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“He was driving up a mountain trail during the storm and a huge branch fell on his car. But that’s not what killed him. He and the two people with him were trapped overnight.”
“Oh, my God! You mean he froze to death?”
“Yes, Bethany, that’s exactly what I mean. There was one survivor, a young man who was driving.”
“Joey? Thank God. I don’t know how he got involved with Michael, but he was terrified and so unhappy. I know he was desperately trying to find a way out—just like I was. But frozen? Wow. What an incredibly fitting end for the cold-hearted bastard,” she mumbled, fighting back an unexpected surge of emotion. “Fuck. What’s wrong with me,” she exclaimed as the tears began to fall. “Why am I crying, I hated Michael.”
“They’re tears of relief. You’re finally free of him. Do you need anything? Can I bring some coffee or a cup of tea?”
“No, thanks. I just need to process all this,” she sniffled. “Does Tom know?”
“Yes, Matt called him, but Bethany, you need to stay in your room for a little while. Two of Michael’s men are about to arrive. The FBI is already here to arrest them when they do. Stay there until I call you with the all clear.”
“It will take me a while before I’ll be ready to leave anyway. But before you go…does this mean Michael’s organization is falling apart? Is it over? I mean, really over?”
“Yes, Bethany, Michael Aiken’s reign has come to an end, and the FBI will be vacuuming up the remains.”
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
After Matt hurried off to collect the briefcase and take it to Tom’s home, Noah and Cody started clearing away the snow and debris from the courtyard and corrals. Returning to the house, Ellie cleared up the breakfast dishes, then headed into the guest room and sat on the edge of the bed.
In the back of her SUV were the art supplies she’d packed the night before. She should be unloading them, but she didn’t know if she’d simply have to put them back in again, along with everything else she’d brought over.
Staying with Noah was temporary.
Now Michael Aiken was dead.
Bethany wasn’t an evil witch.
The mysterious sounds were no longer a mystery.
The danger had passed.
Heat burned the back of her throat.
Though she was relieved and happy her father was on his way home and she would soon see her mother, she didn’t want to live at the house above the lake, or the cabin that had been her refuge. She wanted to stay exactly where she was. With Noah.
“I love it here at the ranch,” she mumbled, wiping away a stray tear. “I love Sherlock and Candy and Stetson and the mares and all the babies, but mostly, I love Noah, and I don’t want to leave him.”
Her phone suddenly rang, making her jump. Pulling it from her pocket she discovered it was her father. It was too soon for his plane to have landed. Suddenly worried, she quickly accepted the call.
“Hi, dad, Is everything okay? Where are you calling from?”
“I’m in the air. Something’s come up. I have to deal with it and your mother’s coming with me.”
“So…when will you be back?”
“Probably in a couple of days, maybe sooner, it just depends. But I need to talk to you about Bethany. I won’t be telling the FBI about the fake DNA test or any of that, so make sure you don’t mention it. They might know she was working for Michael Aiken. If it comes up I’ll simply say I didn’t know until just recently, which is true, and she was helping me with the renovations, which is also true.”
“What about the briefcase?”
“She found it by accident in your cabin and handed it over to Matt Thompson who’s working with my Head of Security. I’ve spoken to Matt, David and Bethany. Everyone’s on the same page, now you are too.”
“Okay, I understand.”
“I’ve also told Bethany she can stay at the house as long as she needs to.”
“I’m glad. She has nowhere else to go. That Ferrari of hers, I’m guessing that was Michael’s.”
