Page 42 of Her Billionaire Hero
Kneeling next to me, he ran his filthy hand over my cheek. “Confession time, Sloan. I killed Audrey. I killed her because I wanted her to leave your father and bring you with her when she came to live with me. I wanted to take his family and make it my own. But she refused to do that. She actually told me that she would leave you both behind and we could run away together, but she wouldn’t bring you with her.”
I felt sick and bile rose in my throat. “Why would you even want her to?”
His eyes darted back and forth as they searched mine. “I’m sure you can figure that out on your own, Sloan.”
“I was twelve, Preston. I was a little girl when you killed her.” What I was thinking couldn’t be right.
“Old enough, girlie.” He kissed my forehead. “But she refused to give you to me. So, I killed her. A few years later, when you were of legal age, I sought out your father and we went into business together. I knew I would gain access to you through our partnership. And I got you, eventually, didn’t I? I got that sweet, sweet cherry that was meant just for me. See, I was fairly sure that your mother’s disappearance would stifle your social growth. You know, keep you nice and chaste until I could get my hands on you to make you mine.”
“Did you pick my mother because of me?” I felt sick to my stomach.
“I picked your mother because she had a young daughter, yes. And when I saw a picture of you and saw that you had the same hair and eye color, it all snapped into place. She was the one for me. And so were you.”
Tears filled my eyes until I couldn’t see anymore. “How dare you, you sick fuck!”
“I am that, my dear. Not to worry though. I won’t be around to bother anyone else. You were it for me. I can’t stand the thought of being the one who kills you, so I’ll simply bury you in the dirt and let the ground take your life. And then I will inject myself with the same poison I used to kill your father. This will give me time to bury myself, as best I can. We will all meet in the afterlife, one big happy family.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Baldwyn
I’d been driving the streets of Elgin for hours and still had nothing to show for all my efforts. The light had faded, and night made it even harder for me to find Sloan. Slamming my fist against the steering wheel, I wanted to scream at the world.
My cell lit up and I grabbed it as I saw Stone’s name on the screen. “Give me good news, brother.”
“I found an address in Elgin with Preston Rivers’ name on it. I’m going to text it to you. But first, I want to know if you’ve got your handgun on you or not. Because if you don’t, then I want you to wait for me to bring you one. I don’t want you going to this place without something to protect yourself with.”
Opening the glovebox, I pulled out my gun. “Bessie is right here with me, bro. Just like always.” This was Texas. Most of us had guns somewhere in our vehicles and somewhere in our homes. “Send me the address then call the police station here in Elgin and give it to them too. Make sure you tell them I’m heading that way and that I’ve got a firearm.” The last thing I wanted was to be shot by the cops.
“On it, bro,” Stone assured me. “Be careful, keep sharing your location with me, and find your girl. Patton and Warner are on their way to you now. Cohen is here with me. We’re going to stay put until we know what’s going on. You know, just in case anyone is severely hurt and has to be halo-flighted to an Austin hospital, we can call for you.”
“It sounds like you’re preparing for a catastrophe, Stone.” I wasn’t sure if I was proud of him for thinking so far ahead or disappointed that he thought things would be so damn bad.
“Prepare for the worst, hope for the best,” he said. “We love you, big brother. Stay safe above all else. Promise me.”
“I promise.” I ended the call as I heard the sound of his text coming in. Holding my finger down on the address he sent, I got my GPS system routing me to the place Preston owned. The place where I hoped I would find Sloan and her father alive.
It took me to a road at the edge of town. The road got narrow as it took me away from the small town and out into the countryside. It was dark, so I had no idea what was around me, but I thought I was in the middle of a ranch or farmland.
“You’ve arrived at your destination,” the female GPS voice told me.
Slowing down, I didn’t see a thing as I turned off my headlights to keep the element of surprise on my side. Stopping, I turned off the truck so the sound of the engine wouldn’t alert anyone to my presence.
Walking as quietly as I could, I made my way to what looked like a large old house. Putting my back to the wall, I eased around the house, listening for any sounds that might lead me to Preston.
As I got to the back, I heard huffing and what sounded a lot like someone shoveling dirt. Peeking in that direction, I kept my body flat against the house. It looked as if three piles of dirt were lined up, side by side. A man stood with his back to me, shoveling dirt. He looked as if he was filling in a large hole.
A grave!
I couldn’t wait any longer and made my move. Slow and easy, I came in behind the man. Whoever he was—whether he was Preston or not—he was in the middle of doing something very suspicious in the dark of night.
I came up to the first pile of dirt. It was between me and the man, who had no idea I was so close to him. He must’ve been exhausted from digging. With no lights on in the house, I figured he had to have been out there most of the day and hadn’t had a chance to get back inside to turn on any lights.
I took a few steps up to get on top of the pile when the ground began to move beneath my feet. It moved so quickly that I ended up falling on my ass. Lucky for me, I was hidden from the man’s view by the pile of dirt in front of me.
But that didn’t last long as another man sat up, the rest of the dirt falling away from him. He had something covering his mouth, so he didn’t make much noise, but I did.
“What the fuck!”
