"Grace, Mamm and Dat are dead!" she sobbed. "You have to come home!"
I gasped, and then as she cried, I stood next to the sink holding the empty coffee pot in my hand trying to absorb the news. The moment that the dreadful news registered, the glass pot slipped out of my hand and shattered in the sink.
"Dammit!" I shouted as I reached down to gather the jagged pieces of glass and a sharp edge sliced through my skin.
"Grace!" Verity scolded through her tears. I ignored the admonition as I ran cold water over my finger and waited for the bleeding to stop.
"Are you sure it's Mamm and Dat?" I asked trying to stave off the reality for a few minutes more. As long as I didn't acknowledge what my sister was saying, then my parents were still alive. "I mean, there are lots of buggies traveling the roads down there. Are you sure?"
"Yes, Grace," Verity cried. "It's them. It's their buggy and Jacob had to put Toby down because the impact broke his two front legs. It's them, Grace. Please come home."
"Where are Hope and Faith?" I asked.
/> My next two younger sisters were both married and had families of their own. They lived with their husband's families as they waited for their turn to build a house of their own.
"Hope went to the morgue with Jacob, and Faith is at home with Honor and Danny," she said calmer now, but still crying. "What are we going to do, Grace?"
"Don't worry, I'll come home," I said as I set the coffee pot aside and began quickly mapping out a plan in my head. "I'll take care of everything and be home by tonight."
"Hurry, Grace," Verity said quietly. "We need you here."
"Don't worry, I'll be there by supper time," I said as I gripped the phone tightly. I wanted to keep my sister on the phone, but I knew she would be needed at the house. "Verity, go back and take care of Honor and Danny while the others take care of Mamm and Dat. I'll pack up and leave as soon as I can. If you need me, call, okay?"
"Okay, I will," she said sounding a little calmer than when the call had started. She was silent for a moment, and then whispered, "How are we going to get through this, Grace?"
"Like we always do," I answered confidently. "Like a family. I love you, and I'll see you at supper."
"I love you, too, Grace," she said before the line went dead.
I stood staring at the phone for a long time trying to process the conversation. My parents were dead. I would never see Mamm standing at the counter rolling out a piecrust or hoeing a row in the garden so she could plant beans. I'd never see Dat walking through the door after a long day in the fields, smiling as he looked at Mamm and telling her how it was her evening meal that was all that had kept him working. I sank to the floor and pulled my knees to my chest as I let out an anguished cry and then sobbed like a child.
Chapter Four
Adam
The enormity of my decision didn't hit me until I walked out on to Dearborn Street and realized I no longer had my father's resources at my disposal. There would be no more car service to transport me around the city. No more credit cards whose bills were sent to my father's accountant for payment. No more access to his personal airplane or any of the other benefits I'd enjoyed as the son of a wealthy, Chicago oil magnate.
I quickly walked the few blocks to the building where I had lived since returning from the East Coast. I had been living rent-free in a penthouse apartment in one of my father's buildings off Dearborn, but it had always felt more like a hotel than a home. The interior was all glass and white leather, punctuated by pieces of modern art that I found overrated. Still, living downtown had had its perks, one of which was that the penthouse wasn't more than a few hundred yards from any one of many bars where beautiful young women perched on barstools were easily enticed to join me in my master suite. There wasn't much I'd miss about the apartment, but this, this I would miss.
Thinking that my father's threats about me leaving with nothing but the clothes on my back were probably somewhat empty threats designed to get me to back down, I headed into the building. I wanted to pack a few things before meeting with Bugsy so that we could plan our next steps and get moving. Striding through the lobby of the building, I was stopped by Jimmy, the doorman and front desk clerk. He was accompanied by a large security guard with a holster conspicuously strapped to his side.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wallace," Jimmy said with a look of genuine regret. "But I can't let you go up to your apartment. You're barred from the premises."
"Don't be ridiculous, Jimmy," I said flashing both him and the guard a friendly smile. "Surely I can have a few minutes to pack some things, can't I?"
"I'm sorry," Jimmy said as he shook his head. "By order of the owner, who also happens to be my boss, you're not allowed on the premises anymore."
"This is insane," I said as I turned and headed for the elevator. I'd known my father was angry, but I hadn't realized he was going to crack down this quickly. "My father is just throwing a temper tantrum. I'm sure that once it dies down he'll have no problem with me packing up the few things I own and moving them out."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wallace," Jimmy nervously repeated. He looked and sounded like someone who was being watched. "You are not allowed on the premises."
"This is utter bullshit!" I hissed. "You can't legally bar me from collecting my own things."
Jimmy shrugged and then nodded at the security guard, whose neck was wider then my waist. The guard moved in front of me, blocking my access to the elevator as he pointed toward the front door without saying anything. When I didn't move, he shifted one hand to the holster at his side and in a deep voice said, "Do not test me, Mr. Wallace."
"This is despicable," I muttered as I tried to make an end run around him. Without saying a word, the guard grabbed my arm and quickly yanked me across the lobby to the front door where he firmly shoved me out onto the sidewalk. I stumbled a bit as I tried to maintain my balance, and then turned to look at the two men who stood in the doorway of the building.
"Wouldn't come back if I were you," the guard said before letting the door slowly swing closed.