Chapter Nineteen
Ayden
Bryon Shelton was right about the federal agents. I had never seen a more mismatched pair, but they worked in a strange syncopation. Agent William Bentley refused to sit down. He paced around the conference room. I could tell by his ramrod spine and rigid posture that he was ex-military. When he was finally forced to stand still, he locked his hands behind his back and rocked onto the balls of his feet.
Agent Tracy Swanson, on the other hand, sat primly at the head of the conference table. She looked as if she would have been at ease there, having dinner with the President or heading the U. N. Her quick, intelligent eyes took in more than what was on the surface, and though she recited laws down to sub-paragraphs, she understood where justice could be bent to serve.
"What my partner is not so eloquently expressing is these things take time, Mr. King," Agent Swanson said.
"And what I'm hearing is that a physical threat against my business manager is not enough to spur the government into action against these criminals," I snapped.
"What happened to Ms. Bishop is most unfortunate. The information you supplied is very compelling, but there are protocols that must be followed," Agent Swanson continued.
I wanted to ring her slim neck. Ever since I had found out what happened to Autumn I had tremors in my hands. If I did not find an outlet soon, I was going to crack. I glanced at Agent Bentley and wondered briefly if he would agree to spar.
Instead, I clenched my fists and admitted I was out of control. Autumn had been right to try to keep the incident from me, and the best I could do was rein myself in now for her sake.
I knew the second I saw her eyes that afternoon that something terrible had happened. My brave, strong Autumn had pretended nothing was wrong, but every time she moved too fast, her slender figure shook. I had looked up from her trembling fingers to see Alan's face. He had not bothered to keep up any pretense and confessed right away all that had transpired.
"A messenger cornered Ms. Bishop and scared her, all to remind you to sign the Mertz brothers' deal, correct?" Agent Swanson asked.
I snapped back to the present and pressed my fists hard on the conference table. "I've told you that a few times now. There has been pressure to sign off on this deal before the incident with Ms. Bishop. Every incident has been threatening and made personally against us."
My attorney spoke up. "Surely the personal attacks can spur your bureau to move faster. My clients are in harm's way. We've provided more than enough information for your investigation, and I'm sure there is something more you can do to protect them."
Agent Bentley spoke up. "We've met with Mr. King and Ms. Bishop's personal security guard. He is a vetted professional, and we have gone over multiple plans with him. I'm sure under his watchful eye, they will be safe until we can solidify our case against the Mertz brothers."
"Of course, we can offer Mr. King additional protection if he would like," Agent Swanson added smoothly.
"No. No added security. Alan is a trusted member of our team and, as you said, he is a vetted security professional," I said. I could not sit still any longer and sprang from my chair.
"Please, Mr. King," Agent Swanson said pleasantly as she gathered up her papers, "please accept our word that we are working as quickly as possible. We need the case against the Mertz brothers to be air tight and that will take a few more days."
I held the conference room door open for the federal agents and restrained myself from slamming it behind them. I turned back and paced around the long conference table as Shelton rubbed his temples.
"Please tell me you heard what Agent Swanson said," Shelton asked me.
"Yeah, I get it. In order to nail those bastards for good, we have to wait for them to build an air tight case."
My attorney sighed. "No, Ayden. What Agent Swanson said about providing extra protection. Say the word, and she will assign a detail to cover you and Autumn. I really think it would give you some piece of mind."
"No. I'm not dealing with that right now. I've had too many years of armed guards dogging me. I don't need that again, even if it is for more own protection," I snapped.
Bryon Shelton stood up and tugged his suit coat down. "I understand your reluctance, but please, Ayden. Think about Autumn. She was approached right under Alan's nose. No offense to him, but extra eyes would be very helpful."
He left the conference room, and I leaned on the table for a few seconds. It was hard not to wish Autumn far away. She would have been safe, on to some other stellar corporate job, if I had not kept her tethered to Knight Holdings. My heart ached as I thought about how she would have been better off if she had never met me.
Then, all I could think about on the way home, was that meeting Autumn was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I had never seen such warmth in anyone's eyes, and I longed to see her every moment of every day. She would have slapped me with no hesitation if she had an inkling I was wishing she was never involved. Autumn was tied to Knight Holdings out of love for Jace and, from that connection, I was tied more tightly to her than any woman I had ever met before.
I got back to the mansion to find everything on lockdown. Autumn was understandably stir crazy and not speaking to Alan, but she was safe, and my heartbeat returned to a normal pace.
"I've got it from here, Alan. Why don't you take the rest of the night off," I said.
Alan shook his head and stared at a defiant Autumn. "No, thanks, boss. Autumn needs to tell you something about the day you left for San Francisco."
Autumn glared at the mountainous bodyguard, and I almost laughed. She was minute compared to him, but I had no doubt she was in charge. Still, Alan was immovable.
"You have to tell me, Autumn. We can't have any more secrets. This mess is complicated enough," I reminded her.
"The day we left for San Francisco I thought someone had been in the house. It wasn't Alan's fault. I sent him to the deli to get himself lunch. Our town car driver was sitting right in the driveway. I never caught a glimpse of the person, but I know someone was here," Autumn snapped.
My mind reeled. All I wanted to do was sweep Autumn into the car and take her somewhere safe. I knew she would balk at the idea and my rational brain agreed. We could not let the Mertz brothers intimidate us, especially not in our own home.
"Alright," I tried to say evenly. "Alan, you checked every inch of this place? The security systems are all still functioning?"
"Yes, sir. Everything's secure. I double checked everything a few minutes ago," Alan said.
"Then you really should go home and get some rest. We'll be fine here, and you're no good to us if you are overworked," I pointed out.
Alan was ready for a fight, but my logic made too much sense. He took his time rechecking all the security systems and then left through the front door.
Autumn glanced out the window and shook her head ruefully. "You know he's blocked the gates with his car and is just sitting there," she said.
I had to laugh. Alan's loyalty was much appreciated, as was his perceptive nature. I wanted a night alone with Autumn despite the chaos all around us.
"I brought home a twelve foot meatball sub for him. Alan will be fine," I said.
Autumn's laugh washed away all of my tension. As if it had cleared the air, we both heaved big, cleansing sighs. I took both of her hands and kissed them before I asked her how she was doing.
"I'm fine. Really, I am," Autumn said, barely able to suppress a shiver. "How does a cozy night in front of the fire sound to you?"
The desert temperatures could drop dramatically in the evening and a fire sounded wonderful. I grabbed a bottle of wine, and we headed into the living room despite almost tripping over our unpacked bags in the hallway. I flicked on the gas fireplace and settled next to Autumn to open the wine.
Her hand drifted to my hair and then spread sweet comfort down my spine. She rubbed my back one handed as I filled our glasses with the heady Zinfandel.
"I think you're right," she said. "We need to relax. Whatever is on your mind, you have to let it go. At least for tonight."
My eyes flitted over the white marble and limestone details of the modern fireplace. The living room was designed in a series of ivories and white, but in the soft light of the fire, it glowed with a golden light. All I could think about was my past regrets, the choices that I had made that had cost me so much. Autumn’s gentle caress and soft words turned my frenetic mind from regrets to my future.
Risking red wine stains on the cream-colored sofa, I leaned over and captured Autumn's lips in a lingering kiss. She returned the sweet caress and then sat back to smile at me. I scooted closer and kissed her again.
Every time our lips met, my mind cleared. Autumn was the source of my clarity, the wellspring of my future plans, and it was time I shared that with her.
"Sometimes all I can think about is regrets," I confessed to her. "Not that I regret what I did for Jace, but the time I lost weighs on me everyday. I don't want to lose any more time."
She scooted closer and kissed my cheek. "That is all in the past, and you should have no more regrets. Everything you've done since you got out is something to be proud of."
I shook my head. "I keep focusing on the wrong things. I feel like I'm spinning my tires but never getting to where I want to be."
"Where do you want to be?" she asked.
"Here. With you. I know I'm screwing it all up. I don't know how to be here for you. I don't want to step on your independence," I trailed off, at a loss.
Autumn shook her head, and her golden blonde hair caught the colors of the fire. "I wouldn't be here if I felt suffocated. Ayden, I'm sorry I was so resistant to being protected. I underestimated everything we're up against. Still, despite it all, I know if you and I are together, then we'll make it through this."
I kissed her briefly and then pushed her back so I could look her in the eyes. "I dreamed that things would be different. I didn't want it to be like this."
Autumn's eyes flared. "Oh, god, really? You're breaking up with me. I should have known. It makes sense."
"Breaking up? What are you talking about?"
She put down her red wine and tangled her fingers together. "I understand, Ayden. It’s okay. I mean, you just got out of prison, and I can't expect you to settle for me."
"Settle for you?" I threw my head back and laughed. "Oh, god, Autumn. I'm doing this all wrong. Wait here."
I ran to the hallway and grabbed my carry-on. I dropped it to the floor in front of the fireplace and with Autumn watching, I dug out the small, distinctive robin's egg blue box tied with a wide white ribbon.
"This was what the whole trip to San Francisco was supposed to be about," I said.
She watched in shock, unable to move, as I unwrapped the ribbon and opened the ring box. Inside the Tiffany's box was a Schlumberger's Two Bees engagement ring. The center diamond caught the firelight and sent rainbows across Autumn's face.
* * * * *
"The side diamonds are arranged to look like bees," I explained. "Bees were used to represent royalty and that is what you are to me. Autumn Bishop, will you marry me and let me spend my life treating you like the queen you are?"
Autumn slipped to the edge of the cream-colored sofa and held her hands to her mouth. At first I could not tell if she was crying or smiling, so I tried to plead my case.
"I know I've been distant. I know I've been distracted, but you are really the only thing I have been thinking about. You understand what I feel I owe Jace. You love his memory and his company as much as me. Everything I've been doing has been to secure a future for us. I want us to get past all of this and build our life together."
Autumn nodded, her hands still firmly in place over her mouth. I reached up and pulled her fingers away. She let them drop to her lap as I pulled the ring from its box and held it up in the firelight.
"Is that a yes?" I asked. The words caught in my throat. I had no idea what I would do if she said no. There was nothing else for me. Autumn was the central hope and focus for my future.
She nodded again, the grin now apparent despite her rolling tears. Autumn leaned forward, wrapped her arms softly around my neck, and collapsed against my shoulder.
"Yes, of course, yes! I hoped, I hoped, but I had no idea how you really felt," she gasped against my neck.
"Do you know now?" I asked.
Autumn straightened up and pulled herself together with a beautifully crooked smile. "Yes."
I picked up her hand and slipped the Tiffany's ring into place. "I had planned to propose to you underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, but everything unraveled after our dinner at La Folie."
"Really? That's so romantic."
"I know. I'm sorry this is a poor second. This wasn't the dream proposal you were supposed to have. You deserve so much more," I rocked back on my heels and looked at the floor.
Autumn tipped my chin up with both hands and placed the sweetest kiss against my lips. "This was much, much better."
I smiled and jumped to my feet. "It will be once I get the champagne," I said.
I paused in the hallway and glanced out the front door. Alan's car was still parked in front of the wrought-iron gates, but something was different. I leaned closer to the windows that flanked either side of the front door. His driver's side door was hanging open and the gates had been pulled apart far enough for someone of his impressive size to slip through.
I wondered if he had seen something suspicious and had gone to investigate. The thought sent a sliver of unease down my back. I looked at the alarm system and it blinked back.
"You okay?" Autumn called.
"Everything's fine," I said, trying to assure myself as well. I turned back to the foyer and made my way to the kitchen.
The champagne was tucked into the lower left hand crisper drawer. I pulled it out and popped the cork. My thoughts vacillated wildly between the soaring joy of Autumn accepting my proposal and the strange unease the scene outside caused in my gut. I tried to write it off as nerves, too much had happened in too short a time, and forced myself to relax. Nothing could happen to Autumn and I in the secured mansion.
I filled two crystal flutes and paused as I checked the amounts. I thought I heard voices from the other room and straightened up. Autumn had never mentioned family, and I wondered who she would call to immediately share the good news of our engagement.
The image of Autumn telling a shrieking Darla popped into my head and I laughed out loud. The front desk secretary of Knight Holdings would be delighted. She had hinted at our marriage ever since she first saw Autumn and I together. I looked at my watch and figured if it was Darla that Autumn was speaking to, the news was sure to be all over Knight Holdings by midnight.
"You know I haven't even imagined a wedding," I said, carrying the champagne flutes back down the hall to the living room. "I don't have any family to stand up for me. Maybe it would be best if we just elope. What do you think about asking Alan and Darla to be witnesses? To be honest, I think there is a little something going on between those two."
The voices had stopped and I wondered if I had imagined it.
Autumn stood by herself in front of the fireplace. She held her left hand up and studied the engagement ring in the flickering firelight. I was pleased that the multi-faceted Tiffany's ring sent tiny rainbows all over the mantle and Autumn's face.
Her face was streaked with tears. She made no sound, but they flowed silently down and caught the firelight, the same as the bright diamonds.
"Autumn? You're not regretting your decision, are you?" I asked. I could not bring myself to take another step.
She saw me and the tears flowed harder. Autumn shook her head. "I love you, Ayden. I love you so much, and I want nothing more than to marry you."
"Then what's the matter?" I asked. Something in her expression had my insides in tight knots.
Autumn shook her head and raised her left hand to look at the ring again. Her hand shook.
"Is this how all women are? I mean, I have never asked a woman out before much less proposed. This is probably all totally normal, right?" I asked. I took a step into the room.
Autumn caught my eyes and shook her head fiercely. An arrow shot of fear pierced my heart. She was not crying tears of joy, Autumn was afraid. She was deathly afraid and did not want me to come any closer.
"How about you?" I asked, catching her eye but not moving forward. "Has anyone else ever stood in a room with you like this before and proposed?"
Autumn glanced at the far corner with only the slightest movement of her eyes before she nodded. I thought about making up an excuse and making my way down the hallway. I would have a better shot at the intruder from the other end of the living room. Or I could be sensible and try to call the police.
Only the look in Autumn's eyes was so terrified, I could do none of those things. I had no choice but to enter the room and see the person that frightened her.
The looming thug stood in the corner next to the thin, elegant patio doors. He must have opened both to fit inside, but they were now closed tightly behind him. His clothes were dark but subtle, a pair of black jeans, a dark grey tee shirt tight over his impressive girth, and a black sports coat that strained when he shifted his wide shoulders. He wore a black knitted cap over a Yankees baseball cap. Outside he could easily pull the brim down and go unrecognized, but now he had it pushed high on his forehead as he leered at us.
None of that mattered. The only thing that made any difference at all was the snubbed nose of the gun pointing straight at Autumn.
The thug leered when I noticed it. "You should take the ring back, man. She'll make a terrible wife. All I asked her to do was deliver a simple message, and it seems she failed to do that. So, here I am to deliver it myself."
"I'll hear your message outside. Now," I snapped.
He laughed, a cold, brittle sound. "You should have taken the hint. My colleagues tried to be polite. They tried to warn you what would happen if you didn't honor the deal. And now it’s come to this."
I put the champagne flutes down on the cherry wood sideboard. "You say it like this is the only outcome. Please, there are at least a half dozen ways out of this, and that's only what I've come up with so far."
"Oh, great, a clever one," the thug sneered. "There's only one thing that's going to happen. You're going to sign this deal, and I'm going to leave. Or else." He reached into his back pocket and tossed a folded contract across the room.
It fluttered onto the carpet in front of the fireplace. I could see a defiant glint in Autumn's eyes, and I prayed she would not act on her impulse to pick it up and toss it in the fire.
"The first way out of this," I said, ignoring the contract, "is for you to just leave. But, I don't want you to have wasted a trip, so I am willing to make it worth your while."
"You're not going to bribe your way out of this," he said with a smug shake of his heavy head.
"Go ahead and name your price."
"Your signature, there, on the dotted line. Or your little wifey gets a new scar no wedding dress will cover up."
The embers in Autumn's eyes were glowing brighter. She was swinging from terrified to enraged in a sharp arc. I had to get the situation under control before she did something rash.
"All this is a moot point. Your bosses will be gone come morning," I said. "The Mertz brothers and every arm of their conglomeration will be taken over by the FBI come breakfast. So, unless you want to get paid now and clear of the coming storm, we really have nothing else to say."
"I'm not scared of prison if that's what you think. I've been there a few times," the thug said with a proud snarl. "Now I'm gong to ask you one more time to sign that contract. Need a pen?"
He moved quickly for a large man and was across the room in heavy strides. Autumn jumped in between him and me and held her arms open at the sides. The thug chuckled low in his throat as he stopped and took slow, deliberate aim right between her eyes.
"A shame she'll never even have the chance to become a widow." He licked his lips and pulled back the hammer on the gun. "Sign the deal now, or I'm going to be the only one to keep my vows."
* * * * *
Autumn's brown eyes narrowed and her chin jutted out. Before I could force a sound out of my constricted throat, she took a step towards the gun. The sneering man was surprised and had to adjust his aim. It was the opening I had hoped for.
I lunged around Autumn and swept both forearms across his. There was a crack as our arms collided. I quickly wrapped one arm over, and with his trapped between mine, I yanked down hard. There was a sickening snap and the man howled. The gun clattered to the floor and I kicked it away.
The man shoved me back with his other arm, and I hit the edge of the fireplace. I felt the burn along my leg but pushed back. I hit the man directly in the chest, and we toppled backwards, shattering the coffee table. I struggled to stay on top of the huge man as he heaved me off with one thick forearm. His other arm dangled at a wrong angle, and I brought my elbow down hard on it.
Again he howled in pain and flung me off. I rolled and sprang to my feet, waiting to see which way he would move.
Autumn appeared at my side and brandished a fireplace poker. The sharp, pronged end stabbed close to the intruder's eye, but he rolled away and managed to get to his feet. Cradling his broken arm, he charged us. I shoved Autumn out of the way just before I was knocked backward by a full force tackle.
I twisted and landed the way Jace had taught me, but the corner of the hearth dug hard into my shoulder. The pain exploded over my sight and I blinked. In the shuttered openings, I saw the man squirming over me and reaching for the gun. I brought my knee up and knocked enough air out of him to slow him down. With a hard push of my feet, I shoved myself backwards far enough to grab hold of the gun.
Autumn stood up and cried out, "Ayden, no!"
The thug crawled to his feet and loomed over me. "I don't care if I have to sign an 'X' in your blood, this deal will be done."
He saw the movement behind his head and caught the fireplace poker in full swing. The move must have smashed some bones in his hand, but he only snarled and yanked it out of Autumn's hands. He brandished it above his head, and I heard the gun shot.
The intruder staggered, dropped the poker, and collapsed on the floor. I held the gun in both hands as I lay on my back. I had shot him straight through the side of the head.
Autumn's mouth opened but before the scream could tear loose, we both heard footsteps charging towards the living room. I scrambled to my feet and whipped around to face the arched doorway. My finger twitched against the warm trigger, but I stopped just in time.
"Father?"
"Jesus, Ayden. What happened? Are you alright?" my father ran into the room, his eyes wild.
"What are you doing here? Are you involved in all of this?" I asked. My brain could not process how my father came to be standing in the center of the disaster.
"Involved? What? No. Are you hurt?"
He came gingerly towards me, and I realized I still held the gun. My father reached out and took it from me. He tucked it in the back of his belt and reached out both hands to me.
"It's over, Ayden. He's dead."
Autumn began to scream. Thick blood from the intruder had pooled around her feet, and she was afraid to move. She tried to muffle the screams, pressing both hands over her mouth while she looked at us with wild eyes, but the screams would not stop.
My father and I both moved towards her, but there was a horrendous splintering sound. The front door broke open and it sounded as if a rhino was tearing down the hallway. An injured and enraged Alan appeared in the door. Blood coursed down half his head and his enormous hands were out, ready to catch and smash the intruder.
Alan skidded to a stop in the doorway and swayed. He grabbed the doorframe and tried to speak. "Cracked me from behind. In my car. Don't know when he got in. He dragged me out to the street, almost got hit by a FedEx truck."
His appearance had broken Autumn out of her terror. She grabbed a handful of white linen napkins off the living room bar cart and ran to him. "You're hurt, Alan. Slow down."
"Everyone's okay?" He asked, his speech started to slur. "It's just a concussion."
Autumn helped Alan into an armchair and dabbed the blood back from his eyes. I turned on my father and demanded an explanation for his presence.
Joseph scrubbed the back of his neck. "I never really left. You threw me out the front door, but I knew we had lots more to talk about. I couldn't leave it like that. So I hid out. It’s a big place."
"You hid in my house? Do you realize you scared Autumn? What were you thinking," I could not keep my voice from raising.
"I know, I'm sorry. Autumn, I did not mean for you to be uncomfortable. I just wanted to make sure that envelope did not get thrown away," my father said.
I went to Autumn. She was concentrating on Alan's wound with shaking hands. It was a long cut but not deep, and Alan nodded to me to say he was alright. He took the bloody linen napkins from her. Autumn stepped back and rubbed her arms. I pulled her close. She was ice cold as shock started to set in.
"He's dead, Ayden. That man is dead," she whispered and swayed against my side. "He had a gun pointed at my head, but now he's dead."
"Self defense," Alan mumbled.
"It doesn't matter," I spat. "I'm still on parole and no matter what the lawyers fight over, I am going back to jail."
I let go of Autumn and gripped my head with both hands. The pain and panic were overwhelming. The guttural yell ripped out of me and I dropped to my knees. It was all over and I would never have a life. I had wasted everything Jace tried to give to me, and now I would die in prison. There was no coming back from it.
"What do mean?" Autumn asked. She sank to the floor next to me. "It was self-defense. He broke into your home and threatened us."
I held both hands over my eyes and shook my head from side to side. There was no way around it. It already felt like the bars were around me. Everything flashed backwards in my mind's eye until it stopped on the first moment I saw Autumn.
"I'm so sorry." I turned to her and folded her in my arms. "This isn't how it was supposed to be for us. I ruined everything."
"You saved my life."
A second gunshot cracked through our misery and the room rang with it. Autumn and I scrambled to our feet to see Alan sitting up. His face was fixed in grim approval. I turned around and felt the room spin around me. Autumn wrapped her arms around my waist and we faced my father.
He stood over the intruder with the gun in his hand.
"What have you done?" I asked in a hoarse whisper.
"I did it. The man almost killed your bodyguard, broke into your house, and threatened us all. I shot him twice in self-defense. The police will hear my confession, find the gunshot residue on my hands, and that will be that," my father said.
Alan spoke up. "That kind of man, that kind of job, no one is going to dig too deep."
"You can't be serious. This is insane. Why would you do that?" I cried.
"For you, son. I understand if you can never forgive me. I can't forgive myself. But what I can do is give you your freedom. Take it and make a good life for yourself. You deserve it."
I shook my head, let go of Autumn and paced frantically around the room. "You can't do that. I won't let you. The angle on the second gunshot is all wrong. They'll find out. It’s not worth it."
Alan struggled to his feet though his words were clear once again. "Joseph shot him once, then they struggled, they fell together and the second shot happened between them. That will explain if the angle is strange. Falling, in a struggle. Like I said, though, that kind of man is not someone lawyers are going to line up for."
"This can't be happening," I turned around again. "It's all over. I'm so sorry, Autumn. It’s all over."
"That's just the shock talking. I shot him, son," my father said.
"I saw Joseph shoot the intruder," Alan agreed.
I stopped in my tracks.
Autumn squared her shoulders. "I saw Joseph shoot him."
I did not have time to argue. Police swarmed through the splintered front door with guns drawn. We all held our hands up, and I saw that Joseph still held the gun. The police yelled for him to drop the weapon, and he began to confess even as they recited his rights and locked the handcuffs on him.
My father was pulled from the house and tucked into a squad car while the rest of us stood there frozen in shock.