Chapter 45 - BETTER THAN REVENGE

Patricia

I'm back, and I'm back with a vengeance.

It has been two years since I last stepped foot in Bridgewood, Oklahoma and I swore on my life that I would never come back to this sleepy town ever again, but as my luck would have it, things don't always go as planned, at least they don't always go the way Patricia Blunt plans it.

Yes, you heard right. My name is Patricia Blunt and I'm Jason's older step-sister. My father begged me to move back home because he want me to keep an eye on my baby brother, something about him needing a guardian since he and my step-mum are never around much. I find that quite ludicrous considering the fact that he is eighteen and can take care of himself just fine. He has been taking care of himself just fine, with my help of course. 

Our parents never really had the time to be parents; Dad was either locked up in his study handling one case or another and jet setting off to meet clients in different countries, while Jason's mum was running a cosmetics brand with over ten stores at different locations around the world.

They were always busy.

Often times, we were left in the care of nannies. I had to step up and be the surrogate parent to Jason; I bathed him, helped him with his homework, accompanied him to school and tried my best to be the best big sister I could be.

I don't resent our parents. In their own way, even though they were never there for the most important events in our lives, I know they loved us. They provided for us materially and we definitely live in opulence, but I just wish they would have been there for the most important moments in Jason's life. They never attended his birthdays, we never celebrated holidays, they never went to any of his games, never cheered him on when he became the Basketball State Champion. They are not even aware that he made the team in the first place.

I know my baby brother holds a grudge. That's why he never gets along with them- that is why he rebels and does the exact opposite of what they expect him to do-dealing in weapons and drugs.

I know he sells weapons and drugs just to piss our parents off. He's the reason Bob and I met in the first place. Jason was procuring thirty-two caliber handguns for a powerful crime organization-the Siddeno Mafia Family and they were meant to send someone to pick up the 'merch', as they like to call it, back at Base A. I drove Jason to Base A and in walks Bob in all his dark glory. I was immediately smitten by him from the moment I saw him, not only because he was easy on the eyes, but because he had this bad boy aura oozing out of him.

It wasn't long before we started dating and officially became a couple. I would be lying if I said Bob didn't know how to treat a woman. He knows exactly how to make a woman feel good both inside and outside the bedroom. With his panty-dropping smile and charming personality, any woman would have the hots for him.

The first year of our relationship was great but things started going south in the second year. He revealed to me that he was the head of the Siddeno Family and with that title comes great responsibility. Like my parents, he was always busy, too busy to invest the time and effort in our relationship. 

I understood where he was coming from, at least I tried to understand, but I became overwhelmed and I felt neglected. I voiced out my concerns to him and he promised to do better.

But he never did. 

Pushed to the wall, I sought companionship in the arms of Diego Acosta, a hitman for the Floretini Mafia, the rival family of the Siddeno's.

I'm not going to justify my actions as there's no justification really. I committed a crime and I cheated. It still marvels me that I'm still alive, but I guess the universe likes me. Fraternizing with the enemy is a taboo and I knew that. It could have got me killed and I knew that, but at the time, I didn't care. Diego was everything Bob never was-attentive, passionate and loving. 

It was wrong of me to cheat in the first place and for that, I apologize, or I would have apologized.

But Bob killed the one man I ever loved right before my eyes. One gunshot wound to the head was all it took. Diego took his last breath in my arms. 

After that, I cut off all contacts with family and friends and moved to Paris permanently to start my life anew.

But now I'm back, and Bob is going to pay.

With his blood of course.

I've waited two years to exert my revenge on Bob and now the opportunity has finally presented itself. Now he has a new girlfriend which is even better. I bet I can kill her too so he'd understand what it feels like to lose someone you love.

Melody Jones was it? That's her name, Melody. Pretty name for a pretty girl. It's just too bad she has to be used as collateral damage.

I ran a background check on her right after our little talk at the restaurant. It's interesting to know that she attends the same school and Jason and they're even in the same year. Bob never seizes to amaze me with his preference in women.

.....

"Jason.'' I call out from the kitchen as I prepare Chicken Parmesan for dinner. The Blunt mansion is the same way I left it-empty, soulless and overly dramatic. It's been three days since I arrived here and my parents haven't deemed it fit to cut their business trip short and say hello.

His footsteps pad down the stairs. As he enters the kitchen, he has a frown on his face. It's just like I said, somethings never change. "You've been home for three days now and you wouldn't let me breathe."

"That's because I missed my baby brother so much."

He plops down on one of the bar stools and grabs an apple from the fruit basket. "You missed me so much but you never called once?"

I give him a dirty look. ''How long are you going to make me feel guilty for? You know why I didn't call and I'd appreciate it if you don't bring that subject up." I had explained, albeit in little detail, about why I cut off from the world. I obviously didn't tell him the whole truth, just enough for him to not bug me.

"Jeez, calm down sis, I'm just kidding,'' he bites into the apple. "I did miss you though. It was getting kinda lonely being the only child. Mum and Dad are never around much so it's just me, myself and I in this big, empty mansion. The maids come in every now and then, but it's not the same without you."

I know being alone bothers him and I feel so guilty for abandoning him but it was something I had to do for me. "I can't apologize enough Jason, but I'm sorry for leaving you. I'm here now and I'll try to make up for lost times."

That earns me a smile from him and I feel better immediately. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Go on."

"Do you know a Melody Jones by any chance?"

Quizzically, he looks at me. "She goes to my school, not that she's any of your business."

"Well she's about to be.'' I mutter under my breath.

"What did you say?" he asks as I get the chicken from the oven. "Nothing, however I happened to run into her at a restaurant." This peaks his interest and he leans on the counter. "Go on."

"Well, she happened to be with a certain ex of mine and it threw me off a bit."

He raises a thick brow. "Ex of yours? You mean Bob?"

"Bingo. He introduced her to me as his girlfriend and she told me off. Quite a smart mouth she has on her." He didn't look the least bit of surprised at my revelation. ''Wait, did you know she was dating Bob?''

''I did.'' He says gruffly. His expression turns unreadable and it's a bit worrying. Who is this girl to him? Do they have a history?

"It looks like you really know this Melody, huh?"

"She's a chick that gets on my nerves from time to time, nothing more."

"You sure?" I question. "It seems to me like it's more than that."

"He gets up from the bar stool and throws his half eaten apple in the trash can. "Well believe what you want."

He grabs one of the car keys from the counter. ''Don't wait up.'' With that, he slams the front door."

Was it something I said?