Heart Melter (23 page)

“I’m going to take Brodie out for a walk. Would you like to come with us?” Eileen asked, eyeing her with concern.

“No, thanks. I need to make some phone calls,” Natasha said. “I’m hoping my phone works better here than at the cottage.”

“Good luck. If you’d like to use the landline, there’s a phone right here,” Eileen said, gesturing to the wall beside the kitchen door leading outside. “Tilly is off today. Help yourself to more coffee if you like.”

“Okay, thanks.”

When Eileen left with Brodie on a leash, Natasha pulled her smartphone out of her shoulder bag and called her lawyer. “Hi Saundra, I’m so glad to reach you. Do you have any news for me?”

“Yes. I tried calling you last night, but it went to voice mail.”

“Sorry, my phone was off to conserve the battery. I can’t access my messages here.”

“No matter. I have good news for you.”

Natasha’s spirits lifted. “You do? What is it?”

“The police did a take-down at Rico’s club and arrested a lot of people, including Rico.”

Natasha gasped. “Oh my God, that is good news. What about my agent? Is he doing okay? I haven’t been able to reach Marty and I’m worried sick about him.”

“Don’t worry. They sent Marty home this morning. He seems to be recuperating well. I’ll call and let him know you’re out of danger.”

“Good. Thanks so much, Saundra. I owe you big time.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Natasha. I’m glad it all worked out for you,” Saundra said warmly.

“I’m going to send you house tickets for ‘The Bee’s Knees’. Let me know what day you and Bill want to come.”

“Sure, thank you. Can’t wait to see you in it,” Saundra said. “Safe travels. Bye now.”

Natasha downed her coffee and stretched after she hung up. What a morning! First the shocking revelation of Anitra’s hold on Ian’s land; now good news about Rico’s arrest. She couldn’t wait to share the good news with Ian, the other about Anitra would wait.

She climbed the stairs and midway up, the doorbell rang. Turning, she headed downstairs again, wondering if Eileen had gotten locked out.

Natasha opened the door and her heart nearly stopped when she saw the man. He had grown a beard, but she recognized him instantly. Her heart pounded and her pulse roared in her ears as she froze, paralyzed with shock. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, only stare at him.

He pulled her forward and pressed a gun to her head.

“Oh my God! Tony! Please don’t shoot,” Natasha whispered, her voice raw in her suddenly constricted throat.

“Shut up. You’re coming with me,” Tony muttered in her ear. Holding her arm twisted up behind her, he propelled her down the stairs and pushed her in the car. Going around the front with his gun aimed at her until he got in the driver’s seat. The mouth of the revolver pushed against her temple as he drove with one hand.

Quaking with terror, Natasha said, “I thought you were dead."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Tony sneered, tearing out of the driveway.

“But the newspapers, the—the television news reports,” Natasha stammered through trembling lips. “Everybody said you were dead.”

"I escaped from my car the night Dino Capelli ran me off the bridge, then I swam ashore."

"Have you been hiding under police protection?"

“Not anymore. The Capellis bought out the commissioner. The police think I was murdered."

“How did you find me?”

"I tracked you on your smartphone through spyware I installed.”

Natasha gasped. “When? How did you do that?”

He grunted. “Easy. I did it when you weren’t looking.”

“What do you want from me? Is this about the flash drive?” God only knew where he was taking her. Her heart drummed so hard, she worried her chest might explode any minute.

“Give me your phone.”

“My phone?” she asked suspiciously. “Why?”

“I’ve got important information embedded in there. Lay it here where I can see it,” he said, indicating the console compartment between their seats.

With trembling hands, Natasha did as she was told, desperately wishing she could text Ian to alert him. “You have my phone now. Please let me go,” she begged.

His mouth twisted. “You think I’m gonna let you go?” A deep-throated, nasty chuckle rolled from his chest. “You were a prude with me, but you’ve been fucking that doctor since you got here. I’m taking you to your little love nest and I’m gonna fuck you every way I can.”

“No!” she cried.

“If you think that cut on your thigh was scary, wait till you see what I do with the rest of you.”

“You were the one who cut me in Times Square?” she asked, hyperventilating.

“Yeah. When I’m finished with you, I’ll dump your dead body for the doctor to bury.”

She sucked in lungfuls of air. “Tony, please don’t say that. I like you; it just didn’t work out between us. Please don’t kill me. I’ll come to you willingly,” she lied, frantically eyeing the door from the corner of her eye.
Should she fling herself out of it?
He had to be going at least 100 mph.

“Liar!” he snarled, pressing the gun harder against her temple. Tony’s eyes gleamed like a madman’s as he came to a skidding stop on the side of the road. “I’m not waiting anymore. I’m gonna take you behind those bushes now, bitch. Get outta the car,” he ordered.

Petrified, Natasha’s eyes bulged at him. “Please don’t do this, Tony. I never meant you any harm.”

“Shut the fuck up and get out,” he bellowed, shoving her out of the car.

Natasha fell to the ground on her hands and knees. She scrambled to get up and twisted her head to look behind her, stunned to find two cars heading toward them from the opposite direction—Ian’s white Rover and Alec’s truck returning from town.

Tony saw them too. “Shit!” he roared and floored the accelerator, leaving her in the dust.

Natasha waved her arms and shouted, “Help!”

Ian’s Rover did a U-turn and headed in her direction. Falling to her knees, she thanked God when he brought the car to a screeching halt and sprinted toward her.

“Get the bloody
scunner
!” Ian shouted to Alec when he drove up to them. Alec tore off after Tony’s car.

Ian reached her side in seconds and searched her face with anguished eyes. “Who was that? Did he hurt you?”

“Tony…Tony,” she babbled incoherently, gasping for air.

“What about him? Lower your head and take a deep breath, angel,” Ian said, settling her on his lap, his arms surrounding her.

She sucked in shuddering breaths, safe in Ian’s strong embrace. Tony was gone, but for how long? She had to snap out of it. “It was Tony Martin. He’s alive! He kidnapped me from the house.”

“Did he hurt you?” Ian asked in a low, choked voice. “I’ll kill him if he did.”

“No, but he was planning to. If you hadn’t come along, I…I don’t want to think of what he would have done,” she said, tears streaming down her face. 

“Hush, it’s over now. Alec will nab the bloody bastard.” Ian held her tightly against his chest and kissed her temple. He stroked her back and spoke in a soothing voice. “Thank God, he didn’t harm you. I couldn’t bear losing you, darling. I love you too much.”

“I love you more,” she said, her wiping her tears.

“Impossible.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her with fierce tenderness. “Let’s go home, angel.”

“Where you are, that’s home to me.”

“Aye, me too.” Ian kissed her again and lifted her in his arms, carrying her as if she were the most precious cargo. When they were safely in the car, he said, “Do you need to get anything from Alec’s house?”

“No, I have my shoulder bag. That’s all I had with me. I feel bad about not saying good bye to Eileen and thanking her, but I want to get back to the cottage.”

“Me too. We can thank her later,” Ian said, starting the ignition.

“Tony took my smartphone from me. He said he had important stuff embedded in it.”

“Try to relax, darling, and don’t think about it. If I know Alec, he’ll have the
scunner
cornered soon.”

The Rover trekked down the same winding road where it had stalled last night. The fallen tree trunk had been cleared away, but the road was strewn with multi-colored leaves of red, gold and orange.

“Skye is so beautiful," she said softly as she looked out the window trying to calm her jittery heart. She glanced at Ian’s profile. He seemed lost in thought, his handsome features set in solemn lines as he drove.

“Aye, it is, but nothing compares to Glenhaven. It’s been my family's paradise for centuries.” His silver-green eyes glinted as he looked at her. “I’m intensely proud of my heritage and soon it will be ours,” he promised.

A tremor shook Natasha to the core, but she summoned courage. Now that she was out of danger, there was only one thing marring her peace of mind. “Ian, I have to ask you something. It’s been tormenting me since I heard it this morning," she said, her heart rising to her throat.

Ian’s eyebrows drew together over concerned eyes as he regarded her. "What is it?"

"I heard that Anitra owns part of Glenhaven. Is that true?" she asked in a low voice.

“Oh God.” Ian shook his head and eyed her compassionately. “You’ve just survived a horrible ordeal, Tasha. Do you really want to go into this now?”

“Yes.” Meeting his gaze directly, she swallowed hard. “No need to sugar coat. I can handle it.”

With a labored sigh, Ian slowed down the car, pulled over to the side and brought it to a stop. Facing her gravely, he drew another deep breath and expelled it forcefully. His broad shoulders slumped as if he carried the burden of the world on them.

"I'm afraid it is, Tasha,” he said, the angles of his face tense. “How did you find out? I know Alec wouldn't have said a word.”

Natasha met Ian’s probing gaze even though it pained her. "It wasn't Alec. Eileen overheard you talking about it with Alec. She thought it was common knowledge."

"It isn't,” Ian replied, shaking his head.

"Poor Eileen. She was horrified when she saw my reaction, but it was too late for her to take it back." Natasha laid a hesitant hand on Ian’s fist, noting how tightly he clutched the stick shift lever. “How on earth does my mother own half of Glenhaven?" It only meant one thing and she couldn’t bear to hear it, but she had to know.

Ian’s mouth twisted bitterly. “She inherited it when my father died. I've been trying to buy her out for years, but she refuses.”

Natasha’s heart plummeted. “Why would he leave it to Anitra?" she asked despairingly. She held her breath, unable to process a coherent thought as she waited to hear the awful truth
.

Ian stared at her for a long moment. “There’s no easy way to say this and it pains me to tell you. They were lovers, Tasha. Until his death," he said at last. "Your mother and my father.”

“Nooo. I don’t believe it.” Natasha clenched her hands into fists and pressed them to her temples as her eyes frantically searched his face. The look in his eyes told her the damning truth.  "Oh God, oh God,” she cried, her shoulders shaking with choking breaths. "Did my father know about their affair?"

"I don’t think so. They kept it secret. I only found out when Malcolm's will was read. Anitra and I were the only ones told by the barrister that we share the inheritance of Glenhaven estate. I'm sure she never told Walter about her affair with my father.”

Natasha lowered her eyes from his penetrating gaze. "I'm mortified and…and furious with her. Have you forgiven your father?” 

“For his sins of the past?” Ian said scornfully. He shrugged and gave a wry twist of his mouth. “He royally screwed up my life with them, but frankly, who am I to judge? Everyone has a weakness.” He gazed at her and said earnestly, “You’re my weakness, angel.”

“And you’re mine,” she whispered hoarsely, overcome by emotion.

“I plan to continue fighting for Glenhaven and I won’t stop until I win.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me? About her?” she added despondently.

“I wanted to spare you. Anitra is your mother and Walter is a wonderful father to you, a man we both respect. I didn't want to destroy your idyllic vision of their marriage."

She grimaced. “Idyllic? Their marriage was a disaster. All I remember was their bitter fights. They never divorced, but they live separate lives and are emotionally distant.”

Suddenly, a lot of things began to make sense. Anitra must have had another motive for pushing her to refuse Ian's marriage proposal. It had nothing to do with Ian's desire for her to move to Scotland. Her mother had wanted her far away from him for selfish reasons. She hadn't wanted to risk her daughter finding out about her adulterous affair with Malcolm. The dawning realization made her sick to her stomach and wounded to the core. Natasha’s soul burned with shame for her mother. She felt hopelessly desolate as she realized she’d never really had her mother’s love and support.

“I'm sorry for everything she did. All the treachery and heartache my mother caused,” she said, hot tears spilling from her eyes.

"Hush," he soothed, gently drying her tears. "Don’t apologize. You’re nothing like her."

“Daddy was her victim. If he’d known, he would have divorced her and he could have found happiness with someone else. When I think of all the years she deceived him, I feel sick inside. I don’t understand why she didn’t leave him and marry Malcolm.”

“You’ll never understand your mother’s motives.” The wrath in Ian’s eyes scalded Natasha’s soul. The man she loved more than anything in the world hated her mother with a passion.

She looked down. “I know you can’t stand Anitra and I understand why, but she’s my mother. I’m going to confront her and make her sell you her portion.”

Ian lifted her chin and looked her straight in the eye. “Don’t do it, Tasha, you’ll get burned. I’ll handle Anitra.”

“I must get involved! I don’t want her to come between us again," Natasha said, her chest tightening. She cupped Ian’s taut jaw with her hand and she gazed at him, feeling vulnerable.

He turned his face and kissed her palm. “She won’t,” he said reassuringly.

A tingle slid up her spine at the determined look on Ian’s face. He was not someone to cross; Anitra had sorely underestimated him. Natasha remained silent. She had every intention of confronting her mother and setting things right. Once and for all.