Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 310: I Remember

An hour later, the house had grown quiet as Jamal slipped out of the room where Josh and Abigail were now sound asleep.

Jamal looked down at Josh curled against his mother, her hand resting protectively over him. She hadn’t stirred once.

He stood there for a moment, looking at them, then exhaled softly and left the room.

Outside, the air carried the scent of wet grass as he drove away from the estate. The drive to Quinn’s house was quiet for a while and his thoughts kept him company until he remembered Emily’s request that he reach out to Mari.

He dialed Mari’s number and kept his eyes on the road as it rang through the Car’s speakers.

Mari picked up the call on the first ring, "Hey, Jam, I was just about to call you. I was trying to reach Em to find out what’s up but her number isn’t connecting."

"She asked me to call you. She’s probably knocked out by now. She’s exhausted," Jamal explained.

"You sound pretty exhausted and down yourself. Is everything alright? And why doesn’t it sound like you’re in a car? Where are you going at this time of the night?" She asked, sounding a little worried since she knew Jamal wasn’t the type to keep late nights.

Jamal sighed, "I’m going over to Callan’s. We all met with Ryan at the hospital earlier today. Dawn, Genevieve, me, Callan, Emily, and Stefan was there too. He shot him self in front of us."

"He did what?" Mari asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Everything is messed up. Everyone is down. I don’t even know what to do or what to say to anyone," he confessed.

"Damn! This is all shades of messed up. Poor Callan and Dawn. Em must be pretty upset herself," Mari said thoughtfully.

"Everyone is. Anyway, I just called to check on you and let you know what’s going on. Also I spoke with Tom and Uncle Harry earlier. They said they’re already handling the issue with the Cartel. Hopefully everything will be resolved soon."

"I hope so," Mari said with a soft sigh. "I hope you’re okay, Jam. I can’t imagine how stressed you’ve been since the last couple of weeks."

"All I want is for everything to be resolved so we can go back to our normal lives," he said, and she nodded.

"Yeah. Me too."

"I’ll talk to you later, Mari. Take care of yourself. Everyone misses you," he said, and she smiled sadly.

"I miss everyone too. Be good, Jam," she said before he hung up.

When Jamal finally pulled up in front of the Quinn residence, he parked and walked to the door. The familiar housekeeper opened it before he even knocked twice.

"Good evening, Jamal," she said softly. Her eyes were tired. "You just missed Mr. and Mrs. Quinn. They retired to the bedroom a few minutes ago. Callan’s in his bedroom."

"Thanks, Mrs. Baines." He gave a faint smile of gratitude and headed up the stairs.

When he got to Callan’s bedroom, he knocked gently.

"Yeah?" came a low, hoarse voice.

Jamal pushed the door open.

Callan was lying on his back, one arm flung over his head, the other resting beside a half-empty bottle of bourbon on the bed. The room smelled faintly of whiskey.

Jamal toed off his shoes and crossed to the other side of the bed, lowering himself beside Callan. He lay the same way, both of them staring at the ceiling in silence.

For a long moment, neither spoke. The quiet was full but not uncomfortable.

Then Callan broke it. "Why are you here, Jamal?"

"My best friend watched his biological father blow his brains out today and broke down in the hospital hallway in front of his crush. So yeah... I wanted to check on him," Jamal said simply.

Callan’s lips twitched, almost into a smile, but it didn’t quite make it there. "You should be with Dawn," he murmured, voice rough. "Not here with me. I’m okay."

"Is that the truth?" Jamal turned his head toward him.

For a while, Callan didn’t answer. Then he exhaled deeply. "No. But I will be. The horror of it all... it got to me. Even if he wasn’t the one, even if it was some stranger, I’d still have reacted that way. It’s not something you unsee."

Jamal nodded slowly. "No. It’s not."

Callan stared at the ceiling again. His voice came quieter this time. "About his death though... I’m not sad. Not really. I’m angry and disappointed. And to be honest a part of me is relieved that it’s over and I don’t have to face him. But I wish he’d at least taken responsibility before he went out like that. He owed everyone that much."

Jamal let out a slow breath. "I don’t even know how to feel, man. Although I’m upset that he chose to do that in front of us. I wouldn’t have minded so much if he had done it before we got there or after we left."

Callan chuckled under his breath, a small, humorless sound. "You could say that," Callan murmured. "Now that he’s gone, I just want to live like he never existed. Pretend I never knew him. Move on."

Jamal turned slightly, studying him. "You think you can do that?"

"I have to." Callan’s tone was steady. "I’m going to sleep tonight, and when I wake up in the morning, I’ll tell myself it was all a nightmare. That’s the only way I know how to cope right now."

Jamal’s lips curved into a tired smile. "That’s easier said than done."

"Maybe," Callan said with a faint shrug. "But it’s still worth trying. The last couple of days have been a lot and I want it all behind me."

There was silence again. The soft ticking of the wall clock filled the space between them.

Jamal spoke after a while. "You ever think of finding your mother’s family? Maybe meeting Karen so she can tell you what you need to know?"

Callan shook his head. "No. Even if they exist... why show up after thirty years just to reopen old wounds? They’ve probably moved on. It’d be awkward for me. Painful, for them. I don’t see the point."

"I get it," Jamal said softly.

They lay there in the dim light for a while longer, both lost in their own thoughts.

Then Callan turned his head slightly. "Go spend the night with Dawn."

Jamal blinked. "What?"

"She needs you more than I do."

Jamal waved it off. "She is asleep already. I made sure she was sound asleep before I left. Now I’m here to put you to sleep too."

Callan didn’t smile as he expected him to. Instead his tone was quiet but sure. "Take it from me, Jamal, she won’t be sleeping so soundly. I know how trauma works. If what Ryan did triggered my memories of what happened all that years ago when the circumstances were not totally related... imagine what it’s doing to her. Didn’t she say her mother and grandparents were shot to death and she saw it happen?" his voice faltered briefly "—today she watched another man pull a trigger. That’s going to stick."

Jamal’s expression changed as realization flashed in his eyes. He sat up immediately. "I didn’t think of that."

"I figured," Callan said gently, jerking his head to the door for Jamal to leave.

Jamal got off the bed and slipped his feet back into his shoes. "I’ll go now. You try to get some rest, alright? No funny business."

"Yes, sir," Callan said dryly. "See you tomorrow."

Jamal gave him a last look before leaving.

Outside, the night air was cooler. He got into his car and drove back to Tom’s house, the road stretching endlessly ahead under the silver glow of the moon.

When he entered the house, it was still as calm and quiet as he had left it. He went straight to Abigail’s room and stopped at the doorway when he opened the door.

She was sitting on the foot of the bed, her head bowed, shoulders trembling. Josh was fast asleep behind her, small and peaceful.

"Dawn..." Jamal’s voice was soft.

She looked up slowly, tears streaking her face. Her lips quivered as she whispered, "He pulled the trigger."

Jamal crossed the room and knelt beside her, gathering her gently into his arms. "I’m so sorry you had to see that," he murmured.

"Not that," she said, her voice breaking. "Ryan... he was the one who pulled me out of the car that day." Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. "He shot my mother and grandparents himself, Jamal. I remember now. I remember everything."

Jamal held her tighter, one hand rubbing her back slowly, trying to calm the tremors in her body. "It’s okay," he whispered. "It’s all in the past now. He is dead, and you’re safe now."

"I remember you, too. I was staring at your picture when it happened," she whispered.

"You can tell me about it tomorrow," he said, and she buried her face against his shoulder and wept until her breathing steadied.

When the tears finally eased, he stood and helped her back to the bed. He lay down beside her, pulling her close until her head rested against his chest.

Josh stirred slightly but didn’t wake.

Abigail cuddled him close and Jamal tightened his hold around both of them.

"Sleep, baby," he whispered. "I’ve got you."

Jamal stayed awake and listened until her breathing became shallow and she dozed off, before he let himself sleep too.