“I never did, Chloe. How can you think I would be okay with that? You were…you were my best friend, and Vaughn, he was…” My words trail off quietly and all I can do is cry.
“He was what?” she asks, through her own tears.
“He was everything to me, Chloe. I thought we were going to get married, I thought I was going to get to be your sister for real,” I sob.
“Claire?” Mrs. Montgomery’s voice cuts through the room.
I turn my head and she’s right there, standing in front of me. I jump to my feet, “Is there any news? Did the doctors come out and say something to you?”
Her lips purse. “No,” she sneers, and waves her perfectly manicured hand at me. “Claire, I think it best for you to leave, and let us take care of things from here.”
“L-leave?” I stammer, nervously shifting from foot to foot. I can’t leave. I can’t leave him in there alone.
“Yes, leave. Now. It would be prudent, if Vaughn is ever to recover from this, that you not be a part of his life.” She takes a loud nasally breath in. “You’re the reason he’s here, after all.”
My eyelids blink spastically. What is she saying to me? This is all my fault? Vaughn got shot because of me?
I stumble over my words, snot and tears stream down my chin. “Mrs. Montgomery, there’s no way—”
“Ms. Radcliffe,” one of the officers interrupts me, “the Montgomery family would appreciate it if you left without making a scene.”
I look back and forth between the officers then down to Chloe.
At least she has the humanity to looked appalled by what her mother and the officers expect me to do. I shake my head in disbelief. I mean, I knew she would never forgive me for the things my mother did to her personally, but I just handed her fifteen billion dollars, and she knew her son wanted to be with me. How heartless of a woman could she be?
One who trapped a man into a loveless marriage when she was only fifteen. Someone who was never going to let her son be with me.
“Ms. Radcliffe, at your earliest convenience, we’d like to ask you a few questions, down at the station,” the taller officer says gruffly. Down at the station? Margaret Montgomery gets a nice little alcove in the hospital, allowed to wait for news of her son, and I have to go down to the station like I’m a suspect in this mess. Oh, dear sweet baby Jesus. I dart my eyes to Margaret. What the hell did she tell these police officers?
She’s a conniving, vindictive woman. She seduced and manipulated a twenty-year-old when she was only fifteen and got herself pregnant for his money. What the hell could she do to me to make sure she keeps that money?
“Yes, of course I’ll go down to the station.” I tighten my bag to my chest and back away. “I’ll go straight from here. If—” I look down at Chloe, her eyes are full of tears, “if you hear anything, can you call the station? Let me know?”
“I’m sure we’ll be too busy to call the police station, Claire.” Margaret sighs loudly. “I’m sure my family’s tragedy will be breaking news today. You can watch it on television like everyone else, and allow my family some privacy.”
There are so many curse words I want to scream in this woman’s face, but I bite down on my tongue to stop myself.
“How about we give you a ride?” one of the officers offers.
“Sure. That would be lovely,” I lie. And without saying another word to the Montgomerys, I walk out of the hospital doors with two police officers trailing behind me.
I’m grateful they aren’t handcuffing me in front of Margaret and Chloe. The smug expression on her face would have killed me dead.
The officers escort me to a squad car, and I’m surprised when they open the door for me and allow me to sit in the car without restraints. I’m even more taken aback when we arrive at the precinct, and I’m offered a warm cup of fresh coffee and some chocolate chip cookies.
I’m led to a small gray room furnished with one small table and three chairs.
I drink my coffee and nibble at the cookies while I wait to be questioned.
I don’t have to wait long.
The door swings open almost immediately and a tall, unbelievably good-looking muscular man walks in. He has a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a legal pad in the other. “Miss Radcliffe? Hello, I’m Detective Fury.” He swivels around and another handsome man walks in behind him. “This is my partner Detective Cage.”
I stare at them awkwardly and break out into a cold sweat.Fury and Cage, sounds like a good idea for a steamy book series full of sexy men in uniform.
“Have you heard anything from the hospital? Anything about Vaughn?” I blurt out.
Both detectives shake their heads. “No, I’m sorry,” Detective Fury says in a gentle voice. “That was the twenty-five-year-old male victim that was brought to the hospital, Vaughn Montgomery, correct?”
