The police grabbed Burton’s arms and pulled him back before he could do more than unleash his diatribe.
“Take him away.” Raif nodded to the officers, but Burton, it seemed, hadn’t said quite enough.
“I waited a long time to lord it over you the way you did over me at school. You think it didn’t hurt when we were growing up, when you excelled at everything—the way you thought you were so superior because you always won at sports, with your grades or with girls? I vowed a long time ago I would beat you, and I did. Shanal is mine.”
The look in Burton’s eyes held a hint of mania that sent a thread of fear winding through Raif’s heart. The man was dangerous, and far less stable than Raif had realized. Had he truly done all this—manipulated everyone so cruelly—because of some petty school yard grudge?
“She’s her own person,” Raif said quietly. “She makes her own choices.”
One of the policemen recited the charges against Burton and then read him his rights before they escorted him, still struggling, from the cathedral. Raif and Shanal watched in silence. Around them, the silence changed to a loud hum of excited murmurs.
Raif looked at Shanal and offered her his hand. “Shall we go?”
“Please.”
His strong fingers closed around hers and together they walked outside. Raif’s Maserati was parked at the curb and he held the door open for her, then made sure her dress was completely tucked inside before closing the door. Shanal sat in the comfortable leather seat and let relief wash over her in drenching waves. Burton’s hold on her was over.
Raif settled in the seat beside her. His face was more serious than she’d ever seen it.
“You’re safe now,” he said firmly. “Safe from him, safe to do what you choose. He can’t control you anymore.”
“What will happen now?”
“He’ll be formally charged and questioned. Given it’s the weekend, it might be a while before he comes up before the court. I don’t imagine he’ll be happy about cooling his heels in jail so his lawyer will try and have him released on bail. The police assure me that, due to his easy access to unlimited funds, they consider him a flight risk and will do everything in their power to ensure he remains behind bars.”
Shanal sighed in relief, then looked deep into Raif’s eyes. “And us? What will happen with us?”
“That’s entirely up to you. Would you like me to take you to your parents’ place?”
She shook her head. “No, I’d like to call them, let them know I’m all right—that this business with Burton is over—but I want to be with you. I want to be wherever you are.”
His eyes darkened at her words and he leaned forward, pressing his lips all too briefly against hers. “If that’s what the lady wants, then that’s what the lady will get.”
He started the car and drove away from the cathedral. Shanal briefly looked back at the people now spilling from the church doors and down the steps. She shuddered at the thought of how different it all could have been if Raif hadn’t made it on time, if he hadn’t discovered the information that had put a stop to Burton’s manipulation. She turned her head to look forward again, to her future. A future that, hopefully, would include the man next to her, for a long time to come.
When they pulled in through the gates that led to Raif’s home, Shanal knew she was in the right place. He stopped at the front door and came around to help her from the low-slung car. When he led her inside she couldn’t help feeling how different this was than the last time she’d been here. Then, she’d been filled with anxiety. Now, nothing could be further from her mind.
Raif gestured to his office. “Use the phone in there to call your mum and dad. I’ll go pour us a drink.”
She smiled in thanks and went into the room. Her mother answered on the first ring.
“Mum, it’s okay. It’s all over. The police have Burton now.”
“What—? The police?”
“I’ll explain it all to you and Dad later. I promise.”
“What about the mortgage and the loan?”
“Raif said he’d take care of everything. I believe him, Mum. You can, too.” And she meant every word. After what Raif had done today she would trust him with her life.
“Oh, thank God for that. When are you coming home?”
“Soon. I’m with Raif now. He’s where I belong.” As she said the words, she knew she’d never belong anywhere else—with anyone else—more than she did with him.