Lies Beneath the Surface (Buried Secrets #2) (40 page)

Read Lies Beneath the Surface (Buried Secrets #2) Online

Authors: Silla Webb

“Happy Birthday.” Luke says hand
ing Colton a gift. Colton’s eyebrow cocks up and he peers at Luke like he has a third head.

“Thanks, but I ain’
t twelve.” He chuckles.

“Shut your mouth and open the gift, Colton. Gim
me my sweet girl.” Savannah picks Rylee up from Colton’s arms.

He shoots Savannah a piercing glare, the usual cocky smirk ever present on his face. “I’ll open it, but
as soon as I’m done you reach my baby girl back.” She rolls her eyes as she sways lightly from side to side with Rylee in her arms. “Heidi Jo, come open Daddy’s present from Uncle Luke.” Heidi Jo bounces across the floor and takes the present from Colton’s hand, ripping the paper away in one swift tear. She pops the box open then lays it in Colton’s lap. He moves the tissue paper to the side and pulls out a silver frame. He looks at the picture, then up to Luke. His brows furrow drawing deep in the corner of his eyes. “How’d you?”

Smiling, Luke
shrugs his shoulders and says, “I just knew.”

Colton
stands, reaching me the frame before he takes two swift steps and pulls Luke into a bear hug. I look at the shiny silver frame and complete awe washes over me. I love Luke Ashton just a little more in this moment. I don’t know how he always knows when and where he’s needed, but he just shows up offering strength and creating special memories that can never be forgotten.

The engraving on the silver frame reads:

Rylee

September 3, 2014

Daddy’s Little Monkey

The picture is exactly what I saw when I laid my eyes upon my daughter for the very first time; her snuggled to her Daddy’s chest as they both lay sleeping.

I lay here scrunched up in this small recliner, listenin’ to every sound that Rylee makes as she sleeps. Carly Jo is absolutely exhausted between labor, surgery and the excitement of the day so she’s nappin’ as Rylee naps. I can’t bring myself to put her down. I can’t stand for anyone else to touch her aside from Carly Jo.

My eyes are heavy and my body is worn, but I can’t sleep. I’m layin’ here with my baby
girl on my chest, replayin’ the last nine months in my mind. I nearly threw all of this away, as if it didn’t matter. I nearly lost my faith in Carly Jo and the love that I feel for her. When she told me about her and Luke, I washed my hands of her and was determined to walk away and never look back. I’ve never felt a pain so raw and gut wrenching as I did in that moment. By the grace of God I wandered back to her.

All the hell, the heartache,
the anguish…it was worth it all.

I’d relive it all again, in a heartbeat just to relive this day again, over and over. The best birthday gift I’ve ev
er received is my daughter. I can’t imagine missin’ this moment. I can’t imagine not holdin’ Rylee in my arms and feelin’ her heart beat against mine. I can’t imagine wakin’ up each mornin’ to a cold, empty bed. I can’t imagine not havin’ Carly Jo wrapped up in my arms. Because that’s where she belongs.

That wom
an stole my heart ten years ago and even when I ripped her heart out of her chest, she thrived because she carried my heart right along with her. We have so many more years ahead of us, so many more memories to be made. All the promises I’ve made to my beautiful wife, I’ll keep. I’ll hold her hand through the darkest of hours. I’ll give my last breath just for her to breathe a second longer.

Til my last dyin’ breath, our souls will be anchored together
.

BONUS SCENE

Fuckin’ hell.

I stare up a
t the water stained ceiling in disgust. How the hell did I let things come to this? My nerves are raw and I feel like a caged animal behind these metal bars; a six-by-six dilapidated cell separating me from my freedom. The putrid smell of sewage causes my stomach to churn with nausea. Can’t blame nobody but myself, and mother fuckin’ Drew Varney.

My best friend, my brother,
turned his back on me and left me high and dry without a soul to call on. Some fuckin’ shit, right? I tore my life upside down and shredded it to tiny pieces, all because that fucker told me to, and look where the hell I end up. Facing twenty to life for Attempt of Murder on two counts, Malicious Criminal Intent and a fuckin’ bucket full of other damn charges. I’m charged with shit I don’t even remember doin’, shit I ain’t even done. All because I’m the fall out boy. The man dumb enough to eat the fuckin’ bullet all because I’m in debt to that fucker, Drew.

Big John was in and out of Drew’s life from the
time he was just a small boy. Drew resented Big John for the difference he made between the girls and himself. Big John just tried to buy him off, but being the greedy son of bitch that Drew is, he wanted more. Hell, he wanted it all. But he knew there was no way in hell Big John was gonna pass the Simon Energy Empire down to him. Drew’s big elaborate plan was to infiltrate the Simon family with me as his pawn. He figured that with Carly out of the picture, Big John would retire and turn the reigns to Simon Energy over to Savannah. I’d coerce her into signing the company over to me since I had the knowledge of coal minin’, then I’d sign it all over to Drew. Sounds easy, right?

WRONG.

He didn’t plan on me fallin’ in love with his sister. He didn’t plan on us starting a family together. He hated every second of it and he frequently reminded me to keep my shit in check. He played the perfect best friend, always being sweet and endearing to Savannah. He kept his identity concealed. Fucker had her wrapped so tight around his pinky, she’d jump at even his simplest request. Twins loved him too. Hell, he was Uncle Drew. Literally. Ain’t that some shit?

Ne
ver knew what love was until Savannah captured my heart. She is the epitome of perfection. Absolutely flawless, full of grace. But falling for her, allowing myself to have the slightest chance at happiness was wrong. I was here to do a job, to relinquish Simon Energy from the Simon’s control and pass it to Drew as he so rightfully deserved it. I had to distance myself from Savannah and our children just to keep from foiling our plan.

My God, I nearly wept the first time I laid a hand on her.
Seein’ a purple bruise on her soft cheek, I hated myself in that moment. It seemed like over time the situation continued to deepen. After puttin’ up with all of Drew’s bullshit day in and day out, I had to let go of the pent up aggression some how. Coming home each night, she was always there to take the brunt of my frustration. I’d go for days sittin’ and stewin’ over my bourbon, trying to find a different release for my anger until I would finally snap. I hated hittin’ her, and I hated lovin’ her. She was the enemy in my mind, but in my heart, she was my beautiful wife, the woman who gave me two children and a mountain of happiness. Happiness that I didn’t deserve.

Eventually, through all of the shit I became one sick bastard.
My mind became confused about how I felt for Savannah. I didn’t care anymore that I was hurting her, because deep inside she was killing me slowly by loving me. I began to feed from her fear, began to crave the pain that I inflicted on her. I didn’t care that I was the source of her nightmares because she was the source of my dreams, and my dreams haunted me. I couldn’t love her and give her the happily ever after she deserved…it wasn’t written out for us that way.

When Carly came home, she stripped Simon Energy from our grasp and sent us up the shit creek without a
paddle. Beneath all that shit, we were busy tryin’ to cover our asses with the Black Pike scandal that Big John dumped in our laps. I knew the shit I was getting into with Black Pike, but we were makin’ money hand over fist, with no overhead. That is until the operation was shut down and the company assets were seized. I kept tellin’ Drew we’d get caught, but he assured me our asses were covered. Shouldn’t have trusted that filthy bastard.

Over the years, Savannah wilted. I hated watching her fade away, but it was all my fault. I should have let her go, move on and live a life she deserved
, but my possessively greedy nature refused to set her free. I needed someone to free my frustrations on and she always seemed to be the perfect victim.

I told Savannah that if she ever tried to leave me, I’d kill her and bury her ass so deep in a heap
of coal, back in an old abandoned mine shaft that nobody would ever find her. I nearly made good on my promise when I came home after being arraigned to find her standing in the foyer with a fuckin’ suitcase in her hand, like she was about to leave my sorry ass. Fuck no. That stupid whore of a sister just had to tempt me, pushin’ me over the damn edge. Rage coursed through me and I saw black; blind with fury. I cleaned fuckin’ house, nearly drainin’ the life from both of ‘em. My world was cavin’ in around me, might as well take her out with me, right? At least in death, our souls would be bound together and she couldn’t escape me. At least in death, we might just find our happiness together. Just as I was about to crash the heel of my foot down against Savannah’s face, delivering what surely would have been the final blow, I saw a picture on the bookshelf that stilled me in my actions, pullin’ me back into reality.

Brailee and Braden.

I couldn’t bring myself to strip my kids of having a loving life that they so richly deserve. Savannah loves our kids so fiercly and has walked through Hell’s Fire and Brimstone just to protect them. I’d never lay a hand on my kids, they’re my reason for living. But they don’t deserve to be left orphaned because their daddy is a heartless, greedy bastard. They’re innocent to my evil ways and I couldn’t bear to leave my children alone in this world. I won’t be here to protect them, but Savannah will be.

For once in my life, I committed a selfless act, and spared Savannah of her life so our children could life happily.
I drove out to my hunting cabin in the woods and drunk myself into oblivion until the Sherriff finally showed up and hauled my ass off to County.

I’ve spent the last four weeks in jail waiting for my pre-trial hearing. James tells me there are too many charges against me
to get bail, and Savannah’s attorney has been pulling every damn string in her magic box to keep my ass behind bars as long as she can.

Savannah won’t answer my
calls, and I miss hearing my childrens voices. To add to the bullshit that is my life, James showed up with divorce papers today. Fuckin’ hell. I told him to shove the divorce papers up his ass, I wasn’t signing them. I might be locked up and facing twenty years of imprisonment, but like hell I’ll be grantin’ her a divorce. She’s a stupid fuckin’ bitch for even thinkin’ something so ridiculous. ‘Til death do us part.

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