by Vi Keeland
“Oh. Hi!”
My head jerked up from washing my hands.
Amanda stood behind me, she had just come in. She was pale in the face and grabbed onto the wall to steady herself.
I whipped around and tried to grab her. I didn’t think about it. I saw her foot slip and knew she was going down, but she caught herself against the wall.
She flinched away from my hand.
The smile fell away and my hand dropped back to my side. I wasn’t used to that reaction from my friend.
“Sorry.” She grimaced. “The last day hasn’t been so easy.”
My head fell down. Shame flooded me as I remembered what I had left behind. Guilt flared up. “I’m sorry, Amanda. I really am. I—”
She waved me off. “No worries.”
I hesitated. “You were working at the café tonight?”
She nodded. “I picked up a late shift. They were cleaning our bathroom so I figured I’d use this one. You guys are right next door.”
“Yeah.” The guilt had settled in me. It wasn’t going anywhere. “I’m really sorry I left, Amanda.”
“Really, Emma. No worries. I mean it.” She was firm now. “We know you did something to help Mallory, all of us, since we’re all a part of it. You don’t have to explain yourself.”
I sighed. I left that life and stepped into some other glamorous life. Even my job seemed to have gotten better since Carter. “How’s Mallory?”
“Uh,” Amanda jerked forward. She went into a stall.
I waited until she had finished and came back out to wash her hands. Once she turned the water on, she soaped them up and rinsed before she looked up again. “Ben took her to the hospital last night.”
“What?”
She waved at me again. “No, no, no. It’s not what you think. He wanted her to get tested. They couldn’t check for sperm since Ben had…you know…”
I looked away.
She lowered her voice and stepped closer. “He wanted her bruises and stuff looked at, to make sure she was healing alright. The hospital recommended a counselor and I think he took her to one this afternoon. Since you left, and, you know, you told us that we could have a life again, she’s been better. You weren’t the only one scared about what they were going to do to us.”
My stomach twisted at the reminder. Franco Dunvan was still out there. He was looking for his son. Thanks to Carter, the trail wouldn’t lead back to us. I nodded, my throat thick with renewed emotion again. “I’m glad she’s doing better.”
“Ben still wants me to come by every night, but she slept last night. She had a little food today and he just texted. He said she’s watching some movies tonight. I was going to stop in and see if she wanted me to stay the night.”
“That’s good,” I wrung out. I should’ve been the one doing that. I should’ve been sleeping with her, taking her to the hospital, making sure she got to the counselor’s office. I shouldn’t have been going to work again, working on a new project that would ensure my future, or even going to Joe’s for a slice and beer with someone I always wanted to be friends with from before.
Things had changed so much. I felt like I had lost my old life.
“Emma?” The door opened and Theresa walked in, but stopped as she saw me. “The guys at the front desk said they saw you duck in. You ready to go?”
Amanda’s eyes went wide.
Theresa noticed her and stuck her hand out. “Hi, you work in the little café next door, right? I’m Theresa Webber.”
“Um.” Amanda shut her mouth with a snap but took her hand. “I’m Amanda. Yeah, I work in the café. You work for Mr. Dalton, don’t you?”
“Well, Emma and I both work for him now. We’re on the same account.” Theresa cheeks were pink from excitement. “I already love the work we’ve done together today.”
Amanda swung her wide eyes to me, but I readied myself. There it was. I saw the realization settle in. The surprise had moved over and her eyes darkened from hurt. She’d heard me mention the higher administrative levels. I must’ve talked about Theresa since her boss was near the top.
I hung my head. I should’ve given myself up. Maybe that would’ve helped. But no, it wouldn’t have. Things would’ve been the same and we wouldn’t have had Carter’s protection. She didn’t know who I went to for their safety. Carter stressed the importance that they couldn’t know about him. He had his reasons. I would trust in them. I would trust in him.
“Oh. I see.”
Theresa frowned now as she looked between us. Her eyelids fluttered and I knew she was starting to figure out that something was wrong. She drew in a deep breath and gave Amanda a polite smile. “Well, it was nice to have met you. Are you ready, Emma?”
I nodded. I didn’t trust myself to speak, not yet.
As we left, I looked back. The hurt had transformed into a glare, but I saw a small tear. Amanda flicked it away as she turned her back to me.
My heart dropped the farther I walked away from that bathroom door. I didn’t know how or what had happened, but my friendship with Amanda wouldn’t be the same. She knew something changed in my life and it wasn’t the same type of change that had happened to them. Things got worse for them while things got better for me.
As Theresa led the way out the door and across the road to the popular pub, I made my mind up. I didn’t know Carter’s exact requirements, but I wouldn’t forget my friends. I needed to see Mallory again. I had to make sure everything would be okay between me and her.
When we walked inside, I cringed as I saw the place was packed. It seemed that everyone needed a drink. A large portion of workers from The Richmond sat in the front. There were servers from the restaurant, clerks from the front desk, and a few of the managers. All of them looked up and all of them quieted when they saw I was with Theresa. She led me towards the back and grabbed a table in a corner. Across the room were the girls that I would usually grab a drink with. They paused when they saw who was with me now. A few of them dropped their mouths, but leaned forward to the others. The buzz in the restaurant doubled as Theresa waved down a waiter.
I needed a drink. Now.
As Theresa ordered a pizza for both of us, I nodded when she asked if she should order a pitcher of beer. As soon as it arrived, I downed my first glass.
“Oh, whoa.” Her eyes widened. “Was I that hard on you?”
“No.” A grin escaped me. “I’m sorry. Things have been pretty stressful for me lately.”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I heard your vacation wasn’t planned.”
I had been reaching to pour a second glass, resolved that it was going to be my last drink for the night, but I dropped my hand back to my lap at her words. “What do you mean?”
“Oh.” She shrugged as she sipped on her own beer. “Nothing, really. I heard that something bad happened and you had to leave town suddenly. A family crisis?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“I was in the office with Noah when he took the call. He called Mr. Hudson himself and told him that you were on vacation that whole week.”
Oh god. I wasn’t surprised, but I hadn’t realized it had gone down like that. I looked at my lap with my mind whirling. Noah Tomlinson himself had taken the call? I jerked back up. “When did he get that call?”
“Oh. Um, last Friday?” She frowned. “Why?”
So much didn’t make sense. I had not shown up at my job for four days. Didn’t they have questions about that, but no, not with that explanation coming down from the boss himself. And he took the explanation from one phone call? I shook my head. Carter was more than a sparring partner to Noah Tomlinson. Maybe he was even more than an investor.
“You okay, Emma?”
“Uh, yeah.” I tried to give her a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. You’re right. It was a family emergency. I—uh—everything is better now.” I hoped everything would be better.
“Good.” Her smile stretched from ear to ear as she leaned closer, across the table. �
��I have to tell you that I’ve been itching to work with you on a project like this.”
“Really? Why?”
She laughed. “You’ve earned your way up the ladder. You’re quiet. You’re hard working, and you’ve lasted the longest as Mr. Hudson’s assistant. He’s so hard to work with. Anyone who’s lasted as long as you have and not gotten the punt by him says a lot about you. Plus,” she giggled, “if everything goes well with this new account, you and I both are going to be promoted.”
“Really?” My eyes went wide. “How do you know?”
She sat back, still trying to quench her smile, and shrugged. “I can’t tell you that, but I know it’s a definite possibility. They’ve had their eye on you for awhile.”
I sat back, dazed, as I heard her. I couldn’t believe it. That meant—this was from me. Carter couldn’t have helped me with this new account. If what she said was correct then I earned this new project and maybe a new promotion on my own, not because of him.
I wanted to celebrate. I was alive. I was going to stay alive and things were going to be okay.
I sat back in amazement as those realizations washed over me. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I could, but I couldn’t. I hadn’t thought about things at all in the last week, but here I was. I still had my job. I was going to get a better job, I hoped, and things were going to be alright. Mallory was getting help. Everything was going to be fine.
“You okay?” Theresa peered close to me.
“Yeah,” I gasped. “Everything’s great.” And I meant it. I reached for my second glass of beer as the pizza came to our table.
“Let’s cheer to that.” She raised her glass.
TEN
Three pitchers later, our table had been joined by the girls that usually accompanied me for drinks. All of them were eager to know Theresa better since she seemed out of our reach for friendship. When they learned what account I had been assigned to, a few gave me heated looks from jealousy or anger. Laura seemed happy for me, but she was the nice one of the group. She was happy for everyone.
I had long forgotten to check my phone so I wasn’t sure how late it was when a sudden hush came over the table.
I jerked my head up. “What?”
All of them were looking at me. No. All of them were looking behind me.
My eyes went wide and I knew. A knot formed in my gut as I took a deep breath before I turned, but then I relaxed. My shoulders dropped down and I let out my breath. It was only Mike, or Thomas. I wasn’t sure. They both looked the same.
“Miss Martins,” he spoke. So tall and goliath-like. I snickered at that thought. He could’ve been a gentle giant, but since he was security for Carter, I doubted it. He spoke again with a blank expression over his face, “Your ride is waiting for you outside.”
“Your ride?” one of the girls hooted. “Moving up in the world, Ems. Hot new project at work and hot new ride.”
Another girl laughed, “He’s like a butler, for rides.”
“Is he a chauffeur?”
Then someone whispered, “I think he’s a Chippendale dancer.”
The first girl hooted again as she slapped her hand on the table. “He’s going to whip off his pants any second…any second…wait for it…”
Mike never blinked. He never reacted. He just waited for me.
I sighed. The fun was done for the night. “I should go, you guys.”
“Oh, come on! Emma, don’t go. We’re just starting to have fun.”
I shook my head. “I have work tomorrow.” Theresa nodded beside me and I indicated her. “We have work tomorrow. We can’t slack off like normal.”
“Like we do, you mean!” The girl wasn’t offended.
I grinned. “See you all tomorrow?”
“Wait.” Theresa grabbed her purse and threw $50 on the table. “Can I get a ride with you? I can’t drive home like this.”
Oh, that was right. I started to dig into my purse to pay my bill, but Mike said in my ear, “It’s already been taken care of, Miss Martins.”
Oh. He paid my bill? But then I was distracted when I caught his quick glance at Theresa, who was waiting beside me. Comprehension flared and I glanced at him with the unspoken question. Could we give her a ride? Was that allowed? I was still fuzzy on Carter’s rules, or even if he had any rules? Then I frowned. Where had Mike come from? Had they been waiting outside all day and night? But they couldn’t have known I was at Joe’s with Theresa…could they?
Then I shrugged. What the hell? I was feeling brave and buzzed so I linked my elbow with hers. “Let’s go.”
She gave me a giggly smile in return and off we went. Mike followed behind at a more sedated pace. When we burst through the door, the car was waiting out front like he had said. As Theresa reached for the back door, I sucked in my breath. It was at that moment that I realized my mistake. Carter could’ve been inside, waiting for me and I knew he wouldn’t be happy at my friend’s discovery of him. When she slipped inside and there was no comment or greeting, I relaxed a little. Then I caught the bland expression on Mike’s face and knew he would’ve stopped her if Carter had been inside.
I flushed. I was an idiot sometimes.
When I bent forward and sat beside Theresa, Mike folded into the seat beside me. We had to scoot over for him and Theresa giggled behind her hands. “It’s like you have a bodyguard. Are we giving him a ride home too?” She patted my leg a few times, but then jerked forward. “Who’s driving this car?”
I cringed. I didn’t want to say it to her. I didn’t want her to look at me differently. Who else had a driver and bodyguard?
Mike answered for me, “An associate of mine. It’s a new car service offered by Joe’s.”
“Really?” She frowned. “I never knew about this before. I would’ve used this. A lot.”
“It’s only for the night, ma’am.”
“Ma’am.” More giggles came from her. She slapped my leg again. “I had one pitcher too many, Emma, but I had fun. Did you have fun? I think we’ll make a great team for this account. Noah’s going to be so proud of us. I’m glad he picked you for the account.” She leaned close and whispered loudly, “I don’t have a lot of female friends at work. Those girls were fun tonight. We should do that again sometime.”
I patted her arm as she turned back to her window and asked Mike, “Do you need her address?”
He didn’t look at me as he spoke, “We already know it. Thank you, ma’am, for asking.”
I sat back, stunned. I felt snubbed by my own bodyguard. Had I been? Or was the beer speaking to me too?
Theresa lived in a newer building. As she teetered her way inside, the car waited until she had been let inside by her doorman. I sunk low in my seat. I was back to the home that wasn’t home. It was then that everything slid back into place. I wasn’t some fairy princess with new friends and a new job—well, kind of, but as we progressed across the city, I remembered my place. I had killed a man, and I was in hiding from his family. I sighed and closed my eyes. We would arrive at Carter’s home soon enough, and I doubted I would have a restful night’s sleep.
When the car dipped down into the basement, I didn’t wait for Mike to open the door or even for the car to stop. I opened the far door and hopped out. I had hit the elevator button before Mike had his own door shut. Both of them hurried for me, but I stood back and watched as the elevator door slid shut. For some reason that made me feel better. I had escaped them, for a second, and in Carter’s own home, but it was a little burst of victory for me.
My stomach twisted and churned. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but when the elevator opened to my floor, I stepped out into the little hallway with trembling legs and shaking hands. My palms were sweaty and my pulse had started to race again. It was Carter. If Mike wasn’t happy with me then I knew Carter would be furious, but I had no idea why. What had I done wrong?
It was my life.
I could live how I wanted.
I tried to reassure myself that. Carte
r couldn’t be mad at me. He didn’t have control over my life. But it was a lie. My heart raced even faster and my body started to feel sick as I opened my door. Then I stopped in shock. My floor was dark. There were no lights on, and as I made my way towards the stairs, I couldn’t see any lights on throughout the rest of the building either.
I was alone. There was no Carter.
I wasn’t sure what to feel about his absence, and I refused to believe I was disappointed. Instead of dwelling on it, I showered and headed to bed. It was nearing midnight and tomorrow was a full day at the job again.
It was later, much later, when my blanket was ripped off of me and I jerked upright. I caught a glance at the clock. It was after four in the morning. Carter stood above my bed. His icy blues glared down at me. He was dressed all in black again with a hood over his head. It covered his blonde hair, but I couldn’t notice anything more. I was caught and held captive by his eyes. They had turned into those of the stranger’s and he was livid with me.
I scooted against my headboard, but didn’t say a word. I didn’t dare. I didn’t reach for the blanket. I had gone to bed in a tight white top and I was in my panties, but I couldn’t cover myself. I knew Carter wanted that. I remained still and took a quiet breath. I felt like the prey being caught by the predator. A wild animal stood above me, and then he took a step closer. His pants brushed against my bed. He was so close to me.
He bent down to the bed and placed his arms on either side of me. He grasped the headboard into fists but kept himself off of me. His knees never touched the bed as he bent forward. His breath brushed across my skin. He spoke in a low growl, “I was on my way to Greece tonight when my men called me. You disappeared tonight.”
I drew in another breath. It left me shaking. “I didn’t.”
“You did.” His breath tickled against my lips. He never blinked. The rage in him was barely contained. “You worked late—”