“Trashed my car?” He bolts to his feet, the pitch of his voice rising in disbelief.
I swallow a big gulp of coffee before I meet his angry eyes. “Yes, he slashed the tires, smashed all the windows, and wrote graphic slurs across it in what looks like the same red paint that was used on the animals and the mannequin.”
“I’m not actually sure that was paint,” Kai interjects, and I shudder at the thought that it might be real. I was trying to avoid accepting that it could be, but it did have a suspiciously congealed consistency.
My eyes find Oliver’s devastated face. “I’m sorry.” He shakes his head and sinks down into his chair.
“It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you.” His words are trying to send one message, but he’s very quiet after that, the silence sending a much different one. I guess as far as revenge goes, this is above and beyond anything I might have attempted. I think he’s probably suffered enough, but again, an apology probably wouldn't hurt from him either.
* * *
About half an hour later, the estate lights up with blue and red flashing lights, dragging my memory back to the day this all started. Brad gets up to greet the detective, leaving me with the siblings, minus Thomas. All of us have been subdued, conversation not really flowing, and the atmosphere is a little stifling. I guess we’ve all got a ways to go until we’re all comfortable in one another's presence, or maybe it’s just Jacinta. Jaxon tried to convince her to go to bed, but she insisted on staying up to both hear what the detective had to say and to help me wash off the animals.
Walking onto the back patio, there are big flood lights brightening up the back section of the estate beyond the entertainment area. I can see the outline of cops searching around the outside of the stables. Faint echoes of snorting and hoofbeats travel across the night air as the horses in the outside paddocks get spooked by the flashing lights. Blowing out a sigh, I’ve turned around to find someone to turn off the lights when a shadow steps out from behind a bush. Screaming, I throw my coffee mug at the person. Brown liquid flies through the air, but they sidestep quickly.
“Holy shit, Luke! You scared the shit out of me,” I scold, my arms coming up to wrap around my waist in comfort and to hide my nipples. While I catch my breath, he moves forward out of the shadows.
“What’s going on?” he asks, his hands deep in his pockets. “I heard the sirens and was worried there was a fire. But then I saw the police at the stables, and I didn’t want to get in the way, so I thought I’d come up here and ask.”
“Ah, yeah, someone broke into the stables and vandalized some shit,” I tell him, deliberately keeping it vague. He doesn't need to know everything else that has happened. Otherwise, he just might tattle to Chuck and Melinda before I can get a chance to tell them.
His eyes widen, but before he can say anything, a voice behind us has me turning. “Hello, Miss Stubbs.”
It’s Holden with the detective from yesterday. “Seems you’ve had a busy night.” He tries for a comforting smile, but it doesn’t work. “I’ve just got a few more questions, which shouldn’t take long, while the forensic boys are fingerprinting and examining the crime scene. We should be out of your hair in no time.”
“Have you had any luck finding a suspect?” Holden asks from where he is, holding on to his fourth whiskey. I’m surprised he’s still standing because they have beenverylarge whiskeys. He’s obviously shaken, a lot more than the others, but I’m not sure why.
“We’ve been doing some background checks into the employees at Neighpalm Industries and the staff here as well, but nothing is jumping up and screaming guilty so far.” He actually does sound sorry about it too. “We just have to keep looking for clues, and I’m hoping they somehow messed up and left behind something in the stable. But itisstrange that he acted twice in one night. Especially because there’s such a big distance between here and there. We might have a look at the traffic cams to see if we can recognize anyone familiar using the highway between here and the city. Your father provided us with all the employees’ photos and information.” He shrugs like it’s a long shot, and my heart sinks.
I head inside to answer his question, stopping and turning to invite Luke in, but he’s already moving away. “You want to come inside?” I call to him, but he shakes his head.
“Nah, I'm going to see if Josh needs a hand settling the horses in the outer paddocks,” he calls back and keeps walking. Shrugging, I follow the detective inside.
I don’t know how long it takes, but I answer his questions, basically going over what I had already told him yesterday. He said he had called the detective back home to get his report on Mom’s death but was waiting to hear back.
It was almost three in the morning by the time they packed up and left. I had changed into a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt when the detective and I finished talking, intending to take care of Jenny and DS before collapsing into bed, but I discovered that everyone had beaten me to the punch. While the detective had talked with me, everyone had left us alone and I hadn’t questioned it, almost dead on my feet from the long day followed by dancing all night. When I arrived at the stables, I found Jenny and DS sparkling clean and smelling like roses, kind of. DS was even cuddling up to Jacinta, the traitor practically preening at all the attention she was lavishing on her. Bah, I knew that pony was psycho, and this just proves it.
Standing in the doorway to the stables, a feeling of belonging flows through my body as I watch them all band together and help make things right. There’s a tiny part of me that’s whispering,Maybe this family is worth salvaging after all.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Thomas
“Thank fuck that’s over,” Jaxon says, throwing himself on the sofa in the living room while Dad puts on a pot of coffee in the kitchen. Declan, Kai, and Oliver echo his groans as they join him on the couch, every single one of them shedding jackets, loosening ties, and unbuttoning shirt sleeves to get more comfortable. The only one missing is Holden. The lucky bastard had an appointment to see a band and was able to get out of the charity gala, much to his glee. Looking at my watch, I notice it’s around midnight.Is he coming home tonight or staying at the hotel?I know he can look after himself, but I feel like I’m on constant alert after the threat Harlow received yesterday, worrying about who else might be caught in the crossfire of her deranged admirer.Maybe I should text him?Even odds he’ll ignore it, but it might make me feel better to at least put the question out there.
Dad comes back out, smirking when he catches the tail end of the groans. “Don't forget we’ve got our annual family charity ball coming up soon,” he reminds all of us, eliciting even more complaints. Oliver grabs a throw pillow and tries to smother himself with it.
“Fuck all of those grabby hands and toothy smiles. Jesus, I end up with bruises on my ass every single year from being pinched.” Dad just laughs as the other guys join in, none of us showing him an ounce of sympathy. Though I guess with his still-healing bite, maybe we should run some interference for him. If he asks nicely.
“I’m heading upstairs to get changed,” I tell them, needing to feel more like myself. They all wave a hand in my direction, and I make my way to my room in our wing of the house. Nana and Poppy attended the charity event with us, but they had stayed in town at the hotel. Normally, we would do the same, but this time, Dad had insisted on coming home because he was too worried he might be late for his riding plans with Harlow. Even took the day off work and ordered all of us to do the same thing. I think he wants it to look like it’s our idea to go riding too so that Harlow doesn't realize he orchestrated this. As much as he’s trying not to interfere, he can’t help himself.
Neither can Nana, for that matter. She keeps dropping hints about Harlow being the answer to all our needs, and wasn’t that a fun surprise to figure out what the hellthatmeant. How one woman could quite easily be shared and loved and cared for by six very busy men, and how lucky that woman would be. I can’t say I don't see the interest in my brothers’ eyes, but I’ll leave them to it. Harlow seems to be a pleasant woman, and she’s sexy as fuck, but I have no plans to commit to anyone ever again.
Clarissa basically destroyed my soul when she left me for a competitor and took all the future plans I had outlined for Neighpalm Airlines. In retaliation, I destroyed her and her new partner, showing no mercy and no remorse. I enjoyed every moment of it. With the help of the Federal Department Of Counter Terrorism, I was able to have them indicted on charges of espionage and treason since the vindictive bitch also took plans for a new fighter jet that the government had contracted us to design. If she had kept them for herself to spite us rather than getting greedy and selling them to Neighpalm’s biggest competition, she might have gotten away with it. She always was her own worst enemy. I would have given that woman the world if she’d only been willing to accept it.
Now, it might have taken some… less than legal means to get our proof, so even though I got what I wanted, I wound up with a bit of a debt to pay. The company doesn’t operate only in California; in fact, they handle work for private clients all over the world. As head of Neighpalm Airlines, I was in the perfect position and had legitimate reasons for traveling often. So, in return for helping me get my revenge, I help them from time to time. I’m by no means a full member of their security team. The work I do for Neighpalm is real, and it does take up much of my time, but after I completed the security company’s basic training, I had to make time to work with them too. The experience was brutal, much more than I was expecting, but I learned a lot, and it gave me an outlet and something new to focus on at a time I felt I was drowning.
As much as the occasional job with them puts me in danger, much to my family’s unhappiness, the company became a lifeline for me. Now, between Neighpalm, looking out for my family, and my contracts with Federal Department Of Counter Terrorism, what do I have to offer a woman? Even if some part of me wanted to, what scrap of myself do I have left to give to her?
