“Shh,” Sandra insisted, hugging her shoulders. “We just need to stay quiet until we know what’s going on. Don’t make a sound and he won’t find us.”They stayed hidden behind the mattress as the stillness surrounded them. There were no sounds from the floor above them and it made her curious and worried. What if Creighton was there? What if he had found Silvano and Bachmeier? How was he to know where they were hiding?Two more gunshots sounded through the building’s stillness, followed by the angry voice of Bachmeier shouting for them again. Sandra jumped at the noise and sighed, thankful she hadn’t crept out to see what was going on as she was thinking of doing. The sounds of furniture being overturned, and doors being slammed shut echoed through the silence of the storage room. It was only a matter of time before he searched down here and found them. That much they knew for certain.Just as she began to wonder about her husband again, the door of the storage room opened and Sabrina
“Go around back and secure the perimeter,” Andrew told Morris and Tabor as two police cars pulled up the driveway, lights and sirens off, hiding them in the darkness of the shadows. “Where are they now?” he asked Creighton, who lingered behind the Suburban looking at his phone.“They went into the supply cupboard and haven’t come out.”“Where’s Bachmeier?”“He’s in the medieval room,” he said then frowned as the sounds of a gun went off, echoing through the silence of the quiet house.“Go, go, go,” Andrew waved his arm as Morris went one way toward the back with two police and Tabor went the other with another two, leaving the last two with Creighton and Andrew who quickly went up the front steps. Creighton glanced at his phone once more, watching as Bachmeier kicked the doors open to the guest rooms as he made his way toward the supply room then disappeared inside.“He’s found them,” Creighton said, fear and anger gripping his words. They hurried into the main door and moved cautio
“I knew my uncle was screwing the bitch, so I told Stone about it. After I was put on a plane back to Germany, I waited to make sure it was safe before I got off and went to Stone’s place. He told me she’d left him, so I decided to go check out my uncle’s place and sure enough, she was there. I watched him shag her. He did it so many times until he finally went to London, then I snuck in and tied her up. I took her back to her husband where she belonged. “We had quite a fun time with her, or at least I did. Her old man couldn’t get it up long enough to jerk off. He was so angry with her for leaving him that he strangled her. I didn’t know what to do with the body, so I figured if we buried it back at the farm, then my uncle would be indicated and he’d go to jail instead of us, but nobody ever found her. That’s when I decided to bury the others there. That first girl was already buried, so it made sense to use it for all of them. If anyone was to ever find out, they’d think the old ma
The light of morning brought with it the pain of her battle wounds and Sandra moaned as she rolled over. Her head was pounding, her face throbbing from where she had unknowingly been laying on it and her body ached from her hair to her toes. She had never felt so sore or so exhausted before. It was like she hadn’t slept in weeks. She knew, if it wasn’t for the need to pee, she would probably still be asleep. With a reluctant sigh, she climbed out of the bed and looked around. She could see out of her swollen eye a bit more this morning than last night, which made her happy. They had returned to the flat in Versailles shortly after dawn, having been released from the hospital. She was given a shot to help her sleep, but not until the doctors made certain there were no broken bones. The handsome doctor who had seen them several weeks earlier was on call and arrived in the emergency room, insisting on giving her an ultrasound to check that the baby was well.Creighton had made her eat b
She frowned as she sat on the side of the tub, filling it with warm water. There was something he wasn’t telling her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. It was more of a feeling she got from him and she knew deep down he was hiding something important.Creighton brought in a tall glass of orange juice and a small white pill as she climbed beneath the water. He handed her both and watched as she obeyed his silent order, slipping the pill into her mouth. He took the glass from her when she handed it to him and walked it to the vanity, picking up the wristwatch.“That little thing was a lifesaver,” she told him.“I have a growing list of complaints to discuss with Lawrence,” he said, setting it back down and walking over to her again. “I don’t like how difficult it was to find you. That’s not what I wanted when I came up with the idea for this device. I was hoping it would be much easier and much quicker. But then again, I wasn’t expecting you to stay behind when you had the chance t
“I have been away from you far too long and I want you to make me cum,” she whispered against his neck as she began kissing and nipping at the firm skin.“Who am I to disagree?” he asked and lifted her hips a little higher, then slowly settled her down across him. Sandra felt her body relax around him, then braced her hands on his shoulders as he began to move her over his hard shaft.“I feel like it’s been a lifetime since we were together,” she moaned, feeling her body tighten around him.“You’ll never be that far from me again, I promise,” he whispered. His desire and passion were beginning to overtake him, and he gripped her buttocks hard, moving in and out of her at a steady rhythm. He knew it wouldn’t take much to fill her with the heat of his desire, but she needed to experience the release of her pent-up frustrations from the past two days, more than he did. With a wicked grin, he laid back slightly in the tub, allowing her to feel the full length of him as her body took him
Several minutes passed by before she felt the relief of having an empty stomach, then stood from the floor of the narrow stall. She heard the door open and frowned. This was not the time to confront another person.“Sandra, are you alright?” Sabrina asked from outside the closed door. She drew a deep breath. At least it wasn’t a stranger, or one of the reporters who had tried to get an interview with them as they left their flat.“I’m okay,” she answered, opening the door and walking to the sink to rinse her mouth out.“Andrew told me you’re pregnant,” Sabrina said softly. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”“I didn’t want you to worry any more than you already were.”“I’m so sorry,” she said through a shaky tone. “I wish Crey had never met that man or his horrible family.”“You don’t mean that,” Sandra said, turning to look at the girl as she wiped her hands on a paper towel. “What about Giovanni? He really loves you and I thought you felt the same way.”“I thought so too, but after al
“We still have some loose ends to tie up before we can put this to rest, but for now you can consider several cases closed. We’ll get in contact with the families of the victims and arrange a proper burial.”“We’ll take care of Angela Meacham,” Sandra offered. “She deserves to be buried with dignity beside her grandmother.” “I’ll let the coroner know.” Andrew drew a deep breath to match that of his brother’s.“What about Miriam?” Sandra asked again. “Will she be alright?”“She was innocent of everything her cousin did. He simply chose her clinic because of the distance it provided and the seclusion. Fortunately, she has insurance that will repair the damage and she will be returning to France in a few days. I’m sure she’ll dedicate an entire book to her cousin’s mental illnesses.”Sandra stared at Andrew for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or chastise him for his cool attitude toward all of this. Turning to see Creighton beside her, she took his hand and walked out
Sandra hung up the phone with a slam, then glanced to her grandparents who were sitting at the kitchen table. She was starting to get angry with all the rejections and dead-end avenues. She called Davies and told him she wanted him to get the plane ready to go to France, only to be told the police had restricted his flying. They were concerned that whomever it was that had killed her husband would try and sabotage the jet.She was getting frustrated and felt like she was being held back. If she didn’t know better, she would think she was being placed under lockdown. She could understand the police’s concern, but she had more men around her then they had at Fort Knox, and she would be willing to take all of them with her if she needed to.“I can’t leave the house, I can’t go to France, I can’t even gather eggs,” she grumbled as she joined the older couple. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t sit here and wait until doomsday to find out what happened to my husband.”“Honey, you’re going
The room was warm as the setting sun shone through the blinds. Two detectives sat on the sofa, watching as the man continued to pace the floor. Trying to keep him calm was growing increasingly harder with each hour.Creighton could only assume the horror his family was going through, not to mention Sandra. They had been having difficulties, but this made all of that seem trivial. He had to call her, he had to contact her somehow and let her know he was alive, but the police were refusing to allow him the chance. They had to keep him concealed for the time being, though it was steadily becoming impossible. The man was acting like a caged animal, anxiously trying to find a means of escape.“How much longer do we have to sit here?” he growled, looking to those gathered around.“We need you to remain patient for a little longer,” a bald-headed man told him. “Monsieur Ashford, we understand what you’re going through…”“Like hell you do,” Creighton snapped. “I have a pregnant wife at home w
“I know she’ll be happy when it’s over,” Emma said, returning to the room, her eyes red from the tears she’d been wiping away. “She can’t let Brandon go to school, and she has to keep the children inside instead of letting them go out to play.”“I’m sure they are going stir crazy,” Cathy said with a frown. “Especially Grace. That little girl is used to having the freedom of the farm to run and play.”“The only good thing is the weather,” William told them. “It’s been really wet, and she doesn’t like getting her dresses dirty.”“Sounds like her aunt,” Andrew said with a soft chuckle.“Maybe we should take this meeting over to my sister’s,” Cathy suggested with a sideways grin.“Let me call Derek and Kristin,” William said, standing and walking to the phone on the wall. “They wanted to know what you found out.”“Just have them meet us at Sandra’s,” Andrew told him. “We can discuss this all there.”“I thought Sabrina and Irena would be here,” Cathy said, looking at Emma who was wrapping
Parker and Harvey held off the reporters for as long as they could alone, then eventually had to call NHT’s security. Within a few short hours, there were enough burly looking men to scare off anyone trying to get near the house. Sandra kept her children inside, though it really wasn’t difficult. The rain had eased by supper, but just like the past several days, it picked up again this morning.Max growled as he laid of the entry. The noise of cameras clicking, and the soft hum of voices mingled among the breezes of the day. She had tried to watch television, but every station was reporting on the accident. Eventually, she had no choice but to surrender and put on Grace’s favorite princess movie. At least it kept them from listening to those who insisted that there was no hope in finding any answers this soon.Sandra drew a deep breath as she wiped the moisture from her forehead. She had decided to keep herself busy and baked two apple pies, along with nearly a hundred sugar cookies.
“No, it’s about assuming you knew what I would want. You did this, claiming it was for us when it was for you. You can’t stand the idea that your little sister has something you never would. It was bad enough when I felt like I was competing with Creighton for your attention, but now I’m watching you compete with Sandra for the mother of the year award.”“Stop comparing me to Sandra!” Cathy screamed. “It’s not my fault she’s perfect. She’s always been everyone’s favorite. I can’t tell you how many boyfriends I’ve dumped after I found out they were using me to get close to her. I didn’t want Creighton, but after he chose her over me, it made me angry. I was competing with her again, and she was too stupid to realize it. He chose that simple, no makeup, no fuss girl over me. She shares his bed, when I’m a better lover then she would ever be. She has his money, his admiration, your parents’ admiration, even my grandparents enjoy spending time with her over me. She even has a perfect body
“Maybe Michelle heard from him,” the boy said hopefully.“I haven’t spoken with her, but I want to call in the morning. She may know something more than the police do.”The two were silent for a long time as they considered their own thoughts, until Sandra realized the tea was gone. She looked to Brandon who looked like he was finally able to fall asleep, then stood and took the cups to the sink.“Come on, son,” she told him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. “Let’s see if we can get some sleep.”“Mum, can I come sleep with you?” Brandon asked once they reached the second floor of their house.Sandra smiled and hugged the boy, nodding as he looked up to her.“You can sleep on your daddy’s side,” she told him. “Just don’t tell him I let you in our bed. He may get jealous.”Brandon smiled as he walked with her into the bedroom. Sandra helped him between the covers and tucked him in, then left to check on Grace. The house was silent and soft snores of her little girl could be heard
Sandra paced her bedroom trying to stop her mind from racing through the events of the day. Derek had come home after his mother called him, insisting on picking up Brandon from school. Sabrina called to say the reporters were going crazy with the news of the Tornado’s fire and that she and Giovanni would be home as soon as they could get there.Irena spoke with her parents and insisted on calling in a prescription for Sandra’s nerves, though she refused to use it. She needed to stay alert and concentrate in order to determine what was going on. The last thing she needed was to surrender to the effects of a drug.After speaking with Andrew, William informed the rest of the family about Cathy’s surgery, though he wouldn’t go into detail. He assured them he would check into the reports from his end and stay abreast of the investigation. Once Cathy felt like traveling, they would drive out to Yorkshire to be with the family.Nana tried to get Sandra to let her stay overnight, but she was
Sandra opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her bedroom, yet she couldn’t remember laying down. The house was silent and the soft pattering of rain outside reminded her that the dog had made a muddy mess of the entry. Then she remembered her grandfather and William coming over, and slowly began to piece together the last thing she remembered.There had been an accident on the Tornado and three bodies were found. She knew in her heart it wasn’t Creighton. She couldn’t even begin to guess who would have been on their ship, or how it ended up at sea, but she knew her husband wasn’t the one killed. Now all she had to do, was convince the others into believing her.Sandra stepped down the stairs to hear Grace talking to her great-grandfather, the dog running from one room to another as he chased his rope and the smells of food drifting out of the kitchen. She stepped into the living room and saw Papa sitting beside Grace, one of her own books open in front of him as he listened to
Sandra stared at the two men for a long moment as their words began to sink in. When she spoke with her husband earlier that morning, he was still at the hotel. He didn’t mention having plans of returning to the yacht. Why would he go back there when he told her he was packing to come home?Then she thought about the bodies found. One was female. Who was it? Did Creighton lie to her about not being involved with Garcon’s assistant? Had he gone there to meet with her, perhaps a final rendezvous before coming home to his family?“Did you hear what we said?” Papa asked her.“It’s impossible,” she began, her anger taking over her words. Sandra looked down at Grace who was trying to wipe the muddy water from her little dress. She hadn’t understood what her grandparents were saying. All she cared about was her soiled outfit.“Sweetheart, go upstairs and find a clean dress,” Sandra told the little girl. “Put that one in the hamper and warsh your hands. We’ll make lunch when you’ve finished.