by Violet Howe
Tristan’s voice rang out from below.
“Hey! You two all right up there?”
“Yeah,” Seth called down. “It’s about time you showed up.”
A new fear struck me as the reality of what I’d done sank in.
“What are they going to do to me?”
He held me tighter, pressing his lips to the top of my head. “Nothing, baby. Nothing at all. Don’t worry, okay? It’s going to be all right. You did what you had to do.”
A flurry of activity bustled beneath us, and I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my head in his chest, squeezing my eyes shut against it all.
He winced and sucked in a breath as his hands slid down my arms, pulling them from his waist.
I pulled back to look up at him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I think I may have a couple of cracked ribs.”
“From the…when they…at the hotel?”
Seth gave a half shrug. “Maybe, but then I had a run-in with a guy swinging a wrench. But I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I need to get us downstairs, though. Can you stand?”
I nodded, and he helped me up, cautioning me as he did so. “Don’t look down, okay? Just keep your eyes on the door. I’m with you every step of the way.”
The initial shock had begun to wear off, but the room still went sideways when I stood.
Seth’s strong arms were around me in an instant. “I’ve got you.”
“I’m okay. Just a little dizzy.” I focused on the door ahead of me, trying to ignore everything else.
We made our way downstairs, and as we exited into the hangar, I couldn’t help looking over at Victor’s body, lying crumpled on the concrete surrounded by a dark pool of blood.
I shuddered again and closed my eyes, but the image remained, impossible to escape. A tidal wave of nausea hit me, and I doubled over and emptied the meager contents of my stomach.
“Can we get her some water?” Seth called out, rubbing his hand across my back.
“On it,” a voice responded as I spit and wiped the back of my shaking hand across my mouth.
“You okay?” Seth asked, his voice close to my ear.
I closed my eyes and nodded, and then I forced myself to stand upright, taking it slowly in case the room tilted on me again.
“I’m fine,” I said, though I was anything but.
“Let’s get you outside for some fresh air.”
As Seth led me past the vomit on the floor, Tristan walked up to us, his gray eyes filled with concern.
“Are you all right, Dani?”
I nodded and laid my hand across my stomach to ease it. “Yeah. I will be. A little overwhelmed, I think. It’s been a rough night, to say the least. Thank you for, um, coming.”
“Of course,” he said with a tip of his head.
“Took you long enough,” Seth said.
“I was trying, man. Damned red tape and bureaucracy took forever with deciding whose jurisdiction it was and what warrants were needed. Then, when you called and the location changed from the house to the airstrip, that threw everything for a loop.”
“Were you at the house, too?” I asked Seth, my eyes wide with surprise.
“No. They brought me straight here.”
“So, how did you know where the house was?”
“He didn’t,” Tristan said. “We’d already gotten a call from the house before Seth was able to contact me from the airstrip.”
I shook my head in confusion. “A call? From whom?”
“I’m, er, not at liberty to say. It seems the owners of that house have been on the radar for some time, so we have an undercover agent in place there. Concern for your well-being prompted a call to a superior officer, and that set the wheels in motion faster than I could get them moving.”
“Bea,” I said with absolute certainty.
Tristan shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”
“I do. I have no doubt it was her.”
Turning his focus to Seth, Tristan frowned. “You gonna have them take a look at that shoulder, or are you trying to look macho by standing there bleeding?”
“It’s just a graze.”
“C’mon, tough guy,” Tristan said with a grin, and he led us toward the paramedics outside.
As we left the hangar, I couldn’t help glancing over my shoulder, even though I didn’t want to see Victor’s body again. They’d covered him with a black tarp, but my stomach flipped on itself just the same.
He’d loved me. He’d wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, but I’d taken his life instead. I’d killed him. I was a murderer just like he was.
Seth reached for my hand, tugging my attention back to him. “Hey, look at me. I know this is hard for you. It’s never an easy thing to take a life, regardless of the circumstances. But I meant what I said before. You did what you had to do. You saved my life.”
It didn’t surprise me that Seth knew what I was thinking or where my mind had gone. He’d always been able to read me like a book.
“I know. I just hate that I had to end his to do it. Why wouldn’t he just leave? He could have been long gone. He’d still be alive. So would everyone else here. Why couldn’t he just walk away?”
Seth frowned and glanced back at Victor before wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me forward with him. “Because in his dark, obsessed, and unhealthy way, he loved you.”
“And I killed him for it.”
“C’mon, babe. Don’t do that to yourself. What would he have done if you hadn’t stopped him?”
I took a deep breath and blinked back my tears. “He would have killed you. And he would have taken me or died trying once these guys arrived. I know that, but it doesn’t make it any easier. I feel horrible that I caused all this death and that everyone was scrambling to rescue me.”
“You didn’t cause any of it. It’s not like you called this guy up and asked him to come get you. The decisions he made set him on a path to die tonight, and while I hate it was at your hand, it wasn’t your fault. He had choices. Those other men? They had choices, too. No one had to die here tonight. That’s not on you.”
A paramedic approached us, and by the time Seth had been examined and we’d both answered all the necessary questions and given our statements, the sun was well on its way up into the sky.
“Are these yours?” Seth asked as he walked toward me holding the stiletto sandals.
“No. I mean, yes, I was wearing them, but they’re not mine.” I looked down at the burgundy dress and wished I could rip it from my skin. “Neither is this dress. Victor made me wear this because there was someone he was meeting. Someone he said he wanted to impress.”
“Someone he was selling crates of guns to, according to the pilot and Victor’s guy on the plane.” He cocked his head to one side, and his brow furrowed. “How are you feeling?”
“Hmm. What’s the word to describe when you’ve been up for, like, twenty-four hours, and you got drunk, and then got scared sober, and then had to run for your life, and then got kidnapped and tied up, and then got forced to shower and dress up, and then saw dead people and dodged bullets, and then…” My voice failed, unable to apply my sad attempt at humor to the fact that I’d taken Victor’s life. “Crappy. Let’s just say I feel pretty crappy.”
“Well, I was gonna ask if you wanted breakfast, but probably not, huh?”
“I thought you were supposed to go to the hospital to make sure you don’t have a concussion and to get your ribs checked. I heard you tell the paramedics that it wasn’t necessary for them to take you and that you’d go on your own.”
He grinned. “You heard that, did ya? All right, but they didn’t say I couldn’t get breakfast first. Unless…you’re not hungry? If you don’t want to—”
“You know, now that you mention it, I’m actually really hungry. We can get breakfast, as long as you agree to let me drive you to the hospital afterwards.”
“Deal, but I’m driving.”
&nb
sp; “No, you’re not! You likely have a concussion, you probably have broken ribs, and you’ve been shot. I’m driving.”
To my surprise, he didn’t argue, and we walked in silence to my car, which had been found in the hangar next to the one we were in.
Seth went to the driver’s door and held it open for me, and I paused to look up at him before I got in.
“Thanks,” I whispered, wishing there was a stronger word to convey my gratitude for all he’d done for me and endured for me.
Smiling, he reached to tuck back a section of my hair that had worked its way free from Bea’s braids.
“I’ll take a bullet for you anytime, D,” he said with a wink.
“I hope there’s never another occasion where that might be needed.”
“Me too, but I’d be willing, just the same.” He began to draw in a deep breath, but then he grimaced and laid his hand over his side. “Damn. Remind me not to do that again.”
“We should get you to a hospital.”
“Unfortunately, there’s not really much they can do for ribs.”
“Still, you need to get checked out.”
“I will, but before we go, I need to tell you something, and I don’t want to put it off any longer. It’s something I should have said earlier tonight, but I guess I’m just a damned coward.”
“Coward?” I raised my eyebrows with a scoffing laugh. “You just took on the Mafia all by yourself. I don’t think anyone would call you a coward. And why on earth did you do that, by the way? I can’t believe you stuck around. I mean, once you got in that SUV, why didn’t you just take off and get out of here?”
“And leave my girl behind? Not a chance.”
“But you could have been killed.”
“Well, I wasn’t, but I did have plenty of time to think I might be, and here’s what I know.” He laid his hand on the side of my neck, his thumb stroking my skin and sending goosebumps rippling all over me. “I love you, Dani. I’ve never stopped loving you. I was a damned fool to let you go.”
I smiled, my heart swelling until it felt it might burst. “I love you, too, and I’m so sorry I—”
He pressed his finger to my lips. “Don’t. We can’t keep apologizing for the past, and we can’t go back and change it. A couple of times tonight, it looked like I might not have a future, and especially not one that had you in it. Now, you probably think I’m talking crazy after everything’s that happened, but…I want a future with you. I want you in my life.”
My smile grew wider as I stretched up on my toes to press my lips against his.
“You’ve got me.”
“And I want you to know that I’ve thought about it a lot, and I’m willing to go with you. You don’t even have to tell me where we’re going. It doesn’t matter.”
“Go?” My brows scrunched in confusion. “Go where? What are you talking about?”
His confusion mirrored mine. “I just, um, assumed you’d probably want to go back to Chicago. Or if your memories there are screwed up now, some other big city. Somewhere you can pursue your career and do all the things you wanted.”
I ran my hand up his chest and over his uninjured shoulder to curl my fingers around the back of his neck. “I don’t need to go anywhere anymore. Everyone I love is in Cedar Creek. It’s my home, and it’s where I belong. With you is where I belong.”
He bent his head to kiss me, his mouth claiming mine as his hand slid down my back and pulled me firmly against him.
My heart quickened as though it was awakening after a long slumber, and suddenly, nothing in me felt numb anymore.
Epilogue
I lowered my sunglasses as I watched Seth and Tristan stand together by the grill in Tristan’s backyard. The lake shimmered in the distance, the deep orange of the setting sun making the water look like it was ablaze. The smell of hamburgers cooking wafted up to the deck, and I smiled in contentment.
“My fiancé sure does make a handsome chef, doesn’t he?” Sloane asked as she lounged in the chair next to me. “You ready for another Jameson?”
“No, I’m good.” I rattled the ice cubes in the glass.
She lifted an eyebrow with a grin. “Since when do you stop at one?”
I shrugged and look back toward Seth. “I actually haven’t been drinking all that much since, you know, that night. I’d been using it to escape my life, and now, my life isn’t something I want to escape anymore.”
Sloane sighed. “I’m so relieved they finally cleared you. I mean, I knew they would. Obviously, it was self-defense, whether you shot him in the back or not. He would have killed Seth and kidnapped you if you hadn’t stopped him. It’s ridiculous that you even had to go through all that interrogation.”
“No, they had to investigate. I’m just glad it’s over.” Laying back against the chair, I closed my eyes to block out the memories.
“All of it, right? Tristan said their intel seems pretty certain the Mafia won’t retaliate since Victor had already gone rogue against them. You’re free, and you’re safe. That crazy chapter in your life is over, and from the looks of things, the next chapter will be a happy one.”
“God, I hope so. I’d just take normal at this point, but yeah.” I opened my eyes and gazed at Seth, who glanced over at me and smiled as though he could feel my stare. “Things are definitely looking good. I’m the happiest I’ve been in a very long time.”
My phone rang, and I sat up straight when I saw it was my sister.
“Is it time?” I asked, not even bothering to say hello.
“Yep. My water broke,” Amy said. “We’re on our way to the hospital now. Meet me there?”
“Of course. I’ll be right there.” I looked to Sloane, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“You’re going to be an aunt!”
“I’m gonna be an aunt! Oh, my gosh. We’ve got to go. Seth! It’s time!”
I stood as Seth said goodbye to Tristan and walked toward the porch. “I’m so sorry, Sloane. I hate to skip out on dinner, but—”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said with a laugh. “It’s not every day you welcome a niece into the world. We can grill hamburgers any time.”
She was right. I wasn’t going anywhere. This was home. This was my life. Seth and I could get together with our friends whenever we wanted.
I hugged Sloane and then gathered my purse as Seth told her goodbye.
We’d just rounded the corner of their house when a car pulled up the drive and parked behind Seth’s truck.
“We need to get out,” Seth called to the driver as the man opened his door. “We’re in a bit of a hurry.”
“This will only take a moment,” the man said. “Are you Danielle Ward?”
I looked at Seth before nodding. “Yes, I am. Who are you?”
“I’m Wallace Bradford. I have a delivery for you that needs to be signed for.” He held up a large white envelope.
“A delivery? What delivery?”
Seth stood by my side as the man approached me.
“You mentioned you’re in a hurry, so we can talk later. I’ll give you some time to review the papers before we discuss the particulars.”
He handed me a clipboard with a paper attached and pointed to indicate where I should sign.
I didn’t even bother looking at the papers. “I’m not signing anything unless you tell me what’s going on.”
“What’s this about?” Seth asked, his body tensing next to me.
“I am an attorney in the employ of Victor Gallo.”
A feeling of dread punched me in the gut, and I reached to lay my hand on Seth’s arm. He took my hand in his as the man continued.
“Mr. Gallo had made financial arrangements to provide for you in the event of his death.”
I shook my head, handing him back the clipboard.
“No. I want nothing to do with that. I don’t need his money.”
The man cocked his head to one side. “Be that as it may, you were his legal beneficiary.”
&
nbsp; “That can’t be. We were divorced, um, prior to his death.”
“I’m well aware. But the fact remains that Mr. Gallo wished for you to be provided for—quite well, I might add—in the event of his death. I assure you it was still his intention right up until his untimely end.”
I looked to Seth, who looked as though he was about to punch the man.
“Ms. Ward, I can understand your hesitation, but I would encourage you to at least take some time to look over the documents before you make any decisions. It’s not a paltry sum we’re discussing. Perhaps if you don’t want to benefit personally, you might have a cause you could funnel the money toward.”
My mind spun with the unexpected news. “I don’t understand. I was under the impression that Victor’s assets were seized.”
“Yes, but this was an inheritance from his late mother. It wasn’t attached to his, shall we say, other business interests, in any way. These funds were placed in a separate account at the time of her death, and they’ve not been touched. They’ve been there accruing interest, and when you and Mr. Gallo met, he added your name to the account as his sole beneficiary. I assumed you knew all this.”
“No. I wasn’t aware.”
“We need to go,” Seth said. “As I said before, we’re in a bit of a hurry.”
Mr. Bradford gave one quick nod. “Yes, of course. I won’t keep you. Ms. Ward, your signature will only confirm that you’ve received the paperwork. It will in no way obligate you one way or another with the funds. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, you are Mr. Gallo’s sole heir, and therefore, at some point, you will need to make a decision as to how you wish to proceed.”
He offered the clipboard again, and after reading to verify what I was signing, I scrawled my name across the bottom. He handed me the envelope and then pulled a business card from a holder in his pocket.
“Here’s my number. Look over the papers and see what’s at stake. Take your time. Think about all the possibilities. And then give me a call when you’ve made your decision. I’ve already been well compensated to handle matters in whatever manner you choose.”
