Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Esther
Even after Theo stepped into the little cottage, I was still convinced Drew had simply gone off the deep end because I turned down a date with him four years ago. I didn’t think about why he cared that Theo would come for me—I was just really fucking grateful he did.
My hands and feet were numb from both the cold and lack of circulation.
Though I’d stopped hyperventilating when Drew finally pulled me out of the trunk to bring me inside, my entire body still shook with the aftereffects of that panic.
The cloying scent of lilies still permeated the air, wafting from my clothes and skin like I’d been doused in perfume.
Theo’s eyes locked on my face as soon as he walked in. They softened with relief as he looked me over, checking for injuries, and under the warmth of his gaze, I felt the tremors begin to fade.
Drew had stepped into a darkened bedroom to Theo’s left after he waved him down at the door, but not before telling me everything he would do to Theo if I gave any kind of warning.
There was no chance I would risk that.
I stayed silent, watching as Theo took slow, cautious steps toward me, trying to understand what was happening.
“Are you hurt?” he asked softly.
I shook my head, afraid to speak, but he only smiled like he understood. Once he was about ten feet from the chair Drew had shoved me into, my captor stepped out of the bedroom, still holding the stupid knife.
“Well, now we can get this party started, hmm? I thought I’d have to issue a personal invitation, but I guess you have a brain in your head after all. Welcome, Theo.”
My breath stalled in my lungs at the words, but it was Theo’s expression that made me question my assumption about why we were here. He stared at Drew like he was seeing a ghost, shook his head slightly, then said, “Andy? Andy McNulty?”
Drew gave a sharp laugh. “Oh no, Andy died the same night as Michelle. New town, new name, new me. I've been Drew for the past twenty years. Not a single person in this shithole town recognized me when I moved back.”
“I don’t understand,” Theo said quietly.
“No, you wouldn’t. Instead of admitting the truth, everyone talks about you like some tragic fucking hero.
” He paused, fondling the handle of the knife like it was precious to him as he moved toward me.
“Do you like the house? When it went up for sale a few years ago, I knew I had to have it. It was destiny.”
Theo held perfectly still. “It’s me you want. Let Esther go. She had nothing to do with Michelle’s death.”
“No, she didn’t, did she? Sometimes innocents are the ones to pay for our mistakes, though, Theo.”
“Don’t do this,” Theo whispered.
“Michelle paid the price while you and your brother walked away, moved on, made a life for yourselves. You didn’t pay a fucking cent. While you two were off living your lives, my mother swallowed a bottle of pills and my father drank himself to death. Did your parents share that news with you?”
Oh, Christ. This wasn’t about me or the food truck at all.
Theo kept his gaze on Drew, but his muscles tensed like he was preparing to spring. I doubted he’d be able to reach us in time to keep the knife from making contact with my flesh.
“You were just a kid at the time, Drew,” Theo said gently. “And so was Esther. You want me to pay? I will. Gladly. Just let her out of here unharmed. You don’t want to hurt her, I can see it in your face.”
Drew looked down at me. “No, I don’t. I wanted her to be mine, but she wasn’t ready.
I even sent you lilies, Esther. Didn't you like them?
They were the same type of flowers we had at Michelle's funeral. After that, I waited for you to come to me. I waited fucking years, and then you chose him over me.”
I started to shake my head, but he laid the flat part of the blade against my cheek like a caress. A whimper slipped out before I could stop it. With a glimpse of that friendly smile he’d always given me in the past, he laid his finger over my lips.
It was only with the greatest effort that I managed not to flinch away from his touch.
“You should have chosen me, Esther. I would have treated you like a queen. Instead, you became his whore.”
“Please don’t do this,” I whispered when he removed his finger. The knife was like ice against my cheek, but it was the flat, dead look in his eyes that chilled me to the bone.
“Drew,” Theo said calmly. “Let her go. She’s not involved in this.”
Drew shook his head slowly. “Of course she is. I would have let her make it up to me, but she wouldn’t give us that chance. Do you know who your whore’s father is, Theo? The slimeball attorney who denied us an insurance payout, leaving us with nothing.”
The rest of my body went as cold as the knife.
“That’s right, Esther. Did you know your family betrayed mine like that?”
“No. No, Drew, he didn’t talk about work at home. I only knew he worked for an insurance company. I swear, I had no idea. I’d never even heard of Michelle until recently.”
“Of course, the mighty Silvers were always tight with the chief of police,” Drew went on. “They ruled it all an accident.”
“It was an accident,” Theo said quietly. “She tripped on her dress.”
It was like he hadn’t even spoken. “No criminal charges, no civil suit. Every last dime went to Michelle’s funeral and paying the lawyer who promised it was a slam dunk to get that insurance money.
I took care of him years ago, but I wanted to give you a chance to make reparations, Esther. All of this could have been avoided.”
Theo shifted like he was going to throw himself between us when Drew tutted quietly and stroked the flat of the blade along my skin.
I hoped Theo had a plan, because I saw no way out of this.
Flashbacks to all those times he’d talked me down from a panic scrolled through my mind, but the chances of it working on Drew seemed terribly slim. Even if he didn’t intentionally cut my throat, I’d started shivering again and was terrified I might simply vibrate my way into the blade.
Since Drew was still staring down at the knife against my cheek, he didn’t see the swift glance Theo sent to something behind me.
“Drew,” Theo repeated. “Look at me. We can settle this between us.”
The second Drew lifted his gaze to Theo’s face, something swung in the space over my head and struck Drew’s shoulder with a thud.
The knife clattered onto my lap as he screamed and spun around, but whoever was behind me grabbed him and Theo dropped to his knees in front of me, using the knife to slice through the zip ties.
As soon as my wrists and ankles were free, he yanked me out of the chair and turned us so his body was blocking mine from whatever was happening behind him, pressing my back against the wall and shielding me with his larger frame.
Shuddering sobs wracked my body even as he started murmuring soothing words into my ear.
When silence fell, I heard Alex’s voice say, “It’s okay, he’s tied up.”
Theo stared down at me like the world was still crumbling around us. “Are you hurt?” he asked, running his hands down my arms. I blinked at him until he repeated the question, this time more urgently.
“No,” I said finally. “No, I’m not hurt.”
In the next second, I was wrapped in his arms again, crushed against his chest. The steady thump of his heart wound through me like the sweetest melody. My hands, still tingling with numbness, gripped the front of his jacket.
When Alex waved the police inside, Theo finally turned our bodies back toward the room.
Drew’s arms were tied behind his back, though he was still howling about his shoulder.
There was a metal garden stake on the floor that I assumed Alex had used to hit him.
The hunting knife, glittering now with a reflection of the lights from the police cruisers outside, lay beside it.
Detective Hanson cuffed Drew and passed him to an officer I didn’t know before coming over to us. “There’s paramedics right behind us. We weren’t sure what we’d be walking into here. I don’t see any blood, but you should let them look you over, Esther.”
Theo thanked her, then pulled back just enough to smooth my hair off my face and inspect me more closely. “Will you let them? For my sake, if not your own.”
I laughed, though it sounded hoarse and a little bit hollow. “You just told a man with a giant ass knife to let me go and make you pay instead. I guess the least I can do is let an EMT check my vitals.”
When Alex joined us outside, Theo released me to the care of the paramedic and pulled his brother into a tight hug. I watched them, blinking back a sheen of tears, as a woman named Casey checked my pulse. Her fingers were gentle against the red, raw marks the zip ties had left on my skin.
“You have someone to stay with tonight?” she asked.
Theo met my eyes over Alex’s shoulder and smiled so tenderly that my tears spilled over, trailing unimpeded down my cheeks. I nodded, both at him and in response to her question.
“Yes, I do,” I said softly.
“Good. Your vitals are all strong, though your pulse is a little high. Your wrists are scraped and irritated, but the skin isn’t broken. I want you to go home and take it easy for the night, got it?”
I nodded, thanked her, and let Theo pull me back into his arms until Roberts came over to take our statements. Though I must have answered all of his questions adequately, I barely remembered any of it, only dimly aware of Theo eventually thanking Hanson and the chief.
The next thing I knew, I was bundled between Theo and Alex in the truck, each of them chafing one of my frozen hands between both of theirs while heat blasted from the vents.
They were careful to avoid the red bands around my wrists, but as my digits came painfully back to life, the tears started to fall again.
“I know it hurts, but you’re cold as ice,” Theo murmured, kissing my temple.
“You two make quite a team,” I choked out, trying for a smile. It wobbled, but they both smiled back at me.
“Can you forgive us for getting you into this mess?” Alex asked.
I met Theo’s eyes and he lifted one hand to brush the tears from my cheek. “Of course,” I whispered. “You saved my life. Both of you.”
Alex released my other hand as Theo wrapped his arms around me.
Though there was more to say, that simple statement trumped all of it.
The brothers had forgiven each other, come to my rescue, and risked their lives for my own.
I had a feeling that went a long way toward healing the hurt of the last few days for all of us.
“Can we go home now?” I asked, my voice muffled against Theo’s jacket.
He reluctantly released me, though not before pressing a kiss first to my forehead and then to my lips.
“Yes, absolutely. Let’s go home.”