That was two guys who’d lied to her in the past day. She really wasn’t on a winning streak in the love department.
“Olivia, I’m sorry,” Dane said, walking into the private back room after her.
“It’s okay, Dane.” No, it’s not. But she didn’t want him to know how crushed she was.
How silly she felt opening up to him, thinking he was just some ordinary nice working-class guy. The Belmonts were huge! They were like royalty. Heck, the darn town of Belmont was named after his great-grandfather. He must have just seen her as some frail little stray kitten he’d found and needed to rescue before sending off to the humane society.
“I guess that explains the photographers from last night,” she surmised.
Could this holiday season get any worse?
“I’m so sorry you had to find out this way,” Dane said to Olivia in a low voice. “I don’t often use my Belmont name for privacy reasons.”
“I see,” she murmured, feeling crushed.
Just then…Jesse, Jack’s brother, stormed into the back room. “Where’s Jack? Where did he go? Someone said he tried to attack you?” Jesse was clearly upset.
“He left, Jesse,” Olivia explained wearily. “He’s gone. I…I don’t know w-where he went.”
“What?”
“How did he know I was even going to be here?” Olivia asked angrily.
“I’m sorry, Olivia. I told him he made a stupid mistake and that you were going ahead with the ceremony. I was hoping he’d realize how foolish he was being and surprise you and go ahead with the wedding.”
“Well, that was stupid, wasn’t it?” she said, hugging herself, her chest heaving from anxiety. “He crashed the…” A groom crashing his own wedding? What was she going to say?
“I’m going to go out and look for him.”
“Don’t bother,” a tall man hurried into the back room. “Dane, I think you’d better come quickly.”
“Olivia, this is my brother, Chase.”
“Hi, Chase.”
“What is it?” Dane asked Chase.
“That guy who left here…?”
“Yeah?”
“I think he was just involved in an accident. One of the guests reported a crash and saw the wreckage. I think it’s him.”
“What?” Olivia gasped.
“Have the cops been called?” Dane asked.
“Yes.”
Olivia’s heart stopped.
Chapter 7
Later that afternoon, Olivia stood by Jesse’s side, almost fainting. She had changed from her gown into black pants and a sweater. She didn’t want any reminders of her disastrous day. She sure as hell didn’t feel like a bride. Maybe the bride of Frankenstein. Dane had offered to take her to the hospital while her sister stayed back to make sure the guests were not left alone.
There he was. Jack lay on the coroner’s gurney.
Moments before, both she and Jesse confirmed Jack’s identity.
She covered her face with her hands. Dane was by her side and hugged her to his chest. “It’s going to be okay, Olivia,” he said, stroking her hair. “It’s not your fault.”
“Not her fault?” Jesse challenged, tears in his wild-looking eyes. “It is her fault. It’s all her fault!” He jabbed his trembling finger at her.
“Hey, listen, I’m real sorry about your brother, man. But Jack was way out of line there.”
“Because he was going to come back to her.”
“No, he wasn’t, Jesse,” Olivia protested. “You know that’s not true. Jack was going to leave town.”
“You killed my brother. I’ll never forgive you.” Jesse stormed out of the morgue and left Olivia with Dane.
“Oh, Dane,” she cried, her heart crushing inside her.
“Shh. It’s okay,” Dane soothed her. “Jesse’s in shock. He’s lashing out. We all blame anyone we can when we’re in shock over a death.”
“I know,” she cried, trembling but she didn’t feel any better. She looked again as the sheet covered Jack’s body exposing just his face. Jack was gone. He was really gone.
On Christmas Day she’d lost her mother, now her one-time fiancé. Even though he’d jilted her, she still felt sorry about his passing.
“I’m sorry, miss. Your name is Olivia McAlister?” A man came into the room.
“Yes.”
“Is this yours? It was on the deceased.”
Her heart turned over in her chest. Her bank card. She was looking for it in her purse earlier. Jack had it? What on earth was he doing with her bank card? She took it from the man.
“Thank you,” she mumbled weakly. She could only guess what he’d done with it. He’d probably cleaned her out already. She felt terrible for having those thoughts about him.
“Come on,” Dane said softly. He led her out into the hallway of the county hospital. “I’m taking you home.”
She stopped in her tracks.
“I…I don’t have a home right now,” she said trembling, emotion choking her voice.
Chapter 8
“You don’t have a home?” Dane asked. “What happened?”
Olivia told Dane her original plans with Jack to move into their new apartment in the new year, after their honeymoon.
“I’m really sorry about that,” he said sincerely. “Listen, not to worry. There’s room at the Belmont.”
“I can’t afford to stay in a hotel, Dane.”
“Who says you’ll be paying for it? It’s on me.”
“Dane, I can’t…”
Just then a text came in on her phone. She recognized the funny bleep. When she slid it out of her handbag and looked at the screen, her mind froze.
“What is it?” Dane tried to see the message on the screen.
Sorry about your loss, but Jack owes us $16k.
Someone has to pay his debt.
Please wait for another text…we don’t want another casualty.
Olivia felt her throat constrict. Her body ran cold.
Another casualty?
Who was this?
“Who the hell would send something like that?” Dane gently took Olivia’s phone from her. “We’re getting the police involved.”
“No, Dane. Please.”
“Olivia, what’s going on here? Why wouldn’t you want to call the police?”
“I don’t really know. Jack had a lot of debts, including gambling debts, and he knows some really crazy people, but…I don’t know anything specific.”
“Well no one’s going to get away with making threats like that. You have to take it seriously, Olivia.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as if in deep thought. “On second thought, you’re staying at the palace.”
“The Belmont Palace? I…I can’t. I’ve put you out too much already. And…” What the heck would she do around those rich folks? They were so not in her league. She’d feel like a misfit, an inconvenience.
“Hey, it’s Christmas Day. My family’s good people. And no way in hell am I going to let you out of my sight until these creeps are caught.” His tone had an air of finality to it. She’d never known any one to be so worked up over her well-being before. It was a feeling she couldn’t quite describe. She was humbled by it all. Dane, Mr. Heir to the Belmont empire, was putting himself out for her? Unbelievable.
“Okay,” she agreed quietly, her heartbeat racing. “Okay.”
Dane made two calls. One to a detective he knew at the station. Then another call to his brother’s cell to have him take over the hotel while he was with Olivia. Chase, she’d learned, was the assistant manager and would often fill in for Dane when he was unavailable. She was impressed by how the Belmonts did things. Even though they owned a string of luxury hotels, the patriarch made sure his family had ordinary roles in the day-to-day management. No wonder the Belmont Hotel had such a people-friendly reputation for a five-star luxury enterprise.
* * *
Later, Olivia and Dane went to the police station to file a report. The officer took all the information. There didn’t seem to be a traceable phone number to the threat—so far. It appeared to have been made from a disposable cell phone. But they would monitor the situation and she was to report if she received any more text messages of that nature.
Olivia couldn’t help but wonder what on earth she would have done if Dane hadn’t been by her side throughout this madness. The whole situation seemed so surreal. She felt as if she was in a nightmare. A crazy nightmare. Her ex-groom, Jack, was dead. And now she would be staying for who knew how long with the Belmonts. She was overwhelmed by it all.
“I can’t believe this is a holiday,” she murmured. “It’s the worst one ever!”
Dane held her tightly as he walked her out of the station to his SUV. He opened the door for her and after she’d climbed in, he closed the door then went to the driver’s side. They drove from the station to the palace on Belmont. The drive alongside the waterfront was oddly soothing and Olivia could still see a clear view of the blue waves on this winter day. Ice frosted the lake. The afternoon sky was clear. Too bad that was the only thing that was clear at the moment. Her head was a hazy fog.
“You’ve got a lot on your mind,” Dane noted.