Stone Mended (The Stone Book 3)

by Renee Harless

  “I have it planned for Wednesday, but it will be open on Monday and Tuesday as well. I can’t wait for you to see it. Heck, I can’t wait to see you. I miss you so much.”

  “I miss you too, Madi. We’ll have to plan a double date or something. I’ll call you when I arrive, ok?”

  “Ok. Love you, Mal.”

  “Love you too, Madi.”

  I end the call and hand the phone back to a patiently waiting Alex. His strong finger strokes back and forth across his lower lip in hunger. Without any words, Alex stands and reaches for my face, gently brushing the loose strands of hair away from my skin. He leans forward and brushes his lips across mine, ever so gentle and soft. A sigh escapes my lips at the tenderness of his movements.

  His tongue peeks through his lips, caressing the plumpness of my lips, issuing an invitation to open; which I decisively accept. The aroma of the wine lingers in our mouths as I taste its remnants on my tongue.

  Alex inches up the hem of my shirt, his fingers slowly trailing a path along my hip. The feel of his skin against mine heats my body quickly.

  “I know you’re tired, but I really want to make love to you right now,” his husky voice vibrates against my lips.

  “I’m not opposed,” I reply in a gravely tone.

  Without any preamble, Alex leans down and scoops me into his arms. Instead of heading to our bedroom as I expected, he turns and heads down to the basement, into the newly refurbished dungeon.

  Alex gently lays me on the luxurious bedding, my body melting into the silky softness of the material. He worships my body after slowly removing each article of our clothing. His hands and mouth leave no part of my figure untouched. As he sinks deep inside me I can’t help but to lose myself in his love. The only thought that crosses my mind is how I want more – so much more.

  ***

  The day of the charity race arrives and I can’t help but to feel excited, nervous, and proud of Alex. I am excited and proud for the obvious reasons – my amazingly talented husband is going to show the world how great of a racer he truly is. My nervousness stems from the fear of something catastrophic occurring during the race. Alex and his crew have assured me that the risk of a major accident are minimal and that he would be perfectly safe if something did happen, but it does little to squelch my anxiety.

  Gregory and Scott are joining us for today’s race; both of whom will be guarding me in the stands. Alex tried to have me wait in the pit area during the race, but I persisted to sit in the stands and watch the race unfold with the fans. Finally relenting, Alex insisted in reserving me a seat at the front. He tried to get me a box seat, but I wasn’t having any of that.

  Alex left early this morning, after an amazing bout of morning sex. He made sure I knew that he loved me and that I had nothing to worry about. The plan is to leave with Gregory and Scott and meet with Alex and his team first, for a photo-op with the press, then head to my seat.

  When Gregory and Scott arrive I’m overjoyed to find Scott’s adorable three-year old son, Zach, in tow.

  “What do we have here? Hi, Zach. Come give auntie Mallory a hug,” I say in a soft, yet excited voice.

  The little man runs up to me and launches himself in my arms.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Stone,” Scott begins, “his babysitter cancelled and I couldn’t get a hold of Beatrice. Gregory and I actually thought that you wouldn’t mind having him tag along. It may actually help keep you incognito. No one would expect it to be you if you have a child with you.”

  “Why do I want to be incognito?” I ask, still cradling Zach in my arms.

  Gregory speaks first, “You’re a celebrity of sorts, Mrs. Stone. Scott and I won’t be sitting next to you in the stands, but we’ll be close-by keeping an eye on the surroundings.”

  “Should I be worried?” I probe, panic rising in my chest as my voice quivers. Zach places his hand on my face, understanding my need for comfort.

  “Worried? No. Aware of your surrounds? Yes. We haven’t caught the person that is leaking stories to the press and we don’t have any leads.”

  “Ok. What about Evie? Did you follow up on that?”

  “We did,” Scott interrupts. “We couldn’t find anything that would make us believe she is the person of interest, but we’ll keep a closer eye on her. She may be harboring a serious vendetta against the Stone family. But in my honest opinion, I don’t believe it’s her. She has too much to lose, and she was extremely remorseful that you’re being dragged into the press, again.” Scott toes the edge of his steel toe boot against the floor and bashfully ducks his head. “She, ugh, actually asked me to ask you to call her. She wanted to make sure that you had a way out of your relationship if it was something you were forced into.”

  “What? Why would she think that? I love Alex.”

  “We know that you do,” Gregory assures. “Just think about how she sees this. And she’s only going on pictures that have been released. It’s actually pretty remarkable that after all Nicholas put her through that she is still able to trust and she wants to look out for you. I agree with Scott, she’s not the one doing this.”

  Humph

  “Who is it then? I’m tired of waiting.”

  “We’ll get them soon. Don’t burden yourself with it. We have a feed reader on a small camera we found installed downstairs. We can trace any IP address accessing the camera.”

  “Oh no, this is terrible!” I cry. “We were in that room two days ago. Does Alex know?”

  “Of course he knows. He’s the one that suggested leaving it and manipulating the feed. Stop worrying, Mrs. Stone. We’ll catch the person soon.”

  “Well that’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one being slandered in the press!” I shout, feeling my face redden in anger. Knowing I need to calm down I turn to look at the sweet boy resting on my hip. “Come on, Zach; let’s go see Uncle Alex race a fast car.”

  The men follow me out of the house and we all climb into Gregory’s large SUV, making sure to secure Zachary in his child safety seat.

  Gregory takes us through many of the back roads of London since there are a lot of closures for the race. He finally parks near the pit area, which looks like an old warehouse, and helps us get out of the vehicle.

  I follow the trio of men towards an area with a bright green banner with the number nine plastered in the center in bright yellow. Underneath the banner stands a group of people mingling; chatting with each other animatedly.

  I see Sophie first and embrace her while she introduces me to some of Alex’s team. I make small conversation with three of his drivers, who look no older than twenty-two, and I can’t imagine how nerve-wracking it must be for their parents to know that driving fast cars is their child’s chosen profession.

  As I continue chatting with Sophie I feel strong arms wrap around my waist and warm lips press against my bare neck. Sophie giggles at Alex’s lustful exchange and winks her eye at me before sauntering off.

  I turn in Alex’s arms and wrap mine around his neck.

  “Are you ready for your race?”

  “Yes, I’m glad you’re here to watch me. It gives me a bit more motivation to win.”

  “You don’t need any motivation; you’ll win because you’re amazing.”

  “You’re faith in me is astounding. We need to go see the press for photographs then I’ll leave you to get to your seat.”

  Alex guides me to where Sophie stands with a group of photographers. My heart beat increases tenfold, not because I don’t want my picture taken, but because the press hasn’t been kind to me in the past. We follow Sophie’s directions and smile or embrace when asked and soon I’m being whisked off to the stands after wishing Alex good luck.

  Scott guides me to my seat while Gregory plants himself in the upper far corner of the stands, his watchful eye taking everything in.

  “Ok, Mallory. I’ll be taking up post on that end by the stairwell,” Scott says as he points to my right. “If you need anything you hold up three of your fing
ers, ok? If it’s an emergency hold up four fingers.”

  “Can I text you if I have any questions?”

  “Absolutely.” Turning his attention to Zach seated to my right he says, “Ok, Zach, I need you to be a good boy and listen to Ms. Mallory. Can you do that?” Zach nods in agreement. “Good, you let Ms. Mallory know if you need anything, Daddy has to work. Have fun watching the fast cars.”

  “Cars!” the toddler squeals with delight while clapping his hands and bouncing on the seat.

  “I know, buddy, you love cars.” Scott turns his attention back to me and says, “He should be good for you. He’s potty trained, but I have special underwear on him if he has an accident. Just text me if he needs to use the restroom.”

  Scott’s face is etched with worry and I do my best to relieve him so that he can work.

  I place the ear buds on Zach’s ears to dull the noise as I respond, “Don’t worry, Scott. We’ll be fine, go do your thing.”

  He nods, strokes his hand through his son’s hair and strolls off to the side; leaving me alone with a toddler and my weary thoughts.

  Soon the stands are crammed with patrons hoping to catch a glimpse of the race about to head underway. The cars have all been lined up and each of the drivers and their prospective charities introduced. Per Gregory’s instructions I tried not to cheer too loudly and draw attention to myself when Alex was announced, but I couldn’t help but join into the overzealous applause – his sly wink in my direction made my effort worth it.

  Zach and I sit on the edge of our seats as we let the vibrations of the stands shake our body. I feel a surge of energy when the engines roar to life and the potent scent of racing gasoline fills my lungs. My gaze is locked on the number nine car at the front of the line and the blinking lights raised just above the vehicle.

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  Chapter 9

  The crowd rises to their feet when the drivers take off and I’m quick to follow suit. My heartbeat explodes in my chest at the thrill of watching the cars accelerate at such a remarkable pace. We all watch the screen as the drivers take a turn and vanish from our line of sight. Alex maintains his position at the lead and weaves his car through the turns.

  Alex mentioned earlier that this was a race of about sixty-five laps so we had a bit of time to sit and enjoy the spectacle. Every time the cars zoom past the stands, the crowd jumps and shouts. I glance down at Zach and watch the merriment in his expression.

  Halfway through the race, I can’t help but react to a niggling feeling of being watched. I glance around the stands but don’t notice anyone paying any particular attention to me. Unable to shake the sense, I wrap my arm tightly around Zach to protect him.

  Up until the final few laps of the race I cannot shake the sense of unease blossoming around me. It reminds me of how I felt when I was trapped with both Seth and Nicholas, and those thoughts alone are enough to have me bolting form my seat, dragging Zach behind me with his hand tightly grasped in my own, and rushing towards Scott.

  “Mrs. Stone, is something wrong?”

  “I don’t know. I’m sure it’s nothing, but I have this feeling, you know; this feeling of being watched, and not out of curiosity. I don’t feel comfortable.”

  Putting his hand on my shoulder in a gentle and reassuring manner he assures me that everything is fine and that he and Gregory haven’t witnessed anyone acting out of the ordinary. As I stand with Zach’s hand tightly wrapped in my grasp I see a startled expression cross Scott’s face as he turns his attention to Gregory, who has now begun to rush from the stands, both men pressing their fingers to strategically hidden headsets.

  “We have to go, now, Mrs. Stone. Please follow me,” Gregory demands as Scott scoops Zach into his arms.

  Both men walk in a brisk pace, their legs cover twice the distance of my much smaller ones.

  “What’s going on? Did you find someone looking at me?”

  “Looking at you?” Gregory asks as he turns a questioning glance to Scott.

  “I told Scott that I felt someone watching me. It made me uneasy, like when I was kidnapped.”

  “Hm..,” Gregory mumbles before hurriedly leading us to a waiting golf cart.

  We’re bustled away from the stands and swiftly driven to a roped off section of the track where a car sits, fire engulfing the burning metal, from crashing into a concrete barrier lining the track.

  Through the flickering of the oppressive flames I see the red outlines of the number nine and my stomach drops. I jump from the moving golf cart and race to the edge of the fenced off area, pushing the throngs of people out of my way.

  When I reach the border I scoot past the muscled men with Security written on the back of their shirts.

  “Alex! Alex!” I cry as I try to make my way to the burning car.

  Before I’m able to reach the concrete barrier strong arms pull me from the fiery vehicle.

  “You can’t be here, miss. Stop struggling or I’ll have to cuff you. You need to move back to the fence.”

  Before the security guard feels the wrath of a worried wife Gregory makes his presence known.

  “Let her go, Edward. That’s Alex’s wife. Where is he?”

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Stone. He’s over at the medic getting checked out.”

  I blindly take Gregory’s arm as he escorts me over to a medical tent set up behind the barriers. My head is washed in fear until I see Alex standing beside a young healthcare worker as she rubs some salve on his forehead.

  Without a second thought I start to run towards the tent, not noticing the clicking of cameras from the sidelines. I don’t have time to notice how delectable Alex looks with his red racing suit unzipped and the upper half of it removed from his body, his chest clad in only a tight black t-shirt. All I notice is that the man I love isn’t burned or broken.

  I don’t slow my pace as I yell Alex’s name once more, finally catching his attention right before I launch myself into his arms. Both my legs and arms wrap tightly around his body and I bury my face into his neck, unable to stop the worries tears from escaping from my eyes. He lovingly wraps one arm around my head, holding me close as his other arm snakes around my waist.

  “Don’t do that to me again,” I sniffle, trying unsuccessfully to dry my tears.

  “I’m sorry, beautiful. I’m not hurt. Calm down,” he replies reassuringly, his smooth voice instantly calming my nerves.

  He holds me until I feel I’m able to compose myself. Unwrapping my legs from around his waist, I stand before him eyeing the cut on his head.

  “Are you sure you’re alright? What happened?”

  “I’m better than anyone expected,” Alex declares as he affectionately strokes his fingers through my hair. “I had a tire blow out in the turn, that’s the only reason I hit the barrier, the car spun out and I couldn’t slow her down in time. It actually happens fairly frequently.”

  “Wow, ok. That definitely explains the feeling I was getting in the stands.”

  “What feeling was that?”

  “I just had this feeling of being watched, but maybe it was just my intuition that something bad was going to happen.”

  Continuing to slide his fingers through my hair Alex simply replies with a thought provoked sound.

  “Gregory made the same noise when I said how I felt.”

  At that moment Gregory, Scott, and Zach join our gathering. I can’t help but smile at Zach as he looks around wide-eyed.

  “I’m glad to see you’re ok, sir.”

  “Thank you, Gregory,” Alex responds before placing a soft kiss on the edge of my nose and turning his attention to his right hand man. “I want you to investigate this wreck. Mallory said she had a feeling of being watched and I trust her instincts. In hindsight, unless the tire was faulty to begin with, it shouldn’t have blown. They had many meters left on them. I think this and
the pictures are all tied together and I want this done, now.”

  “I’m on it, sir. I already have the security staff sending the security videos from yesterday and today to see if anyone tampered with your equipment. I also received the new facial recognition software yesterday, so we can match anyone the we find suspicious.”

  “Good. Make sure to get a shot of the stands and see if anyone was watching Mallory,” Alex commands before turning back towards me and draping his arm over my shoulder. “Come on, love. Let’s head home and pack our things for our flight this evening.”

  “Don’t you need to finish up some things for the race?”

  “Sophie will handle everything. Come.”

  I trail alongside Alex, one strong arm bounded around my waist, melding our bodies together, the other holding Zach, allowing Scott to perform his duties. Gregory moves in front of us, Scott following from behind, and they move us through the throngs of people hoping for a glimpse of Alex.

  The reporters standing by holler out questions and accusations as we pass by and I have to work hard to ignore their insinuations.

  Gregory leads us to a waiting SUV and we all load into the vehicle, Scott taking special care to strap Zach into his child care seat. I take the seat beside the toddler in the back and Alex scoots in next to me, both Gregory and Scott taking the seats in the front.

  We slowly creep along the pathway, trying not to hurt anyone in the crowd as they barricade around the vehicle. Flashes go off, blinding us all, as the photographers try to get a snapshot of Alex. My ire rises when I see the scared look on Zach’s face. I reach over to hold his small hand, hoping to ease the tension with my comfort.

  Gregory calls in a police escort and we can do no more than wait for the patrol car to arrive. The crowd surges forward on every side, rocking the vehicle in their attempt to get to us.

  “Gregory, we need to get a hold of the situation,” Alex urges, alarm weaving through his words.

  Zach’s irritability increases as more hands start pounding on the windows, no one removing themselves from the vehicle as it continues to creep forward. I reach over and wrap myself around Zach, although an odd and uncomfortable position, my embrace guards him from the on goings outside the vehicle door.