“It’s costing you a lot of money, though, me not having health insurance and everything.”
“Like I said before, my money means nothing if I can’t use it to look after you. Besides, once we’re married you’ll have all the health care and insurance you could ever possible need.”
“You want to marry me?”
“Well, this isn’t exactly how I thought to propose. But yes, I want you and this baby to have my name.”
“We can’t get married, though, because if I file for a divorce then he’s going to know where I am.”
“I want to marry you. I want you and this baby to carry my name. I know you must be worried he’ll ask for custody of your child but I won’t allow that. I will find everything I need to protect you and this baby.”
“You just don’t understand, Derrick. You don’t know what he’s like. The lengths he’s capable of going to.”
“Because you won’t talk to me. I won’t allow him near you. Look, Jacey, I know you’re terrified, but you can’t live like this forever. You have to trust that I will take care of you and the baby.”
“I know you think I’m overreacting, that I’m being silly-”
“He terrorized you, abused you, it’s okay to be afraid, Jacey. But the sooner we do this, the sooner you can see that he can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Damn it, Derrick, will you just listen to me!”
Derrick stared at her in shock and she was a bit surprised by the anger in her voice.
“I am not being over-dramatic. I am not making him out to be worse than he is. While I remain hidden, we’re safe, you, me and the baby. If he finds out where I am, he won’t hesitate to kill us.”
Chapter Thirteen
“So do you have a plan on how to get to her?” Stephan asked his brother impatiently.
“We’re watching Ashdown’s house around the clock. We’ll get her eventually.”
“Eventually isn’t good enough,” Stephan said angrily. “Just go in there and grab her.”
“He’s got a shitload of security. I’m sure we can get around it, but we go in without a plan and we’re toast. If you don’t think we’re doing our job properly, you could just come here and grab her yourself, brother,” Evan said silkily and Stephan knew he’d crossed a line with his stepbrother.
“Evan, I’m sorry,” Stephan said, injecting his voice with just the right amount of apology. “Of course you know your job, I’m just impatient to get my hands on her.”
“As am I, you’re not the only one in deep shit if she speaks, Stephan,” Evan said.
“You’re quite right.” Only Evan didn’t stand to lose nearly as much as Stephan did. He was a nobody
. There would be a bit of bad press, but Stephan had witnesses lined up, prepared to swear that Evan’s issues stemmed from abuse suffered prior to his moving in with Stephan’s father. No way was Stephan going down for his assistant’s death. No way in hell.
To ensure that, he was willing to get rid of anybody who stood in his way, including his wife. So far, he’d managed to hide her absence by telling everyone she’d gone to Europe on vacation. But that excuse wouldn’t last forever.
“You realize taking out Ashdown isn’t going to be that easy,” Evan said. “I’ve been looking into him, he’s got a lot of powerful connections. If Jacinta tells him the truth he could ruin you.”
“She won’t tell him. She knows he’s a dead man if she does.”
Evan chuckled. “Too bad she doesn’t know he’s a dead man either way.”
***
“Derrick, that nursery puts us to shame.”
Jacey raised her head as Derrick’s handsome brother-in-law stepped into the living room, his arm around his pretty wife, Holly.
Somehow, they weren’t quite what she’d expected. She’d had a picture in her mind of Holly being tall, slim and dressed in designer clothes with perfect make-up and hair.