Happily Ever After: 6 Marriage Romances In 1 (BWWM Romance)

by BWWM Club

  Toby felt sick. This was disgusting and brutal.

  "Toby?"

  Emil stood in the doorway. His friend looked as haggard as he did.

  "The cops are here. They want to talk to you."

  But Toby couldn't move. He kept staring at Carl. His son would never hurt anyone in his life. This just seemed like a bad dream. But it was real and Toby was staring it in the face.

  Emil touched his arm and gently guided him away from the bed.

  "Come on. He'll be here when you get back. It won't be long."

  Toby allowed him to take him into the corridor. Two detectives stood by the opposite wall. Charlotte stood with them. She was white as a sheet. When she saw Toby she burst into tears and hurried over to him.

  "Mr Reynolds, I'm so sorry."

  Toby opened his arms and Charlotte ran into them, sobbing into his shirt. Toby hugged her tighter. Charlotte was a great girl. He liked her. It was just a pity Carl hadn't figured out after many years that his best friend was in love with him.

  Maybe Carl would realize that when he woke up.

  "Thanks, Charlie." He pressed a kiss to the girl's head and eased her away. He wiped away her tears. "How are you holding up?"

  "Not great."

  Charlotte's bottom lip trembled. She glanced towards the open door but Emil quickly shut the door. She sobbed and Toby pulled her back into his embrace, rocking her gently.

  "Toby Reynolds?"

  Toby looked over Charlotte's head. The two detectives approached them. One was in his early thirties, tall and slim, blond hair cut close to his head and his suit looking like he had slept in it. The other was a woman, short and plump wearing a dark blue blouse and gray trousers. Dark hair was held back from her face with a simple silver clasp. Toby guessed she was around his age.

  "That's me."

  The male detective flashed his badge.

  "I'm Detective Cole. This is Detective Dodds." His expression softened. "We're very sorry about what happened."

  "Thanks."

  Dodds glanced at Cole and gave a slight nod. Then she addressed Toby.

  "How's your wife?"

  Toby swallowed back the tightness in his throat. It didn't go away.

  "She's still unconscious. They're still checking all the injuries she might have but she's got a broken arm, a shattered kneecap and some internal injuries."

  Dodds nodded. She looked pained as she glanced towards Carl's room.

  "What about your son?"

  "He's in an induced coma. With his previous head injury, they wanted to minimize the risk and let the swelling go down."

  Charlotte whimpered and Toby held onto her tighter. Dodds looked sympathetic, touching Toby's arm.

  "I have a daughter his age. I don't think I'd be keeping myself together as well as you are."

  "My other two are in the cafeteria with Simone's sister. I don't want to break down in front of them."

  But Toby wanted to. He wanted to find a quiet room and bawl his eyes out like a baby. How could he have been so foolish? There was no way he was losing his wife and son like this.

  "I'll go and sit with them."

  Cole left and Dodds urged Toby and Charlotte to some nearby chairs. Emil followed close behind.

  "I'm sorry to do this now but do you mind answering a few questions, Mr Reynolds? Charlotte?"

  "Of course."

  Toby urged Charlotte to sit and collapsed into the chair beside her. Dodds crouched in front of them while Emil leaned against the wall, his arms folded. Barely contained anger was in his expression. Toby tried not to look at him or he would have snapped.

  Dodds touched Toby's knee to get his attention.

  "When was the last time you saw your wife and son?"

  Toby gulped and rubbed his hand over his face.

  "I saw Carl just before midday. He was going to meet Charlotte for lunch and then he was going to meet another friend."

  "What about your wife?"

  "I saw her this afternoon." Toby's gut tightened as he remembered how they parted. "She went to take Carl to the friend. He doesn't have a license so we drop him everywhere when we can."

  Dodds glanced at Charlotte.

  "Did Carl meet you for lunch?"

  "Yes." Charlotte snipped and wiped her nose with her sleeve. "At the pizza parlor. Then we hung out for the afternoon at the bowling alley and the mall. He left me about half past four to meet his mom."

  "Who was he meeting later? Do either of you know?"

  Toby sighed.

  "He told me it was someone he was interested in making his girlfriend. They seemed to have some good chemistry and they were going to hang out at the park."

  "He said the same to me."

  "Do you know her name?"

  Charlotte nodded.

  "Louise Reveley. She goes to school with Carl and me."

  It was small but Toby noticed it. Emil had gone as stiff as a board, stunned outrage in his eyes. He frowned.

  "Emil? You okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine." Emil pushed off the wall and took his cell phone from his pocket. "Give me a moment, Toby. I need to make a call."

  He walked away, Toby watching him go. He wondered what had happened. Did Emil know something that was important? He hoped so and he hoped that Emil was going to say something to the cops. If not he was going to beat it out of him.

  Chapter 9

  "Mr Reynolds?" Dodds' voice brought him back. "Did Carl have any enemies?"

  Toby shifted in his seat and rubbed his hands over his face. Suddenly he felt exhausted.

  "No. He could be the usual moody teenager but he always thought of other people. He puts others before him."

  "That's true enough." Charlotte agreed. "I had to talk him into giving a statement after I told him the school had security footage of him being attacked."

  Toby stiffened. So Carl was going to make a statement. He patted Charlotte's hand, getting a smile in return. At least she had got through to him.

  Dodds had also stiffened.

  "When did this attack happen, Charlotte?" She asked.

  "Tuesday. He was leaving the locker room after track and a classmate Jason jumped him. He hit Carl on the head with a baseball bat. He had to go to the ER to have stitches put in."

  "Did anyone go with him to the ER?"

  "Louise did." Toby answered. "I picked him up after he had been treated and I also paid the bill."

  Dodds nodded, taking it all in. She focused on Charlotte.

  "What's this Jason's surname?"

  "Tyrie. He was Louise's on-off boyfriend. They're not together right now."

  "I know him." Dodds said quietly. "His dad is influential to my department."

  Toby sat up.

  "Does that mean you're not going to do anything?" He demanded.

  Dodds gave him a slight smirk.

  "Not a chance. A crime was committed and just because his dad does things for us it doesn't mean we're going to let him off lightly. If Jason's committed a crime he most certainly will do the time."

  That made Toby feel a little better. At least he knew they weren't going to turn away. Twenty years ago when Simone had been attacked, the police had laughed and walked away. Her attackers had never paid for their crimes. At least this was going in Carl's favor this time.

  "Do you think he attacked Carl because he knew that Carl was going to testify?" Dodds asked Charlotte.

  "No." Charlotte was certain about that. "The only person Carl said that to was me. We haven't said a thing to anyone else."

  Dodds sighed. She planted her hands on her knees and stood, grimacing as she straightened her knees.

  "I'll have some more questions later but I'll let you get back to your family."

  "Thank you." Toby stood and held out his hand. "I'm sorry I couldn't be much help."

  Dodds gave him a tired smile and shook his hand firmly.

  "Don't worry, you were more than helpful. Do you want a ride home, Charlotte?"

  "My parents are h
ere." Charlotte wrapped her arms round her middle. "I'll stay a little longer."

  Dodds gave her a slight smile before walking away. As she left, Emil exited the elevator. He saw Toby and beckoned him over urgently. Sensing something wrong, Toby left Charlotte standing by Carl's window and hurried to join his friend.

  "Where did you go?"

  "I needed to call a friend."

  "What for."

  Emil glanced around them before drawing Toby to a corner. Even then he lowered his voice.

  "I thought the name Reveley sounded familiar so I put a call in to my PI."

  "You didn't sleep with the mother, did you?"

  "No! But I did recognize the name. I worked with a guy name Reveley a few years back. He had two daughters but I only met the older one." Emil paused. "Her name is Candace."

  "Candace?" Toby only knew of one Candace. "As in my brother's girlfriend?"

  "Yes. Reveley married Candace's mother when she was four. Louise came along shortly after." Emil raised his eyebrows. "Think there's a connection?"

  There was most certainly a connection. And Toby knew he needed to find out before the police did. He glanced back towards Carl's room, thinking of Simone further down the hall. Then he turned back to Emil.

  "Could you do me a favor? Say no if you don't want in."

  "My godson and my best friend are in hospital because some sick bastards beat them up." Emil's mouth hardened into a thin line. "I'm in."

  *****

  Toby banged his fist on the door.

  "Come on, open up, Mike!" He bellowed. "Mike, I know you're in there. I can hear music. Let me in!"

  He hammered on the door again. He had been outside for the past ten minutes but Mike had been refusing to open the door. His brother wasn't out because the lights were still on and he wasn't asleep as Toby could hear music being played inside. He rang the bell and hammered again.

  Eventually Mike opened the door. He was wearing black silk pyjama trousers, his chest laid bare. His hair was mussed and there was a slight sheen of sweat on his skin. Toby didn't need to guess what he had been up to in there.

  Mike gave him an incredulous look.

  "Toby, what the hell? Hey!"

  Toby shoved him hard in the chest, making Mike stumble back and nearly lose his footing. Toby kicked the door shut and advanced on his brother.

  "What did you do, Mike?" He snarled.

  "What are you talking about?"

  Toby grabbed Mike's throat and pinned him against the wall.

  "What did you do?"

  "Let go of me!"

  Mike tried to pry his hand away but Toby held on tight. He was easily stronger than Mike and could hold his own. Plus with his fury driving him it wasn't that difficult to keep him pinned.

  "You set Simone up to be attacked, didn't you?"

  "What?" Mike stared at him like he had gone mad. "Are you high?"

  Toby shook him, Mike's head bouncing off the wall.

  "You've never liked Simone. You've never hidden that fact. And you know she's been beaten up before for being with me. So you decided to use it again and this time you got my son as well." Toby tightened his hand. "Are you that disgusting you would attack a child?"

  "Let go of me!"

  Mike managed to push Toby away, Toby stumbled back before regaining his balance. Mike wheezed and rubbed at his throat. Then he sneered at Toby.

  "The last I heard, Carl's an adult. And I had nothing to do with it."

  "I never said you were there. I said you set them up." Toby jabbed a finger in his direction. "You tried to kill my wife and my son."

  "You need to leave before I call the cops."

  "Don't bother. Emil's outside calling them." Toby stepped away before he swung at his brother. "I just wanted to tell you first."

  It would have been better for Mike to confess what he had done but Mike would never openly confess. However Toby knew his brother and had seen the expression in his eyes. He had been involved and he was gloating.

  It made Toby want to beat him to a pulp but he refused to lower himself down to that level.

  "Mike? What's going on?"

  Toby turned. A pretty blonde girl in her late teens was in the doorway to Mike's bedroom wearing one of his shirts. Her hair was mussed like she had been having sex and her eyes were glazed over, the way they did when the person had been taking drugs. He could smell marijuana.

  This wasn't Candace but the look was similar.

  "You're Louise, I take it." Realizing what this meant, Toby swung around on Mike, who was smirking as if he was pleased with himself. "You're sleeping with your girlfriend's sister? She's only seventeen!"

  "Age of consent in this state is sixteen." Mike shrugged. "No crime here."

  "No, but it's skirting it."

  Toby turned to Louise and advanced on her. Louise didn't back down or cower. Either she was really under the influence or she thought she was being clever facing a furious father down.

  The pieces were falling into place and Toby didn't like the picture. It felt too strange to be true.

  "So this is how it is, is it?" He asked, giving Louise a disgusted look. "You help your sugar daddy set up his nephew to be attacked? What do you get out of it?"

  Louise shrugged.

  "A thrill."

  "Come again?"

  "Carl's dirty." Louise's expression seemed to mock him. "I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole."

  Toby was reeling. How had he not known that this girl was a racist? He hadn't met her before but he was sure Carl would have noticed; his perception of people was usually spot-on.

  Obviously not this time.

  "Does Jason know you're sleeping with a man old enough to be your father?"

  "No." Louise folded her arms and leaned against the door frame, crossing her long legs. "He doesn't need to know."

  "But you're still sleeping with both of them." Louise's expression said it all. Disgusted, Toby turned away. "You're just as vile as my brother."

  "Well, you shouldn't have married her."

  Toby stared at Mike, whose bravado seemed to be coming back.

  "Excuse me?"

  "You weren't listening to your family. Mom and Dad told you not to marry her. I tried to tell you. Simone was going to drain you dry of the money she didn't deserve." Mike's lip curled in an ugly sneer. "And Carl...well, I couldn't have him hankering after Louise. It's a good thing she has a jealous boyfriend who wanted to deal with him for testifying against him."

  Toby felt sick. He wanted to retch. His brother had set his sister-in-law and nephew to be killed. And the vile little girl Carl had a crush on had helped, maybe even joined in with the beating. It was a miracle they were still alive. He glanced at Louise, who was still looking pleased with herself.

  "You're lucky you're a girl or I'd have smacked you by now."

  "Threatening a girl with violence?" Mike tittered. "That's not like you at all, Toby."

  Toby swung around. Mike didn't move so his fist hit Mike sweetly in the mouth. Mike fell back and hit the wall before falling to the floor. He lay moaning, clutching at his mouth. Toby rubbed at his knuckles, which were smarting.

  "You, on the other hand, are fair game." He glanced back at Louise, whose confidence seemed to be ebbing now her lover was down. "The police know your name and I'll make sure they know you're involved. And don't bother calling Jason or his friends as they've already been picked up." Toby shook his head in disgust. "You threw your life away for nothing."

  He turned smartly and strode towards the door.

  "Have a nice life in jail, sweetheart."

  There was a slew of abusive language at his back but Toby didn't turn around, simply slamming the door and muting the tirade.

  *****

  It hurt. That much Simone knew. Her head hurt. Her chest hurt. Her arm hurt. Even her backside hurt. Everything felt like one ball of pain.

  It hurt even to open her eyes. Forcing her lids apart, Simone blinked as the hospital lights hit her ret
inas. She moaned and tried to raise her arm to cover her eyes but then a sharp pain sliced through up to her shoulder. Looking down she saw that her arm was covered in plaster, from her fingers to above her elbow. She wiggled her fingers and flinched as something further up her arm screamed.

  "Simone?"

  Simone looked up. Toby was in the doorway to her room. He looked like he hadn't slept, his hair on end and his clothes all creased. He also looked as though he didn't know whether to come into the room or not.

  Simone couldn't help it. She wanted her husband. Then the dam broke and she burst into tears. Immediately Toby entered the room and sat on the bed, pulling her into his arms.

  "Hey, don't cry, honey. You're safe now." He rubbed her back and gently rocked her. "No one's going to hurt you."

  Clutching onto his shirt, Simone sobbed. It felt really good to have him holding her again, even though she wished she wasn't in a hospital bed and her arm wasn't slathered in plaster. She wanted to feel him properly, to know that he was really there.

  Toby said nothing as she cried. He rubbed her back and rocked her, holding her as close as the IV drip and the cast would allow. Simone shut her eyes tight and fisted his shirt, ignoring the bite from the drip in her hand.

  "Where's Carl?"

  "He's down the hall." Toby's voice was low and soothing. "They had to put him in an induced coma."

  Simone trembled. Her Carl. Her darling boy. She could still remember the moment that Jason swung his bat at Carl's head. Carl went down immediately and didn't get back up. Then they began to beat him, swinging the bat and chain as Carl lay there unable to help himself.

  "I tried to help." She whispered. "I saw what they were doing. I tried to help him." She swallowed. "But there were too many of them."

  She had managed to lay one out and push another away but then they turned on her. Simone had felt her kneecap go before she fell unconscious. They must have broken her arm after that.

  "I know, baby. I know." Toby drew back and cupped her face in his hands, wiping away the tears. "Someone else saw the whole thing and called the police. They've all been arrested."

  Simone sagged against him.