The Ranger's Forgiveness (Army Ranger Romance Book 5) Page 5

  Moved heaven and earth was more like it. Her mom would have fought Ruth for custody for hurting Elijah. “Exactly,” Taylor added.

  Lucas nodded. “We’re all caught off guard.”

  Raking his hand through his hair, Elijah squeezed his eyes shut. “Momma Mabrey was sick. Mr. Mabrey, you were worried and trying to figure out how to pay for her treatment again. Lucas, you were struggling because you’d graduated and were trying to drive back and forth from school to here. Taylor…Taylor, you were barely holding it together.”

  “But—”

  “I couldn’t lay my problems at your doorstep. I couldn’t. It wasn’t that I thought you wouldn’t care. It’s that I thought you would, and the focus would be taken off Momma. I loved her just as much as the rest of you, and all I wanted was for her to be okay. What I dealt with at home was nothing in comparison to what you all were going through.” He cleared his throat. “I had ways of keeping her away from me. I bought locks that I could bolt the door with. I made sure I never let her catch me off guard. Well, she did a couple of times, but not enough that I couldn’t take care of it. The four of you meant more to me than anything.”

  “Son—” Her dad stood.

  Elijah shook his head. “No, sir. I saw the way you looked at Momma. I saw it. It’s the same way I looked at Taylor. You loved your wife. You were grief-stricken, knowing what she was going to go through again. Her body had just begun to recover. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. I only wish I’d been notified that she was failing and then gone.” He leveled his gaze at Taylor.

  As if she could feel any more horrible. Why hadn’t she called him at least to tell him what happened to her mom? Why hadn’t she given him the chance to say bye? Young and selfish? Was that really an excuse? Whatever her excuse at the time was, it was the wrong one. “Elijah…”

  He turned to her dad and cut her off, saying, “I appreciate this, but I need to go. Thank you, sir, for thinking of me.” Turning, he strode out of the kitchen.

  Before Taylor could get to her feet, he was gone. She looked at her dad. “His mom was hurting him. I knew she was awful to him, but I had no idea she laid a hand on him.”

  Her dad pulled her into a hug. “None of us did. Your momma is rolling over in her grave. We all missed it.”

  “I thought something was up when I came to visit that summer, but anytime I asked him about it, he’d deflect.” Lucas sat back, catching Taylor’s gaze. “And you broke up with him, huh?”

  It was a full-on assault. If she said yes, she was as evil as Ruth because she’d been cruel too. Everyone knew Elijah loved her, and she’d been the one to break his heart after knowing what he was going through.

  Her dad took her by the arms and held her out. “Taylor, I don’t know what happened back then, but I think you need to come clean now. About the time that you broke up with him, our medical bills just disappeared. Someone had generously paid them off. Now, I’m no gambler, but if I were, I’d say Ruth did something.”

  Oh, she was a mouse caught by a cat. “I can’t talk about it, and I won’t. It’s old news, and there’s no reason to ever rehash it. Both of you need to let it go.” She pulled free from her dad and ran to her room, shutting the door behind her and locking it.

  Leaning her back against the door, she contemplated crawling out the window and driving back to Roswell as fast as she could. These questions had to stop. Her dad couldn’t find out. He’d give up his freedom if it meant making her happy, and there was no denying the tears she’d shed when she split with Elijah.

  Taylor couldn’t let it happen. He wasn’t in the best health to begin with, and how would they prove he didn’t bribe that doctor? His love of her mother and the entire family’s desperation to save her would be the nail in the coffin.

  It wasn’t fair, but it was life. She’d made her choice, and now she had to live with it. Okay, it wasn’t a choice, but it didn’t change the fact that she had to live with it. It had been hard, and it would continue being hard—especially now that she’d seen Elijah again.

  Nothing about her feelings for him had changed. Nothing. He was still just as gorgeous now as he was back then. He was still just as sweet and kind. All the things she loved about him were just older and wiser.

  She walked to her bed and threw herself on it. As soon as she could, she was getting out of Las Vegas. It was the easiest and best solution.

  Chapter 7

  “Thanks for agreeing to meet me so quickly, Mr. Emerson.” Mallory Barlow smiled. “I’m sorry to hear of Ruth’s passing. I would have come to the funeral, but time didn’t permit.”

  “Thank you.” Elijah shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” He stepped aside to allow her inside his home early Thursday morning. “This is Lucas Mabrey, my personal lawyer.”

  The woman eyed Lucas a moment and then shook his hand. “Nice to meet you as well.” She returned her gaze to Elijah. “I’ll need a space to spread things out. There’s a lot to go over.”

  “Sure,” he said, leading her to his father’s study. It was dusty from not being used, but the large desk would accommodate whatever space the attorney needed. “I hope that will do.” He waved his hand to the large leather high-back chair behind the desk.

  “This will do fine. Thank you.” She set her briefcase atop the desk and unlocked it, taking out several thick folders filled with paper.

  “So, what demands has my mother made of me,” Elijah asked as seated himself across from her.

  Lucas took the chair next to him and crossed his ankle over his knee.

  Dinner with the Mabrey family the previous night had left Elijah spent. He’d returned home with his emotions in a jumble. Letting slip that his mom had abused him physically wasn’t something he’d planned on. It had slipped out. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a topic of conversation ever again. Not with them.

  Momma Mabrey’s letter was upstairs on his nightstand, still unread. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to read it just yet. He wasn’t sure why, aside from what he’d told the family. He sure wished she was still around. Maybe she’d have wisdom to impart about how to navigate his mother’s death and what to do with his parents’ estate.

  “Well, there were quite a few, but…fortunately, none of them will apply.”

  What? Elijah knitted his eyebrows together, looking from her to Lucas and back. “What do you mean?”

  “I was your dad’s lawyer first, and while your mom was in control of things after his passing—to a degree—that is not the case now.”

  Pinching the bridge of his nose, Elijah asked, “What does that mean?”

  “It means that your dad took measures to protect you. He had a blind spot for Ruth for many years, but leading up to his heart attack, those blinders were slowly coming off.”

  “What are you talking about? They both wanted me to run the company, and I didn’t want to. I wasn’t running it, and I’m still not.”

  Mrs. Barlow sighed and opened a folder thick with papers. “No, actually, he didn’t. And their marriage was in trouble before he died. They were trying to work it out, and part of that was a deal they made. If Ruth somehow managed to get you to take over the company, she’d have received forty-nine percent interest. You would have had fifty-one and control of the interest. Those stocks are worth billions, and she knew she’d have been left with much less than that if she didn’t succeed.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” This trip was filled with things knocking the wind out of him.

  She took a deep breath. “Your father wrote Ruth out of his will. She’s been living off a sort of trust fund since he passed away. Another deal they made in case you didn’t agree to take over the company. At the time the deal was made, she had no idea he’d written her out completely.”

  “He wrote her out of the will? I had no idea.”

  Mrs. Barlow nodded. “He did. The company, the house, the holdings, even her trust account…all of it belongs to you free and clear now that she is gone.”

 
; “She must have been furious.” Elijah sat back.

  Lucas turned to Elijah, his eyes wide. “Wow, man. You’re a full-blown billionaire now.” Shaking his head slowly, he turned back to the lawyer. “Why was Elijah never informed of this?”

  Mrs. Barlow shrugged. “I asked Samuel that myself. His father’s response was that he didn’t want Elijah hating his mother. I think Sam held out hope that she’d realize that money wasn’t the answer to anything and come to her senses. Which, as we all know, wasn’t the case.”

  “So all this time, everything has belonged to Elijah?” Lucas asked.

  “In a way. Sam wanted to give Ruth a chance to see that money wasn’t everything, but he didn’t want it to be indefinite. The company has continued with an outside CEO with the understanding that if Elijah ever did decide to take the company over, he could. Upon Elijah’s thirtieth birthday, he would have been given the reins to do as he saw fit, whether Ruth had a change of heart or not. None of those restrictions apply now, however.”

  “The last time I spoke to her was four years ago,” Elijah said just above a whisper. “She was pushing me to take over the company, but I couldn’t. Needless to say, I ended that conversation knowing I’d never speak to her again.” His chest tightened at the memory. That had never been his intent, but she’d made her demands known. He’d take over the company, or she’d cut him out of her life.

  Lucas touched his arm. “I’m sorry, man. I had no idea.”

  Shrugging, Elijah glanced at him. “It was life in my house. She didn’t have to lay a hand on me physically. She was abusive before we came into money. After we were billionaires practically overnight, it only got worse. Why do you think I stayed at your house so much?”

  “Did Taylor know?”

  “She knew things were bad, but like I said at dinner last night, I couldn’t lay all of that on you guys when you were going through something so much worse.”

  The attorney leaned forward. “I don’t think your father knew either. Why didn’t you tell him?”

  Elijah choked out a laugh. “And the point of that would have been? As far as I knew, my dad was in love with her. They presented a united happy front to me. In my mind, it would have been pointless.” He cleared his throat. “Is that all? Am I done? Because I don’t want any of it.”

  Lucas held up his hand. “Elijah, wait.”

  “For what? I don’t want anything to do with my mom or the company.”

  Twisting in his seat, Lucas faced him and held his gaze. “If there is anyone who understands why you’re feeling this way, it’s me. I know Ruth was terrible to you, but she was still your mom. Don’t rush to make these types of decisions. You might regret it.”

  Mrs. Barlow cleared her throat. “We have another issue.”

  Elijah squeezed his eyes shut. It was too much all at once. Too overwhelming. “What now?”

  “Part of my job is to inventory assets and get appraisals. While going over the estate, I found a large unaccounted-for withdrawal by your mother. I also can’t find where it went. It’s just gone.”

  Lucas faced Mrs. Barlow. “Was this from her trust account?”

  “No. It was from an account that her name was no longer on. I have no idea how she got the money, but I’m guessing whoever allowed the transaction also knows where it went.”

  Elijah took a deep breath. “Okay, so…”

  Lucas looked at Elijah. “You need to find out where that money went.”

  The attorney nodded in agreement with Lucas.

  Shrugging, Elijah asked, “Why? It’s gone. It’s not like I need it. Who cares? It was her money.”

  “But why was it taken out? Why the secrecy? Who did it go to? There is no record at all of where it went,” Mrs. Barlow replied.

  Lucas waved a hand at the woman. “Exactly. If nothing else, curiosity should make you want…” His phone began ringing, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Hold on. I’ll be right back.” He stood and walked out of the room.

  Elijah slid down in the chair. “I just want this over. I don’t care where the money went. I make good money at my job. It’s more than enough to cover my living expenses.”

  “I know, but this was two million dollars.”

  That changed things. He sat up and nearly choked. “Two million…” What could his mom have needed with that much money? “When did this happen?”

  Lucas burst back into the room. “I have to go. Someone’s torched Dad’s house.”

  Elijah came to his feet. “What?” Taylor.

  “It’s in flames. I don’t know…” He raked his hand through his hair. “I have to go.”

  Before Elijah could say a word, Mrs. Barlow held up her hand. “We’ll talk more later, and I’ll see myself out.”

  “Thanks.” Elijah hurried across the room and stopped next to Lucas. “Let’s go. I’ll drive.”

  His issues with Taylor would have to sit on the back burner. He hadn’t been able to be there for the Mabrey family when Maria died, but he could be there for them now. In whatever capacity that meant. He’d deal with his own family mess later.

  * * *

  Hugging herself, Taylor stood back as firefighters worked to put out the flames eating her childhood home. All her mom’s things. All her memories. It felt like her mother’s essence was being taken away. The one thing Taylor had left that still made her feel like her mother was holding her when she needed it was burning right in front of her.

  “Taylor!” Lucas called.

  She turned, and for a second, she was stunned. Elijah was with him, walking toward her with steps as determined as Lucas’s.

  Her brother reached her and pulled her into a hug. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah…no. I don’t know.”

  He leaned back. “Were you in the house?”

  Her voice was gone, so she nodded.

  Lucas pulled her into a hug again. “Geez, Taylor.”

  “Where’s your dad?” asked Elijah.

  “Right here,” her dad replied, stopping next to Elijah. “I got here as fast as I could. I was on the opposite side of town, and when I got here, the street was blocked off. I had to walk.” He pulled Taylor from Lucas’s grasp and hugged her. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

  Elijah set his hands on his hips. “That’s a pretty big fire. I wonder what happened.”

  Taylor stepped back from her dad. “I don’t know. I woke up, and the house was already on fire. I crawled out the window and called the 9-1-1 as fast as I could.”

  He turned to her, stared at her a second, and then wrapped his large arms around her so tightly she nearly sighed. “It’s not your fault, Taylor. I’m just glad you’re not hurt.”

  She hugged him around the chest, taking note that her hands could no longer touch like they used to when they were in high school. Part of her wanted to thank him for being there, but she was so afraid he’d pull away that she just held on to him.

  “You guys can stay with me until we figure out what we’re going to do,” Lucas said. “My place isn’t huge, but it’ll do.”

  Elijah let her go and stepped back as a man in a firefighter suit stopped in front of them. “Hey, Joseph.” The firefighters already had most of the fire put out and were poking around the perimeter.

  Her dad shook the man’s hand. “Hey, Captain Durant. Thank you for being so quick with this.”

  The captain smiled. “You’re welcome, but I need to ask some questions.”

  “Shoot,” her dad said.

  “Do you have any enemies? Maybe a disgruntled ex-employee or a customer that might have a grievance?”

  Her dad shook his head, his brows deeply furrowed. “No, why?”

  “Because it’s looking like the fire was set on purpose.”

  “On purpose?” Her dad blinked. “This was set on purpose?”

  Taylor stepped back from the others. It was her fault. She looked at Lucas, and by the way he was staring back at her with his lips set in a thin hard line, he had the same th
ought.

  “I think you need to tell them what’s going on.” Lucas held her gaze.

  Elijah turned to face her. “What’s going on?”

  Her dad nodded. “I’d like to know that answer as well.”

  “I…I run an anonymous conspiracy podcast and blog. I even have a Twitter account. It’s just a joke. Something to bring in advertising dollars while I try to work on my art. About three months ago, someone started leaving threats. They were harmless at first, nothing I took all that seriously. Until a month ago. They started getting a little scary. I called the police and told them about it, but there was nothing they could do.”

  The captain took a deep breath. “You’re going to need to give a statement, and you’ll need to stay somewhere else while we investigate this. I’m afraid it will be a total loss. I’m sorry.”

  Taylor’s heart broke all over again. A total loss? What would they do? Everything was gone.

  “They’ll stay with me, including Lucas since he could be a target as well,” Elijah said with confidence Taylor didn’t remember him possessing before he left Las Vegas.

  “Aw, son, you don’t have to do that,” her dad said, shaking his head.

  Nodding, Elijah said, “Yes, sir, I know, but if this was set on purpose, then you need protection, and if there’s one thing I do well, it’s that. You can stay with me. I’ve got more than enough room.”

  “Are you sure? We can stay with Lucas. He’s already offered.”

  Taylor stepped closer to her dad. “Daddy’s right. We don’t need to impose.” And she didn’t need to be living under the same roof as Elijah. The hug he’d given her was enough to rattle her. Any more time with him, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her distance—or her mouth shut.

  “Look, this is what I do. If this person was willing to burn the house down with Taylor inside, then they’re willing to try again. Lucas lives in an apartment building. Do you really want to take the chance?” Elijah looked huge to her at that moment. Commanding, confident, knowledgeable. As a kid, he’d been so soft-spoken and even a little shy. This new version of Elijah would take some getting used to.