“But you know him,” Mom reasoned. “You know you like him. Isn’t that half the battle?”
“I guess so,” I sighed, turned to check my appearance once more. “I guess this is happening then.”
“Only if you want it to, Ally,” Dad’s voice of reason chimed in once more. “If you’re not ready, then that’s okay too.”
“She is going,” Mom said, sounding almost determined. “She needs to learn how to live again. Needs to learn how to be happy.”
I let my eyes meet my dad’s reflection in the mirror, and I give him a reassuring smile. In my heart, I knew he was just worried, but part of me wondered if he thought that maybe it was too soon for me to be going on a date with someone else. If I was honest, there was a small part of me thought it was too soon. Especially given the fact we were currently hiding out in some stranger’s house because of my lunatic husband. This all seemed too much.
“I think I’m ready!” I announced as I turned to face my parents, giving them both a nervous smile.
“You look beautiful, Sweetheart,” Dad said, closing the distance between him and me, then kissing me on the cheek. “Jaxson is a very lucky man.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said, kissing him back on his cheek.
“Just promise me that you’ll be careful,” he said, reaching for my hands.
“I promise,” I assured him before I looked at my mom. “Everything is going to be alright, right?”
“Of course, it is,” she said with a smile as she came towards me, taking me by the shoulders before she ushered me towards the door, then towards the stairs. “You need to go have fun. You deserve it.”
As I made my way down the stairs, Jaxson appeared in the hallway. The moment he saw me, his whole face lit up with the most perfect smile.
“Wow!” He exclaimed as I reached the bottom, and he walked towards me. “You look… wow!”
“Is that a good wow or a bad one?” I giggle nervously.
“Oh, it’s good,” he quickly assured me. “Definitely a good thing.”
“Where will you be going?” Dad asked, giving us both a worried look. “You know, so that we know.”
“There is a little Italian restaurant down in the town called Gino’s,” Jaxson replied, giving my dad a reassuring smile. “I promise we won’t delay. We’ll have dinner, then come straight back.”
“Good,” Dad said with a nod, holding out his hand to Jaxson. “You take good care of her, Son.”
“I will, Sir,” Jaxson replied as he shook my father’s hand, and I had to resist the urge I had to roll my eyes. It was a date, not a marriage proposal. Talk about overreaction.
“We should get going,” I said, reaching for Jaxson’s hand, gently pulling him towards the door. “We don’t want to lose our reservation.”
“Sure,” Jaxson replied, as he allowed me to lead him out through the door, to a chorus of takes cares, drive safes and have fun, from my mother and father.
“Are you ready to do this?” Jaxson asked once we were in the car.
“I am,” I replied, then added with a cheeky smile. “Unless you’re planning another detour, in which case I should warn you, I think my Daddy has a shotgun, and he might come after you if you lead his little girl astray.”
“He’s just worried,” Jaxson laughs, knowing I was talking about the exchange he had with my dad a few moments earlier. “There is nothing wrong with having people who care for you.”
“I know,” I replied, smiling at him as he started the engine. “I’m just kidding.”
I know he’s right. I am very lucky to have so many people who care for me as they do. I have Jaxson, my mom, and dad, Travis; I even have Teddy.
Suddenly the thought occurred to me. Teddy hadn’t replied to my message.
As Jaxson eased the car carefully down the now icy driveway towards the gate, I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone.
I quickly pulled up my messages and opened the one I sent to Teddy. It was marked as delivered, but it didn’t say she had even read it, never mind answering it.
“Teddy hasn’t replied to my message,” I sighed as I glance over at Jaxson.
“She’s due back tomorrow, right?” Jaxson asked, and I can hear the tiniest trace of concern in his voice.
“Yeah,” I confirmed, recalling the last conversation I had with Teddy. “She’d said she was going to Hawaii with some guy and that she would be back the Monday after Thanksgiving.”
“Maybe she is too busy enjoying the last day of her holidays,” Jaxson offered, but I was still a little thrown I hadn’t heard from Teddy. Granted, I didn’t have a phone for her to contact me until today, but when I texted her, I explained what had happened and told her to call me as soon as she got the message. I wondered briefly if maybe she was sulking because it had taken me so long to contact her and fill her in.
“Maybe,” I shrugged, deciding to push Teddy from my thoughts for a couple of hours. This was mine and Jaxson’s first date, and I wanted to make it one for us both to remember.
When we reached the restaurant, the maître d' showed us to a quiet little table near the window, where Jaxson insisted on pulling out my chair for me himself.
The table was covered in a crisp white tablecloth, and in the centre, there was a small white candle, sitting inside a beautiful crystal goblet. The flickering flame against the crystal giving off a rainbow of different colours, making it look very pretty. Everything about this place was perfect.
“This place is gorgeous,” I said, smiling over at Jaxson as I pull my napkin from the table and placed it across my lap, as the sound of soft strings played quietly on the sound system.
“It is,” Jaxson replied, smiling too. “David recommended it.”
“The guy that owns the house, right?” I said as Jaxson poured us both a glass of red wine, though just a half glass for him, as he is driving.”
“Yeah,” he replied with a nod.
“How do you know him?” I asked, feeling a little curious.
“I did security for him,” Jaxson replied with a shrug. “He was having some difficulty with an ex. It was a couple of years ago.”
Suddenly a thought occurred to me. We were so caught up in each other that I never actually thought about what would happen when he got a new job. Maybe one that would take him to the other side of the country. He could be gone away for months, and then what. He’d move on somewhere else, and I would do what? Wait for him?
“Are you okay?” Jaxson asked, giving me a questioning look, clearly sensing something was wrong.
“Yeah,” I replied, forcing a smile on my face, but suddenly I felt very stupid and very sad.
Jaxson gave me a strange look, then opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the waitress came to take our food order.
Suddenly, I didn’t feel very hungry, but I ordered bruschetta for starters, and ravioli for dinner because I didn’t want Jaxson to know I was worried or upset.
When the waitress left us alone once more, I half expected Jaxson to push me more about my sudden change in mood, but he didn’t. Instead, he just picked up his wine and took a long sip.
He didn’t speak again until after the waitress returned with our starters.
“Do you miss living in New Jersey?” He asked me, surprising me with his question.
“I guess I sometimes do,” I replied as I picked at my food with my fork. “I mostly miss being close by Mom and Dad.”
“I can understand that,” he said, watching me closely like there was something on his mind too. “So, I guess you won’t be staying in DC.”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged without looking up at him. “I don’t know if it would be best just to go home…”
“What if I asked you not to,” Jaxson said, stopping me mid-sentence. “What if I asked you to stay in DC? What if I asked you to stay with me?”
“You want me to stay with you?” I asked, stunned by his question. I held my breath for a moment before I replied, knowing that wha
t I had to say, he wasn’t going to want to hear. “But you have your job; you wouldn’t have time for me…”
“What if I made time?” He said, giving me a nervous smile.
“How could you do that?” I asked, suddenly feeling a spark of hope ignite inside me.
“Well, I was thinking,” he began setting his glass down on the table. “Maybe it’s time for me to get out of the personal security business. I’m being head-hunted by a few really important people. They want me to take over as head of security for their companies. It would be a more stable gig, and the money, well the money would be pretty amazing actually. But it means I would work nine to five like a real grown-up.”
I smiled at his comment.
“We would have a few locations to choose from,” Jaxson continued. “Including DC if it were somewhere you wanted to stay. Or New York...”
“You would move to New York?” I asked excitedly, realising that would mean I was only just over an hour away from my parents.
“I would move to the ends of the earth to be with you, Ally,” Jaxson reached out and took my hand, just as his phone buzzed on the table, but Jaxson ignored it. Instead, he remained focused on me. “I meant what I said. I will do whatever it takes to make you happy.”
I smiled, but before I could give him an answer, the phone starts to ring again. This time Jaxson sighed, giving me an apologetic look as he glanced down.
“It’s Richie,” he said, as his apologetic look changes to one of concern. “I should take this.”
Jaxson picked up the phone, hitting accept, then bringing it to his ear.
“Richie,” he said simple then listened to the detective as he spoke. Suddenly a strange look appeared on his face, as his eyes met mine, and I knew something was very wrong.
Instantly, I sat forward, setting my napkin down on the table and watching Jaxson’s face closely.
“Fuck,” was all he said when he finally did speak. “Look, Rich, I can’t talk here. Give me twenty minutes to get Ally back to the house, then I will call you back.”
He said his goodbyes, then immediately waved at the waitress.
“Is everything okay, Sir?” She asked when she reached the table.
“I’m sorry, we need the bill,” he said to the girl before he returned his focus back on me. “We need to get home.”
“What is it?” I asked, my heart now pounding in my chest. “What’s happened?”
“I’ll tell you once we are home,” he said as he pulled a roll of money from his pocket, before putting down too much money on the table. “We can’t wait for the bill. We need to get you home now.”
Chapter 26
Ally
“Is everything okay with my parents?” I asked as Jaxson hurried us out of the restaurant.
“Your parents are fine,” he quickly replied as we stepped out into the cold night air. “I will explain everything when we get back to the house.”
“Why can’t you tell me now?” I asked, feeling more than a little bit irritated that once more, I was being rushed out into the night without being told exactly why.
“Because we need to get back to the house,” Jaxson replied, not slowing down or missing a step until he’d reached the spot where we had parked the car. He pulled opened the passenger door, then turned to look at me. “Now, please, just get into the car.”
“No,” I replied, feeling determined I was not going to be told what to do any longer. I held my ground and stared at Jaxson expectantly. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what Richie said.”
“Ally,” Jaxson sighed, and I knew he was trying to keep his temper in check. “Please.”
“NO!” I cried, feeling braver than I ever had before. This was my life, and I was done not being in control of it.
Jaxson sighed, looking like he knew he didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t believe it, I had stood my ground for the first time, and I won.
“Fine!” He exclaimed as he stepped back towards me. “But I want you to promise that you won’t freak out.”
“Just tell me,” I pleaded, but before he could say a word, my phone began to ring. Part of me wanted to leave it. Nothing mattered to me more, right at that moment than to know what Detective Monroe said to Jaxson. But then I remembered that the only person that had my phone number was Teddy, and there was no way I could ignore her. I needed to speak to her.
“I’m sorry,” I quickly say, looking at Jaxson as I reach into my bag and pull out my phone to see Teddy’s name flashing on my screen. “But it’s Teddy…”
“NO, WAIT!” Jaxson shouted, reaching for my phone, but it was too late.
I’d hit accept and had brought the phone to my ear.
“Teddy!” I exclaimed into the phone without even saying hello. “Where the hell have you been all day?”
“I might ask you the same question, Alexandra,” Jacob’s voice came back down through the phone.
Instantly, my breath caught in my chest; my heart hammered faster than it’s ever hammered before. I looked at Jaxson as tears pooled in my eyes. He didn’t need me to tell him who I was talking to. He already knew.
“Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused?” He asked, his voice as cold and vindictive as ever. “How many lives have you destroyed because you just couldn’t be a good wife?”
“Jacob,” I said, his name sounding almost foreign to me. “Why have you got Teddy’s phone?”
My eyes met Jaxson’s. He looked like he was beyond angry, and once more, I was the pathetic girl that was afraid that I’d somehow managed to get everything so wrong.
“This is all your fault, Alexandra,” Jacob hissed, his voice thick with venom. “What happened to Thatcher; what happened to Teddy; you brought this on them by being so selfish. I told you that I would never let you go, and I meant it. So, I will find every person that you’ve ever loved, and I will hurt them again and again until you come home where you belong. I give you my word.”
“What did you do to Teddy?” I cried, my stomach heaving. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?”
“Come home, Alexandra,” he replied calmly before he ended the call.
Without even thinking, I let out a soul-shattering scream before I threw the phone I was holding in a temper, smashing it into pieces on the ground.
“Ally!” Jaxson exclaimed as he hurried to me, quickly wrapping his arms around me, drawing me close to him. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay; I promise you.”
“NO!” I cried, pushing him away. “Nothing is ever going to be okay again. He… he hurt Teddy. He hated her, and now he’s hurt her because of me. He is never going to stop until he gets what he wants. He will never leave me alone.”
“None of this is because of you, Ally,” Jaxson tried to reason. “This is all him. You can’t let him back into your head now. That is exactly what he wants.”
“Don’t you get it!” I cried, pulling back from him. “I don’t care about me. I care about my parents, I care about Teddy and Travis, and I care about you. He is never going to stop until he has me back, and he will hurt you all, just to get to me. That is who he is.”
“And you think I’m going to let you go back there?” He asked, giving me a determined look, stepping back towards me once more as he took hold of my arms. “I will die before I let you go back to him.”
I stared up at him, having no clue what I was supposed to do now.
“Let me take you back to the house,” Jaxson asked, giving me a pleading look. “I promise you; I will tell you everything Richie told me, but I just want you out of this cold and back to the house.”
“Did he kill Teddy?” I asked, looking up into his eyes, just needing to hear the words, yes or no.
“No,” Jaxson replied. “But she is in the hospital, and it’s serious. Richie said she was found unconscious in her apartment an hour ago. A neighbour heard her screaming and called the cops. By the time they got there, whoever attacked her was long gone.”
I stared at him, my mind rac
ing with what Teddy must have gone through. It didn’t matter what Jaxson said, this was all my fault, and I was the only one who could make this right.
“Please, Ally,” Jaxson pushed once more. “Let me take you back to the house.”
“Okay,” I sighed, but then quickly added. “But only if you promise me that you will then take me back to DC. I need to see Teddy.”
“I really don’t think…” Jaxson began to protest, but I quickly stopped him.
“Jax, you can take me back,” I said, looking him in the eyes. “Or I will go alone. Either way, I need to go and see Teddy. This is my mess, and I need to make it right.”
Without waiting for his response, I walked past him towards the car, then climbed into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind me, waiting for him to join me
The drive back to the house was a quiet one. I knew that Jaxson was unhappy about me wanting to go back to DC, and if I was honest, part of me was terrified too, but I knew this was something I had to do. I was done letting Jacob win. Not this time.
“Ally, this is stupid,” my father tried to reason with me as I put my bag in the trunk of Jaxson’s car. “You going back there is giving Jacob exactly what he wants. Please, just think about this a little longer.”
When we got back to the house, Jaxson explained that Teddy had arrived home a day earlier than she was supposed to, though no one knew why yet. The cab had only dropped her off moments before the neighbour made the first 911 call, so they believed whoever attacked her, knew she was coming home had been waiting for her.
The neighbour gave a partial description of the man she saw leaving the apartment, and while it wasn’t a great one, it was enough for Richie to get another warrant to pick Jacob up for questioning once more, but so far, they still hadn’t located his whereabouts. He was now considered a prime suspect, and there was a B.O.L.O out on him.
Jaxson said Jacob appeared to have become unstable and considered to be dangerous. Even his parents and Lawyer had no idea where he was and were worried about his state of mind.
Monster Page 25