Undone (The Revealed Series)

by Alice Raine

  ‘He was here?’ I stuttered, my voice high and wobbly as I tried to calm my spinning brain.

  ‘Yes. You know him?’ Jack asked, his frame immediately turning to me.

  ‘I’ve not seen him for years, but that’s...’ I paused, casting a glance at Cait and lowering my voice to a whisper. ‘That’s Gregory Lambert.’

  Greg.

  ‘Cait’s last boyfriend. Things didn’t, um...didn’t end very well. I think we need to call the police.’

  ‘Thatwas her ex?’ Jack demanded, his eyes widening as his shoulders bunched in obvious annoyance. Had Cait told him about Greg?

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘Fuck! He had an American accent.’ Jack pulled in a huge breath and shook his head. ‘She won’t speak. Did he hurt her? Has this happened before?’

  Greg had certainly hurt Cait before, but I suspected this was a panic attack.

  ‘I think she’s having an anxiety attack. Did he touch her?’

  ‘I don’t think so, it didn’t look like it when I arrived.’ Frowning, Jack’s left eye winced slightly as he chewed on his lower lip. ‘I know how skittish she is about physical contact, but I did try to touch her shoulder.’ Swallowing hard, he lowered his eyes. ‘She, uh, flinched away from me and whimpered.’

  The poor guy looked beside himself with worry. ‘I think it must be the shock of seeing Greg after so long.’

  ‘She’s mentioned him to me, said he was abusive. What did he do?’ Jack asked, lowering his voice this time. My eyes fluttered shut as I recalled the day, years ago, when Cait had called me from the police station once Greg had been arrested. Once we were through with the police and hospital checks I’d taken her back to the house we shared, but it had reminded her of Greg and she’d freaked out, so we’d driven across to her parent’s house.

  They were in Crete for a month, so it had been quiet and empty and seemed to calm Cait down, but she had been too traumatised to sleep alone for the first fortnight. That night, as I’d sat at the side of her bed while she tried to sleep, was when she had cracked and broken down into tears and let the whole story out between jagged sobs.

  A long breath whistled from my lips as I finally opened my eyes and blinked back to reality. ‘It needs to be Cait who tells you that.’ It wasn’t my story to tell, and as much as I knew Jack wanted to help, it had to be her choice whether she wanted to tell him or not.

  Looking first to Cait and then to a concerned Jack, I wondered how long it was going to take her to recover this time.

  One of the paramedics approached Jack and I. ‘She’s going to need to speak to the police, but for now we need to get her out of here and get her properly checked over.’

  Crouching beside her, I cleared my throat of the tears that were building and tried to get through to her. ‘Cait? Sweetie? Can you stand up? I want to take you home.’ When I got no response, I carefully laid a hand on her arm, only to have her flinch away and ball her hands into fists with a whine.

  I looked up to Jack and saw his expression was grim. Shaking his head, he came to my side and lowered into a crouch in front of Cait.

  The paramedics had failed to get close enough to read her blood pressure, so after briefly chatting, one turned to us while the other brought over a wheelchair. ‘We can take her to the medical centre on site, it’s a three minute walk from here so we’ll lift her into the wheelchair.’

  As the paramedic’s bent to shift Cait, Jack dropped to his knees and threw his hands out. ‘Wait! She’ll hate that. She has a phobia of physical contact.’

  The paramedic exchanged a look with his partner and shook his head thoughtfully. ‘There’s really nothing else we can do, sir, she needs to be seen by the doctor, but as they’re treating someone else at the moment we need to take her there. We’ll limit the contact as much as possible.’

  Before I could join in and support Jack’s comments, I watched as the two paramedics knelt beside Cait and swiftly looped one hand under each of her armpits to lift her.

  Ohhhh shit...Cait hated being touched by men, this was not good, and manhandling her was definitely not the way to go. This was like all her triggers rolled up into one great big ball, and then, seconds later, just as Jack had predicted, Cait suddenly went from non-responsive to completely animated and freaking out; her arms flailed, legs kicked, and eyes sprung open like saucers as she wriggled and writhed in their grip.

  Holding his hands extended toward her thrashing figure, Jack began speaking to her, his voice loud but calm, even though I suspected that Cait was beyond hearing him. ‘Caitlin, sweetheart, you’re OK, I’m here. It’s me, it’s Jack. I’m right here.’

  This was horrific to watch. Cait was sobbing loudly now, her struggling so forceful that the paramedics were practically wrestling with her, and not succeeding in getting her any closer to the wheelchair. Suddenly, one of her arms shot out and grabbed Jack’s extended hand and in a blur of floundering limbs she dived out of the paramedic’s grip and literally crawled into Jack’s lap, almost knocking him backwards with her desperation.

  Her body was still twitching and jerking, but she calmed almost immediately as he gently circled her with his arms and shot me a startled look. I was as shocked as he was.

  Jack was amazing, so calm and controlled. He recovered from his surprise almost immediately and after looping an arm under her knees, he secured Cait to his chest and stood up. His head dipped next to hers as he talked to her reassuringly the entire time. ‘You’re safe, Caitlin. I promise you. You’re safe with me.’ His voice was soft and gentle, and at complete odds to his tense stance, but it was working, Cait was calming, her body losing its tension as she began to go lax in his grip.

  ‘Do you want to put her in the wheelchair?’ offered one of the paramedics, but Jack dismissed the idea with a scowl and a shake of his head.

  ‘No. I’ve got her.’

  Letting out a small, dry sob, Cait’s hands then settled on his chest as she balled them in the material of Jack’s shirt and clung on for dear life. Her fists were trembling and her eyes were scrunched shut but she rested her head on his shoulder and drew in several calmer breaths.

  Wow. I would never in a million years have expected this to happen. Jack glanced across at me, apparently equally as shocked by Cait’s capitulation, but then wasted no time in giving a sharp nod to one of the paramedics and starting off towards the studio doors.

  ‘Let’s get her to the doctor.’

  With Cait suspended in his arms, Jack looked like an olden day knight in shining armour, saving his damsel in distress. It was a pretty accurate description, really.

  Following close on Jack’s heels, he refused the offer of a lift in a golf cart and instead strode the entire way to the medical centre with Cait cradled in his arms. His legs were so long that both myself and the paramedics struggled to keep up as he headed off purposefully, weaving between buildings and fences until he finally came to an abrupt halt next to the studio’s medical block.

  ‘Can you open the door, please, Allie,’ he murmured, Jack’s worried eyes focused solely on Cait as she rested in his arms.

  I got quite a big lump in my throat as I watched just how careful Jack was with Cait as he carried her inside and gently laid her onto the doctor’s bed. He whispered softly to her the entire time, words so quiet that I couldn’t hear, but the reassuring sentiment was clear.

  Seconds later, a doctor rushed in, thankfully female, which Cait might respond to slightly more favourably, and after Jack and I had given her a quick rundown of what had happened, she politely ushered us out of the room.

  Stepping into the waiting area, Jack threw his hands up and ran them roughly though his hair. ‘Fuck.’ He whispered the curse softly but the bristling tension in his body made his anxiousness all too clear.

  Guiding me to the waiting seats he fixed me with an intent stare. ‘It wasn’t just verbal abuse, was it? He hurt her, didn’t he?’ he stated, his jaw so tight I was surprised I hadn’t heard his teeth squeaking. ‘Or was it
worse?’ he pushed, his voice dropping to a rough whisper as his eyes filled with emotion.

  I had never once broken Cait’s confidence about the events of that awful day, but I was so tempted to do so now. It was obvious how much Jack cared about her, and I knew she felt something for him, but swallowing loudly, I just couldn’t break my promise to her. Instead, I neither confirmed nor denied his questions, simply giving one single blink which caused Jack to let out another hissed curse.

  ‘Like I said, it’s not my story to tell. I’m sorry, I can see you care for her, but it’s something Cait needs to tell you herself if she chooses to.’

  I expected Jack to push for more, but instead his head slumped forward and he rested it on his balled fists as he took in several deep breaths before finally lifting his gaze to mine again. ‘I understand. I can’t believe I was there with him and let him get away. There’s no way you two can stay in that house alone with him in LA.’ His tone left no room for argument, but I was already in complete agreement. ‘You can stay with me if you like, I have spare rooms.’

  ‘If it’s OK with you, I’d rather we go to Sean’s beach house. I have some things there, anyway.’ From the way Jack’s mouth opened I could tell he was about to object. ‘I won’t feel as if we’re intruding quite as much. I...I know you two are together, and I can see you want to keep her close, but it’s still really new. She might feel strange being at your house.’

  Jack nodded reluctantly. ‘OK, Sean’s place it is.’

  I sent Sean a text to let him know that Cait and I would be staying with him for a few nights, not that he would mind.

  Checking his phone, Jack huffed out a breath. ‘The security team have messaged me to say the police have arrived. They’re going to run through the CCTV footage then interview both myself and Caitlin.’

  Chewing on my lip, I frowned. ‘I hardly think she’s going to be in any fit state for that.’

  ‘No. I agree. I’ll try and get them to come to the house later instead. That should be a little less stressful for her.’

  Both Jack and I jumped up when the consultation room opened, and the doctor indicated for us to come over.

  ‘I think you were right with your speculation of a panic attack. Cait is lucid now, and she’s spoken to me a little but she’s still very much in shock. I’m happy to release her, but I’ve prescribed some medication to calm her and help her sleep, and I suggest she makes a follow up appointment with her own doctor and therapist, if she has one, for next week.’

  ‘OK. Thank you so much.’

  As the doctor was bagging up the pills, Cait appeared in the doorway looking ashen and unsure as she pinged her elastic bands repeatedly and stared at the floor.

  Jack immediately dashed towards her, holding out his hands again as if she might require a steadying handhold, but she shook her head and wrapped her arms around her body. ‘I can walk,’ she whispered, her eyes still locked on the tiled floor.

  The crestfallen expression on Jack’s face was almost painful to witness, but he kept his cool, and after gently placing a blanket around her shoulders, led us both in the direction of the car park.

  Jack opened the rear passenger door of his car so Cait and I could ride together, before he slid into the driver’s seat. Apart from nodding when I told her I was taking her to Sean’s, Cait didn’t respond throughout the short journey, but she let me hold her hand and I noticed her eyes gradually rising.

  I was fairly sure I caught her gaze flicking in Jack’s direction on several occasions, and I definitely saw him watching her in the rear view mirror whenever we were stopped in traffic.

  Twenty-one

  Cait

  He was here.

  In LA.

  I couldn’t believe it.

  Greg was here. The mildly amusing title of ‘the fuckwad’ didn’t seem quite as appropriate any more, it had been a silly distraction technique to lighten the impact of him, but there was nothing remotely amusing about this. He was here. And from the few disgusting words he’d muttered to me before Jack had burst in, he planned on finishing what he’d started all those years ago, and worse.

  My blood ran cold as I allowed the reality to sink in. My fingers gripped at the leather of Jack’s car seat and I felt my nostrils flaring as I tried to draw in some much needed air.

  When I’d been stood by my locker and felt the tap on my shoulder, I had never in a million years expected it to be Greg when I jumped and turned around. But it was. Finally, after over three years, he’d found me.

  The fight between Greg and Jack was a bit of a blur, and then chaos had seemed to erupt around me as Jack and the security guards had frantically spoken. In the end my legs had just given out and I’d slid down the wall, it had seemed the easiest option at the time.

  Lights had become brighter, and sounds louder, but my focus had dimmed to just a tiny dot of light as if I were staring down a really long cardboard tube. Then I simply sat there staring at nothing and breathing raggedly as my world turned in on itself. The feel of the paramedics gripping my arms had been the final straw.

  The only thing that had brought me back from complete hysteria had been Jack when he’d held his arms out to me. I couldn’t believe I’d crawled into his lap like that, but the touch of his hand had felt good, offering me the security I desperately needed, and my body had seemed to act of its own accord. As he’d carried me out of the studio I’d realised that I’d never felt so safe in my entire life.

  Jack made me feel safe.

  The last hour might have been utterly horrific, but it had made one thing clear in my mind, it was time to let him in. Completely.

  Allie

  Once we had arrived at Sean’s and negotiated the security gates, Jack pulled his car up outside the front of the beach house, switched off the engine, and immediately jumped out to help Cait. Leaning in to assist her, Cait stopped him and shook her head jerkily.

  ‘I’m OK,’ she whispered. ‘Thank you.’ Her voice sounded dry and quiet in the breezy afternoon, but I couldn’t help but feel proud of how brave she was. I could see Jack wanted to do more, but instead of pushing it he merely nodded and stood back while she lowered herself from the Jeep’s door.

  With me on her arm and Jack acting like a shadow behind us, we made our way up the steps and through the front door until we were in the lounge. ‘Would you like a drink? Tea?’ I asked Cait, hoping to start her talking.

  ‘Yes, please,’ she replied, her voice a mere whisper as she let go of my arm. I noticed she was avoiding eye contact with myself and Jack, but at least she was standing on her own and starting to talk again.

  Stepping away to make my way to the kitchen, I saw Jack shuffle on his feet. ‘Do you want me to leave you two alone now, or stay until the police arrive?’ he asked hesitantly. When Cait didn’t speak Jack sighed and began to turn for the hallway.

  Suddenly Cait’s gaze lifted. ‘No. Jack, wait,’ Jack paused, turning back to Cait, who was now watching him with wide, unsure eyes. ‘Thank you. Please stay,’ she murmured, her voice still reedy and dry, and then, to my complete amazement, Cait swallowed loudly and hesitantly stepped into Jack’s chest, resting her cheek on his shirt and sliding her trembling hands around his waist.

  Holy crap. I’d never seen Cait initiate contact with a man since her relationship with Greg, and now she’d voluntarily gone into Jack’s arms twice in the last two hours. I felt my mouth drop open and watched as Jack gaped down at her as she clung to his frame like a limpet.

  The gentleness with which he encircled Cait with his arms and began to lightly stroke her hair made me bite down on my lower lip as my emotions quickly began to get the better of me. It would appear I wasn’t the only one though, because Jack scrunched his eyes shut for a second as if holding in tears.

  A huge lump was forming in my throat, so before I sobbed loudly and spoilt their sweet embrace, I quietly slipped away from the room.

  Twenty-two

  Cait

  I’d wanted to to
uch Caitlin for so long, and now, I’d held her in my arms twice within the last few hours. I couldn’t ever remember feeling quite so exhilarated.

  My contentment at this new development was marred by the fact that I’d met the arsehole that had caused Caitlin’s issues with men. I was convinced Gregory fucking Lambert had physically hurt Caitlin in the past. Allie’s face had basically supported my suspicions and I was furious with myself for letting him get away.

  I wish I’d knocked him out instead of just knocking the wind out of him. That fucker had done something horrific to this beautiful, sweet girl. My jaw tensed as I tried to reign in my rage.

  At any other point, the feel of Caitlin pressing her body against mine would have led to some serious constriction in my trouser region. But not today. My anger at Lambert and fear for Caitlin were all-consuming, and desire was just about the furthest thing from my mind.

  I’d long known that Cait was cautious around the opposite sex and wary about being touched, and even though I’d briefly considered that perhaps something had happened to her in her past, I’d dismissed the idea and put her behaviour down to her being overly shy. Then she’d shown me those letters and I’d started to piece it together.

  Things were becoming clearer, and as much as I wanted to be here comforting Caitlin, another side of me wanted to get on the street with the police and hunt that fucker down.

  Her head moving brought me back to the present and I looked down as Caitlin shifted slightly within my gentle embrace so she was resting her forehead just above my sternum.

  The police had called me, and told us that they were finishing up at the studios and would be heading over to interview her in an hour, which gave us all some more time to recover. As far as I was concerned, I wanted to spend every second of those sixty minutes with her in my arms.

  I could feel her warm breath through the cotton of my shirt, and I realised with a grimace that her hands were still trembling against my back as she slid them around to sit on my hips.