Confessions and Olivia (Olivia #2) (39 page)

“I don’t need any one to fight for me, Olivia. I have them because I can. Do you know what this ‘boy’ has been doing behind your back?”

I stand tall trying to act like I’m not intimidated by him but really I’m terrified right now. Maybe if I keep him talking it will stall him from
hurting Calvin until the cops arrive.

Where the fuck are they?

“I know everything. It was only what you deserved. You’re a monster. You killed his parents, his pregnant mother. You’re an evil twisted bastard.”

Mauricio’s eyes turn into ragin
g slits for a brief second. The way I’m speaking to him is one he’s not familiar with but then a wry smile comes creeping up across his face.

“I remember,” he grins widely then turns to Calvin. Calvin stares at him while being restrained by two men. His hostile demeanor and black eyes filled with hate and fury is scaring me even though I have no apparent reason to be scared of Calvin. I know he’s raging inside.

“Beautiful Alexa.”

“Don’t fucking talk about her.” Calvin’s warning is a low threat which causes him to receive a punch in the stomach from Mauricio. I grimace closing my eyes at the dig because Calvin is helpless as he’s being violently restrained. Calvin stands there with his face almost unrecognizable. Not just from rage but from blood, cuts and bruises. It pains me to the core to see him like that. I hate that I can’t do anything about this.

“Does that hit a nerve Blake? Do you wanna know how much your mom screamed and begged my men to spare her unborn child’s life?”

I gasp a sharp painful breath. The cruel bastard. Does he have no limits?

Calvin muster’s up enough rage to break free from the men that are restraining him. He quickly picks up a snooker cue from the table and forcefully stabs the end of the solid wooden cue into Mauricio's eye. Mauricio stumbles back and yells out from the pain as the two men try to grab hold of Calvin but Calvin continues to smash the cue into Mauricio’s back causing him to double over in pain, falling unwillingly to the ground.

“I will kill you before you ever speak about my parents again. You think you can get away with that? You think you can get away with killing my brother?” Calvin's roars are venomous. His strikes even worse.

The two men eventually get a grasp of Calvin and begin hitting him themselves. I look away almost hyperventilating. Elise holds me tight into her chest while she sobs for Calvin herself.

“The police will be here any minute, get
your hands off him!” My mom screams at Mauricio who stands wincing, his eyes a bloody swollen mess, but he's still grinning. He holds his hands up to the men to stop punching Calvin and they do as he says.

Mauricio walks over to my mom but stand’s a few feet away
from her and opens up his arms. “My wife. My beautiful loyal wife. What the fuck happened to you? I give you everything and this is how you repay me?” He wipes the blood from his face with the back of his hand.

The disgust in her expression and tone is one I’m proud of.
That is the real Veronica.

“You deserve a lot fucking worse you animal. I can’t believe I shared a bed with a vile human being like yourself for so long. I must have been out of my fucking mind.”

Mauricio tilts his head back to laugh. “You knew from the day I saved your ass from the stripper society who you were getting involved with. Fuck, you helped me cover up Kennedy’s death you were perfect for me.”

I inhale on a tremor, Elise does the same. My father? So he was killed. By Mauricio?

No. My mom wouldn’t keep something like that from me.

Wait, s
he helped him?

My mom glances over at me, her eyes full of sorrow. “I’m so sorry Olivia. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“He killed him?” My breathing quickens to catch up with my heart beat. “You helped?” I stare towards my mother insufferable.

“Yes. I fucking killed him. He would have been a big pain in my ass otherwise. Your mother felt the same. Why do you think she never talks about him? Because she’s wracked with guilt.”

My mom frantically shakes her head. “Yes but... No. you’re the one who killed him. Don’t try to pin it on me.”

“You lied to your daughter her whole life. You see Olivia, your mother isn’t so rosy after all.”

Elise suddenly curls her fists in anger. “You’re a fucking disgrace,” she spits. She isn’t scared of Mauricio. She has been comforting me, but now her infuriation reaches its peak and she doesn’t hold back any longer. She asks him something she has wondered her whole life while I try to get my head around what I’ve just found out.

“My mom. Did you kill her to
o?”

Mauricio turns quickly to Elise. His eyes instantly soften. “No. I told you. That was a car accident. I loved your mother even after the day she died. You’re just like her Elise in so many ways.”

He’s about to walk up to Elise but she steps back pointing her finger towards him.

“Don’t you fucking dare. Don’t you dare come anywhere near me ever again. I hope you rot in hell.”

He steps back and for a split second looking hurt, but then instantly changes.

“I don’t understand your fucking problem. What I have ever done to you to make you hate me?”

Elise laughs not believing his audacity. “You wanna know why? Because I could see through you from day one. You’re a liar. You’re a manipulator. You control people’s emotions, people’s lives. If someone is against you, you push them out or get rid of them. You’re a cold hearted murderer and I’m ashamed that you’re my father.”

Mauricio’s eyes fall into angry slits.
“Well, I have Sophia, Elise, so no skin of my fucking nose.” With that Elise brings her arm around and catches Mauricio in his face with her fist. His head turns slightly from the impact. He stares back at her stunned, but then laughs almost proudly. “See, you’re not so different from your old man.”

“I am nothing like you.” She
snarls.

Just then we hear police sirens in the distance. Thank god. They’re hear. Mauricio glances my way when he notes my reli
eved reaction.

“Ha. You think the police can do anything? No cop will touch me under Jason’s watch.”

“They have evidence against you Mauricio. It’s out of Jason’s hands.” He looks towards my mother smirking. “What evidence do they have against me huh? Exactly. None. Just your pathetic word against mine. You wonder why no witnesses have never gone against me? They would never cooperate with the police they’re too fucking scared to. Hell, the police are too fucking scared. My past crimes aren’t something that will put me behind bars…”

He walks up to Calvin and speaks through gritted teeth inches away from his face.

“Not even the death of you!” He reaches in to his suit jacket and pulls out a gun. For a second my heart stops when the gun comes into sight. I’m immobilized until I find the strength to scream.

“No!”

I run to Mauricio to try and stop him but one of his men pushes me aside with such force sending me skidding across the floor. Elise run's over to me holding me back from him. Calvin calls for me to stay where I am but I can’t let this happen.

My mom comes from behind me, looking grave, holding a suit jacket
around her arm while I scream and cry out, begging Mauricio not to kill him.

He can’t kill him. Calvin is my life. If he kills him he may as well do me.

“Mauricio no, please. I’m begging you. Don’t kill him. Please don’t hurt him.”

I’m pleading and begging with every particle I have in my body but Mauricio will not give mercy.

“I was always going to kill him Olivia. I already killed his brother. Now it’s Calvin’s turn.”

“But he hasn’t done anything to you. Please. Please don’t.”

“He hasn’t done anything to me?” Mauricio’s voice is getting louder. He holds the gun in his hand and points with it as his speaks.

“Him and that brother of his were going around trashing my clubs. Planting drugs. Burning my hard earned money. But no, you didn’t stop there did you.” His glare swiftly returns to Calvin.

“You poisoned my drug load. You killed one of my fucking men, do you know that?”

Calvin’s eyes flicker to mine when Mauricio reveals this. He killed a man? But that’s nothing to what Mauricio has done.

“You burnt down my fucking warehouse, you got that whore to bug my cell. You planted a bomb in my car. Yet, I wasn’t the one driving it was I? You killed another innocent life.”

Wait. That car that blew up in Chicago was Mauricio’s? And Calvin did that?

“You took my step daughter away from me. You have torn my family apart and you think you’re going to get away with it?”

He turns to his men grinning, opening his arms wide like he’s the king of this world.

“No one gets away with that. No one will ever get one over on me. I always win.”

Mauricio points the gun into Calvin's head. My legs buckle beneath me as I break down
in tears. My chest is tight. I can’t breathe. Elise doesn’t have the strength to hold me up. I close my eyes. My sobs are echoing around the place but I still manage to hear Mauricio speak three last words.

“I’m simply… untouchable.”

With that I hear a gunshot fire. I scream out in agony, piercing my own ears. My body keels over in excruciatingly pain. I start trembling out of anguish. I can’t look up. I throw my head between my knees and begin to convulse through lack of sense, lack of breath. My world has gone. Mauricio has taken my life. I hear my mom’s cry’s and place my hand over my ears. I close my eyes and pray to be taken away from this. I can’t live through this torment. I can’t live without Calvin. My mind goes blank.

***

I vaguely hear a voice calling my name. There are so many
muffled entwined voices. All going on around me. So many echoes. I stay crouched down in my fetus position. Crying uncontrollably. Everything has gone black. The voices around me seem blurred. 

I hear a voice to what’s seems to belong to my uncle Jason. The superintendent of Chicago. He’s speaking to my mom. She’s
sobbing. He's trying to calm her down. I hear Elise crying. And then I hear that voice again, calling my name. I don’t look up. I want to fall into an emotional coma and stay there. How can I live without him?

“Olivia!” Someone shakes me but I refuse to come out of the crouched position I have put myself in.

Then there is that voice again. I’m suddenly pulled up out of my position and called again.

“Olivia,
its Okay baby. It’s me.”

It’s only then my hearing comes back to me clearly. My body is trembling but I wipe my eyes and look up. I almost think I’m in some sort of dream when I see him. His face battered, bloody and bruised but the beauty of him still shines through.

“Calvin?” My voice is breathless.

“It’s Okay. I’m Okay.”

What? I heard a gunshot. He was dead. I refuse to believe it thinking it’s my mind playing cruel tricks on me until I’m pulled into the lap of someone who makes me feel complete. I’m wrapped into the arms of someone warm and protecting.

“Calvin?” My eyes shoot open and see his ice blue eyes glistening down on me.

“You’re not dead.” I breathe. “You’re not….”

Before he can answer I scramble out of his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. I kiss him over and over crying out in between each peck. I can’t believe it. He’s not dead. He’s here. With me.

“You’re here. You’re really here.”

Calvin smirks and wince’s slightly as I kiss every single one of his cuts.

“I’m here baby and I’m not going anywhere.”

It's then I hear my mom crying clearing
, causing me to turn around to what is happening around me. I stay in Calvin’s lap and taking in my surrounding’s. There is at least twenty armed cops around us and Jason. He’s consoling my mom. Elise is speaking to an officer. There are four paramedics. They are talking and bustling around us. I hear voices coming from radio intercoms. Questions being asked. I continue to look around. I know who I’m looking for. Then I see him. On the floor, being covered in a sheet by a paramedic. Mauricio. He’s dead.

I slowly turn to Calvin, almost feeling solace from seeing him lying there.

My voice is an astonished whisper when I speak. “He's… dead?”

Calvin nods, and sighs the deepest heaviest br
eath of contentment. “He's dead. It's over Olivia.”

Chapter Thirty Five*

After the police tried to pull me from Calvin’s arms, they gave in. They understood I wouldn’t leave him. Calvin wouldn’t let go of me either. So we were briefly questioned together. Not interrogation in the slightest but with sympathy. Jason had taken care of everything. Turns out he was counting down the days until someone had killed him.

It was my mom. My mom had had pulled the trigger that ended Mauricio's sadistic life. She was the one who shot that bullet. The bullet that pierced his heart and killed him.

My mom had sneaked the gun from one of Mauricio’s men’s suit jacket when he had thrown it off in rage. She acted on impulse.
Someone give that women a medal.

She was waiting for the right time and shot without hesitation. My mom was distraught for a while. Not because she had killed Mauricio but because she had taken a life. But after she got over that she felt
like she had a new lease of life. She was revitalized. She had no more demons. There was to be no more worrying. No more looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives. No more need for protection.

The
police told my mom to say that she acted in self-defense if it came down to it. But there was never need. The police force new all about Mauricio and had been waiting for this day to come along with the rest of us.

Shortly after my mom moved in with Elise. She didn’t want the house that she had shared with a monster. She sold all his
properties. His clubs went bust as they were never legal. My mom wanted nothing to do with them. Elise told her to keep the money from the properties to help her kick start a new life but she gave it all to her charities. She had her own money to live with and has become a full time ambassador for her women’s charity, The Ronnie foundation. She makes me so proud. She has been through a lot. I learned that she was never happy with Mauricio. But she knew he would always provide a better life for me so she played along with his desire for a perfect family.

I hate that she did that. She made herself unhappy for me but I guess that is what you do when you love someone.

MF tailors was the only company of Mauricio’s that was legal and it was put in my mom’s name.

Elise and my mom told me to take it over. I thought about it. I had become fond of the employees that worked there but I couldn’t bare taking it over when it would be something Mauricio had gave to me. So Calvin
sneakily bought the company from my mom and gifted it to me. He said everyone was a winner that way but I couldn’t run a design company by myself. I thought I needed a partner. A great artist who knew about clothes as I didn’t just want to do suits if I was to take over.

Tyler.
He was the perfect candidate and when I suggested it to him he almost bit my arm off.

L
ike I had always said, designing was never a dream of mine but I quite enjoyed it and I could paint whenever I felt like.

After a crazy few days when Mauricio was killed. I accompanied Calvin to Ashton’s funeral.

My mom came and so did Elise to support Calvin. I will be forever grateful to them.

It was an incredibly harrowing day. Calvin couldn’t bring himself to speak. Hazel broke down and Gerald’s heart had been broken all over again. I wished that the tragedy had never happened. I wish Ashton was still here to enjoy life. To be with Calvin and his family but all that was taken from him. No one will ever forget that.

Being reunited with Mayra was also a blessing. She didn’t care I didn’t answer her phone calls and was only concerned about my safety. She and my mom have been looking at houses together. They really can’t live without each other, it’s quite adorable because neither of them have admitted it before.

We are still yet to meet Charles. Mayra’s infamous boyfriend.
I’m beginning to think he’s imaginary.

Right now life is good.

There is no more Mauricio Fahoney.

***

Right now I am upon the beautiful princess Chelsea yacht with Calvin and a small group of his family members in Miami.

We set off from
Haulover beach marina in Miami and sail into the Atlantic Ocean.

It’s been six weeks since Ashton’s funeral and Calvin only now has finally gathered all his family together to scatter Ashton’s ashes. I’m here with Hazel, Gerald and Harold. Claire, her husband and Ruby. Todd and his wife Marissa and Calvin’s other auntie Mariah and her husband. They are a small family but the closest and the most generous, kind people I have ever met.

The vessel will come to a stop and remain adrift when we arrive at the appropriate stop.

Calvin
has asked the captain if he can lead the small ceremony. He feels it’s his duty.

He said a beautiful, heartwarming speech about his brother before he scattered the ashes with rose petals in to the sea to say the last goodbye. I wept behind my sunglasses while holding on to Hazel’s hand. The way Calvin talked about how him and Ashton had an unbreakable bond was painful to hear. He said how
much he loved his older brother and how much he looked up to him but never got the chance to tell him. Calvin told us what a big influence Ashton was in his life and is beyond broken without him. He tried to hold it together when he said how much he was going to miss his big brother. How much he was going to miss his protection, not that he needed it but that’s what Ashton’s life become about. Looking out for Calvin and protecting him in the way he felt he couldn’t protect his parents. Calvin listed the most memorable moments of Ashton, how he was impatient, short tempered and always acted on impulse but he was inspired by everything he did.

“Ashton was taken away from me too soon and I mi
ss him every second of everyday, but I will treasure his memory forever.”

His last sentence caused eruptions of tears. I walked towards him trying to hold myself together and held him until he could compose himself. Watching Calvin at one of his lowest, vulnerable moments cut me apart but I will begin to mend his fractured life as long as he allows me to do so.

Calvin’s uncle Todd played the song by Eric Clapton, tears in heaven on his acoustic guitar while we all had a moment silence for Ashton. Calvin was about to object as he didn’t want such a sad song played. But he had the choice of a play-list from an iPod station for the remainder of the two hours left on the boat so Calvin played songs from the red hot chili peppers as they were Ashton’s favorite.

Everyone mingles around the boat quietly while me and Calvin look out towards the waving blue sea from the side of the boat.

“I can’t believe I’ve said goodbye to my brother. It still doesn’t seem real to me.”

I lay my head against Calvin’s shoulder while he holds me. “I’m so sorry it had to come to this. If only my mom killed Mauricio sooner.” I laugh out of nerves because otherwise I’d cry. I obviously didn’t want anyone to get killed. Not Ashton, not Georgia, or Mauricio. Tyler says I must be crazy but the truth is I would have rather Mauricio behind bars paying for what he’s done. He has ruined people’s lives, killed innocent people and hurt so many others along the way.

I go over in my mind with so many questions every day; why wasn’t he stopped after the first crime he committed? Why was he allowed to get away with what he did? Why did my mom marry him? If she didn’t we would never have met him. Why couldn’t he have left Calvin’s parents alone?

So many questions that are never go
ing to get answered or resolved and asking them isn’t going to bring back his parents or Ashton.

“You over thinking again?” Calvin brings me back from my thoughts kissing my temple. I continue to look out at sea. It’s so peaceful. The beautiful aqua blue sea, the wind in my hair. The silence. The March sun beaming down on us. It’s crazy that it’s so warm here in Miami, when we get back to Chicago it’ll be freezing.

“Maybe we should get a boat?”

Calvin laughs turning to look at me. “You want a boat
, baby? We’ll get a boat.”

“Hmm.” I think abou
t how wonderful it could be. “We could sail away and never come back.”

“I can imagine it now, Tyler wouldn’t be too far behind. He would catch us up in an inflatable ring if he had to.” I laugh at the thought because he probably would.

I look up into Calvin ice blue eyes. The sparkle that once was held inside them is coming back. His beautiful fresh face is clean shaven and cut free. His golden unruly hair is styled messily to the side and blowing perfectly in the wind. He has a white shirt on with rolled up sleeves, black suits pants and polished shoes. He looks illegally flawless, how am I allowed him?

I chose to wear a white blouse and a black pencil skirt. I also have on black sunglasses. I have been crying so much lately my eyes are constantly red and swollen.

“I’m serious. What’s to stop us?”

Calvin take’s my sunglasses from my eyes and places them in his shirt pocket.

“Nothing. Nothing at all. We can do whatever we want now, Olivia. There isn’t anything we can’t do. And there isn’t anything I would do without you. You’re still thinking about him aren’t you?”

“Is it that obvious?” I stare down at my black pumps ashamed that I still have Mauricio on my mind. He’s tainted me and I hate it.

“Look at me baby,” I look up into Calvin’s soft eyes. “He can’t get to us anymore. He’s gone. You need to stop allowing him inside your head. That way he’s still winning. He didn’t brake us Olivia, he lost. He may have taken away my family, but he didn’t beat me and he didn’t take me away from you. He could never do that. He’s dead and he will never come between us again. Understand?”

I nod before Calvin leans down to kiss me. He kisses me to make me forget. He knows when his lips touch mine I go jump into Calvin’s world.
I don’t mind in the slightest
.

When the boats docks back at the marina. I get a call from Tyler.

“Olivia, I’m home. When do I start?”

I have asked Tyler to pa
rtner up with me for MF tailors and he enthusiastically agreed but he had to give his current job notice and let his lease run out at his apartment. He is now, by the sounds, back home and raring to go.

“I’m home tomorrow night Ty, so Monday morning?” Today is Saturday.

“You do know we need to give it a new name don’t you? What about OT tailors?”

I giggle
at his rambling and suggestions. “OT as in Olivia Tyler?”

I can se
nse he’s gone into deep thought. “Your right it sounds shit, what about Olivia James? Your first name my second? My name has always been ready for flashing lights honey.”

I snort after laughing.
“Tyler, people will think we’re married.”

“Fuck them. Its sound nice. Besides, you do not want Fahoney as your last name.”

That’s a relevant point. I have to change my name sometime soon. My mom has already had this discussion with me, she wants us to go back to her maiden name; Veronica Grace.

“Yes, no?” Tyler pushes on so I agree hoping he will drop it. I hate being on the phone when I’m in company of other people. Calvin doesn’t seem to mind, he’s talking to Todd while holding my other hand firmly.

“Yes, Tyler. Whatever.”

“You know it makes sense. You still at the ashes thing?”

I die a little inside of how insensitive he can be. I move away from Calvin letting my hand drop from his incase he can over hear the conversation.

Tyler found out about Mauricio the day after he died. He called Elise as it was on the news even though the police tried everything they could to stop it getting out to the media. Tyler had explained that after the conversation we had where I didn’t tell him what was happening he deleted my number in a Tyler hissy fit so he couldn’t call me
. And when I sent him a text to tell him I was thinking about him, he deleted that without reading it. He called Elise instead. Elise refused to explain over the phone so Tyler drove down to Chicago to be with me and I told him everything. He couldn’t believe what had happened. He was so stunned he threw up. I was so grateful for him coming to me and my mom though. I always need Tyler and he has promised me he will never go into a Tyler hissy fit again.
Until the next time.
Madison also called over to see me. I have been staying at Calvin’s apartment so she called over to see how I was. Again, seeing her felt awkward but I’m glad she made the effort.

“Yes, Ty, I’m still in Miami.” My voice is low.

“How was it?”

“Sad, devastating actually, but at the same time, soothing. Calvin got to rest Ashton in peace, somewhere he wanted to be. That’s what matters.”

Tyler falls silent all of a sudden. That’s not like him. “Ty? Are you crying?”

I hear him blow his nose before answering me. “It’s just…such a waste of a beautiful man.”

I roll my eyes and Calvin comes beside me. “Ready?”

“Ty, I have to go. But chin up Okay. I’ll see you when I get back.”

“Bye honey.” He sniffs again before putting the phone down.