In Love with a Stranger

by Rose von Barnsley

  “Do you know who I am?” she yelled at me, wild-eyed.

  “Lily. I thought you were in Nevada,” I gave myself away.

  She cackled. “Oh, I was, and I shot that tosser you married and the bloody bastard who killed my brother!”

  My chest tightened. I didn’t want to believe her, but I knew she’d shot Marvin. I could only hope she hadn’t really shot William, or if she had, it wasn’t fatal. I could hardly breathe. “Why?” I gasped out.

  “Why? WHY! It was your fault my brother was killed, you stupid whore! I knew my brother worked for Henry Greyson, and he’d sent him to the U.S. on business. The only reason I didn’t suspect Greyson was involved in my brother’s death was because he’d paid my brother the £100K pounds, even after he was hospitalized. He obviously had no clue he had been hurt and wasn’t involved in the attack on him.

  “I spent months at the police station, pushing them not to drop the case. The detective who worked it promised me he wouldn’t give up. He was sure it was a mugging gone wrong, but he promised not to close the file. I gave him all the information I had. I told him who my brother worked for and that he was here on business. The detective swore he wouldn’t let the case go cold. I moved here, determined to find out what really happened.

  “Imagine my surprise when the detective called me, seven years later. He told me a man had confessed to beating another man, who could’ve possibly been my brother, and he claimed to have done it defending a woman named Hannah Madison. I asked the detective if he was sure, but he couldn’t say he was.

  “He didn’t know whether the man beaten by Marvin Dooley was my brother, but the man he attacked was suspected to be employed by Henry Greyson. That attack had happened the day before my brother had been found in a coma, beaten and slowing dying from internal bleeding. I stole the file from the detective and learned my brother had been sent by Henry Greyson to bribe some slut to leave his whoring son alone.

  “I couldn’t believe the detective said they couldn’t press charges, that the evidence was circumstantial! Even with the confession, they couldn’t prove for sure the man Marvin had beaten was my brother and not some other man who’d been attacking you.

  “You’re not getting off. You’re all murderers!” she shouted, livid. She raised her gun, pointing it at my head. I closed my eyes, knowing my time was up. I heard the gun go off and a thump.

  It took a second for me to realize I hadn’t been shot. I was shocked to see Henry of all people grappling with the Lily, while another man fought with the large man who’d kidnapped me.

  Henry knocked Lily to the floor and grabbed me, shoving me out of the bedroom door. We were almost to the front door, when bullets started to wiz by us. He pushed me down and grunted. I realized he’d been hit. The pain was evident in his eyes, as he reached into his pocket and pressed a set of keys into my hand. “Run, Hannah, run, William needs you!”

  More shots rang out, and he pushed me to the ground again and crawled as he covered me, nudging me forward. He gave me one final push out the door to safety and then collapsed. I grabbed his shoulder, ready to pull him out the rest of the way, but he shook his head no. The clack of the woman’s heels pounded against the floor. “Run!” he gasped out one more time, and I did what he said.

  I glanced back, when I turned to go down the second flight of stairs. I saw Henry grab the woman’s foot, making her fall, giving me more time. I ran faster and prayed I wouldn’t trip. It was a miracle I’d made it down in one piece, and I burst out of the front of the building. I screamed for help and ran toward a black car parked across the street. I made it behind the car to the driver’s side, just in time to duck down behind it, as Lily came storming out of the building.

  “You’re going to pay! You’re all going to pay!” Lily shouted.

  I shoved the key into the door and thanked God I had the right car when it opened. I climbed into the car, curled into a ball by the pedals, not risking getting up into the seat, and started the car. I knew the road was straight for some time. I threw it in drive and pressed the gas down. The car lunged forward. I heard the tires blow out, as Lily shot them, and then the windows shattered, raining glass down on me. I struggled to keep the car on a steady path and risked reaching up to the rearview mirror and adjusted it, so I could see the road behind me and gauge if I was going somewhat straight.

  I heard police sirens blaring toward us, and I let the car roll to a slow stop, bumping up on the curb, as soon as I heard the first one pass. I heard more shots being fired and realized the insane woman was most likely shooting at the cops. I angled the car to the side to block me from her, just in case, and climbed out.

  “Put your hands up!” I heard a man shout in my direction. I cried in relief, when I saw it was a policeman. “What’s your name?” he demanded.

  “I’m Hannah Greyson. You have to help him. She shot him. She shot Henry. He’s on the third floor,” I sobbed.

  “Do you have any weapons?” he asked, moving forward cautiously.

  I shook my head no. “Please, call an ambulance.”

  “They’re on their way now. Are you injured?”

  “I don’t think so.” I looked down at my body and realized the side of my shirt was soaked with blood.

  “I need to cuff you and put you in the back of my car, until we can determine your part in this altercation. Can you lie down on the sidewalk?”

  “I’m pregnant,” I sobbed, as I shook my head no.

  “Alright, just keep your hands in the air.” He approached me slowly and took my hands one at a time, securing the cuffs behind my back and gently patted me down. I knew this was routine. I knew I’d be safe. He helped me into the back of the car and gave me a sad smile. “Just hold on, the ambulance is on its way. I’ll make sure they check you out when they get here. This glass is bulletproof, alright? You’re going to be okay.”

  I nodded and sniffled. I knew I would be. He shut the door and headed toward the mess I’d run from on foot. I heard him shout, “Check the third floor!”

  I prayed to God Henry was still alive. Sitting in the car in silence, I could focus on my body and made sure I truly was okay. My back was wet and sticky, and I knew it was because I was covered in blood, Henry’s blood. I felt sick to my stomach. His words rang in my head, “Run, William needs you.” William was still alive. I tried to take comfort in his words, but all I could see when I closed my eyes was the pained face of Henry, as he begged me to run and leave him behind.

  I jumped when the door opened. The officer was back with a paramedic and removed the handcuffs from me.

  “Did you find Henry? Did you get him? He was on the third floor.”

  “Yes, they found four men on the third floor. They’ve all been removed from the building,” the paramedic answered vaguely.

  “Henry, he was in the doorway, blonde. I know he was shot. Did you get to him in time? Was he alive? He’s my father-in-law.” I clarified that he was family, so they’d answer me.

  “He was alive when he was loaded into the ambulance. He’s been taken to St. John’s hospital.”

  I sobbed in relief. “I need to call William. I need to call my husband.” I gave them his number in hopes someone would call.

  I could hear his voice loud and clear as he spoke. “Have you found Hannah? Have you found my wife?”

  “Yes, we have her, and she’d like to speak with you.” The officer handed me the phone.

  I struggled to speak through my tears. “William?”

  “Hannah, sweetheart, are you okay? Are you hurt? Did they hurt you?”

  “No, but they shot your dad. Henry came after me. He saved me. He was shot, William. I’m covered in blood. They’ve taken him to St. John’s Hospital. Oh, God, William, I’m scared he’s going to die.”

  “Where are you? I’m coming to get you.”

  “I don’t know.” I looked around for some sort of street sign or marker, but saw none. Another ambulance came up, and the paramedic spoke with the driver.
r />   “Tell him to meet you at St. John’s,” he relayed back to me.

  “They’re taking me to the same hospital.”

  “I’m on my way,” he said, cutting me off, and I heard tires squealing. I knew I’d see him soon.

  I felt weak and leaned on the officer, as he helped me over to the ambulance. They laid me down, and the officer told them I was pregnant.

  “How far along?”

  “I’m fourteen weeks.” I found it hard to speak. My eyelids felt so heavy. I felt an oxygen mask being strapped to my face and a blood pressure cuff tightened on my arm, just before I faded away.

  I woke to a light kiss on my forehead and a squeeze of my hand. “Beautiful, can you hear me?”

  My eyes fluttered open, when I heard William’s voice. I still had an oxygen mask and a blood pressure cuff on, but I also had a pulse monitor clipped to my finger and something strapped to my tummy.

  “The baby-” I started to ask.

  “The baby’s fine. They want to keep an eye on the both of you, though.”

  I nodded and looked down at the hospital gown I was wearing and remembered my clothes. “Henry, is he alive? Did he make it?”

  “He’s still in surgery,” William answered, rubbing his face. I could tell he was holding back tears.

  When one escaped, I reached up and wiped it away, waiting for him to speak.

  “He wouldn’t tell me where you were. He had people looking after you. He said he was worried when we had called for help, and he sent people to watch over you right away. One of the guards followed you. He had a GPS, so they could find you. Dad refused to tell me where you were, he didn’t want me to get hurt. He finally gave me an address, as he was headed out the door. I sped off to get ahead of him. I needed to get to you.” Tears were running down his face in full force. “He lied, it was the wrong address. I was frantic. The address led to a vacant field with a coming soon sign. My father was nowhere in sight. I called him, and he told me that he’d get you out.”

  I held him in my arms, and we cried together. Carter slipped into the room, holding some flowers. “Hey, Mary, how’s your little bean doing?” he asked, pointing to my tummy.

  “Fine,” I answered, looking up at William, who nodded with a smile.

  Carter let out a relieved breath.

  “What happened to the others?” I finally remembered to ask.

  William scowled. “Lily was shot and killed by the police, when she opened fired on them. Two men were dead on arrival, and the third, my dad’s other security guard, was wounded. He’s out of surgery and stable.”

  “She said she shot you.” My eyes searched William, looking for the wound.

  He gave me a soft smile. “Just a few stitches in my arm, it’s just a flesh wound,” he pointed to his shirt-covered arm.

  “Wait, what happened with Marvin and Layla?” I couldn’t believe I’d nearly forgotten my fallen friend.

  “Layla was caught in the crossfire, when Lily came after me. She was pronounced dead, when she arrived at the hospital. Marvin is recovering fine. My private investigator, Stuart, said there’s a little brunette nurse who challenges him with math equations to test his cognitive abilities. I guess he’s smitten with her, and she seems to like him, too.”

  “That’s good, he deserves to be happy.” I was glad Marvin had found someone.

  William grimaced and looked away.

  “So it’s over? With Lily gone, we don’t have to worry about the arsonist, right?” I asked hopefully.

  “It was Layla who set the shop on fire, but yes, it’s over. She’s gone, and so is Lily. It’s over, we’re safe, beautiful. You’re finally safe.” He kissed me softly, and I melted back into the bed, relieved. It was over, it was finally over.

  Chapter 35 – Epilogue

  WILLIAM

  Home...Finding it was easier said than done.

  Immigration laws pretty much cut the U.S. out for us. There was no way I was leaving the country to wait for my naturalization, while Hannah was pregnant and alone in the states. I was not missing out on my baby, and I refused to risk missing his birth. Yes, his.

  He was born a healthy three and a half kilograms. Picking his name was a battle. To this day, I still thought Travis was a perfectly good name, not a drop of royal pretension in it, but that wasn’t what he was named. My wife had won out, and our boy was named Theodore Henry Greyson, using my middle name and my father’s first name.

  My father had awoken from his coma a few weeks before little Teddy was born, and the first words out of his mouth were, “Is she alright? Is Hannah safe?”

  When my wife walked into the room, his eyes filled with tears, and they both hugged each other crying. His hand settled on her much larger tummy, and then he kissed her hand. That pretty much sealed the deal for her and caused me to concede to her wishes.

  My father blamed himself for the whole mess and swore he’d never put my family at risk by interfering with it again. I was inclined to believe him, since he’d taken five bullets to save my wife, and I knew those scars and his aching body would remind him daily not to put us at risk.

  My father now had limited mobility in his left leg and wore a brace. He used a cane to walk, when he was not using a walker or in a wheelchair. He had limited use of his right shoulder, and most of his left arm was numb. They were able to repair all his major organs, but he still had back spasms. He’d been lucky, when one of the bullets had been stopped by his rib. It had entered right by his spinal column, and if there’d been any more force behind that shot, it would’ve paralyzed him. He was not bitter, though, and said it was a small price to pay to save his family.

  He and Hannah became thick as thieves, but my mother still drifted on the periphery. I was sure it was my father’s doing. He still had something over my mother’s head, and I wanted to know what it was.

  Hannah was in the garden with my father and the children, so I was free to seek out my mother. I found her in the library, looking out the window at my family.

  “Why are you in here?” I asked, wanting her to tell me the real reason she was hiding in the library and wasn’t outside with my family.

  “I’m sorry, William, I was just catching up on some reading for my book club. I can go to my room if you need to use the library.”

  “That’s not what I asked. I don’t need to use the library, Mother. Why are you hiding out? What are you afraid of?”

  She looked up at me so sadly. “I can’t begin to comprehend what you must think of me.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your father hasn’t asked me to stay away, but I assumed you wanted me to. I was sure you’d want nothing to do with me once you found out the truth.”

  “What truth? He never told us anything. He said it was your secret to tell, and he’d never betray you.”

  She fell back into the loveseat and cried into her hands. “I thought…when he didn’t tell me to stay away…but you still looked so upset. I thought you knew.”

  “I don’t know anything. So dad isn’t the one keeping you away from us?”

  “No, he hasn’t said anything to me on the matter, since he woke up in the hospital.”

  “Are you ever going to tell me what he has over you? I can’t imagine anything being so bad that you’d lose your family over it.”

  She sobbed harder and shook her head at me. She pulled a hanky out of her pocket and got up to leave the room.

  “Tell me. If you want me to consider letting you be a part of my children’s lives, I need to know what it is that’s so horrible he didn’t trust you with us. How do I know I can trust you with my kids?”

  Her hands shook, as she reached out to me. I almost didn’t take them, but I did and helped her sit back down. I waited patiently for her to speak. I could tell she was really struggling to pull her words together.

  “What I’m about to tell you…it can end me. I’m putting my life in your hands.” Her eyes pleaded with mine for understanding. I nodded at
her to continue. “It was just after little Camille was born. There were complications, and I was put on pain medicine. I wasn’t cleared to drive yet, but you’d had a bad ear infection, and I needed to take you to see the doctor. I was so tired, and the pills…I never saw him.” She started to cry, leaving me to try and put together the clues.

  “There was an accident?” I asked.

  She nodded yes.

  “What happened, Mum?”

  “I panicked, I fled the scene and rushed home, where I found Henry and confessed everything. He was upset. I might’ve gotten a slap on the wrist, or he could’ve had the charges reduced for me driving while medicated, but the accident…” she started crying again, “If I would’ve stopped, if I’d stayed and called for help, the man would’ve lived, but he didn’t. I hit and killed a man. He died a slow and painful death, because I left him there and didn’t stop.”

  She couldn’t look at me. I’d admit I scooted away from her a little. Her secret was much worse than I thought it’d be. “So, he threatens to out you if you don’t do what he says?”

  She chuckled blackly. “No, he’d never do anything to tarnish the family name, you know that, William. No, I wanted to come forward after being pelted with news report after news report about the man’s death and the poor family he’d left behind. I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t look at myself. I began self-medicating. Henry found you both playing alone, with me passed out in the room, one too many times.

  “When little Camille ended up with a horrible diaper rash and you ended up missing nearly a month of preschool for no reason, other than I just didn’t get you ready, he stepped in. He hired Maggie and sent me away to rehab. I doubt you remember it, but I was gone for nine months, dealing with my addiction and my guilt.

  “One of the steps to overcoming an addiction, though, is to make amends, but I couldn’t, I can’t. I wasn’t allowed to do that, and so I struggled for years. It makes me feel so sick even now. I know why he insisted. It really was for more than just our family name. I would’ve been sent to prison. He was so furious, because he was helpless, he couldn’t save me from them, so he had to settle for saving me from myself. He’s not a bad man. He really does love me, so much. I know he does, but sometimes it doesn’t matter if someone loves you, when you can’t stand to look at yourself.