Twenty-Six
Kitty
This was not happening. She was not standing just mere feet from me, smiling like a cat who ate the canary. Fuck! I knew the bitch was smart, but not that damn smart. I had said many times before that no one should underestimate her, but I never thought she’d already know about my brother. Let alone have access to him. What worried me more was that my brother seemed to believe whatever crap Caroline was dishing out.
Solomon wasn’t easy to read.
Hell, just looking at him now, he looked void of all emotions.
I didn’t know what to expect when I showed up here. I knew I was going to have to explain who I was to him. Never once did I think he’d already know. Which only begged the question…what else did he know?
“I’ve gotta say, Katherine Jane, you sure do keep a girl on her toes. I thought for sure it would take you longer to figure out where your brother was. Though I should have known better. You always were crafty. And thank you for the heads up on my compound in Louisiana. I’ll be sure to let Jeffery know to expect company.”
“You fucking bitch.”
Caroline laughed. “I did warn you, Katherine. I specifically told you to keep your mouth shut. But you couldn’t do that. Could you? You could be home right now with your daughter, living your life. Instead, you have no idea where your daughter is, if your husband is alive, or if I’m going to let you walk out of here. I must say, things are looking up for me. I can kill two birds with one stone.”
“You’d seriously kill your own son?”
Caroline laughed evilly. “That little shit never did anything right. You would have thought after I had him kidnapped, he would have behaved more, but no…that bastard just got worse. He always did what he wanted, never giving two shits about anyone but himself. And then he went and fucked that little slut and got her pregnant. Total waste of space.”
I had met some nasty people in my life, but Caroline Doherty took the cake. There wasn’t an ounce of compassion in her body. How this bitch managed to raise two sane kids, I would never know. But one thing was for sure, the bitch was going to get what was coming to her. I didn’t know when or how, but I was positive her life was on borrowed time.
“Well, this conversation has been enlightening, but I must get going. Solomon, take care of this trash.” With that, Caroline backed up into the darkness of the room.
Left alone with my brother, I looked at the four men on the floor and wondered if they were ever going to wake the fuck up. I really could use some help right now. I mean, I could handle myself, but not against a towering wall of muscle who had a penchant for killing indiscriminately.
Standing my ground, I dared not move. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. As my brother approached, I tried to reason with him.
“Solomon. Please.”
Silence.
“You don’t have to do this.”
Nothing.
“I won’t fight you.”
Quiet.
“Solomon, are you there?”
Freezing, I slowly turned, hearing my mother's voice. How was she here? Oh, God. What the hell was she doing here.
Yet I couldn’t see her.
Where the fuck was she?
“Solomon, baby. It’s Mom. I know you know my voice. I sang to you all the time, remember, baby. Remember, Lay your head down to bed, and let your slumber sweep your cares away. In your dreams, chase moonbeams all the way across the Milky Way. And as your rest, in the nest that we’ve made for you, we’ll caress and keep you blessed, never alone through the whole night through. Go to sleep, don’t you weep, tomorrows’ gonna be, tomorrow’s gonna be, tomorrow’s gonna be a brand-new day.”
I stood there before my brother as our mother’s voice filled the room. I couldn’t believe it. Somehow, someway, she was here, singing to him as if he were a small child, letting him know that she was always with him. I knew the song. She used to sing it to me when I was little. I love that song and sang it to Hailey often.
Solomon didn’t move.
Emotions warred on his face.
He stood before me, staring at me as our mother’s song filled the air around us. I knew on some level that deep down, babies remembered many things, like the voice of their mothers, certain smells, or a smile. The bond between a mother and a child was undisputed. Many have tried to explain it, but the fact was, the bond was unbreakable. No matter the circumstances.