Not Actually Engaged (Otherwise Engaged #1)

by Jan Hinds

  Willa gasped.

  Paige sobbed at the sight of her friend’s back. “Angie…”

  Sawyer drew his hands into fists at his sides. “Who did this to you?” he asked in a voice choked with anger and emotion.

  Marcus’ jaw clenched as he took a first aid kit out of one of the desk drawers and opened it on a chair. He gingerly held Angie by the shoulders and sat down. “Sit on my knees, Miss Angie. I’ll tend your wounds. Please tell us who did this to you.”

  Angie picked up her jacket and clutched it over her chest as she perched on Marcus’s knees. “My father is a minister,” she said in a shaky voice. “He has harsh attitudes about what is acceptable behavior for women.” She cast a look over her shoulder at Marcus. “If he saw me like this with you, I doubt I’d see sunrise tomorrow.”

  A floodgate of emotions burst as long suppressed tears sprang from Angie’s eyes. Her voice was so soft Paige had to strain to hear her. “I was homeschooled. If I even talked to a boy at church, my father took me home, beat me, and locked me in the closet.” A shudder rippled through her body and Marcus placed a calming hand on her shoulder. “There were spiders in there. If I screamed or cried, my father would beat me again and make me stay in there longer.”

  Paige covered her mouth in horror of the things her friend had endured and kept bottled up inside her.

  Sawyer knelt in front of Angie and held her hands until her tears subsided. “I can’t let you go back to a place where you’ll be abused,” he said. He looked at her with pleading eyes and Paige saw for the first time in him a concern for someone else with no thought of how it could benefit him.

  Paige wiped the tears from her eyes. “Angie, you can stay in one of the spare bedrooms at our house. Aunt Marty is staying with us for a few weeks to help Cooper’s mother adjust after the funeral. We can finish off an apartment for you on the third floor, or you can stay in Tina’s apartment. I’m sure she’d love to have you.”

  “I can’t do that. You don’t understand. He beats me every time I go somewhere. He told me if I tell anyone about it, he’ll blame whoever I am with, or he’ll accuse my mother. I don’t know what kind of lies he’d spread about you and Cooper, or Tina.”

  Sawyer clenched his jaw. “He needs to be reported to the police. He should be held accountable for what he’s done to you.”

  Angie reared back in fright forcing Marcus to gently stop her from falling. “You don’t understand,” she said. “When I was young, he said if I ever told anyone about the beatings, he’d blame them on my mom. He’d make sure she was arrested and charged with the abuse. He’s gotten a lot more inventive with his threats since then.”

  Sawyer stood and paced around the small office. “She’s just as guilty as him for letting this happen to you.”

  She shook her head. “Mom has her own set of scars. You don’t know him. He could convince you that you not only deserve to be beaten, but that he’s doing you a favor. By the time he finishes talking, you’ll think he’s the victim. Until I met Paige and Tina, I thought I deserved everything he did to me. That’s why I can’t be part of your advertising. I can’t risk any of you. If Father finds out, he’ll destroy you.”

  Sawyer ran his fingers through his sandy, blond hair. He held out pleading hands to Angie. “I can’t just let you go back there. I know I’m not much good, but I’m better than that. There has to be something we can do. Some way to protect you. How did you ever convince him to let you go to college?”

  Angie clasped her hands together in a tight knot. “He thinks I’m studying to be a chef. I take culinary electives each semester and as long as I keep feeding him, he hasn’t questioned me.”

  Sawyer’s tender regard melted Paige’s heart. She couldn’t imagine what it was doing to emotionally starved Angie.

  “What were you going to do after graduation?” he asked.

  Angie winced as Marcus put ointment on her welts. “I’ve been accepted to veterinary school at Purdue, Ohio State, and a couple other colleges,” she said. “I planned to disappear and reappear as Anne Robb.”

  Sawyer spoke to her in a gentle patronizing tone. “You can’t just change your name. Your college credits have your name on them. He’ll be able to find you.”

  The mildly sarcastic Angie that Paige knew so well suddenly made her appearance. “Why thank you Sawyer, I never would have thought of that.”

  Marcus chuckled.

  She pulled out her driver’s license and tossed it to him. “I’ve been planning this for six years. My aunt works as a county clerk in Huntington. Her husband is a lawyer. They helped me legally change my name right after I turned eighteen. I worked as her nanny that summer and we were able to keep the change out of the papers. She also helped me apply to college. All my mail goes to her house and she meets me here in Fort Wayne if there is anything important to discuss.”

  Sawyer handed her license back. “There has to be a way we can get you out of there now. What if you took a job as someone’s personal chef and housekeeper? Would that be something your father would let go of you to do?”

  “He’d never let me become your personal chef,” Angie said.

  Marcus finished treating her wounds and gently lowered her shirt.

  Angie remained sitting on his knees.

  “I was thinking more along the lines of a woman who was recently widowed.” Sawyer grinned at Paige, who caught the line he was casting her way.

  “You know, come to think of it, my future mother-in-law has seemed a might feeble lately. I think she’d do better if we hired a cook and companion for her.”

  “I don’t know. My dad will insist on meeting her,” Angie said. “I don’t want him to meet anyone he can attack when I disappear.”

  Sawyer persisted. “I’ll be nearby when he meets her, along with Marcus. This has to happen tonight, Angie. I can’t let you go back home.”

  Angie’s face turned red as she stood on wobbly legs and put her hands on her hips. “Listen here, Sawyer Pierce. I’ve spent my life under my father’s thumb, being forced to do everything exactly as he wanted. Even though you have my best interests at heart, I won’t be bossed around by any man ever again.”

  She blinked and looked from Sawyer to Paige. Her knees gave way and she flopped down on the chair next to Marcus.

  Sawyer smiled. He held up his hands in surrender. “That’s the spirit. What would you like to have happen?”

  Angie’s tittering laughter softened Sawyer’s features. “I think it sounds like an excellent plan, but I don’t want my father to know where Sylvia lives. I don’t want him going after her when I leave. In fact, I don’t want to involve anyone he can find.”

  Paige clapped her hands. “I’ve got it! Aunt Marty can hire you. She acts in plays in the local theatre back home. She’ll be fabulous. And she’s a writer. I know she’ll come up with a great background story.”

  Disappointment clouded Sawyer’s features. “What do I get to do? I want to help too.”

  Angie’s entire countenance had changed from the time she walked into his office. “You’ve already done more than you can imagine. I’ve never opened up to anyone before. That you care what happens to me means a great deal to me.”

  Sawyer scrutinized Angie. He snapped his fingers. “I’m going to be gone most of the time. You can stay in my condo. When I come into town, I’ll stay in a hotel. We’ll give you a body transformation in the next six months. After that, you’ll need a complete makeover. It will be my gift to you.”

  “I can’t let you to do that,” Angie said. “You don’t need to get mixed up with me.” A puzzled look crossed her face. “Why do you care what happens to me?”

  Sawyer’s face turned serious. “My parents were both alcoholics. My dad was a mean drunk and he used to take his belt to me. I never told anyone. That’s why I spent so much time with Cooper and his family. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t know what a real family looked like.”

  “So what do you think, Angie? Should I call Aunt Mar
ty?” Paige asked.

  Angie nodded her head. “As long as she understands the risks and still agrees, I like this plan. I hate putting you out of your home Sawyer.”

  Sawyer waved off her concerns. “Marcus, how would you feel about quitting the team’s security and working as personal security for me and for the Fit Spa franchise?”

  “Will part of my duties be keeping Angie safe?” Marcus asked.

  “In the short term, that will be your primary responsibility, if it’s okay with Angie.”

  Marcus touched Angie’s arm. “Will you let me protect you, Miss Angie?”

  Angie nodded her head.

  “Pierce, you’ve got yourself a head of security,” Marcus said.

  Sawyer clapped his hands. “We’re going to forgo the usual before and after photos and we won’t even keep a record of your progress in the system. Three times a week, I’d like to schedule self-defense lessons with Marcus, and I want you to text me your progress daily. Let me have your phone.”

  Angie put one hand on her hip and gave Sawyer a warning glare.

  He chuckled. “Atta girl. Miss Anne Robb,” he said in a soft voice. “May I please borrow your phone to send myself a text so you will have my number?”

  Angie blushed as she handed him her phone.

  Sawyer’s phone pinged. “I want you—let me rephrase that—please call me if you ever need help. Either Marcus or I will find a way to come to you.”

  “Why would you do all this? You don’t even know me,” Angie asked with wonder in her voice.

  He covered her hands with his as he handed her phone back. “You’ve awakened something in me, Angie. No one has ever trusted me with their deepest secret vulnerabilities. I can’t explain it. I have this overwhelming need to protect you. Please promise me you’ll contact me every day. I’ll be beside myself with worry if I don’t know you’re safe.”

  “I’ll try, but I’m not going to become dependent on you,” Angie said. “I’ve felt suffocated most of my life. I refuse to get out from under one thumb to become smothered by another one, however well-intentioned.”

  ♥♥♥

  Paige sat next to Angie, with Aunt Marty on her other side, as Angie used Marcus Shore’s phone to call her father to tell him about her new job. “Hello, Father. I have some great news. I got a new job as a personal cook, and housekeeper to a woman who just moved to Fort Wayne. I’m moving in and starting my job tonight.”

  Clive Robeson’s angry voice burst from the speaker of the phone. “What makes you think I’ll let you live under someone else’s roof? You’re my daughter and you will do as I say.”

  Tension rolled in waves from Sawyer and Marcus, who scowled at the harsh words of Angie’s domineering father.

  Aunt Marty spoke into the phone with a friendly confident cadence to her voice. “Hello, Reverend Robeson. I’m Margaret Sinclair. I feel so fortunate to have found dear Angie. As an author, I’m so busy I need someone to take care of my home and make sure I eat proper meals. I have a delicate palate, you see. Your lovely daughter came highly recommended as an individual with impeccable character and unparalleled skill in the kitchen. You’ve done a wonderful job raising her.”

  Reverend Robeson cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but who can vouch for you, if I may ask?”

  “Of course you may. Darren Pruitt, CFO of a biomedical company in Warsaw will be happy to vouch for me. I’ll be glad to come with Angela when she picks up her clothes so you can meet me. However, I have an early meeting tomorrow and need to get Angela settled as soon as possible. We can be there within the hour to get her things.”

  “Well, I don’t know about this. Angela has been paying rent since she turned sixteen. This is going to leave me and the wife in a bit of a bind.”

  Sawyer scribbled something on a pad of paper and handed it to Angie.

  Angie read the note and shook her head. Sawyer pointed at the paper and nodded to her. Angie cleared her throat. “Father, Ms. Sinclair is being generous and I’ll still be able to send you rent. In fact, I can add another fifty dollars to that to help you and Mom out.”

  “Well—I—uh, if that’s what you want to do, Angela,” Clive said. “As long as you’ll be safe and happy, that’s what counts.”

  Aunt Marty rolled her eyes. “Don’t you worry about Angela. She will be well cared for. We’ll see you soon.”

  “Thank you, Father. I’ll be home soon to pack my things.”

  Angie turned off the phone and thanked Marcus as she handed it back to him.

  She turned to Sawyer. “Why did you make me promise to pay rent? What were you thinking? I won’t even have an income.”

  “Yes you will. I’m going to pay you to housesit my condo. Marcus and I will follow you and Aunt Marty in my SUV. We’ll be parked a couple streets over if you run into any problems. Aunt Marty has our phone numbers and will call if you run into trouble.”

  He took a deep breath. “That is, with your approval, Angie?”

  Angie looked at her new and old friends. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay all of you.”

  Paige nudged her friend with her shoulder. “I don’t recall anyone asking to be paid.”

  As they all got up to leave, Angie said, “Paige, you don’t need to come along I’m sure Cooper is anxious for you to get home. Why don’t you stay and finish your workout? I’ll call you later tonight when I get settled in.”

  Paige hugged her. “Okay. I do want to lose at least ten pounds before the wedding, whenever we get around to setting a date.”

  Aunt Marty hugged Paige. “Thank you for calling me. It makes me happy that you trusted me to help your friend.”

  ♥♥♥

  By the time Paige finished her workout, the parking lot was dark and almost empty. She pulled out her phone to call Cooper and realized it had been turned off since before Angie made her call. While walking across the parking lot, she powered up her phone and found three missed calls from Cooper.

  Instead of listening to the calls, she dialed Cooper as she dug her keys out of her purse. Her call went straight to voice mail.

  “Hi, babe. I’m just leaving the gym. You won’t believe what happened tonight. Turns out Sawyer Pierce has a streak of Knight in Shining Armor running through him. Who knew? Anyway, I can’t wait to get home to you. See you soon. I l—”

  Someone batted her phone out of her hand and grabbed her from behind before she finished telling Cooper she loved him. Her father always told her to have her keys in hand when walking alone at night and to use them as a weapon. Unfortunately, she gripped the key fob, which did little more than glance off her attacker as she stabbed at him with it. When she tried to fumble her grip on them to impale the man with the sharp end of a key, her fingers faltered and the keys fell to the pavement next to her car.

  Paige flung her purse at the assailant’s head, but it flew out of her hands past him and she heard the contents scatter across the parking lot.

  She dug her elbows behind her, stomped her feet on the top of his shoes, and took a deep breath to scream. A cloth covered her mouth forcing her to inhale chloroform instead of air. Her last desperate thought before blacking out was of all the crime shows she watched. She had to scratch at her assailant to get some of his DNA under her fingertips so that when her body was found, they could at least figure out who killed her.

  She got one claw at his fleshy hand before she sank into a black void.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Cooper rubbed his eyes and stood up from his drafting table to stretch. He reached for his phone to check the time and realized he’d left it in the kitchen when he’d gotten a snack earlier. Shadows filled the house leaving him with a terrible sense of dread and loneliness. He realized this was why his grandmother had always kept lights burning throughout the house when she lived alone. He flicked on random lights to alert potential burglars the house was not an empty temptation.

  The microwave clock read 10:53. He couldn�
��t believe he’d lost track of that much time working. Paige should have been home over two hours ago. He lifted his phone from the counter and relaxed when he saw a missed call from her.

  Her voice brought a smile to his lips as he listened to the excitement in her voice. He loved living with her, loved everything about her and couldn’t wait to share his entire life with her; love her in every way; make babies; grow old together. He hated to admit it, but her grounding him from kissing her had forced him to focus on the companionship they shared and had quickly cemented his feelings for her. He was so engrossed in his thoughts and dreams of their life together that when her call cut short abruptly, he had to listen to it a second time before he heard the sounds of the struggle and a vehicle pulling away.

  He accessed the tracking program he’d installed on her phone to locate her when they were worried that Ted might abduct her. According to the GPS, she was still at the Fit Spa.

  He tried to call her, but the call went to voicemail so he punched in Sawyer’s number.

  “Hey, Cooper. Tell Paige everything went great. Angie’s safe and sound in my condo. Her aunt was a genius. She had Angie’s dad eating out of her hand by the time they left.”

  “What are you talking about? Are you at the Fit Spa? Paige never came home and the GPS of her phone shows she’s still there.”

  “No, I’m not,” Sawyer said with concern. “She stayed to work out when the rest of us left. The Fit Spa closed at ten. She should be home. Angie, Marcus, and I will meet you there.”

  ♥♥♥

  Cooper pulled into the parking lot ahead of Sawyer. He angled his car around to shine his headlights on Paige’s car. Paige’s purse and its contents were scattered around her car. His heart felt like it was gripped by icy fingers when he saw the phone lying on the pavement. He searched the area and saw no signs of other cars. He dialed 911. “I need to report an abduction.”