I could tell her to go change, and take a shower.
I could try to clean up the mess I’ve made with my father before we have it out over Leigha.
But I don’t.
I will not back down again.
Leigha is the woman I love.
Slowly, I get up and twist the door handle open.
“What’s wrong with you?” my dad asks jovially.
When he steps inside, he sees Leigha is standing there, in my bloodied shirt.
“Evan, what exactly is going on?” he asks firmly.
“It’s a long story,” I say calmly.
I point to the body on the ground, and my father, who doesn’t scare easily, jumps about a foot off the ground.
“Dear God, who is that!” he shouts.
“Room service? We don’t know,” Leigha deadpans.
I almost laugh.
“Did you check him?” my dad asks.
“Let’s do that now,” I say.
I wave my hand, as if to say, “Come in, take over and do whatever you want. Fuck everyone else; you’re Noah Stone.”
He just walks over to the corpse, and begins to rummage through the pockets.
He finds a wallet, but there is no ID, or anything else.
I toss Leigha the wallet and grab my phone, taking a picture.
“Well, we need to call the police, don’t we?” my father asks.
“What’s this?” Leigha interrupts.
My father and I turn to look at the little card she’s holding up.
“By invitation only, this card grants the holder, and one guest, entrance to The Whittaker Club on April 1, 2018,” Leigha reads it out loud, her voice beginning to shake.
I move close to her, and hug her.
“Let me see that,” my father says, tonelessly.
He reads it, turning it over in his hand, examining it carefully.
He sets it down on a table, and looks at the dead man in the pool of blood.
“The Whittaker Club?” Noah Stone says, gravely.
His scowl mirrors the feeling in my heart.
30
Leigha
March 21, 2018
I fold my legs underneath me and study the little card harder, as though it will reveal some clue as to what the Whittaker Club actually is.
We are all back on Noah’s airplane.
“Well, since Tinsley knows nothing about this, I highly doubt that given the situation, this is a coincidence,” Levi says.
After hours of questioning by the police, still wearing Evan’s blood-spattered shirt no less, they had finally released me.
I was offered medical attention at the end of my interrogation, but declined.
Thank God Evan has political immunity, due to Duke Whittaker.
“Duke Whittaker,” I say the name out loud.
It comes to me out of nowhere.
“Evan, didn’t you say you were suspicious of the Duke?” I ask him.
Evan’s head perked up as soon as I mentioned the Duke.
“It’s him,” Evan is sure.
Tinsley looks supremely uncomfortable.
“God, don’t tell me everyone in the Whittaker family is hiding something,” Tinsley mutters under her breath.
“Who else would it be though? Out of all your relatives?” Evan reasons.
“No one,” Tinsley says, and sighs heavily.
She looks as though she’s on the verge of tears, and I don’t blame her.
After what her father did to keep her and Noah apart, and then keeping her royal lineage a secret all those years?
If I were Tinsley I would’ve probably just gone into hiding, for fear someone else would try to destroy me.
“I say we go! The invitation says two, right? Levi and I should go. If Noah, Tinsley, or Evan walk through that door their going to automatically know that something is wrong,” I say.
“You’re missing the fact that Levi looks just like my father,” Evan points out.
“Side by side, yes, but there’s a slight indecipherable difference between them that I believe we’ll be able to use for our advantage. Aidan and Lucius would be red flags as well. Too bad Merc is gone, or we could’ve used him,” I add the last part without thinking.
Evan and I look at each other, and there’s a definite sadness over Merc’s sudden disappearance.
We haven’t even really talked about what happened, but I still regret nothing.
Maybe we don’t need to talk about it at all, I lie to myself.
I’m inherently an insecure woman, and I know the thoughts swirling in my head stem from that.
My ex broke me down.
Evan and Merc build me back up.
I still can’t help wondering what it all means.
“Leigha’s right,” Noah says.
“It’s a risk though, Leigha. Are you sure you’re willing to take it?” he asks.
I nod instantly.
“Definitely! This asshole tried to kill me. It’s only fair that we find them on their turf and see what’s really going on,” I tell Noah.
Evan looks uneasy.
“Don’t give me that look!” I snap at Evan.
“Well, if you’re going with anyone I’d prefer it were Merc. But, Levi, at least he knows what he’s doing,” Evan says.
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here please,” Levi interjects.
“Sorry, man,” Evan apologizes.
“No foul,” Levi replies.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” I say.
“That’s a valid point,” Levi says suddenly.
“What?” I ask.
I was just quoting Macbeth, I didn’t mean anything by it.
“Beautiful things become ugly… okay, let me think a moment,” he says.
He paces around, and then looks at me.
“We’re missing something,” he begins.
“Aunt Lizzie and my mother are tied together with Michael Bishop, who is the brains behind the Ventretti Mafia. That seems odd to me, because he’s not even Italian. My experience is that they wouldn’t allow for that in the organization. There’s another piece of the puzzle missing, and this is it. Hear me out,” Levi says.
We all give him our undivided attention.
He’s just like Noah, in that way.
In command.
“Elizabeth clearly wants Evan and Leigha dead, but why them? Why hasn’t she, say, attacked Tinsley or Noah? Or Athena for that matter? Why Evan and Leigha?” Levi asks.
I’m stumped.
“Because we went after her?” Evan offers.
“Not good enough,” Levi says.
“Listen, Levi, I know that you probably know Aunt Lizzie better than I do, but I’ve been playing this game for years…” Evan trails off.
He pauses for a second, and then snaps his fingers, excitedly.
“Oh, my God, now I fucking remember! When Dad asked for my help a few years ago, I just fucked around and dropped her name everywhere, trying to get her into trouble. Remember?” he says.
Noah nods.
“What if one of those times actually got her into trouble?” Evan says.
“Yes,” Levi says.
“It’s not just one of those times; it’s all of that combined together. If she’s working with the Ventretti’s under Michael Bishop, and there’s someone else in play here, you can bet that their benefactor is probably pissed off that she’s getting all that attention,” Levi continues.
“He’s right,” I say.
“But, what does Duke Whittaker have to do with all of this?” I ask.
“I think I know,” Noah says.
His voice is suddenly dark, and Noah is looking down.
When he raises his head, it’s clear that this is something he never wanted to tell anyone, but there’s nowhere else to go.
“Evan, remember when you said that Olivia blackmailed me into marriage?” Noah asks.
Evan just nods.
I’m dumbfounded!
I never even considered that was a possibility.
Who the hell could blackmail Noah Stone?
“Olivia blackmailed me because I knew the Duke’s secret. She threatened to expose it to the world, which would’ve been even more trouble for me, for my family. I didn’t want it getting out. I thought it was harmless enough, but Olivia obviously had other intentions,” Noah says.
“Get to the point, Dad,” Evan snaps.
“Elizabeth and Lauren, are Duke Whittaker’s twin daughters out of wedlock. They were adopted by the Darlingtons. No one was ever supposed to know, but…” Noah pauses.
He glances at Tinsley.
“Around the time we met, she’d found her birth certificate, and she’d learned the secret. She struggled with how she’d been lied to, by her own parents. Elizabeth turned to me for comfort, so you see, I’ve known all along,” Noah says.
Tinsley’s face goes white.
“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Noah asks.
“I’m…” Tinsley begins, but she can’t find the words.
I get up, and slowly take Sebastian from her arms, and then take the seat across from her.
Sebastian is fast asleep.
“It must be a lot to digest,” I tell Tinsley.
She only nods.
“It’s a far-off relation, it doesn’t mean anything,” I say.
“But they’re in my bloodline,” Tinsley says.
“Everyone in the Whittaker side of the family is harboring secrets and lies, or doing treacherous things to hurt the people they love. I don’t understand it. What if that happens to me?” she asks.
Tinsley looks up at me with a forlorn look.
Noah kneels down beside her.
“Tinsley, look at me,” says Noah.
He tilts her head down, so she’s looking directly at him.
“You are nothing like them. Surely you know everyone can see it? You are far stronger, far more independent, and most of all, your heart is good. You would never hurt anyone the way that they have,” Noah says soundly.
Tinsley nods, and they share a kiss so tender and gentle that it hits a spot deep in my heart.
I slowly move away from them, to give them privacy, and move back to the front of the plane, where Evan and Levi are speaking in hushed tones.
“Duke Whittaker must be involved with this club; he must be the one behind the attempt on Leigha’s life,” Evan says.
“I think the ultimate aim was just to kill you both. These are powerful men who want to exchange women and assets with each other for more power, more prestige. That’s the only way I can think of it,” Levi explains.
A shiver runs up my spine.
“We need to go in with hidden cameras, and a microphone,” I tell Levi.
“Good thinking, the more evidence we have, the better for them to leave us the bloody hell alone,” Levi adds.
“I don’t like this, I don’t want Leigha in any danger whatsoever,” Evan interjects.
“I won’t let her out of my sight, I promise you that, Evan. Something will happen to me before I let anything happen to the woman you love,” Levi says.
His careless use of that word makes me look at the ground.
Evan doesn’t love me, I’m sure of that.
Even if I’ve always loved him.
But, Evan just doesn’t feel the same, I know this for a fact.
After all, in Venice, he couldn’t bring himself to sleep with me, yet with Merc involved he had no inhibitions.
I need Merc.
NOW.
I need to tell Merc that I want to go with him because I can’t pine after Evan any longer.
Once this is all cleared up, I’ll go with Merc and do whatever he wants.
Lost in my thoughts I’ve missed out on part of the ongoing conversation.
“I can’t say I like it, but if you swear you’ll protect her, Levi, then I believe you,” Evan says with finality.
“What’s the address on the card?” Levi asks.
This is where I sigh heavily, shake my head, and make a big show of being angry.
“That’s what we’re missing,” I tell them both.
“Then we need lists, of all Whittaker’s properties, his companies, anything transferred in and out of his name, we need to find it,” Levi says.
“I’ll call Merc,” I say coldly.
“Are you okay?” Evan asks, concerned.
“I’m fine,” I brush him off.
I know it’s a dangerous thing to do, but I need to call Merc before I lose my mind.
However, he finds me first.
As soon as we are on the ground, and I take my phone off plane mode, it begins to buzz. There are a dozen missed messages from Merc.
Immediately I call him, and Merc picks up on the first ring.
I walk away from everyone, but Evan tries to follow.
“Can you leave me alone for two seconds?” I snap at him.
“Leigha, what did I do?” Evan asks, his voice sounding hurt.
I wave him away.
“Just go, I’m on the phone,” I say.
He doesn’t move, so I give him my warning glare.
“Why are you mad?” he asks.
“I’m not,” I lie.
But, I am mad.
I’m mad.
I’m the fool.
“Listen, Leigha,” Evan starts.
I shush him with my hand, waving, as Merc answers the phone.
“Hey, sorry I missed you, we were in the air flying back to London,” I say brightly into the phone.
Evan’s face goes dark and, as angry as I am, I want to wipe away the hurt on his face with a kiss.
Just one kiss.
“There was an emergency, Leigha. I’m so sorry I had to leave like that. I didn’t have a choice, and I didn’t want to wake you and Evan,” Merc explains.
There’s something about the way Merc says ‘you and Evan’ that makes me uneasy.
He can’t possibly think there’s something between Evan and me?
It’s nothing put platonic feeling on Evan’s part, and of that I’m sure.
“It’s alright, I completely understand Merc, you don’t need to apologize. I need to apologize as well, because I have a favor to ask of you,” I tell him in a sweet voice.
Evan storms off, grumbling.
The spoiled baby!
Who does he think he is?
Still, I’ve a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.
But, I also realize that now is my chance!
Now I can tell Merc that I want to go with him, that I want to be with him, and that’s it.
I try to tell him, but find that, suddenly I can’t.
The words get stuck in my throat.
Instead, I explain what exactly we need regarding Duke Whittaker, and why we need it.
“I’ll do you one better,” Merc says in a sexy voice.
“Oh, really?” I ask, trying to be seductive.
“It’s in Lake Como, a fairly large Villa,” Merc says.
I wonder if this was the emergency Merc had to attend to, and instinctively know that I am probably right.
However, I know this line is far from secure, and if someone happened to be wiretapping my phone, they’d get everything.
“I’ll get you the details,” Merc says.
I hear him thinking.
“I have to go. But, Leigha,” he breathes into the phone.
“Yes?” I ask hopefully.
“The other night meant a lot to me, and I hope you know that,” Merc says.
“It meant a lot to me too,” I say.
Then, Merc says something that only confirms my suspicion.
“Even if you think that Evan is the one you want, you deserve better. You deserve me, Leigha. You know I’m better for you. I’m not so sure you know that. I don’t think you see it,” Merc says, trying to be direct with me.
I want to tell him Evan doesn’t love me.
What hurts me the most is that E
van hasn’t said a word about our tryst.
He’s had plenty of time.
“I don’t even think Evan’s an option, Merc, and I don’t think you want me by default,” I confess.
“No, I don’t,” he confirms.
“But I want all of you, every second of every day, and I’ll do anything to prove to you that I’m the man you need in your life,” he says every word slowly, determined.
The line goes dead.
“Fuck!” I scream.
I should’ve told Merc, right then and there that I would go with him.
My loyalty to Evan stands.
As his friend, I will finish this through for him, and for me.
But, I won’t stand around anymore waiting for Evan, who only sees me in the background.
We’ll always be friends, I won’t deny him that.
But Merc is my choice.
He has to be.
31
Evan
March 21, 2018
I hear Leigha scream at the top of her lungs, and I want to instantly go to her – but, my father.
My goddamned father.
“Why again, is Leigha off-limits to me?” I pester him.
“Evan,” my father says evenly.
“Haven’t you hurt that woman enough?” he asks.
“What I see happening is if you two get together, you will hurt that woman again. You had a child together, which you lost, and then you left for the military. Do you even remember that? Or did you conveniently forget that part of the story?” my father reminds me.
“I know. I know I did that! And I feel I’ve more than made it up to Leigha. I do everything I can to make things up to her, whenever I fuck up,” I explain.
“What about Victoire?” he interjects.
“Victoire wouldn’t have even happened if Leigha hadn’t convinced me to go back to her!” I scream.
This silences him, giving him pause.
The truth is I wanted Leigha.
I wanted Leigha so badly, but she refused to be with me!
She told me to go back to Victoire, and to not say a word about that night.
How could I ever forget about how her soft kisses so quickly turned passionate?
Leigha tasted like tequila and menthol cigarettes, and she drew me into a haze I don’t remember ever feeling before, and every single act of taking off our clothes was slow and sensual.
Secret: A Stone Billionaire Series Novel (The Stone Billionaire Series Book 5) Page 20
