Bad Boy Brody(76)

The room was completely silent, only breaking up for Abby’s crying.

The back of my neck started tingling. I didn’t understand it, but I looked anyway. There was no sound. No movement to announce his presence, but I felt him anyway. And standing in the doorway, like Matthew had been moments earlier, was Brody.

My eyes met his, and he said it for me. “Her mom told her to run. She never stopped.”

I wanted to go to him. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, tell him everything that happened, and let Brody fight for me, but I had made a promise. I was staying. If I went to him and let him touch me, I’d crumble. I had to hold firm, for now.

Finn sighed in relief, getting up and shaking Brody’s hand. “Perfect timing, buddy.”

Brody nodded. Abby went to him, giving him a hug, but Brody was back to looking at me.

He saw my torment.

He nodded, just slightly, and then focused on Matthew.

The two stared at each other.

Both clenched their jaws.

Matthew narrowed his eyes. “This is a family meeting.”

Brody smirked. “I think I have more reason to be here than you do.”

“He stays.”

Matthew swung his head to mine. He wanted to challenge me, but I stared him down. When his chest rose and fell, I knew I won.

I murmured, “I shared. Now you share. Tell us everything.”

Abby asked, “You said you’ve been working with the FBI?”

He pointed to Finn. “I took that recording to the cops, but they wanted more, so I told them I would get it. And in all our meetings, he never once said what really happened back then. We talked about the movie, about tricking Morgan, and he made a lot of statements about how Karen wasn’t supposed to bequeath her land and money to Morgan. He was her husband, so he was supposed to inherit it. He was angry about that, but he never confessed that he was the one who sent Morgan’s father to the house.” He looked at his brother. “Because you forgot to take those two cameras down, we have what we need on tape.”

Abby gasped, jumping to her feet. “You have video of him talking about it?”

Matthew jerked his head in an abrupt nod. “Yes,” he rasped out. “The police already have a copy.”

My knees gave out. I almost fell back onto the desk chair.

“You turned Dad in?”

Matthew nodded at Finn, smiling. “I’m sorry for not looping you in.”

“He may be a bastard, but he’s still your father.”

That came from Brody.

Matthew looked up, and the two shared a look. Whatever passed between them had Matthew’s shoulders rolling back. His voice was a bit clearer than before when he continued, “They’re arresting him right now. I came to tell you before it’s all over the news.”

“Fuck.” Brody shook his head. “Shanna must be shitting herself in gold right now.”

“Yeah, well.” Matthew cleared his throat, lines of pain forming around his mouth and eyes. He tugged at his collar. “I actually can shut down the movie.” He looked at me. “If you want. There’s a clause in the contract, but I want you to make the decision. I don’t think anyone has the right to make it for you.”

There was no question.

“I want it made. For her.”





Brody



I held Morgan that whole night through.

There’d been no words I could use to express how I felt when I walked down that hallway and heard what they were talking about. It was perfect timing in some ways, but my arms had been itching to take her, hold her, and carry her away. Once Matthew, Finn, and Abby left the room, Morgan leapt at me at the same time I was going to her.

Her arms and legs wrapped around me, and it was all the permission I needed to carry her from the house and down to my cabin.

When I realized she’d been sleeping in my bed, a wave of tenderness filled me. But again, there’d been no words.

I set her down, and our lips found each other’s. I showed her how I felt that night, and she showed me.

After only a few hours of sleep, the police were knocking on the door. They questioned Morgan, and once they were done, they assured us they had enough to press official charges against Peter Kellerman, who was already in custody.

The gossip already swirling about Morgan and me went up a whole other level with Peter Kellerman’s arrest. So, when the news broke, I wasn’t surprised when ABC, CBS, and CNN picked up the story as well.

We were all in the living room at the main lodge watching the press release when Gayle called.

Morgan was on my lap and looked down. She saw the name, and without saying a word, she shifted to the side so I could stand. She snuggled into where I’d been sitting as I crossed the room and went out to the patio, shutting the door behind me.

“Is it true?”

“Hello to you too, Gayle.”

“It’s true then.”

I sighed. Some days we didn’t need to use actual words to communicate. “When are you coming?”

“Now. Shanna’s with me.”

I looked back. Morgan was watching me, not the television screen.

I’d have to use a car and pick them up or send someone. “When?”

“We’re arriving in an hour.”

I barked out a laugh. “That’s the real reason you’re calling.”