“Yeah, but I still messed up,” Andrew said and sighed heavily. “I never told you this, but I’ve told the sheriff, and Mr. Hollington and his investigators now, that it was Eric’s suggestion that you install a security system. Like Jasper and the rest of us, I just thought he was looking for every available resource we could tap to keep you safe. I never knew we were giving him a way into your house.”
“Not until Gabriel and Noah came home and blasted us for having the surveillance video on networked computers, that is,” Andrew added sadly. “It was then that I had pause. But I had nothing to back up the dread that had started to settle in my gut, though I began to investigate him as much as I could. I was looking into Eric before you ever came home, and I think that’s why he did his best to frame me. Make it look like I had been the one all along.”
“I see,” Emily whispered. She looked down at her hands laced with her fiancées much larger palms. She drew in a deep breath as they squeezed her fingers, then she looked back at Andrew.
“I suppose, Andrew, that’s why such crimes go unsolved for so long, or end on a tragic note. Because so often the one who wants to do harm looks like your neighbor, your coworker, or your friend. They look just like you and me. And I’d think after serving on the force for all these years, you would have an even better understanding of that than I do.”
“It just makes me glad that there are still good guys devoted to tracking down said criminals, so the rest of us stand a chance. I’m grateful the three of you are still there on the force, you know? Don’t lose your careers or let your work suffer because one bad soul manipulated us all. You do so much for the community, all of you, and that should continue.”
“Thank you, Emily,” Andrew breathed and looked down at his own hands as he tried to collect himself.
“And what of Ryan?” she asked quietly. “How is he faring in all of this?”
“Ryan’s on leave right now,” Jasper replied sadly and glanced over at Hollington. “We found out he changed the old report, from the night Jonathan tried to harm you years ago, on Eric’s prompting. Eric wanted his middle name, William, on there, to fulfill his need to feel as though he was your original protector. Ryan just thought he was clarifying the report, because my first name is William. And he was constantly funneling Eric updates about your whereabouts and status. Ryan let himself be led down a twisted rabbit hole, but it was his choice to let his mouth get away from him.”
“I don’t know.” Emily blew out a weary sigh and shook her head. “I understand the need for discretion while a case is being investigated, but I also can understand Ryan’s openness towards a fellow officer. He had no reason not to trust Eric, and so he did, without reservation. In some ways, I think his loss of trust and perhaps even yours, is another tragedy of Eric’s madness. None of us should lose faith in our fellow man… No matter what Eric did.”
“We’re trying not to.” Jasper nodded slowly and blew out his own shaky breath. It was clear that he was holding back his deep well of emotion, and Emily ached for him.
“Well, I still have faith,” she whispered. He looked at her intently, searching her eyes for the truth behind her words. “I do, Jasper,” Emily reaffirmed. “There are too many honest people sitting in this room right now, for me to ignore that good still exists, just as evil does. And I’m more determined than ever that Eric not strip that trust away. Fight with me, and know that we’ll all come out on the other side of this, whole and at peace. We will.”
“I like that. I like that a lot,” Jasper conceded. He turned his head and coughed into his fist, as his eyes welled with tears.
“So do I, Emily,” Andrew agreed solemnly.
“Good,” she nodded again and drew in a deep breath to steady herself.
“Are you staying in town, Emily, or will this make you finally move on?” Strauss asked, trying to find a way through the emotional storm that was swirling around the room.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Piers interrupted. “Emily may not answer any questions regarding her whereabouts or future travel plans. Not until a trial date is set and the proceedings are over.”
“You’re right. I know that.” Strauss frowned deeply, obviously kicking himself for yet another blunder.
“I understand from Gabriel’s father that you and your wife are preparing for your annual cake walk for the youth center downtown?” Emily asked Strauss, hoping to help him turn the tide a bit.
“Yes, Melinda and I do every year about this time,” he said and tried to crack a smile.
“Well, I’ll volunteer one cake, though I think I’ll let someone in Gabe or Noah’s family bring it to you. Tara, you in for one, too?” Emily asked.
“Oooo, a baking contest. You’re on,” Tara said with a wicked gleam in her eye. “I’m so gonna outdo you.”
“You can try,” Emily chuckled. “I have all of Gram’s cookbooks, remember?”
Tara made a sound of irritation, though she winked at Emily. Emily winked back, happy to have her silent support. She leaned into Noah’s side a little more, and listened as Gabriel’s father asked Jasper about his parents.
And as they talked, Emily listened and tried to give them her undivided attention. She wanted all three lawmen to see her steady, unwavering gaze and trust in the words she’d spoken to them – that none of them had control over Eric’s actions whatsoever, nor were they to blame.
CHAPTER 43
When Gabriel’s father returned to the den after walking the sheriff and deputies out almost an hour later, he told Gabe he was headed back home. Hollington asked him to wait a few more minutes and then invited everyone to reclaim their seats. Gabriel and Noah both narrowed their eyes slightly as they stared at him, obviously wondering what other surprises their boss had up his well-tailored sleeve.
“I’ve been reviewing our upcoming case loads this past week and I’ve also talked with the other two teams’ leaders about schedules and field rotations. Every other agent who’s a part of our taskforce knows and understands what you all have been through of late. They’ve given me their solemn promise that they’ll do anything they can to help your period of recovery continue, as long as you all need it. And I am speaking not just to Emily, Noah, and Gabriel, but to this entire team,” Hollington said as he paused and let his gaze roam over each man.
“You’re all family to one another, and this has impacted every single one of you. So, as of now, you are all on stand-down as you were before this began. You’d already run a double, filling in for team two when they had their own small crisis a month ago, so it’s time for you to rest.”
Emily let out an audible sigh of relief upon hearing Hollington’s words. It was as if he could look into her mind and know her greatest fear at present. And as always, he was ensuring his own people, and those they cared about, were safeguarded in any and all ways possible.
Hollington smiled tenderly at her and Emily gave him a grateful smile in return. Noah raised her hand held in his and kissed the back of it, while Gabriel lifted the hand he had draped behind her and smoothed it over her hair.
“Thank you, sir.” Gabriel replied. He turned his eyes away from Emily and looked to Hollington. “This means a lot, because we all definitely need a bit more time to heal. Just this morning Emily decided it’s time to talk with a counselor, and Noah and I want to be there by her side when she does. We’re not ready to leave her yet.”
“Yes, and I just removed her stitches yesterday, so she still needs Gabe and Noah by her side,” Lawton offered.
“Indeed,” Hollington smiled at his young agent.
“Mr. Hollington,” Noah’s father called to him, “I’m most grateful too, that you’re giving them time away from the job. When our sons do return to work, Emily is more than welcome to stay with her in-laws, or at least have us drop by to check on her each day. But right now, she just needs Noah and Gabriel. And they need her. I’m still shocked by the hell our kids had to live through. And I know that what they’re feeling is a hundred times
more painful and difficult to bear, than what we’re experiencing from the outside looking in.”
“Yeah, I agree,” said Gabriel’s father. “I want them to rest as much as possible before these young men get pulled back into the field. Everyone in this room needs to come to terms with just how close we came to losing someone we all care deeply for.”
“Not gonna happen on our watch, Dad,” Gabriel countered and cast a gentle smile his father’s way.
“No, I don’t think it will,” he grinned in return. “And on that note, I think I’ll head back to the house and your mother now. Call us today or tomorrow, son.”
“Will do,” Gabe nodded. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.” He dropped a quick kiss on Emily’s forehead and then rose to see his father to the door.
They strolled into the foyer to talk privately for several minutes. Noah’s father was right behind them, and Noah dutifully joined him as well. Soon, it was just the familiar group in the den. Plus one boss and one lawyer.
Emily closed her eyes and leaned back on the sofa, while she waited for the next important conversation to start. She knew what was coming now, there was no delaying it any longer. She just didn’t know who would call her to give an accounting first – Noah or Gabriel.
She’d never really told them of the incredible revenue she’d netted from her sales over the years, but she knew her time to hide that particular aspect about herself had just run out. And if she was marrying them, they’d have to know when she changed her Will and named them as the sole beneficiaries.
Hell, Emily thought, it really was time to pay the piper. Luckily, she had the funds to pay him… Well.
She felt the sofa dip on either side of her as Gabriel and Noah reclaimed their cushions. She reopened her eyes and looked around, only to see everyone pointedly staring at her. Crap, she thought, and huffed aloud.
“So, anybody hungry or thirsty?” Emily asked in a last ditch effort to distract them.
Gabriel chuckled and he looked over her head at Noah. “She really thinks we’ve forgotten?”
“Oh, she knows we haven’t,” Noah said sternly. “She’s just been holding her breath, thinking that we might step out of the room for a while so she can talk it all over with good old Piers over there. Weren’t you, Em?”
“Hmmm?” she asked innocently.
“Emily, start talking about this portfolio that we’ve had to hear about for the first time today,” Gabriel warned her. “From someone else,” he added dryly.
“I think portfolio is an inflated term, really,” she began and chewed her lower lip.
Noah’s eyes tracked her tongue as it darted out to wet her lips and he leaned in closer until they were only inches apart. “What did we tell you this morning, baby? We’re not such patient men, so tell us. Now.” A slow smile began to spread across his face as he watched her fidget.
She exhaled heavily and nodded. Where should she start, Emily wondered? Better start small and work them into the reality of her financial world. A world they were about to be immersed in.
“Well… Most of my parents’ estate was used over the years as I grew up, for whatever needs I had, and then later for college tuition and books. My grandparents didn’t have as much to leave me, though I still have some of their money in my savings account,” she began cautiously.
“Okay. So what are we talking here, Em? A few thousand, ten or twenty total?” Noah asked, curious over the furious blush spreading like wildfire across her skin.
“From their combined funds, I have about sixty-five thousand left over.”
“And from book sales? That’s what’s got you hesitating the most, isn’t it?” Gabriel asked and watched her eyes carefully. Just how well off was Emily, he wondered? He knew that they rarely went anywhere outside of Whitford Falls that she wasn’t asked for an autograph. People loved her books and gobbled them up as soon as they hit the shelves.
She glanced around the room to see everyone waiting patiently to hear her answer. Her eyes landed on Ross and he gave her a wide grin in response.
“What?!” Ross shrugged playfully. “I could pretend like I’m not listening; but honestly I’m dying to know what you’re worth. Come on and tell us, Emily. Put us out of our misery. Your secret won’t leave this room.”
“Yeah, ever since that girl zeroed in on you at the park, I’ve been curious about your popularity,” Garrett admitted. “I never realized you were so well known. Spill it, Emily.”
“Oh, all right,” she sighed in resignation. “I think I have somewhere in the neighborhood of fifteen… sixteen, maybe.”
“Sixteen hundred or thousand, Em?” Noah asked, as he breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she was just slightly embarrassed that her sales had not been as stellar as he’d thought initially.
“Million,” Emily mumbled.
“Say that again,” Gabriel said slowly. “And louder this time.”
“Fine. I have something close to sixteen million in the bank now,” she said and then clamped her mouth closed.
Gabriel and Noah looked at Emily as though she’d just grown a second head. Neither seemed capable of speech, and she began to squirm from their pointed stares. Finally she stood, unable to bear their scrutiny another moment, and threw her hands up.
“Okay, you win, you stubborn nuts! I have eighteen million, seven hundred and forty-eight thousand dollars in the bank. Give or take a few thousand.” She hurried on with her explanation, ready to get it all out.
“But the only thing that means, is that we can have a really comfortable life. There are also two children’s charities which I’m the principal donor for, but that’s all managed through a separate fund which my financial advisor helps me direct. I’ll have the money from the sale of my cottage, once we get it on the market. I have my SUV. Oh, and I have my granddad’s stamp and gun collections, but you guys are free to take those over. Any other questions?”
“Holy shit,” Garrett murmured in disbelief.
Lawton and Ethan exchanged dumbfounded expressions, unable to close their open mouths either.
But Ross burst out laughing and stood. He walked over to Emily and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I have to say, Miss Emily, I am in awe, sweetie. So glad to have you in the family. Maybe you can infuse some brain cells into us Neanderthals, from your advanced intellect.” He tweaked the end of her nose and shook his head in wonder.
“Hey, speak for yourself!” Braden chided and gave him a sour look.
“Okay, you two,” Kaden sighed as he watched Braden and Ross spar yet again.
Ross gave Emily a playful wink and then left the room, still chuckling to himself as he headed for the kitchen. His departure seemed to motivate the rest of the men and Tara to give in and laugh, as they rose and went to prepare an early lunch. Even Hollington and Piers seemed to sense the three of them needed privacy, so they followed everyone else out.
After several minutes it was just Emily, Noah, and Gabriel.
She shifted nervously from one foot to the other as they continued to stare at her without comment.
“Come on, guys, say something. Anything,” she pleaded, worried now that they were really angry with her for keeping secrets. But she’d never thought of her finances as a secret. Just information that didn’t amount to a hill of beans when it came to their relationship and her true desires where the two men were concerned. Money never bought happiness, so she’d never brought it up.
“Come here, Emily. Now,” Gabriel commanded her quietly. He crooked his finger at her and narrowed his blue eyes as she slowly drug her feet until she stood just in front of him.
“Yes, Gabriel?” she asked in the same hushed tone.
“Oh, no. You can’t, ‘Yes, Gabriel,’ your way out of this, honey. How did something this significant never come up over the last few weeks since you’ve lived here with us? Hell, for that matter, how about the last few years? Why wouldn’t you tell us how well off your writing had made you?”
“Gabriel, how mu
ch do you have in your bank account?” she countered, obviously hedging.
“Not as much as you, apparently,” he retorted.
Emily chuckled and his scowl only deepened.
“You think this is funny?” Gabriel asked and reached out for her hands, ready to pull her down on his lap and talk some sense into her. He didn’t feel like Emily had healed enough to put her over his knee and give her a few frisky smacks across her backside.
“Yes,” she nodded and continued to laugh softly. “Do you know why I asked you how much you had, you knucklehead? I’ll tell you why. Because I don’t know and I’ve never cared to know. Money is just what we earn so we can meet our needs.”
“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass what you or Noah have, and you shouldn’t worry about my funds either. Although now, I fully intend to have both of your names added to the accounts, so that it will all be our money. My parents never had separate accounts, neither did my grandparents, and I don’t intend to start out a marriage with his and her money. That’s just divisive and I won’t do it,” Emily said with a firm nod.
“Oh really?” Gabriel asked, trying hard now not to laugh at her growing ire. He thought she might actually swat him if he laughed. But honestly, he was so glad to see some fight come back to her, that he wanted to keep goading Emily so she’d give him hell.
“Really,” she sighed and moved forward of her own accord to sit on Gabriel’s lap. “Look, I’ve only ever wanted one thing in my entire life – and it’s not a man with a hefty bank account, or a man who wants access to mine to be happy.”
“And what have you wanted, Emily?” Noah asked, finding his voice at last. He lifted her legs and draped them across his lap as he stared into her eyes.
“To live my life each and every day with the two of you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. And now that I have that promise, now that I have your love, the rest is just superfluous. Icing on the cake,” she said and gifted them with a broad, beautiful smile.
“Well, we’re going to be able to afford a lot of damn cake over the years,” Noah smirked.
Theirs To Claim (Predatory Desires Book 1) Page 42
