Page 16 of Daddy's Obsession
Nelson doesn’t notice me at first and I’m able to take him by surprise. I turn him by the shoulder and slam my fist into his face, breaking his nose. I punch him over and over again, exacting punishment that he rightfully deserves. My vision goes red when he pulls a gun from his waistband; I knock it from his inexperienced hands and deliver a jaw-crunching punch that knocks him out.
“G-Gage, is that you?” Estella’s frightened voice is enough to make me want to deliver another beating to the bastard who dared to touch what is mine.
“Princess, open the door.”
In less than a second she flies through the door and into my arms. She clings to me like she’s scared I’ll disappear if she lets go.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” I ask, pushing her away a bit so I can look at her.
“I’m fine, but Bridgette… he hit her hard. Is she okay?”
“Let me check.”
“Oh, Gage, she hired Steve to attack me,” she says on a sob. “She wanted me gone so she could have my money.”
“I had a suspicion but no hard evidence. The money she paid Nelson came from your accounts.”
“I—I didn’t know. She handles all of my accounts…”
I nod; Andrew said as much when I spoke with him earlier. He called for an update and was livid. Nelson is damn lucky I’m the one who got to him first. Andrew wouldn’t have stopped at a simple beating.
A quick check of Bridgette’s head wound and I’m confident she’ll be fine. “She’s okay. She got less than she deserves for what she’s put you through.”
I make a quick call to Rodney and within minutes the room is swarming with police. Nelson and Bridgette are arrested, though they both have to take a detour to the hospital before heading off to jail. By the time the police are done questioning us, Estella is completely wiped. She can hardly keep her eyes open, and she refuses to leave my arms. They wanted to question us separately, but Estella threw a temper tantrum to rival all tantrums until they relented.
“We’ll be in touch if we have any other questions,” Officer Winston says, offering his hand to shake.
Finally, after hours, we are free to go.
* * *
Estella fallsasleep in the car. Instead of waking her, I carry her to our room. She doesn’t stir when I put her in bed, not even when I remove her clothes. She mumbles something in her sleep and rolls to her side, curling up in a small ball in the center of the mattress.
I leave her to sleep while I call her brother to explain what happened.
“I’m so glad you were there, brother. I can never repay you for keeping her safe.”
“There’s something else you should know.”
“What is it?” Andrew asks suspiciously.
I don’t care if Andrew gets mad about my relationship with Estella, but I know it would hurt her to have him disapprove. Hopefully he will be reasonable.
“Estella and I are together.”
“What do you mean, ‘together’?”
“I mean that she is mine. I want you to understand, this isn’t just a fling for me. Estella is it. I’m going to spend my life keeping her safe and making her happy.” My words are a promise and I mean every one of them.
I can hear Andrew sigh on the other end of the line and I can imagine him running his hands through his hair in agitation. “If you hurt her, they will never find your body.”
That’s as close to consent as I’m going to get. “Noted. I’ll keep you updated on what happens with the case. I don’t foresee any issues with getting them the maximum punishment. The evidence is pretty damning.”
“Thanks, man. Take care of my sister.”
I end the call and decide to take a quick shower before I join Estella in bed. I frown when I see the covers are a tangled mess around her legs as if she’s been tossing and turning. She whimpers in her sleep and I know she’s having a bad dream. I crawl in bed with her and pull her into my arms. The tension seeps out of her limbs and her sleep becomes peaceful.
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