Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 25728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
"Just you, me and the owner of the shop, she doesn't know why I needed the tapes though, she thinks it's an undercover sting."
"Good, let's keep it that way." Was that my voice, so controlled? I didn't feel in control of anything, I felt like I was spinning on a knife edge about to lose my fucking mind.
"I'll see myself out, call me if you need anything." He left and I sat there trying to work things out. This mess had to be handled carefully, there was going to be a shit storm but I had to make sure of who was involved.
There's no way the person on that tape had access to my grandmother's jewelry, they had to have had help. I needed to know who that help was. I flew off the rails last time, jumped the gun, saw only what I was meant to see, this time I would be more thorough.
I made a few phone calls to set things in motion. This ended now, there were only a few people who had access to the combination to my safe, and they were all family. It was a running joke that the two brothers, meaning Don and I were so similar when it came to pass codes. Not that mine was so easily known, unless you knew me that is. Whoever was in on this knew me, but why had they chosen to do this?
I spent the next few hours plotting in my head, trying to line up every possible scenario, the one bright light in this whole mess was that Amber was innocent. The theft had been the nail in her coffin it was the one thing that had convinced me of her guilt. And it had all been a lie.
And I had...oh fuck me. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. The thought of what I had said to her, the way I had treated her. I'd contemplated taking her against her will, and worst, I'd threatened to take her child away from her. A young innocent girl, an orphan with no one in her corner; what the fuck have I done?
"Oh God Amber I'm so sorry." I cried like a fucking child as my heart broke into a million fucking pieces. I had done this to her, I'd brought her into my world where I thought she would be safe, only to leave her at the mercy of jackals.
Chapter 16
By the time they got home I had pulled myself together somewhat, I think I pulled it off since mom left without noticing anything awry. I even helped Amber put the things she’d bought away before giving our son his bath and getting him ready for bed.
When he was down for the night I asked if she was hungry.
"No we stopped and had something to eat I'm set." She seemed a little lighter, I was glad for that.
"Let's go into the study, I need to ask you something." She got that weary look on her face but I smiled at her reassuringly. If I had my way she'd never look like that again.
I didn't beat around the bush, just got right to it as soon as we were seated.
"Why did you leave me?" She seemed surprised by the question, I could imagine why. After all every time she'd tried to talk to me in the last couple days I'd shut her down. Maybe because subconsciously my mind was getting too close to the truth and I couldn't handle it. Whatever, that shit was over now.
"Colin..." She wrung her hands as if afraid to speak.
"Come ‘ere. " I reached for her drawing her into my lap.
"It's okay, you can tell me, I promise I'm not mad at you." I kissed her so she'd know that I was being truthful. I pulled her head down to my shoulder and held her close.
"I left because...someone told me you were getting married."
"What the fuck?" The words were out before I could control them.
"I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to yell, go on, who told you that I was getting married?"
"Cindy." And there it was the final piece of the puzzle. I didn't know what the fuck to feel, this shit would tear my family apart, my brother, and my niece, fuck.
I could piece the rest together, like the who I was supposed to marry, I just couldn't figure out why my sister in law, a woman I had known for six years would do such a thing.
"Do you still believe that?"
She shook her head timidly.
"I had a talk with your mom."
"Oh yeah what'd she say?"
"She thanked me for coming back into your life, she said today was the first time she saw her son in almost a year. She said whatever demons you were fighting seemed to have left. So I started thinking and I realized if you were really in love with someone else my leaving wouldn't have affected you this way."