Page 47 of Kidnapping of a Myth

“I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve done,” she sobbed as she pulled her brothers closer, and Bel noticed Henry hovering in the mansion’s front entrance. He didn’t approach, and for a moment, his hesitation confused her until his eyes flicked to Cerberus. She realized how close the pitbull was to his reunited family, and he gave her an awkward shrug. After everything he’d been through, she wouldn’t force him to face his fear of bully breeds, so with a gracious smile, she placed her dog in the truck and shut the door. Henry nodded his thanks and then approached his wife, and Wendy dragged him down onto their overjoyed pile of bodies until they were all tangled and dirty and laughing through their sobs.

“You don’t need to repay us,” Bel said, slipping an arm around Eamon’s waist. “Knowing your brothers are safe is all I need.”

“You two are always welcome in my home,” Wendy said. “You’re family now, and I want you both at our wedding next month. I won’t take no for an answer. You have to come. Say you will.”

“We’ll be there,” Eamon promised.

“Good.” Wendy pulled herself off the ground, all signs of the socialite gone as she wiped the dirt stains off her clothes. She captured her brothers in her embrace, and Henry wrapped his arms around all three of them, and together the Darling family disappeared into their house.

“Do you mind taking Cerberus home?” Bel asked Eamon as Gold rushed forward and trapped her in a fierce hug. By the way her partner gripped her, Bel figured Griffin had filled her in, and while it had been too dark for everyone to see the rescue’s finer details, Olivia had obviously pieced enough of the plot together.

“I’ll catch a ride home with Olivia,” Bel said when her partner refused to let go, and Eamon smiled, cupping her face in his broad palm.

“We’ll be waiting for you.” He brushed his thumb gently over her lips, his fingers trailing a kiss on her mouth, and then he climbed into the truck and drove off down the lane.

Bel watched them disappear, and when both the man and the dog who owned her heart vanished around the bend, she followed Olivia to her car so they could rejoin the officers and agents at the cliffs. The boys had been rescued. The terror was over, but their work had only just begun.

THREE WEEKS LATER

“What areyou still doing here? Don’t you have a wedding to get to?” Griffin asked, and Bel shifted at her desk to meet the sheriff’s gaze.

“I know, I know, I’m going.” She flashed him a tired grin. “Eamon just picked up Cerberus from my place, and they’re on their way.” It felt strange admitting Eamon was picking her up. A few months ago, he’d been their primary murder suspect, the entire police force believing he was the evil plaguing their town, and now she was confessing to her boss that he was her wedding date. Griffin was still wary of the man, and while he adamantly refused to learn more than the Darling case revealed, he couldno longer ignore the truth. Eamon Stone was a terrifying individual, but he loved Bel with an undeniable ferocity. It was clear he would always put her life before his own, and the sheriff had offered their reclusive millionaire an olive branch. The men would probably never be close, but after witnessing Eamon save two children, Griffin had softened his disapproval of their relationship.

“It’s just driving me crazy that we never figured out who Hook is,” Bel said as she gathered her things. It had been three weeks since John and Michael Darling had been kidnapped. Griffin and Bel covered for Eamon’s involvement with the lie that one of Bajka’s officers had an extensive rock-climbing background, but the FBI hadn’t questioned the explanation. The traps had slaughtered dozens of their agents, and since the Darlings were such a prolific family, everyone involved was more concerned with the boys’ survival than the logistics. Pann was in custody, the evidence against him overwhelming… if they could only discover who he was. Not even the FBI had unearthed his true identity. The man was a ghost, not a single trace of his history left for them to find, and because he didn’t seem to exist, they couldn’t decipher a motive. They’d uncovered the who, where, and how, but the why was a mystery driving Bel to madness.

“He literally stood right there and yelled that Hook made him do it.” She pointed to the spot on the floor, conveniently omitting Eamon’s involvement in the confession. “The psychologists have yet to make a ruling on his mental health, but regardless of his antics, it didn’t sound like a lie. He seemed convinced Hook was responsible, and I can’t let it go. Who is Hook?”

Bel ran her fingers through her hair, exhausted from the nagging question haunting her subconscious. The FBI had investigated Wendy’s suspicions about the board members andfollowed up on Desmee’s theory that a competitor hired Pann, but no evidence pointed to either being true. The harder they searched for a money trail, the less likely it became that someone paid Pann. Not a single person in the Darlings’ lives had made any unaccounted-for payments, nor had Peter’s funds been located. Between confirmed alibis and the lack of paper and financial trails, the FBI theorized no one had hired Pann. Their investigation concluded that the Darlings were the unfortunate victims of a madman. They were still waiting on a verdict from the forensic psychologists, but most believed Hook was an alias like The Tinker.

“It’s a frustrating part of law enforcement,” Griffin said, patting her shoulder comfortingly. “Sometimes we never learn why. Sometimes we never find out who either, so at least Pann is in custody and those boys are safe. I know how you feel, though. You want to understand why someone would commit such heinous acts towards innocent children, but the horrible reality is that we often never figure it out. Thankfully, we caught this guy and it won’t become a cold case.”

“I know,” Bel sighed. “I had my share of cold cases in the NYPD, but this? This is different. I looked into the boys’ eyes and saw their fear. They never expected help to come for them, and I wish I could give the family more answers.”

“You kept that family alive.” Griffin walked her to the station’s front door as Eamon’s sleek black car pulled into the parking lot. “And now you’re going to Wendy’s wedding, which is the event of the season, so go enjoy the party. Have fun and smile, please. You need a night of happiness.”

The driveto the city was thankfully traffic-free, and after dropping Cerberus off at her father’s, Bel and Eamon checked into the hotel. Eamon insisted they stay overnight in one of the luxury suites, and while Reese hadn’t been told the full truth about the danger the Darling case inflicted on his daughter, he agreed with Eamon’s decision. Seemed the men in her life had ganged up on her to ensure she experienced a relaxing evening, but as they rode the elevator up to their suite, Bel decided she didn’t want to know how much this getaway cost Eamon. She didn’t care to learn what the wedding cost either, but since this extravagant hotel was hosting it, she assumed she could work her entire life and only earn a fraction of the price.

“You all right?” Eamon asked as he unlocked their room and led her inside.

“Yes.” Bel gawked at the suite, almost afraid to touch anything. She felt like she’d stepped into a castle, the massive king-sized bed begging her to race across the carpet and throw herself onto the plush bedding. She’d never seen accommodations this perfect yet so unreasonably expensive, and she burst into a girlish giggle. Her cheeks blushed with embarrassment, but she couldn’t help her reaction. This was an opulence she was wildly unprepared for.

“Are you sure it’s okay that we’re staying here?” She stared at Eamon, his dark clothes and dangerous aura somehow both out of place and at home in the luxury.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” He asked as he took her bag from her and set it in the closet.

“It’s so… expensive, and I’m out of place here.” She glanced down at her jeans and sweater to emphasize her point.

“You’re the most beautiful thing in this hotel,” Eamon said, which earned him an eye roll. “You’re always the most beautiful thing anywhere you go.” He gripped her jaw and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before grabbing one of his bags and laying itacross the bed. “And no, it’s not too expensive. Not for me. The Reale Estate is a work in progress, so it’s still underwhelming. Regardless of how long ago it was, I came from humble beginnings, so I enjoy working with my hands. But just because I don’t flaunt my wealth doesn’t mean I don’t have it. And seeing your expression when you stepped into this room was worth every penny.”

“I’ve never stayed in a place this nice.” Bel moved to the window to marvel at the spectacular view of the city skyscrapers. “I’m going to stand out like a sore thumb tonight.”

“Isobel…” Eamon’s voice was a warning.

“I didn’t mean me.” She spun to face him, not so secretly thrilled that he wouldn’t let her insult herself. “I meant my wardrobe. I should’ve realized the Darling wedding would be excessive, but with everything going on, I forgot to dress shop. The outfit I packed doesn’t match this venue.” She laughed and threw herself onto the mattress, suddenly a teenage girl and not the thirty-four-year-old woman she was, but she couldn’t help it. The bed begged to be enjoyed. “Oh well. It’ll still be fun even if I wear the clearance rack, and since we don’t have to drive and I have you to watch over me, I plan to drink tons of champagne and eat everything.”

“I’ve seen your closet, so I knew you didn’t own an outfit for an event like this. Plus, I know you, my little detective.” Eamon smiled as he pulled an object out of his bag. “I figured you wouldn’t shop for a new dress because you’re always taking care of everyone else, so I took the liberty of doing it for you.” He handed her a box with a silky red bow tied around it. “I saw this and had to see what you looked like wearing it. I’ve been daydreaming of you dancing in this for days.”

Bel sat up and accepted the gift, carefully untying the bow before lifting the top, but when she saw what lay inside, the air left her lungs. “Eamon…” she whispered. “I can’t accept this.”

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