Black Butterfly (41 page)

“Did you destroy her life? Why? Because she didn't want you? Are you the father of her child, Nolen?” He cut the wheel and drove over to the side of the road, throwing the car in park. His nostrils flared in anger and he spoke through clenched teeth. “I'm sorry, Sydney. I should have told you. I just, I don't know how to talk about Marilynn, or any of my past.”

“So you manipulate me so I can't see who you truly are at all?” He looked over at her. "No. No."

“Then tell me the truth or I will walk away.”

“It happened a long time ago, back in school. I mean Princeton. That's where I met Marilynn.”

“You went to Princeton?"

“Bernard convinced me to go, he’s my step father. He always thought I could use my smarts for good, not evil.” He half-joked with a bitter laugh. “I needed to get a fresh start. I passed all entrance exams and got accepted on a scholarship from my stepfather’s company. My mom didn't want anything to do with me. I could see the relief in her eyes when I left. Before I left, Marilynn and I were the kids most people didn’t pay attention to. The Claytons owned this town. She was my girlfriend.”

“You two were in love?”

“Yes. I thought so. She followed me to Princeton. Not to go to school. We were going to get married after I finished.”

Sydney touched his hand, and he pulled away. “What happened to that love?”

“You know how first love can be. There’s an innocence to it. You think you’ll be together forever until one of you grows up and finds out that forever is just a euphemism for right now.” Nolen's voice cracked with pain and bitterness. “We were inseparable. I thought she felt the same way, but I was wrong.”

“She hurt you.”

Nolen chuckled. “She betrayed me.”

“What does that mean?”

“You know what it means.”

“Nolen—”

“I couldn’t support her, so I sent her home until I finished school. She was to be faithful to me, loyal to me. I could have easily pulled some of the tricks on the co-eds that my father taught me. I didn’t. I walked the straight and narrow.”

“How did she betray you?”

“She found a trust-fund baby and spread her legs for him. The prodigy of the Clayton’s. But she got knocked up. He rejected her. Scared, she came back to me and told me the kid was mine. I believed her.” Sydney felt sick.

“So I had to get dirty again. Work, school, and hit the poker houses to support my girl and a kid I didn’t plan for. She convinced me that it would be for the best. And hell I kept bringing in the money. She turned me out just like my father did. Here’s the kicker. I got busted, and you know what she got? A ring. That’s right. The kid wasn’t mine and rich boy Clayton decided he wanted the girl after all. His family wanted the scandal to stay quiet so they got me off and dealt with Princeton’s ethics board so I didn’t get kicked out of school. Being such kind people.”

“So you came back for revenge.”

Nolen slipped her a look. “Is that what she said?”

“Did you?”

“Yes. I destroyed the Claytons and their legacy.”

“How did it make you feel, Nolen?”

He smirked. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

Sydney had to look away. But she didn't let go of his hand. “No. I guess not.” Chapter 21

Good Intentions

Trish agreed to dress after another heated debate over the appointment he scheduled. Todd cleared away the breakfast dishes. He cared for her deeply, but the guilt of the secrets between them still haunted him.

He knew now Trish couldn’t stand another betrayal of her trust. It could kill her.

Today she seemed much better. A knock at the door disturbed his tranquility, and he looked at it with trepidation. It had to be her mother coming to stir up more trouble, and he wasn’t going to let that happen.

He unlocked the double bolt and pulled back the door. His heart stopped at the sight of Portia.

“Hello, asshole!” she said with her hand on her hip.

“What the—?”

Portia pushed past him. “Trish! Trish! Trish! It’s Portia. Get out here right now, sweetie!” Todd closed the door. “Portia, wait!”

Trish came out of the bedroom. “Portia!” she exclaimed, running to her friend and hugging her. Todd stood frozen, watching them, and Portia smiled evilly over Trish’s shoulder at him.

Trish let her go. “How did you know I was here?”

“I saw your picture in the magazine,” Portia said, smoothing Trish’s hair and kissing her cheek. “And I left my photo shoot immediately. I had to come to you right away.” Trish frowned. “Oh I get it, you know who I am. I’m sorry for not telling you and Syd sooner. I… Portia what’s wrong?”

“It’s not about your identity. I get why you kept that a secret. You wanted privacy. But yeah, you were living rent free.” Portia gave a bitter laugh. She turned her cold glare to Todd. “I know this must be some horrific mistake. I mean you have no idea who this man is, right? What he put me through?”

“Portia, don’t do this,” Todd said. He walked toward them. “You don’t understand.” Trish looked at Todd. “Do what? What’s she talking about?” Trish asked.

“Do you know who he is?” Portia repeated in a pained voice. “Did Sydney bother to tell you who this bastard is before she set you up with him?”

Trish stared at Todd with a bewildered expression. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“Let me talk to you,” Todd reached for her.

Trish took a step toward him, but Portia blocked her. “He’s the man who attacked me, Trish. The photographer who lured me here and then damn near raped me before throwing me in jail! Sydney had his friend Nolen Adams cover it up, and then she set you up with him. For the life of me, I don’t know why!” Trish blinked. “What? That’s a lie!”

“You stupid bitch!” Todd yelled, grabbing Portia by the arm.

“Let me go, you bastard!” Portia screamed, slapping and clawing at him.

Todd shoved her and she dropped to the floor as Trish gasped. She covered her mouth and backed away. “Is this true? Did you hurt my friend?”

“She’s twisting things. It didn’t happen like that.”

Portia flipped her curls back from her face. “I’ve never lied to you, Trish. I protected you when you had nowhere to go. He hurt me, and you saw it. Remember I said I hit him in the face?” Trish looked at Todd with a shocked expression. “The bruise?”

“Shut the fuck up and get out of my apartment!” Todd shouted. He went for Portia, who backed away.

He would have gone for her throat if Trish’s wails didn’t shock them all. She shook all over with fury, and pounded her fists against the sides of her head wailing. Todd went to her, but she pushed him away. “Stay away from me! How could you do this to me? You said you loved me, and you used me! Why did you want to hurt me like this?”

“Listen to me!”

Trish, faster than Todd, shot past him to the door of his place. She yanked on it hard to open it. A tall man with gray-streaked black hair and chiseled features stood there with Carol Hesser. Trish collapsed.

Todd hurried forward as William Hesser knelt to pick up his daughter. “Don’t fucking touch her!” Todd yelled, pushing him away.

Portia got up from the floor, staring in bewilderment as Todd scooped up Trish and carried her to his bedroom with everyone following. He laid her on the bed, where she moaned through tears. He smoothed her hair from her face, and turned to confront William, who had dared to enter the room. Desperate to get him out before Trish opened her eyes, he grabbed the older man by the collar and forced him into the hallway, closing the door behind them.

The door closed and Trish squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Nausea forced her upright, and she stumbled out of bed, weak from Todd’s betrayal. He was a monster, just like her father.

Loud voices rose from behind the shut door. She heard Todd shouting at her parents, her father saying that she was coming home, her mother crying, and Portia screaming that Todd had raped her as Todd yelled for all of them to leave. Sick, she went to the window and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. She was trapped. Trapped!

“No, God! Not anymore!” she whimpered. She fell to her knees and sobbed. On all fours she crawled to the bathroom, she closed and locked the door, shaking so violently that her teeth chattered. Images of her father and the things he’d done to her came back to her in waves. She could feel his hands and smell the stench of his cigar breath as he panted over her. She could feel the pain, and, oh, God, the pain was worst of all. Her father, the man who was supposed to love her, had done things to her that made her skin crawl.

“They’re coming to get me. He’s going to get me! He’ll make me do it again!” she choked out as bile rose to her throat and her body convulsed. Her head hurt, and her throat was dry. She had to get away, yet she had nowhere to go. Even Sydney had betrayed her.

Rising shakily, she went to the mirrored cabinet. Inside were various pill bottles, and Trish stared at them, knowing what she had to do. Grabbing three bottles, she popped the lids. She wouldn’t let them take her, and without Todd’s love, she didn’t want to live.

“I said get the hell out!” Todd shouted, grabbing Portia by the throat. William Hesser grabbed Todd by the shoulders, but Todd shook him off. Letting Portia go, he swung at the older man and punched him in the face, knocking him to the floor.

Carol screamed, and Portia rubbed her neck where Todd had grabbed her.

Portia rushed to the bedroom door, but Todd grabbed her by her long hair, yelling that this was all her fault. Dragging her to the door of the apartment, he threw her out.

He returned to find William on his cell phone, calling the police. Todd grabbed the phone and threw it against the wall, shattering it. “Get out, God damn you! Get out!” William grabbed Todd by the throat and put him in a chokehold. Todd clawed at his hands and gagged.

Seeing the murderous rage in Hesser’s eyes, he kneed him in the crotch. William released him and fell to the floor, howling.

Todd grabbed his own throat and tried to catch his breath. “I want you to go,” he choked out.

“Not without my daughter,” William shot back, his silver-and-black hair now in his face.

Todd shook his head. “I’ll never let you near her, and trust me, I’ll go public if I have to!” William glared at him as he rose. “No you won’t!”

“Why is that?”

“Because Marshall won’t allow it. I’ve already placed a call to him, and he should be here shortly to help settle this matter once and for all. Didn’t think I knew who you were? Who your father is? Well he’s a friend of mine, and he says he knows how to put you in line.”

Todd laughed at the meaningless threat. “I’m not Trish. My mean old daddy has no control over me, you freak!”

“We’ll see. Besides, I’m sure that model out there will be pretty useful as well,” William said, pointing at the door Portia had been pushed through. Clearly she was still out there, banging on it futilely.

Todd glared at him. “That’s it. If you won’t leave, I’ll call the police and the press to have you publicly dragged out!” he said, going to the phone.

Carol ran over to him, touching his arm. “Let me see her, please.”

“No! No one goes into that room!”

“Let me tell you something. I don’t care how many cops you call. I won’t leave this place without her!” William yelled as Todd punched in the numbers nine-one-one.

Trish lay in the tub, crying softly and thinking of all that she thought she’d shared with Todd. She’d been so wrong about him, so wrong about everything, but she could find peace now. As the fear and memories overwhelmed her, she saw it all as proof that she really was crazy, and there was no hope. Crying, she closed her eyes and waited for it all finally to be over.

Chapter 22

The Aftermath

Portia leaned against the wall. She checked her phone for a signal again. The damned thing was dead, and she was desperate to contact Ricky. She’d been in the hall for almost twenty minutes, pacing, trying to decide what to do next. Banging on the door hadn’t worked. She needed help. Ricky and Syl would be the reinforcements who brought that bastard photographer to his knees.

Giving up on the phone, she dropped it into her bag and went back to pound on the door again. She could still hear Todd and Trish’s dad shouting at each other behind it.

The elevator dinged, and Portia looked down the hall. Two uniformed officers step out. One was African-American, six feet tall. The other looked Puerto Rican and was equally tall but thin compared with his muscular partner. They both regarded her with suspicion. She stepped back from the door as the Latino officer pounded on it, announcing that they were the police.

The pounding on the door startled everyone inside Todd’s apartment. It was more forceful and commanding than Portia’s pitiful beating fist.

“Police! Open up!”

Todd opened the door and stepped aside, relieved to see them both.

“Mr. Todd Ellison? I’m Officer Perez, and this is Officer Peterson.”

“Yes, I’m Todd Ellison, and I called you. These people are trespassing. I want them removed from my home please.”

“Officer, may I speak?” William approached.

Officer Perez raised his hand to stop him. “Stay where you are, sir. I need to see ID from everyone.” Todd reached into his pocket to pull out his driver’s license. “They charged in here, uninvited, and that man attacked me!” he said angrily, handing his license to the officer. “I want them out now!”

“That’s a lie!” William shouted back.

Todd spotted Portia, who plead her case to the other officer. “She’s trespassing as well. I want her removed too!” he snapped with a pointed finger aimed at her.

“Trish is my friend, damn it, and I want to see her! I want to know what you’ve done to her, you asshole!” Officer Perez looked from one to the other. “Who is Trish?”

“My girlfriend is in the next room, resting, officer, and she doesn’t want to see any of them!” William handed over his driver’s license as the other officer examined Carol’s and Portia’s. “I’m William Hesser, and I have a lot of influence in this city. The mayor is a personal friend. My daughter is emotionally unbalanced, and this man is preventing us from getting her the medical attention she needs!”