The DECEIT Collection: A Romantic Suspense full of lies, deception, passion, and DECEIT... (The DECEIT Series)

by Emma Shae

  Edward told Emry that if he wanted to work for Lockheed International, he would have to take a lesser position with the company due to his complete lack of desire to learn the business up to that point.

  Emry was insulted by his father’s degrading offer. He was quick to remind Edward that he was the son of one of the primary owners of the company and would never mop floors or deliver mail. Those trivial positions were beneath him.

  After Emry ranted and raved for several minutes, he finally adamantly stated that if his father didn’t acquire him a leadership position with the firm, he was going to leave the family and never return.

  Edward remained steadfast in his decision, and so did Emry. The following week Emry packed his bags and left his family's estate, vying never to return.

  Over a year later, having not seen or heard from Emry, he showed up, out of the blue, on Vanessa’s doorstep, declaring that he had cancer and was dying.

  Emry’s true nature showed itself that day, but no one noticed because everyone believed that his illness was legitimate. Everyone felt remorse for Emry, especially since he had been an outcast for so long.

  It was all a lie, though, because Emry wasn’t dying. He wasn’t even sick.

  Everything that Emry did was for money. He had never worked a day in his life and never intended to. His father had given him everything that he ever wanted or desired, so Emry had come to expect everything and gave nothing in return.

  Edward had fallen short of giving Emry any direction in his life when he needed it the most. Emry lacked self-worth and personal values. Never having received them early on, had caused him to grow up bitter and resentful. Perhaps if he could have acquired those values early on, Emry might have turned out to be a better person.

  Edward finally figured out that he had wronged Emry by allowing him to run fast and free, but by that time, it was too late. Edward had failed his son.

  If Edward could have devoted more time to Emry’s upbringing than he did to his business, then Emry might have taken a greater interest in the family business. Now, it was too late. Edward had missed his window of opportunity. Emry was now grown, and his way of thinking had turned to stone. There would be no changing of attitude for Emry.

  Trenton had set up an inheritance fund for Edward when he was born, and he was to receive it when he married. Trenton had done the same thing for Emry. However, Emry had never married. He had never loved any woman and never would. Women were too demanding and unpredictable. All of the women that Emry ever knew were just after him for his money, anyway, so he learned to despise them all for that reason.

  To get his inheritance, Emry staged having cancer and then arranged a subsequent death scene. That staged death allowed Emry to flee to an island with his money in hand. There, on that far away island, Emry met up with his lover, James Bonet, who he later married.

  However, with Emry’s gambling addiction, his money soon started to run out. He then conceived a new plan with two other men to kidnap and ransom Damon’s baby. He knew that Vanessa would come up with more money to save her precious heir, and then he could disappear again.

  Emry’s husband, Bonet, overheard the three men planning the kidnapping, though, and realized that Emry didn’t expect to return the baby after getting his ransom money. Emry planned to kill baby Trenton and then flee the country with his newfound wealth.

  Bonet spoiled Emry’s plan, though when he wrote a letter to Vanessa, and mailed it certified to Vanessa’s lawyer, Burton.

  After Vanessa became aware of Emry’s plot, she hired extra guards, and then set Steve, her private investigator, to track down Bonet. Steve found Emry’s husband, but he was too late, someone had already murdered him.

  Emry’s two henchmen ended up killing three of Vanessa’s guards, but they were by no means professional killers, so Steve was able to lure them into a trap where the police quickly apprehended them.

  After Emry’s plan failed, he became even more enraged with his family.

  Vanessa was afraid that it might be too late to help her grandson. Emry had spent so many years thinking that everyone owed him, and he now answered to anyone for his actions but himself. Emry felt a responsibility for nothing but his own happiness.

  Emry’s fake illness and subsequent fake death from cancer had also been a part of his deceit to milk money out of the family, as was the plot to kidnap and ransom baby Trenton.

  Emry was Vanessa’s s grandson, after all, so she couldn’t allow him to destroy himself in self-pity and jealousy for the rest of his life. Vanessa couldn’t just give up on Emry. She had to try to help him turn his life around, even if all of her efforts turned out to be fruitless, and he ended up hating her even more for trying.

  Vanessa needed to check in with Steve to make sure that everything had gone as planned with Emry. Getting him committed to the psychiatric ward for help and observation was to Vanessa, the next crucial step toward Emry’s rehabilitation.

  If that effort worked out right, hopefully, Emry’s life could turn around, and not all would be lost.

  As Vanessa called Steve, she had her fingers crossed, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

  CHAPTER 5

  SAVING EMRY

  Vanessa was just about to call Steve when her phone rang. It was Steve, saying, “Good morning, Mrs. Lockheed. I wanted to report to you that your package has been picked up and delivered to the new address, as you instructed.

  “Good news, Steve, good to hear. What about the other matter, has there been any progress in that respect?”

  Steve reported, “The two men showed up at the hotel room as planned. With a little persuasion on my part, they admitted that Emry hired them to kidnap Trenton and to ransom him back to your family. Those two were by no means professional hitmen, though. Your guards thwarted their attempt at kidnapping the baby. They did tell me that Emry lost a lot of money gambling because he isn’t very good at it. They said that he hasn’t ever borrowed any money from anyone, though, he lied about that. They also told me that they were supposed to get a thousand dollars apiece for their part in the job, so I guess Emry planned on keeping the rest of the money for himself. They did tell me that they were supposed to dispose of the baby after collecting the ransom. Emry never intended to return the baby. I asked them about Mr. Bonet, Emry’s husband, and what they knew about his death. Both men swore to me that they had nothing to do with Bonet’s murder. Bobby, the leader of the pair, said that Emry was the one that killed Bonet because he threatened to go to the police and expose Emry’s entire plot. He said that Emry shot him to keep him quiet.”

  Everything that Steve was telling Vanessa saddened her, but she could easily believe all of it to be true.

  “Do we have to worry about these two men anymore, or have you taken care of them?”

  “I allowed them the opportunity to leave town, but they didn’t react fast enough. David had the motel surrounded, and a roadblock set up just waiting for them. I don’t think that we will be hearing from them again. They murdered three men, and our guard, Dan, was an eyewitness to the entire thing. Dan survived the ordeal, and he is well enough now to testify against the pair. Bobby, and Darrin, his partner, won’t be seeing the light of day for a long time.”

  Vanessa thanked Steve for his excellent work and clicked off the phone.

  When Emry got mixed up with that seedy pair, he had fallen to an all-time low. The hardest part for Vanessa to accept was that Emry had wanted baby Trenton dead. Emry sunk into the pit of hell with that deranged way of thinking.

  He needed help, and Vanessa knew that she had to try to save Emry from himself. She felt more strongly than ever that she was justified in having him committed. Emry was going to end up dead at the hand of someone he owed money to, or perhaps had wronged in some fashion at the gambling tables, if someone didn’t intercede.

  Emry’s main problem wasn’t his gambling, though, he had psychological issues, and those problems were Vanessa’s primary concern.

 
It hurt Vanessa to know that she had to be the one to have Emry committed, but hopefully, being in the best psychiatric hospital with the best doctors in the region would help bring the good remaining in Emry to the surface. Vanessa worried that the moral aspect of Emry was lost forever, though.

  Vanessa had watched Emry’s mental state decline for years. After Emry found out that he wasn’t going to get hired into a prominent position in the company and he blew up in front of everyone, Edward finally realized that Trenton was right. Emry wasn’t ready to work for Lockheed, and probably never would be.

  Emry’s showing back up after supposedly being dead for almost a year had created significant havoc in the Lockheed household. His return only served to fortify Vanessa’s belief that even though Emry was now under guard in a mental care facility, he could not be ignored. She knew that she was going to have to deal with him and his problems, and very soon.

  The scariest part of the fiasco with Emry was that he had lived for an entire year plotting against his family. That was a hard pill for Vanessa to swallow. Emry didn’t care who got hurt during his fowled plot. He was just after more money.

  CHAPTER 6

  ENDEARING MOMENTS

  Sasha yawned, slightly rousing Damon from his nap. He had his hand draped over her chest, and he was holding one of her breasts in his hand. When Sasha moved, it woke Damon. His hand then slowly slides from her breast down her side, and then Damon grabbed a handful of her ass and gently squeezed it. Damon kissed Sasha’s neck, and then he rolled out of bed.

  They had slept soundly, probably from exhaustion. Being confined to Sasha’s bedroom wasn’t a bad thing at all. They had made love, ate, and then napped. Damon couldn’t complain about being off work and spending all of his time with Sasha. He felt completely rested now.

  Trenton began to make it known that he was awake and ready for his mid-morning snack.

  Sasha stood and grabbed her robe, and then she went to feed Trenton. She watched Damon’s beautiful naked butt as he sauntered off toward the bathroom.

  Sasha loved looking at Damon. Everything about him drew her to him like a magnet. Damon had awakened the woman in her. No one had ever made her feel so alive.

  Sasha wasn’t a virgin, but she didn’t have a lot of sexual experience either. Damon was all man, though. He made her aware of all of the emotions and feelings that she had never experienced before.

  Sasha could hear the water running in the bathroom and assumed that Damon was taking a shower, so when Sasha finished nursing Trenton, she was going to ease into the shower with him.

  When Trenton finished his midday snack, Sasha laid him down in his crib and then turned to join Damon. He surprised her, though, by standing directly behind her, so when she turned, she was flat against his rock hard manhood, he smiled down at her and said, “Would you care for a bubbly whirlpool bath, my dear?”

  Sasha giggled, and then Damon reached out and grabbed Sasha’s hand. He spun her around, kissed her, and then as he gazed deep into her eyes, he said, “I’m getting spoiled being here with you all of the time. I could get used to this leisure life very easily.”

  Damon lifted Sasha in his arms and then headed toward the whirlpool. He stood her up, and slowly removed her robe from her first one shoulder, then the other, plying kisses downward as the robe slowly slid to the floor. Sasha was left naked and weak from all of the special attention she was receiving. Damon then climbed into the bath and reached his hand out for Sasha to join him, which she did without hesitation.

  After several minutes of teasing each other in the tub, they made love again. They just couldn't seem to get enough of each other.

  Luckily, they had finished their antics when they heard Vanessa’s voice coming in clearly from the intercom system. “Damon, I hope that I’m not disturbing you, but there are some important matters that we need to go over. Can you come into my room for a few minutes?”

  Damon climbed out of the tub and drew on his robe as he went to answer Vanessa back. “Sure, Grams, I’ll just give me a few minutes, and I’ll be right there.”

  “Take your time. There’s no rush,” and Vanessa clicked off.

  Sasha got a worried look on her face, and Damon quickly reassured her. Everything is alright. Gram just wants to discuss some business matters with me, I’m sure. You know work must go on.”

  Damon tried to make his explanation sound light, but the truth was he wasn’t sure if the situation went as Vanessa had planned or if something had gone horribly wrong. Vanessa’s voice usually never gave any hints away as to her mood of the moment, and this time wasn’t any different.

  While still trying to reassure Sasha, Damon said, “I won’t be gone long, and I’ll just be down the hallway. I’ll lock your door on my way out.”

  After the furrow left Sasha’s brow, she took a long look at Damon. He was still damp from the whirlpool as he hadn’t taken time to dry off completely. His hair was still dripping as he reached for a towel to finish drying his long locks. Having spent so much of his time lately worrying about everything, Damon had let his hair grow a little longer than he usually kept it. Sasha liked his new, longer style. His errant curl was wet now, so it curled up toward his eye. It was obviously irritating him because he kept pushing it out of his line of sight. Sasha loved that little curl, but Damon hated it.

  She watched as he wrapped a towel around his waist, hiding that marvelous mass of muscle. Then he went to her closet to get his outfit that he had ordered sent up.

  Sasha continued lounging in the tub for a little while longer, watching and admiring as Damon carefully put on each piece of clothing. She loved the way his chest bulged as he put his arms through the sleeves of his shirt. When he went to zip his jeans, she couldn’t help but admire his ab muscles as they flexed. Sasha enjoyed admiring Damon’s physique. She never tired of watching him move. He had a routine when he dressed, and Sasha had learned his pattern. She knew what Damon was going to do next, so she anticipated his next move. Being with him all of this time had only served to strengthen her feelings for him and heighten her love for him as well. Damon was now a part of her, as she knew that she was a part of him. Destiny had brought them together, and now love was keeping them there.

  CHAPTER 7

  OVER AND DONE

  Once Damon was dressed, he bent and kissed Sasha, saying, “You’d better get out of there, your skin is going to shrivel up, and you're going to look like a prune.”

  Sasha smiled and said, “Oh, I was just admiring the view. I’ll get out in a few minutes. The water is still warm.”

  “Okay then, have it your way. I’m going now, but I’ll just be right down the hall, so don’t worry. I’m going to lock the door when I leave, so let me back in when I return. I’m not taking my key.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, I might be busy with that other guy that I play around with sometimes, so I will need to keep the door locked.”

  “Well, that other guy, better be gone when I get back.”

  They both laughed at that comment, and then Damon headed for the door. Just as he reached the door, he turned and smiled back at Sasha one last time. Without saying another word, he shut the door, and Sasha heard the lock click behind him.

  On his way to Vanessa’s room, Damon contemplated what was going on. He couldn’t help but think about what else could go wrong.

  Steve, Vanessa’s private detective, should have already met with the two, would be, kidnappers and had them arrested by this time. Emry was hopefully under guard by now, admitted into the local psychiatric hospital. At least, Damon hoped that was the news that Vanessa had to share with him.

  Vanessa had been able to convince Sheriff David that Emry was mentally disturbed and that he needed mental health treatment before he would be stable enough to stand trial. David agreed and then allowed Emry to be admitted and placed under twenty-four-hour guard until the end of his treatment program.

  The doctor’s told Vanessa that there was no way of knowing how long his treatments
might last. They first had to evaluate Emry’s condition, and then a treatment plan would be outlined. They would notify her when and if Emry could have visitors.

  Hopefully, Emry would be able to make progress with medical help, but Damon feared that even with rehabilitation, he would forever remember the attempt on his child’s life. Damon felt that he was probably going to think about all of the wrong Emry had done against his family every time he looked at him.

  It angered Damon, to think about all of the time that Emry had stolen from everyone to take care of him when he wasn’t even sick. Taking the life of those three guards while they were trying to protect his family was just senseless. All of those cold hard facts made Damon’s stomach knot up.

  Damon would never be able to forget the lies and deceit that Emry had played on his family, and all of it, just for money.

  When Damon arrived at Vanessa’s bedroom, he found her still in bed. She wasn’t dressed for work yet, hadn’t bothered to fix her hair, and appeared pale and drawn. Damon was concerned. He wasn’t used to seeing his grandmother in disarray.

  Vanessa was a very proper lady and always wore her makeup. She never went out in public without looking her absolute best, and as far back as Damon could recall, Vanessa had never missed a day of work for as long as he had known her. Rain or shine, Vanessa always went to work, so for her to be home and in bed at this hour of the day, something must be wrong.

  Damon hoped that her appearance didn’t carry bad news about Emry. He didn’t need any more bad news.

  “Are you feeling alright, Vanessa?”

  “Yes, I’m just a little under the weather today, Damon, I think I might be trying to catch a cold or maybe a sinus infection, but I have good news about Emry. Steve called me earlier this morning to let me know that everything went as planned. The police apprehended the two murders, and Emry was picked up by the hospital van at his hotel. The two men confessed to Steve that they were working for Emry. They said that he hired them to kidnap Trenton. They also told Steve that Emry was the one that killed Bonet. They said that Emry shot his husband because he was going to the police with Emry’s kidnapping scheme, and he wanted to keep him quiet. Thankfully, you and Sasha don’t have to worry about your brother anymore. Emry is now under guard at the medical center and will stand trial as soon as his doctors feel he is mentally capable. David said they plan to try Emry for the murder of Bonet, and then hold a separate trial for the attempted kidnapping of Trenton. Bobby and Darrin, the two murderers, will testify against Emry, and then tried for the three murders they committed.”