I nuzzled him. “I hope De Luca takes him.”
“He will. He wants revenge.” His confidence held no doubts. “Let’s check you out. I hated how much stress this put you under.” With efficiency Gabe checked the babies’ heart rates. Everything was fine regardless of how rattled I still felt. Gabe rubbed my back, and I held onto him.
A thought suddenly occurred to me. One I hadn’t imagined I’d want if given the chance. “Can I see him?”
Gabe’s eyes bugged out. “Yo-you want to see him? No. Absolutely not.” He vehemently shook his head to emphasize the point.
I understood Gabe’s reservations. I had them also, but this was something I needed to do. “Gabe, I need to do this for closure of Dad’s death.”
Through all of this, Alex had left us with were more questions than answers. I wanted this part of our life closed. And with De Luca more than likely taking him, this was my only shot.
“Let me ask him. I’ll tell you everything.” His voice was frantic and pleading.
Gently, I kissed his lips. “This is something I have to do or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
Understanding dawned and he said, “The Kevlar stays on. You keep your distance. If I get the least bit concerned, you’re leaving.”
“That’s fine.” The Kevlar was an irritant, but it kept me safe … well safer.
We stood and Gabe radioed directions to prepare the men for us to come to the barn. After I put on some shoes, we left the premises hand in hand. Andre and two other men surrounded us with their guns still drawn.
Had I made the right decision?
Everyone was still on high alert. Rightly so, but the stress of the situation penetrated me to my core. Yes, I needed answers or I would forever wonder.
The warmth from the lights inside the barn glowed in stark contrast to the evil lurking inside.
Night dew from the grass gathered on the soles of my shoes. The stars twinkled in the sky as the cool breeze blew.
Ironic such disaster lay behind the barn doors when such peace resided out here.
When we made it to the door, Trent stepped out. “You sure you want to do this, Willow?”
“I need to know if he murdered Dad.”
Trent glanced to Gabe who nodded. “I won’t deny Willow closure. I’ve offered to talk to him instead, but she wants to do this.”
With how close Trent had been to Dad, I thought he’d understand. Trent blocked the door, the turmoil evident on his face.
I touched his arm. “I need to do this. If it was about your sister, wouldn’t you want the same thing if there was a chance to get answers?”
Trent’s jaw locked as he held his emotions at bay. With his sister committing suicide, he had a lot of unanswered questions.
After another moment, he stepped aside, not saying a word.
The door swung open. Five men with guns drawn surrounded Alex and Harley who sat in chairs, bound and gagged.
“Remove Alex’s gag.” The command from Gabe was followed swiftly.
As soon as the gag was removed, he spit and wiped his chin on his shirt. Our eyes met and I saw nothing but hatred in Alex’s. The cold glare I grew accustomed to when we lived together met mine.
“Well, if it isn’t my brother’s whore. You were a terrible wife. Always bitching and complaining.”
Surprisingly, the words had no effect. “Your mother called me something similar.” Alex flinched at the word mother. “I heard you killed her.”
His lips thinned. “No, you two killed her. She demanded I bring Alex Junior to her.”
The thought of the innocent little boy I’d met flashed through my mind. Chasity would have ruined another innocent soul.
Alex’s mouth hardened. The broken man showed through the cracks. The years of mental abuse taking its toll. He was beyond repair. Alex tested his restraints and Gabe took a step forward while I went the opposite way, waiting to see if I needed to leave. The movement stopped.
Beside him, Harley watched us. I asked, “Why did you do it?”
“Do what?” Alex practically spit the words.
“Seek me out. Make Gabe’s life hell. Kill my dad.”
His head shook. Again the shattered man appeared before he masked it with hatred. A calculating look passed over his face. I wasn’t sure he would tell me. For a couple of minutes Alex stared at me deciding. Finally, he spoke, “It’s all part of the game. And I always win the game. Your dad got in the way. He knew. Somehow he knew after he questioned me about proposing to you.”
I swallowed. Dad must have asked him about the secret he told Gabe about us going to the spot where he proposed to Mom. It was hard to keep my lips from trembling. Dad had been murdered. Taken before his time.
I pressed forward. “Did you know he met Alex Junior?”
No response.
I tried again. “How did he die?”
“Poison. Strychnine.” The words were spoken with true satisfaction.
I gasped and tears welled in my eyes. Pure evil stared back at me with a look of complete enjoyment. Harley watched him with an unreadable expression. Reliving anything would give Alex more power than he deserved. He wanted to lay all the details out so I would forever remember them.
“I’d followed him the entire way home from the school, jamming his cell phone signal. He was probably trying to call Trent. I walked into the studio where he was sending an e-mail. I held him down while I forced him to ingest the poison. I assured him I’d take real good care of you.”
The tears fell and Gabe put his arms around me.
“His dying word was your name.”
The satisfaction on his face made me sick. I needed to leave. “I-I-I want to go back to the house.” No more. This was part of Alex’s sick game to break me.
I turned to see Trent’s glower at Alex. Dad’s death had been worse than I expected. So much worse. It was the black truth emerging from all the white lies.
Gabe’s arm around my waist barely registered as he propelled me from the barn. He ordered, “Don’t knock him out. I need to question him first.”
Behind me, my father’s killer screamed, “Come back, bitch! We’re not done! I want to tell you how he begged!”
As we exited the barn, he continued to call after me. I covered my ears with my hands. The tears fell faster than ever, causing my vision to blur. I stumbled, but Gabe was there to pick me up as I sobbed into his chest. Alex’s screams continued to penetrate the air until we closed the door to the house.
Gabe turned to one of the guards. “If De Luca calls, tell him he can get Alex and Harley in two hours.”
I cried harder as Gabe stroked my back. “I know, sweetheart. I know. I’m so sorry.”
“He’s a monster.” How had Gabe survived all those years like that?
He held me tighter. “I know. I wish you hadn’t gone out there.”
“I needed to know.” It was hard to regret a decision that gave me answers so I wouldn’t always wonder, but I hadn’t expected the brutality of the situation. As the sobs erupted from me, Gabe comforted me. Soon nothing was left and I felt empty.
“I need to go finish sorting things out, sweetheart.”
Numbly, I nodded.
“Andre is going to stay with you. I’ll be back.”
Gabe pressed his lips against my forehead. He said something to Andre I hadn’t the energy to process and left me on the couch. He walked out the door while I worked to right myself mentally.
At some point, I laid my head down on the arm of the couch. Mercifully, sleep found me. A light jostling stirred me.
“Gabe?”
“It’s me. I’m taking us to bed.”
Early morning light splattered through the windows. Other than our footsteps, the house was quiet. “Where is everyone?”
“Rotating their posts. We’re safe.”
A lump formed in my throat and I swallowed past it. “Where’s Alex?”
“Gone. De Luca took him and Harley.”
Sleep subsided as I remembered what Alex had said. He’d watched Dad die. A few tears slid down my cheek. We entered the bedroom and Gabe locked the door. He placed me on the bed before he removed the Kevlar. In all the sadness, I’d forgotten to take it off.
As soon as Gabe crawled into bed, I nestled beside him. “Did you find out anything else?”
He cleared his throat. “We did. Do you want to know?”
“Is it as bad as what he’s already told me?”
“More of the same, but not about your dad.”
Did I want to know? Yes, I needed to know. Tonight I would find out everything there was. Tomorrow I would start the healing process. “Yes, tell me.”
Gabe’s fingers rhythmically stroked my back. “The man they found burned was a third accomplice named Brian Holder. He tried to steal the Botticelli with Alex and Harley.”