Luke
My package was not secure. It was currently walking around London, shopping for a wedding dress.
The non-degraded sperm had been deployed, and one had won the ultimate battle.
Now all Daddy had to do was keep it safe until it arrived in September.
Which meant Bella would be ten weeks and one day along on our wedding day.
I was convinced it had happened on Christmas Day.
Then there was the bodyguard. He’d been told to keep his distance, but any one of the trio might spot him if he wasn’t careful. The firm had guaranteed they were the best in the business.
So far, Sadie had only been to salons, spas, and the gym. There’d been no sightings of her anywhere near Bella. Even if she did try to approach her, the two men would put a stop to any potential conflict.
The bait had been set—to put a stop to Sadie once and for all, but in a controlled environment. The lure would be too much for such a poisonous little witch.
Our upcoming nuptials had been strategically leaked to the press.
I realised the room had gone silent. I glanced up from my black notebook to find everyone waiting on a response from me.
“You’re all invited to my wedding,” I said, turning to my PA. “You too, Lorna.”
Everyone was suitably shocked and distracted, while I caught up on the last few portions of the new proposition from China.
I’d make an exemplary father, with my level of multitasking.
? ? ?
Stefan snapped the binder shut.
“Excellent. There will be multiple spectators at the venue, and our high-definition cameras will be in place. There’s no way this can fail,” he said, clasping his hands together and resting them on the red binder.
“Unless she doesn’t turn up,” Michael said.
I glared at him.
“She’ll come,” I said grimly. “You’re both invited to the wedding.”
“We need to be there for work,” Michael said dryly.
“I meant bring your families. Eat and drink for free.”
“Thank you. I think I’ll take you up on that offer. I’m seeing someone right now, and—”
“Nobody cares,” Michael said, cutting him off. He was probably irritated, seeing as he was a divorcee himself. “By the way, I saw your stepson sneaking around your fiancée’s home.”
I turned sharply to stare at him.
“He was parked a few streets away.”
Then he stopped again.
“And?” I said, throwing my hands in the air.
“Well, a short while later, I saw your stepdaughter sneaking out. She planted something in the boot of his car.”
I ran a hand over my face and sighed.
Young obsession.
“Anyway. I really wanted to know what it was, so I bypassed the alarm with my signal extender to open the boot.”
He paused again, for dramatic effect.
“Well? What was it?” Stefan demanded. He had another client due after us.
He began to laugh.
“A bloody AirTag.”
I began to laugh too, slowly at first, then a rich, deep laughter that took over completely. It was good to know Amber could hold her own with someone like Zach.
My phone vibrated, and I reached into my pocket.
Bella.
As soon as I answered, she began to talk, but she wasn’t making sense. Someone else murmured something to her, and she took long, drawn-out breaths.
I was on my feet in an instant.
“Where are you? What happened? Are you okay?”
“I—she,” she said, only to stop and take another deep breath. “She tried to run me over at the supermarket. A man managed to grab me and pull me to one side.”
My blood ran cold, and I felt lightheaded. I could feel the blood draining from my face.
“I’m okay,” she said. “Just a little shaken.”
“I’m on my way. Is it the supermarket close to the church?”
“Yeah, the local one. I can’t believe this—the baby.”
I closed my eyes.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Ask the man to stay with you, baby.”
“Okay,” she sniffed.
I hung up and suddenly felt older than my years.
“She tried to run Bella over,” I said, my voice devoid of any emotion.
Michael stood up.
“I’ll get the security footage.”
I nodded, before turning and leaving Stefan’s office. I ran down the stairs, ignoring the lift, and didn’t stop until I reached my car. The drive was a blur. I didn’t snap out of the haze until I saw, with my own eyes, that Isabella was safe.
I nodded to the bodyguard as I held Bella, her whole body still trembling. Only two days ago, she’d been glowing over finding the perfect wedding dress. Now this.
His cover was blown now. A new guard would need to replace him until the psychotic bitch was caged.
Dark thoughts flooded my mind, far darker than anything I’d experienced before, but Sadie would pay. That was all I knew. She could take her anger and frustration out on me, but Bella and our baby?
That was unforgivable.