Waves of Reckoning (The Montclair Brothers) (14 page)

“I happen to have a date with Carrie this Friday,” Vincent responded proudly.

“Bullshit,” laughed Sean.

Vincent nodded proudly at his brother, before leaving. He couldn’t seem to keep that upcoming evening off his mind.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Vincent offered to do the dishes after dinner, and Elissa had gone out to take the boys for a drive in her new Equinox. Since everyone was busy, Carrie decided that it’d be the perfect time to get used to her new high heels. She sat on the bed in her room, and buckled the red rhinestone and satin straps over her ankles. They were the most elegant, beautiful shoes she’d ever seen. While holding onto the headboard, she pulled herself up, and stood in front of the floor-length mirror.
Wow, I look like a walking disaster
, she thought. Her ankles shook with every step she took.
This is ridiculous
. Carrie sighed and attempted to walk from the headboard to the far wall, but she ended up falling into a heap on the floor. “Shit!” she cursed out loud.

“Hey!” yelled Vincent from the bottom of the stairs. “Are you okay?”

Carrie cracked open the door, hiding her feet. “Yeppers! I was just moving the bed a bit. I dropped my favorite pen behind it. I got it, though!” When she felt he was satisfied with her explanation, she closed the door and resumed her plight. She didn’t do too badly if she kept her eyes focused on her feet, but when she stood up straight and lifted her chin, she’d fall flat on her rear. This time, she’d mistakenly grabbed the bookshelf, and several hard bound classics went plummeting to the floor.

“Jeeze!” She heard Vincent yell again. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need help with anything?”

“No, I’m okay. I was just reaching for a book and knocked a few down. I got the one I wanted, though. Thank you!” she yelled back. Her ankles were killing her.

“Nice! Which one did you choose?” Vincent inquired.

Carrie sighed. She quickly scanned the shelf and floor. “This one on World War Two.”

“Oh wow. I’m a history buff as well. I didn’t know you liked that sort of thing. Which series number?”

“Oh my God,” she whispered. She wished he’d just shut up. She was already several steps away from the shelf and the books scattered on the floor. “I’m not sure! I don’t have my glasses on!” Feeling relieved, she slowly and carefully took small steps, while focusing on a black and white framed photo of a tree, which was hung on the opposite wall.
Left, right, left, right
. When she finally made it, she slowly walked back. Carrie was proud of herself, until she realized that she needed to practice walking on a hard-surfaced floor. She doubted she’d be dancing on thick, plush, carpet.

She slowly opened the bedroom door, peeking up the hall to make sure no one else was upstairs. That was all she needed. Vincent was still standing at the foot of the steps.

“You wear glasses? I never saw you in them before,” he smiled. “Why don’t you grab your book and come on downstairs?” he asked cheerfully.

“No, that’s okay. My stomach doesn’t feel very good. I think I should lie down for a few.” Carrie didn’t know she could come up with excuses this fast.

“Let me know if you need anything, Carrie. Feel better.” Vincent finally walked away.

She waited about thirty seconds or so, until she heard the sound of the television. Very carefully, while holding onto the door frame, she took a short step onto the hardwood floor. Her ankles shook, but not terribly. With her hand on the wall, she took a couple more steps. Confidence filled her and she grinned. She lifted her chin, swayed her hips just a little, and then slipped on the shiny floor, falling flat on her rear. The impact made her body throb. Fast footsteps could be heard running towards the stair case. Panic filled her as she drug her body through the bathroom door, by holding onto the door frame. She had no time to stand, no time to remove the shoes and very little time to get out of Vincent’s line of sight.

“Did you fall or something?” The sounds of him running up the steps made her hurry and slam the door shut.

“No, my stomach doesn’t feel good. I think dinner didn’t agree with me.”
This is fruitless
, she thought.

“I’ll get you some Pepto.” He was right outside.

She quickly reached up and pushed in the lock. “I’ll be fine. Give me just a minute and I’ll come downstairs.”

While she sat on the cool tile, she unbuckled her shoes, and removed them. Carrie stared at the high-heels with disdain. “Damn you!” She cursed them softly. Once she was sure he was gone, she fled from the bathroom and into the bedroom. She crammed the shoes back into the box, and flung them in the closet. She took a few breaths to calm herself, then opened the door and walked down to the living room in her bare feet. They were throbbing. She sat on the sofa across from him, and smiled.

“Are you sure you didn’t fall?” His face was full of concern. “Your ankles and knees are all red.”

“No, I was just sitting on the floor reading.” Carrie tucked her feet underneath her. In her mind, she knew that this date was going to land her in a wheelchair.

Chapter 14

R
enee waited until
Brian was with his teacher before picking up her phone. She quickly called Carrie to see how she was doing and to make plans for Friday.

“I can’t even walk in them! We need to go back to the store.” Carrie sighed hopelessly into the phone.

“Oh you’re not giving up, girl. I’ll be right over!” Renee hung up, told Brian where she was going, then grabbed her purse and headed to her car. She didn’t give her one second to object. Even if Renee had to stay there all day, she was going to make this evening perfect for Carrie and Vincent.

When she pulled up in the driveway and got out of the car, Carrie was already standing at the front door.

“Renee, please. Let me get the boys ready, and we’ll take these stupid shoes back!” she pleaded.

“Go get them,” laughed Renee as she walked inside. She said hello to the boys, but they were too busy playing with some toy cars to notice her.

“Here.” Carrie held out the box as if it contained snakes.

“I’m going to put them on and demonstrate for you.” Renee sat down and put the elegant shoes on her feet then stood up.

“Those look a whole lot better on you. You should keep them. I think I’m going to call Vincent and tell him I’d much rather go for a burger…or bowling…
anything
other than a fancy restaurant and dancing!”

Renee just smiled and shook her head. “Watch me. See how I set each foot down? You can’t take steps like you would in sneakers. Just watch.” Renee slowly walked back and forth in the kitchen.

She removed the shoes and slipped one onto Carrie’s foot and pulled at her to stand up.

“So…I’m going out with one shoe?” laughed Carrie.

“No, but let’s try getting used to the heels, one at a time.” Renee didn’t know how else to break her of the fear. When Carrie felt okay with one shoe, Renee sat her down and placed the other one on her foot.

“Now I’ll kill myself.”

“You aren’t going to fall. You’re going to hold onto me until we reach the counter. Remember to take slow steps like I did.” Renee prayed this would work.

By the time lunch rolled around, Carrie was walking like a princess. She went up and down the stairs and was even able to slowly twirl around.

“See?! You did it!” Renee clapped.

“I don’t think I had the straps tight enough last night. This isn’t that hard. I don’t think I can dance in them though.” Carrie looked down at the shoes and frowned.

Renee began to hum and held out her arms. “May I have this dance?”

“You’re kidding, right? I can’t really dance, with or without these shoes.” Carrie slowly went to her, while shaking her head.

It was a day to behold, but Renee had complete confidence in Carrie by the time she left. She told her she’d make sure the boys were cared for tomorrow and that she’d pick her up at nine. She smiled as Carrie looked at her quizzically.

“For what?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise, my dear. We’re going to turn you into Cinderella. Sleep tight!” Renee blew her a kiss before climbing in her car.

As she pulled out of the driveway, she called Tyler.

“What a nice surprise! I miss you,” he answered.

“Honey, I need you to help me with something. Can you somehow convince Vincent to give Elissa the day off tomorrow?” She crinkled her face, hoping he’d say yes.

“Babe, I don’t really have anything to do with that. Is Elissa sick?” Tyler asked with concern.

“Okay. I’ll tell you something, but if you open up your mouth about it, you’ll be sleeping in the garage. Deal?” she warned.

“Can I at least have a blanket?” he laughed.

“Tyler! I’m being serious. I need to help Carrie get ready for her date with Vincent tomorrow night, so I’m treating her to a spa day. She wants to surprise him by looking pretty. Don’t you say one word of this to your brothers…especially not Vinnie. If Elissa stays home, Carrie will be free.” Her frustration was showing through the phone.

“Okay, I’ll think up something. Mum’s the word.” Tyler told her he loved her, before hanging up the phone.

Renee could just picture him sitting at his desk laughing. She shook her head and turned on some relaxing music for the drive home.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Tyler leaned back in his chair and laughed. He could just picture Carrie socking his brother in the gut for getting too close. He knew Vincent was used to women who readily accepted all of his smooth moves, but Carrie was more of a tomboy, and he wished he could be a fly on the wall to take pictures of their date. Tyler stood up and walked out into the hall, while trying to keep a straight face. He knew his brother was in court, so he headed directly to Elissa’s office and slowly poked his head inside.

“Hey, Elissa. Do you have a moment?” he nonchalantly smiled.

“Sure, Ty. What’s up?” She stopped typing and looked at him.

“I’d like to ask you if you can request the day off tomorrow or something.” He blurted out.

“Why?” Elissa looked at him nervously.

“Vinnie’s taking Carrie out on the town tomorrow night, so Renee’s going to treat her to a day at the spa. If you could stay with the boys, that’d be a big help.” Tyler didn’t know this would be so easy.

“That’s so sweet! Sure, I can ask him. But what if he needs me?”

“Make something up. By the way, don’t mention any of this to Vincent, and don’t say anything to Carrie, and don’t you
dare
tell Renee I told you.” He thanked her profusely, and then left the office. When he was out of eyesight, he heard her chuckle.

Tyler let himself laugh again too.

Shortly after he’d settled back down at his desk, Elissa rushed into his office. “Ty, Vinnie sent me a text saying he’d be in court all day and wasn’t planning on coming back here.”

“Text him back and say you have doctors’ appointments or whatever tomorrow. Seriously, if I go home and I haven’t gotten you off work, Renee will kill me.” He stared at her in desperation. If he had to contact Vincent, he knew that he’d be unable to remain serious enough while all the thoughts of Carrie popping him one rolled through his mind.

“Okay. I promise to think of something.” Elissa said as she turned to leave.

“Tell me as soon as you know.” Tyler couldn’t wait to hear from her. If Elissa got the day off, he’d be free to stop worrying about it. He should just hire a sitter, but then everyone would kill him.

At the end of the day, Elissa stopped back by his office to let him know that Vincent had given her the day off.

“I hated to lie to him,” she said with a frown.

“It’s for a good cause though. Vincent won’t be upset once he hears the reasoning. Unless his gut is sore.” Tyler smiled widely.

“What?” She quickly asked with concern.

“Nevermind. Thanks for your help in the education of my brother.”

Elissa shook her head, clearly baffled, as she left his office.

Tyler was in a great mood when he drove off the lot at Montclair Pharmaceuticals. He was excited to see Renee and Brian, and the best part would be seeing the approval on Renee’s face. She didn’t need to know that he’d risked it all and went directly to the source. It had worked and that’s all that mattered. He pulled up into the garage just as his phone rang. It was Vincent. Hopefully he wasn’t calling him to complain about Elissa being off tomorrow.

“Listen, Ty. I’m going to say something to you, but don’t overreact. Don’t yell, don’t think the worst—”

Tyler quickly cut him off. “Vinnie, tell me what’s going on.” He put the car in park and shut off the engine.

“They’ve found no evidence. There’s nothing the detectives have found to substantiate Brian’s claims of abuse. Anthony Chase, the prosecutor on the case, just called me.”

“What!?!?!” yelled Tyler. “Are you kidding me? Did they even look?” He balled up his fist.

“Ty, I have no doubts that Hank and Shirley Waters were bringing Brian harm. But, according to the prosecutor, there’s no evidence.”

“What about the house? Did they even bother to check it out?” Tyler slumped down in the driver’s seat. His mind was spinning.

“Evidence wasn’t found in, or around, that house. Nothing. They still have some people to question, but as it stands right now, it looks like Brian’s parents are going to get away with this.”

“No bloody way in hell, Vinnie…” Tyler slammed his palm down on the steering wheel. “What about the threats that I heard Hank Waters make to Brian. What about
that
?!”

“Boyd Simmons, their defense attorney, is claiming that you made it all up just so you could adopt Brian.” Vincent nervously cleared his throat.

“Oh my God! I
am
adopting him, even if it can’t be legal. He’s not going back there!” Tyler yelled.

“I hate to tell you this, Brother, but the adoption isn’t going to go through at this point. On Monday, the prosecutor is going to ask that the charges against the waters be dropped, due to the lack of evidence. When they’re released from custody, Brian is going to have to be surrendered to them. Shirley will be released at the hearing, but Hank is still serving time for assaulting a police officer. I’m coming over Sunday to meet with all of you. We have to pick Brian’s brain to see if there’re any other avenues we can explore. Until then, I’d keep this to yourself. There’s no reason to get everyone upset.”

“
Upset.
Renee is going to
freak
and Brian will bolt. That means she’ll go right behind him. I’m going to that house myself, Vin. I’ll tear the damn thing apart!” Tyler yelled again, causing Renee to rush into the garage. He smiled and held up a finger to signal to her that’d he’d be just another minute. He watched her go back inside of the house.

“I’m sorry, Ty. I thought we’d have more time to prepare for this. I’m upset as well, but try to calm down before you get them all in a panic. I’m going to ask the prosecutor to request some extra time on Monday morning. I can’t guarantee the judge will go for it, but all we can do at this point is to try. I’ll see you guys on Sunday. Let me break the news to Brian and Renee. It’ll be better than letting them get all worked up over the next couple of days.”

“He’s not going back there, Vin. I promise you, I’ll get locked up for the rest of my life before I allow that to happen.” Tyler warned through clenched teeth.

“Let’s just keep our heads on straight and take one day at a time. I’ll see you on Sunday. Between now and then, you have to keep it together. I can’t even imagine how hard this is for you, Ty, but I’ll fight as hard as I can.”

After saying goodbye, Tyler let his phone drop from his hand. It bounced off of his leg, and fell onto the car floor. He sat there with his eyes closed, taking slow deep breaths. His previous experience with hiding the truth from his brothers, about their painful past, reassured him that he could do it again. When he had regained his composure, Tyler wiped the sweat off of his face with his hand, and got out of the car. He reached down to pick his phone up as Renee opened the door and stuck her head into the garage.

“Honey, dinner’s on the table,” she smiled and waved him inside.

“Great. I’m starving!” Tyler smiled. He couldn’t wait to down a glass of water. His throat felt like a desert. He had no idea how he’d be able to swallow his food though. Thoughts of Brian being chained up in a basement, beaten and starved, was putting him on the edge of vomiting.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Renee watched as Tyler vigorously washed his hands before sitting down at the table. Every time he looked up, he smiled at Brian, but his eyes were full of sadness and dread. His brow furrowed when he looked down at the food on his plate. He barely ate three bites, before taking his plate to the sink. Something had happened today, but she knew he wouldn’t talk about it right now. She’d wait until they were alone before she inquired. Maybe he’d heard something about Robert and he didn’t want to upset her. If he wouldn’t tell her, she’d call Vincent. But for now, she’d let him have his space.

While she cleaned up the kitchen, Tyler invited Brian outside to throw the football around. He gladly accepted. Even though Renee could hear the laughter as she watched them both in their element, she knew that something was wrong. Tyler was still in his suit and dress shoes. She saw the smudge of dirt on his light yellow shirt, and his tie clasp was crooked. Renee couldn’t help him if she didn’t know what was troubling him so severely. She picked up his phone off the counter to see the last person he’d been speaking to. Vincent. She sat his phone back down, and then dug hers out of her purse. She hoped Vinnie would answer her call.

“Renee, how are you?” His voice was pleasant.

“Something’s wrong with Tyler, Vinnie, and you were the last person he spoke to. Did you find out something about Robert?” She quickly got straight to the point.

“All I know is that Robert walked out of the interview with the psychiatrist before she was done. She’s scheduled to go back to the jail to continue it though. Is everything okay?” She listened as the tension grew in his voice.

“Vinnie, I can’t help Tyler if I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Something bad has happened, and I want to know what it is. Tell me,” she insisted.