As much as I wanted to interrogate my brother and warn him about her deceptive ways, I had to find Iona first.
Moving through the crowd, I saw Garrison by a cop car.
“Sheriff!”
He looked up and gave me a nod. With his hands on his hips, he turned to face me. “What can I do for you, Tyler?”
Get it together, Tyler, and don’t embarrass yourself. This is for Iona. He’s just a man doing a job. He may be the coolest guy to walk the Earth, but he’s human like anyone else.
“I can’t seem to locate Iona or the mayor. They’re supposed to be on the float soon.”
He held up a finger and lifted a phone to his ear. I glanced around and noticed a lot of men with sunglasses and suits milling around.
“Sorry. Had to check in with my team. What was that about Iona and Mayor Bailey?” Garrison slid the phone into his back pocket.
“Have you seen them?”
“She’s not on the float?” he asked, then looked at the ground mumbling, “I thought that’s where she was.”
I shook my head. “No, and I’m worried. I can’t seem to locate her anywhere.”
He reached back for his phone again. “Give me a minute. I’ll come over to the float when I have something.”
I wanted to stay. Every nerve ending in my body pricked with awareness. Something was terribly wrong. The sheriff was on edge and that man was always as cool as ice.
Slowly and with a keen eye, I made my way back to the float. A few times I thought I saw her, but it turned out to be other women with long black hair. The other time it turned out to be a biker guy in a leather jacket.
Several pairs of eyes stared at me as I meandered closer to the float. I held up my hands. “Nothing yet. The sheriff’s looking for her now.”
“Fuck,” my brother said and stormed off.
He was never one to take failure lightly and he screwed this up good. When this parade was over, I was going to make sure he understood that I wasn’t happy with his performance. I may not be his boss, but I was still his older brother.
“I found her phone up on the float. She was there at some point this morning but must have left. Maybe she’s just throwing up in one of the porta-potties,” Cara offered as she placed a hand on my shoulder.
There was concern in her eyes. I had never felt so helpless in my life. When tragedy struck, I was always able to help. People brought in animals on death’s door all the time, and I was the one who took action. When my mom overdosed, I knew to call the ambulance and even performed CPR on her. When our parents died, I was the one to arrange the funeral and take over the bills.
I was the person people turned to for help and right now, there was nothing I could do. I thought when Iona left eleven years ago, that was the worst feeling in the world, but this was torture.
“Hey, everyone.” Austen strolled up with a smile on his face. He took one look at me and frowned. “Tyler, what’s going on? Did Iona drink pickle juice in front of you again?” The man chuckled at my pain.
“We can’t find her. Or the mayor,” Babette said.
“Just now?”
“No. We’ve been looking for her for twenty minutes. The parade starts soon and they’re nowhere to be found.” Cara looked up from her phone. “I’m texting the mayor’s assistant to let her know to hold off on the parade until they’re found.”
“Fuck the parade, I want my fiancée.”
I meant it. This engagement may be fake to Iona, but I wanted to marry the woman. Deep down, I knew this scheme would either end with me harboring a devastated broken heart or calling her my wife.
Austen’s hand landed on my shoulder with a firm grip. “Then let’s find her. She couldn’t have gone far.”
“Good idea. We’ll break out to find her. Cara, you stay here in case she comes back,” Babette said before turning to face me. “I care about her, too, despite what you may believe. I’ll do all I can to find her.”
I knew in her own way, Babette did love Iona. She may need a lesson in truth as opposed to lies to find happiness, but that was something she had to figure out herself.
Babette searched the floats while Austen and I scoped out the perimeter.
We were silent for a moment before Austen finally spoke. “Look, I know about the fake engagement.”
My head swiveled around in surprise. “You do?”
“Yeah. I overheard Iona on the phone a few weeks ago with Babette. She was up in the bedroom, and I went up there to use your bathroom because the one on the main floor smelled like pickles. And I really hate pickles.”
I too had developed a deep loathing for pickles in recent weeks.
“Anyway, the conversation she had was somewhat muffled through the vents but clear enough that I made out a few things. One of which was the engagement.”
Taking a deep breath, I discovered I wasn’t worried about what he might think about the deception. In fact, I was relieved he knew. “I’m sorry I had to keep that from you.”
He shook his head. “I understand. Sometimes there are things that happen in life that take time to reveal. That you’re unsure how others may react, so you think it’s best to keep it to yourself.”
I furrowed my brow. Was he referring to me or something else?
“I signed a contract to keep it secret. Though the person who made the contract had lied to begin with, so it’s probably void now anyway.”
“Do you love her?” Austen scratched the scruff on his face. I had noticed the last few weeks he didn’t appear as clean-cut anymore. Maybe he was falling out of love with his bank rules and regulations and in love with something or someone else.
“Babette? God, no.”
He chuckled, and it felt good to have a break in the tension of the moment with some levity. “I meant Iona.”
“Yes. I don’t think I ever fell out of love with her.”
“Love’s a crazy thing,” he mumbled.
I stared at him for a moment and realized he might just be in love with someone, which made me happy for him. I’d known him for two years and not once in that time had he gone on a date.
“I see the sheriff. He’s waving us over.” Austen pointed toward the street.
I turned to see the sheriff jogging over.
“It’s Iona. My team has located her.”
A wave of relief rolled over me.
“Thank God. Where is she?” I glanced around Garrison but couldn’t see her anywhere.
“They know where she is, but they aren’t with her. Look, Tyler . . .” The sheriff put his arm on my shoulder and turned me away from Austen. I thought if Garrison ever did this I would faint from happiness, but now I might pass out from horror from the look on his face. “I asked Iona to wear a wire for us. The mayor is under investigation with the FBI, and since Iona was going to be alone on the float with him, I thought she was the perfect candidate to get some information from him.”
My man-crush was beginning to fade. I hated that he put Iona in danger like that.
“Our team would be listening to everything and jump into action if anything went wrong. Based on what they heard, we thought they were still on the float but when you said you couldn’t find them, our team realized they had moved locations. Do you know where Iona may have gone with him? She mentioned a shack but nothing more.”
I wanted to punch Garrison and when I found Keaghan, I’d murder him. Basically, I’d be the one arrested by the end of the day, but I didn’t care. If anything happened to Iona or the baby, there would be hell to pay.
“I’m sorry I had to do this, but we needed to bring the mayor down. He’s a dangerous man, and right now he’s alone with your fiancée.”
My jaw clenched as I tried to focus on where a shack might be near here. Rage made it difficult to think. “I need a minute.” I threw off Garrison’s arm and took a few steps away from the crowd.
Standing at the corner where the sidewalk ended for the town, I glanced back toward the trees. Our spot was through those trees. The pl
ace I fell in love with Iona. I wanted nothing more than to go back to that innocent time and hold her in my arms.
Then it hit me so hard I stumbled back.
“Shack?” I turned my head and looked at the sheriff.
“What?” He pointed to the crowd.
He couldn’t hear me. I was too far, and the people were too loud.
I waved him toward me and motioned to the small path between the trees. “The shack,” I said.
THIRTY
Iona
“I ALWAYS WONDERED WHAT was in this shack?” I said, hoping to lure the mayor to a secluded spot so he’d tell me everything.
“I come here sometimes to think.” He tried to put his hand on the small of my back as we moved toward the rundown shed. I was too quick for him and darted forward in time to open the door. The smell that wafted out was a combination of rotting wood and skunk.
I frowned. This wasn’t going to be fun, but it had to be done.
As we stepped inside, I couldn’t imagine anyone volunteering to come here to think.
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. It reminds me of the past. When people lived by their wits and there were no grocery stores or fast-food places or movies to entertain.” The way he said the last part made me realize he didn’t care for my profession. I wondered if it was because he didn’t like movies or if it was me. “Your people get that.”
I turned to face him in surprise that he had said that out loud. Perhaps I heard it wrong. “M-my people?”
“Yeah, you know. Indians.”
I gritted my teeth and reminded myself this was for the greater good. Sheriff Heart put a lot of trust in me and I refused to let him down.
“You mean Penobscot. My mother grew up on the Penobscot reservation.”
“I can’t pronounce that. You’re an Indian.”
And you’re an idiot. Did the people of this town realize what a racist dick this guy was, or did he hide it from them?
“No, people from India are Indians. I’m descended from the native peoples from this area—the Penobscot tribe.”
“Whatever. My point is, we all long for the past. You know?”
No. I didn’t long for my time growing up in this town where people treated me like less, especially this guy. All because I didn’t look like him or act like they wanted me to act.
And that’s when I realized how much danger I was in. Keaghan Bailey hated me. He hated that I wasn’t his idea of perfect; he hated that I grew up struggling, yet I made it.
I made more money than him. I had more fame than him. And I had more power than him. That ate him up inside. He wasn’t used to people he looked down upon flourishing.
“Yes. Old times. Great,” I bit out the words as I shifted toward the door, but his hand reached for me before I could leave. It was going to take all my talent as an actress to get through this with him.
“You know, Iona, I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time. It’s one thing to watch the woman you’ve wanted to fuck for eleven years give it to someone else. I admit, I had jacked off to it, but it wasn’t the same.”
My heart beat wildly in my chest. The sheriff prepared me with the facts about Keaghan, but he never mentioned this part—the sick, twisted part.
“I don’t understand.”
He grabbed my arms and it hurt as he pushed me back until I hit the wall. The wood was rough, and splinters were digging into my skin through the thin sweater I had on. I regretted leaving the coat at the float but Keaghan promised what he had to show me would only take a minute. I was eager to get this over with, so I stupidly believed him. I really needed to stop taking him at his word considering how often he proved to be a dick-hole.
“You were meant to open your legs for me after the dance, not Tyler. Do you think I didn’t follow you? You were my date and that meant you were mine to have. So, while you were busy being a stupid whore for your loser boyfriend, I was in here watching the whole thing.”
Bile began to rise in my throat, and I wondered if he would stop if I threw up on him.
“I’m pregnant,” I said, hoping that would get him off me.
I knew it was a long shot but maybe Keaghan had a conscience deep in that black heart of his.
“Not going to abort it again?”
I pushed against his hand, but it was no use. The man had a strong grip. I tried to reach for his finger to pull back one—having learned that trick from Olivia—but the way he pinned me made it hard to reach his hands.
“I never had an abortion. I had a miscarriage.”
He chuckled. The evil bastard laughed at my pain. “I know. I’m the one who spread the rumor that you had an abortion and wrote the letter to Tyler. Oh and making Tyler the animal killer was genius.”
I didn’t know if he was speaking to me or just going insane. “You spread those lies to the reporter?”
This would get him fired as mayor for sure. Once the people of this town heard the lies he was spreading just to mess with people he didn’t like, they’d be outraged.
Keaghan leaned in with a snarl, his coffee breath hot on my cheeks and said, “I am the reporter, Iona.”
That wasn’t right. I’d researched that reporter. His articles had gone back almost a decade.
“But you’re not a writer.”
“Nowadays, with companies paying good money for click-bait, as long as the story is salacious, it’s going to get bought. I admit it wasn’t as easy to sell the stories over five years ago, but I’d find out what part you were up for and anonymously reach out to the casting director or producer or whoever I could get a hold of to ruin your chances of getting the part.”
“You’re the reason it took me so long to get good parts?”
“Yeah, but your stupid agent wouldn’t give up on you. I tried to sell her stories a few times, but it never worked.”
Of course not. Babette knew a lie when she heard one. I had no idea the crap she protected me from and was thankful to have her in my life.
As disturbingly captivating as that information was, there was a reason I went to this shack in the first place.
“Did you get those guys to steal Tyler’s furniture, too?”
He nodded, but I needed him to tell me the story.
“That was easy. Those guys were easily swayed by money and drugs. Little did they know the drugs were tainted.”
I gasped, “You tried to kill them?”
“Kill’s a bad word.” He swayed his head side to side. “I like to think that I tried to silence them, permanently. Hopefully, they’re six feet under now and can’t say a word to anyone.”
“You’ve got problems.”
“Don’t I know it.” He sneered. “First it was not getting to dip my dick into your tight, virgin snatch. I only prefer virgins. There’s something about the fear and tears in their eyes when I first sink in that I love.”
He was disgusting. I spit in his face. He wiped it away and laughed. “It wasn’t just you I was after. It was your idiotic Prince Charming as well. Tyler was a dick, always has been, always will be. I knew he was looking for a house, and I’d seen the way he looked at that place on Dante Street. It was easy to bribe people when there’s a lot of money involved. Thankfully, when my parents died, they left me everything. I paid off the owner of the house and the realtor to make sure he bought that house. When he put in the offer, I knew I had to set my plan into action.”
“What plan? To sell it to Babette, too?”
“No. While that would make me a lot of money, it would defeat the purpose of everything. Your agent never bought that house—she lied to you. You live in Hollywood and you don’t realize they all lie? You’re stupider than I thought,” he said with a chuckle. “I just made sure your agent had you come back to town. Which worked out better than I had thought with her making you live with Tyler. Paying her masseuse to convince her was easy but getting her to make you come back East was hard. But she was gullible with the words that came from a half-naked man.”
I shook my head. None of this made sense. “How would making Tyler buy a home and me come back here help you?”
“Promise you won’t run?” he asked with his attempt at puppy dog eyes.
“Yes,” I lied. He let one hand go and pulled out his phone.
I was ready to punch him but when he held up his screen I stopped. Flashing in front of me was Tyler and me, having sex.
“That’s our bedroom . . . How did you film us?”
“So easy. Why would I go to all this trouble if I couldn’t destroy your career, his career as the vet killer, and sell sex videos of you for lots of money? It’s a total win-win-win . . . for me. Oh, and now I get to have sex with you. You aren’t a virgin anymore, but I can’t have everything I want, now can I?”
I screamed but my voice was soon muffled by his hand. Which was a stupid move on his part because that meant one of my hands was free and was still holding his phone. Also, he was slow trying to knee my legs apart and considering I was wearing pants; he was going to have a hard time doing anything to me.
As much work as he had put into destroying our lives, he wasn’t very smart when it came to the brutal parts.
I grabbed his middle finger and pulled it back. When he let go of me, I smacked him over the head with his phone. Finally, I kneed him in his groin. The guy fell, and I heard a snap of his finger.
I hadn’t meant to break his finger, but I needed to get out of this situation any way possible. I made a mental note to send Olivia a fruit basket for the finger trick—it worked better than I had thought.
Dashing around him, I pushed open the door and gulped the cool, crisp October air. Tyler and the sheriff were walking toward the shack when they saw me, and both picked up speed.
I ran into Tyler’s arms, mumbling that the mayor was in the shed. The sheriff ran into the shack and Tyler refused to let me go.
“It’s okay, I’m here now.”
“That man is a psycho.”
He pulled me back and gazed over my body. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Maybe some cuts on my back but nothing serious.”
His nose flared as he cleared his throat. “And the baby?”
Living Hell (Lost and Found Book 2) Page 19