He looks a little worried and shakes his head. “This is most unusual, Miss. Johnson but by the looks of it, you were about to leave and I couldn’t let you go without telling you.”
“Telling me what?”
He clears his throat and fiddles with his tie as he whispers, “That you have been named in your father’s last will and testament.”
I feel a little surprised because my father never gave me anything other than the roof over my head and his sharp tongue. The attorney shifts uncomfortably. “This is most unorthodox but I implore you to attend the reading of the will.”
“When is it?”
My tone is sharp but I can’t help that. I’m struggling and need some fresh air because it feels as if my father is here in this very room.
“Monday, 9am sharp, in this room.”
“Here?”
I can’t believe my luck. So much for a fast getaway. “Yes, it’s a delicate matter but I need you to be present because it concerns you, among others, of course.”
Sighing, I nod. “Ok, I’ll be there.”
I turn to leave and he says sharply, “Miss. Johnson...”
He smiles. “It will be worth your while; I can promise you that at least.”
I say nothing and leave him standing there because I don’t trust myself to speak. Whatever my father has planned in death will not be to my advantage, that I’m sure of. Maybe I should just get out now while I still can because if I know my father, I will regret coming back.
The hallway is empty as I head toward the door and I almost make it before I hear, “You’ve got a nerve.”
I freeze on the spot and dig deep inside myself because I’d know that hideous drawl anywhere. Turning, I return the cool look she shoots me tenfold and sneer, “Look what the cat dragged in.”
She rolls her eyes. “I never left, what’s the matter, sis, you talking about yourself again?”
Just for a moment, we stare at each other with a hatred neither one of us can disguise. After a few tense seconds she snarls, “Don’t let me stop you from leaving, I just wanted to make sure you did.”
“And why is that exactly? I have nothing you want and neither do you.”
“Are you sure about that? I mean, last time we met, I had something you very much wanted. Shame he didn’t want you but that’s the luck of the draw.”
I feel the rage overpowering my reasoning but don’t give her the benefit of seeing it. Instead, I laugh softly, “From what I saw, he doesn’t want you either. Shame really, all that scheming and plotting for nothing. I mean, surely yours must be the longest engagement in history, what’s the matter, are you losing your touch?”
I see I’ve hit a nerve when she hisses, “How dare you come back here and say such vicious lies. Sebastian loves me and can’t wait to marry me. You’re just jealous because he chose me over you.”
Advancing toward her, I snarl, “Are you sure about that? I mean, did he really choose you, or was he made to choose you. I think there’s a difference and we both know which one really happened.”
She raises her hand and I catch it as she makes to slap me hard across the face. As I twist her arm, I relish the pain in her eyes as I sneer, “Look at how pathetic you are. So afraid for her failed relationship you’re worried that I’ll destroy the last shred of it now I’m back. Well, relax sis because I’m not staying and even if I was, I wouldn’t want him.”
Pushing her roughly back, I spin on my heels and head purposefully to the door and her bitter words follow me. “Keep walking, Angelica because nobody wants you here, they never did.”
Slamming the door behind me, I almost run down the steps and then as I reach the bottom, I could kick myself. I left my purse inside along with my cell. Great, now what?
Chapter 5
I just can’t face going back inside. Coming here at all was a huge test in itself and I need to leave before the shell I’ve protected myself in proves it’s not as hard as I thought it was.
Instead, I make my way around the side of the house to where I know I’ll be safe, the kitchen.
As I walk, I note that nothing has changed since I left. The flower borders are still weed free and manicured to the point of ugliness. I’ve grown to hate the perfection that man deems beautiful, to me it’s ugly and false. True beauty is in the most barren of landscapes. A lone plant clinging to life against the elements. Beauty can flourish in the hardest of places and that is, as its name suggests, the purest form of beauty. This contrived perfection sickens rather than pleases and I feel the stench of the past returning to suffocate me as I try not to look as I pass. By the time I reach the kitchen, I feel nauseous and just pray that Martha is the sole occupant.
Peering through the window, I see her working away as she’s always done. God only knows why she stays because surely, she would have a better life anywhere but here, but she’s loyal and I know would never leave my family. I tap gently on the window and she looks up sharply. A smile breaks across her face as she sees me peering in and she looks around her before heading across to the door. “Angelica, what are you doing out there?”
“Listen Martha, I need your help.”
She smiles and I don’t miss the curiosity in her eyes as I say quickly, “I’ve left my purse on my bed and wondered if you could fetch it. I’m sorry to ask but I won’t go back inside because I can’t risk seeing anyone.”
I know she feels bad because her face clouds with a pained expression and she shakes her head. “It’s not right, Miss. Angelica. You shouldn’t be afraid to go into your own home. Come inside and I’ll make you a hot drink and we can talk it through.”
I feel a little panicked because I need to leave before my resolve crumbles, so I say rather cruelly, “Don’t question me, Martha, I just need this one favor - please!”
I try not to feel bad as I see the hurt expression in her eyes. I can’t possibly take her up on her kind offer because a bit of kindness goes a long way with me at the moment and I don’t want to reveal that I’m way out of my depth here because the thing that scares me the most, is running into him, which is sure to happen if I went back inside. In fact, I think I’ve got off lightly so far and don’t want to push my luck, so I plead, “Please, Martha, I’m begging you.”
Nodding, she whispers, “Of course. Stay right where you are and I’ll be back before you know it.”
“No, I’ll meet you out the front. I need to be able to make a swift getaway if anyone sees me.”
Looking unhappy, she turns away and I breathe a sigh of relief. Thank god, I knew she would understand, she always did.
I make my way around the side of the house, retracing my steps and feel grateful that it’s starting to rain. Hopefully, the weather will keep the guests inside, giving me time to get the hell out of here. I don’t register that I’m getting wet and I don’t care that I’m shivering because it’s a small price to pay for freedom.
Standing under a tree to the side of the house, I wait for Martha and as I hear her footsteps approaching, I almost cry with relief. I just need my cell to call the cab and then I can go to a safe place to consider my options.
However, the person that comes into view makes my heart plummet like a lead weight. The shivers that wrack my body are no longer from the cold and the water on my eyes is not from the rain because, holding my purse and looking so incredibly angry is the one person I never wanted to see again, Sebastian Stone.
I hear the screams in my mind as I face my biggest fear. He prowls toward me like the predator he is and I can almost taste his anger in the air. He stops a few feet from me and holds out my purse, “Yours I believe.”
His voice is deep and husky as it always was. That voice used to send desire straight to my core because it’s the sound of power and of a man who demands respect. However, any respect I ever had for him was destroyed that day, so I step forward and snatch my purse from his hands and turn to walk away.
A hand on my arm stops me in my tracks and as I stumble, that same arm p
ulls me into a hard body and strong arms lock me in a prison I know I will struggle to free myself from. He leans down and his whisper sends shivers through my body as he says softly, “Going somewhere?”
Just for a moment my defenses are weakened and any smart retort I have been rehearsing for five years is forgotten in a heartbeat as the familiar feeling of being in his arms melts my heart and renders me an idiot. Then the memories resurface along with my anger and I push him sharply away, hissing, “Don’t touch me.”
The look on his face almost makes me laugh out loud because I’ve learned a lot in the past five years and my strength is one of them. He stumbles back under the force of my shove and I face him with my eyes flashing. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
He nods and I see a weariness in his eyes that tells me everything I want to know. He’s unhappy. Well, that makes two of us, so I start to walk away hoping that he takes the hint and stays put. However, he never could take a hint and I hear his footsteps follow me and he says in a dull voice, “You owe me an explanation at least. Is that too much to ask?”
Stopping suddenly, I spin around and look at him in disbelief. “I owe you nothing. You know, maybe once we were friends. Maybe once I would have owed you something but not now. You see, the day you turned your back on me and proposed to my sister, I think that pretty much canceled out any debt I ever owed you. In fact, come to think of it, you probably owe me, so fuck off, Sebastian and run back to the whore you call your fiancée and I hope you’ll both be very miserable because you deserve each other. Now if you don’t mind, I am a busy woman and only came to check that the bastard who called himself my father is actually dead and buried. Now I can go back to my family and live a happy life without any of you in it.”
I turn away before my voice reveals how close I am to breaking and he says, “Family?”
Just one word and yet I hear the many questions loaded in it. His sounds lost and slightly vulnerable which hurts me way more than it should. Not trusting myself to speak, I carry on walking and as I hear his footsteps walking in the other direction, I feel the tears running down my cheeks in rivers.
I make it out of the gate and onto the road outside where I intend on calling a cab before a car slows down beside me and the window winds down and I hear a voice shout, “Get in.”
I carry on walking and completely ignore him because Sebastian is obviously not taking no for an answer. As I walk, he crawls beside me and just knowing he is so close makes breathing difficult. After a few minutes, I stop suddenly and shout, “Just fuck off and leave me alone! I don’t want anything from you.”
“Listen, I’m going nowhere so you may as well jump in. This will be over a lot quicker if you just let me take you where you’re heading and then I promise I’ll leave you in peace.”
Maybe it’s because I’m cold and my feet are starting to hurt that I give in so quickly and say angrily, “Fine, but you can take me straight to the cab office in town. I don’t want to spend a minute more with you than I need to.”
I don’t miss the triumphant gleam in his eye as I climb inside the passenger seat and edge as close to the door as possible. Being in such close proximity to the man I ran from is the hardest thing I have ever done, so I stare pointedly away from him and clutch my purse to my chest as if it’s a shield that will protect me from him.
I don’t miss that he turns the heater on high and feel grateful for the warm jets of air that caress my body breathing new life into it.
I try to focus on the speeding landscape outside as he says softly, “We need to talk—properly.”
“I have nothing to say.”
“Maybe not but I do.”
Shrugging, I say dully, “I don’t want to hear it.”
As the car eats up the distance, I try to focus on anything other than the situation I’m in and can’t believe that I’m here at all. Then, just when I think he’s given up and is actually going to leave me alone, he pulls the car to the curb sharply and locks the doors.
Chapter 6
Frantically, I try to unlock the door but the bastard obviously has total control of them because he says firmly, “I’ve waited five years to say what I want to say and you will listen.”
“I will listen, how dare you. I won’t listen to a word you speak from that lying mouth of yours because I know everything I need to already. Did you not agree to marry my sister?”
He nods but I see the fire in his eyes as he snaps, “I had to.”
“Had to!” I laugh bitterly. “Well honey, had to doesn’t cut it. You know, maybe once I would have believed your lies. Maybe once I could have forgiven you for them and maybe once I would have been happy to be locked in this car with you but not now.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I’ve moved on. You see, Sebastian, once upon a time this little princess thought you were her Prince Charming. She believed you when you crawled into her bed at night and spoke about a life filled with happy ever afters. She was impressed by the man who warmed her heart during the darkest storm and she would have believed anything you said. However, this fairy tale didn’t have a happy ending. The wicked king put paid to that and altered everything. I mean, where does it say in the fairy tales that the Prince marries the ugly sister because I must have missed that one? So, whatever you have to say doesn’t matter anymore. I have a new life and a new family. People who love me and a place to call home. So, be a good boy and drop me where I want to go because I don’t want to hear it.”
“Where do you want to go, I’ll take you there?”
I feel surprised that he’s already given up trying and a little disappointed as I say roughly, “I told you, the cab office in town.”
“No, I’ll take you home to your—family.”
I see his eyes flash and realize he’s testing me and I feel the irritation prickling inside as I snap, “If I told you where I lived, I’d have to kill you.”
He smirks and I say angrily, “I could kill you, Sebastian, in fact, I’m close to it now.”
He is almost laughing as he shakes his head. “And how would you do that I wonder? Is there a samurai sword in your purse, or a gun perhaps? Hmm, maybe not because that purse looks fit for a handkerchief and nothing more. Maybe you will karate chop me into oblivion or bore me to death because if I remember rightly, you couldn’t even punch yourself out of a paper bag.”
Just for a moment, I let his words sink in and he turns on the ignition and drawls, “So, come on, Angelica, why don’t you take me home to meet your new perfect family?”
I want to smash his head against the window and remove that smirk from his mouth with my fists. I want to head butt him into the afterlife and cut off his balls but instead, I preserve my dignity and say calmly, “The cab office will be fine, thank you.”
It surprises me when he nods and pulls away from the curb in the direction of the town. No words are spoken as the car eats up the distance and he even flicks on the music to disguise the awkward silence. I try to relax feeling astonished that it was so easy. Then as he pulls into the parking space outside the cab office, I am more surprised that he doesn’t stop me from leaving the car.
As I slam the door on the past, I’m not sure of the future. He gave up on me—again. It’s what I wanted, wasn’t it? As I walk into the cab office, I tell myself I’m glad he did, however, the only person I’m fooling is myself because suddenly it feels as if I’ve lost him all over again and it hurts like hell.
It doesn’t take long to book a cab and start the journey to my temporary home. As I reel off the address, the driver looks surprised. “Are you sure, honey?”
“Of course, I’m sure.”
He hesitates and then says with a curiosity I’m used to hearing, “It doesn’t feel right taking a young girl like you there.”
“Maybe not but it’s where I want to go. Why is that so difficult?”
He falls silent and I know he’s concerned. Like most of our safe houses they are protected by tales of ter
ror that keep everyone away. However, as I sink back in my seat, I can’t wait to get there. To get to a place where I feel safe and secure. A place that will allow me space to breathe and work out my next move. I need this time because I can’t leave before hearing my daddy’s will and I’ll need the following days to build up a strength that has been tested so severely today.
As we turn off the main highway down the dusty track, I feel comforted by the bumps over the rough terrain. The trees that line the route offer seclusion and a distance from a civilization that would never understand the life I now live.
The driver interrupts my thoughts and says in a worried voice, “I’m sorry, honey but you should know the same car has followed us the whole way.”
“And you’re just telling me that now?”
I feel angry because there are no prizes for guessing whose car that is and I say angrily, “I wish you had told me and we could have shaken him. Now he knows where I live and everything’s ruined.”
The driver shakes his head. “Then whoever’s driving is a fool.”
“You’re right about that.”
Once again, the tears threaten to reveal how fragile I am and I feel the despair overwhelming me. He can’t come here; I need to be alone. The trouble is, he knows where I’m going now because this road leads to only one place. Hell.
Chapter 7
We draw up outside a wooden cabin in the heart of the forest where the track runs out. The car behind me comes to a halt behind us but I don’t care anymore. He can deal with the consequences of following me by himself because he won’t like what he finds.
The driver waves away the dollars in my hand and says fearfully, “On the house.”
Placing it carefully on the seat beside me, I say gently, “Thank you, this is your tip.”
He makes to speak and I smile reassuringly. “Please - it will make me happy.”
He nods and I can tell he wants to leave as quickly as possible and I can see why because parked outside the cabin is a beast on two wheels. To everyone else the emblem on the side promises pain and retribution. It’s unforgiving and takes no shit just like the man who rides it. I’m surprised at who they sent but not unhappy about it. How can I be because he is just the man I want to see right now and I scramble out of the cab desperate to run into the comfort his arms provide.
Completing Beauty: Books 1-3 Page 3