Ariel's Song (In Bed with the Enemy) (14 page)

He was ready to
leave his past behind, preferably with Ariel by his side. Colin missed her laugh, her teasing, finding her warm body curled next to his when he woke up every morning, her kisses. He missed everything about her.

Since Ariel
moved out, he’d locked himself for hours in his music studio to rehearse his songs, hoping by some kind of magic his passion for music filled the void she’d left. Colin had loved Valerie. He’d considered her his perfect other half, but his love for Ariel superseded anything he’d ever felt. He couldn’t explain it.

In spite of everything,
Colin looked forward to his upcoming public performance. If it failed, he didn’t know what he’d do next, other than continue to be involved in music in some way, shape, or form. Perhaps he’d take some time off and travel the world. Colin toyed with the idea of opening up a music school for children. It sounded great. If he did it, it’d be under an alias. Most likely, parents wouldn’t want their children to be taught music by someone suspected of committing murder. Never mind that he’d never been charged with the crime.

The idea deserved
some more thought. Maybe he’d talk Julianne into teaching piano. He exhaled. What a waste of talent. Colin never understood the reason Jules walked the opposite direction from what everyone expected she’d do. Her preference for antiques acquisitions over playing piano at a professional level, which she’d be splendid at, shocked everyone in their family.

“Mister Hoskins, this woman won’t listen to me,” Lola
said from the door.

Colin glanced up. “I’ll handle it, Lola. Thank you.”

“Colin.” Penelope walked toward him.

“
What part of leave me the fuck alone didn’t you understand?”

Penelope
palmed her chest. “You’re in a foul mood. Are you still mopping around for her? Ariel?” She clutched her handbag.

Colin remained seated. “Please leave.”

She closed the distance between them and knelt in front of him. “Colin, can’t you see? Ariel doesn’t want you. She doesn’t care for you.” Penelope placed her hands on his lap.

“I’m trying
not to be rude, please don’t make me resort to other things.” He pushed her hands from his lap. “Please understand, Penelope, I’m not interested.”

Penelope
placed her hands on his lap again, crawling her way between his legs, and cupped his face. “Don’t reject me. Can’t you see I love you? Can’t you see I’ve been in love with you all these years? Tell me, please, tell me what I can do so you can love me.” Tears rolled down her face, the black mascara staining her cheeks.

Fuck
. He didn’t need any of this right now. A woman he didn’t want, crying and begging him to have pity on her because she loved him. Colin grasped her arms and sprang to his feet, bringing her up with him. “Stop this nonsense, please.” He looked down at her.

Penelope
clung to him, her arms around his neck. “Why? Why can’t you see me like you see the others? Am I not pretty enough for you?”

He
raised his hands to his neck, untangling himself from her clutch. “It’s not you, it’s me. I’m damaged goods, Penelope. I’m sure there are many men out there who’d love to have a chance at being with you.” Colin freed himself from her grasp and stepped away, putting space between the two.

She stood where he left her, her back to him and her head down. “How long have we known each other?”

Either her tears were false or she’d recuperated from his rejection in record time. Her question threw him off a little. Colin backed up to his desk without once taking his eyes off her. “Eight or nine years. I don’t know. Can’t remember.”

Penelope
picked up her handbag from the floor, her back still to him. “It’s always been the same. I’ve seen you go from one girlfriend to the next. I let you because I knew none of it was serious. I’d hoped soon you’d come to your senses. See me as something more other than a plain musician.” Her handbag fell at her feet, and Penelope turned, pointing a gun at him.

What the fuck?
Colin straightened to his full height and raised his hands. “Penelope, be careful.”

“
When I thought you were coming around, Valerie came along.”

A sinister smile formed on her face.

“I couldn’t let her mess up with my plans and take you from me. No, no, I couldn’t.” Penelope looked away from him for a moment. “Such a sweet girl, wasn’t she?”

“I loved Val.”
Colin closed his eyes as memories of Valerie flashed through his mind. His heart raced at hearing Penelope, trying to process their meaning. He took a step forward.

She stared at him and waved the gun in his direction. “I didn’t ask you if you loved her, did I? I knew you did, that’s why I took care of it.”

He remained still and blinked. “Did you—”

“Yes, I killed her.”
Penelope held the gun with both hands. “Do you remember the guy’s name? You know, her lover.” She sneered.

A cold sweat spread through his body. “
Brian.”

“Yes,
Brian. The poor fool. He happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Val was supposed to be alone. I had a perfect plan, so perfect none of this would’ve ever happened and you and I would be together now. But her assistant decided to show up.”

“So, you killed him, too.”
Colin glanced at the door. He needed a way to trap her and get out of there alive. After two years of grief, believing Valerie betrayed him, he finally knew the truth behind the lie that ruined his life.

“Yes
. He left me no choice. He’d seen me and tried to outrun me. A very stupid thing he did.” Penelope took a step toward him. “When I heard of you going back on stage, I saw it as my last chance to get close to you, as
your
last chance to notice
me
.” She struck her chest.

“We can talk about this.”
Colin gestured to the chairs.

“
I’m done talking, Colin. History repeats itself. Your ex is gone, now Ariel is in the picture, and you only have eyes for her. I hate her as much as I hated Valerie, and I hate you twice as much for loving them,” Penelope said.

****

Ariel looked out the passenger’s window. It’d been a week since Colin showed up at Logan’s doorstep. She’d watched and heard the entire exchange. Then, he’d sneaked in her bedroom and made love to her. When he’d asked her to go home with him, every cell in her body screamed at her, to throw her arms around his neck, and tell him she wanted nothing more. But Ariel realized Colin needed to figure things out. He needed to come to terms with his reasons for playing again, order his own thoughts, and decide what he’d do next.

Meanwhile
, she’d kept busy dealing with her own issues. She’d provided more information about her brother to the private investigator, and treasure hunting for details on her uncle’s foul play took her on a ride. No matter what she did, Colin remained ever present in her mind.

T
ime apart from each other wasn’t a bad thing. Ariel needed the time to be by herself and so did he. They both had issues to deal with, mysteries to resolve, and decisions to make. Not hearing from Colin in a week meant he was giving her space, however in no way did it make missing him any easier.

Not moving back with him didn’t mean she couldn’t see him.
A bit contrary to what she’d told him a week ago. So what? Colin did say they weren’t over, and Ariel wanted to believe it. They needed to find a balance in their relationship. No one ever said love was easy. Her Mozart was as damaged as they came. Ariel loved him enough to work things out with him, to help him get rid of his darn demons and be happy again.

She appreciated
Logan’s kindness and support. He’d been a friend and sat there listening to her talk through her options, even her feelings for Colin, and offered some advice when she’d asked.

“Do you think we can go a little faster?”
Ariel turned to look at Logan.

He
glanced at her. “We’ll be there in another five minutes.”

Her nerves
drove her crazy with the excitement of seeing Colin. Yet something heavy sat low in her belly, she didn’t know why. It didn’t feel right. She’d feel better once she set foot at his place, saw him, and told him she loved him. Ariel needed to get it off her chest. Whatever happened next, whatever he said, she’d deal with it when the time came.

Logan drove around the circular driveway, stopping right in front of the steps. Ariel
got out of the car without waiting for him, and ran up to the entrance. Lola opened the door and informed her he was in his study with Penelope. At the mention of the other woman’s name, a knot formed in her stomach. Ariel made her way to the study with Logan right at her heels.

She
opened the door and stopped in her tracks, looking at a mad Penelope pointing a gun at Colin.

“Dear God,” Logan
said.

“No.”
Ariel sucked in her breath and stepped in Colin’s direction.

Colin
caught her eyes and shook his head. “Ariel, stay where you are.”

Penelope
looked at Ariel. “Good. Good. This is turning out better than I planned. Now, you can watch me finish dear Colin.” She pulled the trigger.

Ariel
grabbed a pillow from a chair and threw it at Penelope. “You bitch.”

The gun went off. Colin
pushed Ariel out of the way and Logan grabbed Penelope from the back in a tight grip. The gun slid from her grasp.

Penelope
’s nostrils flared. “I hate you all. I hate you.” She pulled on Logan’s arms, clawing him, and kicking him in the legs, trying to free herself.

Lola
and other staff members gathered at the door.

“Call the police,” Logan
said. He pushed Penelope to the floor, locking her face down between his legs.

Ariel
clung to Colin. “Are you okay?” She searched his face.

He nodded
and kissed her, hugging her to him. “Thank you.”

She flinched,
blinking away the dark spots flashing in her line of sight. “Ouch!” She untangled herself from him, looking down at her stomach where a blood stain formed. Ariel touched the stained spot, blood wetting her fingers. She glanced up at Colin, every cell in her body screaming in alarm.

“
Get an ambulance,” Colin shouted. “Ariel, gorgeous, stay with me please.”

A flood of cold sweat spread through her body
. Her breathing became constricted. Colin kept talking to her but she couldn’t hear him. The loud rush of blood running through her veins rang in her ears. Nausea rose to her throat. She turned to look at Logan, then back at Colin.

“I love you,”
Ariel whispered, her eyes closing into darkness.

Chapter
Seventeen

Colin ran his hands through his hair. Ariel lost consciousness soon after she’d been shot. He’d tried to control the bleeding, putting pressure on the wound before the ambulance got to his house, but she’d still manage to lose quite a bit of blood by the time they’d reached the hospital.

She’d been in surgery for a few hours and now she
slept in her room, recuperating from the trauma. Fortunately, the bullet passed through her body without causing any damage to her organs. The doctors reconstructed the skin around the exit wound. It’d leave an ugly scar, and take time to heal. Colin sat outside of her room, along a long and narrow white hallway, waiting for her to wake up. He glanced up in time to see Logan approach him.

“Hey, man.” Logan sat on the chair next to him.
“How is she doing?”

“The doctor says she’s in a stable condition
,” Colin said.

“Good.”
Logan eased back in his chair, resting his head on the wall.

“What happened with
Penelope?”

Logan
let his breath out. “The police have her in custody. She’s a self-confessed murderer and she’s facing life in prison. Lucky for her there isn’t a death penalty here.” He remained quiet for a moment. “I think you have to do a press conference to clear your name for once and for all.”

“
I don’t want to discuss it now,” Colin said. Ariel’s well-being was his highest priority at the moment. He’d deal with everything else later.

“
For once in your life listen to what I have to say.” Logan rested his arms on his lap, intertwining his fingers. “If you want a chance at having a normal life with Ariel, it’s time for you to take back your life. For real, this time, and don’t fuck it up.” He stood. “The P.I. got a breakthrough and located Tanner. He emailed you the details.”

Colin pinched the bridge of his nose. “
Finally, some good news in this fucking mess. I’ll call you or him if I have any questions once I read his report.”

“I’m going to the cafeteria, can I get you something?”
Logan asked.

“No.”

“Let me know when you’re ready to talk about the press conference. If you don’t want to do a conference, we can do something as simple as a press release, giving the media enough to leave you alone for once and for all.” Logan walked to the elevator.

Colin rose from the chair and
went into Ariel’s room. Pain clutched his heart at seeing her asleep in a hospital bed. He sat on the chair next to her and clasped her hand with his, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.

“I love you,” he whispered, touching his forehead to the mattress.

“Colin?” Ariel said, sounding groggy from the sedatives she’d been under.

He
glanced at her and sprang to his feet. “Love.” Colin ran his finger across her forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“
Thirsty.”

“I can fix
it.” He filled a glass with water from a pitcher on the small table near her bed then put a straw in the glass, and helped her angle her head to take a sip.

Ariel
winced. “This hurts like a bitch, which reminds me, where’s the bitch that shot me?”

He pressed the nurse button on the side of the bed.
“You don’t have to worry anymore. She’s paying for all her crimes now.” Colin grabbed her hand again. “Thank you. I owe you my life. I wouldn’t be standing here, speaking with you if it hadn’t been for what you did.”

Ariel
lifted her gaze to him. “You’re damn right you wouldn’t. This,” she pointed to her wound, “is going to leave an ugly mark. Can you fix it, too?”

“I think I can. I know an excellent plastic surgeon
—”

“Oh, hell no. No one
, listen to me, no one is getting a knife in me. I think I’ve had enough.” She flinched. “I’ll have to learn to love the scar. Colin, I…”

“
This may not be the time or place … I love you.” He locked gazes with her. “I’ll always be sorry for the way I treated you. I don’t deserve you taking a bullet for me. God knows I’d give anything to be in your place now.”

Ariel
squeezed his hand. “I love you, too.”

“Please come
home,” he said.

“I—”

The doctor walked in, a nurse right behind him. “Wonderful, she’s awake.”

Colin stepped out of the room while
Ariel underwent her post surgery checkup. He wished he’d had more time to talk with her, to convince her to give him another chance. He’d promise to do right by her, and make her happy.

Penelope
’s confession of her crimes freed him. All the anger, the sense of betrayal, left him. Colin felt free to do anything he wished, free to smile, to laugh, to compose and play his music, to go out in public. He was free to love her. He loved Ariel.

The doctor informed him she’d have to remain at the hospital for
a couple of days as he needed to keep a close eye on the wound for infections and other care. He’d administered another dose of pain killers and by the time the doctor and nurse stepped out of the room, she’d been asleep. Colin spent the night on the chair next to her bed, planning his immediate and long term plans.

****

Ariel remained inpatient longer than anticipated. She wasn’t happy to stay in observation for a full week. The pain still bothered her, but she refused to remain another day bedridden. She needed fresh air, a change of scenery. Stefanie, Julianne, Logan, and Gérard visited her all throughout her hospital stay.

She hadn’t been this pampered in a long time
. Too bad the pampering happened under these circumstances. Ariel looked at herself in the mirror, confirming the mess she thought she’d be.

Ugh.
The circles around her eyes made her look sicker than she felt, the pink blush, and the curve of her cheekbones were gone. Make-up, no matter the quality, wouldn’t do any miracles for her today or ever if she stayed hospitalized.

Ariel
stepped out of the bathroom, zipping up her hoodie. “Logan, I’m ready.”

Colin raised a brow. “
You’re going with me.”

She
looked at him. “I’ve got my stuff at Logan’s place, and I have to call my new landlord.”

“
Right, the landlord. He called and said since you didn’t show up to get the keys, he rented the place to someone else,” Logan said.

She
furrowed her brow. “He can’t do that. Why didn’t he wait for me? I haven’t been partying, I’ve been hospitalized.” Ariel winced and touched her belly.

Colin
walked over and put his arms around her, helping her straighten. “There’s no use for you to get upset now. Your belongings are back at my place, where they belong.”

She
stepped out of his grasp. “How? Why? You didn’t tell me anything.”

Colin
closed the distance. His fingers touched her chin, tilting her face to him. “Please don’t tell me no.” He kissed her.

Ariel couldn’t think
when he kissed her like that. Why did she even try to put up a fight anyway? The man she loved, loved her, too.

He broke the kiss.
“I love you. Never forget,” he whispered against her lips. “We have news about Tanner.”

“Is he back?”
she asked.

“
He will be soon. The private investigator and his partner located him in a town outside of
São Paulo
,” Colin said.

“
Oh, my God! Thank you.” Ariel wrapped her arms around Colin.

“
It gets better,” Logan said. “They have witnesses who are willing to testify in a court of law against your uncle, too.” He smiled.

“That
’s the best news ever.” She darted the few steps to Logan and hugged him, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you both.” Ariel dropped her hold on him and touched her wound, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

Logan
placed his hands on her waist. “You okay there?”

Ariel nodded.

“Don’t thank us yet. We have to work out the details to make sure Tanner isn’t apprehended the moment he sets foot in the States. Thank us when all is said and done,” Colin said.

Logan
kissed her forehead. “Go with my friend before he kills me,” he said, sparing a glance at Colin.

****

New York was as busy as ever. An understatement, when it came to a city such as this. It’d been a few weeks since she’d left the hospital, and against everyone’s wishes Ariel hadn’t been able to remain in bed. Instead, she’d busied herself finalizing the rest of the arrangements for the summer concert and now, New York at last. She’d come back for two things. One, she’d be taking care of today, and the other one during the upcoming weekend.

Ariel glanced around her uncle’s office,
clutching the folder in her hands. She inhaled and exhaled, trying to control her nerves. She had trouble coming to terms and accepting the sad truth of her own flesh and blood deceiving her and Tanner. While her greedy uncle sat on their fortune enjoying every cent of it, she’d been thinking of ways to survive and worried sick about her brother. Ariel didn’t even want to imagine what Tanner must’ve gone through, knowing people were looking for him to send him to jail.

She had
n’t seen her brother yet, she hoped the long wait would soon be over. Meanwhile she’d focus her energy elsewhere. Colin for starters. Ariel didn’t know if he’d made a decision on where he’d take his music career after this weekend’s concert. Every time someone tried to bring it up in a conversation, Colin kept to other topics. She hoped he’d change his mind.

“Ariel, honey,”
her uncle said from the door. “It’s good to see you. I hope you know where Tanner is.” He walked to his desk and took the chair behind it, across from her.

The investigator
s Logan hired proved to have good connections in high places, and assured her they had everything under control. Regardless, seeing her uncle sitting in front of her pretending he’d done nothing wrong sickened her. Nausea rose to her throat. Ariel willed her emotions to remain in check in order to complete the job she came to do. She’d insisted on being the one to deliver the news to her uncle.

“I’m afraid the sentiment isn’t reciprocated, Uncle Ken.
”

He shrugged. “Where’s
Tanner?”

“So, tell me, Uncle.
What does it feel like, spending someone else’s money?”

“
I’m not sure I understand your question.” He propped his arms on top of his desk. “Listen, I too am shocked at what your brother did. I don’t know how he can live with himself knowing he dragged you along with his failed scheme. You’re his victim and I can help you.”

Ariel
narrowed her eyes at him. “How can you help me?”

“
Tell me where I can find Tanner. I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you out of this mess. I’ll even set up a fund so you can start clean someplace else.”

“
Start up clean? I never did anything.”

He angled his head. “
You know how these things go. Innocents get pulled in and get blamed too. I can help you.”

“
You’d set up a trust fund for me?” She smiled.

“Yes,” he
said.

“What about my brother?”

Her uncle remained silent for a moment. “Tanner has to face the law.”

She
leaned forward and placed the folder on top of his desk. “I’m afraid you’re wrong.”

He looked at the folder, reaching for it, opened it,
and then glanced at her. “This can’t be possible.”

Ariel stood and placed her hands on his desk. “Well, it is, Uncle Ken. What
? You thought there’d be no way to track down your scheme? Your friends gave you up the moment they found jail awaited them.”

“
You’re lying.” He read the statements in front of him, flipping over the pages as he went.

“
It’s all there. The fact of the matter is your buddies are willing to testify against you. What kind of uncle are you? How can you set up your own nephew like that and take what is ours?”

“
Ariel, dear, I’m sure there’s some way we can fix this.”

“How? By you not going to jail?” She paused. “I don’t think so.”

“It should’ve never come to this.” He stood, taking the papers with him. “I’m sorry you were caught up in this.” He walked to the door.

Ariel remained standing by the desk and stared at him. A couple of detectives opened the door and flashed their badges. Her uncle look
ed at her, surprise on his face. One of the detectives took the folder from her uncle, and read him his rights while the other one put cuffs around his wrists.

“Ariel?”
her uncle asked.

“I’m not
sorry you got caught, Uncle Ken. You’re a piece of shit.” She fisted her hands to control the need to punch him.