Hooked By Love Page 15

  ‘Yes, officer. He’s my brother. If you don’t think brothers can be that evil, do the names Cain and Abel ring a bell?’

  Craig had taken this too far. This was attempted murder, not just against me but against the woman I loved.

  ‘I’ll bring him in for questioning. I’ll keep you updated on our progress.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  After the officer left, I told Amber my plan. ‘I’ll rent a property for us in the meantime, all right? Until you’ve fully recovered.’

  My heart jumped for joy when Amber agreed.

  Chapter 29

  Amber

  ‘Hey, Miss Cross,’ a familiar voice said.

  I opened my eyes. The handsome young face of Zack looked down on me, alive, so very alive and well. He stood next to Josh, both beaming and holding flowers and chocolate.

  ‘How’re you feeling?’ Zack asked.

  ‘Better for seeing you.’

  ‘I’m sorry I scared you like that. Paul was meant to drop me home after the party but I decided to crash at his place,’ he explained eagerly.

  ‘Thank God you did,’ Josh said, putting his arm around Zack’s shoulders and giving the boy a hearty press.

  The three of us turned our attention to the door when someone gently tapped on it. Josh gave me a questioning look before crossing the room and opening the door.

  ‘Mr. O’Neil.’ The same police officer from the day before entered. ‘We’ve arrested your brother, Craig, on charges of arson, aggravated assault, and attempted murder. He attended the Queen Elizabeth Hospital shortly after the fire with third degree burns.’

  ‘I just can’t believe it!’ Zack exclaimed. ‘That bastard!’

  ‘Zack,’ Josh reprimanded.

  ‘What? He tried to kill his own family. The man is an arsehole,’ Zack insisted.

  I had to agree.

  The officer ignored Zack’s outburst and continued. ‘Whatever he is he felt bad enough to confess. He apparently did it in a drunken rage, but his contrition came too late. Because of the premeditated nature of the crime, he’ll be remanded without bail until his trial. At least you can sleep soundly at night, knowing he’s safely behind bars.’

  When we were alone again, Zack sat on the edge of my bed. ‘I hear you’ll be moving in with us when you’re discharged.’

  I looked over at Josh. I was relieved it wasn’t the shock of the fire that had made him ask me. If I were being truthful, I didn’t want to be alone. I was still traumatised by what Craig had done. I shuddered to think that if Josh hadn’t woken up to take a shower, we’d probably be dead. Knowing how close the end had nearly come put life into perspective.

  ‘Um, yes, it’ll only be for a short while, until I get back on my feet.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah,’ Zack said ‘You two make me laugh. Why can’t you just admit you’re crazy about each other?’

  Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I remained silent. With how I felt about Josh, ‘crazy’ just didn’t go far enough.

  Zack stood. ‘Anyway, I’ll see you guys later. We’re going to the cinema.’

  ‘When you say we, I take it you mean you’re going with Paul?’

  It was Zack’s turn to blush. ‘Uh-huh.’

  I laughed at his bashful expression. ‘Tell him I said hello.’

  ‘Will do,’ he said before disappearing out the door.

  ‘It’s so good to see Zack happy again,’ Josh said as he came to stand beside me. He took my hands in his. ‘It seems we’ve both struck gold.’

  I feigned ignorance. ‘How so?’

  ‘Didn’t you hear what the boy said? I’m crazy about you. In fact …’ He bent down and whispered three words into my ear.

  I pulled him closer and buried my face in the crook of his neck, grateful the nurse had taken me off the heart monitor because it would have exploded for sure. It was ironic how one brother had nearly killed me with hatred and the other with love.

  Chapter 30

  Amber

  I sat back in my seat and looked around my spacious office, relieved there wasn’t one thing out of place. There was enough room for everything to be stored away. I looked at the framed picture of Josh on my desk, and my heart swelled the way it always did whenever I saw him. Several months ago, Josh had appointed me as the Head of Public Relations at his new chain of counselling services that worked closely with places like the Young Minds Centre. It didn’t take much to convince me to join the company; after all, Josh’s legacy would one day be left in the hands of the four children we planned to have after our Christmas wedding.

  I still couldn’t believe how much my life had changed and for the first time ever, in a good way. I was still in the throes of the honeymoon period with Josh and thought it would never end. Every day was like a new beginning. I knew it sounded clichéd, but until now, I’d never known love could be so deep and rewarding.

  Zack had discovered this as well. Not because of me and his uncle, but through the relationship he found himself in. He’d been in a relationship with Paul for well over eight months and it looked like they had a bright and happy future together. Not only that, but they made such a cute couple.

  My phone rang and Jennifer’s name flashed up on the small screen. Even though we no longer worked in the same building, we still managed to have our morning gossip session before work swamped us. She was the new manager of Young Minds and I was proud to say she was doing a fantastic job running the place.

  I connected our call and before I could get a word in, she said, ‘You won’t believe it. I’ve got a new secretary.’

  I frowned. This wasn’t something I thought Jennifer would be excited about unless …

  ‘Don’t tell me she makes a mean cuppa,’ I joked.

  ‘Oooh look at you with your sexist remarks. “She” happens to be a “he,” actually, and believe me the last thing I want from him is a cup of sodding tea, if you get my drift.’

  I laughed out loud. Jennifer would never change and I was glad about that.

  ‘Anyway, I didn’t call about that.’ Her voice turned serious. ‘I just listened to your message about Craig. Five years inside really isn’t long enough for what he did. He could have killed you both.’

  ‘I know, but I’m glad it’s all over with. Hopefully when he gets out he’ll take the money he received from selling his share of the company to Josh and retire in Timbuktu.’

  ‘I wouldn’t wish his presence on any country.’

  ‘You never know. A few years in prison might be the making of him.’

  ‘Yeah, if you believe in miracles.’

  I looked around the office, then down at the picture of Josh. Yes, I did believe in miracles. After all, I was living one myself.

  A Quick Word From The Author

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