Jay throws the car into park then reaches into jacket pocket pulling the fifth of bourbon out holding it up to the light measuring how many swallows were left then unscrews the cap drinking half. He looks out the car window and scowls then drinks the remains of the bottle tossing it to the floor of the car. They were all there laughing clinking glasses celebrating his destruction. Enjoy it now because it wasn't going to last. "Stockton Lumber" was his! He'd built it from from a local lumber mill into a international company. He did that no one else! He is "Stockton Lumber" If they thought he was ever going to be satisfied being a bystander think again assholes!
They were all in on it! Every single one of them in one way or another and that VanDorn bastard was the ringleader. He'd known it as soon as he'd shown back up in town. He hadn't put all the pieces together but it was clear as new glass to him. Van Dorn was behind it all! He'd told Jake over and over and if he'd done what he told him to do from the very beginning he'd still have his company. Then again, why would he when doing what he had, made him king! Maybe Jake and that son of a bitch had plotted this every step of the way? He'd figured out why but he still hadn't figured out all the hows. How had he gotten Jake to work with him? How had he gotten them all to side with him? How had he convinced Alex of all people to go along with him? She hated him and his mother maybe he hadn't figured out all the why's but today he was going to get his answers he smiles to himself patting the gun in his pocket then existing the car.
Gavin looks around the party enjoying the festivities and remembering happy times of long ago then tosses the horseshoe toward the pit making the stake ring. Donovan and Ben laugh uproariously their team now leading.
"For a guy who says he never played before you're pretty good at this!" Donovan boast slapping Gavin on the back as they retrieve the horseshoes. Gavin laughs as he bends to pick up the shoes.
"No, I said it had been a long time since I've played." He laughs as Donvan grins and shakes his head.
"Well I don't see where you let any dust collect on you. Okay it's your turn Jake!" Donovan calls out across the lawn to Jake and the Van Dorn's laughing and joking with Bill and Ben. Gavin follows Donovan's glance feeling a quiver of guilt knowing he'd be the cause of the next round of fireworks to rock his family. If nothing else they had this one day.
" So are you having a good time?" Gavin nods his head.
"Nicest afternoon I've had in a very long time. Thank you for having me." He laughs picking the horseshoes and walking back toward the crowd of men.
Alex watches Gavin talking to her father unable to not watch him on and off since he arrived. There was just something about him the inflection of his voice when he said her name the glimmer of something she couldn't yet put her finger on in his eyes. It was just something about him reminded her of someone. Something about his eyes.
"Who does he remind you of?" She turns towards Emma asking the question that had been gnawing at her for hours. Emma turns her head looking over at the men playing horseshoes and shakes her head.
" I don't know I've been trying to think of it all day." Theresa stares across the field smiling whimsically her voice far away.
" Reminds me of Rowdy." The words slipping from her lips sending a cold shiver through Alex. That's who it was! That explained the uneasiness she felt about him. The haunting sound of his voice the nightmares ever since she'd met him. Now it made sense he'd reminded her of a dark past she'd tried for years to forget. This Gavin had bought it all back today putting a cloud of foreboding on it with his arrival. She kept feeling like another bomb was waiting to drop and she didn't know why.
Theresa watches her sister from the corner of her eye as the emotion played out across her face as they always did whenever Rowdy's name was mentioned. She'd always thought it was because she had shared her pain at his loss but today she noticed something else there and it started when Gavin arrived something she hadn't seen for a long time guilt. She could never figure out what she would have to feel guilty about. She'd asked her a couple of times over the years when the subject had come up and she'd gotten that "look" what was it was all about? Alex had told her "she'd just wished things had turned out differently was all" and she had always let it go at that. Somehow though in the back of her mind she knew there was more. She just never wanted to know how much more. Sometimes she'd even thought she had some secret affair with Rowdy. Then had laughed at the absurdity of the thought. Maybe today was a good day to find out.
"Alex, I've been meaning to..." Theresa's voice trails off as indiscernible shouts can be heard coming from the road attracting everyone's attention.
"Surprise! Surprise did you really think you could have a party without Ol Jay did you?" Jay shouts drunkenly swaying slightly as he crisscrosses a path toward the tables.
"Just isn't a party without me!" He shouts again stopping his jagged stroll and looking around at all the faces staring back at him. Jake looks to Clay as they both move closer to their father blocking his path.
"And look everyone is here! Everyone but me was invited! Including a complete stranger! Everyone celebrating the fall of Jay Stockton." Jay glares over at Gavin standing next to his father in law. Clay stares back a Jay annoyed and disgusted by his father and his comment.
" Did you check your voicemail Dad? I left you at least three messages. Did you bother to listen to any of them?"
" Nahh, been too busy son. Putting all the pieces together." He winks tapping his forehead. Clay looks from Jake who shrugs back to his father looking confused.
"What pieces?" Jake asks the crowd growing quite as Jay smiles his eyes growing wide.
"You didn't think I'd figure it all out did you? But I did! I sure did!" Donovan and Ben move closer and stand next to Jay's sons both unsure of the peculiar flow the conversation was taking.
"You're drunk Jay! Why don't you go home and sleep it off?" Donovan says waving his hand dismissively and turning towards his grandson's.
"Come on boys let's get back to our game." He says turning his back to Jay and heading back toward the horseshoe pits. Turning back as Jay shouts again.
"Games over old man and I hold all the cards!" He growls pointing from Jake then to Clay. "Theses two and that bitch they call a mother all worked with Van Dorn to take my company! So this ungrateful little bastard could take my place." His eyes narrowing.
"What I can't figure out is the why?" He looks from Clay to Jake his expression pained almost to tears.
"Why would you side with that bastard against your own flesh and blood?" Jake edges a little closer nodding to Clay.
"Dad what are you talking about?" Jay stares at him a moment then pulls himself erect his focus back.
"You all know damned well what I'm talking about! You, that piece of shit over there, his Daddy! You were all in on it! It was payback Jay time!" Clay steps to the right of Jay hoping to tackle him to the ground as Jake speaks to him trying to calm him.
"Dad, none of that had anything to do with them! Everything that happens isn't some Van Dorn conspiracy." He pleads looking from his frightened mother to a visibly shaken Clay back to his father.
"You have all of them here and you expect me to believe this isn't all of you finally triumphing over big bad Jay Stockton? Come out here Van Dorn! Come out where I can see you!" He yells visually checking the onlookers as he speaks.
" Still hiding behind your woman?" He laughs bitterly his eyes boring through Sharron searching behind her for Hank and her son.
"I'm right here Stockton and we have nothing to hide!" Hank yells back across the lawn Chase by his side. Jay grunts out a laugh looking from one to the other.
"Not anymore you don't! I've turned over all the rocks you have nothing left to hide!" Hank shakes his head trying not to let his anger feed the moment.
"Maybe you should have left the rocks and looked at was right in front of you! Get it through your thick skull! Everything that happened to you was because of you! We had nothing to do with it!" Jay laughs again his focus unchanged.
"I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago!" He says pulling the gun from his pocket and pointing it at Chase. Gavin watches for a moment and steps out from the crowd. Pulling Jay's focus to him as he speaks walking between the gun barrel and Chase.
" Put the gun down Stockton!" Jay's attetion snap to Gavin his voice a deep growl.
"Stay out of this Blackwood! It's none of your business! This is between me and Van Dorn it always has been." Gavin's lips twist into into an evil grin.
"That's only half true laddy. This is my business you and Alex made it my business. It started twenty five years ago." Jay stares at Gavin confused his mind instantly going over the last twenty five years his memory coming back empty.
" What the hell are you talking about I met you a few months ago." Gavin's grin broadens looking more menacing by the moment sending another quiver of fear down Alex's spine.
" Oh yes you have and you knew me well. Think back to a night when you came home found a man in your wife's bedroom. One of the few friends you had. He pleaded with you he was begging you to take five seconds to just hear him out. Instead you believed your woman's lies and tore a man away from his family! You stole his life. You let your childish jealousy blind you to the truth then and you're doing the same thing now! This boy and his father had nothing to do with what happened to you. They aren't the people to blame. If you want to blame someone blame your wife! It was her petty jealousy and need for revenge. It was her hatred and need to protect her lie that caused all of this!" Gavin glares at Alex her face white with fear as all his hidden anger and contempt in full display. He looks back at a confused Jay his eyes starting to brighten with recollection.
" Why don't you ask her now why he was really there Jay? Why she so easily went along with disposing of him? Why did she make sure the two of you would never speak again? Ask yourself in all the time you knew him why would he choose that night to rape your wife knowing full well what time you got home? Did you ever wonder what it was he was trying to tell you? What he was begging her to tell you? Why don't you ask her now boy'o?" He finishes all eyes turning toward Alex who stands gripped with fear unable to utter a word.
"Who the hell are you?" Jay turns toward Gavin his gun now drawn.
"You're not going to get your answers that way!" Gavin laughs.
"Who the hell are you?" Jay demands again pointing the gun at Gavin's chest.
"Put the gun down and I'll tell you everything you want to know and then some."
"Tell me now or I'm going to blow this son of a bitches head off!" Jay growls pointing the gun back at Chase. Gavin calmly turns his demonic grin toward Alex who stares at the scene unfolding before her frozen in panic not sure where to turn.
" My God woman! You would let him shoot this man rather than have anyone learn the truth? Tell him" He shouts making her wince in terror.
"Jay I...I was..." Her voice trailing off leaving only her whimper. Gavin shakes his head in disgust and turns his attention back to Jay.
"If you're not I'm going to finally tell him what you kept me from saying all those years ago. I'm going to tell them the whole of it and this time you're not going to stop me." Jay stares at Alex who silently moves her mouth but unable to form the words. Jay's arm drops down at his side the gun dangling in his hand.
"I came to you and begged you to listen to me and you! You nearly beat me to death!" Jay's eyes open wide his mouth agape.
"No, it can't be" Gavin nods his head.
"That's right now it's starting to make sense." Gavin laughs stealing a look at a nearly hysterical Alex.
"It's your old pal. The one you tried to silence by throwing me in some Asian dung heap. You took me from my wife and my children! You let them think I was dead! All to protect your wife's virtue. What a joke! There was never any attempted rape! It was just another one of your woman's lies to keep you from knowing the truth!" He grinds out turning back to Alex.
"So desperate to stay on your throne. She destroyed her sister's life and the lives of our children! To keep your secret! You left them without a father!" Alex grasps the back of the chair struggling to maintain her balance as Gavin turns back to Jay.
"And she did it all just to hold on to you! The egotistical philandering piece of shit that you are! So desperate is she to still hold on to you, without batting an eye your wife was going to let you kill your own son! And she always known it! She was always afraid if you knew you'd leave. Just like she knew the night before your wedding you were planning to leave her! Just like a moment ago, twenty five years ago I tried to get her to tell you. When she wouldn't I tried to tell you. You remember now! Do you remember your old friend Rowdy now brother?" Gavin laughs triumphantly as the rest stand in shocked silence. Alex turns to look at her sister behind her, her face a mask of stone her eyes held the cold look of death. One by one as comprehension of what she and Jay had done comes to each they turn their death wielding gaze on her it's deadly blade of rejection and scorn slicing through her. She turns and looks at Jay who stares at her expectantly waiting for her response and receiving none. She looks around her again at the shocked and disgusted faces all glaring at her then back to Gavin mocking grin. He did this! He was destroying her life like he'd tried to do all those years ago. What life? She'd have no life after today. She stares at the gun dangling from Jay's hand and forgotten at his side. She sprints to Jay and grabs at his gun causing him to jerk his hand firing off a single shot as he tosses her to the ground the gun falling a few feet away from the two. Donovan grabs the gun empties the bullets and hands them both to Ben.
"My... son? You knew and you..." Jay stutters staring down at Alex prone and sobbing.
"Clay?" Felicia calls weakly as he turns to see her palm smeared with blood before collapsing to the grass.
"Felicia!"
"Harbinger Falls" Copyright 2016
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