Chapter 103: Embezzlement documents
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Clicking on the next one, I saw an old newspaper article about a fatal fire in downtown Seattle. The owners of Tuffin Aerospace were killed in the late-night house fire. Their daughter, lynn Tuffin, age four was staying at their nanny's residence on Birch Street. That's where my parents live!
My hands shook so badly that I nearly dropped the phone and Drake was right there to hold me, but I didn't want him to. I wasn't angry with him, but I needed my space. I felt like I couldn't breathe. My entire life had been a lie and I had no control over it.
I inhaled a deep breath and kept going. The next document showed the adoption papers for lynn Tuffin and the Martinez. I didn't want to believe it when Luis blurted it out only moments before, but it's obviously true. It's right here on a legal document.
I clicked back to the embezzlement documents and looked again to see that my dad had taken the $600k from Tuffin Aerospace. My head spun and I felt like vomiting.
This time, I dropped the phone and lunged to my feet as I began to pace back and forth in front of the guys. Tears filled my eyes as everything hit me at once and then I dropped to my knees and shook. It felt like someone had pulled a rug from underneath my feet and there was no solid ground to stand on.
"Shit, lynn." Drake ran to me and dropped to his knees in front of me before he cupped my face in his hands and forced me to look at him. "Hey, I've got you."
I let out a small sob and reached up to grab his wrists as I stared deeply into his eyes. I knew he had me. Why else would he do all of this? He clearly didn't trust them and took matters into his own hands. What would have happened if he didn't do this?
"I know," I whispered.
"I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again, lynn."
My bottom lip trembled as I crawled into Drake's lap and buried my face into his neck.
"Thank you," I whispered against his neck.
His arms wrapped tightly around me as he kissed the top of my head. Being in his arms after everything that I just found out was so comforting. The last few days have wreaked havoc on our relationship and I hated that I got so angry with him. He was clearly just looking out for me.
Fuck, I love this man.
"Now that you know, what are we going to do?" Luis asked, breaking the silence in the room.
I tried to straighten my thoughts. What the hell were we going to do? I had no idea how to go after any of them? What was the next step? And then one face popped into my head and I knew I could trust him.
I got out of Drake's lap and went to grab my cell before I returned to the living room. My eyes locked on Drake's and I knew how he felt about this guy, but there was no one else I could trust in the city.
I dialed Micky's number and stared into Drake's eyes as he answered.
"Micky, it's lynn. I need your help. Can you come to my hotel? It's urgent."
"Everything okay?" He asked, sounding worried.
"I'm fine, but it's very urgent. Please hurry."
"I'll be there in ten minutes. Text me the location." He hung up and I did as he asked, texting him the hotel name and room number.
Then I looked back into Drake's eyes and saw his jaw tighten.
"I had to," I admitted, but he said nothing.
"Okay, who is this Micky guy and why does Drake look like he's going to fucking kill someone?" Luis asked.
I turned to my best friend and sighed. "Micky is a friend from high school who was in love with me. Nothing happened between us. Drake met him yesterday at the BBQ when the officers arrived."
Luis's brows rose as he looked at Drake. "And you're jealous? Wait, is he that hot guy I met when I came to see you in the hospital? The man in uniform?"
Drake's jaw tightened again as he stood up. "See?! Of course, I'm jealous! The guy is still clearly in love with her!"
"He is not!" I shrieked as I glared over at my best friend. Is he trying to make it worse?! "This is not the time or place to get all jealous again. We have bigger problems at hand and I trust Micky. He's also in law enforcement. He'll know what to do next."
His jaw tightened again as he looked away from me, and Luis helped the situation.
"Look at it this way, Drake... If Micky truly is still in love with her, then we know we can trust him. He wouldn't want to hurt lynn."
Drake growled and I hated that he was hurting again. I walked up to him and grabbed his face, making him look down at me.
"Listen to me, Drake. I love you. Not anyone else. When this is all over, we'll have a nice long conversation about everything. I'm not giving up on you or us. But please hold your tongue because I need you right now." Tears burned my eyes as I blinked them away.
His expression softened as he grabbed my face and kissed me hard. Then he pressed his forehead against mine and we stayed like that for several long minutes.
"Okay, lynn, you win. I'll play nice."
"Thank you, now let me go get dressed before Micky gets here." I stepped away from him and went to our bedroom, shutting the door behind me.
But when I got in there, I slumped down on the end of the bed and started crying. I put my hands over my face and cried until I couldn't breathe. My parents are supposed to protect me from all harm, yet they're the ones causing the most! I had so many unanswered questions and it took everything I had not to call my mom right now to accuse them and demand answers.
