Luke (Bad Boys of WildeSide Book 3)

by Laylah Roberts

  “What? Fuck! Where are you going? Where are Van and Joel?”

  “Van got called in. Joel’s in the s-south p-pasture. He’s not d-due back u-until tomorrow. I didn’t want t-to wait.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Lola’s.”

  I couldn’t tell him all of it. Not right now.

  I took one shuddering breath then another. Adrenaline had me shaking. I needed to calm down and concentrate on my driving. On getting as far away from Bear Ridge and Alton Charles as possible. God I really, really wished Luke were there.

  “Lola’s b-brother’s a lawyer. H-he’ll k-know w-what to d-do.”

  “Fuck. I shouldn’t have left you.”

  “N-not y-your f-f-f—” She groaned unable to get the words out.

  “It’s all right, Teeny. It’s going to be okay. You get yourself to Lola’s. I’ll be there soon. First plane out of Boston. I’ll call Joel and leave him a message. Just stay with Lola until I get there. Okay?”

  I nodded, even knowing he couldn’t see me.

  “I’m so damned sorry, Ariana. I’m so sorry about your dad.”

  “M-me too. Please h-hurry.”

  “I will, darlin’. I love you.”

  Luke

  I was beside myself as I drove towards Lola’s apartment. It had taken too long for me to get there. It was late. I wasn’t even sure anyone would be up. But I sure as hell wasn’t waiting for them to wake up to get to her.

  I pounded on the door.

  Nothing.

  I pounded again.

  It opened, and Lola glared up at me. She was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, her hair loose around her face.

  “Hold your horses, or do you want to wake up the whole building?”

  I pushed past her. “Where is she?”

  As I walked into the living room, Ariana flew into my arms with a sob. I grabbed hold of her, pulling her tight. I could feel her shaking against me. She felt so small and fragile. Not caring about the strange man watching me, or Lola who stood behind me, I walked to the couch and sat, pulling her onto my lap.

  “I’ll put the coffee on,” Lola offered. “We’re going to need it.

  Finally, Ariana pulled back and wiped at her cheeks. She looked terrible, her face splotchy, and her eyes were rimmed with red and swollen. It was obvious she’d done a lot of crying, and I hated that I hadn’t been here to hold her.

  “I’m sorry I-I pulled you a-away from what y-you were doing,” she said.

  I stared down at her in shock. “Ariana, I don’t give a shit about the stuff I was doing in Boston. I care about you. I’d have been pissed if you hadn’t called.”

  I hugged her tightly and looked over at Lola, who stared at Ariana with sad eyes.

  “Thanks for looking after her.”

  “Always,” Lola said. She nodded over at the strange man. “This is my brother, Bono.”

  I nodded at him but didn’t offer my hand to shake. I didn’t want to take them away from Ariana. He gave me a knowing look. I stared down at the green book on his lap. “Is that the diary?”

  “Yeah. It makes for interesting reading.” He sighed.

  “Bono doesn’t think it’s e-enough because it’s circumstantial.”

  “What?” I barked.

  Bono frowned slightly. “I didn’t say that exactly. It might be enough for the police to investigate. But when the key players mentioned are dead it does make it difficult.”

  “Key players? I thought it was just Alton Charles who was involved. There were others?”

  I felt Ariana tense and pull away slightly.

  “You’re going to have to tell him, Ariana,” Lola said.

  “Tell me what?”

  She sighed, looking miserable. She raised her hand to brush back her hair, and I spotted something on her wrist. I gently grasped her hand. “What’s this?”

  Her wrist was bruised. Badly. She attempted to snatch it back. “Ariana.”

  She bit her lip.

  “Tell me. Now.” I used my Dom voice, and her eyes widened, her breath quickening. I hated using it when she was so overwrought, but I damn well needed to know how she’d gotten that bruise.

  “Lyle.”

  “Lyle? Lyle who works for Joel? What the fuck?”

  “H-he came to t-the cottage. Told m-me to accept A-Alton Charles’ offer to b-buy the r-ranch or things would get u-ugly.”

  “I’d say they were already ugly,” Bono said quietly. I could see the anger on his face, but it paled in comparison with the fury racing through me.

  “I’ll fucking kill him.”

  “I’ll defend you when you do,” Bono offered.

  “No.” She shook her head. “D-don’t go near h-him.”

  “You think I can’t take him?”

  She reached up, patting my cheek. “Of course y-you can.”

  “Then what the hell, Ariana? You expect me to ignore the fact he threatened you? That he hurt my woman? I’m supposed to let that slide?”

  “Put the macho bullshit away,” Lola told me harshly, surprising me. I’d have thought she’d be after blood. I’d seen how protective she could be of Ariana. “She has a good reason.”

  “Lola’s right,” Bono said. “Much as I appreciate your need to defend your woman, going after Lyle will make things worse. We need to look like angels if we’re going to get anyone to listen to us. And we can use Lyle threatening Ariana to our benefit. I’ve taken photos of her wrist, and I’ll call a friend on the force to come and take her statement. I also have another friend who’s a detective who I want to take a look at the diary. Although I’ll be making a few copies before I hand it over. Not that I don’t trust my friend, I do. But we need to be careful.”

  “Fine. I’ll hold back.” Even though it would kill me. I clenched my jaw. “But if the cops don’t deliver justice, I will.”

  Bono nodded.

  “How did your aunt know about Alton Charles killing your father? And why didn’t she tell anyone?”

  “I-I think y-you’d better read the diary.” Ariana got up from my lap, and I frowned, reaching for her. But she rose and grabbed the diary.

  She turned the diary to a page towards the back and handed it over. I took it without protest and settled in to read.

  An hour later, having read through everything twice, I placed the diary down and stood. Fury filled me, needing an outlet. I moved out into the balcony and let out a roar of anger. I felt a small hand touch my arm and I turned, pulling Ariana against me tightly.

  “I’m sorry. So sorry for what he did to you.”

  “N-not your fault.”

  Maybe not. But it’d been my father who’d done those things. Who’d played a big part in all of this.

  “C-come back in. Lola’s w-worried about the neighbors.”

  Screw the neighbors. I’d just learned what a true monster my father was, but I followed her inside anyway.

  “Sorry,” I muttered to Lola.

  She shrugged. “Payback for all the times the neighbors have kept me awake with their partying. Besides, I thought that was a pretty subdued reaction. I’d probably have punched something.”

  “Yeah, me,” Bono attempted to joke.

  But I wasn’t in a laughing mood. “My father was a true monster. What type of person, when told about a murder, uses the information to blackmail the murderer? And threatens the witness that if they talk, he would harm their niece? What kind of man does that?”

  Ariana

  I flinched at Luke’s words. I knew he’d be furious. I couldn’t blame him. I was still dumbfounded by what Jared had done. Shocked that my aunt had been having an affair with Alton Charles. They used to meet at an old cabin on his family’s property. That kind of sickened me, but it was the least of my concerns. She’d left her favorite scarf there during one of their rendezvous’ and had gone to collect it. When she’d arrived, she’d discovered my father and Alton arguing.

  “I w-wonder what Alton and my father were arguing about?�
� I murmured.

  “The money, I guess,” Lola said. “Maybe your dad discovered he’d taken it all.”

  “B-But why? I thought he was r-rich.”

  “If this case can be opened, the cops could get a warrant to look into his financials,” Bono said.

  “He just s-shot my dad like he meant nothing,” I said numbly. “O-over money?”

  “He must have been desperate for more,” Lola said.

  “My d-dad was worth more t-than a few dollars.”

  “Of course he was.” Luke walked over and took me into his arms. I let his safety surround me and for a moment just leaned into him, leaned on his strength.

  Eventually, I forced myself to pull away. I needed to talk it through and try to understand.

  “So Alton argued with your father over the money? Maybe because he’d already stolen it. Nobody knew Alton was a silent partner, though?” Lola questioned.

  “My aunt did. I-I wonder if Alton t-told her. Or Dad.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Luke said and sat, pulling me in next to him. “If anyone else knew, it seems they didn’t bother to say anything.”

  “She must h-have been s-so scared.” According to the diary, my aunt had watched, frozen, as my dad fell to the ground, lifeless. Then she’d raced to her car and driven off. In her fear, she’d stopped at the first house she’d come to, Alton’s neighbor, Jared Carlson.

  “If only she hadn’t gone to my asshole father,” Luke said bitterly.

  I reached out and squeezed his hand. “I a-always wondered why h-he offered her a job.”

  “Threatened her into taking the job so he could keep an eye on her,” Luke countered. “She came to him, terrified. and instead of helping her, he uses what she tells him to his own advantage. I cannot believe he threatened to harm you if she spoke.”

  No wonder my aunt had been frightened of him all those years.

  “It’s a wonder old Alton never tried to take your aunt out,” Lola pondered.

  I looked at her aghast.

  “Maybe that’s another reason your dad kept her close,” Bono mused. “Or maybe he never told Alton who the witness was or even that there was a witness.”

  “Then what did he use to blackmail him with?” Luke questioned.

  “Maybe he went up to the scene and caught Alton cleaning up,” Bono suggested.

  “Or took photos,” added Lola. “The evidence could be hidden somewhere. Maybe that’s why Alton wants to buy the ranch.”

  I shivered with fear. “H-he won’t g-give up.”

  Luke hugged me tightly. “He won’t have a chance to get to you. I can promise you that. I’m not leaving your side, not for a minute.”

  “M-might make g-going to the bathroom d-difficult.” I sighed, rubbing my throbbing head. Stress, adrenaline, and lack of sleep were all catching up to me.

  “Don’t care. That bastard is dangerous, and until he’s behind bars, I’m not going to rest easy.”

  “I just w-want him t-to pay.”

  Luke tugged me closer. “He will, Teeny. I promise you, he will.”

  “I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Bono said. “The first thing we’ll need to do is talk to my detective friend, get his take on all of this. He’ll be here in the morning.”

  “So will my brothers,” Luke said. “I’ll call them now.”

  God, I couldn’t handle all of this. It was like a bad movie come to life. He came back fifteen minutes later, his face grim. “Left a message for Joel, Van, and Caleb. I managed to speak to Mac.”

  “You need some sleep, darlin’.” Luke walked over and lifted me up into his arms.

  “I can’t s-sleep.”

  “Then come lie with me for a few hours. Lola will let us know when the others arrive. I have a feeling it’s going to be a while until we get some peace.”

  I sighed as he laid me on Lola’s spare bed. He slid in next to me, pulling me close.

  “I didn’t get the chance to tell you I missed you,” he whispered.

  “Me too.”

  “I don’t plan on leaving you again for a long time. Maybe ever.”

  “But y-you have t-things to finish in Boston.”

  “Yep. But you’re coming with me. Might be a good idea to get away for a while, yeah?”

  Actually, that did sound like a good idea. A great idea.

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  “When’s the last time you had a vacation?” he asked.

  A vacation? “When my f-father took me to Hawaii.”

  “I’ve never been. Shall we go together?”

  I turned to look at him in surprise. “R-Really?”

  “Really. The ranch can wait. Joel will stay for a bit longer. Shit’s about to hit the fan. I don’t want you anywhere near it. Near him. There’s nothing either of us can do so let’s go and have some fun.”

  Fun. With Luke. I wanted nothing more. “It d-doesn’t feel right.”

  “I’d love to see you in a bikini.”

  I smiled. “I d-don’t own one.”

  “Or nothing at all. That does it for me as well.”

  Epilogue

  Ariana

  I looked over as Luke walked into the large bedroom of the beautiful villa he’d rented. It had an amazing ocean view. We had the double doors open, and the breeze flowed through. He set his phone down on the nightstand, sat on the bed, and then pulled me onto his lap.

  “What is it?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”

  We’d been in Hawaii for two weeks. We’d gone back to Baton Ranch at my insistence. But Luke had been right, there was nothing we could do. I’d ended up so stressed and worried that I’d stopped eating. Luke hadn’t given me a choice then, he’d packed my bag and had Joel drive us to the airport. Perhaps I should have been annoyed at his high-handedness, but I’d just been relieved.

  We’d gone to Boston first for a few days, and Luke had shown me around, he’d even taken me to WildeSide one night. I still blushed when I thought of everything I’d seen there. Half of which had totally intrigued me. The other half had terrified the shit out of me.

  “They found a body.”

  I took in a sharp breath. I didn’t have to ask what he meant.

  “After Joel found those photos of the crime scene, a judge issued a warrant to search the cabin and surrounding grounds where your aunt saw Alton murder your father. They found a body buried on the property. They have to formally identify it, but darlin’—”

  “It’s my d-dad. I know it is.” I buried my face in his chest, tears welling. I’d thought I was all cried out, but the guilt still got to me. I felt guilty for all the times I’d cursed my father. For believing that he’d left me, that he’d taken all that money. I also cried for everything I’d lost. The knowledge that my father had been taken from me. Everything I’d missed out on, everything that could have been.

  Thank God Joel found those photos. He’d pulled down the old painting of the Carlson family in Jared’s study to move it to another room and discovered an envelope taped to the back. Jared must have snuck up to the cabin after my aunt confided in him. He’d snapped photos of Alton burying the body and kept them tucked behind the painting.

  “Talk to me, Ari.”

  “It f-feels like losing him all over again. And y-yet, I also feel so relieved.”

  “You finally know what happened to him,” Luke guessed correctly. “You can finally say goodbye.”

  “And Alton will pay.” That was important.

  “Yep, your dad will finally get justice. I only wish you could get justice from my father for the role he played.”

  I held him tightly. “Do you t-think he left me the ranch out of guilt?”

  “I don’t know.” Luke shook his head.

  “I-I’m not sure I can live there anymore.”

  “You don’t have to,” he reassured me.

  “But you left B-Boston. Your life.”

  “It sounds cliché, but my life is with you. I’m happy wherever you are.”

 
“I don’t want to leave L-Lola. I don’t know what I want,” I said with frustration.

  “Then don’t decide right now. Let’s just stay here a while longer.”

  “And then?”

  He pulled me back and ran a finger down my cheek. “You marry me, and we live happily ever after.”

  I snorted. “Is that you proposing?”

  “Oh no, I have a big romantic gesture planned that will sweep you off your feet, but you did ask.”

  “I would love to marry you.”

  “Just as well. Cause you really didn’t have a choice.”

  I just laughed.

  Books by Laylah Roberts

  Doms of Decadence

  Just for You, Sir

  Forever Yours, Sir

  For the Love of Sir

  Sinfully Yours, Sir

  Make me, Sir (coming May/June 2017)

  Men of Orion

  Worlds Apart

  Cavan Gang

  Rectify

  Redemption

  Redemption Valley

  Audra’s Awakening

  Old-Fashioned Series

  An Old-Fashioned Man

  Two Old-Fashioned Men

  Her Old-Fashioned Husband

  Her Old-Fashioned Boss

  His Old-Fashioned Love

  Haven, Texas Series

  Lila’s Loves

  Laken’s Surrender

  Saving Savannah (coming August/Sept 2017)

  WildeSide

  Wilde

  Sinclair

  Luke