Chapter 107: You adopted
9429words
"Your face looks better this morning, lynn."
I hadn't even thought about my face during all of this mess. I forgot how hard Jason could hit and the pain he'd leave behind, but none of that was important right now.
"Thanks," I muttered as we entered the kitchen. Dad came into view as he sat at the head of the table like he always did with a newspaper sprawled out in front of him. "Morning, Daddy," I greeted, trying to stay as normal as I could.
"Lynn, I'm glad you're here," Dad greeted softly before he pushed a chair out. "Sit. Ma, make some coffee for us, will you?"
Mom turned to the coffee pot and began brewing a fresh pot as I grabbed the back of the chair but didn't sit down. Micky said to make it short and sweet.
"We actually can't stay long. I wanted to show Drake around the city and to my favorite spots but then I realized I didn't have my journal." I giggled, hoping it didn't sound too suspicious. "It's been a while since I've been to a few of them and they're all in my journal. What are you guys doing for dinner?" I asked, changing the subject.
They looked between each other before Dad ruffled the newspaper and folded it up.
"Did you have something in mind for dinner?" Dad asked.
I shrugged, not thinking that far ahead. Shit. "Um, well, Drake and I wanted to take you out. It's our last night in Seattle and thought a nice dinner out would be nice."
Mom smiled. "That sounds lovely, lynn." Then she pointed at Dad. "We haven't been to that place on the water in forever. Do you remember that place? It was our favorite."
"Antones?"
"Yes! Antones. Do you like seafood, Drake? Antones is known to have the freshest seafood in all of Seattle."
Drake nodded. "Yeah, I love seafood. What time are you thinking?"
"We don't like to eat late. How about six o'clock?"
"Perfect," I replied as I looked over at Dominick. "I'll go grab that journal and we can go? I can't wait to show you the cliffs." Then I turned and nearly ran toward the stairs, but tried not to be too suspicious.
Once I was out of sight, I let out a breath and ran up the stairs. This was going much better than I expected it to, but my heart still pounded in my chest. They might not suspect anything but I was still a nervous wreck.
After I grabbed my journal that was still on the bed from yesterday, I went to my closet and climbed the bottom shelf to be able to reach the box. I had it stowed away in the ceiling panel where nobody would think to look. But as soon as I reached into the panel and didn't feel it, my heart sank. Where the hell was my box?!
But then I found it and I immediately calmed down. It was covered in dust from years of neglect in the ceiling as I blew it off and tucked it beneath my arm. I got what we came for and now it was time to get the hell out of here.
Before I walked out of my bedroom, though, I couldn't help but stop and look around. There were so many memories in this room; good and bad. Part of me wanted to believe that my parents actually did love me and that all the years in these walls weren't a complete lie. But as the saying goes: the truth will set you free.
I went back downstairs to find Drake sitting at the table with Dad while Mom poured some coffee. "Got it," I held up the journal for Drake to see but his shoulders were stiff and his eyes moved suspiciously toward my dad.
"What's in the box, lynn?" Dad asked as he cocked his head at me.
I nervously giggled and looked down at it. "Oh, this old thing? I wanted to bring some fond memories back to Florida with me. Just stuff from high school and when I was younger," I lied through my teeth.
"Sit down," Dad hissed out.
My heart plummeted to my gut as I looked back over at Drake who nodded toward the chair. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I grabbed the chair with shaky hands and took a seat. I didn't notice it before, but the air in the room crackled with tension. What the hell happened while I was gone?
"Everything okay, Daddy?"
Dad's eyes slowly moved to mine as a malicious grin lifted his lips. "Well, that's just the problem, isn't it? I'm not actually your daddy and you know about it."
Holy fucking shit.
My eyes whipped toward Drake as our gazes held. I shifted in my seat and tried to plaster on a smile as a weird laugh left my chest.
"Wh-what are you talking about?" I stuttered.
Dad moved his hand from beneath the table and revealed the small gun in his hand as he set it rested on the table, pointing the barrel right at me.
"We didn't want you to find out this way."I snorted. "It didn't seem like you wanted me to find out at all."
His brows furrowed as he glared over at me, moving the gun closer. "There's a reason why we kept it from you for all of these years."
"So you could steal my real family's money?" Oops, that just slipped out and by the look on my dad's face, he didn't like that question.
"They owed us!!" He shouted as he stood up to his feet, knocking his chair to the floor behind him.
I jumped and looked back over at Drake. Where the hell were all these cops? Couldn't they hear us?!
Holding Drake's gaze, he shook his head at me, but I continued asking questions. I needed to know why they did what they did.
"How did they owe you?" I asked.
Dad scoffed. "Your real father was a power, money hungry asshole who knew I was his best asset but never gave me the recognition! Do you have any idea how many ideas I gave him for new technology and he shot down?! My wife was nannying his fucking daughter and he treated us like we were trash! He deserved everything he had coming to him."
I didn't know what to believe anymore. I didn't even know who my real parents were, so how was I to believe his accusations? For all I knew, he thought he deserved more when in all reality, he didn't deserve a fucking thing.
"How did you adopt me? Didn't I have other family?" I tried to steer the conversation away.
His wicked grin made me feel uneasy. "When Kathy was nannying you, she also acted as your real mother's assistant while at home. She would bring your real mother documents to sign on the daily, so she figured she'd bring a document stating that we'd be your legal guardians in case anything happened to them. She signed it without even looking at it. You were ours before they even knew it."
I wanted to throw up. These people were worse than I had ever imagined.
"My family didn't try to fight you when my parents died?" I wanted him to keep talking. The truth was finally coming out and straight from their lips. I needed to hear it.
He laughed. "Fight what? Your mother signed the guardianship papers. There was nothing to fight."
"Why? Why did you want me so badly?"
"You come from a lot of money, Molly. Money that we didn't have," he said as he pointed between him and my mom. "And now that you know, we can't possibly let you live. Besides, if you die, there's a large sum of money coming to us." He lifted the gun and pointed it at me.
Drake jumped into action and lunged forward as I squeezed my eyes shut. The gun went off and I screamed. My eyes whipped back open as I immediately looked to Drake to make sure that he was okay. He was still wrestling with my dad as I jumped up and turned to find my mom charging at me with a butcher knife.
I screamed again and blocked her swing as she tackled me to the ground. She was strong as hell for being a tiny, frail woman. The gun went off again, but I was fighting for my own life here. I held my hands up, my mom's arms away from me as she tried with all of her might to sink that knife into my chest. My muscles were shaking and she had the upper hand; being that she was on top of me. The tip of the knife dug into the skin between my collar bones as I let out a scream and pushed her off the best that I could.
And then everything happened so quickly. Several doors were busted down as the sound of heavy footsteps filled the house. In seconds, the kitchen was full of officers in black SWAT uniforms with their weapons trained on my parents.
"Put your weapon down!!" One of them shouted as he pressed the barrel of his gun into my mother's temple.
She gave me a wicked grin and dropped the knife, letting it slice across my cheek before she held her hands up in surrender. The man tackled her off of me and pressed her face into the floor as he cuffed her hands behind her back.
I sat up and touched the blood on my cheek before I turned toward Drake. The same scene was unfolding for him as well. My dad was being held to the ground as they cuffed him and kicked his handgun away from him.
Drake 's eyes held mine before he rushed for me and cupped my face.
"I was so fucking scared that I'd lose you," he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine.
I held his arms tightly and tried to take several deep breaths. That situation escalated so quickly and I never in a million years thought that they would try to kill me!
Micky walked into the kitchen then and looked right at me. "You okay?"
I nodded and then looked back into Drake's eyes, trying not to freak out right now. I needed to stay strong until this was all over.
"Gene and kathy Martinez, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."Here they go again, letting Melissa get away with whatever she did. And I wanted to tell them that she wasn't my sister but that would surely reveal what was going on. I do have to admit that it was nice to know that Melissa wasn't actually my sister. We were polar opposites in every way and now that I knew we weren't blood-related, it all made sense. Did my parents baby me because I wasn't their kid? Is that why Melissa hated me? Did she know the truth?
"Your face looks better this morning, lynn."
I hadn't even thought about my face during all of this mess. I forgot how hard Jason could hit and the pain he'd leave behind, but none of that was important right now.
"Thanks," I muttered as we entered the kitchen. Dad came into view as he sat at the head of the table like he always did with a newspaper sprawled out in front of him. "Morning, Daddy," I greeted, trying to stay as normal as I could.
"Lynn, I'm glad you're here," Dad greeted softly before he pushed a chair out. "Sit. Ma, make some coffee for us, will you?"
Mom turned to the coffee pot and began brewing a fresh pot as I grabbed the back of the chair but didn't sit down. Micky said to make it short and sweet.
"We actually can't stay long. I wanted to show Drake around the city and to my favorite spots but then I realized I didn't have my journal." I giggled, hoping it didn't sound too suspicious. "It's been a while since I've been to a few of them and they're all in my journal. What are you guys doing for dinner?" I asked, changing the subject.
They looked between each other before Dad ruffled the newspaper and folded it up.
"Did you have something in mind for dinner?" Dad asked.
I shrugged, not thinking that far ahead. Shit. "Um, well, Drake and I wanted to take you out. It's our last night in Seattle and thought a nice dinner out would be nice."
Mom smiled. "That sounds lovely, lynn." Then she pointed at Dad. "We haven't been to that place on the water in forever. Do you remember that place? It was our favorite."
"Antones?"
"Yes! Antones. Do you like seafood, Drake? Antones is known to have the freshest seafood in all of Seattle."
Drake nodded. "Yeah, I love seafood. What time are you thinking?"
"We don't like to eat late. How about six o'clock?"
"Perfect," I replied as I looked over at Dominick. "I'll go grab that journal and we can go? I can't wait to show you the cliffs." Then I turned and nearly ran toward the stairs, but tried not to be too suspicious.
Once I was out of sight, I let out a breath and ran up the stairs. This was going much better than I expected it to, but my heart still pounded in my chest. They might not suspect anything but I was still a nervous wreck.
After I grabbed my journal that was still on the bed from yesterday, I went to my closet and climbed the bottom shelf to be able to reach the box. I had it stowed away in the ceiling panel where nobody would think to look. But as soon as I reached into the panel and didn't feel it, my heart sank. Where the hell was my box?!
But then I found it and I immediately calmed down. It was covered in dust from years of neglect in the ceiling as I blew it off and tucked it beneath my arm. I got what we came for and now it was time to get the hell out of here.
Before I walked out of my bedroom, though, I couldn't help but stop and look around. There were so many memories in this room; good and bad. Part of me wanted to believe that my parents actually did love me and that all the years in these walls weren't a complete lie. But as the saying goes: the truth will set you free.
I went back downstairs to find Drake sitting at the table with Dad while Mom poured some coffee. "Got it," I held up the journal for Drake to see but his shoulders were stiff and his eyes moved suspiciously toward my dad.
"What's in the box, lynn?" Dad asked as he cocked his head at me.
I nervously giggled and looked down at it. "Oh, this old thing? I wanted to bring some fond memories back to Florida with me. Just stuff from high school and when I was younger," I lied through my teeth.
"Sit down," Dad hissed out.
My heart plummeted to my gut as I looked back over at Drake who nodded toward the chair. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I grabbed the chair with shaky hands and took a seat. I didn't notice it before, but the air in the room crackled with tension. What the hell happened while I was gone?
"Everything okay, Daddy?"
Dad's eyes slowly moved to mine as a malicious grin lifted his lips. "Well, that's just the problem, isn't it? I'm not actually your daddy and you know about it."
Holy fucking shit.
My eyes whipped toward Drake as our gazes held. I shifted in my seat and tried to plaster on a smile as a weird laugh left my chest.
"Wh-what are you talking about?" I stuttered.
Dad moved his hand from beneath the table and revealed the small gun in his hand as he set it rested on the table, pointing the barrel right at me.
"We didn't want you to find out this way."I snorted. "It didn't seem like you wanted me to find out at all."
His brows furrowed as he glared over at me, moving the gun closer. "There's a reason why we kept it from you for all of these years."
"So you could steal my real family's money?" Oops, that just slipped out and by the look on my dad's face, he didn't like that question.
"They owed us!!" He shouted as he stood up to his feet, knocking his chair to the floor behind him.
I jumped and looked back over at Drake. Where the hell were all these cops? Couldn't they hear us?!
Holding Drake's gaze, he shook his head at me, but I continued asking questions. I needed to know why they did what they did.
"How did they owe you?" I asked.
Dad scoffed. "Your real father was a power, money hungry asshole who knew I was his best asset but never gave me the recognition! Do you have any idea how many ideas I gave him for new technology and he shot down?! My wife was nannying his fucking daughter and he treated us like we were trash! He deserved everything he had coming to him."
I didn't know what to believe anymore. I didn't even know who my real parents were, so how was I to believe his accusations? For all I knew, he thought he deserved more when in all reality, he didn't deserve a fucking thing.
"How did you adopt me? Didn't I have other family?" I tried to steer the conversation away.
His wicked grin made me feel uneasy. "When Kathy was nannying you, she also acted as your real mother's assistant while at home. She would bring your real mother documents to sign on the daily, so she figured she'd bring a document stating that we'd be your legal guardians in case anything happened to them. She signed it without even looking at it. You were ours before they even knew it."
I wanted to throw up. These people were worse than I had ever imagined.
"My family didn't try to fight you when my parents died?" I wanted him to keep talking. The truth was finally coming out and straight from their lips. I needed to hear it.
He laughed. "Fight what? Your mother signed the guardianship papers. There was nothing to fight."
"Why? Why did you want me so badly?"
"You come from a lot of money, Molly. Money that we didn't have," he said as he pointed between him and my mom. "And now that you know, we can't possibly let you live. Besides, if you die, there's a large sum of money coming to us." He lifted the gun and pointed it at me.
Drake jumped into action and lunged forward as I squeezed my eyes shut. The gun went off and I screamed. My eyes whipped back open as I immediately looked to Drake to make sure that he was okay. He was still wrestling with my dad as I jumped up and turned to find my mom charging at me with a butcher knife.
I screamed again and blocked her swing as she tackled me to the ground. She was strong as hell for being a tiny, frail woman. The gun went off again, but I was fighting for my own life here. I held my hands up, my mom's arms away from me as she tried with all of her might to sink that knife into my chest. My muscles were shaking and she had the upper hand; being that she was on top of me. The tip of the knife dug into the skin between my collar bones as I let out a scream and pushed her off the best that I could.
And then everything happened so quickly. Several doors were busted down as the sound of heavy footsteps filled the house. In seconds, the kitchen was full of officers in black SWAT uniforms with their weapons trained on my parents.
"Put your weapon down!!" One of them shouted as he pressed the barrel of his gun into my mother's temple.
She gave me a wicked grin and dropped the knife, letting it slice across my cheek before she held her hands up in surrender. The man tackled her off of me and pressed her face into the floor as he cuffed her hands behind her back.
I sat up and touched the blood on my cheek before I turned toward Drake. The same scene was unfolding for him as well. My dad was being held to the ground as they cuffed him and kicked his handgun away from him.
Drake 's eyes held mine before he rushed for me and cupped my face.
"I was so fucking scared that I'd lose you," he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine.
I held his arms tightly and tried to take several deep breaths. That situation escalated so quickly and I never in a million years thought that they would try to kill me!
Micky walked into the kitchen then and looked right at me. "You okay?"
I nodded and then looked back into Drake's eyes, trying not to freak out right now. I needed to stay strong until this was all over.
"Gene and kathy Martinez, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."Here they go again, letting Melissa get away with whatever she did. And I wanted to tell them that she wasn't my sister but that would surely reveal what was going on. I do have to admit that it was nice to know that Melissa wasn't actually my sister. We were polar opposites in every way and now that I knew we weren't blood-related, it all made sense. Did my parents baby me because I wasn't their kid? Is that why Melissa hated me? Did she know the truth?
"Your face looks better this morning, lynn."
I hadn't even thought about my face during all of this mess. I forgot how hard Jason could hit and the pain he'd leave behind, but none of that was important right now.
"Thanks," I muttered as we entered the kitchen. Dad came into view as he sat at the head of the table like he always did with a newspaper sprawled out in front of him. "Morning, Daddy," I greeted, trying to stay as normal as I could.
"Lynn, I'm glad you're here," Dad greeted softly before he pushed a chair out. "Sit. Ma, make some coffee for us, will you?"
Mom turned to the coffee pot and began brewing a fresh pot as I grabbed the back of the chair but didn't sit down. Micky said to make it short and sweet.
"We actually can't stay long. I wanted to show Drake around the city and to my favorite spots but then I realized I didn't have my journal." I giggled, hoping it didn't sound too suspicious. "It's been a while since I've been to a few of them and they're all in my journal. What are you guys doing for dinner?" I asked, changing the subject.
They looked between each other before Dad ruffled the newspaper and folded it up.
"Did you have something in mind for dinner?" Dad asked.
I shrugged, not thinking that far ahead. Shit. "Um, well, Drake and I wanted to take you out. It's our last night in Seattle and thought a nice dinner out would be nice."
Mom smiled. "That sounds lovely, lynn." Then she pointed at Dad. "We haven't been to that place on the water in forever. Do you remember that place? It was our favorite."
"Antones?"
"Yes! Antones. Do you like seafood, Drake? Antones is known to have the freshest seafood in all of Seattle."
Drake nodded. "Yeah, I love seafood. What time are you thinking?"
"We don't like to eat late. How about six o'clock?"
"Perfect," I replied as I looked over at Dominick. "I'll go grab that journal and we can go? I can't wait to show you the cliffs." Then I turned and nearly ran toward the stairs, but tried not to be too suspicious.
Once I was out of sight, I let out a breath and ran up the stairs. This was going much better than I expected it to, but my heart still pounded in my chest. They might not suspect anything but I was still a nervous wreck.
After I grabbed my journal that was still on the bed from yesterday, I went to my closet and climbed the bottom shelf to be able to reach the box. I had it stowed away in the ceiling panel where nobody would think to look. But as soon as I reached into the panel and didn't feel it, my heart sank. Where the hell was my box?!
But then I found it and I immediately calmed down. It was covered in dust from years of neglect in the ceiling as I blew it off and tucked it beneath my arm. I got what we came for and now it was time to get the hell out of here.
Before I walked out of my bedroom, though, I couldn't help but stop and look around. There were so many memories in this room; good and bad. Part of me wanted to believe that my parents actually did love me and that all the years in these walls weren't a complete lie. But as the saying goes: the truth will set you free.
I went back downstairs to find Drake sitting at the table with Dad while Mom poured some coffee. "Got it," I held up the journal for Drake to see but his shoulders were stiff and his eyes moved suspiciously toward my dad.
"What's in the box, lynn?" Dad asked as he cocked his head at me.
I nervously giggled and looked down at it. "Oh, this old thing? I wanted to bring some fond memories back to Florida with me. Just stuff from high school and when I was younger," I lied through my teeth.
"Sit down," Dad hissed out.
My heart plummeted to my gut as I looked back over at Drake who nodded toward the chair. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I grabbed the chair with shaky hands and took a seat. I didn't notice it before, but the air in the room crackled with tension. What the hell happened while I was gone?
"Everything okay, Daddy?"
Dad's eyes slowly moved to mine as a malicious grin lifted his lips. "Well, that's just the problem, isn't it? I'm not actually your daddy and you know about it."
Holy fucking shit.
My eyes whipped toward Drake as our gazes held. I shifted in my seat and tried to plaster on a smile as a weird laugh left my chest.
"Wh-what are you talking about?" I stuttered.
Dad moved his hand from beneath the table and revealed the small gun in his hand as he set it rested on the table, pointing the barrel right at me.
"We didn't want you to find out this way."I snorted. "It didn't seem like you wanted me to find out at all."
His brows furrowed as he glared over at me, moving the gun closer. "There's a reason why we kept it from you for all of these years."
"So you could steal my real family's money?" Oops, that just slipped out and by the look on my dad's face, he didn't like that question.
"They owed us!!" He shouted as he stood up to his feet, knocking his chair to the floor behind him.
I jumped and looked back over at Drake. Where the hell were all these cops? Couldn't they hear us?!
Holding Drake's gaze, he shook his head at me, but I continued asking questions. I needed to know why they did what they did.
"How did they owe you?" I asked.
Dad scoffed. "Your real father was a power, money hungry asshole who knew I was his best asset but never gave me the recognition! Do you have any idea how many ideas I gave him for new technology and he shot down?! My wife was nannying his fucking daughter and he treated us like we were trash! He deserved everything he had coming to him."
I didn't know what to believe anymore. I didn't even know who my real parents were, so how was I to believe his accusations? For all I knew, he thought he deserved more when in all reality, he didn't deserve a fucking thing.
"How did you adopt me? Didn't I have other family?" I tried to steer the conversation away.
His wicked grin made me feel uneasy. "When Kathy was nannying you, she also acted as your real mother's assistant while at home. She would bring your real mother documents to sign on the daily, so she figured she'd bring a document stating that we'd be your legal guardians in case anything happened to them. She signed it without even looking at it. You were ours before they even knew it."
I wanted to throw up. These people were worse than I had ever imagined.
"My family didn't try to fight you when my parents died?" I wanted him to keep talking. The truth was finally coming out and straight from their lips. I needed to hear it.
He laughed. "Fight what? Your mother signed the guardianship papers. There was nothing to fight."
"Why? Why did you want me so badly?"
"You come from a lot of money, Molly. Money that we didn't have," he said as he pointed between him and my mom. "And now that you know, we can't possibly let you live. Besides, if you die, there's a large sum of money coming to us." He lifted the gun and pointed it at me.
Drake jumped into action and lunged forward as I squeezed my eyes shut. The gun went off and I screamed. My eyes whipped back open as I immediately looked to Drake to make sure that he was okay. He was still wrestling with my dad as I jumped up and turned to find my mom charging at me with a butcher knife.
I screamed again and blocked her swing as she tackled me to the ground. She was strong as hell for being a tiny, frail woman. The gun went off again, but I was fighting for my own life here. I held my hands up, my mom's arms away from me as she tried with all of her might to sink that knife into my chest. My muscles were shaking and she had the upper hand; being that she was on top of me. The tip of the knife dug into the skin between my collar bones as I let out a scream and pushed her off the best that I could.
And then everything happened so quickly. Several doors were busted down as the sound of heavy footsteps filled the house. In seconds, the kitchen was full of officers in black SWAT uniforms with their weapons trained on my parents.
"Put your weapon down!!" One of them shouted as he pressed the barrel of his gun into my mother's temple.
She gave me a wicked grin and dropped the knife, letting it slice across my cheek before she held her hands up in surrender. The man tackled her off of me and pressed her face into the floor as he cuffed her hands behind her back.
I sat up and touched the blood on my cheek before I turned toward Drake. The same scene was unfolding for him as well. My dad was being held to the ground as they cuffed him and kicked his handgun away from him.
Drake 's eyes held mine before he rushed for me and cupped my face.
"I was so fucking scared that I'd lose you," he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine.
I held his arms tightly and tried to take several deep breaths. That situation escalated so quickly and I never in a million years thought that they would try to kill me!
Micky walked into the kitchen then and looked right at me. "You okay?"
I nodded and then looked back into Drake's eyes, trying not to freak out right now. I needed to stay strong until this was all over.
"Gene and kathy Martinez, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."Here they go again, letting Melissa get away with whatever she did. And I wanted to tell them that she wasn't my sister but that would surely reveal what was going on. I do have to admit that it was nice to know that Melissa wasn't actually my sister. We were polar opposites in every way and now that I knew we weren't blood-related, it all made sense. Did my parents baby me because I wasn't their kid? Is that why Melissa hated me? Did she know the truth?
"Your face looks better this morning, lynn."
I hadn't even thought about my face during all of this mess. I forgot how hard Jason could hit and the pain he'd leave behind, but none of that was important right now.
"Thanks," I muttered as we entered the kitchen. Dad came into view as he sat at the head of the table like he always did with a newspaper sprawled out in front of him. "Morning, Daddy," I greeted, trying to stay as normal as I could.
"Lynn, I'm glad you're here," Dad greeted softly before he pushed a chair out. "Sit. Ma, make some coffee for us, will you?"
Mom turned to the coffee pot and began brewing a fresh pot as I grabbed the back of the chair but didn't sit down. Micky said to make it short and sweet.
"We actually can't stay long. I wanted to show Drake around the city and to my favorite spots but then I realized I didn't have my journal." I giggled, hoping it didn't sound too suspicious. "It's been a while since I've been to a few of them and they're all in my journal. What are you guys doing for dinner?" I asked, changing the subject.
They looked between each other before Dad ruffled the newspaper and folded it up.
"Did you have something in mind for dinner?" Dad asked.
I shrugged, not thinking that far ahead. Shit. "Um, well, Drake and I wanted to take you out. It's our last night in Seattle and thought a nice dinner out would be nice."
Mom smiled. "That sounds lovely, lynn." Then she pointed at Dad. "We haven't been to that place on the water in forever. Do you remember that place? It was our favorite."
"Antones?"
"Yes! Antones. Do you like seafood, Drake? Antones is known to have the freshest seafood in all of Seattle."
Drake nodded. "Yeah, I love seafood. What time are you thinking?"
"We don't like to eat late. How about six o'clock?"
"Perfect," I replied as I looked over at Dominick. "I'll go grab that journal and we can go? I can't wait to show you the cliffs." Then I turned and nearly ran toward the stairs, but tried not to be too suspicious.
Once I was out of sight, I let out a breath and ran up the stairs. This was going much better than I expected it to, but my heart still pounded in my chest. They might not suspect anything but I was still a nervous wreck.
After I grabbed my journal that was still on the bed from yesterday, I went to my closet and climbed the bottom shelf to be able to reach the box. I had it stowed away in the ceiling panel where nobody would think to look. But as soon as I reached into the panel and didn't feel it, my heart sank. Where the hell was my box?!
But then I found it and I immediately calmed down. It was covered in dust from years of neglect in the ceiling as I blew it off and tucked it beneath my arm. I got what we came for and now it was time to get the hell out of here.
Before I walked out of my bedroom, though, I couldn't help but stop and look around. There were so many memories in this room; good and bad. Part of me wanted to believe that my parents actually did love me and that all the years in these walls weren't a complete lie. But as the saying goes: the truth will set you free.
I went back downstairs to find Drake sitting at the table with Dad while Mom poured some coffee. "Got it," I held up the journal for Drake to see but his shoulders were stiff and his eyes moved suspiciously toward my dad.
"What's in the box, lynn?" Dad asked as he cocked his head at me.
I nervously giggled and looked down at it. "Oh, this old thing? I wanted to bring some fond memories back to Florida with me. Just stuff from high school and when I was younger," I lied through my teeth.
"Sit down," Dad hissed out.
My heart plummeted to my gut as I looked back over at Drake who nodded toward the chair. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I grabbed the chair with shaky hands and took a seat. I didn't notice it before, but the air in the room crackled with tension. What the hell happened while I was gone?
"Everything okay, Daddy?"
Dad's eyes slowly moved to mine as a malicious grin lifted his lips. "Well, that's just the problem, isn't it? I'm not actually your daddy and you know about it."
Holy fucking shit.
My eyes whipped toward Drake as our gazes held. I shifted in my seat and tried to plaster on a smile as a weird laugh left my chest.
"Wh-what are you talking about?" I stuttered.
Dad moved his hand from beneath the table and revealed the small gun in his hand as he set it rested on the table, pointing the barrel right at me.
"We didn't want you to find out this way."I snorted. "It didn't seem like you wanted me to find out at all."
His brows furrowed as he glared over at me, moving the gun closer. "There's a reason why we kept it from you for all of these years."
"So you could steal my real family's money?" Oops, that just slipped out and by the look on my dad's face, he didn't like that question.
"They owed us!!" He shouted as he stood up to his feet, knocking his chair to the floor behind him.
I jumped and looked back over at Drake. Where the hell were all these cops? Couldn't they hear us?!
Holding Drake's gaze, he shook his head at me, but I continued asking questions. I needed to know why they did what they did.
"How did they owe you?" I asked.
Dad scoffed. "Your real father was a power, money hungry asshole who knew I was his best asset but never gave me the recognition! Do you have any idea how many ideas I gave him for new technology and he shot down?! My wife was nannying his fucking daughter and he treated us like we were trash! He deserved everything he had coming to him."
I didn't know what to believe anymore. I didn't even know who my real parents were, so how was I to believe his accusations? For all I knew, he thought he deserved more when in all reality, he didn't deserve a fucking thing.
"How did you adopt me? Didn't I have other family?" I tried to steer the conversation away.
His wicked grin made me feel uneasy. "When Kathy was nannying you, she also acted as your real mother's assistant while at home. She would bring your real mother documents to sign on the daily, so she figured she'd bring a document stating that we'd be your legal guardians in case anything happened to them. She signed it without even looking at it. You were ours before they even knew it."
I wanted to throw up. These people were worse than I had ever imagined.
"My family didn't try to fight you when my parents died?" I wanted him to keep talking. The truth was finally coming out and straight from their lips. I needed to hear it.
He laughed. "Fight what? Your mother signed the guardianship papers. There was nothing to fight."
"Why? Why did you want me so badly?"
"You come from a lot of money, Molly. Money that we didn't have," he said as he pointed between him and my mom. "And now that you know, we can't possibly let you live. Besides, if you die, there's a large sum of money coming to us." He lifted the gun and pointed it at me.
Drake jumped into action and lunged forward as I squeezed my eyes shut. The gun went off and I screamed. My eyes whipped back open as I immediately looked to Drake to make sure that he was okay. He was still wrestling with my dad as I jumped up and turned to find my mom charging at me with a butcher knife.
I screamed again and blocked her swing as she tackled me to the ground. She was strong as hell for being a tiny, frail woman. The gun went off again, but I was fighting for my own life here. I held my hands up, my mom's arms away from me as she tried with all of her might to sink that knife into my chest. My muscles were shaking and she had the upper hand; being that she was on top of me. The tip of the knife dug into the skin between my collar bones as I let out a scream and pushed her off the best that I could.
And then everything happened so quickly. Several doors were busted down as the sound of heavy footsteps filled the house. In seconds, the kitchen was full of officers in black SWAT uniforms with their weapons trained on my parents.
"Put your weapon down!!" One of them shouted as he pressed the barrel of his gun into my mother's temple.
She gave me a wicked grin and dropped the knife, letting it slice across my cheek before she held her hands up in surrender. The man tackled her off of me and pressed her face into the floor as he cuffed her hands behind her back.
I sat up and touched the blood on my cheek before I turned toward Drake. The same scene was unfolding for him as well. My dad was being held to the ground as they cuffed him and kicked his handgun away from him.
Drake 's eyes held mine before he rushed for me and cupped my face.
"I was so fucking scared that I'd lose you," he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine.
I held his arms tightly and tried to take several deep breaths. That situation escalated so quickly and I never in a million years thought that they would try to kill me!
Micky walked into the kitchen then and looked right at me. "You okay?"
I nodded and then looked back into Drake's eyes, trying not to freak out right now. I needed to stay strong until this was all over.
"Gene and kathy Martinez, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."Here they go again, letting Melissa get away with whatever she did. And I wanted to tell them that she wasn't my sister but that would surely reveal what was going on. I do have to admit that it was nice to know that Melissa wasn't actually my sister. We were polar opposites in every way and now that I knew we weren't blood-related, it all made sense. Did my parents baby me because I wasn't their kid? Is that why Melissa hated me? Did she know the truth?
"Your face looks better this morning, lynn."
I hadn't even thought about my face during all of this mess. I forgot how hard Jason could hit and the pain he'd leave behind, but none of that was important right now.
"Thanks," I muttered as we entered the kitchen. Dad came into view as he sat at the head of the table like he always did with a newspaper sprawled out in front of him. "Morning, Daddy," I greeted, trying to stay as normal as I could.
"Lynn, I'm glad you're here," Dad greeted softly before he pushed a chair out. "Sit. Ma, make some coffee for us, will you?"
Mom turned to the coffee pot and began brewing a fresh pot as I grabbed the back of the chair but didn't sit down. Micky said to make it short and sweet.
"We actually can't stay long. I wanted to show Drake around the city and to my favorite spots but then I realized I didn't have my journal." I giggled, hoping it didn't sound too suspicious. "It's been a while since I've been to a few of them and they're all in my journal. What are you guys doing for dinner?" I asked, changing the subject.
They looked between each other before Dad ruffled the newspaper and folded it up.
"Did you have something in mind for dinner?" Dad asked.
I shrugged, not thinking that far ahead. Shit. "Um, well, Drake and I wanted to take you out. It's our last night in Seattle and thought a nice dinner out would be nice."
Mom smiled. "That sounds lovely, lynn." Then she pointed at Dad. "We haven't been to that place on the water in forever. Do you remember that place? It was our favorite."
"Antones?"
"Yes! Antones. Do you like seafood, Drake? Antones is known to have the freshest seafood in all of Seattle."
Drake nodded. "Yeah, I love seafood. What time are you thinking?"
"We don't like to eat late. How about six o'clock?"
"Perfect," I replied as I looked over at Dominick. "I'll go grab that journal and we can go? I can't wait to show you the cliffs." Then I turned and nearly ran toward the stairs, but tried not to be too suspicious.
Once I was out of sight, I let out a breath and ran up the stairs. This was going much better than I expected it to, but my heart still pounded in my chest. They might not suspect anything but I was still a nervous wreck.
After I grabbed my journal that was still on the bed from yesterday, I went to my closet and climbed the bottom shelf to be able to reach the box. I had it stowed away in the ceiling panel where nobody would think to look. But as soon as I reached into the panel and didn't feel it, my heart sank. Where the hell was my box?!
But then I found it and I immediately calmed down. It was covered in dust from years of neglect in the ceiling as I blew it off and tucked it beneath my arm. I got what we came for and now it was time to get the hell out of here.
Before I walked out of my bedroom, though, I couldn't help but stop and look around. There were so many memories in this room; good and bad. Part of me wanted to believe that my parents actually did love me and that all the years in these walls weren't a complete lie. But as the saying goes: the truth will set you free.
I went back downstairs to find Drake sitting at the table with Dad while Mom poured some coffee. "Got it," I held up the journal for Drake to see but his shoulders were stiff and his eyes moved suspiciously toward my dad.
"What's in the box, lynn?" Dad asked as he cocked his head at me.
I nervously giggled and looked down at it. "Oh, this old thing? I wanted to bring some fond memories back to Florida with me. Just stuff from high school and when I was younger," I lied through my teeth.
"Sit down," Dad hissed out.
My heart plummeted to my gut as I looked back over at Drake who nodded toward the chair. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I grabbed the chair with shaky hands and took a seat. I didn't notice it before, but the air in the room crackled with tension. What the hell happened while I was gone?
"Everything okay, Daddy?"
Dad's eyes slowly moved to mine as a malicious grin lifted his lips. "Well, that's just the problem, isn't it? I'm not actually your daddy and you know about it."
Holy fucking shit.
My eyes whipped toward Drake as our gazes held. I shifted in my seat and tried to plaster on a smile as a weird laugh left my chest.
"Wh-what are you talking about?" I stuttered.
Dad moved his hand from beneath the table and revealed the small gun in his hand as he set it rested on the table, pointing the barrel right at me.
"We didn't want you to find out this way."I snorted. "It didn't seem like you wanted me to find out at all."
His brows furrowed as he glared over at me, moving the gun closer. "There's a reason why we kept it from you for all of these years."
"So you could steal my real family's money?" Oops, that just slipped out and by the look on my dad's face, he didn't like that question.
"They owed us!!" He shouted as he stood up to his feet, knocking his chair to the floor behind him.
I jumped and looked back over at Drake. Where the hell were all these cops? Couldn't they hear us?!
Holding Drake's gaze, he shook his head at me, but I continued asking questions. I needed to know why they did what they did.
"How did they owe you?" I asked.
Dad scoffed. "Your real father was a power, money hungry asshole who knew I was his best asset but never gave me the recognition! Do you have any idea how many ideas I gave him for new technology and he shot down?! My wife was nannying his fucking daughter and he treated us like we were trash! He deserved everything he had coming to him."
I didn't know what to believe anymore. I didn't even know who my real parents were, so how was I to believe his accusations? For all I knew, he thought he deserved more when in all reality, he didn't deserve a fucking thing.
"How did you adopt me? Didn't I have other family?" I tried to steer the conversation away.
His wicked grin made me feel uneasy. "When Kathy was nannying you, she also acted as your real mother's assistant while at home. She would bring your real mother documents to sign on the daily, so she figured she'd bring a document stating that we'd be your legal guardians in case anything happened to them. She signed it without even looking at it. You were ours before they even knew it."
I wanted to throw up. These people were worse than I had ever imagined.
"My family didn't try to fight you when my parents died?" I wanted him to keep talking. The truth was finally coming out and straight from their lips. I needed to hear it.
He laughed. "Fight what? Your mother signed the guardianship papers. There was nothing to fight."
"Why? Why did you want me so badly?"
"You come from a lot of money, Molly. Money that we didn't have," he said as he pointed between him and my mom. "And now that you know, we can't possibly let you live. Besides, if you die, there's a large sum of money coming to us." He lifted the gun and pointed it at me.
Drake jumped into action and lunged forward as I squeezed my eyes shut. The gun went off and I screamed. My eyes whipped back open as I immediately looked to Drake to make sure that he was okay. He was still wrestling with my dad as I jumped up and turned to find my mom charging at me with a butcher knife.
I screamed again and blocked her swing as she tackled me to the ground. She was strong as hell for being a tiny, frail woman. The gun went off again, but I was fighting for my own life here. I held my hands up, my mom's arms away from me as she tried with all of her might to sink that knife into my chest. My muscles were shaking and she had the upper hand; being that she was on top of me. The tip of the knife dug into the skin between my collar bones as I let out a scream and pushed her off the best that I could.
And then everything happened so quickly. Several doors were busted down as the sound of heavy footsteps filled the house. In seconds, the kitchen was full of officers in black SWAT uniforms with their weapons trained on my parents.
"Put your weapon down!!" One of them shouted as he pressed the barrel of his gun into my mother's temple.
She gave me a wicked grin and dropped the knife, letting it slice across my cheek before she held her hands up in surrender. The man tackled her off of me and pressed her face into the floor as he cuffed her hands behind her back.
I sat up and touched the blood on my cheek before I turned toward Drake. The same scene was unfolding for him as well. My dad was being held to the ground as they cuffed him and kicked his handgun away from him.
Drake 's eyes held mine before he rushed for me and cupped my face.
"I was so fucking scared that I'd lose you," he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine.
I held his arms tightly and tried to take several deep breaths. That situation escalated so quickly and I never in a million years thought that they would try to kill me!
Micky walked into the kitchen then and looked right at me. "You okay?"
I nodded and then looked back into Drake's eyes, trying not to freak out right now. I needed to stay strong until this was all over.
"Gene and kathy Martinez, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."You adopted You adopted
