Corporate espionage? What had I gotten myself into?
Dane tried to take me in his arms for comfort, but I pushed back from him and lunged for the toilet in time for the morning sickness to torment me.
He knelt beside me and rubbed my back with his hand. “This is killing me. What can I do?”
“You can just let me go.” With my head hung in the toilet, my voice had a slight echo and sounded more like a growl.
“You’re the life in my bloodstream. I could never let you go.”
Unable to shake the sickness, I laid in bed while Dane dressed for his grandfather’s arrival. When he couldn’t get Dane on his cell, Grandfather had called the house phone to say he was on his way over for the fishing trip he’d won in their bet, but Dane chose not to say anything over the phone and would wait until Grandfather arrived to bring him up to speed on everything.
He checked and rechecked his watch and paced nervously in the bedroom.
“Can you please sit down? I’m scared to death. Your pacing makes life feel like it’s spinning out of control.”
He sat beside my curled up body and rubbed his hand up and down my side. “I’m scared too. Grandfather will know what to do.”
“This isn’t the first time there have been threats on your life, is it?”
“No.”
“I’m still waiting for you to explain Stella to me.”
Just then, three beeps sounded through a speaker from somewhere in the house.
“That’s the gate. Grandfather’s here.”
Peggy and the driver left as quickly as they came. Dane pushed his grandfather’s wheelchair into the private office that was a separate structure off the main entrance of the home.
While they huddled in their private meeting, I decided to grab a quick shower, but once in the bathroom, the large tub was difficult to ignore, and I thought it might be relaxing. While the water filled, I went in search of some conditioner and a hair dryer. It was my first time in Dane’s home, and as I roamed from room to room, I had a sense of what a stalker might encounter the first time in his prey’s environment. I had a great excuse, but I was snooping. There was no doubt about it.
Two of the bedrooms shared a bathroom. It was there I found a hair dryer, toiletries fit for a woman, hair brushes, and lots of various cosmetics. I was curious what female guest would’ve left so many things behind, especially with such expensive cosmetics such as MAC.
The water!
I ran down the hall and into the master suite in time to find water spilling over the edge of the tub. It wasn’t a lot, thank goodness, and I was able to shut it off and throw towels on the floor to soak up the water.
“What happened?”
I turned to see the owner of the familiar voice, standing in the doorway of the bathroom with both hands on his hips.
“I went looking for a hair dryer and conditioner and forgot about the water.”
His eyes glanced to the counter and back to me. “Obviously. Looks like you’ve got this under control. When you get dressed, you can join Grandfather and me out at the gazebo?” There was no warmth in his eyes, and his mannerism was strictly professional, and the question appeared more like a summons to the boss’s office.
“Sure.”
He left abruptly. The spirit of the man I knew from twenty-four hours earlier was gone, and in his place was someone all business and emotionless. Suddenly, I was stripped of feelings as well. I sat down on the bench in the bathroom and covered my face with my hands.
Rollercoaster…
Dressed in my denim cut-off shorts with my baby bump peering over the top and one of Dane’s T-shirts covering everything up, I walked out to the gazebo as he’d requested. They were waiting on me to have lunch that someone had prepared.
Dane quickly approached me and slid his arm around my waist, leaving a sweet kiss on my cheek. Grandfather sat in his wheelchair at the round table. He patted the seat next to him. “Come sit by me, my dear. I want to know how you’re handling all of this, and I’m a bit worried about you.”
Dane pulled the chair out for me, and as I sat down, I looked over my left shoulder at him. His eyes were red and glassy.
He quickly looked away from me then wandered away to the bin that contained the fish food.
“I’m not going to lie and say I’m fine, Mr. Lawrence.”
“Please, by now I think you should be calling me Asher.”
I nodded my head in agreement.
“We brought you out here, my dear, because we’re concerned the house is bugged.” Asher’s hand trembled as he reached over to grip mine resting in my lap.
“Um, I don’t get all of this.” I took a drink of the ice water in front of me. “Who would be doing this and why?” I ran my fingers through my ponytail and twisted the loose ends.
“That’s what Dane and I don’t know right now. We obviously have someone on the inside who’s sabotaging our business, but we don’t have a finger on who the players are and why.”
“This is madness, unlike anything I’ve ever known. I’m getting the hell outta here.” I slammed that water glass on the table, spilling the contents. I didn’t care what either of them thought.
“Not until it’s dark.” Dane quickly took the seat beside me and began rubbing my bare thigh in a soothing motion—one I preferred he’d stop.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry.” Dane’s words were apologetic, but they fell on deaf ears because he was doing it out of accountability, but I sensed it lacked sincerity.
I’d always wondered why a great guy like him was available. The happenings of the last few hours solidified the fact that having a relationship was dangerous for him, and I knew there had to be more to the story. A story the two of them weren’t forthcoming about.
Asher and Dane ate their lunch, but I couldn’t stomach food. If morning sickness didn’t have a hold on me, nerves did. Unable to tolerate the quiet, I decided to focus on something else and got up from the chair without a word and proceeded to fill a cup of fish food.
Tossing a couple of pellets in at time had the fish swarming madly, and I tuned out the conversation behind me. Lost in my own frustration, I thought about what Mom would advise me to do, and the only answer I came up with was “go home”. The place where my life had been broken suddenly came to me as a place of serenity.
After several minutes of avoiding the men, my chest became so tight it made breathing painful. Time seemed to creep by and darkness couldn’t come soon enough. I walked away and left them to their discussion.
My journey around Dane’s ranch took me to the stables, where a couple of beautiful horses were stalled. I looked at the saddle rack beside me and for a tiny moment pondered a ride. If I weren’t protecting the innocent life of my unborn child, I would’ve saddled the mare and headed out into the unknown.
I looked down at my tiny bulge and covered it with both hands. As soon as I can, I’m getting you away from this hellhole of monsters. I swiped at my tears, trying to stop them.
I walked through the barn to the door on the other side. It didn’t take me to the full outside, but rather to another part of the building that housed equipment, feed, and the ranch trucks that must’ve been what Dane was talking about. It had three large draw doors and the only light coming through was from the large pop-out windows along one wall.
I walked between the equipment and trucks, and as I got closer to the door on the other side, I thought I heard voices, possibly a radio. But as I got to the last truck within ten feet of a door, I heard a woman’s voice and the sound of something breaking.
I’d thought we were alone, at least that was what Dane had said. Maybe he simply meant the main house.
I rushed to the door and threw it open.
“Well, look who’s here. If it’s not the girl bearing the love child,” the older blonde spoke with her arms crossed against her chest. Standing beside her was a man dressed in cowboy attire. He looked very familiar to me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it
. Lying on the floor between them was a smashed photo frame. The shattered glass and my distance from it prevented me from detecting who was in the photo. I glanced past them, and the room looked like an old hotel room or an aging apartment. I thought I might be looking at the ranch-hand living quarters.
“You seem to have me at a disadvantage. You are?”
“Stella Forrester. Why are you here on the ranch?” she asked, smoothing her fancy pink skirt.
“Well, since you know so much about me, why don’t you tell me why I’m here and why you’re here? Both of you.”
Then it hit me, the reason the cowboy looked so familiar. He was one of the guys who’d helped Dane push my car, one of the guys from the other truck that day at the convenience store.
“I’m Carl. I just came to feed the livestock and will be on my way.” He tried to push past me to leave.
“No, you didn’t. Something’s not right with this whole picture. Speaking of pictures, who’s in shattered pieces on the floor?” I’d bent to retrieve the photo, when I found myself being picked up and carried.
The cowboy tossed me down on the sofa with the photo in my hand. It was Dane and Stella, but it looked more like a professional shot for business than a family-type photo.
Stella and Carl huddled together, keeping their backs to me. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but it gave me a chance to look at the cabin-type room I was in. I saw there was a sliding glass door to my right, a kitchen area to my left, and stairs in front of me.
After a while, they both stepped outside through the sliding glass door. I watched at Carl lit up a cigarette. Those two had dishonesty written all over them. When Carl turned his back to me, I bolted for the door I’d originally come in through and ran right into a body of steel.
“Wrenn, what are you doing down here?” Dane wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tightly to his chest.
“Being held captive by Stella and Carl.”
He pushed me to arm’s length and studied me. “What?”
“I came down here exploring, heard them arguing, and opened the door. Next thing I know I’m being tossed on a sofa, while they made a plan of some kind. When they stepped out back to smoke, I bailed.”
“Are you okay?” He placed his palm against my cheek.
“Yes, I…I’m okay.”
“Where are they now?”
“Out the back door, I don’t know—”
He moved my body behind his as a protective measure and approached the open door. Once he was inside, I lost sight of him. I heard what sounded like the opening and closing of doors and someone coming down the stairs.
After a few minutes, Dane returned to me outside. “No sign of them, which means they probably went out the back gate. Let’s get back up to the main house.”
We walked side by side platonically; Dane didn’t try to touch me. The further we walked the more he withdrew, making me that much more of an outsider to the situation. Getting the hell away from psycho land was the only thing on my agenda from that moment on.
We approached the separate office beside the pull-through drive. “Please get me the keys to whatever I’m driving and give me whatever phone you want me to use. I’m leaving now.”
“Okay.”
That’s it? No damn explanation?
He walked away from me and disappeared into the house, while I propped against his sports car in the drive. I didn’t smoke, hated it actually, but right then I could’ve used a long drag of something to take the edge off my frustration and pain.
I stopped by my house, grabbed a laundry basket, stuffed a few clothes in it, and shoved it in the back seat of the gray Avalanche that Dane had provided for me. When I walked back into my house, something just didn’t sit well with me. What was wrong with driving my mom’s car? Why did he want me in one of his?
Screw that.
I gathered up my laundry basket, book bag, computer, and study materials and put them in my mom’s car. I left Dane’s truck parked out on the street, so the rest of the world would think I was still in my house. With a brief note to Karina saying Justin needed me, I left Texas in my rearview mirror.
Not having a phone drove me insane, not having Dane’s phone gave my stubborn streak a victory dance. I’d never let a man order me around, and I wasn’t about to pick up the habit. In my mind, if Dane and Asher wanted to keep me safe, they could’ve, at the very least, explained my enemy. It was a world they were familiar with. I was a country girl, and my roots were well grounded.
Then my mind started playing Dane’s words in my head, over and over.
“Death threats.”
I pulled over on the side of the road.
What if he wasn’t over-reacting? What if someone really wanted to harm the baby or me?
I drove to the convenience store at the next exit and tried to calm myself with my favorite comfort food, barbeque potato chips, but that didn’t work. The panic attack hit me hard.
Once I settled down, I started focusing on protecting my baby and myself. I stopped on the way home and bought groceries to last for a while, using the last bit of cash I had. It was late by the time I crossed the bridge, and something told me to close the gate on our property—something we never did, unless we had a brilliant cow that had become an escape artist and figured out it was an easy route off the land.
I unloaded my things then put the car in the barn.
The moment I walked back into the house, Justin was standing in the kitchen with a loaded gun on the counter, his hand in close proximity. “What the hell, Wrenn?”
“Long story.” I sat down in a chair at the table and buried my head in my arms.
“I got nothin’ but time.”
I raised up and watched as he took the seat beside me and removed his ball cap.
“The cliff note version is that Dane and I are going to have a baby. But, someone in his corporation threatened our lives this morning. He and his grandfather gave me little information, so I left them, my phone, and everything behind while they figure it out.”
“Are they coming here?”
“No, they don’t know where ‘here’ is, and I’m not going to tell them. Why did you show up with a gun?”
“I put a laser beam alert on the front and back gates, since I can’t see them from my house. The front gate alarm kept beeping, and I snuck down here on foot to see what was going on.”
“That was me locking the gate. We need to put a road in between our houses.” I tried to give him a smile.
“I know. I’ve been wanting to ask you about that. Need to do it before winter if we’re going to.” He paused and then surprised me when he reached out and patted my arm. Physical contact was something he rarely offered. “So, tell me what it’s like to have a baby on the way.”
“Amazing.”
“Boy or girl?”
“Don’t know yet. Which reminds me, I need to add finding a new doctor to the top of my list.”
“I’m wore out and sun-up is coming soon. Do you need me to stay here or are you good by yourself?”
“I’m good,” I lied.
Nothing about me was good right then. My nerves were shot, my blood pressure was too high, and my trust was at an all-time low. So much for finding my happy place.
The sound of footsteps on the front porch startled me, and for a moment, I didn’t realize where I was. I heard the twisting of the handle, but the room was still dark. I heard more footsteps. Then the knock.
I sat up on the sofa and strained my ears trying to hear the slightest sound. I couldn’t see a thing, since it was still dark.
Damn dream. I’d been having them ever since I’d found out I was pregnant. I refused to let Dane’s shenanigans have me living in fear, but I wanted to protect myself.
Stephan’s pistol.
I went upstairs and found the box containing his gun and ammunition in my bedside table. I made sure it was loaded and turned the safety off. The gun was way too big for me to carry around, so I a
dded another item to my shopping list for the next outing.
I tried to go back to sleep, but my attempts were fruitless. As I laid there on the sofa, I wondered what Mom would think of me now. Would she be excited about a grandbaby? Or would the happenings of my life define who I was?
A stupid hick girl goes to the big city and gets knocked up by the first boy she meets. Girl meets boy, girl loses boy, but unlike the movies, girl doesn’t necessarily get boy back happily-ever-after.
With boards coming in a couple of weeks, I turned on the lamp and pulled the old trunk away from the corner, using it as a coffee table.
Scratch that, I covered it with my notebooks and study guides. It was the perfect study table, leaving me plenty of room for my Yeti coffee cup.
After sunrise, I wasn’t surprised when Justin knocked on the door.
“I saw your light on. You do okay last night?”
“I’m fine. I’m a big girl. Just doin’ some studying for boards.”
“I smell coffee. Mind if I steal a cup, I’m out, but I’ve got it on my grocery list.”
“You can have some of mine. I’ll be going into town just as soon as I make a doctor’s appointment, so give me your list if you want.”
We sat down in the living room, and he picked up a diagram I had laying on the trunk. “So, this is what my heart looks like?”
“Yep.”
He laid the diagram back down on the table. “You draw that?”
“Yes, late one night after three pots of coffee. It was for a test, and Karina and I filled the trash can with failed attempts.” I laughed at the memory. Oh, how I missed her. Would she be disappointed in me too?
“Speaking of coffee, what kind of cup are you drinking out of?”
“Oh gosh, these are phenomenal. It’s called a Yeti, and it will keep stuff hot or cold forever… I mean like a whole day. It was a graduation gift from my advisor. She wrote the cutest note and gave me a funny cartoon. My first thought was that after two years, she gives me a cup. But oh, what a cup it is. I’ll have to get you one.”
Forgiveness Creek: The Creek Series Page 11