Chap 25

Chap 25

Changed back into the clothing Irons had bought for her, Sarah returned to the beach house. When she got there, she found that Ian was not in sight and that Irons was no where to be seen. Colleen too seemed to have disappeared into thin air. When she reached her rooms Sarah found a hot plate of food and a glass of wine on her vanity, with laughter she ate the macaroni and cheese, still on a high from the job she'd just pulled, ignoring the wine as she always did. Walking into her sitting room Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. A quarter of the room had been cleared away, a mat placed over the carpet. From the roof hung a heavy bag. For a moment she simply gaped. Then walking closer she found a set of boxing gloves and workout clothes. Pinned to the gloves was a note penned in an overly ornate hand, it said simply 'a gift.'

For only a minute did Sarah stand there frowning. She had been longing for a little time to think, and when it came to a punching bag was her best fried.

The rapids that morning had been exhilarating, both Onica and Dovidi had been able to forget their troubles as they concentrated on the thrill of navigating the river. Now as they drove back to the hotel for afternoon conferences, they both felt more comfortable in each other's presence, sharing a comfortable silence. Dovidi had been pleased with his weekend thus far, and only the memory of Luka and Sarah dancing marred it. Besides him Onica sensed the shift in his manor.

"What's wrong?" Dovidi was surprised she'd noticed normally he concealed his emotions well, but seeing that she was truly concerned, he decided that she deserved an answer.

"I've been negotiating a difficult business deal, I'm one of three parties involved. The other is a representative of a fairly influential family named Luka Giamano, and the third is an American billionaire by the name of Kenneth Irons. Luka Giamano can be rather unreasonable at times, and I had been hoping Mr. Irons would help me with Mr. Giamano's demands. Unfortunately it seems that Irons' representative… A Ms. Sarah Pezzini is on rather… familiar terms with Mr. Giamano. Now what exactly am I supposed to do about that? Mr. Irons holds Ms. Pezzini in high esteem… It seems that between them, the three of them have trapped me rather neatly." Beside Dovidi, Onica had gone rather pale, Luka and Sarah? Was it possible? Ian had told her about her mother's ring and about how she had misinterpreted its meaning. But could Luka too have fallen under her father's stranglehold? Oblivious to her turmoil Dovidi went on. "Ms. Pezzini is supposed to be mourning the recent loss of her fiancé, yet her behavior is hardly that of a woman in mourning." Sighing Dovidi turned to Onica, and seeing how pale her face was he furrowed his own brow. "Never mind, I shouldn't be troubling you with this. We're here to have a good time, not mourn." Beside him Onica too smiled, suddenly she found herself don a mask that she had learned to wear at the age of three.

"Damn it Ken, I said no!" The voice of her parents filtered through the dining room door, the strange English words meant nothing to her, but the livid anger in their tone meant everything. Peeking through the crack she had opened, she found her mother and father facing off in anger across the table. "She's only three years old. She will NOT bear the blade." Her mother's eyes promised madness, but her father's only coldness. She had never seen him like this, had never seen the cold steal obsession there.

"I love you Yien-Yien, but I will not be disobeyed. Our daughter WILL bear the blade… because she must." His voice was almost cajoling, soft and sweet, but firm to no end. Somehow this scared Callie more then anything else she had seen of him.

"NO!" Yien-Yien filled her voice with malice, "She is my daughter, and she will NEVER suffer that fate. Not so long as I live" Suddenly Irons paced across the floor and grabbed Yien-Yien by her arm. The two glared at each other, love and hate mingling into a horrible fusion. Suddenly Kenneth threw his wife across the room. In that moment he ceased to be Callie's father, Yien-Yiens husband, and in the eyes of his family ceased to be human. As she fell upon the floor, Yien-Yien's eyes went to the door and saw her daughter there, as the two watched each other Callie saw a strength that would always be with her mother, that weeks later, would deliver her to her death.

A tear slid down Callie's cheek. The memories had not returned to her until she met Sarah, the memories of that night and the morning after when she had been forced to act with nonchalance and almost cheeriness. Somehow it felt as if those memories had brought her full circle.

***

As Sarah prepared for bed her phone rang incessantly. "Hello?" On the other end was the voice of Gabriel Bowmen, but it wasn't the same voice she'd heard two days ago. This voice was tired, haggard. His tone frightened her, made her wonder just what had happened since she'd left.

"Sarah… I'm so sorry but according to Dante your recently deceased partner," Sarah winced at his choice of words, "was Danny Woo. When I went to Jake's apartment, there was a living there, when I hacked into a few records I found that it belongs to them, in fact they've been living there for the past three Years. Sarah I think I was right the first time… Jake never existed."