Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
“I’ve always been good with technology,” Alaistair said as he grinned up at Shepherd. “Haven’t I?”
“We’ve worked together in the past. I trusted you,” Shepherd whispered.
“Big mistake,” Alaistair sung. “I knew all about your watermark, it was easy to copy. You never even knew. I put it into my footage of Indie coming and going from the penthouse. I probably could have faked the footage with an actor or something, but real footage was better. And I was able to manipulate the video of her coming into the penthouse to make it look like she was leaving by herself. You never picked up on that.”
They hadn’t bothered to look too closely at the video footage of her leaving. Shepherd looked ill.
“I hacked into your computer, Slade, and replaced the real footage with mine. I knew where the safe was because I’d seen you put files in there before. I just didn’t know the code. As it turns out, that part was ridiculously easy. You were sappy enough to use her birthday, huh?”
Oh God.
How hadn’t she known any of this? Billy had never talked about him. He’d been in the apartment where she’d lived! He’d touched her things.
Yuck.
She felt nauseous at the thought.
It still shocked her that Quaid hadn’t believed him. Not even for a second. Her most suspicious, untrusting guy trusted her fully.
Under different circumstances, she might have felt . . . euphoric. Lighter. But she was still reeling from everything that Alaistair was telling her. Had he seriously wanted her back when she was a teenager? And he’d actually paired up with Billy to destroy the guys trust in her so they could have her to themselves?
Would Billy have really shared her with him? Somehow, she didn’t think so. He was too jealous for that.
But he’d let Alaistair take her panties to jerk off with them?
So gross.
What was wrong with him?
Pervert!
She sat down on a chair, her legs feeling shaky. Spencer took Hope from her which was probably just as well.
“Fucking hell,” Slade said. “And we never suspected you.”
“That was the best part, you all thought I was your friend. You were relaxed around me, let me into your penthouse, your office. I also knew that Billy had been gathering information about the people he was partnered up with. Things he could use to blackmail them. I helped him with that too. But then Indie disappeared and Billy was growing more deranged. So I decided it was time for him to go and I told his partners about the information he had on them.”
“You got him killed,” Quaid said.
“Well, yes, of course. He couldn’t keep what he was doing from them forever. How did you know it was me that got them into the club, though? I kept my face hidden from the cameras.”
“You had your own code to get in,” Shepherd said. “Everyone does. It was for security.”
“Fuck you, Shepherd,” Alaistair snarled. “I should have known. Let me go. You can’t keep me here. It’s kidnapping. You have no reason to hold me. You can’t prove any of this.”
“Who would we need to prove it to?” Quaid told him. “We’re not going to turn you in to the cops. Not just yet, anyway.”
“Take him to a secure location,” Slade ordered Shepherd.
Shepherd stood tall and saluted him. “Yes, sir! Right away!”
“I still don’t want you to kill him,” Indie said, feeling shaky and pale. They’d said they wouldn’t. But they were also furious.
Slade walked over and cupped her face with his hand. “No, we told you that we wouldn’t. You don’t need to worry about him anymore, though. Understand? You trust us to deal with him?”
“I trust you guys with my whole life.”
“Thank you,” Indie said to them later as they lay in bed. Hope was asleep in the bassinet next to the bed. She couldn’t believe they were finally home. To her surprise, they’d managed to fit another bed in this room. So now they had two large beds next to each other for the five of them. And there was still room for Hope’s bassinet, which was thankfully quite small.
“For what, Boo?” Slade asked.
“For not believing him and believing in me.”
You don’t have to thank us, Rock signed.
“We’re always going to be on your side.” Spencer leaned in over Slade, who was next to her, and kissed her lightly. “I love you, Princess. I’m so glad that you’re here. That you’re safe. And ours.”
“Always ours,” Quaid said from her other side. “Our girl.”
“You didn’t doubt me. Not for one second,” she said to him.
“Never. I love you, baby girl.”
“You were always meant to be ours,” Slade added. “From the moment we met you. Ours to protect, care for, and love.”
Love you, Rock signed.
“I love you guys so much. Thank you for everything, but mostly for being mine.”
77
Two weeks later . . .