens the box. “I guess I really do
mean that much to you.”

           
“Hugo.”
I hear the desperation in Scarlett’s tone now. Her cool is lost. “Hugo. Hugo!”

           
Her
raised voice is a pleasant surprise. “Have a good day, baby.”

 
SCARLETT

I
refuse to ever feel helpless. I will never feel that way again. I won’t let
Hugo ruin everything I have built. I am the destroyer. I warned him. I gave him
a way out numerous times. My body begins to shake in rage. I keep my mouth shut
to keep myself from spilling out every foul word in this park. I see a homeless
man picking out of the garbage can and for no reason my eyes stay on him. I’m
just using him as a safe zone. Something horrible to look at instead all the
happy wide-eyed children.

           
Children.

           
I
turn around and see Gabriel’s twins again. I didn’t have any other reason for
my driver to follow them here other than curiosity. To see the creation Gabriel
catered to. But now I see it as part of my good luck.

KARLIE

This
is it. It’s finally here. The moment I’ve been waiting for. I was only speaking
metaphorically when I suggested Hugo was the key. He literally is. We all stare
at the open box, everyone scared to reach in that red velvet interior. I’m
scared to reach in. I’m so scared and I am frozen in place because I realize
that there is no turning back from this and whatever is in this box could be
the end of me. The truth always hurts.

           
Hugo
is the first to reach in. I look in the box and there are pictures and USBs.

           
“How
many USBs?” Jordana asks.

           
“Eight,”
Hugo says after counting. He pulls out the pictures. “These are of Rebecca.”

           
“This
must be why she came in and out recently,” Juliet says.

           
He
passes them to me as Juliet grabs her laptop and turns it on. I shake my head
at the pictures of a passed out naked Rebecca.

           
“She’s
sick,” I whisper.

           
Already
Juliet has gone through three USBS with Hugo looking over her shoulder. The
looks on their faces cause me to worry.

           
“What
is it?” I ask.

           
“There’s
only one thing on these USBS so far,” Cody answers.

           
“What?”

           
“Out
of all the shit she’s done, she only has one thing on each?” Anika is as pissed
as I am.

           
We
go through each and there’s only one thing. One lousy thing from pictures to
recordings of people having sex or admitting a dirty secret.

           
“Hey,
does that voice sound familiar?” Jordana asks.

           
“Damn,”
Cody says. “That’s that guy who ran for mayor. Remember he had to pull out when
a recording of him admitting to hiring that dealer to drug his ex-wife so he
could get full custody of his kids aired all over the media.”

           
“Well
we know who gave it to them,” Juliet says.

           
“This
doesn’t make sense,” Hugo finally speaks up. “I was sure the information about
the Black Card Club would be in here. Something isn’t right.” Hugo practically
pulls out his hair in anger and disappointment. He grabs the box and throws it
at the wall.

           
“Hugo,
calm down,” Juliet says.

           
“I’m
calm!” His tone rises and we all flinch. “Why the hell would she be scared
about this?”

           
I’m
out of answers and theories now. I got too worked up on this being the moment
and now knowing that it isn’t only makes me sink further in desperation that is
causing myself to drain and I’m just tired.

           
“Life
is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes playing a poor hand
well,” Juliet says to herself.

           
“What?”
I ask.

           
She
snaps out of her moment and explains. “It’s a quote.” Her eyes widen at a
confused Hugo. “You don’t know it?”

           
He
shakes his head.

           
She
glows in excitement. “Yes! I finally know a quote that you don’t.”

           
“Are
you serious right now?” I ask hoping she’s not getting back on my fucking bad
side.

           
“I’m
sorry.” She quickly gets serious. “But the reason why that came out was that I
figured what if Scarlett doesn’t have anything on the club? What if she’s been
bluffing this whole time?”

           
“No,”
Hugo protests. “There is no possible way that these men would let her blackmail
them without any proof.”

           
“Well
maybe she did have proof but, I don’t know, lost it? I mean it’s farfetched
considering how bloody well calculated and cunning she is, but it’s at least a
good theory, isn’t it?”

           
“It
actually makes sense,” I say before telling myself that it isn’t.

           
“My
birthday,” Hugo now says as he ponders on what Juliet is saying.

           
“You’re
right.” Jordana knows already what he’s thinking. “If Scarlett has always had
this box… it wouldn’t make sense for your birthday to be the code to unlock it.
She had this before any of us even came here… right?”

           
“No…
She didn’t have
this
box. This isn’t
the original box. Son of a bitch. She must’ve gotten this after I came and that
just means… she said that Gabriel did want to get justice for you… but then she
distracted him about truth about my mother… it’s all linked.”

           
“What
is?” Cody asks.

           
“Everything,
the club, my mother, Gabriel, everything. My uncle started the club. Gabriel
must’ve taken the box.”

           
“But
if Gabriel took the box, then where would it be, Hugo?” I ask. “You’ve been
living here what? Seven or eight years and you have never seen a box in your
room? Did Gabriel have a hiding spot too?”

           
“No.”
Hugo shakes his head and sighs.

           
My
phone rings and so does Juliet’s. Juliet quickly grabs hers and goes in the
bathroom while I check to see that it is my mom calling.

           
“Yeah
ma.”

           
“Karlie,
you need to get to Presbyterian now. I’m sorry I couldn’t call you sooner, but
too many things were happening at once.”

           
“What?!”

           
“There
was an incident at the park. Ollie hurt his arm. The police are here now. There
was this homeless man that scared them. Just get here, baby.”

           
When
you become a mother, there is no scarier thing than your kids being in harm. It
causes pain, anger, and even guilt. I don’t care if you’re a good mother or a
bad one. It doesn’t even matter if the situation is your fault or not. You feel
like a failure and that’s how I feel as I am frozen in place after my mom hangs
up.

           
“Karlie,
what’s wrong?” Anika asks in panic.

           
“Ollie
got hurt. I don’t know… something about a homeless man attacking them. We have
to go.”

           
“I’ll
go with you,” Hugo says as Juliet steps out and she seems a bit shaken up but
quickly masks it as Hugo turns around. I don’t have time or the care to really
even read it. All I want right now is to make sure my kids are okay.

           
“What
happened?” Juliet asks.

           
“The
kids got hurt at the park. I’m going with Karlie to the hospital.”

           
“Okay…
let me know what happens.”

           
“Okay.”
He doesn’t worry about it either seeing his main goal is to get to the kids, as
well as it should be. They are his family. “Just keep the box and we will
continue it later.”

           
Hugo,
Anika, and I quickly head down the stairs as that girl Poppy and Jaz come in.
They see the panic in our eyes but don’t get to question it as we quickly push
past them and leave. I haven’t really prayed to God in a while. Truthfully,
since before I left New York. I always felt like God didn’t deserve my love
anymore… but maybe it was I who didn’t deserve his because through all the
bullshit that has happened he has still managed to give me Ollie and Suzie.
They are a purpose I have yet to make my first priority.

16

REBECCA

“
Where’s
your mom and Patrick?” Scarlett comes in my room and
asks.

           
I
wipe the tears from my eyes. “I think I’m too depressing to be around so… my
mom is who knows where and my brother is at the office. He’s been really angry
lately.”

           
“I
know,” Scarlett says coming closer to me.

           
“This
was at the door for you.” She hands me a blank envelope.

           
“What
is this?”

           
She
shrugs confused as I am. “I don’t know.”

           
I
open it and I can’t breathe. I’ve been suffocating for quite some time now, but
nothing compares to this. I stare at the picture of me naked and asleep in bed.
“What is this?!”

           
Scarlett
looks in horror and reads the writing on it. “You wanted it,” she repeats.
“God, Rebecca, I’m so sorry. Hugo must’ve sent this. I’ll call your mom or
Patrick, just wait here.”

           
It
seems like forever waiting for Scarlett. The more I wait, the more I stare at
the picture. I look dirty because I am dirty. I look broken because I am
broken. I look pathetic because I am pathetic. Hugo was right
—
I
am weak. I am shallow. I’m nothing. I’m nothing. There’s this pain inside of me
that won’t go away and I don’t understand why. Stop it. Stop it!

           
“Scarlett!”
I call on her, but she doesn’t come. I go to find her. I can’t find her. Why
would she leave? Maybe she left to get away from me too. All the bad parts in
me come out in the open and I need to figure out how to get rid of them. How to
get rid of the pain.

JULIET

“You
packed?” Jaz asks me.

           
“Yeah,”
I quietly say. “You sure the jet can get here that quick?”

           
“It’s
about to land in an hour,” Jaz confirms.

           
I
nod.

           
“What
are you doing?” Jordana asks as she comes in with Cody behind her.

           
“Poppy
said you guys are leaving,” Cody says. “She’s crying.”

           
“Yeah,
we are. We’ll be back,” Jaz says.

           
“Juliet,
what the hell? You can’t leave now… especially with everything happening with
Hugo. And without telling him?” Jordana voices her annoyed opinion at me.

           
“That’s
what I told her, but she’s persistent on this one and understandably.” Jaz
doesn’t help.

           
I
don’t talk. I just zip up my bag. I don’t want to say it. If I do that means it
is true, and if it is true then I might break. I can’t break before I get to
the bloody jet.

           
“Does
this have to do with the phone call you got two hours ago?” Cody asks.

           
“Yeah…”
Jaz’s voice fades.

           
“Well,
it better be really big considering that you won’t even tell Hugo…. Are you
gonna say bye to August?” Jordana is still throwing a fit.

           
“Jess
is dead,” I say point blank. “She had been having um… severe seizures lately.
Really bad ones that put her in a mild coma and… a few nights ago one finally
killed her.” Or I killed her is more accurate, but I won’t get into that. It’s
not about me. It’s about Jess who I am mildly pissed off at for not telling me
she had been getting worse.

           
“She’s
dead… I have to go, Jordana. Can you tell Hugo that for me? He’s already texted
me and said the kids will be fine. They are just waiting for the check up and I
just… I have to go.”

           
Jordana
doesn’t say anything. She nods and groans and before I know it she hugs me. I
bite my lip and laugh, do anything to avoid tears falling.

           
“You’re
the one consoling now?” I ask.

           
“You
rubbed off on me. Only for ten seconds.” She lets go. “There.”

           
“Tell
Hugo and August I love them and I will be back.” I can tell by the look in her
eyes that she doesn’t believe me and neither do I. “I promise.”

           
“Okay.”

           
Jaz
grabs my bag and walks out and before I follow, I hug Cody.

           
“Be
good, Juliet,” he says.

           
“You
too.” I kiss him on the cheek and when I get out in the hallway there is August
standing and I can tell by the look on his face he heard everything. He waves
at me. “Bye Rabbit,” he says and quickly runs back upstairs to his room.

KARLIE

“All
better,” the doctor says once he’s finished with putting on Ollie’s cast.

           
“Cool!”
Ollie is excited at the blue cast on his left forearm. “Look Mommy!”

           
“I
see, baby.” I’m still crying and now smiling as I comb my fingers through his
curls.

           
“I
want a cast!” Suzie says in envy as we get in the waiting area.

           
“No,
you don’t,” my mom, Anika, Hugo and I all say at once.

           
Suzie
is sitting in Hugo’s lap and practicing telling time on his watch.

           
“You
good, my little nugget?” Anika asks Ollie and he nods in satisfaction.

           
“I
still can’t believe that happened.” My mom is still shaken up about it.

           
“Ma,
it’s okay,” I assure her.

           
“I
knew I should’ve kept that mace I had when we were living in the old
neighborhood.”

           
“Ma,
bye,” Anika laughs. “You would’ve maced yourself.”

           
“Be
quiet, Anika.”

           
I’m
thankful for this family. I’m thankful for the loyalty, the unconditional love,
and the perfect timing of comedic tones in the midst of crisis.

           
“Excuse
me, Mrs. Fairchild?” The uniformed cop approaches us. “I just wanted to update
you on the suspect. He’s been captured and he’s here now. He unfortunately got
robbed himself.”

           
“Who
would want to rob a homeless man?” Anika asks.

           
“Apparently
one of his buddies after he bragged about making a quick two hundred.”

           
“What?”
I say.

           
“Ollie,
Suzie, let’s go get some nurses to sign Ollie’s cast,” Anika says and takes the
twins away as Ma, Hugo and I listen.

           
“Apparently,
according to the homeless man, a woman paid him two hundred to scare the kids.
Not hurt them, but to scare them and he said your son falling down was an
accident. All we could get with the description of the woman was that she was
blonde.”

           
“Thank
you,” I quickly say. “Please keep us updated.”

           
I
want him to go. Go now.

           
“Yes
mam.”

           
“That’s
that bitch, isn’t it?” my mom says once the cop leaves. “I was too busy playing
with the kids then checking my phone when it happened. I did not see her.

           
I
thought my hatred for her couldn’t be more deep rooted, but I was wrong. I was
entirely wrong.

“It’s
okay, Mom… I’m gonna kill her. I’m gonna kill her.” I’m serious. I am I’ll just
kill her. The world will be better off if I just kill her.

“I
think that boy might beat you to it.”

I
turn around and realize my mom is right. Hugo’s gone. Shit.

GABRIEL

“You
look like shit,” she says. I continue with my bottle of whiskey. Her heels
clicking on my floor. “I see my room was torn to shreds.”

           
She’s
right. I tore through her room an hour ago searching for something valuable.
Something that can destroy her.

           
“One
can only conclude that you were trying to get your hands on my precious.
Lord of the Rings
style.”

           
She
would be correct. It’s the only way I can stop her.

           
“Poor
baby. You’re so pathetic. I’m surprised you’re not being pathetic with your
little slut.”

           
I
think I blacked out just now. I’m pretty sure I did because I don’t know when I
dropped the bottle, went across the room, and put my hands around Scarlett’s
throat, her body pressed against the wall so hard that the painting on the wall
falls. It feels good to be choking her. It feels invigorating.

           
“Kinky.”
She gets the word out, still smiling through the loss of breath and it only
pisses me off more, but I can’t do it.

           
“AHHHH!!”
I scream in her face and let her go. She falls to the floor, her hand on her
neck as she coughs then laughs.

           
“You
are too cute.”

           
“I’m
gonna kill you. I’m gonna kill Noel… and I’m gonna kill Chad.”

           
“No,
you’re not.” She stands back up. “You’re gonna be a good boy and do what you’re
told.”
 

           
“I
fucking hate you!” I scream at the top of my lungs. “With everything I have! I
fucking hate you.”

           
“Well…”
She looks hurt, still cold. “That is unfortunate, but maybe you’re hatred for
me will be overthrown by your hatred for the root.”

           
“What
the fuck are you talking about?”

           
She
walks over to my bed. “I brought this for you since you were so eager to have
it.” She’s referring to the black box. Her Pandora’s box. Everything she has on
everyone in that fucking little black box. She presses in the code
—
a
code I already know
—
and pulls out a USB. “Consider this my gift to
you. Proof of my love and affection.”

           
I
scoff. “There is nothing but darkness in you, Scarlett.”

           
“Same
could be said about you considering where you came from. That darkness that is
in you? It’s not because your daddy is a bastard and your mommy killed herself.
Well, part of it is, but have you ever wondered why your mother was the way she
was?”

           
“I
could care less right now.”

           
“No,
you could care more now. You know the Black Card Club your long lost uncle
started? There’s a reason why they only let certain people in.” She takes my
hand and places the USB in it.

           
“If
you still want to kill me after this… I’ll be in my room.”

           
She
grabs her stupid box and leaves. I look at the USB in my hand and I curse my
curiosity. I shouldn’t look at it, but I will because I know when she is
telling the truth. Even when she lies I accept it, and when she tells the truth
it is rare and fortunate in my eyes, until now.
 

           
I
sit at my desk and insert the USB into my laptop. There’s seven folders. Seven
names. One of them being my uncle. Stewart Voncliff. Another being Scarlett’s
father, Theodore Brayson. The other names are former senators, actors, the
wealthiest of the wealthy, yet still a rare list. The Black Card Club. My
father mocks them. Mostly because they won’t let him in. They won’t really let
anyone in and my uncle runs it all, but I haven’t seen him or my grandmother
since Mom’s funeral. I don’t know anything other than he’s crippled and she’s
an old, bitter woman. I click on the folder of my uncle. A list of video
documents appear. Each one labeled with names. Names of people. Women, in fact.
I figure this must be just the women they have slept with. Until I click on a
video and see differently. I exit out of the video quickly. My hand covers my
mouth and I don’t want to look anymore. I’m finished… but then a familiar name
stops me. My finger trembles over the keys. I click on it… and there are no
more thoughts. No more anything. Nothing can be explained of it. Nothing.