Bound by Steel (27 page)

I can’t help chuckling when she huffs out a breath. “Fine! I’ll get ready, but tonight Mr. Steel, you’re mine.”

“With pleasure,” I mumble against her neck before getting up to leave. If I stay one second longer, I will put my hard-on to very good use.

Traffic is horrendous the closer I get into Danbury. You’d think I’d be used to it since I lived in New York, but Connecticut drivers are the worst. As soon as we can put all of this behind us, we will be moving back to our apartment. It can’t come soon enough for me.

The moment The Ethan Allen Hotel comes into view, I feel twitchy. This is it. The icing on the proverbial cake. Vega won’t be able to talk her way out of this one, no matter how hard she tries. She wanted to meet in a public place, but I wouldn’t hear of it. Her room is as good as it’s going to get. That way if our voices get a bit loud, they’ll think we’re having a fight. And they won’t be too far off the mark.

No one pays me any mind when I walk in and head for the elevators. Hey, I’m clean-cut and good-looking. Why would anyone stop me? I hit the ‘up’ button on the elevator and wait. When it opens, a young couple give me a friendly smile. After pressing the button for my floor, I shove my hands inside my pockets and wait. Since the hotel only has a few floors it doesn’t take long before they open again. And the young couple just so happen to be getting off of the same floor as me. Fucking lovely. But I do breathe a sigh of relief when they go in the opposite direction. Luckily, they’re in their room long before I even knock on Mrs. Harper’s door.

I’m not surprised when it immediately opens. There’s no doubt she wants to get this over with as badly as I do. “Mr. Steel, you’re late.”

Since I’ve forgotten my watch, she might be right. But I’m not going to apologize for getting caught in traffic. “Well, I’m here now. Ladies first.”

“If I remember correctly, you were the one who insisted on this meeting. Not me. So, by all means, Mr. Steel, the floor is yours.”

I was hoping that’s what she would say, but I didn’t want to appear too cocky. “If you insist.”

“Yes, I do. Please sit down and I’ll get us some Perrier.”

“If you don’t mind, Mrs. Harper, I prefer to stand.” I fold my arms across my chest and rock back and forth on my heels. I can tell she’s pissed off by my laid-back demeanor. And that’s exactly the reaction I was hoping for.

“Suit yourself,” she hisses before handing me the bottle. “So tell me why this meeting was so important.”

I purposefully wait until she’s seated on the sofa before I comment. “I think I’ve been rather patient with you. It’s been a little over two months since I’ve asked for your help and you continue to stall at every turn…”

“I’m not stalling. I…”

“Stop! I’m not going to listen to any more of your lies. I’ve told you once before that your ‘daughter’ Lyra, is my wife, Bella. And I have proof. You, on the other hand, do not. So, first let me start off by giving you my heartfelt condolences on the death of your daughter, Lyra. Now with that out of the way, I need your cooperation. Otherwise, I will go to the authorities and turn you in for the death of my wife.”

“That’s absurd! You just told me that Bella’s alive. So how could I possibly be responsible for her death?”

“I spent years believing the hit was put on my wife because I was an agent for the DEA. Guilt haunted me day and night for years because I believed it was my fault that she was dead. So, put yourself in my shoes when I found out the hit was intended for your daughter. Apparently, you pissed off the wrong people when you wrote an exposé on mob bosses in The New York Times. I believe you knew the hit was going to take place and that’s why you scheduled the interview with my wife. You were hoping they’d think Bella was your daughter and your nightmare would end.”

Bella

Mrs. Harper is thirty minutes late. As far as I’m concerned she’s a no-show. And that pisses me off. I didn’t want to be here to begin with and now she’s stood me up. I’ve made up my mind that, as soon as I finish my wine, I’m out of here. Wouldn’t you know my phone vibrates in my purse the minute I decided to leave? Thinking it’s her calling to let me know, I don’t bother looking at the number before answering. “Hello…”

“There’s been a change of plans, precious. I need you to meet me at The Ethan Allen Hotel in Danbury. Room 112. Can you do that for me, Bell?”

My heart plummets to my toes when I hear his voice. What the hell’s going on? “Ryker, please tell me you’re not with Mrs. Harper?”

“I need you here, Bella. Don’t ask questions and don’t second guess anything. It’s almost over, baby. I love you.”

I have to fight back the tears when I hear him say, ‘It’s almost over.’ God, I hope so. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. And Ry, I love you too.” When the call ends, I throw a twenty-dollar bill on the table and get the hell out of there as fast as my feet will carry me. All I want is for us to be able to put everything behind us and move forward.

Thirty-five minutes later I pull into the hotel parking lot. My heart’s thrumming and I can’t stop my hands from shaking. Why’s Ryker really here?

When I stand in front of room 112, I wonder how I came to be here. I don’t remember entering the hotel, the elevator ride, or anything else for that matter. I must have been so focused on my agenda that I blocked out everything and everyone around me. One thing I know for certain—I won’t be the same person going in as I am when I leave. I can feel it in my bones…

Everything around me fades to black as I knock on the door. A sense of fight or flight grabs ahold of me as I wait. And when my husband opens the door and I see his reassuring smile, it immediately puts me at ease. Instantly, his arm wraps around my waist. “Don’t look so frightened, Bell,” he whispers before his mouth possesses mine. With long, languid strokes of his tongue. Ryker’s kiss both calms and soothes me for what’s to come.

I jump when someone clears their throat. Mrs. Harper. I take a deep breath when the flat of Ryker’s palm guides me into the room. Where she’s stoically sitting on the sofa. The only tell-tale sign of her frazzled nerves are the clenching of her hands in her lap. I’ve known her long enough to know her weaknesses. And for some reason, Ryker makes her skittish as a cat.

“Mr. Steel has already informed me that you are not my daughter Lyra. That you are in fact his wife, Bella. Personally, I think he brainwashed you back at the cabin. And now you truly believe you’re his wife.”

She’s baiting me but I won’t even dignify that with an answer. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Harper. Lyra and I came to know one another out of sheer coincidence. And however brief it was, she spoke very highly of her parents. She loved you both dearly.” A guttural sob rips through her chest and takes me by surprise. The poor woman is grieving. I can’t just stand here and watch. When I try going to console her, Ryker grabs my arm and shakes his head. WTF!

“If you only knew what she’s done, you wouldn’t be so easy to comfort her. Trust me, Bella.”

“He’s right,” Mrs. Harper mutters through her pain. Ryker and I both stand silent as she tries to compose herself. Almost as quickly as her tears started, they stop. Either she’s a strong woman or a great actress. “I take full responsibility for my daughter’s death and for the anguish I put you both through. If I had gone with my gut instinct the day the police found you, we wouldn’t be here today.”

“What is she talking about, Ryker?” He glances at me, then back at Mrs. Harper. Normally, he’s not one to ask for permission if he’s hell bent on doing something nuts, but today he looks hesitant. Why?

He grabs my hand and leads me over to the loveseat. “You better sit down, Bella. This won’t be pleasant to hear.”

One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi…

Inhale, exhale…

I watch Ryker pinch the bridge of his nose and my heart slams against my ribs. He’s hesitant and that’s not good. When his eyes finally land on mine, they’re filled with utter sadness. I’ve no doubt he’s trying to find the right words and it’s killing him to have to be the one to tell me. “Vega wrote an article for the New York Times which pissed off a few mob bosses. Shortly thereafter, she received an anonymous letter. They demanded that she revoke the article, or they were going to kill Lyra. She called their bluff, never intending to revoke the article which would have ruined her career. But she did have an ace up her sleeve. You…”

Silence fills the room as Ryker lets me reflect on this bit of information. My mind’s spinning and my heart’s shattered as I put all of the pieces together. Just like a jigsaw puzzle I had when I was a child. Only this one doesn’t depict horses and rainbows. It represents scheming and malice at its very finest. Bringing new meaning to the phrase ‘a life for a life’. Mine for Lyra’s. But fate dealt Lyra a cruel blow when she and I decided to pull a prank. For one night we would swap identities to see if our loved ones would know. Ryker was never given the opportunity, but Mrs. Harper was. If only she had recognized her daughter for who she really was, perhaps she’d still be alive today. I shudder when I think it would be me lying in that cold grave.

“Bella, are you all right?” I hadn’t realized Ryker had sat down next to me. Until his hand brushes the hair away from my face.

“I’m fine. Really, I am.” I hope I came across as convincing because inside I’m a mess. I’m angry. So, so angry. That Mrs. Harper can sit there in her silence as if nothing has taken place. When she killed her own daughter. By proxy, but the outcome was the same nonetheless.

“There’s more, precious, but it can certainly wait if you’re not up to it.”

More? Bring it on, because nothing could be worse than this as far as I’m concerned. “I want you to tell me everything, Ryker. Don’t hold back to spare my feelings. Because when I leave this room today, we’re starting a new life together.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Ryker

As much as I’d like to place all the blame on Vega, she’s not the only one who caused the domino effect. I might not have been the one to start it, but I’m sure as hell going to end it. Now. “If we’re being honest, then I need to come clean as well.” I try choosing my words as carefully as possible before continuing. “Gage did not go to Toronto on his own merit. I fabricated the position just to get him out of town. And as far away from you as possible. I desperately wanted you to remember me, Bella. So I had to pull out all of the stops and give it my best shot. And I succeeded.”

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Ten, nine, eight, seven…

“What the hell, Ryker! Seriously, is that all I am to you? A possession? Or better yet, a game that you’re not willing to lose? I’m your wife whom you vowed to love and cherish. God, sometimes you piss me off!” The next thing I know, she’s on her feet and standing in front of me. Jabbing her finger into my chest. “I was devastated when I thought I’d lost you, Ryker. I was broken. I’d never felt such pain. It was excruciating. Debilitating. I didn’t want to live without you!” Bella just verbalized the heartache I’d felt when I thought she had died. “I tried so hard to make it work with Gage when I came home. But the memory of you kept getting in the way. Damn you, Ryker! You sent away the only person who would have loved me unconditionally. What if your plan had backfired? What if I’d never remembered you? Did you want me to spend the rest of my life mourning you? Don’t you understand, I love you both!” Her words cut. Deeper than anything I’ve ever felt—except her death. I know she’s talking out of anger for what I did but it hurts nonetheless. She still loves the bastard! Now the thought of her being alone with him this weekend rips me apart.

She whimpers when I suddenly frame her face with my hands. Her eyes are tightly closed and tears drop like diamonds along her cheekbones. Breaking my heart. “Bella, don’t be upset. Your happiness will always be my number-one priority. So if you tell me right here and now that you want to be with him, I’ll walk away…”

“No! I want you, Ryker. But I can’t shut off my feelings like a damn faucet…”

Finally, Mrs. Harper speaks. “Well, I hate to break up this party but the only reason Gage was with you to begin with was because I paid him.” That bitch! When Vega informed me that she’d paid Gage to watch over Lyra, we had both agreed it was irrelevant. Now I want to wrap my hands around her throat and squeeze the fucking life right out of her…

“You paid him to stay with me? That’s a lie and you know it! Gage would never take a cent from you.”

I swipe my thumbs across Bella’s wet cheeks so her attention is focused on me. “I’m sorry, baby. But she has proof. Every single check she’s ever written has been deposited into his bank account.”

“Well, there ya go. Gage and I have a joint bank account. So I would’ve known if there was extra money in there.”

The last thing I want to do is hurt her. I didn’t want to believe it when Vega showed me the proof but it was all there in black and white. Gage in the bank depositing her checks. One monthly check every year since they met. Son of a bitch! “Bell, he has an account at a different bank in his name. I personally had it checked out. It’s legit.”

I know without a doubt she loves me, but when she crumbles I’m there to pick up the pieces. “Shh, I’ve got you, precious. I’m right here.” My wife wraps herself around me like a baby Koala clinging to its mother. I understand her grief. It’s not easy being betrayed by someone you love. Someone you trust.

Vega clears her throat, clearly bored. “Well, it was nice chatting with the both of you but I think I’ll be leaving now.”

“Sit down!” Bella jumps when I shout, but it can’t be helped. Vega and I are not finished. There’s a little matter we still need to discuss before I decide whether to call the police or not. She knows this, but chooses to ignore it while I console my wife…

“I think we’re quite finished. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to call the airline to see if I can get an earlier flight.”

Over my dead body. She’s not going anywhere until I say so. “Baby, I need to stop her before she leaves. So I need to put you down before it’s too late,” I whisper. The minute her butt hits the cushion she unwraps herself and curls up in the corner. Quickly, I place a gentle kiss to her brow before standing up to my full height. And in a few long strides my hand clamps on Vega’s wrist as she reaches for the door. Just in the nick of time. “We’re far from finished, Vega. And if you’d given me a minute to answer, I would have said I do mind. Now. Sit. Down!”