“She’s...she’s not a kid...she’s one...one of my dollies,” Katie managed to gasp out between her sobs.
“Go get her,” Blake demanded. “Bring me Isabella.” He released his hold on her.
“Mommy? What’s happening?” Sammy appeared in the doorway.
Blood had begun running into Eliza’s left eye from the blow she had taken, but that was nothing compared to the pain that ripped through her as she realized it was possible neither of her children would survive the night.
A still-sobbing Katie moved to stand in the doorway next to her brother. “Run, Katie,” Eliza screamed. “Take your brother and run to your hideaway. Stay in there until I come and get you out.”
She had no idea if Blake and Mitchell had found the hideaway in the living room or not, but more than anything she wanted her children out of this room where a dead man was on the floor and their father held a gun on her.
“Run, Katie,” she cried. A hysterical sigh of relief swept through her as the two kids disappeared and their footsteps sounded down the hallway.
“It doesn’t matter where they’ve gone,” Blake said. “I imagine you know all of your daughter’s dolls. You’re going to go with me to her room and once I get the necklace I’m afraid I’m going to have to kill you. And then I’ll find the kids and I’ll kill them, too. Loose ends are never a good thing.” He offered her a bloodless, evil grin.
Movement behind Blake in the closet drew her attention. Oh God, did he have somebody else coming to help him take care of the “loose ends”?
Blake laughed. “Don’t think you’re going to trick me by looking behind me. There’s nobody coming to save you.”
He’d just gotten the words out of his mouth when Troy exploded from the closet and slammed into Blake’s back. Blake flew forward and his gun clattered to the floor.
Eliza screamed as Blake turned around and punched Troy in his jaw. The two men tumbled to the floor. Eliza scrambled off the bed and grabbed Blake’s gun.
With a trembling hand she pointed it, but she couldn’t fire it as the two men wrestled on the floor. She couldn’t risk hitting Troy.
Troy finally managed to make it to his feet and pointed a gun at Blake. Blake stood and faced him, every muscle in his body bunched to spring.
“Go ahead,” Troy said with deadly intent. “Give me a reason to pull the trigger.”
Blake raised his hands. “I’ll share with you,” he said. “I’ll give you half a million dollars to let me take the necklace and leave. I won’t bother Eliza anymore and you’ll never find me on this property again.”
“Only half a million?” Troy replied.
Blake grimaced. “Okay, a million dollars. I’ll give you a million.”
Troy stared at Blake and said nothing.
“Think about it, man. A million dollars tax-free. Think about what you could do with that kind of cash,” Blake said. “You can quit working and travel. Buy yourself a sports car or a new cool place to live. You can do anything you please with that kind of cash.”
Troy shot a glance at Eliza, a deep frown cutting across his forehead. “Do you know this guy?”
“He’s my ex-husband. He faked his own death so he wouldn’t have to pay me child support.”
“Did he do that to you?”
Eliza reached up and swiped at the blood on her forehead. She nodded at Troy. “He was going to kill me and the children.”
“Shoot her, man,” Blake said. “Kill her and we can grab the necklace and run. I’ve already got a buyer who’s going to take it off my hands. Shoot her,” Blake said.
Troy fired and hit Blake in his lower leg. Blake screamed in pain and fell to the floor. “Why did you do that, man?”
“Eliza, call the police.” Troy reached into the closet and grabbed a stretchy blouse off a hanger. He used it to tie Blake’s arms behind his back.
“I’m bleeding to death,” Blake cried. “I’m going to sue you. You already had me and you shot me for no reason.”
“You made me feel imminent danger to myself, right, Eliza?” Troy said.
She nodded. “You had to shoot him to save yourself and me. And who are the authorities going to believe? You and me, or a man who came into my house through a tunnel in the middle of the night?”
“Exactly,” Troy replied.
“Get me some bandages or something before I bleed to death,” Blake yelled.
“Quit whining,” Troy replied. “It’s just a damned flesh wound.” He looked at Eliza. His gaze held relief and a wealth of what appeared to be love.
“You should have shot him through his cold, black heart,” Eliza said emotionally.
“Where are the kids?” Troy asked.
“Downstairs. I’ll go to them and call the police.” Eliza flew out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Her heart thundered as she raced into the living room and to the secret hideaway.
She opened the door and the kids came into her arms. They were crying and she was crying. Her tears were ones of relief as she soothed theirs.
She had no idea how Troy had managed to find the tunnel. She had no idea what had brought him to her in the nick of time.
All she knew was that they were all safe now. She hugged the two tightly against her, needing their little bodies in her arms.
She dried their tears and assured them that everything was fine and then led them to the kitchen table. Once they were sitting she made the call to the police.
Troy came into the kitchen and the kids ran to his arms. He bent down and grabbed them to his chest. “It’s okay,” he said as he hugged them tight. “We’re all okay now.” He released them and then walked over to Eliza.
He took her by the chin and looked at the wound on the side of her forehead. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need to go to the emergency room?”
Now that things had calmed down she realized her head hurt, but the pain was manageable. “No, I’m fine,” she assured him.
“Let’s get this cleaned up.” He led her to the sink, where he got a clean cloth out of the drawer and then ran it under warm water so he could wash away the blood.
“Daddy hurt me. I think he’s a bad man,” Katie said indignantly. “I liked it better when he was in heaven.”
“He’ll be in prison for a very long time,” Troy said softly. His touch was gentle as he moved the cloth against her skin. She closed her eyes for a long moment, grateful that she was the only one who had been wounded, grateful that they were all alive and fine.
“How did you know? How did you know about the tunnel?” she asked.
“I was sitting at my kitchen table doing some soul-searching when I saw the two men run to the wooded area in my backyard. I saw them and then they disappeared. I decided to investigate and here we are.” He wiped her forehead one more time and then placed the towel in the sink. “That’s better,” he said.
At that moment a knock on the door announced the arrival of the police. For the next several hours she and Troy answered question after question and explained about the jeweled necklace Blake had wanted.
The police were shocked by the tunnel and after several of them checked it out they learned that if Troy had taken the other passageway he would have been led to a dead end. Thank God he had chosen the right path. If he’d been just a few minutes longer in arriving, Eliza and her children would have been dead.
Eliza was thankful that Sammy and Katie fell asleep on the sofa before their father was taken out of the house in handcuffs and Mitchell’s body was removed.
She had no idea what emotional wounds this night had left behind in her two children. Hopefully none, and if there were some problems with the two dealing with this night of surprise and terror, then Eliza would make sure they got the help they needed.
When the police questioned her about the necklace she told them that her daughter had a
pparently found it and put it around one of her dolls’ necks.
“When did she find it?” Troy asked, obviously surprised by this information.
“I didn’t get a chance to ask her,” she replied.
“Do you know the doll she’s talking about?” Officer Dean Graham, one of the investigating cops, asked her.
Eliza nodded. “I’ll go get it.” She rose from the kitchen table where they had all been sitting and headed for the stairs. She was grateful that the men working the crime scene had been surprisingly quiet as if in deference to the sleeping children.
She still hadn’t really had time to process everything that had happened. In a million years she never would have guessed that not only was Blake still alive, but he’d also been behind the things that had happened in the house.
She supposed she and the kids would go to a motel once the police were finished with her. She didn’t have any idea how long the house would be tied up as a crime scene.
She entered Katie’s room and saw her four dolls at the little table. Isabella had long red curls and Eliza gasped as she saw the necklace around her neck.
It was stunning, with diamonds that were bigger than any Eliza had ever seen in her life. Even though it had to be dirty after all these years, it shone with a rich luster.
How had Eliza missed it? In all the times she’d seen the doll how could she have missed the fact that the doll wore such a priceless necklace?
Of course, Katie had lots and lots of fake jewelry for her dolls. Eliza didn’t always pay attention to what the dolls had hanging around their necks.
She grabbed the doll and hurried back down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen she placed the doll in the middle of the kitchen table.
“I don’t want to touch it,” she said. “That’s what Blake was willing to kill me and his children to possess. I just want it out of here as soon as possible.” It was beautiful, but it had been the source of too much terror.
“I imagine there’s probably a pretty good reward tied to the return of this,” Officer Graham said as he bagged it into evidence.
“I don’t want a reward. I just want it out of my possession and back to where it belongs,” she replied wearily.
The night had seemed endless and now that the terror of it all was gone, she was left only with exhaustion, a headache and the heartbreak of loving Troy.
He’d run to their rescue, but that didn’t mean anything. It didn’t mean he suddenly loved her and that he wanted a real relationship with her. It just meant he knew they were in trouble and had run to help.
She would forever be grateful to him. He’d not only saved her life, but more importantly he’d saved Sammy and Katie. Without his intervention there was no doubt that they would have all been killed.
He sat next to her at the table, sober and sharp-eyed as he answered the last of the questions. When all the questions had been asked and answered for what seemed like a hundred times, the officers informed her she needed to find another place to stay for a day or two.
“I’ll walk you up so you can pack an overnight bag for you and your children,” Officer Graham said to her.
Minutes later she reentered her bedroom. There were several officers in her closet where the door to the tunnel remained open.
It didn’t take her long to pack a bag for herself and then she went into Katie’s room, where somebody she hadn’t seen come into the house was taking pictures of the hidey-holes there.
She packed little bags for each of the kids, adding the Sue Ellen doll in Katie’s bag and a handful of miniature cars into Sammy’s. She had no idea if Isabella would ever be returned to them.
She’d check them into the nearest motel room and hopefully the children wouldn’t be too traumatized by everything that had happened.
Officer Graham helped carry the bags downstairs to the kitchen where Troy stood waiting for her. “Instead of going to a motel, why don’t you all come to my house?”
“Oh, I don’t think...” she began.
“Please, Eliza. Besides, the kids will feel better about being at my house instead of a strange motel. At least they’ve stayed at my place before.”
It would kill her to be around him knowing he didn’t love her the way she wanted to be loved. But she couldn’t think about her own mental health right now. He was right about Sammy and Katie. They would feel better staying with Mr. Troy instead of in a motel room.
“Okay,” she finally said, far too exhausted to argue even if she wanted to.
Minutes later Officer Graham carried her bags and she carried Katie. Sammy was in Troy’s arms as they made their way from her house to his.
“Mommy, what are we doing?” Katie asked sleepily.
“We’re going to Mr. Troy’s to spend the night,” Eliza replied.
“Another slumber party and I’m too sleepy to stay awake. I’ll be mad about this when I wake up,” she said. She immediately fell back asleep.
Eliza didn’t care how mad Katie got. She was just grateful the little girl was upset about a slumber party instead of being afraid and talking about the night’s events.
Someday Eliza would probably have to explain about Blake. She’d have to tell the children that their father had been a bad man. But hopefully the whole truth about Blake wouldn’t have to come out for years.
The officer dropped the bags in Troy’s foyer and then said he or somebody else might be in touch if any more questions came up. They would try to get the house back in Eliza’s possession as quickly as possible. And then he was gone.
Without any conversation they carried the children up to the bedroom where they had spent the night the last time. Once they were tucked in, Eliza followed Troy back down the stairs to retrieve her bag.
Before she could get it, Troy grabbed her arm. “Eliza, I need to talk to you.”
She frowned. “I’m really tired, Troy. Whatever it is, can’t it wait until morning?”
“No, it really can’t wait.” He looked troubled. His eyes appeared a darker blue and a knot of tension pulsed in his jawline. “I really need to talk to you before the kids get up.”
What now, she thought. After all they’d been through what could he possibly want to discuss now? “Okay,” she finally relented.
“How about we go into the kitchen and I’ll make some coffee?”
Some of her exhaustion disappeared as she sensed a desperation emanating from him. What in the heck was going on with him? Was he having some sort of post-traumatic stress about shooting Blake? Did this have to do with the anniversary of Annie’s death? Did he suddenly feel the need to talk to somebody...anybody? “Coffee sounds good,” she agreed.
Minutes later they sat across from each other at the table. “I was sitting right here when I saw the two men run across my yard,” he said, finally breaking the silence between them.
She glanced toward his backyard, where several officers were in the wooded area where she now knew a door opened to the tunnel. A sudden shiver ran up her spine. “Thank God you saw them and decided to investigate, otherwise I wouldn’t be here drinking coffee with you.”
“Before I saw them I had been sitting here soul-searching.” He looked down into his cup and then gazed at her once again. She couldn’t read his expression, but something about it made her heart beat faster.
“Annie was heavy on my mind, but instead of remembering her death, I remembered her life. Memories of her laughter, of our laughter and love, filled me. And in those memories, I realized Annie wouldn’t have wanted me to live my life with only my self-loathing to keep me company. She always loved my happy face, and I want my happy face back.”
“That’s good, Troy,” Eliza said. “I’m so glad if you found some inner peace.” She was happy for him if he’d found the forgiveness he’d needed to find for himself to make him whole.
“There’s more.�
�� He searched her face intently, as if he’d never really seen her before this moment.
“More?” Once again her heart began to beat an unsteady rhythm.
“A wise little girl told me something yesterday. She said she thought God had brought us together because I was a daddy without a daughter and she was a daughter without a daddy. Blake will never be in your children’s lives. He’ll be in prison for the rest of his life. But Eliza, I want to be the man in Sammy and Katie’s life.”
He leaned forward, the desperation back in his eyes. “Tell me it isn’t too late, Eliza. Tell me you forgive me for being an ass with you. Please tell me you still want me in your life forever, because I can’t imagine being anyplace else.” His voice trembled and he reached across the table and took her hand in his.
“I love you, Eliza. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life. I pushed you away because I was afraid of how I felt about you. I’d convinced myself that I didn’t deserve you, but I do deserve love and happiness in my life. What happened to Annie was a tragedy, but it wasn’t a tragedy of my making.” He squeezed her hand. “Please tell me you still want to be with me forever.”
For a moment her emotions ran so high she couldn’t speak. A tremendous joy filled her. “For God’s sake please say something,” he continued. “If you want me to get down on my knees and grovel, I will.”
“That might be fun for me to watch,” she said, finally finding her voice. “But you don’t need to do that. Troy, I love you as much today as I did yesterday. I want you to be in my life forever. I’ve never loved a man as much as I love you.”
He got up from the table and pulled her up and into his arms. “I want to slumber party with you and the kids every night for the rest of my life,” he said, and then his lips captured hers.
The gentle kiss tasted of desire and love and a lifetime of commitment. It was...he was the fairy-tale ending, the happily-ever-after she’d desired. He would be the father she’d wanted for her children, and together they would have laughter and love.
Epilogue
Troy stood in his backyard and watched the backhoe that was destroying the tunnel and filling it in with dirt. It had been five days since Eliza had welcomed him back into her life, and in those five days a lot of things had been decided.
Desperate Intentions (HQR Intrigue) Page 16