The Last Husband (Forever Love #2)(57)
Author: J.S. Cooper

“We’re puzzle pieces, Zane.” She kissed me softly. “We were made to fit together. I’ll never let you go insane.”

Chapter 12

Lucky

I looked at the framed painting on the wall on the living room and smiled. It had been a little over a month since we had gotten back from Paris and it still feels like yesterday. As I walked into the kitchen, I smiled to myself at how close Zane and I had become. I knew he was still hurting from what had gone down with his mother, but I also knew that he was trying to accept that that was a part of his life that he couldn’t change. He was more open now, and the dreams had stopped. I looked at the envelope in my hand and said a quick prayer before putting a stamp on it. I was mailing off an application to UCLA to transfer to their History Department for the next semester and I thought I had a fairly good chance at being accepted. I placed the letter on the counter and opened the fridge to get something to eat for lunch. I was supposed to go out with Zane, but he got caught up at the police station, finalizing all the details of his year working alongside the FBI.

I looked in the fridge and pulled out some pickles and cheese. I walked to the cupboard to go and grab some crackers, but all of a sudden I felt sick to my stomach.

“Oh man,” I groaned out loud as I rested my head on the countertop. I was pretty sure I had caught a cold from the changing temperatures, and wanted to go and lie down. I literally felt sick to my stomach, and all I wanted to do was throw up. I left the food on the counter and walked to the living room to go lie down on the couch. As I was leaving, I heard my phone ringing, so I grabbed it and answered.

“Hello.” My voice was weak and I hurried to go and sit down in the nearest chair.

“Lucky, is that you?” Sidney’s voice was loud and vibrant and I smiled into the phone.

“Yes, Mr. Johnson. How was Chicago?”

“My dear, it was fabulous, just fabulous. Betty and I went to the Sears Tower. Do you know how high up that is? We thought we were going to die.” Sidney laughed and I heard Betty muttering at him in the background. “But that’s not why I called.” His voice turned serious.

“Is everything okay?” My head slowed and I was scared he was going to tell me some bad news.

“Betty and I found some more papers in the file.” Sidney’s voice was slow and I heard him sighing. “I told Betty we should leave this alone, but she told me we needed to pass it along, and so I did, well now I know we were wrong.”

“What are you talking about, Sidney? What’s wrong?” My face paled and I clutched my stomach as it churned.

“We shouldn’t have given you Noah’s paperwork.” He sighed. “I don’t think you should contact his mother.”

“Why do you say that?” I turned onto my side and closed my eyes.

“Noah has some notes, in the file. I wasn’t being nosey, but the file fell and I saw them,” Sidney continued.

“I see.” I was scared to talk because I was sure I was going to throw up.

“Zane’s mom ain’t good people, Lucky.” He sighed. “There’s a lot of shit in Denmark, excuse my language, dear, and let’s just say she lives in the smelly part of Denmark.”

“What does it say Sidney?” My heart stopped as I wondered what Noah had found out.

“I can’t say, Lucky.” Sidney’s voice was firm. “Noah gave me this paperwork for safekeeping. He didn’t want me to share.”

“But Noah’s dead now, Sidney.” I sighed and took a deep breath. “ And Zane’s still here and he’s hurting. His mom rejected him, Sidney. He needs to know why.”

“What are you talking about, Lucky?”

“We were in Paris and we went to visit her and she turned us away. She turned her own son away, Sidney. Zane has a right to know why.”

“I don’t think Zane gonna want to know this.” Sidney’s tone was firm. “I don’t want to be involved no more.”

“You don’t have to be involved. Please, can I just get the files, Sidney?”

“Noah gave them to me for safekeeping.”

I heard Betty in the background hissing something that sounded like “tell her, tell her,” and I felt myself growing angry.

“Sidney, I think you need to tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s not my place. I gave my word.” His voice was obstinate. “I don’t break my word. No one will ever say that Sidney Johnson breaks his word.”

“Zane needs this Sidney, please.” I felt the bile rising up my throat and I wasn’t sure what was going on. I felt so emotional and tense, yet I had never had this reaction before. I had never been so upset that I wanted to throw up.

“He’s at the police station, right?” Sidney’s voice sounded excited. “I heard that he helped catch Braydon and Angelique.”

“Yeah, he …” I paused. “Wait, how did you know about Braydon and Angelique?”

“Child, when you get to my age, you know everything.”

“What’s going on, Sidney?”

“All shall be revealed in due time.” Sidney’s voice sounded funny and rushed. “I guess now that the case is over, it doesn’t really matter that you called his mom. He was bound to find out anyways.”

“You’re not making sense.” My voice rose with frustration. “Please explain to me what you’re talking about.”

“Lucky, do you remember I told you that nothing is always as it seems? Well sometimes, even though everything in life points you in one direction and to one conclusion, that conclusion is not correct. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I have no idea what you’re saying, Sidney.” I frowned into the phone and my head started aching.

I rubbed my temples and I thought about his words for a moment. But as I was about to respond to him, I threw up. All over the leather couch. I groaned at the sight of my puke, but then I felt immediately better. As I stared at the bile on the leather couch and thought about his words, I realized that I understood exactly what he meant. My feeling sick wasn’t due to a cold or the change in temperature. The signs had all been there, but I had ignored them. “I think I understand.”

“All will be revealed in good time, Lucky.”

“He was so hurt, Sidney.” I stood up slowly and cringed at my bile on the chair.

“But he has you, Lucky, and maybe now that the case is over, everything else in his life will come back together as well.”