Billionaire Undaunted(61)

“It’s fine. He grilled me for information about you, too,” Chloe reassured her. “I’m just happy you’re together now. Do you love him?”

Her best friend’s question took her off-guard. Finally, she nodded. “With all of my heart. I’ve wanted to tell him so many times, but I didn’t want to ruin what we have.”

“You won’t. He loves you, too,” Chloe responded nonchalantly.

Ellie wanted to ask how she knew that, and if she really thought it was true, but her friend got distracted by her mother dragging her to the kitchen with her to talk and catch up.

Chloe mouthed, “Talk later.”

Ellie nodded, and then turned to Blake, who was trying to ask where Zane had gone. Her heart clenched as she explained that he’d had to go to the lab.

Pathetically, she missed him already.





The impromptu family gathering went on for hours, with plenty of laughing, eating, and drinking while the whole clan was together catching up. Aileen was happy, saying that it was rare for them all to be in Rocky Springs at the same time. She’d also implied that she was happy that Zane had somebody to pull himself out of the lab from time to time.

It was late by the time Ellie got the phone call that was about to make her entire world come crashing down on her.

Most of the family had settled into the family room because it was bigger, when Ellie heard the telltale sound of Zane’s ringtone sounding on her cell. Springing to her feet, she scrambled out to the kitchen and quickly rummaged in her purse for the phone.

“Hello,” she finally answered breathlessly.

“Ellie?” The voice wasn’t Zane’s. Ellie was confused for a moment before she recognized it.

“Sean? What’s going on? Where is Zane?” Her heart started to beat rapidly, knowing that if Zane let Sean use his phone, something was wrong.

“He’s here, but he’s tied up. Literally. I couldn’t say whether he appreciates me holding a gun to his head, but I don’t give a shit.”

Ellie’s heart fell as she sensed Sean’s mood, the sound of mania in his voice. She’d experienced this before, and it hadn’t turned out well. “Why? Sean, why would you do that when he was the one who chose you to be in charge of the research lab? He hired you, he was your mentor after he put you in a position of power at the lab.”

“You think I’m a boss? Hell, no. I don’t have the money Zane has, and I never will unless I make my own luck. Your boyfriend was born with a platinum spoon in his mouth. I wasn’t. The only thing I ever wanted was Elena, and she left me for a wealthier man. I want her back. In order to do that, I need money and a way to become wealthy enough to get Elena back. And you’re going to get it for me.”

Ellie walked into the family room, every member of the Colter family going quiet as they looked at her pale complexion. She put a finger to her lips as a sign to stay silent.

“I’ll bring it to you if you just promise me you won’t hurt Zane. Please.”

Tate got up and came over to where she was standing on the phone, turning it so he could listen in with her.

Sean grunted. “That’s not all I want. Zane’s been doing some private research, an independent project that doesn’t belong to the lab. I want the research.”

“I-I don’t even know where it is. What is it?”

“He has an underground lab there. I need the laptop he keeps down there.”

“I don’t—”

Tate quickly put a finger over his mouth and shook his head. Was he telling her not to let Sean know that she didn’t have access to the lab? Evidently, that was exactly what he seemed to be saying.

“I don’t know exactly where it is, but I’ll find it,” she told Sean adamantly, realizing Tate was right. If she admitted she couldn’t get what Sean wanted, he might kill Zane.

“Make it fast. I want you here by ten o’clock tomorrow morning or I’ll waste your boyfriend. Then you can see how it feels to lose somebody you love. Maybe then you’ll understand,” Sean rambled.

“It’s the weekend. The money may not be accessible,” she stalled.

“They’re Colters.” Sean spit out the name like it was vile. “Those bastards can get anything they want. I want a million dollars in unmarked bills, and the laptop from Zane’s home lab.”

“Is anybody else there in the lab with you?” Ellie saw Tate nodding at her out of the corner of her eye.

“Nope. Everybody took the weekend off. It’s just me and the asshole who distracted my woman, turned her head with money.”

Ellie’s hands were shaking, so Tate took the phone from her, keeping it in the same position. She wanted to argue with Sean, tell him Elena had never been worth all of this, that Zane had never had the slightest interest in her, but she didn’t. Zane had never encouraged the woman. Ellie had seen that firsthand. But it was impossible to reason with a man who had gone off the deep end. Unfortunately, she’d learned that the hard way.