Page 144 of Wicked Lord

Numbness crept through my limbs as I descended the stairs, my ears ringing as they kept shouting like I wasn’t doing exactly as they demanded. Flashes of that night rushed back, and my stomach tightened. Memories of being arrested and sitting in a cell infiltrated my mind.

Brock didn’t give that video to the cops. He couldn’t be that fucking stupid.

Once I hit my knees and clasped my hands behind my head, two cops rushed forward and yanked my arms down to cuff me.

“Axel Vanderhart, you’re under arrest for the murder of Peter Dupont.”

CHAPTER 58

ALL MY FAULT

Lorelei

Shit, shit, fuck. This was all my fault. I paced the length of the Copper Cove Sheriff’s Department, my footfalls growing heavier with each turn. How could I have ever thought we’d get away with it? That for just one minute, Axel and I could have our happy ending?

The sheriff wouldn’t even let me see him. I’d been here all night, sitting in that stuffy little waiting room but once the first rays of dawn peered through the barred windows, I’d forced my cramped legs outside for some fresh air.

I tried to focus on the positive, that at least I’d been able to get a hold of Axel’s dad minutes after he’d been thrown into the back of the police car. Mr. Vanderhart and his lawyer had arrived at the police station just a few minutes after we did.

Surely, with all the money and resources Vanderhart Securities had, they would be able to get Axel out.

And what if they couldn’t?

A sinister voice whispered the terrible thought in the far recesses of my mind. Curling my fingers into tight fists, I resolved to do whatever I had to in order to get Axel out. Even if that meant crawling back to Brock…

The door of the red brick building squealed open, jerking my attention to the top of the stairs. Mr. Vanderhart and their family lawyer rushed down the steps, hushed murmurs hissing between them. When they reached the sidewalk, Conrad’s worried gaze leapt up to meet mine as if he hadn’t even noticed me until that very moment.

“Oh, Lorelei, I didn’t think you were still here.”

“I couldn’t just leave…” I dragged my hand through my wild hair and swept my thumb beneath my eyes to remove the smudged mascara.

I must have looked like complete crap after spending all night curled on the stiff, plastic chairs of that waiting room.

The hard line of his jaw softened as he bent down and squeezed my shoulders.

“Go home and get some rest. There’s nothing you can do right now, but don’t worry, my lawyer, Barney here, is the best in the business.” He ticked his head at the balding man in a stern, navy suit. “We’ll have Axel out of there before nightfall.”

“But the video…”

The lawyer hissed out a curse, and his beady eyes swiveled to mine, a predatory gaze that sent goosebumps spilling across my arms. “You never saw that video. Do you understand me, Miss Battenberg?”

My head bobbed.

“Before long, no one ever will.” The lawyer pivoted his hard gaze to Axel’s dad, and I blew out a breath of relief to be free of that intense stare. “I’ll be in touch, Conrad. If we both do our parts in this, you should be able to keep your promise to the young lady.”

The man spun on his heel and marched across the street to the parking lot.

“What’s the plan?” I whispered.

He shook his head, those bright blue eyes so much like Axel’s it hurt to meet them. “The fewer people that know the details the better, Lorelei. Just trust me when I say I’m using all the resources I have at my disposal to get Axel out.”

“Maybe I should just go talk to Brock?—”

“Absolutely not.” He shook his head, scowling. “Axel has caught me up on that whole situation, and he’s made it clear that he would rather spend the rest of his life stuck in a prison cell than allow you anywhere near that man. I’ve already given him my word that I’d keep you safe.”

Emotion tightened my throat, and I barely managed to swallow. Axel was the one in jail, facing a lifetime in prison, or God forbid, a death sentence, and he was still thinking of me. How did I get so lucky? I definitely did not deserve him.

Conrad pressed his hand to my shoulder. “Now, can I give you a ride home? I’ve already sent one of my private security guards to the Zeta house. He’s been instructed to remain there until this is over. Brock won’t get anywhere near you. I also have Barney working on a restraining order so that the bastard will not be able to stand within twenty feet of you without getting arrested.”