Chapter Thirteen Extinguish My Flame
Extinguish My Flame
Samantha
TWO YEARS AGO TODAY I WAS having Thanksgiving with Joseph and my family, our little budding romance not much more than pure attraction and burning lust. My father was still alive and deeply and endlessly in love with my mom. Jace was still a manwhore, and my best friend and overprotective brother.
In a blink of an eye, a shot of a gun, a strike of a single bullet—everything changed.
My father was dead from the bullet that tore through his heart and into my shoulder.
And, as if that very bullet continued to ricochet through my life, it tore my brother and mother from me too.
That one action took everything from me, yet it also gave me everything.
It gave me Joseph, though we admittedly had a rather rocky and unconventional start.
It also gave me my second family in Joseph’s brothers—Victor and Michael fall under the umbrella of brothers—and his parents.
Even without Mom, I feel at peace today. Jace is back, full force, one hundred percent in my life. It’s a work in progress, but I’m hopeful our relationship will be better than it was before. We’re more honest with each other. I don’t pretend I don’t need anybody, and he doesn’t disappear on me.
He’s making strides with Joseph too, not only because he’s back in my life, but because he believes in Joseph’s fidelity and is sticking by him to help figure out the Tiff angle in the emotional blackmail scheme we’re in the middle of.
Jace is joining us for Thanksgiving at the McIntyres’, but he called Joseph a few minutes ago, sending Joseph striding out of our bedroom to talk to him. “Sweetness,” Joseph calls from the living room.
“Coming.” I’m running late. I have to stop and pick up a few last-minute items from the grocery store. I rush from our bedroom. “Sorry. I’m ready.”
Joseph motions to his cell phone. “Jace has an update. I’ve got Michael on the line, as well.”
“Hey, guys.”
Their voices greet me via the speaker on Joseph’s cell.
“Jace would you mind repeating what you just told me?” Joseph pulls me down to sit beside him on the couch.
“I met with Tiff,” Jace shares.
My eyes lock on Joseph’s. He nods as if I need the confirmation that Jace’s words are true.
“I only had to push her a little. She folded like a house of cards.” Jace clears his throat. “Joe, are you sure want to talk about this with…”
Me. He doesn’t want to talk about Tiff with me on the phone. I squeeze Joseph’s hand. “It’s okay, Jace.”
A few beats pass before he continues. “Someone named Lydia reached out to Tiff.”
“Lydia? MCI’s Lydia?” I ask.
“Yes,” Michael chimes in.
Wow. She really did hate me.
“Tiff doesn’t know how Lydia found her, but Lydia convinced Tiff that you two needed your lives turned upside down—that you didn’t deserve to be happy. Lydia played the bitch card, and Tiff bought into it hook, line, and sinker, providing the boxer briefs and video from the night she raped Joseph.”
“No. No. No,” I whisper. This can’t be happening. All of this is from his rape.
“Can you guys give us a moment?” Joseph puts the call on hold. “Samantha, look at me.”
My blurry gaze locks on him.
“This is good news.” He seems so happy, and I’m devastated.
“What? How can proof of your rape be good news?”
His beautiful smile reveals the dimples I love so much. “Because we know where the underwear, pic, and video came from. We know who’s behind this. It’s all a scam concocted by Lydia.”
I touch his face. “Joseph, you amaze me that you can see the positive in such devastation.”
He kisses me quickly before taking the call off hold. “Okay, we’re back.
“Everything alright?” Jace’s concern is evident and so very welcomed. It’s good to have him back.
“Yeah. What else?” I don’t want to dwell on the details around Joseph’s rape, at least not with Jace and Michael on the line. It makes me sick to my stomach to even think about it.
“I didn’t let on that I was in cahoots with y’all.
I figured it would be better to keep her on the hook in case Lydia contacts her again.
We don’t want her to give up that we’re on to them.
” Jace pauses for a second before he continues, a bit sheepishly, I might add. “I, uh, was able to get a DNA sample.”
I don’t want to know how he accomplished that without making her suspicious.
“I sent the DNA sample off to my guy, but we’re going to assume that it’s her DNA on the boxer briefs.”
Lovely. My stomach rolls at the thought.
“Fin, Victor, and I tracked down Lydia late last night. She no longer works for MCI—Fin was more than happy to fire her ass.” Michael chuckles.
“So, it’s done then? It’s over?” Joseph’s hope is contagious, but I have doubts.
“How did Lydia even know about Tiff?” I ask.
“That’s a very good question.” Michael goes on to advise after threatening Lydia with charges being brought against her, she admitted she was not the mastermind behind all of this. “Supposedly a woman named Bonnie was the one who approached Lydia after she was transferred to Accounting.”
“Bonnie? Who the fuck is Bonnie?” Joseph’s happy bubble just broke.
I give him a consolatory smile and kiss on the cheek. It was too good to be true. Nothing this nasty wraps up this easily.
Michael continues. “Lydia was out drinking with a few coworkers the evening she was removed as Joseph’s PA.
She was complaining about not working for Joseph any longer.
This Bonnie chick approached her in the bathroom after overhearing Lydia’s bitch session.
Bonnie convinced Lydia the two of you needed to be taught a lesson. Lydia was all too willing to help.”
“I’m sure she was.” I don’t like to hate people, but I’m pretty sure what I feel for Lydia right about now is hate, pure and simple.
“I should have fired her for her lecherous behavior instead of giving her a second chance.” Joseph’s happy bubble is definitely gone.
“I doubt it would have made any difference. She would have been bitching about being fired instead of transferred. Whoever Bonnie is probably had her sights on MCI employees, waiting for an opportunity. I doubt her finding Lydia that night was a coincidence,” Michael interjects before continuing to share the details of his Lydia discovery.
“Lydia was the middle man dealing with Tiff. Lydia swears she has no idea what Bonnie did with the underwear or the video. She said she partied more with Bonnie than anything else.”
“Any idea who Bonnie is?” Joseph asks.
“No, but we’ll work to get video footage from the places Lydia said she met Bonnie and see if anything comes of that.
We also have her cell number. Victor’s looking into that, but we assume it’s probably a burner phone.
I’d also assume Bonnie is not her real name.
I’ll let you know when we have more.” Michael sounds confident we’ll figure this out.
I find some level of comfort in that, at least.
We hang up with the promise of seeing them later at Joseph’s parents’ house.
“I guess that’s both good news and bad news.” I get up from the couch. Despite this latest news, we really need to get going, otherwise we’re going to be late for Thanksgiving dinner, well, lunch.
My caveman rakes over my body from head to toe.
“I think it’s all good news. It’s not resolved, but we know more now than we did a few days ago.
” He stalks closer. “Maybe we can skip Thanksgiving dinner this year.” He pulls me into his arms. “Have a little feast of our own.” His mouth latches on to my neck on a growl.
“Yes, I could savor you for hours, Sweets.”
All but panting, I pull back. “Nuh-uh, we’re not missing Thanksgiving.” I pat his chest. “You’ll have to cage the thought. Until later.”
On a sigh, he releases me. “Okay, but I’m not swearing I won’t whisk you off to my old room for a little dessert afterwards.”
My heart leaps. “I look forward to it, Caveman.”
Joseph heads to Fin’s and will meet me at their parents’ house in a few hours. William and I take the elevator to the basement. “Why aren’t you spending the holiday with your family?”
He smiles sheepishly. He’s a nice-looking guy, tall, big—like Victor—brown buzz-cut hair and pale green eyes. “My family’s in Tennessee. I promised Mr. McIntyre I’d see this job through until we catch whoever is threatening you. I mean to keep my word, even if it means I miss a few holidays.”
“I hate that you have to work today, but I’m grateful to have you here, protecting me.”
“It’s my honor, Sam.” He opens the door to the SUV, helping me in, before he rounds the front of the car to the driver’s side.
Joseph’s not crazy about it, but I’ve asked all the guys to call me Sam.
Maybe once we’re married, I’ll be okay being called Mrs. McIntyre, but I haven’t earned that name yet, and being called Ms. Cavanagh only makes me think of my mother.
She’s the last thing I want to think about today, or most days, for that matter.
We hurry through the store, picking up the last minutes items Fiona needs. The crowd is not bad, but they don’t have many cashiers working, so the checkout line is taking a while. I pivot from foot to foot, like I have ants in my pants.
William eyes me with a raised brow. “Problem?”
“I, uh, need to go to the bathroom.”
He looks around, trying to hide his smirk. “Okay, we’ll find the restroom.” He starts to pull out of line, but I stop him.
“Look, we’re next. You check out, and I’ll run to the bathroom and meet you back here.” I squeeze my legs together.
“No. I’m not leaving you unprotected.”
I grab his arm, trying to communicate with my eyes that I’m in dire straits here.
“I don’t have time to argue. I’m gonna pee my pants.
” I fidget, glancing behind me. The lady next in line only smiles and points to the back of the store.
I give her a silent thank you and turn back to William. “Okay, I’m going.”