Sweet Little Lies

by Hollyfield, J. D.

  I’ve never felt so out of control in my life. My palms begin to sweat. This is all my fears coming to life. I can’t bear to watch my best friend fall apart. But what it concludes is Hazel is still up there.

  I need to get to her.

  Adrenaline floods my system as I rush past the officer. My heart pounds when I enter the apartment building. Instinct has me racing up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I have no idea where I’m going, but I follow the commotion until I’m barreling through an apartment door littered with police.

  “Excuse me, you can’t be—”

  “Hazel Winters! Where is she?”

  He doesn’t need to answer me. My attention locks down the narrow hallway, which is condensed with medical staff and low hanging heads. Just across the bedroom door threshold, I see a white sheet, fragments of blood splatter painting the floor. God, please, no. My adrenaline surges, and I almost vomit. I choke on the saliva thickening in my mouth. I don’t realize I’m moving until I’m plowing through the bedroom door.

  Any life in me drains from my face as my eyes become rooted to the spot where a covered body lies. I start to shake, unable to speak or ask anyone if it’s my beautiful little bird under that stained blanket. I stumble backward, clenching my knuckles to my mouth, incapacitated with fear. It can’t be her. It can’t be.

  “Gabriel…”

  My head whips to the center of the room at the sound of my name. Her voice. Hazel is sitting up in the bed, surrounded by medical staff.

  “Hazel.” My voice cracks. My heart is in my throat as I run to her, dropping to the floor next to her. “Jesus, are you okay? Tell me you’re okay?” I’m frantic for a response. I aim my anxiety at the medic by her side. “Fucking someone answer me!”

  Hazel erupts into a fit of agonizing sobs. I turn back to her and grab her hand. “Shhh, it’s going to be okay.” I’m going to kill that motherfucker.

  “Sir, we’re gonna need some space. We need to take care of her.”

  Hazel trembles under my grip. “What’s wrong with you? Are you hurt? Did that motherfucker…” I can’t bring myself to ask.

  “No. He… he just drugged me. I woke up naked, but they don’t think… I don’t have any signs of—”

  She breaks down again, slicing my heart to shreds.

  The paramedic finishes for her. “She appears unharmed. But she may have a substantial amount of Rohypnol in her system. We have an IV going, but we need to take her to the hospital and get her checked out.”

  Unharmed.

  Unharmed.

  Unharmed.

  The word rings in my ears until I let it sink in that she’s okay. I lean over, pressing desperate kisses against her hand.

  “Sir, we’re going to need you to step aside and let us do our—”

  “I’m not fucking going anywhere. You do what you need to do, but I’m not leaving.” My voice is stern and terrifying. The medic backs down instantly. Smart man.

  “She still needs medical attention. We need to bring her down—”

  I don’t let him finish. I stand, scooping Hazel up in my arms, ignoring the stretcher waiting for her. “Sir, we can… just… please be careful, she has an IV in.”

  I growl at him, and he backs down. Snatching the bag of fluids, I hold her as if she’s fragile glass. Her head rests on my shoulder, and she trembles in my arms. Her hands lock around my neck, and her sobs soak my shirt.

  I walk her down the three flights of stairs until we bust out into the commotion of the night. I search the crowd for Heath, but he’s nowhere in sight. The medic instructs me to follow him, and just as I’m placing her in the ambulance, Heath appears.

  “Hazel, baby.” Heath shoves me out of the way, and as much as I want to fight him, I know this is where I have to step back. “What’s wrong with her? What did he do to her?” he barks, scaring the paramedic.

  “Daddy,” Hazel erupts into another fit of tears, and her father jumps into the ambulance to comfort her. She’s too much of a mess to answer.

  “They say she’s fine aside from being drugged,” I say, replying faster. I look at my best friend…or former best friend. “How’s… Violet?” I ask. Instead of anguish, I see relief.

  “She’s fine. Most of it wasn’t her blood. Motherfucker hit her with a gun.” He doesn’t say anymore and turns his back to be with his daughter.

  Just before the doors close, he turns to me. “Please stay with Violet. You owe me that.” Before I can say anything else, the doors shut.

  I don’t leave Violet’s side. She bites off the heads of anyone trying to convince her to take a ride in the ambulance and get her checked out at the hospital, claiming she spent enough time in that place. And I can’t help but laugh, understanding why Heath fell so hard for her.

  I finally step in, going into business mode, and threaten to sue the entire city if they don’t back off and help escort her to the car. We drive in silence to the hospital. Even though she’s trying to act tough, there’s no hiding her trembling. When we make it to the emergency room, we’re met by a nurse, only to be told to sit in the waiting room.

  Time passes like molasses waiting for an update.

  “He just needs time.”

  Violet’s voice pulls me out of my slump. I lift my head out of my hands. “Excuse me?”

  “Heath. He just needs time.”

  “No, I think he knows damn well exactly how and where he’s going to bury me.”

  She laughs. But I don’t find any of this humorous. “And if he did that, his daughter would hate him for sure. And that’s something he definitely can’t live with.” Now, she has my attention. I look at her, wondering where she’s going with this. “It’s just a messy situation all around. If he kills you, it’ll kill Hazel. Not sure anyone would win.”

  “And let me guess, you’re just like Hazel, thinking everything has a happily ever after.”

  She smiles, offering me a slight shrug. “Sounds about right. Sometimes we don’t get to choose who we love. Heath should know that more than anybody. Hazel loves you, and that’s what should matter the most. Can I ask you a question?” I nod. “Do you love her back?”

  “Does it matter anymore?”

  Before she has a chance to respond, a nurse comes out, calling for us. We both jump out of our seats and push through the door as she leads us to Hazel’s room. I start to slow when I see Heath standing outside her room, talking to a doctor.

  “And the boy?”

  “Superficial wounds. He should be discharged later today.” Heath shakes his hand. “Thanks, Doctor.” He turns, instantly scooping Violet into his arms. “You’re in so much trouble, naughty girl.” He nuzzles his face into her, kissing her.

  “I couldn’t sit and do nothing.”

  “I know. The cop said if you hadn’t gotten there when you did…” He hugs her tighter to him, reining in his emotions. “I love you,” he whispers against her lips. He pulls away, his eyes finding mine, his tenderness gone.

  “I’m only letting you in there because she threatened me. Say what you have to say and then leave. You have five minutes,” Heath hisses as Violet goes for his nipple and pinches. “Jesus, woman. Gentle.”

  “Take me to the cafeteria. I forgot how lovely the Jell-O is here.” Heath spanks her ass, and without another glance my way pulls her toward the opposite direction.

  I, on the other hand, stand there, frozen in place. What the hell is wrong with me? I battle the scariest CEOs, world leaders, cold sons of bitches, but suddenly I’m nervous about walking into a room and going up against a petite little blonde with almond eyes and an attitude.

  “Shit.” I swipe my hands through my hair. I probably look like a battered piece of shit—

  “I know you’re out there.” Her voice seeps into my eardrums, and my feet move on their own accord. She’s sitting up in bed, too pale for my liking, her eyes swollen. She’s been crying.

  “How are you feeling, Hazel?”

  She looks back at me like a wound
ed bird. “So, I’m just Hazel now?”

  I take the seat next to her bed. I want to grab her hand and kiss the inside of her wrist, but I refrain. “I don’t know what you are right now. I’m not sure you can be anything to me.” This time, I do reach for her hand, but she pulls away. “Don’t do this. You knew this was our fate. I’m not the one for you, little bird.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says the universe. All the odds stacked against us. This isn’t my doing, but it’s what I have to do. I need to be a better man and let you go.”

  “Then why’d you come here? To hurt me more? You can tell yourself whatever you need to make yourself feel better, but you’re starting to sound like a broken record. You may have to work this hard to convince yourself, but don’t bother trying to feed me these lies. So, come on, say what you have to say and then leave me alone and let me mourn the loss of something at least I can admit I would have never stopped fighting for.”

  I try again for her hand, but she rejects me a second time. “How about I start by telling you where you’re wrong. I’d fight this battle and destroy anyone who got in the way. I’d burn down the world to be with you. God, the things I would do…” I pause, wiping at my bruised face, then capture her gaze so she truly understands. “But I won’t destroy him. I value him too much, and if it means severing this bond, slicing my heart in two, and letting you go, then it’s what has to be done. You’re not the only one who fell in love, little bird. I, the beast, fell for the beauty. ”

  I hate when she fucking cries. “Then stay. Let’s fight this together. My dad will understand. We won’t give him a choice.”

  “And I won’t put him in the position to have to.” She rips her eyes away from mine. “Hazel, please look at me.” I’ve never begged a woman for anything, but I would sell my soul to the devil for her to just give me her attention.

  “My dad said five minutes. Time’s up. Leave.” She aims her gaze at the window, refusing to look at me. Her tears fall down her beautiful face. I ache to capture each one, but I’ve done enough damage. Without another word, I do as she asks.

  My shoes eat up the floor as I storm out of the hospital. I grab for my phone, calling my assistant. “Winston, set up all the meetings in London. Let the Stockton investment buyers know I’ll be moving my office there for the next six months. Have them prepare—”

  “So, you’re just going to leave?”

  I turn around, finding Heath right behind me.

  “It’s what’s best,” I reply.

  “For who?” He stares at me, waiting for an answer I don’t have. “Just tell me why you did it.”

  “I already told you.”

  “Tell me again, asshole.”

  I disconnect my call without another word and shove both hands in my pockets. Sighing heavily, I give him the confession he demands. “Like a moth to a flame, she was this bright light that brought happiness into my life, and I just couldn’t stop. The more I resisted her beautiful glow, the more she got to me. I did what I did, knowing, in the end, I’d be the one to go up in flames. But I also did it knowing that for once in my life, I would finally get to know what being at peace felt like.” I think about her smile. The way her laughter could wipe my entire shit day clear of negativity. The way she ate her food like a little bird. How feisty she gets when she’s tired or hungry or horny. How breathtaking she is when she sleeps or stares off into the world as if no one’s watching. How she fills a part of my heart that I never knew existed. “I guess you could say the beast fell for the beauty.” With that, I turn around and start walking to my car, but his voice stops me.

  “I’ll never forgive you for this.”

  I turn back. “I don’t expect you to.”

  “You ever fucking hurt her, they’ll be looking for pieces of your body in every state.”

  “I told you I’ll stay—”

  “So much as one fucking tear.”

  “Heath—”

  “I’m not fucking done, asshole! My daughter is resilient. With time, she would find a way to pick herself back up and move on from this. But I also know how strong-willed she is, and having her resent me for the rest of her life is not something I can live with.” He takes a moment, gathering his thoughts. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for her.”

  I’m not sure what he’s getting at, but hope resurfaces in my chest. “I love her,” I tell him, hoping he understands the severity of how far I would go for her.

  “Save it, man. I can’t even stomach to hear that shit right now. I need to see my baby girl stop crying for a goddamn second. Make that fucking happen.” He turns around, grumbling, “Asshole,” under his breath, and walks back into the hospital.

  Hazel

  The doctor has signed off on me being released today. On the outside, I’m good to go—no physical wounds. Evan didn’t rape me, thank God. On the inside, though, there’s so much wreckage, it almost seems impossible I’ll make it out of this alive. My heart is shattered into a million devastated pieces. There’s this cold darkness in its place. Regret, anger, depression. They now fill the void of a man who once held my heart.

  “Hey, baby girl.” Dad walks in with Violet at his side. “Are you ready to go?”

  I slide off the bed and grab the medication sheet the doctor prescribed me. Antidepressants, Xanax—basically everything to put me into a zombie-induced state. Hopefully, my mind will forget the reality I’m living in.

  “Yeah, I’m good,” I lie, refusing to make eye contact with Dad. Violet steps forward, comforting me as we walk out of my room. Even though she’s been nothing but supportive, I can’t rid myself of this dull resentment I have toward her—the bitterness that she gets to have the happily ever after.

  “Sorry, kiddo, it’s mandatory you be wheeled out,” Dad says.

  I barely acknowledge him as I take a seat, my eyes glued to the ground. Tile after tile, I count them as I’m wheeled down the hall. That’s the only thing I can do, count each one to distract my mind. Because when I leave here, I’ll have nothing.

  “Hazel, I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but from this point forward, you need to make better decisions,” my dad starts, and I bite the inside of my cheek, fighting back the tears. “You need to really evaluate your future and decide what’s best for you. I love you and won’t let anything or anyone harm you or get in the way of your happiness. Because that’s what I want—you to be happy.”

  I don’t reply. His words feel like needles probing into my skin as tears start to fall down my cheek. I bite my cheek harder, so I don’t tell him to go to hell. My lips stay closed as we push through the hospital doors.

  “Just remember, I’m always there for you if you need me. If anyone doesn’t treat you like you deserve…” His words trail off, and my breath hitches.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, my brow furrowing. “What are you doing here?’

  Gabriel, dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a dark blue polo, pushes off his SUV and takes two steps toward me. Dad stops pushing me and leans forward, whispering in my ear. “I mean it, baby girl, make good choices. And always know I’m here for you.” He stands straight, takes Violet’s hand in his, and begins to walk toward the parking lot. “Fucking asshole,” he grumbles under his breath as he passes Gabriel. Gabriel smiles, waits until my dad and Violet are out of earshot, then sticks out his hand.

  “Let’s go, little bird.”

  “What do you mean? What’s going on?” My brain stutters as I take him in, every glorious inch of him. Is my mind playing tricks on me? Is he really here? For me? I struggle to inhale, exhale—anything—until he explains what’s going on.

  “It’s exactly what it looks like. I’m taking you back to your cage.”

  My eyes widen. “Wait—what do you mean? What about my dad?”

  He doesn’t wait for me to stand and scoops me into his arms. “Let’s just say if I ever go missing, no one is to come looking for me.” I draw in a quick breath, and Gabriel
freezes mid-step. “Are you okay? Are you sore? Should we go back in and have a doctor check you out?”

  “No. Jesus, no, don’t take me back in there. Gabriel, what happened?”

  He laughs, holding me with one strong hand while opening the passenger door. “I’ve officially turned in my Dom card and have submitted to not just one, but two people, for the first time in my life.”

  I wait for him to continue, not understanding what he’s getting at. He laughs again, settling me in the seat and buckling me in. He pauses and looks up at me, suddenly completely serious and sincere. “I got down on my knees and bowed down to a man and begged to have his daughter. I told him I was in love with her and would spend every second of my life, making sure she felt that love and security. I told him I would probably never let her out of my sight, and she would most likely feel smothered and leave me in the end anyway, but until that day came, I’d cherish every single second of her.”

  My tears are wild, falling in waves. “And what did my dad say?”

  “He threatened my life in the most creative ways, then he called me an asshole and gave me his blessing…in not so many words.”

  Hope blooms inside my chest. Is this real? I can’t keep up with the tears. Gabriel lifts his hand to wipe at my cheek. “And who is the second person you submitted to?” I ask.

  He leans forward gently and softly kisses my lips. “This little blunt spitfire of a woman. I plan on clipping her wings so she can never fly away from me. Then I’m going to get down on my knees and let her know just how much I’m in love with her. If she still loves me and still wants me, she has me. If it takes giving up control just to have her, I’ll tell her it’s already hers. I’d kneel for a lifetime just to have her.”

  “Oh, Gabriel.” I wrap my arms around his neck, probably choking him. “I do. I always will.” He finds my eager mouth and grants me his lips. It feels like it’s been a lifetime since I’ve felt him against me. “So, what happens now?” I ask. I must be a glutton for punishment. Any time I’ve asked this question, it’s brought me nothing but pain.