Chapter 10
KITTY SAT IN THE FAMILY ROOM, King and Kong at her feet, her cell phone in her hands. It was close to midnight, and she’d gotten one text from JW telling her he was sorry, but he had to stay at the barn until the cow gave birth and something about showering before he came back to the house because of where his hands and arms have been.
She didn’t dare contemplate the possibilities.
She held her phone, staring at the unopened email from Preston. Sucking in a deep breath, she tapped on the mail icon.
JW Whiskey is a dangerous man. Read this article. It explains everything. If I don’t hear from you soon, in good conscience, I’ll need to share this with your brother.
King let out a long yawn as he stretched out at her feet. Kong had curled up closer to the front door, occasionally lifting his head as if to look for his owner.
She dropped her head to the back of the sofa, closing her eyes tight. How could anyone who built a daycare on his property be dangerous? JW might be a quiet man. Reserved. Gruff even. But he had a golden heart. What the hell was Preston up to and why?
Opening her eyes, she typed a text message, telling him she’d gotten his messages and that he hadn’t a clue as to what he was talking about and to leave her and her family alone. Her thumb hovered over the send button.
“Shit,” she muttered, tapping back to the email and clicking on the link.
An image of JW with a beautiful woman on his arm filled the screen, her hand resting on his shoulder with a huge diamond dangling on her ring finger.
She scrolled and gasped at the image of the same woman with a battered face.
JW Whiskey, Hours after he’d broken his own World Record, arrested for beating his fiancé, Bella Brothers.
Bella Brothers? Why did that name sound familiar? Kitty racked her brain, searching for why she thought she’d seen the name before. She went through every female socialite she’d met through Preston and his friends.
“Eric’s girlfriend,” she whispered, remembering the singer’s name on the card Preston had handed her a few days ago at the pub. She turned her focus back to the article.
JW (Johnnie Walker) Whiskey, arrested today for allegedly beating his fiancé, Bella Brothers. Bella is the daughter of Robert Brothers, best known for his famous bull riding school. The same school that JW turned to for training in his early days. JW and Bella had secretly dated for months, before not only telling their families, but the press as well. Theirs was a romance, that on the surface, seemed to be destined for ultimate happiness.
However, in a press conference this morning, Miss Brothers described JW as controlling, cruel, and violent. She alleges she suffered months of mental and physical abuse for the duration of their relationship. She claims JW became enraged when she told him she was leaving him. According to the police report, JW hurled his trophy at Miss Brothers, smacking her cheek so hard it broke into three pieces.
King leapt onto the sofa, nudging her arm, trying to get his nose on her lap. “Get down,” she commanded. Her heart raced, and her hand trembled. She blinked a few times, trying to keep the tears at bay, questioning her judgment of men and the human race in general.
JW has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and has been released on bail.
The next two pictures were of JW. One of him being pushed into a police car in handcuffs, the second was of him shielding his face as he left the county jail.
She jumped off the sofa, tripping over the coffee table when the dogs took off toward the door, their nails scraping on the tile floor. As soon as she’d steadied herself, the front door flew open, and JW stepped inside.
“Hey, boys, you miss me?” He bent on one knee, letting the dogs lick his face as he scratched their coats. “Have you behaved yourself for our guest?”
Standing behind the sofa, she froze, staring at a man who had been accused of beating his fiancée. She didn’t want to believe the words she’d just read. JW would never.
But the article had come from a reputable newspaper.
How could she be so stupid?
First a criminal who cheated his friends and business partners.
Now a wife… No! JW couldn’t have done that.
“What’s wrong?” JW asked as he stood hanging his hat on the rack by the door. He took two steps forward.
She took a step back.
“Did something happen?” He paused mid-step, his eyes widening with concern.
“You startled me.” She rubbed her hands against her jeans. Her heart was telling her to cling to her intuition, but the logical part of her brain couldn’t ignore the battered face of Bella Brothers nor the images of JW in handcuffs.
No. This can’t be right. The man standing in front of her couldn’t have possibly beaten anyone. Look at him. He had kind eyes. A soft, gentle touch. He’d been nothing but sweet and generous.
Of course, maybe that’s how he started off, and then when he roped you in…
“No, I’m just tired and stressed over school starting. I should have booked the red-eye for tonight.” Her gaze darted across the room, landing on the floor where her phone had been dropped, screen up, with the article still opened. She skirted around the sofa but came to a screeching halt when the tip of his boots stopped just inches from her cell.
“What’s really going on?” He bent over, taking the phone in his hand. “You look like something frightened you.”
“I was half asleep on the sofa when you came in.” She held her hand out, praying he just gave her the phone.
Bile crept up her throat. She couldn’t believe JW had been arrested for abuse. Nothing about him spelled a crazy man who got his rocks off hitting women. He wasn’t even very controlling.
He glanced at the phone and frowned. “Shit,” he muttered. “I’m sorry you had to read that.” He took a step toward her and no matter how much she wanted to hold her ground, she inched backward, her body shuddered.
“Are you afraid of me?” he asked. His eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “Is this the only article you read about the incident?”
“You’re not denying it,” she said softly. Tears formed in her eyes. If he hadn’t done it, he’d be protesting, right? “That article is true. You were arrested—”
His pupils constricted as his rigid body went limp. “Yeah. I was. But if you had taken the time to read a more current article about what really went down that day, you’d know…” He held the phone up, tapping at the keyboard. “Fuck it.” He tossed it on the table. “If you believe for one second I’m capable of doing that to a woman—to anyone—then you don’t know one damn thing about me. What a fool I’ve been.” He turned on his heels and stomped across the floor. “You can stay in the house. I’ll leave King and Kong, so they will alert you if I, or anyone, enters the house. I’ll make sure a car is here to take you to the airport in the morning.” He gripped the handle to the front door and paused.
She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t bring herself to utter his name, or anything else for that matter.
“I didn’t hit her,” he mumbled before stepping outside and slamming the door behind him.
She let out a long breath, reaching down, grabbing her phone, and clutching it to her chest. It would take her only a few minutes to pack and hopefully a cab company would come out to the ranch. A few years ago, she had to spend the night in an airport. She could do it again.
The dogs stood in the foyer, looking between the door and her, confusion etched in their eyes. But that wasn’t as bad as the hurt she’d seen in JW’s. It was as if someone deflated all the positive happy energy from his body, leaving him with nothing but misery.
“Crap.” She sat down on the sofa, patting the cushions. King barked, racing over and jumping on the sofa, resting his nose on her lap. Kong did a little dance before climbing up on the other side, curling up in a tight ball next to her. Opening Safari on her phone, she googled JW Whiskey and Bella Brothers.
“Wow,” she whispered. A dozen or so hits came up. She clicked on the one that read: JW Whiskey, Vindicated.
Today, Bella Brothers admitted she lied about her ex-fiancé beating her two months ago. Her attorney held a press conference on her behalf, stating that Bella had been suffering from depression. He hinted, but didn’t state specifically, that Bella blamed JW for her mental state, but was doing her best to move past the bad decision. When asked who actually beat Bella, her attorney said steps were being taken to make sure the perpetrator would be brought to justice.
“Well, that’s vague.” She clicked on another article.
Rodeo Weekly has obtained a statement from JW Whiskey regarding his ex-fiancé’s recent admittance that he did not abuse her physically on the night he broke his own world record. In an interview, JW stated he’s deeply saddened by Bella’s mental state and wishes nothing but the best for her. He would not comment on the rumors Bella may have hired someone to hurt her in order to get back at him for calling off the wedding.
Well, shit. If only he’d come home twenty minutes later, after she’d read the other articles. She’d have to make him understand the timing had been horrible and that she fought believing he could have ever committed such a horrific crime. Not to mention that her ex hadn’t sent her all the information, something she had to wonder why Preston would do. She scrolled through a few more articles, all indicating that JW had been falsely accused and he’d been exonerated from all offenses. Based on what Kitty had read, Bella had gone into hiding, while JW remained in the public eye, constantly trying to show, without telling the world, he was indeed a good man, incapable of intentionally hurting anyone.
She tapped on Preston’s contact information and set the phone to speaker, resting it on her lap while she petted both dogs, feeling the comfort and love they provided.
“Finally,” Preston’s voice rang out so loud, both dogs popped their heads up, staring at her like she’d committed a crime.
“Why did you send me that link and not the rest of it?” No point in beating around the bush.
“What do you mean? I’ve talked with his ex. He’s a monster.”
“She’s a liar and a bitch,” she said with venom lacing every word. Any woman who would falsely accuse a man of such atrocities was no woman at all. “If you google him and her, you will find out she made the entire thing up. He never laid a finger on her, and all charges were dropped.” The irony that her ex-husband had gotten his convictions overturned hadn’t been lost on her. The big difference was that Preston had cheated his friends and partners, without a doubt. He’d gotten off on one technicality after the other. Even the judge mentioned ‘guilty’ in his statement regarding the charges being dropped, alluding to something about how the system was flawed, especially when shortcuts were taken.
JW had been cleared of all charges. Preston’s criminal case had simply been tossed out of the court, overturning the original ruling.
“That’s not what she says, and Eric said he’s—”
“Eric is a self-absorbed asshole who will do just about anything to get into a woman’s pants, or have you forgotten about him making a move on me while we were dating.”
The silence on the phone grew until it became deafening. Of course, Preston had forgotten considering he’d easily forgiven Eric, actually suggesting she’d led Eric on, as if his hands on her ass was her fault.
“Your point?” Preston asked.
“Just read the other articles and then stay away from me, my family, and JW. Have I made myself clear?”
“I was just trying to look out for you,” he said quietly. The one he used when he knew he was wrong, but wouldn’t dare admit it.
“I’m not a small child. I’m a grown woman, and I can take care of myself. Good night.” She hit the end button and dropped her head to the back of the sofa. “King and Kong, how the hell am I going to win JW back? If he was ever mine to begin with.”