HUNTER (The Corbin Brothers Book 1) (118 page)

Relief was coming. It would be there in minutes, with luck.

“What are you talking about, Mom?” he asked, his voice wary. “If you’ve been drinking again, I swear to God that if you’re not out of the house by the time I get home, I will throw you out of there. I don’t care if you’re my mother. I don’t care if you gave me life. I will throw you out.”

“I haven’t been drunk since prison,” I said patiently. “The steps worked for me, Marshall. I thought you knew that.”

“I thought I did, too,” he said. “But now you’re calling me, talking all this crazy talk, and I don’t know what to think. My wife—my Jules—they say she’s going to die.”

“That’s not going to happen,” I said. “She will get a new heart tonight.”

“How can you be so sure?” Marshall whispered. There was my little boy. The one who hoped for things. Who asked his Mama to solve his problems. Whose hurts could be solved with a Band-Aid and a kiss. I ached for that Marshall. I ached for there to be some way to turn time back, to go back to when I could scoop my little boy into my ears and kiss him until he screamed with laughter.

There was no magic time machine I could slip into or spell I could say to make it happen. But I could be there for him now. I could be the mother he needed—the solution to his problem.

“I’m so sure because it’s going to be my heart,” I said. “I’m going to give my heart to Jules.”

I heard sirens and bit my lip. So soon. The EMTs were nearly here.

Time had been such a funny thing for me—an ally and an enemy. When I had pissed my life away drinking so much, I’d blown through time without so much as a backward glance. And when I was in prison, the seconds crept by like long minutes if I wasn’t occupied with something. But now, when I was trying to tell my son the most important thing I’d ever told anyone, time was flying by. Time was flying by, and I needed it to slow down. I needed to make my son understand.

“I don’t get it, Mom,” Marshall said. “You can’t just give your heart to someone. That’s not how it works. There’s paperwork. Lists. Bureaucracy. Laws. It’s a pretty idea, what you’re trying to do. But don’t be ridiculous. Don’t do something stupid.”

My son, the problem solver. It made me proud of him, proud that he was my son. He was going to be just fine. I’d see to that.

“I am leaving very clear instructions,” I said. I picked up a gallon-sized plastic bag from the bathroom countertop and checked the seal again. It was probably the third or fourth time I’d checked it, but I wanted to be sure. There wasn’t any need to get the documents soaked with blood. Inside I’d placed my will that I’d had drawn up. It stipulated all of my wishes. Maybe I hadn’t had much money to give Marshall—at least not the money I’d wanted to have for him. But maybe this would be better than a wad of money—knowing that he’d be able to spend more time with the woman he loved.

“Mom, this is ludicrous,” Marshall said. I could practically see him running a hand through his hair, pacing around in Jules’s hospital room. “We both know you’ve had some problems. But this isn’t the way. Hurting yourself is cowardly.”

“I’m doing this for you and Jules, Marshall,” I said. The sirens were screaming now, and I could see blue and red lights reflecting off the walls in the hallway. It was time. The EMTs were here.

“We’ve had our differences,” Marshall said raggedly. “But killing yourself won’t solve anything. We—we can work harder. I can work harder.”

“That’s not what this is about, baby,” I said, stepping into the empty bathtub and settling myself down in it, making sure my plastic bag of papers was positioned in my lap. I needed to hurry. I didn’t want to mess this up by someone trying to wrestle the gun away from me. I needed to make sure this was perfect.

“Then what’s it about, Mom?”

“I screwed up your past, sugar. I know that. But I can help make sure that you have a happy future. I can make Julesbetter, make it so you get to spend more time with her. So you can make a family.”

The front door banged open. “Mrs. Dupree? Mrs. Dupree?”

“In here,” I called. “I’m back here, in the bathroom.” I took the safety off the gun and took a deep breath. My hand was steady. My heart felt light.

“Don’t, Mom,” Marshall begged. He was crying. I was sorry for that. It likely wasn’t the first time I’d been the cause of his tears. But it was time to make up for all of that.

It was time to prove to my son just what I was willing to do to ensure that he had the life that I knew he deserved.

“I love you, baby,” I said, and put the gun against my temple.

“I—I love you, Mama.”

I ended the call. I didn’t want my son to hear the sound of my life ending. He didn’t need to think about it like that. I wanted him to think about it as a beginning.

A squeeze of the trigger as the first EMT popped his head into the bathroom. Time slowed down into a bright white flow of images, random moments without any reason or order.

Marshall as a little boy, grinning toothlessly.

The inside of the nightclub in the daytime, shafts of sunlight illuminating certain tables, certain spots on the dance floor.

The look of the crowd from the stage in the nightclub, my hands wrapped around a microphone, singing.

The lawyer who wouldn’t look at me but ended up saving my life.

Marlee smiling at me, encouraging me to pursue self-improvement.

My girls surrounding me, laughing, happier times at the nightclub.

Hugging Marshall as a grown man, Jules smiling at me from behind his back.

Then, nothing.

Jules opened her eyes slowly, the bright lights of the room making her vision swim. She blinked again, and again, until she could see clearly. Marshall was there, his face in his hands, his shoulders slumped. Worried—he had been worried. And Jules had been the culprit. Oh. She needed to reassure him, tell him she was all right. She was awake, now. He could stop worrying.

She reached over and ran her hand down his forearm, making him jerk upright.

“You’re awake!” he exclaimed, and she could see the tired trails of tears down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” Jules said, smiling at her husband. “It must have been bad.”

“It was bad,” he said. “It was real bad, Jules.”

“It’s over now,” she said, taking his hand and squeezing it. “For however long, it’s over.”

“It’s over for good,” Marshall said, turning her hand in his and kissing her palm.

“For now,” she said again. There was no use getting their hopes up. It had happened before, and it would most likely happen again. Jules knew what this was.

“No, honey,” Marshall said gently. “You have a new heart.”

Jules blinked a couple of times before looking down at herself to try to ascertain whether it was true. Thick bandages covered her chest, but she felt relatively all right for the apparent procedure she’d just gone through. In fact, she felt better than she had in a long, long time.

“I don’t understand,” Jules said. “I thought that I was still a long way away from being at the top of the list.”

“You were, but something happened,” Marshall said. “Something that’s—I don’t know how to say this.”

Jules shook her head, raised her eyebrows, stared at her husband until it became clear to her that he wasn’t going to volunteer any more information willingly.

“It was a miracle, whatever it was,” she said, watching his reaction closely.

“In a way,” he said, choking on the words.

Jules could appreciate that he was emotional. She’d gotten her life back, and they could start planning for a future they used to not have.

“If I can’t get it out of you, Marshall, then Mama’ll tell me,” she said. “Can you go get her for me? I’d like to see her.”

He sobbed. Her calm, in-control husband sobbed, his grip on her hand constricting.

The new heart within Jules’ chest fluttered. She hoped it was allowed to flutter.

“Tell me,” she whispered.

And that was how she found out just whose heart was fluttering inside her body.

* * * *

“Chloe Wanda Dupree!” Jules exclaimed as her daughter ran bare-ass naked down the hallway, dripping wet from her bath and giggling madly. Jules made a brave attempt to smother her own laughter, but it was impossible. She couldn’t hardly stay upset at her little miracle baby. The child was a handful, but it was pure joy. Pure joy to have laughter in the house again.

“Mommy’s gonna get you!” Jules said, jogging after the little girl. Lord, she couldn’t believe that the child was going to be three in just a few months. There were some days that Jules was sure Chloe was still a tiny baby, not a growing little girl, chattering away, soaking up information like a sponge. Some nights, she even dreamed that she was still pregnant with her, the swell of her belly housing the precious life inside of her.

Jules halfway hoped that the dreams were a sign that she was pregnant again. She was ready for Chloe to have a little brother or sister. Jules was going to fill this house with babies if she had her way.

“I got you!”

Marshall emerged from Chloe’s bedroom, hoisting the towel-wrapped child in his arms and covering her with kisses.

“You can’t just go running around all wet, baby girl,” he fussed lightly, blowing little raspberries on her tiny shoulders.

“I done,” Chloe chirped. “No more bath.”

“You gotta tell Mommy and me, then,” Marshall said, rubbing the towel over her. Jules smiled as she got a pair of pajamas out from the dresser drawer in the room. Together, she and her husband dressed their daughter, tickling and kissing her as they went.

“Watch a movie?” Chloe wheedled, raising her eyebrows at Jules.

“I don’t think so, missy,” Jules said, raising her own eyebrows back. “It’s bedtime. We can watch a movie tomorrow.”

“O-kay.” The little girl sagged a little in disappointment, but giggled again when Marshall blew a raspberry in the crook of her neck.

“Now, now,” Jules said. “Daddy’s gonna get you all riled up. Hop into bed. Let’s go, on the double.”

“G’night, Mommy,” Chloe said, kissing Jules. It never failed to make Jules’ heart melt. Never.

“Good night, baby.”

“G’night, Daddy,” the little girl said, kissing Marshall. She made Marshall look young again, erased the lines of worry and stress from his face.

“Good night, baby.”

“G’night, Granmama.” Chloe carefully took the framed photo of Mama and kissed her on her smiling mouth.

“Granmama says ‘good night,’ too,” Marshall said. “Did you hear her?”

“No,” Chloe said, shaking her head and frowning before putting the photograph back on the bedside table. “No, I don’t hear her.”

“Well, you can’t listen for it with your ears, silly,” Marshall said, covering Chloe’s ears with his hands.

“Ears for listening,” Chloe protested, trying to wriggle away. “Why I no hear Granmama?”

“You gotta listen in here,” Marshall said, patting the child’s chest, “in your heart. That’s where Granmama talks to you.”

“In you and Mommy’s hearts?” Chloe demanded, looking up at Jules.

“Especially in Mommy’s heart,” Jules said, laying her hand over her own chest. The heart that beat just below her palm was truly a miracle. Jules wanted to honor the memory of the woman who had made her family’s future possible. It had been almost four years since Jules’ transplant, but Jules still gave thanks every day for Mama. Without her, none of this would’ve been possible.

Marshall gave Chloe one more kiss before rising and walking to the door with Jules.

“Granmama’s watching over you,” he reminded the little girl, pointing at the framed photo, as he did every night.

“I know,” Chloe said. “G’night.”

They closed the door to a crack and went to the kitchen.

“Funny thing happened today,” Marshall said with the feigned casualness that told Jules what he had to say was anything but casual.

“What was that?” she asked, running some water over the dishes from dinner before loading up the dishwasher.

“Somebody called Mama’s cell phone.”

Jules didn’t say anything at first. Marshall still paid the bill for the device even four years after her gift to Jules. Jules would let Marshall keep the cell phone for as long as he needed it. She looked at her husband as she put the casserole dish into the dishwasher. He was silent, thinking.

“Did you answer it?” she asked, pouring the dish soap into the dishwasher’s receptacle before closing the door and turning it on. They moved into the living room, away from the dull roar of the machine.

“No,” Marshall said. “I missed the call. They didn’t leave a voicemail.”

“Oh.”

They sat down on the couch and Marshall picked up the remote control for the television. He rolled it around in his hands, fidgeting with it without pressing the power button.

“Who do you think was looking for her?” he asked, peering at Jules.

She shrugged. “It could’ve been anyone,” she said. “Her lawyer, maybe. Someone from her past. You know Mama knew a lot of people.”

“That she did,” Marshall said, nodding and staring off into some distance that Jules couldn’t see. “She did know a lot of people.”

“What if it was something important?” Jules asked. “Are you going to call the number back?”

“I’m kind of afraid to,” Marshall admitted, setting the remote control down and folding his hands on his lap.

“We can call right now,” Jules said, glancing up at the clock on the wall. “It’s not too late.”

“I don’t know,” Marshall said. “Maybe I’ve kept the cell phone for too long. Maybe it’s past time to let it go.”

“Or maybe you kept the cell phone long enough for this call,” Jules countered. “You never know, Marshall, until you figure out who called.”

“If it’s some customer of hers, I’m probably going to lose my shit,” he said, looking at her. “I don’t think I can do it, honey.”

“Give me the cell phone,” Jules said, holding her hand out. “I can do this. In fact, I want to do this. It’s only right, don’t you think?”

Jules let the obvious statement ring out unsaid. It was only right because Mama’s heart was now inside Jules, giving her the life she never would’ve had without it. It was essential that they honored Mama’s memory. If this was a loose bit left untied, Jules wanted to know about it so that they could make the proper arrangements.

Marshall took a deep breath before handing the phone to her. It was heavy for being so small, though Jules couldn’t help but suspect that her mind was making it heavier. Maybe the reality of whoever had called was just as heavy.

“The number’s in the recent calls list,” Marshall said as she scrolled through the phone. It’s the only one there’s been since—since four years ago.”

“I see it,” Jules said. It was a New York City area code—Manhattan, specifically. Who in Manhattan would be calling Mama four years after her death? It was time to find out.

Jules hit the call button and lifted the phone to her ear. Maybe it was just her imagination, but the phone still smelled of Mama’s rose perfume. The phone rang once, twice, three times before it was answered.

“Hello.”

“Hello,” Jules said pleasantly. “I’m calling on behalf of Wanda Dupree. Who is this, please?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the voice on the other end of the line said. It was female and sounded professional, young. “I don’t know a Wanda Dupree. You must have the wrong number.”

“Your number called this number earlier today,” Jules said. “Maybe you didn’t know her as Wanda Dupree. Maybe you knew her as Mama.”

Jules could hear the woman suck in air and someone else—a man—murmur something that she couldn’t understand.

“Yes, yes. I did know her as Mama. You do have the right number.”

“May I ask your name, please?” Jules pressed.

“It’s Jasmine,” the woman said. “Jasmine King. Mama—um, Mrs. Dupree called me sometime ago. Actually, it’s been years. She called me and I wasn’t ready to talk to her. I knew her back when she—she was, um….”

“With the nightclub?” Jules asked. Marshall raised his eyebrows and scooted closer on the couch to hear the conversation. She turned the volume up on the receiver.

“Yes,” Jasmine said. “Is Mama—Mrs. Dupree—there?”

“No,” Jules said. “I’m sorry. Mama died about four years ago.”

“Oh.” The voice was very small. “Oh.”

“You’re speaking with her daughter-in-law,” Jules said, “and her son is sitting right here. Is there something that you needed from Mama? Anything we can help you with?”

“I don’t know,” Jasmine said. “I worked at the nightclub a long, long time ago. I worked for Mama. She was—I was—it was a very bad time for me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jules said. Marshall wove his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand.

“When Mama called me, she said that she was trying to make amends,” Jasmine said. “But I couldn’t handle hearing her again. I should’ve been—I just couldn’t do it. I see now that I’ve waited too long. I’ll never have the chance to hear what she had to say.”

“Maybe we can help,” Jules said, “help you fill in the blanks?”

“I would like that, please. If you don’t mind. If you’re not too busy.”

“Not at all,” Jules said. “Mama began Alcoholics Anonymous while she was serving time in prison. It opened her eyes to things. I believe that she may have called you as part of the Twelve Steps. If she wronged you in some way, she was trying to make it right.”

Jasmine was silent for a while. The other end of the line was dead for so long that Jules checked the display to make sure the call hadn’t been dropped.

“What’s the point of that?” she asked finally. “Maybe I don’t understand the program. But if you truly and irreparably hurt someone, how does saying sorry years afterward help?”

“I think it helps her become more at peace with herself,” Jules said. “Everyone makes mistakes, and some mistakes are more terrible than others. Mama was living with a lifetime of mistakes, and she was trying to do right. If you’ll forgive me for saying so, it may have been more for her than you.”

“I see,” Jasmine said. “I can understand that.”

Jules winced, almost afraid to ask the next question. The heart in her chest beat fast, and she wondered if it was really hers. Maybe it was driving her to ask the question she needed to ask. Maybe it was Mama reaching out, looking for closure.

“May I ask what happened to you?”

“I was a runaway,” Jasmine said, the tone in her voice saying that she’d told this tale time and again. “Mama took me off the streets and gave me a place to live, but she also coerced me into sleeping with the customers at the nightclub. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I was terribly young. And she wouldn’t take no for an answer. A death sentence is what I got from working at that nightclub, working for Mama.”