Beauty and the Billionaire

by Claire Adams

  Bain, Missouri was one of the quaint little towns that you drove through on your way to nowhere. There was a small pharmacy, liquor store, and a few other local companies. It didn’t have a mayor and instead used a City Manager. There was no police department, but the county Sheriff patrolled the area as needed.

  The streets of Bain only lasted about four blocks and it was stuck in the picturesque history of the 1950’s. I took a couple more pictures of the town and then started to head back home. Again, I felt the pang of someone following me or watching me. I looked up and down the street and thought I saw someone go into the hardware store. I walked quickly down to the store and was about to walk inside when I saw Chris standing in front of their door.

  “Were you following me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “To make sure nothing bad happened to you.”

  “What? I thought we were safe. I thought those guys that came after you were dead and there was nothing else to worry about?” I could feel my anger growing. He had made it seem like things were safe. He had made it seem like he was staying with me because he wanted to spend time with me, not because he was protecting me from someone.

  “You are safe. I’m here.”

  “No! Don’t lie to me like that. I thought you wanted to spend time with me and that was why you were at my house.”

  “I do want to spend time with you.” He flashed me that smile and I couldn’t help but calm down a bit. It was hard to stay mad at him when he was smiling like that.

  “Do you have a gun right now?” I reached around and tried to feel behind his back, but his skills at defensiveness far outweighed my curiosity.

  “Yes,” he said as he held me back with one hand.

  “Chris, what are we going to do? I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

  He just smiled at me and grabbed my hand. We started to walk back to my house.

  “I’m not going to get hurt. My guys are taking care of the rest of their team. I’ll just relax with you and get myself feeling better.”

  He seemed so calm and relaxed; I had no other option but to believe him. But certainly something was going on. He wouldn’t have followed me all the way through town if he wasn’t worried about something.

  Chapter 36

  “How about I walk with you and you can take pictures without worrying?” Chris said as we were walking back to the house.

  “Alright, I did want to go out by the dairy farm and take some photos out there.”

  “Let’s do it,” Chris said with an unusual amount of enthusiasm.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. I doubted taking pictures was at all interesting to him, but his willingness to be enthusiastic about it was cute for sure. The dairy farm was almost two miles out of town, but it was a beautiful sunny day so it was well worth the time it took to get out there. The mid seventy-degree weather offered a slight breeze to cool us without dropping the temperature too much. I reached out for Chris’ hand to hold it as we walked.

  He smiled and gripped me firmly, but I could tell that this type of intimacy was not something he was comfortable with. His whole arm tightened up and he held his hand almost motionless. I tried not to laugh out loud at his awkwardness.

  Every now and then I noticed him looking around either to the side of us or behind us. Certainly not instilling confidence in his notion that we were not in danger. I thought I even noticed his jaw tensing as we got farther and farther away from the town. We really were sitting ducks if anyone was trying to get us.

  As we walked down the dirt road, there was no place to hide and no escape if someone happened to come down this dirt road with wrongdoing on their mind. At the dairy farm, I stopped to visit with the owner. He seemed a little leery of Chris but warmed up to him when I said he was an ex-Navy Seal. Mr. Reynolds had been in the Navy also, many years before Chris though. The two men shook hands and Mr. Reynolds took us out to where the cows were grazing. He had a four-wheeler with two seats in the back and drove us quickly out to the top of the hill where the cows were.

  “I’ve already let them into the field, I hope that works alright.”

  “Yes, that will be great.”

  “Just make sure the gate is closed when you head back to town. Have fun.”

  Mr. Reynolds took his four-wheeler back toward his house and left us at the top of the hill with about a hundred cows grazing all around us. I started taking pictures immediately.

  When I looked over at Chris, he seemed to be in protection mode and was eyeing a large cow that was walking slowly in our direction. He looked like he was ready to take the cow down if he needed to.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of them, they won’t hurt us,” I said with a smile.

  “I’m not afraid,” he said as he tried to play off his uncomfortable stance.

  I could tell he was at least uncomfortable with the number of cows around us. He didn’t look like the kind of guy who spent a lot of time on a farm, especially this close to the animals of the farm. A young calf made her way toward us and I got down on my knees to take some pictures. She kept coming toward us with an interest that was very charming. Chris grabbed some grass and held it out in his hand.

  I snapped some pictures of the two of them. Chris and his tall, muscular frame feeding the small baby calf, with the sun setting right behind them; it was perfect. I hoped that the lighting didn’t wash out Chris and the calf when I tried to develop the pictures.

  “That was adorable,” Chris said as he looked at me.

  I was concerned he was going to get mad at me for taking his picture again. I really hoped he didn’t force me to delete the photo, it was so perfect. He looked at me and then at the camera. I felt him trying to decide if it was alright that I took his picture. He seemed to be going through some sort of internal struggle. But he was silent and he did not force me to delete the picture.

  “Yes, that was very adorable. Should we head back to town?”

  I got up off the ground and Chris leaned over and wiped the grass off of my knees. He grabbed me close and kissed me. The spontaneous gesture was just another reason I was starting to fall for this guy. He grabbed my hand and held it in his as he led the way back into town. His grip seemed more comfortable this time and he was much more relaxed. He was getting a hold of this whole boyfriend thing.

  Wait, boyfriend…is that what he was? I didn’t know the answer and wasn’t about to ask him. I felt like we were a couple now, but I wasn’t really sure. Maybe my perception of things was different than his. It wasn’t the right time to talk about things; we had had enough deep conversations for today.

  We continued into town and turned down the street toward my house. When we got close enough, I could see that the front door was open. I turned and looked at Chris, who instantly went into his protector mode. He brought us down the alley behind the house to see if there were any cars or anything. Then he opened the garage and did a quick look through my dark room.

  “Get in your dark room and lock the door. You understand me?”

  I shook my head yes and quickly went into the room.

  Chris had his gun drawn and took the sling off his hurt arm. He seemed to be able to move it slightly, but I could only imagine how much pain he was in.

  “Chris,” I said as my eyes started to well up with tears.

  “I’ll be fine. Lock the door. I’ll be right back.”

  My brain raced with thoughts of what was going on. Why would someone try to break into my house? I could hardly breathe because of how scared I was. I tried over and over to take a deep breath and nothing seemed to help.

  Chapter 37

  Chris was gone for what seemed like forever. I sat at a table in the corner of my dark room in the pitch black. I didn’t hear any shooting and for that I was very grateful. I closed my eyes and tried to listen as hard as I could. I didn’t know what else I was listening for, as long as there weren't gunshots I was pretty happy.

  I heard a noise outside th
e garage and the door opened. I tucked myself even deeper into the corner of the room. My heart pounded with excitement and I was so afraid someone was coming for me.

  “Katelyn, it’s me,” Chris said.

  Oh what a relief. I jumped up and opened the door. Chris looked perfectly fine so I let out a sigh.

  “What happened? Did I just leave the door open or something?”

  “No, I’m afraid not. Let’s go get some of your things and then you are going to need to stay somewhere else while I figure out what is going on.”

  We walked back up to the house and I could tell that the front door had been kicked in. It seemed odd that they would kick in the front door considering the back door was much older and would have been easier to get through. But I figured whomever it was who had kicked in the door didn’t really care which door was easier. My house looked like it had been torn apart. Furniture was moved, carpets lifted up; someone was certainly looking for something.

  “Who are they? What were they looking for?”

  “I thought there had been three men the other day when I got shot, but I couldn’t tell for sure because things happened so quickly. One of them must have gotten away and now he knows I’ve been staying with you.”

  “What does he want?”

  “The guns, but he can’t have them. Or he wants more money. The guns are already in Chicago and we aren’t paying them any more money. I’m going to have to go back to Chicago and see if I can figure out what is going on.”

  I could feel the color draining out of my face. I couldn’t be left alone. These people were trying to find guns and would obviously kill if they didn’t get what they wanted. My heart raced and I could feel the room getting wobbly.

  “Um, I don’t feel good,” I said just before my knees gave out and I started to fall. Chris, of course, caught me and set me down gently in one of the chairs. He closed the front door the best he could and brought me a glass of water.

  “What do you need from here? Absolute minimum,” he said as he prepared to go up the stairs.

  “Clothes and my mom’s jewelry box.”

  Chris was gone for only about three minutes before he returned with a bag full of my things. He grabbed me by the arm and took me out to my car. He already had the keys in his hand and we were driving down the street before I even knew what was going on.

  “Oh no, my camera. I left my camera there.”

  “It’s fine. You can get it later. Let’s just get you out to Rebecca and Robert’s house.”

  “I need to call them first and see if it is alright.”

  “Katelyn, you will get killed if you stay at your house. It will be fine with them.”

  I guided Chris as he drove us out to Rebecca’s house. I didn’t know how I would be able to explain things, but I knew there was no hiding what was going on now. I was too afraid to hide anything. I needed to feel safe again.

  “Where will you go? How will you stay safe?” I said as I reached for his hand.

  He held my hand tightly for a moment but then needed to use it to drive. His injured shoulder seemed to be bothering him very badly by that point. It was leaking blood through the bandage and onto his shirt.

  “I’m going to go to Chicago. I have to figure out what is going on. I have to end this.”

  I tried to swallow, but a big lump started in my throat. How was he going to stay safe if he went right back out there?

  “How do you know the people that tried to kill you weren’t the ones from Chicago?”

  Chris seemed to ponder what I was saying and did not immediately answer. He looked in the rear view mirror and was preoccupied. I watched as he continued to drive to Rebecca’s house and took special care to make sure no one was following us. He never did answer my question.

  As we pulled up to Rebecca’s house, I felt my heart pounding very hard. My face was flushed and I didn’t know how I was going to explain things to Rebecca. I watched Chris as we pulled up to the house, he seemed very focused and intent on a plan that I was not aware of.

  After parking in their driveway, Chris jumped out of the car and went up to Rebecca and Robert’s door very quickly. He didn’t wait for me and he didn’t look back at me. Robert opened the door and I watched as the two shook hands and exchanged some words. Chris motioned for me to come up, so I grabbed my things and made my way to the door. When I got there, Chris kissed me quickly and shook Robert’s hand, then he left. He didn’t wait around; he didn’t have time for small talk. He was just gone.

  I stood in the doorway and watched Chris drive away in my car. The last thing I was worried about was my car though; I was worried that Chris was going back to Chicago to settle the score for whoever had come to his house and then my house. I was worried that Chris was going to end up dead after confronting the people he was going to see. Never had I been so concerned for a man I had only met a few short weeks before.

  Chapter 38

  I knew it was going to be difficult to explain everything to Rebecca and Robert. My life had become so dangerous that even I couldn’t believe what was going on. I could see the concern on Rebecca and Robert’s faces and I knew they wouldn’t be happy until I told them everything.

  So I did.

  I just let out everything. I told them about sleeping with Chris, I told them about my art show and following Chris to the airport. I didn’t leave anything out, except the details of our nightly rendezvous. Finally, I told them about my last couple of days and Chris getting shot.

  It was all so much, so hard to relive in such a short period of time. I started to cry as I finished the story and ended with my house being broken into and Chris needing to leave to go settle things in Chicago. Rebecca just shook her head in disbelief.

  “Katelyn, this guy is bad news. You need to stay away from him,” Rebecca said finally.

  “Yes, you’re going to end up hurt or dead if you keep hanging around that guy,” Robert added. I could see where they were coming from. It wasn’t like I could argue that Chris was a good influence on me. Since meeting him, I certainly had put myself in a very delicate position. But I wasn’t willing to let go of Chris. I held out hope that he would be alright and this all would be settled soon.

  “I know it looks bad guys. But just trust me, Chris is going to settle everything.”

  “Katelyn, this is not alright. You can’t be hanging around some mysterious guy who is murdering people in his house and getting shot.” Rebecca did not seem pleased with my choices at all.

  “It’s not like that. He isn’t a murderer.”

  “Well, actually, that’s exactly what he is. Didn’t you say he killed the two people in his house?” Robert said.

  “Well technically yes, but they shot him and were going to kill him.”

  “Katelyn, you need to get away from this guy and that’s it. You can stay here as long as you need to, but you need to end things with him. He’s obviously only out for himself. Look how he just abandoned you here with us and took off.” Rebecca obviously did not like Chris anymore.

  “I know how it looks guys. I really appreciate you letting me stay here.”

  I wasn’t about to continue to argue with them. Chris needed to go to Chicago and end this craziness so I could show Rebecca and Robert that things would be alright. Because at that moment I was starting to believe them. Maybe staying away from Chris was exactly what I needed to do in order to stay safe. I certainly didn’t want anything bad to happen to me. I didn’t want to end up shot or dead. It wasn’t on my ten-year life plan to have something like that happen to me.

  For the next two weeks, I continued to stay with Rebecca and Robert because I had not heard from Chris yet. I intended to stay with them until I finally got word from Chris that everything was alright.

  “Robert, can you take me to my house to get my camera?” I asked one late afternoon.

  “Are you sure it’s safe?” Robert asked with a look of concern.

  “Yeah, it’s been two weeks. If something bad was goin
g to happen then, it would have already happened.”

  “How about we drive by the house today and see if anything looks out of place, then maybe tomorrow you could go in and grab your camera and anything else you needed?”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  Chapter 39

  We drove by my house slowly and there didn’t seem to be anyone around. I had Robert drive around back and I looked all around for anything suspicious, but there was nothing that stood out. Unfortunately, I did have a feeling that someone was following us or watching us. I made Robert leave and then drive all over town to make sure no one was following us. I didn’t feel safe to go into the house and get my camera.

  “I’m not sure Robert, something felt off. What do you think?”

  “I felt fine,” Robert said. “Do you want me to just go inside with you?”

  “No, let’s just get back home, maybe I’ll go back tomorrow.”

  I couldn’t put my finger on what was going on, but I felt like something bad was going to happen. I looked everywhere and had not seen a single thing out of place though. It was entirely possible the events of the last few weeks had made be jumpy and were the only reason I couldn’t feel safe.

  “Well, I have to work all day tomorrow. How about we go back in after work?”

  Robert was a good man. Rebecca sure had found herself a keeper. I used to make fun of her for getting married so young and starting her family. But seeing how Robert took care of her and the kids, it certainly was more than any woman could hope for in a partner. They both seemed so very happy and it was something to look up to in my future relationships.

  I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to keep Chris around or not. He certainly got me hot and bothered when we were together. There was a chemistry between us that I had never felt with any other person. It was hard for me to imagine that there was another man out there that I could feel so bonded to so quickly.

  In the morning when Robert went to work I decided to go with him. I wanted to keep an eye out through the town and see if I saw any suspicious vehicles. Since his office was right downtown, I could easily watch people from the comfort of his building. No one would even know I was there since he had tinted windows that overlooked the main street of town.