Part 15 (1/2)
”I'm a good actress, I suppose.”
”You're a b.i.t.c.h.”
”Why? Because I'm a better actress than you are a writer?” she snarled at me. ”You with your s.h.i.+tty-a.s.s articles about s.h.i.+tty-a.s.s movies.”
”You're the one who told me about the job.” My voice showed my hurt, and I felt my dad rubbing my back, and I pushed his hand off me.
”Because you were always going on about movies. Movies, movies, movies. How blind can you be?” Rosie looked at me in disgust. ”There's a whole world out there, a whole world of money and fame and fortune, and you're too busy thinking about history and b.l.o.o.d.y movies.” Her eyes were slits as she gazed at me. ”Pathetic.”
”You hate me because I enjoy movies?”
”I don't hate you.” She laughed. ”I'd have to care about you to hate you. I can't stand your pity parties. Oh, pity me, my dad died. Oh, pity me, I need to make money. Oh, pity me, I got kidnapped and I f.u.c.ked my kidnapper. s.h.i.+t, have some self-respect.”
I looked down at the ground, embarra.s.sed to be having this conversation in front of Jakob and my dad, and I could feel the tears falling silently from my eyes. It was all too much. I didn't even know where to look. I didn't want to look at my dad or Jakob. And I couldn't stand to even look at Rosie anymore. So I looked at Steve, and I was struck by the uncomfortable look on his face. His eyes met mine, and I could see that he felt sorry for me. In all his craziness, there was a very real possibility that Steve really did have feelings for me.
”Why are we here, Steve?” I asked him.
”Your dad wanted to see you,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. ”He said it was time.”
”You knew my dad was alive? This whole time?”
”Do you remember when I told you that there weren't many things I wouldn't do to have a girlfriend like you?” he asked as he caressed my cheek, his eyes lightening.
”No.” I shook my head and tried not to push him away from me.
”On the island. That day we spoke. Remember?” He looked agitated.
”Oh, vaguely,” I said, my heart racing.
”Steve, is this all really necessary?” Rosie said, annoyed. ”Have you called David? Where is he? I thought he was meeting us in here?”
”Shut up!” Steve shouted, and looked at Rosie. ”Just shut up.”
”What?” She frowned. ”Who do you think you're talking to?”
”Shut up,” he said again, this time pulling a gun out of his waistband and pointing it at her. ”Open your mouth again, and I'll shoot you.”
”Steve.” Rosie looked panicked. ”What's going on?”
”You think you're in charge? You think you can play me?” he screamed. ”No one plays me!”
”Steve, I don't know what they've been telling you. You know I'm on your side.”
”No, you're not.” His eyes glazed over, and he looked angry. ”I know what you and your father did. I know. I know. I know.”
”Steve . . . ,” she said again, but this time her voice trailed off. She ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. ”Let me out, Steve. Let me go get David. Please let me out.”
”I won't let you go.” He shook his head and turned back to me. I stood there not knowing if his last words had been to me or to Rosie.
”Steve, let Bianca and Rosie go,” Jakob said as he moved to stand next to me.
”Don't move another inch.” Steve pointed the gun at Jakob. ”Or I'll shoot.” He started laughing again then, and my stomach dropped. ”Bianca, I tried to tell you, didn't I?”
”Tell me what?”
”I tried to warn you that I was the good guy. I am the good guy. I'm working with your dad. I helped your dad. I did this. I did this all.”
”Did what?” I turned to my dad. ”What's going on, Dad?”
”Steve worked for the company.” His voice sounded sad, and he looked at me with a pleading expression. ”He was very close with Jeremiah Bradley.”
”I was his intern. His trusted intern,” Steve said. ”I was special.”
”Yes,” my dad said carefully, and slowly moved toward me. His dark hair had grayed completely, and he looked like a much older version of himself. It was so weird standing here, staring at him. Watching him talk. Staring into his eyes. My dad. My dead dad. It was surreal, and as much as I loved him, I also hated him. I hated him for making me think he was dead. I hated him for lying to me.
”I don't understand.” I rubbed my forehead.
”I thought I was special.” Steve's voice dropped, and he banged his fist against the wall. ”I grew up moving from foster home to foster home. Then one day, I get this opportunity out of the blue. I didn't even know why at first. I didn't even know. I had parents. I had a brother. I could have had a real life. A real shot.”
”I didn't know that Steve was Oliver's son. None of us did,” my father continued, rubbing his temples. ”I should have known, of course. I should have known, but I was so caught up in my pain at losing your mother. Everything was so confusing to me.” He looked at Jakob. ”And I'd been living with guilt for a long time over your mother.”
”You loved her?” I asked him, my heart stopping.
”As a friend,” he said softly. ”Only as a friend. I knew she liked me. I knew that I was walking a fine line between the two women.” He sighed. ”I wasn't perfect.” He hung his head for a few seconds before continuing. ”I didn't really realize how deep things had been, not just for me, but for everyone.” He looked at Steve. ”I'm sorry that it came to this.”
”Penny tried to look out for me,” Steve said. ”Aunty Penny knew about me. She knew that I'd been given up, but one day she saw me and she just knew I was her nephew. She used to come to Bradley Inc. to speak to Jeremiah. Hara.s.s him, you could say.” He laughed. ”And one day she recognized me. I used to work a lot with Larry. She recognized me. I looked like my dad, you see. She realized it was me. She took me to the side. She made me promise not to say anything.” He looked young and confused in that moment. ”I didn't really understand. She didn't tell me much. Just that my dad had worked for the company and that he'd died. She found out I used to work a lot with Larry and that was when she started to get to know him, flirt with him, play him. She did that for me. And she told me that Dad's best friend had been a guy called Nick London. So I got to know him.”
”I didn't realize at first.” My dad sighed. ”It should have been clear as day, because Steve looked so much like a young Oliver, but all I could think about was Angelina. I didn't really know the web I was in. I didn't know.” He looked at me. ”I failed you and your mom, Bianca, and I'm sorry.”
”I thought Nick could tell me about my dad, so I asked him about the women Oliver had dated. I wanted to know who my mom was,” Steve continued, almost sounding rational, almost making me feel more compa.s.sion toward him than hate.
”I didn't know why he was asking. Oliver was gay,” my dad said softly. ”He had no girlfriends that I knew of.” He shook his head. ”Jeremiah had been sleeping with him, leading him on. Trying to use him to ruin me. I knew that, but I didn't want to tell Steve that. I didn't want to spread rumors. That wasn't my place.”
”Why was Jeremiah trying to ruin you, Dad?” I said softly. ”Because of you and Mom?”
”I don't really know why he wanted to ruin my life. I didn't know he was so depraved. At least at the time I never would have believed he would have been capable of doing the things that he did.” My dad looked sad. ”I don't know that there was a real reason. I mean, yes, superficially Jeremiah wanted to ruin me because he felt slighted that your darling mother chose me. But the thing is, he only started dating your mother once he realized I was interested in her. So it wasn't as if I took someone he loved. He always wanted to have something over me. I just didn't realize it until it was too late.”
”So he was jealous of you?” I asked, confused.
”No, it wasn't even that. Jeremiah just liked to play games. With everyone. He had a s.a.d.i.s.tic side. He thought he was some sort of G.o.d.” My dad looked tired as he spoke, and I just wanted to run into his arms and hold him close.
”But what was his purpose in doing all of this?” I asked, my voice sounding like I was whining. ”What did he want from it all?”
”He wanted to prove he was the most powerful man in the world.” My father's eyes crinkled as he reached out and touched the top of my head. ”My darling Bianca. You look so much like your mother. I was scared I'd never see you again.”
”I can't believe you left me, Dad. I can't believe you made me think you were dead.”
”It was the only way.” He sighed. ”I didn't want to leave, but once Jeremiah threatened you, I knew you were in danger.”
”He threatened me?”