Chapter 13
13
GAVIN
T he following day, Gavin sat across from Alan Kessler in a dimly lit conference room. The lawyer’s office was cold and sterile, a stark contrast to the energy humming in the air. Roxie sat beside Gavin, her posture rigid, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Kessler, however, fidgeted, his gaze darting between them like a cornered animal.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kessler said, his voice brittle. “The estate was handled properly. Everything was by the book.”
“Cut the crap,” Gavin said, leaning forward, his voice low and lethal. “We’ve got the forged documents. Offshore accounts. Payments linked directly to you. This isn’t a negotiation, Kessler. It’s a chance to save your skin by cooperating.”
Kessler swallowed hard, the color draining from his face. He glanced toward the door as if considering an escape, but Gavin’s piercing gaze pinned him in place.
“I—I didn’t do anything illegal,” Kessler stammered, his fingers drumming nervously on the table.
“Illegal?” Roxie snapped, her voice trembling with anger. “You stole my inheritance! You left me with nothing while you lined your pockets.”
Kessler winced, his eyes flicking to her, then back to Gavin. “It wasn’t personal. I just… I needed the money. Jeremiah owed a lot of people, and the Albrights...”
Gavin’s hand slammed onto the table, cutting him off. “The Albrights what?”
Kessler flinched, his thin veneer of control crumbling. “They hired me to make it disappear. To make sure Roxie didn’t get a dime. They didn’t want her getting anything from the estate—not after what happened to Jeremiah.”
“What happened to Jeremiah?” Roxie demanded, her voice rising.
Kessler hesitated, his gaze darting toward the door again. Gavin leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “You don’t want to stall, Kessler. Not with me sitting here.”
“They think it was your fault,” Kessler said, his voice shaking. “The accident, the debts. They blamed you, Roxie, and they wanted you out of the picture. Completely.”
Roxie sat back, the weight of his words hitting her like a punch to the gut. “So, they tried to kill me?” she whispered.
Kessler nodded miserably. “They hired people to intimidate you, to scare you into leaving. But when you didn’t… I guess they escalated. They never told me. I would never be a party to murder.”
“And the ambush?” Gavin asked, his voice ice-cold.
“That wasn’t me!” Kessler said quickly, raising his hands defensively. “That was Carter Dugan. The Albrights might’ve planted the seed, but Dugan took it too far. He wants the debts paid, and with Jeremiah gone, Roxie’s his target.”
Gavin sat back, his jaw tightening as he processed the lawyer’s confession. His mind raced, the pieces falling into place: the forged documents, the in-laws’ payments to private investigators, the hitmen, and now Dugan’s vendetta.
“Give me everything,” Gavin said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Bank records, communications with the Albrights, anything tying them to this mess.”
Kessler hesitated, his gaze flicking between Gavin and Roxie. “If I do, they’ll come after me. You don’t know what they’re capable of.”
“You don’t know what I’m capable of,” Gavin said, his voice low and menacing. “And you’re not walking out of here until we have what we need.”
Roxie leaned forward, her voice cutting through the strain. “Do you really think they’ll let you walk away if you don’t help us? They’ve already shown they’ll do anything to protect themselves. Your safest bet is to come clean and let us take them down.”
Kessler’s shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of him. “Fine,” he muttered, reaching for his briefcase. “I’ll give you what I have. But you didn’t hear it from me.”
Back at the Iron Valor ranch, Gavin and the team poured over the evidence Kessler provided. Bank transfers, emails, and phone records painted a damning picture of Margaret and William Albright’s involvement.
“They paid Dugan to go after Roxie,” Reed said, his voice grim as he scrolled through the emails. “And when he didn’t act fast enough, they hired the private investigators to track her down. That’s when the first threats started.”
“And when she didn’t fold,” Jesse added, “they escalated to full-on murder attempts.”
ROXIE
Roxie stood at the edge of the room, her arms wrapped around herself. She felt Gavin’s eyes on her and looked up to meet his gaze.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice softer than usual.
She nodded, though her expression was tight. “I am. Just tell me we’re on the downhill slide. Tell me this is almost over. They’ve taken so much from me, Gavin. I can’t let them win.”
Gavin crossed the room, stopping just in front of her. “We are, it is, and they won’t,” he said firmly. “Not as long as I’m here.”
Her lips trembled, but she straightened her shoulders. “What’s next?”
Gavin glanced back at the table, his mind already working on the plan. “We set the trap. And we bring them down.”
As he turned back to her, his hand brushed against hers, a silent reassurance. Roxie held his gaze, feeling stronger than she had in years. With Gavin by her side, she was ready to face whatever came next.
This wasn’t just about justice anymore—it was about taking back her life. And she wasn’t going to stop until she did.
Later, Roxie sat beside Gavin going over the documents, which were now being referred to as evidence. The low hum of voices filled the space as Gavin and his team discussed their next steps, but all she could focus on was the weight in her chest. The truth was out now—messy, brutal, and so much worse than she had imagined.
Her husband hadn’t been the man she thought he was. Her in-laws hadn’t just hated her—they had actively sought to destroy her. And all of it had led to this moment, where her life felt like it was dangling by a thread.
Gavin’s voice broke through her spiraling thoughts. “Roxie.”
She looked up sharply, meeting his intense gaze from across the room. His expression softened slightly as he walked toward her, his presence grounding her in a way she hadn’t realized she needed.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice low and steady.
“No,” she said honestly, her voice trembling. “Not really.”
Gavin nodded, his hand brushing lightly against her arm. “I get it. This is a lot to process.”
“A lot?” she said, letting out a bitter laugh. “My husband lied to me. My in-laws hired people to kill me. And for what? Money? Pride?”
“For control,” Gavin said, his tone sharp. “They wanted to make you disappear because you’re stronger than they are. They couldn’t stand that you kept fighting, even when they threw everything they had at you.”
Her breath hitched, his words cutting through her swirling anger. “I don’t feel strong,” she admitted softly.
“But you are,” Gavin said, stepping closer. “You’ve survived everything they’ve thrown at you. And now, you’re not just surviving—you’re fighting back.”
The warmth in his voice melted some of the icy fear in her chest. Roxie swallowed hard, nodding slightly. “I want to end this, Gavin. I want my life back.”
“You will,” he promised, his hand resting briefly on her shoulder. “We’ll make sure of it.”
The team gathered around the table as Reed laid out the plan, his tone efficient and precise. “We’ll use the evidence Kessler gave us to lure the Albrights into making a move. They’re desperate, and desperate people make mistakes.”
“Dugan’s our wild card,” Jesse added. “If he finds out the Albrights tried to cut him out, he won’t take it lying down.”
Roxie listened quietly, absorbing their words as a sense of purpose began to replace her earlier despair. This wasn’t just about clearing her name or stopping her in-laws. It was about reclaiming her life, her voice, and her future.
“What do you need from me?” she asked, her voice firm.
The room went quiet, all eyes turning to her. Gavin spoke first. “We need you to be ready,” he said, his voice steady but gentle. “You’re the key to this, Roxie. But you’re not alone. We’ll be right there with you.”
Her gaze met his, and for the first time in a long time, she felt a flicker of something she hadn’t dared to hope for—trust.
“Okay,” she said, her voice strong. “Let’s do this.”
That evening, Roxie sat on the porch steps of the ranch, the cool night air brushing against her skin. The stars above seemed brighter out here, far from the city lights, but they did little to calm the storm inside her.
She heard Gavin’s boots on the wooden boards before she saw him. He sank onto the step beside her, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared out at the darkened fields.
“I thought I told you to go upstairs and rest. Imagine my surprise when you weren’t there,” he said, his voice amused but ever the Dom.
She shook her head, letting out a shaky laugh. “Who could rest after a day like this?”
Gavin smiled faintly. “Fair point.”
For a moment, they sat in silence, the weight of everything unsaid pressing between them. Finally, Roxie spoke. “I keep thinking about Jeremiah,” she said quietly. “How he wasn’t who I thought he was. How blind I was to everything.”
“You loved him,” Gavin said simply. “You wanted to believe in him. That’s not a weakness, Roxie. It’s human.”
She looked at him, her throat tightening. “It still feels like a failure.”
“It’s not,” Gavin said firmly. He turned to face her fully, his eyes locking onto hers. “You trusted someone who let you down. That’s on him, not you.”
The sincerity in his voice made her chest ache. She nodded, her fingers brushing against her knees. “Thanks,” she said softly.
Gavin leaned back slightly, his gaze never leaving her. “You’re not alone in this anymore, Roxie. You don’t have to fight by yourself.”
Her breath hitched, and she turned to him, the emotion in her chest threatening to spill over. “I don’t know how to let someone in,” she admitted, her voice trembling.
“Then let me show you,” Gavin said, his voice low, almost a whisper.
In that instant, the world fell away—the danger, the fear, the uncertainty. All that existed was the quiet connection between them, the unspoken promise in his words. Gavin leaned over and kissed her gently, but gently wasn’t what she needed. Roxie tried to deepen the kiss, but when he still held back, she bit his lower lip.
“I’m not some fragile flower that has to be coddled,” she snarled.
“Apparently not,” he growled at her and she felt a shiver of anticipation run through her. He stood, pulled her to her feet and tossed her over his shoulder, landing a resounding smack to her backside when she tried to get up. “You’re a brat who needs taming and my submissive…”
“We don’t have a contract, and I don’t have a collar,” she countered.
“You’ll have both by this time tomorrow.”
Happier than she’d ever been or probably had a right to be, Roxie laughed all the way up the stairs and into their bedroom, where the laughter became moans and sighs as Gavin proved just who was the dominant partner and why she wanted it that way.
Later as they lay in the tangled sheets, she listened to the steady beat of his heart and found a peace and happiness she’d never known.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I heard that,” he rumbled back, but before she could even think about how to pull her words back, he continued, “I love you too.”
Roxie knew her in-laws were about to regret their choice to come after her. Gavin would burn the world down to keep her safe… and she had the matches.