“Oh my god! We are going to plan a wedding!” her mom squeals, then throws her arms around Heather’s shoulders, crying. “I never thought this would happen. Oh my god, I’m so happy.” Her face says something else. She looks fucking miserable.
“While I’d love to come back to that, Sir, because I do plan on taking Heather as my wife soon—” her mom interrupts me by screaming again when she hears my affirmation. “But there is something we need to get out of the way.” I let out a deep breath, grab my mask, steal one last look at Heather. I need to see her face one last time. She’s as nervous as I am. I tug my mask free and toss it on the table.
The first thing I notice is the silence. Her mom is no longer crying out in joy. Next, there is a raging pain in my jaw as a fist slams against me. I stumble against the wall and Governor Thomas grips me by the lapels of my suit and lifts me up off the floor.
I’m not a small man, so that goes to show how big he is.
“You have some nerve,” he sneers, eyes watering as he stares into the eyes of the man, who he thinks, killed his daughter. “You’re a predator. Now, you’re praying on my little girl. My other daughter. My last daughter!” He hits me again and blood pools in my mouth. “I’m going to kill you and I’m going to enjoy it.”
“Dad, stop! Stop it, please, listen to him.” Heather strolls over as fast as she can in her high heels and dips under his arm to block him from hitting me again. “Don’t.”
“How can you be with him like this? After what he did to Grace. Is this the man who kidnapped you, Heather? Are you brainwashed?” His eyes swing from her to me. “You son of a bitch!” He lifts his fist again, but Heather blocks the punch with her shoulder. A shout of pain leaves her as she falls against me, and I struggle to get free from her dad’s hold, which doesn’t take long since he is mortified at what he has done.
“Heather, I didn’t mean to. What the hell? Why would you stop me? He is a monster.”
“No! I’m the monster,” she cries, then slaps her hand against her chest. “Me. I’m the monster. I lied. I lied under oath about Asher. I let him take the fall for something he didn’t do. I knew he didn’t, but I was so angry. I needed someone to pay, and he was there. I didn’t care that he said he saw someone leave the room.”
“They found—”
“Evidence. There was plenty of evidence to set Asher free, but my testimony was what threw away the key. I ruined his life, the least you can do is listen to him. Please,” she rubs her shoulder, grimacing. Heather lowers her voice, “Please, listen to him.”
“He didn’t do it? You’re sure?”
“I’d go under oath and revoke my testimony—”
“I wouldn’t allow her to do that or risk her future. I’ve done my time. I have a good job. I don’t blame her, but I need to talk you about what happened that night before we run out of time.”
“Believe me, please. I need you to believe me,” she begs her father. “You know how much he cared for Grace. I swear on my life, it wasn’t him.”
Her mom is crying in her hands and Governor Thomas starts to pace. He isn’t happy to be believing his daughter, but I think he does since he sits next to his wife and picks her up. He sets her in his lap as she sobs against his shoulder. “Explain before I change my mind.”
I stretch my jaw and a small pop sounds in the back corner making me groan when the edge of pain disappears. “I’m going to lay it all out on the table and start from the beginning.” I pull out a chair, sit down, and Heather tries to sit down on my lap, but her dad growls in warning. She takes the spot next to me instead.
For now, I can understand that. Still, I reach for her hand and she wastes no time lacing her fingers through mine. “I didn’t kill Grace. I swear on my life, I didn’t. When I got out of prison, I didn’t want to come back here, but there was a guy who was forming this group of misfits who were wrongfully convicted and he found me. He offered me a job. We steal from other criminals and that’s how we make our money. We donate a lot of what we find to charities to give back to the community, but we do keep cash. We aren’t saints, but we do our best.”
“It’s better than stealing from innocent people,” Heather defends me. “Go on.”
“A few months back, we attempted a heist to steal from this man named Richard. He has a vault dressed in explosives and it nearly killed all of us. Richard was on the hunt for the guys who tried to get in and somehow he got my name because one of the guards saw me and said I had slept with his daughter.” I met Mrs. Thomas’s eyes, “But I never slept with his daughter. I hung out with her, kissed her, but we never had sex. I was confused until I saw her picture.” I slide out my phone and click the message button and bring up Grace’s senior yearbook photo. “Apparently, I went to high school with her. I didn’t think anything of it because I wouldn’t have relations with an enemy. So I ignored it, until I found out Richard’s daughter was Grace.”
Governor Thomas tightens his jaw, but he isn’t as angry as I thought he would be, so he must have known. “Grace was not my daughter biologically, but she was mine.” A tear falls from the corner of his right eye. “What does she have to do with Richard?”
“He’s paid your wife in large payments up until the day she died.”
“We know. Richard wanted to be a part of her life, but I said no because of what he did. His life was too dangerous. He has too many enemies, so it was agreed he’d support her, but there was no need to support her after she died.” Mrs. Thomas’s chin starts to wobble from thinking about her daughter’s death. “Richard isn’t a bad man. He does bad things to make money, but he isn’t bad. If you tried to steal from him, he was only doing what he knew to do.”
“Okay, so Richard is innocent,” I say, which crosses off a suspect, which makes me wonder if my initial thought it correct. “How did you get into politics, Governor?”
“Timothy, please, since you didn’t kill Grace.” He rubs a hand over his scruff and then presses his hands against his eyes. “What are you thinking?”
“I think my dad killed Grace,” I state, throwing it out there instead of letting it boil. “The way he was looking at Heather tonight, I didn’t like it one bit. It was… evil. I saw a man my dad’s height and hair color leave Grace’s room.”
Timothy leans back in his seat and something clicks because when he stands from his chair, he slides back so fast it slams against the wall. “That’s why he paid for the election to go in my favor.”
“Why? What do I have to do with this?” Heather asks, tightening her hand in mine.
“Your dad and Richard had a disagreement. Richard gave Grace a large sum of money and Richard wanted it for his campaign because your parents are broke. He came back to me and said Heather could have everything she wanted. To imagine all the benefits she would have if she was the Governor’s daughter. That we could take her places. All he wanted from me was a million dollars and after losing Grace, I was willing to do anything. I was tired of the restaurant life. I wanted out, so we traded. He got the chain; I got the title.”
“Dad,” Heather scolds him.
“My dad wanted you to run for office all those years ago?”
“Your dad is a bad businessman. He deals with Richard and his business is shady at best. He owed a lot of money to Richard.”
“Are you sure Richard cared for Grace? He wouldn’t sell her to say…the highest bidder?”
Ms. Thomas gasps. “No! How could you say such a thing?”
“Because when my dad wants something, he always finds a way to get it. And if Grace fought him off, there is one Thomas he hasn’t been able to sink his hands into yet. I bet he is going to find a way to pin it all on you too, Governor. And then he will take your spot, ruin you, ruin your family, and take all your money while he’s at it.”
“That’s why he has been around so much,” Heather says out of nowhere.
“What are you talking about?” Governor runs to the table and grips it. “What are you talking about? He has been a
t our house? When you’ve been alone?”
Heather nods. “I didn’t think anything of it, since you all were friends, but it looked like he was—”
“Casing it, wondering where your safe is? Wondering when Heather is alone to learn her schedule.”
“Heather is never alone. I make real fucking sure of that.” Governor Thomas slaps his hand on the table, then again, then again, until he roars. He is red-faced. “This doesn’t make since. Why would he kill Grace?”
“Maybe I have it all wrong, about the money, about the election, maybe he wanted Grace for himself. My parents aren’t faithful to each other and my dad has a habit of taking what he wants, even if he can’t have it,” I say. “I wanted to be upfront with you. Tonight, me and my guys are here working on the case. We thought Richard was more behind it, but he isn’t here.”
“What do you mean he isn’t here? He was supposed to be here an hour ago.”
“Governor Thomas, he never arrived at the airport according to my team. All points are leading to my dad.”
“It makes sense. I’m going to kill him. There is no way in hell he is getting Heather too.”
“Agreed,” I lean forward until my elbows are on the table. “I think I should take Heather with me to Trinidad. We have a safe house there. It’s actually where she was for a few days before she came here, but you launched an FBI investigation after being elected, and I knew if you found her with me you wouldn’t be happy.”
“I still don’t know if I can trust you. Everything you’re saying doesn’t make sense.”
“I know, but I’m asking you to take a leap of faith and remember if I ever treated Grace with disrespect. She was my friend. I was devastated to lose her. Heather…Heather has always the only woman I’ve ever loved. Your daughters mean more to me than anyone ever has. Please, let me take Heather to the Cliff House. We won’t leave tonight. It will be too suspicious. We will put on our masks, walk out of here drunk as if we have taken secret shots, and stumble our way to the elevator.”
“You’ll keep her safe? She’s our little girl. She’s all we have left,” Mrs. Thomas begs with her aged green eyes, the same as Heather’s.
“I’ll give my life if I have to, Mrs. Thomas. That I can swear on.”
“Go,” Governor Thomas states, holding out his hand to make the deal. “We will be in touch.”
“My team will be at your disposal, but don’t do anything stupid. Not tonight. He won’t go down easy.” I shake his hand, making the deal, and help Heather to her feet. “We will figure it out. If my dad is the rat, we will figure out a way to be the poison. Baby take your shoes off, act like you need my help to walk. You’re wasted.”
“If anyone will believe that. She’s never been a drinker,” her mom states.
“Psh, Grace and I drank your liquor all the time. You just never caught us.” Heather hops on one foot to take a heel off, then the other, and holds the stilettos in her hand. She leans against me, naturally red in the face from the champagne she has, then she giggles. “I wanna dance,” she pretends the slurs. “See? I can do the drunk girl.”
“Be careful. I don’t know if everything he is saying is true, but everything he says makes so much sense. I love you, sweetheart.” Timothy bends down and gives her a peck on the forehead and her mom comes around the table to do the same.
“Call us when you can,” her mom says. “We will say you went on vacation to Europe.”
“I’ll have Sebastian, the tech guy, call you with all the updates and information. Please, do not tell my dad you saw me or my mother. They will know I’m on to them because if there is one thing I hate to do, it’s coming home.”
“So why did you?” her father asks.
“For a lot of reasons,” I say, tucking my pseudo drunk girl under my arm. I walk to the door and Timothy calls out for me again. I turn around just as I’m putting on my mask.
“I’ll forever be in your debt if you keep her safe.”
“No debts. I’m tired of debts. I will marry your daughter though.”
“We will see,” he grunts, not too sure if he likes the idea of her marrying me just yet.
That’s alright.
He’ll have to get over it.
Fifteen
Heather
Asher opens the door to the penthouse suite, and I toss the shoes on the floor and groan when I see the bed. My feet are killing me, my head is pounding, and I’m suddenly exhausted. I sit up on my elbows, watching Asher strip off the cuff links, then shed the jacket. He doesn’t bother hanging the expensive material. He drops it on the floor and starts unbuttoning his shirt. His hair drops in his face and he licks his lips to wet them.
Every move he makes is sensual, at ease, smooth, and confident. I don’t know how he does it. I don’t know if it is something learned or something he was born with, but I’m entranced. I never want to rip my eyes away from him.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” he asks, wiping he cheek like he did the morning we spent together at the Cliff House.
I chuckle. “No, I’m just admiring.”
“Should have told me. I would have flexed more,” he says, slowly stripping off his shirt and making every muscle tense with every bend his body takes. His mask gets caught on it and it gets taken off with it, showing his beautiful face. People think he is so superficial, but his skin is just the outer shell of what makes him as unique as he is.
“You’re ridiculous.”
He pours us a glass of water each and hands the crystal to me as I look out the window to the see the city of Petaluma. I take a sip of cold, filtered water, and glance around the room. It’s gorgeous, something only a very rich man can afford. The windows are huge, not floor to ceiling, but give privacy. He turns the fireplace on, and I can feel the warmth seep into my feet.
Asher sits his cup on the mantle and looks out the window, but he isn’t staring at the city lights, he’s too focused on whatever is going on in his mind. I roll out of bed and stand on my aching feet, then make my way over to his side. “Are you okay?” I question.
He blows out a breath and it fogs the window in front of him causing condensation. “I don’t know. I’m tired. It’s hard to believe I’m from this life,” he says. “I hate it, but I can’t hate it too much because it’s how I met you,” he says, gripping the frame of the window and peeking his eyes over his bicep to stare at me. “I can hate the rich all day long, but I have to be thankful. I hate what happened to you, Heather, but digging deep, pushing past the horrific thing that happened to you, you somehow came to me. You somehow found me. It’s hard not to see that as a sign. I know it’s just coincidence, it has to be, but all the bad in this world, all the shit, and all the cruelty, there’s you. This ray of light that brings me hope, something I’ve been missing ever since you left.”
“You’re so emotionally centered for a man, you know,” I tell him as I lean against the window, the cold bristling the hairs on my arm. “It’s surprising, but very much appreciated. You’re beautiful and I don’t mean your face, which we both know is pretty great,” I giggle. I lay my hand on his chest and the drumming beat of his heart is strong. “Here,” I let out a satisfied breath and sigh. “Here is where you matter most.”
It’s where Asher is most overlooked, but not by me. He grabs my hand with his and brings it to his luscious mouth, giving me a soft kiss. I expect him to joke, to say something in return that ruins the moment, but he doesn’t.
He traces my jaw with his finger, then runs it down my neck. I tilt my head back as he glides it across my collarbone. I sigh from his touch. People look at Asher and expect softness everywhere, but he has thick callouses on his palm from hard work.
“You feel so good against me, like heat after being cold all day, that’s what you are.” He never takes his eyes away from his hand on my chest. “Is this okay?” he asks, dipping his fingers lower until he is touching the curve of my right breast.
I gather my hair over my left shoulder and turn
around, giving him my back so he gets the hint to unzip my dress. He gasps and explores my back too before laying a kiss on my spine. I thought I was going to have to tell him that he could undress me since he wasn’t making a move, but slowly, the teeth grind and my breasts are finally being freed from the constraint of how tight the gown is.
When he can’t unzip the dress anymore, he helps me slide it down until it’s a puddle on the floor. I’m left in the slip hugging my body and he pinches the straps on my shoulders and tugs the bodice down too. I step out of the tight material and he tosses it somewhere in the room. “Sunsets and sunrises have nothing on you, baby,” he says, appreciating my body. He doesn’t jump me like I want him to, but instead, he caresses every curve with his hand. From the crook of my neck, to my arms, to the dip of my ribcage, to my hips, down my thighs, achingly working his way up to my ass.
He growls when he squeezes the flesh softly and my inner core throbs and heats from how much he is turning me on from a simple touch.
“Is this okay?” he asks, pulling my panties down my legs.
I wait for the anxiety, the crippling fear, the panic to paralyze me, but it doesn’t happen. It’s because I know I can trust him. My heart, my mind, every inch of who I am, trusts my body with Asher Haven. I couldn’t imagine my first time with anyone else. No one can compare to the softness he gives and so many people don’t take it for the treasure that he is.
“Yes,” I say to him when I feel the air hit my hot, wet sheath.
He spins me around and stands, then takes a step to look me up and down. His blue eyes eat me alive, but the hunger in those irises is not sated. He sucks his bottom lip into his mouth, and I find myself checking out his body, his abs, his flawless skin.
“You’re a model,” I blurt, almost wanting to cover myself up when I see his perfect V on either side of his hips. Who looks like this? Come on!
“Don’t you dare cover up.” He takes my arms from my waist and drops to his knees. “You’re a fucking vision, a Queen, and man deserves to kneel before you, to serve you,” he says, lifting my leg over his shoulder.
Cruel Captivation: A Dark Romance (Underground Kings Book 5) Page 14