Blackmailed (25 page)

was on you. I thought I was gonna lose you.”

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“Everybody okay here?” A mounted patrolman joined the group of

onlookers. Everyone started talking to him at once, yelling and pointing.

Tyler just wanted to get Bri the hell out of there. He pushed to his

knees and stood. The pain in his ankle made him double over. It wasn’t

broken, he was sure, just sprained, but goddamn, it hurt like a mother.

“You hurt, Ty?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Just twisted my damn ankle when

we stepped off.”

Cole nodded, content with his answer for now. “Let’s get her in the

cab so I can take a closer look at those stitches.”

“I’ll give the cop our names and a sit-rep and tell him to call us later

for details.”

“Good idea.” Cole looked both ways along the street just to make sure

before he led Bri to the SUV and stowed her in the back seat. He followed

her in and shut the world out. Ty knew Cole would take good care of her,

he just hated being the one to have put her in danger yet again.

They had one more day to get through. Tomorrow night was the party

where Cole would announce his marriage to Bri. Caroline was bound to

show her face and since she didn’t know about the wedding, she was

going to be pissed. Then they would have her, because he could almost

guarantee the bitch would start spouting things once she learned the

truth and saw the rock on Bri’s finger.

Tyler wiped at a patch of blood beading on his elbow beneath his

ripped sleeve and made a vow.

They
would
catch this slime. And she would pay.

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Chapter Ten

Friday night had come too soon. Brianna twisted her hands together

and willed her stomach to settle. There were enough people at Cole’s

party to hold a democratic convention.

The sunken ballroom was decked out with flickering white lights and

beautiful greenery. Massive flower arrangements adorned each corner of

the spacious room where guests mingled in their formalwear. But she

was only concerned about one.

Since Cole had already invited Caroline, he was expecting her to

show up. The number of undercover security guards swarming the party

was true testimony to how strongly he suspected Caroline of having

something to do with the attacks. He thought if Caroline could see once

and for all she would never get him, she would back off. Brianna still had

her doubts though. The whole thing was like something out of a romance

novel, complete with jilted lover.

Scottie was Brianna’s main concern. She had a feeling when Caroline

was confronted with the marriage, there was no way the woman would

simply back off. Not according to their conversation in Tonio’s

restaurant. If Caroline came in spewing her filth and doing something to

jeopardize her brother’s welfare, Brianna would strangle her.

A warm hand traced small circles on the exposed skin of her back.

“Relax, baby, take a deep breath.”

Easy for you to say.
She gritted her teeth and tried to think of

something that wouldn’t tip him off in the direction of her real thoughts.

“It’s hard to relax when you’re touching me, Cole.” She turned to him

with a sickly sweet smile he instantly saw through.

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He snorted and moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her

and displaying his possessiveness. He may as well have taken her

breasts in both his hands the way he was holding her. Her cheeks

flamed.

I’m used to this, he’s done it all week. Just not in front of two hundred

people.

Her tummy dropped again. She’d never been in front of so many

people. Neither had Scottie. Where was he? She stood on her tiptoes and

tried to look over the throng of people.

“He’s fine, Bri.” Cole’s breath tickled her neck just before his tongue

darted out and teased along the cartilage at the top of her ear. “He’s with

Ty over at the bar.”

Damn it. How could he read her so well after only one week, and

please God, why wouldn’t he stop doing what he was doing before she

melted in front of all these people or did something really embarrassing?

“Yeah, well I can’t see him.”

He chuckled as she squirmed to dodge his roving tongue. “He’s there,

I promise. I think they’re trying to get my brother to play a little golf

later.”

That statement was all it took. Brianna let her troubles slide and

rested her head against Cole’s chest. If he wanted to take care of all her

insecurities tonight, she’d gladly let him.

Behind her, Cole cleared his throat and straightened, alerting

Brianna. “Don’t look now, but here comes dear, old daddy.”

She groaned and reached for her renewed queasy stomach once

again. Scottie was safe, away from his clutches, but her father still didn’t

know she’d married Cole. They had agreed upon using the party tonight

to tell him, knowing he would be furious. She reminded herself about the

tight security. There would be plenty should things get out of hand with

either her father or Caroline. The chief of police was even in attendance.

Rather than stepping away from her like she assumed he would, Cole

gathered her closer, not allowing her to wriggle out before her father

could reach them.

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“Cole.” Andrew slapped his hands together in front of him and

rubbed them back and forth. A greedy, nasty smile stretched across his

chubby face, turning Brianna’s stomach even more. “You two look quite

chummy. If I might ask, how are things going?”

He leaned closer to them and Brianna tried to step back out of his

reach but Cole held fast, keeping one arm locked around the good side of

her waist. She could smell her father’s alcohol-laden breath as he spoke

out of the corner of his mouth.

“Not giving you any trouble is she?”

Cole hugged her closer to him and Brianna closed her eyes in

embarrassment. How could he be so…disgusting? She was his daughter

for God’s sake.

“
She
is standing right here, and you have yet to acknowledge her. A

shame really, in front of all these people.” Cole’s chest rumbled against

her back.

Andrew looked ready to explode. His jaw tensed and his eyes took on

a menacing glow which clashed with his crimson cheeks. Without

turning to her he murmured, “Brianna.”

To the left, Brianna saw Tyler coming toward them with an intent

look on his face, and limping still from yesterday’s run-in with the curb.

The thing had swollen to enormous proportions, but like a typical man,

Ty would not let them take him in to have it x-rayed. Scottie was close

behind, his hand on Ty’s elbow as they made their way through the

crowd. A commotion on the raised landing to her right had her twisting

back the other way.

Caroline.

Brianna’s heart pounded, betraying her desire not to show her

anxiety.

Elegantly dressed in a long, white ball gown, her hair perfectly coifed,

Caroline stood at the top of the two steps searching the crowd. Several

men dressed discreetly in black tie were standing unobtrusively at

attention, awaiting further instructions.

The vixen’s gaze swept over them, leaving goose bumps parading up

and down every inch of Brianna’s skin. Caroline’s head snapped back to

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them and her eyes flashed in anger as she took in the way Cole was

wrapped so possessively around her. She descended the steps in regal

fashion, attracting everyone’s attention, including Andrew, who turned to

stare.

“Cole.” Brianna forced her throat to work. This woman would not

intimidate her. She would not.

“Shh. In a few minutes, this will all be over.”

Must be nice to be so confident.

With a finger, he tilted Brianna’s face back to his and placed his lips

on hers, easily parting her mouth with his tongue and insinuating it deep

inside so it slid deliciously with her own. Her knees shook. No one would

mistake this kiss.

Nor the fact that Cole lifted her left arm across her chest until her

hand rested on her right shoulder, nicely displaying the two-carat rock

and wedding band adorning her ring finger.

With Cole’s tongue still dancing in her mouth, Brianna heard more

than one gasp, several people applauding and many more,

“Congratulations.” She didn’t care. His mouth was magical, his kisses

exquisite. A fire-breathing dragon couldn’t force her away from this allconsuming kiss. She lifted her hand and raked her fingers through Cole’s

hair, holding him in place, and turned her body within his arms.

No dragons needed. It was the ear-piercing shriek that finally had

them pulling apart, if for nothing else than to cover their ears.

“You whore!” Caroline leapt toward them, her hair and gown flapping

behind her.

Brianna made a grave mistake by turning the wrong direction out of

Cole’s arms, and into the direct path of the screaming madwoman.

Caroline raised her arm and swung before Cole could react. Her open

palm landed squarely on Brianna’s cheek with enough force the entire

mansion could hear it.

Brianna stumbled backward, teetering on the silly heels Cole had

asked her to wear. She reached out as Cole lunged for her but they

missed each other and she ended up on the floor amidst the crowd of

onlookers. Tears of pain welled in her eyes as she held one hand to her

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already bruised cheek throbbing with the tingling of a thousand needles

and the other to the burning in her stitched-up side.

“You bitch. I told you what I’d do.”

“Shut up, Caroline.” Tyler wrestled his arms around Caroline’s

flailing limbs and twisted until they were locked behind her back.

Brianna caught a glimmer of silver as Ty pulled something out of his

back pocket.

The tears blurred her vision, but she heard the distinct click of

handcuffs over Caroline’s violent protests demanding Tyler to let her go.

Then there were four more men, each eager to take over the squealing

blonde. Brianna struggled to stand, with Cole’s help, on her shaky legs.

“Christ, baby, are you okay?”

She nodded. Caroline had hit her, knocked her on her ass and was

still fighting the group of men who each had a hand on her. Brianna

stood there in total shock. Until this moment she had tried hard to

believe Caroline couldn’t really be responsible for the two earlier attacks,

despite what Cole and Tyler both thought.

Now everything was clear to her. There could be no more denial, no

more wishing it had been a simple robbery gone bad, or an out of control

car. What a naïve little world she lived in. Another woman had actually

tried, twice, to have her killed in a possessive fit over a man. She

shivered at the memories.

“He’s mine! I told you. He’s mine,” Caroline screamed.

Cole was pissed. As if Bri hadn’t gone through enough this week. He

fought to keep his hands at his sides when what he wanted to do was

put his fist through Caroline’s nose. He’d never hit a woman in anger,

hadn’t been raised that way, and wasn’t going to start now. Not even as

sorely tempted as he was.

He stepped toward the still shrieking but contained blonde, when

Andrew Wyatt pushed him out of the way.

“It’s about time you stood up for your daughter,” Cole growled. Maybe

the man had some sense after all. It wouldn’t have surprised Cole any if

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the man had done nothing, but then his reputation would be torn to

shreds if he didn’t defend his daughter with these people as witnesses.

Andrew not only didn’t acknowledge Cole, he ignored him completely.

Instead he stopped in front of Caroline, lifted his hand and slapped her

across the face, paralyzing the woman and shocking not only Cole, but

also the entire audience.

“Control yourself, Caroline. I will not allow any child of mine to make

such a spectacle of themselves,” he spat at her.

Not, “I will not allow anyone to make a spectacle of my child, but I

will not allow any child of mine to make a spectacle of themselves.”

“Holy shit.” Cole’s mouth fell open at the bomb Andrew had just

dropped. Tyler looked just as floored. Cole heard a gasp and turned to

see Bri, pale beneath her reddened cheek, her hand covering her mouth.

Her big, watery eyes revealed her own surprised state.

“But you said he would be
mine
.” Caroline stamped her foot, whining

through the silent hush which fell over the crowd.

Cole and Tyler had expected Caroline was behind the attacks on

Brianna all along, but never this. There had been nothing to suggest

Caroline and Wyatt were related. At least it explained how Caroline

supposedly had information about Lydia Wyatt.

“No, I said I wanted an heir.” Andrew whirled on Brianna and shoved

a thick forefinger at her. “You’ve messed this up, girl. This,” he grabbed

her hand and yanked at the ring on her finger, “was not supposed to

happen. I asked him to sleep with you, not marry you.”