The Ransom (40 page)

She made it to the couch and sank down on it and rested her head on the cushion. Her face was still sore and her bruises were now purple, but she could finally open both eyes. Now, she closed them in weariness and bit back tears—tears she’d managed to hold at bay in the hospital. She felt Lane’s weight beside her and was grateful when he took her in his arms. She gulped on a surge of emotion and when he kissed the top of her head and urged her to let it out, the sobs burst from her like they’d never stop.

It was a long while later when the tears subsided and she shakily pulled out of his arms.

“I’m sorry for blubbering all over you like that,” she whispered.

His eyes were full of love and concern. He leaned over and brushed the hair from her eyes. “Do you feel any better?”

“Yes. I do. Thank you. I-I’m so glad you were here to…to help me. I don’t know how I would cope without you.”

He smiled tenderly. “You underestimate yourself, sweetheart. You’re stronger than you think. None of this is your fault, Zara. You don’t get to choose your family.”

She offered a weak smile, grateful for his support. “You’re right, of course, but I still can’t help feeling responsible. It’s stupid, but there it is. Some part of me thinks if I hadn’t been so involved in my life, in my career, I would have seen it. I would have picked up the signs before things got so out of control. I would have seen Allison’s mood swings as more than just her way of making me feel miserable. I would have realized there was more to it than that. Maybe everything would have turned out differently?”

Lane’s hand tightened around hers and she took comfort from the warm strength in his grip.

“Don’t think like that, sweetheart. It will get you nowhere. Take it from me, I’ve been there. A seven-year-old boy still has a fairly well developed sense of responsibility, especially a son who’s the oldest of four. For years, I turned myself inside out with “what ifs” and it nearly broke me. I eventually realized I couldn’t continue to think like that and I learned to let the guilt go, but it wasn’t easy. I want to spare you that pain.”

He leaned in closer, his expression earnest. “Please believe me when I tell you it wasn’t your fault. Nobody forced Allison to take drugs. Nobody forced her to barter her body. Not you or anyone could have changed things. The only person who had that power was Allison and as far as we know, she wasn’t so inclined.”

Zara clung to his words, wanting to believe them, needing to believe them. She could only imagine the weight of guilt her father felt. She had to stay strong for both of them, and for little Brittany too.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I needed to hear that. The saner, objective part of me knows what you say is true. I need to pay attention to that part and do my best to ignore the guilt that wants to undermine all that I know is real.”

Lane brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. “I love you so much, Zara. It kills me to see you unhappy. It kills me to know your family has put you in this position, but I want you to know, I’m here for you. I’m in your corner. Now and forever, or at least, for as long as you want me.”

She stared at him and her heart picked up its pace. “W-what are you saying?”

He held her gaze for long moments in silence. Finally, he broke it. “Zara, will you marry me?”

“M-marry you?” she stammered. “A-are you sure?”

He smiled a little uncertainly. “Of course I’m sure. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you. I… I’m hoping you feel the same.”

Joy blossomed from deep down inside her and lightened the weight in her heart. Her lips quivered and then broadened into a wide grin. Fresh tears sparkled in her eyes.

“Of course, I do. I’ll love you until I die. Like I told you before, I fell in love with you the moment you stepped inside Brittany’s bedroom.”

Lane frowned. “Then, why are you crying?”

She hiccupped again. “They’re happy tears, silly.”

Moving closer, Lane took her in his arms. His lips met hers and he kissed her until he’d stolen her breath. She returned the kiss, hoping he could feel the depth of her love: love that had snuck up on her and devoured her until she couldn’t imagine a life or a world without him in it.

EPILOGUE

Two months later

Zara collected the dirty clothes out of the laundry hamper and carried them through to Lane’s washing machine. Even something as mundane as doing the laundry brought a smile to her lips these days. She and Brittany had moved in with Lane the same day he’d proposed, unwilling to spend even another night in the house they’d grown up in. Not only was it now a crime scene, but every room in the beautiful mansion brought nothing but bad memories.

It was fortunate Lane had a spare room. After what her little sister had gone through, Zara was never going to leave the girl with relatives. Zara still felt appreciative whenever she thought about how Lane had immediately insisted Brittany come and stay with them.

Both her father and Allison had been charged with attempted murder. Both of them had pleaded not guilty. Both of them were on remand, awaiting a trial date. Zara still couldn’t believe how quickly her perfect family had been torn apart at the seams, ripped into so many pieces it was no longer recognizable and would never be put together again.

She was just so glad Lane’s family had embraced her and Brittany so warmly and without judgement. Just as she’d guessed, Lane’s mother was a remarkable woman. Intelligent, kind and astute, she’d given Zara her blessing, telling her that the only thing that would make her happier than discovering her son had finally found himself a wife was to be told there was a grandchild on the way. Zara had blushed, but Lane’s smile had lit up the room and she’d secretly hoped they’d have news of that kind before too much time passed. Brittany would be thrilled, too. She’d love having a baby around.

The sound of her cell phone ringing interrupted her reverie. Dumping the laundry on the floor near the washing machine, she hurried into the living room and collected it from the coffee table. Glancing at the screen, she recognized Ellie’s number and smiled. Over the past couple of months, they’d become very good friends. They’d bonded over their shared experiences during a traumatic time in their lives and were both more than ecstatic that things had turned out all right.

Through an unspoken agreement, they both tried hard to keep the girls’ lives as normal as possible—well, as normal as they could be in the circumstances. Ellie was a former police officer and she understood the need for consistency. Brittany’s counselor agreed. The sooner her life went back to the way it was, as far as possible, the quicker her recovery. Maintaining her friendship with Olivia was just one of the ways to achieve it.

Zara was glad her sister had found such a good friend and one who could understand all that she’d been through. It helped to have someone her own age to talk to, especially during times when she felt the adults just didn’t understand.

Zara wasn’t kidding herself into believing she could be everything to Brittany and she was more than happy for the counselor and Brittany and even Ellie to play a role in her sister’s recovery. Brittany had even opened up to Lane, and about that, Zara couldn’t be happier.

She answered the call from Ellie with a smile on her face.

“Hi, Ellie. What are you up to?”

“Zara, I’m so glad I caught you. I just had to tell you. The picture’s gone.”

“The picture’s gone?” Zara repeated in confusion.

“Yes, the picture. Olivia and Clayton and I sat down and talked. We…we told her about her mother, the truth about how she died. There were a lot of tears and she was upset that we hadn’t told her earlier, but the end result was, the picture’s gone and it was Olivia who took it down.”

Ellie had confided in Zara about Ellie’s despair over Olivia’s obsession with her late mother. Knowing the young girl had at last taken steps to embrace Ellie in her life, Zara could well understand Ellie’s relief.

“That’s fantastic news, Ellie. I’m so glad. Now you and Olivia will have the chance you needed to bond, really bond. And I’m so glad she knows the truth. It’s always better that way.”

“You’re right. We probably should have told her earlier, but there never seemed to be a right time. First, she was too young to understand and then later, she seemed so obsessed with Lisa—neither Clayton or I knew what to do.”

“Well, I’m just glad it’s worked out for everyone.”

“You and me both. Olivia and I finally have a chance to really connect. It’s what I’ve always wanted and I think, deep down, it’s what she wants, too.”

“You’re lucky it turned out so well.”

“Yes, I am. We all are—Olivia, Clayton, even the boys. Our household’s so much happier. We’re all in love with each other again. It’s a nice feeling.”

Zara smiled. “Yes, it is.”

Ellie sniffed then cleared her throat. “Now, enough about me. Tell me about the wedding plans. How are they coming along?”

“Everything’s coming together beautifully and I’m so thrilled you’ve agreed to be my matron of honor. Britt’s beyond excited about being a bridesmaid. It’s makes her feel so grown-up. I’m sad that Dad won’t be allowed out to walk me down the aisle, but one of Lane’s brothers as agreed to take on the role.”

“That’s great, Zara. I’m so pleased things are working out.”

Zara’s phone beeped to indicate an incoming call. She glanced at the screen. Her smile widened.
Lane.

“Sorry, Ellie. I hate to interrupt, but Lane’s trying to call me. Do you mind if I call you back?”

“Of course not, silly! Answer the call. I’ll hear the rest of the details later.”

After issuing a quick good-bye, Zara ended one call and picked up another. Her smiled got wider at his opening line.

“Hello, beautiful. What’s my favorite girl up to?”

“Oh, you know. Doing laundry, chatting on the phone. I have a very busy schedule.”

Lane laughed. “Well, I’m just glad I managed to persuade you to take some time off work. There’s no way you could keep up those hours and plan a wedding—and I, for one, am counting down hours until I can call you my wife.”

A surge of love flooded through her and tears of joy pricked her eyes. Although she’d never want to experience those horrific few days all over again, she’d always be profoundly grateful that it had meant meeting and falling in love with Lane. Apart from her friendship with Ellie, he was the only good to have come of the whole awful time.

Wiping at the moisture in her eyes, she answered him. “It can’t come soon enough for me, either and talking about work, I’m thinking about a career change—or at least, a change in direction.”

“Really? I thought you loved being a lawyer?”

“I did. I do, but I want to do more than succession planning and haggling over the terms of a lease. I want to make a difference; a real difference. I want to be a child advocate.”

“Wow, that’s a change, all right.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea?” she asked a little worriedly. “After what happened to Olivia and it should have been Brittany… I want to work with the Department of Family and Community Services and the courts. The pay would be a whole lot less, but I’m guessing the job satisfaction would make it more than worthwhile.” She paused to catch her breath and suddenly realized how important this had become to her and how much she wanted Lane to understand.

“Too many kids are living their lives in fear and uncertainty, governed by drug addicted parents who care for nothing but their next fix. I want to help those kids. I want to give them a voice. I want to show them that they matter.”

She waited for Lane’s reply feeling slightly apprehensive. When he finally spoke, his voice was thick with emotion.

“Do you have any idea how special you are? How loving and kind and just so darn good? How did you ever end up in my life? I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I thank God every day that you’re mine.”

Tears of happiness coursed down Zara’s cheeks and there was nothing she could do to stop them. “I love you, Lane Black,” she sobbed. “I love you with every fiber of my being. The way we met might have been far from ideal, but if I was given the choice of wiping those awful days and nights from my memory or losing your love, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Right back at you, darling. Right back at you.”

NOTE TO READERS

I do hope you have enjoyed reading Lane and Zara’s story. Please feel free to leave a review for The Ransom. Every review is very much appreciated and I thank you for taking the time to leave one.

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The Defendant—Book Eight in the Munro Family Series
is the next book in the Munro Family Series and is Chase and Josie’s story.

Here’s a sneak peek:

Detective Sergeant Chase Barrington has never forgotten the girl he fell in love with in high school. He and Josie Munro planned to marry as soon as they’d graduated. But fate stepped in and Chase made the painful decision to end it without telling Josie the truth…