“And you didn’t fight it?”
“What was I supposed to do?” Douglas sounded hopeless. He ran a hand through his hair. “I tried asking David, but he refused to have anything to do with Maria, and Tony was useless. Still is, but at least he’s got a reason to be useless now.”
“Hang on, you keep mentioning Tony like he’s still alive.What do you mean, heisuseless? Tony’s dead … right?”
Douglas looked down at Alyssia, not entirely sure what to say to her. Everyone had seemingly accepted that Tony was dead, even though the general suspicion was that he was alive. How could he tell her that her suspicions were true, that Maria had kept her husband alive whilst pretending he’d died?
Sitting in the chair, Alyssia couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to the story of Tony’s alleged death. She’d always suspected, along with the rest of theBlackwoods, that his death – if indeed hewasdead – was more of a murder than a natural one, but without proof it was hard to say anything.
“Look, what you have to realise ?” Douglas began, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and continued. “Maria … Mrs Blackwood … she’s not right. In the head, you understand?”
“You mean she’s crazy?” Alyssia asked, almost daring him to say it. “We know that. She’s been crazy for as long as I’ve known her.”
“It’s deeper than that. She’sobsessedwith this family fortune that she thinks she’s owed. It’s why she drove Tony to drink, then put him in a mental institution and forged his death certificate. She told everyone he was dead, and refused to show anyone proof, until finally the whole thing went away.”
“Amental institution?” Alyssia gasped. “You mean, she had himcommitted?”
“Pretty much. Tony was getting more and more forgetful as he got older, so it was easier to pretend he had dementia, and get him into an institution that way. After that, she realised she could go after everything that she believes David stole from her if he didn’t tell Antonio who she was, and here we are today.”
“How has David stolen anything, though? She could have taken Antonio with her and raised him, he just wouldn’t have had the Blackwood surname.”
Douglas shrugged, pulling out a small bottle of vodka and downing it before continuing his story.
“That’s probably why she left him with David. Either way, she started reaching out to anyone and everyone who had a weakness. Me, Alexei, Ruben … she even tried to get Reynolds involved, but luckily his issues had been resolved before she got to him.”
“She went afterReynolds?” Alyssia shouted, groaning as the baby kicked. “How sickisthis woman? Reynolds has never had a problem in his life!”
“Well, not any more,” Douglas looked away again. “Before he came to work for you, he and I worked for Maria. He had a drinking problem, like me, and we both ended up in jail together after we got into a rather nasty bar fight. David forced him into rehab and AA before hiring him as soon as he was clean, and making him sign a document that essentially meant any disloyalty would result in his death. Maria found out and went absolutely mad with rage – she thought Reynolds would be the ultimate influence over your husband. The fact that he put Davidand Antonio before her was the biggest slap in the face she could have received.”
“What a mess,” Alyssia sighed, sinking back into the armchair. “And now, here I am, a prisoner at the mercy of some mad woman’s deluded obsessions.”
“Not quite deluded, Alyssia,” came Maria’s sneering voice. She stalked into the room, dressed in a burgundy velvet dress, a black feather jacket, and stiletto heels that, whilst elegant, made her totter around the room like a baby deer. Were it not for the seriousness of the situation, it would almost have been funny.
“Mrs Blackwood,” Douglas’ voice was very deferential, almost submissive. She waved him away, throwing him a disgusted look, and he fell silent.
“I’ll deal with you later, worm.” she snapped. “Nobody betrays me.”
“Look, I don’t know what you think you’ll achieve from kidnapping me, but it won’t change anything,” Alyssia said. She tried to rise, but a sharp pain stabbed through her abdomen, and she groaned in pain.
“Well, dearest daughter-in-law, that baby in your belly is enough to get any man running to your aid,” Maria smirked. “And that’s what I’m counting on – unless Antonio’s as much of a deadbeat as his own father was?”
“Antonio isn’t a deadbeat!” Alyssia gasped, feeling a horrible wetness between her legs that splattered onto the floor. She looked down and groaned loudly. “Oh, Goddamnit!”
“What?” Maria snapped, peering at her. Alyssia looked up at her in horror and gestured to the puddle on the floor with a hopeless wave.
“My waters have broken.”
17
Antonio was pacing up and down the kitchen, wondering why Douglas hadn’t phoned to check in. He’d tried calling, texting, and even emailing, but there was no response. As the hours wore on, his worry increased, until he finally bit the bullet and phoned his father. David picked up the phone after four rings, his voice impatient and distracted.
“What is it, Antonio?”
“Douglas hasn’t checked in, and neither has Alyssia. I don’t know where she is, and I’m … I’m freaking out here. It’s been four hours, Dad, and nobody’s said a word. Ricky hasn’t seen them, and he said they should have been there at least an hour ago.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. When he spoke again, David’s voice was tinged with worry.
“How well do you know Douglas?”
