In Love with a Stranger (24 page)

Lily had hired a detective herself and had found out that it’d been Henry who’d sent her brother to the states on “business.” She hadn’t been able to discover what that business had been until recently. When I got back with Hannah, and Ms. Sax saw we had a daughter, she must’ve realized that we’d been the cause of her brother’s visit that’d eventually ended in his demise. In the end, she had the strongest motive and was the most dangerous. I hated to admit it, but I was with my father on this. I needed to hire some security to protect my family. He was sure she was still in the states, but I wasn’t going to risk it. I had to keep them safe.

Chapter 29 – Security

WILLIAM

I joined Hannah in bed, knowing she needed help relaxing, but not before I stopped by Penelope’s room, where she was playing with Camille. I was still pissed at my sister, and I needed to make things clear for her.

I waved to her, so she’d join me out in the hallway. “Don’t answer the door for our parents, or anyone you don’t know.” I realized it could be more extensive of an issue, so I clarified, “You know what, just don’t answer the door or let anyone else in the house.”

“Is something going on?”

“I need to find some security we can trust, before we-”

“Did something happen?”

“One of the suspects in the fire might be out to avenge her brother’s death.”

“No! That can’t be right. Dad would never kill-”

“He didn’t, but his actions led to her brother’s demise, and we’re afraid she might be out to hurt us.”

“Oh, bloody hell, William, what are we going to do?”

“Keep tabs on her and gather more evidence. In the meantime, I’m going to see if I can’t track down some people I can trust who aren’t under dad’s thumb.”

“That’s not very likely over here, but I’ll help you where I can, and William, I’m sorry about mum earlier. She said you’d be alright with her calling in. I didn’t think she’d lie to me.”

“Hannah might’ve led her to believe there was a chance for her to be a part of our lives, but I’m just not ready for that yet.”

She nodded at me, but I had a feeling she didn’t fully agree with me cutting our mother out of my life. I knew for a fact she still met up with mum on occasion. She had a relationship with her I wasn’t sure I’d ever have.

I climbed into bed and pulled Hannah into my arms. She let out a contented moan and kissed my lips. She moved my hand down to her flat tummy, and I smiled. “We’re having a baby.” I was still trying to let that sink in. I had a son or daughter growing right under my hand. I planned to have this arsonist mess cleaned up long before they arrived. As for my parents, I still didn’t know what to do with them.

Hannah’s pleas hadn’t fallen on deaf ears like I’d tried to have. She had a way of breaking me, and if she was in my mother’s corner, I knew she’d eventually win out.  I wouldn’t have let my mum near my family, but Hannah had sobbed that she didn’t want to let my father take away my mother’s babies, and he had the power to do it. The fact that he spoke with such confidence, when he’d said he’d keep my mother away, was disturbing. It just reaffirmed that I needed to protect my family from him. I’d never let him keep us apart, never again.

I didn’t understand how he could’ve doted on my daughter, spoiling her from afar, yet he’d looked me dead in the face and acted as if she didn’t exist, and to carry out such an act for years…

Hannah’s soft hands pulled me out of my musings. She shoved me onto my back and straddled me. There was no way to fight off the grin she forced onto my face with just that little act. Her fingers dug into my hair, and her lips moved languidly against mine, before moving down my neck. The time for worrying was put aside. I tugged her top off and got to work, helping her forget our problems as well, even if it was just for a little while.

We were enjoying lunch and blatantly ignoring our personal files, when we heard a heavy rapping on the front door. Whoever was there seemed to deem it urgent to speak to us. I told the girls to stay put and frowned, when I found my father on the front stoop. “What are you doing here?” I asked, barely holding back a snarl.

He handed me a file. “This one was too urgent to mail, and I know you didn’t want me to involve anyone else in your life, so I had to bring it myself. If I had sent your mother, she would’ve been a blubbering mess.”

I took the file from him, doing my best not to take hold of him and shake him.

“She’s back, Lily Sax. She arrived this afternoon and is staying in town with her mother. I don’t have security on you, William.” He sounded so panicked. He shuffled in place, constantly scanning the street. “Do you have anyone lined up? Do you have people looking out for your family? I know you wouldn’t want my help, but I have to warn you, over the years, I’ve crossed a lot of people and have several in precarious places. I’m not sure you should trust anyone except your absolute closest friends. I don’t want anyone trying to use your family as leverage against me for their file.”

I laughed blackly. “Of course, there’s no one we can trust but your men.”

“Not if you have mates in the states.”

“So, you think we should head back to the U.S.? Are you that sure it’s her and not one of the other two women?”

“No, I honestly don’t know, but I’d hoped you’d have more connections there, safer places to be than here. I can have you transferred-”

“No, I won’t have you interfering with my job any further. It’s bad enough that you’ve already done it so much, and I want you to put it right as soon as possible.”

“Son, they never promoted you, unless you proved you had the skills and could handle it. You can hardly call that interfering.”

“Yet, it still was.”

“I don’t have anything solid on George, and we’ve actually been friends for a long time. He’s been in your corner from the beginning, William. I’m sure you would’ve had the same preferential treatment with him on the board. He’s the one who limited my interference by insisting you’d do fine on your own. He knows what’s going on. I’m sure a short sabbatical would be acceptable.”

“Even if I was granted a sabbatical, where would we go? Obviously, it’s not safe here with Lily Sax running around, but there are two more prime suspects gallivanting about in the states as well.”

“The United States is much larger than England, William, and you’ve yet to make amends with her father. He’s in law enforcement. He’d have the means to protect her.”

I sneered at him and slammed the door in his face. There was no way I was going anywhere near Scott Madison. I’d barely been able to keep from killing him before. I didn’t think it’d be good to have his murder on my record, when I applied for citizenship.

I tried to school my expression, when I walked back into the house, but I could only assume I’d failed miserably, by the way Camille and Hannah were looking at me. I tossed the file on the table. “Dad brought this by. Lily Sax is back in town.”  I looked around, wondering where Penelope was. Hannah must’ve picked up on my unasked question.

“She’s taking a shower and getting dressed. So, Lily Sax, one of the suspects?” she asked.

“Yes, the one who’d be out to avenge her brother’s death, she’s the most dangerous of the three.” I rubbed my face, feeling very frustrated, trying to think of a way to keep my family safe.

“What did dad say? Does he have security on us?” Camille went to the window, looking for someone.

“No, the bastard actually suggested we go back to the states and stay with Hannah’s father, since he’s in law enforcement.”

Hannah got up and ran out of the room, shocking us both. I went after her to see if she was alright. She was in the master bathroom, hunched over the toilet. “Beautiful?”

“No, I’m really not. I’m a mess, and so is this situation…and now I have stupid morning sickness.”  She burst into tears, so I pulled her into my arms and sat on the bathroom floor with her.

“It’s just one more way to remind us you’re carrying our baby. I get to be here for all of it this time.” I kissed the top of her head.

“That makes two of us. I completely missed the first six months of my pregnancy with Penelope, remember? This is all new to me, too, and I’m not sure I like it.”

I rubbed her little flat tummy. “We get to do all the
firsts
together, then.”

“What are we going to do, William? If she’s here, should we go back home?”

I rested my head on hers. “I really don’t know. I wish I did. I want to hire some form of security, but it’s hard to find someone I’d trust with you and Penelope. I honestly can’t think of anyone beyond Duncan and Carter, and they aren’t exactly in the security business.”

We sat quietly for a while, both trying to think of what to do. “We need to go back to Nevada,” she said resolved.

I held her out and looked at her face. She had to be nuts.

“Not to my father’s, but to Brody’s. Him, Blake, David, Adam, Sean, Ethan, Nathan, Collin, they’re all friends, guys I’d trust with my life and Penelope’s. They won’t let anyone hurt us, and it’ll give us time to get to the bottom of things. Besides, after finding my mother’s file, I think I want to talk to my father.”

I didn’t like this plan, but at this point, I didn’t really have another one.

~*~

Brody and Lisa met us at the airport. We’d be staying at their home for the first few days, before we found a place to let. Brody was quick to jump on the bandwagon of protecting Hannah and Penelope. I was introduced to the rest of the men. Each one seemed bigger than the next and gave Hannah a warm welcome. Since I had Brody’s stamp of approval, no one gave me too much of a hard time for marrying their friend-slash-little sister. It helped that Penelope hung all over me and proudly introduced me as her daddy. I’d never get tired of that.

The men all worked different hours at their regular jobs, so they were able to set up a schedule for two of them to be with us at all times. Even still, I didn’t feel all that safe, once we moved into our little rental on the outskirts of town. I set up multiple surveillance cameras and sent Hannah to stay with her friends’ families, while I worked remotely from home.

The fire chief had let us know the arsonist was most likely some kind of professional, eventually ruling out the crazy mother and leaving us with just Lily and Layla. Lily, because she’d have had the means and motive, and Layla, because she could’ve possibly had the knowhow, but there was still no proof of that, and her motive was weak.

I was beginning to worry that we’d missed something or someone somewhere. We’d been very quick to dismiss other suspects, and I wasn’t sure if that’d been the right decision. I poured over the file and wondered if even my father was missing something. He might’ve thought he was all-knowing, but he wasn’t. There was more to this, but I just didn’t know what it was.

A few days later, my father sent me another file, letting me know Lily Sax had returned to the states. She hadn’t yet located our whereabouts.  She’d cornered my mother in the market and had asked about us before she’d left. My mother didn’t give her any information other than I’d eloped, and she didn’t know where I’d run off to with my new bride.

The other tidbit of bad news was that Marvin had headed back to Carson City to visit his family and had been followed by Layla, but again, she was following him, not us. My father was knee-deep in the investigation, and he had people following all three people to keep us updated on what was going on.

So far, the only real information we had was that Layla might be stalking Marvin. When Hannah learned of it, she wanted to tell Marvin about Layla. She was worried her awkward savior would be in danger and felt we should try and save him, like he’d once saved her. I thought it was a bad idea. I didn’t want to let anyone know we knew anything about what was going on, but she insisted we try to devise a plan to tell him about Layla without exposing ourselves. That’d be easier said than done.

Chapter 30 – Secrets and Lies

HANNAH

I was ready for this all to be over. My morning sickness was finally starting to subside, but my anxiety about the whole messed-up situation hadn’t.  William was hesitant to warn Marvin about Layla following him. He sent his PI to look into it, to see if that was really what was happening.

I really wished we would’ve asked for the file on Marvin, and I wondered if William would be willing to contact his father and ask for it. I really doubted it, though. He’d done his best to stay far away from his family, and I really couldn’t blame him.

I tried to avoid the files, but once again, I found myself staring at them, daring myself to dig into them further.  I still hadn’t had the nerve to read them completely through.

“What do you have there?” Brody asked. He was on guard duty for the time being.

“William’s father kept extensive files on everyone. Penelope’s is rather disturbing, and I’m trying to work up the courage to see what else is in it. I know he’s been interfering in our lives since she was born, out of some twisted sense of family obligation. I’m not sure I want to know the extent of the betrayal of those around me. I already know her school and her doctor were involved.”

“Holy crap, are you kidding?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“That’s messed up.”

“You’re telling me. I’m afraid I’m going to read these and find my whole life in New York is a lie, that all the acquaintances I’ve made, the friends who I’d thought really cared about me and my daughter, are actually just working for Henry. I can’t return to that, Brody.”

“Well, you’re always welcome here,” he said with a huge grin, and I knew we were. I also knew when it came to William’s citizenship, it was going to be difficult to push it through. The fact that we had a daughter together proved he wasn’t trying to use his work visa to find a spouse to perpetuate citizenship. That was frowned upon and could complicate things. He being sent back to England, while we waited for his papers to come through, was a very real possibility. They didn’t care that we were married and wanted to be together. That was the one major difference in England. They’d allow us to stay together, while I obtained citizenship over there. I wasn’t sure that’d be the case here.

“What’s this?” Brody asked, picking up my mother’s file.

“That’s a file on my mom,” I said with a bit of disdain.

“Does it say how she died?”

“Oh yes, it does. French guy on a beach in California,” I spat, not realizing how bitter I was until that moment.

Brody looked utterly confused, so I just passed him the file. His eyes widened. “She’s alive?”

“Yup,” I slapped the counter, feeling suddenly aggressive, and decided to get myself a snack. Frequent snacks were what the OB/GYN prescribed for my nausea.

“I don’t understand,” he muttered.

“That makes two of us. I want to confront my father, but I’m not sure if I want to hear his side of things. I have a feeling he’ll only confirm what’s in that file.”

William walked in the front door and noticed the tense atmosphere. “Did something happen?”

“No,” I said at the same time as Brody said yes.

“Well, which is it?”

“Her mother is still alive!” Brody sounded appalled.

William pulled me into his arms and kissed me softly. “You know she’s not worth your time or worry.”

“You knew about this?” Brody asked shocked.

“Yes, we both found out together. I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say that there’s no reason to pursue her. There’s nothing she’d say to Hannah that could possibly excuse her actions. It’s best if we leave it be,” William reiterated again, but I wasn’t so sure I agreed with him.

“Do you still want to talk to your dad about this?” Brody asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

William looked exasperated, but picked up his coat. “Very well. Brody, would you please join us?”

“Heck yeah, I’ve got to see this.”

My dad’s schedule hadn’t changed for years, and just like before, he had the evening off. We dropped Penelope off with Lisa and headed over to his place. We parked on the street in front of the house, and I saw the curtains move in his front window. I held the file tightly against my chest and tried once again to settle my stomach in vain.

When William stepped out of the car, my dad came out of the house scowling. I could already tell this wasn’t going to go well. Thankfully, Brody hopped out and greeted my dad, while William grabbed my door, like the sweet gentleman he was.

When he wrapped his arm around me, I drew strength from him and knew I had get through this, no matter what my father had to say. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to say he’d kept my mother away from me or not. Either way, the outcome was going to be bad.

“What are you doing here?” my dad scowled at William.

“My wife has a few questions for you. I’d appreciate it if you’d put aside your prejudice for the moment and answer them.”

“Questions about what?” he snapped at William, but then his eyes took in the file in my hands.

“Audrey, I want to know about my mother.”

“I told you, she died a long time ago. Did you need her medical information or something?” he asked, eyeing the file again.

“No, Dad, I know Audrey didn’t die. I know she’s alive and well, living in California with some French guy named Marcelle Dubois.”

My father’s face nearly turned purple he was so mad. “You have all the information you need, then. Get out of here!”

“Wait, what happened?” I asked frantically.

“Detective Madison, my wife still has some questions for you...”

“I don’t have the answers!” he shouted.

“Scott, she knows it’s not your fault. Just give her a minute,” Brody said, settling my father down a bit.

“Fine, but we’re not talking about this in the front yard with all the looky-loos,” he grumbled and led the way into his house.

I sat down and opened the file on the coffee table, exposing the contents of it. The pain was evident on my father’s face. “Did she ever try and contact you or me after she left?”

My father shook his head, but it wasn’t convincing.

I waited silently for verbal confirmation. “She didn’t want to see us. She just wanted a few of her things. I sent them and told you I was donating them.”

“So, you guys divorced?”

“Yes, not long after she got out of the rehab center. I realized our marriage was a lost cause. Audrey had left long before she walked out. She wasn’t cut out for family life. I think it’s what got her started on the drugs in the first place. I wasn’t surprised when I was served with divorce papers. I was shocked, though, when they included her terminating her parental rights. She gave me full custody.

“I was ready to fight tooth and nail for you, but she just walked away. The guy she was with didn’t want kids. They wanted to travel the world, and you would’ve just gotten in their way. I wanted to deck the bitch when she said that. I knew it was over for good then. There was no way I could ever take back someone who could walk away from their family so completely.”

“So, she never tried to contact us?”

“Once she settled in California, she called and asked me about you. I told her you thought she was dead. She said it was probably for the best, and she’s never called again.”

“So she let me go, because she thought it’d be easier on me to think she was dead?” I asked hopefully. Maybe she hadn’t walked away and never gave me a second thought. Maybe she’d thought she was doing the right thing.

“Sweetheart, I don’t want you to get your hopes up,” my dad cautioned.

“But-” I started, but my father cut me off.

“I don’t want you contacting her, Hannah. She’ll just use you and hurt you. She’s been around that selfish foreigner far too long. You need to stay away from them.”

“I think that’s something we’ll decide on our own,” William said with a false calm. I could tell the tension was building once more, and it was just a matter of time before things exploded between my husband and father again.

“This is all your fault! She would’ve never known if it wasn’t for you. She would’ve been fine going through life, thinking her mother was dead, and you’ve ruined everything!” my father shouted at William.

“I have a right to know,” I insisted. “You never planned on telling me?”

“You didn’t need her in your life. No good can come from knowing her, Hannah. I was protecting you. If it wasn’t for that self-important foreigner-”

I’d heard enough of his rant. “William had nothing to do with this! I can’t believe you were going to hide yet another family member from me, from Penelope!  First my husband and her father, and now her grandmother, is there anyone else I don’t know about? An aunt, uncle, long lost sibling, or cousin?” I snapped. I was sick of him keeping everyone from me. “Where do you get off deciding who gets to be in my life? This is my family!  It’s my choice who I interact with! You’ve hurt me more than Audrey ever could, because I trusted you!”

“Look what you’ve done. You’ve turned my baby girl against me!” he focused his anger back on William.

I was two seconds away from slapping my father and shouting,
“Hey, asshole, you’re the reason I’m upset! You’re the reason I don’t want to talk to you. It has nothing to do with William!”

Instead, William hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me towards the door. “Come on, beautiful, let’s go. I don’t want you getting too worked up. It can’t be good for you two.” His hand brushed over my tummy, reminding me how important it was for me to settle down. I took a few deep breaths and ignored my father’s ranting at William. William wasn’t letting it bother him, so I wasn’t going to let it bother me, either.

Brody stepped between my dad and where William was leading me away. “Scott, I’ve known you my whole life, and I’m telling you right now. You need to let them go. You’re both too worked up to hold a decent conversation. Maybe call her in a few days, when you can think of something to say without yelling. I’ll tell her to do the same.”

“You’re taking his side? You’re going to let that man take my little girl from me?  I never thought you’d be bought off, too!” my father sneered.

“I was not bought off. I know he makes her happy. I know he loves his daughter and takes care of his wife. You need to accept it. You need to accept that he’s a part of your family, or you won’t have one. Open your damn eyes, Scott.  She’s happy. He loves her and his kids, just let it be.”

William opened my door for me, and I settled into my seat, looking back at my dad’s sad face. He looked so pained. William had held his tongue. He didn’t deserve my father’s hatred, and I wouldn’t stand for it.

The ride home was quiet. William kissed my fingers as he drove.

“Do you think I should contact her?” I asked him.

He glanced at me and gave me a worried smile. “Our fathers seem wary of her. I know both are a bit mental, but maybe if we were cautious about it. We could maybe see if she’d like to talk to you, but not give her too much information, so if she actually is the type of person they think she is, you can pull back. I do think we should hold off on introducing her to Penelope, though. Maybe not tell her much, other than who you are, and see how she feels about talking to you. Would you be alright with that?”

I nodded my head yes. He was right. As much as I’d love to believe my mother would value having a real relationship with me, I didn’t truly know her. The last thing I wanted to do was be taken by who our fathers believed to be my scam artist of a mother. I couldn’t help but hope that what they thought wasn’t true, though, and that maybe, just maybe, she’d want to know me and had missed me, too.