The Billionaire(18)

I'd calmed her down and given her a little background on my bride  without going into too much detail. Afterwards she'd spoken to Ashley on  the phone for a while, ending with a planned shopping trip. She'd pass  on the news to the others I had no doubt and then we'd be bombarded with  family members.

I'd spent the rest of the day fielding calls from friends and business  associates wanting to know if the rumors were true. I'm not in the habit  of to explaining my actions to anyone so those conversations were  short.

Yes I was married no I didn't want to make a statement, that was for the local society columnist who wanted a scoop.

Now it's Monday and there's a lot to be done. I already started the ball  rolling on the name change and new IDs. Next step was house hunting,  which my girl seemed especially jazzed about. She'd already started  scouring the Internet over the weekend for local real estate as soon as I  told her.                       
       
           



       

It thrilled me to see her excitement as she'd stare wide-eyed at the  different places in the areas I told her to concentrate on. Giving me a  detailed account of all the pros and cons of each place she was  interested in as I tried to catch up on some paperwork.

I hid my smiles whenever she'd see something she liked only to become  dejected at the price tag. There was one place in particular she'd gone  all dreamy eyed over. I'd earmarked it for her and planned on calling  the listed realtor as soon as I reached the office to set up an  appointment for us. I guess it will take her some time to get used to  the idea that she could now afford anything she wanted and that there  was nothing I wouldn't get her.

It was a twelve million dollar eight bedroom eight and a half bath with  indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a tennis court and English gardens  sitting on four acres. It resembled a European castle with its turrets  and spires, with marble walls and flooring. It was good to know my baby  had excellent taste.





"You ready for school Ashley?" It was weird asking my wife that, we both  worried about her classmates or even some of the teachers' reaction to  her new status but she assured me that she would be fine. She also  refused to take off her rings, which I was secretly happy about. I  would've understood if she wanted to leave them off while there but she  said they were never to leave her finger ever, so that was that.

"Ready." Fuck, my wife wore every man's wet dream uniform everyday of  the week. I'm sure the dirty old man jokes will be plentiful not that I  was that old but still, it was so cliched as to be funny. "I'll be there  to pick you up after school did you want to go out for dinner?" She  hasn't been out of the house since we got back, if were up to her I  don't think we'd ever leave. "Sure you owe me a Big Mac." I grinned at  her and led her out the door. I won't remind her that I'd been the one  to ask her if she wanted to get her burger but she'd been too busy  riding my dick to care.





We held hands in the back of the car as I took her to school before  heading to the office. The minute she was out of the car I was back to  business as usual. I had to organize my thoughts on her father and where  I was going with the information I had. I had to reschedule all those  meetings I'd pushed to the side last week and I had to set up her  accounts and get her name on the necessary paperwork as my wife. I  wasn't expecting anything to happen to me but I wanted her covered all  the same.

The morning went rather smoothly, the realtor was set for this weekend  of course that was the first order of business. I decided to tackle the  problem of her father later in the day.

I fielded even more calls about my marriage in the midst of making and breaking deals.

When I looked up at the clock it was almost time for her to be leaving  school. Shit, she'd have to come here or go to the apartment by herself.  I'd thought for at least this first week until she was accustomed to it  I could leave early, but because I'd put off so much in the last few  business days, I couldn't leave. I hated disappointing her her first day  back fuck.

I picked up the phone and called the driver to let him know to bring her  to me. With that settled I went back to my paperwork. My personal phone  rang twenty minutes later and I answered it absently, my mind on the  spreadsheet in front of me.

"Thorpe."

"Sir there's been an accident."

My heart stopped, my blood ran cold and I think my mind shut down for a second as all thought fled my head.

"Tell me." I held my breath, hoping against hope.

"As Miss. Ashley was coming to the car someone drove up on the sidewalk  and hit her. It's bad sir I'm sorry, there was nothing I could do, I  didn't even see the guy before he was on top of her."

"Who is he?"

"We don't know yet sir he's an unknown but we've got him."

"Where is she?" I was out of my chair as soon as my legs would work and heading for the door.

"They're air lifting her to County General sir I'm sorry."

"We'll deal with that later I gotta go."

I called my pilot and got him in motion then I called my dad to see who  he knew at County General. Gage was next I needed round the clock  security put in place before she got there. My mind had gone into  robotic mode I did what I had to do but I was detached from it all.

I called the guys that had been sitting on her father's house they'd  left the listening devices in place on my command. If he had anything to  do with this, the answer to what should be done with him was shorter.  I'd kill him plain and simple.

I knew from the description that this was no accident but I'll have to  wait until I got all the facts. I never made rash decisions.                       
       
           



       





In less than an hour I had the information I needed, seems this one was  on me. The guy driving was a kid from out of town apparently someone had  paid him to run her down. It wasn't hard to understand why he went for  it since he spent his days getting high on meth.

It was the blonde woman who had hired him that was of the most interest  to me. I had him on ice until I got back. First I had to see to my wife  then I'd deal with the refuge in both our lives.





Chapter 14



I had everything in motion before I left the city. The plane was ready  to take off, my guys met me on the tarmac with the tapes from Sanders's  house and the hopped up kid was being held in a secure location. Lynn's  whereabouts were being searched out. My only concern was getting to my  wife who was already in surgery when I called the last time.

I held my breath almost the whole way there pacing the confines of the  plane willing the pilot to get there faster. The blood in my veins was  ice I'd shut off my conscience. I couldn't even think about her lying on  some table surrounded by strangers while they worked to patch her up.  My baby must be so scared. "I'm so sorry Blossom." Fuck why did I keep  fucking up with her? The doctor had assured me that her injuries weren't  life threatening but that wasn't much consolation for me, the fact that  she had survived would not spare the ones responsible.

In the business world you have to play hardball more often than not.  I've always believed in playing fair, I also believe in retribution, my  own and others.

I'd take what ever was thrown at me but somebody was going to die for this, there's no way I could just let it go.

When a wild animal tastes blood they put them down quick lest they get a  taste for it, I could do no less here. There was no guarantee that this  was a one-time thing.

I know Lynn was the one involved obviously but who else was in on it?  She couldn't have seen the newspapers and set things in motion that  quickly to pull this off. This had to have been planned, how did she  know about my Blossom? And why had the bitch not come after me instead  of going after her?

Maybe then I would've spared her but now hell no, that stupid bitch was as good as dead.





I got to the hospital and was ushered to the room where Ashley was  laying in a fucking coma. She had a broken leg, fractured wrist and  scrapes and bruises. All in all, the doctor said she was lucky not to  have sustained more serious injuries. Thank goodness the kid was too  high to know what the fuck he was doing so his speed had been a little  off. If he'd been going any faster she would probably be dead.

"Uh, Mr. Thorpe, our Intel says you're her husband?" A doctor came into the room behind me.

"I am." I watched her face as I listened to him, she had a bruise on her  temple that was already darkening, other than that her face was  untouched. Her leg was in a cast, her wrist bandaged. She looked so  fucking small and defenseless lying there. I kept my eyes on her face  willing her to wake up and smile at me. All the emotion I'd been holding  at bat threatened to bring me it my knees now that I stood face to face  with what they'd done to her.