Page 87 of Fatal Scheme

“My baby! Junior, what in the world did I do for such a wonderful surprise?” She cheers, pulling me in for a bear hug, the strong scent of Chanel perfume invading my senses.

“Can’t a man come and visit his mother?” I ask, taking her hand in mine as we walk back up the steps, holding the door open as we cross the threshold into the house.

These walls hold memories, raised voices, and constant disappointment, but I’ve never felt less haunted as I walk through the hallway, this place not able to break me down any longer as I plan my final escape from the hell where I spent my childhood.

“A man, yes. You? No. Spill it, Junior. Did you get that pretty little girlfriend pregnant? Am I finally going to be a grandmother?” My mother rambles excitedly, pouring coffee into two mugs and sliding one across the countertop for me.

“No, Mom, Carter is not pregnant,” I laugh, nearly choking on my drink, watching as she deflates ever so slightly.

“Then what is it? Your father isn’t here,” she warns, as if that’s not the exact reason why I chose this time of day to show up unannounced.

“Mom, you need to leave. Take the girls, go on a trip and visit your sisters down south,” I start, and the smile on her face drops, the panic slowly settling in its place.

The last thing I want to do is scare her, but I couldn’t live with myself if something were to happen to my angel of a mother, the one person on this Earth that is too pure for this life, and deserves everything good this world has to offer.

“You’re freaking me out, is there something going on? Your father has been stressed, but if there is real danger I trust him to navigate it,” she says slowly, her eyes never leaving mine, but I don’t plan to sugarcoat this, laying it all out in the open.

“He’s lying to you, Mom. There is a real threat, but Tyson and I aren’t sticking around to count the bodies.”

“What are you talking about?” She switches from concerned, to pissed off, her death stare piercing holes through my body, but I can’t let her change my mind, I won’t.

“We’re getting out of this shit. I can’t live like this, and we sure as hell aren’t risking Carter’s life for some fucked up sense of family loyalty that only exists to serve its leader,” I say honestly, and her expression changes again, this time the look of confusion painted across her features.

Naturally, she’s beautiful, a full-blooded Italian with the olive-tan skin and dark hair to match.

Even with the makeup and expensive jewelry, my mother is still beautiful to her core, and I know that I’m hurting her, but hoping that deep down, she will understand one day.

“We? You mean Tyson cares so much about your girlfriend that he’d abandon his family, his father?” She attaches a hand to her hip, seeing right through my blunder, but now is as good as ever to reveal the full truth.

“She’s our girlfriend.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Junior! What kind of twisted shit is going on here? You can’t just blow through the door and drop all this into my lap, you’re gonna give me a freakin’ heart attack!” She yells, her voice echoing off the walls, all the way up to the ceiling, raining down on me while I listen to her express frustration.

“Mom, please. Just pack a bag, and don’t tell Dad, okay? For me?” I ask, pleading with her to be reasonable, and after a few moments long standoff, she finally nods, listening to my words for what they’re worth.

It’s rare for me to show up here, to specifically speak with her alone, and slowly, she’s coming to that realization, accepting that all of this is for her – even with the information bomb I dropped.

“Does she make you happy? Are you going to spend your life with that girl?” She asks, ever so motherly, and I can’t help but smile, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

“Yes, Mom. One day, there will be grandchildren, I promise.” I kiss her forehead, ending our conversation there, and the smile on her face couldn’t be any bigger, warming my heart as I accomplished what I came here for.

Now that the hard part is over, I make a quick pit stop in her room, slipping a tiny tracker into her purse, mixing it with the change she keeps in a separate wallet. I can’t rely on only my words, it being very likely that my father gets to her or one of my sisters before they can escape, but if miracles are real, and they make it out, I want to be able to find them.

Next, I head directly across the hall to my old bedroom, ignoring all the awards, accolades and photos from high school as I make a beeline for the safe under the bed.

Quickly, I punch in the combination, reaching for stacks of cash, weapons, and keys to a storage unit that my father doesn’t know exists.

Everything I’m taking is only going to benefit the three of us as we jumpstart our lives, and although I’m leaving something behind, I don’t feel an ounce of remorse, or worry about what I may be missing out on.

This is a fresh start, one that I’m more than eager to take, especially as everything I leave in my wake will be reduced to ashes.

The final phase of this plan is to clear out the secret storage unit, and after saying my final goodbyes to my mother, I head straight for Carter and Tyson.

Even he’s in the dark on what exactly I’ve stashed here the last few years, but I’ve always carved a way out for us, hoping that one day we’d be able to run away, achieving the dream we’ve shared since we were kids.

“Where exactly are we going, Jasper?” Carter asks, snuggling on my chest while Tyson drives, the control-freak in him forcing us to switch cars, even though I drove myself.

“To my insurance plan,” I say vaguely, pushing the stray curls from her face, while one hand mindlessly draws circles on her thigh.