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“Jayson raped me and more than once,” I spat out. I would be damned if I felt sorry for him, or his offspring who I thought was the evilest, but I now knew came in second place where that title was concerned. “And you’re just as bad for letting him do it.”
I would’ve spit on him if I could. George moved away from me and smirked. “When he found out what I’d done, your presence in the house became a bit more palatable. He kept my sin quiet, and I did the same for him.”
I choked back a sob. I was nothing more than a means to an end. George wanted my money, and Jayson wanted to violate me in punishment. The two worked together to make my life miserable, and now, they wanted to end it completely. Jayson had tried, but he’d failed. I now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that George had something to do with the plane crash. It didn’t matter whether I found evidence to prove it or not, I felt it in my gut.
“Franklin Blake. You killed him, too. Didn’t you?”
“I believe I read it was an accid—”
“Liar,” I spat out, and earned another kick in side for the outburst. I groaned through the pain, but I continued. “You sent Jayson to Chicago to get something from Gabriel. You—”
“I didn’t need to kill the Blakes because they’d perished ahead of time. What I did need was evidence connecting me to a foreign bank account. I warned him to stop investigating me, but he wouldn’t because of you.”
I didn’t believe a word he said. I know Gabriel had thought it was a far-fetched idea to believe this man capable of this, but if he could kill his own sister, he was capable of anything. The two years of hell I’d experienced never had to have happened if only my parents would’ve had a different will. They’d likely be alive today, and I’d be in the arms of the man I loved instead of here on the floor in a place where I’d soon die.
“He’d ignored it. Karma is a funny thing. It has a habit of coming back around when you least expect it. I don’t think he ever thought he’d meet his demise enroute to a romantic island vacation. Franklin stuck his nose in the wrong person’s business, just as you’d done. And because you’ve been a pain in my ass since I brought you to Oregon, your death will be much slower and painful than Rosie’s was.”
“If you kill me, others will know it was you.”
“Then, I’ll have to take them out, too. After, I’ll take your money and start over in a place with no extradition.”
He’d actually thought this all out which scared me even more. So far, he’d managed to scheme and murder his way to a fortune, and if he got away with killing me, Gabriel, Jackson, or no one else would be there to stop him. He’d be able to escape exactly like he just warned. If only I’d stayed in Chicago. After Washington D.C., I’d let my guard down. I truly started to believe I was delusional and paranoid from too much of something, but I’d been right all along.
I was about to say something else when the henchman handed him something. My blood ran cold at the sight of the Glock. I swallowed hard as my uncle pointed it at me and grinned. “It’s time to die, Harper. Goodbye and good—”
At that moment, I heard an explosion of noise and the piercing sound of a gunshot. I almost thought I’d been struck, but I felt no pain or blood. Was this a delayed reaction? I heard voices, but there were so many of them that I couldn’t make out whose voice was whose until...
“Harper.” I’d recognize that voice anywhere.
“Gabriel,” I cried out, unable to believe he was really here.
“Put your weapon down,” I heard before another gunshot sounded, this time causing my uncle to bellow out in pain.
The gun dropped to the rug beside me, as did his blood. I looked away from Gabriel, and saw my uncle being handcuffed, while blood spurted from his arm. EMT was on the scene, and as one, started to make a tourniquet around his wounds, two others knelt down next to me. Gabriel was shooed away as they removed the rope and began to tend to my own wounds. I’d survived.
EPILOGUE - GABRIEL
MARBELLA, GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA
NINE MONTHS LATER
I glanced up from grill as Harper rose from her lounge chair. The two of us had decided to spend Christmas in Costa Rica this year. Callum’s parents had a house there, and they’d allowed us to use it. The romantic hideaway was located in one of Marbella’s gated communities, and offered amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. We were the only ones in the eleven thousand square foot mansion, but I liked the privacy. We’d been here a few days and planned to stay through New Year’s. Considering the last ten months, this trip was both deserved and needed.
She removed her sunglasses, then pulled her hair out of the ponytail holder and walked to the edge of the pool. I had food on the grill, but she captured my attention as she always did. I watched as she dived into the pool and thinking of her wet, I almost abandoned my station to join her until the smell of the wagyu beef wafted toward me. My stomach growled in response, and I knew we needed to eat.
I flipped the two ribeyes, then glanced back at the water. Harper was much more relaxed, especially after she’d learned the fates for her cousin and uncle. Both were locked up and would be for the rest of their lives. If Illinois hadn’t abolished the death penalty, George would’ve been handed that sentence in a heartbeat, and that was for the murders we knew he’d committed.
He still swore he hadn’t had anything to do with my parents’ death, and since there was no evidence of it, there was little we could do. I’d accepted their passing and continuing to hold on to vengeance would only keep that wound open. I was ready for them all to be closed so I could spend the rest of my life with the woman I loved.
Speaking of... She exited from the pool and I groaned at the sight of her body glistening in the sun. Her green bikini was so flimsy, a simple pull would tear it from her. I certainly wouldn’t complain about that because once we finished dinner, I planned to eat her for dessert.
I kept my eyes on her as she wrapped a towel around her lithe frame, then moved over to me. When close enough, I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. She then pulled back and flashed me a bright smile.
“The steak smells so good. I’m famished,” she told me.
I continued to grin. “I’m famished, too.”
She knew what I was getting at and quickly blushed. “We have plenty of time for that later. I’m just so in awe of this entire house, and to be able to actually have someone to spend Christmas with in a place so beautiful...”
