AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What happened two weeks ago?” Kane pressed.
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.
I’d recalled the incident several times since it had happened, and it never got easier to stomach. I hadn’t ever spoken about it, so it was a toss up at how I’d manage sharing it with Kane.
After taking in a settling breath, I opened my eyes and shared, “I’d always known Patrick to be an investor. His father, Preston, was one, and he followed in his father’s footsteps. They rescued failing businesses, or businesses that might have been overextended. The terms are always high, and they’ve made a lot of money. As Preston aged, he started handing the reins over to Patrick. And if there was a time when I believed Preston was a monster, I quickly learned that he didn’t even come close to his son.”
I paused a moment, attempting to gather my thoughts. Kane was patient, giving me the time I needed. His expression remained warm, even if there was no question the thoughts were running wild in his mind.
Eventually, I continued. “For years, I purposely remained oblivious to my husband’s business dealings. Maybe that’s crazy, but I never cared enough to want to know anything about it. And he was perfectly content to keep it that way, too. Of course, now I know why.”
Following another beat of silence, I went on. “About two weeks ago, Patrick had some of his business associates over to the house. We lived in a mansion. It was far too much house for just the two of us, but he liked it that way. I always used to think it was about status for him, and I guess, to some extent, it probably was. But now I know it was more than that. Having a house that large gave him the space to do the things he was doing. There were parts of the house I never even ventured to, because they were off-limits. They were his spaces for work.”
Recalling what happened that day, I dropped my gaze to my lap again. It was only then that I realized I was rubbing my hands together with such force. Kane noticed, and he must have understood precisely what was happening inside my head. He leaned forward, wrapped his hand around mine, and said, “Take your time.”
His tender touch and gentle voice were so comforting. I was convinced that nothing could ever be more soothing.
“He was getting renovations in his area of the house done, and I’d completely forgotten,” I began again. “So, when I walked through the house, prepared to go into the study, I did it not remembering he was having a meeting in there. Worst of all, he hadn’t completely closed the door. The moment I approached and heard raised voices, I froze on the spot. I should have gone back to the bedroom. I should have gone to the kitchen. I should have turned around and goneanywhereelse in the house. I didn’t. I stayed there, and I learned precisely what my husband does for a living.”
“Which is?” Kane asked.
“He deals in illegal firearms,” I revealed. “Through the crack in the door, I could see them. Hundreds of them spread out all over the room. I was terrified.”
Since I was finally getting to the point of it all, Kane was a bit eager to hear the truth. “Did he see you? What happened?” he questioned me.
I shook my head. “He didn’t see me. Not at first, anyway,” I returned. “But since I couldn’t manage to bring myself to move, I wound up witnessing more than just the piles of weapons. I don’t know all the specifics, but Patrick was angry. Very angry. He was shouting about carelessness and liabilities. And somewhere in the midst of it, when I was confused and trying to put it all together, it happened. He lifted a gun, pointed it at one of the men who worked for him, and shot the man right in the head. I gasped loudly as the man fell to the ground, and Patrick’s eyes flew to the crack in the door. He saw me, and I took off to the bedroom.”
I paused again, the sound of that bullet being fired still so fresh in my mind. Tears that I hadn’t even realized welled in my eyes began to spill down my cheeks.
Kane used that time to offer more gentle strokes of his thumb on my skin. It was the only thing stopping me from completely breaking down.
Since I’d shared all that had happened, I was going to wait for Kane to speak. If he had questions, he’d have to ask them.
Kane seemed to understand I was finished speaking, because he asked, “Did he come after you? Did he hurt you?”
Moving my head from side to side, I replied, “No. No, it had to have been nearly two hours later when he finally entered the bedroom. I’d been pretending to sleep, because I just couldn’t bring myself to face him. I barely slept at all that night. He didn’t seem to have any trouble sleeping. And the next morning, he told me that he knew I saw what happened, but as his wife, it was my duty to keep my mouth shut.”
“What did you say in response to that?” Kane asked.
“The only thing I could say to ensure he wouldn’t view me as a liability,” I answered. “I told him I had no idea what he was talking about, and I was grateful that for at least the next week, he seemed to believe he wouldn’t need to worry about me saying anything to anyone about what he’d done.”
“You did the right thing.”
My head snapped up. “A man was killed, and I didn’t report it,” I argued.
“And if you had, you might not be sitting here right now,” he reasoned.
I couldn’t say he was wrong about that. There was no question in my mind that if Patrick had the slightest inkling that I’d shared what happened with anyone, I’d be dead.
Maybe that was why running away and getting out was such a bad idea. He knew now precisely why I chose this time to leave, and there was no doubt he’d assume I would be telling the police.
He was wrong, though.
I cared about what he’d done to that man, but I cared more about staying alive. I hadn’t gotten myself caught up in illegal gun runs or anything else that Patrick and his men were involved in. They’d made a choice, and I had to assume that they knew there was some level of risk associated with what they were doing.
For that reason, I didn’t speak up.
My priority was keeping myself alive.
