Playboy Billionaire (The Carolina Series Book 3)

by Jill Downey

  Penelope fought to keep from hyperventilating. Her voice sounded weak and wavering as she tried to reason with him. “I can’t go with you right now. It’s an incredibly generous offer, I know you’re trying to look out for me, but I’m in the middle of a project, I can’t let everyone down. At least let me finish what I started. Then we can see where this takes us. We have a lot to catch up on.”

  “Are you in love with that billionaire co-star the tabloids have been linking you with?”

  “No!” she said sharply, not wanting him anywhere near Griffin.

  His lips twisted, “Did I strike a nerve?”

  “No, I just don’t want anyone hurt.”

  “They won’t be, as long as you cooperate. Their fate is in your hands now Penelope. Make it simple. Do the right thing. Come with me.”

  Penelope’s stomach roiled. She was sure she was going to be sick. Summoning up all her acting skills and courage, she made another attempt to reason with him, praying for a miracle. “After I finish with the film, we can start making our plans together. Even though it sounds like a dream to up and walk away, I can’t be spontaneous.” Her mind was going a mile a minute, turning over escape plans that she quickly discarded as futile.

  “This offer is non-negotiable. I’m not stupid, Penelope.”

  She looked up at him through her lashes and smiled, “Are you kidding me? I know how brilliant you are. Owning a billion-dollar tech company before you were even thirty? That’s amazing.”

  “I’d suggest you grab a few things for the trip. Just enough to get you through the next day or so. I’ll buy you whatever you need after that. I have my private jet on standby, waiting for us. Be quick, it’s time.”

  Penelope saw a movement on the back patio. Griffin. Be careful, she said silently. She got up and started pacing to keep Josh distracted.

  “Quit pacing and get your things, now!”

  He pointed his gun toward the hallway, “Let’s go.”

  He followed her to her bedroom.

  40

  Griffin couldn’t shake a feeling of dread as he paced his living room. Fuck it, I’m going back to the party and force her to talk. He ran out the door and jumped into his Audi. He felt a sense of urgency that he couldn’t explain.

  When he arrived at the Butler house the party was still in full swing. His eyes searched the room, but he couldn’t find Penelope. Spying Dolly, he made his way over to her.

  “She left. Said she had a headache and was going to take some aspirin and relax by the pool,” Dolly said.

  “Thanks.”

  “Griffin don’t give up on her. She’s worth fighting for.”

  His lips tightened, “I’m trying.”

  “Go get her, and good luck,” she said, smiling sympathetically.

  On his way out, Noah grabbed him. “Leaving again?”

  “Yeah, I’m heading over to Penelope’s. That alright with you?” he said sarcastically.

  “Better than that because I need a ride. Can you give me a lift? I’ve had a little too much to drink.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Great. Ready when you are.”

  Griffin forced himself to relax. He really didn’t hate the guy. In fact, he’d had some good conversations with Noah and had it not been for the tension over Penelope, they might have even become friends.

  “What’s with you and Penelope? On or off?” Noah said.

  “I could ask you the same question.”

  “Definitely off, but through no choice of my own. I’d take her back in a heartbeat. I’m still in love with that woman. She’s really something isn’t she?”

  “Yes, she is.”

  Noah clapped Griffin on the shoulder, “Look, I know we’ve not always been on the greatest of terms, but I think you’re alright. It’s unfortunate that we happened to be vying for the same girl. You’ve been nothing but professional on the set, learned your lines, amazing acting, you’re the icing on the cake of this film. I have a good feeling about it.”

  Griffin’s lips turned up slightly, “High praise coming from you. Thanks.”

  “No problem. Whoever winds up with Penelope is one lucky man. I totally fucked up. But, fair warning, I haven’t completely lost hope,” he chuckled, “almost…but may the best man win.”

  Griffin pulled into Noah’s drive frowning, his unease returning when he saw an unfamiliar car parked in Penelope’s drive. He recognized Luke’s vehicle but not the other sedan. “Whose car is that?”

  “No idea,” Noah replied. He hopped out and headed for home. “See ya around.”

  Griffin parked on the street then decided to walk around to the back. Dolly had said Penelope would be hanging out there. The ocean was calm this evening, the temperatures had been steady, only dipping into the mid-sixties at night, unusual for early November. As he rounded the corner, he saw Luke, sprawled on the ground unconscious. His hands were tied behind his back and he was gagged. He squatted down beside him and checked for a pulse. It was strong. He untied his hands and removed the gag. Then he heard a male voice shouting and froze.

  “Shut up!” he saw the intruder waving a gun. “Don’t say that.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry. We’ll do it your way.”

  Griffin saw him rubbing Penelope’s cheek with the barrel of the gun and wanted to storm inside and kill him.

  “He was your first, wasn’t he? That maggot senator took your virginity. And to think it was because of me that your paths crossed in the first place. I’ve had to live with that.”

  “He had you first. Didn’t he!”

  “Yes.”

  “That son of a bitch. I should have stopped him back then.”

  Griffin broke out in a sweat. Penelope was in big trouble. He pulled out his phone and texted Noah.

  Griffin: Call the police. Silent approach. Penelope is in trouble. Armed intruder, possible hostage situation. At least one man. Not sure if there’s more. I’m going in. Security knocked out and unconscious southeast side of house.

  His phone immediately buzzed back.

  Noah: I’m on it. Wait for me. Don’t go in alone.

  Griffin silenced his phone then headed back. He flattened himself against the wall, inching his way slowly. He wasn’t about to wait for Noah. When he reached the corner, he peeked his head around and could see that the man had his back to the window and was waving a gun in the air. Penelope sat on a bar stool facing the patio.

  He hoped he could get her attention without her giving it away. With the outdoor patio lights on, he would be visible if she was looking. If she saw him, she might be able to keep the intruder distracted long enough for him to approach. He made his move and quickly dashed to the arbor, crouching down behind the hot tub. Peering over the top, he couldn’t be sure, but he thought that maybe Penelope knew he was there.

  He waited for a second and then she stood up and began pacing, ensuring that she had the full attention of her assailant. Good. She knew he was there.

  “Quit pacing and get your things, now!”

  He pointed his gun toward the hallway, “Let’s go.”

  He followed her, his gun pointed at her back.

  Griffin spied Noah and motioned him over. This was a lucky break. They had one shot at it. There wasn’t time to wait for the police.

  Speaking softly, he filled Noah in. “One man, as far as I could tell, he has a gun trained on Penelope. From what I could gather, he’s taking her hostage and they went to her bedroom for her to gather things. I’m going in.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait for the police?”

  “No. We have the element of surprise. I think Penelope saw me, so she’ll be working with us. If we get inside, we can hide in the great room until they come out then try to overtake him.”

  “I’ll follow your lead.”

  “Once we get inside, when I nod, you’ll know I’m about to go for it. I’ll try to disarm him. We have to make a silent run for it. Now!”

  They made it inside and ducked down behind the s
ectional sofa. They could hear faint voices that were getting louder as they approached. Griffin looked at Noah. Both now running on adrenaline, Griffin knew, like any junkie, that he had to make it work for him, not against him. He took several deep slow breaths. Penelope was no more than ten feet from where they were crouched. His breathing sounded loud to his own ears and he wondered if they could hear it.

  He took a risk and lifted his eyes above the couch and saw that the man was turned slightly away from him. It was now or never. He nodded to Noah and sprang from behind the couch, the element of surprise giving him a momentary advantage. They rolled around fighting for control of the gun. Noah jumped in and a shot rang out. Noah went down. Griffin couldn’t spare a glance.

  “Oh my God! Noah!” Penelope cried out.

  Griffin had the man’s wrist in a vice grip and was twisting it with all his strength. The gun fell to the ground, and the scuffle continued.

  “Grab the gun Penelope,” Griffin yelled.

  “But Noah!”

  “Penelope, just grab the fucking gun!”

  She was now crouched by Noah’s side. Griffin could hear her crying, but all he could focus on was the gun lying two feet from his reach. It was anybody’s game at this point. This guy was strong. He felt an elbow slam into his head and his vision swam for a few seconds. Just enough time for the other guy to get the upper hand. Next thing he knew he was being hauled upright in a headlock; a gun jammed against his temple.

  “Penelope, if you don’t want me to blow your stud’s head off, I suggest you come to me. We’re leaving now.”

  “Don’t listen to him Penelope. If you do, we don’t stand a chance,” Griffin said.

  “Shut the fuck up or I’ll off you anyway.”

  “How far do you think you’ll get?” Griffin said, trying to get under his skin.

  “Let’s see, my own jet, a private island out of US jurisdiction…if I were a betting man, I’d give it ninety percent.”

  “Josh, I’ll come with you, but you have to let me call an ambulance for Noah and you have to promise to let Griffin go.”

  “You come over here and help me tie this piece of shit up and we’ll call after we’re in the air.”

  “No! He’ll bleed out by then,” Penelope said. She was as pale as a ghost and her teeth were chattering.

  “The longer you argue the longer he bleeds.”

  “Okay, what do you want me to do?”

  “Grab some twine, rope, cord, anything we can use to tie him up.”

  She ran to the kitchen drawers and ransacked them looking for anything that could work. Suddenly police stormed the house their weapons trained on Josh.

  “Put your gun down now.”

  Josh tightened his grip around Griffin’s neck. “You want to see the billionaire’s head blown off?”

  “We’ve got the house surrounded. You aren’t going anywhere.”

  “Is that so? Because right now, seems like I’ve got the ace in the hole, or should I say ass.” He chuckled at his dark humor.

  Griffin was waiting for any opportunity to knock the fucker to hell and back. He never dreamed he had such a murderous rage inside of himself…but he did. If he got the chance to kill this man, he’d take it, with no remorse. Griffin knew he had one shot and now was the time. He slammed the back of his head into Josh’s face as hard as he could and connected with his nose, satisfied when he felt the bone shatter.

  It was the momentum that allowed him to break away. As Griffin pivoted around to disarm him, a shot was fired from a distance and the intruder fell, dead before he hit the ground. Penelope screamed then ran over to kneel by Noah’s side. He was deathly pale. It looked like he took it in the leg, probably an artery, judging by the amount of blood.

  A police officer sent instructions through her radio as she walked to the front to unlock and open it. Returning, she said, “An ambulance is waiting outside. The first one already left with the injured security guard.”

  “Luke!” Penelope said.

  “He appeared stable. They’re taking him in for observation.”

  The paramedics entered quickly and loaded Noah onto the gurney. Penelope looked over at Griffin, her face devoid of color and her eyes glistening with tears. “Thank you. I’m sorry…for everything. I have to go with Noah.” She held Noah’s hand as she walked along-side the gurney to the waiting ambulance. And then she was gone.

  41

  Griffin hung up the phone after talking with his sister-in-law Ella, who had used her connections with the hospital to get an update on Noah’s condition. He had been upgraded to stable. The surgery to repair the nicked artery had been successful and he would make a full recovery.

  Griffin could hardly wait to get away from here. Tomorrow morning he’d be on a jet, flying to the south of France. The paparazzi were driving him crazy; he never knew when they were going to be waiting outside his house. The crazed fan storyline they’d sold to the public was being played out on all the entertainment shows and tabloids. Good for the film, bad for him.

  Was it the same for Penelope? He’d heard from Stew that she’d been staying with him since the shooting, hanging around an extra week until she was sure Noah was stable. He had no idea how she felt since she was still ignoring him. He’d given up trying.

  He heard a knock at the door and checked the security camera. A limo sat in his drive and a man in uniform stood next to Penelope on his front porch. His throat tightened, the momentary flicker of hope dashed when he opened the door and saw her face.

  “Hey, come on in,” Griffin said.

  She tentatively stepped over the threshold and stood nervously wringing her hands. The driver stepped away. “I’ll be waiting in the car, Ms. Winters.”

  His gut clenched as his eyes raked over her face. He took in every detail wanting to memorize it, sensing there would be no happy ending for them. Griffin shut the door and motioned for her to have a seat.

  “No thanks, I’m not staying. I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”

  Griffin gently removed her sunglasses and revealed two pools of green, glossy with unshed tears. He framed her face between his hands. “Pen, talk to me.” A tear escaped and he brushed it away with the pad of his thumb.

  “I’m not here to talk Griff, I’m here to say goodbye.”

  Griffin winced. “That was to the point.”

  “I’m not trying to be a bitch, I’m still in shock over the events of the last week. I’m not in the right emotional state to be opening up. I’m way to vulnerable.”

  “You think I’m not?”

  “Right now, I can’t make it about you or anyone else. For once I have to put myself first.”

  “I can hardly argue with that, now can I? Not unless I want to sound like a selfish asshole.”

  “I know you’re anything but that. I wanted you to know, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all my fault. Because of me, Noah got shot. You could have been killed. I couldn’t have lived with that.”

  “You aren’t responsible for someone else’s crazy.”

  “Griff, you were right about me. A part of me is shut off. I held back because of shame from my past, my guilt about the baby. I can’t give myself completely to anyone, because I’m still trying to forgive myself.”

  Griffin grasped her upper arms, “You were right too. I didn’t want anyone to need me, and even more than that, I never wanted to need anyone. I still don’t. But the only way I know to fix that, is to dive in and live. I can’t fix it in my head. I’ve got to walk through the fire and experience it, make mistakes, continually course-correct, just like sailing. The wind blows you, you adjust the sails, work with the wind, instead of fighting against it. Can’t we work through this together?”

  She smiled sadly, “Beautiful metaphor…I have nothing to give. Not right now. I’m heading back to my ranch to do some soul searching and get rest. I know I’m running, but it’s the best I can do right now. I’m sorry.”

  Griffins voice was thick with
emotion, “Can I call you in a few weeks?”

  “It’s better that you don’t.”

  “That’s it then…have a nice life? Does this self-imposed exile apply to Noah Davis as well?”

  Her face flushed, “Thanks for making this a little easier. Goodbye Griffin.”

  “Penelope, wait, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

  She jerked away and ran out the door not bothering to shut it behind her.

  Griffin slammed the door and went to pour himself a shot. Blew it again asshole. You managed to put the final nail in the coffin. Bravo. But she’d had her mind made up well before she came to say goodbye. Maybe she’d never had any intentions of it being more than a fling. He should know about that…he’d orchestrated his entire life the same way. Karma’s a bitch.

  Tomorrow couldn’t get here fast enough.

  42

  Josie shook her head, tsking her disapproval. “You’re too skinny. You must eat something.”

  “I’m not hungry. I’ll make myself a sandwich later.”

  “I’m worried about you.”

  Penelope gave Josie a tight hug. Her lilting voice and the sing song rhythm always managed to sooth Penelope’s nerves. Josie was like a second mother to her and she desperately needed that right now.

  “I’m leaving Archie here while I go for a ride on Raven,” she said.

  “You and that horse. Chica, what am I going to do with you?”

  “Just love me,” she said, her lips curving up.

  “Oh, I love you alright, but I want to paddle you sometimes.”

  “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  “You be careful. I will prepare you a big supper, and you will eat it. You hear me? And Thanksgiving, it’s next week already. Walt will have to get supplies and I have to plan the menu.”

  “Is your family still joining us?”

  “Yes, and Walt and his new lady friend.”

  “Dolly and Ben haven’t committed yet, but I’ll try to pin them down tonight.”