have been easy.”
The signs of strain around his eyes softened as he squeezed my fingers. “With the right motivation it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”
Asher looked through the window in the door to the chapel. “Are you ready to go back inside?”
Miles took a deep breath and led us back through the door.
It wasn’t long before we were following the casket down the center aisle. Miles held his head high as we reached the steps to the funeral home.
We stood with Miles in the receiving line, thanking everyone for coming. Several asked Miles how he was doing, and he gave them all vague answers. By the time we were done, the hearse had already driven off and the crowd was dispersing.
I sighed in relief. It was over. There wasn’t a graveside service planned, so we could go home.
We were walking down the steps when a woman shoved her way through the crowd. Her hair was mussed. Her eyes beet red. Her suit rumpled. Clay Ordin’s mother looked as if she’d had a few rough days.
“You!” Victoria Ordin pointed a shaking finger at me. “You little witch! It’s your fault he’s dead!”
I stepped back away from her as Miles moved between us.
“Mrs. Ordin, what are you talking about?” Miles asked. The others closed in around me.
“He’s dead!” she shrieked. “You killed him!”
A big hand went to my arm and pulled me back even further away from the raving woman.
“Who’s dead? Mrs. Ordin, you’re not making any sense.” Miles tried again to distract her. She turned to Miles, her red-rimmed eyes wild.
A large arm wrapped around my waist and began to steer me around the group.
“My son! She killed him!” she shouted.
I looked up and barely recognized one of our bodyguards as he all but lifted me off my feet and hurried me down the steps toward the car.
“Come back here, you little bitch!” Mrs. Ordin spotted me and moved around the guys, only our other bodyguards were there in time to block her from further pursuit.
My carrier hurried me into the car and moved out of the way.
“Mrs. Ordin, if you continue to make wild accusations like that, I’ll have no choice but to sue you for defamation.” Miles’ voice was cold as Isaac was pushed into the car behind me. Ethan was all but shoved into his brother’s lap. Everyone scrambled further into the back of the limo as Zeke got in under his own power and moved over.
Mrs. Ordin continued raving outside. Asher and Miles got in, the door slamming shut behind them, the car immediately pulled out of the parking space.
I was thrown back into Isaac as the car accelerated. Everyone was quiet as we drove home. Guilt ate at me. I mean, Mrs. Ordin wasn’t completely wrong. It was my fault he was dead, only it wasn’t me who killed him. But deep inside, a deep pit opened up.
By the time we reached the house I was all but crying.
“Ally, are you all right?” Asher asked as the front door shut behind us.
I stopped walking through the living room and spun around to face him. “I can’t escape him.”
The guys all stopped.
“What?” Zeke asked.
I wrapped my arms around me as my eyes burned. “Ordin. He’s dead and even now I can’t escape him.”
Miles stepped closer. “You don’t have to have anything to do with him ever again, Angel.”
I shook my head as my chest clenched around my heart. “There’s going to be an investigation, they’ll look at us because of his mother, and who knows how long that is going to last …” Tears began to fall. “He’s just always going to be there.”
Hades stepped into the living room, drawing my attention. “What’s happened?”
“Ordin’s mother just accused her of killing her son,” Asher announced as I buried my face in my hands.
Isaac moved across the room and pulled me into his arms. I hid my face in his neck and took a deep breath of citrus. Another set of warm arms wrapped around me. Spicy cologne filled my nose.
“It’s going to be okay, Beautiful.”
A hand moved to the top of my hair. “Breathe, Baby.”
“Hades? Where are you going?” Asher asked, barely loud enough for me to hear. I should have cared about where he was going, but I just didn’t have it in me today. I clung to the guys and let it out.
Hours later, Hades hadn’t come back. I wrapped my arms around myself and walked out to the garage, hoping to