by Lacey Silks
Her gaze lowered to the floor, and I knew that not all had been well in paradise.
“It was a marriage. All marriages have problems and issues. We were no different.”
I wondered what those issues were, but April broke my train of thought.
“Why would anyone set up a policy for fifty million?” The blank look in her eyes was enough to tell me that April had no idea about the money or the policy. Then who had cashed in the policy, and where was the money?
“Your husband owed a lot of money to a lot of bad people. They want their debts paid. You may not know it, but they’ve been watching you during the past twenty-four months, waiting for that money to be claimed.”
Her body trembled.
“Don’t worry. This house is off the grid, and it’s secure.”
“What about my house?”
“I don’t know. But they won’t touch you until they know the exact location of the money. The last thing Simon’s debtors want is any kind of attention from the police.”
She shook again.
Fuck! Why the hell was I saying all the wrong things?
“Two months ago, within a few days of the second anniversary of Simon’s death, the full fifty million was collected from the insurance company and transferred to an account in Switzerland. All the money was withdrawn about a month ago. You were the only one named in the policy. My employer has a reason to believe you withdrew what was owed to them… and now they want payback.”
I let the thought sink in for a moment. If April didn’t have the money, she was probably wondering who did and how it was possible for it to be withdrawn when it was in her name.
“This is too much, even for me. Whatever it is, I don’t want any part in it. I’ve been through enough.” She stood up and started heading for the door, and then stopped. “Parker!”
“April, you can’t leave.” I lowered my voice. “There’s much more I need to tell you.”
My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. I wanted to ignore it, but I was expecting an update on the photograph I’d sent to Gord earlier.
I raised my finger, definitely not meaning to act like a total disrespectful jerk, saying, “Do not move.”
There it was. The confirmation I was waiting for.
“Fuck.” I hadn’t meant to swear out loud.
“Who was that?” She pointed to the phone.
“We were being followed at the zoo. I hoped it was just a coincidence, but it wasn’t.”
“So this guy now knows where we are?”
“No, I lost him on the highway on our way back. My colleague is trying to find out who he is, but it’s not easy with just a face. I sent him a picture from the zoo.”
“Wait, the guy in the green shirt?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I thought I’d seen him before. Close to my work. At a park.”
“Okay, you’re officially staying at my house. At least for the weekend.”
“I… I can’t…”
“And I promise to tell you everything, including my real last name.”
I had her attention now.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You talk first, and then I decide what happens next.”
“I like the bossy you.”
“Don’t.” She took a step back and raised her hand as if swearing me off forever. It hurt like hell, but if there was anything I was good at in life, it was perfect seduction; and if she’d been smitten with me up until now, then she had no idea what was coming her way.
Chapter 13
April
Sean made coffee, and we went into the sunroom. I curled my legs underneath my body. How could I still feel so comfortable with a man who had admitted not only to lying to me, but had also been hired by God knew whom to “get rid of me,” as he said? Truth be told, I still felt safer here than anywhere else. Stepping out that front door would mean I was on my own. And if there was any chance that Sean was the enemy, then it was better to keep him even closer.
Parker and Charlie both popped into the room.
“Mom, can I go swimming?”
“We’ll be going home soon. It’s already after eight.”
Sean frowned and his jaw tensed.
“Please? It’s Sunday tomorrow, and we have no school on Monday.”
That’s right, I’d forgotten it was a staff development day. I was going to take Parker to work with me on Monday.
“The indoor pool’s heated,” Lily peeked in from the kitchen. “And I can watch them.”
“Actually, I’d love to watch them. And then we’ll go home.”
Sean frowned again, as if he knew I was avoiding a conversation, but I wasn’t sure whether I could take any more talking about his secrets and reminding myself of mine. I did want more answers, but I had to process all the information he’d given me first.
At the pool, the water reflected on the ceiling, the waves dancing as Parker and Charlie both jumped in. To the side, a steaming jacuzzi was at rest. It would be so wonderful to sit there and forget all my troubles. Beyond, the dark skies were visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows that backed onto a mysterious garden. I could just make out the dark shadows of trees and bushes. Sean set up a lounger at the side of the pool, saying, “I’m going to take a dip. Want to join?”
“Thanks, but I don’t have a suit.”
“You can use your bra and panties.”
“They’re white. You’ll be able to see-through them.”
“Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
I rolled my eyes. There was no way I was going in. I pulled the sweater Lily had lent me around my body and sat down in the lounger.
“We’re going home once you’re done,” I reminded him.
He gave me that Not if I have anything to say about it look and removed his shirt. I shut my eyes. Seeing those abs would only bring back my naughty thoughts, and my brain really needed a break. When I heard him dive into the pool, I finally exhaled.
I kept my eyes closed, traveling back in time. Had Simon lied to me, or had he been protecting me? Had he sacrificed himself so that I could pay off those debts? Had I tampered with his plans by covering up the murder? The money would have been paid right away; instead, according to Sean, the two-year waiting period had to pass first. But how could this have been in my family’s interest if I hadn’t even known about the policy? And who had collected the money?
This was too confusing.
“Is everything all right?” Lily startled me and I opened my eyes. How did she know? And how could I tell her that it wasn’t?
“Just life.”
“Life is not just life, dear. It’s a road. And if you take the wrong path, you may never be able to turn back.”
Was I on that wrong path? At this moment I felt like the fork in the road was right in front of me. Which way should I go? Trust Sean, or go back home to my new life and pretend there were no people looking for me who wanted fifty million dollars I didn’t have?
“But how do you know which path to take?” I asked.
“Sometimes your instinct will guide you. Other times, you take a chance because the path is obscured by a fog. The trick is to pass through it without running into bigger trouble.”
“I’m afraid Sean is my trouble.”
“Sean is many things, but he’s no trouble, dear. And I’m not saying that because I’m his mother. I’m saying it because I raised a man I know I can be proud of.”
“I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but that’s what I thought before I found out he lied to me.”
“Want me to smack him over his head?”
I laughed. “No, I think I can manage.”
“I have no doubt you can. If you do want my advice, though, then know that if he lied to you, it was because he was either misinformed or he wanted to protect you. You two really fit well together.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls he brings home.”
“Actually, you’re the first one I’ve seen him with
since Charlie died. Sean’s job is a complicated one, but also one he takes a lot of pride in.”
I was pretty sure that Lily didn’t know what it was that Sean’s job entailed either. After all, he’d been hired to get rid of me. How could she be proud of that? While it might have been complicated, I was sure that nothing could justify his actions.
“His job as a teacher?” I asked.
“I think we both know that he’s not a teacher.”
“What is it that he does, exactly?” Could Lily give me more information than Sean has offered?
“He needs to be the one to tell you, April. But trust in him. He wouldn’t hurt a soul.”
That couldn’t be true. If he agreed to get rid of me, then I was sure he’d had other ‘jobs.’ How was that not hurting others?
“Excuse me, honey. I’ll get some snacks for the kids. They’ll be famished after the swim.”
“Do you need any help?”
“No, you stay here. Relax.”
When Lily left, I watched Sean play in the pool with Charlie and Parker and an odd thought – that I could actually get used to this – crossed my mind. Chills of happiness swept over my arms, and I shook my head. I barely knew this man. I wasn’t ready for a relationship of any sorts, never mind a long-term one. Besides, I had yet to figure out how he was going to be involved in my life while those supposed people who hired him were looking for me and the money. How had my life, in the span of three weeks, become so complicated?
Sean picked up Parker and threw him up into the air. My son splashed into the water and laughed when he surfaced. Charlie was next. I watched him lift the kids, one after the other. His back was turned to me. The muscles twisted and flexed as he strained, and I wished I could feel their strength under my palms. The colorful tattoo came alive with every move, the eagle’s wings fluttering as the muscles on his back flexed and relaxed. The memory of him lifting me against that shower wall hit me, and I wished I was in that pool on my own, next to him, completely naked. How was it possible that despite his lies and what he’d told me, I still felt so safe?
I took the opportunity of time alone and dialed Millie’s number. She’d been texting me the entire day, asking for details, but I never found the time to share them. I hated breaking my promise.
“How’s Eagle Man?”
“Fine. I’m watching him swim with the kids.”
“It’s raining.”
“In his indoor pool.”
“So Eagle Man turned out to be a rich peacock?”
“The cock is definitely not pea-sized,” I chuckled.
“You slut!”
“I learned from the best. Listen, I can’t really talk now, but Monday, you and me do lunch, please?”
“You don’t have to beg me if you’re going to talk about Eagle Man’s cock.”
“I won’t, but I can tell you how he got me in the shower.”
Why was it that with everything that had happened and I should have been telling Millie about, I chose to talk about his cock?
“Deal. Hopefully by Monday, there will be a bedroom, dining room, and pool story you can tell me about as well.”
“I doubt it.”
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s complicated. Sean’s not who he says he is. Listen, I gotta go. He’s coming over.”
“I’ll see you on Monday.”
I hung up without saying goodbye. Sean stood in front of me, soaking wet, his swim shorts clinging to him like Saran wrap. If there was one thing I was sure about, it was that this man had definitely made the wrong career choice. He should have been a model.
“You’re licking your lips,” he growled, as he sat down on the chair beside me. “Are you hungry?”
Yes, but not for food.
“No, I’m fine. I should get Parker out of the pool. It’s getting late.”
“And it’s thundering outside. I’m not going to let you drive in dangerous weather.”
“It’s just rain.”
“And a tornado warning.”
“Really? Or are you just trying to make me stay?”
“Both. Please, April. It would make me feel a lot better. I have more I need to tell you. We can have a nice breakfast in the morning and hopefully talk some more about Simon.”
“You’re the first man I’ve met who wanted to talk about my deceased husband.”
“He was a lucky man. If he were here, I’d ask him how to bring that wall of yours down.”
“If he were here, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“True enough. But I must insist. You can have my room, and Charlie has bunk beds. They’re already making plans to convince you, so if my speech doesn’t, you’ll have to deal with two disappointed children.”
“Sean, I…”
“April, if you don’t stay for yourself, then stay for Parker’s safety. I need to find out more information about the guy from the zoo. Besides, there really is a tornado warning.”
What was it with all the natural phenomena and us? The volcano in Hawaii that tore us apart and now the potential tornado bringing us back together.
“All right. We’ll stay. But I can sleep on the couch.”
“Why on the couch, when there are eight extra bedrooms in this house? You’ll take my room and I’ll take a bedroom next to yours. Unless you think I should stay with you.”
“I think I should be on my own. I need to think, and I can’t do that around you.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind, I can always take your mind off things the old-fashioned way.”
“Which would be?”
I knew the minute I said that, I shouldn’t have asked him the question. What the heck was I doing? I needed to stay as far away from Sean as I could, not flirt with him. That spark of desire in his eyes and crooked smile were enough to make my thighs tense, and he hadn’t even spoken.
“I think you remember how well I fit inside you. But if that’s not enough, I could tease you with my fingers and lick you until you’re dry, screaming my name at the top of your lungs, forgetting any troubles you may have. My bedroom is sound-proof. How does that sound, April?”
Too good.
“The kids are here.”
“So? They can’t hear us. And I can’t stop thinking about being inside you. Share my bed, April.”
“I can’t. Too much has happened. I need time to process everything you told me.”
He didn’t look too happy.
“Okay, I’ll give you time to realize that I’m what you need. I can protect you, satisfy you, and be the most worthy man you ever had.”
“I was married.”
“It doesn’t mean you had a man who cherished you.”
Wow.
Thank goodness Parker and Charlie were getting out of the pool because I didn’t know how to reply to that. Why did Sean want to give me everything when I had nothing to offer? Only more questions. More uncertainty. Less control.
Sean leaned in and whispered before the kids came closer, “Look, I don’t make excuses for what I do. But I can tell you it’s always for those who are on the losing end of a bargain. I don’t hurt the innocent; I help them. I work hard, don’t take bullshit or lies, pursue my goals, and fuck like I have a jackhammer for a dick, because well, I believe if you do something, you better do it right.”
Yeah, if we were in private, that last part could have driven me over the edge. He stood up straight and ruffled his hair with his towel. Sean looked like the sexiest murderer-kidnapper-assassin in the world.
“According to your beliefs, I’m not the one on the losing end of a bargain because I supposedly have fifty million dollars that belong to… actually I don’t even know who that money belongs to.”
“Technically, I should tie you up and put you in the trunk of my car.”
What?
“I’m kidding, April. But if you’re innocent, the way I think you are, it only means that someone lied to me – and when I find the bastard, I will stuff
his balls down his throat so that no more lies can come out of his fucking mouth.”
As enticing as that sounded, I definitely didn’t want to see it.
Charlie and Parker rounded the corner toward us with bright smiles and wide eyes.
“Did she agree?” Charlie pulled a towel around her. I had three sets of the most beautiful eyes pleading with me. If Sean’s perfectly seductive stare wasn’t enough, then the children were definitely the winners.
“April, would you mind brushing my hair?” Charlie asked. Obviously she’d inherited her father’s persuasion skills.
“Of course, sweetheart.”
I took the comb out of her hand and gently combed through the tangled locks. I’d always wondered what it would be like to have a daughter – to share girly feelings with her, go shopping, enjoy an afternoon of pedicures at a spa, and give her boyfriend advice. Charlie was such a wonderful young girl, it was a pity she’d lost her mother at such a young age. Even much younger than I had been when I’d lost mine. While no one could replace her for me, I’d always looked up to my grandmother as that figure. I wished I hadn’t lost her either.
Feeling Sean’s eyes fixed on me, something strange passed over me. It would be so easy not to run away from him, allowing him to take the lead and see where this relationship led. But I couldn’t think with rose-colored glasses over my eyes, the way Millie had. Not yet, at least. I had to figure out how to get rid of this supposedly fifty-million-dollar target on my back and not die in the process. I was a survivor; but I wasn’t sure that I could survive another murder.
Chapter 14
