Chapter 33
33
OWEN – ONE DAY LATER
I’m standing in the office of Richard Sanderson: Satan’s spawn and top-shelf asshole.
Hands in my pocket, my newly stitched-together flesh throbs as I nervously rub Jade’s lucky poppy stone with my thumb.
“That’s all I could find.” I nervously stare at the devil sitting behind the desk with a heavy-set bodyguard off to the side of him.
It’s not enough. He knows it’s not enough.
“You’re 1.5 million short.” Unimpressed, his mouth downturned, he stares at the stacks of premium bond slips and cash I scraped together.
Not knowing the code to the safe, in the dead of night with no locksmith available, my two loyal friends and I took a blowtorch to the hinges of the cast-iron safe behind the painting.
Astounded, standing in silence, we grabbed on to one another to stop us from falling over as wads of cash, all five million of it, carefully wrapped in blue elasticated bands, came into view .
I also found two new passports, with new identities for my mother and father.
I was convinced it wasn’t suicide. He was planning to run.
After I left the hospital to get my hand looked at, I showered, then as day broke, desperate to keep Jade from harm, I pulled up outside the gated home of Richard Sanderson and demanded to see him.
“I have torn the house apart. I’ve given you the family house. You took their life insurance. I have nothing else to give you.” Summoning all the strength I can, I make him a new offer. “I will work for you to pay off the rest of the debt.” It fucking kills me that I have to do this, but there is no other way.
“You want to work for me?”
“No.” I can’t be anything other than honest. “But I have no other way to pay off my father’s debt. I can show you how to creatively lose money in the business.” Like a sacrificial lamb, I’m offering myself for slaughter. This is not who I am. I follow the rules and have stayed on the straight and narrow professionally since I started working in finance. I hate myself, and I hate him, for making me stoop so low. “When I save you 1.5 million, or make that for you in investments, then you will let me go.” My words leave a bitter taste in my mouth. “And I need your guarantee you will never lay a finger on my girls. I need to know Jade and Poppy are safe.”
This is the only solution I could think of. It means I will have to stay here in Castleview Cove until I pay the debt, because I don’t think Richard will trust me not to run. Richard rubs his forefinger back and forth across his bottom lip as he leans back in his office chair.
If he doesn’t accept, then… Bile rises in my throat. I can’t even bear to think about it.
My phone rings loudly from inside my black dress slacks. To show Richard how serious I am, I thought it was best to come dressed for negotiation, so I fully suited up. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I frown in confusion when I see Aunt Babs’ name on the screen, then double check the time: quarter past seven.
Why is she calling at this ungodly hour?
Knowing I’m dealing with an extremely dangerous man who can make people disappear, I ask him for permission to take the call. A man of few words, he nods, and I hit the accept button as I walk over to the window.
“Babs?”
With no warning or niceties, she says the words I’ve been fearing since I found out what Jade did for a living and the threat Richard placed on her life: “Jade’s missing.”
My blood turns to ice as I listen to her fractured words: accident, plane crash , eject, Welsh mountain range, major search, can’t find her, rescue operation, missing since yesterday afternoon, we weren’t allowed to tell you until we knew she was officially missing…
I struggle to catch a breath.
“I’m on my way.” My voice is barely a whisper as sharp pains shoot through my temples.
“Stay where you are, Owen. The Air Force is doing all they can to keep this out of the press with the hope they can find her before they catch wind of the story.” She lowers her voice as if not wanting to be overheard. “I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but we’ve been ordered by the Ministry of Defense to act like everything is okay. Jade’s paperwork states that Mari is her emergency contact and next of kin, and in the eyes of the Air Force, you are just the nanny. Jade hadn’t informed her chain of command of your engagement yet because of your living arrangements. As you know, they have very strict policies, Owen. ”
“You have got to be kidding me?” I drag my hand down my face in disbelief. “I have to come, Babs.”
“They won’t let you near us. A liaison officer has already arrived at Jade’s house this morning.” She whispers, “Listen to me, Owen. We’ve been ordered to stay within the safety of the base, here at the house with Poppy. Like us, there is nothing you can do. It’s out of our hands. They are resuming the search by helicopter this morning. The mountains are treacherous. They’ve told us we have to sit tight while they widen their search. You need to stay put until we know more.” She goes eerily quiet.
My heart feels like it’s bleeding out. I rest my forehead against the cool pane of glass in front of me and ask, “How is Mari?” fully knowing she’ll be heartbroken.
“She’s barely holding it together.”
“Poppy?”
“Oblivious.”
“I should be there, Babs.” I need to see her, cuddle her, and protect her. “I want to leave right now!” I can’t keep the rising panic out of my tone.
“You’re not thinking logically, Owen. There is no way you will be able to focus on the long drive to us, and what if you have an accident? We need you safe, Owen, and if you turn up here in a frantic mess, looking more upset than you should be… You are just the nanny, Owen…” She takes a deep breath in. “You’re not family. It’s awful, I know.”
Knowing she’s right, I can’t get the words out to agree with her, hating how helpless I feel. And alone.
“I’m assuming Gregor and the team know?” My throat now aches with the amount of stress coursing through my body.
“Today’s display was canceled. They’re distraught with worry.” Her voice cracks. “Gregor hasn’t called you because, well, unlike me, they all signed an Official Secrets Act when they joined up, Owen. But I didn’t. I had to call. I just had to let you know.”
This can’t be happening. “Oh my God, Babs. I can’t live without her.” I have to push the shocked words out of my mouth, my legs almost giving way from under me.
“We know how much you love her. Just sit tight and I promise I’ll call you as soon as I hear anything, Owen.” Her voice is barely audible.
Robotically, I agree with her, ask her to give Poppy a kiss, say goodbye, then end the call.
And my world blows apart.
Because of him .
Clouded in anger, I spin around, snarling at the man who destroyed my life. “What the fuck did you do?” I scream.
Scowling, he shakes his head in confusion. Got to hand it to him. He’s a great actor.
“I still had one day left.” I fly across the room, but his bodyguard leaps forward, preventing me from smashing his face to pieces.
Richard casually replies, “I don’t know what you are referring to, Owen.”
Pushing myself against the wall of muscle to get to him, like a rabid dog, I throw myself around on a mission to kill the man who promised me ten days to find the money and keep her out of it.
He’s punishing me for something my father did.
And now she’s missing.
“Where is she?”
“I’d love to help, but I genuinely do not know.” Richard slowly moves away from his desk, then confidently folds his arms across his chest .
Raging, I keep trying to get past his guard. I give him a hard shoulder push but he’s as solid as a mountain and stands firm, barely moving when I shove, scratch and punch him, launching myself with all my strength. He’s another foot taller and as wide as a house, and I don’t stand a chance.
“You bastard, you knew I would fail,” I spit, exasperated.
“Now, now, we’re not in a playground, Owen. No name calling.” He rubs his chin in thought. “I can’t lie. You surprised me. Few men would turn up on my doorstep. You’re ballsy, I’ll give you that.”
Frantically pacing, pulse racing, heart pounding, flesh burning, I pull my tie, loosening it, then undo my top button. I’m burning up.
“Where is she?” I ask again.
He holds his hands up as if under duress. “I promise. I’m not responsible.”
“Fuck this.” I turn to leave. “And you can forget my offer to work for you. You didn’t keep your end of the bargain.”
He replies, “Oh, but there was still one day left to find the rest of the money, Owen. I haven’t touched your girl.”
“You’re a liar,” I roar, pulling open the door.
His words hauntingly chase me down the stairs as I run as fast as I can out of his home. “If you renege on the offer, Owen, you still owe me 1.5 million.” His voice echoes out behind me.
“Fuck you.” I dash across the marble hallway.
“Owen.” I’m startled when a faint feminine voice calls my name.
It stops me in my tracks. I search the cavernous entryway of the house that every member of the Sanderson family lives in together.
Camilla.
Standing off to the side, she looks as white as a sheet, her bathrobe pulled so tight around her, highlighting her frame that’s as thin as a drainpipe.
“He didn’t keep his end of the bargain,” I yell at her, my voice cracking. It echoes round the space. “And you know he’s lying about Dad committing suicide.” I move to her quickly, stepping in close to her face. “Did you know he was planning to run away?” I whisper through my clenched jaw. “Dad?”
Her face crumbles and wordlessly, she nods.
I look up over my shoulder to the upstairs balcony. Standing wide, with hands in their pockets, Richard and Gideon watch our interaction.
Moving to the shell of her ear, I lower my voice. “They’ve taken everything from us. You should take your son and run. You and Sean are not safe. Do you know where Jade is?”
“I don’t,” she sobs, shaking her head.
“Traitor,” I hiss. “You’re just like them.”
Glaring upward, furious with myself for believing I could trust them, I leave, broken, destroyed, knowing the woman I love is missing, most likely gone.
Nothing makes sense without her.
I was too late.
I couldn’t save her.
My mother was right. I am a worthless piece of shit. I don’t deserve good things in my life.
Running out of the house, unable to catch my breath, I fall into the abyss of self-hatred and heartbreak.
It’s like that feeling when you can’t reach the bottom of the pool. I’m drowning and don’t know how to stay afloat, so I do the only thing I know how to do. The thing that everyone expects of me.
I find the solution to my problems in the bottom of a bottle and drink myself to oblivion.