The Tangled Series Complete Digital Boxed Set (Bad Boy Rock Star, Millionaire, and MMA Fighter Bundle) (54 page)

Sera

Fred called me as I drove home to meet Emma at the bus stop.

“Sera. We found him under a dock,” he said, sounding distraught. His voice cracked. “You were right. He’s dead.”

“I’m so sorry, Fred,” I said as tears filled my eyes. Deep down I knew that they would find him, but I had hoped to be wrong.

“That bastard used kettle weights to keep him from floating away,” he went on. “And… fishing line.”

I pulled into the driveway, thankful to be home as I heard such horrific news. “Oh, Fred.”

He sighed. “At least there is closure and I know he’s not being held somewhere, being tortured or dying of starvation.”

I brushed the tears from my cheeks. “At least there’s that.”

“Gonna have him cremated. Just like he wanted. Then spread his ashes near Lake Tahoe.”

“Lake Tahoe?”

He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, but I could tell he was crying and trying to regain his composure. “Yep,” his said, huskily. “He always wanted to go there. I think it’s only right he gets to.”

An image of Sam popped into my head and he was smiling. I wondered if it was a memory or something more. I grabbed a Kleenex from my purse and wiped my face. “You know, I think he’d like that.”

“I hope so… Jesus, Sera, I still can’t believe it. I had a feeling he was gone, but now that I know for sure, it’s hard.”

“I know, Fred.”

“Yes, you of all people would.”

I closed my eyes and another image emerged. This time, of my mother and Sam. They were glowing and happy… and they were together. “At least they’re finally reunited,” I told Fred. “Mom and Sam. They really did love each other, you know.”

A sob escaped Fred. “I know. He told me. I’m sorry, Sera.”

“Don’t apologize for loving your brother, Fred. A real man has emotions and can own up to them, you know.”

He laughed. “Where have I heard that before?”

I smiled. “I heard you on the phone with Sam once. Talking about my mother.”

“I remember. He was blubbering. Just like his older brother is now.”

I laughed. “Oh, Fred. He loved you so much. You know that, don’t you?”

“I loved him, too.”

We were quiet for a while.

“So, can they pin this on Ray?” I asked.

“They’re trying, although, I don’t know what kind of evidence they’re going to find. He’s been under the water for a couple of days now.” He sucked in his breath. “Say, you aren’t getting any kind of psychic feelings about where we might be able to locate Sam’s phone? Or that fishing twine that was used?”

“No. I’m sorry. I’m not getting anything like that at all. I am feeling that Sam is at peace, though. I just want you to know.”

“At least there is that. I’ve got to get going. I’ll be home soon, I guess.”

“Okay, Fred. Take care and call me.”

“I will. Give my love to Emma. I’ll call Arlene later.”

“Definitely.”

***

Fred returned three days later and I met him at the airport with Arlene and Emma.

He looked over our heads. “Where’s Thane?”

“His office is being remodeled today,” I said. “He was going to take a couple of days off while they did it. I think he might be at his father’s place. Felicia mentioned something about it.”

“He didn’t tell you himself?”

We’d actually been avoiding each other. I forced a smile. “I’ve been so busy and we keep missing each other.”

“I guess I should have called him. To thank him for keeping an eye on you.”

“I already thanked him plenty,” I said, under my breath.

We walked through the terminal and picked up his luggage.

“So, do you have Sam’s ashes?” I asked, nodding toward his suitcase.

“Not yet. I won’t get the ashes until they are completely done with the autopsy. Dooly is going to call me and I’ll fly back out there when the examination is over.” He smiled at all of us sadly. “I just needed to come home. I missed my family.”

“We missed you, too, Papa Fred,” said Emma, grabbing his hand.

He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. “I think I missed you most of all. In fact, I brought you something.”

“What?”

He unlocked his suitcase and pulled out a small, stuffed Golden Retriever puppy. “Thought you should finally get that puppy you’ve been pining for.”

Her eyes lit up. She grabbed the stuffed animal and hugged it. “Thank you so much. I love it!”

Fred patted her on the head. “You’re very welcome.”

“Where’s my puppy?” asked Arlene.

He wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ve got something special for you, too. You’re going to have to wait until we get home, though.”

Arlene blushed and I couldn’t help but smile.

We drove home, mostly in silence. Fred stared out the window and I could tell he was thinking of his brother. Arlene and Emma did most of the talking and I listened as they planned another day of baking. This time for Fred.

After we walked through the front door, Emma ran to her bedroom to introduce her new stuffed puppy to her other toys. I followed Fred into the kitchen with Arlene, for coffee.

“So, nothing on Ray?” she asked, setting her purse down on the kitchen counter.

“No. But I heard he’s checked himself into some kind of treatment center. Apparently, he’s going to spend three months there,” said Fred.

I stared at him in shock. “You’re serious?”

He smirked. “Yep. I don’t know what kind of game he is playing, but I got people watching him. Very closely. He makes any wrong moves, and they’ll be all over him like flies on shit.”

“He knows that,” I said, staring blindly toward the refrigerator. I turned to Fred. “That’s why he’s in treatment. To throw people off. He wants to look like he’s a reasonable person and not a murderer.”

Fred grunted. “I figured it was something like that.”

“I just pray they can find some evidence linking him to Sam’s death,” said Arlene, turning on the Keurig.

“Me, too,” he said, sitting down at the table. He folded his hands in front of him and sighed. “Me, too.”

*****

Two weeks later, we drove to Lake Tahoe with Fred, to scatter Sam’s ashes in a secluded spot near the lake. One that Fred had scouted out the week before. We were joined by Thane and his father, Mike, so they could also pay their respects. Thane and I kept our distance and acted civil, but there was definitely a tension in the air between us.

After we were finished, we decided to have lunch at a steakhouse at the edge of town.

“So, you’re the woman Thane’s been gnawing my ear about,” said Mike, taking a swig of his beer. He was the spitting image of Thane, only thirty years older and a full-fledged beer belly.

I looked at Thane, who was sitting in the chair next to me. The expression on his face was of confusion.

Mike snorted. “Don’t give me that look, Mister. You know you have.”

“Don’t listen to him,” said Thane, smiling at me humorlessly. “He’s getting senile in his old age.”

His father chuckled. “Look who’s talking. You probably don’t remember telling me about her psychic abilities or how you used to give her grief about them.”

“He certainly did,” I said, and then smirked. “Until I read his mind and freaked the heck out of him.”

“Is that right?” asked Mike, looking impressed.

“It’s true,” said Emma, smiling. “Mommy can sometimes do that.”

“Impressive,” he replied. “Maybe you could do some kind of psychic reading for me one day? Tell me my future?”

“It’s not that easy,” I replied, leaning back in my chair.

“She has yet to hone her skills,” said Thane, finishing his beer. “Isn’t that right?”

“Something like that,” I said, wondering if he was being sarcastic.

Fred threw his napkin on top of his empty plate. He patted his stomach. “Now that was a very good burger. One of the best I’ve ever had.”

“It was,” said Arlene. “We’ll have to come out this way again for another one.”

He nodded and covered her hand with his. “Might be a good place to get married. Don’t you think?”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” I said, beaming at them. “You should!”

“I agree,” said Arlene. “We’ll have to start checking into it.”

I glanced at Emma, who had finished eating. “Drink your milk, honey.”

She raised her glass and swallowed the rest. Then she set it back down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Use your napkin,” I said, nodding toward it.

“Too late now.” She turned to Arlene. “Can you bring me to the bathroom?”

“Yes. I have to go, too,” she replied, reaching for her purse.

“I’d better go, too,” said Fred, standing up. “It’s a long ride back.”

Mike threw some cash down on the table and also stood up. “I guess we should head out. I’ll call you, Fred. It was nice meeting the rest of you.”

“You as well,” I said, reaching into my purse for my cell phone, which had begun to vibrate.

“Have a safe trip,” said Arlene.

“Goodbye,” said Emma.

“Goodbye. I’ll meet you in the parking lot, Thane.”

“Sure, dad,” he replied, not making any move to get up. “I’ll be right there.”

All four of them walked away. After confirming an appointment I’d made for Emma the following week, via a text, I shoved the phone back into my purse.

“So, can you read my mind now?” asked Thane. He was so close that I could feel his warm breath on my ear.

“Stop,” I murmured. I didn’t have to read his mind to know that he’d been undressing me with his eyes since we’d entered the restaurant.

“Your mouth says stop, but your nipples say something else,” he whispered, brushing his hand against my thigh.

I sighed in irritation and stared down at my chest. To my horror, I found that the bra I’d been wearing didn’t have enough padding and my nipples were indeed, standing at attention. He’d definitely caused that reaction after touching my leg.

“They seem to be lacking attention,” he said, smiling wickedly. “We should do something about that.”

I pushed myself away from the table and stood up. “How do you know they’ve been lacking attention? Maybe I have a boyfriend? One who isn’t afraid to be seen with me?”

His smile was cold. “Do you?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I just walked away.

From that moment on, I decided to avoid Thane as much as I could. Even though I was dying for his touch, I wasn’t willing to be his secret fuck-buddy. It wasn’t until I was alone in my bed at night, with the gift Felicia had given me, that I allowed myself to pretend that he was the one making love to me. Unfortunately, the real Thane had no idea what love was. So, I went through a lot of batteries….

Thane

It had been eight months since Sera and I had been intimate, but the images were still fresh in my mind. Images of her beautiful body and the way she’d stared at me hungrily when we’d had sex. She haunted my dreams and ironically, now replaced the nightmares I’d had of Zack. Instead of waking up in a cold sweat, I now woke up frustrated, my balls blue. I even tried dating a woman I’d met at the gym, but instead of leaving me sexually satisfied, it only made me want Sera more. Nobody compared to her. I just didn’t know what to do about it. She knew how I felt about business relationships, and I knew how she felt about Tangled. She wouldn’t leave. Not even for me. Needless to say, seeing her every day without being able to touch her was torture. But it didn’t stop me from having a little fun. Although we’d agreed to a platonic relationship, I couldn’t help but flirt and push her to the limits whenever we were alone.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend, yet?” she asked one day when we were in my office. 

“Would you care if I did?” I challenged.

“Of course not,” she replied, her jaw set. “There is nothing between us.”

My eyes moved to her chest and I grinned wickedly. “Just our clothes.”

“What would you do if I sued you for sexual harassment?” she said, crossing her arms over her breasts.

“I’d make more passes at you. To make sure you had a valid case.”

Rolling her eyes, she stormed out of my office, my laughter following her.

She wasn’t going to let me fuck her, but I could still fuck
with
her. At least it was something….

Sera

Fred and Arlene were married in July, in a private ceremony held at a resort near Lake Tahoe. It was small but beautiful and very romantic. When it was over, Emma and I drove back to the house, which was now ours, while the happy couple stayed for their honeymoon.

“So Fred won’t live here anymore?” asked Emma as we pulled into the driveway. It was after nine o’clock when we’d finally reached the house, and both of us were exhausted.

“No. But he’ll be right next door.” I smiled. “This is our place now, honey. And we never have to leave. Isn’t it wonderful?”

She yawned. “Yes.”

I pulled the car into the garage and yawned myself. “I’m tired, too. I can’t wait to go to bed.”

“Why didn’t Thane come to the wedding?” she asked out of the blue.

“He was busy.”

“Doing what?”

I’d actually asked Fred not to invite him. Being around Thane still made my head spin and I didn’t want to risk doing something I’d regret later.

“I’m not really sure,” I answered. “I think his dad needed him to help paint or something.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re telling a fib.”

I stared at her in shock. “What?” 

“You don’t like him anymore. I can feel it.”

I forced a smile. “Of course I do, honey.”

“No,” she said, opening up the car door. “You don’t like him, but he really likes you.”

“Emma, that’s not true,” I said, getting out. “I like him.”

“Then don’t be mean to him,” she said in a surly tone.

Sighing, I hit the garage door opener again. “Emma…”

She opened the door and went into the house, leaving me alone.

Shaking my head, I walked around the car toward the doorway when someone, wearing a dark ski mask, stepped out of the shadows and lunged at me.

“No!” I screamed.

The man was strong and he pulled me against him, his hand around my neck.

“You bitch,” he spat. “You fucking bitch. I’ve got you now.”

“Ray,” I gasped, trying to break free.

He grabbed the back of my hair and slammed my face against the hood of the car. The pain was excruciating.

He laughed. “I’ve been waiting for this for so long.” He did it again, this time much harder, and blood began to pour out of my nose.

The garage door opened and Emma stood there, staring at us in horror. “Mommy!” she screamed.

“Run!” I hollered, crying. “Run fast!”

Crying, she turned around and ran back into the house.

Ray released me to chase after Emma, but I grabbed the back of his shirt and began hitting him with my fists.

Howling in rage, he turned around and backhanded me. I fell to the ground on my stomach and then he kicked me in the ribcage. I screamed in agony.

“Shut up!” he demanded, holding up a pistol. He slammed it into my skull, and then there was only darkness.