Escorting the Billionaire (The Escort Collection 1)

All things considered, I was happier than I thought I could be. Especially because I was about to meet my mother at the airport with two police detectives and Danielle’s parents in tow.

I still couldn’t b

elieve that my parents were involved in Danielle’s death. And yet, I did believe it. What my mother had said to Audrey, and the way that she’d threatened her, confirmed my worst fears. I knew in my heart that my mother had done something terrible, even though I still didn’t know exactly what it was.

I also believed that my father knew. Even if he’d done nothing to help my mother, I was certain that he’d done nothing to stop her. And that made him guilty and reprehensible, too.

We didn’t know what, if any, charges the police would bring. We didn’t know if my father would ultimately be implicated as well. But still. Danielle had been an innocent girl, and her murder deserved justice. For Danielle’s sake, her parents’, and for mine. If we couldn’t have justice, we could at least have some sort of public acknowledgement. Some sort of reckoning.

Danielle’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, were waiting for us at the airport. I hugged them awkwardly and introduced them to Audrey. They looked tired and strained, but they said they were glad to be there. They wanted to see my mother’s face.

“All these years, and we’ve never made peace with Danielle’s death,” Mr. Anderson said. His wife blotted her eyes. “I told myself it was because it’s so terrible to lose a child. And it is—but it was more than that. It seemed more than just… unnatural. Like it was more wrong than that.”

Mrs. Anderson cleared her throat. She had aged gracefully, but there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked hollowed out. “When you called it was like we’d been waiting for that call for twenty years,” she said. “We didn’t know it, but we had been. Your mother never thought Danielle was good enough for you, James. Danielle used to tell me that. I always thought your mother would finally warm up to her, see what a great kid she really was. Now I know the truth. My daughter never had a chance.” She started crying and Mr. Anderson pulled her to him. I turned away.

The two Boston police detectives we’d spoken with were waiting nearby. There was also a reporter from The Boston Tribune and a photographer for Paparazzi.

“How did the press know about this?” Audrey whispered to me.

“I took a page from your mother’s playbook and called them,” I said. “I figured that would push Celia right over the edge. Which is exactly what she deserves.”

Audrey nodded at me, and I held my breath, watching as the plane pulled up to the gate. I waited for my mother to come out and meet her fate. And my brother. I had to tell my brother the horrible news.

Todd and Evie came first, followed by Cole and Jenny. They all looked surprised by our presence. “What’re you two doing here?” Todd asked. “Mother said—”

“Don’t believe it,” I said, grabbing his shoulders. “Everything’s fine. Audrey and I are engaged.”

“That’s so great,” Todd said. He beamed at us.

“But I’m not here for good news,” I said lowly and urgently. “I tried to call you, but I couldn’t get through. I’m here because of Mom and Dad. Because of something terrible.”

“But they’re fine,” Todd said, confused. “They’re right behind us.”

“Not something terrible that happened to them—something that they did.” I gave my baby brother a long look and then I motioned to Danielle’s parents. “This is Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Do you remember my girlfriend from high school? Danielle? These are her parents.”

“It’s nice to see you,” Todd said, shaking their hands. “And I’m still so sorry about your daughter. I was young when it happened, but I remember what a tragedy it was.”

Todd turned back to me. “I don’t understand,” he said, looking baffled. He looked from Mr. and Mrs. Anderson to the police detectives standing behind them. “What’s going on?”

I took a deep breath, knowing the blow I was about to deliver. “Mother has been implicated in Danielle’s death. She threatened Audrey in Eleuthera and we started putting the pieces together,” I said. “The police are here to bring her in for questioning, and maybe dad, too. And the Andersons are here to see them face-to-face.”

Todd went pale beneath his tan. “Are you kidding?”

“No. I’m sorry, I’m not.” For the first time, I felt real sadness and regret about our parents, not just the rage that had been coursing through me.

“Come and sit down,” Evie said gently. She led Todd to some nearby seats, talking to him softly and rubbing his arm.

“Holy wow,” Jenny said, coming up next to us. She must have overheard at least part of the conversation. “I’d say I didn’t believe it, if Mrs. Preston wasn’t such a c-word. Sorry, James.” She turned to Audrey. “She just kept looking at me the whole flight. Like I was going to infect her with hooker cooties, or something.”

Audrey gave her an exhausted smile. “I’d say I was surprised, but—”

“Ho my frickin’ God, Audrey!” Jenny shrieked, interrupting her. “Is that an engagement ring?” Audrey nodded at her and Jenny grabbed her, jumping up and down. “It’s not even a rock! It’s a frickin’ boulder!”

“Jenny,” Audrey said calmly, “let’s talk about it later. We have some bad stuff to take care of right now.”

“Right,” Jenny said. She stopped jumping and crossed herself. “But wow. Just wow.”

My mother swept off the plane then, in a green polo shirt with the collar turned up, immaculate khakis, and white loafers. Her face managed to move enough to register shock when she saw us.