Chapter 34
The last thing J.T. expected to see was Caroline’s stricken face when she opened the door.
He slowly lowered the Sub-Zero cooler filled with the gelato he’d made a special trip for. “What’s wrong?”
“You should come in,” she said simply and let him enter.
His first thought was that she was going to break up with him. Then he smelled Mexican food and thought, nah. She wouldn’t have invited him over for dinner, and actually cooked, to break his heart.
“Caroline, what’s going on?” he asked, following her into the kitchen and setting the cooler down.
When he looked up and saw his brother, he stopped short. He’d known Trev his whole life, and he’d never seen his face such a sickly shade of gray.
“What is it?” he asked his twin.
Trev walked toward him slowly, and he felt Caroline wrap her arms around his waist. His whole body froze up, sensing the need to protect himself from whatever they were about to say.
“Uncle Arthur had a heart attack tonight,” Trev told him. “Aunt Clara and her butler managed to give him an aspirin and call an ambulance, but he’s in critical condition.”
His own heart turned to stone in his chest. No, not his idol. Not Uncle Arthur. He’d only just gotten him back in his life. He’d thought there’d be more time. “We need to go to the hospital.”
He realized they’d been waiting for him, and gratitude filled him. It must have been hard for them to stay here when all they wanted to do was to be with the man they all loved.
He pulled away, but Caroline clung to him, refusing to let him go. She was taking it hard, and he put his arms around her. Then he met his Trevor’s gaze, and he knew there was more to it. He wanted to throw off the arms holding him in place and bury his head in the sand. He couldn’t take it.
“There’s no easy way to say this,” Trev said, “so I’m saying it straight out. Carlyle Bank phoned Uncle Arthur tonight and called in his loan. He has thirty days to pay back a sizeable amount or the bank takes over The Western Independent. Not that we’re going to let that happen, of course.”
His mind went blank, like when he entered a room and couldn’t remember why he’d gone there. Then his brain fixated on one word—Carlyle—and he put the puzzle pieces together.
“Cynthia.”
He would have stumbled backward if their hands hadn’t been on him.
“And the paper’s biggest advertiser—the one Uncle Arthur mentioned losing the other day—is connected to Newhouse Senior. J.T., I’m sorry I didn’t make the connection earlier.”
Who could have? This was a whole new level of revenge. A huge well of pain surged up, crashing through him like a category three hurricane.
“No!” he cried out.
He shoved them away and took a few shaky steps. He needed space. He couldn’t breathe.
Cynthia’s last words came to mind. Coup de grâce. She’d delivered a death blow to a man he loved and admired, a man who’d helped him fight for the museum.
Now Arthur Hale was in danger of losing his life.
“It’s all my fault,” he said softly. “I did this—”
“No, J.T.,” Caroline said, coming over to him. “It’s not. It’s hers. She’s a horrible, horrible woman.”
God, he couldn’t believe she could be this cruel. “She couldn’t have come up with a worse punishment,” he said, feeling lightheaded. “No one is safe around me.”
“Stop this!” Trev shouted, stalking over to him. “I mean it, J.T. We need you to focus.”
“I hurt everyone I love,” he said, a strange numbness coating him now.
“You stop talking like this,” Trev shouted. “Dammit! Don’t you see? You’re falling into her hands again.”
Right, Cynthia. She’d wanted him to crawl, to hurt, to give up.
She’d finally gotten her wish.
He stalked to the front door and heard Caroline and Trevor behind him. Fumbling with his keys, he managed to get into his car and lock the door before they reached him. Trev beat on the window, Caroline crying beside him.
“Don’t do this, J.T.,” Caroline called, putting her hand on the glass.
She didn’t understand. He had to protect her now, before it was too late. What he wanted didn’t matter anymore. This was the only thing he could do for her. He turned the car on and sped off.
His first stop was the hospital. He had to see Uncle Arthur. Make sure he remembered just how much of a liability he was. The corridor was crowded with the family he’d come to love when he arrived on the second floor.
Jill was crying when she hugged him, and so were her two small daughters.
“Thank God your aunt was with him, J.T.,” she told him. “Andy says so much damage was prevented because she gave him that aspirin right away.”
Brian was beside her, rubbing away his own tears. “He’s strong, Jillie. He’s going to make it and yell at us all for making such a fuss.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he walked past them. “I’m so sorry.”
God, there was such pain here, and he’d caused it.
Caroline’s mother kissed him on the cheek, muttering something he couldn’t make out. Then Moira and Natalie were putting their arms around him, but he pressed on to the door of Arthur’s hospital room. Aunt Clara saw him and stood up from her position in the corner.
She came to him, and he felt her hand on his arm as he looked at his beloved mentor. Tubes were in his nose, winding around him like vines. IVs were strapped to his arms. He was hooked to machines beeping and wheezing, as if he needed them to keep going. His normally ruddy color was sallow green now, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to have fallen inches more from the stress. The great Arthur Hale looked nothing like the vibrant man he knew and loved.
This is what he’d done. He’d been the one to bring this disaster home to Dare Valley. If he’d never come here, Cynthia would have had no reason to target these people.
Meredith and Tanner were holding Uncle Arthur’s hands, one on each side. Their faces were etched with worry.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “Please tell him.”
God, he hoped Uncle Arthur would wake to hear those words. His mind spun. What if he didn’t? He could die. People did die from heart attacks, especially when they were elderly. How could he live with that? The answer was simple. He couldn’t.
Aunt Clara tightened her hold on him. “Don’t you dare go blaming yourself for this.”
He untangled himself from her grasp. “It’s too late.”
He’d tried everything else to thwart Cynthia. Walked away from his career and his family’s company. Given away the bulk of his money. And it still hadn’t kept the people he loved safe.
The only thing left for him to do was disappear.