Chapter 23 – Secrets
BASH
We flew back to New York yesterday after the news has cleared off. If what Sean said was true, then he made his revenge against me to a whole new level. Or he said that out of his anger?
Trinity stayed silent since that encounter. I can see the guilt in her eyes even though I never blame her.
“Tri, you’ve been silent since yesterday. If you think that I’m mad at you, don’t you even think about it. What happened yesterday has already happened.” She came with me yesterday.
I don’t want her to go alone to her apartment. If I can only convince her to stay with me, I’m going to do that. But maybe we have to apply the baby steps kind of shit first.
“He threatened you, Bash.” She looks at me through the wall-sized mirror in front of us. Her eyes are full of concern.
“Baby, it’s not new. He’d been doing that since we were in high school, remember?”
She nods slowly. “Yeah, because of that girl you dated, but he’d never harmed you the way he did this time.”
“I doubt if he paid someone to sabotage the engine. How did he even know that we were in Korea, Tri?” I ask, furrowing my brows.
I was thinking the same question over and over again last night. How does he know that Trinity was on that flight? How does he know that I chartered that jet?
“Bash?” I jar out of my thoughts when Trinity jerks my arm.
“Bash, we really need to go. We’ll be late for dinner. Aunt Abby will think that we’re ditching them.” She scans my face to see what’s bothering me.
I never answered her when she asked me about what Sean has whispered to me back in her home. I don’t want her to worry about me. She will feel guiltier.
“Yeah. They think we are still in bed, probably you’re moaning against my ear.” I move closer, whispering in her ear.
She shivers when I nibble her earlobe, follows by a gasp slips from her mouth.
Chuckling, I pull myself back before I can do something that will make us late. Trinity smells so good, and if we’re not in a hurry, I can just pull her dress up and take her from behind. My cock is already on full alert.
***
Voices from my family and friends from our living room warm my heart. I’m so thankful that I didn’t get in that jet, but I feel bad for the family of the pilot and the crew.
My family sent condolences to the family of the victims, and we are also planning full scholarships to the children and jobs of their family members.
“Look who finally showed up!” Lizzy literally runs toward us, giving me a huge hug. “I’m so happy you’re here, Baby Bash.” Her voice cracks at the end.
“Don’t, Lizzy. I don’t wanna make this an emotional night for us,” I said half-joking.
She pulls away from me, fake-wiping her tears. I shake my head of amusement. “Hey, K!” Lizzy jumps to hug Trinity who’s in a full grin.
“I need a whole night with you, alone,” Lizzy announces, pointing her finger to Trinity with a glint in her eyes. Trinity’s mouth forms an O shape of surprise.
Everyone comes to welcome us—Mom and dad, the twins; Xandry and Saph, Dean and Pyke.
“So, how’re the honeymooners?” Pyke starts with a devilish grin.
I snort. “Honeymooners? We went there for a business trip, asshole.”
He laughs at my remark. Trinity is busy talking with her best friends on a couch in front of us. “Oh, c’mon, Bash. So, you two are now a couple? You finally have the guts to tell her, huh?” Pyke asks with a tease.
“Shut up. You can’t pry me to open up,” I say, slapping Pyke on his thigh, and he jerks and laughs at me, and that catches girls’ attention.
My eyes meet Trinity’s. She smiles at me that makes my heart skip a bit. Why do I feel like I just fall in love with a teenager?
“You didn’t answer me, Bash? I can’t believe you have to travel through Asia with her to declare your undying love to your darling Trinity,” Pyke insists.
“Will you stop it? It’s annoying,” I say with a groan.
“So, what happened why you didn’t come back together?” He asks again, making me roll my eyes.
“Bash, leave him alone. I wanna know why did you punch Sean?” Xandry gets my attention. Dean never says a word, just watching and laughing at us.
“He met Trinity at the airport. I doubt if that was a coincidence. I bet he planned all that to get my attention. But how does he know that Trinity is on that plane back to the U. S?” My mind was filled with questions. What if he really meant what he said?
“Did you tell all these to your parents?” he asks with a concerned tone. I shake my head, but panic is growing fast in the pit of my belly.
“I think you should tell your parents, Bash. Did you know that Andrew Tennings escaped from the mental hospital?” Xandry asks.
My eyes widen. I can feel the pulse throbbing in my neck. “What do you mean?” I ask quickly, scanning his face if he’s joking or lying, but I can’t find any. He looks serious than ever.
“He escaped two days before your flight back to Boston. Your dad asked a team to search for him. I’m sure he is hiding somewhere.”
Hair from my nape rises. I swallow hard. “I need to talk to dad,” I stand up abruptly.
I heard about what that psychopath did to my mom. It’s been almost twenty-four years since he has been locked up behind bars then they moved him to a mental hospital when he tended to be suicidal.
My dad kept an eye on him and paid someone in the cell to stop him from killing himself. I don’t know why dad cares. Then he has his doctor and nurses on close watch all these years. How does he escape? I don’t know.
“Bash, where are you going?” Lizzy asks, looking confused.
“To see dad,” I answer quickly, winking at Trinity. A hint of pink blossoms on her cheeks, then someone whistles.
“Where are your manners, Saph?” Xandry scolds his sister.
“Shut up, brother!” Saph snaps at Xandry.
“You two stop fighting. I’ll be right back,” I tell them quickly.
I knock on dad’s office door. I can hear from the front door that Mom and Dad are in intense conversation.
“Dad, open up, please?” I knock again, and that’s when they both go silent.
The door unlocks. Dad’s face comes to view who looks flushed. “What do you want, Bash? We are—”
“Busy keeping secrets from us? Or am I the only one left unaware?” I ask, and I know it sounds harsh, but for fuck sake, I’m already an adult, and I can handle things pretty well.
“What secrets are you talking about?” Dad asks sternly.
I get inside his office. The smell of alcohol is thick in the air.
“Bash, what do you want?” Dad asks again. Mom stays silent, but I can see the tension in the air is so thick.
“What are you two fighting about?” I take a seat in front of Mom.
“Be respectful, Sebastian. It’s not right to stick your nose to something that isn’t your business.” Dad sounds angrier, which he is not like this unless he’s under stress.
“If it concerns about my family, then I’m not just gonna shut up, and it is my right to know. Both of you never fight about business, and I bet it’s my concerns too if it’s about our company,” I reply.
Mom hasn’t said a word.
“You have nothing to worry about, Sebastian, and everything is under control,” Dad says dismissively. He pours a shot of whiskey, then drains the content to his mouth, making me wince.
“Is it about Tennings?” I ask slowly, but I never miss Mom’s reaction, and the glass freezes in the air in Dad’s gasp.
“How did you know all of these?” Mom finally talks with a bit of a shaky voice.
“Xandry thought I already knew. Does Lizzy know about this?”
Dad moves to take a sit on his chair, squeezing his eyes shut, then he rubs his face with both hands before he nods.
“Aren’t I suppose to know too?”
“Bash, you just came back from Asia, and we almost lost you. We’re planning on telling everything,” Mom answers when Dad seems to find it hard to form a word.
“When? And why the two of you are so obsessed with this man?”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
“He’s a very dangerous man, Bash. He’s a psychopath. He promised himself that he would take his revenge once he escaped, and I knew he planned all of these.” Dad looks terribly affected.
“He can’t get near us, Dad. We have tight security.”
“Tell me how does he escape?” Dad asks quickly, shrugs, and slumps his back to the chair.
I blink because that’s the billion-dollar question. “How?” Suddenly, my throat dries, and I am tempted to gulp his whiskey.
“He killed the nurse at the mental hospital. I have to keep that story away from the media because if that news comes out, our family would be involved in that mess he made.”
I nod helplessly.
“Now, he’s nowhere to find,” Dad adds.
I feel Mom’s hand squeezing my knee. “Is that what Uncle Logan is busy with?”
“Yes. He’s the one who found about his escape.”
I release a huge breath. I thought this night is going to be a happy one, but it seems it didn’t go as I wanted it to be.
“You need to stay in New York. I will double the security, Bash. For you and your sister. Trinity will stay with you. I know that man will use anyone closer to our family, and I can’t let him hurt any of you. Do you understand, Sebastian?”
I look at Dad, and he looks under-stressed. Lines in his forehead are prominent. “Yes, dad. I understand.”
I still have so many questions left, but I doubt if they answer me honestly.
Why do I feel like this whatever is going on has a huge impact on me? Am I just paranoid? Or my parents are hiding skeletons in their closets?