The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max)

She stood with her parents and Fallon next to the gurney in the quiet room as the attendant pulled back the white sheet and stifled a sob.

Her mom's hand rested on Lark's shoulder as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her father looked terrible, his eyes a crimson shade of red, swollen, and puffy. How was this real?

Grady stepped closer and pressed his lips to his mother's forehead, "I'm so sorry, Mom. I should have been there to protect you. I should have gone for the walk with you and Lark. I should have protected my girls, and I didn't. I failed you, Mom. I'm sorry."

Lark looked away as her throat clogged, "it wasn't your fault."

"Grady," Everly cleared her throat. "You couldn't have stopped what happened. Her heart."

"He did it," Grady took a shaking breath. "He f*****g did it but I should have been there to stop him from even getting close to you."

"Dad, no."

Lark watched as he closed his eyes after cupping his mother's cheek one last time and then his shoulders shook as the attendant pulled the blanket back up. The way he broke down falling to his knees reaching for her hand under the blanket caused Lark's heart to shatter. Everly moved to him and wrapped her arms around him as he turned in her arms, his head against her belly as he sobbed.

Her father was the strongest man she knew and to see him like this was killing her. Fallon was not doing any better than Lark and they held each other as they watched their parents hold each other while all their hearts broke.

After a time, Grady got off his knees, accepting the tissues the attendant passed to him and then moved to hug Lark and Fallon.

"We need to go see how Gracie is making out in surgery," Everly whispered softly.

"And Sawyer," Grady cleared his throat and holding the girls close to his chest led them out of the quiet room, casting one last glance behind him. "f**k this is hard."

Lark couldn't agree more. As they exited the room, she saw Max waiting for her, and she noted his eyes were as red as hers. His fingers twitched at his sides as if he was struggling not to pull her away from her father and her bottom lip trembled as her own fingers itched to get tangled with his. Her breath caught in her throat, before she pulled away from her father and flung herself into his arms.

The scent of him was immediately soothing as he wrapped his arms around her tight, a mix of English and French words pouring in her ear as he hugged her to his chest.

"I'm so sorry, chère," his voice was muffled in her hair. He looked over her head, "Grady, I'm sorry."

Grady squeezed his shoulder, "we need to get back upstairs. The surgeons promised an update as soon

as they could." Max kept Lark tucked tight to his side as Everly and Fallon clung to Grady.

They made their way to the waiting room outside the surgical suite and Lark was surprised to see it packed to the gills with people. Ollie jumped over a row of chairs to grab her and flung her arms around her neck.

"Lark."

"Ollie," she whimpered as the tears started to fall again.

"Mrs. Hoffman," a man in a suit approached and spoke to Everly. "My name is Detective Perez. I'm sorry for the loss of your grandmother. I hate to bother you all here, but we need to get your statement. I thought I'd come to you," he waved the trio, "instead of asking you to come down to the precinct." "Are we in trouble?" Fallon asked. "We didn't do anything."

"No, no," the man shook his head. "Not in the least. We simply want to confirm what happened and who pulled the trigger. It's a formality. Nothing more. The hotel has incredible CCTV, and it will give us everything we need but we have to get your version of events."

Lark gave an exhausted shake of her head, "Me, mom and Nana," she gasped at the ache of it, "were coming back from a walk. Fallon and Gracie, my sisters," her voice cracked, "and Mori were coming back from their manicures and saw us and were waiting for us to reach them. Sawyer got there at the same time as the girls. We were laughing at his shoes," she sniffed as she wiped a tear. "He wore these god awful bright red Converse runners. Doug showed up out of nowhere. He said he saw," she looked over her shoulder at Max, "a news clip last night where Oona was exposed for trying to extort you. The paparazzi took photos of Ollie, Gracie and me in the hotel lounge and he recognized Gracie.'" "f**k," Max whispered quietly.

"Doug saw me with Gracie on the television and immediately thought Sawyer was collaborating with us against him." "Why?" the detective frowned.

"Doug is my ex-boyfriend. He cheated on me with his admin assistant in the workplace and I exposed them rather dramatically," Lark pushed her hair off her cheek. "I left him, and he wasn't letting go easily. He showed up at my house weeks ago and came at me in the yard. Max," she didn't want to say it. "I beat him up." Max said stepping forward. "I broke his jaw. He sued me. The reason we are in Houston was because we met with him on Monday morning to go over the settlement."

Grady spoke up, clearing his throat. "I was acting as their legal representative. Sawyer, the man who was shot, is an old adversary. Sawyer and my ex-wife Charlotte had an affair. Sawyer was representing Doug." "Then why was he there today?" the detective seemed confused. "I can't imagine he would be friendly with your wife and daughters.'

"When we arrived at the meeting Monday, Sawyer noted the physical similarities between our daughters. My ex-wife passed my biological daughter off as Sawyer's. Sawyer and I hadn't spoken in over thirty years. Needless to say, putting Gracie and Lark in the same room was eye opening. We conducted our business with Doug and when Doug left, Sawyer immediately revealed his thoughts. We got DNA testing this week and we've been getting to know each other." Grady coughed with emotion.

Lark spoke up again, "Doug saw the pic of me with Gracie in the hotel lobby and immediately thought Sawyer screwed him over."

"Was he?"

"Doug was paid out over a million dollars. He showed up at the hotel and was brandishing his gun asking for more. Nana Prue collapsed, and Sawyer tried to argue with him to let us get her help. Doug didn't agree. He said he was going to take me with him, and the Villeneuve family would pay him what he felt they owed and then he'd release me. He wanted fifty million. Sawyer protested and Doug shot him," her voice broke as tears welled in her eyes. "He just shot him. Right in the chest."

Mori spoke up, "then he was screaming trying to make Lark go with him. Gracie got mad and said he wasn't taking her sister. The minute she said sister, he freaked and shot her. Then the security came pouring out of the hotel."

"Why were you out without security?" the detective asked quietly. "I can't imagine your family goes anywhere without it." "I rarely have security with me," Lark whispered. "If we're not doing anything with the Villeneuve's we don't usually have a security detail."

"My detail," Mori spoke up, "was parking our car. It was only the three of us. We were traveling really light. I don't get as much press as my older siblings or my brothers. I texted my dad's head of security the minute he pulled a gun but from start to finish I don't think it was more than three minutes. By the time they got from the room they were meeting in," she shook her head, "it was too late."

"After that Doug was still screaming, I was going to give him what he was due, but they took him away." Lark toyed with her fingernails. "I lived with him for a full year and not once in all the time we were together did he ever even raise his voice. I don't even know who he is anymore. He shot two people because he wanted me to go with him and I wouldn't. I should have just gone with him."

"No." Grady argued and pulled her from Max into his arms, "and then I would have one daughter in surgery and another missing. He still would have fired the gun because he was always going to. He was angry at Sawyer for not divulging Gracie's possible relationship to our family."

The detective gave a nod and sighed, "for what it's worth, Miss Hoffman, I agree with your father, but I'll go one step further and say the minute you would have gone with him, he would have killed you. He didn't have anything in his personal vehicle which would suggest a kidnapping. No tape or ropes or anything of the like. My experience tells me he would have simply shot you regardless of whether money was forwarded to him. His anger and rage at you and your family removed his ability to think rationally." "He knew what he was doing," Grady argued. "Do not give him the ability to plead insanity. It's bullshit. He killed my mother, and my daughter and friend are fighting for their lives."

"Of course," the detective agreed. "I think I have everything I need. I do hope your daughter and friend pull through."

The man left and Lark leaned against her father.

"I'm sorry Dad."

"Lark, honey, it's not your fault. It really isn't."

"No." Johan spoke up from where he'd been sitting on a chair not speaking up, his head in his hands and his face towards the floor. "It wasn't her fault." He shot a furious glance at Max. "We all know whose fault it

is.'

Max appeared stunned as Johan's hate-filled glare focused on him. "What?"

"It's you, Max. You and your f*****g d**k and inability to control your emotions is what has my girlfriend in surgery. You were the one who beat up Doug because you couldn't control yourself around Lark. It was you who f****d around with Oona and made a spectacle not giving a s**t her face and the people around her were plastered all over the internet. Just for f*****g once, Max, if you could consider the fact, you and your f*****g d**k aren't the only two beings on the planet, it would be greatly appreciated." "Hey!" Max protested, "I am not at fault here."

"No. You never are," Johan stood up and walked up to Max and poked him in the chest, "if she dies, I'll never forgive you." "Johan," Lark gasped for breath.

He spun his gaze to Ollie who reached for him, and he slapped her hand away, "and you? You and your lies and your secrets. Your f*****g lover didn't do his damn job because you two decided to play games with Lark's life. You should have let Riggs manage the situation and instead you called your ex-lover for your own selfish needs. He let Doug off with less than a warning and it didn't even begin to dissuade Doug from approaching her because he knew if Doug bugged her, you would call him back. Once again, the f*****g Villeneuve family and their cohorts thinking only about themselves."' "Are you kidding me?" Ollie staggered backwards. "You're blaming me?"

"You and Max. Once again f*****g over our lives. If I were you Lark," Johan turned his eyes to her, "I'd walk away from him now. Once again, their inabilities to be decent human beings has put your life at risk. Last time he almost got you raped. This time almost shot. Your grandmother is dead and your sister," his voice was choked with rage, "is unlikely to pull through. Next time? Who knows what these assholes will do to you." He spun on his heel and walked out of the room leaving the room reeling.