“You okay?” Adam asked when he appeared from nowhere.
I opened an eye and peeked at him. From the look on his face, he knew all about what had gone down in Jake’s office. He waited expectantly but I smiled and nodded, refusing to talk to him knowing it would go back to Jake in a heartbeat. I didn’t hold that against Adam, that’s just what best friends did, but I wasn’t ready to open up to someone I barely knew about my sex life. Leah and Sophia would get my rant when we met for drinks later. “Sure, just a busy day.”
He nodded, eyeing me suspiciously as though expecting me to go all girly and sob into his shoulder about how wronged I had been.
“You sure?”
I sighed, opening both my eyes. “Adam. I can cope with being choked to death. I can cope with my hair being ripped from their roots. Hell, I can even cope with being humiliated in front of my lover’s ex-girlfriend.” Adam cringed at that part. “What I can’t cope with is someone’s repeated question when I have given them an answer.”
He nodded. “Hint taken. I’m off for my meeting and I probably won’t be back before you go. If it’s okay, I’d like to be there for you tomorrow?” he asked quietly, referring to Seb’s funeral. My sad heart swelled with Adam’s empathy and I smiled.
“Thank you. That would mean a lot.” He smiled back then left me to my lunch.
Spotting the newspaper Jake had ruined yesterday on Adam’s coffee table, I leaned forward and opened it to the gossip page, pulling open the wrap around my sandwich and taking a huge bite, my stomach growling with appreciation.
It was all shit and I shook my head, understanding why Jake hadn’t wanted me to read such utter rubbish. I flicked over the page to take another look at the dress that had caught my eye, sighing with despondency. Fleur Keane, the rising pop star, also wore one of the same designer’s dresses to the same party, the page spotlighting an exclusive party that had taken place on Monday night by a famous rock star most women drooled over, me included.
I sighed, eyeing up a photo of said rock star, James Numan, in a distinguished tux that showed off his muscled physique, the woman on his arm pouting dramatically for the camera.
Taking another bite of my lunch, I snorted at her huge ego and moved my eyes to the adjoining page.
The bread stuck in my throat and my gut clenched as hard as my chest. Tears filled my eyes, the photograph of Jake and Genesis kissing blurring. I stared down at it, my tears plopping quickly onto the paper and smudging the headline, ‘Billionaire director of Deviant Entertainment, Jake Devine, with his childhood sweetheart and daughter of the notorious Freddy Brackendale, Genesis De Graunde, enjoying a private moment.’
So much for an important business meeting. He’d been partying with the stars, his privacy over his evident important relationship with Genesis making my heart weep. I was obviously an embarrassment, his choice of date hurting me more than a simple escort would have done.
The way their eyes were closed, their lips moulded perfectly together, brought on a sob and I hated myself for it. I hated that he’d buried into me so much that my emotions couldn’t cope with the betrayal, my soul sobbing as I scrunched the page in my fist.
Bernie, sensing my pain, whimpered and snuggled his nose under my arm, his large eyes looking up at me as my tears dropped onto his nose, his long tongue flicking out to wipe them away.
I shoved my sandwich at him to apologise for upsetting him before I grabbed my strapless bag and heelless shoes and walked out.
STARING AT THE CHAPEL through the window when the car pulled up, my stomach vaulted with sorrow and nerves. My father took my hand, relying as much on me as I did on him. “I love you, sugar pie,” he whispered as he faced me, his own eyes full of unshed tears.
Leah and Sophia respectfully climbed out of the hearse leaving my dad and me alone.
“How did we get to this, Dad?”
My distress made him gulp, his effort to be strong for me keeping his tears at bay. “I don’t know,” he replied just as quietly. “I have asked myself that frequently over the last few weeks.”
A tear slipped down his cheek and he turned quickly to look out of the window at the mass of people gathering and waiting for us to exit the car so they could offer us false words of sympathy. “Your mother should be here.”
The anguish in his voice tortured me. “She is, Dad. She is.”
He turned to me, the devastation on his face aching me. “I miss her so much, Isla.”
“I know,” I choked out, holding his hand tightly. “Me too. And believe me, when I find out who did this, what I did to Dwaine will seem like child’s play.”
He reared back, shocked by the vehemence in my vow but before he could say anything, the door opened and the vicar poked his head in. “We’re ready.”
“I’m glad someone is,” I uttered under my breath as I climbed out behind my dad. Every person stood on the forecourt diverted their eyes to us, but I ignored them as my dad dropped my hand and Leah slipped hers into my right one and Sophia clamped my left. Taking the lead as head pallbearer, my father struggled with the weight of the coffin, his knees bending as his hands shot up to grab the casket. Jake caught my eye when he slipped behind my dad and took the weight. His eyes found mine and I turned away, noticing the ache in his gaze. I couldn’t deal with him today. Today was about my brother.
Adam smiled at me as I passed him, his cheeky wink making me glad that he was there for me. I was surprised at the turnout. I thought Seb didn’t have many friends but I was happy to see I had been wrong.
A throng of men caught my attention, the four of them stood to one side watching silently. The elder man smirked at me and I frowned, amazed how someone could be so disrespectful as I buried my brother.
Leah guided me to the front pew as the bearers placed Seb on a platform to the front of the chapel, his smiling face grinning at me from a large photograph I had given the vicar to display. The room filled up behind me as Seb’s favourite song played quietly in the background and my dad came to sit beside me.
I stiffened when Jake slipped in on the other side of me, rudely shoving Leah further up the pew. He even had the audacity to take my hand, a faint growl coming from him when I pulled it away.
“Don’t fight me, Isla. You need me today.”
I snorted loudly making everyone turn their heads our way. “I was just wondering where ‘the notorious daughter of Freddy Brackendale and your childhood sweetheart’ was?”
I smirked at him when he froze beside me, his eyes wide but penetrating as he stared at me. “Isla . . .”
Jake halted when four men came to stand before us, his grip on my hand tightening as a palpable fury radiated from him. “Not now! She’s burying her brother for Christ’s sake!” he spat at the older man.
The man chuckled coldly before swinging his contemptuous gaze to me. “I would say it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cormack, but I abhor dishonesty.”
I gawped at him as Jake shot upright. “I swear to God, if you do this now I will make sure you and my pathetic excuse for a stepmother rot in hell.”
It dawned on me that the man sneering at me was Jake’s father, Commissioner Michaelson. He just laughed at Jake as two of his men each took one of Jake’s arms in their firm grip and held him back.
Then he turned back to me. “Isla Cormack, I am arresting you for the murder of Dwaine Tyler.”
To be continued
YOU WILL GET ALL THE ANSWERS YOU SEEK IN BOOK 2 . . . COMING SOON.
Thank you to everyone that made this book possible and thank you to everyone that enjoyed this title. My readers are the best, I love you guys
Special thanks to my beta readers and street team, you’re amazing thank you is never enough.
Other Books by the author
Room 103
Shocking Heaven
Thrilling Heaven
Denying Heaven
NSC Industries
Incineration
Tolerance
Resolution
Atonement
The Blue Butterfly
The Decimation of Mae
The Salvation of Daniel
Deception Series
FaCade
CADEnce
The Shadows of Sin
Fragile Truths
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Spotify Playlists
Amazon author page
Champagne Formats
Editor
Surrender Page 21