Beauty and the Billionaire (A Once Upon a Billionaire Novel) Page 11

  Mira safely entered the driveway adjacent to the white two-story house, dragging her things through the back door. She found her dad napping in his recliner and decided to let him be. She made her way to the guest room upstairs, shut the door, and sat on the bed.

  She thought she’d burst out crying, but she felt numb. She curled up on the bed, closing her eyes when the necklace dropped against the comforter. She picked up the diamond, staring as the waning sunlight made it sparkle. Then one tear came, and then another. She turned into the pillow and let it out until she finally fell asleep.

  Sometime later, she woke up to violent shaking, her dad hovering over her. “Mira?” He peered down at her face. “What are you doing here, sweetheart? Is everything okay?”

  Mira sighed, then forced herself up. She wanted to say no, nothing is okay, but she shook her head, refusing to say anything about it at first. After dinner, she got up the nerve to explain to her dad what had happened, which was a very long story. She poured more coffee for both of them, then took a chair in the living room.

  “But this Hunter,” her dad said, wrapping a hand around the mug, “he’s a good man?”

  “Yes, he is. But he has serious trust issues…” She shrugged, sinking into the chair. Even after sleeping, she felt exhausted.

  “I think that’s understandable, based on what you’ve told me.” He drummed his fingers against the mug, dropping his gray eyes to the floor.

  Mira propped herself back up, in need of one piece of information. “Did you by any chance mention to Victor Rawlinson that I was at Rosefield?”

  Her father’s head jerked up. “Of course not. Though he did come by looking for you.” He shook his head. “But I know you never liked him. So, I told him you were out of town.”

  Mira smiled weakly, relieved it wasn’t her father’s fault that Victor had found her residence. She supposed someone might have known or seen her go that way.

  “However,” he continued, looking into the distance, “sometimes Mrs. Miller was around when you called. It’s possible she told him. I know she mentioned someone stopped by one day when I was…well, asleep. She didn’t act like it was important, but it might’ve been him again. Didn’t you always say he was rather persistent?”

  Mira nodded absently, kicking herself for talking so openly with her father. She honestly forgot another person might be in the house and overhear. She never would have imagined that Victor of all people would find out where she worked. Her fantasy had quickly turned into a nightmare.

  “I’m sorry I can’t be what you need right now.” Her father set his mug down, placing a gnarled hand on her knee.

  Mira inclined her head. “What’s that?”

  “Your mother.” His mouth curved up. “She would know how to make this all better.”

  Mira looked down at his hand. “I don’t know about that. This is more than just a scrape from falling off my bike.”

  “I know. But she understood these sorts of things.” He shrugged. “I’m afraid I never really did.”

  Mira placed her hand on his. “It’s okay, Dad. I’ll be fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “I am. Don’t worry about it.”

  Her father didn’t look like he really believed her, and she couldn’t blame him. She wasn’t sure she believed it either.

  CHAPTER 24

  “He won’t eat,” Penny whispered behind him.

  Hunter clasped his hands together on the desk, his forehead resting on them. “I don’t need to eat. Please, just leave me alone right now.”

  He’d explained to them, sort of, why Mira had left. But he could tell they weren’t satisfied with his answer. And he couldn’t blame them. He’d gone into her room that first night she was gone, reality setting in that Mira had really left. She wouldn’t turn around and come back. Not like last time.

  Someone sighed, then Jimmy said, “This is bad.” Then he heard Penny’s wheelchair and the door shut.

  Hunter lifted his head up and sunk back in the chair, not caring that he hadn’t shaved in days or that he couldn’t sleep and had no appetite. He’d thought for a little bit that his life might return to normal again someday. But he’d been wrong. This was his life now.

  He shut off the library so he couldn’t see Mira’s unfinished work every day, and when he did eat, he kept to his bedroom. Though, truthfully, he was reminded of her no matter where he went in the house. The artwork and books taunted him. And even the stars brought no relief. Everything made it worse.

  Mira had infiltrated every aspect of his life. And he couldn’t escape it. Worse, on some level, he didn’t want to. Hunter locked the door, prepared for another endless night.

  After a couple of days, Mira knew she couldn’t just stay in bed and eat Chinese food anymore. She had to find a job. The bills coming in through the mail were a harsh reminder of that. But the worst thing she received was the rest of her money from Rosefield. Just seeing the address made her eyes tear up and it was ridiculously hard to even put it in the bank.

  Much like her necklace, which was safely stowed away in her room. She couldn’t bear to part with it. Or wear it. Not to mention, she didn’t feel she had any right to do so. In all fairness, she should have left it at the house. She saved the mansion address from her check, promising she would send the necklace back–as soon as she could work up the nerve.

  As Mira came out of the bank, she looked up to find Victor leaning against the driver’s door of her car. Perfect. She glowered. If he refused to get out of the way, she was going into the bank and calling the police.

  “Did you lose your job?” Victor said sheepishly, his black hair slicked back. “Because I really had no idea–”

  “Save it,” Mira said sharply. “I don’t know what your deal is, but you need to get out of my way.”

  He held up his hands in defense. “I like you, Mira. And I was honestly curious about that place. I thought you might be working there because of your art background or something. I’ve heard they have a lot of valuable stuff up there.” He acted casual, but Mira’s eyebrows creased together. Why was he saying that? When she didn’t respond, he cleared his throat, pushing up from her car. “Anyway, I just saw your car here and wanted to say hello. But I’ll let you get back to your errands.”

  He stepped away from her door and she cautiously walked over, got inside, and shut him out. And just like that, he let her go. Mira backed up and drove off, watching him stroll over to his sports car in her rearview mirror.

  It bothered Mira the rest of the day. Victor’s constant interest in art and her knowledge had always puzzled her. Especially since he didn’t seem genuinely interested. She’d always thought he was using it to try and make her like him, but now…she didn’t know what to make of it. But she didn’t have the emotional energy to worry about it.

  She got to work job hunting, which was just as much fun as she remembered. Since her dad was cared for, she was free to take care of that, and anything else she wanted to do. Trouble was she didn’t want to do anything. Not even job hunt, despite the bills. She could tell her father wanted to fix the problem, but this wasn’t that simple. Mira figured she just needed time. Lots and lots of time.

  After another day of dealing with applications and going to the market and fussing over various house chores, Mira and her father settled in for another night of movies after dinner. It wasn’t glamorous, but it took her mind off things for a little while at least.

  Someone rapped on the front door, and her father fumbled for the remote to mute the TV. They exchanged a glance and Mira hopped up to see who it was so late. She peeked through the crack in the door to find Victor on the front stoop.

  He smiled wide.

  “What are you doing here?” Mira snapped before he could get out a word. “It’s late.”

  He held up his hands in defense again, like he had at the bank. Somehow it rankled her that much more. “You never answer my calls, so…I figure the only way to talk to you is to
show up.”

  Mira sighed in exasperation and started to shut the door, when he grabbed the edge of it, pushing the door and Mira back, despite her efforts to resist. His broad shoulders won out and Mira fell back into the narrow hallway. When he’d succeeded, he came inside and straightened out his leather jacket, aiming a gun at Mira.

  Two men came in behind Victor, both bearing weapons. “Into the living room, Mira,” Victor said, his usual syrupy tone gone.

  Mira obeyed, her heart thudding a million beats a minute, her mind trying to compute what was happening. And what to do about it. Thoughts of art and the mansion ran through her head, but nothing made sense. Her father stood up, leaning on the cane he’d been using since the surgery. “What’s going on here?” he demanded of Victor, who took up the entire living room entryway.

  “Good question.” Victor’s steely eyes followed Mira as she stood beside her father. “But it’s quite simple. I want to know where the valuable paintings are in that mansion.”

  Mira was sure her heart was pumping through her shirt, but she tried to keep her voice even. “I worked as a housekeeper; I don’t know that.”

  Victor shook his head. “With all your love for that sort of stuff, you expect me to believe you didn’t notice? Come on, Mira. You’re smarter than that.”

  She thought fast, trying to figure out how not to tell him the whole story but give him something. “There are some old paintings in the gallery, but they’re only valuable to the family. I didn’t see anything else of much worth.” Truthfully, the valuable paintings were all in storage.

  Victor’s eyes hardened. “I don’t believe you.” He cocked his gun, aiming it at her head. “Try again.”

  As fast as her heart was beating, she still didn’t want to cave. “The house is in terrible shape. Nothing in there is worth very much.”

  Victor growled. “Fine. We’ll find out another way. Give me the gate entry code to Rosefield, or I’ll shoot your father instead. How about that?”

  Mira blinked, thinking to herself that he could just hop over the walls of Rosefield and save himself the trouble, but she bit her lip. Victor didn’t need to know their security was low.

  When she didn’t answer, Victor’s long face, chiseled like stone, scrunched up, turning red. “Tell me!” He pressed the gun barrel to her father’s forehead. Her father shut his eyes but somehow stood perfectly still.

  Mira shook, unsure what to do. She didn’t want to endanger Hunter and her friends at Rosefield, but she didn’t want to assume Victor was bluffing either. She swallowed as Victor pressed the gun into her father’s head. “Fine,” she said, her mouth pasty. She gave Victor the number sequence, trying to figure out what to do afterward. If there would be an afterward.

  Victor gave her a slimy smile, pulling the gun away from her father, and stood in front of her, stroking her cheek. She jerked away, but he grabbed her chin, putting his face right up to hers. “I’ll take care of you later,” he said, his eyes glinting.

  Mira’s skin crawled, every inch of her wanting to get away from him.

  “Put them in the basement,” Victor demanded, and the two thugs grabbed Mira and her father and forced them down the steps of the unfinished basement. They stared up at Victor, who still held the gun. “Don’t go anywhere.” He smiled, shutting the door.

  As soon as they heard them leave, Mira tugged on the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge. “They’ve jammed it,” she said, running her hand over her head. So many things ran through her mind: the fire at Rosefield, Hunter’s scars, his emotional scars…. Why didn’t she think to give them a fake number? It might have backfired, but it would’ve bought them time.

  Mira ran to the bottom of the stairs, climbing up to the one small window built into the concrete. There was no way to open it, so she grabbed a large wrench and banged it as hard as she could, but the glass didn’t budge. Desperately, she tried again.

  “You really love him, don’t you?” Her father said as she whacked the glass. This sort of thing was always so simple in movies.

  “Would you just stand by and let someone get hurt if you could prevent it?”

  “Of course not. But I think it’ll be easier with this.” Her father held up a crowbar and aimed it at the door.

  Mira smiled and jumped down. She and her father pushed on the crowbar, Mira pressing her leg against the wall for more leverage. After several tries putting her full force into it, they finally busted through, toppling out into the hall. Mira dropped the bar, her mind racing. “Call the police!” she yelled as she grabbed her phone and keys and raced for Rosefield.

  CHAPTER 25

  Hunter stared at the plate, shifting the green beans around instead of eating them. Penny would fuss, but he wasn’t hungry. He missed Mira. He’d pushed her out and now look where it had gotten him. Back where he started. He didn’t know what the deal was with the strange phone call she’d received or the texts she had on her phone. But he regretted his decision.

  And now she was gone. Out of his reach.

  “What are you doing, Hunter?” Jimmy stood in the doorway with Penny in the room and Courtland behind. He didn’t even hear them come in.

  “Not eating your lovely dinner, I’m afraid.” He pushed the plate away, sinking back in his seat. “I’m sorry, Penny, but I just don’t feel like eating.”

  “That’s not what he means.” Penny rolled over, eye to eye with him. “Why are you just sitting here, moping? Go get her back!”

  Hunter glanced at her from beneath his lashes. “How? I told her to go. That I didn’t trust her or believe her. Why would she want to come back?”

  Jimmy perched on the table. “A sincere apology can go a long way. You might be surprised. And isn’t she worth at least trying?”

  “Of course she is.” Hunter squirmed. “But what am I supposed to do? She left.”

  His three housemates exchanged glances.

  “Last time I checked you were a billionaire.” Jimmy arched his eyebrows. “I’m pretty sure you can manage to reach her in town at her father’s house.”

  Hunter’s eyebrows pinched together. “But…I figured she’d be at a new job by now.” She was already searching for one before she left as far as he could tell. And Mira was smart and hardworking. Surely she was gone for good already.

  “Not when Penny checked yesterday,” Jimmy said. “Mira’s still there. Besides, even if she were on the other side of the world, you can do what you like. You’re only chained to this house in your mind.”

  Hunter pressed his lips together, Jimmy holding his gaze. He was right. And they were right about Mira. She was worth everything to him. He pushed back, stepping around Penny, and started squeezing into some sneakers nearby. He went to grab car keys, then realized he didn’t actually have any to grab.

  “I need car keys.” He looked desperately at Jimmy who traded a glance with his coworkers.

  “I’ll take you.” Jimmy headed for the door, Hunter close behind.

  “I can drive,” he said indignantly.

  “With all due respect, you haven’t left the service road in several years.” Jimmy glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll drive.”

  Hunter pulled a face, muttering to himself as they hurried outside. Hunter jumped in the car Jimmy unlocked, and they swung around toward the front gate. As they came to the entrance, a car drove toward them, the headlights blinding. Hunter’s heart soared. Maybe Mira had come back for some reason?

  They stopped, getting out as three men stepped out of the oncoming vehicle. As three guns came into view, Hunter’s stomach dropped, his jaw tightening. One of them, presumably the leader, came up to him, openly examining Hunter, including his scars. Hunter held his eyes without wavering, his shoulders squaring.

  “No wonder Mira left,” the man said with disgust, then grinned. “But I hear you’re filthy rich, so you’ll do.”

  Mira raced up the service road to Rosefield, giving her car a run for its money as they climbed. She avoided potholes as best she could,
though it looked like everything had been patched recently. After her previous escapade, she’d learned where this road led, and she guessed it would be safer and more discreet to get to the house this way.

  She pulled off the road before she reached the gate, running the rest of the way with only a flashlight and her phone. Once on the main property, she scoped things out, only finding two cars in front of the house. Maybe it was just Victor and the other two men and no one else.

  With nothing else going for her except determination, Mira headed for the outside basement entrance, which she’d discovered by accident on a lunch break early on. She crawled in and flicked on her flashlight, carefully entering the main house. She was betting nobody would be in that part of the mansion since there was nothing valuable down there. Once inside, she started moving through the service areas of the house until she heard voices down the hall. She jogged to the kitchen, which was barred up from the outside.

  Mira pulled the broom out between the door handles and opened them up. Jimmy stood on a countertop, trying to wrench open a window with Penny and Courtland giving encouragement. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of them.

  “Mira!” They said in unison.

  “Where’s Hunter?” Mira’s throat tightened at the thought of him alone with Victor.

  They exchanged a glance. “Probably the private wing,” Jimmy offered. “That’s where most of the valuables are.”

  Mira nodded, having no clue what to do next. The police might not get there until too late. But Jimmy and Courtland shot into action, getting two rifles from a cabinet in that area and then leading her through a hidden passageway that led into a room in Hunter’s wing that didn’t have much in it.

  “Is there a door in the library?” Mira thought of all the art out and exposed. Victor may have found it on his own, or Hunter might have told him to spare his friends.