AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s not over. I will ruin you. All of you. You think your daddy just couldn’t take it and killed himself. Idiots, you really have no idea who you’re fucking with.”
“You’re wrong. I don’t think my father killed himself. I know you had a hand in it. I also know you hired someone to make it look that way,” Bentley says, stepping up beside me.
Mark Kemp sneers at her. “I did, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. You don’t have a shred of proof, sweetheart. Just like when you all start dropping like fucking flies. No one will suspect a thing. I’ll make sure of it.” He storms off.
I wrap an arm around Bentley. She’s shaking. “You’re okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“We need to go to the police,” she whispers.
“Let’s go back to the office. We can call someone to come meet us there,” I tell her.
“No, we need to go now.” She pulls a recording device from her bag. “I turned this on when we left. I just had this feeling… something told me he wouldn’t be able to help himself…”
“You recorded that whole conversation?” I ask, and she nods. “You’re a fucking genius, Bentley Johnson.” I lean down and kiss her. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“I’ll take that.” Xavier plucks the recording device out of Bentley’s hands. “You two take an early mark.”
“Wait, no, I want to come,” she argues.
Xavier looks from Bentley to me. I nod my head. If she wants to be there to hand this over, then I’m not going to stop her. “Okay, fine, but afterwards, you two are going to take off for the weekend.”
“Why?” Bentley asks.
“Humour me. I have a little cabin on the Gold Coast. It’s beachfront. You’ll love it. I’ll have the jet ready to take you straight there,” Xavier says.
“Thanks, we’ll take it,” I answer before Bentley can refuse the offer.
* * *
Bentley isquiet the whole way to the police station. Once we’re there, I take hold of her hand. It’s shaking. “I know this is a lot, Bentley, but you’re not alone. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her.
“I know. Thank you. It’s just… he didn’t give up. He didn’t choose to leave us behind,” she says, her voice cracking at the end.
“No, he didn’t.”
“I spent so many years being angry at him because I thought he made a conscious decision…”
“That’s not your fault,” I say and tug her into my arms.
“I know.”
We follow Xavier into the police station. This must be an odd change of position for him; he’s usually the one getting people off on criminal charges. Guilty or not. He’s never the one presenting evidence to have someone arrested.
Bentley’s hand is firmly gripped in mine. I know she must be going through a myriad of emotions right now. I’m hopeful that this might give her and her family some kind of peace, knowing that her father didn’t choose his fate.
“Xavier Christianson for Detective Anderson,” Xavier says to the front desk clerk. At the mention of his name, the clerk immediately picks up the phone, presumably calling through to the man in question.
“Does he always have that effect on people?” Bentley whispers.
“Most of the time,” I whisper back.
“Who is Detective Anderson?” she asks me.
“No idea.”
“Usually a pain in my fucking ass, but in this instance, he’s the best man for the job,” Xavier says, looking over his shoulder at us.
The side door opens with a loud buzzing sound. “Christianson, it’s not often that I’m paid an unexpected visit from the other side. What can I do for you?”
