And Horace was in the right place and time to give her a nice, proper welcome.
A rental pick-up truck similar to what Nicholas drove back home was already waiting on standby by the time his private jet arrived at a small county-owned airport located just a few miles away from Tabitha’s hometown.
After instructing his head of security to continue monitoring Tabitha’s cellphone activity, Nicholas drove straight to his wife’s old address, and throughout the twenty-minute ride, a rare mix of terror and desperation continuously threatened his self-control.
Ever since landing in Georgia, he had been unable to shake off a pervasive sense of danger, like a sixth sense warning him that his wife was in danger.
When he finally arrived at his destination, the sight that awaited him did nothing to help alleviate his concerns. All he could do was feel sick to his stomach at the place Tabitha had called home for so many years. It didn’t feel fucking right, that she had to live in a dump like this, while he had just been a two-hour’s flight away, with more money than he could spend in several lifetimes.
If only he had known her sooner.
If only he had listened to Joe and didn’t let the past cast a shadow on every decision he made.
If only.
Then she might not have left him – might not be all alone now, pregnant, hurt, and vulnerable to all the despicable horrors that plagued the world.
Even knowing that she couldn’t possibly be home, he still found himself moving, a part of him needing to know more about her and see for himself the house that served as the setting of her earlier years.
The front door was unlocked, and it swung open with a loud creaking sound. Unknown to Tabitha, he had also instructed one of his finance managers to purchase the property from the bank, and while he had yet to make up his mind about what to do with it, he had his manager settle all its outstanding bills in the meantime.
And since that should include electricity—
A flick of the light switch eradicated the darkness that had swathed the entire home, and Nicholas sucked his breath as memories instantly flooded him. In the short amount of time they had been together, Tabitha would occasionally share with him stories from her childhood.
His gaze fell on the framed photo on the center table. It’s my favorite picture of my parents. They were out grocery shopping, and they had three-year-old me in the cart. A charming story…but what she had kept to herself was that the frame housing it was nothing but cheap plastic now, and the antique silver frame she spoke of had probably been sold off to pay for her Great-Aunt’s treatments.
As Nicholas looked around, he found evidence everywhere. The shelves that she once told him had been filled with books were now empty. The mahogany table that had been in her family for generation was gone now, and in its stead was another cheap, plastic replacement. It was cheap fucking plastic every goddamn place he looked, when Tabitha deserved silk and velvet.
And she had been too damn proud to tell him any of this, Nicholas thought grimly.
Stepping back out, he found himself breathing hard as a sudden, strangling feeling of desperation ravaged him.
Where are you, baby?
Come back to me.
Please.
His hand shook as he pulled his phone out from his pocket. He had promised to call Daniel regularly and keep him abreast, the only way to convince his son to stay behind and let Nicholas do his groveling on his own.
But before he could hit Daniel’s number on speed dial, his phone suddenly rang, and he sucked his breath when he saw his head of security’s name flash on the screen.
Answering the call, he asked right away, “Have you found her?”
“She’s down at the local hospital—”
Nicholas paled. “Has something happened?” But he was already walking back to his car as he spoke, his body seemingly switching to autopilot mode as he got behind the wheel and got the GPS navigator started.
“We’ve been informed she’s fine, but from what we could gather, a case of break-in was reported and—” The other man’s tone turned remorseful. “I’m sorry, sir, but there’s been mention of physical battery and rape…”
Chapter 14
Nicholas couldn’t believe how bad she looked when he entered the hospital room and saw her lying alone in the bed, small, pale, thin, and all bruised up. She had one blackened eye, a cut on her lip, a bite mark on her neck, and bruises all over her arms.
And those were just the things he could see, Nicholas thought grimly. The only consolation was that Horace Garris was worse off, with Bee having eventually succeeded in fending him off by literally poking her fingers into his eyes, kneeing him on the groin, and – for the final blow – striking him unconscious by hitting his head with the sharp edge of the table lamp.