An Illicit Gentleman II
Chapter-Forty Eight
AJ pulled into his drive way and shut the car off. He stepped out and popped the trunk with the quick access button on his keychain. Walking around the back of his car AJ lifted the trunk top higher and reached to pull out the bags of groceries he bought. With both hands full he closed the trunk and walked up the path to his door. He set a couple of the bags down to unlock the door and pick them up as he bumped the door with his hip to open it. When he walked in he was greeted by Eve who was signing a mile a minute.
“Whoa, Whoa, Sweetheart slow down.” He signed to her. She slowed down a little but he was only able to make out a couple of words.
“Worker, spoke, couple good?” AJ replied confused. “Can’t understand.” He signed. “Still to fast.” She grunted a little and then signed slower.
“Worker called said we’re a good couple…Oh Oh!” AJ said realizing what she was talking about. “We got approved?” He signed to her and she nodded. AJ shouted with joy as he hugged Eve and picked her up.
AJ put her down and signed. “When can we see her?”
“The worker said the Foster Parents will call tomorrow to set up a time, we talk to them until we decide to apply for adoption.” Eve signed to him. “I like that phone.”
“Does it work ok?” He asked.
“Yeah.” She replied. AJ had gone out on a hunt for a special phone that hearing impaired people had, he wanted the best for her. It has a keyboard attached so she can type out what she wants to say, then a Microsoft Sam type voice will translate for the caller and it works with other hearing impaired lines and regular residential lines. The phone also translates spoken word to text for her and it came with a special bracelet that she wore so when the phone rang the bracelet would vibrate and alert her it was ringing.
“Should we call your Mom?” She asked.
“Yeah” AJ said as he took in a deep breath. He wasn’t sure how his Mom was going to react. He wondered if she would get on his case about one of Mats cronies still being out there and bringing a kid in. It was something he was still nervous about but Eve was right, they couldn’t put their life on hold, otherwise Mats wins, even in death.
“Let’s put these away first.” AJ said as he picked up the bags and Eve helped him. He walked into the kitchen and set his bags down on the counter. Opening the first bag he reached in and began pulling out its contents.
He found himself getting excited. The thought that a part of his dreams, the most important part of the dreams were coming true sent a wave of butterflies and tingles through out his body. Taking a deep breath he tried to calm himself not wanting to get his hopes up, visits were one thing, adoption was another story. Still his mind wondered as it thought about the possibilities this would bring. Finally the pieces were coming together and he was getting the family he always wanted. Granted it wasn’t the normal way but hell when was he ever normal.
Two arms wrapped around from behind him and it broke him from his thoughts. He smiled when he felt Eve’s head lay against his back and he put down the can and turned around. Looking down in her eyes as she smiled at him he felt a calm drift over him. She leaned up and kissed him. Her hands slid around his back and up his chest, finally rest gently on the sides of his neck. Slowly they pulled away and she signed “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He signed back and then pulled her against him in a hug. It was good to see her happy again, it was good to see her starting to move on and realizing her life wasn’t over, it just took an unexpected turn. He knew there were still rough days ahead, more ups and downs but this was a start.
When the last product was put away AJ turned to Eve. “I’m going to my office to look for houses and call Ma.”
She smiled. “I’ll join you after I clean up.”
He gave her a quick kiss and then left the kitchen. AJ walked down the hall and into his office. Sitting down at his desk he gave his mouse a shake to turn the monitor on. He pulled up the browser and searched his bookmarks too see if he still had the addresses of the realtor he used to buy this house. Finding the link he clicked on it and the page loaded immediately.
“Hmm, what area?” He thought. “Something private, something gated, but something close to the studio’s.” Typing in what he was looking for a little more specific it brought up some new addresses.
As he looked through the list he heard a bang of something solid hitting the kitchen floor and then a shout. Quickly he got up from his desk and took off towards the kitchen. When he hit the hallway he almost slammed into Eve.
“Someone’s out back, someone’s out back.” She spoke in a frantic tone. AJ ran past her but she grabbed his arm and he spun around almost tripping up and falling. “No” She spoke shaking her head.
“Call the police.” He said to her as he took her hand off. “I’ll be ok.”
AJ ran into the kitchen much to Eve’s protest as she stood in the hallway. Opening the backdoor he stopped when he reached the outside and looked around. He decided to try the side of the house where the gate was, when he reached it he saw it swinging open.
“Mother Fucker.” He said under his breath as he turned around to go back into the house. Someone wrapped their arms around him and then covered his mouth with a cloth. He fought against the person but as he breathed in, the fumes from the cloth rushed into his nostrils and it stunk. Flashbacks of the night the guys Mats hired to take Eve came crashing in flooding his head. AJ turned as much as he could and gave who ever it was holding him a shove and the person stumbled back. They tripped over their own feet and fell into his pool.
Turning around he looked as the person struggled to stay a float. He couldn’t tell who they were because they were wearing a mask but as he looked at the clothing a strange look fell over his face. The body of the person had shape, had breasts, and hips, it was the body of a woman. Suddenly his mind went into overdrive as the pieces fell into place like a Tetris game. The phone calls to Brian and Leigh-Anne, how Thomas knew where to look for them in Florida, Mats informer from the outside, his ride to Kentucky.
“Sarah” AJ growled through his teeth, the anger raged through his body as he watched the woman climb out of the pool and his thoughts stopped when they reached the next realization. The person following Eve, the one who ran her off the road, the reason she almost died and the reason she can no longer hear.
“It was you.” AJ snarled with extreme anger. He ran around the pool edge and grabbed the woman. Grabbing her mask he ripped it off and saw Sarah looking back at him. “It was you!!” He screamed at her and shoved her to the ground.
“You were in on it all along weren’t you!?” He screamed at her. “The phone calls to Brian because you knew how he would react to her, how Thomas knew which places we’d be in Florida because you knew where I hung out, you would tell Mats what I was up too and he had his lackeys watching Eve, you drove him to Kevin’s place, oh my god and I can’t believe I didn’t fucking see this before.” AJ said as he started to lose it as the noise of sirens could be heard in the distance.
Sarah jumped up and tried to run but he stopped her, grabbing her by the arms and she screamed in fright. “You drove her off the road almost killing her and then you show up at the hospital!?” He screamed, tears streaming down his face as the sirens began to get closer. “You are the reason she will never, ever hear me say how much I love her again! You are the reason for it all and what fucking for? Because you couldn’t handle the fact Eve is more of woman than you’d ever be!” He shouted as he shook her. Sarah was now crying and pleading with AJ to let her go.
He stared at her with pure anger, he wanted to hit her, he wanted to throw her back into the pool and hold her under until she stopped moving but then he heard Eve say his name and he turned around. AJ was about to tell her to get inside when Sarah took that moment of distraction and took off escaping his grasp. AJ quickly took off after her as she headed through the open gate; he ran as fast as he could, pushing his legs as fast as he could to catch up with her. When he reached his drive way they both stopped dead in their tracks as the Police flew up to the house and stopped dead in a block aid position.
“It’s over Sarah.” AJ shouted to her as the cops yelled at her to get down. He watched as she got down on the ground as Detective Ozwith came running up.
“Mr. Mclean are you ok?” She asked him as she watched two officers handcuff Sarah.
“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” He said staring at Sarah.
“Is Eve ok?” She asked.
“Yeah.” AJ nodded just then he felt someone touch his arm and he looked beside him and saw Eve looking at him.
She spelt out the letters S-a-r-a-h and he nodded. Eve wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself into a hug. AJ did his best to comfort her but he was still fuming. All these years there was always a little guilt for what he had done, for not being honest with Sarah from the beginning, that they were both being punished somehow by all the bad things that happened but now he learned she was the reason for everything.
AJ turned around when he heard Sarah let out a scream and he was shocked to see she had broken free from the cops, although still handcuffed she ran right at AJ and Eve.
“You’re a whore; you’re a home wreaking whore!!” She yelled. He stood in front of his wife making sure she was safe but before Sarah hit the drive way she was tasered and dropped to the ground with a thud. “I hate you! I hate you!” Sarah cried as the Police surrounded her.
He looked at Eve as she stepped beside him again. “What did she say?” She signed.
“Don’t worry about it she’s just talking.” AJ signed back.
“Alex.” She signed. AJ took a deep breath and then signed to her what Sarah had said.
Eve rolled her eyes and signed back. “She sounds like Brian.” AJ couldn’t help but crack a little smile and pulled her back into his arms.
“AJ, Eve?” The Detective said behind them and AJ turned around. “Can I get your statements now?” She asked.
“Sure want to go inside?” AJ asked.
“Great.” Detective Ozwith said as AJ signed to Eve that she wanted statements. When they were inside the house AJ turned around to close the door, he looked at the cruiser with Sarah in the back as it started to pull away. He watched as it rolled down the street and gone from his sight. Gone, Sarah was gone, Mats was gone, and Thomas was gone they were all gone. As he shut the door a small smile broke from his lips. It was finally over.
