Ambushed by M.E. McAndrews
Chapter 29
Austin
from my living room window. My heart pounds in my chest, and I feel like a caged animal preparing to be released. I stare out, my eyes trained on her window, hoping to catch even a glimpse of her.
She’s not only afraid of me now, she hates me, too. Damn it. Time is running out for me to get her property, but how could I live with myself knowing now that Olivia thinks I’m some sort of murderous monster. She really thinks that I killed her husband, which is crazy.
Sure, whenever I saw Seth, I wasn’t very nice. I was furious. He was the primary cause of my many headaches, screaming at me from across the lawn. And Olivia was always by his side.
She’s a beautiful woman, and I’d been attracted to her, but I would never have killed her husband for her. My relationship with them was strained for many reasons, but the idea that I would ever commit murder is beyond ludicrous. She's just feeling the panic of potentially losing her home, added to the fear of being alone, and part of that is because of me and my development project. I rub my hand over my face, tracing all the old lines, the ones that come from years of stress and hard living.
If I were her, I suppose I'd suspect me too.
But things were going so well at the gala, and it felt more than natural having her there with me. I can still visualize how beautiful she was in that gorgeous gown, and I still feel the sensation of her body against mine. I was definitely not prepared for this change in my feelings. I should have known. I should have seen it coming. I should have just handled things differently. I could have told her the truth. I could have said something, anything.
“Damn it!” I turn away from the window. Henry was right. My stupid fucking heart is betraying me.
My doorbell chimes, snapping my attention back to the present. Good. Perfectly on time. I smooth my hair with my hands and gather my thoughts as I get up to answer the door.
I open the front door to stare at my personal private detective. He gives me a dry smirk. He's a tall man with a bald head. His eyes are sharp and calculating, like he can pierce right through any façade. He carries himself with an air of mysterious professionalism and certainty, making it clear that he means business, and he’s the only guy I can trust with these sensitive situations.
“Come in, Ivan. It's been a long time.”
He wears a smart dark gray suit, white shirt, and dark tie. His stance is confident, with his shoulders pulled back and his chin slightly raised. He has an air of authority, conveying no doubt that he knows exactly what he's doing.
“Not long enough,” Ivan mutters.
He follows me inside and sits down at the kitchen island before being invited. I go to the bar and pour him a glass of Jameson's, neat. The only thing he'll drink while working.
The amber liquid reflects the dim light as he takes a big gulp, his eyes flickering in pleasure.
“I need you to switch focus from the current subject,” I say.
“From Iz?”
I nod. “Yes. To Olivia Williams, my neighbor—”
“The twenty-eight-year-old drowning in debt that's sitting on the property you need?”
I’d forgotten that there’s no need to fill him in on the background details. He's the guy I send out to dig up dirt on anyone I need.
“Yeah. that one.”
“What about her?”
“She went to the charity ball with me the other night, and someone slipped her a Mickey. In her drink. It messed her up pretty bad.”
“At your fancy party?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah. We need to figure out who the hell's fucking around with her. If it was someone at the ball, then they've got a direct link to me.”
“I'll look into it,” he says.
I run my hand over my chin. “She opened up to me when she was drugged—talked to me a little bit. She was scared, in her own home. It's fucking with her. She thinks I killed her husband. That I killed him over the property.”
Ivan takes a sip of his drink and stares at me. “So, what do you want me to do?”
I lean forward, meeting his gaze. “Find out who did this to her, to him, and why.”
He nods. “There's got to be something linking them to the property dispute. It could be someone from your side, or Olivia's.” Ivan stands up and paces around the kitchen, thinking aloud. “If it was someone from your side, they had an agenda—something they wanted out of Olivia or her husband. Theft may not have been their motive; it could have been revenge or intimidation.” He pauses for a moment then continues, “If it was someone from her side… well, they had a grudge against either you or her husband, maybe both.” He stops pacing and surveys me intently. “Are there any enemies of yours that come to mind?”
I shake my head slowly. I can't think of anyone who would stoop so low as to drug my date. For robbery or revenge. Or any other reason I can think of.
He cocks his head and studies me for a moment before speaking again. “Okay, then let's start with Olivia's enemies—people she may have crossed recently or in the past.”
“Like who?” I question skeptically.
“Everyone from rivals at work to ex-boyfriends; anyone she may have pissed off.” He saunters from the kitchen to the bar and pours himself another whiskey before continuing his train of thought. “We should also investigate any other recent suspicious activity around the area.” He gazes back up at me after finishing his drink and sets the empty glass down on the countertop with a satisfying glass-on-stone clinking sound. I go to the bar, this time bringing the bottle back with me, and sit down on a stool opposite him as I refill his glass.
His wide-set, dark eyes are sharp and alert, and his mouth is set in a straight line.
“She doesn't have anyone else in her life. She's utterly alone as far as I can see,” I reply.
“Either there's someone she hasn't told you about that's recently made an appearance or you're right. It's one of your people out to get you. You sure you want to get involved with this?” He cocks his head.
“I made a promise to her. Besides, it was clearly one of my people. I mean, it has to be. I'm the one who has something to lose, and I have enemies around every corner. This girl needs help. I can't leave her exposed to whoever did this. Who knows what else they might do?”
Ivan shrugs.
I lean forward, pointing at him. “Keep this on the DL. Nobody can know I’m trying to help her, or I’m fucked.”
“I'm your private eye,” he says with a smirk.
“Thanks, man.”
“They ruled his death a suicide, didn’t they?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah, and poor thing didn't get any of the life insurance because of it.”
“But she’s claiming it was murder?”
I nod once more. “I also thought it was strange for him. He was a stubborn prick, the type that wants to keep fighting no matter the odds.” I run my thumb back and forth on my stubble. “If you can figure out who drugged Olivia, I bet you there’s a connection.”
He runs his index finger around the rim of the glass. “But what the hell would they gain from going after her in relation to you?”
“I don’t have a clue... I need that property for my project, but I have no idea who we’re even dealing with.”
“Unless you’re framed for murder?” he suggests, watching me steadily. “You won’t have much use for it if you’re in prison.”
“Sure. But do you think someone would set me up by making it look like a suicide?”
He shakes his head. “I have no fucking idea, but it's clear that both you and this widow neighbor of yours have some serious enemies you need to deal with before shit gets real ugly.”
“I know. But what am I supposed to do?”
“I'm not a mind reader. And I'm not here to tell you what to do. I'm just an investigator, not your fucking conscience. Whatever you're into, you need to watch your shit. If you're making trouble, then you better take care of it before it bites you in the ass.”
“I know, but I'm not starting any trouble. I'm just following a lead. I can't have anyone going after Olivia. She's got enough shit to deal with. I can't let anyone else hurt her or take advantage of her.” I think back to all the intimate encounters we had, all the tension between us, the way her body felts against mine all those times.
“And I'm not afraid of a fight. Find out who it is.”