Page 16 of Dirty Little Vow
“One more.”
A thought hits me and it’s not a good one. “My father could have hired the law firm to spook away anyone who agreed to marry me, thus the long engagement.”
“Would he hurt her?”
“I would have said no a year ago, but he killed Allison. If he paid enough, could he have her killed? Could he have hired a professional?”
“Do you really think he hated you that much?”
“Yes. For all I know it’s all connected. He claims he got the Allen family off by withholding evidence. Maybe they’re coming after her, not because I’m digging around, but because he paid them to do it. Or they owed him.”
“How far would he go to hurt you?”
“If you’re circling back to will they kill her? My father dated the same woman I dated and then killed her to shut her up. He was crazy enough to do just about anything. We need to find Bella and find her now.”
Chapter Twelve
Tyler
Death is a monster that guts you and ravages you, inside and out. I’ve felt its icy touch close around my throat and it is the most brutal grip of any I have ever felt. First with Allison, the woman who I dated and then who dated my father. The woman he killed. Then with my father. I cared for her. I hated him.
I love Bella.
I’m suffocating in the idea of her not coming home, and Dash is staring at me with hell burning in his eyes. “I don’t like where my head is going right now,” he says.
“I’m right there with you,” I assure him.
“Who can call this off, whateverthis is?” he asks.
“My dead father.”
“Who else? His attorney? Reach out to whoever that is.”
“Here’s the interesting part about this entire fucked up situation,” I say on that dirty little topic. “My father’s attorney—yes, the one handling the will—has worked for the Allen family. This information brought to me, and now you, compliments of Dierk. This is all connected. That very same attorney is the one threatening, on my father’s behalf, to release the Allen case file, which for the record, makes me believe there is no case file. I sure as fuck can’t find it.”
“Then it’s all smoke and no flames?”
“Rarely was my father mere smoke, as proven by him killing Allison to shut her up and keep her from talking to my mother.” I grab my phone and dial the law office ofJones, Jackson, and Withers. “But let’s see what the old buzzard has to say.” The line rings and when the receptionist answers, I ask for Withers. “He’s already gone for the day,” she says.
“Call him,” I say. “Tell him Tyler Hawk called, and if anything happens to Bella, I will never stop coming for him. He knows what’s going on. I know he knows. I also know he’s involved.” I disconnect.
“Do you think he’ll call?” Dash asks.
“I have no fucking clue. He’s part of a game a dead man is playing. Frankly, all that matters to me right now is that Bella doesn’t end up in a grave too.” I dial Dierk on speaker, and when he answers, I say, “I’m with Dash. Anything?”
“Nothing worth hearing,” he replies. “We’re still going through the feed. I have my team looking for suspicious behavior and actions, even beyond Gavin himself. Anything from your people, Dash?”
“Nothing,” he says. “But it’s only been fifteen minutes that feels like a lifetime since I spoke to them.”
“Do we know where Gavin is right now?” I ask.
“We’re pinging his phone now. I’ll text you his location the minute I have it. More soon.” He disconnects and I curse.
“I haven’t actually called Gavin myself. Holy hell, how stupid am I?” I punch in his auto-dial and allow the line to ring on speakerphone. He shockingly answers on the first ring.
“Where the hell are you?” I ask.
“I’m at the courthouse. I know a lady in records. I trust her. She’s going to dig in the archives for the case file and no, it won’t get back to anyone. She’s a family friend, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of her in the first place.”