El looked up from her laptop and smiled at me. “Hey, yourself.” She paused and cocked her head to the side as she heard Logan and Brody talking. “Is that Brody... is he actually talking?” she asked with a shocked look on her face.
“Yeah.” I laughed at her confusion. “Apparently him and Logan are old army buddies.”
“Huh,” she mused. “What a small world.”
“Where’s Q?”
“Her office,” she replied as she began packing up her stuff. “She wants to stay for another hour or so. I was going to ask you if Brody could stay with her and drive her home after? We could wait till she gets back to go out?”
“Sounds good. I’ll sort it out.” I walked around the desk and took her bags from her. We checked in with Quinn on our way out and left her in Brody’s capable hands.
72. Ellerslie
“Quinn just text me,” I told Lawson. “She wants a dress from the apartment.”
He rolled his eyes. “Tell her to wear one from the house.”
I bit down on my lip and scrunched up my nose. “I actually wouldn’t mind getting my red dress too.”
He huffed out a breath and changed lanes to head towards our apartment.
I giggled. “Thanks, cowboy.”
“Wish you’d just move in already,” he mumbled under his breath.
We were a few minutes from the apartment. It wasn’t too cold outside now and it seemed silly to drive into the underground parking area for nothing. “Just park out front and I can just run up,” I told Lawson.
“I don’t mind coming with you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scolded. “I’ll only be in there for a few minutes.”
“But—”
“No buts,” I interrupted him. “For God’s sake, I think I can handle getting up to the apartment and back. You’ll be right here, watching the door and the garage like a hawk.”
He chuckled and I heard Logan laughing at me from the back. “Fine.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Just don’t muck around.”
He pulled up outside the building and I jumped out. “Yes, Dad,” I teased.
I walked inside, went straight to the elevator and swiped my access card. The ride up was quick and the doors opened to our living area. I took a minute to look around – it was eerie in here. It was an odd feeling, being alone, after being supervised and wrapped in cotton wool all these weeks.
I shrugged it off.
No mucking around.
I grinned as I went and found the dress Quinn wanted, and grabbed the red dress I planned to wear to dinner from my closet.
That wasn’t so hard now, was it?
I pushed the button for the elevator and waited.
The doors slid open and I gasped.
Oh fuck.
I stepped backwards and dropped the dresses to the floor.
73. Lawson
I watched El walk inside the building and as soon as she was out of sight, I felt my anxiety levels rise. I was being stupid. I knew I was. But something didn’t feel right. I’d learned to trust my instincts, and right now they were telling me that I was messing up again.
“Something doesn’t feel right, man.” I looked back at Logan.
“Relax,” he told me firmly. “If she’s not back in five minutes, we’ll go up.”
I relaxed slightly at his suggestion before the realization dawned on me. “I can’t get in.”
“What do you mean?” Logan narrowed his eyes at me.
“The elevators. You need a swipe card.” I balled my fists. “I don’t have one.”
“Chill out, Lawson. She’s probably up there by now. Just give her a few minutes.”
A car pulled off the road and headed towards the building’s garage. “Who the hell is that?” I spun in my seat and stared at the driver of the car.
Lisa. Thank god.
“It’s just Lisa, Reeve’s girlfriend,” I told Logan.
She looks upset.
She gave me a small wave and headed into the underground carpark. We sat silently for a few more minutes. The tingling unease in my spine was growing worse by the minute. I fidgeted with the radio, trying to distract myself. I jumped when my phone rang loudly.
Ells!
I sighed when I saw it was just Reeve calling.
“Hey, man, what’s up?”
“Are you with El?” His voice was urgent and rushed.
“I’m outside the girls’ apartment building waiting for her,” I told him quickly. “Why?”
“You need to get in there!” he yelled. I could hear tooting in the background. He was driving. “The camera system sent me an alert. He’s got Lisa. It looks like he has a weapon... I looked back through the footage and I saw El go up there. He’s after her.”
I was already out of the truck and running towards the entrance. I could hear Logan yelling at me but I ignored him.
I have to get to El.
I slammed my hand on the call button for the lift and cursed loudly when I remembered I didn’t have a pass card. “I can’t get in!” I roared down the phone. “I don’t have a card. Who is it, Reeve?” I yelled as I hit the button uselessly. Logan appeared next to me with a tortured look on his face.
“It’s Evan.”
“It’s fucking Evan,” I told Logan. “He’s in there.” I kicked the elevator.
“Go underground!” Reeve yelled at me. “The new code is 5436.” I could tell he was on the verge of losing it. “We might be able to manually override the system down there—”
I jumped back as the elevator doors opened in front of me.
Sweet Jesus.
“Reeve,” I interrupted him – I knew my voice sounded haunted.
Reeve stopped rambling, silence filled the line.
“I’ve got Lisa,” I told him. Logan and I both rushed into the elevator as Lisa fell to the ground. She was bleeding a small amount and was white as a ghost. Logan picked her up and held her in his arms.
“Is she okay?” Reeve asked quietly. He wasn’t coping. I knew how he felt. I wasn’t coping either.
“I think she’s in shock. She’s bleeding, but it’s not a lot. Logan has her.”
“Oh no. Lisa. Lisa,” Reeve’s stammering faded into the back of my mind.
The elevator doors had shut but it wasn’t moving. “I need to get to El!” I yelled and slammed my fist against the control panel.
El’s name seemed to snap Reeve out of his trance. “Get the card from Lisa. You’ll have to go up to my floor, get the card for the girls’ apartment from the hall table and go back down.”
I frantically began searching Lisa’s pockets until I found the card. I swiped it and the elevator began to move.
El....
Fuck, I hope I’m not too late.
74. Ellerslie
I stepped backwards slowly as a predatory smile curled his lips up.
“Well this is a surprise... I finally got you alone,” he sneered.
Fear crept up my spine.
I should have listened. It was Evan all along.
“Evan,” I stated calmly. “What do you want?” I stepped back further as I spoke.
He turned his head to look back inside the lift. “I didn’t need you after all,” he spat.
I gasped as I saw Lisa huddled in the corner of the lift.
No...
“Lisa!” I yelled. “Are you okay?” I had to physically stop myself from running over to her. I knew it wouldn’t do either of us any good.
Lisa let out a tortured cry and I froze. I saw the light bounce off the blade he held in his hand.
“No!” I screamed. He shoved her roughly against the wall and stepped out of the elevator. The doors shut behind him.
Lisa... please be okay...
He focused his eyes on me again. They were dark, cold and calculating. He didn’t look right. I tried to think of the last time I saw him... at the club – I remembered his eyes lighter, warmer, softer. I was obviously wrong, I’d been drinking, and I’d
been fooled by his kindness.
It was all part of his game.
“What do you want?” I demanded again. For every step he took towards me, I took one backwards, away from him. “Lawson is right outside. He’ll come looking for me.”
He chuckled a deep, dark laugh. “Let him come. I’m just setting things right.”
“What do you mean setting things right, Evan?” I asked in a shaky voice.
“Stop calling me Evan!” he yelled.
I flinched away from his booming voice.
He moved around the back of the couch and I backed further away from him.
Maybe if I can get near the elevator...
I knew I was wasting my time trying to get down there. It would take too long. I just had to hope that Lisa was okay and that she was able to get to Lawson.
Lawson will know what to do... I just need to stall him.
“He’s always missing out, always getting flipped off. Not anymore,” he rambled.
“Who misses out?” I asked softly.
His eyes flashed with anger. “My brother.”
I had absolutely no idea what the hell he was talking about. He had to be mentally unwell – it was as if he had split personalities.
“Are you okay? I can get you some help, Evan.”
“Stop calling me Evan!” he roared.
I backed further away again.
“My name isn’t Evan.”
“Okay,” I said quietly.
“My name is Matthew.”
The name on the rental car...
Oh sweet Jesus. He’s lost it. He’s gonna kill me.
“Evan is my twin.” I froze as he spat the words out, his voice full of venom.
Evan has a twin?
I looked at him more closely. He looked just like Evan, same build, same hair color. But the eyes – the eyes were darker. He was different. I hadn’t imagined it.
“What do you want?” I was even more terrified now, this man in front of me, I didn’t know him at all – I had no idea what he was capable of.
“You,” he replied simply. “I’m either taking you back to him, or...” he made a cutthroat motion with the knife he was carrying.
“You can’t take me anywhere. I was never with Evan. It was one date,” I told him in a pleading voice. There was no way in hell I was going anywhere with this nut case. I’d rather take my chances with him here and now.
“You told him you weren’t ready for a relationship,” he spat.
I tried to think back to what I’d said to Evan.
Had I said that?
He was right, I had said that. I nodded. “I did tell him that.”
“But here you are, acting like a whore with that prick, Pierce.”
I wanted to scream at him, for calling me a whore, for calling Lawson a prick... for terrorizing our lives for nothing. But I didn’t. I took a deep, calming breath and centered myself.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Matthew – you need help.”
He took three quick steps towards me, but this time I didn’t move away. I focused on him, his movements, his posture, the blade in his hand.
“You’ll come with me alright... one way or another.”
I shuddered at his menacing tone. He stepped closer and I grounded my back foot in a stable stance.
“Let’s just make this easy shall we?” he drawled.
I shook my head and he grabbed for me. He pulled roughly on my arm and tried to drag me towards him.
The natural reaction when someone grabs you is to pull away – I had been trained to do the opposite. I threw my weight against his body and overbalanced him. I felt a sharp burn as his knife sliced into my left bicep. I swung my right arm around and knocked it from his hand. It clattered to the floor and skidded under the couch.
Now it would be a fair fight.
I wrenched my knee up and he groaned deeply and doubled over as I made contact with his groin – hard. He released me from his grip.
Go for the throat and the balls.
I swung up with an uppercut and knocked him square in the throat. He fell to the floor in pain. I spun toward the elevators and ran for it. I pressed the call button over and over and over – the damn thing was on a higher floor and not moving.
C’mon, c’mon.
I knew I’d gotten lucky – he was not a fighter and he went down easily. I wasn’t planning on sticking around to see what would happen if he got back up. I looked back and saw he was still lying on the floor in pain.
Hurry, please hurry.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened – I was nearly bowled over by Lawson.
“Ells!” Lawson grabbed me and pulled me behind his body protectively.
“I’m okay,” I whimpered slightly as his fingers dug into my cut. “He’s down. Call the police,” I panted.
“They’re on their way, El.”
I jumped at the voice behind me – I spun and saw Logan sitting on the floor of the elevator, Lisa cradled in his arms.
“Lisa,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
“She’s okay, she’s just had a fright,” Logan reassured me as he slowly rocked her back and forth.
“Where is he?” Lawson roared.
I spun back to him.
“He’s back there.” I pointed into the apartment. “Please, can we just get out of here, Lawson?” I pleaded and grabbed onto his arm – it was no use.
“I’ll fucking kill him.” Lawson strode into the living area, dragging me along behind him.
“Lawson, please!” I screamed. “I’m okay, please. I just want to leave.” I was begging him but he wasn’t hearing me.
He ignored me and walked towards the moaning man on the floor. He shook me off and strode towards him.
“Lawson!” I screamed as he threw a powerful kick into Matthew’s side.
Matthew lay groaning on the ground – there was no way he was getting up.
“I should skin you alive, you little prick,” Lawson spat at him.
“Logan!” I screamed back towards the elevator. “Stop him, Logan!”
He is going to kill him.
He put his hands on me, and now Lawson will kill him for it.
Logan flew past me and grabbed hold of Lawson, roughly dragging him backwards. “Leave him, man, he’s not worth doing time for. The cops are on the way.”
Lawson wasn’t listening. He was thrashing against the hold Logan had on him.
I ran to him and stood in front of him. “Lawson, look at me,” I begged. “Look at me!” I yelled. I pulled his face down and the second our eyes met, I saw him snap out of it.
His body relaxed and he stopped pulling against Logan.
“I want to go. Please, can we just go?” I pleaded.
“You can let me loose,” he told Logan calmly.
Logan looked at me and I nodded. He released him.
Lawson pulled me against him and lifted me into his arms, I wrapped my legs around his waist and snuggled my face into his neck. He walked us slowly back to the elevator. Logan had jammed a chair into the opening so it wouldn’t close.
I looked at Lisa. She was standing up now – she still looked white as a ghost, but I could see she was okay at least. She didn’t appear to be physically hurt. She gave me a small smile and I reached my hand out for her. She took it and I squeezed lightly.
“I’m so sorry, Lisa.” I looked straight into her eyes. “Are you okay?”
She gave me a small nod. “Are you?” Her eyes assessed me. “God, your arm. El, you’re bleeding.”
I looked down at my bicep – she was right, it didn’t look good. There was blood everywhere. “I’m okay, it looks worse than it is.”
“Let me see.” Lawson slid me down his body and looked at my arm. He took off the shirt he was wearing and tied it firmly around my cut. “You’ll need stitches, baby,” he whispered.
“I’m okay,” I told him softly. The elevator reached the ground level and the doors opened.
�
�El!” Reeve swallowed me in a bear hug the second I stepped out. “I couldn’t get up, the elevator wasn’t moving.” He let me go and looked around, looking for Lisa.
Logan chuckled nervously. “Sorry. I jammed it. Didn’t want to risk getting the girls stuck up there.”
Reeve didn’t respond. His eyes were locked on Lisa. “Are you okay, princess?” he asked cautiously.
She lunged for him and he caught her tiny frame easily.
“Shhh, it’s okay, you’re safe now,” he crooned as she bawled in his arms. “I’m so sorry something like this happened to you again,” I heard him whisper softly in her ear.
Again? What the hell?
I heard the sirens approaching – three cars pulled up to the curb, closely followed by a black SUV and an ambulance.
Logan ran outside and was followed back in by four police officers. “He’s in my apartment,” I told them. “Level three.”
“We need to get you all outside,” one of the officers told us. “Ma’am, you need to see the medic immediately.”
I nodded. I must have looked a complete mess.
“C’mon, pretty girl.” Lawson led me outside to the ambulance. He hovered around while they cleaned the cut and did their best to bandage it. Lawson was right, It would be needing stitches.
A few minutes later the four officers appeared from the front doors – two of them dragging Matthew between them.
The black SUV belonged to Mark. He had spoken to Lawson only briefly. I watched him jog over to the officers and come back only a minute or two later.
“He’s not talking,” he told us.
“He doesn’t need to.” Lawson’s eyes were focused on the man in handcuffs. “His name is Evan Graham.”
“No!” I interrupted him. Lawson and Mark both snapped around to stare at me. “It’s not Evan,” I told them more calmly.
Lawson looked at me in concern. “El, honey, it’s him. I can see him with my own eyes.” He turned to the medic. “Can you check her for head injuries?”
The medic started lightly prodding at my skull and I swatted his hand away. “I’m fine,” I snapped. I stood up and hopped lightly out of the back of the ambulance. “That.” I pointed to where the officers were loading Matthew into the police car. “Is Matthew Graham.” I looked at their confused faces. “He’s Evan’s twin.”
Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4) Page 35