Page 109 of Preying Heart
“What?” I gasp and pat Heath’s arm. “You know my dad? Who he is?”
“Justin and I figured it out when we visited Claudia.” Heath’s tone is thick and gritty. “I caught him eight years ago. Nabbed him when he was in a limousine with a suitcase full of money—on his way to pay for a playmate. The DA refused to charge him. He said the money was for a charity foundation. Clean money, and he donated it. When I mentioned I overheard him talking in a bar with a known cartel boss, they claimed mistaken identity—he had an alibi.”
I hold my breath, and no one says a peep. The lawyers are poker-faced as they pick at their salads. Even Lucy sits there blinking, her eyes darting between Heath and my mom.
“I’m sorry.” Mom lowers her gaze. “I didn’t know it would hurt you.”
“They accused me of planting evidence and perjury, false arrest, and imprisonment.”
“But you were never charged, were you?” Slade cuts in. “I mean, like this was a long time ago, and they let you go.”
“Let me go?” Heath’s voice booms. “I did nothing wrong. I caught him. Dead on in my sights, and the Greasleys and their crooked DA let him go.”
“I didn’t know,” Mom says. “I didn’t know about you, Heath. Forgive me.”
“Mom, you didn’t know then but now that you do, will you do the right thing and put them away? All of them? The Greasleys, Gavin and Deanna, and this man who fathered me?”
She nods. “I’ll answer every question honestly, but to set your expectations, your father’s name will not come up. Claudia is the injured party, and she will be the focus of the investigation. Gavin tried to murder her. He assaulted you and caused your miscarriage. Claudia knows a lot of his dirty dealings. She just kept them under wraps because she thought he’d be president someday.”
“Now that his pretty face is shredded, he isn’t going to be dog catcher.” Slade guffaws. “Look, Heath, this Big Dude paid you a Bitcoin already.”
“Actually, he promised me a million dollars in Bitcoin.” Heath’s stony eyes land on my mom. “To keep Remi safe.”
He slips his hand into the fishing vest he’s wearing, full of pockets for his bandages and pills. “Here’s the letter.”
Mom hesitantly picks it up. She unfolds it and smooths it on the table. “I recognize the handwriting. It is his.”
“Read it. Aloud,” Heath says.
All my nerves are prickling and the tension is taut. No one is eating a bite. Good thing because we only have dessert left.
Mom reads.
Dear Tristan Summer, When I need a job done, I hire the best. You don’t know me, but I know you. I’m offering you a bounty to find this woman, Remi Bruckner, and hide her. Don’t worry. It’s nothing criminal. She’s run from a boyfriend and he wants her back. A million dollars. I’ll be watching.
“That’s it?” I ask. “Nothing about handing him the baby?”
“He added that later when we contacted him,” Lucy says. “We wanted to see if he’s real.”
“Then it looks like he, whoever he is, still owes us a million dollars minus one Bitcoin,” Heath says. “Wouldn’t you agree we kept Remi safe? And now that I read it again, it wasn’t the boyfriend he was working for. His aim was to keep Remi away from the boyfriend, who presumably was Gavin.”
“I’ll mention it to him,” Mom says. “You’re right. He hasn’t paid.”
“He used Stan Greasley’s Bitcoin address to pay me,” Heath says. “This time, he needs to use his own coin. Only then, I won’t tell anyone what I know about him.”
Mom hands the letter back to Heath. “If you make our daughter happy and watch over her. If you take care of her and protect her, then yes, he’ll be glad to fulfill his end of the deal.”
“Hey, wait a sec.” I stand up and place my hand on Heath’s shoulder. “It’s my turn to take care of Heath. To protect him and to watch over him. What do I get other than pure happiness?”
“I should get something, too,” Slade says. “I’m the one who kidnapped you in the first place.”
“And I gave you medical treatment,” Lucy adds. “Sure, I got a best friend, but aren’t I part of the deal?”
“We’ll share in the pot,” Heath says. “But it looks like I’m stuck here with you, Remi.”
“Yep. And you’re not to leave my property. You wheel your butt out of my penthouse, and you’re on your own, Heath Ruger.” I grab the handlebars of the wheelchair and lift him in a wheelie, then spin him around. “And as long as you’re on my property, you’re going to let me love on you as much as I want.”
“Pinky swear.” Heath wiggles his pinky, and I hook it with mine.
