Once Gus and I were both showered and out of the house, our first stop was a CrossFit gym. I had passed by it on occasion, seen people run in and out of it and had always been too chicken-shit to go inside. I used the gym at the YMCA to stay in shape, but now I wanted to challenge myself. I needed to build endurance, gain strength, and know that I had enough of it to outrun any possible attacker.
“Brae, this shit looks intense. Are you sure you want to do this?” Gus leaned closer as we approached the receptionist.
“Not only am I sure, but I can’t wait to get in here,” I said, shoulder bumping his arm.
“Just don’t become all nutrition conscious, shoving kale in my face.”
“Nope, there is no way I can give up ice cream.”
After adding a small fortune onto my credit card, I was all signed up and ready to start my first class early the following morning. I tucked my contract in my purse and walked out the front door as Gus held it open for me.
“Where to now?”
“I can’t tell you because you’ll think I’m crazy, but we need to get on the subway.” Gus’s arms crossed over his chest, but he didn’t question me.
We took the subway to the other side of Manhattan, coming up on the Upper West Side. Gus didn’t inquire where we were going, but kept gazing up at the buildings for some type of clue. It wasn’t until we walked into the Krav Maga gym that he stopped suddenly and looked at me.
“You’ve gone bat shit crazy, haven’t you?”
Krav Maga was a martial arts studio that focused on self-defense and close-combat training. I wasn’t going crazy; I was finding every possible way to put my nightmare behind me.
“You signed up for CrossFit twenty minutes ago. Why are we here?” Gus held my wrist, stopping me from walking further into the studio.
“Gus, CrossFit is to help me build endurance and strength. This,” I gestured with my hands, “is to help me learn to fight back.”
Gus exhaled, the corners of his lips curving up into a smile. He understood.
We took a tour of the facility. The trainer explained how each class worked, and what they focused on most. By the end of our tour, not only had I forked over my credit card once again but so had Gus.
Since my brain was back in full swing, I quickly decided on my next visit. We headed downtown for the next part of my to-do list, then stopped for lunch before we went by Best Friends Pet Hotel to see Mackenzie.
When I had shut out the world, I didn’t care about anyone but myself. I didn’t look back. Now that I had a clear mind, I needed to see her. I didn’t know what she thought of me or what she thought happened, but I needed to explain to her what happened. I also wanted her to know that I held no hard feelings toward her.
When Gus pulled open the door to the pet hotel, I expected to smell dog urine and kitty litter. Instead, it smelled better than the Manhattan air. The large retail store had one section for accessories, toys, and food. The back room had large glass walls that allowed you to watch the dogs as they were being groomed. The receptionist’s desk was at the center, and the left side was sectioned off for training. Over the front desk were large flat-screen televisions that showed the back rooms where the dogs were boarded and playing.
“Hi, can I help you?” Gus and I walked over to the front desk. “Are you here for boarding or training?”
“Neither,” I replied. “I’m here to see Mackenzie Adams. Does she still work here?”
The front desk employee bit her lip as she analyzed us.
“And you are—?”
“I’m Braelynn Wolf, and this is my friend, Gustavo.”
“Give me one second.” She held up her index finger and walked away from the front desk, then entered the back room and left Gus and me alone. Gus looked at me, and I shrugged my shoulders.
She returned momentarily with an envelope in her hand, handing it to me. “Mackenzie no longer works here. She said you might come here looking for her, and she wanted you to have this.”
“How long ago did she quit?”
“Almost seven months now.”
I took the letter and thanked Laura for her help. Gus and I sat on the bench outside. Tearing through the envelope, I unfolded the sheet of white computer paper. Her letter was handwritten in purple ink.
Dear Braelynn,
I’m sorry. I know those simple words can’t begin to explain why I left, but I felt I had no other choice but to leave Manhattan. When Howard Goldstein reached out to me to inform me that they needed a copy of the check, and he mentioned you had unexpectedly quit your job, I knew something was wrong. I tried to call you repeatedly, but there was never an answer. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this had something to do with Drew.
I can’t apologize enough to you, I know how much opening a case against Drew meant to you, and how important it was to your client. Unfortunately, for my own well-being, I can’t stay in New York.
I hope one day you’ll receive this letter and know that I am truly sorry.
Sincerely, Mackenzie
I reread the letter a couple of times before I folded it again, putting it back in the envelope. I held the plain white envelope in my hand, staring at the ground. She was gone because of fear that something serious had happened to me. That Drew had happened to me.
Had she been right?
“Is everything okay?” Gus asked when I sat on the bench for longer than I could remember.
“Yeah, I think it is,” I answered. Was Mackenzie right? Was it Drew? “Mackenzie moved out of New York. She apologized that she couldn’t help with the case.”
“Brae, are sure you’re okay?” he asked again. Apparently my answer didn’t convince him.
“She couldn’t shake the feeling that Drew had something to do with my disappearance when she couldn’t get a hold of me.” I put her letter back in my purse for safekeeping.
“Drew, Peyton’s client?”
“Yeah, the one that I had Poochie doing a background search on.”
“Braelynn…” Gus’s tone was no longer as carefree as it had been. “When you went missing, Peyton went to his office. He was out of the country. And when you were in the hospital, Peyton had him bring in his passport.”
“Really? Peyton did all of that?” A part of me was not at all surprised. Peyton had looked into Drew. That crossed out Mackenzie’s theory. “How come he never mentioned it to me before?”
“That’s a question for him.” Gus bumped my shoulder and stood from his seat.
He was right. It was a question for Peyton. A question I planned on asking him. I stood, lifted my purse straps high on my shoulder, and took Gus’s hand. “Come on, Gussy. Let’s pay my knight a visit.”
My legs trembled as I pushed open the doors to the main lobby of Peyton’s building. The sweet scent of citrus hit me and reminded me of him. I reached in my purse, grasping my phone as I stepped further inside. My heart raced. Each beat felt like it pushed against my chest cavity. I wanted to see him; I missed his golden eyes.
I looked at the directory in the lobby locating his office number. I didn’t want to call his cell phone in the event he was in a meeting. My hands reached over to Gus for support as I dialed. I hit the send button on my phone and brought it up to my ear. My hands shook with fear, my foot tapped with jitters. It rang twice before a perky voice answered, “Thank you for calling PH Esquire. Melissa speaking. How may I direct your call?”
Oxygen. I needed it.
I dragged in a deep breath, filling my lungs with more than enough before I spoke. “Hi, Melissa, it’s Braelynn.” I held my eyes shut, holding my breath trapped in my lungs. ”Is he in a meeting?” I asked, finally exhaling.
“Oh, hi! No, he’s not. Do you want me to transfer you?”
“Uh … I’m downstairs. Can I come up?”
“Of course. I’m sending you the elevator.”
“And Melissa?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t tell him I’m here.”
“Sure, no problem.”
I pulled my phone away from my ear and smiled. I hadn’t known her long, or well, but I liked her.
A big goofy smile appeared on Gus’s face. “That man does things to you doesn’t he?”
If he only knew the things Peyton did to me, emotionally and sexually. My hand reached across and slapped him in the chest. “Shut it.”
He pressed the call button for the elevator, and the polished steel doors slid open. I gazed at him, my eyes asking the question my mouth couldn’t form. Gus reached across and kissed my forehead “I’ll be right here, baby girl.”
I turned towards the elevator, my feet finding the strength to push forward. “Oh, Braelynn?” Gus shouted.
“Yeah?” I twirled around to face him.
“Peyton has no idea you’re home. He thinks you’ll be home this weekend.”
“Why?”
“We didn’t know if you wanted to see him or not, so we figured it would be best to give you the option.”
I shook my head at the tenderness in his brown chocolate eyes and smiled. Always looking out for me. I took one last deep breath before the doors closed. My mind instantly reminded me of the last time I was in this elevator—wearing nothing but a coat. A sly smile spread across my face as I rode up to see the man I still loved.
Peyton
My fingertips strummed across my dark mahogany desk. I waited patiently as my baby brother continued on with his story. It wasn’t the first time he’d shown up, ranting about his most recent problem. Taylor sat across from me, his arms crossed at his chest, and his mouth running a mile a minute as he complained about our parents. I attempted to keep my focus on him, but my eyes watched my email screen on my laptop and my phone for any alerts. Braelynn was being released from rehab this weekend, and I was awaiting any information from Kennedy or Gus.
My eyes had to be playing games with me. From my peripheral, I saw a blonde approach Melissa and smile.
It was her.
Braelynn.
Here in my office.
My palms planted on the desktop. My focus was no longer on Taylor; my undivided attention was solely on her as she chatted with Melissa before turning towards my office—towards me. Melissa followed behind her, but my eyes were glued on Braelynn. Was I dreaming this? When her eyes met mine, I knew it wasn’t a dream. She seemed uncomfortable, though. Her eyes skittered away from mine, and she bowed her head.
“You have to leave.” I turned to face Taylor as I pushed against my desk to stand. My leather chair wheeled back behind me.
“What? Come on, you don’t understand. Dad is telling me it’s time to make a name for myself. I figured you could help.” Taylor pleaded. Any other time I would drop everything for my baby brother. My siblings were important to me, but not when Braelynn was walking towards me.
“Taylor,” I snapped back at him. “You’re a grown man. You’re still living at home, and honestly, it’s embarrassing. Get your shit together and get out of my office.”
His eyes followed mine. “Is that her?” he asked, a smirk appearing on his face.
“Fuck off,” I spoke from between clenched teeth.
He stood and strolled to the closed glass door. “Spencer said you were whipped.” He cocked his head back at me. “Fuck, bro, I don’t blame you. She is smoking hot. Is she the one from the club that night?”
“Out! Now!”
Taylor rushed to the door as Melissa pushed it open. “Come on, Taylor,” she said, looping her arm through his elbow. He tugged at her, pulling her along with him, and stepped in front of Braelynn.
She smiled and blushed as my dickwad little brother took her hand in his. He bowed in front of her and kissed the back of her hand before he spoke. “Braelynn, what a pleasure to finally meet you. Taylor McAlister.”
Her smile grew wider. “What a gentleman,” she said, looking back at Melissa.
“Out you go, lover boy.” Melissa yanked on Taylor’s elbow. He complained for a quick second before Melissa said something underneath her breath and Taylor walked away with a smile.
Braelynn followed them with her eyes until we could no longer see them. My eyes were glued on her. She had gained back most of the weight she had lost. Her skin was flushed and her hair shone against the sunlight. “I thought you didn’t get out … I thought you didn’t come home until this weekend.” I struggled to fix my comment.
She walked to the chair that had been recently occupied by Taylor and sat. “Kennedy and Gus had the date wrong.” She crossed her legs and her attention was drawn to the city view behind my chair.
“How are you?” I asked, rounding the table. I pulled my chair closer to her and sat.
“I’m good,” She nodded slowly and swallowed.
“Braelynn?” She kept her eyes directed away from me. Her eyelids were closed to half-mast.
“Yes?”
“Let me see your eyes?” She took a deep breath before her head slowly rose. “There you are.” I felt the sides of my lips curl up into a smile.
“Hi,” she whispered, her eyes glassed over and shone at me.
“You look good.” I tried to joke so she wouldn’t feel nervous or wary. “I prefer the blonde hair over the brown.”
She gave me the smile I’d been yearning for and ran her petite fingers through her hair. “Yeah, I missed my old self.”
“I’ve missed you.” The words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them. This thing called love made me think like a fool and act like a teenage boy, but I didn’t give a rat’s ass. She was here, beautiful and healthy. I didn’t give a fuck how pussy-whipped I was.
Her face crimsoned, and I grinned. “Peyton…”
“Don’t. Don’t push me away, Braelynn. I’m not leaving you.”
“It’s easier said than done.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. But there wasn’t a thing she could do to push me away. Not now.
She locked her eyes with mine again and shrugged. I studied her for a minute. “We’ll start slow. I’m in no rush.” I had no indication of what happened in rehab, but I didn’t want to press her to tell me about it until she was ready. “I’ve waited four months for you. I can wait longer.”
She pushed forward on the chair and leaned closer to my desk. “About that.” She reached inside her purse and pulled out a white bank envelope. “This is the money you spent on my rehab.” She slid it across the width of my desk. I glanced at her hands, holding the packet that I assumed held money, and then back into her dark hunter green eyes.
“Lynn—”
“No, take it.” She didn’t let me finish. “You’ve done so much for me. I’ll have the rest of it for you as soon as I can.” My jaw clenched. I didn’t want to argue with her, but this money wasn’t mine. I would have my financial advisor Charles put it back in her accounts by the end of the day. I took the envelope and pushed it to the side.
“Have you had lunch? We can go somewhere—”
“Gus is downstairs waiting for me.”
“Oh.”
“I actually came here for something else.” My eyebrows lift up. “Um … do you have all the paperwork from Officer Walsh? I know you were involved, but I would like to look at it.” She took a deep breath before she threw the last part in. “Now that I have a clear mind.”
I smirked. Pushing off the desk, I rose and extended my hand for her to take. She glanced at my hand and then back up at me. “Follow me.” I winked at her.
Though her eyes informed me that she wanted to say something, she bit the inside of her bottom lip and took my hand. The second her skin touched mine her breath caught in her throat. I tugged her close to me and kissed the side of her head. Her lavender scented hair tickled my nose. “I love that your breath catches in your throat when I’m near you.”
Her elbow jammed into my ribs, and I chuckled. She crossed her arms across her chest but followed me towards an office I’d recently added.
“Peyton? Why is my name on the door?” She pointed to th
e engraved sign, her lips pouted.
I smiled and leaned back on the desk I’d picked out for her. “This is your office.”
“My office?” She grinned and walked inside.
“If you’d like it, of course.” I didn’t want to give her an opportunity to run again. “You can come here to study for the bar. You can be as hands-on as you like with the cases the firm is working on if you’d like to get more experience. And the main conference room has a massive bookshelf with every book you’d need. But if you don’t find something you want, let Melissa know, and she’ll get it for you.”
“You made me an office,” She trailed her fingertips along the edge of her high-backed leather chair. “That’s sweet.”
“I figured you wouldn’t be able to sit at home for long, and I’ve always admired how hard you work.”
She nodded her head and took in the city view from the large window behind her desk. I picked up a massive manila folder from the desktop and handed it to her. I had already memorized the contents. “This is all of it.”
“Thank you.” She pressed the folder to her chest and leaned forward placing a kiss on my cheek. “For everything.”
She turned on her heel, and I followed her out of her office and down the long hallway. I ignored Taylor, who was still there, and walked Braelynn to the elevator. She entered the car without a word. I wanted to stop her, to beg her to stay with me longer, but she had shown up unexpectedly and I was caught off guard.
“Good-bye, Peyton,” she said before the elevator doors slid closed. I turned to face my brother and Melissa, and Taylor made a noise like the crack of a whip.
“Fuck you.”
Melissa held her laughter in, but it was obvious she found Taylor’s joke amusing.
The following morning I walked into the office with a plan in my mind. I was going to sneak over to Braelynn’s house and surprise her for lunch. It took a few hours in the gym to convince me not to do it yesterday, but I had to give her space. I couldn’t demand to be in her life again. Sleep was the enemy last night, so I walked into the office an hour late. Melissa had a bright smile on her face when she greeted me.
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