Cherry Orphan

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Robert's Aston Martin entered the estate making an unmistakable exhaust sound. Tony Scott heaved a sigh of relief and hurried outside to intercept Sonia and James before anyone else got to them first. He caught the pair halfway between the house and the garage.

"Are you two trying to get me fired on my first day? What time do you call this?"

Sonia had already seen the Bentley and knew her father must have returned home early. "Sorry, Tony, it's hard to explain."

Scott held out his hand for the ignition keys. "Try! What the hell happened?"

She glanced apprehensively at James, then back to Tony. "Where are the others?"

"On the terrace. Calley just phoned your girlfriend, Joby. Something's very wrong there."

"Look, Tony, I can't face Mom or Dad at the moment. I'm going upstairs with James. Tell them I'll be down in a little while."

Scott glared at James. "I thought we were buddies. I expected better from you at least."

"Er, sorry, Tony." The boy avoided eye contact and continued with Sonia towards the house, leaving the driver standing alone, perplexed and angry.

On their way through the hallway to the main staircase Calley emerged from Robert's study, still barefoot and clad in her bikini. "My room—now," Sonia said as if it were an order.

When the door closed Calley grabbed a bathrobe Sonia normally used and covered herself before sitting in a chair and crossing her legs. The suppressed anger in her eyes said it all.

Sonia and James sat close on her bed. When they uncharacteristically took each other's hand and laced fingers Calley knew something had changed. The signal seemed deliberate.

As Sonia began to speak her voice sounded disgusted. "I saw what they did to Carlo. It just about made me sick. I know Dad did try to put a stop to it, but the sheer brutality of the men he hired makes me wonder who he is. Calley, I don't know Dad any more."

"And of course everyone thinks it's my fault," Calley erupted with frustration. "Now I'm the villain in all this because I'm supposed to have ratted Carlo to Dad. I can't even get out of here to go do something about it. He's down there, on the terrace, sucking up to Mom—so goddamn sweet and icky it makes me want to puke. She has no fucking idea. She thinks everything was called off days ago."

Sonia became visibly more intense. "Damn you, Calley, don't tell her. It's taken five years to get them back together. Maybe it'll all blow over in a few days."

James finally said something. "I don't think so."

Both girls looked at him.

"Carlo confirmed he gave the ex cops everything they wanted. Bob already knows who sold you the coke. It's gone this far. Bob will say to himself: I can't do anything about Carlo now; what's done is done. Might as well go ahead and teach the drug pushers a lesson. They're the ones who need to learn you can't peddle dope to my family."

Calley's head went down and from side to side. "Oh God, I think he's right. The latest news makes more sense now."

"What latest news?"

She looked at Sonia. "He's talking about taking a vacation for two weeks with all of us. Think about it. At this time of year, with the big shows coming up, we never see hide-nor-hair of him for days on end. The only way he'll contemplate something like this is if he knows the shit's going to fly. I think he's turned the bastards loose as James said he would. All this sweet reconciliation with Colleen makes a perfect cover."