Emory undid his shirt slowly, running her fingertips over his chest as if she were committing every part of his skin to memory. When they were both naked, she stroked his cock, hard and proud against his belly, gazing up at him.
‘I want you inside me,’ she whispered, ‘please, Dante, don’t wait.’
He swept her onto the bed and pushed her legs apart, thrusting his ramrod hard cock deep inside her, their eyes locked, his hands pinning hers to the bed. His big body, dwarfing hers, dominated her, made her feel loved, made her feel safe. As they made love, with each thrust the pleasure and the pain grew more intense, and when Emory’s orgasm hit, she cried out with the pain she had buried for so long and sobbed in his arms, knowing she would rather die than give him up, even if it meant breaking Luca Saffran’s heart.
‘Mrs. Azano?’
Zea frowned. She didn’t recognize the voice on the other end of the phone. ‘It’s Mrs. Newlan now…who is this please?
‘It’s Detective Lindstrom from Auburn Homicide, Mrs.…Newlan. Congrats by the way. I’m sorry to intrude on your new life, but I have important information for you regarding your husband – excuse me – your former husband’s case.’
Zea felt a chill. What could it be now? ‘Okay.’ She sat down. Flynt who was chopping vegetable at the kitchen counter looked at her curiously, and she shrugged at him, looking confused.
‘Mrs. Newlan, new information has come to light in the case. I think you’re aware of the toxicology results on your hus- on Mr. Azano’s body? We found a significant amount of the drug known on the streets as ‘bath salts’?’
‘Yes.’ Her mouth felt dry. She’d found that hardest to believe – that David was taking hard drugs. There simply had been no signs. ‘Detective, please tell me what you need to.’
The detective sighed. ‘Okay, here it is. It appears that the drugs were slipped to your husband without him being aware. He was drugged, Mrs. Newlan. Someone – a pupil – targeted him, supplied the drugs, the weapons. Told him who to kill. Apparently, this student had a grudge against the Kline family, the Saffrans. He also harbored a crush on Mrs. Grace. When he made his feelings clear to Mrs. Grace, she obviously reported it to the headmaster, as is policy.’
Zea felt all the horror of the shooting flooded back. She felt the blood drain from her face. ‘Stop saying ‘this student’ – the pupils at Auburn are old enough to be tried as adults. Tell me his name.’
‘Nicholas Petersen.’
Oh God. She knew Nick…he’d worked as a mechanic at his dad’s workshop. Both Petersen senior and junior were creeps, she had never liked either. ‘Why did he pick David?’
‘We don’t know. Mrs. Az – Newlan, we need you to come back to Auburn, just for a time. Is that something you feel you could do now?’
‘Yes.’ Her voice was barely above a whisper. ‘Okay.’
Detective Lindstrom sounded relieved. ‘Thank you, ma’am. I’ll be in touch.’
‘Goodbye, Detective.’
She pressed the end button, and looked up at Flynt, her whole body aching. She told him, in a halting voice, what the detective had told her.
‘And that is that,’ she said softly. Flynt frowned.
‘I’m so sorry, Zea.’
Zea stared at her phone for a long moment, then carefully stood and threw the phone against the wall. It shattered and flung glass and metal across the room. Flynt flinched and reached for her, but before he got hold of her, she’d walked unsteadily over to pick up one of the shards of glass, glinting in the carpet. She closed her hand around it, letting out a primal scream of pain, rage, and betrayal as the glass sliced into her skin.
‘Woah, woah woah!’ Flynt gathered her into his arms and bore her over to the couch. Sobs began to rack her body, and she slumped, unable to stop the ragged, shuddering howls of grief. Flynt rocked her as if she were a child.
‘Ssh, ssh, baby girl, I’m here. Let me look after you.’
Her sobs juddered to a halt finally, and she pulled away from his arms.
‘I’m sorry, Flynt. I just…god, poor David…he never did anything to hurt anyone, and now he’ll forever be known as a killer. Because of this psychopathic student,’ she looked at him through tear-filled eyes. ‘I can’t bear it.’
He swept her hair away from her face. ‘I’ll get you some painkillers. I think you should go to bed. We’ll talk more in the morning.'
She nodded her thanks, and he was quickly back with a glass of water and two little white pills. She swallowed them as he started to clean up the cut on her hand. The smell of the blood filled her nose. She opened her mouth to speak but found she could not, the whirling in her brain speeding up now, confusion muddling her thoughts.
‘Baby…you okay?’ Flynt’s voice seemed even more distant now, barely audible. Black spots began to crowd into her vision, and finally she passed out. The blood from her hand dripped slowly onto the carpet.
Tatiana greeted them as she leaned against his car and Luca smiled. He had invited Tat to go with him and Bree to Dante Harper’s house. Tatiana had become a good friend, someone he could talk to. Last night, at another late dinner, she had asked him if he was ready to know what Dante Harper was about to tell him.
‘I don’t know,’ he admitted, his fingers twisting the stem of his wine glass. ‘I guess I’m still waiting to feel that Emory’s dead and maybe Dante has information where her body is. God help me, I need that closure before I can move on, Tat.’
‘I understand. Luca, what if…what if Emory is alive and Dante knows where she is?’
Luca took a deep breath in. ‘Then I would hope, he would tell me where she is.’
‘What if she doesn’t want to be found?’
Luca looked shocked. ‘Why on Earth…?’
‘Luca, think about it – and don’t shoot the messenger,’ Tat added with a grin, ‘What if Emory thinks Ray is still out there, alive, free? What if she thinks as long as he thinks she’s dead, then Bree is safe?’
Luca sighed. ‘It had crossed my mind, and yes, it would be like Emory to think like that. Maybe I should have let Maximo deal with Ray Grace, let the police find his body, get it out to the press. Ray Grace’s death would not bother me for one second.’
Tatiana blinked, and Luca realized he was still talking to a journalist, however as much as she was a good friend. He held up her hands.
‘Forgive me, Tat, sometimes my anger gets the better of me.’
‘It’s really okay; it’s just strange to hear it come from you.’
Luca gave a small laugh. ‘You think I don’t want to rip that son of a bitch limb from limb?’
‘I do but still…’
Luca studied her. Tatiana was a little older than Emory, and physically, they could not have been more different; Emory, small, dark and curvy, whereas Tatiana was nearly as tall as Luca’s six foot, willowy and slender. Despite their differences, there was one thing they had in common. Both had dark eyes which sparkled with warmth and love. God, what are you doing, Saffran, comparing your friend to your dead lover?
He looked away from Tatiana’s gaze. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind coming tomorrow?’
‘Not at all.’
Now they were in his Mercedes, Bree having taken the back seat, and were speeding towards Dante Harper’s estate. After a time, none of them spoke, all locked in their own thoughts. Eventually, Luca pulled up to the gates of a large estate. Tatiana looked at him, then around at Bree.
‘Are you sure you’re ready for this? Last time I ask, promise.’
Luca’s eyes met Bree’s in the rear-view mirror, and he saw his daughter nod. ‘We’re ready. Let’s go.’
Jesse stopped in town to grab some groceries. Since he and Bree had moved in with Kizzie, he thought with a grin, they’d managed to eat her entire refrigerator and cupboards bare. He had to admit, he enjoyed living with the two girls – despite the situation they were in, they kept each other sane.
He dumped the sack of groceries in the trunk and moved
to get into his car. He stopped and looked over to Nick Petersen’s father’s workshop. Since the APB went out about Nick, Gary Petersen had shut up shop, avoiding angry parents and the press.
From the corner of his eye, a flash of light had caught Jesse’s eye. Nick’s abandoned workshop was in darkness, but he could have sworn…a flashlight swept across the inside of the building. Jesse, glancing around him to see if anyone else had noticed, felt a small jolt of anxiety. He crossed the street and looked in at the window. At the far end of the workshop, a door stood open. Jesse knew it was the door that led upstairs to the apartment above. Gary had always kept it locked. Jesse didn’t know if the police had left it open when they’d searched it but…he cupped his hands over his eyes and tried to see any movement. Another flash, this time from the stairs.
Jesse chewed on his lip. He walked around to the stairs that led to the apartment and climbed up the stairs. The apartment was dark, but he peered into the windows. Nothing. He blew a breath out. The events of the past few weeks had affected the whole island. He, like many others, had been on the lookout for that bastard Petersen ever since Ethan told the truth. He shook his head and stepped away. Behind him, the door creaked open. Jesse stopped and turned his heart thudding. His body tensed, he pushed the door open.
‘Petersen? Ain’t no use hiding. The whole island’s looking for you.’
‘Are they?’
Jesse whirled around just as Nick Petersen loomed up behind him. Jesse felt his balance slip, as with both hands, Petersen shoved him violently. Jesse felt the balcony rail slam into his back, felt himself flip over. Just before he slammed into the dirt below, he saw a flash of bright light, heard an agonized scream and then he hit the road and blacked out.
Kizzie looked up as a dark-haired, pretty young woman approached her. She was waiting outside Ethan’s room while nurses changed his dressings and had her head stuck in a book when the woman spoke.
‘Kizzie Kline?’
Kizzie nodded and stood, taking the woman’s offered hand. ‘I am.’
‘I’m Zea Newlan…I was Zea Azano.’
Kizzie felt a jolt of shock. The woman in front of her couldn’t be much older than herself. She looked nervous and trembling, and Kizzie’s heart went out to her. Of anyone, Zea Azano had nothing to be afraid of.
She took the woman’s hand again. ‘Ethan’s been looking forward to seeing you, and explaining everything. Thank you so much for coming.’
Zea smiled at her. ‘You’re sweet. I knew Lexi a little; she was lovely. I’m so sorry for your loss.’
‘Thank you.’ Damn it, why did the tears always come when Lexi’s name was mentioned? Suddenly, Zea was hugging her.
‘I should have come before. I ran away. I’m so sorry,’ she murmured into Kizzie’s ear. Kizzie hugged her.
‘It’s okay…it’s okay…you’re here now. That’s all that matters.’
Luca, Bree, and Tatiana were shown into the large drawing room of the Harper Mansion. In a moment, a tall, handsome man walked into the room, his face drawn and tense. He shook Bree and Tat’s hands before turning to Luca.
The two men seemed to size each other up, Tat noticed, not in a Neanderthal way but as equals.
‘Mr. Saffran, I have always been an admirer,’ Dante Harper said and shook Luca’s hand. ‘May I offer you all a drink?’
After they had drinks, Dante sat opposite, seemingly nervous. Luca shifted in his seat. Tatiana, seated next to him, could feel the tension rolling off him. She pressed her hand against the outside of his thigh, hoping it would comfort him. Luca glanced round at her, and half smiled.
‘Mr. Harper, thank you for inviting us here but you must know, I am at a loss to know what you can possibly tell me about Emory’s disappearance. Please, put me out of my misery.’
Dante opened his mouth to speak then his attention was drawn behind them to the open doorway.
‘I thought you wanted me to ease them into this,’ he said softly, tenderly. All three visitors turned, and Tatiana’s pulse began to race as a small, dark, achingly beautiful woman with terrified eyes stepped into the room. She needed no introduction. Bree gave a cry and Luca stood, his eyes riveted on the newcomer. She walked closer to him, her gaze wandering towards all of them before she turned scared eyes on Dante.
‘It’s okay, honey,’ he said, his voice breaking and Tatiana saw it. The love in his eyes. Oh, dear God, what a mess. She glanced back at Luca who was frozen.
Emory Dutta drew in a deep breath and finally spoke. ‘Hello, Bree…hello, Luca…’
EVERGREEN
An Alpha Billionaire Romance
Part #9: Emory
By Michelle Love
#9: Emory
Then…
Nick Petersen, blonde, tall and to hear him tell it, a good hometown boy, was bored. His parents had saved and scrimped for him to attended Auburn, but he knew he didn’t fit here. He would pull up to the college parking lot in his remodeled Toyota, to be surrounded by Bentleys, Porches, Jaguars. Rich kids made him sick.
There were only a few he liked. Julieta was hot and always ready to put out for a chance to hang with him. Greg, Justin…rich and dumb and easily led. He even liked Ethan Fonseca, but then Ethan was impossible to dislike. Easy-going and funny, Ethan would spend time with anybody that wanted to spend time with him. If he were being honest, Nick would admit that he secretly wanted to impress Ethan, surprise him.
Which is why he trusted him with his plan. Ethan listened, rolling his eyes. ‘Yeah, dude, whatever.’ Nick was frustrated.
‘You don’t think I’d do it?’
Ethan sighed. ‘What would be the point? Surely the point would be to get attention for yourself – look at Klebold and Harris, man. Anyway, don’t even joke about that stuff, man, it’s sick.’
Nick had been slighted but let it go. It was okay Ethan didn’t believe him now…it would only make things more exciting when he pulled it off.
Because he had planned it all…he just had to, and he laughed at the pun, pull the trigger. Julieta, his confident, had talked it through with him, was as excited as him. Sitting in the coffeehouse that time, they’d talked all afternoon, planning everything. They had even cared that the guy sitting behind them had heard everything and when Nick had left the coffeehouse late that night, the man had followed him and made him an offer he had even dreamed of.
His eyes slid across the school cafeteria to where Mr. Azano was talking to Mrs. Grace. Nick’s eyes lingered on the pretty young teacher. She wasn’t much older than them. Nick had whacked off at night thinking about the lovely Emory Grace for the last year and a half, but when he’d made his feelings clear, she had become formal with him, reporting his crush to the headmaster. Bitch. He had already decided she would have to die. He looked at Mr. Azano and smiled. The teacher was handsome, but soft-looking, malleable. He loved his kids and Nick had always liked the man. But Azano would be perfect. So suggestible, so naïve. He was sitting with Emory now but soon, thanks to Nick, he would be killing her.
Not long now, Nick Petersen thought to himself as he cleared the tray. Not long now before I bring this all down on top of you rich fucks.
I can’t wait…
Now…
Luca felt his heart beating out of his chest. ‘Emory?’ He could barely believe she was standing in front of him. Her dark hair hung even lower than he remembered, her eyes wide and nervous but she looked even more ethereally beautiful than ever. ‘Emory, my God…’ He jerked into action then and darted to her, wrapping his arms around her. God, she felt so good in his arms, his emotions swirling. It was only after a second that he realized that her arms were not around him, that she had frozen in his embrace. He let her go and stared down at her. ‘Em?’
Emory looked at him then at Dante Harper and opened her mouth to speak. She shook her head and stepped away from Luca.
‘Emory has amnesia, Luca. Please, let’s all sit, and we’ll tell you everything that’s happened.’
His che
st tight, Luca sat with a silent Bree, and a curious Tatiana. Luca introduced her to Dante and Emory.
‘You’re a journalist?’ Finally, Emory spoke, her voice soft, and without recriminations.
Tatiana gave her a kind smile. ‘Off-duty today, Emory, I promise. I’m here as a friend.’
Emory, sitting next to Dante - very close to Dante, Luca noticed now – gave her a nod and a half-smile. Her eyes shifted to Bree.
‘Hey, bubba.’
Bree nodded, tears glistening in her eyes but stayed silent. Dante looked at Emory, who gave him a nod. ‘The night Emory was attacked by Ray Grace, at the port, I was sailing my boat back from the San Juan’s. We were nearing our docking place when I saw her. Emory was floating in the water, and of course, I immediately pulled her from the water. The first thing that was obvious was that she had been shot, once, in the abdomen at pretty close range.’
Bree gave a strangled cry, and Luca closed his eyes. God. Everything he had imagined was true.
Dante drew in a breath. ‘Emory was freezing, but as we wrapped her and were about to call the police, she regained consciousness. These are your exact words, honey,’ he turned to look at Emory, who gazed back at him, ‘I know I haven’t told you what you said but here goes. You said, please don’t call the emergency services, he’ll find me, he’ll hurt them again if he knows I’m alive.’ Dante looked away from their gazes, his voice choking. ‘I told you that you had been shot, that you were very sick, but you kept begging me not to tell anyone. Anyone.’ He looked at Luca and Bree sympathetically. ‘Please know…I did only what Emory asked. I called in favors with a surgeon I knew. He operated here, removed the bullet and saved her. But by that time, she had fallen into a coma from the blood loss, and from an infection, she must have picked up in the water. It was touch and go for a few weeks. When Emory finally awoke, it was a great day here, I can tell you.’
Evergreen: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 25