Chapter Nine

The Past - Revealed

Tucker

“Joel Kenner?” Ella’s voice was thick with dread, her green stare fixed on him. “You mean the guy who called to gloat about your cabin?”

“The very same.” Unease twisted his insides as he recalled the phone call Ella referred to. They’d both been sound asleep before the cretin had telephoned to obliterate their calm. It had taken Ella more than an hour to reassure him after the unwelcome intrusion.

Tucker had managed to have nothing to do with Kenner for decades, then abruptly, he crawled out from the rock he’d been hiding under with yet more bad news. But that was Kenner all over. He was just like the insects that lived behind those stones. Once disturbed, they were damn near impossible to exterminate.

“Kenner was the one who shot her?” Concern flashed in Ella’s eyes as she pressed a second palm over his, capturing it between her two hands.

“Yes.” It never got any easier to admit, though sitting there with his new love and her mother, he wasn’t sure why he’d felt the need to wear his heart on his sleeve.

Tucker was usually good at keeping his private life to himself. It had been years since he’d truly dwelled on Sarah’s murder, and even when he’d divulged a little of what had transpired to Ella, he hadn’t allowed himself to linger on the details. He’d learned long ago that nothing good was inspired in that dark place. That’s why he’d kept the memories locked away so deeply.

“Your mother was shot?” A crease appeared on Susie’s brow. “Oh God! I’m so sorry, Tucker.”

“Yeah.” His breath caught as her sympathy rebounded around the table. Evidently, both women were sorry for his situation—he could tell that from their widening eyes and worried looks—but their sorrow did nothing to resurrect Sarah nor fill the years that he’d missed out on having a mother.

Why am I telling them this? His focus rose to Susie’s compassionate expression. They don’t need to know about Sarah or Kenner.

Yet even as he pulled his glass of water closer, he already sensed it was a lie. For this thing between him and Ella to have any chance, they needed total honesty, and that meant any old skeletons he’d hidden would have to be dragged from their closets.

“Why did Kenner shoot her?” Ella patted his hand gently.

Trust my little girl to get straight to the heart of the matter.

“You’d have to ask Kenner.” He hadn’t expected his tone to be so terse but supposed that was what he got when he allowed decades of hurt and resentment to resurface over the dinner table. “I have my suspicions but I can’t confirm them.”

This is definitely too personal to disclose with a woman I just met. However well-intentioned Susie was, he didn’t know her. He had to be smart.

“I really am sorry.” No doubt Susie sensed the changing mood at the table as she drained the water from her glass. “I didn’t mean to drag up such awful memories when I asked about old times. Please, let me get this before I go by means of apology.”

“You had no way of knowing, Susie.” He forced himself to smile. “And there’s no need to worry. Your tab is already taken care of.” He’d ensured Osbourne’s had his credit card details for both tables before he’d even taken his place.

“Really?” Susie glanced at Ella as though she couldn’t believe his generosity. Clearly, her ex-boyfriends had been less willing or able to pay their way in the past and this was unusual as far as Susie was concerned.

“Of course.” He was happy to be the one to break the mold. “You’re trusting me with your daughter. It’s the least I can do.”

Susie laughed. “Actually, I haven’t decided if I trust you yet, Tucker.”

“Mum!” Ella’s exasperation was laced with obvious playfulness. “What more can Tucker do to convince you?”

“Nothing more,” Tucker answered for Susie. “Only time can build trust.”

A knowing silence hovered over them as all three accepted the truth of his words. Assurances as delicate as trust couldn’t be contrived.

“He’s right.” Susie’s brow rose as if she was surprised at his perception. “I can see you’re happy, sweetheart, and I’m glad, but I think Tucker will forgive me for remaining a little skeptical about his motives for the time being.”

“I’d think less of you if you weren’t skeptical.” He was starting to relate to Susie more and more. “I have the person you love the most in the world in my care.”

“That’s right.” Susie pulled in a deep breath as her gaze slid between him and her daughter. “And you should know one thing before I leave, Mr. Bowman.”

“What’s that, Ms. Bradshaw?” He tugged Ella’s hand from his and lifted it to his lips for a kiss. Ella grinned at the display of affection, snuggling closer to where he sat.

Susie’s lips curled as she watched the interaction between the two of them.

“If you do anything to harm her, I’ll take you apart.”

***

Ella waved as they watched Susie’s Uber pull away. “Well, that could have been worse.”

“Right.” He was inclined to agree. “All things considered, I don’t think she hated me.”

“Oh, she liked you, sir.” Ella’s tone was knowing as her green gaze met his.

“What’s that supposed to mean, little girl?” He was pleased to see how easily she’d slipped back into their private routine now Susie had been dispatched. He’d worried that she might refuse to use the honorific after the short-term reprieve.

“Nothing.” She flashed him her perfect dental work as they turned and wandered back to the parking lot where he’d left his car. Slipping her delicate hand into his, they approached the valet. “I’m just saying I know my mum, and I think she was impressed. Especially when you started to open up about your past…”

“Yeah.” He reached into his pocket for the valet’s ticket and offered it to the waiting guy. “About that. I didn’t intend for the ambiance to take such a downward spiral.”

“Don’t.” She turned to face him as they waited for the valet to retrieve his Lamborghini. “Don’t play down the things you disclosed. Losing your mother is awful enough, but having her ripped from you because some asshole …” Her brows knitted. “I can’t even imagine.”

“No.” He hoped she’d never need to, and now that he’d met Susie, Tucker would personally ensure one of his protection teams was assigned to her welfare so Ella would never need to. His enemies might be lowlifes, but they were powerful men who had no misgivings about killing someone else’s mother. He ought to know. “I don’t want you to.”

He nodded his appreciation as the valet climbed out of his car and handed him the keys.

“She really is a beauty, sir.” The younger guy beamed as he glanced back at the vehicle.

“Thanks for taking care of her.” Tucker reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of notes, which he thrust at the guy. “We appreciate it.”

“Wow!” The young valet’s jaw dropped as he acknowledged just how much cash Tucker had given him. “Thank you, sir! Thank you.”

Tucker smiled as he ushered Ella into the passenger seat, watching the valet dash away to share his news.

“That was generous, sir.” Ella reached for his hand as he climbed inside and started the engine.

“I have my moments.” He met her eyes briefly as the Lamborghini pulled away.

“Yes, you do.” She swallowed, glancing out at the traffic as though she wasn’t sure how to phrase whatever was coming from her tempting lips next. “I want to thank you for not only allowing Mum and I to have some time together but for being so open to the idea of us keeping in touch.”

“Of course, little girl.” He’d been happy when the two women had started making speculative plans.

For the first time, Ella didn’t feel like a possession he needed to cling tightly to. She was no longer a disposable pleasure he could take whenever he felt like it. She was a human being he respected and wanted to watch grow, but more than that, watching her smooth her hair back from her face, he was reminded that she was possibly the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Somehow, he’d hit the jackpot when their paths had crossed so unceremoniously in the forest.

“You need to have time with her and your friends, it’s just…” He gripped the wheel tighter as he skimmed his true feelings. Peering out from the windshield, he noticed the sun breaking from behind a large cloud. “I’d rather keep you close when you’re not with them.”

“It’s okay, sir.” She chuckled as she turned to face him. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. I want to stay with you, remember.”

Thank God .

“I should think so.” He winked at her before peering back at the emerging sunshine. “You’re bound to need a dose of my discipline before long.”

“I’m sure.” She shifted against the leather, the protracted pause suggesting there was something else she wanted to say. “Er, can I ask you something, sir?”

The tone of her voice convinced him that whatever came next was about more than her next spanking.

“Always,” he answered, determined to hold his nerve. Whatever Ella wanted to know, he was determined to share it with her. From then on, there would be no more secrets.

“It’s about something you said at the restaurant.”

There and then he knew what it was she wanted to know. “About Kenner?”

“Right.” Her laughter sounded nervous. It was a sound he hadn’t heard since the cabin. “How did you know?”

“He is difficult to get past.” Tucker pushed the words through gritted teeth. Kenner was a hell of a lot more than only that.

“You said you had suspicions about his motive for hurting your mum, but you didn’t say anything more.” Her hands balled into fists. “Will you tell me now we’re alone?”

“I…” He hesitated, unsure how best to explain. Tucker had long held unsubstantiated beliefs about the man who’d stolen his mother, but he’d never spoken to anyone about them. I never trusted anyone enough to share… until Ella . “I want to, little girl, but it’s going to sound crazy.”

“Try me.” Her lips twisted. “I know a thing or two about crazy. You might be surprised.”

“Okay.” It was his turn to laugh as apprehension clawed at his stomach. How could he relay his inkling to her without seeming like a lunatic? They’d only just found a pleasurable equilibrium, and Tucker didn’t want to do anything to risk upsetting it.

Taking a deep breath, he shifted the car into a lower gear.

“I’ve always believed Kenner is my father.” His gut twisted as he finally vocalized his feelings. “I recall Mum saying my dad didn’t want anything to do with us but that he always sent us more than enough money.” He snorted with disgust. “That would be about right since Kenner is one of the richest men in the country.” Focusing on trying to calm his racing pulse, he went on. “I think he killed her when she confronted him about my paternity. I remember her taking me to his house one day, and the two of them argued. She wanted more than only his money. She wanted me to have a father…”

“Did you see what happened, sir?” Her tentative voice suggested she understood how sensitive her question was.

“Yes.” He gripped the wheel tighter. “They left me in a huge room on my own while they talked, and I got bored and went looking for my mum. I was hovering in the doorway when he picked up the gun. I know he’s responsible. I saw him shoot her.” His voice broke as he recalled the terrible day. “If a member of his staff hadn’t found me, he might have killed me as well. Kenner has hated me ever since.”

The two men had endured few encounters since Sarah’s death—Tucker had made sure of it, falling into the wrong crowd and doing most of his ‘growing up’ in expensive schools with his hoodlum mates—but Bennett had ensured recent events had changed that. Now, Kenner not only knew where Tucker was, but he was calling in the middle of the night. It was ironic that at the moment he’d finally found love in his life, the omnipresent threat of his scumbag father had reemerged.

Fortunately, Tucker knew how to look after himself. He had an army of security personnel at his disposal and, if required, enough hardware to see off all of Kenner’s goons. Hell, now that he thought about it, he was still driving around with the semi-automatic weapon he’d snatched from the red-haired mercenary in the woods. What was the betting that ugly moron had also been on Kenner’s payroll?

“Shit.” Ella’s face blanched. “But why would he do any of that?”

“Because he’s pregnant with power.” Tucker’s jaw tightened, hatred ballooning in his belly. It was one thing to lose a parent, but another to have to come to terms with the distinct possibility that his surviving parent was one of the vilest people on the planet.

“And he loathes anything or anyone that threatens that. My mum coming to him about the child they’d made together would have meant Kenner facing up to his responsibilities. Plus, no doubt he’d have worried that one day I might have come calling to take over Daddy’s empire.” He snarled at the possibility. “Not that I’d want anything to do with the useless fucker.”

“I’m sorry.” She reached for his hand on the wheel, her thumb stroking his wrist. “That’s terrible, sir. What he did to you and your mum is unforgiveable.”

Good choice of words, little girl.

Tucker had struggled with the concept of forgiveness for years, but the fact Kenner had covered up Sarah’s death and convinced the coroner to rule it a suicide had only poisoned the well. If that wasn’t an admission of both her murder and whatever secrets Kenner hoped Sarah’s body would take to the grave, then Tucker didn’t know what was.

“I saw him, little girl.” Emotions rose and fell like waves in his body, forcing him to take long, exaggerated breaths. “I saw what he did to her.”

“That’s terrible.” Apprehension echoed in her voice.

If he cast his mind back, it was almost as though he was that child again, as though he was hiding, peering around the corner just in time to see the fatal gunshot. Kenner might have the money to buy off the officials in the city, but he hadn’t counted on the child who’d witnessed his horror, the one he’d left cowering in tears…

Just as well he never got his hands on me. He blinked away the water brimming in his eyes. I wouldn’t have stood a chance back then.

But the years of loneliness, bad men, and military training had conditioned Tucker. They’d hardened him.

He’d gone from being a kind and open-hearted kid to a young man with a serious chip on his shoulder, growing up with a wild and reckless band of alleged brothers. Money had been no object for any of them. Where he lacked, plenty of other parents had been willing to provide. Hell, it seemed they’d have thrown any amount of cash at their offspring, so long as they didn’t have to ‘parent’ them. He’d met Bennett in that charming crowd, and he’d hoped the copious amounts of drugs and alcohol they’d consumed would erase the things he’d seen and heard.

But they never could.

They never did .

“Oh God.” A hushed quiet hung over the interior as she presumably grappled with his admission. He couldn’t blame her. “Does he know what you saw?”

“If he’d got his hands on me at the time, I’d be dead.” Tucker put his foot down as the traffic ahead cleared, keen to get back to the place they called ‘home’ as soon as possible and clear his head. Meeting Susie had been a good experience, but it seemed mining his past had unleashed some ghosts he’d rather see the back of. “I’m sure he’d still love to put a bullet in me.”

Fuck… that’s it!

A bolt of energy lit up his body like lightning hitting a metal spire. All those years Tucker had tried to fathom Collins’ motive for the fuck-up during his final military operation—all that time he’d wrestled with the neverending conundrum of why Collins had intervened—yet he’d never managed to put two and two together until that moment.

Suddenly, the probable answer was all too obvious.

What if Collins had been taking orders from Kenner? What if, as he imagined was all too easily possible, Kenner had wormed his way into the upper echelons of the military to manipulate Tucker’s old commanding officers? He knew well enough how many fingers Kenner had in multiple murky pies. The man meddled in just about anything to do with the rich and the powerful. Suddenly, the idea that Kenner and Collins weren’t linked seemed ridiculously implausible.

How had he not seen the link before?

“Kenner sounds like a nightmare.” She blew out a breath as her hand fell between them.

“He is, but don’t worry.” Tucker brushed his palm over the top of her hand. “I won’t let lightning strike twice, little girl. You’re safe with me, and I’ll make sure Susie is, too.”

“Thank you.” Ella rubbed her temple with her free hand. “And there was me thinking I was the only one with messed-up daddy issues.”

“I guess not.” Tucker sniggered, thankful that, even at this moment of such dark realization, she still had the capacity to lift his mood. “Maybe we should start our own club.”