I hadn’t thought about what I’d said earlier that day because it had been the truth. I’d fallen in love with Belle, and I knew deep down I was still in love with her. I had no idea how she felt, and no idea the things she’d been through, but what I did know was I would be there for her and the baby as much as she’d let me. I just wasn’t sure what that would be.
We needed to talk—that much was obvious.
I crouched down and pushed my hand through Lottie’s fur, and she stared up at me, her head tilted to the side. She’d seen Belle earlier too, and she’d been clawing at the passenger door trying to get out. But she had to wait to see her.
I had no idea what would happen from here, so all I could do was my best to make this house a home, and hope it would be good enough for the baby and Belle.
Huffing out a breath, I stood and scribbled some items into my notepad under the header Baby’s Room. I was just writing "changing table" underneath "rocking chair" when Lottie shot down the hallway and the stairs, barking twice to let me know someone was coming up the driveway. One good thing about having a dog was I didn’t need a doorbell, at least with a dog as alert as Lottie.
A few seconds later, a couple of knocks sounded on the door, and I ambled down the stairs, laughing at the way Lottie’s tail was wagging. She sensed who it was, and it must have been someone who would give her plenty of attention.
“Move back, Lottie,” I told her, trying to reach for the front door, but she wouldn’t move aside, so I pulled the door partially open and froze. The sky was darkening even though it was still relatively early. Fall had given way to winter, and the early dark nights were firmly upon us. But I didn’t need the dim light to tell me who it was. “Belle?”
Lottie moved aside, finally letting me open the door fully, and she ran toward Belle but stopped at the last second. She barked three times, her tail wagging so fast it whipped me across the legs.
“Hey,” Belle greeted. “Can I erm…can I come in?”
I shook my head to gather my thoughts and waved my hand. “Of course.”
She stepped inside and seemed even smaller than usual in the wide hallway with high ceilings. She started to bend down to stroke Lottie but groaned from the movement.
“Sorry,” she murmured, looking down at Lottie. “I think I need to sit to say hello.”
“Go into the living room,” I told her, shutting the front door and locking it behind her. She didn’t hesitate to move through the house, and I watched her back as she walked with ease into the living room. It wasn’t the furniture or decor that would make this house a home, it was her. She was home. I just hadn’t realized it until that exact moment.
“Do you want a drink?” I asked her as I entered the living room.
“Water, please,” she answered, slowly lowering herself onto the sofa. Lottie watched her with interest, her head tilted to the side, and as soon as she was sitting, she slowly moved toward her. I laughed as she licked at Belle’s hand, vying for her attention.
“She’s missed you,” I said, walking into the kitchen and getting a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator. I could still see them both from here, and the smile on Belle’s face had my stomach churning. I’d missed that smile more than anything.
“I missed her, too,” she whispered. I walked toward her and handed her a bottle of water. “I missed you, as well.” She leaned her head back and stared up at me. “I thought you were dead.” My churning stomach bottomed out at her words. “I came to your house to tell you I was pregnant, but you weren’t here.” She stroked Lottie’s head rhythmically. “So I went to my mom and dad’s house. Well, Curtis took me there.” She grimaced at his name. “And they were having a memorial for you, Ford. I…I…I thought you were dead.”
I stumbled back a step, my legs connecting with the coffee table, and I decided it was as good a place as any to sit down. “I’m sorry.”
“I should have stuck around. I should have let Aria explain. I should have answered my cell.” She shook her head. “There’s a lot of things I should have done, Ford. I know that. But I can’t change it, not now.”
Scraping my hand down my face, I knew she deserved an explanation, and I hadn’t hidden anything from her since the start of all of this, so I had no intention of doing it now. “The cartel wasn’t letting up,” I started, staring into her eyes. “They were coming for me, which meant they’d come for you. We went through all of the options, and the only one that was plausible was them thinking I was dead.”
Belle blinked several times, processing the little I’d told her. “I wish I’d have known. I never would have“—she moved her hand over her stomach—”left.”
I pushed forward on the coffee table so I was closer to her. I craved to reach out and touch her, but I wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was. We’d been apart for so long, and now we were in this situation. Maybe she wasn’t on the same wavelength as I was. Maybe she wanted nothing to do with me apart from being the baby’s dad. I was swimming in uncharted waters, and I needed some kind of signal to know which way to turn.
“No.” I shook my head and clenched my hands to stop from reaching out to her. “I shouldn’t have left that day in your dorm.” I gritted my teeth and tried not to think back to it. “I should have stayed and fought for us.”
“But you didn’t,” she whispered, her chest heaving on a breath. “We can’t change the past, Ford. Not when the future is so close.”
I flicked my gaze down to her stomach and understood what she was saying. “I want to know everything, Belle.” Looking back at her, I saw the pain showcased in her eyes. “Just like I’m sure you do with me.”
She nodded and shuffled on the sofa so her back was between the crook of the arm and the back seat. The screen of her cell lit up for what felt like the thousandth time, and she pressed the side button to switch it off. “I think this may be a long conversation. Do you have any extra pillows?” She groaned and let her head dip back. “Pillows are my new best friends.”
I stood and looked around my mostly empty living room. Why the hell did I not have any pillows? “Erm…I only have the ones on my bed. You could lie on that if it’s more comfortable.” I cringed at my words. “Sorry. Forget I said that.” I pushed my hand through my hair and gripped it, not knowing what to do or how to act. Only Belle made me feel that way.
“No.” She pushed herself up, and I darted forward to help her. “That’s actually a good idea.” She stared up at me as I gripped her hand. “If that’s okay with you?”
“Yeah,” I replied immediately. “Anything so you feel comfortable.” Letting go of her hand felt like I’d lost a part of me, but I knew I couldn’t hold it as we went up the stairs. I knew how this looked, but all I wanted was to make sure she was okay. The bruises were still there, reminding me of what had happened to her, not to mention her ever-growing bump.
She followed behind me with Lottie on her heels. “I don’t think I’ll be comfortable until the baby is out.” I could hear her heavy breathing as we made it to the top of the stairs, and she halted. “I feel like I’ve just run a marathon.”
“Come on.” I stepped toward my bedroom and pushed open the door. She’d never been in my bedroom, and I wondered what she thought about it. The large king-sized bed was the comfiest thing I owned, and there were plenty of pillows to keep her comfortable. The gray walls looked darker thanks to the night sky, but once I turned the bedside light on, it made it feel cozier.
She moved toward the bed and to the right side, groaning as her back hit the mattress. “Oh my god.” She pushed her tennis shoes off her feet and rolled to her side, then grabbed one of the pillows and shoved it under her bump. “This is heaven.”
I chuckled and moved around to the other side of the bed, then sat on the edge. I didn’t want to get too close or too comfortable. I felt on edge, trying to delay the inevitable.
“Shall I go first?” I asked her, staring at her face. She was content in the way she was lying, and I
didn’t want to disturb her.
“Yeah,” she whispered, and I turned to face Lottie, who was curled up at the bottom of the bed, her chin resting on Belle’s feet.
Taking a breath, I opened my mouth and told her everything that had happened that day.
The plan was clear. Go and confront Rory and rile him up enough to shoot me. It was dangerous, and I knew anything could happen. It could go drastically wrong, and he could shoot me in the head, and then I really would be dead. But I was willing to take the chance.
I’d worked with Rory from the time I went undercover. He was there the day Belle came into the club and we’d kissed for the first time. He’d seen her, I had no doubt of that. So using him like this would mean she was safe. Rory was still working for the cartel, trying to keep their operation running on a smaller scale while Garza was locked up. But I knew he was looking for me. There was a hit out on me, and the first person to kill me would get the reward.
Brody hadn’t liked the idea when I’d first put it to him, but the fact of the matter was, the cartel wasn’t backing off. We’d told Belle she was safe now, and she was…kind of. But she was still a person of interest, as long as I was alive anyway, which meant there was only one way to make sure nothing could touch her…
I had to be dead.
I stared out of the window and watched the front door to Belle’s dorm building. I was back in the area to make myself known to Rory, but I couldn’t resist one last look at Belle. I knew her schedule inside out, which meant she’d be leaving any second now.
My cell beeped, and I didn’t need to look down at it to know it was a message from Brody. They were at the location, making sure Rory was there and ready to step in if anything went south. But they had to wait. I needed to see her one last time before I went away.
The doors opened, and I spotted her head of brown hair. Her head was down as she gripped the straps of her backpack, and I didn’t have to look at her face to know how she was feeling because I felt exactly the same—lost. She pushed some hair behind her ear, and finally looked up. Her face was pale, and her lips were in a straight line.
I’d regretted leaving her dorm room the way I had last week, but after the meeting with Brody and the plan ahead, I was relieved I had. She’d be safe now. Safer than ever.
She looked left and right, and for a second, I thought she’d seen me, but she turned and headed into the main part of campus, her movements slow. I waited for a couple of minutes, trying to get my frame of mind in the right place.
“You came to see me?” Belle asked, her pitch high. She sat up a little, using the headboard to lean her shoulder against.
“I did.”
“Why didn’t you talk to me? Why didn’t you come to me?”
“Because I knew what I had to do, Belle.” I let out a breath and let my head dip back. “I knew if I went to you, I wouldn’t be able to walk away again.”
I pulled up at the curb, shooting a message off to Brody, telling him I’d be radio silent. Everything had already been put into place, and as soon as I left here, I wouldn’t see him again. Not for a while anyway.
Rory was standing outside the club, shooting the shit with a security guard. The sun shone high in the sky, but I knew that wouldn’t matter to Rory. He’d still grab his gun and shoot because he’d want the money that came from it.
Taking a breath, I prepared myself for what would happen and adjusted the bulletproof vest I was wearing underneath my T-shirt. I pushed open my door and rolled my shoulders back. I hadn’t even made it to the sidewalk before I called his name.
His head whipped around, his eyes widened briefly. “Hey,” I greeted. “Long time no see.”
He growled, actually growled, and ran toward me. I wasn’t sure whether he was going to hit me, tackle me, or what. But when he was a few feet away, he pulled his gun and shot off three rounds, right into my chest. The fake blood he’d hit came squiring out, wetting my dark T-shirt enough to where it looked real.
My body hit the ground, my eyes wide, stunned at how fast he’d gone for me. The bullets that hit the vest had knocked the breath out of me, so I didn’t have to fake trying to breathe as he stood over me, his gun still pointed in my direction.
“Filthy fuckin’ pig," he ground out before unleashing another two bullets in my chest.
I stared up at him, seeing the fire in his eyes, but there was something else. Something that hadn’t been there the last time I’d seen him. His pupils were dilated, a sign of him being high, and I knew then that he’d succumbed to the product he was around all the time. And I wondered how many other people were using now that Garza wasn’t around to keep them in line.
He lifted his leg, and normally, I would have rolled to the side, but I couldn’t, not when I pretending to be dying. His boot slammed onto the side of my face and on my head several times, and the world started to spin. “Have fun in hell, you piece of shit,” Rory ground out, cackling out a laugh, and then he stomped on my head one last time, and the world went dark.
“Holy shit.” Belle gasped, her hand covering her mouth as she stared at me. Her eye was only half swollen shut now, but I imagined if it wasn’t, her eyes would have been wide in shock. “He knocked you out?”
“Yep.” I moved my legs up onto the bed. “I had a raging headache for a week.”
“What happened after that, though?”
I shrugged. “Your dad arranged for an ambulance to come, and then for all intents and purposes, I was dead. I went underground with Lottie and stayed away for five months.” I turned my head to face her. “I only came back just over a month ago.”
“Really?” She blinked, her shoulders drooping. “So, you didn’t look for me?”
“I couldn’t.” I moved closer to her. “I told the guys everything I knew, and Ryan checked Curtis out.” I gritted my teeth. I’d never have told anyone what I was about to say, but Belle was different. “He didn’t check him out enough. All he did was got his name and where he’d worked. I’d already told him that shit.”
Belle nodded, but I wasn’t sure what she was agreeing with. “I have a feeling even if Ryan had, he wouldn’t have found us.” Her hand moved to her stomach. “I thought I was covering my tracks by taking my burner cell apart, but I hadn’t for one second thought Curtis was trying to hide us. But I realize now that was what he was doing.” She paused and moved her feet closer to Lottie. “We were basically in the middle of nowhere. The cabin was a little way from the main town, but even that was tiny. And we were surrounded by woods.” She shook her head. “I was so consumed with grief. I couldn’t see what was happening right under my nose.”
“You couldn’t have known,” I told her. “I’d been around the guy, and I hadn’t thought he’d do something like that. People are good at hiding things, Baby Belle.”
“I hate secrets,” she ground out. “He killed Stella and Justin.”
I blinked and tilted my head, repeating her words over in my head, sure I’d heard them wrong. “What did you say?”
Her gaze met mine, and she wasn’t hiding the pain she felt. She allowed me to see it all. “What?” she whispered.
“What did you just say?”
“He…he killed Stella and Justin.” My breaths came faster, my chest rising and falling as I tried to keep calm and not show her what was going around in my head right now. Brody hadn’t told me Curtis had killed Stella and Justin, and it wasn’t in her statement either. Was it? Had I missed it?
“Did you tell your dad?”
She shook her head and looked away from me. “I was about to tell Uncle Jord and Ky when Mom turned up. I…I never got to tell them and—”
“Fuck.” I scrubbed my hand over my face and tried my damn hardest to get myself under control. She didn’t need to see me losing it right now, not when I wasn’t sure what this meant. Belle and I had been the only ones to see Stella and Justin’s bodies before the local police department had taken over the investigation, but I’d known from the moment I’d seen
them that it was the cartel’s doing. Which meant that Curtis was lying.
Or was he working for them? Was he part of the cartel? He couldn’t have been, not without me knowing. I’d investigated Garza for months, and not once had Curtis come onto my radar, not even when I’d done a background check on him months ago. Which meant he had to be lying.
“Are you sure that’s what he said?” I asked her, needing to know for sure. Maybe she was mistaken, maybe he was just trying to hurt her with his words as well as his violence. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching for her now. The temptation was too much to resist.
“He said they were in the way, just like Leopold was.” She hiccuped a sob, and I held on to her hand tighter. “Do you know if they’ve had a funeral for Leopold?” She turned to face me, and a tear streamed down her cheek.
I shuffled closer to her and cupped the side of her face, swiping it away with my thumb. I needed to concentrate on Belle now, anything else could wait until I went back into the office and could do some digging. There was nothing I could do right now, and if I was honest, I wasn't sure who I could and couldn’t trust any longer. “I don’t know, but I can find out.”
“Would you?” she asked, her tone hopeful.
“I’d do anything for you, Belle.” I moved closer to her and glanced at her lips, remembering the way they felt against mine. Now wasn’t the time to think about that, but I couldn’t stop myself. “Anything.”
She rolled her lips and looked away from me, and I was sure I’d gone too far, sure I’d crossed some invisible line, but when she asked, “Can I sleep here tonight?” I knew I hadn’t. “I’m just…I feel so alone at home, but when I’m with you, I don’t feel so lonely.”
“You can stay here anytime,” I told her, and I meant it. “You never have to ask.”
She closed her eyes, and I moved my hand off her face as she shuffled down the bed. I went to let go of her hand, intent on allowing her to settle, but she held on tighter. “Lie with me?” she asked, and there was no way I could turn her down.
Bonded Duet: Ford & Belle: Torn Bond & Tied Bond (Easton Family Duet Boxsets Book 3) Page 31