Tanan shook his head. “Not here. We were actually thinking of your apartment, Miss Asti. Piers has made a habit of harassing you there, and he’s believed to be the one who destroyed your apartment after your attack. You can help us bring them down.”
“Fuck, no.” Badass vibes filled the room and had more heads turning in their direction. “No fucking way is Amelia gonna play sitting duck while those assholes—”
Tanan held up a hand. “Not our intention at all. I don’t think it will be as complicated as that. She’ll need to be there, but she’ll be there with plenty of backup. Chances are, Miss Asti, that Rob, Paul, and Piers may try to attack you again. They clearly think you’re the reason for their troubles. Which is not true,” he added quickly before Hector could speak to refute it. “However, it is their truth.”
She lifted her hands, then dropped them in defeat. “But I still don’t understand why they think I did anything. I’ve never done anything to any of them. I haven’t seen my father in over twenty-five years, unless you count the attack. I’ve never even met Peter. Piers has done everything to ruin my life, but I’ve never done anything to hurt him, not a fucking thing. Why are they doing this?”
Tanan shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “We believe that may have to do with your mother.”
She jerked back in her seat. “What does she have to do with this? She’s been in a nursing home with dementia for years.”
“It’s the time before she was admitted into the nursing home that’s relevant here.” Tanan pulled out a file from a bag he’d set on the floor. He flipped it open, then turned it to her. “After your mother, ahem, gave you up—”
The nice way of saying abandoned.
“—she spent a great deal of time locating Paul’s other mistresses. When she found them, she would harass them, including your brothers.”
“Half-brothers.” And really, half was bad enough.
Tanan nodded. “Half-brothers. Based on the reports I’ve seen, and our interviews with Peter, there are other siblings besides him and Piers. You’re the only daughter Paul has, however.”
“Is that why they’re picking on me? Because my mother, who had mental health issues long before the dementia, bothered them years ago? Why bring it up now?”
“Your mother’s harassment constituted many forms, but she’d stop by their houses repeatedly, call and hang up repeatedly, sometimes even showing at the other mistress’s offices and harassing them there. It would go on for months before she’d leave, then she’d return and do it all over again until she found another mistress to harass. We believe she continued to do this until Paul managed to talk her into leaving everyone alone. This he did by essentially paying her.”
Millie’s brows furrowed. “Her monthly income before her accident…I thought that was government benefits or something?”
“No, Miss Asti. Those were pay-offs.”
“But if my father was involved with my mother, even just to pay her off, he must have made some kind of peace with her. Why would he harass me now? Attack me now?”
“It seems that your mother harassing all of Paul’s mistresses had one unexpected outcome: all your half-brothers bonded at younger ages. Paul arranged shared custody with them at the same time, so they all got to know each other. From Peter, I understand they’re quite close.”
Tanan leaned down, pulled out another file, and turned it around while he flipped it open. “So close, in fact, that income from the Royal Court was not just going to Piers, but also going to Paul and your other half-brothers. When it shut down, the income stream shut down. According to Peter, Piers said you were to blame for the pub being shut down. Given all the trouble your mother caused, they seem to believe you’re going to act the same as her. Since she’s already incapacitated, they made you their target.”
“Oh my God.” Millie dropped her forehead into her hands, shaking it as she went. “I never did anything. Piers is the one who messed up and lost the pub. I never did anything.”
Hector’s arm came across her shoulders, his forehead resting against her temple. “Baby.”
“Unfortunately, Miss Asti, some people only believe what they want to believe, no matter how much you tell them the truth. They won’t listen to anything different, and they don’t want to believe anything different, unless it suits their needs. They don’t care what the truth is, even if it harms someone else in the process.”
Her head shot up, dislodging Hector’s, as another thought came to her. “The pub couldn’t have been making that much money. They couldn’t have gotten so much from it that they could justify ruining my life and attacking me for it.”
Tanan shuffled a few pages in the file. “That’s where Paul comes in. Your father’s business is not entirely above board. He owns a garage, but he was using it to funnel money for two illegal businesses. More recently, he was a fence for the stolen goods they acquired through the robberies in the area, robberies his sons committed. Long-term, however, he was using income from the Royal Court to fund his drug trafficking operation.”
“Son of a goddamn bitch!” Hector spat out.
“It was through Officer Sullivan’s questioning and police work that we discovered the link. Paul and his sons are just a few people in a very large drug running operation in Masillia. We’re hoping to use the sting at your apartment to lure one or all of them in, then get them to turn on their superiors to bring the whole thing down.”
Payoffs. Revenge.
Drugs.
Her family. This was her family.
“No, baby, it’s not.”
Shit. She’d said that out loud, too.
“I’m your family.” Hector jerked his head back towards the bar. “Liz, Beth, all of us…we’re your family. Not those assholes. Blood doesn’t mean shit when they treat you like this.”
Before Hector, it would have been difficult for her to accept that. As someone who’d believed that any family was better than no family for so long, she wouldn’t have been able to cut ties.
She thought back to the day the pub changed hands and how she hadn’t been able to press charges against Piers, even though he’d attacked her then.
She thought back to the day Piers had grabbed her arm on the way to work and how, with Hector’s help, she’d started to press charges against him.
Now, with Hector beside her and the family she’d made for herself nearby, she was done with the family she’d been born into. She wanted all of this over and done with, and she never wanted to see her father or Piers or whatever half-siblings she had ever again.
She crossed her arms as best she could, wincing slightly as her ribs protested. “If we do this, how do we know their arrests will stick? Piers has already been let out on bail twice when he shouldn’t have gotten out the first time. You only found Peter by chance because he’s an idiot, and you still haven’t found the others, even though they’re also pretty much idiots. I need your assurances this will work.”
A flush swept across Tanan’s cheek. “Miss Asti, nothing is ever guaranteed in an operation. There are just too many variables to consider, though we’ll certainly consider as many of them as possible. As for the bail issue, we’re already looking into that. We believe the judge in that case was paid off by Paul. In addition to some evidence we’ve received regarding his anti-monarchist leanings, that should be enough to remove him from the bench.”
“There are other judges.”
“Yes, but there are only a few that would arraign Paul and your half-brothers once they’re arrested. We’re already looking into them to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen again.”
She dropped her arms, then grabbed Hector’s hand. “Let’s do it.”
“Amelia.”
“No, Hector. I just want this over with. I’m probably gonna get kicked out of that apartment anyway. We might as well use it for this purpose while we can.”
“The police will talk to the owners of the property. You don’t need to worry about getting kicked out.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” She didn’t hold out hope. The owners didn’t seem like they cared anything about the residents, or the fact that her apartment was broken into twice because the security was shit. They’d kick her out because they could make more money on a new renter who’d probably be less of a hassle.
She squeezed Hector’s hand. “What do we need to do to get the place ready?”
“We’re still getting the logistics together. We do have a line on your father and he should be under surveillance by the end of the day. However, we don’t know where Piers or Rob are, so we can’t arrest Paul until we do. We’re also planting information at the prison that will spur Peter to contact one or all of them and force a confrontation with you. Today, all we need you to do is clean up your apartment. We’ve collected whatever evidence we may need, so it’s cleared for you to clean. If you clean it, it will make it seem like you’re moving back in there tonight.”
“She’s not,” Hector growled.
Yes, growled.
Tanan nodded. “Of course not, but we can make it seem like she is. The apartment across the hall to yours is currently empty. We’ll set up our base of operations there. An officer in plainclothes—acting as a friend—will leave at the end of the day. We can then have him circle back around on foot, and back up through the fire escape, which we’ll get fixed today as well. He’ll stay with you in the apartment until they show. We’ll leave the front gate open, to encourage them to go through the front. If they decide to use the fire escape, we’ll have backup plans in place. Every possible contingency will be covered.”
“Why don’t you just grab them once they come inside the gate?”
“We can add additional charges to their cases if they try to contact you again, or even try to break and enter again. Not to mention, during a confrontation with you, they may even admit to some of the crimes they’ve committed, which would also work in our favor. It’s best to let them through the gate and towards you.”
Hector let go of her hand to cross his arms over his tight tee-covered chest. “I’m there, too.”
“Mr. Perez.”
“She’s not doing this without me. No way is she in that apartment, at any time, without me.”
Oh, she really liked that.
Tanan assessed Hector’s words, then nodded. “All right. We’ll make that work.” Then, to her. “We’re going to set up our base of ops across the hall. Clean up the apartment today, as best you can. You’re still injured, so get some help. We can also have some officers come and assist.”
“She’ll have help.”
She blinked at Hector’s words. “Um, I don’t think just you and I will be enough to—”
“I’ll shut down the pub. We’ll all go over and help.”
What? “You can’t do that. It’s getting busier now, and—”
“Nothing is more important than you.”
That shut her up.
“Everyone will help. I’ll still pay them for their shift, no worries.”
She glanced around at her co-workers. Some had their eyes on the table and gave her a small smile, others were busy with customers or out of sight. Would they really come help?
Beth had come twice to help her shower. Liz had shopped for her and arranged clothes. Frannie had made food, and Daley looked like he wanted to kill someone when he’d seen her injuries.
Yes, they would help her.
Her heart swelled. She had help and friends and people who cared about her for the first time in her life.
Shit. She was going to cry again.
She took a few steadying breaths, then leaned over to Hector and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, honey.”
He smiled, and those dimples came out in full force. “No problem, baby.”
She hadn’t meant to use the endearment, but he hadn’t minded it when it had first come out of her mouth, so she guessed he wouldn’t mind it if she kept using it. She was glad she was right.
Tanan cleared his throat. “Keep your phones handy, as we’ll call to let you know once they’ve taken the bait. In the meantime, if you have any trouble, you know how to reach me.” Tanan shook their hands and left.
Almost immediately, they were swarmed by the staff. Once Hector outlined the plan, everyone was on board.
After shutting down the pub, they went to her place. Not only to clean up the recent wreckage of her life, but to help put it behind her, once and for all.
Hector and the other men—him, Daley, and Luke, who had the day off from his construction job—had left the women—his Amelia, Liz, Beth, and Frannie—back at Amelia’s to do an initial cleanup while they left to get supplies. Hector guessed Amelia wanted all her female shit taken care of first.
She could hide that shit from him now, but when they moved in together, she wasn’t hiding anything anymore. Technically, they were already sort of living together, but he wasn’t going to point that out to her. At least, not until this mess was sorted and those assholes were behind bars.
Hector hadn’t only gotten supplies, but he’d brought more people, too. Some of their customers—the regulars who, over the past few months, had also become friends—had come along as well. It surprised him that Amelia didn’t realize how many people noticed her and cared how she was doing. Then again, since she’d never had it like this before, she wouldn’t have recognized a difference. Sometimes—and this he knew well—when you got mired in your own problems, buried to the point you never thought you’d get out, it was harder to notice the good around you.
It had taken a seashell to open his eyes.
He was glad his Amelia was finally starting to open hers, even if it had come after an attack. He wished it had happened differently, but the only way to go now was forward.
He walked towards her door and saw the cops setting up their base under the guise of someone moving into the apartment. After he spoke with them about the game plan, he continued through her door and found more people had come to help her: Beth and Frannie’s latest boyfriends had joined the mix—he didn’t expect either of them to last another week—but Frank hadn’t come. Probably for the best, though Liz didn’t look too happy about it.
He walked up to Amelia and wrapped an arm around her waist. He kissed her cheek. “Hey, baby.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Hi.”
He grinned. “How’s it going?”
She cleared her throat. “Okay. We got the clothes organized and some of the bathroom. We were just working on my jewelry supplies.” She had a handful of beads and he spied a plastic container nearby; they must have been sorting through them.
He nodded. “We’ll tackle the kitchen. Let’s do what we can today, and we can finish the rest up tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“That means our tonight is free.”
“I suppose so.” She had the cutest confused expression on her face.
He leaned in, brushing his lips against her ear. “Time for a date, baby.”
She gasped. “I can’t…I’m not…I’m injured.”
“Wasn’t planning on us doing anything strenuous, baby. At least not on this date.”
Her eyes widened.
He chuckled. “Dinner, Amelia. You and me, dressed up, in a restaurant. Maybe a movie after. Easy.”
Her face fell. “I don’t have the right clothes. And I can’t afford new clothes. And I don’t want to be in front of other people looking like this. And—”
“You’re beautiful.”
She gave him a ‘Really?’ look.
He wanted to go out, show her off. He thought about pushing it, but what she wanted was more important. They’d have time later. Their whole lives, if he could manage it. He’d show her off another time.
“Bruises fade. I still see all that beauty underneath. But you don’t want to go out, then we’ll stay in. I’ll cook us up something, we’ll watch a movie at home.”
“Your home.”
He nearly growled at that. “Our home.”
“You know,
I could just stay with Beth until—”
He tightened the hand around her waist. This, he would be pushy about. “No, you can’t. You’re with me. I need to keep you safe, babe, and the safest place you’ll be is with me.”
Maybe she’d realized when to push him back and when to let him be, because she didn’t argue. “All right. Tonight.”
He whispered in her ear. “Tonight.”
When she shivered, he pressed a kiss behind her ear and then let go to get to work.
Chapter Sixteen
Millie gave herself a critical gaze in the mirror.
She thought she looked like shit.
Hector would probably say different.
The bruising on her face had gone from dark, dark purple and blue, down to just dark purple and blue. Her ribs still hurt like a car had run over them, though she’d probably also overdone it cleaning up her apartment today, which made them worse.
She couldn’t believe so many people had come to help her. Even customers! Sure, they’d gotten to know each other a little over the last few months—well, as well as they could being waitress and customer—but they’d pitched in, put on gloves, and helped clean up the wreck of her life.
Now, she was standing in Hector’s bathroom, wearing one of his shirts—which sent a little thrill through her—and a pair of stretchy yoga pants Beth had lent her.
This was not appropriate date night attire. She should be in a dress, with makeup, and be…pretty. Not this. Hector deserved someone pretty by his side, not this…damaged heap in pajamas in front of this mirror.
She knew it was too late to back out. He’d been cooking up a storm and the smells were making her stomach rumble. She hadn’t really eaten anything since breakfast, and she was hungry. But what kind of date was this? This was almost like all the other nights he’d come over to her place…she was just dressed much worse.
This was not a date he deserved. This was supposed to be their first real date, even though they’d been seeing each other for months, and this was not the kind of first date she’d want to have with him. This was not the sort of first date she could share with their grandkids when they asked how…
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