Betrayed (The New Yorker) Read online

  “But there was alcohol in her system,” Adrian said.

  “Barely any, and definitely not enough that Lisette would lose control behind the wheel. Dad, Lisette was drugged.”

  “I hate to play devil’s advocate but how do you know that she didn’t go to a bar after she left the hotel. Someone else could have drugged her.” Dennis’ point was valid, but it was one Reno didn’t want to accept. He already knew his villain and nothing was going to stop him from going after Michael Mathews.

  “I don’t need anyone’s permission to solve this problem. I already know my guy. I love Catalella like a little sister, but she’s going to be a widow soon,” Reno muttered.

  “What about Rhyne?”

  “What about her?” Reno moved back on instinct when Dennis took a step toward him.

  “You go to prison, then what? What happens to the company? Obviously DJ isn’t here to stay—”

  “You got that right, old man.” DJ snorted.

  Dennis shot a silencing glare DJ’s way. Reno didn’t know when he got so protective, but he stepped into the path of that glare bringing their father’s attention back to him. “I don’t care about that,” Reno said.

  “That company belongs to your children. So yes, forget the company—but how are you going to continue searching for Rhyne if you are in a cage?”

  “DJ will find her for us. He’s her brother too!”

  “I’m her brother too?” DJ shot in.

  Reno rolled his eyes at the goofy grin DJ had on his face. Reno reached into his back pocket and handed DJ Rhyne’s picture. “Is this how she looks like? She is so beautiful. It seems like I have to build a second cage. At this rate we won’t be able to keep our sisters safe from New York men.”

  “The cages I assume are for Daniela and Rhyne?” AJ rolled his eyes.

  “Can we stay on topic here?” Reno said.

  “No way you can go to prison. Keeping the guys away from Daniela is hard enough. When Rhyne walks into town there will be a stampede. Or maybe we could marry her off to Ross when she arrives.”

  DJ showed AJ the picture and he let out a long whistle, a wolfish grin on his face. Reno’s eyes narrowed at him. “Hey, you are dating my sister, why can’t I date yours.”

  “Reno, bottom line is, you stay away from Mathews.”

  Reno was about to protest when Adrian lifted his hand to silence him. “She’s my daughter and your father has a point. Leave the bastard to us. You focus on bringing my little girl out of that coma.”

  * * * *

  Lisette wanted to lift her hand and shoo away the annoying beeping sound that filled her ears. As much as she tried she couldn’t lift her arm. Groaning in frustration she forced her heavy eye lids to open. She winced when the florescent light above her burned into her eyes.

  What’s going on? Her whole body seemed to be held in place. Every inch of her hurt, even the tips of her fingers. She tried to move again, but her attempt brought a horrible stabbing pain in her chest. Lisette was about to give up every effort of waking up when she heard her name being called. It sounded so far, so she reached for it. She held on to the desperate tone in that voice, hoping that it would bring her out of the darkness. One more try. She convinced herself to force her eyes open. When she did she was rewarded with a dazzling smile from the man she loved.

  “Hey, baby!”

  She tried to talk, but her throat felt like it was being scratched with sand paper. As if sensing her discomfort, Reno brought a cup of water to her lips. A little sip was all it took to bring her some relief, but comfort was still at bay.

  “Hold on, baby. I’ll go get the doctor.”

  She wanted to tell him to wait, but she couldn’t. Her eyes followed his disheveled body out the door. Tired at her attempts to join the living, Lisette convinced herself that a nap wasn’t so bad. Letting heavy lids drift closed, she fell back into slumber.

  The sound of metal crunching, the smell of burning tires and the pain from the force of the steering wheel hitting her chest assaulted Lisette all at once. Her beautiful Range Rover Evoque turned into a tiny casket. Lisette banged on the roof of the car as it closed in on her. She slammed her shoulder against the door, but all that achieved was to pull it closer. She fought with her seat belt and climbed to the passenger seat of the car. There was nowhere to go. The car seemed to shrink with every move she made. Spreading her arms wide she tried to keep the doors at bay, as with her feet she pushed at the dash board. She hoped and prayed that somehow, the car would widen.

  “Lisette?”

  Her head snapped to the back seat where Reno lay in a pool of blood.

  “Hold on, mi amor!” She wheezed as the strength left her exhausted body. Her gaze frantically searched the car for a way out.

  “I’m dead,” Reno wheezed.

  “No you are not!” Lisette hiccupped as the cries wracked her whole body. She looked back and Reno’s head rolled from his shoulders to the car floor.

  “No!” Lisette thrashed on her bed, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t free herself.

  “Open your eyes, baby,” a voice called to her from the dark haze she was engulfed in. “Come on, sweetheart. Let me see those beautiful brown eyes.” She tried to focus on the sound of his voice. She fought against the pain and the darkness. Her body screamed in distress, her heart ached for her loss. A thought came to mind, why should she fight if she had lost the love of her life.

  “Fight for me, sweetheart. It’s Reno. Open your eyes for me.”

  Reno?

  “She probably can’t hear you.”

  “Yes she can, Dad.”

  The fog was slowly dissipating and Lisette could recognize the voices around her. Her father, mother, AJ and Reno were with her. Where is Catalella? As her mind cleared, the drugs she assumed they had given her to help with the pain slowly wore off. She could feel every bruise, cut, fracture and break in her body. Part of her wished the darkness would swallow her back, but she had to see if Reno was truly alive.

  “Arrgggh!”

  “She’s in pain,” AJ said.

  “Could you give her something?” The concern in Reno’s voice made her pain even worse. She hated that she was hurting him like this. Although it wasn’t directly her fault, she hated to hear the weariness in his tone.

  “That could put her back under. We need her to wake up and see if she responds to commands.”

  “No.” Lisette wasn’t sure if anyone had heard her. All she knew that her throat felt as if it were being assaulted by sand paper. The potent coppery taste of blood in her mouth assured her of it.

  “Baby!” The triumph in Reno’s voice told her that he at least had heard her. “Are you coming back to me?”

  Lisette couldn’t find her voice. She tried to nod but couldn’t move. She tried to lift her arms, but she couldn’t move those either. She was restrained and that built a wave of panic in her chest. She didn’t want to be held down, especially not after she had been trapped in her car.

  “Hey, piggy, calm down.”

  “What’s going on, AJ?”

  “Her blood pressure is rising and her heart’s racing. I think she’s just realized she can’t move. If she doesn’t calm down, I’ll have to sedate her.”

  “No.” She forced the word out of her sore throat once more.

  “Baby, listen to me. Listen to the sound of my voice. You are fine. You are just a little broken. AJ is going to fix you. Your mom and dad are here too.” She felt the warmth of Reno’s lips as he pressed a kiss on her temple. “Hang on to the sound of my voice. You are safe with us. Now open your eyes.”

  As if her eyes were slaves to his command, they opened. Not slowly, but wide and wondering as that of a new babe. All she could see was a cloud before her eyes. She blinked a couple of times and her vision cleared. Her lips pulled into a painful smile when she looked into Reno’s deep brown eyes. She licked her dry lips, and he read her mind. He gave her a gentle kiss on her lips. She tried to tell him she loved him,
but nothing emerged from her cracked mouth.

  “I love you too.”

  “Excuse me.” Lisette didn’t recognize that voice. She thought that she should probably look to see who the visitor was, but she couldn’t pull away from Reno’s gentle smiling eyes. It was pure pleasure and terror that had her glued to them. She couldn’t risk looking away and have him disappear.

  “If you could all wait outside, I need to examine her.”

  “No.” That word again.

  “It’s okay, I won’t leave your side,” Reno promised.

  “But—”

  Lisette smiled at the threatening glare in Reno’s eyes and the silenced protest. With him so close by, Lisette endured the poking and prodding of the nurse. Then when she was exhausted, she tightened her hold on Reno’s eyes before letting sleep consume her.

  * * * *

  “Did you see the look in her eyes?” Reno couldn’t shake that haunted look in Lisette’s eyes. He stood with one foot in her room, the other in the hallway. Her eyes had been stricken with fear when she thought he would leave her alone. He wanted to be close by just in case she stirred, but didn’t want his conversation with AJ to disturb her.

  “It’s like she got a panic attack. I’ve never seen her that scared.” AJ peeked into the room, sighed then looked back at him. “I’m glad she has you. Now that she’s awake I don’t have to worry so much. They never tell you how much work being a big brother is.”

  “I’ll take care of Lisette. You make sure the baby of the family is strong enough to fight the cancer.”

  “The journey of recovery is just beginning, Reno. I hope you are up for it.”

  Reno had to laugh at the warning in AJ’s voice. He had a little brother and little sisters. He understood the big brother role, the unfathomed love and need to protect. It was his basic instinct to throw himself in front of any trouble that would come to his siblings. But with Lisette, he would walk in front of a train for her, and fight to live just to see her smile. He knew AJ didn’t understand. AJ avoided anything that would require him to make a commitment. His medical profession was his mistress, wife and girlfriend.

  “I’m going to marry your sister.”

  “I would welcome you to the family with open arms.” He snickered. “You are the only brother-in-law I like and approve of.”

  “Don’t worry; I think between the two of us we can find a way to get rid of Michael Mathews.”

  “I thought we talked about that.” Adrian Senior voice boomed behind him. “You both need to go home and sleep.” Reno was about to protest but Adrian didn’t give him a chance. “I’ll watch over my little girls for the next couple of hours. Home.Now.”

  Reno couldn’t argue. His love for Lisette had enabled him to keep vigil by her bedside for days. His fear and nightmares of her life slipping away without him knowing had kept him from sleeping for more than five minutes at a time. He needed food, a shower and some sleep. Reluctantly he agreed. He walked to her bed and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back before you know it, baby.”

  * * * *

  Reno marched into his dreary apartment. He could barely recognize it. Even though he had spent a week away from it, it looked foreign. It did hold a moment of significance to him—the night he had spent with Lisette cuddled in his strong arms. The memory caused the stiff muscles of his face to twitch into a smile.

  That night had started the chain reaction of emotional instances for him—the night he found Lisette and Michael in the hotel room, the day he found out his baby sister was indeed alive, the earth stopping the second he’d found out Lisette was in the hospital, learning Catalella had cancer and the moment Lisette opened her beautiful brown eyes for him.

  After a marathon of emotions, rooms that had hosted significant events in his life, hotels, the hospital, his dull room felt empty. Yet he welcomed the hollow, void feeling it invoked inside him. He wasn’t sure if his heart or his body could bear any more emotion.

  He marched straight into his room, pulling his clothes off piece by piece. In his bathroom he stood under the shower. He didn’t wait for the water to heat up. The icy bullets drummed on the aching muscles of his body, and as the water slowly warmed he sighed as his body relaxed. He hadn’t realized how much he had needed the quiet, to do nothing except listen to the sound of the spray beating against his flesh and the tiled floor.

  Reno sank down to the gray, white and black tile mosaic. He pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face in his palms. Here and now he was free to shed his hard masculine exterior and let himself weep. Part of him experienced a tremendous amount of guilt that told him he had failed, as a brother, a son, and a boyfriend.

  He hadn’t been able to find Rhyne. Once again he had abandoned an important female fixture in his life. If he had stayed behind, he would have figured out that Lisette had been drugged, he would have driven her to the hospital. Instead he had deserted her at the hotel without a second chance and left for Hawaii on a goose chase. He was a failure.

  In his heart he had known that Lisette could never betray him. She had saved herself this long, why would she give up her virginity to the one man she loathed more than her biological father. Even to secure Catalella’s freedom, Lisette wouldn’t sink to the depths of the filthy vermin. His heart had been crushed, it wasn’t listening to the ‘if’, it didn’t know anything besides what his eyes were telling it. Now his heart was broken into a million more pieces. Crashed against the hard rock that was his failure, it shattered—and it wasn’t putting itself together.

  Lisette, his heart wept.

  Failure, his mind screamed.

  Rage burned beneath his skin, boiling his blood and making its rushing sounds vibrate in his ears. His hand punched the wall, but it didn’t cave in. Instead his knuckles crunched against it, but the pain didn’t register. He knew he would feel it, probably in the morning…at that moment the only pain he could feel was Lisette’s.

  Chapter Ten

  Lisette felt movement at the side of her bed. She had woken up in a nightmare a few hours before, and instead of Reno, it had been her mother keeping vigil at her bedside. She knew that this too wasn’t Reno. Her body didn’t react the way it normally did when she sensed him near. Her pulse didn’t quicken, her palms didn’t dampen and she didn’t have that levitating feeling. Her body was firmly on her hospital bed. She cracked her eye open, but she missed her opportunity to play dead when those evil eyes looked into hers.

  “I was hoping you had died. After the beating that ogre you call a boyfriend gave me, it would only be justice.”

  Of course—Michael Mathews would hold the world accountable and at fault for the justice it served him, and think his actions to the world above reproach. She grinned wishing she had been there to witness Reno bludgeon the fool.

  “Twice!” he whined. “Once when he found the two of us in bed together and then here at the hospital.”

  At that moment she wished the accident had left her in a coma, anything not to see Michael’s triumphant glow. She would have welcomed death if only she didn’t get to see Reno’s doubt. Reno should know that she wouldn’t betray him. The day she decides to take her first sip of alcohol in a while, she ends up foxed, too drunk to push Mathews off her. She would tell Reno, and that would earn Michael another beating, and hopefully AJ would join in too. Anything to see Michael in a coma.

  “I know that look. You won’t tell your boyfriend anything. In fact you are going to tell your boyfriend that I am the best fuck you ever had.” Michael cackled, his eyes gleaming with revenge. “You are going to dump him, and you know why?” He leaned in closer his blasted smile not leaving his face. “You are going to do what I say because your sister has cancer. I happen to be the only person legally allowed to make decisions on her behalf. I could just decide to let her slip away in her sleep.”

  Alarm racked Lisette’s battered body. She wanted to scream at him, insult him. She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t get anything past her throat exce
pt the word ‘no’.

  “Blink twice for yes if you understand.”

  Lisette glared daggers at him, before conceding. What was she to do? Catalella had been her responsibility from the second she breathed life into her tiny body when she was born. Lisette would give her life for her baby sister. By lying to Reno and telling him the hateful things Michael had instructed, she was giving up her life. Somehow her love would forgive her, or just understand her. Michael’s laughter as he left her room chilled her blood, not even the devil’s laugh could freeze her so.

  Reno will understand. He loves me. He’ll understand.

  * * * *

  By midday, Lisette could speak. Thanks to AJ her throat didn’t hurt as much. She couldn’t sit up just yet. Her eyes followed AJ and the other doctors and nurses as they moved around her bed. They adjusted her IV, loosened the screws that held her body brace together and massaged her limbs. Every couple of minutes they would ask her how she was, probably to remind themselves they were working on a human being. When the doctors huddled into a corner and a heated discussion ensued Lisette watched from a distance, unable to fully focus on anything they said. The frown lines that marred AJ’s forehead told her all was not well

  “What is it?” she asked, but got no response. “AJ! What’s the matter?”

  AJ rushed to her bedside, his ‘devil may care’ grin plastered on his face. Lisette had learned years ago how to look through AJ’s defense mechanism. His lecherous grin, the teasing and the cavalier shrug of the shoulders tried to deflect what his eyes were saying.

  “I’m your sister, not some hoochie you picked up at a bar and can’t remember her name the next morning. Tell me what’s going on AJ. It’s my body and I deserve to know.”

  “Maybe we should wait for Reno to come back.” AJ averted his gaze from her eyes. He was looking at her, at least according to his definition he was. But AJ’s gaze was fixed at her forehead. In his thinking, he was still looking at you, even though he’d try his best not to see you. It was deceptive and would probably work, but only on someone who didn’t know him.