by Lane Hart
I was wrong about the silent treatment. His words are the most brutal ones I’ve ever heard. Worse than any physical pain I’ve ever received in the cage.
Unable to sit here a second longer, I push back my chair and walk out of the restaurant without a word.
Months ago, I would’ve bitched and complained about having to walk home. Now, the six miles back to the house in the dark doesn’t even phase me. I need to take in the fresh, cool air to try and clear my head, to calm my racing pulse and urge to hit something.
I don’t want to be here, in this state, this town, that house with my father. All I want is to go back to Cary and spend time with the one person who just the thought of makes me happy. Without her dating that twat, of course.
Why Whitney hurt me the way she did, I’ll never know. Do I think she still cared about me? Hell yes. I didn’t imagine that fierce magnetic pull between us. Our relationship was the real deal, something good that money couldn’t buy. And now I’m stuck here, and she’s hundreds of miles away...
Chapter Thirty-One
Whitney
“Holy fucking cow,” I mutter to myself as I turn onto the driveway that leads to an enormous estate. Lights line the long drive, and the three-story mansion is lit up so brightly it’s nearly blinding.
Once I park in front of the monstrosity, I look down at the sheet of paper from the guy at Havoc and then at the GPS address on my phone to make sure it’s the right one. I guess if Alex was able to come up with the ten million dollars to save me, it makes sense that he lives in a palace.
Now that it’s time for the moment of truth, I can’t make myself get out of my car. I want to see Alex, but what if he’s still angry about Kenneth or if he’s not able to forgive me? I’ll be devastated if this goes badly, but I have to try.
While I’m sitting in my car giving myself a pep talk to get moving, a giant man with a short, military haircut comes around the side of the house in all black, wearing…a woman. I squint to try and make out the figures, and, yep, there’s definitely a grown woman with long, dark hair, hanging on to the man’s neck while he gives her a piggy-back ride. The two are both laughing until they spot my car. That’s when the girl slaps the man’s shoulder. He squats down for her to climb off.
Since I’ve been spotted, I guess I should get out and introduce myself. I’m assuming this is Alex’s sister, but I don’t remember her name if he ever told it to me.
“Hi,” I say over the top of the roof as I get out of the car. “I’m looking for Alex. Is he around?”
“Nope. He’s gone to dinner,” the girl replies, looking me over as we both meet up in front of the double stairs leading up to the house. Getting a closer look at her, it’s obvious she’s Alex’s sister since she has some of his same facial structure, hair color, and eyes. I’ve always thought he was pretty, but now I know exactly what he would look like with a wig on.
“I’m Whitney. Are you his sister?” I ask, holding my palm out for her to take.
“Yeah. Mackenzie,” she replies as we shake hands briefly. Once she pulls her hand away, she reaches up to pat down the back of her hair that I notice has that just fucked look about it. Her sweatshirt is also inside out, the pattern of the front logo showing.
“Is this your boyfriend?” I ask, nodding to the big man, who is standing so close he practically has an arm around her.
“What? No!” Mackenzie declares adamantly with a shake of her head. “This is Haven Ward, one of our security guards.”
“Oh, sorry,” I say since she’s obviously trying to hide whatever it is they’re up to.
“So, you’re looking for my brother?” she asks, hands on her hips, quickly changing the subject.
“Yeah, I need to talk to him.”
“Why?” she prods.
“Ah, well, we were dating, and then something happened, and we weren’t. The next thing I know he’s on his way back here without saying goodbye.”
Smiling, she says, “You like him.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Well, come on in. You can wait inside,” she says as she starts up the steps. “Guess you’ll need a place to stay tonight, too, right?”
“Oh, um, I can get a hotel room,” I assure her.
“Why? We have, like, twenty spare rooms,” she replies. “You can stay here.”
“Alex may not want me to stay,” I warn her.
“Then I’ll just tell him you are, and he can kiss my ass,” she responds with a smile. Turning toward the man, she says, “Haven, will you park her car in the garage and bring her luggage in?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answers.
“That’s okay; I can get it later,” I tell him, but Alex’s sister grabs my arm and drags me inside.
“Dad hates when cars are lurking in the front. Let Haven take care of it. I want you to tell me what the deal is with Alex.”
“Oh, well, that’s a long story,” I start.
“And I’m not going anywhere,” she says, leading me through the entry way of the house decked out in chandeliers and original artwork on the walls, to a sitting room with plush leather furniture and a television the size of a movie screen. Taking a seat, she pats the cushion next to her.
“Wow, this place is…I had no idea that…” I start as I plop down beside her.
“That we’re rich as fuck?” she supplies.
“Yeah, that,” I tell her with a giggle. “Alex took me to McDonald’s on our first date.”
“No way!” she exclaims, scrunching her nose up with distaste.
“It was better than the night we went to dinner at the fancy restaurant he was apparently waiting tables at,” I say. “I choked on my steak and Alex had to perform the Heimlich.”
Slapping a hand over her gaping mouth, Mackenzie says, “Oh, my God. I don’t know which is more shocking, him saving you or my brother working.”
“Whitney?”
I jump to my feet when I hear his voice. And there he is, staring at me in wide-eyed shock, looking gorgeous in his designer suit.
“Hey,” I say softly, worried about what his next reaction will be after he gets over the surprise.
“What are you doing here?” he asks. “Did you come up here alone?”
“Um, yeah.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have,” he snaps.
“Oh,” I mutter while my eyes water in disappointment.
“It’s dangerous for you to be driving alone, especially after what happened to you,” he adds. “You should be in bed or…or in the hospital…”
“What happened to you?” Mackenzie stands and whispers in my ear.
“She was fucking kidnapped!” Alex exclaims.
“Damn! Really?” his sister asks.
“What if you’re still in danger? Did they catch whoever took you?” Alex asks as he finally comes closer to me, his voice sounding concerned.
“No, but I’m pretty sure I’m safe after they got the money they wanted,” I tell him.
“How do you know?” Alex demands. “What if they decide they want another ten million or twenty million the next time because it was so easy to get?”
“Holy shit!” Mackenzie exclaims.
“I don’t think that will happen,” I tell him, although I can’t say I’m absolutely sure since my mom is apparently insane. “And, um, I came because I wanted to thank you. Abby told me it was you who was able to pay them off.”
“Wow,” Mackenzie gasps. “That’s what you had Daddy send money for?” she asks Alex, and he nods. “Then why haven’t you told him? He was so pissed at you, but if he knew…”
“It doesn’t matter what it was for,” Alex says. “I knew the consequences of asking him for help.”
“What consequences?” I ask in concern. When Alex doesn’t answer, I turn to his sister.
“Alex lost his trust fund,” Mackenzie tells me with a pout.
“Because of my…because of me?” I ask, just barely catching myself before I admit to him it was likely my mom who he pa
id.
“Yep,” she answers. “Nine hundred fat ones.”
“You lost nine-hundred thousand dollars to save me?” I ask in disbelief.
“It doesn’t matter,” he says, narrowing his eyes in warning at Mackenzie who ignores him.
“Nine hundred million, sweetie,” she tells me with a pat on my shoulder. “Nine. Hundred. Million. Dollars. Whoosh! Gone! Adios!”
Oh. My. God. Nine hundred million…I can’t even comprehend such an enormous amount of money and Alex gave it all up to save me. No wonder he up and left Cary so suddenly. He must be so angry at me.
“That’s enough!” Alex yells. “You can leave now.”
“Oh-o-okay,” I stutter, looking around me for my belongings and realizing I don’t have any with me. Guess it’s time to go. Wringing my hands to keep from throwing them around his neck or committing any other physical contact, I tell Alex, “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I’ll go…”
Right when I try to rush past him, Alex’s arm flies out and catches me around my waist, knocking the air out of my lungs.
“I was talking to Mack,” he says, pressing his nose into my hair and inhaling. “You can stay.”
“Oh,” I say in relief.
“See?” Mackenzie says as she walks by us. “I’ve already asked Haven to move her car and bring her things in.”
“Haven?” Alex repeats. “Oh, you mean Ward? I was wondering where my shadow had gone.”
“Yeah, Ward, whatever,” she huffs as she leaves the room.
Even after she’s out of sight, neither of us move. Alex’s arm is still wrapped around my waist, the front of his body practically flush against the side of mine, his face inches away.
“How did you know where I lived?” he asks softly as if to avoid unfreezing the moment.
“Ah, some guy named Jax at Havoc gave me your address,” I explain.
Alex’s chuckle ruffles through my hair. “Some guy named Jax? He’s Jude’s older brother and only the most legendary cage fighter ever.”
“Oh, well I didn’t know that. Mostly he was just grumpy.”
“That sounds about right,” Alex agrees.
“I know I could’ve called, but I wasn’t sure if you would answer, or talk to me, or hang up on me…”
“I’m glad you came,” he says while giving my hip a squeeze. “Want to sit down?”
“Standing is fine,” I assure him since that would mean separating from the warmth of his body.
“Okay,” he agrees, placing his other hand around my back.
Shifting around to face him full on, I rest my palms on his biceps, hoping he doesn’t pull away, then I tell him, “I’m sorry about what happened before you left. My mom…she was just pressuring me to help my dad’s business because of his health. And I didn’t want all the hundreds of people who work for him to lose their jobs when I could easily try to do something…”
“I know. I get that now, and I’m sorry I overacted,” he says, shocking the shit out of me when he doesn’t put up more of a fight about what happened or even sound pissed about all the money I made him lose.
“Really?” I ask, holding his eyes to see if he actually means that.
“Really,” he replies. “What we have….well, you would have to be a fool to go looking for something else on the side.”
“That’s true,” I admit with a smile.
“I wasn’t honest with you about everything either, like my job at the restaurant or the fact that I’m the son of a billionaire…”
“I noticed,” I tell him, glancing around the room.
“And I’m sorry about the shit I said to you that night. I was angry and jealous and wanted to hurt you like I was hurting.”
“Apology accepted if you’ll accept mine for making you lose almost a billion dollars?” I offer, my mind still blown from just using the word billion in a conversation. Having that much money and losing it, well, I can’t even begin to comprehend how tough that decision must have been for Alex.
“Deal,” he says. “And I’ll never regret my decision. You are worth so much more than that to me, Whitney.”
After that declaration, we seal our agreement with a soft brush of our lips.
That’s not good enough for either of us since we both go back for more until our tongues are waging war against each other. I run my fingers up and through the back of Alex’s hair to hold his mouth to mine while his hands move down to grab my ass, pulling me closer so that I can feel his arousal.
Knowing that we’ll soon be past the point of talking, I pull away from his mouth to get the final important thing he needs to know off of my chest.
“Hold on…” I say, tugging on his hair playfully when he tries to pick things right back up. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“Tell me…fast…so I can show you…my room,” Alex says as his lips move down my neck.
“My dad thinks my mom was the one who had me kidnapped,” I say in a rush.
Alex’s lips freeze before he pulls back to see my face. “What now?”
“After I messed things up with Kenneth, Dad thinks she was so desperate that she hired two men to take me from the house and leave a ransom note. She knew you had money after seeing that article in the paper, and I guess she figured you would pay up.”
“What. The. Fuck,” he drawls. “What if I didn’t have the money or couldn’t get it? My dad could have refused. Those men could’ve killed you, or God knows what!”
“I know,” I agree. “She was obviously insane to risk my safety.”
“God, Whitney,” he says, placing a kiss on my forehead near my scar I got the first day we met. “I can’t believe she would do that to you.”
“It all makes sense, but I don’t have any evidence to prove it.”
“How could she do that?” he asks.
“I really don’t know. And now I’m torn between going to the police, or waiting to see if they figure it out on their own. But finding out what you lost on top of the millions…I think maybe I should turn her in.”
“No,” Alex says without hesitation. “I mean, that decision is up to you, but don’t do it just because of me or the money. Kidnapping is a serious offense, and I don’t imagine she would get off easy.”
“I know. I’m just not sure what to do. I mean, she is my mother, even if she’s a crazy bitch.”
“Come here,” he says, pulling my head against his chest and stroking my hair. “You don’t have to make a decision right now. I bet you’re exhausted after your long drive, so let’s just rest tonight, okay?”
I nod my agreement against him. “But only if by rest you mean fuck like wild animals who…”
A man clearing his throat makes me pause mid-sentence.
“Who is this, Alex?” the deep voice of whom I assume is Alex’s father asks.
“My girlfriend, Whitney,” Alex answers sharply, sounding annoyed. “She’s gonna stay here with me until we can find our own place.”
Alex’s declaration leaves no room for argument, not that he would get any from me. Mortified from what he probably overheard me saying, I finally let go of Alex and turn around to face his father.
“Hi,” I say meekly, a blush coloring my cheeks.
“Why don’t you go on up and wait for me in my room?” Alex suggests with a kiss to my temple. “Fourth bedroom on the left. I’ll be right up.”
“Okay,” I agree, eager to escape the awkwardness. “Nice to meet you. Thank you for everything,” I say to Mr. Stiles on the way by him. And then I’m racing up the stairs, glad to have a minute alone to calm my nerves.
…
Alex
I brace myself for an onslaught of questions right before he starts firing them.
“Why is she staying here?”
“Because she drove all the way up here from Cary today and we have plenty of room,” I reply with my hands on my hips.
“How long have you two been seeing each other?” he asks.
“A few
weeks.”
“And you care about her?”
“Yeah, I do,” I tell him.
“Did she know…” He trails off because of course I know what he’s asking. Is she with me for the money?
“No, not until yesterday,” I assure him. “Our first date was at a fast food restaurant.”
“Hmm,” he mutters.
“I love her. And since she came all the way up here after everything that’s happened, I think she feels the same.”
Blowing out a breath, he says, “Fine; she can stay.” Like it was ever up for debate. “At least you got something right while you were gone.”
“Yeah, I did,” I say. “And even though I don’t want anything to do with it, and it’s moot now that I lost my trust, I assume you’ll still require one, so can you have your attorney draw up a prenup, just for future reference?”
Eyes widening in surprise, my dad quickly recovers and says, “Sure.”
“Okay. I’m going to bed,” I say, ready to be done with this conversation and spend the rest of the night with my girl in my arms.
Halfway up the stairs, my father calls my name, stopping me. I brace myself for what lecture is coming.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“Since you’re low on cash, if you need a ring, well, you can have the one I gave to your mother.”
I’m so damn shocked by his words that I have to grasp onto the banister tighter to prevent myself from falling down the stairs.
“Thanks,” I say in honest appreciation that he would trust me with something so important to him.
I’m still mulling his offer over when I walk into my bedroom and find Whitney in my bed, under my sheets. I’m guessing she’s naked underneath based on her bare shoulders and arms peeking out. From that point on, all other thoughts flee my head except for one.
Making sure my door is locked, I start undressing as I approach the bed, starting with my suit jacket.
“I was hoping I had the right bed,” Whitney jokes.
“Either way I would have found you,” I assure her as I step out of my shoes and shove my pants and boxer briefs down. Holding up one side of the covers, I take in the beauty of her naked form, perfect in every way and all mine before I slip in next to her.
