It wasn’t just that…his entire manner was that of a consoling husband – not a friend. He was dismissive of any positive news about Noah’s condition – not that there was much – and he seemed to be ‘preparing’ her for the worst, as if it were a foregone conclusion that Noah would die.
Lila shook off Charlie’s hand on her shoulder. ‘Please, Charlie, I just want to be alone, right now.’
‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea.’
‘I wasn’t asking for your opinion.’ She snapped back at him. Charlie stared at her, and she looked away. ‘Please, Charlie, I want to be with Noah.’
Charlie said no more but the door to Noah’s room slammed after him. Lila sighed. Forget him, Noah is what’s important. She moved her chair closer and stroked his face. Already lean, he seemed to have lost even more weight overnight, his cheeks were hollow, his skin looked pinched.
He was still the most beautiful sight in the world to Lila though and she stood and bent over him, kissed him where she could. ‘I love you so much,’ she whispered, ‘Please come home to me.’
She imagined she felt a slight pressure on her hand from his fingers but it was so slight she knew she imagined it. There was a small tap on the door and Quilla Mallory poked her head around the door. Lila felt relieved, glad to see her friend. Quilla tiptoed in. ‘How is he?’
Her lovely dark eyes were full of sorrow and compassion. ‘The same,’ Lila said, ‘Which I’m looking at as good at the moment. His body needs to heal, rest. I’d rather he sleep and….well, we both know how it is, don’t we?’
‘We do,’ Quilla nodded. ‘May I stay with you a while?’
Lila nodded, smiling. ‘I would like that.’ She needed her friend’s gentle presence here; not only that, but she knew Quilla really understood what being a victim of violence meant to both the sufferer and their loved ones.
Quilla took the chair vacated by Charlie and placed her hand on Lila’s back gently. ‘I want you to know, you are not alone in this. Whatever you need, just ask, please.’
Lila felt tears spring up in her eyes. ‘Thank you, Quilla.’
‘I hope you don’t mind; I spoke to the staff and they’re going to bring a cot in here for you to sleep on. You need to rest as well.’
See, Charlie? This is the way to care for someone. ‘I will, I promise and thank you, Quilla.’
Quilla smiled at her, and then nodded at Noah. ‘I think he looks a little brighter, don’t you?’
Lila was grateful for her friend’s attempt to make Noah seem better but they both knew his life was hanging in the balance.
Lila thought about Lauren, about what she’d stolen from Lila – her child and now possibly her love – for what reason? Was she any different from Cora and her jealousy of Tinsley? Nope.
So much hatred, so much fucking entitlement, she thought angrily. Who the fuck do these people think they are?
She said as much to Quilla now and her friend nodded. ‘I know. It’s twisted and disgusting and sadly all too prevalent.’ Quilla sighed. ‘Gregor Fisk decided that I was his to decide who I fucked and when I died. But I survived, barely, but I’m still here. You’re still here, Lila, and Noah will get better.’
Lila looked her with hopeful eyes. ‘You promise?’
Quilla smiled. ‘Lila, this is a man who can run a half-marathon and not even break a sweat. Hell, even if he runs a marathon, he just says ‘woo, that was a tough one’ and jogs to the water stand.’
Lila laughed softly. ‘You’re right.’ She looked back at Noah. ‘It’s going to be okay.
He’s going to come back to me.’
Tinsley holed up in the motel for a couple of days. Because of the prominence of Noah’s family, the local news ran reports on his condition on every bulletin – critical but stable.
God. Tinsley, even forty-eight hours after the event was still seething about Charlie’s treatment of her. Angry and confused. Had their relationship deteriorated that much or was it because Charlie was stressed out?
Don’t be a little cunt.
Every time she thought of that and the look on Charlie’s face, she would stop, take in a sharp breath. It was so vicious, so spiteful, and so full of rage. When had they got to this?
The letter. It all began when I read that letter that night. It had been the catalyst she was sure but thinking back to its contents, she couldn’t figure out why he would take exception to her reading it. It was a simple goodbye letter from one friend to another.
Please don’t try to find me.
Well, Charlie had ignored that and…Tinsley sat up. Charlie had ignored Lila’s plea for privacy. He had found her. So what? Tinsley told herself, he’s a cop, he had connections and he was probably worried about her. Except…would he have been able to find her? He hardly had the cash to hire someone to do it for him, but if he had been watching her. An insane theory began to form in Tinsley's head and she closed her eyes trying to sort through the melee.
Why was Charlie upset about the letter? Because it proved Lila had asked him to stay away. So what? He was a friend anxious about another friend. Charlie had disliked Richard. Maybe he knew Rich cheated on Lila – Lila may well have confided in her oldest friend. Except she knew Lila hadn’t…
Jesus, Chang, what mad theory are you trying to come up with? Tinsley got up and went to grab a shower. She would go back to the hospital today and whether Charlie Sherman liked it or not, she would see Lila.
As Quilla had told her, the staff had brought in a cot for Lila to sleep on and she crawled gratefully into it when she could barely keep her eyes open. It was still afternoon and there was some noise from the other parts of the hospital but she soon fell into a deep but troubled sleep, wracked by nightmares…
They were on the island again, making love slowly in the huge king sized bed. Noah was kissing her as he drove his huge cock into her harder and deeper with every stroke. Lila was gasping, moaning with pleasure and when she came, a thousand stars exploded in her vision.
But then things turned darker as Noah, turning his head, seemed to say something to someone behind him. Are you ready? She’s yours…
What? Noah pulled out from her and stood to the side of the bed and then a figure stood before her….she couldn’t make out the face. She looked at Noah who smiled. It’s okay, baby, this is what I want. The figure had a knife and as Lila began to scream, he raised it above his head and brought to down…
Lila shuddered and half-opened her eyes. ‘Ssh, ssh, it’s okay baby, go back to sleep.’ Someone was stroking her hair, her face and she was so dog-tired she couldn’t be bothered to process what was happening. She gave in to the darkness again.
Tinsley walked down the corridor, her heart thudding heavily against her ribs. Despite her bravado she was nervous – Charlie was bound to be here and if he treated her like he did the first time…she didn’t know that she could keep her temper. She found Noah’s room by repeating her lie about being Lila’s cousin and as she approached the door, she could see the lighting was low. The door was open a crack and she peered in to see Noah still unconscious and hooked up to the machines. She bit her lip; she knew it had been ridiculous to hope for some sort of miraculous recovery. She stepped into the room a little and stopped.
At the far end of the room, Lila slept on a cot, Charlie crouched beside her. He was stroking her face and Tinsley couldn’t tear her eyes away from the tender way he was touching her friend. Jesus…
‘Lila?’ Charlie’s voice was a whisper, ‘Can you hear me, baby?’
Lila gave no reaction and to her horror, Tinsley watched Charlie run his hand gently down Lila’s body, cup her breast. He slid his hand under her sweater and stroked her belly. Tinsley couldn’t believe it. Charlie leaned in and kissed Lila’s mouth.
‘I’m so sorry, baby…I’ll take your pain away…’ His voice was a whisper. Tinsley couldn’t help the squeak of horror that escaped her and as his head shot up, she ran.
She stumbled down the hallway to the nearest
exit and almost fell down the stairs. God, what the fuck was that? She staggered down two flights then stopped, breathing hard.
Above her the exit door crashed open. Tinsley looked up – she was hidden in shadow but she could clearly see Charlie, his face a mask of rage, descending the stairs at a pace. She ran, down, down, down, hearing him in pursuit, her chest tight, little sobs as her terror overtook her. She crashed out into the reception…people.
God. As she collapsed with relief into the arms of a security guard, she turned, expecting Charlie to crash out behind her.
Nothing. No-one. Ignoring the frantic questions of the security guard, she glanced around – had he come out another door? Was he waiting for her outside? Oh god…
Eventually she calmed herself enough to tell the security guard that someone had been chasing her but she could tell he didn’t believe her. She managed to persuade him to stay with her until she caught a cab and on the drive back to the motel, she had the cab driver stop at an ATM so she could withdraw some cash. She needed to change motels, she realized, now, tonight and perhaps every night as long as she was in Seattle.
Because she had no intention of leaving Lila at the mercy of Charlie. Her mad conspiracies didn’t seem so crazy now. If she was convinced more than ever of one thing, it was this.
Charlie was in love with Lila and Tinsley didn’t think there was anything that could stop him from taking what he wanted from her.
Even if it was her life.
Lila showered at the hospital – quickly, she didn’t want to miss a moment in case Noah woke and when she got back to the room, Charlie was waiting for her.
‘Hey, beauty.’
She half-smiled back at him. For the last two days, he hadn’t left her alone for a moment and as much as she appreciated the support, she wanted to be with Noah, wanted that moment of reunion when – not if, she told herself constantly – he woke up.
‘He’s looking better,’ Charlie said, picking up on her mood. She nodded, dumping her wash bag – hurriedly put together for her by Quilla in the hospital’s pharmacy. She combed out her wet hair, never taking her eyes from her love, so still in the bed. She felt strange, almost as if the other man in the room, the man she’d known since she was a child, was a stranger to her. An unwanted interloper. She supposed she should feel guilty but she didn’t.
‘Charlie, it’s good of you to come here every day but there’s no need. I’m okay. It might be days, weeks or…’ Her voice broke and Charlie moved to hug her but she stepped out of his way, smiling to ease the snub. ‘I’m sorry; I just don’t want to be touched. You understand, right?’
‘Of course.’
She went to sit by Noah’s bed and took his hand. ‘I was saying, maybe you should go home, get back to finding a place to live. When Noah comes home, I’d like it to be the two of us. You get that, right?’
Charlie nodded, smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes and she couldn’t read his expression. Hurt? Anger? ‘Lila, don’t worry. It’ll all work out for the best.’
She didn’t really know what he meant by that but she couldn’t be bothered to figure it out. Go away, go away. ‘I wonder when Tinsley will come visit again?’
She turned to look at Charlie then and saw, to her shock, his face crease with annoyance. ‘Charlie, what the hell is going on between the two of you?’
Charlie sighed. ‘Baby, she’s no friend of yours believe me. When we were in New York, she was obsessed with the fact that we ever were…intimate. I wish I had never told her.’
Lila shifted uncomfortably. ‘Charlie – that was one night, a hundred years ago. Why would you tell her?’
He shrugged. ‘We were having the talk, you know? When we cashed in our v-cards, who with. I didn’t think she’d take it so badly.’
‘I don’t believe it,’ Lila retorted. ‘Tinsley isn’t the jealous type.’
‘You don’t know her as well as you think.’
Lila sighed. ‘I don’t want to argue with you, Charlie; I just want to be with Noah. Alone.’
He left the room and she felt relieved. She didn’t need to hear about Charlie and Tinsley right now. Fuck, she felt alone. Quilla had told her to call when she needed a break and she was seriously considering it. She’d been living on snacks from the machine for the last four days and her gut felt heavy and sore from junk food. She stroked Noah’s hair. ‘Will you be okay for a while, my love? I need some hot food in me, so I can look after you properly.’
In the cafeteria, she sat alone in a corner, not wanting to speak to anyone. The vegetable soup made her feel much better, more awake and she ate some fruit, squirreling away some in her bag along with a couple of bottles of water. Before she went back up to Noah, she stepped outside to breath in some fresh air. She sat on the wall outside the hospital. It was cold but she didn’t mind that; the hospital rooms were always too warm for her. She closed her eyes, letting the fresh air swirl around her. It was nearly Christmas, she thought, and once again, her life was in turmoil. God, Noah, please fight this, please come back to me.
Lila knew that if Noah died, she wouldn’t survive it. No way. He was her soulmate, her reason to smile. She could not imagine life without him; it was unthinkable.
She opened her eyes and a movement caught her eye. Across the parking lot, a thicket of trees and now as she watched she saw something moving in them. Someone. Whoever it was stopped and she suddenly felt as if they were looking straight at her, watching her. Paranoia. She got up and walked quickly back into the hospital. Freaking out about nothing, she said to herself, as she jabbed the button for the elevator then changed her mind. She ran up the floor flights of stairs – four days of sitting and her muscles were about to atrophy. She felt the slight burn of her muscles as she pulled open the door to Noah’s floor and skidded to a stop. Doctors, nurses were rushing into his room, a loud alarm was sounding.
Code Blue….Code Blue…
Tinsley grabbed her bag and dumped it into the rental car. She had figured if she was going to be moving around a lot then it would be cheaper and easier. The motel she was at was cheap but clean and she was regretting having to leave but it was just safer. She wouldn’t put it past Charlie Sherman to come after her, shut her up. Now, more than ever, she was convinced that Charlie was at the root of everything, and she meant everything, that had happened over the last year or so.
She knew it would sound crazy to the cops if she went to them and she couldn’t risk discussing it with Lila - Charlie was her oldest friend. Shit, she thought now as she drove, what the hell am I going to do?
The answer came as she was unpacking at the next motel. Her cell phone buzzed and she was amazed when she saw who it was.
‘Harrison Carnegie?’
Harry laughed. ‘The same. Hey Tins, how’s it hanging?’
He sounded remarkably casual, she thought but she knew him better. ‘Harry….about Cora…’
‘I’m so sorry, Tins,’ Harry dropped the act immediately, ‘I should have called weeks ago. Look, on behalf of my whole family, I wanted to say…there’s no excuse for what Cora did and I for one am so, so happy that it…that you…’ He faltered and she smiled, glad of hearing a friendly voice.
‘Harry, it’s okay…really. That’s in the past…look, I know the D.A. wants to charge Cora but when I get back to New York, I’m going to the police and asking them to drop the charges.’
‘You don’t have to do that, Tinsley, she knows she did wrong.’
Tinsley smiled down the phone. God it was good to hear his voice. ‘I want to, truly. On the condition she gets some major psychiatric help.’
Harry gave a soft laugh. ‘I think Mom’s got you covered there. Where are you?’
‘Huh?’
‘You said ‘when I get back’?’
Tinsley hesitated for a moment. ‘Seattle. Have you heard about Noah Applebaum?’
‘Yeah, it’s all the news. How’s Lila?’
‘I wish I knew.’
It was Harry’s turn
to be confused. ‘What?’
It all poured out of her then, the way Charlie had treated her, her suspicions. Harry listened to her in silence and as she came to a halt, she suddenly realized how mad she must sound. ‘Harry?’
‘What motel are you in?’
She told him. ‘Why?’
‘I’m coming to Seattle. I don’t want you there alone.’
She honestly wanted to tell him no…but she couldn’t.
Halston and Molly Applebaum, quickly followed by Quilla and Jakob Mallory, found Lila in the hallway outside Noah’s room. Tears were flooding down her face but she was smiling. ‘He’s awake.’
When she’d gotten back and heard the code blue, it had been as bad as it sounded. Noah had coded and during the fight to get him back, she was kept out of the room, listening to them fighting to get him back and when they did, Noah had opened his eyes and cursed loudly.
Lila, hearing this, had dissolved into tearful laughter and he’d heard her. ‘Lila Tierney, get your ass in here.’
The doctors were shaking their head in disbelief but Lila didn’t pay attention, just flew into Noah’s outstretched arms.
She kissed him with tears rolling down her cheeks, laughing. ‘Only you could make such a dramatic entrance to the land of the living.’
When they were alone, they talked about what had happened. The doctor examined him. ‘You’ve stabilized better than a guy an inch from death a few hours ago should have, superman, but take it easy. No sexy shenanigans.’
‘Come on, Will,’ Noah grinned at the doctor – a friend and colleague. ‘Have you seen my fiancé?’
Lila flushed and stuck her tongue out at him. As soon as the doctor left, Noah beckoned her over to him again and wrapped his arms around her, wincing a little.
Nightclub Sins: A Billionaire Romance Series Page 117