Chapter 1

 

 

“Mommy.”

“Mommy. Look.”

Tyana knelt down as her twin daughters hurled themselves at her. She hugged them tight, loving the feeling of their tiny arms wrapping around her. It reminded her how right her decision had been. It may have been unconventional how they came into this world but she wouldn’t give them up for anything. Not even money. “What, Bugs?”

The two giggled, their identical smiles and laughs made her forget that her time with them was going to come to an abrupt end… one day.

“Bee.”

“Boo.”

“Ti.”

“Ta.”

She laughed with them as they pointed to the other and did their name game. “Okay, Tijan and Tarin, how about we get cleaned up?”

“No, Mommy. Come.”

“‘ave to pee.”

Tarin headed for the bathroom while Tijan grabbed her mom’s arm and dragged her outside. Laughing, Tyana followed her bouncing daughter out the door only to stop suddenly. Tijan let her go and ran the short distance across the brown lawn to the bottom of a big old tree with huge draping branches.

“Look! Look!”

But Tyana was frozen on the top step as she stared at the luxurious limo parked at the end of her driveway, like a king showing his minions his wealth and power. She didn’t even have to see who got out of the car to know who it was. To know this day was going to arrive. She’d done everything she could to prevent it. But it hadn’t been enough.

She moved down the path, wanting to get between her daughter and the one person who could ruin both their lives.

“She’s filthy. Her clothes look like you got them at the thrift store; they’re badly stained with God knows what on them. She’s got mud covering her hands and face. She’s barefoot, for Christ’s sake. What the hell have you been doing to her?” The man, who many would say had the clout and power of the US President, looked at her with disgust. “And I haven’t forgotten what you did. Don’t worry; you’ll pay in ways you can’t imagine. I do not appreciate being taken for a fool. And what is mine, is mine.”

Tyana pressed her hands to her cheeks as she came face to face with a man she had somehow managed to outwit and avoid for two-and-a-half years. The game had been about hiding where he would least expect it. This wild, in the middle of nowhere place had been perfect and so far from what either of them had ever known, she had hoped it was beyond his scope of finding her.

Tyana so wanted to look over her shoulder but didn’t. She prayed that her other daughter wouldn’t rush out anytime soon. “Letting her live.”

“Mommy. Come.”

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“I had to. You’d have never let me see my babi—”

“Damn right I wouldn’t have. She’s mine, that’s why I paid you.” He pulled on one of the sleeves of his silk suit jacket to emphasize his wealth.

She knew about money, she knew about clothes but she had left that world far behind her. Or thought she had. Then she’d met him. A fate she’d thought had been better than what she’d been doing. He’d been her way to truly get away from the corruption of her family’s wealth. Her family’s greed and control. She’d been eighteen and determined to make it on her own. But she should have known money was money and those who gorge themselves on it are corrupt. She’d thought that running away from her upbringing would have been easy but it hadn’t been. Making money had been hard. He’d come into her life when she was contemplating going back to her parents to become the cold shell of a woman they wanted her to be. But she hadn’t needed to because he’d arrived. Only he hadn’t been her answers to anything.

She’d gone from living a precarious on-the-edge kind of life to living in downright hell. So she’d run.

The last few years had been so perfect and had shown her what she’d really wanted. She’d finally been content, happy even. The girls hadn’t known any of the life she’d previously lived and she never wanted them to know what she had done to survive. If she could go back and get a do-over, she’d change almost everything. Her daughter squealed, reminding her that she’d change everything except her two precious gifts, no matter how stupid she’d been to bring them into the world. It wasn’t that she’d had them; it was how they had come about. But they’d taught her so much and now she was in serious danger of losing them forever. The man who was going to ruin her life again didn’t seem to know everything, though.

Going on a hunch, Tyana answered, “You bastard, you’re so cold. She’s only a baby. She needs her mother.”

“You already managed to hide her for two damn years, I’m not letting you have her another second. Be grateful I haven’t killed you yet.”

Tyana turned away from the man in the three-piece suit, so out of place in this backwoods country. She’d hoped the rutted, densely treed area would have been enough to hide her and her girls forever. Her gaze landed on Tijan, who was staring with awe up into the branches. She ran over to her child, fearful it might be the last time she ever saw her. Feigning interest as she couldn’t share the fear that was clutching her in its vice-grip, she knelt down. Her gaze followed that of her daughter’s tiny finger as it pointed up through the dense foliage. There, perched on a branch way above their heads, was the fuzzy baby owl they’d been watching all spring. This was the first time he’d been out of the nest though; at least that they’d seen. His brother or sister had tried to fly too soon and had hit the one and only power line on the property. The girls had been heartbroken.

“Oh, he’s beautiful,” she whispered.

“No fly, Mommy. No fly.”

“I agree sweetheart, we don’t want him to fly yet.”

“No die. No die.”

“Dammit, that’s enough. Get that disgusting kid ready to go.”

Tijan jumped, her eyes round as she hid behind her mom, clutching her mom’s legs with all her might. Tyana put her hands back to hold her daughter close while feeling the distance that was already creeping in. “You can’t take her. Look how happy she is. Please don’t.”

“You signed her over when you took the $50,000 I paid you.”

“I’ll give it back. I didn’t know… Please…” Now she wished she’d asked for ten times that amount. Not because she wanted the money but because maybe she could have used it to hide them better. A man with money, though, was almost impossible to keep away from, at least for long.

“Tee, run inside and get cleaned up, okay? I’ll be in, in a minute. Use soap.”

She ran to the house but went way wide to avoid the man who was glaring at her.

Tyana shuddered. Even her daughter felt the evil in him. “Please you can’t, I’m begging you.”

“Oh, save me the bullshit. I found you hustling for pennies. I gave you a life and a lot of cash. You were more than happy to live the good life. You’re a whore. Do you really think I want you raising my child? That’s a laugh.”

“But I was good enough to have her.”

“Oh, don’t worry I had your background checked out. Funny thing, your family was searching for you. I got pulled in by mistake. Since I discovered that you came from good stock, that was good enough for me. Besides, it’s funny as hell that I got that stupid, rich ass’s daughter pregnant. He doesn’t have a clue I have his grandkid. At least not yet. That alone will sustain me into old age. That and the fact that I’m sure his prestigious career might not survive his daughter being a call-girl.”

“I wasn’t a hooker.”

“A high paid whore, then.”

She cringed. There was a fine line between what she’d been doing and what he was calling her. She’d been so bent on making her own way, her own money. She’d gotten into college because of her family’s name. But they wouldn’t pay and the college had still wanted payment. She hadn’t had any money nor access to any as her parents had cut her off. She’d also discovered that the only jobs that would hire her—someone with no known skills other than partying—were the menial labor jobs. She’d been desperate but that had seemed a bit much. Even though she’d rebelled against how she’d been raised, she’d always had a maid. She couldn’t bring herself to do that kind of labor-intensive job, at least not for the measly few dollars they’d been willing to pay. So she’d gotten into college using her name and they’d given her some leeway to pay later. After all who’d want to piss off her multi-millionaire, influential parents? But the college had finally sent her a letter telling her to pay or she was out. She knew she needed an education to be able to make some good money. So when she’d been approached to go a date as a onetime thing for a $1000, she hadn’t passed it up. And hadn’t been able to afford not to. She’d dumped her family, ran from the overprotective, stale parents that she felt didn’t ‘get’ her, into a life that had made her feel powerful. She’d controlled men. They’d begged for her time. She’d been the queen of it all.

Her fingers brushed over the ratty, holy jeans she wore and couldn’t help but be grateful. They were far more comfortable than any Yves St. Laurent dress she’d been shoved into as a kid or as a paid escort. And the life she’d had with her daughters was what she’d really been looking for, not something money could buy. That almost made her laugh because that was exactly how and why they’d been brought into the world. If she’d thought her parents would have helped her she would have gone to them but they’d written her off a long time ago. Rightfully so with what she’d done. And the truth was that they would never have let her keep her children. She’d brought enough scandal to their lives and they hadn’t even known most of it.

“Look, just let me come back with you. I’ll take care of the—her. Please.”

“You’re a prostitute.”

“You just said you knew my family. That I’m from ‘good stock’.”

“You are but once a whore always a whore. I paid you to have my child, so that makes you one. Get out of my way and get that kid ready. Now. My patience has run out and if you don’t do it, I’ll send my driver in to get her.”

Tyana looked at the 300 pound, six-foot-five behemoth that looked like one solid wall of muscle. She didn’t want him anywhere near her children, especially since he only knew about one of them.

“Please. Don’t do this.”

“Three… two—”

“Alright. Just give me a few minutes with her, okay?” She didn’t wait for him to respond but ran past him, fighting back the sobs that were tearing at her throat and chest. The wooden screen door slammed closed behind her, something she’d have given the girls heck for, but now it meant nothing. Grabbing her portable phone as she raced through to the bathroom to find her girls, she quickly dialed a number.

“I need your help. He’s here.” she gasped, pressing her hand to her chest as it felt like it was collapsing in on itself.

“I’m five minutes away. Just do what we planned. You knew this day would come. We got it. You’re okay. Go out the back door and into the woods. Go to the creek, cross it and I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Hurry.” She hung up and turned to her two perfectly created, beautiful daughters. It amazed her that she’d been so blessed.

“Okay, girls we have to play the quiet game or that angry man will come storming in here. I need you to grab your backpacks and I’ll grab mine. We’re going on that adventure that we’ve been practicing for. But we have to be silent or we’ll scare the animals away and then we won’t have any fun.”

Both girls looked at each other; some sort of silent communication happened before they nodded and ran off to their bedrooms. Tyana hustled her little group out the back door making sure that it didn’t make any sound. The door hinges had been almost a daily task of being oiled, for she’d known this day would come but had hoped and prayed it never would. They had been practicing this event almost since the day they could walk.

They ran as fast as their little legs would carry them. Tyana’s head swiveled around like the mama owl that often sat perched, high in the tree, in the front yard. As they approached the creek, Tyana realized that the spring melt and heavy rains they’d had recently, which had kept them housebound, had also raised the creek level by at least two or three feet. The girls were not going to be able to hop from rock to rock in the fast running water. Frantic she looked up and down the stream bed hoping to find a better place. To their left there was a tree that had fallen across the rushing water. It would at least give them something to hang onto.

“They’re not here.”

“Find them.”

Tyana’s heart leapt into her throat. The two men had gone into and were now coming out the back of the house. They’d already discovered they were gone.

“Come on girls we have to hurry.” She hustled them upstream. The sound of heavy footsteps through the trees made her shiver but also realize she didn’t have time to use the rope in her backpack to tie the girls to her. “Grab my belt loops; hold onto me like you do Marty and Mandy, your teddy bears. Do not let go.”

She quickly ducked under the tree and stepped into the frigid water. Goosebumps immediately covered her body. The girls yelped when the water hit them. Seeing that the strength of water was way too much, she grabbed Tarin and hoisted her up on her back.

“Hold tight around my neck, sweetheart.”

Next, she lifted Tijan and held her in front. She reached out, grabbing a branch on the fallen tree. She lifted her foot, wobbling slightly as the rushing water drove against her one ankle almost buckling it. She shoved harder, finally able to push it through the water and put it back down.

“Eeek!”

She wasn’t sure which one cried out or if it had been both of them but she paused for a moment. “Hold tight my babies. Please don’t let go for anything. I promise we’ll make it. I promise.” I hope. She snuggled Tijan a little tighter to her chest, making sure her arms were tight around her neck. Then she let go for a brief second to reach back and lift Tarin up so her tiny hands were clasped tight around her throat. “Squeeze tight with your legs Ta.”

There was hardly any pressure. She knew the girls were struggling to hold on and were terrified, as was she. She quickly took another step, shivering as the cold water was burning her legs. Whether someone had found where they were or not, she didn’t know because she couldn’t hear anything over the sound of the running water and the echo of her heart pounding in her ears.

She only had to make it about another six steps. Holding onto her girls with one hand, switching from one to the other, while clinging to the log to remain upright, she took another tentative step. She lifted her cold, soaked, jean clad leg and thrust it through the rushing water. Before she could put her foot down though, the force immediately jerked her sideways. Her one knee buckled as she was pitched sideways into the tree.

“Mommy!” Tarin screamed as her tiny arms lost their tight grip and she slid off her mom’s back.

“God, no!” She frantically grabbed for Tarin but the water was pulling her away, tumbling her under the big log and sweeping her downstream.

Trying to keep her eyes on her daughter that was being swept away, she held tight to her other one as she pushed thru the cold water. Finally reaching the other side as fast as she could, Tyana set Tijan down under a tree. “Stay here honey. Don’t move.”

Tripping and falling on the wet, soggy ground, she shoved her way through the thigh high brush that hugged the bank.

“Tarin! Tarin!” Her eyes darted back and forth over the muddy water. There was no sign of her baby. She jumped into the rushing torrent, only to have her feet swept out. She went under. Coughing and choking, her arms swung and paddled like crazy as she tried to find footing and get her head above water. Finally, she managed to burst upwards, gasping for breath. As soon as she did though, she felt an intense pain and a sudden lethargy invade her body. That was the last thing she knew as she sunk down into the murky depths.