The Barrington Billionaires Collection 1

by Danielle Stewart

  “We just walk in and tell the judge this and they unlock his cell and he walks out,” Melissa quipped sarcastically. “Because all these rules I’ve been hammering you with for the last six months aren’t real. You just do what you want with the law.” Melissa drew in a deep breath and glared at them both.

  “I just found out this morning,” Dallas defended. “I didn’t know. I swear it.”

  “Oh, I believe you. There’s no way you’d have been such a pain in the ass all this time if you had a solution this easy.” Her hand went up to her forehead as she tried to put her thoughts in order. “We need to request an emergency hearing. This will have to be vetted, a forensic analysis of your phone and the photographs will need to be conducted. You’ll need to make a statement to the police on record. This is a huge revelation, but there’s still a process we follow. He’ll get out, but it’ll be at the pace the court can move.”

  “I can live with that,” Dallas nodded. “Just tell me what I can do to help.”

  “Go home.” She pointed at the door. “I need you as far away from this as possible. Don’t try to find the real killer. Don’t meet with Tim. You are the scorned lover of Tim’s alibi. I need this to be clean. I can handle it from here.”

  “I’m no one’s scorned lover,” Dallas chuckled, having found peace with the truth remarkably fast. If Tim and Gabby had told him, he was honest enough with himself to know he’d have blown up at the time. These circumstances, however, the time that had passed, all that was on the line, made it easy to move past any kind of anger.

  “How you feel doesn’t matter,” Melissa corrected. “It’s about perception. Motivation. Conflict of interest. Just do me a favor and walk away from this. You do that, and I’ve got the best shot of getting your friend out of prison.”

  “And what about the real killer?” Gabby asked, the reality of her role in the other person’s freedom finally sinking in.

  “This will return to being an unsolved murder and the police will have to reopen the case.” Melissa jotted down a few frantic notes.

  “It was Larry,” Dallas interjected. “He was at least involved in some way.”

  Melissa was still unwavering in her annoyance. “He’s the person that led the police to the body. I’m sure whether or not you stick your nose in this, they’ll be able to piece that together.”

  “They didn’t the first time,” Dallas snipped back, memories of the lack of justice flooding him.

  “Go somewhere,” Melissa ordered. “Hop a plane. Hit the beach. Do something. But give me time to work this out.”

  “Fine,” Dallas grunted, hardly meaning it.

  “If there is something concrete to report, I’ll contact you right away. You, on the other hand,” Melissa said, pointing accusingly at Gabby, “you might want to grab a snack. You’re going to be here for a while.”

  Dallas stood and extended his hand to Melissa. “Thank you for standing by him. I know how much you put into this. We would not have made it this far without you.”

  “I guess the same should be said about you. I don’t know if you can tell, but I make it a point not to have friends,” Melissa said coolly. “It’s a messy business, caring for people. But if I ever changed my mind and decided to be weak and make a friend, you’d be the kind I want.”

  “Umm . . . thanks,” Dallas said quizzically. “I think.”

  Chapter 33

  “Pack your bags,” Dallas said breathlessly. He looked only slightly better than the last time he stood in this very spot in her living room days earlier.

  “What? Did something happen?” Harlan wrapped her arms around herself and nervously eyed Dallas.

  “Have the girls pack too,” Dallas instructed. “Warm weather clothes. Bathing suits. I’ve already talked to your brother Mathew. He’s going to take care of your mother while we’re gone.”

  “Is there some kind of new threat or something?” She followed Dallas into her bedroom as he hurried around.

  “Yes,” he explained. “There’s a new threat. The threat that I might have blown things with you. The threat that the best woman who has ever walked into my life might walk back out. That’s a risk I’m not willing to gamble on. Come away with me. I bought the tickets. I made all the accommodations. All you have to do is say yes.”

  “Dallas,” she gasped, shaking her head in disbelief.

  “Well, that’s not entirely true. You’re a mom, so you also have to pack half the medicine cabinet, plan for even unlikely inclement weather, call the girls’ preschool and let them know they won’t be in. You’ll have to pack life jackets. Snacks for the plane. They’ll need their devices charged so they can watch movies during the flight. So when I say all you have to do is say yes, I mean, first you have to say yes.”

  “Yes,” she cried. “But what’s changed? How can we make this work?”

  “Tim is going to be exonerated. It’s a long story that apparently ends with me being a scorned lover, betrayed by my best friend and girlfriend. We’ll have a week on the beach for me to explain. Our flight leaves in three hours. Can you pull it off?”

  “You were on the right track with that list,” Harlan said, her head spinning as she tried to think of all she’d need to do. “I can do it.”

  “We can,” Dallas assured her. “Divide and conquer. I promise you won’t have to spend another minute in this alone. I’ve been in a fog for a long time. I’m awake now. I’m awake, and all I want is everything you have to give.”

  “A week at some beach won’t make my life any less of a mess. At some point the plane will touch back down here, and I’ll still have an alcoholic ex-husband. I’ll still have a gambling father. I’ll still have a sick mother. You aren’t getting smooth sailing.”

  “I’d rather take rough seas and be on your boat than live one more day without you. I can be someone you can count on. I can be something you can be sure of.”

  “Dallas,” she gulped, bringing her hands up to his cheeks, holding his face so she could look him dead in the eyes. “Do you know what you’re getting yourself into? Do you have any idea what you’re signing up for?”

  “My eyes are wide open,” he promised. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”

  “What about Larry? What about proving he killed Angus. I can’t be involved in any of that. I made a deal with Marc Azeela, and I can’t go back on that.”

  “You did what?” Dallas asked, pulling her hands gently down from his face and leaning back so he could see her better. “You made a deal with him? How did you do that?”

  “I caused a diversion here at the house, ditched my security detail, and tracked Marc down at the ice rink his son was playing hockey at. Then I made him give me his word that my daughters would never again be pawns in his game.” She attempted to explain it the way one might give someone directions to the closest mall, but Dallas was not fooled.

  “He could have killed you,” Dallas said. “That was a crazy thing to do.”

  “I know,” she agreed. “But it was worth it because he made me that promise, and I believe him. My girls will be safe.”

  “You are . . .” Dallas was shaking his head disapprovingly, still looking as though this might be some kind of joke. “You are an amazing woman,” he finished.

  “I’m not,” she challenged. “I’m a mom. An ordinary mom who took her life back. But I can’t get involved in trying to get Larry behind bars. Marc told me he knows for sure Larry killed Angus. He confirmed it.”

  “He did?” Dallas asked, his brows knitting together. “And he hasn’t killed him?”

  “I got the impression it was like a cat playing with a mouse right before he eats him. Larry getting arrested and going to trial isn’t part of the equation as far as Marc is concerned. He’s got his own justice lined up.”

  “I wanted Tim free,” Dallas said, nodding like he was trying to convince himself. “He will be. The police will reopen the case and have no choice but to look at Larry as a prime suspect. I have to stop se
arching somewhere. My own life is waiting for me.”

  “Mine is too.” Harlan smiled, falling into his open arms and pressing her head to his chest. “Your heart is racing,” she whispered.

  “It’s in a hurry to tell you something,” he explained. “I love you. I love all the things you are. Bossy. Scared. Frustrated. Smart. Brave. Opinionated. Loyal. I love it all.”

  “I love you too,” she said, leaning back to look up at him. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do from minute to minute but I know that. And it’s enough. Loving you is enough to hold on to while we figure everything else out.”

  “Dallas!” the girls shouted as they rounded the corner into Harlan’s bedroom. “You’re back!” The girls’ arms were around the two adults, joining the hug as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

  “Who wants to go to the beach?” Dallas asked, leaning in to kiss Harlan. The girls squealed with excitement, hopping up and down.

  “All together?” Anna asked, looking up suspiciously at them. “All four of us go to the beach?”

  “Yes,” Harlan smiled, tears wetting her cheeks.

  “Don’t cry, Mom,” Logan said, with a pout. “You love the beach.”

  “I do,” Harlan agreed. “I’m just so happy.”

  “It’s back, Mom,” Anna said, pointing at her mother’s face. “You’re big whole face smile is back.”

  “Get used to seeing it,” Dallas promised. “Because we’re all going to have big giant whole face smiles.”

  “Dallas,” Logan said, calling him down to her level. “You don’t get to leave again. It makes mommy hurt.”

  “Never again kid,” he vowed. “I’m going to be around so much you’ll be sick of me.”

  Her tiny arms wrapped around his neck and squeezed. “I won’t get sick of you, but,” she leaned away and touched his cheek, “your face is too scratchy.”

  “I’ll shave,” he agreed. “Because I want all these hugs I can get.”

  Chapter 34

  Hot sand and a calm sea was the best medicine Harlan could have asked for. Her oversized sun hat flapped gently in the wind as the sun kissed her skin. It was as if her life had emotionally moved from the arctic to the sunny beach they were sitting on.

  “May I bring you some more fruit?” the beach waiter asked, a large empty tray in his hand to collect their empty glasses.

  “I think the girls would love that,” Harlan said. “They’re big fans of yours, Gunny.”

  “I’m big fans of theirs too.” The waiter winked. “Good girls you have there. They are so well behaved.”

  “You haven’t seen them both reach for the same sand shovel yet. You might change your tune.”

  Gunny disappeared to retrieve more freshly cut fruit, and Dallas began to stir. “I told you not to let me fall asleep,” he groaned. “I don’t want to miss a minute with you guys.”

  “You have some sleep to catch up on. Plus, what will we laugh at if not your ridiculously loud snoring in a beach chair?”

  “Are you relaxed?” he asked, reaching a hand across and touching her arm gently. “I really want to make sure you have everything you need to recharge.”

  “I am so relaxed,” she assured him. “I’m at that tipping point of relaxed mom where I start to feel guilty. Should I cancel my massage later? It feels like it’s over the top. A three-hour spa treatment? That’s a little too much.”

  “None of that,” he ordered playfully. “You deserve of every single second of this. There is no stress here. Listen to that island music and try to have any worries. It’s just not possible.”

  “How did you pay for all this? It’s too much?”

  “Emmitt insisted that I take payment. I tried a thousand times to tell him I owed him not the other way around. You know how he is.”

  Harlan nodded, imaging this was exactly what her brother had in mind when he wrote the check. “This week is going by way too fast. I’m going to want to stay here forever.”

  “The good thing is you don’t have to leave forever. We can come back. We can make a tradition of it.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready to be tradition guy? Are you ready to be doing this?”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” he said, trying to convince her. “I’ll be the guy sitting in the dance recital cheering too loudly. I’ll be the guy telling the stories that are a little too scary because I don’t know better. Junk food will be my go-to gift.”

  “So basically you’re going to make my life harder?” she teased, leaning across the lounge chair and kissing him.

  “Probably.” He shrugged. “I do have a habit of doing that to people. I do have some good news though.”

  “What’s that?” Harlan asked, a nervous smile lighting her face. “News scares me these days.”

  “I might have an opportunity to get my job back. It’ll take some paperwork, a lot of work with my old police chief, and some help from Melissa, but now that Tim is on a path to freedom, I’ve got my head straight again. I think it’s time to start putting the pieces back together.”

  “And now there’s three more pieces to squeeze into the puzzle. It might be pretty crowded.”

  “I’m going to find the right words at some point to convince you that I’m all in. Something is going to make it completely clear to you sooner or later that I’m not going anywhere. You are exactly what I’ve been looking for. You, Anna, and Logan are what my life has been missing.”

  “I look forward to that day,” she sighed. “I can’t wait to believe in something again. To completely trust that nothing bad will ever happen again.”

  “That I can’t promise you. There will be bad times. More Pain. Some loss. There will be life. But it’ll be our life, and together we’ll get through it. It won’t be perfect, but it will never be lonely.”

  “Hmm.” Harlan smirked, nodding her head in agreement. “It happened sooner than I thought.”

  “That was easy!” he cheered with mocked excitement.

  She grabbed her coconut drink and handed him his. “Here’s to an imperfect life together.”

  “Cheers,” he said, leaning across and kissing her passionately. “I’m ready for this. I love you.”

  Rather than just repeat the words back to him she shared something far more special, more real. “I believe you,” she whispered, their lips just centimeters apart. “I really believe you.”

  The End

  Continue Reading Book 5, Untamed Devotion

  Untamed Devotion

  Untamed Devotion

  Visiting an exotic tropical beach resort is a dream come true. Working day and night as an employee of one is not. With dreams of adventures, Aria fled her past, not realizing her new circumstances would be equally daunting. When she mistakes a guest for a new employee, she overshares her feelings about the resort, immediately realizing her mistake and what it may cost her.

  Monroe is a dealmaker. He’s built an empire on the simple truth that the most important thing about an acquisition isn’t found in the contracts. It was all about the company’s secrets and hidden skeletons. Dig those up and the power will be his.

  He soon learns power means nothing if it can’t be used to rescue the woman he’s fallen for. But when Aria finally has her path to freedom, will she be brave enough to take it?

  Chapter 1

  “Asher Barrington, you’ve got me out on this damn island, and you can’t even pick up your phone,” Monroe hissed as he paced around the expansive lobby of the Carle De Blu resort. “This was our deal. I’m here, and you’re nowhere to be found. Call me.”

  “Mr. Redson,” a crisply dressed concierge said gently as Monroe tucked his phone away, “I reached the airline about your missing luggage, and I assure you we will not stop until it’s found.”

  Monroe grunted and started taking a mental inventory of what was in his missing suitcase he’d likely never see again. “I just want to go to my room.”

  “Of course, Mr. Redson. I completely understand. We
have you staying in the presidential suite. My name is Buckley. I’m part of your personal staff. Anything you need don’t hesitate to request it.”

  “I’m going to need a lot if my suitcase doesn’t turn up.” Monroe sighed, following the rigid-backed Buckley through the spacious and artfully decorated lobby. The Carle De Blu was a luxurious resort on a hard to access, remote island in the Caribbean.

  There were plenty of resorts like it in the world. So why was Monroe spending his time muddling through the inconvenience of Carle De Blu? Because the island government had been working for years to drop their corporate and individual tax rates to next to nothing. There had been rumblings but never anything of substance. Monroe, a master of gathering information and trading secrets, knew it was about to go through, and Carle De Blu would become one of the most sought after properties in the world. Corporations would be able to use the island as an off-shore tax shelter.

  Monroe didn’t mess around with those shady practices himself. Neither did Asher Barrington. It was messy and nearly always landed you in hot water in the long run. It wasn’t their plan when they’d caught wind that the tax rate changes were coming. The plan was to get in ahead of the deal, scoop up Carle De Blu, and then capitalize on the networking and growth that would happen on the island. Getting in before the rest of the world knew what was coming was paramount. It would be a joint venture. There was just one problem. The price tag on the Carle De Blu was a small fortune and didn’t seem to align with the public revenue estimates Monroe had dug up.

  Lost in thought, he fell a few steps behind Buckley on his way through the lobby. As he rounded the corner toward the elevator, he collided with a tray balanced on the hand of a waiter walking by. Leftover sludge from half eaten dishes glopped against his chest and slid down the front of his suit coat. Juice wobbled and then tipped, joining the party on his clothes.