Chapter 41 #2
“Because I couldn’t do it. But I wanted the connections to powerful people in order to push my drugs.
I needed to get information on those in power so I could sell my drugs and have them look the other way.
Where better to do that than at elite social functions.
The shit that goes down at those things is unbelievable. ”
He wasn’t even exaggerating. She’d seen it.
“So you helped my father with his debts?” she asked.
“I found a buyer for his company to make everything look more legit. And I had some shit on Richard Lyle so I leaned on him anonymously to let your father run on his ticket. Then, after a certain amount of time, I had Lyle removed. And your father took his place.”
“You murdered Governor Lyle?” she asked.
Wow. How did he sleep at night? This was horrifying.
“Well, not personally. I couldn’t afford to get my hands dirty if I was going to become engaged to the beautiful and untouchable Arabella Bridges.”
“Why?” she whispered as her stomach rolled again.
“Getting engaged to you was going to give me access to those parties and functions. No one would suspect you. You never mis-stepped, hell you never even swore. You were the perfect little ice princess. Your father was meant to go all the way. We were about to announce his run for Senator. Then President. Imagine how much power I would have as the advisor of the President of the United States.”
Advisor or controller?
“But my father died,” she said.
“Fucking idiot,” Deputy Doofus spat out. “He should never have started using.”
“I thought a little bit was a good idea, it made him more charming, more relaxed,” Lee/Liam said. “Less likely to explode. But then he got addicted.”
“Why did you disappear after his death?” she asked Lee/Liam. “I kept expecting to see you.” For him to come for her.
“I had to go into hiding because some asshole on your father’s staff saw me give your father the drugs. And he had photo evidence.”
What?
“I never heard that. The cops never said anything.”
“They didn’t know.” Deputy Doofus sneered at her like he thought she was stupid.
She felt pretty stupid.
Why hadn’t she considered that Lee/Liam had something to do with her father’s death?
“They never reported it to the cops?” she asked.
“They were trying to blackmail me,” Lee/Liam said.
“They wanted money. A lot of it. I had to find out who it was and take them out. While keeping a low profile. By the time I did that you had disappeared. I thought you were a low risk anyway. You were too weak and timid and stupid to put anything together.”
He wasn’t wrong that she never would have pieced this all together if she hadn’t come to Haven.
“But there was a suicide note,” she whispered.
“I planted it. That was a nightmare. Thankfully, I had a key and all the alarm codes.”
Wow. This was almost too much. Her mind couldn’t take much more.
“You didn’t know I was here? In Haven?” she asked.
“No. When Ravina talked about you, she just called you ‘the bitch’. I had no idea until she told me that ‘the bitch’ was asking about Lee Newsome that it was.”
She turned to Deputy Doofus. “But you saw me when you came to my house. Twice.”
“I didn’t meet Lee until recently,” Deputy Doofus told her.
“Ravina recruited me. We went to college together and she knew I was a cop. She wanted me here to direct any attention from the cops away from her aunt’s place.
I only met Liam a few days ago so I had no idea that the two of you knew each other. ”
“I can’t believe my father was working with you. That he had no problems with drugs being made and distributed under his nose. Especially after my mother overdosed.”
Lee/Liam snorted. “You don’t think he fed her those drugs?”
She shook her head. “No. No, he wouldn’t have.”
“He boasted to me about it,” Lee/Liam said smugly.
“Oh my God.”
She bent over and threw up again.
“Ew. That’s disgusting,” Deputy Doofus said. “Can we get rid of her now?”
“Why . . . why kidnap me when I didn’t know any of this,” she said, gasping for air.
Had her father murdered her mother? But why?
“If you’d just disappeared and remained quiet, I probably would have let you be,” Lee/Liam said to her. “But now you feel like a loose end. Also, I’m fucking angry. At you. At your father. At her.” He glanced down at Ravina. “Stupid, incompetent bitch. “
She glanced at Ravina and swallowed. “She loved you.”
“She loved my money. But one of the main reasons we needed to have a chat is because of those men of yours. Two men? Didn’t think the ice princess had it in her. How much do they know?”
Oh God.
“I don't . . . I don't know.” She knew what was going to happen once she told them what they knew.
She’d be as dead as Ravina.
She couldn’t die. Not when she’d just found the guys.
“I . . . I . . . I don’t know anything. I don’t know what they know.”
“You know something!” Lee/Liam roared, stepping closer and raising the gun.
“I don’t!” She closed her eyes, waiting for the gun to fire. Waiting for the pain.
I’m sorry, Eli.
I’m sorry, Kellan.
I love you both.
She heard the bang and waited for the pain. But all she heard was a strange howling, then someone screaming.
Opening her eyes, she saw that Lee/Liam was fighting off a large dog.
“Horse!” she screamed.
“Arabella! Get down!” Kellan yelled as he dove at Deputy Doofus.
Eli was next into the room and ran toward Lee/Liam who was scrambling for his gun.
“No!” she screamed, running toward Horse.
No! She couldn’t let him hurt her dog.
But she was too late. A shot was fired and Horse fell onto the ground on his side with a whimper.
“No! No!” She fell onto her knees with a scream and then started crawling forward.
Horse. Horse.
She had to get to Horse. She had to save him.
“Horse!” she screamed. “Horse!”
Finally, she got to him, placing her hand on his side which was soaked with blood. Sobs broke free from her.
Don’t leave me, Horse.
Please!
“Arabella! Are you all right? Baby, are you okay?”
Glancing over, she saw that Lee/Liam was lying on the floor with his hands cuffed behind him.
Eli kneeled next to her. He ran his hands over her as Kellan kneeled down on the other side of Horse and whipped off his top, placing it over Horse’s injured side and applying pressure.
“Arabella,” Kellan said sharply. “Are you injured?”
“W-what? No. No. Horse is. Help Horse. Help him.” She sobbed. “He s-saved me. Lee wanted to k-know what you knew about the d-drugs and I said I didn’t know. I k-knew he was going to shoot me. Like he s-shot Ravina. But Horse save me. I can’t live without him.”
“Let’s get him to the vet,” Eli said. “Kellan, pick him up. I’ll keep the pressure on him. Arabella, stick close to me. Do not leave my side.”
She nodded. She’d do whatever they said as long as they saved Horse.
“Is he all right?” Jake asked.
“We’re taking him to the vet,” Eli explained as Kellan lifted him up. “We’ll help process all of this later.”
“Don’t worry about that. Go,” Jake said. “I’ll call Colin and let him know.” He glanced at Arabella. “He’s a hero. He located you, led us right to you. And he’ll be all right.”
She nodded, but she couldn’t say anything. Her voice was gone and it didn’t return as she sat in the back of a car with Horse’s head in her lap. Or when they made it to the emergency vet’s. It wasn’t until he was wheeled away that she broke again.
She sobbed and screamed while being held between Eli and Kellan.
They just held on, letting her lose her mind until finally Kellan picked her up and carried her to a chair, sitting with her on his lap.
Then he held her tight and began to rock her gently.
“It’s all right, baby,” Eli murmured. “It will be okay. Horse will be fine.”
“He’s mine. I love him so much.”
“So do we,” Eli told her. “And he really is a hero like Jake said.” He cleaned up her face. “Are you sure you’re all right? They didn’t hurt you?”
She shook her head and told them everything.
“God, that fucking bastard,” Kellan said. “We were nearly too late.”
“But you weren’t,” she said as Eli took her hands in his. “You made it on time. You guys saved me. I love you so much.”
“I love you,” Kellan told her.
“I love you as well,” Eli said. “And soon you’ll be able to tell Horse how much you love him too.”