Chapter Eight
Andrew's POV:
The late afternoon light poured in through the window as Andrew hung up his cell phone and absently rubbed Bridget's shoulder. She reached up and stroked his hand comfortingly.
"So, what did Henry say?" she asked gently.
Andrew contemplated the woman beside him, as he considered her question. It was a loaded one. Henry had a lot to say, and a lot of it Andrew hated hearing. He despised knowing what a fool he'd been because the woman he lived with as man and wife for almost five years was an enigma, a fake, a spot on actress, and an expert liar who never loved him and only used him for his money, position, and security. Rage tried to build up within him, but Bridget's hand on his stopped it from growing. He took a deep breath and answered her question.
"Well it seems Siobhan was using the alias, Rebecca Sheldrake, when he last saw her. He thinks she probably changed her name again, but at least that gives us some place to start."
"How can we track down Rebecca Sheldrake?"
Before Andrew could answer the phone rang and Bridget answered it. "Hello. Yes, please send him up."
Andrew looked at her inquisitively.
"Solomon's here," Bridget said.
They both got off the couch to meet the elevator. The ding of the bell announced Solomon's arrival.
"Hi," Solomon said, shaking hands with Andrew and hugging Bridget. "I'm really glad you are okay." He cupped her chin and tilted her head to get a better look at her injury. He shook his head. "I wish I had been here."
Bridget touched her still bandaged wound. "You and me both," she said wryly.
"Actually, Solomon, I'm glad you are here," Andrew said. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure. What's up?"
"I know you acted as Bridget's bodyguard before, and I was hoping you would be willing to continue in that capacity when I can't be here."
Solomon looked between the two and nodded. "Absolutely. I'm glad you are willing to consider it. Trouble seems to find her whether she is looking for it or not."
Andrew nodded emphatically. "I don't want her left alone for a minute. If I'm not with her, I want you to be."
"Hey!" Bridget raised her brows. "I'm standing right here."
"Sorry, Bridge," Solomon laughed, "but you do attract trouble like honey attracts bees."
She shrugged.
Andrew laughed, put his arm around her, and pulled her to his side as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"He has a point, Bridget. Trouble loves you, and I'm not willing to take any chances."
He hugged her closer. Just the thought of something happening to her made him tense. She looked up, and he smiled at the love in her eyes.
"Fine," she said exasperated. "What about Juliet? She needs protection, too."
Andrew looked at Solomon. "Do you recommend anyone?"
"I have a friend. We served together, and he would keep Juliet safe."
"She isn't going to like having a babysitter," Andrew said dryly. "Will your friend be able to handle a highly opinionated teenage girl?"
"Don't worry about Shane. He will have Juliet eating out of his hand in no time."
"Good. Give him a call. I don't want Juliet by herself except at school. I had the driver look out for her today, but I want someone whose sole job is keeping her safe. If she isn't with us I want her with him."
"Absolutely. I'll call Shane today," Solomon, assured him.
Andrew nodded, hugging Bridget close. She wrapped her arms around his waist. Just the thought of either of his girls being hurt scared him to death. He hated knowing that they could be in danger from someone he once thought he loved.
"Well, it looks like you two managed to find common ground?" Solomon noted as they held each other.
Andrew smiled at Bridget. "Yes, we realized we both loved each," he paused, "no matter what our names were," he finished dryly.
Bridget laughed. "Yes, that is exactly right," she agreed, as she squeezed his middle.
Solomon smiled. "I have to say I was rooting for you both. I thought you two belonged together even before the truth came out. I'm glad you found your way back to each other."
"So am I," Andrew said honestly, and without any exaggeration. It was simply the truth. "I'm intent on keeping her safe, and with Siobhan running around the city, she isn't."
"Yes," Solomon agreed, "that is one diabolical princess."
Andrew nodded in agreement.
"So, where do you stand on catching her?"
They took Solomon into the living room and filled him in. He looked pensive as he considered everything they said.
"Wow, so you might be a father of twins?"
Andrew felt a familiar ache in his heart, as he nodded. Not knowing was killing him. He tried not to think about it since there was little he could do until he found Siobhan, but his heart didn't always listen to his mind.
Quickly, he tried to concentrate on their present course of action.
"We need to track down Rebecca Sheldrake," Solomon said.
They nodded.
"I'd like us to start at the hospital where she gave birth. Maybe we can get into the records room and find a last known address for Rebecca Sheldrake," Andrew said.
"That is a good idea," Bridget agreed, squeezing his hand.
"Sounds good," Solomon said. "Is tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. good?"
They nodded.
"Great, I'll pick you up then."
"Thank you, Solomon."
They said their goodbyes and made their way to the living room. They sat on the couch. Bridget snuggled into his side and fell asleep. Andrew held her close as he contemplated the picture on the table across the room. They had gone on a picnic in Central Park with Greer and Jeff. Jeff snapped a picture of him, Bridget and Juliet laughing together. It always made him smile when he looked at it. They were a family in a way they never were with Siobhan. He finally had the life he wanted with a woman who loved him and his daughter. He wouldn't let anyone threaten that. Not even his wife.
Bridget's POV:
The next morning, Bridget held Andrew's hand as they followed Solomon into the hospital. Her stomach roiled sickly just being there. They had spent too much time in the hospitals of New York City lately. She took a deep breath and tried not to concentrate on the spotlessly clean halls and disinfected air. Instead she concentrated on the hand that held her own. It felt good and strong.
Rounding a corner, they found a waiting room across from the records room, where they could wait for their opportunity to get in unseen. They sat in the uncomfortable chairs that lined the wall. A sign warned them against smoking while a cartoon played on the flat screen in the corner.
Bridget watched a little blond boy push a truck along the table in the corner of the room. The image reminded her of the days she watched Sean play just like the little boy, revving his voice and racing the car to and fro. She smiled sadly and once again tried to forgive herself.
Andrew squeezed her hand, and she tore her gaze from the haunting scene to stare into his comforting eyes.
"I will head over and see if I can get into the records room," Solomon said quietly.
"Okay, but…" She stopped as a hand touched her shoulder.
"Rebecca?" A nurse asked.
Bridget turned her head.
"Rebecca, it is you." The nurse smiled and sat next to her.
Bridget looked at Andrew, who raised his brows. The woman must think she was Siobhan who used that alias while giving birth to the twins.
"I thought it was you, but when I called your name you didn't turn around."
Bridget smiled warmly. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."
The nurse shrugged it off.
"So how are the girls? Are they adjusting to being home? How is the new apartment?" She continued before Bridget could answer. "It's amazing how the timing of things happen, isn't it? My friend needed to sub-lease at the same time that you needed a new place. It was a shame that you and Henry broke up, but a fresh start with your girls was required, just like you said."
"The apartment is great. Thank you for helping me. You have no idea how much I appreciate it." Bridget smiled brightly. "In fact you can do me a huge favor. I came here because I haven't received any hospital bills and I wanted to make sure the street address was correct on my account. Would you mind looking it up for me?"
"Sure." She stood up smiling. "Follow me."
Andrew and Solomon grinned at Bridget, as they all followed her to the nurse's station. It looked like she saved Solomon a trip to the records room.
The nurse tapped a few keys and waited before tapping her finger against the screen.
"Yes. It is correct."
Bridget sighed, as if relieved.
"Thanks. Could you print me a copy for my own records? I like to cover all of my bases."
"Sure, sweetie, no problem." The nurse printed the info and handed it to her. "You give Portia and Regan a kiss from me."
Bridget smiled, though her heart broke when Andrew tensed beside her.
"I will. Thank you again for all your help."
"It was my pleasure. See you later."
They turned and left the building quickly. As soon as they were on the street Bridget turned and hugged Andrew who returned her embrace.
"Portia and Regan," he whispered into her hair.
Bridget pulled back and placed a hand on his cheek.
"We'll find her," she looked earnestly into his eyes, "and the truth. I promise." Andrew nodded as Bridget lifted the printout the nurse gave her. "Now we have a place to start."
Solomon took it and smiled.
"This address is only a few blocks from here."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Bridget asked impatiently.
"We aren't going anywhere unless we are armed," Andrew said in complete finality.
"I've got us covered."
Bridget froze as Solomon pulled his suit jacket open and revealed a leather shoulder holster with a 9mm nestled snuggly inside. She still hated guns.
Andrew nodded. "Let's do it."
Ten minutes later they pulled up to the address and parked two buildings down and across the street in case Siobhan spotted them.
"Okay, so how do we want to do this?" Bridget asked. She dreaded going in, though she knew she had no choice. "Do we just knock on her door?"
"Yes." Andrew looked at Solomon. "With your weapon ready."
Solomon nodded.
They made their way into the building and up to the apartment. Bridget felt sick to her stomach. She stopped as she stepped off the elevator, and she tried to catch her breath to stop the nausea.
"Are you okay?" Andrew asked, concerned.
"I'm feeling a bit sick." She leaned against the hall, closed her eyes, and concentrated on breathing deep as she fought for calm. Every ache and pain screamed at her. For a desperate moment she wished for something stronger than Tylenol, then Andrew grabbed her hand, and sanity returned.
"You are pale. I don't like this," he brushed her hair back. "You are still recovering. You should be at home resting not storming around the city trying to find your sister."
"No, I'm exactly where I should be." She squeezed his hand tight and pulled away from the wall. They made their way down the hall and stopped in front of the apartment. Bridget took a deep breath, lifted her knuckles, and rapped sharply on the door.
No one answered. She knocked again, but all was silent.
Quietly, Solomon took out a lock pick set and after a few moments a soft snick was heard as the bolt slid free. He stowed his tools and drew his weapon. Stealthily, he turned the knob with his gun ready, and opened the door.
The sparsely furnished studio apartment stood empty. After checking the bathroom and finding nothing, Solomon holstered his gun and re-locked the door once Bridget and Andrew stepped inside.
Bridget walked around and tried to picture her style conscience sister living in the sparse space. She couldn't see Siobhan living there, even for a little while. She must have despised it. Bridget shrugged the thought off and helped Andrew and Solomon search the apartment. Andrew opened the closet and found only metal hangers tinkling as they bumped noisily into each other. Solomon inspected the bathroom and found no toiletries. Bridget checked the bureau drawers and found nothing.
"It looks like she moved on," Solomon said.
Bridget's hope deflated. As much as she dreaded seeing her sister, she wanted this whole thing to be over.
"We should give the place a going over. She might have left something behind that could give us a clue as to where she went."
They nodded and began pulling open the rest of the drawers and cabinets.
"Here," Solomon called. "I think I found something." He held up a receipt he found in the garbage.
Andrew strode over and plucked it from his grasp. "It's a receipt for a storage rental," he said, before slipping it into his pocket.
"What is this?" Solomon asked as he un-crinkled a piece of notebook paper and studied it. "I think she is losing it. This list makes no sense."
Bridget looked at the paper over Solomon's shoulder.
Gillbert Kid
Mr. Tribesman
Prodigal St.
Will Darken
Jill Lukite
Thy Greenback
"It's in code," Bridget told him. "We used to leave messages for each other this way when we were kids. Unscrambling the letters will give us the answers."
Andrew looked at the list and nodded.
"We did the same thing when we first began seeing each other. It was how we kept our relationship a secret from Catherine." He studied the list a bit harder. "Though this isn't nearly as sophisticated, some of these don't make sense."
Bridget took the list. "I agree. iobhan always took pride in her jumbles. These are nowhere near the same caliber."
"So what does it say?" Solomon asked.
"I'll have to take a closer look," she opened her purse, pulled out a pad of paper, a pen and set to work.
She played with the letters of the first code, building possible words when one word jumped out from all the rest. B-R-I-D-G-E-T. The only letters left froze the blood in her veins. K-I-L-L.
Kill Bridget
Andrew clenched his fists as she circled her deciphered text. Solomon whistled. Bridget ignored them and set to work on the rest. M-A-R-T-I-N jumped out from the second code. It only took a few minutes more to add B-E and M-R-S to the front of it.
Be Mrs. Martin
"Well, it looks like your sister wants her life back," Solomon said gravely.
Andrew scoffed. "Well, she can't bloody well have it," he growled.
Bridget didn't pay attention to their exchange as she continued to work on the rest. The third was tricky as none of their names jumped out of the text but soon came to realize it said.
Adopt Girls
Siobhan's plan took shape in Bridget's mind, and ice formed in the pit of her stomach. She dreaded having her hunch confirmed, but she continued deciphering the rest.
The fourth and fifth brought her to her knees.
Kill Andrew
Kill Juliet
She dropped the pad and stared in horror and the words. Her sister's murderous desire no longer included just her. She meant to kill the two people who Bridget loved most in the world.
Panic threatened to destroy her mind. It couldn't happen. She wouldn't let anyone else die because of their association with her. She wouldn't allow it. She would leave. She would get out of New York, out of their lives, and they would be safe. It was the only thing she could do. Her breath came fast and hard as her heart raced at an impossible pace. The world faded until she could only see the haunting words written on the paper in front of her.
The words began to blur, and it was only then that she realized Andrew was shaking her.
"Bridget!" he yelled her name. "Look at me!"
Startled, she looked into his angry eyes and tried to concentrate on his words.
"Don't you dare think of leaving! Do you understand me? I forbid you to leave."
She wondered how he could have gotten into her head. How in the world did he know what she had been thinking?
"Promise me, right now, this instant. Promise me that you won't sneak off." He shook her as he demanded her answer. "Promise me, or so help me, I will come after you. There is nowhere in this city, or country, or planet, that you can hide. I will find you. Do you understand?"
She couldn't answer. How could she even think of staying? Putting the two people she loved most in danger was unfathomable. He answered her thoughts, and it was then that she realized that she was babbling her thoughts aloud.
"Do you think losing you is worth it to us?" He pulled her close.
"But you would be alive. I can't put you and Juliet at risk. It was bad enough when she wanted to kill me but you and Juliet…" She trailed off.
"She won't kill anyone. We will stop her before it goes that far." He cupped her face and kissed her lips lightly. "I promise."
Bridget shuddered and tried to block the words from her mind.
"I don't think your leaving will keep them alive," Solomon told her gently. "Look at the list. I figured out the last one."
Kill Bridget
Be Mrs. Martin
Adopt Girls
Kill Andrew
Kill Juliet
Get Henry Back
"She doesn't want to kill them because of you, Bridget. She wants to be a rich widow so she can win Henry back."
Bridget stared at the list, and the truth of Solomon's words sank into her troubled mind. It was true. Her sister wanted to slip back into her old life so she could have the money and prestige of being Mrs. Andrew Martin. After adopting the girls she would kill off Andrew and Juliet making her a rich widow, who had the freedom to figure out a way to get Henry back.
The anxiety that filled her moments before was slowly replaced by fury and fierce determination. She wouldn't let Siobhan get away with it. She was done crying and being shocked by the darkness in her sister's heart. Siobhan wasn't her sister anymore. She would stand in front of the ones she loved and keep them safe. She would take on her twin and take the bitch down.