by Suzanne Hart
He walked out with his head held high, and I slammed the door shut and locked it. The only reason I’d been able to enter the apartment earlier was because the door wasn’t locked.
I went straight to the bedroom and found Tessa on the bed, just like I’d left her. Her face was crestfallen, she was close to tears and I rushed to her. I knelt down on the floor beside her and reached for her hand.
“What did he do, Tessa? Did he hurt you?” I asked.
She drew in a deep breath and shook her head.
“No, he didn’t. But he might have. He had me in bed and I could see what his intentions were,” she replied.
I pressed her hand in mine.
“I’m sorry, Tessa. I don’t know what else to say. I’m sorry for my brother’s behavior,” I said and she looked into my eyes with surprise.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Clark! This is my fault. I’m the one who fell for his lies,” she argued.
“But I’m the one who brought him back to your life.”
Tessa looked down at where we were holding hands.
“And you’re the one who rescued me too. Once again,” she murmured.
I wanted to hold her, pull her into my arms and pin her to my chest.
“Tessa, I shouldn’t have let you come back here. I should have stopped you from leaving,” I said.
“I didn’t think I would ever see you again. I thought this was it!”
“I let you leave because I decided that was what you needed. I thought I was doing the right thing by letting you go.”
“I should have been more careful when I came in. I had all my guards down. I was upset because it was over between us,” she continued.
I reached for her face, pinching her chin so I could angle her face up to look at me.
“I don’t think we can end it that easily, Tessa, and I am not Gordon. I will never disappear on you on a whim.”
She chewed on her lip, her cheeks were flushed. She nodded her head like she believed me.
“What happened with Celine?” I asked and she met my eyes. Her green eyes were wide, and I could see whatever fear she had felt in the presence of Gordon; was gone now.
“She told me you wanted her, you would always want her—because she is the mother of your child. And that I shouldn’t try to compete. I didn’t want to compete. That was never my intention!”
“I know,” I said and stroked her chin.
“Well, Celine is a pathological liar, just like my brother is. Which is why I truly believe that the two of them are actually very well suited. Sadly, I don’t think that relationship is going to last,” I added.
Tessa smiled and she leaned towards me.
“Why did you come back here, Clark?” She asked and I moved my hand, over her cheek and jaw, till I was holding her tightly by the back of her head.
“I had a feeling that Gordon would be here. Celine indicated to it as well. I didn’t want anything to happen to you. Everything you think about Celine and me is wrong, Tessa,” I told her.
She leaned even closer so that our faces were now just an inch away. Her eyelashes fluttered on her cheeks and she was breathing unevenly.
“I’m sorry I argued with you. I was just…I didn’t want to stand in the way of you and what I thought you wanted,” she continued.
“I want you, Tessa. I’ve wanted you from the first moment I saw you,” I said.
She smiled before she touched my lips with hers. I opened my mouth, engulfing her lips into mine so I could explore her. She threw her arms around my neck and I held her close to myself. Kissing her wildly, possessively.
I thought she was gone. I thought what she said before; was just an excuse for her to go.
When she pulled herself away from me, Tessa’s lips were swollen and a deep pink color.
“I want you too, Clark. From the moment I met you, I knew what a mistake I had made with Gordon. I realized he was never the man for me.”
I weaved my fingers in her hair and we kissed again. This felt good. This felt right.
Whatever qualms I had about being in a relationship with my brother’s ex—were all gone now.
I didn’t give a shit about Gordon anymore. He meant nothing to me. Not after what he was trying to do to Tessa.
To me—this was the woman created for me. I would have been a fool to give that up and go anywhere.
We were breathless and smiling as we kissed. I pulled her closer to myself, tipping her head back so I could kiss her neck. Her tender, delicate milky pale neck. Her hair fell behind her, she looked like a Goddess. My cock was moving in my pants already.
Tessa giggled and I kissed her cleavage. I was going to take her dress off again. I was going to make love to her here, on her bed. I stood up, about to take my pants off when my phone rang.
41
Tessa
Clark was going to take off his pants. I lay back on the bed, looking up at him with a smile. This seemed too good to be true. We were together again. Despite everything that happened, we had somehow managed to get past it all and be together.
He was here with me, he had his arms around me. Very soon, he was going to be inside me and then I’d be fulfilled. I could feel my pussy throbbing excitedly. My nipples pebbled under my dress. He’d barely touched me and I was already turned on.
I parted my legs in invitation. My dress rode up my thighs and he fixed his deep blue eyes on me.
“God, Tessa! What are you doing to me,” he grunted and I bit down on my lip. I believed him. This wasn’t just make-believe. This wasn’t a game. In this moment, that was exactly what Clark thought of me—that I was special.
Just as he was about to undo his belt, we heard his phone ring.
“Darn it!” He groaned, but he leaned towards me. He was going to kiss me again.
“Won’t you get that?” I asked, smiling mischievously at him.
“Whatever it is, it can wait,” Clark said, his voice deep and sensual.
“It could be Alfie. He might have woken up,” I retorted.
Clark cursed a little more under his breath and then sighed and nodded his head. His phone continued to ring in the pocket of his pants and he slipped it out.
“It’s Penny,” he said, looking at the screen with his brows crossed.
“Yeah,” he snapped when he answered the call. I sat up in bed again, a little worried myself.
“What?” He growled and I could sense from the tone of his voice that something had gone wrong.
“Okay, stay there. We’re coming over,” he said and jumped out of bed.
“What’s happening?” I asked, sliding my legs off the bed as well.
“It’s Alfie. They’ve taken him,” he raged.
Clark had already run out of the bedroom and I followed him.
“They’ve taken him? Who has? Clark!” I shouted, trying to keep up with him. He stopped at the front door, and when he turned to me, his expression was weary.
“Gordon and Celine. They have Alfie,” he growled.
A soft cry escaped my lips as I chased after him down the stairs of my apartment building. My heart was racing in my chest.
Clark didn’t lose any time. We were in his car in no time, and the tires screeched as he took off. He was driving at top speed, swerving through traffic.
I held on to the side and my seat, as we skidded and turned and zoomed. I was about to cry. Somehow, I was beginning to feel like this was all my fault.
“Clark…” I said his name, softly. We hadn’t spoken at all since we left my apartment. He was focused on the road. His eyes were strained, and from the way he was clutching the steering wheel, I could sense that he was raging mad.
“I’m going to find him. They’re not getting very far with him. I’m going to save my son.”
Clark was mumbling, more to himself than to me.
I gulped. My throat had gone dry. I didn’t want Alfie to be hurt. After the way Gordon had behaved with me, I wasn’t sure if Alfie would be safe with him
.
“I should have called the police,” Clark murmured.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have given him another chance.”
“No, you don’t know Gordon like I do. You thought he deserved another chance. I should have known he’d be out looking for revenge.”
I stared at him. His mouth was clamped shut. His jaw was clenched hard. Clark was focused and he looked powerful. He was a force to contend with and I knew he’d find a way of getting to Alfie.
We arrived at his building and he didn’t bother parking the car. We rode the elevator up to his penthouse in silence again and Penny was waiting there for us. She had her hands clasped together and she was crying.
“Mr. Webber, I’m so sorry! I tried to stop them!” Penny sobbed. I rushed to her, throwing my arms around her and she blubbered into my shoulder. She was in shock.
Clark ran to Alfie’s room and we followed.
“What happened?” He roared. Penny was still gasping for air.
“I woke up when I heard screaming. They were fighting amongst themselves. Then I heard banging. When I came out, I saw they’d woken up Alfie. Ms. Celine had him in her arms and Mr. Gordon was packing his things,” Penny said.
Alfie’s room was a mess. Clark flipped over the things strewn on the floor. Alfie’s favorite, Mr. Coco, was on the floor and I could imagine how upset and afraid Alfie would have been without his bear.
“Do you know where they went?” Clark growled and Penny burst into another volley of sobs.
She shook her head.
“They didn’t tell me anything. I don’t know,” she cried.
Clark was pacing around in Alfie’s room, running a hand through his hair.
“We should alert the police. They’ve abducted a five-year-old boy!” I said. “Penny, please go and call the police. Give them as much detail as you can,” I said and she nodded, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
When she left the room, I looked at Clark. I was concerned for him as much as I was for Alfie.
“What are we going to do, Clark?” I asked him and he clenched his jaw.
“I think I know where they’re going,” he said and I stared at him for an answer.
“They’re going back to London. They’re going to get on a flight. We have to go to the airport!”
Clark drove us to the airport, in the same mad rush as before. When we got there, he jumped out of the car, barely parking it in a designated spot. I followed him, while hearing my heart beating rapidly in my ears.
I knew I was running after him. I could hear myself breathing. I knew my feet were moving—but everything else seemed to have come to a stand-still. I didn’t even know if Alfie was going to be here. Clark seemed confident though.
There was white noise all around me.
I couldn’t focus on any faces. I felt like I would faint. I was light headed and weightless. A little child’s life was in danger. Alfie. Clark’s son. A boy who had stolen my soul. A kid who trusted and adored me.
And I was the reason why this was happening to him.
Clark was going to call the cops on Gordon. Why had I wanted to give him a chance? He hurt me. He was violent with me. He was going to hurt me even more. Why did I care if he did or didn’t go to prison?
Why couldn’t I take a stand?
And now, Alfie might be hurt too.
I’d followed Clark into the airport. A swarm of people surrounded us, and I felt disoriented. I broke into tears all of a sudden, sobbing uncontrollably into my hands. It was all my fault. If anything happened to Alfie, how would I ever forgive myself?
Then I felt Clark’s arms around me. He was holding me tightly to himself.
“Hey, we’re going to find him. Tessa, please, don’t cry,” I heard him say. He was stroking my arms, resting his chin on top of my head. I was engulfed in him, while he looked around. This was going to be impossible. We had no idea if they were even in the airport. All we had was a hunch.
I could sense that Clark was beginning to feel helpless too. I looked up at him, my eyes bloodshot and my lips quivering.
“I don’t…I don’t know how I will ever forgive myself,” I cried and he covered my cheeks with his large hands and rubbed my tears away.
“The police will find him, even if we don’t,” he said. He was telling himself, trying to convince himself too. I nodded, hoping to raise our spirits up.
Then I heard a boy’s cry. It was a distinct voice. Clark had heard it too. The airport was crowded and there were people everywhere. Too much noise. Too much happening. But Alfie’s voice was distinct and shrill.
Releasing me, Clark ran and I followed. We weaved through the crowd, headed in the direction of the voice. In the distance, I was relieved to see Alfie. Gordon was holding him in his arms, patting his back. Celine was carrying their bags. Alfie’s face was red from crying, but he wasn’t fighting them. He wasn’t trying to escape.
The three of them could have been a regular family.
“Gordon! Stop!” Clark shouted as loud as he could.
“Daddy!” Alfie squealed when he saw us. People around us stopped to look now.
Their cover had fallen. Now people knew that the crying child in Gordon’s arms wasn't his son. Clark stormed towards them, but Gordon held Alfie tightly to himself.
“Don’t come any closer, Clark!” He shouted. Screams and gasps rang out in the crowd around us.
I tried to make eye contact with Alfie to keep him calm.
“What are you trying to do, Gordon? He’s just a kid. Let him go,” Clark’s voice wasn’t as firm or commanding as it usually was. Now it was a matter of his child’s safety.
“We’re just taking him home. With his mother, where he belongs!” Gordon snapped. He was clutching Alfie tightly, while Celine stood aside. She looked quite pale and shaken up too. No doubt Gordon had convinced her to do this but now she’d changed her mind.
Airport security had been alerted and I could sense them filling up the scene. Getting ready to shoot Gordon if they had to, to rescue Alfie. Now there were a handful of guns pointed at him, and Alfie wouldn’t stop crying.
“Just let him go, Gordon, and we can talk about everything else,” Clark tried. He was taking slow steps towards them but Gordon was keeping an eye on the distance between them.
“Stand back, Clark! Get away!” He shouted.
“Daddy! Tessa!” Alfie squealed.
My heart was breaking. All I wanted was for Gordon to give Alfie back to us.
“Gordon, please, we can talk. You and I, if you want. Just let Alfie go,” I tried and he turned his attention to me.
“You suddenly want to talk to me? What do you care about Alfie? You barely even know this kid!” He hissed.
“He’s just a kid, Gordon. He’s your nephew and you’re hurting him!” I cried.
Within moments, there was police on the scene too. Penny had informed them where we were headed and they’d followed us here. More guns were added to the picture, all pointed at Gordon, Alfie, and Celine who were huddled together.
“There is no escaping this, little brother. You need to surrender. Please, just give up Alfie and we can come to some kind of agreement,” Clark continued.
For the first time, Gordon was beginning to look a little scared. Maybe he wasn’t expecting so many cops to appear there. He didn’t have a plan.
“Gordon, let him go. We need to turn ourselves in.”
It was Celine who had spoken up in a soft voice. They stared at each other, and then slowly to my relief—I watched as Gordon put Alfie down on the ground.
He came running towards us. Clark met him halfway, lifting him up in his arms and hugging him close. The police poured in on Gordon and Celine and within moments, their hands were cuffed and they were being dragged away.
Alfie was safe, and that was all that mattered.
42
Clark
On the way back, we stopped at a drive-through and got Alfie a cheeseburger and an ice cream cone. He was s
trapped in the back seat of the car and Tessa was sitting beside him, holding his hand.
Once we’d managed to get Alfie away from Gordon and Celine, I’d rushed out with him in my arms—straight to the car. Some of the cops wanted to ask him questions, but I didn’t allow more than a few essential minutes. I insisted that Alfie needed to be taken back home so he could recover from the traumatic incident.
Tessa was there by my side the whole time. Alfie refused to let go of her hand.
He was glum and speaking very little, despite our best efforts to cheer him up.
“Why was Uncle Gordon doing that?” He asked.
“Where was Mummy taking me?”
“Why didn’t he want to give me back to you?”
He had fair questions—but these were all questions that I didn’t want to answer. In fear of how they might affect him at a future date. How was I supposed to explain to him that his uncle and his mother, people whom he should have trusted and relied on, were kidnapping him?
So, Tessa and I both tried to redirect his questions and distract him.
Eventually, we sat in the car eating our cheeseburgers, but Alfie didn’t seem very interested in his food. Not even in his ice cream.
“How you feeling, hun?” Tessa asked him, stroking his hair. I turned in my seat to face them, and watched them together. Alfie and Tessa had just clicked instantly, from the beginning. That should have been my biggest sign—that Tessa was going to be special to us.
Alfie shrugged his shoulders in response to Tessa’s question.
“I guess I’m fine,” he said and she smiled at him.
“Once you finish your ice cream, we can go home and maybe Tessa will read you a story tonight?” I suggested, reaching for his knee to pat it.
Alfie huffed and pouted his lips.
“This is not home. I want to go home!” He said. I glanced at Tessa and smiled encouragingly at my son.
“But this is your new home, Alfie. Do you remember the conversation we had when we left London? About all the adventures we were going to have here?” I insisted but Alfie shook his head.