William jerked his head away from her touch, but watched her through wary eyes.
“I take that as a no.” Michelle sighed and lowered her hand back to her side. “You know…” She hiked her skirt up to mid-thigh and straddled him in the chair. “I’ve never liked the word ‘no’. That’s why I always take what I want.”
She struggled to turn his head back toward her, and when she failed, she instead gave him a long, wet lick against the side of his face. Michelle turned her head and winked at her sister. “He tastes pretty good.”
“Get the hell off me,” he hissed, and tried to buck her off his lap.
Michelle’s head rocked back with a hearty laugh. “This is the most fun I’ve had in months.” She delivered another lick and a high cackle.
“You’re crazy.” Josie strained against her ropes.
Michelle tsked under her breath. “What’s the matter? You don’t like sharing your toys?” She climbed off William’s lap and moved toward her sister.
Before Josie thought about what she was going to do, she pitched her body forward, stood in a crunched position, and hit Michelle in the stomach, head-on, like a wrecking ball. “Josie,” William shouted. Michelle screamed as she hit the floor with a thud. Pain exploded in Josie’s body. Michelle’s bodyguards rushed inside the room.
William assumed the same tactical position and bowled sideways into them. They toppled over as William’s chair shattered with a crunch beneath him and his ropes slackened.
Michelle gathered her senses, regained her footing, and batted her arms against Josie’s head and body.
Josie couldn’t defend herself, and it wasn’t long before she tasted blood. Yet she wouldn’t give her sister the satisfaction of knowing how hurt she was by crying out or begging for mercy, so she took each blow gladly.
Though William was free from his binding, he was quickly restrained by one of the muscled bullies and turned into a punching bag by the other. Once, he reared back and kicked his feet upward and clocked his assailant hard across the jaw.
However, it was his only good move. His assailant shook off the blow as though a mere mosquito had stung him. The next punch William received broke a rib.
Less than a minute after their brave attempt to fight back, both William and Josie were reduced to battered heaps on the floor and the two bodyguards helped their boss back onto her feet.
“Get her up,” Michelle commanded, while her body shook with uncontrollable rage.
The men lifted and righted Josie’s chair just as Michelle wedged her way in between them and grabbed a fistful of Josie’s hair.
Josie winced, but she didn’t make a sound.
You need the money before you kill her. “I’m only going to ask you one time,” Michelle hissed. “What did you do with the money?” Josie wasn’t foolish enough to answer. It was her last playing card and an ace at that. “Either you tell me, or lover boy gets it,” Michelle warned. “You’re going to kill us anyway, and I’d rather die than see you with my father’s money.”
Michelle laughed. “Don’t kid yourself. Your so-called father didn’t want you around any more than mine. Mine shoved me into one hospital after another while yours shipped you to some foreign boarding school. So you can just stop looking down on me because you’re no better than I am.” Josie’s eyes and heart hardened. Michelle’s thugs finished redoing William’s ropes, but left him planted on the floor since his chair had been demolished. “Why did you kill Dr. Bancroft?” William asked, interrupting the women’s conversation.
She glanced at him with disdain. “Other than the fact that I never liked her? I figured since my darling Ambrose wouldn’t kill Josie through a drug overdose as he promised, I knew it would only be a matter of time before my old doctor realized that Josie wasn’t me. I couldn’t have that now, could I?”
“And Ambrose?”
“Because he didn’t keep his promise. Plus, after Bancroft’s untimely death, he was a little too jumpy, and he knew too much.”
“What about your boyfriend?” he asked. “Why in the hell did you kill him?”
“Daniel?” Michelle smiled. “Why don’t you ask my sister about Daniel?”
“Shut up,” Josie barked.
Michelle shrugged. “She did me a favor. I didn’t want to split you inheritance down the middle, especially since I had to do all the work. And it all ends tonight.”
Josie shook her head. ‘It’s not quite the speech to give when you want me to hand over a fortune.”
“Actually, I don’t care if you tell me where it is. Keystone Institute will eventually cut me a nice multi-million dollar check; well, cutting you a check.” She smirked. “It’ll be enough to last until I find out what you did with the money. I’ll apply for new credit cards, sell the house, whatever.”
Swallowing, Josie’s last ace was slowly turning into a deuce.
A lopsided smile sloped Michelle’s lips. “For what it’s worth, I’m going to sure miss you.” She leaned down and kissed Josie solidly on the mouth. “Keep a warm seat for me in hell.” She winked, and then turned to her hired hands. “Get rid of them.”
Chapter 36
Detective Simmons ignored his stomach’s grumbling, but remained bored watching the distant house. He prayed that his partner and their small team would arrive soon. Sudden movement at the front door of the estate caught his attention and he reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed his binoculars.
D’Angelo’s goons were loading something big and heavy into the trunk of a car. It was hard to make out, but it looked like their load resembled a body. He adjusted the focus on his lens but by that time, the men had closed the trunk.
“What the hell are you guys up to?” he whispered, trying to figure things out.
Michelle and the men piled into the car.
“Okay, something is going on.” He reached for his cell phone and dialed Ming. “Where are you?”
“About three minutes out. Why? What’s going on?”
“It looks like the gang is clearing out.” He watched the car head off down the driveway, but it cut across the manicured lawn to head toward the back of the house. “Something is definitely up.” He opened his car door. “Any way that you can sneak on the property to see what’s going on?” “I’ll probably have to go on foot, but consider it done.” “Okay, but stay on the phone with me.” “You got it.”
#
Scared, bound, and crunched in a spoon position in the trunk of a car, Josie and William were faced with the realization that this could be the end. However, Josie was grateful for small mercies. Michelle and her men didn’t gag them. In this moment where there was so much to say, she didn’t know where to begin, and as a result, she didn’t say anything.
“I love you, Josie,” William whispered. “I know it’s probably not what you want to hear, but if this is the end, I want you to know that I’ve never stopped loving you.” He inched closer until their bodies touched, and then pressed a kiss against the back of her head. Fresh tears seeped from Josie’s eyes. “I love you, too, William. I’ve always have.” “Shh.” He kissed her again. “You don’t have to say that.” “It’s the truth.” She sniffed. “I never married Etienne. I couldn’t.” “What?” “When Etienne returned that summer, I couldn’t go through with it. I broke our engagement and came to Georgia to find you.”
Silence greeted her confession, but she continued. “I hired someone to find you and when I learned about your apartment near the Emory campus, I cam to surprise you.” “Oh, Josie,” he groaned. “Sammy answered the door. She was literally glowing with happiness.” “I had no idea.”