You’re Everything I Need: A Forbidden Romance

by Ford, Mia

  “Cooper, you saved me. Thank you. You… you… I don’t even know what was wrong.”

  He doesn’t answer me, which is weird. It must be my hearing. Maybe my ears aren’t working properly. Oh, God, I hope I’m not deaf! That would be awful if whatever was in the chocolates stripped me of my hearing. I almost slam back into my body, all the things that I’ve been ignoring while floating in the air come back to life. This could actually be bad, really bad. If there was genuinely something in those chocolates I could be in trouble.

  Open up your eyes, I tell myself angrily. Open your eyes and see what’s going on.

  I try, but it’s challenging. The room is so white, so bright, it burns my retinas. I can hardly stand it. Water fills my eyes, I can feel some of it trickling down my cheeks, but I push myself harder. I’m strong, whatever the fuck this is I’m sure I’ve been through worse. I can handle it. I just need to see Cooper.

  “Coo… Cooper.” Once my vision starts to become a little bit clearer, something doesn’t feel right. A cold snake of discomfort shakes through me. I don’t know what it is, but any warm happiness I had is gone.

  “Who… the fuck… is Cooper?”

  Shit. My heart stops dead completely. Sickness sloshes inside of me. That’s a voice I recognize all too well. One that I never wanted to hear again. I must be dreaming, this has to be a horrible nightmare.

  “You fucking… slut.”

  Nope, this is real. This is all too real. I’m awake now, wide awake and I can see that face. Those dark, piercing eyes, that angry flash I’m too experienced with, that smell… I know that smell too well.

  “T… Trent.” I gulp down a thick ball of terror. “Trent, what are you doing here?”

  “Did you like my little gift? Those chocolates were nice, weren’t they?”

  “Ch… chocolates? They were from you?”

  “Of course they were. You weren’t expecting them from anyone else, were you?” He leans in closer. Spittle flies over my face as he does. “Unless you’ve been acting the slut, fucking someone else.”

  It doesn’t matter that he cheated on me, that he wrecked our relationship, and that we haven’t been together for a while, he still has this way of making me feel bad, like I’ve done something wrong.

  “I always knew you were a slag. I should have stuck to my instincts and kept away from you.”

  I wish he’d done that too. “What… what are you doing here?”

  “Oh, well unfortunately, your pathetic body gave up before the poison could kill you. That’s a real shame, I wanted you dead, but the plan has changed now. I’m going to ruin your life like you have mine.”

  “How have I ruined your life?”

  “You know, you fucking slag. You embarrassed me, in front of my boys.”

  “But your boys weren’t there. I didn’t humiliate you.” I know that’s his worst thing, the problem that always sets him off. I spent four fucking years trying not to embarrass him. “I didn’t tell anyone.”

  “No, but they still know that you’ve gone, don’t they? They think I can’t hang on to a woman.”

  “What about your new girl? Surely, you can hang onto her.”

  I pull the unfamiliar bedcovers up over me, trying to cover up as much of my body as possible. It won’t help, it’s just a thin bit of material, but I need all the protection I can from him.

  “She was just a fuck. I told you that at the time. If only you would listen.”

  “I didn’t want that.” Tears are streaming down my face now. I don’t want to show Trent my weakness but I can’t help it. “I don’t want that for me. I’m sorry if that hurts you, but you will find someone else.”

  “Oh, no.” A bright smirk spreads across his face. “Right now, it’s all about you. I’m obsessed.”

  Fucking hell, that’s terrible news. When Trent gets obsessed with something, it’s hard to shake him.

  “Trent, you should move on with your life. Find some happiness.”

  “Right now, the only thing that will make me happy is seeing you dead.”

  “Please, Trent.” I have to lower my dignity and beg. I know that Trent means it. “Please, don’t do this. Please, let’s just take a step back from this and talk about it properly.”

  “Oh, you want to talk?” He perches on the edge of my bed, lowering the mattress under his terrifying weight. “Okay, then let us talk. Because I’ll be honest with you, death isn’t the only option here.”

  I should breathe out a sigh of relief here, but I don’t feel it. If there’s another option, I’m sure death will be the preferable one. “What… what is it? What do you want from me?”

  “I just want you to make right what’s wrong. I want you to come back.”

  “Come… come back?” Everything tightens within me making pain radiate everywhere.

  “Yes, I want you to come back with me. Get things back as they were.”

  “No.” I shake my head hard. “No, I can’t come back.”

  “That’s a shame.” His hand presses against my throat. He doesn’t really block off any of my air veins, but the threat is real. I can feel it shattering throughout my body. “Because if you don’t come back and you don’t make things right again then I don’t have any choice. It’s gang code. Anyone that’s disrespected us…”

  Now I really do feel ill. The gang, the idiot bikers that Trent is involved with. I always tried to pretend to myself when we were together that it wasn’t that big a deal, that it wasn’t as bad as it was, but I can’t ignore it any longer. I know that Trent is involved with crime and that probably involves the really terrible stuff such as murder. Maybe I deserve this because by turning a blind eye and saying nothing I’m as bad.

  I have always assumed that anything bad involved other criminals, so maybe that’s how I justified it to myself, but now I have to finally accept that isn’t the truth. Trent is just a bad guy.

  “So, that’s my choice?” I whisper back. “Come back with you or die?”

  “Yeah. I think that’s the safest way to put it, don’t you?”

  “Right, I see. And you want me to come with you right now?”

  “Oh, no, I don’t want you right now. You need to get through your whole hospital stay first. I want you better when you finally make this wise decision to come back to me. I need you in full health.”

  Okay, so I’m in the hospital. At least I know that much now. That’s something.

  “Right, okay. Well, I suppose I will make my choice until I’m in here.”

  He snacks his hand against my forehead hard, another little warning from him. “Make the right choice. Oh, and by the way if you’re wondering how I found you, you made it easy for me.”

  “Yeah, I suppose it’s obvious that I came home.” Idiot! Why didn’t I think of that?

  “Oh no, that isn’t it at all. I didn’t think you would be half as stupid as that. I was looking everywhere else but here. Then one of the bitches had a little fashion magazine and I saw your slutty pictures.”

  “Oh my God.” Okay, now I’m even more of an idiot. “Oh no.”

  “You’re damn right, oh no. That fucking little modelling career of yours is over. That you had pawing all over you, is that Cooper? Oh no, it’s Mr. Ventry, isn’t it? The man who owns the company.” He taps his nose. “I know everything about you, don’t think that you can hide a damn thing from me.”

  Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  He backs away from me, keeping his eyes fixed on me the whole time. A nasty smirk curls up his mouth sending a chill racing up and down my spine. He means business, I’m screwed. It isn’t just me in danger here now, it’s Cooper too. I didn’t want that. I just wanted it to be over.

  Once he leaves the room, I push myself up onto my elbows and the darkness of the room overshadows me. It’s night, I’m in a hospital and it’s night time. How the hell did he even come in here? What the fuck?

  Oh God, and now I’m stuck here. Waiting for him to come back. And while I’m stuck in here he c
ould be out there doing anything to the people I truly care about. He could be harming everyone. While right now I can’t do anything about it. I’m stuck.

  I flop my head back on the pillow and stare up at the ceiling while I try to process all of this. it doesn’t help that I’m still foggy, either from the poison or something that they’ve given me here, I’m not too sure. It doesn’t feel real. I’ve happily put Trent behind me now, I don’t even think about him. I don’t need him here right now, threatening me, promising to make my life a living hell.

  This must be what I deserve. I shouldn’t have gone near him ever. Everyone warned me and I wouldn’t listen. If I had my life would be completely different. Now it seems like I can’t escape him until I die.

  I don’t want to die, I really don’t. I don’t want Trent to be the death of me.

  But how the hell am I going to escape it now? I can’t keep running forever. He’s going to come for me forever. His stupid little gang rules will make sure he doesn’t leave me alone.

  Die or be with him.

  Be with him or die.

  Neither of those options are suitable. I hate them both.

  I turn my head and scream into my pillow, wishing none of this was happening.

  23

  Cooper

  I suck in a deep breath of air as I push the door open to Lexi’s room. I know that the doctor told me she’s doing much better today but I’m still not sure what I’m going to find.

  “Oh, Lexi.” I breathe out a sigh of relief when I spot her awake. “You’re okay?”

  “I don’t feel it,” she croaks back, unable to even manage a smile. “I feel as bad as I look.”

  “Well, you look beautiful, so you must feel wonderful.”

  She narrows her eyes at me. “There is a mirror in here you know? I have seen myself.”

  “Alright, so maybe you look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards…”

  “And then run over by a bulldozer…”

  “And then eaten alive by dogs… but you are doing okay. Am I right?”

  I half expect her to smile at the jokes, but she doesn’t quite manage it. She must feel dreadful. Now that I’m here I need to do whatever I can to make her better again.

  “Why aren’t you at work?” she asks, rubbing her forehead. “It’s Monday, right?”

  “The office can wait. I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Anyway, your family will be in soon so I will go in then and see what’s going on, but I’m sure Adam can cope without me.”

  “Wow, the control freak, letting go a little bit.”

  “I know.” I rub her hand softly. “But right now, you are more important.”

  “What time are my family getting here? Do they know?”

  “They were here all day yesterday, until the police came in.”

  Her eyes flash with terror. “The cops have already been here? When?”

  “Yesterday afternoon. They came in to talk to all of us to find out what happened.”

  “They wanted to talk to you?”

  “I was on the phone with you when it happened. I called the ambulance. They had to speak to me.”

  “And what did you tell them?”

  “I just told them that I was talking to you and you said you were sick. I thought you might have passed out so I called an ambulance because I couldn’t get to you quick enough.”

  “Did they… do they know what happened to me?”

  I squeeze her hand tight, wondering why the doctors haven’t said anything. “They think it was poison.”

  “Fucking hell.” She shakes her head violently. “That’s bad, that means… he was right.”

  “Huh? Who was right? What’s going on, Lexi?”

  She’s completely changed, her entire body language shrinks in on herself. She’s like a small terrified child shaking in the corner of the room. All I want to do is make it better for her.

  “Lexi, talk to me. What’s worrying you? You seem so freaked-out.”

  “What did my family say to the cops? Did they say who they thought it would be?”

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t in their police interviews. I don’t really know.”

  She grips tightly. “Have you spoke to anyone this morning? Nothing has happened, has it?”

  “I spoke to Cassie this morning and she didn’t say anything, why? You’re scaring me, Lexi.”

  She darts her eyes up towards me and I see a sheer unbridled terror there. “He was here, you know. My ex. He was here. When I woke up this morning I thought that I dreamed it because I was all kinds of fucked up, but now I’m sure. He was here last night, threatening me, promising to kill me.”

  “Your ex? He was here? What time was he here?”

  “I don’t know. Really late, it was really dark.”

  “They don’t let people in that late. They only let visitors in during certain hours or one of would have been here. Maybe it was a dream, they did have you on a lot of painkillers yesterday.”

  “No, no, I know it for sure now. He was definitely here and he pressed his hand to my throat. He said that if I don’t go back with him to make things right, he will kill me. And he will kill you as well.”

  “I honestly don’t think anyone is going to kill anyone else. That sounds like a nightmare.”

  “No, it wasn’t. You don’t know him, Cooper. You don’t know what sort of person he is. He’s the one who sent me the poisoned chocolates and he said that he wanted me to die. I don’t want to die but I don’t want to go back with him. I want to stay here, to be with you…”

  “But you’ve already said that you can’t be with me.”

  “I know, I know, but I can’t be with him either. He will destroy me again, Cooper, you don’t understand.”

  I feel utterly helpless. Sick to my stomach. I don’t know if this is the truth or not, but either way I don’t like the feeling that I can’t do anything at all. I should have found out more about her ex, about her life beforehand, maybe now I would have a better understanding of what’s going on.

  “What… what can we do? Are you sure this is real? It isn’t a dream?”

  “I’m telling you, Cooper. He was here. I can still smell him.”

  “What do you want to do about it?”

  “I should tell the cops. The police will help me, right?

  “I can give them a call, get them to see you today?”

  “I should… I should but I want to get it right. I want to make sure that I have the memories all there.”

  “Okay, so why don’t you tell me everything and we can sort it out?”

  She pushes herself into a sitting position and nods. “Okay, yeah, so I need to get it all sorted. I was… I don’t know, I was sleeping, but it was weird, I was dreaming all kinds of weird stuff.”

  I gulp, not liking the sound of that. Looking at it from the point of view of a police officer, I’m sure they will take this to mean that she dreamt the vision of him as well. “Right, I see. And then what happened?”

  Before Lexi can answer me, the door swings open and Cassie and Bessie come in, much earlier than expected which immediately puts the conversation to an end. My intension was to be out of here already, to let them have the time they need together before we get anymore questions, but it’s too late for that now.

  Bessie immediately races to Lexi’s side and she starts fussing her. Discomfort circles me so I back away, needing to get a breath of fresh air. “I’m just going to get a coffee, if anyone wants one?”

  “I’ll come with you,” Cassie insists. “I could use a drink too.”

  I want to tell her not to because I need to be by myself but that would be too rude for words. “Okay, sure.”

  I dart one last lingering look towards Lexi, but she’s too involved in a conversation with Bessie to notice.

  We leave the room in a thick, uncomfortable silence. The fact that Cassie probably has a very good indication of what’s happening between me and Lexi makes it very difficult.

>   “She doesn’t look very good, does she?” Cassie says quietly. “It’s upsetting to see that.”

  “No, I know. It’s worrying.”

  “Has she said anything about what’s happened to her?”

  I wonder if I should say anything. Lexi clearly hasn’t said anything to her family yet but she hasn’t had the chance, I suppose. She probably will. And out of everyone, this is the person I trust the most, I need to get it off my chest anyway or it’s going to eat me alive. I don’t know what to do with this information.

  “She said that it was Trent. That he sent the chocolates.”

  “Does she know or is she just guessing?”

  “Well, this is the weird thing. She said he was in her hospital room last night, but that can’t be possible, can it? You were here right until the end of visiting hours.”

  “Yes, I was. I don’t think they would let people in later than that.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “She was on a lot of drugs yesterday. She probably dreamed it.”

  “Hmm, that’s what I thought. But she seemed really scared about it when she mentioned him.”

  “I’m not surprised, Trent is a bad guy.” We stand in front of the coffee machine and order our drinks. “A really bad guy. It’s a shame that Lexi ever got involved with him the first place.”

  “What…” I don’t know if I really want these answers to be honest. “What was wrong with him?”

  Cassie gives me a look, I can almost see everything that she knows swimming around behind her eyes. “I suppose she hasn’t told you much, but that’s very like Lexi. I’m sure she wants to just put it all behind her. Forget it ever happened. Trent is a member of a motorcycle gang, he’s involved with crime and all sorts. I don’t know all the details of course, I haven’t been around enough to know it all, but it’s obvious.”

  “A motorcycle gang? That’s really bad, isn’t it? I’m surprised Lexi didn’t tell me. I’m shocked that Nora didn’t ever tell me either. This seems like something she would have mentioned.”