Chapter 25
GRANT
G rant tightened his grip on his wife, a surge of protectiveness washing over him.
As he eyed the two police officers, memories of their tumultuous journey flashed through his mind, each moment with Julia a testament to their resilience.
She smiled up at him as she patted his chest, her gaze a beacon of hope that they were nearing the end of their ordeal.
“Well?” Grant asked as they closed the laptop.
The detective snapped his gaze to Grant. “Where did you find this, Mr. Harrington?”
Mitchell stepped forward, his bourbon sloshing in his glass. “The laptop along with several other items was found in a locked underground vault hidden under the Victorian manor owned by the deceased Mrs. Knight.”
“Isn't it rather convenient that this should surface?” the detective asked.
“You can call it whatever you’d like. My clients are under no obligation to share anything they found in that house with you, yet they have been open and transparent.”
“To their advantage. This clears them completely. Who’s to say they didn’t doctor this footage?”
Mitchell settled on the edge of the desk.
“The other evidence in that vault makes it obvious what Mrs. Knight was up to. Including a file on Mr. Knight himself that she was using to…keep him in line. The files in that cabinet shows numerous blackmail payouts. It makes sense that Mr. Knight would have done this.”
“And it makes sense that Mrs. Harrington’s tech genius side kick would alter footage for them,” the detective shot back.
“Try selling that to a DA and see if it flies.” Mitchell took a sip of his bourbon before he reached for the laptop.
The detective yanked it toward his chest. “This is evidence, counselor.”
“According to you, the only evidence on that machine is of a manipulated video that you are accusing my clients of orchestrating.”
The detective rose, the laptop clutched in his hands. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe this fits. I’d like to have our tech team take a look at it if you don’t mind.”
“We do. The Harringtons are willingly working with authorities to bring the appropriate parties to justice.”
The detective’s phone rang in his pocket. He held up a finger as he pulled it out and answered it. “Yes? Uh-huh…oh really?”
He flicked his gaze toward Grant as his eyebrows raised. “You’re kidding? No, that’s…fantastic. Yeah. I’ll be back in about an hour. Thanks.”
He ended the call and slid the phone into his pocket.
Mitchell’s voice held an edge of steel as he extended his hand. “The laptop, detective. It’s not just a piece of evidence, but the key to unraveling the truth.”
The detective patted the top of the machine. “We’ll hang on to this. It’ll be very helpful in prosecuting Mr. Knight who has just confessed to the murder of his wife.”
Grant lifted his chin at the words, a glimmer of hope that the nightmare was nearing its end.
“Really?” Mitchell glanced at Grant before he focused on the detective again. “I trust, then, that my clients will no longer be troubled by any of this.”
“It looks like all of the Harringtons are in the clear. Let’s hope we don’t meet again, shall we?”
“Believe me, no one looks more forward to not being at the police station than me,” Grant said. “Except maybe my wife, Julia.”
She grinned at him.
“You folks have a lovely day.” The detective strode from the room with Mitchell following behind him.
Grant twisted to face Julia, pulling her closer to him. “I can’t believe it’s finally over.”
She tilted her chin to glance up at him. “It’s been a long two years.”
“Much too long of a two years,” he answered her. “But it brought you to me, so I can’t complain.”
“Neither can I,” she answered softly.
He leaned forward to softly brush her lips. “And the best is yet to come.”
As she pulled back, she arched an eyebrow at him.
“I still owe you that surprise.”
“Oh, right. You’re still going to move forward with that, huh?”
“You bet.” He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “Get ready for a lifetime of sweet surprises.”
“I could get used to that,” she said with a smile, leaning forward for another kiss when a knock at the door interrupted them.
“If we ever stop getting interrupted,” he grumbled before he yelled, “Come in!”
Worthington pushed into the room. “Terribly sorry to interrupt but I thought Mrs. Harrington would like to know that Mr. Stone is preparing to depart.”
“Oh,” Julia said with a wince, “I should talk to him before he goes.”
“Absolutely. Please tell him thank you from me again. And let him know I should have this sorted out soon and will be looking to buy Harrington Global back.”
“I’ll let him know,” she said before she kissed his cheek and pulled away.
He reluctantly let her go, staring after her as she disappeared from his office before he sank into his desk chair.
“Drink, sir?” Worthington asked as he crossed to the drink cart.
“Absolutely, and pour one for yourself, Worthington.”
The man delivered the bourbon to him, keeping a glass for himself.
Grant raised the glass in the air. “Sit down.”
Worthington eased into a chair and took a sip of his own drink. “It appears, sir, things will finally settle.”
“I really hope so,” Grant answered as he stared into the amber liquid. His lips curled into a smile as, for once, a strained reflection didn’t stare back. “Can you believe we made it to this point?”
“With Mrs. Knight, do you mean?”
Grant snapped his gaze up to Worthington. “No, with Julia. She’s here to stay. After two long years, she’s here for good.”
Worthington smiled at him. “Yes. I can tell you from the staff’s perspective, everyone is very happy about that, sir.”
“As am I. And Sierra. Even Kyle.” Grant stared into space as memories of his son floated through his mind. “We never would have gotten through any of this without her.”
“It seems she feels much the same way.”
Grant’s eyes fell on their wedding photo. “Well, she may say that, but…she wouldn’t have gone through any of it if she hadn’t accidentally walked into that nightclub to meet with Sierra, not me. But she saved this family. She changed our lives.”
He sipped his bourbon as he centered his gaze on his butler again. “And I am going to spend every day of the rest of our lives making sure she is duly rewarded for that.”
“It sounds like an excellent idea, sir.”
Grant smiled at him, allowing happiness to settle on him. As he reflected on the serendipitous meeting that had brought Julia into his life, he realized that every challenge, every moment of uncertainty, had led them to this point.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
“Hey, oh, sorry,” Alicia said as she stuck her head into the office, “I thought my sister was still here.”
“No, she went up to speak with Alex, but…come in, Alicia. I wanted to talk to you,” Grant said.
Worthington polished off his drink and rose. “I will leave you to talk.”
Alicia shoved her hands into her pockets as she wandered into the room. Grant rose and motioned to the chair Worthington had just left. “Sit down. Can I get you a drink?”
“Uh, no, I’m good,” she said as she eased into the chair.
He crossed to the drink cart, refilling his glass before he faced her.
“Look, uh,” she said as she shifted in her seat, “I get where this is going. I’m making arrangements to move out soon. I’ll be–”
“That’s not what this is about,” he interrupted as he settled into his desk chair.
“Oh, uh, well, just so you know. And don’t worry, I’ll take Ethan with me.”
“Going back to Maine?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’m not sure yet. I…am still considering things. Especially leaving Julia behind.”
“Any interest in sticking around?” He narrowed his eyes at her, searching her features carefully for any nonverbal cues that would betray her answer.
She matched his expression. “Is that a trick question?”
“No,” he answered.
“I don’t understand.”
He set his glass aside, leaning forward. “I’m thinking of making some changes to my security team. I need a new security head…preferably one that Julia may listen to.”
She scoffed. “That’s probably not me.”
He grinned at her. “She takes you more seriously than she ever took Max.”
“Uh, look, I’m not sure–”
“Here me out,” he interrupted, holding a hand up.
“It’s not a bad gig. You can do more than police garden gnome heights.
You can stay close to Julia. And the pay’s good.
With your experience with the FBI and your obvious desire to keep your sister safe, you’d be the perfect choice. At least think about it.”
She flicked her gaze to the side. “Okay. I can do that.”
“You can hire your own team, too. So…if you and Ethan are…working things out…”
She flicked her eyebrows up. “I’ll talk to him about it. One question.”
“Sure,” he said as he grabbed his drink, “ask away.”
“How many more of your exes are crazy?”
He chuckled before sipping his bourbon. “I hope none of them.”
“I just want to know how hard I’m going to have to work to keep my sister and her new family safe.”
He smiled at her, loving that she’d referred to him as Julia’s new family. “We’re all family, actually. So, no need to differentiate between new and old. Maybe we could use this position as an opportunity to move forward. Together.”
“It’s obvious my sister loves you. She loves your kids. She’s happy. She deserves it.”
“I’m glad you think so. I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure she’s happy. And…one of the things that would make her happy is having you close.”
Alicia sucked in a breath. “You’re making it awfully difficult to refuse.”
“I usually do. Despite what you may think of me, I’m a pretty shrewd businessman. I usually get what I’m after.”
“Good to know,” she said with a nod. “Well, uh, at the risk of regretting this…I’d like to give it a try. I don’t know where I’m going to go from here, but…I’m not ready to leave yet.”
Grant’s smile broadened, and he rose, extending his hand. “Well, that’s excellent. Let me get a contract drawn, and we can discuss specifics whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay, uh, and if you could recommend a realtor, I’ll be in the market for an apartment.”
He shook his head. “No, you’ll live here. It’s important that my security team be on-site. You’re welcome to stay in the main house, but there is a gatehouse if you’d prefer.”
“Are you sure? We’re not the best of friends. So, even with the separate quarters, you may regret that.”
“I won’t regret how happy Julia will be with you this close.”
Alicia sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll give it some thought. And we can talk whenever you’d like.”
“Great,” Grant said with a smile as another knock sounded at the door.
“Got a minute, Daddy?” Sierra asked as she poked her head inside.
Alicia rose from her seat. “I’ll leave you to it. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Sierra eyed her as she went. “What’s she talking to you about?”
“You’re looking at the new head of our personal security team.”
Sierra’s eyes went wide. “Julia’s bitchy sister?”
Grant nodded and polished off his bourbon.
“Whoa. She may actually be good at that job. She doesn’t take crap from anyone.”
“She doesn’t. Julia loves her, and may actually listen to her.”
“Smart thinking, Daddy,” Sierra said as she leaned against the desk.
He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “How are you doing now that the dust has settled, baby?”
“Better than I ever have been in my life,” she said.
He flicked his eyebrows up. “Really?”
She nodded. “I’m happy, Daddy. Even after everything, we finally feel like a family.”
“Hey, come on. It wasn’t that bad when it was just the two of us.”
She squeezed his hand. “No, it wasn’t. But we were missing a piece of the puzzle. And now we’re complete.”
“Yes, we are,” he said with a smile as his eyes flicked to the wedding photo. “Yes, we are.”
The image that had marked the start of their relationship and, for two years, had reminded him of the uncertainty of his life, now promised a fresh start and a new life. A life filled with happiness.