Chapter 29
Gemma’s shoulders ached from having her hands tied for so long behind the dining chair back, but she didn’t dare complain.
Royce moved to the opposite side of the table and sat down. “I never should have slept with you,” he said, eyes full of disdain.
“It was a long time ago.”
He blew out air. “Not long enough, because here you are, fucking up my life all over again.”
She tilted her head. “What did I do?”
“You told HERO Force where to find me. That must have been you.”
“And you shot me and left me for dead,” she said.
“I ran out of bullets. You got lucky.”
“Lucky.” She shook her head at his choice of words. “How did I get the concussion?”
He grinned. “The van window was down. I slammed your head against the door frame. I couldn’t have you screaming and letting the others know I was there.”
“There’s only one thing I don’t understand. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the ransom Cole wanted for you—a guilty verdict against Jax and Cowboy in my court. But how did they know the men wouldn’t opt for a jury trial?”
He clucked his tongue. “I’m disappointed in you, Gemma. I thought you were smarter than this. Cole had no idea whether the men of HERO Force would opt for a jury trial or not.”
Her mouth opened. “But you did.”
“They’d already filed their pleas by the time I was…taken.”
“You staged your own kidnapping.”
“Not entirely. Cole was there, along with some of his friends from the county jail. I just told them what to do.”
“And the bomb that killed Barbara?”
“That was just a bonus.” He stood and walked to a sideboard, pouring himself a drink. “That woman had been bleeding the life out of me for years. It was well past her time to move on.”
He’d treated her badly in life, then he precipitated her death. “You could have just divorced her.”
He shook his head. “No. That wouldn’t have worked out nearly as well for me. My parents were peach growers. Her parents were in microprocessors. This is their house, actually.” He held out his arms to encompass the extravagance around them.
Gemma’s stare bounced from the golden chandelier to the high ceilings and two-foot crown moldings. “It’s just a house, Royce.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. It’s my house, and so are the apartment downtown and the ranch outside of Buckhead.
There’s even a cute little place in Switzerland.
” He put his hand on his chest, fingers splayed.
“While I’m sure life without my beloved Barbara will be difficult to take, these small creature comforts will surely provide me with some pleasure. ”
Eight years had changed Royce from someone she admired and respected to a foul-spirited villain. She couldn’t believe she’d ever found him attractive.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” he asked.
“You’re different than you used to be.”
“You mean when we were together?”
She nodded.
He stood and walked slowly toward her. The back of her neck burned and she refused to lift her head. He bent down so that his eyes were even with hers. “I’m not so different than I used to be.”
He reached out and twirled a piece of her hair around his finger. “I could show you, if you’d like.”
She jerked her head to the side, pulling the hair out of his grasp.
“That’s right,” he said. “You’ve moved on to that little boy. What’s his name? Logan.”
Her stomach seemed to fall through the floor. “Leave him out of this.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. You’re the one who put him between us. Now he’s been making waves down at the courthouse, searching for government plates that very closely match my own.”
“You! Why would you try to hurt me? Come to my house with a gun?”
“I said it was my car, sweetie. Not my gun and certainly not myself at the scene. Though I admit I was looking forward to a clean break from the women in my life. Such leeches.”
“That’s it? Just because we used to go out, you wanted me dead? Have you lost your mind?”
“You were the one who made it unpleasant whenever our paths would cross, Gemma.”
She gaped. “Because you lied to me, pretending you weren’t married so that I looked like the office tramp, and my entire career was nearly ruined by gossip and conjecture!”
“Still. I didn’t enjoy seeing you out and about.” He checked his watch.
“Am I keeping you from something?”
“I’m surprised they’re not here yet.”
“Who?”
“HERO Force, of course. I’m assuming your little knight in shining braces is going come looking for you, but then again, maybe not. I have more faith in Jax and Leo, however. I left the address on your kitchen counter like a big, red flag. They should be here soon.”
Her mouth was dry. “What happens when they get here?”
“Did you see the car bomb that killed my wife?”
She nodded.
“That was like the fireworks. This one’s going to be the finale.”