Chapter 71 Chapter 71
Kai
“Want to find out?” she asked, smirking.
I grabbed her legs, making her fall back onto the bed. “ZAIEL RHYLAND, DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE,” she yelled, which made me smile. I laid over her, making sure I didn't hurt her shoulder, and made sure she couldn't move her feet.
“Or what beauty?” I licked her neck, leaving my mark on her.
“How about we make a bet?” I asked to see if she would take the bait.
“Bet on?” she asked curiously.
“I’ll let you leave and cancel the marriage; all you have to do is not cum.” I said, and her entire body went stiff.
“Zai…” she started, but I leaned into her, and I heard the whimper.
“I’ll enjoy that. What do you say? I’ll enjoy eating your pussy for an hour. If you cum, you stay; if you don’t, you walk away. What do you say, beauty?” I asked as I cupped her breast, and she moaned louder.
Tessa
What the fuck was wrong with me?. “No,” I managed to say and push him off of me. He stood up and looked at me. “Stop wearing those damn short-ass clothes, or you’ll find out how little control I have when it comes to you,” he said.
I sat up and looked at him. I didn't care that I was half naked; we were way past that point now. “What did you find out?” I asked, making it clear I wasn't taking any excuses this time. He stood looking at me for a while.
“Nothing,” he said, which confused me.
“What do you mean nothing?” I asked.
“Exactly that, nothing. Rob, Joe, and Carlo have been working nonstop for the past week. All security cameras on the route to your house were checked, but they didn’t pick up anything, and Joe is fucking good at what he does,” he said.
I could tell he was frustrated; I sat down on the bed. “The Explosion?” I asked.
His eyes found mine. “Premeditated. The front door was rigged; explosives were set and rigged, and the minute the door opened, it went off. The fire crew found pieces of explosives at the scene, well, at your house. The only thing intact is the basement. Found your suitcases and other stuff under the rubble. I already have new documents prepared for you,” he said.
Think, Tessa, think. "Rigged" means they had to have been watching me; they knew I wasn't home. Did they know when I would return?. I had been planning carefully. The second I got that file from Jax, I was careful; I knew Jax was watching me because I was also watching. I had an apartment in the same building as Paige. I asked Savannah to rent it in her name.
I had all my important documents and money moved. I would ask the girls to take a taxi and come over to my place and let them leave with my car and take my stuff back. I would stand outside and make a big show of them leaving with my car, asking them to return it in one piece.
Caroline Rusland, Mark, and Alex. Mark’s son, I read that file, Clayon Barker, he’s nineteen years old. That... wait… I looked up.
“Are you sure Mark’s first son’s file is correct?” I asked, looking at him.
“It better be; Joe is thorough in his research. Why do you ask?” he said.
I stood up and began pacing. “Something isn't adding up,” I said more to myself than to him.
“Meaning?” he asked.
“Mark and Alex are twins, if I’m correct and I read that file correctly. Alex and Mark should be 28; I’m 25. How does a 28-year-old have an 18- or almost 19-year-old kid? That's not possible unless…?”
“Unless they weren't really twins,” he said, pulling his phone out and calling someone; he put the phone on speaker.
KAI: Joe?
JOE: Yes, Mr. Rhyland, what can I do for you?
TESSA: Are you sure the details you found on Clayton Barker are correct?
JOE: Yes, that was everything I found.
TESSA: So he is 18 years old?
JOE: Yes, Miss, all the information and documents found point towards him being 18 years old.
TESSA: And Mark and Alex Rusland’s age?
JOE: One moment, Miss.
I could hear the clacking in the background.
JOE: 28 years old
KAI: How does a fucking 28-year-old have an 18-year-old son? Start fucking digging.
JOE: Yes, Mr. Rhyland.
He ended the call and looked at me. I walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on. I didn't need a shower; I just needed somewhere to think clearly. I closed the door because the idiot was still sitting there looking at me. I paced the bathroom floor as I made my plan.
Zaiel needed to leave, and I needed to move in the shadows. An 18-year-old and a resentful wife, who knows what they were told and what they believed, but I wouldn't put it past Alex and Mark to make up a story and paint me as the villain.
I needed everything, a complete play-by-play of what those two were doing. I couldn't use my Jeep; if they're watching me, then they know my only way of getting around was the Jeep. I needed something fast, something they wouldn't expect: a bike. Okay, first thing on the list: get Rhyland to leave Georgetown.
I walked back into the room and stopped short. He was shirtless and walking towards me. I stepped back. “I want to take a shower,” he said casually, too casually. I stepped aside. I walked back to the room and grabbed my phone. I couldn't make any moves right now. I would need a decoy.
Later that evening we were eating after dinner. I just stayed there, thinking. I guess I fell asleep because I was awoken by persistent knocking. When I sat up, I was in the bed, and he was beside me. I was in one of his shirts. It was almost two in the morning. He got off the bed and walked out of the room. I heard talking. I got off the bed and walked out of the room into the living room. He was standing there with a folder in his hand, and so was Joe.
When he saw me, he closed the file. “Go back to bed,” he said in that low tone that basically meant no.
“Give it to me.”
“It’s nothing, Tessa,” he said, his tone more commanding.
“I said. Give. It. To. Me., Rhyland,” I said, making it clear I wasn’t screwing around. He looked at me but didn't budge. I walked over and grabbed the file, but he wouldn't let go. “Tessa,” his voice a low growl.
“Let it go,” I said, yanking it away from him. Joe walked out of the room. I walked over to the couch and read the file.