Just A Man (The Porter Trilogy Book 1)

by Shannon Youngblood

  “I don’t really know what happened, you’ll want to talk to Danny. He took the call. But he told me what the caller said and I—I guess it affected me.” I swallowed another gulp of water past the ever growing lump in my throat.

  “Do you know who may have a desire to harm you, Miss Hightower?” Collins asked, eyeing me skeptically. His look made it seem like he doubted anyone would want to hurt a sweet looking girl like me.

  I had no desire to rehash my history again, especially with a complete stranger. I looked over at Danny for support and Officer Collins followed my gaze, giving Danny a raised eyebrow.

  Danny broke the silence and answered for me. “Charlie had a bad encounter with a man eight years ago and he was put in jail. She found out yesterday he had been released from prison two weeks ago.”

  I thanked Danny in my head profusely for narrowing everything down into two easy sentences. My life, summed up in a mere breath of words. I sighed internally.

  “Can I please have the name of this man, Miss Hightower?” He focused on his pad of paper and waited patiently for me to respond.

  “Robert Nelson,” I squeaked.

  His eyes came up quickly and looked into mine. “Senator Nelson’s son? I’d heard he was out of jail.” He looked back down, jotting in his notepad. “Does he know where you live or work, Miss Hightower?”

  I shook my head no. “I guess we should have made our phone number unlisted,” I nervously laughed. Danny gripped my hand a little tighter, trying to ground me. I couldn’t lose it with the officers here.

  “We won’t take anymore of your time, Miss Hightower, Mr Williams.” He nodded to us both before standing and motioning Officer Hartmann to the door. “If you get anymore of those calls or anything else that seems suspicious, I want you to call me,” he said, handing me his card. “Have a good night, folks.”

  Danny shut the door behind him before joining me back on the couch. Sitting next to me with his hand on my knee, he asked “Are you ok, baby girl?”

  “Yes.” It was the only thing I could say. I was trapped inside by the thoughts in my head and I couldn’t concentrate on anything Danny was saying. Could it be Robert harassing me again? If it wasn’t, who else could it be? An image of Sarah Mansfield swam into my vision. That would make sense too. She kept warning me, in no uncertain terms, that I was supposed to stay away from Alex. She had called during dinner, so she presumably knew I had been with him.

  I should have called Alex, but I wasn’t ready to deal with him yet. I sat on the couch, lost in my own thoughts, for a long time. Danny went out and got pizza for us, but, after a slice, I just couldn’t chew anymore. My stomach was in knots and I barely kept down the little I had eaten. I was so emotionally drained due to the past few days, I was ready to crawl inside my shell and sleep for a week. It wouldn’t help the situation, but it might calm my nerves and make my spiraling life more manageable.

  When the land line started ringing at 10pm, I felt the shakes take hold of my body involuntarily. Danny went over and answered it. He talked for a few minutes before returning to me with the cordless.

  ‘It’s your mom’, he mouthed at me. I took a deep breath before answering.

  “Hi, mom.”

  “Charlie, why haven’t you returned my text messages or my calls, I’ve been worried sick. Alex and I have been in contact all day trying to find you, Wh–”

  I halted her mid sentence. I was pretty sure she just said that she had been in contact with Alex all day, but I was desperately hoping I’d heard wrong, although a small part of me was happy that he was reaching out, but ticked off that he was going through my mom.

  “What do you mean you’ve been in contact with Mr. Porter all day?” my voice sounded icy.

  “He called me this morning to find out more info about the trial and Robert. When I asked to talk to you, he said you weren’t there. When we both tried calling you, it went straight to voicemail. He even said he stopped by your apartment, but no one answered the door. Where were you?”

  “Danny took me out for retail therapy.” I instantly felt guilty for not checking in with my mom. I knew she would be worried about the news she had told me last night and, like a brat, I had kept my phone off all day.

  “I have to tell you something else, mom. Someone called here a little while ago and threatened me.” Cutting off her cry, I continued, “I don’t know who it was, because they used a voice changer, but Danny and I called the cops, and they just left.”

  I could hear my mom sobbing in the background and it broke my heart. I hated hearing her cry. “Mom, please don’t cry, I’m ok.”

  “I know, baby, but this is not what I wanted for you. You should be getting married and having babies, not dealing with a crazy stalker.”

  At the mention of babies, an image popped into my head of Alex running around in the grass with a little red-headed toddler on his shoulders. They were laughing and playing and teasing each other. The thought took my breath away and I sat momentarily stunned with the directions of my thoughts. Mom pulled me away from my mental wanderings.

  “Charlie, are you listening? You need to call Alex.”

  “I’m not calling Alex, mom, you don’t know what happened last night, and I don’t want to talk about it. I love you, ok, I’ll talk to him later. Goodbye, mom.”

  I hated ending the call like I did, but I just couldn’t talk about it, or to Alex right now. That image of him and the redhead shook me to my core. Alex would make an awesome dad. I hardly knew enough about him to make that judgement call, but I just kind of knew he would be a great dad. He was protective and caring. More than once, he had comforted me when things were bleak. I envied whoever ended up with his love and his children.

  When I hung the phone back on its’ cradle, I turned my cell back on to clear away any messages. As mom had said, I had 12 missed calls from her and 19 from Alex, along with a few text messages asking where I was. I was irritated that it took so long for Alex to reach out to me, especially after I left his apartment. You would think he might have been surprised to find me gone when he came back home from wherever he had gone.

  I cleared everything from my history and made my way to my room. Tomorrow was Monday, but, since I didn’t think I had a job anymore, I turned my alarm off and crawled into bed. I needed the sleep badly. I needed the promise of oblivion and time away from my thoughts.

  I felt like an emotional ball of nerves and tears. Grabbing my diary from inside my nightstand drawer, I thought back to the last time I had written in it. It had been the day of my interview. I remember gushing like a teenage schoolgirl, telling my book how handsome he was. Although, I don’t believe handsome was the wording I used. I only wrote in my diary when I needed to talk, but didn’t actually want to do the physical act of lip moving.

  I decided today that every day, from now to the foreseeable future, I would write in my journal one good thing that happened for that day at the end of my entries. Hopefully, that little snippet of positivity could weave it’s way into my tortured soul and help heal the damage done.

  Sunday June 14, 2015- Today I bought a really pretty dress and matching shoes. I can’t wait to wear them one day soon.

  **********

  I was getting really tired of waking up to someone banging on my door. I glanced at the clock, seeing it was 9:47 in the morning, and rolled back over covering my head in the blankets. Too bad the banging didn’t stop and it was getting louder.

  I jumped out of bed, seriously annoyed at whoever was at the door. When I got to the front, I pulled up short, remembering my mystery phone call from the night before. I peeped through the hole to see who it was, praying that it wasn’t Robert or any of his friends.

  I would have let out a relieved breath if the person on the other side was anyone but Alex, but, as it was, my very pissed off ex-boss stood on my welcome mat and pounded on the door. I fought an internal battle with myself. Should I open it or not?

  “I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE, CHARLOTTE. I CA
N HEAR YOU MOVING. OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!” he bellowed.

  I stepped back, hoping maybe he hadn’t really heard me, but his next words cemented the fact that he did.

  “DON’T YOU DARE TAKE ANOTHER STEP BACKWARDS, CHARLOTTE. OPEN THE DOOR NOW!”

  Unwilling to let him to stand there and continue to scream, I slid the deadbolt and unlocked the door. He didn’t even wait for me to turn the knob before he came barging in, seething in his own rage. He looked spectacular in his three piece black suit, with my favorite red tie around his neck, but I wasn’t in the mindframe to deal with him, so I went over to the couch and sat down with my legs curled underneath me, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders.

  After a few moments of listening to him pace behind the couch, he steps grew softer and slower before he finally joined me, sitting next to me, but not touching me. He looked at me for a long time while I continued to stare at my fingernails. I was just too tired.

  “Are you ok, Charlotte?” he asked me, his voice soft but the underlying anger raged through each word.

  I shook my head, afraid to speak, afraid of what I might tell him, and afraid of more tears. My sleep had not helped calm my quivering nerves. I was a basket case, ready to explode at any point.

  “Hey,” he said softly, lifting my chin, ”Look at me. Why didn’t you come to work?”

  I’m sure the surprise registered on my face when I looked up at him, but he made no move to say anything. He was surprisingly gentle with my face and his eyes were filled with worry.

  “I thought–I thought, after Saturday, you’d no longer want me anywhere near you, let alone working for you. You were so mad at me that night, I figured that was it for my job.” I finished, trying my damndest not to cry, again.

  “Wait, You thought, I….You thought I was mad, at you? Jesus, Charlotte, why would I be angry with you?” He let go of my chin and ran his fingers through his dark hair, scraping his fingernails against his scalp. I was slowly starting to pick up on his cues. When he ran his fingers through his hair like that, he was frustrated with either someone else, or himself.

  I sniffed back the tears, “Because of what I was, and what happened to me. I thought you were disgusted with me. I could see it in your eyes, even though you wouldn’t look at me.” I dipped my eyes back down. I didn’t want to see his eyes and see the look of disgust in them again.

  “It wasn’t your fault, Charlotte. The attack wasn’t your fault, and if I ever get my hands on that bastard and his friends, they are dead men.” The harshness and violence in his words were a little scary, but it helped put me at peace, knowing someone felt as much hatred as I did.

  I had to know why he left, then. If I was the victim and he believed me, why did he storm out on me, leaving me broken and vulnerable? “Why did you leave me then, Alex? I needed you. Telling you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Danny doesn’t even know everything to the extent that you do.”

  When he finally looked me in the eyes, he looked apologetic. Taking me by shock, he pulled me into his lap and pressed his nose into my neck, taking a deep breath of my skin. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, but he didn’t answer my question. I wanted to press him for an answer, but I let it go, accepting his warmth and lessening my worry. I felt some of the burden from the past few days, leave my shoulders. He whispered into my neck, telling me he would protect me.

  We sat there in silence, me in his lap, him nuzzling my neck for a while. We both just wanted to connect again and be at peace. But, in the back of my mind, I knew I needed to tell him about the phone call last night. I tensed at the thought and Alex caught on, placing me down next to him, but continuing to soothe me with his touch.

  “I need to tell you something, Alex,” I whispered.

  He looked at me, but didn’t respond, waiting for me to tell him.

  “I got a call last night from someone. He or she used a voice changer and told Danny that they were coming for me.” I started to shiver again, thinking about the words that continued to echo in my head. When I looked up at Alex, his eyes were fires of anger. “We called the cops and they came by and took our statements, but I don’t think anything can be done at this point. I didn’t want to bring this drama into work with me.”

  It took Alex a few deep breaths to calm himself down again, enough to finally reply, but his words made my heart soar. “Any drama that involves you, involves me too, my daydreamer.”

  He hadn’t called me that in a few days, and I forgot how much I enjoyed his little term of endearment for me. I pushed my face into his chest and inhaled his unique scent, comforted by his arms wrapped around me and the promises on his lips.

  “I guess I should go get ready for work. My boss is a real hardass when I’m late.” I smiled up at him, trying to lighten the mood a little.

  “Your boss sounds like an asshole,” he quipped back, smiling down on me.

  I couldn’t help the snicker that left my mouth before turning back towards my bedroom. “He’s not an asshole, I love him,” I whispered for only my ears, as I walked in the room to get changed.

  Monday June 15, 2015- I fell in love today

  Chapter 25

  The next few days were, thankfully, uneventful. I went to work with a little more pep in my step and Alex only added to my ease. We ate lunch together on Tuesday and Wednesday, but on Thursday he had a conference call, so I decided to check with Brigitte and Jerry to see if they were interested in getting something to eat. They both agreed and we decided to meet by the elevators at noon.

  When noon rolled around, I buzzed Alex to let him know I was going, and grabbed my purse. I found Jerry and Brigitte waiting for me at the elevator. Jerry leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek, but Brigitte didn’t move. Something was seriously off with her, and, when I looked up at Jerry, he just shrugged it off. I stared at her for a minute while she kicked at the ground and refused to meet my gaze.

  The day we had spent together shopping and gossipping had really helped me connect with someone of my own gender. I truly liked Brigitte and hoped that one day we could come to rely on each other. She seemed aloof today and I hoped I could get her to open up and talk to me.

  “Let’s go get some grub. I’ll make all the men jealous with you two beautiful ladies by my side!” Jerry said, draping his arms around our shoulders.

  I couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped my lips and, eventually, neither could Brigitte. By the time we reached the outside, stepping out into the fresh air, we were all doubled over in laughter and drawing the crowd of passing business women and men. As we walked, we pulled ourselves together and headed towards the busy sidewalk to get to our favorite deli across the street.

  “Brigitte,” I asked after swallowing a mouthful of delicious reuben, “What’s up with your new boyfriend? I feel like I’ve been out of the loop for so long.” Although, realistically, it had only been a few days.

  She heaved a heavy sad sigh before responding. “He’s ok, he’s been really busy and we haven’t gotten to see each other in a few days. Every time we do get to hang out, he always seems so distracted. I realize we’ve only been together a few weeks, but I really like him.”

  “I’m sure everything is alright, Brigitte!” I smiled at her, trying to cheer her up.

  She looked up at me and gave me a timid, sad smile before biting into her egg salad sandwich. There was something more wrong with her, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. She was quiet and distant and not her normal jovial self.

  “It’ll be ok, dear,” I said, patting her hand. She jerked her hand away from my touch unexpectedly, and when I gave her a confused look, she shrugged and told me she was sorry. I didn’t like the way Brigitte was acting. She was too jumpy. Was Steve doing something to her? I wanted to find out, but I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. I decided I’d talk to her again later and see if I could discern anything.

  The conversation slipped into an easy lighthearted talk. I didn’t bring up the past few days, but I knew Jerry was aware of
a little bit because Danny had asked if he could share some of it. They were getting really close, so I decided to pry some info from Jerry for a change.

  “So, how’s Daniel?” I asked as innocently as I could.

  He looked at me with a playful glint in his eye. He knew where I was going with this line of questioning. “Oh you know, girl, everything’s good,” he said noncommittally.

  “Bullshit!” I shrieked, “Don’t you lie to me, Jerry Perez!”

  He stared at me like I had three heads before he burst out into the most rambunctious laugh I had ever heard. “Oh God, Charlie! You’re killing me!” He clutched his stomach, leaning over into his laugh. After a bit, he finally slowed down his laughter, rocking back in his seat and wiping a tear from his eye.

  “You know, Danny will kill me if I talk to you about us before he can.”

  “What Danny doesn’t know won’t hurt him, will it, Jerry?” I smiled mischievously.

  “I’m taking him out Saturday night and talking to him about being together exclusively.” he said, hiding back a grin.

  “OMG! Jerry, that’s amazing, “I squealed, clapping my hands together. “I’m so excited. I know how much he likes you!”

  “I like him too,” he said, almost sheepishly.

  I asked him about where he was taking him and what his plan was, but he wouldn’t divulge any more info, in case I accidently spilled the beans. “I know what Danny can do with that pouty face, Charlie, and I’m not risking it. It’s going to be a surprise.”

  I nodded in understanding. Danny used that face on me often and I didn’t want to ruin that surprise. Danny needed some more good things in his life. He deserved it for putting up with me.

  A little before one we made our way back to the office. Brigitte still hadn’t said much during lunch and she kept grabbing her phone and texting someone almost the entire time. I was starting to get a little nervous for her. I knew the signs of abuse.