Chapter 8
Will held his breath, clinging to the last shred of hope he had that she wouldn’t actually leave. When the dust cloud from her car disappeared, he knew he’d lost. Chester stood at the door whining after her. “She’s gone, dog. She left us.”
This was what losing felt like. He’d never really experienced it before, and he wouldn’t recommend it. It was like being caught in the middle of a tornado full of sharp blades. Pain lanced his entire body, not just his heart, but through his flesh down to the bone. If he could get a handle on his tangled thoughts, then maybe he could see his way through this mess.
Chester whined at the door again. Will took him out into the grey dawn and surveyed the property as the dog searched for his mistress. This was where he and Paige were going to build a life together. The hollowness in his chest spread to his limbs and made them weak and shaky. She was everything he’d ever wanted—fun, sexy, adventurous, and so damn loving that sometimes it took his breath away. She said she didn’t deserve him, but he was the one who didn’t deserve her.
Paige was the one who should be admired. The life she’d built, she’d built alone and by the skin of her teeth. How could he not respect that? He now understood that the empathy she had for the women she worked with, who had no one to turn to and felt they had no way out, was born from her own life experience.
Her family tried to marry her off to a crime boss pervert in order to gain some kind of financial, social, and criminal advantage. Bile churned in his gut at what might’ve happened to her if she hadn’t run. Brave didn’t even begin to describe her.
The bark of laughter that jumped from his throat startled him and Chester both. If she thought she was pushing him away by telling him about her family, then she was crazy. He was more in awe and in love with her now than he’d ever been.
That realization somehow steadied him and cleared away the confusion in his head. He hadn’t gotten where he was in life by giving up at the first sign of trouble. He wasn’t perfect like Paige thought, but he was perfect for her, and he wouldn’t let her face this alone. A quick whistle had the dog at his side. “Let’s go, boy. Your mama needs our help.”
Three hours, four cups of coffee, and hundreds of documents later, Will scrubbed his hands down his face. His stomach and eyes burned. Paige was right, the Rohans were not good people. And her uncle in ‘rehab’ in upstate New York was doing ten years for stealing from senior citizens—a real pillar of the community, that guy.
As soon as the clock struck eight a.m. he began working the phone and calling in favors. Thanks to some tricky e-skills he’d picked up from his pothead, but genius roommate in college, he’d been able to dig up enough dirt to know where to start asking questions.
All the answers were the same. Everyone knew the family was involved in illegal activity, but they couldn’t get them for anything definite either because no one would testify against them, or they covered their tracks so well. He had enough circumstantial evidence to bury them, he just wasn’t sure that would be the leverage he needed.
Even if it was, this wouldn’t be easy, though. The matter of Paige being involved with their crimes still hung out there. They could easily try to pursue that avenue. And even though she’d been a minor, and the statute of limitations had run out on the offenses, they could ruin her personally and professionally. But he’d do what he had to do to ensure that didn’t happen. He was prepared to hit them where it hurt. Their wallets. All the dirt he’d dug up on them involved white-collar crime, no skeletons or bodies in their closet, thank God.
He glanced at the time on his computer and tried to call her again for the thousandth time. He listened to her sweet voice in her message, then left his own. “Hey, baby. It’s me again.” He rested his head in his hand and closed his eyes. “I love you. I believe in us. I believe in you, so much so that I’ll be at the church at four to marry you. Don’t leave me waiting.”
He disconnected with a shaking finger. Several deep breaths couldn’t release the anxiety that had him by the throat. There was every chance that he’d be left standing at that church looking like the biggest idiot that ever lived. Could he do it? Could he put himself through that potential humiliation?
For her, he could.
She needed to know that someone believed the best of her, even if she didn’t show up at the church. He’d find her. He’d never give up, and when he did, his presence at the church today would be his declaration of his belief in her. Right now, he had to be the one to have all of the faith, because she was wounded, hurt, and scared to death by her shitty family. And from what he’d uncovered, she had every reason to be afraid.
He picked up his phone again and called Roxanne.
“Hello, Will. You’re on speaker, and no I haven’t heard from her in the last twenty minutes and neither has Natalie.”
He massaged his forehead with the fingers of one hand. “Sorry.”
Roxanne’s tone changed from sarcastic to gentle in one breath. “No, I’m sorry.”
“Have you guys come up with any ideas of where she might go?” He hated how pitiful he sounded.
“Have you tried Sue Weems, her mentor from Austin? They’re extremely close and she might’ve gone there to try and figure things out.”
“Yes. She hasn’t seen or heard from her either.”
“Will, Natalie here. I’m so sorry this is happening, but I want you to know that she does love you. She’s just scared for you. It probably doesn’t help, but I wanted you to know.”
Pain pricked his eyes and tears pushed against his tear ducts. “I know, Nat. Thanks. Please let me know if you hear from her. I’ll see you at the church at four.”
“Will.” Roxanne’s voice was gentle. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? There’s every chance she won’t show up.”
“Yes. She’ll be there, and if she’s not, then she’ll eventually know I believed in her enough to show up myself.”
“Oh, Will,” Natalie said.
“I’m gonna go. We’ll talk later.” He hung up the phone before he started crying like a damn baby.