Ch 6
"Georgie, is that you?" Georgie slumped against the doorframe, groaning inwardly at the sound of Mac's voice. She had no energy to deal with the lectures about Dillon and what she knew would be an endless series of "I told you so." "Yeah Mac," she called dejectedly. She walked over to the couch, flopping down. The past 24 hours had easily been the most hellish of her life. Georgie pressed her fingers to her temples, thinking she would pay to revisit prom night after the disaster her life had suddenly become. "Georgie?" Mac walked into the living room. She raised her head, staring at him with cold, dull eyes. "I don't want to hear it, Mac," she warned. "Whatever it is you have to say, I already know it." Mac stared at his broken daughter. He knew that she'd been to hell and back in the past day. His mind swam with everything that he could have done to keep this from happening and he knew there was nothing. And now? Well, there were plenty of people he would have liked to kill - Tracy, Sage, Dillon...that might make him feel better, but, he realized, it would do nothing to help his daughter. "Do you want blueberry pancakes?" He offered, knowing Georgie's comfort food. He knew there was nothing he could say at the moment to make her feel better. She looked up at him, nodding tearfully. "Yeah," she whispered. As Georgie stood up, Mac kneeled down, his back to her. "Hop on," he instructed. Georgie smiled slightly, shaking her head. "Daddy," she protested,"I'll break your back." Mac knew she was probably right, but it didn't matter. If nothing else, for that moment, he needed her to be a little girl again, before this kind of pain could reach her. He nodded. "Sure," he agreed. "But that's what teenage daughters are supposed to do." Georgie laughed slightly. She knew he was trying to help her keep her mind off Dillon. It wouldn't work, but for a while, she would let him try. "Okay," she agreed, climbing gingerly on his back. A lump formed in Mac's throat as he felt Georgie's arms wrap around his neck. He swallowed it, sighing inwardly as he carried his daughter into the kitchen.
Tracy fingered the collar of her denim prison issue shirt with disgust as she waited in the visitation room. The door opened and a blonde woman was led in. Not a word was spoken until the door closed, leaving the two women alone in the stark space. "You're sure no one recognized you?" Tracy demanded. Sage smirked, flipping the blonde locks. "Of course not," she tossed off. "No one would recognize me with this wig on." "You better hope not," Tracy snapped. She peered at the girl. "You screwed up your mission. How do you expect this to work if you go landing Dillon in the hospital? And what in God's name were you thinking telling Maxie Jones that I gave you the pills to drug my son with?" "She was trying to kill me!" Sage whined. "Oh, don't be overdramatic," Tracy yawned exaggeratedly. Sage stuck out her lower lip. "Besides, you never told me that having Georgie barge in on Dillon and I was part of the plan!" Tracy shook her head, grinning. "Sweetheart, hasn't anyone ever told you that you always need to have insurance? Thank god I did - you were only supposed to give Dillon half that drink. Imagine if he didn't remember sleeping with you and just went back to that little dishrag? It would defeat everything we've worked for." Sage scowled. "But when we met in Geneva, you said you would help me," she protested. "Oh no," Tracy corrected, shoving her still-perfectly manicured finger in Sage's face. "I said we could help each other. You're the one who wanted revenge on your uncle for not protecting your precious daddy." "Well, it's not working," Sage complained, scratching her head. "Dillon is still in love with Georgie." Tracy scoffed. "I don't give a damn," she stated harshly. "This isn't about love. It never was." A glint came over her eye. "I don't understand why we can't just steal Uncle Lorenzo's money," Sage whined. "Why do I have to be stuck in this backwater hell?" Tracy narrowed her eyes. "Patience, my dear girl," she told Sage. "I have to do this from the inside. Dillon is the perfect way for me to get close to your uncle. And since you obviously weren't succeeding at getting his so- called girlfriend out of the way, I had to take matters into my own hands." She sneered. "You ought to be grateful that I have such ingenuity." "Yeah, but it's not working!" Sage leaned over the table. "Listen to me," Tracy snapped, leaning toward Sage. "You screwed up, but you at least managed to accomplish a small part of your task - you got Dillon to sleep with you. That's a step. As soon as I'm acquitted, we'll put the rest of the plan into action." Sage sulked. "But Dillon won't go for it," she objected. "He won't leave Georgie." Trac sneered. "Somehow I don't think Georgie will want much to do with Dillon after catching him in bed with you," she pointed out. "Besides, even if the little schoolgirl did decide to forgive Dillon, it doesn't matter. Once your uncle thinks that you're carrying Dillon's child, he'll make my son marry you."
"Georgie, is that you?" Georgie slumped against the doorframe, groaning inwardly at the sound of Mac's voice. She had no energy to deal with the lectures about Dillon and what she knew would be an endless series of "I told you so." "Yeah Mac," she called dejectedly. She walked over to the couch, flopping down. The past 24 hours had easily been the most hellish of her life. Georgie pressed her fingers to her temples, thinking she would pay to revisit prom night after the disaster her life had suddenly become. "Georgie?" Mac walked into the living room. She raised her head, staring at him with cold, dull eyes. "I don't want to hear it, Mac," she warned. "Whatever it is you have to say, I already know it." Mac stared at his broken daughter. He knew that she'd been to hell and back in the past day. His mind swam with everything that he could have done to keep this from happening and he knew there was nothing. And now? Well, there were plenty of people he would have liked to kill - Tracy, Sage, Dillon...that might make him feel better, but, he realized, it would do nothing to help his daughter. "Do you want blueberry pancakes?" He offered, knowing Georgie's comfort food. He knew there was nothing he could say at the moment to make her feel better. She looked up at him, nodding tearfully. "Yeah," she whispered. As Georgie stood up, Mac kneeled down, his back to her. "Hop on," he instructed. Georgie smiled slightly, shaking her head. "Daddy," she protested,"I'll break your back." Mac knew she was probably right, but it didn't matter. If nothing else, for that moment, he needed her to be a little girl again, before this kind of pain could reach her. He nodded. "Sure," he agreed. "But that's what teenage daughters are supposed to do." Georgie laughed slightly. She knew he was trying to help her keep her mind off Dillon. It wouldn't work, but for a while, she would let him try. "Okay," she agreed, climbing gingerly on his back. A lump formed in Mac's throat as he felt Georgie's arms wrap around his neck. He swallowed it, sighing inwardly as he carried his daughter into the kitchen.
Tracy fingered the collar of her denim prison issue shirt with disgust as she waited in the visitation room. The door opened and a blonde woman was led in. Not a word was spoken until the door closed, leaving the two women alone in the stark space. "You're sure no one recognized you?" Tracy demanded. Sage smirked, flipping the blonde locks. "Of course not," she tossed off. "No one would recognize me with this wig on." "You better hope not," Tracy snapped. She peered at the girl. "You screwed up your mission. How do you expect this to work if you go landing Dillon in the hospital? And what in God's name were you thinking telling Maxie Jones that I gave you the pills to drug my son with?" "She was trying to kill me!" Sage whined. "Oh, don't be overdramatic," Tracy yawned exaggeratedly. Sage stuck out her lower lip. "Besides, you never told me that having Georgie barge in on Dillon and I was part of the plan!" Tracy shook her head, grinning. "Sweetheart, hasn't anyone ever told you that you always need to have insurance? Thank god I did - you were only supposed to give Dillon half that drink. Imagine if he didn't remember sleeping with you and just went back to that little dishrag? It would defeat everything we've worked for." Sage scowled. "But when we met in Geneva, you said you would help me," she protested. "Oh no," Tracy corrected, shoving her still-perfectly manicured finger in Sage's face. "I said we could help each other. You're the one who wanted revenge on your uncle for not protecting your precious daddy." "Well, it's not working," Sage complained, scratching her head. "Dillon is still in love with Georgie." Tracy scoffed. "I don't give a damn," she stated harshly. "This isn't about love. It never was." A glint came over her eye. "I don't understand why we can't just steal Uncle Lorenzo's money," Sage whined. "Why do I have to be stuck in this backwater hell?" Tracy narrowed her eyes. "Patience, my dear girl," she told Sage. "I have to do this from the inside. Dillon is the perfect way for me to get close to your uncle. And since you obviously weren't succeeding at getting his so- called girlfriend out of the way, I had to take matters into my own hands." She sneered. "You ought to be grateful that I have such ingenuity." "Yeah, but it's not working!" Sage leaned over the table. "Listen to me," Tracy snapped, leaning toward Sage. "You screwed up, but you at least managed to accomplish a small part of your task - you got Dillon to sleep with you. That's a step. As soon as I'm acquitted, we'll put the rest of the plan into action." Sage sulked. "But Dillon won't go for it," she objected. "He won't leave Georgie." Trac sneered. "Somehow I don't think Georgie will want much to do with Dillon after catching him in bed with you," she pointed out. "Besides, even if the little schoolgirl did decide to forgive Dillon, it doesn't matter. Once your uncle thinks that you're carrying Dillon's child, he'll make my son marry you."