It felt like I had only been asleep for a few minutes when I woke up to Cole jostling my shoulder.
“What time is it?” I tried to sit up, but the aches of the bruises had set in.
“Are you okay?”
“As okay as one can be after having the shit beat out of them,” I replied, sliding out of bed, still clutching onto my towel.
“The ball is tonight, and I understand if you don’t want to go.”
“No. I need to go. I’m not letting Catherine or Ezra stop me.”
“Ezra?”
I glanced back over to him as I rifled through my closet. “Nothing.”
“Well, I gotta go to work for a bit, but I’ll be back in time. Lock the doors while I’m gone, and please keep your phone near you. I called the police department this morning and they said they hadn’t found her yet.”
“Okay, I’ll stay home.”
He stood and gave me a slight peck on the cheek before leaving the room. I pressed my hand against that cheek and reveled in the moment.
“I’ll be back by three or so,” he said as he walked out of the door.
HER LAST PLEA
COLE
I walked by the window, where I saw Catherine standing at the bottom of the metal stairs that led up to the office door.
“How in the hell does she keep getting on base?” I asked.
“What, LT?” Elijah asked.
“Here comes that crazy bitch that beat up Adeline,” I replied.
“Are you shittin’ me?”
I looked toward the door, where I could see her approach. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she tapped on the metal door.
“You want me to take care of her, LT?” Elijah asked.
“No. I will. Here, hold this,” I said, handing him the file I had been working on.
I opened the door.
“Hey, baby!” she greeted me. “I’ve missed you.”
She tried to wrap her arms around me, but I backed away. “Are you fuckin’ crazy? You beat up Adeline last night. Why aren’t you in jail? In fact…Black, call the MPs.”
“Are we at the point that we can’t be cordial?” she asked.
“Hello, Catherine,” I said in a low monotone voice. “Is that what you want?”
“No, I want more. Do you happen to have time to chat about a few things?” she asked.
“No, Catherine, I don’t have time for this.”
She looked at me. As understanding finally dawned on her, she looked as though she had been sucker punched. The gravity of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks.
“Black, tell them we’ve got an unauthorized person on government property.”
“Yes, Lieutenant,” Elijah replied, picking up the phone.
“You never wanna take my phone calls anymore, baby. Why are you being so fuckin’ mean to me?” she asked angrily.
“Because you go around trying to hurt people I care about.”
“Care about? Is this because of Adeline? Do you love that bitch?”
“She is not a bitch, and that is none of your business.”
“Do you realize how much time I put on hold for you?”
“You mean every time you threatened to leave during a deployment?” I turned to walk away.
She ran in front of me, putting her hands on my chest, keeping me from walking any further. I looked down at her hands. I grabbed her wrists, pulled them off me, and placed them at her side.
“Stop it, Catherine. I’ve made up my mind.”
“I took you for granted all these years, baby,” she whined.
“Yes, you did,” I said. “But I have to take some part of the blame for this. I could have been more vocal, and made a bigger commitment to you. Sometimes a guy just needs to take a leap of faith. Unfortunately, I never took that leap with you, but that doesn’t matter anymore, and I will certainly not make that mistake again,” I said, walking past her.
“Wait, just answer something for me.”
“What?” I asked, turning to face her.
“Would you love me if Adeline were out of the picture?”
“Oh, shit, LT, did she just threaten Adeline?” Elijah hollered, still on the phone with the MPs.
“What kind of question is that? Seriously! What kind of question is that? Don’t you fuckin’ touch her again,” I said, shaking my head in disgust.
“Well, Cole…” Catherine’s words trailed as she lifted her shoulders level to her jaw.
“What the fuck did you do?” I yelled, pushing past her, and running down the stairs to my car.
I pulled out my phone, and called Adeline.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Oh my God!” I said in relief.
“What?”
“Stay in the house. Catherine was just here. I’m going to make sure she’s arrested before I come home. Lock the doors.”
I turned around and ran back up the stairs, with the MPs running up right behind me. I flew through the door, to see Elijah restraining Catherine, the bloody scratches to his face said it all.
“Arrest her ass,” I hollered.
“Yes, Lieutenant Almen.”
She looked at me. “So, you do love her?”
I looked at her. I didn’t answer, but my omission was answer enough.
“But I’m your best girl, Cole,” she said, trying to move toward me as she started to cry. “Why am I never good enough? Why do I have to sabotage everything good in my life? Why did I have to sabotage us?”
I couldn’t stand seeing her cry…after all, I was with this woman for years.
I walked toward her. “Listen, you deserve to be happy, and so do I. And if in all these years of living with me you didn’t fall in love with me enough to wanna stay through a few deployments, then it just wasn’t meant to happen,” I said as I backed away from her, motioning for the MPs to take her away.
“Oh, and call National City Police Department. They have some charges there for her as well,” I said to one of the MPs.
The door closed behind them. “That was crazy like a mutha’, LT,” Elijah said, shaking his head.
“I gotta get back to the house to make sure Adeline is okay.”
“Are you still coming tonight? I want you to meet my new girlfriend, Heather.”
I smiled. “After seeing all this drama, are you sure you want a girlfriend?”
“She’s a keeper, for sure,” Elijah said, grinning from ear to ear.
“All right, well, I look forward to meeting her,” I said, pushing my way out through the door.
BRUISES
ADELINE
I got off the phone with Cole, locked all the doors, and then started to put my makeup on.
That woman is going to be the death of me.
I plopped down on the bed, deciding whether or not I was up for even going out to an event. After all, some of the bruises on my arm were going to be visible on the sleeveless side of the dress.
Do I really wanna have to explain these away?
I picked up the phone and called Stella. The phone rang a few times before she picked up.
“Hey baby girl, how are you feelin’?” she asked.
“I’m okay, I just don’t know if I wanna go and face all these people.”
“Cole will be right next to you, and if there was ever a good guy, it’s Cole.”
I nodded. “You’re right. I guess I’m just getting cold feet.”
“Well, you ain’t getting’ married, boo. It’s just a dance. Shoot, if I had a date, I’d be right up there with ya’!”
I chuckled. “You’re right, and I wish you were going to be there.” The door creaked open. “Cole’s here. I’ll see you tomorrow to return everything and tell you all about it, okay?” I whispered.
“All right, hun!”
I clicked on the end call icon, and walked to the living room. “So what happened?”
“Nothing, she showed up, and the MPs came,” Cole said in a deflated voice.
“How much
longer do I have to worry about her? Do I have to wait until she kills me before the police do anything about it?” I asked, rubbing one of the bruises on my arm.
He walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me. “No. I won’t let her touch you again.”
I buried my face in his chest and took in his smell.
“Well, I’m gonna start getting ready. How about you? You’re still coming, right?” he asked.
“I'm a little hesitant. What about my bruises?”
“I'll tell them you got into a bar room brawl and you came out the winner.” He laughed.
Reluctantly, I nodded and headed back to my room. I quickly straightened my hair and applied a black smoky eye shadow, which really brought out my blue eyes…well, that’s what Ezra used to always tell me, and finished off the look with a clear lip gloss to keep it simple. I slid on the dress, which fit like a glove after having been on a water diet since last night. I applied a small amount of foundation to the bruises on my arm that were still visible on the sleeveless half of the dress.
Finally, it was time to put on the best part of the whole outfit…the pair of red Louboutins. I looked in the mirror one last time, making sure every inch was perfect for Cole.
Wait, did I just say that? I meant Ezra. Perfect for Ezra.
“Are you out there?” I yelled through the bedroom door.
“Yeah.”
I cracked the door open. “Close your eyes. I need you to zip me up.”
Cole closed his eyes and stood up from the couch. “Okay, I’m ready.”
I opened the door and stepped out of the bedroom, hurriedly crossing over to him. I turned and reached for his hand, resting it on the small of my back where the zipper lay.
COLE
I paused; feeling where she had put my hand, in my mind imagining what this might look like if my eyes were open. I fumbled for a moment, finally figuring out where the zipper was.
“All done,” I said with my eyes still closed.
She turned around and asked, “So what do you think?”
I opened my lids slowly, my eyes adjusting and focusing in on the beauty that stood before me. I had no witty remark. I just stared at her like a deer caught in headlights.
“That bad?” she asked with a frown.
She was beautiful before, but the woman standing before me right now was a dream. I held back the urge to take her in my arms and keep her from going to the ball, where she would catch the wandering eyes of all the men. I wasn’t a fool. I knew how beautiful she was, and there was no way any virile man would not be drawn to her.
“Cole?” she snapped her fingers in front of my face.
I replied with a short stammer, “I―I…wow…you’re amazing―I mean, you look amazing, Adeline. Just wow.”
She smiled, twining her fingers with mine. We stood there for a moment before I realized I hadn’t gotten dressed yet.
“I’ll be right back,” I hollered, running up the stairs.
I pulled my dress blues out of the plastic from the cleaners and quickly threw it on, wanting to get back to Adeline as quickly as possible. I made my way downstairs just as she was turning toward me.
“I just can’t get over how amazing you look,” I said.
“Cole, I already know you’re doing this for Ezra, you can stop pretending to flirt.”
“I’m not pretending,” I said, taking a step toward her.
“You couldn’t handle this, sir,” she said, winking at me.
I was caught off guard by her feisty flirtation. I didn’t know whether to take her up on her offer, or head for the party, but she quickly answered that for me.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, let me go get the car, so you don’t have a long way to walk in those shoes.”
ADELINE
I watched him rush outside, with a boyish charm about him that I found alluring. I followed suit, but more slowly, since the height of the heels weren’t something I was accustomed to. I made it to the curb just as he pulled up, and as I slipped into the car, I felt the urge to look toward the living room window. Ezra was standing there, watching me leave with another man, his hand pressed against the window pane. A tear rolled down my cheek as we drove away, a sense of guilt falling over me.
THE BALL
Arriving at the Bahia Resort Hotel, Cole held out his bent arm for me to slide mine through. We walked through the double doors leading to the ballroom, where the round tables were covered in fine white linen, and surrounded with chairs covered in matching linen with big bows tied in the back. The plates and silverware were all gold accented, and the balloons that filled the ceiling were all gold as well. There was a certain twinkle to the room, garnished by the light of the moon, which beamed through the glass wall that featured Mission Bay in all its glory.
It was such a beautiful scene, and I must admit I was caught up in the magic of it all as we superficially said hello to a number of people I couldn’t place, but probably had met before. Walking around the massive ballroom, my eyes kept glancing back to the glass wall to look at the moon, wondering if Ezra was looking down on me.
What if he’s angry with me for being here with Cole?
I leaned over. “I don’t know who anyone is,” I whispered into Cole’s ear
“Just introduce yourself first and they’ll follow suit.”
“Hi, I’m Adeline Chevallier,” I said, holding out my hand to one man who seemed halfway familiar.
“Hi, I’m Roy Perez,” he replied, shaking my hand. “This is my wife, Irma.”
“Ummm…it’s so nice to see you again,” I said.
Irma laughed. “Don’t worry, I don’t know half these people, either.”
“Whew.” I sighed and laughed, placing my hand on my chest. “This is gonna be an awkward night. I can already tell.”
“Yes, it is,” Irma said as she leaned in to shake Cole’s hand.
Irma pulled me away from Cole to join a cluster of women who were complimenting each other on how well they each had married.
“Just don’t say anything. I love to listen to these old hens cackle,” Irma whispered.
I smiled, feeling a little more comfortable. I glanced over my shoulder to see Cole schmoozing with some of the higher ranking officers, with almost more ribbons on their uniforms than there was room for. Irma tapped my shoulder.
“You’re going home with that handsome guy, turn around and listen to all the bullshit these women are spewing. It’s the only fun I have all year.” Irma giggled.
“Oh my goodness, my husband is retiring next week and starting his own plastic surgery practice. We’re headed to the Bahamas first, though,” one woman said as she petted her brand new authentic Louis Vuitton hand bag.
“That’s wonderful, we’re going to London tomorrow for a weekend getaway. I just hope first class isn’t filled up. I like it when we’re the only ones up front,” another wife gloated as she laughed pretentiously.
That same woman noticed my heels and asked, “Are those real?”
I looked down at them. “Of course, why wouldn’t they be?” I replied, annoyed at the question.
I had nothing else to add to the topic, so I politely excused myself and walked away with Irma. As I spun around to leave the group I set my eyes upon the most handsome man in the room. There he stood, my safe place. I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms.
I turned to Irma. “Do you mind?”
She looked over at Cole. “No, girl, if Roy was that fine, I’d be leaving you too.” She chuckled as she walked away.
I stood gawking at him, frozen, and when he noticed, he moved toward me. I wanted to shrink away and hide, but it was too late for all that. I felt like a girl at her first dance, being approached by the boy of her dreams.
“Hi, beautiful,” Cole greeted. “Adeline, right?”
“Don’t be silly,” I said, giggling awkwardly.
“I’m Cole Almen,” he stated, pointing to his name tag.
“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I said with a smile as I looked around the room.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked.
“Yes! Awkwardly partying with a bunch of people I don’t know is totally my idea of a fun night,” I said, looking down at my shoes.
“The decorations are really something, aren’t they?” he asked, sipping on his martini.
“Yup. They did a bang up job. I’m thinking of hiring them for my next party,” I said.
He quickly replied, “A party, huh? Well, I hope I’m invited?”
“Of course you’re invited. I’ll be sure and give you a buzz when I set a date. Maybe even give you my address,” I replied nonchalantly.
“Are you here alone?” he asked.
I decided to flex some of my flirtation muscles, which hadn’t been used in a great while, hoping they still functioned properly. “No, I’m here with someone,” I said, laying my hand on his jacket lapel.
He reacted quickly by moving closer, resting his warm hand on top of mine.
“What a lucky man he is,” he said, and without skipping a beat, lifted my hand up to his lips, kissing the back.
Out of nowhere, a beautiful woman, tall and lean, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, wearing a red dress that seemed to be tighter than mine, clasped her arms around Cole’s neck, giving him a long kiss on the cheek.
“Let’s dance, handsome,” she said as she gyrated her hips against his groin.
Really? Who could say no to that intoxicating invitation?
I rocked back and forth on my heels, looking around the room for some help. Too bad Irma had already walked away, and if Stella could only see how I was abusing her heels right now, she would have stabbed a stake through my eyes.
Fully expecting Cole to flit off into the sunset with the fair-haired maiden and leave me to stand alone, I decided to walk away with what little dignity I had left, but I stopped when I heard Cole say, “No, Alexis. I’m here with Adeline.”
Absolution (Mr. Black Series) Page 6