Chapter 29
CHAPTER 29
“W hat the hell?” Wilder broke off the kiss and looked up to see Peter and several FBI agents filling the room. “Why on earth wasn’t I called? Who are all these people and why did Forrest blow out your doors?”
“Captain Sean Kilpatrick, NYPD,” Sean said, pulling out his badge. “And I’m here with my detective,” he said nodding to Bex, “to arrest Fergus Kelly and my soon-to-be ex-wife, Collins Hanover, on soon-to-be pending charges in New York City.”
Peter’s phone pinged with a text. He pressed something on his phone and Fergus’s and Collins’s voice filled the room. They listened to Kale’s security footage and Peter’s lips turned up into a slow smile. “Captain, detective, I thank you for your cooperation with our joint task force. Fergus Kelly, Collins Hanover, you’re both under arrest. You’ll stand trial for your crimes here in South Carolina before we transport you to New York to face criminal charges there. I’m already working with the DEA and the IRS. We’ll have a great time getting to know each other better.” Peter nodded to his guys. “Take them away and read them their rights.”
“I’m sorry, Sean,” Wilder said as Peter and Bex talked for a moment.
“I’m sorry too. I believed what Collins said about you. All those times you called the police, trying to keep your club and patrons safe, and I blew you off because Seabrook called me in when I started to take a report and told me that you were the culprit. But by investigating the case as if you were the victim would make his case harder when it went to the jury. He said it was all an act after you yourself got caught by a third party hurting the women who came to your club. I should have investigated more. I knew that wasn’t protocol, but then Collins told me she’d seen it too, and Seabrook was trying to keep her out of it so it wouldn’t hurt her business. I didn’t question it. The whole time that SOB was sleeping with my wife so I would feed him information via Collins and so she could manipulate me into dropping cases. I’m so stupid. The times I told her we were going to raid someone associated with Fergus then that person was suddenly gone or they suddenly had no evidence on them. I never put it together that she was the one tipping him off.”
“You’ll need to testify,” Peter told him, having joined them just a moment before.
Sean hung his head. “I know. I’m sure I’ll be sanctioned somehow for unknowingly participating in this.”
“You’re making it right. That’s a big plus,” Peter told him. “Do you want to go with Bex and me to New York and arrest the rest of the Kellys, Guy Seabrook, and Commissioner Murphy?”
“I don’t think we have enough to arrest Murphy,” Bex told them. “I do think a resignation will be in order though. Unless you’ve found evidence?”
Peter shook his head. “We haven’t. But I’ll pull him in as a person of interest. After all, he had the power to step in and protect your family and didn’t.”
“What the hell is going on here, Castle?”
Peter rolled his eyes and Wilder turned to see the rumpled policeman from earlier. “Detective Chambers. This is an FBI matter in conjunction with the NYPD.”
“And you needed to coordinate with CPD.” Detective Chambers groaned when he saw Wilder. “Another Townsend. Holy hell. How many of you are there? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
“As I was saying,” Peter said to Bex. “I’d advise hiring Olivia’s firm right this minute and having all questions be handled by them. There’s going to be media, a possible settlement, definitely an apology, and you don’t want to deal with that.”
“Did someone mention my name?” Olivia sailed into the room smiling now that the zip-tied men and Collins had been escorted out.
Detective Chambers shivered. “Are you like Bloody Mary where I say your name three times and you appear to scare the shit out of people?”
“Only you, Detective Chambers. I see you’ve met my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Detective Bexley Moretti of the NYPD.”
“We’re not engaged, Liv,” Bex reminded her.
“It’s called an implied agreement. Wilder loves you. My brothers love you. My sister loves you. I love you. We’re keeping you. Now, detective, do I need to remind you of—”
Detective Chambers threw up his hands. “No! Don’t remind me. This is one headache the CPD can pass on. But in the future, Castle, we need to be read in.”
“You’re correct, Chambers,” Peter said. “I apologize. It won’t happen again.”
Chambers looked over to Olivia and shivered again. “How can such a beautiful woman be so scary?”
“Thank you,” Liv said with a smile.
“Did you hear the scary part?”
“That’s what I was referring to. It was so good seeing you again, detective. We should have lunch soon.” Wilder had to smother his laugh at how fast the detective left his office. “He’s actually a very good detective.”
“Yeah, about that not being read in thing,” Peter brought up again.
“Sorry about that,” Granger told him. “We got the video and we just moved. I figured you’d hear the commotion and come back us up. Won’t happen again.”
Peter rolled his eyes. “Now that we’ve placated every jurisdiction, who wants to listen to the interrogation while we line up a flight to New York?”
“I do,” Bex said. “I wouldn’t mind sitting in if you’ll let me.”
“Of course, it’s your case too, detective,” Peter told her.
Bex pulled out her phone and stepped aside. “I need to call Wise and fill him in. Then I’ll be ready to head to New York. I’ll have Wise meet us at the airport.”
“I think I’ll join you if you don’t mind me catching a ride with you.” Nico straightened his suit jacket, frowning when he noticed the spatters of blood on the lapel.
“You are out of the mafia, right?” Wilder asked.
“You’re never out. I’ve just rebranded.”
“Do I want to know what that means?” Peter asked hesitantly.
“It means I still sit at the head of the table even if I run things legally because they know I’m the one person who can come in and mess their lives up if I want. I just choose not to since Nikolas has been keeping things in check. This matter with Fergus means we need to have a meeting.”
“Yeah, I’m not going to listen to this. You helped me today and I’ve fulfilled my mother’s dream of taking down the Irish mafia. I think a transfer to counter-terrorism sounds relaxing,” Sean said, walking out and calling for Bex to wait up so he can talk to Wise too.
“What this means, Nico,” Damon said into the silence after Sean left the room, “is that you are to stay the hell away from my sister. I don’t like to admit it, but I was wrong about you. You’re a good man who walked right into danger to protect my brother. I owe you a debt for that, but that debt won’t be my sister. I’m not blind. I know you did it because Pen asked you to. However, the mere fact that you have a seat at the table, not to mention at the head of a table filled with criminals, means Pen would be in constant danger. She would be your weakness and everyone at that table would know that.”
Damon actually sounded somewhat remorseful. Wilder understood that. He’d not trusted Nico either, but today changed everything.
Nico didn’t react as he straightened his other cuff. “You are correct, Damon. Besides, she’s eight years younger than me. She wouldn’t want to be tied to a man ready to settle down and have a family. I’m going to pack my bags. I think I’ll be staying in New York for a while to make sure there’s not a power struggle resulting from Fergus’s impending incarceration.”
Nico turned and walked out of the door. “It had to be said,” Damon said into the now mostly empty room.
“I know,” Wilder told his brother. “He loves her though. Now that I know what that feels like, it makes me respect him even more that he’s walking away from her to keep Pen safe.”
Damon frowned but didn’t say anything as Wilder got wrapped up in club business while Bex left with Sean, Peter, and Granger to interrogate Collins and Fergus. LeeAnn had been locked in a storage closet by Fergus’s men to keep her out of their way as they attacked Wilder. Now news vans were congregating out front and there was the matter of getting his club put back together after the mess the fight and shootout made. It helped that the entire Moretti family stayed to lend a hand.
Five hours passed before they were all walking onto the plane. The Morettis stayed behind, at Wilder’s request, while he, Bex, Peter, Nico, Sean, Granger, and Olivia flew to New York. Nico sat alone in the back of the plane after saying that he had work to do. Sean was quiet after the revelations they’d learned during the interrogation. Mainly the fact that the woman he loved had used him and broken his heart with zero remorse.
Bex told them Murphy wasn’t involved but used, just as Sean had been. Wise agreed that a resignation was Murphy’s only move. The question was if he’d do it or if they’d have to threaten exposure of his role with Seabrook. Peter had been in contact with a special prosecutor. They’d charge Seabrook federally first and then clean house before filing local charges. The federal prosecutor was already obtaining a warrant from a judge to arrest Seabrook tonight at his first major campaign fundraiser.
Bex had been going over the evidence with Peter, Granger, and Sean while on the phone with Wise. While she’d been coming up with a game plan for arresting Seabrook in the biggest bust of her career, Wilder had been making his own game plan. When he’d been held at gunpoint the only thought he’d had was making it out alive so he could see Bex again. He loved her and he was ready to do whatever it took to be in her life. If that meant moving, he’d do it. But the first two steps would take place in New York. Well, the second and third steps. He’d taken the first step at his club while Bex was gone. He’d asked her entire family for permission to marry Bex. Now he was ready to take the second and third steps.
The plane landed in New York. Three SUVs waited for them in the private hangar. One held the special prosecutor with a signed warrant. The second held Rocco and Nikolas. The third held Bryce.
“Detective,” Nico said with a tight smile. “It was a pleasure. Let me know if you ever need anything. Gentlemen.” With a nod of his head, Rocco grabbed Nico’s bag and they drove off. Wilder wondered if he’d ever see Nico again, but the man would have his respect and appreciation forever.
“Kick ass, sweetheart.” Wilder placed a kiss on Bex’s lips as Peter, Sean, and Granger got into the SUV. “I’ll meet you at my place whenever you finish up. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Bex hugged him tight. She didn’t need to say her emotions were running wild. He knew. She’d been set up and now she was going to prove to all of New York she was innocent and one of the most powerful men was guilty. If it didn’t go right, she could be arrested.
“If anything happens, we’ve got your back.” Wilder looked over Bex’s head to where Olivia stood waiting.
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” Olivia swore.
Wilder nodded at his sister and mouthed, “Thank you,” before kissing Bex’s head. “Go get ‘em, sweetheart.”
Bex squeezed him tight before heading to the SUV. “Here’s the paperwork for your company,” Olivia whispered, slipping him the envelope. “I know my opinion doesn’t matter, but I think this is a smart decision. The best thing I ever did was hire more attorneys so I could spend more time with Granger and any family we might have.” Wilder’s eyes darted to Olivia’s stomach, but she rolled her eyes at him. “Not yet, but soon. Start preparing Damon,” Olivia teased as she headed for her SUV.
Wilder turned to where Bryce was waiting. Things were changing all around him and instead of feeling out of control, it felt right. “Bryce, we have a lot to talk about.”