Undeniably His(76)

“In all honesty, I don’t know if Kalin believed in love anymore.” She glances down. “He had his heart torn out and I don’t really think there was anything left for me. I just wanted to be there for him.”

“I was just joking with his parents that he’s the hopeless romantic.” I puff out a weak laugh.

Her eyes return back to mine. “Maybe now. Maybe now that he’s met you. When I knew him during those dark days, he was just hopeless.” She manages a tremulous smile.

“What changed?”

“You, Annabelle. You brought him back.” I try to find any hint of dark emotions that may have led to the viciousness of that night, but there are none there. No jealousy, no rage. Only admiration and love for Kalin.

“Madison, there are people on the board who don’t have Kalin’s interest at heart. Do you know who they are?”

Madison shrugs. “They’re why Kalin came back. They’re just a bunch of money-grubbing oil executives that found their way into the company. I call them the frack boys. They’re like frat boys except with billions of dollars. They don’t care about the company. They just want to cash out. This company is a milk cow they crave with lots of perks. I know they don’t want Kalin coming back.”

“Do you think they would go so far as to kill him?”

Madison picks her eyes up to find mine. “You mean the frack boys?”

“Yeah.”

She takes in a deep breath and gathers her thoughts for a few seconds. “If you would have asked me that six months ago, I would have said you were crazy. But now I’m not so sure.”

“Why?”

“Because when I see these guys destroy land and water and lives for money, I don’t put anything past them. Money is goal number one.” She holds her index finger up while twisting her mouth to one side.

“Did they tell you anything?” I ask in an innocent tone, in an attempt to conceal my suspicions.

“No. I’m the enemy. I either vote with them or get out of their way. But if you’re right, and this wasn’t an accident, then I feel sorry for the guys who go after Kalin.”

“It wasn’t an accident.” My tone sounds harsher than I intended. I glance at the black SUV just to make sure I’m safe. I honestly don’t know who to trust and what Madison is capable of doing. I imagine a red button again. “They didn’t want us to survive.”

“If that’s true, they will have hell to pay. Kalin doesn’t like anyone fucking with him.” She lifts her head and her eyes lock on mine. “But even worse, the ones he loves.” She pats me on the hand and smiles.

I smile weakly, and my eyes flick to the SUV again and back to her. My heart is racing and I hope she’s not noticing my pulse hammering in my wrist. “I have to ask you, Madison. I feel silly asking this, but here it goes. Did you know anything about some members of the board wanting to kill Kalin?”

“Oh, gosh, no, sweetheart. I thought it was strange that all these executives were coming in from ProEast Energy, but that’s just because they smell money. But come to think of it, when Kalin announced that he would be returning to the company as the CEO, I think it took them all by surprise. None of us expected it. We were all so happy. But others—not so much.” Her mouth twists into a frown, and she shakes her head.

“I don’t think they expected us to survive the crash. Kalin most certainly should not have survived.”

“If what you are saying has any truth, we should tell the police. You’re not safe.”

“We already have.” A feeling of warmth mixed with the tension. I was more convinced than ever that Madison had nothing to do with this. But why was she given as a source from the paper?





Chapter Twenty


At the hospital, Dr. Brandt gives me the best news I’ve heard since he saved Kalin’s life. A series of X-rays and tests confirms that Kalin is well enough to leave the hospital. Dr. Brandt smiles at me. “Keep feeding him those delicious home-cooked meals, Annabelle, and I am sure he will be as strong as an ox in no time. His heart and lungs are all in excellent shape.”

We enter his room, and Kalin is dressed in jeans and a sports shirt, and looking sexy as hell. “Where did you get the clothes?”

“My parents dropped them off. While you were away from me.” He dabs my nose with his finger.

“I was taking care of business, Kalin. We have to talk.”

“Sure.”

Kalin gives Dr. Brandt a loose hug. “Thank you so much, doctor. I think it’s safe to say you saved my life.”

“That’s my job,” he says with a matter-of-fact smile. The nurse smiles from behind the table as she removes the chart from the room. “We’ll miss you two, but don’t come back.”