The Hardest Part

by London, Heather

"If I can't get out of the car by myself, I'm in worse shape than I thought." I grabbed my purse before the valet could put it on the cart with my other things. After three weeks in the hospital, being poked, prodded, and cared for many times over, I was ready to do as much as I could on my own, or as much as Reed and Lexi would allow me to do anyway. It did feel nice to have so many people care about me—I couldn’t deny that—but I had been so independent for most of my life that I was ready to have a little bit of that back, too.

  "Come on, let them take care of it. I want to get you upstairs." Reed gently pulled me toward the front door. "I have a surprise for you."

  I gave him a sideways glance. "What kind of surprise?" He’d already done so much for me. I couldn’t think of what else there was left for him to do.

  We walked into the condo. Everything looked the same as always, except for a few minor changes. A picture I had purchased when I first moved to New York was hanging on the wall near the kitchen, and a plant I had in my living room was sitting next the small couch that had been in my apartment. The couch looked out of place among Reed's nicer furniture.

  "What is all of this?" I asked, looking over at him.

  "I want you to live with me. We can call it temporary, see how it goes, and then make a decision from there."

  We had discussed moving in together at the hospital, but I wasn't sure that was what I wanted. Well, more than anything, I was nervous it wasn't what Reed really wanted. I thought he was just scared because Jake was still out there or that he felt some sort of obligation to take care of me.

  "Reed, I—I'm not sure. I mean, are you sure this is what you want?"

  He turned me around and pulled me close to his chest, forcing me to look at him. "I want you here. I want you here because I care about you. I want you here because I love you. I want you with me. You're reading way too much into it, just like you were doing at the hospital. I don't want you here out of guilt or so I can control you. I want you so I can help keep you safe. But I only want you here if you want to be here. If you're not ready for this, I can have your things back in your apartment this afternoon."

  I glanced around his place again. I did feel safe here. I felt safe with Reed. I liked being with him. I couldn't deny the fact that Jake still being out there was in the back of my mind. Even though it had been weeks since anyone had seen him, he hadn't been found, so I could only assume he was just waiting for the right time to come for me again. I knew that now, more than ever, he wanted his revenge. He wanted me to pay, and it was only a matter of time before he came for me again.

  Reed planted a soft kiss on my forehead, bringing my attention back to him. "Hey, I don't want to pressure you into anything. If it's too much, then we'll bring your stuff back and I'll just hire more security for your place, maybe an entire army." He smiled. "I'm really just trying to do the best for you and the baby."

  "I know you are." I sighed and bit my lip. "Okay, we'll see how it goes."

  EMILY

  ONE MONTH passed and then two; still there was no sign of Jake. We all tried to go back to our normal lives as much as possible, but we were all still on edge, waiting. It wasn’t that I wanted Jake to finally come out of the shadows; I just didn't like knowing that he was still in them. I knew Jake was waiting for everything to calm down. He was waiting for the cops and FBI to stop trailing him and then he would reappear when I least expected it. There was no doubt in my mind that he had it all planned out.

  Robbins had been spending a lot of time traveling back and forth from New York to Las Vegas, looking for Jake or anyone that had seen him in the last couple of months. With his absence, Reed hired a few more security guards. Peters and Warren were assigned for my personal protection. They were with me to and from work and any other time I went outside of the condo. Two more men were hired for the outside of the building and another two for inside the condo.

  Lexi got an entire new team assigned to her and her building as well. With the threats from Jake and knowing that he would hurt the people I cared about just to hurt me, we were all being extra careful. I wished I could've said it was a bit much, but I never underestimated Jake and now, neither did Reed. If Jake wanted me, then he would do whatever it took to get to me. Another ten security guards might not have been enough.

  This week was going to be a little more miserable than usual. Reed was leaving for London and, as much as I didn't want him to go, I knew it was important for him to continue living his life. He was already hesitant to leave me, but to make matters worse, Peters had spotted a suspicious vehicle following us home yesterday after work. It put everyone on edge, even more than we had been in the last few weeks.

  When Reed found out about the mysterious car, he told me he was canceling his trip. I begged him not to. He shouldn't have to change his life. Doing so just made me feel even guiltier about the monster I had brought into their lives.

  "I don't like this, Emily," he had said as he hugged me good-bye this morning. "I really don't think I should go."

  "It will be fine," I assured him. I really didn't have any plans to leave the condo anyway. I was going to work from home today and tomorrow. The business meeting in London was an important one; I didn't want him missing it.

  He sighed and ran his hand down his tired face, frustrated. No one had slept well the past few weeks either. "I'm going to regret this. I'm going to get on the plane and be a nervous wreck until I get back here and see that you're okay."

  I had shook my head. "No, you won't. You'll be fine. Now go before you miss your flight."

  The moment the elevator doors closed and he was gone, I stood there, questioning why I begged him to go at all. I already wanted him back.

  Over the next couple of days, I kept my word, working from home, mostly following up with potential new clients and booking a few venues for the months ahead.

  Last night, I overheard Peters and Warren talking about the mysterious car. I tried not to listen, but when they mentioned they’d seen it again that afternoon, lurking out in front of the building, I couldn't not listen. This time they had managed to get the license plate number and found out that the car had been rented about a week ago. The mystery just grew from there.

  The car rental company said they couldn't release who the car had been rented to or when it was due back. From the sound of it, there was a good chance it was Jake, or that he had something to do with it. There was also a good chance that there was no connection at all. New York City was a big place. I'm sure there are a lot of people who want to rent a car and remain anonymous, right?

  Even though I knew Peters and Warren were going to be extra cautious and probably wouldn't like it, I was in desperate need to get out of the condo. Lexi even came over and helped me talk them into it. At first, even she was reluctant to take me out of the condo, but after a lot of coaxing and maybe even a little begging on my end, she agreed as long as Peters, Warren, and a couple of the new security guys came with us. I didn't care if we took the entire New York Police Department with us. I just wanted to take a short walk in Central Park… I would've even settled for a walk around the block.

  "Hey, do you need to sit down? You don’t look so good," Lexi said, giving me a wide-eyed glance. "Or maybe you just need some water. I'll go get you some water." She turned and started toward a street vendor on the corner. I grabbed her arm before she could take two steps away. I was only four months pregnant and barely showing, but I still got winded from walking just a few feet. I think most of my exhaustion came from being in a hospital bed for weeks and not moving. Now that my body was finally starting to heal, I needed to get it back in shape.

  "No, I'm fine. I just need a few minutes." I sat down on the park bench to take a rest and let my head fall back, soaking up the early spring sun’s rays on my face.

  "Reed is going to be so angry with me. I shouldn't have taken you out."

  I looked over at her and saw the worry on her face. My eyes then moved to Peters and Warren, who were just a few feet away f
rom us on our left, and then the two other security guards a few feet away on the right.

  "I'm fine, Lexi. I just got a little tired. And Reed won't kill you. He should thank you. I don't think I would have survived staying indoors one more day. I needed to get out and smell some fresh air. I needed to feel the sun." I forced a smile, hoping to convince her that everything was going to be okay.

  Lexi had changed so much in the past couple months. She was no longer a shy, damaged victim. She was stronger now, more confident. A lot of that came from her relationship with Brandon. Things between them were going well and they were even talking about moving in together.

  "How are you feeling now?" Lexi asked me after only thirty seconds passed.

  "Much better." I couldn't help but laugh. "See, I just needed to take a little rest."

  She looked at me with the same nervousness as before. "You still don't have much color. Maybe you need to eat something."

  "Yeah, I am pretty hungry," I agreed, standing back up. Some lunch actually sounded really good. I'd been craving a pizza from a place down the street.

  "Okay, we can go grab a quick bite to eat and then we'll head back to the condo. Reed will never forgive me if something happens while he's in London."

  I shook my head and gave her a playful eye roll before we started to walk again.

  During lunch, as our bodyguards stood about ten feet from us, I told Lexi about this baby store I wanted to check out. It was selfish, but I just needed to get another few minutes outside the condo walls. I knew she wouldn't be able to resist. The baby wasn't even born yet and he or she already had a room full of toys and clothes. Every time Lexi came over to Reed's place, she came bearing gifts—clothes, shoes, toys and diapers.

  "What do you say? Want to go check it out?" I asked.

  She gave me a sideways glance and then smiled. "You're good. You know I can't say no to shopping for my future niece or nephew." She glanced over at Peters and Warren. "They, on the other hand, are going to be tough to convince. Look at the veins on their foreheads. I think they're about to explode. Poor guys. We should probably give them the rest of the day off after we get back to the condo. I don't think I've ever seen them look so nervous."

  "I'm surprised they let us out in the first place and without much of an argument, either. How did you do it?" I lowered my voice.

  She bit down on her lip and then smiled innocently. "Well, I may have told them a little white lie."

  My eyes grew wide. "What did you do?"

  "Well, I knew how desperate you were to get out of the house. When I asked them to come out with us, they asked if Reed knew about our little outing. I told them that I had just gotten off the phone with him and he said it was okay as long as they accompanied us."

  My mouth hung open. "Lexi, I didn't know you had it in you."

  She laughed. "Me either. I think that's why they believed me so easily. I do feel bad, though. I mean, look at them." We both glanced in their direction. The veins on their foreheads were about to explode and their eyes were constantly moving around, searching the perimeter. They really did look nervous.

  "Maybe we should go back, then," I said.

  "How far away is this baby store?" she asked, smiling.

  "It's kind of on the way home, only a block or two out of the way."

  "I think we can stop for just a few minutes." Her smile grew as she stood up.

  "Should we tell them?" I glanced toward Peters and Warren again.

  "Not yet. We'll tell them on the way."

  WE WERE on our way back from the baby store and only a few blocks from the condo. As much as I had enjoyed our little outing today, I was looking forward to getting home and taking off my shoes.

  Everything had been going so well, everything until that moment. I was enjoying the last few minutes of sunshine on my face when Lexi’s arm wrapped around mine and tightened. The painful squeeze she was giving me let me know that something wasn’t right.

  “Can you walk any faster, Emily, without exhausting yourself?” Warren asked, coming to stand on my left.

  “Um, yeah, I think so.” My heart hammered in my chest. I still wasn’t sure what was happening. Then I saw it.

  The black car that had been lingering out in front of the building. The same one that was following us home a few days ago. God, how can I be so stupid?

  “Okay, we’re only a few blocks from the condo. Let’s try to get there as quickly as possible.” Peters’s panic-filled voice was loud in my ears.

  We all picked up our pace, my racing heart starting to relax only when we entered the elevators and headed up toward the condo.

  Peters was on his phone, talking to the police officers outside the building, giving them a make, model, and the license plate number of the car.

  The elevator doors opened and we walked into the foyer of the condo. My whole body tensed when I saw Reed. He was home. What is he doing home? He wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow. As happy as I was to see him, I knew he was going to be upset. I told him that I would let him know if we planned to leave the condo, but I didn’t want him to worry.

  When he turned to face us, I swear he had tears in his eyes. He didn’t look angry like I thought he would; he looked worried. Then his face changed to relief when he saw us.

  “Hi.” I put down my purse and walked over to him. He didn’t say anything, just raked his hands through his hair.

  “I’m sorry, Reed. She really wanted to get out for a little while and get some fresh air. We took Peters and Warren, and two others,” Lexi said.

  I was too nervous to look at Peters and Warren. They now knew that Lexi had lied to them.

  “I begged her to take me out. I was going crazy in here,” I defended her. The last thing I wanted was for Reed to be angry at Lexi. I knew why he wanted me to stay here.

  Glancing at Lexi, he smiled and nodded softly. “It’s okay. I’m not angry.” He then looked over at me and asked, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Swallowing hard, I followed him into the master bedroom. I didn’t like the look on his face. Something wasn’t right. Fear ran through me and I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked when we took a seat on the bed.

  “I’m okay.”

  He pulled me into his arms and held me tight, like he never thought he was going to see me again.

  “I know you were worried, but I just couldn’t stay in here another day, Reed. It’s been months and we haven’t heard from Jake.” A small, frustrated cry came out of me. “If I continue to live like this, he wins. He rules my life. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t let him do that to me anymore. I know it’s just not about me anymore, but how long am I supposed to live like this… forever?” Another small whimper escaped me. I wasn’t sure where all of my emotions were coming from.

  “Emily.” He pulled back and ran his hands through my hair, finally tucking it behind my ears before cupping the sides of my face. “It’s all going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay. He’ll never hurt you again.”

  My heart began to beat so hard in my chest, it actually caused pain. Goose bumps popped up and spread quickly over my skin. I knew Reed wouldn’t say that to me unless… unless Jake was gone, for good—unless he was dead.

  “Are you sure? How do you know?”

  “I got the call from Detective Palmer this morning. I jumped on the first flight home. I wanted to tell you in person.”

  “But how? How do you know for sure?” In order for me to believe it, I had to hear everything, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

  “They are coming by later to tell us everything. He wouldn’t give me the details over the phone, and I thought we should hear it together.”

  I nodded, still in shock over what he just told me. My thoughts now went to the car we saw just a few minutes ago. Is someone really following us? Or is it just all in our heads?

  Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. Wincing, I grabbed the side of
my belly and folded over.

  “Emily.” Reed dropped down to his knees in front of me. “What’s wrong?

  “It’s nothing. I’m okay,” I muttered. Another stabbing pain hit me. I winced again, knowing in the back of my mind that it was something. I’d never felt pain like this before.

  “We’re going to the hospital.” He turned and shouted for Lexi. A few seconds later, she came flying in the room.

  “Oh no.” Her eyes grew wide when she saw me. “What happened?”

  “We need to get her to the hospital.”

  “Okay, I’ll pull the car up out front.”

  “Hurry, Lexi.”

  I wanted to tell them to calm down, but I couldn’t talk. The pain was too much.

  “Tell me what I need to do,” Reed said.

  “Help me up.” I finally found my voice and began to push myself up off the bed. Reed grabbed hold of my left arm and then guided me toward the elevators. Warren was standing near them, holding it open for us.

  “Peter and Lexi are bringing the car around out front.” Warren grabbed my right side and helped prop me up while Reed stayed on my right. Just when I thought the sharp pain had subsided, another one hit me, harder this time.

  I moaned again and hunched over. What’s happening?

  I WASN'T sure how long I'd been asleep. The hospital room was dark except for the small lamp in the corner, so I knew it must have been late. I glanced at the clock on the table beside me; it was eleven twenty-two p.m. We had checked into the hospital around three. I’d been sleeping a lot longer than I thought.

  After a lot of tests, the doctor determined that the baby was fine. The mixture of stress from seeing the car following us and hearing the news of Jake must have been too much for me. So besides staying in the hospital overnight, I just needed some rest. I was sure that both Reed and Lexi would be making sure of that over the next few months. And now that Jake was not in the picture anymore, we would all be able to relax a little more.

  My eyes focused on the empty chair in front of me, the one Reed had been sitting in before I fell asleep. Maybe he had gone to get some fresh air. After the doctors checked me out and determined I was okay, Detective Wallace and Detective Palmer came into the room and filled us in on the news of Jake. Just thinking of him sent my heart into a full on sprint.