He didn’t know what to say. When he was younger he was the typical guy who loved women too much. He wasn’t that person anymore.
“They weren’t better than you.”
“Then why didn’t you choose me, Wade?” The agony in her voice killed him. “Why? What was wrong with me?”
“Nothing.”
All she did was shake her head again. “If that was true then, you would have chosen me long ago, and maybe we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“You were too good for me.”
She held his gaze and he thought he reached some part of her that used to be his but again his hopes vanished as he watched the uncertainty return to her face.
“I have to go,” she answered, and he felt a wretchedness of mind he’d never known before.
“Chloe—”
“I have to.” She pressed her lips together and lowered to pick up her suitcase. “Take care of yourself. Please. Um…you should know that Merissa is working with this psycho person. She knows who this person is.”
A shiver of panic ran through him. “What!?”
“I don’t know much, she wouldn’t tell me, but she knows them. Him.”
So it was a man.
Jesus, this couldn’t be happening. It was all adding up now. This person had targeted them individually and tried to destroy them all.
His father, his mother, Taylor, and him.
What better way to destroy him than to take away the woman he loved.
Chloe looked at him and then she walked towards the door. She stopped before she reached and looked over her shoulder. “Please take care of yourself.”
The grief he felt gnawed away at him, but he found the strength to answer. “You too, Chloe.”
And that was it. He watched her leave.
His mind and body were tormented by the myriad of emotions that overpowered him. It flared his temper and about ten minutes after Chloe left he jumped on his bike and headed to Merissa’s house. He wasn’t even sure if that was where she still lived, but he’d go and find out.
He needed to speak to her. She’d ruined his relationship with Chloe, but knowing she was working with this psycho person who nearly killed Taylor made this a whole other matter.
He pulled up outside her house. The lights were on in every room signaling that someone was there.
Wade rushed up to the door and rang the bell. The door opened and she stood there dressed in a long t-shirt that barely touched her thighs.
A wide, satisfied smile lifted her face. “Wow, I was beginning to wonder if you weren’t going to show.”
He stepped past her and walked inside. She followed him into the living room.
“Who is he?” he demanded.
“He?” she narrowed her eyes and smiled again. “I was under the impression that you’d come by to scream at me for telling your girlfriend about our past.” She placed her hand on her heart and feigned innocence.
“Merissa, don’t fuck with me. Don’t do it. We’re playing a different game now.”
“Is that supposed to scare me?” She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers mocking him.
“I don’t care what you feel.”
“I know, you never did. All you care about is yourself. You didn’t care when I was pregnant with your child and you don’t care now. But you will get what you deserve.”
“Fuck you Merissa, you can think whatever you like. I watched my son die. I watched him die, and I have to live with that for the rest of my life. I have to live with the fact that I put him in danger, and I couldn’t save him. I was useless to my child. I was a poor excuse for a father.” He stopped as he said that, remembering when he sad that to his own father. “What I don’t have to live with is your anger towards me.”
“You think I’m supposed to just let it go?” She snarled, eyes blazing.
“No. But, you made it seem like something it wasn’t. You saw that I was changing. You saw how I took care of you. You knew what happened to me wasn’t my fault, and I never, ever took any form of drug when I was with you. I would never take the risk. You saw me throw away the sample George gave me. You sat next to me and listened to all the plans I was making for us. Despite that you created this monstrous addict in your head who ruined your life. You know the truth Merissa, but you turned everything into a lie.”
“Everything wasn’t a lie.” She argued. “Do you know what’s it like to have a life growing inside you and then it’s ripped from you because of someone else’s stupidity.”
She started shaking as she looked at him.
“No, I don’t. I don’t know how that feels Merissa but, I do know how it feels to feel guilty every single day for being the reason why my son died. It was my fault, all my fault and no one elses, but mine. And, you will never know what that feels like.” A tear ran down his cheek. “You were always a good mother, but I was a terrible father. I know you didn’t deserve any of what happened. Neither of you did, but please remember that I tried, remember everything that happened. Remember I took care of you, and that I wanted to change for you.”
All she did was stare at him. He was too worked up to guess what she may be thinking and right now he actually didn’t care. The time for that was past. When he first saw her weeks ago, he wanted forgiveness. Some redemption even, but now he didn’t care. All that he’d said was the truth, there was nothing left to say. That was all it.
“Who is he?” he asked again. “Who is this person who is targeting my family? They tried to kill my sister. If you have any information please tell me now. Don’t allow your hate for me to cloud your judgement.” This was what was important now, because if she could tell him who this person was that had caused his family such great distress that would help.
“I don’t know,” she replied.
Despite his words, he thought she was going to continue being difficult and infuriate him further. He was about to say something else but then she said, “I’ve only ever corresponded with him on the phone.”
His anger subsided. He watched her, feeling the tension build within him. Of all the things that anyone had been doing these past weeks this was the first lead he’d gotten.
“He called me weeks ago and told me you were back. I’d been looking for you since the last time I saw you, at the hospital. I knew you left the country and listened out for news of your return.”
“What did he say to you?”
“He asked me…” she put her hand to her head and winced. “What is that smell?”
“What smell?” Wade asked but even as spoke he asked a strong pungent smell burned his nose. Then he saw it.
A green mist coming through the door. He didn’t know what it was but he knew it was dangerous.
“Come on.” He said grabbing her hand.
He moved with her to the door and tried to open it. She pushed past him and turned the handle but it wouldn’t budge.
“I didn’t lock it.” She frowned and walked over to a shelf on the opposite side where she grabbed the keys. She shoved them in the keyhole and turned it left and right but the door wouldn’t open.
She wobbled and stumbled but he caught her before she fell.
“Merissa, come on we have to get out of here.”
“I can’t move, my legs. I feel…” she stuttered.
On instinct he lifted her up and held her close to him. However as soon as he did that his legs gave too and he found it difficult to breathe.
He tried to walk with her over to the window but the green mist had filled the room and was spreading rapidly throughout the house. Wade fell to his knees still gripping onto her, then crumpled to the floor.
Over to his left was a paperweight made of solid glass. He grabbed it and lunged it at the window. Thankfully the window smashed and some of the mist started filtering out. His body was failing him but he shuffled with her over to the window and propped her up so she could get air.
The green mist was either poison or something to knock them out. Whicheve
r it was, it was bad.
“You…do care.” She noted looking at him with glassy eyes.
“Yes, now let’s…get out of here.” He was struggling to talk now. Whatever the mist was it seemed to cause some form of paralysis, because his mind was alert but his body felt numb.
“Did you mean it?”
“What?” Now was not the time to be talking. But he couldn’t move.
“Before the accident. We were planning our lives.” He could barely hear her. “Did you mean any of it?”
He looked deep into her eyes and saw the desperate need to know that filled them.
“I meant every word,” he replied, and that was the truth.
She reached up and touched his face. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry we lost our child.”
Wade tried to move his lips to answer but he couldn’t. He watched her eyes close and then everything around him faded away into darkness.
Why did he feel so cold?
And his head… It was throbbing like he’d been hit with something hard. The pain reminded him of that time when he was at summer camp and Jackson Wells hit him with a baseball bat. It was an accident but that didn’t make the pain any less. The damn bat almost cracked his skull open. That was how Wade felt now.
Where was he?
It was only when he turned his head that he saw Merissa next to him then he remembered what happened. Thank God they were still at her house.
“Merissa.” He lifted himself up and froze as he looked down and saw that he was covered in blood. The floor around them was covered, everywhere. It was on his hands. His shirt soaked with it and his trousers.
But it wasn’t his blood.
He knew before he looked at Merissa’s pale white form that it was hers.
“No.” he cried grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. “Merissa wake up.”
He shook her and tried to wake her not wanting to give up, and accept what her half open cold stare, pale skin and blue lips meant.
She had no pulse, and she wasn’t breathing.
“Merissa please. Come back.”
Wade broke down and the weight of everything bore down on him. He held her close to him and thought of how he ruined her life. Everything that had happened was as a result of him. Now this.
Now this.
He was sobbing so much he barely heard the noises around him. It sounded like police sirens. Then he heard the door smash open.
An officer ran inside with his gun raised, pointing it at Wade.
“Don’t move.” The officer yelled.
Two more joined him and pointed their guns at Wade.
His stomached clenched with fear and terror, it beat into him louder than his heart. Realization slammed into him full force. They thought he did this.
They thought he killed Merissa.
To be continued…
Books In The Vandervilles Series
Book 1- When Beauty Met the Beast
Book 2- Secrets and Lies
Book 3- Into the Rabbit Hole
Final Readers Note
Important Readers Note- These are not standalone novels. All books must be read in order as this is a continuous story which concludes in Book 3.
Books by Khardine Gray
I Only Have Eyes For You
Complete Me
Hearts Entwined
Shape of My Heart
Vandervilles Series
Book 1- When Beauty Met the Beast
Book 2- Secrets and Lies
Book 3- Into the Rabbit Hole
To check out these titles please visit
https://www.amazon.com/author/khardinegraynovels
About the Author
Khardine Gray writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense.
Her books have drool worthy heroes who will make you melt, and sassy, fun loving, ambitious heroines.
She loves writing and simply adore her readers.
She’s from the Caribbean but currently lives in England with her husband and two kids.
When not writing you can catch her ice skating or dancing at a Samba class.
Keep up with all the new releases by signing up to her mailing list at http://www.subscribepage.com/f4u3v9
Keep in touch with Khardine at:
www.khardinegraybooks.com
Secrets and Lies (Vandervilles Book 2) Page 19
