by Jaden Skye
Mattheus looked at her deeply grateful and humbled. “Thank you, Cindy, thank you so very much,” he said.
“You’re welcome,” Cindy replied, slowing down. “I’m completely exhausted with all this. You go get the car and meet me at the road over there. It’s only a few feet from here. I don’t want to walk any further.”
“Fine,” said Mattheus, “it’s a deal.”
*
Cindy sat down under a tree and watched Mattheus go for the car in the valley. She put her head back against the tree’s strong bark, and as soon as he was out of sight, took out her phone and quickly called Sean, giving him every detail. As she was finishing the call, Cindy looked to the side and suddenly saw a long shadow creeping closer to her on the grass.
“Who’s there?” she jumped up, frightened.
“It’s me,” Jared said as he rounded the corner, grabbing her and flinging himself upon her.
“Get away from me,” Cindy struggled.
“I heard every word you said,” he uttered. “How dare you call the police on us? My mother told you not to. You disobeyed my mother! You know what happens to people who disobey my mother?”
“What happens to them?” Cindy said, wriggling hard to get from his surprisingly tight grip.
“They get what they deserve,” Jared said digging his chin into her shoulder.
“Get away from me, Jared,” Cindy did her best to thrust him off her, but couldn’t.
“You’re stupid, you’re stupid,” he started yelling then. “Now my mother will have you killed to protect me. She won’t let anything bad happen to me, ever. That’s a real mother for you.”
“Jared, get away,” Cindy tried to thrust his wiry body off her, but could not.
“My mother knows I killed Cain, but so what? I did it to save Andrea. What’s so bad about that?”
“Let me go, let me go,” Cindy started howling as he grip tightened and his hands crept up around her neck.
“First tell me what’s so bad about my killing a beast who beat the girl I loved every day of her life?”
*
Mattheus arrived in the car to pick up Cindy, but she wasn’t there. A gnawing pit swirled in his stomach as he scanned the area. Something was definitely wrong! He knew it!
Mattheus jumped out of the car, slammed the door shut and raced up to the place where he’d left her. As he got closer he heard Cindy yelling, then saw her squirming in Jared’s arms.
“Cindy, I’m here, I’m here,” Mattheus shouted, re-doubling his speed and racing over to her.
Startled by the sound of Mattheus’s voice, Jared swerved and slightly loosened his grip. A second later Mattheus jumped on him, wrenched Cindy out of his arms, and pinned him down to the ground.
“You son of a bitch,” Mattheus practically spit in Jared’s face as he stood there with his foot on his chest.
“Jerk,” Jared yelled,” she asked for it. It’s her fault. “
Mattheus pressed his foot harder.
“Ow,” Jared yelled. “Stop. My mother told her not to call the police! She didn’t listen.”
“Called the police?” Mattheus shifted a second and looked over at Cindy.
“Of course I called the police,” said Cindy, quivering near a tree stump. “A killer is on the loose.”
“If the police get me and I go to jail, my mother will make sure it’s the end of Andrea,” Jared’s face was red from the pressure of Mattheus’s foot on his chest. “You want that?”
“Who the hell does your mother think she is?” Mattheus shot back.
Jared bared his teeth. “Ask anyone on the island who she is! They’ll tell you. Nobody disobeys my mother!”
“I do,” Cindy called back, taking a few steps closer.
Jared looked at her from the corner of his eyes. Then he looked up at Mattheus.
“It’s either Andrea of Cindy. You choose,” said Jared. “If you let me kill Cindy now, your daughter goes free. We’ll make it look like an accident. No one will ever know, or care.”
“I care,” Mattheus thundered.
“What do you care more about your daughter or Cindy?” Jared was drooling.
Suddenly, Cindy heard the sound of feet running towards them and Jared’s mother arrived on the scene.
“Take your foot off my son,” she commanded Mattheus in a cold, calculating tone.
Mattheus stood there unmoving, staring at her.
“I’ve got plenty of people to do my bidding,” she insisted. “Let Jared stand up.”
“I can’t do that right now,” Mattheus answered in an equally cold voice. “When I got here, he
was choking Cindy to death.”
“He was being playful,” his mother insisted.
“One man stabbed to death, and now Cindy choked on a hill?” Mattheus turned to her directly.
“If Cindy lives, Andrea dies,” she responded methodically. “And it will happen quickly. I already have people alerted.”
Beads of sweat poured down Mattheus’s face.
“As we speak, my men are surrounding your daughter,” the mother’s voice grew harsher. “Choose, you idiot! Andrea lives or Cindy?”
“Cindy lives,” Mattheus uttered in a voice that sounded as if it were echoing through caves and chambers, as though it came from a different realm. “Cindy lives.”
Cindy felt as though she were swimming in the dark, deep ocean. Mattheus’s choice struck a primal chord throughout her entire body. Nobody should ever be asked to make a choice like that.
As if hit by lightning, she straightened up and rushed over to him. “And Andrea lives as well,” Cindy yelled. “We both live, justice is done!”
“Oh yeah,” said the mother, “just wait and see.”
“You wait and see,” said Cindy as the rustle of footsteps running towards them came closer. To Cindy’s delight the police were arriving, with Sean leading the group.
“Don’t move, game is over,” Sean shouted, a gun pointed at them all.
“We have a confession from Jared,” Cindy called over the fray, “he killed Cain. And the mother’s involved in obstructing justice!”
“There’s no proof of anything, let her say what she wants,” the mother shouted bitterly.
“I’ve taped every word,” Mattheus suddenly proclaimed. “It’s over for both of you.”
The mother’s jaw set and she gritted her teeth as she focused on Sean. “If you side with them, your name will be mud,” she warned. “There won’t be a place for you on the island.”
Sean moved in on them, methodically. “I’m taking the boy and mother in,” he said to Cindy and Mattheus, nodding to the rest of the police who were accompanying him.
The mother grew taut. “Stupid,” she breathed. “Traitors don’t get to live on this island.”
Sean was unflinching as he pulled her arms behind her back and Cindy watched in total admiration.
“You’re finished, Sean, finished,” she hissed.
“Not at all,” Cindy interjected, as Jared and his mother were being taken into custody. “The story will go out over the news wires tonight. Nobody will dare do a thing to us when everything’s made public. The police will have to release Andrea, immediately. That’s true, Sean, isn’t it?”
“It’s true,” he declared, “In fact, I will personally see to it.”
“That’s what you think, that’s what you think, but you’re wrong, wrong,” Jared’s mother tossed her head back over her shoulder and glared at them all violently.
Chapter 21
Cindy and Mattheus arrived at the jailhouse just as Andrea was being released. Along with reporters circling around her, Petra stood, smiling and clapping.
“It’s an incredible moment,” the newscaster announced, “as we watch an innocent, young girl being released from a jail, where she was in danger of being brought up on murder charges.”
The crowd around them clapped and laughed as Andrea saw Cindy, raced over to her and threw her arms around her.
“I do,” said Cindy, “I do.” It was quite a turnaround and Cindy enjoyed every moment of it. “Thank God, you’re safe,” she whispered.
A reporter came over to them with a microphone. “What happens to Andrea next?” he intruded upon them in a strident tone.
“This is a personal moment,” Cindy declared, trying to block Andrea from his view.
Petra came out of the crowd and and ran up to them, pulling Andrea away to herself.
“My daughter is being released into my custody,” she told the reporter, proudly. “She’ll be back with me, where she belongs.”
Mattheus jumped in then. “The arrangements are yet to be worked out,” he said officially.
“We would appreciate some privacy now as details have to be discussed.”
Thankfully, the reporter backed off and Cindy, Petra, Mattheus and Andrea all stood in a little circle together.
“Andrea cannot be released to your custody yet,” Mattheus said immediately, the moment they were all alone. “It’s not safe for her to remain on the island. There’s no question about it.”
Petra’s eyes flashed in pain, “Where else does she have to go? Nowhere!”
“For now Andrea must leave the island with me,” Mattheus declared. “Jared’s mother has tentacles all over the place. I’ve got to get Andrea away from the web of danger that could be waiting for her.”
Andrea breathed more easily, seeming to understand. “Come with us, too, mom,” she said to Petra. “We’ll all go together, we’ll start fresh.”
“This is my home,” Petra seemed on the edge of crying.
“You won’t be safe here either, for a while,” said Mattheus. “We need time for things to quiet down.”
“My God, my God,” Petra exclaimed.
“You’ve got to come, I’m not leaving without you,” Andrea said to her mother.
“I’ll set you both up secretly on another island,” said Mattheus, “you’ll have a new life.”
“Noooo,” wailed Petra.
“There’s no choice about it,” Cindy replied then.
“You’re okay with this?” Petra looked astonished. “You don’t care if we’re going away with Mattheus?”
“You’re not going away with Mattheus,” Cindy replied, as Sean came from the sidelines and stood beside her. “Mattheus is just keeping you safe.” Cindy realized that they all also needed time together to work out their relationships. Now that they’d been brought back together, there was no avoiding that.
“Jared and the mother are booked,” Sean interrupted the conversation then, looking at Cindy, proudly. “They’re being put into the holding cells as we speak. It’s out on the news.”
Andrea’s eyes filled with tears suddenly. “Are you sure he did it? Are you positive?” she looked at Sean.
“Very sure,” Sean replied slowly.
“Why?” asked Andrea.
“Jared said you told him how wonderful it would be to have Cain out of the way so you could be a family with your mom and Mattheus again,” Sean filled her in.
“I never meant for him to kill Cain,” Andrea wrung her hands. “Jared asked me many times if I wanted Cain dead and I said, No. He didn’t really listen when I spoke, just wanted to keep taking pictures of me. Are you absolutely sure?”
“Jared confessed again, right in front of the entire force,” said Sean methodically.
“Jared doesn’t think he did anything wrong,” Cindy stepped in. “He believes he did it out of love for you.”
“Love for me?” Andrea breathed. “Is it possible?”
“Yes, it is,” Cindy replied. “People do all kinds of things they wouldn’t otherwise, out of what they think is love.”
Tears fell silently down Andrea’s face. “I’m sorry, so sorry,” she whispered.
Cindy put her arms around her. “It’s not your fault, you didn’t want this to happen.”
“No, I didn’t,” breathed Andrea.
“You just wanted your family back together again,” Cindy said softly.
“That’s all I ever wanted,” said Andrea.
“And now you’ll have it,” Cindy replied.
“Wait a minute,” Mattheus stepped in. “I’ll take good care of Andrea and Petra, set them up in a new island, keep them safe, but as to our being a new family –that’s way too much.”
Petra looked over at him with sad eyes. “Time will tell,” she whispered, “time will tell.”
“And what about you, Cindy?” Sean intervened.
“I’m returning to the States immediately,” said Cindy. “My ex sister in law and her former husband are trying to take my house away from me. I’ve got to fight it in court.”
“What?” Mattheus exclaimed startled. This was the first time he’d heard about it.
“We didn’t have a chance to talk about it before,” said Cindy.
“Why are they doing it?” Mattheus was upset.
“They want the place for their own purposes,” Cindy remarked. “What difference does it make? I have to be back there to fight it.”
“Do you have a good lawyer back home?” asked Sean.
“Not yet,” said Cindy, “but I’ll find one.”
“You might have found one already,” said Sean. “I’ve been discharged from the police force as of right now.”
Everyone grew completely silent. Cindy was horrified, “Why?”
“There’s all kinds of reasons they’re giving me,” said Sean, “but they don’t amount to a thing.”
“I told you,” said Mattheus, agitated, “the force is loaded with corruption. Sean stepped out and did what was right, and he got canned.”
Sean smiled wanly, “something like that, maybe,” he said.
“I’m so sorry,” said Cindy, touched to the core.
“I’m not,” Sean said. “This isn’t the right place for me, either. Sooner or later I had to get out of here.”
“So you’re leaving sooner rather than later,” said Cindy.
“I’m leaving at exactly at the right time,” Sean replied. “And nothing wrong with a hiatus back in the States working as a lawyer on a worthwhile case,” he smiled.
Mattheus looked over at Sean, blanching. “Are you making Cindy an offer?” he asked.
“Something like that,” said Sean. “It can’t hurt for her to have support in protecting what is hers.”
“You’re right,” said Mattheus. “I want Cindy to have all the protection she can.”
Cindy was stunned by Mattheus’s response, had no idea what to say.
Mattheus took a step closer to her. “We both have things to take care of,” he said softly.
Cindy wondered if this was good bye.
“I have to trust that what is right between us will happen,” Mattheus continued, amazing her.
“I have to only hope and pray that soon we’ll be back together working on cases, and more.”
Cindy wanted to cry, but kept herself from it. “Where are you headed to, Mattheus?” she asked.
“I’m going to settle Andrea and Petra is St. Croix. I have a network there who can look after them. After that, I hope you will join me.”
Cindy heart was pounding. “Let’s see how everything goes,” she said.
A reporter rushed over to them at the moment. “The news is out on TV and all kinds of calls for new cases are coming in for you guys,” he exclaimed.
“That’s good,” said Mattheus, “very good. We both have business to take care of first, and then we’ll be ready to.”
Sean came over and stood beside Cindy and Mattheus then. “You guys are terrific,” he commented. “Who knows, maybe, in the future, I can even work on some of these cases with you?”
“Let’s see, let’s see,” said Cindy. “For now, one step at a time.”
N
OW AVAILABLE!
DEATH BY BETRAYAL
Book #10 in the Caribbean Murder Series
Cindy and Mattheus part ways, and while he stays in the Caribbean to protect his daughter and her mother, she returns home. Cindy’s sister, Ann, meets her at the airport to welcome her back to this new chapter of her life.
Cindy starts to settle back in, to meet old friends and make plans to take on a new job—when a shocking call suddenly comes. It is a call Cindy never could have expected in her wildest dreams, a call that rips her world apart. Someone close to her—too close—has been found murdered in Bermuda.
Cindy has no choice but to get on the next plane to Bermuda and hunt for the killer. Before long, Cindy finds herself enmeshed in an underworld of big business and crime. Beside herself, hitting dead ends, Cindy is forced to call Mattheus to help.
Once again, their stormy relationship deepens and takes a new turn, as they plunge into solving this crime together. But it all may be too late….
DEATH BY BETRAYAL
Book #10 in the Caribbean Murder Series
Books by Jaden Skye
THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES
DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1)
DEATH BY DIVORCE (Book #2)
DEATH BY MARRIAGE (Book #3)
DEATH BY DESIRE (Book #4)
DEATH BY DECEIT (Book #5)
DEATH BY JEALOUSY (Book #6)
DEATH BY PROPOSAL (Book #7)
DEATH BY OBSESSION (Book #8)
DEATH BY DEVOTION (Book #9)
DEATH BY BETRAYAL (Book #10)
THE TOM’S RIVER SAGA
A PERFECT STRANGER (Book #1)
Tap here to download Jaden Skye books on Amazon now!
About Jaden Skye
Jaden Skye is author of the #1 Bestselling CARIBBEAN MURDER series, which includes 10 books (and counting). The first book in the series, DEATH BY HONEYMOON, a #1 Bestseller, is now available as a FREE download on Amazon!
Also in the series are DEATH BY DIVORCE (#2), DEATH BY MARRIAGE (#3), DEATH BY DESIRE (#4), DEATH BY DECEIT (#5), DEATH BY JEALOUSY (#6), DEATH BY PROPOSAL (#7), DEATH BY OBSESSION (#8), DEATH BY DEVOTION (#9) and DEATH BY BETRAYAL (#10). She is also author of the romance A PERFECT STRANGER.