“Come here,” I said.
I pulled her close to me and spread my legs for her. She wiggled in between them, her head settling against my shoulder. She took deep breaths as her nose nuzzled into me, her body relaxing against mine. I kissed her forehead over and over while the shaking of her body settled, then I pulled the comforter up over our bodies.
“Please don’t get upset. I was only trying to save you from more heartache,” Hailey said.
“I know,” I said. “I know you were. But it’s time to talk now, okay?”
“Okay,” she said. “Just don’t interrupt me, okay?”
“I’ll sit here and listen.”
“A couple of weeks ago, this guy came into the art gallery.”
I held her close as my fingertips traveled up and down her arms.
“He gave me the creeps, but I’m never going to turn someone away from the gallery. If they want to enjoy the art I have, then it shouldn’t matter what they look like or how they make me feel.”
“It’s one of the many traits I love about you. How you’re so open and accepting of others,” I said.
“No interrupting.”
“Sorry.”
“He started talking to me about John’s paintings. Asking me how much they were worth. I told him they weren’t for sale, but he was wondering if they were worth something. I told them they were priceless, and he said that was interesting because I owed him money.”
I bit my tongue as my heart began to thunder in my ears.
“This guy’s name is Ben. He’s related to one of the guys who killed John in the alley that night. From the sounds of it, his cousin paid a hefty price because he could never get the money back for the drugs that girl was giving away in my studio back in Los Angeles. They tried tracking her down, but I think they killed her, Bryan. He told me it was my debt to pay now. One hundred thousand dollars. And if I don’t, he’s threatened you and my family.”
She was shaking in my arms again, and I was seeing red. What in the hell was Hailey doing hiding something like this from me? Had this woman lost her fucking mind? I bit down on my tongue to keep from talking as she drew in another breath, my body trying to listen as my mind was screaming out for vengeance.
Someone came into my wife’s gallery and threatened her life?
I was going to kill them.
“And I figured you had been through enough with John. This was my past with him, not yours, and if I needed to rectify it, then so be it. He saved my life, Bryan. Your brother saved me, and now he’s saving me again.”
“What does that mean?” I
asked.
“In order to get the money to give to Ben, I’ve sold John’s duo paintings to Ramon. They’re packed and set to be shipped out next week.”
I held Hailey close to me as her crying started up again. My body was trembling with fury. I thought we were done with all of this. I thought we were past all of this. I was ready to wrap my hands around this little asshole’s neck and squeeze the very life from his eyes. Who the hell did he think he was, threatening a pregnant woman? If he was threatening Hailey, then there was a good chance he had threatened my unborn child at some point.
And that wasn’t going to fly with me.
“I can’t believe I have to sell what I have left of the man who saved my life just to free myself from his past,” Hailey said.
“We have to go to the police,” I said.
“No,” she said. “No, we can’t. That was his one condition. He said he would be watching me. We can’t do that. He’s going to hurt us, Bryan. I can’t let you get hurt.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me, and nothing is going to happen to you either.”
“He knows Anna. He’s going to hurt Anna,” she said as she sobbed.
“No one is hurting anyone, okay? Not on my watch. Not as long as I’m around. This man is trying to punish you for something you have nothing to do with. He’s desperate for money and he’s trying to find any way to get it. You are not selling off those paintings of John’s. I won’t allow it.”