Page 129 of Sweet Ruin

Wes must have sensed something was wrong too because he was looking at William like he needed to tread very carefully. “Mr. Hastings?” he asked, his voice filled with both surprise and caution. “What are you doing here?”

I tried to catch Wes’s attention. He didn’t know William had set the fire. That he had lost his mind to vengeance and was potentially very dangerous. But Wes resolutely held his ground.

“Miss LaFleur and I have some unfinished business.” William sounded polished, friendly even, which only made me more concerned, knowing what was bubbling beneath the surface. “Don’t we, Isobel?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t know how. This wasn’t a man caught up in the furious haze of his emotions. No, William was as cold and calculating as he’d ever been, and I dreaded to imagine what he had intended for me. But more than anything, I didn’t want Wes to get involved. I didn’t want him to be hurt.

“We do,” I finally answered before glancing at Wes. “You should go back to dinner, Wes,” I said. “I’ll just be a moment with Mr. Hastings.”

Wes didn’t move even though my eyes pleaded with him to leave. He folded his arms across his chest. “I’m happy to hang here,” he said. “You’ll only be a moment, after all.”

“Your choice,” William said, as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun.

I wanted to curse Wes for not taking his chance to escape. I faced William but froze as he aimed the barrel in my direction. There was a menacing curve to William’s lips, and his face had transformed as his mask of composure fell, and he embraced the depth of his hatred for me.

I began to tremble as icy fear seized me. I knew I should have been trying to talk him down, but what did you say to someone who despised you so thoroughly? Who’d left their sense and compassion behind them a long time ago?

“Mr. Hastings…” I gently begged. My voice was quiet, and I slowly lifted my hands in front of me. I desperately hoped he’d realize this wasn’t the way to solve his problems, but I honestly didn’t know if this was a man that could be reasoned with anymore.

“Please, sir.” Wes sounded more confident than me, but there was no mistaking the fearful tremor in his tone. “Think about what you’re doing…”

William only continued to watch me with his menacing smile. “Oh, I’ve been thinking about this a while.”

“Lower the gun, Grandfather. Now.”

My heart stopped as Noah stepped from behind the hedges, his hands outstretched as he faced his grandfather.

“Noah.” William sounded pleased his grandson had arrived. “I’m so glad that you could be here for this.”

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you need to put the gun away,” Noah insisted. He was ever so slowly edging toward me, but I wasn’t sure what he had planned when he reached me. I couldn’t see a way out of this while William still pointed a gun at me.

“I would have thought it quite obvious what I’m doing.” William released a chilling laugh, and he tilted his head to the side like an animal observing its prey. “I’m doing what I should have done to begin with. I’m disposing of this infatuation of yours. ThisLaFleurtramp. If you hadn’t been so desperately obsessed with her, I would still have my company.”

“That’s not true,” Noah said, keeping his voice as calm as he could. “Isobel had nothing to do with this.”

"Nothing to do with it?” William’s voice was becoming more and more frantic. “This girl has corrupted you and ruined everything. The same thing happened to your father. I dealt with that, and now I’m going to deal with her.”

“If you want to punish someone for losing your company, it should be me. Point the gun at me.”

“That’s what you want, is it?” William spat, turning on Noah and waving the gun in his direction. “No, you can’t escape from this that easily. You took everything from me, and I want you to know what that feels like. I’m taking the one thing you care about most, and this time, I’m going to make sure it’s truly gone before I walk away.”

“You’re not taking anything,” Noah said. “Put down the gun.”

“Why would I do that?” William snarled. “The police are already after me for burning down that pathetic café. Then it’s only a matter of time until they find out about the other fires. If I’m going away for the rest of my life anyway, why shouldn’t I extract this last piece of revenge?”

William trained the gun in my direction once more, and from the determined look in his eyes, it seemed he was done toying with me. He was done talking. Noah had seemed so calm and in control until that moment, but suddenly his eyes became panicked.

“Grandfather, no!”

My heart was racing as terror flooded my veins. That gun wasn’t an idle threat. William had already proven he wasn’t afraid of pulling the trigger. Tears gathered in my eyes, and I wondered if these were my last breaths. If I would ever see my mom again. If I would ever get to tell my dad I loved him. If I would ever get to tell Noah my heart belonged to him. That it always had.

“Take your company back,” Noah pleaded. “Whatever you want, it’s yours. Just don’t take Isobel from me.” I’d never heard him sound so desperate before. “Please, you already took my father from me. Don’t take the girl I love too.”

William merely smirked though, and the air was heavy with dread as we held our breaths.

I prayed he’d listen to Noah.

That he would see sense.

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