“Just say what it is you came here to say.” He huffs out like a small child.
“Yeah, I’ve never been a fan of small talk either, so let me get to the point. There are three things we need to address. The first two I think will be easy for you since you never really loved Nicola or Allison. I need for you to sign these divorce papers and sign off your parental rights to Allison so that I can adopt her.”
“You might as well shoot me. I’m not signing shit.”
“No? Alright. I didn’t really need you to do those things anyway. Once you’re in prison, we will petition the courts. If you signed it would be quicker, but we don’t mind waiting.” I speak mostly the truth. We do mind waiting.
“Prison? For what? You have no proof I ever hit Nicola. It’s your and her word against mine. Who do you think a judge will believe? A low life criminal and a woman who kidnapped my kid or an upstanding and highly respected member of this community?”
“He has no clue does he?” Cade inquires.
“What don’t I know?” Jason questions cautiously.
“You don’t know that we know about jay can make her submit. The little website you created. We have all the files downloaded and ready to share with the police. Maybe you haven’t been online for a few days, but it’s offline and your customers have been refunded.” I inform him.
He doesn’t even try to deny it and quickly starts trying to cover his ass. “So if I sign these papers what will you do with those files?”
“We will make them disappear.” I say.
“How can I trust you? How do I know you won’t just call the cops the second I sign them?”
“Because unlike you, I love Nicola and I don’t want to humiliate her anymore than she already has been. You have no reason to trust me, but I do promise that no one else will see those videos.”
I can tell he’s contemplating and after a few seconds he says, “Give me a pen.”
Before I walk towards him with the paper and pen, I turn to Cade and tell him to keep the gun trained on Jason.
Once I know it’s safe, I take the couple steps forward and place the paper and pen on his table. He signs them right away. It’s sad kind of. How can someone just give away their kid to save themself?
“Ok, now what? You just leave?” he asks, somehow he believes we’ve made a deal.
The second I have the papers in my hand I start talking again. “No, I said there were three things we need to address. The first two are taken care of. I’m going to keep my promise and I’m not turning over the tapes. But in ten minutes, the police and the CEO are going to get the same email. The ones that outline the times you’ve stolen from your company. I have to hand it to you, man. At first Cade told me it was just a hundred thousand dollars. I was disappointed because I knew if you made a deal and offered restitution, you would be doing fifteen years max. Probably more like three. Since we can see how much you have in your bank account, we knew the hundred thousand was a drop in the bucket. But then Cade found out the money shuffling you’ve been doing. Stealing from one client to pay another. Since you handle some pretty impressive portfolios, you knew they had no intention of taking their money out. They gave you complete control. Only the millions you showed them when they questioned you, was temporarily borrowed from another client. Cade, can you give me that exact number again?”
“Sure, three million six hundred and twenty thousand dollars.”
“We have the paperwork here if you need to see it. I’m assuming you don’t because you have it all memorized. Still, if you would like to take a look.”
The look on Jason’s face is nothing but shock. I know he wonders who we are and how we found out all this information.
“Times up. The emails were sent. When we hear the sirens in the distance, we will leave.” I leave out the fact that we also added that he was planning a murder for hire because he thought his boss was onto him. We knew the embezzlement alone wasn’t enough to make the police come quick.
“That fucking bitch! This was all her doing!” he angrily shouts.
“You can’t say I didn’t warn you.” I remind him as I pull my fist back and swing with all my might. Not only can I hear his jaw shatter when my fist makes contact, but I felt the bones crumble on my knuckles. The sheer excitement I feel when he cries like a little bitch is more satisfying than breaking the jaw!
Looking at this man crumpled and bleeding in his seat doesn’t feel like enough. I want to kill this fucker for all the pain he has caused. I’m not sure why I can’t bring myself to pull the trigger. Maybe it’s because a man like Jason would rather be dead than in prison. Whatever the reason, I make peace with my decision, knowing it’s the right call.
We do what we say we’re going to do and wait for the sirens. Once they are somewhere on this street, Cade grabs Jason’s laptop and we take off out the front door and wait for the police to arrive. We stick around like the other tourists that are here. We try to blend in and look nosy. I admit I’m a little nervous, and I don’t know why. Could this really be the moment Jason is going to finally pay for what he did? Will the legal system work the way it should? Would it have been better to go with Cade’s plan and simply walk in and shoot him? Time will tell, I guess, and we will deal with whatever happens.
“He’s got a gun.” I hear being shouted from inside followed by at least a dozen gunshots.
Immediately, I look at Cade and he shrugs like he understands. He knows that I’m worried Jason killed a cop. We are standing close enough to the police tape that I can hear someone’s police radio.
“Sarge? Do you need a medic?” an unknown officer asks.
“Nope, the suspect is deceased and he didn’t get a shot off.”
Chapter 33
Nicola
We just pulled up to the first house and it’s absolutely gorgeous. We’re in a suburb of Northern Chicago. The neighborhood is quiet, and I see bikes on several lawns. Seeing that tells me two things. First, it’s the kind of neighborhood where people trust their neighbors. In New York, there is no way an unchained bike won’t be stolen. Chicago crimes rates I assume would be similar, but since this isn’t downtown Chicago, maybe the crime rate drops dramatically in the suburbs. The second thing is, this is the kind of place Allison can have playmates. She’ll be free to be the little girl she should be. Laughing with girlfriends, having sleepovers and playing in the park around the corner.
“Mommy what are we doing here?” Allison asks with wide-eyed curiosity.
“Well, we are looking for a place to live.”
“Why? Does Gavin not want us anymore?” she sadly asks.
I watch Kerrigan clutch her chest like she can feel Allison’s sadness.
“No honey. He said we needed to find a place big enough for the puppies. They need a yard to play in.”
That must satisfy her curiosity, and her next question wasn’t one I was prepared to answer. “Is Gavin your boyfriend mommy?”
Kerrigan tries to hide her laughter with a cough and she fails miserably. “I’m sorry,” she says as she continues laughing without trying to cover it up.
Things moved so quickly with Gavin that even I’m shocked how quickly it progressed in just a week. But as I think about how to answer, I realize this relationship has been building for more than a week. I think back to our time at the bar and how many ways and times he showed me I can trust him. I know if he had any violent tendencies, I would’ve seen them by now.
“Yes, Allison he is. Is that okay with you?” Yes, I’m asking her permission. If she isn’t ready, we won’t even get out of this car. I feel like I’ve been on autopilot and haven’t talked to her about how she feels.
“Yeah, I guess so, but does this make him my daddy? Or do I have to keep my old daddy?”
“That’s up to you Allison. Gavin can be your friend or if you wanted, maybe one day he can be your dad.” I say giving her the choice.
“I don’t like my old daddy, but I have blonde hair like him. I don’t lo
ok like Gavin so he can’t be my daddy. Does that mean I won’t have a dad?” Her words don’t seem sad or angry. It seems like she doesn’t understand what is happening.
“I don’t look like my daddy either.” I inform her.
“You don’t?”
“Nope. My dad also had blonde hair and blue eyes. I got my dark hair from my mom.”
“Does Gavin love me?” she blurts out like that’s the question she’s been wanting to ask all along.
Oh, what do I say? I don’t want to answer for him. Panicked I look to Kerrigan. Thankfully, she’s the one who answers her question. “Gavin is my son. And did you know me and his dad adopted him when he was four years old?”
“You did? Didn’t his parents love him?” she innocently asks.
“I only met his parents once so I can’t answer for them. I know they were unable to care for him. They made a lot of bad decisions and ended up in jail. But Gavin’s dad and I loved him just like he was our own. If fact we don’t ever really think of the adoption because we love him so much. Maybe you should talk to Gavin to see how he feels.”
“Would that make you my grandma if he adopted me?”
Kerrigan laughs again and it’s infectious because I start laughing too. “Yes it would. And do you know how long I’ve waited for a blonde haired granddaughter? Almost seven years.”
“Hey! I’m almost seven.” Allison deduced.
Kerrigan winks at me and says, “Ok, who wants to go see this house.”
Both Allison and I respond in unison, “Me!”
Gavin
It’s almost midnight when I arrive back to the penthouse. I sent Nicola a text when Cade and me got confirmed on a late flight back to Chicago. She had a ton of questions, but I told her I would explain everything when we got home and I asked if she could wait up for me. We were supposed to leave New York tomorrow but all I wanted was to get back home. To be able to see Nicola and to wrap my arms around her has been the only thoughts in my head for the last few hours.
The second the elevator door opens Nicola comes barreling into my arms. There is no way I will ever tire of this feeling. To know she feels safe in my arms is indescribable. As I kiss the top of her head, I breathe in her scent, and the second I do, I’m instantly hard. I’m almost kicking myself for making the no sex again till marriage. What the fuck was I thinking?
“So, how did it go? Is he is jail? Am I divorced?” Nicola questions quickly.
“Maybe you should sit down?” I suggest.
She doesn’t ask another question she just walks to the table and I follow close behind and close enough to where my arm is around her waist, but my hand is resting on her fine ass. Seriously, all I can think about in this moment is burying myself so deep inside her for hours! You would think I would be thinking of how I’m going to break the news to her that Jason is dead.
After she takes her seat she says, “So, tell me everything.”
“Well it’s up to you if you want to be divorced or widowed.” I explain.
Nicolas eyes widen in shock. “You didn’t kill him, did you, Gavin? Tell me you didn’t kill him.”
“No I didn’t but when the cops arrived Jason pointed his gun at a police officer and they had no choice but to shoot him.”
I’m not sure what kind of reaction I was expecting her to have but I didn’t expect the laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I inquire.
Nicola continues laughing for a couple minutes and then suddenly the laughter turns to crying.
“What’s wrong Nicola? Talk to me.” I take her hand and just try to calm her down.
She breathes in deeply a few times and finally responds, “I’m free Gavin. Allison and I are free. For the rest of our lives we will never have to look over our shoulders. We will never live in fear. If Jason went to prison, we would always wonder when he would get out. I’m just so happy!”
“Then why are you crying?" I ask.
“Because you don’t know what it feels like to look forward to tomorrow. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to truly look forward to what tomorrow might hold. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sad not because he is dead, but because I’m worried about how Allison will take it. She’s never been close to him. He was just a figure in our house who showed no affection towards her. Though I do thank him for one thing, he never hit her. Maybe deep down he did love her.”
“Good! Then I’m glad he’s dead. Maybe we should wait to tell Allison when she’s able to understand or when she asks about him. I don’t want to keep secrets from her, but I do want to protect her from all that for as long as we can. He did sign the divorce paperwork, but it hasn’t been filed. He has a little over two million in his account. If you were widowed, that would all go to you. As far as Cade could find, he didn’t have a will.”
“I agree. Today was a good day for her. She picked out her bedroom and told me she wanted to paint it a bright sunshine yellow. So for now, we play it by ear. And that's a lot of money! Maybe it will come in handy for buying the house or investing in ours and Allison’s futures.”
For some reason her response pisses me off. “The house is already paid for. And I don’t want any of his money investing into her future. I will take care of her.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just saying it’s a lot of money to waste when something good can come of it. I don’t want it either.” She stops talking and looks like she’s deep in thought. I see the moment the light bulb goes off. “How would you feel if I took that money and donated it to the no kill animal shelters? To make sure the puppies’ mom and dogs like her can live on a farm and enjoy their lives.”
My sweet, sweet woman! “That’s a great idea!”
“What did you mean when you said the house was already paid for? You didn’t even look at it.” She reminds me.
“I told my mom to buy whatever house you wanted. She was going to make an all cash offer with an immediate closing date. Assuming you found a house today, we can move in four days from now.”
“Your parents are buying our house? I don’t like that Gavin.”
“No, I bought that house. My parents taught us the stock market early on. From the time we could work, we all started putting money into it. When my mom started buying up businesses, she also started tucking away some money for Eli and me. If you don’t want to work, you don’t have to. You can stay at home with Allison.”
“I want to work. I like working with your mom,” she says. And I’m okay with whatever she wants.
Chapter 34
Nicola
Allison and I are getting our things packed. This is our last day in the penthouse. Gavin’s parents are taking her shopping for bedding while he and I finish painting her room. Over the last couple days things have been perfect. No drama and no worrying and for some reason, that worries me. I keep waiting for a disaster to happen. I’m trying not to spoil the excitement because I’ve waited so long to be this happy and for my daughter to be happy. But I take this time to make sure Allison is truly happy. And to find out why she all of a sudden started liking Gavin.
I sit down on the bed we’ve shared the last couple weeks and pat it as I call out to her. “Allison, come talk to me real quick.”
Her blonde hair is up in a messy ponytail that she insisted on doing herself. I have the urge to fix it but don’t when I see her joyfully skipping to me.
“Yeah mom?”
“Mommy just wanted to make sure you’re still ok with all this. You know with us moving in with Gavin. Us moving here to Chicago?”
She squints her eyes as though she’s in deep thought and replies simply, “I’m ok mommy.”
That’s it? I was hoping she’d pour her heart and soul out in her answer. Apparently, I’m the only one needing confirmation so I ask one final question. “Mommy is curious why you started talking to Gavin. I thought maybe you didn’t like him because you didn’t talk to him those first few days.”
“He let me watch Vampirina.”
> Huh? “ You like him because he let you watch TV?”
Again, her little eyes squint and she confesses her beautiful painful truth. “He didn’t turn off the TV or make me give him the remote. My dad never let me watch what I wanted.”
Hearing that, I want to cry out in pure happiness. Instead, I smile and take a deep relaxing breathe. I will never forget this moment and the way she looks. I washed my hands of Jason years ago, but in that moment while sitting on the couch with Gavin, Allison washed her hands of him too. There is no way to know what our future will look like, but it’s bright! I just know it.
Gavin
“It’s beautiful.” Nicola exclaims as she spins around in Allison’s sunshine yellow room.
“It’s bright. I’ll give you that.” I laugh thinking yellow wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it’s a happy color and happiness is all I want for both my girls. As I turn to face Nicola, my heart literally stops and I fight to catch my breath. Never in my life have I seen anyone as beautiful as her.
The sunlight is beaming through the windows and its casting highlights in Nicola’s dark hair. It’s giving her the appearance of some heavenly goddess sent here specifically for me. My body immediately starts to buzz and I’m compelled to walk to her, to get close enough to run my fingers through her hair.
She hadn’t noticed my slow approach, so when my fingers graze over her shoulder, she freezes for a second. When she realizes it’s me, her body caves into mine as if I am apart of her. The pride I feel in this moment knowing that Nicola trusts me is indescribable.
“Hey babe!” I whisper as my lips plant kisses along her neck.
Her eyes widen in seductive shock. “What?” she slowly asks as though she’s forgotten how to speak.
In this moment, I know I’ve forgotten how to speak. Or maybe I shouldn’t speak because I don’t think she’d want to hear the dirty thoughts running through my mind.
Gavin (Made From Stone Book 2) Page 18