by Linda Kage
Then he opened a door into a dark office and flipped on a light as he entered.
“Is this her office?” I asked.
“Outer office,” he corrected, approaching another door, only to pause beside it and run his hand up the outside of the doorframe before he encountered a wire. Giving it a tug, he snapped it from its source.
“Umm.” My eyebrows shot up. “Don’t you think she’ll notice that?”
“Doesn’t matter.” He reached for the door handle, only to find it locked. “She’ll be in police custody before she realizes it’s been snapped.”
Lord, I certainly hoped so now.
He retreated to the secretary’s desk a couple feet away, searched for a second, then snagged a couple of paper clips. “She didn’t have this locked when I broke in Halloween night before I tried her apartment and ran into you. That’s a good sign she’s hiding something new in there, don’t you think?”
“Sure, it’s a decent sign,” I allowed. As he wedged the paper clips into the lock, I crept forward to watch in awe. “Holy shit. You know how to pick a lock?”
When the lock clicked, signally his success, he glanced toward me and winked. “I just got hotter to you, didn’t I?”
Not that I wanted to admit anything to him, but I couldn’t seem to deny it when I shrugged out a reluctant, “Maybe.”
A delightfully wicked grin lit his face as he opened the door and then stepped back to let me enter. “Ladies first.”
I held my breath as I breached the threshold, certain some alarm would sound with a high-pitched piercing sound, then red lights would flash and steel bars would slam around us, capturing us inside.
“We probably have fifteen minutes of safe time to search before either Lana or her secretary Shyla comes in for the day.”
“Right.” I nodded, realizing we needed to find something soon, or our entire mission would implode.
I hurried to the desk drawers, but they were locked as well.
“Oh, Mr. Lock Picker,” I sang, only to yelp when he came up behind me unexpectedly and grabbed my ass.
“You rang?” he asked in my ear, his voice full of amusement.
“Yes, I need you to stick your hard, pointy thing in. Right here.”
“With pleasure.” He reached around me, keeping me trapped between him and the desk, and he kissed the side of my throat as he unlocked the drawer without even watching what he was doing.
“Show-off.” I grinned over my shoulder at him and bussed my lips against his cheek before I stepped to the side so we could pull the drawer open together. Then I got down to business. “You look here. I’ll check those filing cabinets over there.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He seemed happy to comply with my command, probably because he knew I was the one in charge here. Yep, the man recognized a real Robin Hood when he saw her.
Sadly, I didn’t find Lana’s secret box in my search of the top three drawers of the filing cabinet, though. And the fourth was locked, so I ground my molars because this meant I needed Hayden’s help. Dammit. He couldn’t be Robin Hood, could he?
Sighing, I mumbled a reluctant: “I need a sexy lock picker on aisle four, please.”
“Really?” He zipped me a confused frown when he saw which drawer I was motioning to. “That wasn’t locked on Halloween either.”
“Then get your ass over here, and let’s see what’s inside,” I hissed, waving him forward.
He stepped over and we knelt in front of the bottom drawer together. A handy poke of his paper clips later, and the locking mechanism clicked from within. We glanced at each other, holding a collective breath, before we both reached out. As we slid the drawer out, I gasped in shock.
“It’s here,” I rasped, my mouth falling open. “I can’t believe it’s really here.”
“I’m calling Gutierrez,” Hayden announced, already reaching for his phone in his pocket. But before he could even pull it free, it began to buzz with an incoming call.
“Holy shit, it’s the detective.” His eyes widened with disbelief as he read his screen.
“Well, answer him,” I encouraged, nudging him on.
He did. And while he was on the phone with the police detective, I gingery reached in and eased Lana’s box from the drawer. Setting it on the floor between us, I lifted the lid and began to shuffle through the paperwork.
“You did?” Hayden was saying into the phone. “It was?” He blew out a breath and sent me a shattered kind of look. Then he nodded. “Okay, okay.”
He listened to whatever the detective had to say. After a whispered, “Holy shit,” under his breath, he ran his fingers through his hair. I paused my search to shoot him a worried glance, but he rolled his hand, encouraging me to continue what I was doing.
So I did until I found the last will and testament of one Arthur K. Judge.
Lifting it up in excitement, I turned to show it off to Hayden. His eyes flared before he snagged it from my hand.
“Yes,” he was saying into the phone as he flipped through the pages of the will until he found what he was looking for. I glanced over his shoulder as his finger moved over the words until he found the part that concerned Kaitlynn.
Hayden had been right all along. Arthur had left the entire company as well as his homes and most of his money to Kaitlynn. And Lana had been left absolutely nothing.
“And I have Judge’s original will here in her office too,” he said into the phone. “It’s definitely been altered. Okay, all right. Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you then.”
When he hung up, he didn’t say anything, just stared at the will in his hand.
“Well,” I encouraged, squeezing his arm. “What did he say? What’s happening?”
He glanced toward me slowly as if words escaped him. Finally, he shook his head before croaking, “You should go.”
“What?!” Had the damn man lost his mind? I wasn’t leaving him now.
He gently cupped my face in his hands. “Gabriella,” he started. “We were right. About everything. That bank transaction was from Lana’s account to Mad Manny’s. She had my father killed. She had that couple killed. She had Arthur killed. She—”
His voice broke, so I gripped his wrist and squeezed. He shuddered and leaned forward to rest his forehead against mine. “They were able to trap Manuel Bruzón and arrest him by using the phone number we supplied. Once they had him in an interrogation room, he eventually confessed to all the murders.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
Hayden nodded. “And they found Finley too. He rolled over on Lana immediately about the will.” Glancing down at the box, he shook his head. “Finding this a second time was practically unnecessary. They already had all the evidence they needed to arrest her. This will just cement it all into place. So they’re coming here now since the box is here, plus they know she’ll show up to work soon. In which case, I need you to be long gone when they arrest her.”
“But—”
He shook his head and pressed a finger against my mouth. “Listen. Shh. I don’t want her to see you here. I’m begging you, Gabriella. She cannot know you had any involvement in helping to bring her down.”
“Hayden, no.”
Cupping my face in his hands, he pressed his mouth to my forehead desperately. “I know capitulation isn’t your thing, but if you could just listen and comply this one time, I know I’ll be able to make it through the arrest. Otherwise, dammit, I just need to know you’re safe or I won’t make it. Please?”
“Then come with me,” I tried.
But he shook his head. “No. Kaitlynn and Brick and Nash are going to show up too. They’ll need answers. I have to be here to help straighten everything out afterward.”
I sighed, realizing I was probably going to give in and do as he asked. I mean, the stubborn ass had said please; the least I could do in return was compromise. One time.
But still. It went against everything I was. “So, you just want me to abandon you and let her think all this was only yo
u all along?” I argued petulantly. “Because I gotta tell you; that just doesn’t fly with me.”
He kissed me on the lips. Softly. Then he smiled. “You will be here with me.” Pressing his palm flat against his chest, he added, “In here. But physically, I need you safe and as far away from this building as possible.”
I might’ve agreed to leave the building, but I didn’t leave the area.
Hey, the jerk I loved was inside. Leaving him to deal with this all by himself just felt wrong. So I lingered out of sight across the street and waited.
The police arrived before Lana did, thank God. First one cruiser and then three more pulled up to surround the front of the building.
“Wow.” I whistled out a low tone. They must’ve thought Lana was a true physical threat.
It was weird to have known her, cleaned her home, worn her dress, and here, she really was extremely dangerous. At least four people were dead because of her.
How freaking crazy was that?
Other employees started to arrive then, all of them pausing to gape at the red and blue flashing lights. A few went ahead and went inside, only for two police officers to escort them back out and then guard the entrance, refusing anyone else entrance, which confused most. Some paused and faltered, not sure what to do, getting on their phones and making calls or taking pictures and posting the news, while others just turned right back around and left.
When I saw Lana herself walk around the front from the parking lot, I brought my hands up to my mouth, worried for Hayden. She was going to know he was behind this, that he had orchestrated the entire sting. If she had any power from jail, she’d send someone to go after him. Jesus, maybe he shouldn’t have—
She marched inside, and the two officers guarding the doors let her in, meaning it was too late.
What was going to happen was going to happen right now.
A minute passed. Two. I started to lose my shit.
Was Hayden okay? Had Lana turned violent? What if she was in there and holding a gun to my man’s head right this very second?
Oh, screw this, I was going in.
But before I darted across the street to be with Hayden, I noticed a familiar couple rounding the corner, hand in hand. Ezra and Kaitlynn looked oblivious until they saw the red and blue lights.
Pulling up short, they stared at the other employees standing around before Ezra hurried forward to the two officers at the door. They lifted their hands to him, preventing his entrance. He seemed upset and confused, and he argued back. Then, suddenly, the two officers shifted aside to allow the doors to open.
Hayden exited first, and my breath caught with relief. He was okay. Thank God.
Behind him two more officers flanked his struggling, resisting mother who had her hands cuffed behind her back and was yelling something at him. I couldn’t hear what she said from where I hovered. But how could it be good?
Hayden remained his normal, imposing, impenetrable self. He turned to let her pass, casually slipped his hands into his pockets and murmuring something that seemed to stun Kaitlynn because she slapped her hands over her mouth and backed away.
Lana rounded toward her stepdaughter next, jerking against the hold the officers had on her as if she wanted to attack Kaitlynn. When she couldn’t physically reach her, she settled for yelling out her anger. Ezra stepped in front of Kaitlynn, partially blocking her, so Lana unleashed her temper on him, hollering and cursing his way.
One officer tried to subdue her, but she kept on. So they just forcefully dragged her away like that.
I focused on Hayden as he watched her go. His back was rigid and head held high, but I could still tell a part of him was breaking inside.
He’d just taken down his mother.
He was not going to be okay after this.
Except Ezra spun to him, looking angry and violent.
The two men spoke with very aggressive demeanors until Hayden reached out and protectively took Kaitlynn’s arm. That seemed to upset Ezra even more, so they really got into each other’s faces until finally Kaitlynn started inside with Hayden, and a clearly frustrated Ezra just stood there, gaping after them.
Before he disappeared into the building, however, Hayden glanced across the street, directly to where I was hiding as if he could feel me watching him.
I could tell the moment he caught sight of me. He seemed to smile softly as he shook his head, not at all surprised that I’d completely ignored his warning to stay far, far away.
Chapter 30
Hayden
I felt sick to my stomach.
After the big reveal, where I’d gathered my brother, stepsister, Ezra, and a couple lawyers into a room and told them about Lana being a murderer, about how she’d changed the will, and how Kaitlynn actually owned half the company alongside Nash, they had each eventually gone their separate ways to absorb the shock of the news.
I hadn’t been able to tell Brick about his true paternity though. That would have to wait for another time. I just didn’t have it in me to report any more shocking news today.
It had been a tense enough scene earlier between Ezra’s lawyers and the ones I’d called in to support Kaitlynn. She looked so blindsided and overwhelmed. I had an awful, sinking feeling I’d handled it all wrong.
Telling them my suspicions about Lana and the secret investigation I was conducting on her hadn’t seemed necessary at the time. But now that it was all out in the open, I felt like a shithead for not divulging any of it sooner.
Sitting on my couch in the darkness of my living room, I rested my elbows on my knees and buried my face in my hands. I’d fucked up, hadn’t I? Not only had I gotten my own mother tossed in jail, but I’d shut out my siblings from something they probably should’ve been privy to the entire time.
Brick had shaken his head and sent me such a disappointed glance before he’d strode away from me without saying a word. What if he never talked to me again?
Could I really blame him if he didn’t?
I was a monster.
I wasn’t even sure how to face Gabby after this, and she’d known my plans all along. I just couldn’t deal with the crushing weight of all this guilt.
So, when she called, asking if I needed anything, I asked her if she could check in on Kaitlynn, which would ensure that she’d stay away from me in the process.
Jesus, I was going to have to help her find a job somewhere now. She was unemployed because of me.
This was all just too much. How was I going to deal with—
My doorbell rang. I shuddered with dread before sitting upright and wiping a hand across my dry face to regain my composure.
I couldn’t face Brick right now; I’d have to answer his questions and I knew I’d end up telling him everything. I wasn’t ready for that. So I hoped to God it wasn’t Brick.
The doorbell rang again.
The same with Kaitlynn. If she came knocking, she’d be full of questions too, namely: why. Why was the last thing I wanted to discuss. I hoped it wasn’t Kaitlynn either.
The doorbell rang, followed by a knock.
Honestly, there was only one person I wanted to see.
The knock turned into a pound.
But how could I look her in the eyes right now? She’d see everything inside me. She’d know how ugly I truly was.
“Hey!” a familiar voice shouted through the closed portal. “Carmicheal.” The pound turned more insistent. “You better not be trying to shut me out, you bastard. Because it won’t work.”
An affectionate smile lit my face. Despite my reluctance to face anyone, all I could think was, Thank God it’s Gabby.
I stood and went to the door. “So shutting you out would be bad?” I asked as I pulled it open.
She narrowed her eyes. “Only if you value your balls.” Then she walked past me into my apartment, tossed her purse into a side chair, and shucked her jacket, completely making herself at home.
“I went to Kaitlynn’s like you asked,” she started, dr
aping her jacket over another chair and toeing off her shoes. “I even snagged a friend to go with me—to help console her, you know—but then Ezra showed up.” She turned to me, rolling her eyes. “And it was pretty obvious he was the only one she wanted. So, I thought, you know what, screw it. I’m going to do what I wanted to do from the beginning. Thus, voilà, here I am, checking on you.”
When I didn’t answer, just soaked in the blessed sight of her, she sighed out a frustrated groan and stepped toward me, wrapping me in a tight hug. “Hey,” she whispered as she rested her cheek against my heartbeat. “How’re you doing?”
“Dammit,” I growled, hugging her back and relishing the feel of her in my arms. “You’re going to make me face this head-on, aren’t you?”
“Hell yes, I am.” To my disappointment, she pulled away in order to look up into my eyes, severing our warm, soothing contact. “Now, start facing it, buddy, and tell me how you’re doing?”
I nodded to show her I was fine. “I’m—” Except my voice broke when I tried to speak. So I cleared my throat, wiped the back of my hand across my mouth and started over. “I’m—you know. I—” It wasn’t just my voice this time, my freaking eyes broke next, leaking moisture and all my decorum. “Jesus,” I swore, trying to turn away.
But Gabby caught my arms, forcing me to look at her, which caused me to choke out a strangled sob.
“I did it,” I rasped, crumbling apart inside. “I really fucking did it.”
“Yes.” Nodding steadily, she agreed. “You did do it. You did the right thing.”
“I know that!” I growled, glaring at her for putting me through this. Why couldn’t she just let me avoid it for a little while longer? Damn.
Except I didn’t want to yell at Gabby. I glanced away, immediately upset at myself for snapping. “I know it was the right thing. Fuck, it was basically the only thing I could do. But it doesn’t feel—”
She caught my face between her hands and waited until I met her gaze before she said, “It feels sucky. I know.”