Black Truth (A Twisted Fate Series Book 2) Page 16

  “I know.” My voice was tense as I focused on the scene. Gabe rubbed soothing circles on my hand with his thumb.

  “Rosie, I needed to see you alone. There was something I realized the night of the accident that I need to tell you.”

  She leaned in. “What is it?”

  My skin crawled. This is only pretend.

  Carson remained relaxed. “I have feelings for you. And I want to explore those feelings and see where they go.”

  “Really? Are you serious?” She was sickening as she bounced on the couch.

  Certifiably insane.

  “Yes. I’ve wanted to talk to you ever since the night of the art gallery when I realized there was something more between us.”

  Her breath was needy as she leaned forward only inches from his face. “You did?”

  “There’s something about you, Rosie. But, it’s complicated because of Mitchell and Francesca.” He shook his head as if utterly defeated and stood. “I think Francesca is playing me for my money.”

  In a drama-filled gesture, Rosie’s hand went to her chest as if the thought caused her physical pain. What a sick psycho. “Oh, that’s terrible, Carson. I can’t imagine. Why would she do that to you?”

  “And now with the accident, I think someone’s after me. Until I get that cleared, I’m going to have to keep up the charade with Francesca.” Carson’s shoulders drooped while he paced a few feet away. With his back to Rosie, the disdain leaked through as his mask slipped. Carson scrubbed a hand over his face. He swayed but righted himself and leaned a nearby table.

  All of this hinged on Rosie confessing to what she’d done. The more things she confessed the more offenses could be added to her prosecution.

  Rosie’s voice made him pause mid-stride. “Do you want to explore things between us?”

  Bingo.

  Carson turned and knelt in front of her. “Yes, I do. But I won’t cheat. I couldn’t start something with you based on a lie. First, I need to figure out who ran us off the road before I end things with Francesca.”

  She leaned forward with an ever-so-sweet expression like the world had just handed her a prize. “You’re safe. I promise.”

  He cocked his head to the side and asked, “How do you know?”

  “Oh, Carson, I can’t tell you. You’ll hate me.” Tears fell on her cheeks.

  Here we go. The confession was on the verge of breaking free. Beside me, Gabe’s nerves looked as though they were strung tighter than mine as he watched every move.

  Carson’s hand went to her face in a loving manner and Rosie closed her eyes.

  I wanted to gag at the sight.

  “I could never hate you, Rosie. I’ve fallen in love with you. I think I can stomach anything if I know you’ll give me a chance. I’ve been an ass all these years ignoring what could have been. But, I may have to go through with the marriage proposal until I can figure it out. Francesca is pressuring me.”

  “No, you can’t!” she screamed, startling me and Carson, who tried to lean back but Rosie clutched his hand to her cheek. “You can’t, Carson!”

  “Why?”

  Here we go. Sweat formed on my brow as the anticipation grew. The answers we sought hopefully were about to come out.

  She stood and so did Carson. In a loving gesture, her hand went to his chest. “Darling, you are safe. I thought Francesca was in the car with you. But, it was Willow. I never meant to hurt her. I love Willow. I never meant to hurt you. I found out Francesca was pregnant and it sent me into a blind rage. I couldn’t let another woman have your baby… at any cost.”

  Liar.

  She had rented the Hummer beforehand. This was all planned.

  “Why?” Carson’s voice was on the verge of becoming terse.

  In the heat of her rant, Rosie paced the room. “Because I want to have your baby. I had planned to make my move at Martha’s Vineyard, but Willow needed you that weekend. I understood. You guys are so close. I don’t mind you two being that close. I used Mitchell to pass the time. But then, that bitch got pregnant. I had to do something before she trapped you. I had planned to do something all along but she needed to be eliminated.”

  Oh hell, we had it. I wanted to jump in celebration. The confession had been easier than expected with how meticulously she planned things. Having Carson within her grasp must have obliterated her guard.

  Carson’s eyes widened for only a brief second. With his jaw locked, he attempted to calmly ask, “You ran us off the road?”

  Running across the room, she threw her hands around Carson’s waist. “Oh, Carson, I’m so sorry. I had no idea how the car would flip. All I could think about was not letting that cow have you. I’ve been so patient while you’ve slept with other women.”

  There was a minor tremor in Carson’s hands as he placed them on her back. “I’ll have to deal with the baby.” The words sounded forced. This must have been hard for him as he loved his unborn child unconditionally.

  Rosie pushed away and use her hands animatedly as she said, “You can’t have that on your conscious, my love. I have extra blue cohosh. All we need to do is give some to her and the problem will be solved. You can do it tonight at dinner.”

  I closed my eyes for a brief second wondering how someone could end someone’s life without a second thought.

  “Why do you have that?” The storm behind Carson’s calm façade was slowly breaking free. We were almost out of time.

  “Because I tried to do it myself, but somehow I must have done something wrong. Or Francesca’s not pregnant like you suspected.”

  My hand went to my mouth. “Gabe.”

  “I know, sweetheart. That fucking bitch.” The tendons on his free hand popped out in rage as he spit the words.

  Carson’s jaw flexed and his shoulders tensed. “How’d you do it?”

  Lost in her own world, Rosie walked around the room as she bragged. “I have a friend who works at the hotel. I knew she was on vacation so I took her key card. Willow told me she was taking Francesca back to the hotel to eat, and I followed them back. I posed as one of the kitchen staff. It was quite simple to blend. I love you, Carson. I would do anything to have you.”

  Carson muttered something indiscernible.

  Rosie stopped and walked to him. “What did you say, my love?” He truly was her world. Crazily so.

  “You fucking bitch. You tried to kill my baby.” Domineering, Carson’s mood and voice transformed.

  Rosie scrambled away at the change. “Carson, you want me. You love me.”

  He shook his head. “I could never love you. You almost killed Willow, me, and my unborn child.”

  “Carson… please. I love you!”

  With a wave of his hand, the closet door opened. Trent and two police officers walked into the room.

  While one of the officers moved behind her, the other stepped forward and began reading Rosie her rights from his notepad. “Rosie McCormick, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Carson Whitmore, Willow Russo, David Greggers, and Francesca Morino.”

  “What?” Rosie’s eyes grew wild. “You can’t do this. I’ll fucking kill her and the baby. She can’t have you. She can’t have you!”

  I flinched at her hate-filled words.

  The officer behind her wrestled her into handcuffs as she screamed.

  Carson walked up to her. “You will never get near Francesca, my child, or Willow ever again.”

  “I don’t want Willow dead. She’s my best friend. She’s going to be my maid of honor at our wedding.”

  This woman was more than unhinged, and I remained motionless as I watched the scene unfold.

  Carson spoke to the officer. “Take her away. My lawyer will meet you at the station. He’s at your disposal to ensure she doesn’t receive bail.”

  “Yes, Mr. Whitmore.”

  Rosie kept thrashing. “Where’s Willow? Willow! Willow! They’re hurting me! Carson’s gone crazy! Willow! Save me!”

  They left the room, and Carson swa
yed and fell back on the couch.

  “Carson!” I yelled but realized he wasn’t able to hear me. Not thinking, I left the studio and sprinted to the house. I was almost to the back door when Gabe captured me by the waist and gently scooped me up.

  “Wait, sweetheart. I need to confirm Rosie is out of the house. Trent is with Carson. He’s fine.”

  Two guards stood at the right ready to intercept me, too if Gabe hadn’t.

  The phone was out of his pocket before I responded as he set me down. “Andre. Is it clear? Okay. Thanks.” He hung up. “You can go.”

  Not wasting any time, I threw the door open and ran to the office. Carson was on the couch leaning back with his eyes closed. “Carson, are you okay? Do I need to call a doctor? Carson?”

  He slowly opened his eyes. “I’m okay. That took a lot out of me. I hate the recovery process.”

  “I’ll be right back. Stay put.” My instincts took over as I left the room. Gabe was right behind me. I grabbed the blood pressure cuff and pulse/ox monitor from the closet in the hallway. Dad insisted we had it on hand for Nonno in case something happened. Back in the room, I put the cuff on his arm and pressed the button. “Put your hand over your heart.”

  “Willow, I’m—”

  I glared. One look at my face and he stopped in his tracks. He offered his finger for the pulse oximeter.

  The readings came back clear. “I need you to take it easy and not end up in the hospital again.”

  He leaned back. “I promise. I’ll be good as new shortly. We got her, Willow. She can’t hurt you or Francesca ever again.”

  After Rosie had been hauled off with the detectives, her parents called Carson and me. On advice from the attorneys, we sent the phone calls to voicemail. At this point, the judge confirmed no bail would be granted due to the heinous nature of the crimes and the instability Rosie exhibited when she arrived.

  The scene I watched from the studio replayed in my head.

  Soon the news would spread to our friends. I was surprised they hadn’t called given how desperate Rosie’s parents sounded on the voicemail. They begged us to drop the charges and promised to get her help. None of us could take that chance. The depth of Rosie’s deception warranted our weariness. But still… she had been our friend.

  The sting of betrayal would spread and our group of friends would be forever altered. The innocence of past scenarios with Rosie were tainted. What other damage had she caused? Only time would tell if other wrongdoings would come to light.

  There had been times I’d felt uneasy around her. But who wouldn’t when their friend chased boys and slapped their ass for the hell of it. Everyone had explained this with a simple “That’s Rosie for you.”

  The car accident and the poisoning were now explained—two problems solved. And Alex had not been involved. Now we were back to the original dilemma. Alex was behind the remaining dilemmas, but in what capacity.

  In hindsight, Alex had remained quiet since the finger. We knew he’d visited Alex Junior the night before I taught the class at Apple Blossom. What plans Alex had for us scared me. Sometimes I felt like a puppet while he pulled the strings, making us dance.

  Laughter brought my attention back to the group. Nonno retold a story from his childhood when he tried to make his own wine. In the end, his mother ended up with a messy kitchen and smashed grapes everywhere. I’d heard the story many times, as I was sure Marie and Bennett had, too. Nonno once told me that a good story should be told often.

  I agreed.

  After dinner, we retired to the living room to visit. The ravioli had been a smash hit with Carson and earned Mildred a bear hug. She loved every second of our praises. The aroma of oregano and cheese from the homemade Italian dish lingered. Utter perfection. Aside from Mom and Dad’s absence, having everyone here felt like old times.

  Carson shifted in his seat, and I looked him over to make sure he was okay. Overall he’d recovered quickly from the exertion of this afternoon. Francesca was radiant as she sat beside him. Such a drastic difference from a few days ago. Now she thrived versus barely surviving.

  Carson decided when we had more definitive answers on Rosie’s sentence he would share it with Francesca. I trusted he knew best for her. We never used the TV and overall were unplugged from social media. It would be easy to keep her in the dark for a bit. When Francesca found out the truth about what had happened with Rosie, I wondered how she would take it. Trials were long and cumbersome. Hopefully, we were able to expedite the process.

  I told Carson marriage should be transparent. If Gabe kept that from me, I would be livid. But… we were two different people and I knew Francesca preferred to remain in the dark from our talks. At some point he planned to tell her. Their relationship worked and that was all that mattered.

  I snuggled into Gabe’s side as we shared the large overstuffed leather chair. It wasn’t until Francesca told everyone about her doctor’s appointment that I remembered the one I had today. It had left my mind in all the chaos. We were cleared for sex in two days.

  Only two more days.

  I had nearly jumped off the table in glee, but somehow managed to keep my cool. Or at least I pretended the doctor didn’t notice my obvious jubilation.

  Life was complete in this moment.

  “Baby, would you mind getting me a little water?” Carson asked Francesca as they cuddled on the love seat. Francesca watched closely over Carson. It was obvious how much she truly loved him. Hopefully we had time to hang out together again soon.

  She kissed his cheek. “Yes, be right back. Does anyone else need anything?”

  No thank yous were murmured by everyone. As she left the room, Carson grinned, gave me a wink, and stood near the fireplace. After a long nap, he appeared more rested. Marie gave me a curious look in my peripheral vision, but I remained focused elsewhere. This was Carson’s moment. Only I knew the secret after our talk this afternoon.

  Before anyone had a chance to ask, Francesca bustled back into the room. “Here you go.” She noticed he’d moved. “Did you need to stretch your legs? Are you feeling okay?”

  Carson tucked his hair behind his ears and blew out a quick breath. “I need to ask something else of you.”

  “Of course. What is it? Are you okay?”

  He took her hands after setting down the drink. “You are the one for me. The only one. And you’re giving me the greatest gift in the world… a child.” She looked down with a smile on her face, embarrassed.

  Gabe dug his hand a little deeper into my hip. I wasn’t sure he was aware of it, and I wondered if the words struck home with him.

  Carson brought her gaze to meet his with his fingers. It was an intimate moment passing between the two as they stared into each other’s eyes. “As you know, the night of the accident I had planned to ask you to marry me.”

  “I know.” The answer was somber, bringing back the awful memories and the hard fourteen days that had transpired since.

  Bringing her right hand up, Carson rubbed the engagement ring she received from Bennett at the beach house. “Dad gave you the ring as a symbol of our love while I fought my way back to you.”

  The women in the room started to sniffle, including me. We were lucky to have all of us here to experience this moment.

  “I love you, Francesca, with my entire being. You are the other half I was meant to be with. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and building a life with me?”

  Her head nodded before she quietly responded, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

  Cheers erupted as she threw her arms around him. Carson spun her around she squealed in delight.

  “Dad told me what you said. And now I’m here to move it to the proper hand.” Before everyone descended on them, Carson moved her engagement ring from her right hand to her left.

  With her hand extended, she looked at the ring. “It’s perfect.”

  Seeing them bound together gave me wistful thoughts of wearing Gabe’s ring and being his in every way possible. A b
eautiful dream. When would we be ready? I turned to see Gabe watching me. I mouthed, I love you.

  He mouthed back, I love you forever.

  A girlish giggle bubbled inside of me. It was my turn to hug Francesca after Marie.

  As we embraced, I said, “I always wanted a sister.”

  “Me, too. I couldn’t ask for a better one.”

  “Me, either.”

  Since Carson woke up, Francesca hadn’t mentioned the engagement once. She had Carson and that was all that mattered. I respected her confidence in their love and for not pressuring him ever even after becoming pregnant.

  Next was Carson. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Me, too, Willow. Me, too. I’m happy for us.” He brought me closer to him. “Never forget you deserve this, too.”

  In bed, I read reviews and ratings of baby items Francesca and I had found. She had gone to bed a while ago. Two of almost everything would be needed. The expense of having a baby blew my mind. Since we weren’t finding out what we were having, I would need to stick to gender-neutral colors.

  The pros and cons blended together along with the warnings. My word, I needed a manual for all this baby stuff. Earlier I’d placed the paint order for the colors I decided on for the baby room. Next week, I’d start outlining the drawings on the wall. I wanted the walls finished before I got too large.

  Carson, Gabe, and Trent were in the office. While they talked, I’d hung out with Francesca, not wanting her to be left out while they went over security measures. I figured there was more on the agenda, but Gabe would tell me when they were done. Not once this evening had Francesca mentioned wanting to be there for the security discussion. Truly she seemed happy remaining in a bubble.

  When my eyesight became blurry from staring the screen too long, I set my tablet aside and picked up the memory book Francesca had given me. In the rush to get to Carson, I had left it in her hotel room. When we retired to my room to drink hot chocolate, she brought it to me. It truly was a beautiful gift—one I would always treasure.

  A yawn escaped as I scooted farther down in the bed and flipped to the last page. Sleep would be upon me soon. I should text Gabe and check on him. I stared at the picture.