She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
“The guys will help you clean up. Let them help you gather everything you need while I step out into the hallway to call my mom and let her know about our little speed bump.”
I watched as she went to the closet and placed all of her clothes on the center of the bed. She then took a small box and went into the bathroom. A few short minutes later, she reemerged and set the box on the bed. She gathered a stack of papers from one of the drawers in the kitchen and then moved the rickety television aside to access a hidden compartment in the floor which had a couple of bound folders bursting with papers. What the hell did she have that she needed to hide?
I shook my head and started dialing as I walked out into the hallway. Mom picked up the phone quickly. “Hey. I’m running a little behind. I ran into Robin at the cemetery.”
My mom quickly worried about why she was there, so I went on to explain what we’d been doing for the past several hours as well as our current predicament. She agreed that I needed to take care of the situation and easily offered one of their rooms, which I suspected might happen, as a place for her to stay. I was surprised when she asked, “Have you thought about having her stay in one of your guest bedrooms? You could always use the extra help. I know you have the maid come by to cook and clean the house every few days, but Nicola could use a bit of a woman’s influence around her. Maybe Robin could help watch her a bit when you’re busy with other things.”
Robin had objected to the idea of staying somewhere for free. She didn’t know my parents at all, so I figured she’d probably pass on that idea. She did know Alexander and his wife, Celia, so that was always an option. I’d gladly take her to my place, but she’d already refused any form of a hand-out. I was also worried how Nicola would respond to the sudden presence of a woman, and there was still the unknown risk she mentioned.
Granted, I did have the highest level of security systems in my house and around my perimeter, courtesy of Titan Security and Mr. Prescott’s team. They’d been so happy with the marketing campaigns we’d designed for them, that I’d been offered only the best when it came to the safety of my family.
I had to admit, “I like the idea of asking her to be a nanny, but I worry about Nicola taking to her.”
My mom easily countered, “Have you been blind, son? She has attended the last few weddings Alexander has thrown for his kids and nieces. Robin hasn’t really stuck around the crowds; instead, she’s been helping all of us with the babies and toddlers. She’s got natural motherly instincts.”
She went on to add, “You know how picky I tend to be. I’m giving her my stamp of approval as your new in-house helper, and I wouldn’t mind you two getting to know one another a little better. She appears to be a lovely person and can definitely put up with your attitude when you have a bug up your arse, dear.”
“Mom, how could you?” My mom never ceased to amaze me. I guess I should be used to it by now. She was part English with a little bit of French in her heritage. She talked about affairs of the heart and the bedroom as if it were everyday gossip. It often embarrassed us as kids, but we all knew she had our best interests at heart. Now if she could only will my father and brother to talk with one another.
I took a deep breath in, knowing I’d never win an argument with my mother. “I’ll let her decide where she’s going, but I do like your idea, just not if any risk is involved. I have Nicola to think about.”
“I agree. Did you want me to go ahead and get Niki ready for bed? She’s already had dinner, and she’s barely holding out at this point. Your father and I would be happy to look after her tonight if need be.”
I hated the idea of missing tucking my daughter into bed and reading her a bedtime story, but this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to deal with either a fire at work or in my life. “I’ll call you when I’m done here and see how she’s doing. If she’s sleeping, then I’ll let her be for tonight and will be over first thing in the morning to help wake her up. Please give her a hug for me and let her know that I love her.”
“Speaking of love…”
No, please don’t go there mom.
“Were you able to make peace with Gabi today?”
Thank fuck! I was afraid she was going to push even harder for me to take another look at Robin and consider things, which wasn’t a bad idea. God knows my body wanted her. I just wasn’t ready for my heart to deal with anything yet.
“I’m going to try and avoid the cemetery for a while. I don’t know whether I found peace or not, but I know I can’t keep living like I’m half-dead. I need to be actively involved in life if I’m going to provide a solid foundation for Nicola to grow up. As for whether that involves finding another love – let’s just say I’m not there yet. I need to take baby steps, mom.”
I could hear her laughter and smile through the phone. “I know, dear. When a heart is crushed, it takes time to mend. That special love you’ve felt will never go away, but you do have more capacity to love if you’ll only allow yourself to feel again.”
The noises inside of Robin’s apartment were loud and then settled to an eerie silence. She’d been yelling about something. “Hey, I need to go.”
As we said our goodbyes, I remembered I still had the piece of paper Robin tried to hide. I pulled it out of my pocket and read:
I’d hoped the note was something sentimental from her father. I had no idea it was a threat against her. I could see now why she thought we were all at risk. I was going to get to the bottom of it, and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
THE PAPER FROM MY pocket was missing. I’d reached in to get it and throw it out the window, but it was gone. I remembered Scott bumping into me as we all moved around the apartment to try and make some sense of all the paperwork and other knick-knacks that were thrown on the floor.
It was quite obvious that this was a message to warn me that Declan found me and knew I was alive. I’d first thought it was another note from my father’s former employers. They’d had a couple of goons, according to Billy, drop by my place and mess it up once, leaving me a simple message:
I didn’t report it to the police because I knew the construction company my father worked for received praises left and right in the community. Then again, the owner had a sister who was married to a political bigwig in Texas. As a result, he had access to several politicians and some of the zoning committee was in his back pocket, so he got by with some less than stellar issues at the work sites. My father seemed to think the owner was okay, but he’d suspected the regional director of some illegal activity; he just had a hard time proving it.
I was already nervous about the first note, but this second one had me ready to bolt the first chance I got. Declan had found me, and I needed to make myself invisible again. The bad thing was I had no way to contact my brother, Jonas, and get a new identity.
I lashed out at Scott. “How dare you steal the note I had in my pocket.”
He looked confused, shrugged his shoulders, and then asked, “What note?” He turned to the other guys, “Do you know what she’s talking about?”
They all shook their heads. Oh, no…that meant…he must’ve when we… My mind traveled quickly to the kiss where Jax had my body pressed up against the wall and was grinding his length into me.
The door flew open, making me jump. “Do you care to explain yourself, Robin?”
He held the note on full display and then handed it over to Derrick. “Can you get a fingerprint analysis on this and tell me who wrote it and how old the DNA is? I want to know if this was sent by a courier or if the actual person delivered it.”
Wanting to put someone in front of me for protection, I started to move closer to Rick. I knew the tone of Jax’s voice; he had gone full alpha male on me, and a mad one at that. It sent terror running through my system.
I watched as he took a step toward me, and my mind instantly went back in time when Declan had done the same. Flashbacks of those horrid nig
hts had caused me to instinctually roll myself into a ball on the floor and cower against the wall. I could feel the tears pour out of me, my instant response, as I held my hands over my head for protection. “Please don’t hurt me, sir. I beg you. I’ll do anything, just please don’t hurt me again.”
I heard footsteps shuffle to the side and felt the heat of someone drop onto the floor near me. Someone shook my shoulders. My breathing rate was accelerated, making me light-headed. A voice called to me through a fog, a voice I recognized. It wasn’t Declan, but who was it? I kept waiting for the hits, waiting for the pain to come, but instead I felt the warmth and heat of arms lifting me into a lap and surrounding me with love.
I felt my heart rate and breathing begin to slow as the arms continued to comfort me, not beat me. I peeked through my arms to see Jackson terrified, but rocking me just as I’ve seen him do with his little girl.
He looked up to Derrick. “Let’s get her out of here and to my place where we can talk more freely. Make sure her items are ready to go. I’ll need one of you to stay at my place tonight as an added safety until we figure out what all we’re dealing with. Can you call Alexander and Dr. Bradford - I mean Carol -to see if they can meet us there?”
I felt him carry me down the stairs, as though I weighed nothing, while he muttered something to one of the security detail. I watched through hazy eyes as money was given to Billy, thanking him for his information and for watching the cars. His only reply, “I’m happy to oblige. Come back anytime.”
Jackson never let go of me as he settled us into the backseat of his car. I could feel my body start to relax. I tried to lift my head from his shoulder, but he held me firm. “Just relax, Robin. I didn’t mean to startle you. Whoever this bastard is, we need to know so that we can prevent it from ever happening again. Your time for running is over.”
I knew my face was perplexed.
“You were out of it for a bit - mentioned you’d be running the moment you had a chance to make a break for it. You also said you needed to find your brother to help you hide again. I have news for you: I’m not going to let that happen. You’re the best thing that has happened in our department since Gabi. I know she’d want me watching after you like she’d done once. So don’t get any ideas, or I’ll put round-the-clock surveillance on you.”
I felt the low of an adrenalin crash hit me as I leaned against his shoulder. The steady hum of the car lulled me to sleep.
My body was startled awake when I felt movement around me. “Shh. It’s just me. We’re safe here at my house. But I need you to wake up so you can fill in the gaps for me.”
Derrick piped in, “What branch of military is your brother in, and what name does he go by? We’ll find him and let him know what’s going on.”
I looked puzzled there for a second, still trying to get my bearings. It wasn’t until Jax sat us down on his sofa, with me still in his lap, that the questions started to make sense. “Did I mention my brother?”
Derrick nodded and handed me some orange juice, “Here drink this. You’re probably having a crash in your adrenalin, and your body needs some sugar to wake you back up.”
I drank the juice and watched as the other guys started carrying in boxes. I guess Jax had already told them where to put things because they all seemed to be heading the same direction. And just like he’d read my mind, he answered. “I’m having them put you in the guest room next to mine, and Nicola is across the hall. I’ll be there in case either one of you needs something.”
I felt the urge to leave while worrying about the danger I might impose on them. I wanted to argue with Jax, but I didn’t think I would win if I tried.
As for Derrick, I turned to him and admitted, “I don’t think you’ll have any luck finding him. He’s in the Marines, assigned to communications work in the field, but I realized a long time ago it must be code for some secret mission he’s working on. He goes missing for months, even years at a time without any word. To no avail, I’ve been trying to reach him for a while now to let him know our father passed.”
Rick walked up behind Derrick and smiled. “Communications used to be our specialty, Robin. We’re all ex-Marines or Air Force here and still have some deep connections within the military. We can find anyone who doesn’t want to be found, no matter their reason.”
I took a deep breath in, “His name is Jonas Michael Forgione. The last I heard, he was over in Fallujah, but that was almost a year ago.”
Jax shifted a bit, causing me to look at him. “If his last name is Forgione, what’s your real name?”
I didn’t want to say anything. I kept shaking my head, but Derrick came over, sat down on the sofa next to Jax, and placed a hand on my shoulder. “You’re among friends and some of the most elite fighting men this country has ever seen, both at Prescott International and Titan Security. We’ve all had our secrets, and we’ll take them to the grave if needed. It’s okay to let us know who you are, but to the rest of the world you’ll still be Robin Patrick for now. There are no bugs in this house; no one but us can hear what you have to say. Who’s after you and why?”
I nodded and took in a deep breath. “I was born Alexia Robin Forgione. Jonas had warned me off of the guy I’d started dating in college, Declan Meyers. While on leave, my brother dropped by to spend a couple of days with me, but Declan wouldn’t allow it after meeting him. My ex decided to keep me so busy that I didn’t have much time to talk with my brother.
“I thought Declan was my prince charming, but my brother felt he was too intense for me; he was right. It started off innocent enough, but then things heated up. I discovered he was not only a dominant, but a sadist. I was intrigued by some of the erotic romances floating around on campus and learned how to be a submissive for him, which was my choice, but he started to take things too far, pushing me into areas I wasn’t comfortable going. He left me with no safe word, no choices, only to do as he bid or face the consequences.”
Jax held me tighter, giving me a kiss to my temple. His gentle touch left my skin tingling. “I have Carol dropping by to talk with you in a bit. Let’s just have the summary without all the details of the relationship right now.”
I could feel the tension radiating off of Jax’s body. I’d try to explain where things went wrong. “Declan started out sweet and kind, very loving toward me. Then there’d be times where he’d pull a one-eighty. It was almost as if he was two different people. He put me through a lot of things, removed my rights, my choices, and tried to cut me off from my family and friends.
“Starting to plan for his impending retirement, my dad had already moved here to Orlando and bought a small house. He was ready to finally settle down in one place. I’d told him I needed his help; I needed out of this relationship, but I didn’t know how to do it. He contacted my brother, and shortly thereafter a file magically appeared in my backpack with a new name, forms for me to use, and detailed plans on how to escape.
“I’d already requested my transcripts from the University of Texas be transferred over to the University of Central Florida. I’d even sent many of my possessions to my father’s house and a few things, mainly junk, went to the old apartment we’d had in Austin, just to try and throw him off track.”
I shook as the memories began to swamp me. “I was a day away from leaving in the middle of the night when Declan grabbed me at the top of the steps leading to my campus apartment. If it hadn’t been for one of my brother’s contacts tailing me, I don’t know if I would’ve survived that night.”
Jackson’s arms were wrapped tight around my upper body. I could feel his fists pressing into my back in anger. His voice was strained as he asked very pointedly, “What. Did. The Bastard. Do?”
“When my brother’s friend yelled at him, he went from hitting me to pushing me down the stairs. He said, “If I can’t have you, no one will,” and that’s the last time I can recall interacting with him. I was in a coma for four days. I had a concussion, a broken nose, busted lip, a broken arm, and
a sprained ankle.
“From what I was told, Declan rushed downstairs and acted as the concerned boyfriend, yelling out for someone to call for help. Apparently, he’d claimed that we fought, and then I’d lost my footing and fell. I was told someone had to push him aside and hold him back while the emergency crew worked on me. He’d refused to let anyone close to me.”
Feeling as though the world was being lifted from my shoulders, I took in a deep breath; I could finally breathe again. I didn’t have to go it alone anymore. “My brother was still stateside and rushed to the hospital while calling in some favors to keep Declan from finishing me off and somehow managing to secure a restraining order against him. He tried to argue that it was an accident, but there were eye-witnesses to what he did. Sadly, he paid them off, and no charges were ever filed against him. It boiled down to my word against his.” I turned and looked at Jax. “His dad had served a term as a state representative in Texas with a ton of connections.”
“So how did you get away without him following?” Rick wondered.
“Well, when I was in the hospital Jonas and my father hatched a plan; they slipped me some medication to slow my breathing and knock me out, rigged the machines, and got the doctors to act as though I’d died. They carted me off in a body bag to a nearby funeral home to make it all look good. There they made a switch and took me to a hotel in the next town over. I woke up alone, but knew I’d live to see another day. Jonas had left me with a second identity, different than the one he’d originally planned, and with an entirely new route to get back to my dad’s. As for Declan, he was given some bogus ashes from a bonfire and fell for the idea that he’d killed me. The hospital had claimed a clot broke loose from my injuries and traveled to my…”
I’d realized what I was about to say and threw my arms around Jax. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
He rubbed my back with his hand. “It’s okay. I just can’t believe you had to go to such extremes to go into hiding.”
I Need You Forever Page 4