Surprise Bidder

“Thomas,” I greet him. “How nice of you to give me such a grand welcome back home even though I’ve only been gone a few days.”

He doesn’t smile.

“Gavin Scotsfeld, you’ll be coming with us.”

I cock my head. “To the Club? Is this another business meeting? Has Elias summoned me again?”

“Elias is in the hospital,” Thomas says sternly. “Someone tried to kill him.”

A knot forms in my throat.

“But I’m sure you already know that.”

I swallow. “What?”

“Take him,” Thomas orders. “He’ll be going on trial for the murder of Daniel Lawson and the attempted murder of Elias Gray.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Leah

It can’t be.

I bite down on my finger as I pace the room the Ambrosia guards brought me to straight from the airport. Every now and then, I stop and tap my foot on the floor.

No matter how I think of it, I can’t believe Gavin is a murderer.

No. He isn’t a murderer. I know it.

Yes, Gavin can be cold and ruthless, but he’s no killer, and definitely not one stupid enough to get caught. I’m sure he’s being framed. The question is: By whom?

The door to the room opens. Fiona comes in.

“Fiona!” I throw myself against her chest and wrap my arms around her.

She pats my back with one of her gloved hands. “You poor thing. You must be devastated by all this. To think you’ve been living and sleeping with a murderer.”

I step back. She thinks Gavin did it?

“Gavin isn’t a murderer,” I tell her. “He didn’t kill or try to kill anyone.”

Fiona touches my cheek. “Aw, sweetheart.”

I push her hand away and walk towards the bed.

“Why would he kill Lawson?” I ask as I sit on the edge of the bed. “Weren’t they friends?”

“Friends?” Fiona snorts. “Men like Gavin don’t have friends. Actually, it turns out that he and Daniel Lawson had an argument at Daniel’s office a few days before he died. He was trying to make a deal with Daniel and Daniel didn’t like it. Guess what? Now Gavin is trying to make the same deal with Daniel’s son and he’s making more progress. It’s nearly done.”

I frown. “So you’re saying Gavin killed Daniel Lawson over a business deal?”

She shrugs. “That’s what they’re saying.”

So it’s hearsay.

“They also say he and Daniel’s wife, Rachel, were close. And you know, Rachel’s brother does own a pharmaceutical company. She could easily have gotten access to that drug that killed Daniel.”

“So they were in it together?”

Fiona gives another shrug.

I don’t believe it.

“Besides, since Daniel died, Gavin has been under serious consideration for a seat on the Council,” Fiona adds. “That’s another motive.”

“I thought he didn’t want a seat on the Council.”

Fiona’s eyebrows arch. “He told you that?”

She sighs.

“Well, yes, some people say he didn’t want it at first, probably because he was feeling guilty about his crime.”

“What?”

“But he came around eventually. Besides, why would he not want to be part of the Council? He knows how much power the Council has. It was the Council that ultimately killed Nadine.”

I shake my head. This theory has been so well thought of that it’s absurd.

“And Elias?” I ask her. “Why do they think Gavin tried to kill Elias?”

“Someone saw him stop by his apartment. They said there was an argument.”

I touch my chin. Gavin did he say he tried to speak with Elias. But didn’t he say Elias wasn’t home?

“After what Elias made him do to you, I imagine he must have been upset,” Fiona says.

I’d forgotten she was there. And yes, he was upset. But I know for a fact that’s not what he spoke to Elias about.

Did they argue because Elias wouldn’t let me keep the baby?

No. Gavin said Elias wasn’t home. If he said Elias wasn’t home, then he wasn’t home.

“Are you sure Gavin was in Elias’s apartment?” I ask.

“His handkerchief was found there,” Fiona answers.

My eyes grow wide. Handkerchief? Well, he could have dropped it when he came to see Elias, right?

I shake my head. “I still don’t think Gavin is capable of murder.”

“Darling, men are capable of worse things than you can imagine.”

Fiona stands up. She touches the pendant hanging from her neck as she walks to the window.

“They may wear crisp suits and shiny watches, but on the inside, they’re all animals. Why the world allows them to rule is beyond me.”

I lift an eyebrow. I’ve never heard Fiona speak this way before. Where is this coming from?

“Maybe.” I stand next to her. “But Gavin isn’t a murderer.”

Fiona gives me a puzzled look. “He’s really got you wrapped around his finger, hasn’t he? Even after all he did to you, you’re still defending him like a loyal hound.”

“It’s not that,” I say. “It’s…”

It’s because he’s the father of my child, I want to say as I place a hand over my belly, but I decide not to.

“I just know it.”