CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO #2
Mrs Black continues, “During our split, many years ago, my husband got into a slight accident, and the nurse who treated him seduced him. He had been high on medication, and I guess he wasn’t in the right frame of mind.
Their night together resulted in a child, and for years, this woman blackmailed my husband for money.
She wanted him to leave me when she found out we were back together, and threatened to tell me about the baby.
I, of course, knew. So she held his visitation rights and used that to get to him, and when that didn’t work, she used their daughter as a way to get money out of him, before she, herself, fell sick with dementia.
He paid for private school, gave the mother money to raise his child, and even paid for the mother’s medical care.
But Olivia Wilson turned Evelyn against him, and Evelyn was so angry with her father as a result.
So much so, she began to work for this removal company to get back at him.
Between her anger and the family’s resentment for not being as successful as my husband, they planned and plotted.
” Her eyes widen as she glances around, having the nerve to act surprised.
“I’m sorry. I think I said too much. I need to. .. I need to...”
“It’s okay, Mum,” Sebastian coos, folding his arms around her to keep up with their act.
She presses her face into his chest, only popping out to finish her scene. “I just want my husband back. I need to know if he’s dead or alive.”
As Sebastian guides her back into the building, another man in a suit steps up to the podium and promises to keep everyone updated, but pleads with the reporters and public to give the family privacy.
“Holy fucking shit,” I growl. “She practically just name-dropped us on TV.”
“Live TV. This was live earlier. You are watching the playback,” Jaxon informs me. “Wyatt has lost his shit. Evie was doing better, and this mother-fucking cunt just bad-mouthed her mum on live television.”
“Wait, but it’s lies,” Theo pipes up. “It’s defamation.”
“Clearly they knew what to say, and knew Evie wouldn’t be able to prove otherwise. It’s not like Olivia is here to defend herself,” Jaxon points out.
A conversation we had with Liam after Evie’s mum’s funeral comes to mind. “The CCTV,” I blurt out.
“Huh?” Isaac asks.
“Liam pulled the CCTV from the care home if you remember, and still has the footage from the feeds planted in Evie’s old place.
He had his hands around Evie’s neck. He could try to spin it, I know, and say she said something threatening, but we also have her mum’s stuff in the locker.
I don’t know why this didn’t occur to me, but we could see if her mum has any messages on a phone from him.
And it wouldn’t hurt if Evie could pull up any messages from her phone too. We could give it all to the reporters.”
The room falls silent, including the phone line. I glance around because they are all staring at me in bewilderment. “What?” I snap.
Theo chuckles. “Didn’t know you had a brain in there.”
Colton nods. “Kind of shocked.”
“Same,” Isaac agrees.
“What he said,” Luke states.
“I think the blast at Liam’s was good for you,” Jaxon remarks. “You are a changed man.”
“Fuck you. Fuck all of you,” I growl.
Jaxon chuckles for a moment before sobering. “Be prepared for reporters tomorrow. No one says anything. I mean it. I will handle it.”
“You should ring Paisley. Her property is technically open to the public. It’s only our land that is private and they won’t be able to come on without permission.”
“Jesus, if I had known the knock to your head would do this, I would have pushed you down the stairs. Call you later. Stay alert.”
“Prick,” I grumble, before he ends the call.
I glance at my phone, checking if I have any more messages. I don’t.
“Are you waiting for a call from someone?” Theo asks.
I sigh and get up off the bed, Hunter following. “I’m going out.”
“You’d better not leave the dog again,” Colton warns. “Jaxon still has doubts.”
I snort. “Hunter is coming with me, dipshit.”
“Where are you going?” Isaac asks, a gleam in his eye. “Going to see our hot new neighbour?”
“Grow up, and don’t call her hot,” I snap, sliding my feet into my trainers.
“And yes. They just name-dropped her too. I want to check if she’s okay.
She said they have a clause in her contract that allows them to sue her if they think she has given out information about the company.
The Black lawyers are ruthless, so I want to make sure her computer is locked and can’t be hacked. ”
Plus, after today, Katherine knows Summer is connected to us and the family her company has been trying to steal land from.
Katherine didn’t wait to blab about it, so it goes without saying that Summer and her family are now a target.
I don’t plan to sit by and watch any of them get hurt. Especially Summer.
Luke looks doubtful. “Shouldn’t you get Liam to do that? You can’t work the Excel file.”
“Fuck you. You guys keep updating the fucking software,” I growl without shame, then reply to his former comment, “And duh. I’ll message him on the way.”
Isaac laughs. “See you later. I’m going back to bed.”
“Don’t leave Mum alone,” I warn the three still left in my room.
“Not going anywhere,” Luke assures me.
I glance down at Hunter as I make my way downstairs. “Right, bud, I’m going to trust you not to run off like there’s a bitch in heat in the next field. I want this—us—to work, so you’ve gotta stay on my arse the entire time.”
Hunter licks my fingers, so I take that as a yes and head outside the door, heading to my truck. Hunter stays at my side, but his head swivels left and right, like he’s scanning the woods.
I hold my breath, crossing my fingers that he doesn’t run off, and release it when he jumps into the car, walking right over to the passenger side and getting comfy.
This is what I wanted to begin with—something I didn’t get with the other three.
Now if only the woman who has my dick hard would just listen.
*** *** ***
Maybe turning off my headlights down the dark, bumpy path wasn’t my best idea.
When my tyre hits another pothole, I decide to pull over and walk the rest of the way.
I want my arrival to be a surprise. According to my mates, women play hard to get and do the whole, I’m busy, or, I have company.
Or to keep you on a leash, they will get their friend or roommate to lie and say they aren’t there.
I’ve heard all the stories. Never had it happen to me and I don’t plan on tonight being the first time either.
Hence the no lights.
I’ve been wanting to see her since she left, and not just because I want to be inside of her. There’s just this niggly feeling that something bad will happen that won’t leave me, no matter how much I tell myself I’m being dramatic.
“Come on, bud. You’ll get a play date with Bear.”
Hunter waits at my legs as I lock up the truck. The night breeze is warm and muggy, ruining the shower I had earlier, as I make my way down the uneven road. They really need to get the rest of this driveway gravelled. And get some outdoor lighting.
There’s a faint glow upstairs, like a lamp has been left on, and downstairs, there’s a flickering light on in the living room, most likely from the television.
As we near the house, screams pierce the air from inside.
Unlike earlier, I don’t freeze. I race toward the stairs and run up.
I’m prepared to break the door in, but thankfully I don’t need to because fitting a door is a pain in the arse.
The handle pushes down, and I push my way inside, ready to finally take my anger out on someone.
Another scream fills the air, this time closer, and then pain. A knee rams into my groin, and I fall to my knees. A fist aims my way, and I don’t get to dodge it in time because something else hits me from behind first, and everything goes black.