Page 14 of A Tortured Temptress
"But someone came into our home and destroyed her room. Leaving these. Can't you get him for breaking and entering, along with destruction of property?"
We move toward them, and the man doesn't take his focus off Moira, but she turns to me with a look in her eyes that has me pausing until I see the picture in his hand.
It can't be.
What the hell?
I yank it from his hand and my legs feel weak. I'm going to faint. Shane holds me up as he takes the picture and looks over his shoulder. I didn't realize that others came with us. But I see Aidan's brother, Brody, there and another one of the guys, whose name I can’t remember. The picture in Shane's hand is shoved at him. I see it again and can't believe what I'm seeing. I break out of Shane's hold and run for the stairs. I stumble up the stairs to my room and when I see more officers walking out and they see me, I realize, it's me not Shane that has their attention.
I step into the room, and I'm bombarded with the memories. Everywhere are pictures of me, well Elle, laying on the floor with bullet wounds. My old face before I had to have reconstruction to repair the damage he did to it with the shotgun. Me as a teenager not smiling but lost looking at the camera with dead eyes. All pictures Britain took of me. I scream and then I'm falling to my knees.
Thousands of miles and he still found me. Years and he's still torturing me.
I died.
They died.
He still wants me.
"Will it never end?" I ask no one, but I'm answered.
"I'll make it stop. I know how and when we leave here it will all be fixed."
I sob as Shane wraps his body around mine, squatting behind me. His big legs are on each side of me, his arms wrapped around me. My head is leaned back into his chest.
I keep my eyes closed as he lifts me up and carries me out of the room.
"Giselle, we'd like to ask you some questions," I hear and turn to see the man that was arguing with Moira earlier.
"Dad please, give her some time." I hear Moira but I don't acknowledge all of them. I'm seeing the images in my mind. My eyes were closed so it's after the second shot he took pictures of me as I laid there dying.
"I need to know if she knows the woman in those pictures. And what this necklace means," Moira's dad yells at her. I look up at him, finally taking him in and my eyes about bulge out of my head. The E & B letters dangle and glitter in the light. How does he have that? The last person that had it was Monica and when I was recovering, I'd found out she had been killed too. Britain must have taken it from her. I'm also in shock that Moira's dad doesn't recognize me. Yes, they had to reconstruct my jaw but that was all. It's not like I had a complete face lift. My eyes were closed but still I don't get it. I want to make some joke about him not being a very good investigator but I'm still worried about the fact that Britain was in this house. Thank goodness he didn't kill the girls. The only thing that saved them was that they were all out this afternoon and that's when they think he came in.
I look up at Shane who is holding me on his lap. He must have sat us down on the sofa.
"And besides that, what is Mr. O'Connor doing here? Him and the Tiernan organization have nothing to do with this," he says next, and I turn to say something but Shane interrupts before I can.
"Anything that has to do with my fiancée has to do with me."
I know my jaw drops but so does Moira's and her father's.
"Inspector Kelly, Ms. Bell was with me all night and I would assume that you know based on what I just said our solicitor must be present for you to question her." Shane stands with me still in his arms and doesn't say anything more but moves out of the house past Brody and the other guy.
"Grady come on," he says when we get out on the front lawn.
"Wait, Giselle is this real?" I hear Moira say and Shane finally stops.
"Yes, it's true. I believe that Brody will be picking you and the other girls up for the event tomorrow."
"Wait what." I push away from him, but Shane's arms tighten more.
"We'll talk in the car."
My last view is of Brody talking to Moira, hand on his hip until her father steps out the door. We head back to the compound, and I sit there staring at the side of Shane's face. He still hasn't said anything and before we get to the house, he pulls over into a lookout point. I finally turn and take in the view of Belfast Lough.
"I can't marry you, Shane. I don't want him to kill you too." I turn back to look at him. He's watching me before he must come to some conclusion. He unbuckles my seatbelt and lifts me up over the console to sit on his lap.
His hands bury into my hair, and I love how he cups my head. He's always firm but so gentle with me.
