Monitored (The White Coat Series Book 3)

by Parker, D. D.

  This new side of me was surprising, even to myself, but I didn’t back down. Not even when the color in Blake’s face began to redden. Suddenly, a baby sounded much better than what he was facing now.

  “Sky. You’re speaking with your emotions. I want you to step out of my office and come back when you’ve taken time to think about everything.”

  “No, Blake. I have thought of everything. I thought of everything in the weeks I’ve been locked up inside my room, crying myself to sleep, missing my own classes, scared to go outside. I had a lot of time to think, probably more than I should have.” My knuckles were pale. “And the last thing I thought was having you approach this like you lost your reservations for a restaurant.”

  He straightened in his chair. “That is not how I intended to come across”

  “Really? How did you ‘intend’ to come across as, Blake? Hm? As a white knight coming to save me? As an adulterous king putting his whore to pasture? What was it, Blake?”

  He didn’t answer me. His lips held tight. I could see his teeth grinding together through the way his jaw gyrated. I noticed he hadn’t been shaving, his five o’clock shadow now more of a two-day beard.

  “This is ridiculous.” I snatched my purse up and pushed the chair back, the legs protesting loudly. “Tell her, Blake. Or I will.”

  “You’ll regret this, Sky.”

  I opened the door and walked right into another body, someone else about to come inside. I looked up and my knees felt suddenly weak, the blood rushing straight out of my body.

  Alexander was looking down at me, confusion crossing over to understanding and flashing into something else.

  Fear?

  “Both of you should come inside.” Blake called. “Now.”

  We had no idea as to what was about to happen.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  ALEXANDER STOOD BEHIND ME, AN arm posted on the chair’s back. I was back in the seat, staring with a held breath and a look of apprehension. I could tell Alexander was tense behind me by just the way his breaths came swift. It was like that feeling right before an earthquake comes, the gentle rumblings that explode into world-shattering quakes.

  “What is this about?” Alexander spoke first. He didn’t demand to know, but his tone was certainly not playful either.

  “Alex, is that how you’re going to greet me? I totally forgot I had called you earlier to come in.” He paused, but Alexander didn’t speak. I noticed how he called him Alex, the name sounding so ill-fitting for the man that stood behind me. “Well, I’ll have you know that the emergency I called earlier about was that I needed to get a haircut scheduled for next week. But something else popped up.” He looked at me, something odd in his eyes. “And well, now that I have both of you here, I figure it’s best to talk about matters concerning the both of you.” Blake’s eyes darted from me to Alexander and back. A devilish grin was pushing away the worried expression.

  “Sky is… well she’s holding something over my head that can destroy pretty much everything I’ve ever worked for.”

  Wait, why was Blake being so open about this in front of Alexander? I knew that an assistant usually knew their bosses well, but not that well. Especially not Blake, who seemed like he needed to maintain control of every single detail that went into his public image.

  “This is stupid.” I tried to cut this off. I didn’t want to hear anymore. From my view, all I saw was Blake, dressed in his perfectly pressed dark blue button-up, no doubt from the top designer shipped from the fanciest of European countries, and his sleazy smile, the look he gave when he thought he was manipulating someone. It worked well, there was a reason why he was always on television.

  But it wasn’t working on me.

  “On the contrary. I think you want to hear this the most, Sky.”

  “Stop.” Now Alexander was demanding. It took me by surprise, the sheer power of his word. It fell like a hammer onto the strong table that separated the three of us.

  “What’s that now? You want me to keep quiet?” Blake leaned forward, smiling wider now that he knew he had the power. There was something that Blake knew, something that Alexander did not want him to say. I cocked my head, looking up at Alexander. He didn’t return my look, just stayed staring straight at Blake. His sapphire eyes cutting like knives across the room.

  “What do you want?”

  “I want Sky to keep her mouth shut. I also don’t want her blackmailing me.”

  I looked at the both of them in shock. Was Alexander really bargaining on what to give Blake so that he would keep his secret? As if I would just stay quiet through the whole thing, a pawn just handed off to the one with the highest stakes in the game.

  “What is he talking about?” I asked Alexander, standing up from the chair and looking him in the eyes. This was his chance to come clean, to wash his hands of whatever they were hiding.

  Alexander didn’t speak though, scaring me more than a half-hacked excuse would have.

  There was something big in this closet.

  I turned to Blake. “Tell me.”

  “Then I won’t tell Sadie.”

  So now he was trying to bargain with me? This man was something else.

  “Fine,” I bluffed.

  “Your Brazilian boy toy, Alexander, well he’s been with you all this time because of me.” He sat back in his chair now, relishing in the moment of the reveal. The moment that it dawned on me, that everything clicked in my head. Suddenly it all made sense. The phone calls, the secrecy, the circumstances.

  “So this was all just to keep an eye on me? So I wouldn’t talk?” I turned on Alexander now, a feeling of betrayal washing over me. Like the rug underneath me was just swept out and thrown over the edge of a cliff, me close behind.

  Alexander stayed quiet for a moment, his mouth forming words like “sorry” and “forgive” but unable to actually say them. Finally, “I fell for you, Sky. Harder than I have for anyone else.”

  “Don’t give me that,” I said, trying my damned hardest to hold back tears.

  “You were a spy. You were just keeping watch.” I looked at Blake in disgust. “And you, you’re not even man enough to do it yourself. You have to take someone that works for you and put them up for it. Instead of just talking to me.” An uncontrolled tear rolled down the side of my nose. “You would have known that I didn’t want any attention just as much as you did.”

  “I’m sorry,” Alexander finally managed to say from behind me. I straightened my shoulders and nodded, quick and curt, acknowledging it for now but nothing further than that. This was going to take much more than a singular apology to fix.

  Then a chill crept down my spine as I realized, “So you were the one that knocked on my door?” I turned to Alexander. Why would he knock and run away when he heard someone else inside?

  Alexander shook his head, his dark black hair tousled even further. “No, Sky. And I have nothing to hide from you anymore.” His eyebrows raised, almost like a puppy begging for forgiveness, except this puppy just bit me with the force of a pit bull.

  I noticed Alexander look behind me, something attracting his attention. I turned but didn’t see anything except Blake, now sitting pretty rigid.

  This was making me reach my boiling point, logical thought being pushed aside for something more basic. I was just angry.

  “This is fucking ridiculous.”

  I pushed past Alexander and stormed out of the door, the white coat that hung loose on a hook behind the door falling to the floor. A nurse glanced up from her files, looking me over with a worried expression. I tried to muster a reassuring smile but could only manage a pained grimace as I kept walked past her and into an elevator, still open from letting go of it’s old cargo.

  I couldn’t click the ground floor button fast enough.

  I couldn’t get into my car fast enough.

  I couldn’t slam my fists against the wheel and sob soon enough.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “I’VE NEVER FELT SO BETRA
YED, Con.” I stared down at the floor, noticing a light stain marking the spot where Kester had left me a hairball. His way of thanking me for feeding and sheltering him.

  “I’m so sorry, sis.” He gave me another hug. I knew Connor was restraining himself from getting up and beating both Blake and Alexander to bloody pulps right now. I wasn’t entirely sure that my brother could handle the both of them, so I rather he stayed close by me for now.

  “It’s creepy too. Like this whole time, I was living with some double-agent. I’m not even sure I know who Alexander is.” The thought hurt, sending another stabbing pain through my heart. I had gotten to know him, I had fallen for him.

  I loved him.

  And then I find out that it was all some elaborate act. At that point, I didn’t give a shit about what Blake would do. He could live his life in a ditch filled with snakes and I wouldn’t care any less. But Alexander. I didn’t know what I wished his fate was.

  I just felt so hurt. Devastated.

  “I swear, Sky, if I ever see either of them.” Connor balled his fist up, punching it into the palm of his left hand.

  “You won’t. I don’t plan on seeing either of them.”

  Saying it hurt me more than anything. It was like the final shovel of dirt, sealing the coffin. Alexander had the potential to fulfill my every desire for the rest of my life. Every aspect was appealing to me. Every freckle that marked his skin. Every muscular wave of his. Every time he smiled.

  Why? Why did he have to be such a dirty liar?

  Connor began to bite at his nails, a bad habit of ours that I had managed to kick back in middle school. He was still afflicted.

  “You don’t think he’ll try to talk to you?”

  “Oh, I’m sure he will.” I glanced down at my phone, almost an instinct at this point.

  Connor cracked his knuckles. Pop, pop, pop.

  “Damn, Sky. And here I thought my life was the crazy one.” He chuckled a bit, shaking his head in disbelief. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how soon I was going to be able to get over Alexander, but I needed it to be quick. My life had been put on halt for far too long. I still had college to finish, a career to pursue, possibly a puppy to keep Kester company in the near future. I had things to look forward to.

  So why did I keep looking back?

  Was it because the memory of Alexander was so alluring? I could feel his bed sheets in my fingers, smell the way his hair smelled like ocean and man just after a shower. He could make me laugh too, and his talent was enough to make me feel weak at the knees.

  And that heart. The one I thought I saw, the way he talked to me, swooning me with every word he would whisper in Portuguese. I didn’t even know what they meant, but it was still enough to wrap me around his finger.

  “You’ll find someone though.” He bit at his nails even more, causing his thumb to bleed drops of dark crimson. Something was bothering him, I could tell.

  “Con, is everything ok?”

  “What? Yeah, of course. This isn’t about me, it’s about you.” He noticed my quick glance at his nails and put his hands in his lap, balled up with anxiety. I arched an eyebrow.

  “I didn’t want to bring it up. Really, I didn’t. I know you already have enough stuff on your plate.” He didn’t meet my eyes, glancing down at the same stain I was noticing earlier. “I’m in trouble, Sky.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  He took a breath and got up from the couch, pacing in front of the television now, about to burn a hole right through my hardwood floors.

  “I’ve been seeing this guy I haven’t really told you about. He’s a nurse, studying to become a doctor. Great guy, we’ve known each other for a really long time. He might actually be the first guy I’ve ever had a crush on, even before I came out. I think you’ve met him before; Jason introduced us once.” I sensed something was coming, Con slowing his pace. “But, I think he’s hiding something. Something big, Sky.” He turned to looked at me. “I can’t pinpoint it, but there’s something there. And I’ve been getting these weird, threatening text messages from random numbers, and they started the day after we started officially dating, and I don’t want to think they’re connected, but something is off.”

  I could see the worry in his eyes. “Have you talked to him?”

  “Sort of,” Connor sighed. “I wish I could tell you everything, Sky. I really do.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?” I asked, leaning forward. It wasn’t like him to keep secrets like this.

  He just shook his head. Whatever it was, Connor really felt like telling me wasn’t the best option, and that was what scared me the most. I could only think that he wouldn't fill me in because he was scared I would do something. Or maybe he was scared of what would happen to me if I knew?

  He saw the intense worry that was registering on my face and suddenly reassessed his tactics. He seemed to calm down and stopped being so jittery.

  “Forget it. Forget I ever even brought it up.”

  I just cocked my head. “I can’t forget any of that, Con. If you think I will then you must think I have amnesia.”

  “I’m overreacting, that’s all. Give me some time, you’ll see. Besides, you’ve got your own shit to worry about. And it looks like a lot from where I’m standing.”

  “Thanks for pointing that out.”

  He shrugged. “It’s what I’m here for.”

  “I just want to make sure you’re ok,” I said, still concerned but being able to relax a little.

  “Of course.” He walked into the kitchen and got himself some Advil out of the top cabinet. I could hear the green gel pills clacking together in the case as he poured some into the palm of his hand. I didn’t hear any water because Connor said he never needed to drink water with medication. Claimed it was a special ability.

  I claimed it was bullshit.

  Suddenly, my phone buzzed on the side-table next to the couch, the plastic case dancing across the glass surface. I glanced at the screen and felt my heart skip a beat. Across the screen was Alexander’s name, bold and highlighted against my bamboo plant background.

  It didn’t take him long at all to try and get me back.

  I flipped the phone over without even reading the message. I wasn’t in a mental place to deal with him right now. He needed to give me at least a week to even consider reading his text messages. I knew what they probably said anyways--filled with “sorry”s and “forgive me”s and “we need to talk”s.

  I thought it wouldn’t have anything important to say, nothing that I didn’t know already.

  Oh, how wrong I was.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  MY PHONE HAD BUZZED FIVE more times before I decided to just shut it off. It was getting to the point where I was about ready to just launch my phone at the wall. It wasn’t like me, being this angry, but something about Alexander’s betrayal affected me to the very core. He was such a powerful force in my life, and to burn to such a stamp on my heart so quickly, we were bound to be a perfect match. I could feel the way we would stretch the other’s boundaries, pushing at pressure points, bringing life to the other.

  It would have been magical.

  And now, it was shattered into dozens of cracked and splintered pieces. I couldn’t lie to myself, the potential of putting those pieces back together was there, but it would be so, so very hard.

  I said bye to Connor, still worried about him, but feeling like at this point there wasn’t much else I could do. He knew I was only a phone call away, so I hurried into my car and drove back home, the sun already setting on the tumultuous day.

  I got home and hurried up the steps to my apartment. Not expecting who was waiting there.

  I gasped involuntarily as I noticed the shadowy figure sitting by my door, his head held between his knees. At the sound of my fright, the man looked up and locked eyes with me.

  “Alexander,” I said, confused and still scared.

  “I’m sorry I had to do this, but you weren’t picking up y
our phone.” He got up off the floor and walked over to me. I put out a hand, stopping him from coming any closer. If he thought this was the way to earn back my trust--by camping out in front of my apartment door uninvited-- then he had another thing coming.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I said, backing up from him. He was wearing a leather jacket over a white-t, my favorite look on him, and yet I was still scared of him.

  What did he do to me?

  “Sky, please. We need to get inside.” There was a hint of urgency in his voice.

  “Do you actually think I’m going to just invite you in after I find out that you were apparently only around to keep me quiet? Like a fucking well fed lion at some zoo.”

  “I can’t deny that was the original intention." He stepped closer, his eyes begging for forgiveness. "But from the moment I met you, I knew that this was all for us. Blake was just the reason we met, the reason I stayed was because of you.”

  I put down my hand but still stayed an arms length away from him.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I didn’t want to lose you. I knew that something like that was going to ruin everything I felt with you." He took a deep breath, the jacket lifting up. "So I decided that I was going to quit being Blake’s assistant and pretend the whole thing never happened. I wanted to stay with you, Sky. I wanted to write songs about you, drink whiskey that burned the both of our throats, lose ourselves making love after the adrenaline of a crazy show.”

  That was when I realized something. If what Alexander was saying was, in fact, true, then that meant he knew I had been pregnant, and it also meant he was willing to stay with me even through the chaos that pregnancy could have brought us. I ran a hand through my hair, not knowing what to think anymore.