Kissing Mr. Bradley

Chapter 35

I was brought full circle with Bradley & Sons.

The one place that had become the start of a chapter had soon become the end of part one of my story. Ethan was in hiding and Ezra and I had plans to leave the city behind, at least for the moment.

In Ethan's office, the space was just as he had left it but the loss was great and could easily be felt the moment I stepped in.

I packed up some of Ethan's personal belongings with Ezra standing close behind.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

I was in the middle of gently placing Ethan's certificates in a box when he asked me. I was so focused on the task at hand I didn't realize I was showing signs of emotion.

I shrugged. "I'm fine," I said honestly. "I'm not sure how I feel about leaving the business."

"Trust me," he said. "The business will be fine."

I trusted his words and remembered what Ethan had said. They weren't after the business itself. They were after the family behind it. Donna wanted her family dead and now that I was associated with the Bradley's, she wanted me dead too. I had no choice. If I wanted to stay alive, I would have to leave the city for a while.

"What if she comes back?" I asked, referring to Donna. I couldn't say her name. It left a terrible taste in my mouth.

Ezra tried to find the right words to say. I wondered if he also thought about the possibility of his mother returning. If there was one thing I learned about Donna Bradley, it was that she always came back to finish what she started.

"Let's take it by day," he said before kneeling down beside me and taking one of Ethan's certificates in his hand. "My brother was clearly an overachiever."

He looked down at the many awards his brother had earned throughout the years in the agency, college and high school. The smile on his face soon faded into a tight line. He referred to his brother in the past tense and I picked up on it. The guilt raised within me but I kept Ethan's word close. It was for our own good. We had to keep him safe and pretend as if he was already dead.

I packed up the last of Ethan's prized possessions including a signatured baseball and a picture of Bronwyn.

Ezra cleared his throat. "Are you ready?" he asked.

The office door crept open before I could give him my answer.

I couldn't have been any happier to see Maudie. She was the bright light in the darkest of times. Aside from Ethan, I was going to miss her terribly.

"I'm just one phone call away," she said.

I pulled her into my arms and held her tight.

"Thank you," I said. "For everything, Maudie."

Ezra put his hand on her shoulder. "Let us know if you need anything," he said.

Maudie promised to keep us up to date with Bradley & Sons.

"Before I leave," she started. "Someone would like to say their goodbye."

Ezra took a big step in front of me as if he was on guard. He didn't want to take any chances and the paranoia of events that had happened to us was slowly taking a toll on him.

Katherine walked in.

Ezra let down his guard and his shoulders relaxed again.

"Hi," she said, her voice just a whisper. She was still as beautiful as ever, even with the scratch above her brow and the cast around her arm from when she was nearly murdered.

"Katherine," I started. "What are you doing here?"

"I know I should be resting," she said. "But I heard you were leaving the city."

"We can't risk staying here," Ezra explained. "We'll be staying at the Bradley Estate where my father lives. Donna can't come close to us there. Surprisingly, it's the safest we'll be."

"I understand," she said. "You have to do what's best for you."

"For all of us," I corrected her.

Her eyes sparkled with tears.

"Ethan," she said softly. "I wish I could've said my goodbyes while he was still here."

The guilt of knowing the truth about Ethan, that he wasn't dead, continued to rise.

All I could do was hold Katherine in my arms.

I could tell Ezra had had enough. He grabbed a drink from the bar and took it within seconds.

"Katherine," he said as he caressed the back of her head. "We should be leaving now."

"Of course," she said, wiping away her tears. "Please, find me when you come to visit."

I squeezed her hand. "I promise."