At His Side: The Billionaire's Beck and Call, Part 9

At
His Side: The Billionaire’s Beck and Call, Part 9

By Delilah Fawkes

I
dialed the police, then listened to the ringing on the other end, harmonizing
with the squealing tires of Mr. Drake’s car as he rocketed out of the parking
lot toward Morton’s Pier. I pulled on the edge of my skirt, my hands restless
as I waited for someone to pick up the phone. Mr. Drake’s jaw was set, his eyes
glued to the road. Finally, there was a click on the other end of the line. I
spoke before the operator could finish his greeting.

“Yes,
hello? Please, we need to report a crime. It’s an emergency.”

I
tried to keep my voice calm even while adrenaline coursed through me at the
thought that all those people--people I’d had lunch with, sat with during
meetings, chatted with in the break room--could lose everything if we didn’t
stop Lex in time.

Mr.
Drake’s knuckles were white against the steering wheel as he cut through
traffic. I gave as many details as I could to the operator, telling them to
send squad cars to look for Alexander Smith at the airport, but that we
suspected he was trying to flee the country by sea.

“Please,
stay on the line, Ms. Willcox,” the operator said. “We’re sending squad cars to
meet you at the pier. Don’t make a move until we get there.”

“No
problem.”

I
held the phone to my ear, my hand now slippery with sweat. The car jumped as
Mr. Drake crashed over a speed bump, roaring into the outer parking lot of the
marina. The gate was down, the striped barrier arm down over entrance to the
Yacht Club, blocking access. Mr. Drake swore beside me, before slamming the car
to a halt. Without another word, he jerked the keys out of the ignition and
barreled out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

“They
said to wait!” I called, but he was already gone, running down the pier.
“Shit.”

“What’s
that, Ma’am?” The operator’s voice in my ear startled me.

“Please
hurry,” I said, and ended the call.

I
jumped out of the car and went after Mr. Drake, ducking low under the barrier,
grateful once again for the hidden slits in my skirt that allowed such
movement, although I doubt they were ever intended for crime fighting.

I
crossed the parking lot, my heels clicking loudly on the pavement as I broke
into a jog. Mr. Drake disappeared around the north side of the huge building
sprawling before me, blocking the view of the dock. I hurried after, hoping to
catch up to him, when I caught something moving in the corner of my vision.

A
pink blur registered, and I turned just in time to see a petite blonde with a
rolling suitcase disappear around the south side. She hadn’t seen me, but the
brief glimpse I’d gotten of her was hauntingly familiar. I changed direction,
edging closer to the edge of the building, moving more slowly now so the sound
of my heels wouldn’t give me away. I peered around the corner and stifled a
gasp.

Veronica,
or as Lex had dubbed her, The Future Mrs. Drake, was sashaying ahead of me, her
Chanel purse full to bursting, a curling iron cord dangling from the open
zipper, dragging her suitcase behind her. Where was
she
going in such a hurry?

This
was too much of a coincidence. If she was here, now, packed for a journey, she
might lead me straight to Lex. I trotted along behind her, hiding in the
shadows of the doorways as we made our way past the main club building and
toward the smaller outbuildings behind it.

When
we moved toward a large boathouse at the edge of the dock, I glanced around us.
Where was Mr. Drake? I thought I’d find him around back, but he was nowhere to
be seen. As I edged around the boathouse, I saw them--row after row of large,
white yachts floating quietly in the harbor, moored side by side like sleeping
giants.

Veronica
was disappearing down the wood planking, taking a turn and disappearing behind
the bulk of the first row of vessels. I followed, hoping my hunch was correct,
and I’d be able to lead the police straight to Lex when they arrived.

I
slowed down when I reached the corner Veronica’s swaying pink purse had just
disappeared around. The sound of male voices reached my ears, and I peered
around the hull of
The Ex-Wife
, hoping to remain unseen in
the shadow of the yacht.

“You
don’t have to do this, Lex. This is between you and me. Let’s talk this through
before you do something you’ll regret.”

“Don’t
flatter yourself, Chase! This is about
me
getting what I deserve. Living in your shadow should guarantee
me a fucking bonus, after all the shit I’ve put up with over the years.”

“The
employees are the ones who will suffer, and you know it. If you want to get
back at me, take anything else. Just not the pensions. Even
you
aren’t that selfish, Lex.”

“Did
you ever think maybe it’s not just about the cash? Maybe I want to relish the
thought of all those people knowing that you let them down. Of you tossing and
turning at night as you wondered how you didn’t see it coming. The guilt of
your failure eating you alive. Maybe that’s the only thing I want as I sail
away to a brand new life.”

I
saw Mr. Drake now. His back was to me on the dock in front of Lex, who was
standing on the ladder on the side of his yacht, ready to board. They hadn’t
seen Veronica yet. She was lurking in the shadows by a pile of rope, digging in
her purse, her suitcase forgotten at her feet.

Where the hell are the cops already?
My ears strained for the sound
of sirens, but the seconds ticked by, and we were still all alone.

“Please,
Lex... I’ll go away if you’d like. Leave the city. We can pretend this never
happened, and I’ll leave the company quietly. Just come down from there and
talk to me.”

Mr.
Drake moved toward the yacht, his hand outstretched, urging Lex to come with
him.

“Freeze,
Chasey!”

Both
men’s eyes shot wide as Veronica’s shrill voice rang out over the water. She
held a revolver in her perfectly manicured hands, the barrel pointed straight
at Mr. Drake’s chest.

“One
more move, and I’ll shoot, Mister! Back away nice and slow.”

“Nice
work, Ronnie,” Lex said, grinning in a way that made my blood boil. “You’ve got
great timing.”

He
hopped down off the ladder and stood in front of Mr. Drake, his hands on his
hips. Veronica advanced on him, gun held steady, the light of the setting sun
glinting off the weapon.

“You
were right, Lexy. I’m glad I took daddy’s gun like you said.”

“Search
him,” Lex said. “Make sure he doesn’t have his cell phone. We don’t want him to
try anything funny when we leave him tied up. We want to be well on our way by
the time anyone knows we’re gone..”

Mr.
Drake’s face was dark, his forehead furrowed as Veronica moved toward him.

This
had gone far enough. They were going to get away if I didn’t act fast.

I
flicked the phone open and dialed the last number, leaving it ringing silently
on the wooden boards of the dock. I stumbled around the corner like I’d been
running, my chest heaving dramatically.

“Wait!”

All
eyes landed on me, Veronica’s gun barrel twitching as she tried to decide
whether to cover me or Chase Drake.

“Take
me with you, Lex,” I said, moving closer, raising my hands in the air. “You
were right about me. I only wanted Chase when I thought he was the powerhouse
behind the business. The successful one.” I breathed heavily, holding a stitch
in my side. “I want to come along...”

“Stay
right there, bitch!” Veronica’s hands shook as she trained the gun on me.

Something
in my chest tightened in reaction to staring down the barrel of a real-life
gun, but I steadied my emotions.

Keep going, Isabeau. You can do this.
You have to!

Chase
Drake needed me to keep a cool head, and that was exactly what I was going to
do.

I
stopped, but trained my eyes on Lex. He looked incredulous, but ran a hand over
his chin, looking me up and down in a way that made my skin crawl.

“I
was always attracted to you, but...” I looked guiltily at Mr. Drake. “I didn’t
want to ruin my chances with him while I had a good thing going. Please, Lex.
Take me with you. We can be together now. Now that I know who the real man is.”

“What?!”
Veronica’s pink lips were pulled back in a snarl. “First you take my Chasey and
now you’re making a play for him?” She turned to Lex, her barrel drifting away
from my chest. “Tell her to go to hell, baby!”

But
Lex had a twinkle in his black eyes like all of his Christmases were coming
early, and I knew I had him.

“I
want you, Lex,” I said, my voice breathy and high. “Please. You know how much
fun we can have together. It’ll be so good...”

I
stepped closer, and Veronica practically bristled as she looked back and forth
between me and the man she’d planned to run away with. She turned the barrel on
him, and his eyes widened.

“Tell
her, Lexy!
Tell her!
”

He
reached toward her, his eyes pleading. “C’mon, baby. Lower the gun. Don’t be
hysterical.”

“Hysterical?!”
Veronica’s face reddened and she ground her high heel into the dock. “You tell
me
 
I’m all you ever wanted, that you can
love me better than Chasey ever could, and now you’re seriously considering
letting this gutter-trash-slut come with us?”

“Baby,
it’s not like that...”

“THEN
WHAT’S IT LIKE?”

Lex’s
gaze shifted, and I could tell he was trying to think of something, anything,
to get him out of hot water and onto his yacht before things could get any
worse. And that was why neither he nor Veronica saw Mr. Drake lunge for the
gun.

It
all happened so fast, that if I had blinked, I would have missed it. Chase
Drake’s hand closed around the barrel, twisting it out of Veronica’s fingers.
She screamed bloody murder, and Lex tried to scrabble up the ladder of his boat
when Mr. Drake shouted.

“Hold
it right there! Drop to the dock, Lex!”

Veronica
raised her claws like she was planning to scratch Chase’s face off, and that’s
when I leapt into action, tackling her onto the dock. She thrashed in my grip,
and I crushed her into the planks.

The
wood thudded beneath me, and suddenly I realized it was the impact of several
pairs of boots approaching at a run.

“Police!
Smith, get down on the ground!”

Officers
in blue surrounded us, guns drawn. I raised my head just in time to see Lex
Smith getting dragged off his ladder like a kitten out of a tree, and grinned.

Veronica
had frozen beneath my body, and now a police officer held a hand out to me. I
gripped it and let her pull me to my feet, smiling all the while as she cuffed
Veronica and recited her Miranda rights.

I
looked over at Mr. Drake and saw him looking back at me, his face glowing with
pride.

We’d
really done it. The employee pensions were safe, and so were we.

“You’ll
never be anything but trash, Isabeau,” Lex yelled as two police officers
gripped his arms. “You’re nothing! You hear me?”

“Wait
a second,” I said to the officers, and they paused, holding Lex still.

I
walked up to him and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “It must be hard,
being such a small, small man, living in the shadow of a giant.”

My
knee shot out before the police could stop me, nailing him right in the balls.
He wheezed, his eyes filling with tears.

“Who
knows? Maybe you’ll be the number one scumbag on your cell block. There’s
always something to hope for, Lex. Keep your head up.”

I
heard one of the officers snicker as I walked away, my eyes locked on Chase
Drake.

It
was finally over.

***

I
sat wrapped in a thick blanket on Mr. Drake’s leather sofa, snuggled up next to
a roaring fire. He poured me a cup of brandy and handed it to me, the firelight
playing over his strong jaw and wavy hair, making me want to reach up and trace
the lines of his face, to run my fingertips over his lips. Instead, I sipped
the golden liquid, sighing as its warmth spread through me.

“I
couldn’t have done it without you, Isabeau.”

His
voice was barely over a whisper, a low rumble that filled my senses, causing my
tension to melt away like the fragments of a dream.

“Good
thing you didn’t have to,” I said, grinning up at him.

Maybe
it was the sip of spirits, or maybe it was just the relief after a
suspense-filled day, but I felt almost giddy, there with him, safe and sound in
a mansion I was slowly getting comfortable in.

“I
mean it, Isa.” He took my glass and set it aside, then captured my hands in
his. “The police wouldn’t have found us in time if the cell phone signal hadn’t
led them right to us.” He paused, kissing my fingers. “You’re just amazing.”