“We’d better talk outside,” Mac said, already walking toward the slider leading to the backyard.
My heart hammered, my blood nervously whooshing through my ears. The air in my lungs disappeared and taking a breath felt near impossible.
Sensing my panic, Tristan slipped his hand through mine and squeezed. It was all I needed to get my feet to move.
“There’s no easy way to say this,” Mac said when we stepped outside. “So I’m just going to lay it all out there for you.” The knuckles on the hand he dragged through his dark hair was split and bruised.
“The person who took Millie is the same person who left you the food, Kate. Arthur Solinsky. Except for this, he is squeaky fucking clean. I couldn’t find a single person to say anything bad about him.”
Crossing my free arm over my chest, I stared at Mac. “That name doesn’t even sound remotely familiar. Why does he want to hurt me, and why does he want Millie?”
Maybe he was someone in Clara’s past she didn’t tell me about. Gosh, maybe he was Millie’s father. Clara never told me the name of the guy who got her pregnant.
My hand flew to my mouth. “Please don’t tell me he’s Millie’s dad.”
“He’s not.” Mac shook his head. “Andhedidn’t want to hurt you.”
“He sent her poisoned fucking bagels,” Tristan roared. “How the hell is that not wanting to hurt her?”
Blowing out a breath, Mac parked his hands on his hips. I noticed then that his other hand had the same bruises. “Taelyn and Duke Bishop. Does that ring a bell?”
I frowned. “Clara’s sister? What does she have to do with this?”
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” Tristan’s angry voice rose over my own.
Confused, I looked at him. His glare was on Mac.
“She’s behind this?”
Mac shook his head slightly. “After the death of his wife, Arthur spiraled. Left alone to take care of their mentally disabled son, he developed a gambling addiction and quickly got himself into some serious debt. Somehow his paths crossed with Duke Bishop, who agreed to pay off his loans and get his son into a top-tier treatment facility.
“Of course, Duke didn’t do it out of the kindness of his heart. He waited until Arthur’s son was settled then threatened to take it all away if Arthur didn’t do something for him.”
Too much. This was all too much for my brain to comprehend. My head spun. Around and around it went, desperately trying to make sense of it all.
Arthur. Duke. Taelyn. The poison. The kidnapping. Her apology.
“They’re arrested?” Tristan’s gritted words brought me back to the present.
Mac swallowed, his hand sliding through his hair again. “Arthur’s in custody.” He cleared his throat. “But Duke is deceased. Officers found him beaten to death when they arrived at his house to arrest him.”
Relief flooded my veins, shortly followed by a pang of guilt. What did it say about me that I was happy to know the man who’d wreaked so much havoc in our lives wouldn’t be around to try again?
My only fear was someone else would pick up where he left off.
“Taelyn?” I asked.
“She claims she didn’t know what her husband was up to.”
Tristan made a noise. “And you believe her?”
“Well.” Mac shrugged. “For now, there’s no evidence to suggest the contrary. But she did offer to take care of Arthur’s son.”
“Why?” The question came out hoarse and broken.
Mac shot me a confused look. “Maybe she feels guilty. I don—”
“That’s not what I meant.”
