Chapter Twenty-Three
S amantha had been home for three days… at Dex’s home, she amended. He’d been insistent she come to his apartment so he could take care of her in a place where she had no memories of Jeremy. Put like that, how could she refuse? She had no desire to return to the unit she’d shared with her ex. And she wanted to be with Dex.
She lay beneath a blanket on the sofa in the living room, frustrated by her inability to move without pain. She still needed to take the narcotics they’d sent her home with from the hospital and warned her she might need them for a short while. Not to overdo it. She was grateful to have Dex taking care of her but over being immobile and in pain when she moved.
After she’d settled in with Dex, her mother, Ian, and Riley had gone home but not until they’d brought over a suitcase of her comfiest clothes, and courtesy of the women, her toiletries. The rest of her siblings had been FaceTiming her nonstop and with so many of them, she’d had to limit how long she could talk to each between naps. Even Dex’s siblings, his father, and girlfriend, Lizzie, had stopped by for short visits, which she appreciated, as it gave her time to get to know them better.
The doorbell rang and she remained where she was.
“I’ve got it,” Dex called out and walked out from the office where he’d been on a long business call. They hadn’t discussed his situation with the network since their last conversation and she didn’t know what he planned to do, but he’d been tied up on the phone for a while.
He strode to the entry and she heard the sound of mumbled male voices before Dex finally returned with Remy and the NYC detective who’d interviewed her.
“Are you up to talking?” Dex asked.
She nodded and carefully shifted to a more upright position, working with the discomfort. “Yes. What can I do for you, Detective?”
“I’m glad to see you’ve been released from the hospital. May I sit?”
She nodded, noting that Dex had settled in by her stretched-out feet, and Remy stood by his side.
The detective cleared his throat and leaned forward. “We started by checking the CCTV cameras outside your building during the shooting. Jeremy ducked into the nearest subway station, which necessitated watching footage of each stop to see if he exited somewhere with a working camera.”
He said the last word with disgust, indicating his frustration with technology. She knew from watching the news about the lack of funding to pay for repairs and updated videos cams, and didn’t blame him for his reaction.
“Any luck?” she asked, though she already sensed the answer.
He shook his head. “No. We’d also been working the family angle, interviewing those close to Jeremy Rollins. Mother, father, sister, friends, and his ex-girlfriend.”
“Marley?” Samantha had no idea whether or not those two were still together. She hadn’t given it any thought.
“Yes. Marley Simmons.”
She made a face of distaste the detective ignored.
“His family closed ranks,” he went on.
No surprise there, Samantha thought.
“But Marley was happy to cooperate—after being reminded she was Mr. Rollins’s personal assistant since the business opened… and until recently, there was every likelihood we could make a case against her as an accessory.”
Shocked, Samantha sat forward and immediately regretted the motion, moaning. “Ouch. Dammit.”
Dex squeezed her foot. “Careful,” he said in a concerned voice.
Marley being involved was something she’d never considered, but she hadn’t had much time to think between discovering her ex had been embezzling and the shooting.
“Can you make a case against Marley?” Samantha asked.
“We are investigating every angle,” the detective said, sidestepping the question and being cagey with his answer. “But she did mention a cabin Rollins purchased that never came up during our questioning of the family or records search. Apparently, the two of them spent time together there,” he said, shooting Samantha an apologetic glance.
She shook her head, well past caring about what Jeremy had done to her. If she was going to be all in with Dex, her romantic past no longer mattered.
“Go on,” she said, wanting the story not the sordid details.
The men glanced at each other, the detective nodding at Dex. Obviously this was what they’d talked about before joining her in the living room. Nerves fluttered in her stomach as she wondered what had them so on edge.
“Samantha, when they approached the cabin…” Dex cleared his throat, stalling, clearly reluctant to finish.
She sent him an imploring look, her eyes on his. “Tell me.”
“Jeremy killed himself,” he said, his voice soft.
She gasped. “He what ?”
Dex gently lifted her feet and maneuvered her so he was closer, offering comfort. “Apparently, the prospect of prison for embezzlement and attempted murder was too much for him. That, or he was filled with regret and remorse.”
“But we’ll never know,” the detective said.
“No note?” she asked, wondering how Jeremy had reached this awful point and aware it would always be a big question. She rubbed the pain in her chest that wouldn’t be leaving her for a long while.
“No,” Remy said, speaking up for the first time. He’d obviously come for moral support and she was grateful for the strength she got from her family, as well as Dex’s.
She lifted her hand to her cheeks, realized she had tears in her eyes and didn’t understand why. After all he’d done to her… but they’d had a past. Had plans. Shared good times until things had changed.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Dex spoke for her and she was grateful.
“Come on,” Remy said to the detective. “Let’s go. I’ll check in on you later, honey,” he said to Samantha.
She swallowed hard. “Thank you. Really.”
“If we have more questions to tie up loose ends?” the detective asked her.
“You know where to find me,” she told him.
The two men walked out and as soon as they were gone, Dex gently lifted her and settled her on his lap. “Okay?” he asked. “No pain?”
“No pain. Not when you’re holding me,” she said, placing her head on his shoulder.
Unable to stop the tears, she let them flow. “I’m sorry. I’m just sad for the man he was before he let greed destroy him.”
He rubbed her back. “Don’t apologize for having feelings about this. I’d be more worried if you didn’t. You were with Jeremy for a while and this… It’s a lot to process.”
She nodded into his neck, inhaling his familiar scent and taking comfort from his warmth and caring. “I’m so glad I have you.”
“Back at you, beautiful. We’ll get through this together.”