Ursula knew he wasn’t lying. She frowned as pieces of the story were clearly missing. “Why won’t you let me go to him?” she asked.
“Stephen knew you’d come for him. You really do love him, don’t you?” he asked.
She hesitated a moment then found it useless to hide her feelings. “I’ve been in love with him since the moment I met him.”
Paul nodded. “I knew there was something different about you. You grew distant and hated me touching you.”
“No offense, Paul, but I haven’t got time to go down memory lane. Stephen is in there, and he’s in danger.”
“Stephen told me to keep you out here.”
“What?”
“I phoned him to meet me at a hotel bar. He came, and we talked. I signed up for easy money. I didn’t sign up to put a woman in hospital.”
The sound of police sirens filled the air between them. Violet got out of the car. A gunshot sounded inside. The other woman ran toward the door.
Ursula screamed. Everything happened in slow motion as the doors opened. Paul got off her and ran towards the door. She tried to follow them, but a cop held her by the waist keeping her back.
“Let me go. I need to get in there. Stephen!” She yelled his name all the time fighting against the strength of the man who held her.
No one came out. The police went in.
An ambulance pulled up.
Chapter Nineteen
Stephen savoured the moment the police escorted Eugene out of the warehouse. His life was in tatters. The club wasn’t going to be investigated as Dane and the tape he’d recorded were more than enough to send Eugene down. All that remained was the media attention on his club. Until that died down the members were scarce. He stared at the few friends he had. They would stand by him through this crisis. He hoped his father would be proud of the decision he made.
Paul came out of the building after James. Stephen rounded a car, and there she was being restrained by a police officer. The moment she saw him she ran to him. He caught her close, holding her as she wept against his chest. The other man stood in front of him, a look of shock on his face. “I’m pleased you listened to me,” Paul said.
“I didn’t have a choice. You offered me a way to get rid of Eugene Black.” Stephen soothed the woman in his arms. Nothing could have been better in his life. The police escorted Paul away for questioning. Cadeon nodded his head after talking to the police. Violet was in his arms. James, Sean, and Lucas stood by him as the police asked them questions. They all answered. He never let Ursula go. She was the love of his life.
“We’ll be in touch,” the officer said.
“I’m going to the hospital,” Sean said. Lucas nodded following behind him. James remained at his side.
“Well, that has been an enjoyable few months. Remind me to never hang out with you guys. I prefer my subs over this f**king mess.” James slapped Stephen on the back before leaving.
“Can we go home?” Ursula asked.
“Yes.” They walked home. Their cars were blocked in by the police cars. They were making arrests and causing no end of disturbances.
When they walked far enough away from the noise Ursula began asking questions. “What happened in there?”
“We knew Eugene wasn’t going to let us live. We know too much. Lucas had a wire that put a line straight to the police. They could hear every word. I got Eugene to talk about everything.”
“What was everything?” she asked.
“Lloyd Black was broke. He’d made some risky investments, and that had ruined him. He’d have lost everything his family had spent generations acquiring. Anyway, from what his son told us, Lloyd went out one night and came home with Dominic Green in tow. Dominic is the guy who was in charge of the prostitution, drugs, and crime in the United Kingdom. He was over here to do business in a club downtown. According to Eugene, they made a deal. Lloyd would be responsible for the drugs and prostitution over here and get a cut of the profit,” Stephen said.
“I don’t understand why the club was involved or how you became involved,” she said.
“Violet is the daughter of one of Dominic’s deceased workers. Violet’s mother died keeping her daughter a secret. Dominic discovered it, but Violet had already fled to the States. He came looking for her, but Cadeon was in love. No one was taking his woman from him. Cadeon is part of my club, and he’s my friend. That’s how we became involved. Lloyd had a score to settle with the clubs because of what happened when we found out he was abusing his wife. Rebecca was used to keep Dominic and some of the other men happy. They abused her, and the club found out. Lloyd was removed and is in prison for almost killing his wife. Eugene carried on his father’s work. With Dominic dead Eugene no longer had an income. He wanted to make an example of us because someone will be taking Dominic’s place. There is more to this, but those are the basics. Petty revenge and greed.”
“What about the gunshot?” she asked.
“Eugene pulled a gun on me. Sean and Lucas were able to restrain him. He got a bullet off, but he was a shit shot. It didn’t touch me.”
Talking with each other, they walked as the sun rose. “Mom is going to be clawing the walls when she watches the news.”
“I think Malcolm will keep her calm. He knows a lot more about this kind of stuff than you give him credit for,” Stephen said.
The press had dispersed outside his house by the time they walked home. He carried her inside and took her upstairs to the bedroom.
He left her for a few moments to unplug all the phones. Privacy was essential for what he had planned.
When he walked back upstairs she was undressed and in the bath water. She crooked her finger at him. He tore the clothes from his body and joined her in the water. She still wore the pendant and engagement ring.
He lifted her into his lap as they settled back together. “Will it always be like this with you?” she asked.
“No. I don’t think I’d have the strength to go through something like that every night.”
“When I heard the shot I thought you were dead. I was so scared.”
“No one is taking me away from you,” Stephen said. He cupped her face kissing her deeply. His c**k stirred as she squirmed on his lap.
“I never want to lose you.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I love you too damn much.”
She settled her head against his chest as he stroked her hair. They were together, and that was all that mattered. The future could wait. He held her in his arms. The beast inside him was relaxed. The woman he loved was safe.