by HELEN HARDT
Talon jolted on his bar stool. “Oh my God…”
“What is it, Tal?”
“Oh, God,” he said again. “Melanie…”
Talon had never called me Melanie before. Always Dr. Carmichael or Doc. His use of my first name couldn’t signify anything good. I inhaled, gathering what courage I had left. “What is it?”
“If Wendy was in the group, this future lawmakers club, with my father and my three abductors… What if she was somehow involved in my kidnapping?”
I heard the words Talon didn’t say. If what he proposed was true, and if Wendy had been involved in his abduction, she certainly wasn’t above hurting one of Brad’s children.
I rubbed my shoulders as cold fear pressed through me. My breath came in rapid pants. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t see…
I fell into Talon’s arms.
Chapter Thirty
Jonah
Wendy stared at me, but I couldn’t read the look on her face. My vision was still too blurry. She advanced toward me.
“Brad, you know as well as I do that what happened to your son was your own fault.”
What? Fiery rage pulsed in my veins. How dare she blame my father for what happened to Talon? I opened my mouth to say as much but then closed it quickly.
Had Wendy orchestrated Talon’s kidnapping to punish my father?
Had she been telling the truth? That my father had an enemy? And that she was the enemy?
Then again, that would contradict what Larry had said—that Talon was never meant to be taken. Larry’s story made more sense, as Talon and Ryan had gone searching for Luke Walker that day, and there was no way that Tom and the other one, whichever name he was using at the time, could’ve known where they had gone. Wendy couldn’t have known either. She lived in Denver, not Snow Creek, at that time.
What could I say to get the most information out of Wendy?
“It was not my fault, Wendy,” I said. “You and I both know the truth.” I had no idea what truth I was speaking of, but maybe she would start talking.
“The only truth I know, Brad, is that we are meant for each other. We have always been meant to be together. And I will use whatever means I must to make you see that ultimate certainty.”
While I was thinking about how to respond, she stalked toward me, pushing me down supine on the bed. She began unbuttoning my shirt. “It’s time, Brad. It’s time for you to impregnate me. I’m ovulating, ripe as a tomato ready to fall off the vine. I’m ready to take your seed, to start making your true heir.”
My vision was finally coming back. She looked at me with a mixture of love and madness, her blue eyes filled with emotion unreadable. There was no way we were having sex.
I exerted my strength, sat up, and pushed her away. “No. Not after what you did to my son. Maybe we had a future at one time, Wendy. But when you harmed my son, you ended whatever was between us.”
“And I told you, what happened to your son was your own fault, not mine. You were the one who refused to surrender to our love. You needed to be punished.”
“So to punish me, you harmed an innocent little boy. You’re a monster, Wendy. A monster, and I cannot love a monster.”
Tears emerged in Wendy’s eyes. “Everything I’ve done, I’ve done out of love for you. How do you not see that?”
And then an idea popped into my mind. “Wendy, I’ll make a deal with you. You tell me exactly how the attack on Talon was orchestrated. Be totally honest so I can punish the people involved. If you do that for me, I will give you the child you so desperately want.”
The thought of actually sleeping with Wendy Madigan made my skin crawl, but I had no intention of doing so. It was clear that my father had been able to manipulate her, as I was doing now. It was also clear that she was unstable and this so-called love for my father had blinded her to everything else. Had blinded her into orchestrating the kidnapping of an innocent ten-year-old boy, if what I suspected was true.
“No, Brad. You give me the child first. Then I will tell you everything.”
Time to act the domineering male again, an act I was no stranger to. I stood, pulling her up next to me. I looked her straight in her blue eyes, which were now no longer blurry, thank God. “You seem to be forgetting who makes the rules around here. In case you need an answer, I do. Not you.”
She fell against me, weeping. “Brad, of course you make the rules. I would do anything for you. You know that.”
I pushed her away from me, again meeting her gaze. “Then you will tell me right now. Tell me exactly how Talon was taken and who orchestrated it.”
“You know already. You knew what kind of men the future lawmakers were. You joined their club anyway, like I did.”
“Refresh my memory. Tell me what that club was about. Tell me why you joined, Wendy.”
“You know why I joined. To be near you.”
“What about Rodney Cates? Why did he join?”
“He had the hots for Theo’s sister. You know that.”
Of course. Gina’s mother, Theodore Mathias’s sister. Things were starting to fall into place.
Sort of.
Why would my father have joined the club? He wasn’t a future lawyer or future lawmaker. He was heir to the most profitable ranch in Colorado. What was that club truly about?
“Wendy, I’m losing patience quickly. You will tell me right now what the future lawmakers club was about and how and why the attack on my son was orchestrated. Am I making myself clear?” I gripped her upper arm harshly.
“Yes, Brad. I love it when you get rough with me. Squeeze my arm harder.”
Okay, not where I wanted to go with this. “I will not get rough with you. I will not do anything you want until you tell me what I need to know.”
“Why? Have you somehow lost your memory? You know how that happened. You were a big part of it. Remember?”
She was lying. No way had my father been involved in any way with Talon’s abduction. I gripped her other upper arm and shook her. “Goddamnit,” I said through clenched teeth. “You will tell me the truth. Now.” I threw her down on the bed.
“Yes, Brad, take me.” She began unbuttoning her blouse. “I’m yours. Only yours. Take me now.”
I needed to get hold of myself. Getting rough with her was not getting through to her, clearly. Plus, even as angry as I was, I wasn’t comfortable roughing up a woman, even one who deserved it as much as Wendy Madigan did.
No. That was not who I was. I could never get violent with a woman. Especially not now. I would never be able to look my sweet Melanie in the eye.
And then another thought occurred to me. If she liked me roughing her up, I would do the opposite.
“No.” I looked straight into her eyes. “I will not take you. I don’t want you, Wendy. I love Daphne.”
“Need I remind you, Brad, that talk like that is what got your son taken in the first place? You have two other sons, you know. Aren’t you concerned about their safety? Especially the young one?”
“Why you little bit—” I stopped myself from finishing the sentence. Although the rage and ire were consuming me, I had to keep my head. I had to figure out how to get her to talk.
She finished unbuttoning her blouse and pushed the pieces of fabric to each side, showing her bra. “You always loved my breasts, Brad. Don’t you remember?”
“We were just kids, Wendy.”
I fervently wished she would leave her clothes on. “Button yourself back up. I don’t even want to look at you anymore.” I turned and walked toward the door.
To my surprise, it opened. I rushed down the hallway and down a flight of stairs to the first floor of the house.
I raced through what appeared to be a living room to the front door and turned the knob. Locked. From the fucking outside. She had locked me in.
Wendy came running down the stairs, the two sides of her blouse flapping. “Just where do you think you’re going?”
I turned to her. “I’m getting the hell out o
f this house. I’m going home to my wife and children.”
“No!” She launched herself into me, nearly making me lose my footing. “I’ll never let you go, Brad. Never.”
I pushed her off me, gripping her upper arms. “You don’t have a choice.”
I shoved her to the side and walked through the house, looking for a back door. When I found it, I turned the knob, and to my delight, it opened.
I gasped.
I stood facing a man in a black mask, a man with unreal blue eyes. Eyes I had seen before.
He was pointing a gun at my heart.
Chapter Thirty–One
Melanie
I woke up on Jonah’s bed, a woman removing a damp cloth from my forehead. I squinted. It was Jade.
“Melanie,” she said. “Can you hear me?”
I nodded. “What happened?”
“You fainted. Talon carried you in here.”
“Did they tell you…”
“Yes.” She replaced the cloth on my head. “It’s all so unbelievable.”
Yes, it was. “Did you look at the yearbooks?”
She nodded. “Talon texted me about them, and yes, I looked at them. He’s a mess, Melanie. I’m worried about all three of them right now.”
“Talon is strong. He’ll get through it. He’s gotten through much worse. Is there any word from…”
She shook her head. “I’m so sorry. But we have the cops and Mills and Johnson on it. Plus Talon and Ryan. We’ll find him, Melanie. I promise we will.”
Jade was an attorney. She knew better than to make such a promise, just as I did as a physician. But I wouldn’t bring that to her attention. She was simply trying to make me feel better. I couldn’t fault her for that. I would be doing the same thing if our positions were reversed.
I was still a little woozy, but I sat up in bed. “I’ve made copies of all the relevant pages in the yearbooks. We have to get them back to Jordan Hayes, the receptionist at Tejon Prep School. In fact, I should call her.” I moved to stand.
“You should probably stay in bed.”
“Nonsense. I’m a doctor. This was a simple neurally mediated syncope.”
“Huh?”
“Just a silly fainting spell caused by anxiety. Perfectly normal.”
“Have you eaten anything today?”
Had I? “I’m not sure.”
“Why don’t you let me bring you some dinner in here?” Jade said.
I opened my mouth to protest, but she was right. I needed sustenance. I was feeling a bit nauseated, but that was common after fainting. My body needed the food for strength, even though I couldn’t wrap my mind around putting anything in my stomach.
“All right.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.”
I closed my eyes. I had to return the yearbooks, or at least call Jordan and let her know there would be a delay. I would call her later from Jonah’s phone. He had the number.
I fell back onto my pillow, a black cloud hovering above me.
Come home to me, Jonah. Please, come home.
* * *
I woke up the next morning, Lucy at the foot of Jonah’s bed. I’d invited her up. Sleeping in Jonah’s bed without Jonah seemed so many kinds of wrong.
After I had eaten my dinner the previous night, I had been able to go back out to the kitchen, where Jade and Marjorie were. After we had received several texts from Talon and Ryan, assuring us they were fine, I promised Jade and Marj that I would be fine and told them they should go home.
In truth, I needed to be alone.
They hadn’t wanted to leave me alone here, especially considering we didn’t know exactly how Jonah had disappeared. Because his phone was still in the house, it was likely someone had been here and had taken him. Either that or he’d left willingly, which none of us thought was the case.
They finally relented after they talked to the Snow Creek police and the county sheriff about keeping an eye on Jonah’s house overnight.
Once they had left, I had gone straight to bed, huddled in the fetal position shivering, until Lucy’s presence calmed me. A bit.
Last night I hadn’t been able to think about the possibility that Jonah wouldn’t return. This morning, though, I had to face the reality of that prospect.
Wendy Madigan had somehow taken Jonah from his home. She was an older woman, probably in her sixties, so she would’ve had help. I had a sinking feeling that help had come in the form of Tom Simpson and Theodore Mathias.
Those two men had been in this house.
From what I knew, I didn’t think Wendy Madigan would harm Jonah. Tom Simpson and Theodore Mathias, on the other hand? They would have no qualms about it.
And that was what frightened me to no end.
But Jonah was alive. I felt it. Knew it in the marrow of my bones. We were connected. I would feel it if he were gone.
I would.
I would.
I got up finally, only because I knew Lucy needed to go out. I let her out, filled up her food and water, and was on my way back to bed when I spied Jonah’s phone. I had left it in the kitchen last night.
The yearbooks sat on the kitchen table. I didn’t have the strength to return them to Jordan today, but I at least owed her the courtesy of a phone call to let her know we would be returning them soon.
I flipped through Jonah’s phone to find the number for Jordan Hayes. Once I found it, I was ready to hit dial, but then I stopped.
I just couldn’t call her. Not yet. I needed to at least have a cup of tea or something first.
I let Lucy back in so she could have her breakfast and then found the container of tea I had bought when I replenished Jonah’s groceries. I put the tea kettle on the stove and then sat down at the table, my head in my hands.
I had come so far. I had gotten through my own private hell, had come out kicking, had fallen in love with the most wonderful man in the world, had begun to surrender to his darkest desires and had found myself in the process.
And for what? To have it taken away from me?
Tears slid from my eyes, and I sniffled. Lucy looked up from her kibble and came to me, wagging her tail. I couldn’t muster a smile for the sweet dog, but I did give her a pet on the head.
The tea kettle whistled, and I poured water over my tea bag. As it steeped, I stared at the threads of darkness feathering through the clear water.
Threads of darkness.
I had unraveled Jonah’s darkness, and we had become closer than ever.
I wasn’t going to give him up without a fight.
I returned to the counter and picked up his phone. I would start by calling Jordan Hayes and arranging to get those yearbooks back to her. The sooner they were back in place, the sooner the poor woman would be out of any danger.
I dialed the number.
“Hello?” It was a male voice.
“Yes, good morning.” I cleared my throat. “I’m trying to reach Jordan Hayes.”
A gasp met my ears. “I’m sorry. This is Jordan’s father.” A pause. “Jordan was murdered last night.”
Chapter Thirty–Two
Jonah
My life still didn’t flash before my eyes.
But this time, my bowels clenched. Now I had something to live for. I had Melanie—sweet Melanie who had forgiven my transgressions, who had surrendered to me in so many ways, who loved me beyond measure.
I inhaled, gathering every ounce of courage I possessed. “Theodore Mathias,” I said. “A.k.a. Nico Kostas, Milo Sanchez, and a host of other names.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the masked man said.
“Where’s Simpson?”
“Again, don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” He walked toward me.
I stepped backward, retreating into the house.
Wendy ran toward me, pushing at the masked man. “Please, don’t hurt him.”
“Why shouldn’t I? He’s a fucking thorn in my side.�
��
“He’s the love of my life.”
“You’re crazy as a fucking loon, Wendy,” he said. “I’ll do what I want with this asshole. One less Steel in the world will be no loss to anyone.”
“Please, no.” Wendy tried to grab the gun from the masked man.
The man crashed it down onto her shoulder, and Wendy crumpled to the ground, wailing.
As much as I hated Wendy Madigan, I didn’t like seeing any woman mistreated. But I didn’t say anything. This was between Mathias and me.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I want what’s been due to me for years.”
“And what’s that?”
“Your fucking money, Steel. I want it all.”
I stopped myself from laughing out loud. I didn’t want to give him any reason to shoot me.
“You can kill me,” I said, bluffing. “But if you do, the entire Steel fortune goes up in flames.”
“That’s a goddamned lie and you know it. We’ve seen your father’s will.”
“Maybe you have and maybe you haven’t. In Colorado, wills aren’t a matter of public record. But even if you have seen my father’s will, you haven’t seen mine. Maybe it escaped your notice, but my father is dead. Everything belongs to me now, and my brothers and sister and I decided long ago what to do with it should any harm come to any one of us. We have things in place with our attorneys. Contracts that override any stipulations that we might be forced to sign at gunpoint. Ironically, we made that decision because of you and what you did to our brother.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Maybe I am, and maybe I’m not. Do you really want to take that chance? Kill me if you want, but you won’t see one penny from the Steels.”
“I have had enough Steels to last a fucking lifetime. You people ruined my life.”
“You ruined your own life. You abducted and raped my brother, raped your own niece, tried to kill your girlfriend for insurance money.”
His eyes got a little rounder. Only slightly, but I had rattled him.