It Had to Be Fate (An It Had to Be Novel Book 3) (21 page)

Ryan took his arm and led him down the steps and onto the tarmac. A sea of reporters waited for them, snapping pictures and filming their descent.

Ryan whispered, “Someone here must’ve opened their mouth. Sorry, Zane.”

“I’m used to it. Although I’m not usually in cuffs. My brother has had that honor multiple times.”

“I think your brother had better get used to it.”

Ignoring the questions shouted at them from the men and women behind barriers, they were quickly joined by two local officers, who took Zane’s arms, one on each side, and tugged him to a nearby hangar. Once inside an office, they pushed Zane onto a metal chair.

Ryan dumped out the bag of Zane’s things and then filled out some paperwork while the other officer had Zane stand to be searched and read him his rights as Ryan had before. When the cop inspected the cuffs, he tightened them enough to make Zane grunt in pain.

“When can I see my lawyers?”

“We’ll let you know. Sit, please.”

That wasn’t really an answer, but he probably couldn’t expect to have the same treatment as Ryan had given him, so he sat back down and said, “Thank you.”

Ryan returned to Zane’s side and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Good luck. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you and my sister.”

“I’m glad you guys have her back. Especially when she goes to court with Tomas.”

“Always. Bye, buddy.” Ryan’s hand gave a quick squeeze.

“Wait. Ryan? Will you tell Caleb I changed a few things in the song we’re writing? They’re on a thumb drive lying on my keyboard. He’s excited to play it on Monday for everyone, especially Casey.”

“Will do.” Ryan turned to the two other cops and said, “Take good care of my friend here, will you, guys?”

After both of the cops nodded, Ryan turned and walked out the door.

Zane had never felt so alone in his entire life.

All day, Casey tried, but concentrating on anything except Zane’s situation had been impossible. What if he went to jail? He’d only been trying to help his brother. It seemed so unfair. And then to have Tomas throw a restraining order into the mix wasn’t helping. The media was on a feeding frenzy over it.

On her computer screen, she clicked on another of the clips of Zane they’d been running all day. Seeing him sing the last notes of a ballad, and then open his eyes, stare directly into the camera, and smile sweetly, killed her. How would she live without seeing
that
smile every day?

She clicked on another link and Ryan and Zane appeared on the screen, stepping off a plane in LA. Seeing Zane in handcuffs was too much to bear for her shattered heart.

She couldn’t watch anymore, so she shut it all down. Maybe when Ryan got back he’d know more about what was going on with Zane. She knew better now than to trust the reporters.

The clock on the lower corner of her computer screen showed it was four p.m. Why weren’t Caleb and Ty home yet? They should’ve been there a half hour ago. They always checked in with her when they got home.

Tomas had been pretty steamed at her earlier. But he wouldn’t . . . would he? She jumped up from her desk and hurried down the hall to the kitchen. She poked her head inside but it was empty. Dax must’ve run to the store. Next she checked their quarters, and they weren’t there, either.

Panic started to set in as she passed through the lobby. Jeannie was busy checking in their new arrivals, so Casey headed out the back door. She checked the bikes first, but they were all accounted for. She texted Meg to see if Eric was home yet. He and Caleb were in the same class.

Her phone dinged right away.

Eric has been home for twenty minutes.

Thx. Boys probably made a stop at the store, or Gloria’s.

She dialed Ryan’s number but it went to voice mail. He must not be home from LA yet. Where could they be? She jogged up to Main Street and toward the square. There was a group of kids playing soccer, but none of them were hers. Toby, her employee who was on his day off, jogged over. He had a blond, beach-bum vibe and the temperament of a golden retriever. Her guests, particularly the women, loved him. “Hey, Casey.”

“Hi. Have you seen Caleb and Ty?”

“No, but that’s our boat on the lake, isn’t it?”

Casey shielded her eyes from the sun. Sure enough, the hotel’s ski boat was out there. With Caleb and Ty being dragged behind. “Ty has a cast on his arm! I’m going to kill Tomas.”

Toby chuckled. “I bet you’re not the first woman to have said that.”

Nor would she probably be the last. “Thanks, Toby. See you tomorrow.”

Casey walked back toward the hotel, debating what to do. She’d given Tomas fair warning if he took them off the property that she’d consider it kidnapping. But did she really want the boys to see Tomas get arrested? She didn’t want them involved with any of the disagreements between her and Tomas. So she’d ask Ryan to be discreet about the arrest, though she’d be honest with the boys about what happened.

She needed to show Tomas she’d follow through on what she told him or he’d never stop disregarding her wishes and doing whatever he pleased.

When the sound of helicopter blades thrummed above her head, she looked up. Ryan was back. She changed direction and walked to the clinic. Ty’s cast was probably already ruined.

She caught up with Ryan just as he was crossing Town Square to go back to his office. “Hey. So how’d it go?”

Ryan ran a hand down his face. “I feel bad for the guy. He was pretty messed up after you guys talked.”

Her heart ached too, but it made it worse to hear a tough guy like Ryan say that about Zane. Ryan had never been Mr. Touchy Feely. “Thanks for texting earlier, Ryan. I didn’t want to have to say goodbye over the phone. What do you think will happen to him?”

“Depends. I saw on the news they just picked up Nick, so they’re probably talking to the judge right now. Best case, the judge slaps Zane’s wrist, but throws his brother in jail. Worst case, Zane has to serve a short sentence too.”

“God, I hope Zane doesn’t have to go to jail. He doesn’t deserve that. But Tomas does.” She quickly explained the situation.

Ryan lips tilted into a full-out smile. “I’ve been waiting for an excuse to arrest that jerk for years. Let’s go!”

Casey had to jog to keep up with Ryan’s long strides. “But do you think it’d upset the boys too much?”

“Are you kidding me, Casey? You think Tomas’s lawyers aren’t going to parade that picture of Zane in handcuffs in front of the judge to help him take away your boys?”

Ryan was right. They would. And Tomas had told her in so many words. “Okay. Let’s do it. But can we please keep it as low-key as possible?”

Ryan nodded. “Will do.” As they walked down the hotel’s driveway he said, “I almost forgot. Zane helped Caleb write a song to sing for you on Monday.”

She stopped dead in her tracks. “He did?” God, that was sweet of both of them. Zane was so good with her boys. He paid more attention to them than their own father.

She jogged to catch up with her brother again.

Ryan said, “Tara would go nuts if I wrote anything for her. Much less a song.”

“Yeah. Damn Tomas. If not for him . . .” If not for him she and Zane would be together. “You want me to go out after them or do you want to?”

Ryan chuckled. “I think we should definitely share the joy and do it together!”

“Damn straight!”

Z
ane stared out the window of the black SUV as they sped to the jail. The familiar LA traffic, smog, and the ice plant alongside the freeway signaled he was home, but it brought him no comfort. His gated compound in Malibu was technically his home, but he was never there enough to really call it that. Would he spend the night in Malibu or in a jail cell?

When they arrived at the jail, the usual barrage of paparazzi had gathered to greet them. One of the cops in the front seat turned and said, “We’re going to book you first, and then you have an appointment with the judge.”

Zane just nodded. His wrists were stiff and sore from the restraints and he hoped those would come off soon. He appreciated the kind way Ryan had treated him even more now. He’d be sure to thank him later.

The back door opened and the shouting of reporters and the curious onlookers barraged his aching head. “Did you murder your father, Zane?” was the prevalent question. Others asked if he was ready to go to jail. The thought of that made his head pound even harder.

Where were his lawyers? And Kip? All he wanted was to see a familiar face. Someone to reassure him they were working to get him out soon.

The cops opened the door to a small room and led him inside. “An officer will come perform the strip and cavity search, then we’ll get your fingerprints again and a mug shot.”

The door closed behind his escorts, so Zane sat down on a bench to wait. A cavity search? Really?

Shortly, the door opened and a big guy with latex gloves came in. “Stand, please.”

He’d thought being photographed in handcuffs had been humiliating, but standing naked before the cop, and then having to endure him looking inside his mouth like he was a horse for sale, not to mention what came next, took humiliation to a whole new level.

After Zane was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, the two cops returned and took him to have his mug shot taken. It explained why all the celebrities looked the way they did in those pictures that got passed around the Internet. Being arrested was traumatizing. Damn his brother for making him endure it.

Casey and Ryan jogged down the dock to a waiting Jet Ski. After tossing a life jacket from the bin to Ryan, she strapped hers on. She leaned down to release a rope and then slid in front.

Ryan said, “Wait. Maybe I should drive?”

Casey looked up at him towering over her on the dock. “Why? Because you’re a man? Just get on, Ryan.”

Her brother wasn’t happy about it, but he climbed on and released the second tie-down.

Casey kicked away from the dock and they took off.

Ryan yelled, “Slow down!”

She yelled back, “Why? You scared?”

“Yes. For all the others out here. You drive like a maniac!”

Casey chuckled, then gunned the engine full out to really yank his chain. Some things never changed. Her joy in annoying her brothers was one of them.

She was tempted to jump a few wakes to send Ryan all the way over the top, but decided against it and headed for the ski boat. It had been a nice distraction to let off steam from her frustrating day, but now they needed to get serious.

If she’d had time, she would have changed before they headed out because her skirt and sandals were getting soaked. But catching Tomas in the middle of the lake, away from the hotel, had been the priority.

As they closed in, the boys saw them and waved. Caleb stood on skis and Ty on a rubber tube. Ty’s broken arm was wrapped in a garbage bag sealed with duct tape.

She waved back then sped up to get aside the boat. As they drew beside it, she waved her hand back and forth in front of her neck to signal Tomas to cut the engine.

Instead, he flipped her off.

Seriously?

Ryan yelled, “Slow up, and I’ll signal the boys to ditch.”

Casey nodded as she concentrated on keeping alongside the speeding, weaving boat. She eased off the gas, and they drifted closer to the boys.

Ryan lifted his hands above his head and opened his fists, to signal Caleb to release the rope’s handles. Caleb nodded, and leaned over to tell Ty, then he let go of the tow rope and Ty rolled off his tube, both slowly sinking into the water. Tomas looked over his shoulder and scowled. Then he looked her straight in the eyes and took off.

He’d leave his children in the middle of the lake?

Ryan screamed in her ear, “Stay with the boys. I’ll go after him.”

She hadn’t planned to drift in the middle of the lake with her skirt billowing around her waist, but she wouldn’t leave the boys stranded alone, so she sucked it up and jumped in.

Ryan took off as she swam toward her kids. “What do you guys think you were doing?”

They both bobbed up and down in the chilly water. Caleb hung onto his skis looking perplexed. “Dad told us you gave us a free pass because he found out he had to go home early.”

So now he was lying to the boys too? But thank goodness he was leaving.

She said, “I was scared when I didn’t know where you guys were.”

Ty said, “We told Jeannie to tell you, Mom.”

And Jeannie had been busy with guests. “Thank you for doing that. I didn’t have a chance to talk to her.”

The three of them bobbed up and down while Ryan caught up to the boat and signaled for Tomas to stop. Tomas must’ve finally figured out he had nowhere to run, so he slowed the boat down. Ryan hopped aboard, tied the Jet Ski to the back, and hauled in the tube. They couldn’t see what was going on after that.

When a fishing boat came barreling toward them, Casey grabbed the boy’s life jackets and pulled then against her to make a bigger figure in the water in case the driver couldn’t see them. “Wave and shout out, guys.”

All three waved their hands, and thankfully the boat slowed. As it got closer, she recognized the boat and the driver. Toby called out, “Looks like you guys could use a lift?”

She said, “Yes, thank you, we’re freezing!” The three of them swam to the idling boat.

Toby grabbed Ty by the life jacket and hauled him in, then stuck out a hand to help Caleb aboard. When he reached out and grabbed the back of her jacket, he grinned. “Nice . . . undies, Boss.”

“Knock it off, Toby.” She climbed into the boat with as much dignity as one could while wearing a wet skirt plastered to her thighs and settled on the metal bench next to Ty.

Toby said, “When I saw you take off like a bat out of hell, I figured you might need a hand. Or that I might miss the show. Should I take you to the boat, or to the dock?”

Finally sitting higher than water level, they could see more clearly what was happening in the ski boat. Ryan had just pushed Tomas onto the bench seat in the rear. His hands were behind his back, probably handcuffed.

“To the dock, please. Then could you watch the boys for me for a bit, Toby? I have to take care of something . . . .” With her eyes, she signaled in the direction of the other boat. “I’ll give you an extra day off for cutting into yours today.”

Toby nodded in understanding and then pointed the boat toward the hotel. “You don’t have to give me an extra day. That was pure entertainment. You know I never liked your ex. He was such a dipshit to work with. Looks like nothing has changed.”

Caleb asked, “Why would Dad take off like that?”

Toby said under his breath, “Like I said. Dipshit.”

She’d like to have said,
Because your father is a selfish person who just wants what others have for the sake of having it.
And that he
was
a dipshit. Instead she answered, “I have no idea, Caleb. But lucky for us, Toby came to our rescue.”

She turned to Toby. “Why don’t you guys have supper at the diner on me?”

Toby grinned. “Now that’s a deal, because we’re starving. Right, guys? I’m thinking double cheeseburgers, chocolate shakes, and a mountain of fries.”

The boys said “Yes!” in unison.

The ski boat was much faster, so by the time she and the boys got to the dock, Ryan and Tomas were gone. They all went inside and quickly changed. She unwrapped Ty’s arm, and while the cast wasn’t soaking wet it was a little mushy on the ends. They’d have to make a trip to see Ben later.

Toby, busy playing the kids’ video games on TV, smiled at her when she walked back into the living room. “I couldn’t talk you into taking some video at the station, could I?”

She laughed. “Better not. But I promise to tell you how it all went later. Thanks again for watching the boys.”

“No worries. Video games and burgers make for a pretty great evening.”

Casey hurried out the front doors of the hotel, grateful Toby had rescued them. That way the boys didn’t have to see what was really going on with their father.

But now maybe Tomas would finally understand that rules applied to him just like everyone else.

Zane, finally at the courthouse, waited in yet another small, windowless room for his lawyer to arrive. When the door opened and Jack Westbrook walked in, relief washed through him. His lawyer was in his fifties, a pit bull in court, but otherwise had a calm, fatherly vibe about him.

Jack smiled, hung a suit on the back of the door, and then pulled out a chair. He opened a bottle of water and slid it across the table. “How are you holding up?”

“Fine. When can I get out?” His hands still cuffed, Zane wrangled the bottle to his lips. The cool water instantly quenched the burn in his dry throat.

“Don’t know. The judge isn’t happy with us, though, that’s for sure. Luckily he and I went to law school together and so I know he’s a fair man. I’ve explained everything to him, but he wants to talk to both you and Nick before he’ll decide what he wants to do. I know you’ve had a tough day, but I need you to be polite, charming, and no matter what Nick says, don’t lose it in there. Nick will get himself into plenty of trouble if we just let him dig his own grave.”

“Got it. Any word on getting that restraining order reversed?”

“The judge is trying to get us an earlier court date so we can fight it.” Jack slowly shook his head. “But I have to warn you. The media is crucifying you out there. Blowing everything way out of proportion. The timing of that filing couldn’t have been worse.”

Or better, from Tomas’s perspective. “And the murder accusation from Nick?”

“That was like throwing dry tinder on a wildfire today. But reviewing that file is going to take some time. The good news is they picked Nick up at your house before his fake news announcement, but speculation from the little he leaked is still running rampant.”

Zane finished off his water and then laid the bottle on the table. A quick knock sounded before the door opened and a different cop stepped inside. He pulled out a device and cut Zane’s cable ties. “The judge will see you both in ten minutes.”

Zane rubbed away the soreness from his wrists and then quickly changed into the suit Jack had brought for him. “Do I look okay?”

“Like a million bucks.” Jack smiled as he adjusted Zane’s tie. “Let’s go show the judge who belongs in jail and who doesn’t.”

Jack knocked, and then the door swung open. A uniformed guard escorted them into the judge’s chambers and then stood at the rear of the room. Then Nick, still dressed in his orange jumpsuit, walked in with a guard too. A guy in a suit followed behind them.