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“I understand your reluctance, dear. Let me tell you our story, and see what you think at the end of it. What’s the worst that can happen? Especially if I’m lying.” Mal shrugs, and I know she’s just trying to manipulate me, but it won’t work.
“Fine. Tell your story, then I want to know what the next steps are that get me the fuck out of here.” I see all the guys tense in my periphery, but I ignore them.
Mal clears her throat. “I met your father, Henry, thirty-five years ago. That’s when I met all of your fathers, as you boys already know.” Mal pauses and smiles at each of the guys, and they nod in return. “They had all grown up together, they were best friends, and they had struck out on multiple business ventures together right after they graduated from college. I interviewed for a position in one of their new tech start-ups. It was entry-level, but I had the education behind me and was hired. My position afforded me access to all of them. Henry; Alexander, the twins’ father; Charles, Wade’s dad; and James, my darling Gray’s father. We all became friendly through our work interactions and had good working relationships. After a few years, we all became more like family. When Hayes and Adler’s mother passed during childbirth, it was a very difficult time.” Mal pauses and reaches her hands out to the twins with a sad look on her face.
“We’re okay, Mal. Keep going.” Hayes pats her hand and offers her a small smile.
With a deep breath and a sip of wine, Mal adjusts in her seat before starting again. “It’s also what pushed Henry and I together initially. We realized how fleeting life is and didn’t see the point in denying our feelings for one another. He knew I also had feelings for his other friends, but they were in relationships of their own, and I was very respectful of that fact. Eventually, after a lengthy grieving period, Alex and I became involved as well. It was tricky at first, but the history between Henry and Alex made things go more smoothly than any regular person would think. Sadly, our family tragedy wasn’t over. Wade’s and Gray’s mothers were out for lunch together and were killed in a car accident while driving home. The boys were young, and we were all already close, so I stepped in to help take care of them.” This time she pauses and gives the other two guys a sympathetic smile that they return.
“Thank goodness for you, Mal.” Wade’s tone is filled with love and affection, and Mal beams at him.
I take a moment to absorb this news. I had no idea the guys had so much sadness in their backgrounds. For all of them to lose their mothers at such young ages is awful. I still can’t help but want to roll my eyes at Wade’s gratitude to Mal though. The love she feels for these guys seems very genuine, but there’s something about her that just feels wrong.
She more easily jumps back into the story this time. “Nature ran its course, and before I knew it, we had all shifted into a relationship. None of your fathers were together, but I was with all of them. We were committed to each other and led a very happy life filled with so much love and laughter. But as with most things it seems, it wasn’t meant to last.” Mal pointedly looks at me, and I can’t help but shift around in my seat under her scrutiny.
“Whatever you’re getting at wasn’t my fault, so I don’t appreciate the look.” I cross my arms in front of my chest, and a smirk slides into place on her face.
“There’s no need to be rude, Rory,” Wade chastises, but I don’t care. All of this is rubbing me the wrong way, and she hasn’t even dropped the bombshell I know she’s holding on to.
“It’s okay, Wade. This is a lot to take in. I’m sorry if my look offended you, Rory. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’ll continue. It’s just, this is where the story gets a little more difficult. You can’t blame me for wanting to see how it affects you.”
“I can, actually. But go on.” I tilt my head at her, and she does.
“Yes. Well, between the four of them, my guys were titans of industry. They had their hands in all kinds of pies but also held down the fort on a stock and financial company, a cyber security firm, a medical practice and research facility, and eventually a venture capitalist business that was founded to help the arts. Between all these holdings, we were wealthy beyond our wildest dreams. Henry had become the first one to see financial success, and as we were a family, he used his money to help the others get their starts. No one batted an eye at his name going on all the paperwork or acting as a consultant in everyone’s affairs. In fact, we were all grateful that he wanted to know so much about what everyone was up to and how things were ran. We were fools.”
I jump in my seat when Adler smashes his fist into the table. “That traitorous motherfucker.”
No one says anything, but Hayes squeezes Adler’s shoulder, and Mal continues. “Unbeknownst to the rest of us, Henry was quietly taking control of all our assets. He was making risky business decisions and getting into bed with dangerous individuals. He had also developed a gambling problem. Well, Henry made a series of terrible choices and lost a lot of money, and not all of it was his. He had been stealing money from clients to feed his addiction and cover the holes he was creating everywhere else. When the seedy men that he owed money to started coming to collect, he chose to save himself at the cost of everyone else. Once he knew he would be the sole beneficiary if something happened to all of us, Henry plotted to kill us all. Not just his best friends in the whole world, but their children, as well as me and his unborn child. I was a few months along, and he acted the part of the doting father-to-be perfectly. I didn’t suspect a thing.” Mal pauses her story to wipe a stray tear from her cheek. “I’m so sorry, I need a moment of fresh air before I continue.” She stands and rushes from the room.
I blow out a breath, grateful for the break. It’s already too much to take in. The tension in the room is palpable, and I’m dreading the moment Mal comes back and finishes her story. Eddie gets up after a moment and goes after Mal. The rest of us sit quietly, them probably anxiously waiting to see how I’ll react and me just wanting to get this over with. Mal and Eddie finally walk back in after a few minutes. It’s time.
Wade
Partofmewantsto follow Mal and make sure she’s okay, but I also don’t want to leave Rory. After a moment, Eddie gets up and goes after his mom; he’s probably the best choice for this anyway. Rory has been on edge since the beginning of the meal, and I can’t blame her, but I’m also well aware of the pain Mal and the rest of us have been through. She needs to hear it and understand why this is happening. Mal finally walks back in and takes her seat.
“I’m sorry, I needed a moment. If I rush this last part, forgive me. I’ll answer any questions you have, as I said before.” She takes another breath and pushes on. “Henry was in Europe trying to make a deal with some fancy CEO of another tech company. He had gone ahead early, but Alex, Charles, and James were scheduled to fly out and meet up with him the next day because they didn’t want to miss some sports activities for the boys. They were such good men. The next morning, they left. Their private jet suffered engine failure and crashed, leaving no survivors. At almost the same time, I was taking the boys to school when we were run off the road. The brakes had been cut, and we went down an embankment into a solid wall of trees. Every single one of us ended up in the hospital with serious injuries. I’d had to have emergency surgery because my spleen had ruptured in the accident, so I didn’t know about the guys until almost a day later.” Mal barely gets the last sentence out before a sob escapes her, and she grips her chest with her right hand.
I reach across the table and take her free hand in mine. “I’m so sorry, Mal. It’s hard for us, and we don’t remember it half as well as you do.” She squeezes me back quietly.
Rory’s face looks carefully blank as she processes everything Mal just said. She’s a wildcard, so I’m not sure how she’s going to take this news. I’m prepared for more silence, but she surprises me and already has a question.
“I’m so sorry for all your losses. I can’t imagine what you’ve all been through. What part of that story is supposed to convince me that my father is the one that set those things up? If all your fathers were as powerful and successful as you say, they must have acquired some enemies. It could have been anyone.” Her voice is quiet but firm.
“When I woke up in the hospital and the police and doctors explained what had happened, I immediately started asking after Henry. Like you, Rory, I assumed someone was after our family and feared that Henry was next on the list or had already been killed and we hadn’t heard yet. When I tried to call him, all his numbers had been disconnected and he vanished. Our family lawyer informed me that I was named as the legal guardian for all the boys, which we had all decided on, so it wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was finding out that all of our accounts had been drained except for one that I had kept on my own from a small trust I had received from my parents when they passed. It was enough to keep our heads above water but just barely. Henry never called or showed his face ever again. Three months later, I saw an engagement announcement in the paper for him and your mother. Now tell me, Rory, what part of that story makes you think your father was some innocent bystander in all this?” Mal’s jaw is clenched as she grits out that last part, and I have to consciously loosen my hands from making fists at my sides.
“I can easily admit how that makes my father look. If that’s true, his actions were despicable. However, it still doesn’t prove that he murdered three innocent men and tried to murder a bunch of kids and his girlfriend. I’ve never claimed my father is a saint, but that story doesn’t line up with the man I know.”
“If you want to be a naïve little girl, that’s up to you. Your father is evil and did what he did out of greed. I almost lost Edmund from that crash. I have been plotting our revenge since the day I found out our accounts had been wiped. It has been twenty-five years, and Henry Cole is going to pay for what he stole from us. Starting with you.”
Rory pushes back from the table and stands. “So I was abducted and held prisoner here because you think, without actual proof, that my father killed your fathers?” She looks at us all accusingly.
Hayes reacts first. “You’re damn right! It doesn’t take a fucking genius to put the pieces together. If it wasn’t him, why didn’t he come back? He never broke up with Mal. He never came back to see if we were all okay or to raise his biological child. He took everything, including our legacies that our fathers had prepared for us. He had no right, yet he’s never looked back once.
He’s the scum of the fucking planet, and he deserves worse than what he’s gotten so far.”
“So now what? Huh? You keep me here for how long? Then what, murder my family and steal all our money to make yourselves feel better? Come on, guys, don’t be shy now. Tell me!” Rory has backed up into the sink, so there’s lots of space between her and the rest of us at the table.
“Rory, I know this feels like too much right now, but you need to seriously think about what has been said tonight. Why else would we be doing this?” I stand and make slow steps toward her.
