by Hannah Ford
My heart pounded against my ribs.
If he found me, I was as good as dead. Especially with a story like that taunting him.
“How long will it take to get me my money?” I asked. My hands shook as I carefully folded the towel and set it on the unmade bed.
“Skylar.” I could hear concern in his voice, but I didn’t turn around.
I didn’t want him to see how scared I was. Jacob was my problem and I could deal with it as soon as I had the means to go away. All I needed now was for Madden to stop asking questions and take me back to the motel.
Time was running out and the longer I waited, the easier it was going to be for Jacob to track me down. I inhaled a long breath and looked over my shoulder. I tried to look as uncaring as possible.
“The weekend is over. This...this is over, even though your PR person screwed up. You’re smart, you’ll figure out something to tell the press, but you have to call this off. I don’t want to pretend to be your fiancé. I just want all of this to be finished.”
His eyebrows dipped down and he started to say something.
I held out my hand. “Please, can we just go?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Madden relented. “I’ll have someone come and pack your things and I’ll call for the car. I need to take care of a few last minute things before we leave.” When the door closed behind him, I walked out onto the balcony.
I hated to leave this place. It was a world away from my real life, one that I’d be returning to after a short flight. Would Madden leave me at the airport, send me along in a cab? Part of me hoped so because being around him made things too hazy. Most of the time he was a controlling, arrogant businessman, but I’d caught glimpses of a man under the exterior and he was nothing like I expected.
I liked the Madden who laughed over dinner, who stood and watched the sunset with me and who had made my body respond more than I ever thought possible. Trying to figure out which version was the most dangerous was futile. The woman who finally tamed him, not in a fake engagement sort of way, but the real thing, was in for the ride of her life.
But that woman could never be me. For so many reasons.
It only took fifteen minutes for the housekeeper to pack up all the clothes that Madden had bought for me to wear. I had no intention of keeping any of them. They were part of the weekend, the fantasy. Hopefully his driver kept my bag and didn’t throw it in the nearest garbage can.
“Are you ready?” Madden asked from behind me.
I knew he’d come into the room a few seconds before, not by the click of the door, but because the room felt smaller all of a sudden. I turned and he stood only a foot behind me. He looked far too handsome in his suit. It fit him perfectly, I’m sure because it was made for him.
He looked even better out of it.
I shook my head to clear the image and took one last look at the ocean. It was the same one in Boston, but it looked different here and I wanted to remember it.
“Thank you,” I said, finally turning back around. It should have felt weird thanking him for a weekend that he’d paid me to participate in, but I really was thankful. I never would have been able to do something like this on my own.
“If there’s something going on, Skylar, I can help you. But you need to tell me what it is.” His jaw was tense with determination. The hard planes of his face were more pronounced and even though he was wearing a designer suit, the coiled tension in his frame bespoke something dangerous lurking just underneath the surface.
But just because we spent two days together didn’t mean that my problems were his now. Despite everything that happened, we were still pretty much two strangers. I didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth.
“There’s nothing. I’m ready to go.” I ignored the way his mouth tightened and pushed past him.
We were less than two hours away from being back in Boston and then, I could disappear.
Chapter 2
A slick black town car was waiting for us when we landed just after noon.
A different driver loaded our bags into the car and I slid onto the plush leather seat. Madden was right behind me, and the car seemed to grow smaller when he settled into it.
I kept my gaze focused on the passing scenery as the driver made his way back to the motel. Nice houses faded to run down apartments until the one story building came into view. In the light of day, it was even worse looking. It didn’t matter though, because I wasn’t going to be there much longer.
There were a lot more of cars in the parking lot of the motel, and about a dozen people milled around outside.
I wondered what the commotion was about.
It wasn’t the best area and maybe someone had gotten hurt, mugged—perhaps a car had even hit someone. The driver slowed the car to a crawl, getting as close to the building as possible before stopping.
The crowd turned as one and then rushed our vehicle, encircling it.
“What’s happening?” I said, feeling like they were going to rip the doors off like zombies in a horror movie.
“It’s a circus,” he said. “They must’ve found out where you were staying.”
“They?”
“The media,” Madden clarified, looking at his phone, typing into it as he spoke. “Everyone.”
Everyone. I couldn’t believe it had gotten this bad, this fast.
“What the hell?” Madden growled. He pushed a few buttons on his phone. “Shit. This is what brought them out in force.”
I turned from the faces pressed against the glass, trying to see into the blacked out windows. Madden turned his phone toward me slowly, revealing a large headline from the Daily Globe.
Cinderella and Prince Charming! How An Ordinary Girl Landed the World’s Most Eligible Bachelor!
I read further down and sucked in a breath.
Skylar Kinsey; what do we know about the mysterious girl that stole Madden Cross’s heart?
It went on, listing facts about my life without a care for my privacy. Where I was from. Where I went to college. When my grandmother died. My life was exposed for anyone to see.
“How did they get all this?” My voice came out as a hoarse whisper. My chest hurt. “How did they find me so fast?” I glanced outside and saw the cameras pointing at the windows. They were waiting for us to make a move. My body started to shake. If they found me this easy, then Jacob would have no problem either.
I had to get my stuff and my car and go. Leave this city far behind. Right now.
“Let me out of the car,” I whispered, as the paparazzi banged on the glass and shouted questions that were inaudible.
“We should go somewhere safe. This place is compromised.” Madden’s voice came through a thick fog in my head. The car faded in the edges of my vision. All I could hear now was my heart pounding in my ears.
I had just wanted to disappear. That’s all. That was the entire reason for me coming here in the first place. And now my life was splashed across dozens of headlines.
All because of Madden Cross and his need for a story to suit his own agenda, regardless of how it affected me.
My stomach twisted.
“I…I have to leave…” I said, but my voice was soft, as I tried to think straight.
“Go, step on the gas,” Madden growled at the driver.
“Yes, Mister Cross,” the driver replied, his voice tense. The car lurched forward, pushing through bodies that were reluctant to move. I watched in a detached fascination as one jumped back, almost getting run over.
The crowd dissipated as the vehicle surged, finally clearing the chaos surrounding the motel.
Madden put his hand on my leg, his heat burning my thigh. “Just let me take care of everything,” he said.
“Take care of everything?” I said, blinking, as if I was coming to from a blackout. “How are you going to do that?”
He licked his lips, his dark eyes studying my face. “I can help you. Whatever’s happening to you, we can handle it. I can handle
it.”
Part of me wanted to believe him. But then I thought about how he’d manipulated me from the very beginning, using threats and money to convince me to do whatever he wanted. I could never trust that he would protect me. Not really.
Anger surged through me. I looked him straight in the eye. “We’re not going to handle anything. You’re not going to do anything for me. I’ve had enough help from you to last me a lifetime.”
His jaw twitched and he looked as though he’d been slapped across the face.
In a way, perhaps he had been.
“If that’s how you feel—“
“That is how I feel. And I want you to leave me alone. Do not contact me or call me ever again. In fact, forget I ever existed.”
For a moment, seeing the look in his brown eyes, my heart started to break and I wanted to take it all back. Take everything back, fall into his arms and make him whisk me far away—just as he’d promised to do.
“As you wish, Skylar,” he said softly.
I nodded, my lips pressed tightly together for a moment. “Stop the car,” I shouted. We were three blocks from the motel, and the driver did as requested.
The moment the vehicle came to a halt, I pushed the door open and jumped out, sucking fresh air into my lungs, as I slammed the door shut behind me.
The day was bright and sunny, but the darkness was taking over my mind.
I should have let Madden fire me on Friday and figured something else out. Agreeing to spend a weekend with him was absurd.
And now everything was ruined and I had only myself to blame for it.
The car idled momentarily, but when I looked over my shoulder, all that was visible in the shiny, tinted black windows was the reflection of my own tired, frightened eyes looking back at me.
It’s over. Just forget it and move on. Move on now and don’t look back.
Turning my back on Madden, I began walking, not even sure where I was going. As I walked, it seemed the car was following my progress slowly. Staying close to me.
The feeling of comfort turned to more rage. He couldn’t do this to me. He couldn’t pretend that he wanted to care for me and protect me one moment and then use me as a plaything the next. He couldn’t upend my life and ruin my privacy and then act as my savior.
“Just go!” I shouted at the car, turning. I pointed down the road. “Fucking leave me alone!” I shrieked at the mute vehicle.
I couldn’t tell what his reaction was, but a split second later, the car pulled away and sped off down the road, finally leaving me behind.
I managed to find a café nearby that was pleasantly empty, ordering myself a tea and then sliding into a booth away from the window. I sipped the tea and shrunk into myself, looking down, refusing to meet the eye of anyone who came inside during the hours I stayed there, waiting for time to pass.
As the hours drifted by, I began feeling the creeping sadness and devastation of how things had ended.
The image of Madden, his dark eyes wounded by my rebuke, haunted me.
Occasionally, a man would enter the café and as the little bell tinkled when the door opened, my heart would speed up and I’d find myself hoping to glimpse him, see his eyes, find him smiling at me the way he did sometimes.
That smile was almost worth the pain.
But there was no use dwelling on my conflicted emotions over Madden Cross. He was surely moving on by now, and I had bigger problems to deal with.
Jacob might be coming. Jacob might already have seen the news, seen my face in pictures and articles.
The mere thought of it chilled me to the bone. But I needed to wait and bide my time, so that the paparazzi wouldn’t catch me going back to my motel room to gather my things.
Finally, enough time had gone by and I was sick and tired of drinking tea and stalling. I was afraid to go back to the motel, but it had to be done.
I got up and tossed my plastic cup into the trashcan and then left the café, the chime ringing as I left.
My stomach was in knots as I walked the few blocks back to the motel, wondering what would be waiting for me. But the lot was surprisingly empty of the crowd of media and photographers that had been there earlier.
Maybe, having seen us show up and then depart had caused the paparazzi to go searching elsewhere.
But now the lot was empty and dark and poorly lit. It felt unsafe in a different way and I shivered a little bit.
My car was only three spots away from the entrance to the motel room, so all I needed to do was quickly grab my bag and I could leave for good.
The room was dark when I let myself in.
A faint odor of disinfectant hung in the air. The rest of my belongings were in a small bag that I’d tucked up in the far corner of the closet. I didn’t turn on any lights, too afraid that someone might see them (if there were any paparazzi lurking around still outside), so I made my way to the back of the room using the sliver of light coming in from the thick drapes.
My birth certificate and passport, my phone--which I’d turned off as soon as I left Maine so that Jacob couldn’t track me--and my laptop. Pictures of my grandmother and me in an album I’d taken from our apartment right after she died. A diamond ring that she’d worn every single day of her life that had been given to her by my grandfather.
My worldly possessions, all in one small bag.
I pulled it down off the shelf and slipped the strap over my shoulder. With any luck, my car would make it quite a few miles tonight before I needed to stop and find another place to hide out and regroup.
I turned away from the closet and froze. The shape of a man stood in the doorway, backlit by the light from the parking lot. My hands shook.
“Hello sweetheart.” Jacob’s familiar voice sent chills down my spine. “Your car was here. I was hoping you’d come back so I didn’t have to chase you all over Boston.”
He stepped inside and the door clicked shut. The sound echoed in my head. I took a step back and my leg bumped the bed, causing me to stumble. He stood between me and the door. The only way out.
Jacob turned on the small lamp next to the door and I finally saw his face. At one time I thought he was the most handsome man I’d ever seen. He was attentive and giving and took care of my after my grandmother died. He was everything I thought a man should be. It wasn’t until much later that I saw the coldness in his eyes.
“What do you want?” I stammered. I had nothing to defend myself with. Everything in the room was bolted down to prevent it from being stolen.
“You, Skylar. Always you.” The way he said it, the cold tone of his voice, made my stomach drop. “Imagine my surprise when I read that you were engaged only a week after you left me and disappeared without so much as a word.” Jacob sat down in the chair next to the door and propped his ankle on his knee. He stared at me but I couldn’t see his eyes clearly in the dim light. “You take a while to warm up to someone, trust me I know.” A dark chuckle filled the room. “But worth the effort in the end. So knowing this about you made me realize that this must have been going on while we were together.”
He didn’t sound angry, but I’d found out the hard way that Jacob wasn’t like most normal people. How Jacob sounded, the expression on his face—all of that was disconnected from whatever dark emptiness existed inside him.
My knees shook. I’d also seen firsthand what Jacob’s position as a State Trooper allowed him to get away with. Just about anything he wanted to get away with, it turned out.
“It’s not what you think, Jacob.” My chest ached from holding in every breath, afraid I’d exhale too loudly and he’d take that as a sign of guilt. “There was no one else when we were together. I told you that before.”
He stood and I backed up until I was pressed against the wall.
“And I didn’t believe you before any more than I believe you now, you ungrateful bitch. Does this Prince Charming know that you spread your legs and fake your orgasms only when it suits you? That you are nothing but a cheating, b
ackstabbing whore?” Jacob asked these questions as if he was asking me about the weather. In the darkness, his dark eyes looked dead and completely unfeeling.
He stalked toward me and I felt my way along the wall until the bathroom door was there. If I could somehow get inside the bathroom and lock the door…
“Don’t do this, please,” I said, bile rising in my throat. “You know that what we had meant a lot to me—“
I hoped that this lie might take him by surprise, cause him to reconsider. But instead it only seemed to infuriate him.
Jacob lunged and I threw myself at the entrance to the bathroom. Pain seared through my scalp as he grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me backwards. I dropped my bag and wrapped my fingers around his wrist. His grip only tightened and fire exploded through me as I fell to my knees.
Tears burned my eyes when he lifted me back to my feet by my hair. I opened my mouth to scream but all I could do was whimper. He wrapped his other hand around my throat and pushed me back until I was wedged between him and the wall.
His fingers began to tighten.
“I’m sorry,” I wheezed out. Already I could feel the air cutting off. “I’ll come back with you.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Do you think I want some used up piece of trash now? The only thing you’re good for is rotting at the bottom of the river. Which is where they’ll find you...eventually.”
He squeezed tighter and through my own panic, I finally managed to scream. The sound abruptly cut off when his fingers pressed on my windpipe. He was going to kill me. The realization made my entire body go numb.
My lungs started to burn. I opened my mouth, tried to take a breath, but I couldn’t. I dug my nails into his wrist, scratched as hard as I could, but he didn’t relent. Stars danced in the corners of my vision. My skin prickled all over and fire crawled through my chest.