Reprisal (21 page)

I get back to my seat and buckle up, ready to get off of this plane and back home.

“Ma’am?” I hear someone over my shoulder and I jump, startled. “I’m sorry ma’am, but we’ve landed. You’re free to exit the plane now.”

Shit, I fell asleep and now I have to gather my bearings. Oh yeah,

LaGuardia.....Leslie....phone, I need to call her and let her know I’m here. Hopefully she won’t be late picking me up. I need to get home, showered and call my mother to check on Franco.

The anger comes back again and I can’t imagine why Gabe would shoot him. My brother’s a good guy, never been in trouble. But he was never the same after...... what was Gabe thinking? I start to regret running off without even giving him time to explain, but after the last few days I just need to get away from him and Illinois. Too many bad memories there and had it not been for my long lost brother, I would have never gone back.

As I make my way down the terminal to the exit, I call Leslie and let her know I’ve arrived and to meet me out front. I exit the doors and the cool breeze takes my breath away. I inhale and throw my head back, cause it feels good to be home. I glance around and Les is parked along the curb, so I make my way to her car and climb in.

“Jesus,
Syd. You look like shit!” She says as she looks me up and down. “What in the hell happened?”

“Oh geez, Les. I have no idea where to even begin. Just take me home and I’ll fill you in there. Right now
, I just need a moment to think.” I say as I lean my head back against the seat and close my eyes.

“You’re exhausted,
Syd. Tell me what happened.”

“Les, please. Let me have a few minute to think. So much shit has happened and......and, I was......fuck, Les. Just give me time, okay?”

I didn’t open my eyes, but I can hear her exhale a breath and can sense her nodding her head.

Les continues to drive, weaving in and out of traffic before she finally pulls in to the parking garage. I open my eyes and look around. “Why are we at your place? I wanted to go home.”

“You will, but not before you talk to me. You need a shower and a fresh change of clothes.”

I look down at my brand new outfit. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

She chuckles, “It looks like you grabbed the first thing you found Syd. So not your style.

Come on, I have something you can put on after you have a shower. Then, we’ll talk before I take you home.”

Les lives on the fourth floor of a sixteen story brick building in midtown, closer to her office.

It’s quiet, but you can sense the nosy
neighbors as we pass them in the lobby. I know I have to be a sight. Leslie ignores them, but I feel on display and rush past her to the elevator. Thankfully, the doors open as soon as we get there.

Once in her apartment, I drop my bag and go straight to her bathroom. “Towels are in the closet, I’ll have some clothes ready for you when you get out.” Les says as she walks past me down the hall.

I get the water as hot as I can and step in the stall, closing the door behind me. But all I do for the longest time is stand there, thinking back to the last twenty-four hours. Kidnapped, again.

Almost raped, again. And then the man that I had started falling for shoots my brother and didn’t tell me. Had he told me, explained the situation, then I might have understood. But he kept that from me and I
hate secrets. And when he never came back to the hospital, well.......I don’t know what to think anymore.

After washing my face and body, I wash my hair three times to try and get the blood out of it.

That’s when I feel the raw skin behind my ear. The tattoo that my loving brother etched in to my skin. I find the yoga pants and tee shirt on Leslie’s bed and slip in to it, silently thankful she didn’t provide me with underwear or a bra, cause I’m good without that right now. It feels good to be clean and comfortable. My body is still sore from the events of the last few days, but my mind is clearing and I’m ready to spill the beans to Les.

I walk out in
to the living area as she hangs up her phone. “Who were you talking to?”

“A patient. Sit down and tell me what happened.” She says as she hands me a glass of wine.

I sink down on to her leather sofa and take a long sip of my wine before setting the glass on the coffee table. I close my eyes and think back to when all of this started and finally am able to tell her the story.

“Jesus, Sydney. A brother? Where in the hell did he come from?”

“Really? That’s what you ask? He kidnapped me, almost raped me, and you want to know where he came from?” I huff as I stand up and move towards the window overlooking the city.

“Apparently my dad was quite the
ladies’ man. Only, when he had gotten what he wanted he killed them and moved on to the next. Stephan wanted some sort of revenge on me for killing our father. Somehow he knew about the spree dad went on and decided to copy what he had done, making me the fourth victim again. He was angry that I survived and wanted me dead, and he almost succeeded. If it weren’t for.....shit.” I drop my head, pressing my forehead against the glass.

“What
Syd? If it weren’t for.....?”

“Gabe.” I say as I pick my head up and turn towards Leslie, who is now standing right behind me. “He got there just in time, but Stephan shot him before Gabe could get me out of there.”

“He shot Gabe?”

I nod, “Just a flesh wound, he’s okay. But Gabe didn’t take him completely down before coming to me, so Stephan pulled a gun and aimed it at us lying on the floor. Gabe was unconscious, his heavy body pressing me in to the floor, but I was able to reach his
Glock and put three bullets in my brother’s head. Jesus, I’ve now killed two members of my own family.

What kind of crazy person does that?” I cry as Les pulls me in to her arms.

“You aren’t the crazy one, Syd. There’s a bad gene or something in your dad’s side of the family. You were only protecting yourself, and Gabe.”

“Gabe.” I whisper.

“Where is he?” Les asks as she pulls back, looking me in the eyes.

“I....I don’t know. He was supposed to come back to the hospital, but he never came back.

Then I saw the news report........”

“The same news report I saw?”

I nod, “He....he.....he shot Franco.”

“Your other brother?”

I nod, tears streaming down my face.

“Why would he shoot Franco?”

“I have no idea, but I bolted out of the hospital before he got back. Apparently, a lot went down during the time I was held, and my fight or flight reflex kicked in and I ran. I felt so betrayed that he didn’t tell me the whole story. I realize now, I should have waited and.......”

I’m cut off by a knock on the door. I look at Leslie with surprise in my eyes, but she just stares at the door, a smirk curling her lips.

“Leslie?”

“Oh my, let’s go see who’s at the door.” She chuckles as she makes her way across the room.

“Leslie, no. Please don’t open the door. It could be......”

“Gabe, hi!” She says as she opens the door, standing back so he can walk in.

“No no, Les. You called him?” I question as I stare at the man standing in the door way, his right arm still bandaged.

“No.” Gabe says. “I called her. I figured she would be the one you would come to first. Why did you check out of the hospital without telling me?” He says as he looks me up and down, silently confirming that I’m okay.

“How did you get here so quickly?” I ask him, confused.

“You didn’t see me in the back of the plane? I figured you were headed home, so I jumped on the same flight. You were so scared for anyone to speak to you, that I just waited, and watched.

Now, tell me why you checked out without telling me.” He asks again.

“I didn’t exactly check out. I just.....left.” I say as I turn to go back down the hall towards Leslie’s bedroom. I plan to shut the door and lock it and not move for days. My best friend in the world sold me out, threw me under the bus and now I’m not sure who I can trust anymore. I was very specific in her not telling Gabe where I am.

“You’re angry, I get it.” Gabe says as he follows me down the hall, Leslie just standing back watching the show. “But please, give me five minutes to explain. Can you do that?”

“Five minutes? You had plenty of time to
explain
while I was in the hospital. I had to find out that you SHOT MY BROTHER from a news report. That’s fucked up, Gabe. You should have told me before the press got a hold of the story.”

“I know, I was waiting until you were rested and better mentally prepared to handle the
truth.”

“Mentally prepared? Holy shit, I will never be mentally prepared for any of this shit! Twice, TWICE, in my life I’ve lived a nightmare. H
ELL, I’M STILL LIVING IT. IT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE!” I scream as I slam the door behind me. But before I can figure out how to lock it, Gabe is barging in.

“Sydney, please let me explain.” Gabe whispers, a tender and soft look in his eyes.

“NOW, you want to explain?” I turn and run my fingers through my still damp hair, planting my ass on Leslie’s bed. It’s soft and comfortable and suddenly all I want to do is sleep. So I crawl back and slide under her thick comforter and nestle my head on to her feather pillow and close my eyes. I feel Gabe sit down next to me and his fingers gently brush my hair out of my face, his fingers stopping on the tattoo engraved under my right ear.

“The letter ‘S.” He whispers.

“What?” What are you talking about?” I look at him with curiosity in my eyes.

“The letter ‘S’ in the form of a devil serpent. The tattoo he put here.” He says softly as his fingers brush the ink. He marked each of those girls with their number. But you, you already had the number four, so he gave you the same tattoo he had on his neck. The first initial of all his victims, and him.”

I turn my head away from him, tears pricking my eyelids and I know I’m finally on the verge of a complete melt down.

“Sydney, look at me please.” He whispers.

I blink my eyes open and focus on his face. His jaw is covered in stubble and his eyes look tired. I realize then that he’s been through Hell too, and I start to feel guilty. “Five minutes, please. Then I’ll let you get some rest before I take you home.”

I scoot back a little and prop another pillow under my head. I’m too tired to argue with him anymore, so I let him explain.

“Franco worked at the restaurant next door to ‘Ink’d Out Tattoo’ which is where Stephan worked as a tattoo artist. They became.....friends,” he says using the quote marks with the fingers on his left hand. “At first, neither of them knew they were half-brothers. One night, they got drunk and high at Stephan’s place and Stephan started talking. He told Franco about his father, not realizing they had the same father. He told him his own sister shot and killed his dad in cold blood, and that he was out for revenge. As he told Franco the story, Franco started putting two and two together and realized who he was. So, he did some research and once he confirmed his suspicions, decided to become a vigilante and bring Stephan down on his own.”

I lie there staring at Gabe in disbelief, but I don’t say anything.

“At first, Franco agreed to help. But only to get closer to the situation, when he should have called the authorities. Stephan was a smart man, and he got suspicious when Franco got a little too enthusiastic about Stephan’s plan. So, he did his own research and figured out who Franco was and tried to stop him in is his tracks. Franco then tied up your mother and sister.....”

“Sylvia. Shit.” I whisper.

“Franco did that to protect Sylvia, so that Stephan couldn’t get to her if his plan to get you failed.”

I stare back at Gabe, lost in what he’s telling me.

“There’s more.” Gabe continues. “When we finally got to Stephan’s house, you were gone.

But there was a man lurking in the bushes and I acted too quickly. Damn rookie mistake.” He says as he shakes his head. “I yelled for him to stop, but he kept
moving so I fired. It wasn’t until later that we found out it was Franco.”

“You shot my brother.” I whispered, anger lurking under my exhaustion.

“I didn’t know it was your brother, Syd. Honest to God. We got him to the hospital and treated, then he was questioned. He told us everything, including where to find you. Stephan had planned all along where he would take you if his plan went awry, but totally forgot he had told Franco. Franco saved your life, Sydney. If it weren’t for him being stupid, we would have never found you.”

“Oh my God, Franco. Is he
all right?”

“Yeah, I got him in the shoulder.” He shrugs as he looks at his own shoulder. “He’s gonna be fine.”

“And my mother and sister?”

“They’re good too, though your mother is having some issues mentally. She’s in Mercy Chicago’s mental health facility getting treatment for the trauma, but she’s improving every day.

Sylvia is with her and doing fine.”

“Oh thank God. I know I haven’t been very close with them over the years, but I didn’t want any of
them hurt. They blamed me for dad’s death, you know?”