Chapter 48
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
JAMES
Walking through the door, I feel exhausted.
Brooke and Heidi are there to greet me as I dump my bag, pulling me in for a hug and then looking over my shoulder for Nate.
“He had a work thing,” I sigh, waving it off as I push the front door shut.
“Oh.”
I shrug my shoulder up before I look at Brooke, placing my hand on the top of her arm and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“I'm sorry about the investor,” she shrugs it off as if it isn't a big deal.
“Someone else will come in,” I smile as I let my hand drop and we walk into the kitchen. Heidi reaches for the wine from the fridge and pops the cork. I raise a brow, and she rolls her eyes.
“It's five o'clock somewhere and you two look miserable as sin so,” she twists as she grabs three wine glasses, filling them up and handing them out.
“What the hell,” I clink my glass with her and lead them to the living area, dropping onto the sofa.
“So, how was the Maldives?”
I let out a heavenly sigh as my head drops back against the sofa.
“It was paradise, the sun was hot, the sea was cool, and the sex was sizzling...” I smirk to the ceiling, “who knew honeymoon sex was that good.”
“Ohhhh give us details,” Heidi slaps my knee as I sit up and twist my lips.
“I'll tell you over dinner, but let’s just say... Nate is not vanilla,” and they laugh.
“Honestly, hottest sex ever... like, our sex was good but... wow,” I mouth the last word and Brooke sulks back in the chair.
“Oh, to have a man like that,” and I watch as Heidi's eyes lift to her, a fake smile slipping on her lips.
“Yeah,” Heidi quickly rushes out then takes a mouthful of her wine.
“So, what work emergency does an IT guy have?”
I eye them both, swirling my wine in my glass.
“He is a hacker... kind of? Maybe?” and I don't know why but my cheeks burn. “I hired him...” I trail off for a moment and I know I shouldn't be saying anything, but I can't seem to stop myself.
“For?” they both say in unison just as Jeff jumps on my lap, purring and I rub behind his ear.
“To look into Secure Corp,” I swallow down a large mouthful of wine.
“What?” Heidi scrunches her nose.
“Why?” Brooke leans in closer, waiting to hear the words pouring from my mouth.
“Rune has been draining money from the business...” I find myself whispering, “fifty thousand a month.”
And their eyes blow wide.
“What?” Brooke hisses.
“Yeah, and get this, there is another brother... but I couldn't find anything on him... he just disappeared. So, I hired Nate in hopes that he would be able to track down where the money was going and then, well... hopefully find the brother and give him everything.”
“And how has that gone so far?”
I shrug a shoulder and curl my upper lip.
“He is ninety percent sure where the money is going, but then he was quiet on the plane home and called a late emergency meeting with the guys he works with.”
“You think he has found something bad?”
“Who knows, he just kissed me on the forehead and told me he would be home late,” and I sigh, looking down at my lap. “What if the brother is dead, or he has found something deeper than where the money is going?”
“Don't panic, I'm sure he just needs help with looking into it, I'm sure it will be fine.”
Running my tongue over the top of my teeth, I give a heavy nod.
I'm sure they're right.
Everything is fine.
I sent the girls home just after seven and Nate was still nowhere to be seen. I had text him a few times, but he left me on read. Busying myself, I drag the cases upstairs and begin to unpack mine before I start unpacking Nate’s, placing his stuff on his bed in piles so when he is home, he can put them away where he likes them. Closing the lid of his case, the corner of a manilla envelope catches my eye in a half-zipped pocket. Opening the lid of the case slowly, I debate reaching for it and before I can tell myself no, I am unhooking the elastic holding it together and pull out a thick pile of papers. I begin to read and lower myself to Nate's bed, my leg tucked underneath me as I lose myself within the files.
And it's not until I reach the bottom of the third page, I see their names.
Meredith and George.
“What?” I whisper to the room when I hear the front door close.
He knows something.
Rage bubbles at the surface as I push from the bed and run down the stairs expecting to see Nate, and I am ready to confront him but when I reach the bottom of the stairs, my eyes widen.
It's not him.
It's Rune and Barnaby.
“Well, hello James... it seems your husband has meddled in something that has nothing to do with him.” Barnaby’s voice floats through me.
A cold sweat blankets me and before I can run, Rune flies at me, holding me against my will as he drags me away.
NATE
I feel a little lighter now I have spoken my secrets out loud, but knowing I need to tell James next is filling me with dread. I cannot stay in this relationship and keep living this lie.
I'm in too deep, and straight away I am back in the woods, all alone.
My memories flash back to when I was nine. Our large stately home used to back onto acres of woodland and when I felt like I needed time out, I would hide before my mom would come and find me, calling me in for supper, but as the months went on, she stopped coming. Panic set in as I trailed through the dark woods, trying to find my way home but I couldn't. Nothing looked the same as it did in the dark and after walking for what felt like days, I was exhausted. Finding a little hole in the trunk of a tree, I curled myself up and slept there throughout the night until the morning came. I found my way home and when I walked through the door, no one even batted an eye lid.
They didn’t care.
I always felt left out.
The spare part.
But never until that moment did I feel truly abandoned and alone.
I kept away from the woods for a few months until one day I ventured off again, in hopes that she would seek me out, but she didn't. She never came. I was always going to be alone in the woods, lost in the depths of it, hidden amongst the trees as I rotted and wilted into nothing but the compost on the floor.
Until one day, Meredith told me she was taking me somewhere safe, somewhere that I would be warm, fed and loved. I lapped it up, my eyes alight and my heart felt like it fully started beating again.
But it didn't last long.
Sure, they got me out, but my father found me, of course he did.
He made sure to stick me into foster care and buried me so deep once more that I would never find a way out, I would be lost in the system forever.
But I broke that pattern.
One of the families I was being fostered by was a hacker. He was a right computer whizz. They were called the Applebys. Not sure if that was their real name or what, but they were my favorite out of all the homes I skipped between. She worked all day, whilst he slept, and he worked into the night, and I was in awe. I watched him all the time and when I was at an age where he thought I could manage, he let me have a go at my first code. He told me I smashed it, and he was proud of me.
I will never forget that warmth that radiated through my chest at his words.
I've only had that feeling three times and it because of them.
Meredith.
Mr Appleby.
James.
None of the warmth lasts, it never does.
I always end up back in the woods.
Alone.
She was there to pull me out last time, to lace my fingers through hers and lead me to the opening.
But after tonight, she won't be there.
I'll go back to the depths once more.
Never to be found.
Inhaling heavily, I go to unlock the door when I notice that the door is slightly ajar. My brows pinch as I look down at it again before my fight mode kicks in. Pushing through the door, I dump my backpack on the floor and rush down the hallway and that's when I see her.
Tied to a chair, head slumped forward. I rush forward and fall to my knees.
“Baby,” I lower my head, gripping her chin and lifting her head up. Her cheek is red, the temple over her eye bruising but she's not responding. “James,” I shake her again and panic begins to set in. Standing quickly, I hear the sound of footsteps, and I freeze.
My breaths are shallow as I inhale heavily through my nose and exhale slowly as I try and calm my erratic heart.
“Well hello, Nate ,” his voice floats through the kitchen as he approaches from the dining room and my fucking blood chills but I am angry at the same time, my wife is slumped in a fucking chair and marked.
I scoffed a laugh as I turned on my heel.
“Wondered how long until the rodents creeped in,” I roll my eyes, fists balled by my side. I turn my gaze to my wife. “Who hit her?” my nostrils flare.
“She was out of line,” Rune snarls.
“In her own home, that you broke into.”
I fold my hand into my pocket and click the side button three times on my phone knowing that it had alerted the guys that I needed them, my location pinging to their phones silently.
“Well, we came to see you,” Barnaby rubs his hands together as Rune appears from behind him.
“Ah, of course you couldn't come alone,” I snarl, “always had to have someone with you, shame you didn't care about your other son enough to have him by your side, hm?”
He rolls his lips.
“Don't speak of my dead son,” and the words slap me across the face, the air whooshing from my lungs as he snatches it.
“Wake her up,” I grit, trying to bury my emotions.
“She'll wake when she's ready. Rune got a bit frustrated when she kept threatening that her husband was on his way...” Barnaby clicks his tongue at the roof of his mouth before turning his wrist towards him and clocking the time, “but that was nearly two hours ago,” his cold glare meets mine.
“She waited for you to show up... you never did, what a shame,” Barnaby pouts his bottom lip.
Stepping aside and hiding James from sight just as Rune steps forward, I glare them both down.
“Do you really think Rayden is dead?”
“I know he’s dead.”
“Do you?” my other hand folds into my pocket and I rock onto my toes before I am on my heels.
Barnaby catches it.
His eyes dart from the floor to my eyes.
“How do you know?” my brows pinch, digging into my skin and causing my forehead to wrinkle.
“I saw an autopsy report,” Barnaby stammers and Rune looks up at him, the cracks already starting to appear. Just as I go to respond, their phones ping and I just wait.
They both slip them from their pockets before their faces drain of any colour they once had.
Rune reads the subject on the headline.
Secure Corp goes into liquidation .
“The fuck is this?” Barnaby looks up at me, eyes narrowing on me and Rune grabs the root of his hair.
“No, no, no,” the panic that laces his voice gives me some form of satisfaction.
“I know everything,” I say a little louder as the front door clicks and I know one of the guys are here.
“What?” Barnaby steps towards me.
“The money to Wolfe, the death of Meredith and George... or more importantly why they were killed.” I catch Titus' eyes as he approaches the kitchen, Xavier just behind him. Barnaby and Rune's backs to them.
“You don't know shit,” he spits, a sly smirk on his face just as Xavier rounds the corner and Barnaby glances over his shoulder at the sound of footsteps.
“Well hello Barnaby, it's been a while, hasn't it,” Xavier has a hand tucked in his pocket, his arrogant air floating around the room.
“The fuck you doing here?” he looks him up and down, lips curled in disgust.
“Oh, you know, just helping out the family,” he gives a wink then stands beside me.
“Dad,” Rune's timid voice squeaks beside his dad.
“I broke down Secure Corp on the way over, Xavier here helped me sell it off to a buyer in London who has more than likely already started tearing it to smaller pieces and selling it off.”
Rune swallows, his throat bobbing.
“As for the money that has been going into Wolfe's account over the last eighteen years, well...” I look over my shoulder at my wife as Titus manages to bring her around. “I had already wired that years ago into Rayden Atthill's bank account.”
Barnaby sweeps his eyes across me and then around the room.
“I know why you had them killed, I know why you thought you would discard them, but little did you know that I have been watching for a very long time, watching something that is mine... keeping tabs on your every fucking move you little rat,” I step forward, eyes narrowed on my father . I didn't care for Rune. Didn't get a chance to know him.
“Who are you?” and it's not until I am standing toe to fucking toe with the reason for my existence that his eyes flicker with something other than pure fucking hatred.
“You may not recognise me, but surprise dad , here I am,” and he chokes on his intake, his eyes wide and I am desperate to curl my hands around his throat and watch as the life slowly drains out of him, but I fear it won't be nearly as satisfying.
“I tipped them off, I gave them enough money to get the fuck out of New York away from you, far enough away that you couldn't take the only fucking people who loved me like I was their own, but you couldn't do it could you? You couldn't stand for your own flesh and blood knowing what it felt like to be loved, so you fucking took them away from me,” and now I do go for his throat as I back him against the wall, a loud thud echoing around the room. Rune tries to prise my hands off his dad, but Titus is there grabbing him and tugging him back.
“Why do you love him? Why him? What did I do that was so bad to make you not love me?” My bottom lip trembles and I fucking hate that this man has brought tears to my fucking eyes. “Why?!” I scream as I pull him from the wall and shove him back again. Thud . His eyes closing, wincing as his back hits against the hard surface.
“Why was I so unlovable? I was just a child,” I choke out the words, my throat burning as I try and fight every fucking emotion that is screaming deep inside of me.
“Mom left me in the woods... I was nine, fucking nine and she left me.”
I slam him again and again into the wall as the rage slowly seeps out of me.
“Nate,” James' voice is quiet, a little croaky.
But I ignore her.
“Admit what you done, admit every single sinful thing you done.” Tears prick my eyes and I am trembling.
“Nate, buddy,” Titus tries to calm me down but I shrug him off me. I mean, he is massive, I know I wasn't strong enough to do it but in that moment, he let me think it.
My dad just stares at me, there is no fear, no love, no emotion in those deep brown soulless eyes... and yet here I am still searching for something he will never give me.
“Why didn't you lo... love... why didn't you...” and I can't even finish my sentence before I fall to my knees.
“Baby,” James' voice blankets me in a soothing way, but I can't stop the uncontrollable sobs that leave me.
My dad steps forward, lifting his leg slightly, pressing the shiny toe of his brogue to my chest and pushes me as I fall back. He leans his face a little closer to me and snarls.
“Because you're pathetic,” his rancid breath covers my face, and I can't stop the tears that are streaming down my face. “Look at you, I couldn't stand you, even from the moment you were handed to me. Nothing in me felt any emotion when it came to you, if I had my way and I was your mom, I would have never fucking come looking for you. Once I found out that she used to play your little game of find poor, pathetic Rayden, I put a bullet through her skull. Where do you think she went, Nate? Do you want to know why she always found you?” He leans even closer, “Because she was pathetic too,” and he kicks me down, my heart throbbing in my chest.
“You sad, sad little man,” Xavier flies to Barnaby, his hand shooting around his throat as he tightens his grip. “I give no fucks watching the life drain from your eyes you pathetic piece of shit, it really doesn't bother me.”
The front door goes, and Titus runs down to find out who it is, not wanting to add any more fuel to this already out of control fire. I slide back, wiping my face with my tee and I feel so small.
“Nate,” she croaks again, and it physically hurts to show her this side of me, to show her how fucking vulnerable I am. “Baby, please look at me,” she begs and just as I do, I hear Rune.
“Let him go before I put a bullet in you,” he has the gun pressed against Xavier's temple as he continues squeezing Barnaby’s throat.
“Do it,” Xavier calls his bluff, I can see his hand trembling as he pushes it further into the skin of Xavier’s temple. “You do realise you have to pull the trigger for it to work?” Xavier turns to look at my brother, a smirk on his face as he loosens the grip on Barnaby’s throat.
“Nate, please, baby,” her sweet voice pulls me from the crumpled mess I am as I crawl towards her, eyes red from the tears, my breaths shuddering on my intake. Pushing up, I fumble with the ties on her wrists and loosen them as she throws herself at me and for the first time ever, I don't stiffen. I embrace her as she moulds against my body.
“Baby,” I rasp, a small smile tugging at my lips as I inhale her scent.
“How could you?” Rune's voice splinters through the room and we both turn to look at him, James' eyes glistening from the tears.
“Not only did you marry someone else as soon as you left, but you also married my brother.”
“We like to call that keeping it in the family,” Xavier chuckles as he pins Barnaby back to the wall, Rune shakes the gun between Xavier and Barnaby, his hands rushing up in an attempt to calm his son down.
James ignores him and focuses on me.
“You'll never be alone again, okay?” she nods, a glistening tear streaking her cheek and I nod back.
“Nah, fuck this,” Rune roars and the next ten seconds move so slow. “If I can't have her, no one can,” and that's when we hear the trigger, Xavier dropping Barnaby as he knocks into Rune but it's too late. The bullet has already left the barrel and all I can do is try and shield her.
I wrap my arm around her, rolling her behind me and that's when I feel it hit me between the shoulder blades, winding me in an instant.
“Nate,” she panics and I see her beautiful blue eyes lift over my shoulder. “Help me! Help me!” she screams, and I try to reassure her that everything will be okay, but I can't.
The air slowly seeps from my lungs, my heart slowing.
“I love you,” I just about manage as I sink down her body, my eyes rolling in the back of my head before I plunge into darkness.
And that's when I am all alone, back in the woods, but instead of crying for my mom like I did when I was a child, I cried for my wife.
I cried for James.