Chapter 17
Drew
I’m not sure revealing our ace card right now is the right thing to do, but Zara isn’t for budging. We land at London City Airport, and a car is waiting for us to take us home.
The police will be waiting for us when we arrive back. Zara looks like she’s about to either cry or murder someone. I just hope she can hold it together enough that the police will listen to what she has to say.
I watch as she puts on her makeup, and the transformation happens before my eyes. She goes from the beautiful fresh-faced princess to a stunningly attractive woman who wouldn’t look out of place on a red carpet. The woman I met at the gala.
“Why are you putting all that on your face?” I ask, confused at why women feel the need to cover up their natural beauty.
“It’s war paint. I’m going into battle, and I need all the help I can get. If I look put together and fresh after a ten-hour flight, it’ll help make them believe.”
“You don’t really need to go to all those lengths. You’re twenty-four, not a minor. He can’t force you to do anything, and this isn’t a custody battle. They just want to make sure you’re okay.”
I can tell she’s nervous. To be honest, so am I. Being accused of kidnapping someone isn’t something I wanted on my list of achievements.
The car drives up past the house where three police cars are waiting. I tell them to follow us through to the stables.
I let Zara out of the car first, which is a big mistake. Her father comes storming over to the car and pulls her into an embrace.
“Thank god, you’re alive! I’ve been so worried!” he says too loudly, obviously for the benefit of the cops.
“Get off me,” she says, pushing him away, which makes me have to try really hard to hide a smile.
I stand next to her and take her hand. “Officers. Please, can you ask Mr. Doyle to leave? He’s not welcome here. He has been told twice now not to come here, but he seems to keep forgetting.”
A policeman, who I think must be in charge, steps forward. “Is there a reason for that?” he asks, eyeing me and Zara up and down.
“Zara will discuss that with you in private. But I would like him removed immediately.”
I turn to see Carlos and Laura standing in the doorway. Laura isn’t smiling, and neither is Carlos. I was hoping for a warmer welcome home.
“Mr. Doyle, you heard Mr. Blackmoore. He would like you to vacate the premises. We will be in touch once we have spoken to your daughter.”
“No! I’m not leaving without her and that stupid horse.”
“Mr. Doyle, I won’t ask you again. If you don’t leave now, you may be charged with trespass.”
“Trespass? Trespass? It’s him that needs charging, with more than trespass!” Doyle starts to become really agitated, and his face turns a really ugly shade of red.
“Mr. Doyle . . .” the policeman says in a warning tone.
“Fine, I’ll go. But you better throw the book at him. He should serve time for what he’s done.”
A police office takes Doyle by the arm and leads him away. I can see Zara trembling, so I grip her hand tighter. “All you have to do is tell them the truth. Don’t worry about anything else.”
“Is there somewhere private we can talk to Miss Doyle?” a policewoman asks.
I hand Zara the keys to the main house. “You can use the house. Zara doesn’t know where anything is, so you’ll just have to find a place to sit. If you want a coffee, I can send someone over.”
The policewoman takes the keys from Zara and smiles. “That won’t be necessary, Mr. Blackmoore. I’m sure we won’t be too long. It’s only a formality. Mr. Doyle was causing a bit of a ruckus down at the station.”
The police officers and Zara walk over to the house. She turns back to look at me twice. I nod and smile, but inside, I’m raging. That fucking bastard has to keep ripping her apart one way or another. The worst thing is, I don’t know why.
“Do you want me to sneak in the back and listen?” Carlos asks.
“No, we need to leave them to it. I haven’t anything to hide and neither has she. You heard the copper; Doyle was kicking off. It’ll all be fine. So, tell me, how are the horses doing? Any more incidents?”
“No, but we did find something on the CCTV. It might be a good idea to get the police to look at it. It’s from a week before Zara and Jasmine came.”
“A week before? What happened?”
“It’s better if I show you, but in short, I was showing Laura where the feed was kept, and which horse gets which brand.”
“Right?”
“Luna and Greenland’s are both on the same feed,” Laura interrupts, telling me something I already know.
“Carry on, Carlos.”
“The top bag of their feed was fine, so we didn’t notice anything wrong, but the bag underneath had been tampered with. I never noticed. I just thought it had got a little damp, which is normal.”
“So, how do you know it was a week before?”
“We have it on camera. He lifts up the top bag, splits the bag underneath, does something with the feed, and then replaces the top bag. It’s not clear who it is. It isn’t one of the staff, that’s for sure. It does look like someone we both know though.”
“Dick?” I ask, and they both nod.
“Can I point out that it was me that found the footage?” Laura says proudly.
“Only because you were looking at the wrong date.” Carlos laughs and ruffles her hair.
Hmm These two are getting on pretty well.
“I’m going to take the cases upstairs. Don’t let the police leave before we’ve talked to them.”
I pull the cases up the stairway and nearly launch them through the door. Why the hell did I miss that? I watch those cameras day and night. And Dick . . . he’s going to get a lot more than he bargained for. He lives up to his name, that’s for sure.
My phone rings in my pocket with a text.
Mom: I’m sorry you had to fly home. We really wanted to get to know Zara a little more. How would you feel about a visit from me and your dad? We could do with dropping in on Carter and Brook too.
I read the message over and over. Why are they wanting to visit? They never visit. I’ve had that great big house for years just so the family can stay there when they come, but they never do.
Drew: That would be great. The police are here now talking to Zara. He registered her as fucking missing, Mom. What type of man does shit like that?
Mom: Give me and your dad a couple of days to get things in order here, and we’ll be there. I’m sure having us around will help.
How the fuck does she work that out? Having my parents here will only stress me out further. I don’t want Zara to see me like they do . . . still a child.
Drew: Okay, sounds good. But please don’t get involved. I don’t need your help. I’m a grown man who can handle his own business.
Mom: Understood. I’ll let you know when we are arriving. We love you, Drew, but don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
I put the phone down on the table. Why do they think I can’t manage on my own? I’ve been doing this on my own for years. It was harder when I was younger. People didn’t take me seriously, until they had no other choice but to listen.
I change out of my clothes and into some work gear. I might as well keep busy until they’ve finished with Zara.
It doesn’t take as long as I thought with the police. Zara comes bounding across the yard with a big smile on her face and jumps into my arms.
“I take it everything went well?” I laugh as she peppers my face with little kisses.
“Yeah. They are going to question my father on the bruises. He’ll deny it, and he’ll probably blame you for them, but at least they know now. They said I should think about getting a restraining order.”
“It’ll be handled. But I do need to speak with the police.”
“We’d like to speak to you, too, Mr. Blackmoore. We just need to corroborate Miss Doyle’s account of things. But I think we know exactly what happened . . .”
Carlos, Laura, and Zara come up to the apartment, and we sit with the police officers and watch the footage. It’s exactly as Carlos described. In theory, I nearly killed my own horses.
“Can you arrest him?” Zara asks.
“It’s pretty bad footage. If it was clearer, we would stand more of a chance of conviction. But we can at least pay him a visit and talk to him.”
I thank the police officers and see them out. Then something dawns on me, and I run after the two officers that we’ve been talking to.
“Excuse me . . . but why three police cars?” I ask.
“Mr. Doyle said you were a very violent and dangerous man. We needed to be sure it couldn’t escalate. As it turns out, it wasn’t you we needed to watch.”
I nod and walk back inside. Jasmine throws her head over the side of her stall.
“Hello, my beautiful girl. Have you missed me?” I give her cheek a good scratch and then kiss her softly on her nose. “I’ve missed you. But I might have a surprise for you soon. I might have a boyfriend for you. It’s about time you had a bit of fun.”
“Drew, is that what you meant about the stud?” Zara asks, making me jump.
“It’s only fair she gets a bit now and again, and I’d like to see her as a mom.”
“So would I. Imagine the fouls we’d have,” she says, and I laugh.
“I can literally see pound signs in your eyes. I thought they’d be cute.” I continue to laugh.
“Cute? You thought about them being cute? I don’t believe you. But I do agree, they’d be beautiful.” She wraps her arms around my waist and rests her head on my back. “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for what he’s done,” she says.
“I don’t blame you, but I don’t understand what his problem is. I don’t know why he hates me so much, and he wasn’t keen on Carter either.”
“I don’t suppose we will ever find out unless he tells us. Which I highly doubt he will.”
I turn around to face her, and Jasmine puts her head over my shoulder, too. “My mom texted me earlier. She and Dad are coming for a visit.”
“Really? When?”
“In the next few days. They want to call in on Carter, too.”
“It’ll be nice to get to know them a little without everyone else around. Don’t get me wrong, your family is wonderful, but they are . . . extra.”
I pull her as close as I can. “That is a really nice way of putting it. Extra. I like it.”
“I heard it on one of the reality TV shows. I know a lot more than you think.”
“I don’t doubt it. Maybe you can show me something else later. But we need to give Carlos and Laura a hand. They’ve really held up the business these past few days.”
We work together for the rest of the day, and its torture. Every time she bends over, I want to rip her jeans off her and bend her over the nearest bale of hay. I’ve seen the look on Carlos’s face, too; he can’t stop looking at Laura. I thought he was monitoring her at first, but I recognise that lustful look. It’s the same one I have when I fix my eyes on my princess.
“Can I give you a lift home?” Carlos asks Laura, and I can’t help but laugh. Either they’ve not got it on yet—but it’ll be soon—or they’re pretending I’m stupid.
“That would be great, thank you.”
I can’t help myself and want to watch them squirm. “How did you get here this morning?" I ask, biting the inside of my cheek, so I don’t crack up.
“I . . . I . . .” Her eyes dart to Carlos.
“She spent the night here with me. Don’t worry, we slept in the house.”
“I don’t care what you two do, by the way. Just don’t do it in my apartment. Ever.”
I turn and walk away, smiling at the budding romance that’s building between them. It makes me think of the distance me and Zara have gone in a really short time.
Every couple will face problems during their time together, it’s part of a relationship, but we had them from before day one. If we can see this through to the end, I think there is real hope for the two of us.
The more I think of her declaration, the more I want to tell her I feel the same way, but not when I’m as drunk as a skunk. I want it to be right . . . in the right moment.
I’d sent Zara up to the apartment a while ago. She said she was tired and wanted to have a nap. When I walk in, I can hear soft music playing, and I know where it’s coming from.
The door to the bathroom is cracked open, and I can’t help myself. I take a sneak peek of her lying in the water. Her head is resting on the cushion, and her eyes are closed. She looks at peace.
“I know you’re there. Why don’t you stop stalking and come and get in? This bath is big enough for four people,” she says softly, still not opening her eyes.
“I hope you don’t want four people in there with you.”
“You’re enough for me, Drew Blackmoore. I don’t need or want anyone else.”
I was going to take a shower, but this is a much better option. I pull off my clothes and throw them on to the floor. “You don’t have to ask me twice.” I climb into the hot water and step over her. “This is bliss.” I groan as I lie back and let the heat soak into my bones.
“It really is. I didn’t understand why you had such a fancy bath, but I do now.”
“It was one thing I really wanted when I did the place up. The builders thought I was crazy and suggested that I put a hot tub outside.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“When I’ve finished in the yard, I don’t want to be outside. I want to come in here and shut out the world and tune out from all the external noise.”
“I’ve never known anyone who works as hard as you do, and you don’t even need to. You could laze around a pool all day and just live off your billions. But I like the fact that you don’t. I like what lifting those bales of hay does to your arms and back.”
“Really? What else?”
“I like how your thighs are solid and your stomach looks like it’s been airbrushed.”
“Carry on . . .” I laugh.
“I like the way the sun catches your skin, making it darker, and I like the way you always wear a watch.”
“You like that I wear a watch?”
She lets out a small giggle. “Yeah, it’s really sexy. Laura calls it arm porn.”
“You find my forearm sexy?” I look at her, checking if she’s taking the piss or not. “Not my dick, or my ass, but my forearm?”
“I love those bits, too, especially your backside when you wear those tight jeans.”
I pull her over to staddle me. “Do you know what I like about you?” I ask.
“No, I wouldn’t be surprised if you said you were struggling to find something.”
I ignore her comment. “I like the way your neck dips here . . .” I brush my finger down her neck and onto her collarbone. “I like how these beautiful nipples are permanently hard and ready for me to bite.” I lift up one of her breasts and suck her nipple into mouth.
Her head falls back, and a small moan escape.
I’m hard as steel already, and I can’t wait to be inside her. I lift up her hips and position myself against her entrance.
“Oh, Drew . . .” She gasps as she lowers herself down onto me.
“That’s it, baby, take whatever you need.”
“Drew . . . oh god.” She moans louder as she rocks her hips.
I use one hand on her hips to guide her back and forth, my other hand teasing her nipples.
“You feel so good.”
“So, you do like my dick then? I was getting worried.” She giggles, and the vibration runs all the way to my balls. I was enjoying her riding me, but I need more. “I really need to give you something.”
“Anything . . .” She moans, leaning back and riding me like a pro, her tits gently bouncing, and I can’t take any more.
“Up on your knees. I need to hear you scream, Zara.”
A quick manoeuvre and she’s leaning over the top of the bath. Holding on to her hips, I find where I need to be and slam into her.
“Tell me what you want,” I growl as I slam into her, pinching her nipples hard.
“I need you to fuck me harder.” Her panting voice spurs me on.
I feel her tightening, and I know she’s close, so I pick up the tempo as well as the power.
“Huh, huh, huh!” She grunts as I plough into her over and over. “Drew . . . I’m— Oh fuck . . . Yes, yes, don’t stop! Fuck yes!” she screams, and I feel the unmistakable tightening of my balls, and despite wanting to stay there and mark her walls, I have to pull out.
“What the fuck?!” she yells, turning her head to look at me, her eyes on fire as I wrap my hand around my dick and spill my load onto her wet shiny ass.
“I’m not wearing a condom, and you’re not on birth control.”
“Shit!”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you hanging. I only need a few minutes, and I’ll be ready to go again. I’m going to take you over the edge and back again, but in the meantime . . .” I slide two fingers into her and pump hard. It’s not the same as my dick, I know, but I’m not going to let her go without.
By the time we’re finished in the bath, both of us are completely done in. I carry her through into the bedroom and place her on the bed.
She picks up one of my T-shirts and pulls it over her body, and it’s in that very moment that I know I can never lose this woman.
I pull her into my arms and hold her close to my chest.
“What do you think about birth control?” I ask.
“I think I should see someone and get it sorted. I never want you to stop when I’m about to shatter again. I thought I was going to die.”
I laugh hard, but a dirty thought runs straight through my mind. Wait until I start edging you more and more, Princess . I’m going to make you beg for your life.
My alarm goes off far too early. I don’t want to move. Zara is still curled up in my arms, and my dick is hard as it normally is in a morning.
I yawn and reach for my phone, but the alarm on the phone isn’t ringing. It’s the alarm for the stables. “Shit!” I roll out of bed, waking Zara in the process.
“What’s going on?”
“The alarm is going off downstairs. Stay here and call the police. Keep an eye on the cameras.”
I’ve dressed in the time it’s taken to give her instructions and I’m halfway down the stairs when the stable doors open and in runs Carlos.
“Why’s the alarm going off?” he asks.
“Fuck knows. Zara is on to the police. We should check the horses and make sure nothing is out of place.”
Carlos nods, and we walk together, making sure all the horses are fine. There is nothing out of the ordinary. The horses are calm, but something feels off. I can’t put my finger on it, and I can’t see it, but I can feel it.
We’ve checked the doors and windows, everything is intact. It just doesn’t make sense.
The police arrive and are as useless as a chocolate fire guard. Their theory is that a spider crawled over one of the sensors.
I am a fucking billionaire. I don’t have a shitty security system that goes off if a mouse decides to set up house.
It’s 4:00 a.m. when we finally crawl back into bed. My heart is still hammering in my chest from the adrenaline rush, and despite being dog tired, I can’t get back to sleep.
Zara’s soft snores soothe me but not enough, and after tossing and turning, I get up, make a very strong coffee, and sit in front of my screens, watching back the CCTV footage. I watch it over and over again until my eyes are sore, but then I see what we’ve missed.
I race down the stairs and into the stables and there digging into some horse feed is a tiny puppy. I walk over to it slowly. It must have hidden before when we searched the area.
“Hey, little one, what are you doing out here on your own?” I ask softly and bend down to pick it up.
It’s filthy, and it stinks. Its belly is round from the food it’s been eating. The horse feed will swell in its belly and could kill it. For the second time in less than an hour, my heart is pounding as I pull my phone from my pocket.
“What do you want, Drew? It’s not even daylight outside.”
“I need you here now.”
Jeff, the vet’s, voice changes. “Have you got another one?” he asks.
“No, I’ve found a puppy.”
“You’re ringing me at this unearthly hour because you found a stray?”
“Yes— No, it’s eaten horse feed. Its stomach looks like it going to burst open.”
“You better bring it down to the surgery. If it needs treatment, I won’t be able to do it there, and we’ll need to be quick.”
I run up the stairs with the puppy under my arm and grab my car keys. “I’m on my way.”
I look in on Zara, who is fast asleep, and decide to leave her be. I lock the door behind me and make sure every entrance is secure.
I’m halfway down the drive when something catches my eye. It’s like a light shining in the trees, but when I look again, it’s gone. I look down at the puppy, who is now throwing up all over my bespoke leather seats and I let out a frustrated groan.
“What the fuck do I do? If I take you to the vet’s, I’m leaving Zara on her own. I don’t know who’s out there. If I don’t take you . . . you could die.”
I call Jeff back. “The pup is puking all over my car. It’s probably got most of it up now. Can you not come to me?”
“If it’s been sick, that’s a good sign. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
I turn the car around and head back up the lane. I can’t see the light I saw before, and it makes me feel even more uneasy. Instead of pulling up outside the stables, I stop just before the house. I grab the pup and walk the rest of the way. Something isn’t right. Where did this pup come from? We don’t have any dogs around here.
As I open the stable doors, I notice that a light has been switched on. Jasmine is making a fuss, and so is Greenland’s.
“It’s okay, I’m back,” I say softly to the horses, who seem to settle down a little.
With the pup firmly under my arm, I quietly climb the stairs. The door to the apartment is open, and I know I made sure it was locked.
“Who’s there?” I shout loudly before switching on all the lights.
“Shit!” Laura cries as I lock eyes on her.
“What the actual fuck are you doing in here?” I shout at the top of my lungs. The pup yelps, and I realise it’s scared. “Answer me, for fuck’s sake. Why are you sneaking around in the middle of the night?”
“What’s going on?” Zara asks, walking into the living area.
“Explain . . . now!” I snap at Laura.
“It’s not what it looks like—”
“It looks like you’re robbing the place or up to no good is what it looks like.”
“Drew . . . Laura wouldn’t do anything like that.” Zara walks over to her cousin and stands next to her. Both women are now staring back as me as the pup decides to piss all down my T-shirt.
“Fuck.” I put the pup on the floor and look back at the girls, who are now trying not to laugh. My fury is about to be unleashed on them both, but they’re saved by the pup throwing up yet again, this time, all over my fucking carpet.
“I want answers now!”
“The pup was a present for Carlos. He’s been really nice to me, and he said he always wanted a dog.”
“So, you just thought you’d buy him a puppy? How fucking sweet. But that doesn’t explain why you’re in my apartment.”
“It escaped when we let it out for a toilet break. We’d been looking for it all night.”
“And you didn’t think to say something when we called the police? Zara and I thought someone was breaking in.”
“I was going to, but I didn’t know if it was the puppy or not.”
“So, why are you up here?”
“I heard you drive off, and the one place we hadn’t looked was in here.”
“Where the fuck is Carlos?” I snap at Laura, and the pup isn’t making things any better. Not only am I covered in dog piss, but my carpet is ruined with puke, and it’s now taking a shit.
“He went back out to look. With the stable doors being open, we thought it could have either got in or out.”
I pick up the pup and hand it over to Laura. “Here. You need to wait for the vet. It’s been eating horse feed, and I am going for a shower.”
At this point Zara let’s out a squeal, her hand firmly pressed against her mouth.
“You think this is funny, do you?” I growl, stepping closer to her.
“It is a little,” she says, trying so hard not to break.
I pull my T-shirt over my head in one swift movement and dangle it in front of her face. “You’re lucky I’m not going to wipe that smirk of your face with my piss-ridden T-shirt. But your seat in my car is fucked. It’s full of puke, and someone”—I look at Laura— “is going to be cleaning it up all day tomorrow.”
I storm out of the room and into my bathroom, pulling off my clothes and holding in the scream that’s in my chest.
A fucking puppy . . . I thought it was a trap. I thought someone was trying to get me to leave Zara on her own. This Doyle thing is getting to me more than I thought.
By the time I’ve showered and calmed myself down, Jeff has arrived. He’s checked out the pup and is just about to leave.
“Is it okay?” I mumble, looking at the filthy-looking animal.
“Yeah, he’s going to be fine. Looks like he got rid of most of what he’d eaten. I’ve given him a flea and worm treatment as well.”
“The fucking thing has fleas?” I ask, my lips curling up in anger at Laura.
“No, but being here, he could easily pick them up,” he replies.
“What breed is it?”
“No idea until it’s cleaned up. I’d say an average-sized dog, looking at its paws.”
I look at the pup, its fur all dirty and matted, its dark eyes looking back at me helplessly.
“Give it here!” I say, taking it from Laura. “What’s its name?”
“We were thinking Devil.”
“Devil?” I look at Laura and then at Zara.
“Yeah . . . Devil Dog. It’s a pretty cool name.”
I shake my head, wondering what fucking twilight zone I’ve woken up in.
I run some warm water in the sink and cover him in shampoo. As I wash, it’s becoming clear that this pup isn’t black or grey . . . it’s bloody white.
After rinsing it off and wrapping it in a towel, I sit down on the couch and begin to dry it off.
“Can I have my dog back?” Laura asks.
“Not yet. I’m still too angry at you. Where did you get it from?”
“There was a homeless man in town, and he had two of them. I only had twenty pounds on me, so he would only let me have the one.”
I look up to the ceiling. Don’t say it . . . Don’t!
“First thing tomorrow, you go and get the other one. You can’t split them up.”
“I don’t want two. This one has caused enough trouble.”
“You’ll do as you’re told. Now, find Carlos and get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow preparing for the race at the weekend.”
Laura comes and stands in front of me. “Erm . . . my dog?” she asks, holding out her hands.
“You’ll get it back tomorrow. It needs to dry off and sleep, like the rest of us.”
Jeff and Zara are both looking at me like I’ve just landed from another planet. Laura is staring at me like she’s about to scream.
“Everyone out!” I wave my arm in the air as I stand, the pup still curled up in the towel in my arms.
“But my—” Laura starts but Zara guides her to the door.
“I’ll talk to him” I hear her say. “See you in two hours.”
“Lock the stables up!” I yell as Zara closes the door.
She sits down next to me on the couch. “You do realise you can’t keep him.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“He’s not yours,” she says, and I know she’s right, but when I thought it was going to die, something snapped in me. I can’t stand by and watch an animal suffer.
“Okay, I’ll give him back.” I look at the pup, who’s fallen asleep in my arm, and then I look at Zara. She’s so beautiful, and I realise how fucking lucky I really am. “But I’m keeping the other one.”