My Husband Fucked Me Over Ch. 10

Edith immediately headed into her bedroom to try it on.

"Good to see you," Marjorie said. "Thanks for helping with the dresses."

"It's part of my job as Bitch of Honor," I said, laughing. "Is Edith's sister going to make it from Australia?"

"She is," Jack said. "Mary is getting here on Thursday. We were getting ready to get her a hotel room."

"You don't have to do that."

"She can't stay here. Not enough bedrooms."

"Bonnie's husband is out of town this week. Her son can stay with my daughter and she can sleep in Billy's room on Thursday night. On Friday night, we're going to stay with the Tafts. She can stay here that night. Sure it involves a little bouncing around, but we're all close together. She doesn't even need a car. How long can she stay?"

"She's going back on Monday, nine days after the wedding. Ben and Edith are delaying their honeymoon so they can visit before she goes back."

"Well, for that next week, Emma could stay over at Bonnie's house with Billy and she could stay in Emma's room, provided she doesn't get offended by overt lesbian type behavior. That way, she's right across the street and you can do things together."

"To be honest, we think she might be gay, although she's never said anything to us. Mary's just never seemed interested in boys."

"Perhaps that means she won't be offended then. It should work out fine. Might be time to find out for sure. Hopefully, she's not afraid to tell you."

"We hope not," Jack said. "We might have said something somewhat negative once when she was in high school. Nothing disparaging, but a friend's only daughter came out as gay, and we said something about it being a shame they'd never have grandchildren. It turned out not to be true anyway. She and her partner each had one child through IVF, so they've got two grandchildren, one related by blood. But maybe she took it to heart."

Edith came sashaying out of the bedroom. "It's gorgeous, and fits perfectly," Edith said. "Did you get hotel reservations yet?"

"We think we have a plan where she can stay in the neighborhood," Marjorie said. "She'd have to stay one night at Bonnie's house, and the rest of the time with Sam and Becky in Emma's room."

"Are you sure it's no problem?" Edith asked.

"We'll make it work," I said. "I'm sure it will be fine. The dress is perfect, Edith. You'll be a beautiful bride. Ben is such a lucky man."

"I feel like I'm the lucky one."

"When are you supposed to start your period?"

"Monday."

"Are you hoping it starts, or that it doesn't?" I asked.

"That it doesn't. I want a child so much. I missed out before. I don't want to miss out this time. I'm glad that Ben wants children too."

"Good luck, however it works out. I need to run. I'll talk to Bonnie about Mary staying there on Thursday night. To the best of my knowledge, she doesn't have anything planned."

"Thank you, Sam," Edith said.

I hugged her and left for my house.

"How did the dress fit?" Bonnie asked.

"Great. I have a favor to ask," I said. "Edith's sister, Mary is arriving on Thursday. Is there any chance that Mary can stay in Billy's room Thursday night, if he spends the night here, and can Emma stay with you from Sunday through the following Sunday? That way Mary can stay in Emma's room."

"Of course she's welcome."

"Friday is your first day off. We have too much to do to hit the gym on Friday. I'm having my hair and nails done in the morning, and helping to set up for the rehearsal on Friday night. We'll be back to the gym on Monday."

"Whatever. I'm in your hands."

I looked to make sure the kids were busy. "Did you, Becky and Bill make plans for Wednesday?" I asked softly.

"Nine our time, eight Houston time," Bonnie said. "You were right about Becky. The exhibitionist slut said she can't wait to put on a show for Bill."

"That's my girl," I laughed. "Of course, she'll be putting it on for me too, since I'll be shooting it. I need to call Pen, see if she can come."

I texted Penelope, asking her to call me when she was free. She called right back.

"To what do I owe this honor," Pen said.

I explained what Becky and Bonnie were planning to do for Bill, and that I'd be manning the phone for the FaceTime call.

"We need someone to look after Billy and Emma while we're doing our thing, and by the time I finish, I'll be extremely aroused, and wouldn't mind having you spend the night again, since Becky will be spending the night with Bonnie."

"Can you hold on a minute? I'll call you right back."

"Sure."

Pen called back about five minutes later. "Would it be a problem for you if both Robert and I spent the night?"

"Not at all. You're the one who has the most to lose if this gets out. I'm a nobody. I'd love to see you both."

"What time do we need to be there?"

"The show for Bill goes off at nine PM."

"Listen, why don't Robert and I take everyone to dinner. I'd like to meet Edith's father. Robert said he was a good guy. Bonnie and Billy can come too."

"I'm sure everyone would love to see you. What time do you want to go out?"

"Does picking everyone up at 5:30 in the limo sound okay?"

"Sounds fine. Where do you want to eat?" I asked.

"I'm sure everyone would go for a steak, wouldn't they? Maybe Connors Steakhouse and Seafood?"

"Steak is a pretty safe bet and they have multiple items," I agreed. "Do you want to ask them, or should I? Bonnie is here. I can let her know."

"I'll call Edith. I have her phone number."

"Excellent. We'll see you at 5:30 on Wednesday. Love you."

"Love you back."

As soon as I hung up, I told Bonnie and Becky that we were going out to dinner on Wednesday.

"I've never been to Connors," Becky said. "That would be great. I usually can't afford the good restaurants."

"We definitely know what we're going to be doing on Wednesday," Bonnie said. "I'm really looking forward to this."

******

We were all waiting for them to arrive outside at 5:30. Grant pulled up and Robert got out of the limo and helped the women and children get in. He gave me a quick hug and a kiss before he helped me in. I loved that Robert and Pen were so thoughtful as to provide child seats for both of the children. We headed for Fort Myers and the Gulf Coast Town Center Mall.

I was busily chatting with the others in the back when Grant's voice came over the intercom.

"Boss, we have someone following us."

"You think, or you know?" Robert asked.

"I know. I made a couple of ridiculous turns, and the other vehicle hung right with me."

"Do you think it's the media?"

"Can't say for sure, because the vehicle isn't marked. It's an old clunker pickup, so I expect it isn't, unless it's a freelancer."

"You know what to do," Robert said.

"Yes, sir. It's already done. I anticipated your response."

"Head straight for the restaurant. There's nothing more to be gained by trying to lose it. We're just going out to eat."

"Yes, sir." The intercom went off.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"It's likely one of two things," Robert said. "We've had some unwanted media attention as a result of all the stuff with Samantha and her husband. That's probably what it is, someone looking for a story. The other thing is, as rich people, we have to worry about things like kidnapping and the like for ransom. If it were that, they usually would only want one of us, so the other one is available to pay the ransom. It makes it more unusual that they're interested in an attack on all of us at once.

"That's usually something we don't worry about in the States. Law enforcement is too good, especially when we're all together and a 911 call is so handy. I'd guess it's a less than five percent chance of that."

"Is that what Grant is doing," I asked, "calling 911?"

"No, not when the most likely scenario is media attention. He's contacting our security company. They'll send a couple of cars, one to escort us when we leave, and the other one to try to find out who's following us. Whoever it is, isn't going to bother us at a busy mall or in a busy restaurant, unless it is the media. Grant will drop us off right at the door. When we leave, we'll have help."

"It's not all fun and games having money, is it?" Marjorie asked.

"Not all," Pen admitted, "but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. We can pay for help. Grant is ex-special forces. There's probably not a lot that he can't handle. It's why we use him as a driver so often, even when we don't need to, because of the small chance it is something else. His wife is ex-military too."

"Stephanie, the maid?" I asked.

"She disappears right into the woodwork, doesn't she?" Robert said. "You'd never know it to look at her, but she can probably kick all our asses. You know Ben is ex-military, Navy. So's the butler. We don't need a butler as much as we need extra security. Antoine is the only one who isn't, but he's part time."

"Did the vehicle start following us from Lehigh Acres, or are they randomly following a limo?" I asked. "If it is the media, they all know where I live, so they don't even have to follow us to know where you're going later. You might want to alter your plans accordingly."

Pen and Robert looked at each other, then Robert opened up the intercom again. "Grant, when did the vehicle start following us?"

"Right after we left Ms. Ford's house."

"Fudge," Pen said.

"Why fudge?" Jack asked.

"Because they were hoping to spend a little time with me, and now they can't," I replied. "Can you still babysit?"

"That's not an issue," Pen said. "We'll just have to leave at a reasonable hour."

"What's reasonable?" I asked.

"Eleven."

"Better than nothing," I said.

We finished up the rest of the trip without incident, but when we got to Connors, Grant opened up the line again and told us to stay in the car."

"Why?" Robert asked.

"Because the vehicle is stopped right behind us and the motor is still running," Grant replied. "I don't like it." We heard the sound of an automatic having a round jacked into the chamber. "Call 911. I'm going to approach the vehicle."

Robert immediately pulled out his phone and dialed. I turned to look out the back window, Becky turning with me. It looked like a beat up pickup was behind us, smoke coming out of the exhaust like it had a poor engine seal and was burning oil. Grant got out of the car, closed and locked the door, and began walking back towards the truck. The driver looked pretty scruffy. Grant was holding an automatic behind his back. What happened next, took my breath away.

As Grant got within ten feet of the car, the driver made a sudden move, and before I could blink, Grant extended his arm and three shots rang out, the windshield of the pickup spider webbing as the bullets passed through it. Fuck!

I heard Robert saying, "Shots fired, Connors Steakhouse, Gulf Coast Town Center Mall, I think one man injured, so send an ambulance as well."

Grant swung wide as he got to the truck, staying well back from the door, gun in hand, arm still extended. He slowly approached the truck from the side, and pulled the door open. A man half fell out, a pistol clattering to the ground. Grant reached down and checked the neck for a pulse, then put his gun away. He shook his head.

I heard Robert saying. "I believe there's one dead, repeat, one dead."

I think we'd all been holding our breath, because it seemed we all took a deep breath at once. I was glad the kids were buckled into their seats and couldn't see. Grant left the man and gun where they'd fallen. He didn't even shut off the truck. I suppose this was a crime scene now. We heard sirens coming in the distance. Three squad cars pulled up within seconds and Grant raised his hands to show they were empty. Two of the deputies had their hands on their guns. The third had his drawn, but lowered, aiming at the ground, but ready to bring it up.

Grant had a brief conversation with the officers, and one of the men drew Grant's weapon out from under his uniform and bagged it. Another one was checking the pulse of the dead man. He shook his head and said something to the others, who made a radio call.

There were people piling out of the restaurant looking at the scene, and one of the deputies warned them to stay away, but phones were coming out, taking pictures. Two more squad cars pulled up.

One of those deputies came to the limo and rapped on the window. Robert unlocked the door and opened it.

"Everyone all right in here?" He asked.

"Fine." Robert said.

"Are there any more guns in the vehicle?"

"I have one," Jack said. "I'm ex-law enforcement from Michigan. I have a concealed carry permit."

"Did you draw your weapon?"

"No, sir."

"Any one in here see what happened?" He asked.

"Becky and I were looking out the back window," I said. "We saw what happened, but it was pretty fast. Not much to see."

"We'll need to speak to you both. Anyone know why that man was following you?"

"We surmised it was a freelance media guy hoping for a story," Robert said. "He followed us all the way from Lehigh Acres. When he stopped right behind us and didn't turn off his truck, my bodyguard became suspicious and told us to wait in the limo until he checked it out. He went back towards the truck, and then the shots rang out. I didn't see the shooting."

"What did you see," the officer asked me.

"The truck sitting behind us with a man behind the wheel. The truck was still running, blue smoke billowing out of the exhaust. Grant told us to stay here, while he approached the vehicle. Grant had a gun in his hand behind his back. All of a sudden, the fellow in the car moved fast, and Grant shot three times."

"Did the guy in the truck have a gun when Grant shot him?"

"I was too low to see a gun in the truck. I didn't see a gun until Grant pulled the door open, and the man fell out of the truck. A gun dropped to the ground beside him."

"Did Grant touch the gun?"

"No. He touched the truck door to open it, and he touched the man's neck for a pulse. He didn't touch anything else, not even to shut off the truck."

"A detective may want to speak to you."

"Whatever you need."

"We came to eat, deputy," Robert said. "Any problem with us going inside to eat? We won't leave until given permission to do so. You can come in and ask further questions if you wish."

"Since you weren't an active participant, I imagine that's okay."

"Like I said, deputy," Jack said, "I'm an ex-law enforcement officer from Michigan. As far as I could tell from the conversation in the car, it was a righteous shoot. The driver noticed the man following us for a long time. He was just being cautious. Wouldn't even let us leave the car until he'd checked it out."

"Do you know why he had his gun drawn?"

"He was approaching a running vehicle who'd been following us for a half hour. The possibility of kidnapping and ransom as an outcome had been discussed, even though they felt it was more likely some media person. Anyone who does our kind of work, would have done the same."

The officer asked Becky what she saw and she repeated what I'd said. She hadn't noticed some of the things I had, but our stories were consistent. Bonnie, Ben, Edith, Pen and Marjorie hadn't seen anything, just knowing what was discussed in the car.

One of the officers had put a blanket over the deceased, and Bonnie, Pen and I got the kids out of the car and rushed into the restaurant as quickly as we could. Emma had lots of questions; questions I wasn't prepared to answer yet. As per my usual policy, I told her that I'd talk to her later, but couldn't talk about it now.

While Pen and Robert got the kids settled at our table, (no waiting for a table to clear when we entered twenty minutes after our reservation), the others also took seats. Bonnie, Becky and I had a confab in the foyer area.

"I can't do the thing tonight," Bonnie said. "I'm going to text Bill and cancel. It just doesn't feel right."

"I agree," Becky said. "I just want to curl up in bed. Why us? What the fuck was going on? One guy was going to try to kidnap a car full of people?"

"You're right," I said. "It didn't feel like a kidnapping. Something was off about the whole situation. If it was an actual kidnapping, there should have been more kidnappers. Hell, once the guy knew what he was facing, why not just drive on by and try again some other time when the odds were in his favor. If he was a media asshole, why'd he pull a gun? It makes no fucking sense."

"Right before the wedding, too. This has got to be fucking Edith up," Bonnie said. "This was supposed to be a festive dinner out. This sucks."

"Let's sit down and eat. I was starving when I arrived, but now, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to eat," I said.

"Take it home in a doggy bag," Bonnie said. "I'm going to hang here for a second until I text Bill and tell him what happened. He's going to be so worried."

I squeezed her hand and took Becky's and we joined the others at the table.

"We won't be needing a sitter tonight," I told Pen. "Our plans are canceled."

"I understand," she said. "We notified Stephanie what happened, and that Grant is being questioned."

"Is she coming here?"

"Not unless Grant is arrested. I doubt that will happen," Robert said.

"How are you doing, Edith?" I asked. "Does this put a crimp in your plans?"

"I don't think so. It sort of felt a little like when I was notified about Fred's death, but Ben was right beside me, holding my hand. It's like it happened to someone else, not me. I'm glad I didn't see anything though."

I did order a ribeye steak and salad, figuring I might eat the salad and take a couple bites of the steak and bring the rest home. Bonnie came to the table and sat next to Billy.

"I was right about Bill being worried. He's coming home tomorrow."

"He doesn't believe it was something aimed at you, does he?" Robert asked.

"Probably not, but since we don't really know anything, he wants to come home."

Our waitress came back and took Bonnie's order. When we were almost done with our meal, Grant came in accompanied by a trio of the security company guys, and a guy who almost had to be a detective he was so cliché. He came straight up to me after Grant pointed me out.

"Ms. Ford, I'm Detective Mark Hanson. Could you accompany me outside, please?"

"Certainly. I'm done anyway. Becky, make sure the rest of my steak gets bagged to go home."

"Okay."

I followed Detective Hanson outside. The truck and the body were both gone now. Most of the squad cars were gone. Only two were left, and they weren't flashing their lights any more. The limo had been moved away from the front of the restaurant.

"So have you figured out why that idiot was trying to kidnap a limo full of people all by himself?" I asked. "It didn't seem right."

"We don't think he was a kidnapper," he replied. "We think he was hired to carry out a hit."

"On the Tafts! Why?"

"Not on the Tafts; on you."

"Me! What did I ever do to anyone?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out."

"Why do you think it was me?"

"When we searched the man, we found a slip of paper on him, with your name, your address, and the number $10,000 dollars written beside it. Who wants to kill you?"

"I haven't got a clue. Who was he? What was his name?"

"His name was Stan Fremont. He's a pretty bad guy; had a rap sheet about twelve pages long, but mostly smaller, misdemeanor, stuff. Murder would have been a huge step up for him. Lives locally, just got released from jail about a week ago after serving a four month sentence for a petit theft crime."

"He just got released from the Lee County Jail?"

"Yes. Does that mean something to you?"

"See if he spent any time locked up with Ransom Ford."

"Is that your husband?"

"My soon to be ex-husband. I'm sure you heard about the news reports and the stink he made. He's in jail for grand theft and my attempted rape. He was recently offered a sweet plea deal contingent on his agreeing to a divorce petition, which he hasn't accepted yet. I thought it was just because he was being an obstinate asshole, but maybe he had some other plans that made divorce his least likely option. I wouldn't put it past him, that stupid fuck. To think he would endanger his own daughter by hiring an inept hitman, pisses me off no end. Fuck him. That plea deal is done."