Chapter 14
14
“ T he good news is that I don’t think anyone will be coming out here tonight and bothering us.” Garth lay in the big king-size bed with his ankles crossed and his fingers in Amber’s hair while her head rested on his chest. He stared at the dark clouds threatening to let the water locked inside pelt the earth through the porthole from the bedroom to the main deck. The boat rocked with the wind, occasionally smashing against the wood planks of the dock. The Intracoastal was well-protected from large waves, but it didn’t stop the wind from tossing even a boat this size around.
“And you call yourself a horror movie buff. This is exactly when the bad guys come with the machetes to chop up all the bodies and?—”
“Are you trying to give us both nightmares?” He tugged gently at her silky strands. Everything about her was soft and sweet with just a bit of sass to keep a man on his toes. Not to mention that she was exactly the kind of woman he saw himself spending the rest of his life with.
No. Not the kind of woman.
The woman.
“Right. Because either one of us is going to sleep well tonight? I wish Darius could have stayed out here. He looks like a badass dude.”
“And I don’t?”
She patted his chest. “Not what I meant.”
He chuckled. “Darius is a good man and he and Arthur are both right up the street.”
She rolled to her side, keeping her bad leg on her good one. Her long lashes flickered over her sensitive eyes. “Why haven’t we heard from anyone?”
“Because there is nothing to tell. It will take time for Rusty to find Emily and corroborate Hickey’s information. I bet by morning, with the help of Darius, they will have all the pieces put together.”
“Are you trying to convince me? Or you?”
“Perhaps a little of both,” he said. “How’s your leg feeling?”
“It’s a constant throb, but not as bad as yesterday.”
He rolled, placing one hand on her hip. His other forearm was where she rested her pretty little head. She’d described herself as fiercely independent, and he had no doubt she could take care of herself. She was the kind of woman who needed no one and was wholly comfortable being alone. That made Garth’s heart pause. While she did mention she wanted marriage and kids, like him, she wasn’t willing to put her life in the mixer to find it. However, he believed that there was one person who would complete his life. It wasn’t about finding someone to take care of or have someone coddle him either. It was about a partnership.
She struggled with the way he said and did things sometimes. How he came off strong and told her how she should or shouldn’t do things. He understood that, but he didn’t do that to be controlling.
“You look so contemplative.” She tapped her finger on his temple.
“Arthur says this look makes me seem constipated.”
She chuckled, but her face quickly turned serious. “What’s going on?”
“What are we doing? I mean. Me and you. What is this? We went from zero to sixty faster than I can pull the hose from the truck.”
She burst out laughing. “I can’t believe you just said that.” The bed shook as her belly laugh filled the cabin. “Sometimes you really don’t think before you speak.”
Talk about a wrong word choice. “You know what I meant and what I’m asking.” He pressed his finger on her lips. “It’s not about the conversation we had earlier. I’m not asking for the world. A timetable. Or anything like that. I don’t want to put the kind of pressure on you that your last boyfriend did. I’m not that man. However, I want to know where you think this is headed because I care about you. A lot.”
“I know. And I care about you too.” She waved her hand wildly in the air. “But I’m not sure I can even think about it while we’re dealing with all this.”
Tap. Tap.
“Who the hell could that be?” she asked. “I thought your buddies said they would call first?”
“They would.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket. “Fuck. I’ve got a text from Rusty.”
“What does it say?”
He crawled from the bed, opened the cabin door, and moved into the kitchen where he could stand tall. “Jesus. He arrested Officer Riley. Someone came forward and said they saw him put something in the road right before Sandra crashed.”
“Why come forward now?”
“I don’t know. But he said that Bellen isn’t answering his phone. No one can find him, and Riley is pointing the finger at Bellen for your brother’s death.”
“No fucking way.”
Another tap at the door.
He pulled up Arthur’s contact information, sending him a quick text.
Garth: We’ve got company. I’m calling. Don’t say anything but be on the ready.
He tapped the number. Tossing the phone to Amber, he mouthed, Don’t hang up.
“Who’s there?” he called, touching the doorknob.
“It’s Jeff Bellen. Open up. You’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
He reached for Amber, who had taken a few steps back. He had to get them at least out on the deck and not trapped in the cabin where they’d essentially be helpless.
“Come on,” he whispered. “Arthur is listening. Don’t worry. He’s calling the cavalry.”
She nodded.
“Step away from the door.” Garth took the weapon he’d brought and tucked it in his pants. Slowly, he pushed back the door, surprised to see not only Jeff but also his father-in-law, Ivan Moore.
Ivan held his hands up in the air. “All I want is Steve’s laptop. That’s it. Hand it over, and no one gets hurt.”
“Are you threatening me? That’s an arrestable offense, and doing so in front of the ADA, well, that’s not too smart.” Garth made sure his body was in front of Amber’s.
“Don’t be a wise guy,” Bellen said. He stood near the dock, hands on his hips. “Just give him the computer.”
“We don’t have it.” Out of the corner of Garth’s eye, he saw movement in the marina.
Arthur, no doubt.
“Don’t fuck with me,” Bellen said.
“We’re not. We gave the computer to an IT specialist,” Garth said, eyeing more movement in the parking lot. Perhaps he should now have Amber go back in the boat.
“I’m really sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, that computer was the property of my firm. It’s got sensitive information on it and in the wrong hands, well, that wouldn’t be good,” Ivan said with a smile.
“Honey, why don’t you go inside.” He patted her hip, then gave her a little push. Her bare feet slid across the deck and dialed his pulse down a bit. Now all he had to do was keep these assholes from doing something stupid while he waited for Arthur to pull an Arthur from his sleeve.
He inwardly smiled at his own odd humor.
“I’m going to need that computer.” Moore opened his suit coat, showing off his gun.
“Jesus Christ, Ivan. What the hell are you doing?” Bellen took a tentative step forward.
“Nothing. Just trying to get my property back.” Ivan placed a hand on the butt of his weapon.
“You can’t threaten people. As he already pointed out, it would be criminal and I’d have to?—”
“Oh, stop blustering. Like you’re clean from any wrongdoing,” Moore said.
“You can’t kill these people,” Bellen said under his breath.
Garth’s chest tightened.
Moore laughed. “Me kill someone? Please. I’m a businessman. I’m just trying to get my property back without taking someone to court.”
“We don’t have your computer,” Garth said, glancing over his shoulder. Amber stood just behind the door with her arms wrapped around her middle, her eyes wide with fear and filled with tears.
Garth needed to do something quickly. He reached behind his back, curling his fingers around his gun.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jeff said. “I need you to trust me.”
“Why should he trust you? You’re as corrupt as they come,” Moore said.
“That’s funny coming from you,” Jeff said, holding his hands in the air.
“You’re the idiot who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.” Moore slid his hand inside his coat, taking out his gun.
“But I didn’t kill anyone,” Bellen said with a shaky tone. “You did. And for what? I told you I could bury that case, and I did. But no, you had to go running off killing everyone who knew anything. Or you thought knew something.”
“What are you talking about?” Moore took his eyes off Garth and shifted his stance. “You killed them.”
“No, he didn’t,” a female voice rang out behind Garth.
He spun on his heels, yanking out his gun, but he quickly lowered it as he let out a puff of air, staring at Lisa Moore Bellen holding a weapon to Amber’s head.
How the fuck did she get on the boat?
His heart nearly stopped. A tightness in his chest sucked the breath right out of him. Rage filled his veins.
No one threatened the woman he loved and got away with it.
“I killed those women. And I killed this little bitch’s brother.”
Amber’s teeth chattered as if she were as cold as ice when a woman stepped up behind her and grabbed her by the hair. She twisted and gasped when the butt end of a gun came down on the side of her head.
Garth lurched forward.
“Back off, asshole, or she dies,” the woman said.
“You killed them?” Moore asked. His voice prickled Amber’s ears, searing fear in her brain like a cattle prod.
She stared into Garth’s rage-filled eyes. His gaze and his weapon shifted between Bellen, Moore, and the crazy woman holding a cold piece of metal to Amber’s temple. Her head pounded worse than her aching thigh.
“I think the real question is why?” Garth asked.
“Yes, Lisa. Why don’t you tell us why?” Bellen asked.
“Why I killed those bitches? You really have to ask,” Lisa said with a sneering laugh. “You mean besides the fact you were balling them?”
“Actually, I wasn’t. But that’s beside the point,” Bellen said.
Amber tried to shift, taking weight off her bad leg, but Lisa grabbed her around the neck, squeezing her throat.
She coughed.
“Let her go,” Garth said behind a clenched jaw.
“Like hell. If it wasn’t for this bitch and her brother, we wouldn’t even be standing here right now.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Bellen muttered.
“What the fuck are you doing, Lisa? Come on, sweetie. Your husband can make this go away if you just put down the gun. I’m sure if you killed anyone, it was in self-defense.”
Lisa laughed. “Oh, come now, Daddy. Wasn’t it you who said that I should take what was mine and never put up with shit from anyone?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you should kill someone just because they were sleeping with your husband.”
Lisa laughed. “I did kill Ashley and Kelly because they were fucking my husband. But I killed Sandra and Steve to save your sorry ass.” Lisa pressed her forearm tighter around Amber’s neck as she pointed her weapon at her father. “I had hoped I could pin everyone on my cheating husband. And, well, I still can. Unfortunately, Dad, if you don’t help me, you’ll die in the crossfire.”
“Lisa. You’re talking crazy,” her father said. “We can fix this.” He took his gun, holding it in the air. “Let’s all just put down our weapons.”
“It’s too late for that, Dad. You’re either on my side or against me,” Lisa said.
“Baby girl, I’m on your side,” Moore said.
“Then you take Garth’s gun and shoot my husband. I’ll shoot this bitch.” She waggled the gun. “This is registered to my idiot husband. Stupid asshole. I can’t believe my own father talked me into marrying you in the first place. Had you just gone into the family business?—”
“Keep talking, Lisa,” Bellen muttered, ripping open his shirt and showing off a wiretap.
“Fuck me, I didn’t see that coming,” Garth said.
Amber gasped as the boat rocked. Two officers stormed through the cabin cuddy, screaming for Lisa to put down the weapon.
Garth lurched forward.
Bang!
Amber screamed as she fell to the floor. Garth’s body covered hers.
“Fuck,” someone yelled.
The sound of boots stomping across the boat echoed through her brain. “Garth!” Panic gripped her soul as she clutched Garth’s shoulders. Her ears rang as men shouted at one another. “Garth?”
“I’m fine,” he whispered.
“But the gunshot?”
“Didn’t hit me. I think it got Moore.” He kissed her temple. “Are you okay?”
“No. No, I’m not. Not one bit,” she said, biting back the tears.
“Shhh. It’s going to be okay. It’s all over now.”
Amber buried her face in Garth’s chest and let the tears flow. The sound of voices filled the air, but she only focused on the man holding her. Protecting her.
Taking care of her.
Garth pulled Amber to a sitting position because he needed to see what the hell was going on around him. He held her close, tucking her head against his chest, stroking her soft hair, pressing his lips on her temple.
“You little bitch,” Moore bellowed as he fell to the deck, clenching his shoulder. “You shot your own father.”
“Get the fuck off me!” Lisa kicked and thrashed, trying to break free from the cop who had her pinned down. “Don’t you know who I am?”
“Yeah. A confessed murderer,” the cop said.
“It’s all him,” Moore said, pointing to Bellen. “You have to arrest him too.” Another cop knelt next to Moore, attending to his wound, but not until after Moore had been secured with handcuffs. “I’m not going to jail alone.”
“You’re right. You’re going to prison,” Bellen said.
“So are you. I’ve got proof of your?—”
“You’ve got nothing, and I’ve got immunity. I’ve been collecting shit on you for the last couple of years,” Bellen said. “Now get my soon-to-be ex-wife and father-in-law out of here so these people can have some peace.”
Garth nodded at Arthur as he stopped just short of the boat. “How long have you been working on this?” he asked Bellen as he stepped aside while his wife spit on him.
Bellen wiped his face. “Since right before Ashley died. I took what I knew to my boss who took it to the Feds. Ever since then, I’ve barely been able to live with myself. I’ve had to do things I’m not proud of to take them down, and for the record, I wasn’t screwing any of those women. They were helping me. My biggest mistake was missing that the woman I thought I loved was a psychopath.”
“That’s got to suck,” Garth said under his breath, though he regretted it the second the words left his lips.
“You have no idea.” Bellen ran a hand across the top of his head.
Garth helped Amber to her feet, checking her for other wounds.
“I didn’t know for sure until Sandra was murdered that my wife had anything to do with it. I honestly thought that Rocco Tias had murdered Ashley. He’d been at the party that night and was pretty pissed at my father-in-law about me becoming an ADA. He didn’t trust that I’d make sure any potential charges would be dropped.”
“I guess he had reason not to trust you,” Garth said, still eyeing the man. “But you put me, my team, and my girlfriend in danger tonight. You had no right to do that.”
“No. I didn’t. The second I walked onto this dock, Arthur knew what I was up to, and I did have the place surrounded.”
Garth looked toward the dock, where Arthur, Darius, and Rex stood.
“I was about to fill you in, but you called me first, so we had to go with Bellen’s plan instead of mine.” Arthur shrugged.
“Can’t say I’m too happy about being left in the dark,” Garth said.
“Me either.” Amber lifted her head. “I really didn’t like having a gun touching my head. But what I really want to know is why my brother? Why did he have to die?”
Bellen stepped a little too close to Amber.
Garth pushed out his arm.
Bellen nodded, taking a step back. “I’m truly sorry he got caught up in all of this. I wish I could have saved your brother. I really do. I suspected it was either my wife, or maybe Riley who had set that up, but I didn’t have proof. And it was Riley who broke into your home. We’ve proven that with the images from your security cameras.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Amber said.
“I know,” Bellen said. “I wish the FBI and I had handled this differently. I tried to warn Steve, but he didn’t realize what I was saying. Your brother was a good man.”
“The email,” Amber whispered. “But you didn’t warn him. You threatened him.” She took an aggressive step toward Bellen, but Garth quickly pulled her back.
“I couldn’t show myself. I’ve invested three years of my life trying to get enough on my father-in-law. I couldn’t take the chance he would walk. I wanted Steve to back off so he didn’t get killed because I hadn’t gathered enough information yet. But now, thanks to the two of you, I have what I need to make sure he, Lisa, Rocco, and all his cronies will rot in prison. I’m just sorry it was at the cost of so many lives.”
“We helped too,” Arthur said, his arm looped over Darius, who stood next to Rex, who had a big old grin.
“Hey, we helped too.” Hawke and Kent came into view as they paddled through the water in a raft. “We made sure the cops got on the boat.”
“All you did was watch.” Garth let out a slight chuckle, holding Amber tighter.
“I can’t thank all of you enough,” Jeff said, stepping from the boat. “I owe you all, and hopefully someday, I will be able to repay you.”
Garth ignored the chatter on the dock between his buddies and Bellen. All Garth cared about was the woman with her arms around his waist.
He held her so close no air could pass between them. He lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “My timing has always been piss-poor and my words don’t always come out right, but you never answered my question about us and where this is all headed,” he said. “And for the most part, this is over. You’re safe. No one is coming after you. We have answers.”
She glanced up at him. “Really? Now? You want an answer now?” Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Normally, I can be a patient man. But today I want to be the man who comforts you. Who holds you. Who is there for you because I don’t want you going back to feeling like you’re alone in this world.”
“That’s a lot of words for you, Garth.” She let out a long breath. “But since you asked for it, I’ll give you an answer.”
He held his breath, wondering if she was going to tell him she needed space. Time to grieve on her own. Or if he’d really gone and botched it by picking the worst time ever.
He was a moron when it came to women sometimes.
“I can’t promise I won’t be a hot mess. Or that I won’t try to push you away sometimes, because that’s what I do when people get close.” She palmed his cheek. “But I want you. I don’t want to change who you are and I suspect you don’t want to do that to me either, so I guess we might be stuck with each other.” She slipped her tongue between his lips.
He ignored the hooting and hollering of his buddies as he lifted her into his arms and carried her back into the cabin.
“Um. We’re going to need a statement from the two of you,” Bellen called.
“Oh, leave them alone. It’s been a long night,” Rex said. “And I don’t offer my boat to just anyone for an overnight rendezvous.”
Garth set Amber down on the bed. “I think I might be falling in love with you.”
“Well, fall faster, because I do love you.”