As I open the door, I find a short man standing there. He’s just a little taller than I am, which is not tall at just five foot four. Thinning, grayish hair is swept to one side, trying to camouflage a growing bald spot.
Why do men do this? Just cut it right and be natural or get some implants!
The man holds a large bouquet of wildflowers as he stands in the long hallway, scanning my entire body.
In an effort to get him to look me in the eye, I say, “Oh, how nice. Please, put the flowers on the table.” Then I move back so he can come into the room.
He sets them down, then turns towards me. “Allow me to introduce myself, Alyssa Fontaine. I am Darren Stiles. I read about your marriage to Eden in the newspaper.”
I extend my hand to shake his, but he backs away from me.
Okay, maybe he’s a germaphobe!
I drop my hand. I’m not trying to offend him after all. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Stiles. Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful,” I tell him as I admire the large bouquet.
He stammers, “Uh, yeah, anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Eden used to see my daughter, Karen.”
What? What the hell is he talking about? Eden told me he never dated anyone.
The man sees the surprise in my eyes. A smirk forms on his thin lips. “Maybe he didn’t tell you? I’ve never heard of you. You’re not from around here, are you? I mean, you talk funny.”
“I’m from New Mexico. Perhaps that’s why you’ve never heard of me.”
He fidgets for a second. “Too bad about your weird accent. Other than that, you’re very pretty.”
I find myself walking toward the door, as he’s making me uncomfortable. “Mr. Stiles, while it was very nice of you to drop by and bring flowers, I’m afraid we’re very busy today,” I say as I open the door. “So, if you could please see yourself out.” I gesture for him to leave.
He walks past me, then turns back to me. The smirk still has not left his chubby, red face. “See you around, Mrs. Fontaine.”
I close the door, lock it, then push the button with Eden’s father’s name on it. The intercom which is wired all over the mansion. “Papa?”
His soft French accent with just a touch of Southern to it answers me after a few moments. “Yes, darling.”
“A man was just at my door with flowers. Do you know who let him in?”
“A man! What? Alyssa, lock your door. Where’s Eden?”
“Taking a shower.”
“Go tell him to get out and get dressed. Don’t come out of your room until you hear me at your door. Make sure your balcony doors are locked as well. Do not open your curtains at all and stay away from the windows. Get Eden now,” he commands.
Oh, God, what the hell is going on? No one let him in? How did he get in? How did he know where to find us?
I see Eden’s closet door open, with a light streaming out of it. I go into it, finding him with black slacks on and nothing else.
“Eden, a man was just here. He brought flowers. He told me you dated his daughter,” I say, and find I’m clutching at my stomach as it feels like I’ve just been punched. “Anyway, the problem is no one let him in. He acted weird, too. Your father said to lock the door and not to come out until he comes to get us. He said you’d know what to do.”
I turn to go make sure everything is locked, but he’s at my side, his arm tight around my waist. I struggle to get away from him, as I find I’m mad at him for not telling me he dated someone before.
“Alyssa, don’t,” he commands me as he moves me to the bed, sitting me down on it. “Stay right here. Do not move. Do exactly as I tell you to.”
He goes to check the balcony doors, then moves quickly to one side. “Shit, he saw me,” he hisses.
The glass blows inward as something strikes one of the glass panes which make up the French doors that lead out onto the balcony. Eden runs right at me, grabbing my hand and taking me somewhere down the hallway. He opens the last door at the end of the hallway, then quickly locks it behind us. There are no windows in the room. It’s pitch black. I hear a click and a dim light comes on.
“What is this place?” I ask him, having never ventured through the whole suite of rooms we have.
“It’s a safe room, Alyssa,” he tells me as he reaches to press a button on the intercom hanging on the wall.
“So we have a safe room?” I ask.
Eden nods, then speaks into the intercom. “Papa, he threw something through the balcony doors. Papa, can you hear me?”
I look around the dimly lit room. There are shelves on one wall with canned foods on them and twelve gallons of water. In the corner is a small single bed with two pillows and a blanket. I look over in the corner closest to us to see what I believe to be a portable toilet. A ceramic bowl sits on a small table next to it.
Finally, someone answers on the intercom. “This is Niles, sir. Your father and several others are searching the grounds for the intruder. The item which was thrown into your room has been removed. You need to stay in your safe room until further notice.”
“Is my mother safe?” Eden asks.
“Yes, sir, she’s in a safe room in their wing.”
With a relieved look on his face, Eden comes to sit next to me on the small bed. “Alyssa, what did that guy say to you?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “He told me his name was Darren Stiles, and that you dated his daughter, Karen. Is that true Eden?”
“In a way, yes,” he answers.
Something in me snaps. “In a way, Eden? It’s either yes you did or no you did not. Simple as that.”
“You remember when I told you several of the girls expressed interest in me in high school, right?”
I shake my head, as I’m so pissed I can’t talk.
How could he leave that information out?
“Karen begged me to take her to the senior prom,” he says. “She was not a very pretty or popular girl. I felt sorry for her, you know? No one would take her and she wanted to go very badly. She already had her dress purchased, but she had no date.”
“I can’t see how that was your problem to solve.”
“If you will remember about what I told you before, the common thought about me was that I was not heterosexual. So she didn’t expect anything physical, just a boy to take her to the prom. I thought that was all she wanted, so I didn’t see any harm in taking her.”
“I see,” I snap.
Eden’s hands twist together nervously as he says, “Unfortunately, after the prom, she still wanted to hang around with me. Like I said, I felt bad for her, so I let her come over and play in the game room with me sometimes. I guess she took it as I liked her. She began to tell everyone we were dating. I couldn’t have that, so I stopped talking to her. She didn’t take it well. She told her father I took her virginity then refused to see her anymore.”
My jaw drops and my eyes go wide. “She did what?” I gasp.
He shakes his head, looking down. Finally, his eyes come up to meet mine. “Well, you know that isn’t true.”
“I don’t know. I mean, why didn’t you tell me this before?”
He throws his hands in the air. “Alyssa, you know damn well I didn’t do that. Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve shown you how much you mean to me. I would never have jeopardized us. Not on purpose anyway.”
“So her dad, he’s a psycho or what?”
“Well, I didn’t realize he was this bad,” he says as he sits down next to me. “He came to see my parents after his daughter told him that about me. He was upset. I thought he believed me and my parents when we told him there was no truth to it. You see, the date to the prom was completely chaperoned by them. My father was in the game room with us whenever she came over. There was not a single time we were ever left alone.”
I shake my head. “Eden, this is so much to take in. I wonder what this man is thinking.”
“He’s thinking about money, Alyssa,” he says as he wraps his hand around mine. “Because th
at’s what he wanted from us before. Of course, we refused to give him any as nothing wrong was done to her. Far from it. What she was doing was wrong.”
“How much money did he want?”
“He asked for a million dollars. How do you like that? He would’ve given his daughters virginity away for a million dollars.”
Mostly to myself, I mumble, “This is a crazy place. We should probably move away.”
Eden kisses the hand he holds, then says, “There are crazy people everywhere, Alyssa.”
A knock comes at the door. “Open up son. It’s Papa,” Lyle calls out to us.
Eden opens the door and Lyle reaches in, quickly pulling him into his arms, hugging him tightly. He lets him go, finally, then grabs me, hugging me too.
“You kids, okay?” he asks as he finally lets me go.
“Yes, sir,” Eden tells him.
I walk out, only to get snatched up by Eden’s mother. “Oh, my babies, I was so worried.”
Eden helps me get out of her grip, only to find he’s caught up by her. “Mom, it's okay,” he says, soothingly to her.
As we walk past our open bedroom door, we see the glass on the floor as the sunlight shines through the broken pane, reflecting the light on the numerous pieces.
My parents are in the living room. They both rush at us, taking turns hugging us.
“Gee, guys, really? So much fuss? We’re fine,” I tell them.
With a serious tone to his voice, my father tells us, “Sit down, please, both of you.”
I’m shaken by his demeanor. Eden and I sit down as the four of them stand in front of us. Mom comes to sit next to me as Eden’s mother comes to sit next to him.
“The man who was here is very dangerous,” my mother says as she pats me on the back. “He’s done some horrible things, it would seem. When Lyle called the police to let them know there was an intruder and that he got away, they responded immediately. They saw the surveillance footage from the security cameras and they recognized him as he’s being sought after for a prior crime.”
My father puts his hand on my mother’s shoulder and says, “His daughter, Karen, was found in an alley in downtown New Orleans last night. She was badly beaten. Luckily, she was found and taken to the hospital. There she told the doctors her father had been sexually abusing her for years. She tried to stop him from doing it again, but he beat her, then took her, dropping her off in a deserted alleyway. He thought she was dead. They sent police to his house only to find it was burned down.”
I look at my mother in shock and disbelief as I reach my hand out to Eden. “I should’ve never opened that door. I put us at such risk, Eden,” I say despondently, upset with myself.
Eden holds my hand. “No, don’t blame yourself.”
I turn to look at Eden. “I’m so sorry, Eden. You should go see her.”
Eden’s father stops me. “Going to see her is out of the question. We’ve already sent someone to look after her there. She’ll be well taken care of. She will have the finest medical care, both physically and mentally. We’ll take care of her, don’t worry. She’s been told you’re aware of her condition, but you cannot come to see her for safety reasons. She’s fine with that. We’re trying to locate an aunt who she says is the only relative she’s ever heard anything about.”
My head is spinning at this information. What an animal that man is and I let him into our home. Then I’m reminded he was in the mansion way before he got to my door.
How did that happen?
“Did you find out how he got into the mansion in the first place?” I ask.
“He walked right through the front door. He somehow knew the correct code to gain entry at the gates. The code has already been changed,” Lyle says, as he shakes his head almost sadly.
“We do know he’s not on the premises anymore though,” my father says, turning our attention to him. “While his car is still here, he was seen climbing over the fence. Just to be safe, though, you’re all coming to stay at our new house until he’s caught.”
“How is there any safer than here?” I ask.
“The house is smaller, with a safe room built into each bedroom,” Lyle says. “The closets are all safe rooms there. The security system is state of the art, even better than what we have here. Also, I don’t think he’s figured out your parents live here in New Orleans now. So I hope he won’t be looking for you there.”
Eden rises, pulling me up with him. “Then I’ll finish getting dressed and we will leave.”
When we walk into our room, the glass on the floor brings a thought to my mind. “Eden, I wonder what he threw to break the window. Look, the hole is small. It can’t be more than three inches around or so.”
Eden studies the hole in the glass. “I don’t know. I just know he had a sling shot in his hand when I saw him,” he says, then turns to me. “Alyssa, I’m sorry about this. I had no idea she was from such a messed-up situation.”
“Eden, don’t do that,” I say as I follow him to his closet. “You saw a girl who had no friends. She just wanted to do what everybody else was doing. You know, be normal and go to her senior prom. The poor girl was enduring so much at home it made her unable to make real relationships. I’m glad you did that for her. Please don’t apologize for it again. I admit I was angry at first, but you didn’t do anything wrong. My heart aches for that poor girl.”
Eden pulls on a white shirt, buttoning it as he walks to me, then pulls me to him. “You’re so kind-hearted, Alyssa. I love you so much. You have no idea how much,” Eden tells me with added warmth to his soft, velvety voice.
“I love you too, Eden,” I tell him as he rocks me slowly back and forth, kissing the top of my head.
When we walk outside, I see a black suburban parked in the driveway. “Is that the man’s?” I ask.
“No, sweetie, it’s mine. Your mother and I found it at our new house when we moved in. Pretty cool, huh? The Phoenix Foundation always does so well by us,” Dad says.
He opens the car door for us. “I don’t see our cars anywhere. Where are they?” I ask.
Lyle turns to look at me as I climb into the seat behind him, and says, “We had them put into the garage and locked them up tight so that maniac can’t get to them. They’ll also be gone over with a fine-tooth comb to be sure he’s not done anything to them.”
I look over at Eden. “I hope he hasn’t done anything to mess them up.”
He smiles at me. “Even if he has, they’ll be fixed up good as new. You can count on that, Alyssa.”
As we come to the gate, there’s an old, ratty-looking, brown Buick. “So this must be his,” I say.
Lyle answers me, “Yes, it is. I’m very disappointed he was able to get through the gates. That means someone gave him the code or buzzed him in. Someone in our home.”
I hadn’t even thought about that. I cannot imagine who would want us hurt. Everyone who works at the mansion seems so nice and genuine. The thought there’s someone in the house who’s against us is frightening. Why would anyone be against us?
Eden buckles his seat belt, then mine, which I neglected to do. His constant attentiveness has me forgetting to do the most basic things for myself. “I cannot believe someone in our organization would be a part of this,” he says. He looks at me and smiles, then sends me, ‘I’ll try to control myself, princess. I don’t wish for you to become so reliant on me you forget to buckle your own safety belt.’
I smile back and kiss his cheek.
He’s so adorable!
“Unfortunately, son, it’s impossible to be certain that every person has good intentions,” Lyle says. “That’s why we have to do the things we do to keep you safe. It takes many people to be sure of that, and sometimes we have to fight our own to keep the Phoenix couples safe.”
Eden asks, “Do you think this person or people changed the way they thought about this organization because of us?”
Lyle looks back at him. “People can change for many reasons. Maybe the person s
tarted out with good intentions and then something happened to make them fall away from what we’re doing. Hopefully we’ll find out soon, as not only do we have the New Orleans’s police department investigating, but also our own team of investigators. They should find something soon. This guy didn’t just disappear.”
Eden looks down at me. “Promise me you’ll be good and do everything we’re told to do, even if it doesn’t make sense to you at the time, princess.”
What? What is he talking about?
“Eden, I don’t understand.”
His arm slides around my shoulders and he pulls me into his chest. “Just promise me, please,” he not so much asks as demands.
I nod my head, but internally I’m freaking out. I mean, come on, just do whatever I’m told to, without questioning anything? I don’t know if I can do that. What if someone I don’t completely trust tells me to do something I’m not comfortable doing?
“Eden, what if the person who helped this guy get into the house tells us to do something we question? I mean, we have no idea who it is, right?”
He smiles at me. “Okay, I see. Just do what I ask, or what anyone else who you trust asks, okay baby?”
I smile back at him. “Okay,” I promise him and I feel a little bit better about it now.
The gates open up at my parents’ new house. As we drive up to it I’m speechless. It’s gorgeous. It’s not nearly as large as the mansion we just came from, but it’s a mansion as well. Even though its brand new, it’s still full of the southern charm Louisiana is known for.
Four large columns hold up an enormous balcony overlooking the front entrance area, which is spectacular. There’s a large area of pink flowers blooming up the middle of two stairways, leading up to a porch. It’s a shade of white, but has a slightly pink hue to it. Dad pulls up and we all get out.
“This is beautiful, Toni. I haven’t seen it finished. It turned out so nice,” Sierra tells my mother.
“It really did. They always do such a fantastic job, don’t they?” Mom asks.
“That they do,” Sierra agrees.
As we enter the house, we walk right into the main living area. I can tell my mother had her hand in decorating because I see several paintings which came from our house in Cloudcroft. The painting over the sofa is one that my mother’s father painted when she was a little girl. It’s of her and her little sister at the beach in California.
No Promises: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 107