Dom
‘WHAT HAPPENED? WHERE is she?’ Andre looks to me and I nod trying to tell him I’ll deal with whatever comes. Chloe’s eyes are already filling with tears and just seeing her like this breaks my fucking heart.
‘Andre found her this morning.’
‘Found her? What do you mean Found?’
‘She’s dead.’ I close my eyes tight as I feel her collapse into my arms.
‘No… No...no?’ Her head shakes violently back and forth against my chest.
‘Was it them?’ She turns looking at Andre, who nods his head. He doesn’t say anything more and I’m glad because I want to spare her the details. Zoe was one of my only friends. The shock of Andre’s news hasn’t penetrated yet. And at the moment I’m glad because I need to be strong for Chloe. I need to make sure she’s alright. I don’t even know the extent of what she’s been through yet, and there I am like a selfish bastard in the bathroom having her blow me.
‘What about Nan?’ Chloe asks her voice barely a whisper.
‘I have men there round the clock she’s fine,’ Andre assures her.
Chloe exhales a breath. Relief I think. But as her shoulders shake and she hides her face, I know she’s breaking right in-front of me.
‘I’m really sorry.’ Andre pats her shoulder and meets my eyes. ‘I didn’t honestly think she would be a target.’
‘It’s not your fault, Andre I should have known.’ I grit my teeth together knowing I made a huge mistake not protecting her. They would have known how close she was to us from their time watching us in the hospital and when they came to my house. It was a stupid thing to do, and Zoe paid the price for my stupidity. Chloe takes herself off to the bathroom and I give her some space. I see Andre to the door. As he leaves, he stops, turning to me.
‘You couldn’t have known either.’ I nod not saying a word. My guilt must be showing like a coat of armour. I can’t shake it. As I watch him leave the drive, I close the door and sit at the small table in the kitchen. Resting my head in my hands, I let the enormity of Andre’s news sink in like lead weight in my stomach. The internal battle inside of me is telling me I should mourn. But there is something else there too. Anger. Hate. Guilt. Those are the emotions that win out. And before I lose myself to the same place that Chloe is, I walk out of the front door. I find the Axe that Andre had used to chop wood and I take my anger out on the nearest tree. Zoe had been tied up and tortured. Andre thinks they may have raped her too. He found her face down in a bucket of water. And they killed her in my kitchen. I don’t know why she was there but she had a key. He had taken care of her body and all the evidence. Not calling the police because I would be a suspect. THE suspect. As I chop the final piece, I look at the sun in the sky. It’s moved, it must be at least eleven now. I head back into the cabin and find Chloe curled up on the sofa. Her face is tear streaked and her hair a mess like she’s been pulling at it, from all angles. I realise that she has let it dry before brushing it. But I don’t say anything. I sit in the chair opposite her. Not able to bring myself to enjoy her closeness. I don’t deserve it.
‘You okay?’ I ask. Not saying a word, she nods in answer. I don’t really know what else to say, so like a chump I don’t say nothing.
‘Do you hate me?’ she asks in a quivering voice.
‘What?’
‘I understand if you do. God, I hate me, your life is ruined… because… of me.’ She chokes back a sob. I frown and close my eyes on an exhale.
‘Chloe, I don’t hate you, why would you think that? Don’t say shit like that, okay?’
‘Why not? It’s true.’
‘It’s not true, that’s bullshit. Zoe is on me.’
‘All of this is my fault, Dom, everything that has happened since I came into your life is my fault. You should never have helped me.’ She starts to cry uncontrollably and the guilt and anger I feel subsides for a moment while I pull her into my arms and hold her close.
‘Hey shh.’ I sway her from side to side like you would a child as you rock them, trying to lull them into a sleep. The pain tearing her apart radiates from her, and I don’t know what I can do to make it better. I just hold her tighter.
‘Babe, you haven’t done anything wrong, none of this is your fault.’ Her eyes meet mine.
‘You don’t believe that.’
‘Yes, I fucking do, Chloe.’ I allow a little of that anger to seep through. ‘You didn’t cause any of this, and you sure as shit didn’t ask for it.’ Her eyes widen at my certainty and she looks at her feet. Now I feel fucking bad for yelling at her. But she is beating herself up over something she had no power over. ‘I don’t even think your dad is either, from what we talked about, Patrick is a fucking lunatic and when things don’t go his way he finds people to blame, he plays mind games and fucks with people’s lives. He is the only one to blame here.’
‘I thought you must hate me. Your nan in a home, and poor Zoe, oh god, Dom I can’t believe she’s gone.’
‘Me either Chlo, but that bastard will pay for it I promise you that.’
***
Chloe
The days have just dragged by, it seems worse right now than it did when I was held captive. They say time heals all wounds, but it seems like every day that goes by, the pain of Zoe’s murder hurts and haunts me even more. Andre has stopped by every other day to update Dom on his progress on finding Patrick. When he was here earlier, he said he’s got a lock on his location, him and Dom are supposed to head out at dusk tomorrow.
‘I just don’t know why you can’t let Andre handle it himself, Dom.’ My silverware clashes as I slam my fork down on my plate. I try to reel in my anger, but the fear of something happening to Dom is too strong. I never intended on falling in love with this man, but I have and I don’t want to lose him too.
‘Chlo, I have to go. Zoe was my best friend, someone I counted on and held dear. I need to see her murderer brought down.’ He leans back in his chair and I watch as his chest rises and falls. ‘I have to Chloe, I just have to.’ Leaving the table, he heads toward the bedroom. I know he’s hurting and trying to stay strong for me, but he also needs to grieve.
In that moment, I decide that I need to be there for him, just as he has for me. To be his shoulder, to be strong for him. I follow down the hall and give the bedroom door a gentle knock before opening it and making my way in. He’s lying on the bed, propped up against the headboard. This man is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen and my pull to him is overwhelming. Even if I tried, the attraction I feel towards him is like a chemical reactor, no matter what situation we’re thrown in. I climb up the bed and up his body, till my chin is resting on his chest, looking up at him.
‘I’m sorry, Dominic. I know Zoe meant a lot to you.’ His hands reach down, latching under my armpits, pulling me up to him. His arms tighten around me, his head resting in the crook of my neck. ‘I’m so sorry, Dom, I’m so fucking sorry.’ I feel his body shake under me as he silently cries, mourning the loss of his best friend. Tears trail down my cheeks as I stroke the back of his head, trying my best to console him.
There’s a knock at the cabin door and I pull myself up from Dom. ‘I’ll get it, it’s probably just Andre to get ready for tonight.’ He puts up no argument, so I continue on my way out of the bedroom to the front door. Looking through the peephole, I see that it isn’t Andre at all.
‘Dad.’ My voice screeches as I throw the door open. I can’t catch myself before my hand flies away from me and the resounding smack of my fingers across his face echoes through the foyer of the cabin. His head snaps back towards me, an angry expression passing on his face quickly before realisation strikes.
‘I’m sorry, Chloe. I deserved that.’ He pulls me in for a hug and I don’t resist. ‘Can I come in?’
‘Yeah.’ Pulling out of his embrace, I back away from the entrance to make room for him to enter. Dom comes in to the kitchen, immediately extending his hand to my father.
‘It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Richards, I’m Dominic. Did Andre come with you?’
‘No, he told me where to find you so I made my way here as soon as my plane landed.’
‘Have a seat. You want a beer or water?’ Dom asks while going to the fridge. I have no clue why he’s being so nice to my dad after all he’s caused, it’s putting me even more on edge. I don’t like it and I want to hit both their heads together.
‘A beer would be nice thank you.’ He replies as he makes his way over to the sofa. I follow and take a seat at the other end away from him and glare in his direction. I can’t believe that he’s here. I’m happy to see him safe but I want to punch him in the face as look at him.
‘Is everything taken care of?’ I snap but don’t give him a chance to answer before I continue, ‘What type of investment would cause someone to lose fucking millions? I need you to start from the beginning and don’t you dare leave a fucking thing out!’
‘Okay I’ll start from the beginning, but you have to promise me you won’t think any less of me.’
I scoff and close my eyes, biting my tongue against what I really want to say, ‘That boat has already sailed. Now just tell me?’