Restless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series, #4)

by Mallory Crowe

  Ashley took a few sideways steps, making sure she was well out of the line of fire if Colin and the new guy decided to take their chances. “I know the Farrells,” she said once she was at a more strategic location. “If you put the gun down, they’ll make sure that you don’t get put in a pr—” No. Prison wasn’t a good thing to remind him about. “In a place where anyone knows you. You know they’re powerful enough for that.”

  She’d thought Geoff was out of her hair for the moment, but he turned around, his expression showing all the hurt and betrayal she should’ve expected from someone as crazy as him. It was hard to keep track of all the crazy in the room. “You’re going back with them?” he asked.

  Ashley’s jaw dropped. Did he expect her to keep up the act? No. She had a blunt object and he had a Swiss army knife. She wasn’t going to humor him any longer. “Yes, I’m going back with them. They’re family.”

  “But they don’t have to be.”

  “No. You don’t have to be my family. I chose to rid you from my life once and for all, and you took that choice away from me. Geoff, there is never going to be any future for us and after the stunt you pulled tonight, I’m going to make sure you never see my face again.” Ashley didn’t consider the logic behind her words. For the first time since she was pushed into the car, she told Geoff exactly how she felt with all the anger that had built up, not only during that night, but over the past three years. “You made my life hell. You made my mother’s life hell. Now it’s time for me to return the favor.”

  “No!” he screamed as he started to rush her. “You’re never going to—”

  Ashley hated to take her attention off the guys holding guns, but she didn’t hesitate to swing her two-by-four as hard as she could. As it hit Geoff’s skull, the impact jarred her arms and caused the board to shake in her hands as Geoff stumbled to the ground. She’d expected him to be out cold, but he still crawled toward her. As much as she’d imagined the moment that she’d finally give Geoff the beating he deserved, the actuality of it startled her to her core. She could’ve killed him with that blow.

  She made sure Duffer hadn’t moved and could tell he was just as spooked as before, if not more so, now that Geoff was down. He was spinning in a slow circle as Colin and the new cop came in closer and closer.

  “Drop it,” said the new cop once again.

  “I told you I’m not going to go to prison,” he said, his voice shaking for the first time that entire evening.

  To make matters worse for him, red and blue lights started to shine through the windows. He was about to be even more outnumbered.

  “You don’t want a scene,” warned Colin. Now they were only about ten feet away from Duffer. Any of the three guys could get off a good shot at this point.

  Ashley held her breath as she waited to see who would shoot first.

  But then Duffer turned the gun on himself and in a fraction of a second, it was all over.

  Alex reached the top floor of the Manhattan skyscraper and looked at his phone once more. No sign of Ashley. That meant he had no choice. He tucked the phone into his pocket and walked toward the roof.

  He wasn’t naive. He knew that a rooftop meeting didn’t mean anything good. Chances were that he’d be taking a nose dive soon enough. He’d never jumped out of a plane. Funny. It was always something he assumed he’d do. Skydiving was just one of those things on his list that he hadn’t gotten to yet.

  Maybe if he survived this, he’d have to get started on that list. He had a wife he was madly in love with, which was one big item checked off. Next up: skydiving and kids.

  It made him feel better to think about his future. He didn’t want to walk into enemy territory with a defeatist mentality. If he walked in a winner, he could come out a winner.

  Tate Gallagher stood at the edge of the rooftop, seemingly without a care in the world. Next to him was probably the answer for how he could travel all over the city without triggering the FBI. The helicopter next to him was owned by his family, and considering there was no one else around, Alex bet that Gallagher had a pilot’s license too.

  “Well, look who finally decided to show up.”

  The lights on the roof were bright, illuminating one side of Gallagher’s face and leaving the other side in dark shadow.

  Damn, he wished he could see Ashley once more. To see her gorgeous face and that impossible hair highlighted by the sun. Instead, he closed his eyes and let himself imagine her once more. She wouldn’t be sad. She’d kiss him softly and then press her forehead into his chest. One last good-bye...

  “I really do hope you came alone.” Gallagher held up a small remote control-looking thing. “One press of this button and you’re a widower.”

  Alex had dealt with a lot of anger in his life. Toward his father, his father’s many wives, his father’s many mistresses, his brothers, anyone who fucked with his brothers, and all the people who got in the way of the business. But nothing compared to what he felt looking at Tate Gallagher right this instant. Killing him was no longer just a necessity. He wanted it so bad. He wanted to feel his skull break beneath his fists and he wanted to see the blood coat the floor. He wanted Gallagher to turn into nothing right before his eyes.

  “I’m here. Now you can let Ashley go.” He doubted the crazy man would do it, but Alex was here for one reason. It wasn’t to survive or to hurt Gallagher. It was to save his wife.

  Gallagher waved a hand as he motioned for Alex to come closer. Seeing no other choice, Alex did what he was directed. Gallagher stood toward the edge of the building. It would be so easy to rush the man and give one good push.

  Making the urge even stronger, Gallagher let out an annoying as hell high-pitched laugh. “Who would’ve thought? I don’t even have a gun and here you are doing everything I tell you to do. This might be the best day ever.”

  Alex gritted his teeth. “So this is what you’re going to do from now on? Hide from the feds and try to make my family’s life hell?”

  “Do you have any idea the chaos your family has caused? The fires you and Walter have left burning in your wake? I’m doing the world a favor right now.”

  Alex refused to feel any guilt in front of this sociopath. “It’s business. Shit happens.”

  “What? Those rumors Logan started about my company put thousands of people out of a job and the papers gutted me.”

  “Walter.”

  “What?”

  “Walter started the rumors and framed Logan. That’s why Logan is out of jail now. He was framed.”

  Gallagher shook his head repeatedly back and forth. “No. I don’t care who did it. This entire family is damaged and toxic. It’s my responsibility to make sure you don’t hurt anyone else.”

  “Fine. So I’m what the world needs protecting from. I can accept that. But what about Ashley?”

  “She’s just the same.”

  “No. She’s innocent. She’s nothing but a pawn used by people like us to gain status and prestige. She’s never done anything to hurt anyone.”

  “You’re forgetting something, Alex. I knew Nadia. Intimately. She never touched a man unless she had something to gain. Ashley is the same. Why else would she marry someone like you?”

  “Ashley loves me.”

  He let out a derisive snort. “If you believe that, then you’re stupider than I ever thought. I have to say, Alex, I expected more from you.”

  “Sorry to disappoint,” he said dryly.

  “Don’t worry. You can make it up to me.” Gallagher took a few steps to his left and pointed to the edge of the building. “Go there. Now.”

  This was it. The end game. Alex felt his phone in his pocket, but there was no way for him to check whether they’d found Ashley yet. So he did what he was told and put one foot in front of the other as he came closer to the edge of the skyscraper.

  He didn’t feel the fear he thought would come in a life-or-death situation. There was a strange security in knowing that he was dying for something bigger than him
. He let out a quiet laugh of amazement. He never thought he was even capable of something like this.

  But Ashley was worth it. If he needed to go walking off this skyscraper, facing the rising sun over the city he loved, it wasn’t really the worst way to go.

  It would’ve been nice to have more time with Ashley. To grow old with her and watch their kids grow up. She would be a great mother. Kind and nurturing in a way he’d never known growing up. She’d raise their kids to be the kind of people who wouldn’t destroy lives or businesses without a second thought. Kids who didn’t need to question whether their parents loved them or whether they’d be shipped off to boarding school if they didn’t behave.

  But the few days he’d had with Ashley, both now and back when they’d first met... Those had been worth living and dying for. He’d consider himself lucky for having just those few moments with her. Those few smiles she gave him.

  The time she’d told him she loved him.

  Alex turned around. He wasn’t going to let Gallagher take the easy way out. If he was going to make Alex go over the edge, he was going to look at his face while it happened. “I have one last request,” said Alex.

  Gallagher scoffed. “You’re not in the position to be making demands.”

  “You might not think Ashley loves me, but I believe it. Let me say good-bye.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “I could call the police right now and they wouldn’t get here in time to stop you from what you’re trying to do. So let me take out my phone and send one last text message.” There was no reason for him to say no. The police already knew Gallagher was behind this. No one would suspect Alex’s death was a suicide.

  Eventually Gallagher came to the same conclusion. “One message. You have thirty seconds.”

  Alex pulled his phone out of his pocket but never needed to make a call. Because the second he unlocked the phone, he saw the message waiting for him on the screen. It was from Nathan.

  We have Ashley. She’s safe. Where R U?

  Relief was an understatement for what Alex felt as he looked down at the screen. He stared at it so long his vision started to blur as the words faded into each other.

  “Well?” asked Gallagher. “That’s it. Your time on this earth is over.”

  Alex put the phone back into his pocket and couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. “Is that what you think?”

  Gallagher held up his little death button once more. “One click of this and the very nasty guy I have waiting with your little wife gets free rein to do whatever he wants.”

  Alex took one big step away from the ledge. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  “You’re all alone, Alex. There are no police coming to save you. No brothers about to jump me. It’s just you and me up here.”

  Alex moved closer. “You’re wrong. My brothers aren’t here, but they’re always with me. In fact, at this very second, one of my brothers is with my wife. And that little death button you’re holding? It’s just a cheap piece of plastic.”

  Gallagher laughed, but Alex picked up on the hint of desperation in the sound. “You’re bluffing.”

  “Bluffing or not, you’re all alone up here with me, Tate. So what do you think your odds are?”

  Gallagher’s eyes shifted between Alex and the door to the roof. Alex could tell the son of a bitch was starting to understand that the tables had turned.

  “Fine. Call the feds in on me. You think I can’t get released on bond? The second I get my chance, I’ll be hiding in a non-extradition country and you’ll never know when to expect me.”

  Alex nodded. “You’re right. You have money and means and that makes you dangerous to me and my family.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means I can’t let you go.” He and Ashley were going to live a long life together, and their family was only going to grow. And if there was one thing that had been ingrained into Alex from birth, it was the need to protect family. Ashley just set those instincts on overdrive.

  Gallagher must’ve sensed the change, because all the sudden he dropped the death button and ran for the door. But he never stood a chance. Alex tackled him, shoving his shoulder into Gallagher’s side. The two men tumbled down. They landed with Alex on top, but Gallagher punched out, aiming for Alex’s face; the slight imbalance from jerking his head back let Gallagher slide out from under him.

  Alex grabbed at Gallagher’s ankle and gave a quick yank. As Gallagher fell again, Alex tried to gain the upper hand, but after a flurry of punches, kicks, and elbows, the fight got closer and closer to the edge.

  Out of nowhere, something slammed into his head. Alex winced as a burst of brightness and dark mixed together to blur his vision. He squinted and saw the brick drop out of Gallagher’s hand as he got off Alex and started to drag him across the roof. Closer and closer to the edge. When he was right along the side, Gallagher had to readjust so he could kick Alex over. Alex knew it was now or never; he jumped up, grabbing Gallagher’s wrist, and knocked his feet out from under him. The momentum of the tumbling man sent Gallagher straight over the edge. The only thing stopping the fall was the grip Alex had on his wrist.

  Alex grunted at the sudden deadweight grabbing onto his arm, and he flipped onto his stomach to get a better grip and give himself some leverage so Gallagher couldn’t pull him over.

  “Pull me up,” said Gallagher as his legs started to kick out.

  Alex looked at the incredible distance between them and the sidewalk and then to Gallagher. “Why would I bring you up? So you can continue to attack my family?”

  “No! No, I—” His voice cracked as he tried to collect himself. “I’ll be good. I promise I’ll never bother you or yours again.”

  It was impossible to judge the validity of anything when a life was on the line. Gallagher’s grip was rapidly slipping, and he kept on trying to readjust. But he kept on sliding, each centimeter bringing him closer to death.

  Alex finally tried to secure his own grip on Gallagher’s arm, but he was too far gone. The more he slipped, the faster he slid until Alex wasn’t holding him at all. The free fall to the ground didn’t last long. It was so far down that Alex couldn’t even hear the impact. Probably a good thing. He already had enough nightmares.

  Alex flipped over until he was firmly on the roof, and he gulped in deep breaths of air. He needed to call the police. He needed to call Ashley. Fuck, there was a whole list of shit he needed to get done, and now there was a dead body, and a media circus was about to completely envelop his life, and his PR specialist was off shacking up with his brother somewhere.

  Fuck. He tilted his head to look over at the skyline. If Tate Gallagher was dead, that did mean one thing.

  For now, the immediate threat to his family was gone. He’d done his job.

  Ashley’s head fell down against the cold wood of the police officer’s desk. No, detective. It was a detective’s desk. She squinched her eyes together and forced herself to lift her head back up. She was exhausted and sick of telling the same story over and over.

  It shouldn’t be that hard to verify. Even if Geoff lawyered up, Nathan and the guy he brought with him all saw what was happening. Part of her knew the detective was just doing his due diligence. This whole ordeal was probably going to be carefully examined in the media, so the police needed to cover all their bases. But the other, less reasonable, part of Ashley just wanted to go home and sleep.

  Go home and see Alex. She knew he was okay, and that Gallagher was dead, but she had no idea what exactly happened. Now she was stuck at the police station, and Alex was off somewhere being questioned by the cops.

  If she had a lawyer, she probably could’ve been home hours ago. Except calling for a lawyer when she wasn’t even close to being under suspicion seemed like a stupid idea. At this point, she didn’t care whether she was suspected of anything. She just wanted Alex and wanted to sleep.

  She heard footsteps behind her and
steeled herself to face the same round of questions again. When she turned, her heart leapt into her throat when she saw Alex coming toward her. Her exhaustion suddenly forgotten, she pushed out of her chair and jumped into his arms, holding his neck so tightly she could only hope that he was still able to breathe. “Oh my God, I’m never letting you go.”

  Alex rested his head against hers as his arms closed around her waist. “That might leave us with some logistical difficulties.”

  “Fuck logistics. This is love.”

  He let out a soft laugh and ran his hands along her back. “I missed you too.” Without letting her go, he pulled away slightly and glanced around. “Let’s go somewhere private.” He led her through the desks.

  Ashley gladly followed him, even as she looked behind her at the chair she was supposed to be waiting in. “I think they still want to talk to me.”

  Alex pushed open the door that apparently opened to an empty office. “They can wait.”

  Before the door even shut, Ashley was back in his arms. She kissed him with everything she was worth, letting go of all of the fear she felt during the time with Geoff. Showing Alex in one kiss how excited she was they would still have their future together.

  Alex kissed her back in a way that made her toes curl and her body heat, but she could tell he was holding something back. He broke off the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “I didn’t bring you in here for that,” he said.

  Ashley rested a hand at the nape of his neck, running her fingers through his short hair there. “What’s wrong, baby? We should be celebrating.”

  “I know. And I will celebrate. Trust me, there’s nothing I want more than to celebrate all night, er, day with you. But we need to talk first.”

  Ashley nodded and tried not to freak out. She’d thought they’d won. The bad people were arrested or dead, and now they could move on. Try to be an actual married couple.