Share

9

Author: Whendhie
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

The deputies began snapping photographs, one of them taking notes. They stepped through the room, broken glass cracking underfoot, talking quietly among themselves. When they moved outside, Lois spoke up.

“What were you doing outside at three in the morning?” Lois managed to sound outraged rather than concerned.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Vanessa explained, hearing the complete lack of emotion in her own voice and realizing she was beyond caring what anyone thought of her. “I went outside to get some air.”

And, of course, both Lois and Steven gazes drifted from each other to Vanessa and back again, hers narrow and his appraising.

“You had difficulty sleeping?” Lois finally asked, her suspicion clear in her snide tone.

“Yes.” Vanessa stared at the older woman, practically daring her to speak her thoughts out loud. Right now she felt as if she was walking on the edge of a narrow precipice. Christopher was dead, and all the bickering or accusations in the world were not going to change that.

Momentarily, she covered her face with her hands. She still couldn’t shake the out-of-body feeling, like none of what was happening could possibly be real. In the space of a few days, her husband had been murdered, she’d learned that the police saw her as a suspect, and now his parents were here, judging and accusing her silently. 

Now it seemed someone truly wanted to kill her. This was a nightmare. She just wanted to figure out a way to disappear. Of course, she couldn’t, she wouldn’t. She’d dig deep and find the strength to deal with all of this and whatever else the universe decided to throw her way.

“You’re lucky the police came in time. You might have been shot,” Steven finally said, his voice gruff. “Seems like Christopher knew what he was doing, hiring a bodyguard. He knew how serious it was.”

“Excuse me.” The deputies returned from checking out the patio area. “We need to take your statement."

Vanessa went, keeping her explanation concise and to the point. She explained the way the shot had seemed to come from high up, like the shooter might have been in a tree or on the roof of another house.

The two officers exchanged glances. “Judging from the angle of some of the bullets, you might just be right. Is there anything else you’d like to add?”

Vanessa shook her head, then escorted the policemen out. When she returned, she saw that Anita had woken up and joined the Wesley's in the kitchen. There was a confused expression on her face and an awkward silence had fallen in the kitchen. As she was about to say goodnight and flee to her room, Lois's hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

“I think we deserve the truth,” the other woman said, her tone hard. “Do you know anything about my son's death? 

Vanessa, Are you the reason why I'll never get to see my son again?”

Though Lois Wesley's question appeared to shock Anita, Vanessa wasn’t surprised to hear her ask it. Ever since their arrival, Christopher's parents had been desperate in their grief to assign blame for the loss of their son. 

Straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin, Vanessa looked from one to the other, her eyes gleaming with what looked like unshed tears. “No, ma’am, I did not have anything to do with your son's death. I’ve never wished him death, throughout our marriage, after we separated and when I filed for divorce. I never once thought of taking his life.”

She took a deep breath, her tone measured and calm. “To be honest, it’s upsetting that you’d even consider something like that. I know you lost your son, but I lost my husband too.”

No one spoke to break the silence. Finally, Lois nodded, tears beginning to silently stream down her cheeks. Her husband put his arm around her and pulled her close. “I know,” she finally said, sniffling. “But since we’re being honest… Vanessa, you really don’t seem all that upset that Christopher is dead.”

Vanessa gasped. Before she could speak, Steven held up his hand, his lips pressed together so tight they appeared bloodless.

“Lois, that’s uncalled for. We all grieve differently. I think Vanessa is a strong woman. Vanessa, I apologize for my wife’s rudeness.”

“Thank you.” Tone icy, Vanessa dipped her head in a gesture of gratitude before turning her gaze to her mother-in-law. “I’m going to overlook the appalling cruelty of your comment,” she said. “And I’m not going to dignify it with a response. While I understand how much you miss your son, I don’t owe you or anyone else an explanation for anything.”

With that, she turned on her heel and exited the room, her back straight and her head held high. Anita let her go and didn’t follow her. Instead, she eyed Christopher's parents and considered whether she should say anything in Vanessa's defense. Because these people, for whatever reason, had insulted her friend for no reason when their son had in fact, been the shitty person. She couldn’t stand the fact that they had disparaged Vanessa.

In the end, she decided to make a short-and-sweet statement that couldn’t be misconstrued in any way. “I think Vanessa might be in shock,” she said. “A lot has happened to her in a short amount of time. Please give her a break.”

Steven nodded his agreement but his wife simply looked down at her feet silently, her mouth tight. Oh well. At least she’d tried.

“Good night,” Anita said. She suspected they had no idea of their son’s true character but if they did, she wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they’d turned a blind eye. 

Anita walked up to Vanessa's room. When she knocked twice and got no reply, she opened the door and peeped in. Vanessa was perched on the edge of the bed, crying her eyes out. Anita went to her and put her arm around her. 

"They are just being silly and ungrateful," she said, "Just ignore them. Soon they'll be gone and out of you life for good," 

"This is the second time someone is accusing me of wanting Christopher dead. Do people really think that I'm so vile that I would do such a thing?" 

Anita shook her head. "No, you're not vile. They are. You'll get over this eventually, and soon it'll all be in the past," 

Related chapters

  • UP IN FLAMES    10

    Vanessa woke up the next morning feeling numb. She knew that it would be hard enough to simply make it through the day. She had in-laws to deal with and a funeral to finalize. The media would need a statement, as well.She got a cup of coffee and sat down at the table, intent on losing herself in scrolling through her phone. When Steven and Lois Wesley strolled in a few minutes later, already dressed and looking ready to go, that was exactly what she was doing. With everyone gathered in the kitchen drinking coffee, she knew she should offer to make something for them to eat, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that.Eyeing her, Anita must have understood. “I’m going to make a doughnut run,” she announced. “I’ll be right back.”“Get some sausage rolls too,” Steven told her.Anita nodded as she went out the door. Fifteen minutes later, she returned with a large box of doughnuts. Everyone grabbed one or two and fell to eating them as if they hadn’t eaten for days. Vanessa stayed back a

  • UP IN FLAMES    11

    Since she and Christopher hadn’t gotten around to drawing up a prenup, the law was clear on the rights of inheritance. A will could only confirm that and perhaps designate heirship of smaller, sentimental items. Was there something specific Lois wanted? If so, all she needed to do was ask. Pushing down the bewildered hurt, Vanessa reminded herself she’d never truly understood Christopher's parents. Christopher had often commented that they cared more about their church family than their real one.After getting Chloe a cup of coffee and a doughnut, Vanessa asked her if she’d mind coming with her to the study. “I hope y’all will excuse us for a few moments,” she said to the rest of the room. “I’ve got some things I’d like to discuss with Chloe.”“I’d prefer to be there,” Lois announced. Vanessa stared at her. She’d thought Christopher's mother couldn’t shock her any more than she already had. Turned out she’d been wrong.“I’m sorry,” Vanessa told her firmly. “But this is private. I’m

  • UP IN FLAMES    12

    She wasn't sure if it was those startling dark eyes of his. Or it could’ve been those incredibly wide shoulders that would make any woman feel petite, or that broad chest and those…“What am I doing?” She smacked her forehead with her palm, pushing those thoughts aside.Going to him for help had nothing to do with envisioning him in boxers or showing off hard, naked abs. And the last thing she needed to be doing right now was mentally molesting the man. It was highly unlikely that he’d be happy to hear from her, but it was his job. Unable to find the number, she scooped up the letter she'd received, placed it back into the package it'd come in and shoved it into her bag. Fuck finding his number, she thought. She'd go straight to the station and find him there. She left her house, in search of a very different type of asshole.—--------Detective Alaric Harper's phone vibrated in the pocket of his jeans for the second time in the last hour. He needed to continue ignoring it. He should

  • UP IN FLAMES    13

    While those who were unaware of his upbringing thought he was affected by it due to his…habits and the fact he rarely stayed with one woman, the truth was, he had enough common sense to know that not all relationships were like his parents’. In reality, he had always been the least affected by his bastard of a father and train wreck of a mother. He just hadn’t met the woman he wanted to be with for more than a few hours here and there or involved in any aspect of his life.He really should get the fuck out of here. The lack of interest was one of the reasons why he hadn’t frequented Leather and Lace lately. And this was the only place he’d do this in. He never brought women back to his home. His cell started vibrating again.Fuck.Leaning back in his chair, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. Curiosity perked when he saw that it was his partner's number. “Paul?”“Thanks for answering the phone in a timely manner,” a deep, gravelly voice said.Alaric's lips tipped up

  • UP IN FLAMES    14

    Vanessa's stare lingered on the woman’s chest, and she suddenly felt like she was rocking a training bra. Christ on a crutch, were those things real? Her gaze finally drifted up to the woman’s face and something about the pretty features was familiar… Holy fuck balls, wasn’t she a district attorney? Oh my.Alaric cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him. “We need to talk? Right now?” he asked. For a moment, she couldn’t speak. Good God, this man…His dark brown hair was messy, and his broad shoulders seemed bigger now. His cheekbones were well defined and high, setting off a strong jawline and wide, expressive lips. The man was built like a heavyweight boxer.Her gaze traveled down his throat, over the gap in his shirt at his neck, and then down his arms. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, exposing powerful forearms and large hands.“Mrs Spencer?” Amusement colored Alaric's voice.Heat flooded her cheeks. Dear God, was she flustered? She was never flustered. An obno

  • UP IN FLAMES    15

    Irritation pricked at her skin, mostly at herself for becoming so frazzled. “I have a problem.”When his brows shot up, she wanted to smack herself in the face with the file folder. Had she lost brain cells somewhere between entering this room and right now? Fuck. “I received a threatening letter… Or note I guess,"Alaric didn’t respond, so she shoved the file folder toward him, which wasn’t very far, since he was in her personal space. He didn’t take it, and her irritation grew into frustration. “It's in here," “Okay.” He drew out the word as his gaze dipped. But not to her hands. To her chest.Vanessa didn’t know what to think or say at that point. She was a logical woman. A minute ago, he had had a woman in here who had two baby butts for boobs and she was barely a B cup. Not to mention there was no way in holy hell he could see her goods. She was wearing a white blouse buttoned straight up to her chin and a suit jacket. Unless he had x-ray vision, he was just being an ass.Strug

  • UP IN FLAMES    16

    "This… That was… That is so inappropriate that I don’t even know where to begin.” She reached up, taking off her glasses. For the briefest second, he saw her face for the first time without them before she placed them back on. His eyes narrowed. Just what did she see in Christopher Wesley that made her marry him, he wondered. She stared at him for a good half a minute and then exploded like a bottle rocket. “For fuck’s sake, talking to you is impossible! Fucking forget I even came here, because this was the most pointless trip I’ve ever made in the history of fucking forever! And just so you know, you're the worst Detective I've ever met in my life. It's a wonder how you manage to keep your job since the only thing you're good at is making false accusations, and being a shitty person.”He blinked, surprised by her outburst. And turned on—completely, 100 percent rocking a raging hard-on. There was definitely something wrong with that, but he wasn’t surprised. He liked his women mouthy

  • UP IN FLAMES    17

    The whole lower part of the steering wheel had been torn open, wires exposed and dangling like little red and blue snakes.“Oh my God,” she whispered, slowly shaking her head. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Anger poured into her chest, causing her hand to tighten around the keys until the metal dug into flesh. Someone had done this to her car—her property. No way in hell did she believe this was coincidental. It had to be the asshole behind the note, and…Icy fear snapped at the heels of her fury. Her breath came out in a ragged exhale. The person who had done this could still be here, ting and watching. Oh my God. Her heart jumped in her chest painfully. Backing away from her car door, she scanned the darkness ahead of her.She swallowed, but the knot of fear made it difficult. She was out here, alone, and if someone wanted—A heavy hand landed on her shoulder.Shrieking, she spun around, dropping the folder and throwing out her hand that held the key-shank she’d created.“

Latest chapter

  • UP IN FLAMES    80

    He laughed, dropping his forehead to hers. “I was thinking you wanted to tell me something else.”She reached up, spreading her palm against his cheek. The words were surprisingly easier to say than she could’ve ever imagined. “I love you.”His eyes fell shut as he sucked in a deep breath. “I’m glad we don’t need to fight again for you to admit that.”“Me, too,” she whispered, stretching up and kissing him softly. “Don’t you have something you want to say?”“Remember my fantasy?” His lashes lifted. “The one I told you about?”Paul cleared his throat behind them, but it went largely ignored.That wasn’t what she was looking for, but she would go with this. “Yes. I remember.”“And look at you. Your hair pulled back, wearing one of those god-awful suits. I think you did that on purpose.”A smile teased her lips. “I might have.”“Hmm,” he murmured as he reached around, gently unwrapping the bun and letting her hair fall down her back. “And why did you do that?”“I thought it might help my

  • UP IN FLAMES    79

    Stunned by what he said, all she could do was sit there, and when she didn’t say anything, Alaric cursed under his breath again. “I’ve told you that I don’t mind the chase, and I have no fucking problem chasing after you, but I refuse to run after a ghost. And that’s what you are if you can’t let go of your past with your mom. I won’t chase a ghost.”Then he spun, his long legs quickly eating up the distance between her and the door. And then…then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him.The moment Alaric left, she knew, without a doubt, that she had made the biggest mistake of her life. It was right there, smacking her face. Everything he had said was right.She was a coward. And the best damn thing to ever happen to her had just walked out the door.……… Her heart was like a hummingbird in her chest by the time she climbed out of her newly returned car and stared up at Alaric's house.A thousand things could go wrong with this. He might not be home. He could be and he could h

  • UP IN FLAMES    78

    Pressure clamped down on her chest and she quickly shook her head. She had been doing so well. Now wasn’t the time to break down. She placed her purse on the desk when someone knocked and the door to her office opened. It was her assistant, Ruby. "There's a Mr Harper here to see you, Mrs Spencer. Should I send him in?" Vanessa's heart skipped a beat, and she almost ran out the door to see him, but she stopped herself. What use would it be? She'd already left. There was no going back now, so she shook her head, "No," she replied, "Please tell him I'm not available," Ruby left, and Vanessa stood, staring at the door. She knew Alaric well enough to know that if he insisted on coming into her office, no one would be able to stop him. Fifteen minutes later, no one came in and she knew that he'd gone. She should be relieved, but she felt more miserable than ever. —-----Everything should be okay.Her apartment had been virtually restored. The rental insurance had kicked in and the new

  • UP IN FLAMES    77

    “Vanessa,” he breathed, voice ragged. "Vanessa, please…. Please don't…" He stopped talking and she dropped her head to his warm shoulder, squeezing her eyes against the rush of hot tears. Her arms trembled, but it seemed to have very little to do with what they’d just done, and more with the fact that after today, it would be the last time. It had to be before it was too late.But an evil little voice whispered that it was already too late. —------Vanessa was running.Alaric was a lot of things, but he wasn’t fucking stupid. And he’d meant what he’d said. Kind of. He’d let her have the facade of running, because she wasn’t going to get far. He knew that the woman felt the same way he did. She may not be able to say the words, but it was everything else she did. Right now, she was like a cornered animal. There were only two options for her: fight it out or run.She was going to run.He’d kept her busy the rest of the day Sunday, not giving her much time to put whatever cockamamie pla

  • UP IN FLAMES    76

    Looking over her shoulder at him, she drew in a shallow breath. “It is.”Alaric stared at her for what felt like forever and then he had his pants off in record time. His arousal jutted out proudly, hard and thick, and molten lava filled in her belly. He stepped into the shower, closing the door behind him. His hands landed on her hips and when he spoke, his voice whispered in her ear. “I know what you’re thinking.”Vanessa shuddered. “You do?”“Yes.” He kissed her shoulder, causing her heart to squeeze at the tender action. “You’re going to run.”She stiffened, her arms clamped close to her chest. “I don’t…don’t know what you’re talking about.”“You’re a shitty liar.” He turned her around and reached between them, wrapping his hands around her wrists. He backed her up until she was flush with the cold tile. “You have that look in your eyes. Never really seen it before—the whole deer-in-the-headlights look. But you have it. You’re going to run.”“You need to get your eyes checked, the

  • UP IN FLAMES    75

    “That's bullshit and you know it.” Paul said, "Fuck you," Alaric replied, but there was no real heat in his words. "Look, I had to take a break, okay? After everything that happened, I felt like I needed some time for myself. Besides Bobby was fine with it," Paul didn't look convinced, "Does this have anything to do with a certain Mrs Spencer?" When Alaric didn't reply, Paul added, "Damn man, Did you let her go?" Vanessa felt like an interloper. Well, duh, she was, and she really needed to get her ass out of there. Paul looked like he was about to say something else when what sounded like a chair in the dining room deciding to mate with the table drew their attention. They turned at the same time.Vanessa stood a few feet back from the table, her face as red as a fire truck and her eyes wide. Alaric's gaze dropped, and he swallowed a groan. Damn if he didn’t love seeing her in his clothes. However, he did not like the idea of Paul seeing her practically naked. And he really wasn’t

  • UP IN FLAMES    74

    Oh fuck, he needed to be in her again. “I like it, too.” Placing the tips of his fingers under her chin, he lifted her gaze to his. “And I love it when you lose control.”Her mouth opened, as if she was about to deny that, but he kissed her before she could deny what was so obvious. He wanted her upstairs and in his bed, but they got sidetracked on the stairs, and he ended up between her thighs, his arm along her back, taking the burn of the rocking motions. Later, much later, they made it to his bedroom. Both of them were exhausted, and he felt like he’d run a marathon. He lazily trailed a hand up and down her spine. Each time he reached the slight curve of her lower back, his fingers brushed the swell of her ass and she’d shiver. Of course, he kept doing it.She nuzzled her cheek against his chest, letting out a content sigh. “What you did downstairs, on the table people eat at, wasn’t very appropriate.”Alaric chuckled deeply. “What is it about you and appropriateness?”Her lips cu

  • UP IN FLAMES    73

    Cupping her breasts, he rolled her nipples between his fingers as he dipped his head, pressing a kiss to the small puckered skin on her shoulder. “You like that?”“Yes,” she said, voice husky. “It feels so good.”“Hmm…” He kissed her shoulder once more and then placed another kiss over her wildly beating pulse. “I like you like this.”“What?” She arched her back, thrusting her breasts into his hand.He plucked her nipples, grinning when she gasped. “Standing naked in front of my sink.”A soft laugh lit up the kitchen. “Are your blinds closed?”“Of course.” He moved his hips against her rear, groaning in her ear. “If I saw you like this every fucking day, my life would be perfect.”“Every day?” Muscles tensed against him, and he cursed under his breath.Not wanting to give her time to dwell and obsess over that comment, he curved his hand around her throat, guiding her head back, and kissed her. As he licked his way into her mouth, he pulled out the tie.“Close your eyes.”She pulled b

  • UP IN FLAMES    72

    He stared at her, and Vanessa averted her eyes. She couldn't look at him. He looked so hurt and she almost flung herself at him, but they didn't belong together and there was no point letting things go on longer than it should. They'd just be postponing the inevitable. "You don't have to stay in a hotel, Vanessa. You can stay with me…. And…. And then maybe we can get the chance to say goodbye to each other… Properly. Not standing here like strangers. We don't have to end it this way," That made sense, Vanessa told herself, or maybe it did because she wanted it to. She turned to look at his handsome face, "Alright," she said, "Let's go," —-----------It didn’t matter how many times Alaric tasted her or slid deep inside her, it was never enough. He was addicted to her—to the way she moved against him, how her mouth brought him pleasure and then riled him up seconds later when she mouthed off, or the way she cried out his name as she came. He couldn’t keep his hands off her, not whe

DMCA.com Protection Status