She opened the door and before we could say a word, she said, “Who moved my furniture?” Then she looked at us and gasped in surprise.
“Happy belated birthday!” we shouted.
“Oh my gosh. It’s just-”
“I know, babe. We gotcha!” I said excitedly.
“I was going to say, it’s just that happy belated birthday isn’t gramatically correct,” Lillian said. Her dainty fingers pinched together in front of her as she bobbed her head side to side.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Well, my birthday isn’t belated, the greeting is. So, really it should be a belated happy birthday to you,” she said with a satisfied smile.
I looked at everyone staring at her with bewildered expressions. “Happy birthday,” we all shouted.
Lillian’s smiled at us all and then looked back at the room. “Oh my gosh. You painted the living room for me. It looks wonderful!” She walked around the room admiring it and glancing questioningly at the furniture.
“Um, why do I have new furniture?”
“Harper, you want to take this one?” I asked.
“Okay, don’t be mad, but I spilled some paint-”
“On my couch?” she shrieked.
“He did it!” Harper pointed quickly at me.
“Only because I slipped in paint she spilled on the plastic. I swear it was an accident, Lil.”
“The poor guy feels terrible about it, Lillian. Don’t be too hard on him. He was covered in paint from head to toe,” Cole said.
“Did you at least take pictures?” Lillian asked.
I smiled in relief that she wasn’t upset. The rest of the party went well. We grilled out and spent the rest of the night hanging out outside. If you forgot about the paint incident, the day turned out pretty well.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Vira
I WAS ALMOST packed. I had decided that I needed to get away from here. This was no longer home to me. I had lost Sean and Cece wouldn’t be far behind. She had a new life that just didn’t fit in with mine anymore. It wasn’t her fault. She was right. This was never her lifestyle. She’d always been the one that was more level headed and was really looking for someone to fill the void. She hadn’t known it, but the moment she ran into Logan a year and a half ago, I’d seen it in her eyes. I knew she belonged with him. Maybe that’s why I suggested revenge. Maybe if she pushed him away, he wouldn’t take her from me.
I hated my job and had no family close by, so it was an easy decision to move on. I was thinking of moving to California where it was warmer and I could lounge on the beach in my off time. I had plenty of money saved up, so I could take my time finding a job.
A knock at the door had me putting down the last of my dishes and walking over to answer. I was expecting it to be Cece since she was really the only one speaking to me, but I was completely taken aback by the man standing at my door.
Richard Arrington III stood in front of me with a smirk on his face. This was the man my parents wanted me to marry all those years ago. I hadn’t heard from them or him since I left, so why was he here now?
“Anna Belle, it’s lovely to see you again.”
“I don’t go by that name anymore.”
“I know. What kind of name is Vira anyway? A classy woman like you should never have chosen such a vulgar name.” He looked me over with a look of disgust. “I see your taste in clothes and hairstyles has changed quite a bit also. Luckily, that can be easily fixed.”
“I’m not changing a single thing about the way I look. I happen to like it.”
“You’re dressed like a slut.”
“That’s because I am a slut. I bet you could walk outside and meet at least ten men I’ve slept with.”
“Regardless of your sexual history, I still need you to come with me. I’ve got a deal that I need to close and the only way that’s going to happen is if I marry you. It would seem your parents have finally had enough of your games and would like you back home.”
“Well, you can tell them to fuck off. The only way I’ll be seeing them is if I’m standing at their graves, which probably wouldn’t happen.”
He pushed inside and wrapped his hand around my neck, thrusting me up against the wall. He was cutting off my air supply, making it impossible to think clearly.
“Listen here, you little bitch. I need this deal to go through and I’ll go to any lengths to get it. If your parents want us to marry, I’ll make it happen.”
Spots were dancing in front of my eyes and I was starting to worry he wouldn’t release me before I passed out . When air filled my lungs suddenly, I started coughing and gagging. My throat hurt from the pressure he had applied.
“Does the name Sarah Matthews ring any bells?”
I shook my head, not knowing or understanding where he was going with this.
“Of course, when she moved here, she would have been known as Sarah Anderson.”
I looked at him in confusion. “What do you want with her?”
“She has some very rich, very dangerous people looking for her. The things they want to do to her..” He made a tsk noise. “Mobsters can be very brutal when someone destroys one of their own. Imagine the things they would do to her and her little babies if they ever got their hands on her.”
I swallowed down the bile that was threatening to come up. No matter how much I wanted to get away from this psycho, there was no way I could let him hurt Sarah and her kids.
“I’ll do whatever you want, but don’t tell anyone what you know.”
“That’s a good girl. I see you’re already packed, so I’ll be back tomorrow morning to collect you. Good night, Anna Belle.”
He brushed his hand over my cheek before opening the door and walking out. I ran to the bathroom and vomited what little was in my stomach. There was no way I could go with him and live my life with him. The things he had done to other women back when I was a teenager were horrendous. I couldn’t imagine what had happened in the meantime. But if I left him, I would put Sarah in danger. I had no idea exactly what she was running from, but I couldn’t be the one that hurt her.
I ran to the window and looked outside. When I didn’t see anyone outside, I ran and got my purse and headed for the door. There was only one person I could think of that could help me right now.
✯✯✯✯✯
I had been pounding on the door for what felt like five minutes, but in actuality had only been twenty seconds. The door flung open and Sean appeared in front of me in jeans and a t-shirt. At least I hadn’t pulled him out of bed.
“What?” he scowled. I didn’t care. I pushed past him into his house, seeing Lillian walk out of the kitchen. I didn’t care. Right now I had bigger problems than whether or not they were together.
“Why are you crying?” Lillian asked in concern. I hadn’t realized I was. I reached up and touched my face, my fingers coming away wet. “Oh my God! What happened to your neck?”
Lillian was by my side in an instant examining my swollen neck. Moments later, Sean was beside me also.
“What the fuck happened? Who did this?”
“Sean, I need help. I know that I don’t deserve it, but I need you to help me. He knows about her. I don’t know how and I’m not even sure exactly what she’s hiding, but he said he could make a phone call and she would be gone. He threatened her kids! You have to do something.”
I was talking so fast that Sean couldn’t have asked a question if he wanted. Tears were pouring down my cheeks again as I remembered what he had said. It felt so hopeless and I wasn’t even sure if there was a way out of this.
“Vira, slow down. Who is he? And who does he know about?”
“Richard Arrington. My parents wanted me to marry him when I was younger. He’s a horrible person. I ran away and he’s never come for me, but now he wants me to go back with him so that he can make some deal happen with my parents. He brought up Sarah. He said that people were after-”
Sean silenced me with a han
d.
“Don’t say anymore. Just sit here with Lillian and keep your mouth shut. I have a phone call to make.”
Sean walked away and I heard him say Sebastian’s name and then there was some mumbling about Sarah, but I couldn’t really understand any of it. The silence between Lillian and I wasn’t uncomfortable. I didn’t really care about anything that had happened at this point. I just wanted to get away from this guy and move away from here. Somewhere he couldn’t find me again.
“Lillian. I have to go. I want you to stay here and set the alarm. I don’t know how long I’ll be,” Sean said urgently.
“Okay. Is everything alright?”
“I don’t know. I have some stuff to work out with Sebastian. Just promise me you won’t go anywhere.”
“I promise,” she said. Sean leaned in and kissed her before turning to me.
“Come on. Sebastian needs to see you.”
I nodded and followed him to the door. We drove in silence to Reed Security. When we got there, we had to identify ourselves at the gate. Then we were met in the garage by a man so devastatingly handsome, he immediately made my panties wet. He rode up in the elevator with us and showed us to a room that was filled with computer screens.
“Vira, what exactly did this man say to you?”
There were no pleasantries from Sebastian, which led me to believe that this was very serious and not just Richard trying to force my hand. I closed my eyes trying to remember.
“He said that he wanted me to go back with him and that we were going to get married. He has some deal that he needs to go through and he needs my parents. Us marrying was their condition. He said he would do anything to make it happen. Then he asked me if I knew a Sarah Matthews, but said I would know her as Sarah Anderson.”
Sebastian exchanged a worried look with Sean. “What? I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“Was there anything else?” Sebastian asked.
“Yes. He said something about very dangerous people looking for her and that mobsters didn’t like when someone hurt one of their own. He asked if I could imagine all the things they could do to her and her kids.”
“And how did you respond?” Sebastian questioned.
“I told him not to say a thing and that I would go with him. He’s supposed to be coming back in the morning for me.”
“Becky!”
A short, skinny woman with black glasses came into the room a few seconds later. “Yeah, Cap?”
“I need you to find out everything you can about..”
Sebastian’s gaze cut to mine. “Richard Arrington III.”
He nodded. “Everything you can find out. We need something we can use as leverage. Get Rob to help you on this. You have anyone on the team at your disposal. We have until sunrise to get something on him.”
I started fidgeting because I was nervous. This all seemed very unreal. This was not supposed to be my life.
“Vira, you stay here tonight. We’ll figure this out.”
“You’d better figure this out, Sebastian. You know if she runs, my sister runs with her,” Sean said angrily.
Sebastian nodded in understanding. “We’ll take care of it. I promise.”
“I’ve got to get back to Lillian.” Sean turned to me with a look I couldn’t decipher. “Thank you for coming to me.”
Then he turned and left. I stood in the massive room surrounded by screens and a few people milling about, but I had never felt so alone.
The man that had met us in the garage came and sat down by me a few minutes later. He held out a bottle of water to me that I gratefully took.
“My name’s Mark, but everyone calls me Sinner.”
At any other time, I would have flirted with this man, but right now I just felt sad. My life was like a really bad soap opera.
“Vira.”
“You don’t have to worry. Sebastian’s very good. Everyone here is.”
“That’s great, but none of this is for me. They’re all worried about Sarah. Sean’s worried about his sister. I’m just the person that brought the information.”
He glanced down at my neck, his eyes boring into the fingerprints that were forming in bruises. He reached out and brushed his fingers lightly over the bruises.
“If they find something incriminating about this guy, you’re free and clear.”
I huffed. “I’m an afterthought. Sure, I’m free if they find something. If they don’t, I go home with a monster that will probably kill me within five years.”
“We won’t let that happen.”
I looked deep in his eyes and saw the sincerity there. I smiled slightly at him. “I think it’s admirable that you think so, but the alternative is that Sarah and her kids are in danger. It might be one thing if it was just her, but he threatened her kids. I could never let that happen.”
“Have faith, Vira. It’s not always as bleak as it seems.”
“I think God is the last person I should turn to for help right now.”
“Don’t turn to God. Turn to us. We won’t let you down. I promise you that everyone here is just as concerned about what happens to you as Sarah and Cara. There’s not a man here that would willingly let you go with a monster. Everyone here will defend you and protect you. That’s just what we do.”
He said it so easily that I was inclined to believe him. There was nothing I wanted more than to believe that someone cared enough to not allow me to fall into the hands of an evil person. He pulled me into his body, allowing me to be comforted by his warmth. It was nice to feel protected and for the moment I would take it, come what may.
✯✯✯✯✯
“Boss! Boss! I’ve got it!” Becky came running into the room, waving around some papers. I had been sleeping on Sinner’s shoulder, but was jolted awake when she ran in the room. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and listened intently to what she had to say.
Sebastian stormed over to her and snatched the papers from her hands. Looking it over, a grin split his face before he wrapped Becky in a big hug and twirled her around.
“Becky, you outdid yourself this time. Alright. Get this all put on backup drives and store it in the necessary locations. Cazzo! You’re with me on this. Let’s go.”
“Wait! Where are you going?” I asked Sebastian.
“We’re going to meet Arrington. We have something on him that will ensure he never comes looking for you again.”
“I want to go with. I mean, I don’t want to talk to him, but I need to see that he walks away.”
“Fine. Sinner, you’re on detail. Let’s go. We don’t have much time to get over there,” Sebastian barked out.
Minutes later, we were down in the garage loading into vehicles. I was hoping that this would all be over in a matter of an hour or two, but my gut was telling me it wasn’t that easy. Nothing had ever been that easy.
We waited outside my apartment building for about twenty minutes before Richard’s town car pulled up. He stepped out and headed for the building entrance, but Sebastian and the man he called Cazzo got out and met him at the door. I cracked the window so I could hear the conversation.
“Richard Arrington III?” Sebastian asked, though he knew it was him.
“Yes. What can I do for you?”
“I have something you need to see.” Sebastian handed over a manilla envelope which Richard took and opened. He scanned the pages and then visibly paled.
“Where did you get this?”
“I have my resources. Just know, there’s more where that came from.”
“What do you want from me?”
“You leave and never return. You don’t speak to Vira ever again, try to come near her, or even go to the same town she’s in. If she goes on vacation and you happen to be in the same place, you leave. You forget that you ever heard the name Sarah Anderson or anyone associated with her. If you ever so much as whisper her name or Vira’s this information goes to them, and I don’t think you want that to happen.”
Richard shook
his head.
“I have copies in secure locations, so don’t think that you’ll ever get around this. Just remember, these people wouldn’t be as nice as I would and give you a bullet to the head.”
I had never heard Sebastian like this before. His voice was lethal and it made me very glad that he was on my side. Richard took the envelope and quickly headed back to his town car. After he had gone, Sebastian and Cazzo walked back to the SUV and got in. Sebastian turned in his seat to talk to me.
“It’s over. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore. We’ll play it safe for the time being and have someone stay with you in case Richard decides he’s stupid.”
I shook my head. “I’m not staying. I was going to move to California.”
He looked shocked by this. “Sean didn’t say anything. Does he know you’re leaving?”
“No. I haven’t told anyone.”
“Not even Cece? You know she’s going to be pissed at you.”
“I’ll give her a call. I just need to start over.”
Sebastian nodded. “Sinner will stay with you and make sure you get to California. Then he’ll stay until he’s sure you’re safe.”
“Thank you, Sebastian.”
There was nothing more I felt I could say. He no doubt knew about everything that had happened and wouldn’t be on my side. It was best to just move on. I stepped out of the SUV with Sinner following behind me and we headed up to my apartment.
Hours later, I was just about finished with my packing when there was a knock at the door. Sinner waved me into the bedroom and walked to the door. After checking, he called out to me.
“Vira, you have a guest.”
Cece was standing at the door with murder in her eyes.
“Bitch, what do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m moving on.”
“And you weren’t going to tell me?”
“Cece, you have a new life here. I just don’t fit in anywhere anymore.”
“This is not the Vira I know. She was kickass and didn’t take any crap from anyone.”
Sean Page 20
