Post by Leese on Jul 30, 2023 22:41:50 GMT
July 30th, 2023
8:10 AM
Hyatt Centric Downtown Hotel
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The hotel Chelsea was staying in was only a 10 minute walk from the venue the band had been parked outside of all night. With the help of Google Maps, Ryan navigated to the Hyatt Centric where Chelsea had told him she’d meet him in the lobby. He walked through the automatic doors and saw his aunt sitting at a table with the two large men who had done her dirty work the night before. Now unmasked, he recognised them. They’d been at the merch booth fairly early on the day before to purchase the hoodies and ski masks they’d used to disguise themselves as Critical Acclaim fans. He felt a sharp pang of guilt in the pit of his stomach as Chelsea stood up to greet him.
“Don’t worry about those guys,” she said, sensing Ryan’s unease after what he’d witnessed mere hours before. “They’re just making sure nobody is following you.”
Ryan nodded his understanding, but his eyes lingered on the men who had done the damage to Mark. “Everyone was asleep, don’t worry.”
“Good.” Chelsea smiled at her nephew and then started to walk toward the elevators, motioning for him to follow. The two guys acting as Chelsea’s security stayed put in their seats in the lobby, making Ryan feel much safer as he walked behind her. She pressed the button to call the elevator and within seconds the door opened. She allowed Ryan to step in first and then followed, pressing the button to take them up to the 14th floor. As the door closed, she leaned against the mirror and looked at the boy. “So how much do you know?”
He shrugged. “Next to nothing, I guess. I don’t know what’s true and what isn’t. He just kept saying that I didn’t need to know and that you were lying.” He paused for a few seconds. “I know about my dad and Erica…”
Chelsea pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “OK. You came here because you want answers, right?”
“Yeah,” Ryan said as the elevator stopped on their floor and the door opened. There was silence between them as Chelsea led him to the suite at the end of the corridor. She swiped her keycard and opened the door, letting him in first.
“Did he tell you Erica was pregnant when she died?” she asked.
Ryan shook his head. “She had an abortion a few weeks before. That’s what he said, anyway.”
“Right,” Chelsea said as she made her way over to the couch. “I may have been mistaken, but I knew there was a baby involved.”
Ryan took a seat beside her and sighed. “I would have had an older brother or sister…”
She could tell that it was weighing on his mind and she smiled softly. “Yeah, but… a product of incest,” she reminded him. “Probably for the best.”
“I guess.”
“Mark has never forgiven him for that, you know?” she said. “He blames him for killing her.”
Ryan frowned. “I got that from what I overheard last night but… he said he’s over it and that she killed herself.”
“She did, of course,” Chelsea said with a shrug. “But he blames your dad for driving her to it.”
Chelsea reached into her bag and took out her phone. “I didn’t wanna show you this because you’re my nephew and it’s weird but… you have a right to know the truth.”
Ryan frowned as he watched Chelsea unlock the phone and navigate to a photo album in the gallery. She held the phone out to him. “Here…” He took it and swiped through the pictures on the phone. A kiss shared between them. Mark removing Chelsea’s bra. Chelsea on top of Mark in the bed. Mark on top of her.
A lump caught in his throat and he swallowed it down. Mark had lied to him when he’d asked if there was anything going on the night before. “Who… took the pictures?” he asked hesitantly.
“They’re stills from a video but, like, you don’t wanna see that.”
He shook his head, confirming that he definitely didn’t as he handed the phone back to her. “When was that?”
“A few years ago,” she admitted as she put the phone back in her bag.
“Why?”
“He…” Her voice wavered and she looked away for a second. A sniffle. “Because I was young and heartbroken. James had disappeared. I was a single mom and just wanted to feel… wanted.” When she turned back to look at Ryan, tears filled her eyes. She wiped at them with her hands as she continued. “I’d helped him out with a couple of things. Legal things. We kinda became friends, but it all had to be kept quiet, you know?”
Ryan nodded. He could tell she was getting upset and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He didn’t say anything, though. He just let her continue telling her story.
“He made me feel special, which was stupid of me I guess. He made a lot of girls feel special back then,” she scoffed. “When I got pregnant he–”
She stopped, breaking down into tears. (A stellar performance, really.) Ryan knew what was coming next, because he’d overheard it the night before and as he hugged his aunt he told her, “you don’t have to tell me any more.”
“No,” she said, taking a deep breath. “No, you wanted answers. You deserve the truth. He made me get rid of the baby. It was all just some sick scheme to get back at Kam.”
“I’m sorry,” Ryan mumbled. He didn’t know what else to say. Something still didn’t make sense, though. “Last night, though… why?”
“I’ve been trying to get him to come clean for months,” she said. “Years, even. He acts like he’s forgiven your dad and that things are fine but they’re not, Ryan. I’ve been trying to warn him but he thinks I have some ulterior motive and that I’m out to get him. I’m not. It’s Mark he needs to worry about.”
Ryan hadn’t seen that coming and it made him tense up. Chelsea sensed it and knew that her words were working.
“That’s why he’s taken such an interest in you lately,” she continued. “He’s practically taken you away from your dad and no doubt he’ll try to turn you against him. He’s good at that.”
It made sense in his head now that Chelsea had said it out loud and Ryan could feel anger rising up inside of him. “Yeah. That’s not gonna happen.” He stood up, immediately heading for the door. “I’m getting my shit and going home.”
“Be careful, Ryan,” Chelsea said quietly. “You know where I am if you need anything.”
To be continued…
8:10 AM
Hyatt Centric Downtown Hotel
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The hotel Chelsea was staying in was only a 10 minute walk from the venue the band had been parked outside of all night. With the help of Google Maps, Ryan navigated to the Hyatt Centric where Chelsea had told him she’d meet him in the lobby. He walked through the automatic doors and saw his aunt sitting at a table with the two large men who had done her dirty work the night before. Now unmasked, he recognised them. They’d been at the merch booth fairly early on the day before to purchase the hoodies and ski masks they’d used to disguise themselves as Critical Acclaim fans. He felt a sharp pang of guilt in the pit of his stomach as Chelsea stood up to greet him.
“Don’t worry about those guys,” she said, sensing Ryan’s unease after what he’d witnessed mere hours before. “They’re just making sure nobody is following you.”
Ryan nodded his understanding, but his eyes lingered on the men who had done the damage to Mark. “Everyone was asleep, don’t worry.”
“Good.” Chelsea smiled at her nephew and then started to walk toward the elevators, motioning for him to follow. The two guys acting as Chelsea’s security stayed put in their seats in the lobby, making Ryan feel much safer as he walked behind her. She pressed the button to call the elevator and within seconds the door opened. She allowed Ryan to step in first and then followed, pressing the button to take them up to the 14th floor. As the door closed, she leaned against the mirror and looked at the boy. “So how much do you know?”
He shrugged. “Next to nothing, I guess. I don’t know what’s true and what isn’t. He just kept saying that I didn’t need to know and that you were lying.” He paused for a few seconds. “I know about my dad and Erica…”
Chelsea pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “OK. You came here because you want answers, right?”
“Yeah,” Ryan said as the elevator stopped on their floor and the door opened. There was silence between them as Chelsea led him to the suite at the end of the corridor. She swiped her keycard and opened the door, letting him in first.
“Did he tell you Erica was pregnant when she died?” she asked.
Ryan shook his head. “She had an abortion a few weeks before. That’s what he said, anyway.”
“Right,” Chelsea said as she made her way over to the couch. “I may have been mistaken, but I knew there was a baby involved.”
Ryan took a seat beside her and sighed. “I would have had an older brother or sister…”
She could tell that it was weighing on his mind and she smiled softly. “Yeah, but… a product of incest,” she reminded him. “Probably for the best.”
“I guess.”
“Mark has never forgiven him for that, you know?” she said. “He blames him for killing her.”
Ryan frowned. “I got that from what I overheard last night but… he said he’s over it and that she killed herself.”
“She did, of course,” Chelsea said with a shrug. “But he blames your dad for driving her to it.”
Chelsea reached into her bag and took out her phone. “I didn’t wanna show you this because you’re my nephew and it’s weird but… you have a right to know the truth.”
Ryan frowned as he watched Chelsea unlock the phone and navigate to a photo album in the gallery. She held the phone out to him. “Here…” He took it and swiped through the pictures on the phone. A kiss shared between them. Mark removing Chelsea’s bra. Chelsea on top of Mark in the bed. Mark on top of her.
A lump caught in his throat and he swallowed it down. Mark had lied to him when he’d asked if there was anything going on the night before. “Who… took the pictures?” he asked hesitantly.
“They’re stills from a video but, like, you don’t wanna see that.”
He shook his head, confirming that he definitely didn’t as he handed the phone back to her. “When was that?”
“A few years ago,” she admitted as she put the phone back in her bag.
“Why?”
“He…” Her voice wavered and she looked away for a second. A sniffle. “Because I was young and heartbroken. James had disappeared. I was a single mom and just wanted to feel… wanted.” When she turned back to look at Ryan, tears filled her eyes. She wiped at them with her hands as she continued. “I’d helped him out with a couple of things. Legal things. We kinda became friends, but it all had to be kept quiet, you know?”
Ryan nodded. He could tell she was getting upset and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He didn’t say anything, though. He just let her continue telling her story.
“He made me feel special, which was stupid of me I guess. He made a lot of girls feel special back then,” she scoffed. “When I got pregnant he–”
She stopped, breaking down into tears. (A stellar performance, really.) Ryan knew what was coming next, because he’d overheard it the night before and as he hugged his aunt he told her, “you don’t have to tell me any more.”
“No,” she said, taking a deep breath. “No, you wanted answers. You deserve the truth. He made me get rid of the baby. It was all just some sick scheme to get back at Kam.”
“I’m sorry,” Ryan mumbled. He didn’t know what else to say. Something still didn’t make sense, though. “Last night, though… why?”
“I’ve been trying to get him to come clean for months,” she said. “Years, even. He acts like he’s forgiven your dad and that things are fine but they’re not, Ryan. I’ve been trying to warn him but he thinks I have some ulterior motive and that I’m out to get him. I’m not. It’s Mark he needs to worry about.”
Ryan hadn’t seen that coming and it made him tense up. Chelsea sensed it and knew that her words were working.
“That’s why he’s taken such an interest in you lately,” she continued. “He’s practically taken you away from your dad and no doubt he’ll try to turn you against him. He’s good at that.”
It made sense in his head now that Chelsea had said it out loud and Ryan could feel anger rising up inside of him. “Yeah. That’s not gonna happen.” He stood up, immediately heading for the door. “I’m getting my shit and going home.”
“Be careful, Ryan,” Chelsea said quietly. “You know where I am if you need anything.”
To be continued…