Journey
I remember when I first wanted to be an actress. I was five, maybe six. I watched a show on Disney and rehearsed every word in my bedroom. I made my parents watch while I stumbled through my lines after dinner. They clapped and laughed, and I took that as I sign that I was destined to be a star.
No one really thought I’d go through with it. It must have been after I starred in my high school play when they realized I wasn’t kidding, and I wasn’t five any longer.
That seemed like a lifetime ago. I wished my parents were here to see it. To know that little girl’s dreams came true. I was a best actress nominee. And I was on my way to my first dinner to celebrate.
It wasn’t supposed to matter if I won any awards in the coming months. This was the first accomplishment. This was part of the journey.
Dante sat across from me in the stretch limo. He sipped a rum drink. He was nervous.
I expected Asher to have a bourbon in his hand, but he was back to bodyguard status. The revelation that my attacker was his ex had hit him hard. He wasn’t going to admit it until this was over.
I knew him well enough to let him have space to work while he dealt with the shock.
I ran my fingers over his knuckles. He brought my fingertips to his lips.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
I nodded. “You’re here. That’s all I need.”
“We can still cancel. I’ll have the driver take us back to the house, or even better, back to Big Bear. I still advise lying low until we have Claire in custody.”
“I know, but this is the biggest moment of my career. I’m a nominee for best actress. I can’t ruin this time in my life with fear. You understand something in that, don’t you?”
He nodded. “I do.”
“I don’t know what I’m witnessing.” Dante rolled his eyes. “This is worse than watching a bad Lifetime movie.”
“I’m happy.” I tilted my head. “That’s all you have to worry about.”
He kicked back the rum.
I wasn’t going to let his nervous jitters or doubts about Asher ruin tonight. I wanted to focus on the dinner. I’d drink champagne and mingle with stars. I’d pose for selfies. I’d laugh and congratulate the other nominees. I was going to have a beautiful night. And Asher was going to be there for all of it.
The car lurched and Dante spilled his drink. “Shit. Who is this driver?” He glared at Asher. “This is designer. Designer,” he emphasized.
Asher’s eyes darted to the front, but the car had taken a sharp turn and we landed in a pile on the floor as the tires screeched.
“What the hell?” Dante tried to help me back to my seat.
“No. Stay down,” Asher ordered, pushing me back to the floor. He pulled a gun from his belt and the car careened in the opposite direction. We shifted left then right.
Whoever was driving didn’t care that they were tossing us around like pinballs.
“Ouch.” I hit my elbow on the armrest.
Asher punched the call button. “Rick, what’s going on up there?” he asked.
We waited for an answer, but there was silence.
“Rick? Answer me. What’s happening? Why are we off course?”
I watched the realization hit Asher that something was terribly wrong.
“Don’t get up. Whatever you do, keep your heads down,” Asher choose his words carefully. I noticed his eyes scanned the lights blurring past us.
“Who is up there?” I whispered. “Where’s Rick?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Just stay down. Ok?”
After bouncing around for another ten minutes, we finally stopped. Asher looked at Dante. “This is it,” he announced. “Stay with her no matter what. Understand?”
Dante nodded.
“Wait. What?” I shrieked. “You’re leaving us in here?”
I wanted to grab on to him and tell him there was no way he was leaving us in this car. There was nothing good on the other side of the door.
“I have to. I can’t protect you like this.”
“But—” I protested.
“As soon as the door opens I’m going out,” he whispered. “If something happens to me, back up will be here in less than ten minutes. I’ve already triggered the Westbrook Securities alarm.”
“Ten minutes?” I panicked. I knew it only took two seconds to fire a gun. Ten minutes was an eternity when waiting for help. “Don’t go out there,” I begged. “Don’t leave me again.”
His eyes locked on mine. “I have to. I don’t have a choice. You can survive. I know you, Journey. You’re strong. You’re vibrant. You can survive this. If you do end up outside the car, you need to listen to me.” He paused. “No matter what, stay away from Claire. The longer you avoid her… just keep moving. Don’t get in her line of fire.”
“She’s here?” I creaked.
He nodded. “I’m sorry, I don’t think there’s any other reason the car detoured. She has to be behind it. I’m operating under that assumption right now. You know she’s armed. You know she will shoot. Keep her safe, Dante.”
The door opened and Asher hurdled himself forward, stepping over my back and throwing Dante out of his way. The door slammed behind him. I wanted to pull him back in and be the one to shield him from whatever was out there. He was strong and fast.
Dante and I huddled together. I couldn’t hear anything on the other side. I’d never regretted a decision so deeply before. The selfishness of my actions hit me like a smack in the face. Why was I determined to go to the awards dinner? Why did I put my spotlight moment ahead of our lives? What if something happened to Ashe? What if he died because I wanted to eat gourmet mousee and drink French champagne with Meryl Streep? I buried my face in my hands.
“Oh God,” I whimpered.
“He’s going to be ok, babe,” Dante whispered. “We’re going to get out of here. You’re not going to miss your first awards dinner. No way.” His teeth chattered, but I squeezed his hand.
I didn’t care about the awards dinner any longer. I just wanted Ashe back in one piece. I wished we were still in Big Bear in bed. Or fighting over who made the best pasta sauce. We should be anywhere but here.
“Just hang tight, babe. I’ve got you,” Dante repeated.
I didn’t know Dante had a heroic bone in his body, but I was glad it had decided to kick in right now.
I nodded, holding his hand. We had to make it through this. I hadn’t found Asher just to lose him to a crazy ex-girlfriend.
Twenty
Asher
I tumbled out of the car as quietly as I could. The engine still ran, muffling the movements I made. I crawled on all fours toward the front passenger door. I peeked through the window to see Rick lying unconscious in the seat. He was slouched forward. Fuck. I hoped he was still alive. It was then I saw the needle sticking out of his neck. I presumed everything that happened was because of Claire, but I was trying to assess how such a small graceful woman would have been able to overpower him.
How long had she been in the car? I tried to calculate when the last scan of the vehicles had taken place. When had she been able to infiltrate the drivers’ check of the cars? How was it possible? The plan was secure. Locked down. What the fuck had happened?
I turned as I saw her walking around the rear of the car. I only had half a second to scramble out of view. I rounded the hood and charged along the side. I had to get to her before she opened the back door.
She wasn’t expecting me to pounce like a jaguar.
“Arrr,” she wailed.
“Stand down,” I ordered.
Claire lost her breath for a second when I knocked her to the pavement in the surprise attack, but as soon as I rolled off her she pointed a gun at me. I was ready to shoot. But we were locked in a target battle. Who would shoot first?
“Claire, what are you doing?” We both eased off the pavement, standing slowly. “Why are you doing this?”
I hadn’t had much time to obser
ve where she had driven us, but I knew we were behind a warehouse. We were still in Hollywood. Westbrook Securities pinged our location. I just had to keep her talking for nine more minutes before my backup arrived. They were on the way.
I still had no idea how she had hijacked Rick, but it didn’t matter. She had pulled it off. The other cars had gone in different directions and we were here alone.
“Are you starting to take me seriously now, Asher?” She tilted her head to the side. She was dressed in black, wearing form-fitting pants and a long-sleeved shirt. There was nothing as obvious as the yoga shirt Tristan had recalled.
“I always took you seriously.” I lowered my hands, keeping the gun at my side. I could tell she wasn’t ready to shoot. She had too much to say to me. Lying was my best option. Stalling her with conversation was the only way to keep everyone here alive.
“I wish that were true.” She kept both hands on the gun.
“It is. I’m taking you very seriously right now. You’ve made your point. I was a dick. I fucked up. I should have been more honest about my intentions. I’m sorry for that. I am sorry.”
Her eyebrows rose. “I wasn’t expecting a sudden admission, or an apology. You were a dick. It’s nice to hear you say it.”
“Just because I was an asshole doesn’t mean other people should get hurt.” I lowered my gun to the ground, keeping my eyes on her. “See? I’m not interested in hurting you, Claire. I know that’s not really what you want. I’m unarmed.”
She sighed. “You already hurt me. You think a bullet could do more damage than your words?”
I swallowed. What the hell had I said? My relationship with Claire was short and it wasn’t serious. I dated women when I wanted. It wasn’t the time to tell her she wasn’t the only woman I slept with during that time. No one had a repeat invitation. She didn’t understand what it meant for me to be a single dad. She had no idea how I kept Avajean protected from another woman like her mother.
“I’m sorry,” I repeated.
She huffed. “I didn’t have a chance. I never did. You were never going to give me more than you gave her.” Her head rotated toward the limo. My throat tightened.
“It’s not her fault. It’s not yours either,” I added. “It’s mine. I did this, Claire. I made you feel like you weren’t there. Like I could look right through you. I compared you to Journey. I shouldn’t have done it. It was wrong and arrogant. It was cruel. I see that now. You’ve helped me see it.”
Maybe I never had the right to date another woman. Or fuck one. Not while Journey was buried in my heart the way she was. But I never made promises and I sure as hell didn’t promise anything to Claire. She saw what she wanted to see whether or not it was true.
“But you see me now? You notice me?” she asked.
I nodded. “I do. I’m paying attention. You have my full attention.”
She smiled. “And now it’s too late. I’ve gone too far. I know that.”
I shook my head. “No one else has to get hurt. I can help. You know I have connections. Resources. Let me help you.”
“God, you’re the ultimate liar. A fuckboy lying asshole.”
“Claire,” I warned. “This is your chance. Take it.” I stepped toward her. “I don’t make offers like this lightly. Take the offer. Let me help you start over.”
Her hands trembled. I noticed the tattoo on her wrist and remembered what it said. Follow your heart.
I hadn’t paid enough attention to the details. Details didn’t matter to me if they weren’t about Journey. It didn’t matter whether Claire’s pain was justified. It was still her pain. This was her response to it, and I had to deal with the consequences of how casually I had handled her.
“Here’s what I can,” I explained. “I can give you a fresh start. You choose where you want to go. Pick any place in the world, but not anywhere in the States.”
“What?” She balked. “You’re serious?”
“I’ll own this. I did this. So I’m making you an offer. Start your life over. But I’ll be watching. If you try to return, or try to make an appearance at any of Journey’s international events, the deal is off. I’ll turn you over to the authorities. Immediately. I will not go easy on you a second time.”
“Then I might as well shoot you now.” She clicked the hammer.
I shook my head. “Your picture has already been circulated within the legal authorities. They know who you are. But no one knows where you are. I’ll get you out of the country without a trace. I can do this for you.”
“Why would you do that?” she questioned.
“Call it my penance.”
“Just like that?” She looked confused.
“You’ll go to Westbrook Securities. You’ll be outfitted with tracking tech, and then planted in your new location. You can be on a tropical beach in a matter of days. Just say the word, Claire.”
She lowered the gun. I rushed her, kicking it to the ground and out of reach. It skidded across the pavement.
“I knew you’d go back on it,” she moaned. “I shouldn’t have trusted you.”
I pulled her to her feet, clasping her wrists together. “No. I’m not going back on the deal. If you want to start over, my offer still stands. But that doesn’t mean I want to pull that trigger.”
I looked toward the sky. My team should land any minute. “I meant what I said. You can start over. I’ll bring you in under my watch, but you have to play by my rules from now on. No matter what they are.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re doing this for her, aren’t you?”
I heard the helicopter buzzing overhead. I held Claire behind the warehouse as the wind kicked up. We waited for the propellers to slow. I led Claire to the chopper as the door opened.
“You should know this about me by now. Everything I do is for her,” I growled.
I handed her over to my agents with a set of instructions. I wanted her chipped immediately before any other protocol was followed.
“Wait,” I called before they shut the door. “What about Rick?” I asked.
“Who?” She shook her head.
“The driver with the needle in his neck. What did you do to him?”
She rolled her eyes. “He’ll be awake in a few hours. It’s just a sleeping serum. A little something to knock him out while I drove.”
“At least he’s not dead,” I mumbled. “Take her up,” I ordered.
“That’s it?” she squealed. “You’re not going with me?”
“No.” I watched as they secured her into the seat with more than one strap. She had proven more than once that she was sneaky and not to be trusted.
Claire glared at me from the window, surrounded by my best agents. I didn’t know how to react to seeing her fly higher and higher. She was gone, and Journey was safe. But I had committed to hiding her for the rest of her life. I would be tethered to her forever.
When the helicopter was safely in the sky, I strolled to the car, tapped on the door, and opened the limo.
Journey leapt into my arms. Her tears smeared my cheeks as she sought my lips.
“You’re ok. You’re ok.”
I nodded, kissing her. “I’m fine. Not a scratch.”
“And Claire? Where is she?” She searched the ground around the car. “We heard a helicopter.”
“She’s not coming back,” I promised. “You’re never going to see her again.”
Journey’s eyes darted. “Did you? Is she d—”
I held her hand. Dante had ducked his head out of the limo. “I didn’t kill her, but I offered her a deal. I don’t think you’re going to like it. I’ll explain in the car. Come on. We have to get you to that dinner.”
She rubbed at her eyes. “You’re going to let me go to the dinner?”
I tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear. “Only if you want to go.” I smiled. “It’s up to you.”
She sniffed. “My mascara is ruined. And the side of my dress is torn. I can’t go like this. I never should hav
e tried so hard in the first place. I almost got you killed. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“This wasn’t your fault. You were trying to face the fear. You were trying to send her a message that she didn’t control your life. I know that. What you did took a lot of courage. But no one would blame you if you didn’t want to go to the dinner. I’m sure Dante can come up with a perfectly legitimate excuse for you.”
Dante held up his phone. “I’ve got this. Emergency crew is on the way, babe. They’ll meet us outside the hotel in five for hair, makeup, and a new dress.”
I studied Journey’s expression. If she wanted to hide out from the world for a while, I’d be next to her while she did it.
She smiled. “You’re a lifesaver, Dante.” Her eyes landed on me.
“You’re going to go through with this?” I asked.
She nodded. “Absolutely. So, what is this deal I’m not going to like?”
I wrapped my arms around her and drew her to me. “Just remember when I tell you we’re all alive, and I did it for a lot of reasons that maybe aren’t obvious.”
She pinched her lips together. “It’s that bad?”
I helped her inside the car. I was going to have to drive the rest of the way. Rick had been carted off by my medical team.
“You’re going to hate it.”
I closed the door behind her. But it didn’t matter. She was safe.
Twenty-One
Journey
We had attended two brunches, three dinners, and one cocktail party in the span of three weeks. I was exhausted.
Today, Asher and I decided we were taking the day off for ourselves. We had planned it intentionally with great purpose. Today was going to life-changing.
He pulled up in front of the cabin and I didn’t know I could be so happy.
He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for me. I grinned at him. “What should we do first?” I asked.
He laughed. “I have to check in with Mickey and then we can do whatever you want.”
I was nervous and excited. “We only have a few hours,” I reminded him.
Pretending She’s Mine Page 9