BASH
We flew back to New York yesterday after the news cleared off.
Something is still bothering me. If what Sean said was true, he took his revenge against me to a whole new level. Or he said that to provoke me?
Trinity kept her mouth shut since that encounter. I can see the guilt in her eyes even though I never blame her.
"Tri, you've been silent since yesterday. If you think I'm mad at you, don't you even think about it. What happened yesterday is not your fault."
I don't want her to go alone to her apartment. If I can only convince her to stay with me, I'm going to do that. But maybe we have to take our relationship slow. I want this to work out. One Sean Rexwell will never break us apart.
"He threatened you, Bash." She stares at me through the wall-sized mirror with a look of so much worry and guilt.
"Baby, it's not new. He'd been doing that since we were in high school, remember?"
She nods slowly. "Yeah, because of that girl you dated, but he'd never harmed you the way he did this time."
"I doubt if he paid someone to sabotage the plane. How did he even know that we were in Korea, Tri?" It still puzzled me.
I was thinking the same question over and over again last night. How does he know that I chartered that jet? How does he know that Trinity was on that flight?
"Bash?" I jar out of my thoughts when Trinity shakes my arm. "Bash, we really need to go. We'll be late for dinner. Aunt Abby will think that we're ditching them."
I never answered her when she asked what Sean had whispered to me back in her home. I don't want her to worry about me. She may feel responsible for me punching that asshole.
"Yeah. They think we are still in bed. Probably you're moaning against my ear." I move closer, whispering in her ear.
I keep my eyes on the mirror as I nibble her earlobe. She gasps and shivers, aroused and equally shocked at how her body reacts so quickly to my touch.
Chuckling, I pull myself back before I can do something that will make us terribly late.
Trinity smells so good, and if we're not in a hurry, I can pull her dress up and take her from behind. My cock is already hard.
***
Voices from my family and friends from our living room warm my heart. I'm so thankful that I didn't get in that jet, but I feel bad for the family of the pilot and the crew.
My family sent condolences to the family who died in the incident, and we are also planning full scholarships for the children and jobs of their family members.
"Look who finally showed up!" Lizzy literally runs toward us, giving me a tight hug. "I'm so happy you're here, Baby Bash."
"Don't, Lizzy. I don't wanna make this an emotional night for us," I said, half-joking.
She pulls away from me, fake-wiping her tears before she goes to Trinity. "Hey, K!"
I shake my head in amusement.
"I need a whole night with you, alone," Lizzy announces, pointing her finger to Trinity. I know this is going to be a long night for her.
Everyone comes to welcome us-Mom and Dad and the twins, Xandry and Saph. Dean and Pyke are also present.
"So, how're the honeymooners?" Pyke starts with a devilish grin.
"Honeymooners?" I snort. "We went there for a business trip, asshole."
He laughs at my remark, glancing at Trinity chatting with her best friends on a couch.
"Oh, come on, Bash. So, you two are now a couple, huh? You finally had the guts to tell her." Pyke slaps my back. "Well, good for you, man. Congratulations are in order."
Pyke is a notorious playboy who can't keep his junk in his pants for a night.
"Shut up. You can't pry anything from me." I slap Pyke on his thigh, and he laughs, catching the girls' attention.
My eyes meet Trinity's. She smiles, which makes my heart skip. Why do I feel like I just experienced being in love?
"You didn't answer me, Bash. I can't believe you have to travel through Asia with her to declare your undying love to your darling Trinity." He is very persistent.
"Will you stop it? It's annoying."
"So, what happened? Why you didn't come back together?" As I said earlier, he is very persistent in getting an answer. For a guy, Pyke is so nosy. But I love him like my own brother.
"Pyke, leave him alone. Bash, I wanna know why did you punch Sean?" Xandry gets my attention. Dean never says a word, just watching and laughing at us.
"He met Trinity at the airport. I doubt if that was a coincidence. I bet he planned all that to get my attention. But how did he know that Trinity was on that flight back to the U.S?" My mind was filled with questions. What if he really meant what he said?
"Did you tell that to your parents?" Dean is sincerely concerned with my family. Maybe that's the reason why Dad and Mom like him.
I shake my head, but panic is growing fast in the pit of my belly.
"I think you should tell your parents, Bash. Did you know that Andrew Tennings escaped from the mental hospital?" Xandry asks.
My eyes widen. I can feel the pulse throbbing in my neck. "What do you mean?" I ask quickly, scanning his face to see if he's joking or lying, but he looks more serious than ever.
"He escaped two days before your flight back to Boston. Your Dad asked a team to search for him. I'm sure he is hiding somewhere."
"I need to talk to Dad," I stand up abruptly-hair from my nape rises. I shake it off. Hopefully, it's nothing.
I heard about what that psychopath did to my mom. It's been more than two decades since he has been locked up behind bars, serving his sentence. Then they moved him to a mental hospital when he became suicidal.
My Dad kept an eye on him and paid someone in the cell to stop him from killing himself. I don't know why Dad cares. Then he has his doctor and nurses on close watch all these years. How did he escape?
"Bash, where are you going?" Lizzy asks me.
"To see Dad," I answer quickly, winking at Trinity. A hint of pink blossoms on her cheeks, then someone just whistles.
"Where are your manners, Saph?" Xandry scolds his sister.
"Shut up, brother," Saph snaps at Xandry.
"You two, behave. I'll be right back."
I knock on Dad's office door. I hear Mom and Dad are in intense conversation.
"Dad, open up, please?" I knock again, and that's when they both go silent.
The door unlocks. Dad comes into view, and he looks flushed. "What do you want, Bash? We are-"
"Busy keeping secrets from us? Or am I the only one left in the dark?" It sounds harsh, but for fuck sake, I'm already an adult. I deserve to know if our family is in danger.
"What secrets are you talking about?" Dad asks sternly.
I get inside his office. The smell of alcohol is thick in the air.
"Bash, what do you want?" Dad asks again. Mom stays silent, but I can see the tension in the air is so thick, suffocating me.
"What are you two fighting about?" I take a seat in front of Mom. They never fight, but this time, I know something serious is going on.
"Be respectful, Sebastian. It's not right to stick your nose to something that isn't your business." Dad sounds angrier, but he is not like this unless he's under stress.
"If it concerns my family, then I'm not just gonna shut up, and it is my right to know. Both of you never fight about business, and I bet it's my concern, too, if it's about our company."
Mom hasn't said a word.
"You have nothing to worry about, Sebastian, and everything is under control," Dad says dismissively. He pours a shot of whiskey, then drains the content to his mouth, making me wince.
"Is it about Tennings?" I ask slowly, but I never miss Mom's reaction, and the glass freezes in the air in Dad's gasp.
"How did you know all of this?" Mom finally talks. Her voice is shaky.
"Xandry thought I already knew. Does Lizzy know about this?"
Dad moves to sit on his chair, squeezing his eyes shut, then rubs his face with both hands before he nods.
"Aren't I suppose to know too?"
"Bash, you just came back from Asia, and we almost lost you. We're planning on telling everything," Mom answers when Dad seems to find it hard to form a word.
"When? And why the two of you are so obsessed with this man?"
"He's a very dangerous man, Bash. He's a psychopath." Dad looks terribly inflicted. "He promised himself he would take his revenge once he escaped, and I knew he planned all of this."
"He can't get near us, Dad. We have tight security."
"Tell me, how does he escape?" Dad asks quickly, shrugs, and slumps his back into the chair.
"How?" I blink because that's the billion-dollar question. Suddenly, my throat dries, and I am tempted to take a shot of his whiskey.
"He killed the nurse at the mental hospital. I have to keep that story away from the media, considering he's there because of us."
I nod helplessly.
"Now, he's nowhere to find," Dad adds, causing me to be more concerned.
I feel Mom's hand squeezing my knee.
"Is that what Uncle Logan is busy with?"
"Yes. He's the one who found out about his escape."
I release a huge breath. I thought this night would be happy, but it seems it won't go as I want it to.
"You need to stay in New York. I will double the security for you and your sister. Trinity will stay with you. I know that man will use anyone closer to our family, and I can't let him hurt any of you. Do you understand, Sebastian?"
I look at Dad, and he seems under a lot of stress. Lines on his forehead are prominent. "Yes, Dad. I understand."
I still have so many questions left, but I doubt if they will answer me honestly.
Why do I feel like whatever is going on has a massive impact on me? Am I just paranoid? Or are my parents hiding skeletons in their closets?