by Tonya Brooks
Before Jolie could even begin to comprehend what he meant by that, a sleepy voice from behind her said, “Who dat, Mommy?”
“You and that miserable brat have ruined everything,” the man before her raged. “None of this would be happening if that damn crackhead had just pulled the trigger like I paid him to. Now I’ll have to handle it myself,” he complained before he pulled a gun from his coat pocket and aimed it at her.
Crackhead? Pulled the trigger? Her stunned mind began functioning at hyper-speed as the pieces clicked into place. George had hired the drug addict to rob the convenience store and kill her. He was the man who’d been tormenting her. And now he was planning to shoot her and Bryce.
Like hell, he would!
Bryce had figured out how to program the lights to flash on and off rapidly like strobe lights and the effect resulted in momentary blindness. Jolie hoped it would be enough of a distraction for them to get away from the half-crazed man walking toward them. She drew in a ragged breath and said, “Dancing lights!”
“Yippee!” Her son squealed happily when the lights began to strobe and the armed man roared his fury. Acting purely out of instinct, she scooped Bryce’s little body into her arms and ran like hell down the hallway. Protecting her son was her first priority, and she knew exactly how to get him to comply.
“Bry, we’re playing a game and it’s very important that you win,” she said in a hushed tone as she darted into his bedroom, closed the door quietly, and locked it. “I need you to hide in your secret place and don’t come out for anyone but mommy or daddy, okay?”
“Okay,” he readily agreed and was always excited at the prospect of playing a new game.
“You have to be super quiet and don’t make a sound no matter what you hear,” she insisted because she could hear George shouting dire threats from down the hallway. Dear God, please don’t let this be the last time I ever hold my son, she silently pleaded as she hugged him tightly before putting him down.
The boy quickly scurried inside the hidden space located beneath the hood of his car-bed and pulled the door closed behind him. The fit was almost seamless and unless you knew it was there, it was nearly impossible to detect. She quickly tossed a blanket and a stuffed animal onto the door to further disguise it.
Now that her son was safely hidden, Jolie began to wonder how the hell she was going to evade George and keep herself and her unborn child alive. The first thing she needed to do was put some distance between herself and Bryce. That thought in mind, she disengaged the child safety lock on the sliding door and after a quick look in both directions, stepped outside.
The patio ran the length of the penthouse and curved around the sides. All of the doors had safety locks and if opened from the outside the alarm would go off and alert George to her location. Even so, her best bet was to get back inside and reach the security alarm console beside the elevator.
As far as plans went it was a long shot, but it was the only chance she had. Jolie crept barefoot to the sliding doors connected to the living area and peered inside. The lights were still flashing wildly but there was no sign of George. She tugged the door open and with the ear-piercing alarm blaring, bolted for the panel and tripped the security alarm.
The breath froze in her lungs when a shadow stepped out of the darkened kitchen, and she was standing mere feet from the man she’d been trying to avoid. “You think you’re so clever,” George accused furiously, the gun pointed at her chest. “But you won’t win this time. I won’t let you.”
“I don’t understand,” she confessed tremulously, heart hammering wildly in her chest as she took a cautious step backward. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you’re ruining everything,” he hissed and took a step forward. “Reece is brilliant. Brilliant! I know because I saw it, lived it, breathed it right along with him. His legendary focus and ruthless determination were all-consuming until you came along and distracted him.”
“I’m sorry,” Jolie apologized in the hope of placating him as she eased backward another step, trying to put some distance between her and the dark muzzle of the gun pointed at her chest. “I didn’t mean to distract him.”
George either didn’t hear her over the sound of the alarms blaring, or he didn’t care what she had said. “I rejoiced when Reece came to his senses and kicked you out with nothing,” he imparted with almost maniacal glee. “But that wasn’t enough. You needed to suffer for what you had done.”
“So you made me suffer,” she deduced and took yet another step back. George was fucking nuts and their reconciling had obviously caused him to snap. He appeared to be far from rational, but she hoped that keeping him talking would buy enough time for her to figure out how to get away from him.
“You were supposed to suffer, not come back and make it worse,” he raged.
“How did I do that, George?” Jolie asked as her eyes darted around for anything that she could use as a weapon and found nothing. Reece had childproofed every damn thing inside and out and removed anything that could harm a toddler. Or, an intruder, she realized in dismay.
“Reece risked his life to save you and that miserable brat! He could have been killed,” George screamed like a lunatic. “And now he’s retiring so he can devote all of his time to you. That’s why I have to make you go away permanently. Without you, everything will go back to the way it was. The way it should be.”
“I didn’t ask him to retire, George,” she denied in the hopes of calming him down as she risked another step, the space between them growing wider with each one. “That was Reece’s idea.”
“Because you’ve bewitched him,” he shouted furiously and advanced on her. “But I see through you. I know what you’re trying to do and it won’t work. Not this time.”
“The doorman knows you’re here,” Jolie pointed out in desperation as she backed into the elevator door, her hand searching blindly for the control panel. “If you shoot me, Reece will know it was you.”
“I’m not going to shoot you,” he denied as he grasped a handful of her hair, and the vicious tug he gave brought tears to her eyes as he pulled her away from the elevator. “You’re going to jump off the balcony.”
Knowing he wasn’t going to shoot her was a huge relief and it gave her the courage to be defiant. “I won’t do it,” she refused as her eyes locked on the insanity shining in his. Nothing on earth would make her jump off of the balcony and leave Bryce to this mad man’s lack of mercy. He’d have to shoot her if he wanted her dead.
His expression was terrifying when he warned, “I’ll throw the brat over if you don’t.”
The threat almost stopped her heart before it began hammering against her chest as if it was trying to break free. “You know Reece better than anyone,” she reminded in an effort to convince him that his plan would not work. “You have to know he’d destroy the person who took away something that belongs to him.”
“He’ll never know,” George insisted and yanked her hair again, forcefully dragging her across the expanse of the penthouse and through the sliding doors to the patio. “I’ll say you were distraught after a fight with your lover and even though I tried to save you, you jumped.”
“He’ll know you’re lying,” she countered, her hands prying at his to try and alleviate the pain streaking through her head because he was pulling her hair out by the roots.
“Will he?” George taunted as he slammed her against the metal railing with a brutal shove. “After he fired the private investigator I hired him. Bartle’s has been watching you the entire time. He even has photos of you with the doctor. It won’t be hard to convince Reece that you’re still lovers, especially after the man just left here.”
“Killing me won’t change anything,” she denied frantically and then cried out in pain when he snatched his hand free, taking some of her hair with it. “Reece will still retire and dedicate himself to raising our son.”
“Children are fragile,” he assured her with a smile of malicious intent
that sent a chill down her spine. “Accidents happen every day.”
Every ounce of fear fled and pure maternal instinct to protect her child surged through Jolie. With a cry of animalistic rage, she slammed her forehead into his face and heard the satisfying sound of cartilage being crushed. Blood splattered her face from his shattered nose as the attorney screamed in agony and grasped her by the throat.
“George!” The guttural snarl thundered through the night as an enraged Reece exploded through the open doorway and onto the patio. His handsome face was contorted with a menacing expression that was so frightening that the attorney actually pissed himself. “Put that fucking gun down!”
At the sound of his voice, relief coursed through her with the force of a tsunami, and Jolie’s entire body went limp. Reece was there. He would make George see reason and this insanity would stop. She knew it with an unshakable resolve that stemmed from the absolute trust she had in him and the knowledge that he loved her.
“I can’t,” the other man denied even though he was quaking in his urine-soaked Italian leather loafers. He shoved her onto her knees and the barrel of the gun he jammed against the side of her head shook as violently as the hand holding it. Jolie froze in place for fear that his trembling might cause the weapon to go off. “She’ll destroy you.”
“You hurt my wife and I’ll rip your goddamn heart out with my bare hands,” he warned as he advanced on them, every bit as fierce and fearless as when he’d attacked a shark to save her and Bryce.
“I’m doing this to protect you,” George insisted in a shrill tone as he took a step backward, the gun still aimed at her head and shaking just as wildly. “She’s poison just like your mother was. I should have killed Brenda for keeping you from me. You’re my son, Reece. My son. It’s my duty to protect you.”
A gasp escaped her parted lips at the claim, but the man who owned her heart and soul wasn’t moved by it at all. His complete focus was locked on a single goal; eliminating the threat to her. “I don’t give a fuck who you are,” Reece denied in a menacing growl. “Get that gun away from my wife or I will kill you.”
“She’s done nothing but come between us from the beginning,” the attorney insisted as he backed into the railing and was forced to stop his retreat. “Can’t you see she’s not worth the sacrifice you’re making?”
“Loving Jolie is not a sacrifice,” he countered harshly and stepped between her and the mad man, shielding her with his own body. “It’s my salvation.”
“I can’t watch you be destroyed,” the other man choked out and threw one leg over the railing when uniformed police officers began pouring onto the patio from every direction, shouting orders, their weapons drawn.
“Then fucking jump,” Reece said coldly as he knelt and lifted Jolie into his arms. She wrapped both arms around his shoulders and buried her face against his neck. Neither of them saw or cared when the attorney jumped over the side, but his maniacal scream was something they would never forget.
“Thank God you came home,” she said shakily and clung to him like he was her lifeline as he carried her inside where the alarm was still blaring loudly.
“Are you alright, Sunshine?” Reece demanded in a shaken tone as the strobing lights revealed her face. “Jesus, you’re covered in blood! Did he fucking hurt you?” The fear and anger were fighting for dominance in his tone and his arms tightened around her even more.
“I’m fine,” she assured him shakily as she held on to his solid strength, though the way she was trembling from head to toe belied her words. So did the way she started babbling uncontrollably. “It was George, Reece. He’s the one who’s been tormenting me. He... he said he hired the crackhead that robbed the store to k... kill me.”
“Mother fucker,” he bit out venomously as he stopped at the LED control panel to adjust the lights and turn off the alarm.
“He wanted me to jump off the balcony,” she rambled on. “He said he was going to tell you that he tried to stop me, and claim that I was distraught over a fight with Gavin. He knew about him, Reece. He had the investigator you hired following me all this time. He threatened to throw Bryce over the edge if I didn’t jump. Bryce! I need to go to Bryce.”
“Where is he? Is he alright?” He demanded as he carried her to into the kitchen.
“He thinks we’re playing a game,” she admitted in a shaken tone as he sat her gently on top of the island. “He’s hiding in his secret place.”
“We’ll check on him after I get you cleaned up,” he offered and his hand was not steady as he tenderly wiped the blood from her face with a wet dishtowel. She winced when he touched the lump on her forehead where she’d headbutted George. “The paramedics need to make sure you and our baby are alright.”
“We’re fine. Really,” she assured him but the man would not be satisfied until a medical professional had given her the all-clear. Only then did he stop carrying her from room to room and actually allowed her to walk, but he never took his hands off of her. If she hadn’t needed the physical contact just as much, his hovering would have driven her nuts.
Thankfully, Bryce had fallen asleep and missed everything, so his doting parents left him sleeping peacefully in his hiding place, with the secret door open this time.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Reece
Reece was drowning in an emotional quagmire.
He’d been so furious with George that he would have killed the bastard if he hadn’t been aware of the police officers surrounding them. It had been two hours since then, and he was still vacillating between fury and remorse because ultimately he was responsible for putting his family in such an untenable position.
The knowledge that someone he had trusted implicitly had tried to kill his wife and their children was unbearable. He blamed himself and hated the fact that he had brought more pain into Jolie’s life than anyone should ever have to endure. He was the poison and his sunshine girl deserved so much more.
The judge had taken him out of the gutter and taught him how to behave like a refined, civilized man, but blood will tell in the end, and his was tainted. His mother had been a sadistic bitch and if George’s claim was to be believed, his father was insane. That was not the kind of legacy a man wanted to pass on to his children.
His mind was tormented and his soul ached, but the fury roiling through him demanded an outlet, and he knew exactly where to find it. The remaining threat to his family had to be eliminated by any means possible. Sending a Get your ass over here as fast as fucking possible text to his brother would grant him the time he needed to accomplish it.
After what she had been through, he could not leave Jolie alone while he dealt with the private investigator and his brother would make damn sure that she felt safe and secure until he returned. And if he didn’t make it back, Dane would take care of his family so he had no concerns in that area.
Reece’s protective instincts were still operating in overdrive, and he hadn’t been able to let Jolie out of his sight for a minute. Keeping his hands off of her had been impossible since he had desperately needed the physical contact to reassure himself that she was alive and well. Almost losing her twice in a matter of days had totally wrecked him.
He was determined to ensure it never happened again.
Once the police finally cleared out, Jolie hugged him fiercely and said, “If you gentlemen will excuse me, I’m going to wash the blood out of my hair and indulge in a long, hot bath.” Even though it pained him to do so, Reece let her slide off of his lap where he had kept her safely ensconced for the last hour.
“That’s a hell of a woman you’ve got,” Malachi opined as they watched her walk down the hallway until she disappeared from view. He placed his empty glass on the coffee table and stood before adding, “She’s a lot tougher than I recall.”
“You have no idea,” he confirmed and rose to extend his hand. “Thank you for your help, Malachi. It meant a lot.”
The attorney had proven to be invaluable when one phone call
to the chief of police had resulted in a pair of detectives arriving and quickly taking control of the situation. Malachi had given a short statement on their behalf and with a half dozen uniformed officers to corroborate, George’s death was ruled a suicide and the case was closed.
“I’m always available to help a friend,” he replied in amusement as he returned the handshake and managed some sleight of hand that left a hundred dollar bill in Reece’s palm. “But I’m not taking you on as a client.”
“We’ll see,” Reece countered because if shit went sideways he really was going to need an attorney of Malachi’s caliber. His reputation as a shark in the courtroom was legendary since he’d never lost a case, by fair means or foul.
“That we will,” the other man agreed with a laugh and headed toward the elevator when the doors opened.
“What the fuck is going on? The whole block is cordoned off,” Dane demanded as he rushed inside and drew up short when he almost plowed into the other man. “Malachi, what are you...”
“I’ll let your brother explain,” the attorney interrupted as he walked past him and into the elevator. “Congratulations on the promotion, Dane.”
“How did you...” he began in confusion since they were keeping the transition a closely guarded secret until the formal announcement was made, and let his words trail off when the elevator door closed. Focusing on his brother, he demanded anxiously, “Is that blood on your shirt? Are Jolie and Bryce alright?”
“No thanks to me,” Reece admitted heavily and sank onto the couch.
His younger brother looked shell shocked once he had explained the situation. “George is your father?” He queried in astonishment.
“So he claimed, but who can believe the ravings of a lunatic?” Reece responded wearily and really didn’t give a damn one way or the other. “I could request a DNA test, but after what he’s done I’d rather not know.”
“Can’t say as I blame you there,” his brother concurred.
“I need you to do something for me.”