“What?! When?” Adam was in complete shock. He was born and raised in Grasslin and he had never heard of anyone being attacked there. Grasslin was the calmest and safest place on the planet. “Come in,” he said politely. He checked the premises before closing the door. “Have a sit, please. Now tell me what happened.”
“The short story is: I was attacked, then a second man appeared and killed the first. I ran back to the car. He didn’t follow me. I went to the police. They went to the park and found no corpse, no blood, no signs that there were even other people there but me. So, I had to take a drug test for which the result was positive for cannabis. Now, I have to see Marianne three times a week and do some volunteer work.” It all sounded so absurd that she smiled.
“You’re kidding me, right?” Adam looked at Anna. “Even if you had smoked some pot which I doubt you did, what was there in it that made you hallucinate like that? Please, give the number of your dealer because that is some wicked pot. It needs to be studied,” he said sarcastically.
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Anna. “I never got that high.”
“Mom!”
“I’m sorry, but I had my days,” said Anna a bit embarrassed. That was not the kind of talk she expected to have with her daughter.
“So did Morgan. He better than anyone should know that it is extremely unlikely pot is to blame,” said Adam serious. “He should consider the possibility that you’re telling the truth.”
“Well, he isn’t, but I don’t blame him. I don’t know if I would if I were in his shoes. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I doubt we can change the way he thinks. What I really want now is to help your institution. If you need, of course,” said Alexis calmly.
“Sure. I do need help and it will be a pleasure to have you around, Al. I’m planning a fundraising event for November. I’ll need all the help I can get,” said Adam smiling, trying his best to hide his concerns. If there were people after Alexis, he didn’t want them chasing her there. He could not put the lives of others at risk. He would have to find something for Alexis to do outside the institution.
“Thanks a lot, Adam,” said Anna gratefully.
“Can I start tomorrow?” Alexis couldn’t hide her satisfaction. It was a relief to have her offer to help accepted so promptly by him.
“That’ll be perfect,” he beamed.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then. I’ll come right after school. Thanks, Adam,” said Alexis sincerely. There were no words to express her gratitude. She got up and walked to the door. Anna followed her.
“See you tomorrow.” Adam opened the door and watched them leave. He looked around before getting into the house. He no longer felt safe in Grasslin.
It was already dark when Anna and Alexis got back home. Anna was uncomfortable arriving home that late. There was no one on the street as usual, but now that made her feel in danger. She left the car and quickly opened the front door. She was relieved to close it and know they were both safe.
“Hungry? I’m ravenous. Let’s get something to eat,” said Anna trying to conceal her worries.
“Yes! I’ll take a shower first. Give me five minutes,” said Alexis thrilled. She felt great now that she knew she would be able to have some time alone.
“Five? Who do you think you’re fooling? See you in half an hour.” Anna laughed.
“Order some pizza from David.” Alexis gave her mom a huge smile as if she needed to be persuaded to buy pizza.
“I’m on it.” Anna’s mouth was watering. David had the best pizza in town. She heard Alexis run upstairs and get in the shower. She got the phone and ordered a large pizza. She put on some music to play; she needed to relax. When she was going to sit on the couch, the doorbell rang. Anna’s heart skipped a beat. It couldn’t be the pizza; she had just ordered it. She slowly walked to the door. She looked out the window. “Morgan,” she said opening the door. It was the first time he paid them a visit. “Did anything happen?” She told herself it had to be work.
“Anna.” He looked her in the eye long enough to make her deviate her eyes. “Nothing happened. I just wanted to check on you,” he said kindly.
Anna raised her eyebrows. That was unexpected. “We’re fine. We’ve just got back from Adam’s. Alexis is going to do volunteer work with him.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I brought you this. I’ve heard it’s your favorite.” Morgan showed a bottle of wine, Alto Las Hormigas. He gave her a sweet smile which bewildered her. She was lost.
“Yes, it is. Thanks,” she said politely. She didn’t know how to behave.
“I hope we can have it together whenever you feel comfortable with that idea. I’d like to talk.” He gave a short pause. “I believe we both need it.” Anna was speechless. She was taken aback by his words. She kept her eyes fixed on his. “Have a good night, Anna.” He turned around and walked his way to his car. She closed the door and held the bottle close to her body. She silently cried. Many times, she had hoped Morgan would knock on her door and ask to talk. He waited until she had no expectations or hopes left to do that. She wished there were no more feelings left as well, but that was not true.
“I heard the doorbell. Was it our pizza?” asked Alexis smiling. “Did you order wine?” She was confused. “Are you okay, mom?”
“Yes,” said Anna trying to recompose herself. “They haven’t delivered our pizza yet. It’s going to be here any minute.” She wished Alexis would leave it alone.
“What about the wine?” Alexis insisted. There was something going on and she wanted to know what it was.
“It was Morgan.” Before Alexis could say anything, Anna continued, “I don’t want to talk about it, please, Al. Not now. Let’s watch House of Cards, what do you think?”
“I’m up for it.” Alexis was extremely curious about why Morgan would give her mother a bottle of wine, but she didn’t want to be disrespectful insisting on something her mother didn’t want to share. Apparently, pizza and House of Cards would be a good escape for both of them. They could use a distraction. “I love you, mom,” she said warmly.
“Love you too, Al.” The doorbell rang again, but that time it was the pizza. “Hmmm. Are you ready?” She smiled.
“Oh, you’ll see,” Alexis beamed.
IV
Alexis woke up before her alarm clock went off. Even though she wanted to leave home, she was not sure she wanted to go to school. Just the thought of having to face Margaret made her tense. Maybe her mother would cut her some slack and let her skip class one more day. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and went to the kitchen. Anna was already up. “Good morning, mom,” said Alexis in a low voice.
“Hey. It’s early. Is everything okay?” Anna hugged Alexis.
“Yes. I’m just…I…” Alexis knew what she wanted to say, but telling Anna how worried she was about her classmates’ reaction to what had happened would simply give her mother something else to worry about.
“I know, Al. Don’t worry. You don’t have to go to school this week.” Seeing that Alexis was taken by surprise, Anna completed, “You have already been through a lot this week. If you go to school today, you’ll be there physically, but I doubt your mind will be there with you. I gotta go to work though.”
“It’s okay, mom. I’ll be fine. Thanks for letting me stay home.”
“That’s not what I said, Al. I said you don’t have to go to school, but I’m not leaving you alone at home.” Alexis was bewildered. She didn’t want to go to Anna’s work. “I talked to Adam last night and he said you could go in the morning. So, I’m dropping you there, and I’m picking you up around 1.”
Alexis was relieved. “That’s great. I’ll get ready.” Spending her morning helping Adam was way much better than having to hear Margaret humiliate her. She took a shower, dressed her usual black clothes, had breakfast and left home with her mother. She was still curious about Morgan, but Anna didn’t seem willing to talk. She was clearly avoiding a conversation. Alexis looked out the window. It was a cloudy,
cold day. She liked it.
They got to Adam’s a little before 8. “Here we are.” Anna looked at Alexis. “Please, be safe. Don’t go anywhere alone. Just stay here, okay?” she pleaded.
“Don’t worry, mom. I’ll be here when you leave work.” Alexis kissed Anna and got out of the car. Different from the previous day when the door was closed, on that day the door was wide open. There was a lady on the porch. “Good morning,” said Alexis politely.
“Good morning. You must be Alexis,” said the woman warmly. “I’m Denise. It’s great to meet you,” she beamed.
“Nice to meet you too.” Alexis felt a connection with Denise. Hopefully, Adam would assign Alexis to help her.
“Hey, Al! I see you have already met Denise. She arrived here yesterday. I think it would be nice if you spent some time together. What do you think?” asked Adam enthusiastically.
“I’d love that.” That was great news for Alexis. It would be awesome to spend time with someone new in town.
“Perfect. There are a couple of things I need to talk to you about before you leave. I’ll give her back to you in a few, Denise.”
“No problem,” said Denise gently.
“Come in, Al.” Adam went straight to his office. “I thought that you could take Denise to Martha’s for breakfast. Then you could walk with her around that area.”
“Of course. Was she born blind or is it recent?” she asked curiously. She believed that having that kind of information was important and made a difference in her approach.
“It’s recent. She suffered an accident last year and lost her sight.”
“Oh, ok.”
“Unless she brings it up, I reckon you should not talk about it for now.”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention whatsoever to get her to talk about it.” She could only imagine how hard it must have been for Denise to suddenly lose sight.
“Remember the fundraising event I’m planning?” Alexis nodded. “So, I have a venue in mind, and I would like you to go there to give me your opinion about it. I scheduled your visit for 11:30 a.m., so you should try to be back with Denise around 11 a.m. I’ll give you the directions then,” said Adam calmly.
“I can’t wait!” Alexis was thrilled. She felt useful and respected. Not even once had she felt that good in the past year. Her mom would be mad at Adam if she found out that he asked her to go somewhere alone. So, she decided that Anna didn't have to know. Adam got his car keys and threw them to her. She gave him a huge smile.
“That’s my baby,” he said lightly. “Careful with it,” he said trying to sound more serious but without success.
“I won’t crash it, I promise,” she smiled. She left his office and went back to the porch. She stood beside Denise. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving,” said Denise smiling.
“Let’s have the best omelet in town.” Alexis couldn’t hide her excitement.
“Hmmm. I already like you,” said Denise joyfully.
They got in the car and Alexis drove about ten minutes to Martha’s. When they set foot in, everyone looked at Alexis. She wouldn’t take that. She was too happy to let a bunch of hypocrites and gossipers ruin her day. “Hey, everyone. How are you guys doing?” Alexis didn’t recognize herself. She was not used to being that confident in herself. She liked the feeling though.
The fact that no one replied intrigued Denise. When they sat, she asked, “So what did you do?” She smiled.
“Uh…I…wow…I…”
“Please, tell me Adam got me someone interesting. I’m not a fan of dull people.”
“Uh, well, let’s order first. It’s a long story.”
“I’m glad this keeps getting better,” she said amusedly. Denise was thankful that Adam had asked Alexis to assist her. She was a pleasant company. After they ordered, Alexis told her everything that had happened. “What are you going to do now?”
“Honestly? There isn’t much I can do, but I hope he comes to me,” said Alexis sincerely. She was usually not that open with people she had just met, but Denise inspired profound trust.
“Aren’t you afraid that he might hurt you?” asked Denise curiously.
“No. He could have hurt me be back in the park, but he chose not to. At least, that’s what I want to believe.”
“You do have a point, but be careful. We never know. People can be unpredictable.”
“I will.” Alexis wondered how being careful would help her against a psycho with a sword. Hopefully, she was right about him and he was not the enemy. There was one though. She had no idea why, but someone wanted her dead.
Denise paid for breakfast. She didn’t let Alexis pay for hers. They went back to Adam’s. “Thanks for the company, Al. I had a great time. I hope we get to do other things together. And if you ever want to talk, I’ll be delighted to chat with you.”
“I’d love that, Denise. Thank you for hearing me. We can do something together tomorrow. I’ll be here in the morning,” she said energetically.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” said Denise sweetly.
“See you tomorrow.” Alexis hurried to Adam’s office. She hated being late for her appointments. The door was open. “Hi, Adam. I’ve just got back.”
“Hey, Al. How were things with Denise?”
“Great. She is very nice,” she said sincerely.
“She is indeed. Have a seat. Have you ever been to the Dawsons?” he asked.
“The mansion? No, never.” Alexis had a simpler venue in mind. She thought they were planning a small event.
“I’m considering doing the event in their yard. It’s a beautiful place, and they are willing to let us use it at no charge. Their housekeeper is waiting for you. Spend some time there, admire the beauty of the place and see if it is suitable for our fundraising event. I intend to have live music and an auction plus lunch. Their yard must be an appropriate place for all of those.”
“Okay. How many people do you think we’ll have?”
“Last time, we had about a hundred, but the event was planned to be small. This time I want something bigger. Three hundred people. Let’s plan it for three hundred people.”
“All right. I’ll be back shortly.” Alexis walked to the door. “Oh, what’s her name?”
“Mrs. Willow.”
“Thanks, Adam.” Alexis left the institution. She was a bit apprehensive. Maybe it was the fact that she would for the first time since the attack do something alone. It was a fifteen-minute drive to the Dawsons. The day was still gray. No sign of the sun. The road was deserted. Not a single car. When she got to the gate, she had the feeling that someone was watching her again. Before she could roll the window to reach the intercom, the gate opened. She drove to the mansion. Mrs. Willow was waiting for her by the front door. Alexis parked by a fountain.
“Good morning, Mrs. Willow. I’m Alexis,” she said politely.
“Good morning, Alexis. I’ll take you to the yard. Follow me.” Mrs. Willow was very cold. Not even a fake smile had crossed her face. Alexis hoped she had more important things to do but to stay with her in the yard. “Here,” she said as they got to the yard. “I apologize, but I have a lot of things to do in the house. You can stay for as long as you want. I’ll leave the gate open, so you are free to go whenever you desire. I’m not sure I’ll be around when you do, so don’t worry about me.”
“Oh, sure. Thanks,” said Alexis awkwardly.
“Have a great day,” said Mrs. Willow bluntly.
“You too.” Alexis closed her eyes. Maybe Mrs. Willow was Margaret’s mom. She smiled at that thought. If that were true, that would certainly explain a lot Margaret’s behavior. She opened her eyes and gazed at the yard. It was huge and lush. If Alexis had a yard like that, she would spend a considerable amount of time in it.
“Picturesque, isn’t it?” asked a smooth male voice.
Alexis shivered. She recognized that voice. She didn’t know what to do. He was standing right beside her. Her body wanted to run, but
she stood still. That was her opportunity; she couldn’t waste it. She could feel his eyes on her. She slowly turned her head to look at him. Her breathing became difficult. Her mind had blocked the information that he was breathtakingly handsome; dark hair, blue eyes, straight nose, desirable lips, all perfectly symmetric.
“I’m Ethan,” he said with a lopsided smile.
Alexis had to make a lot of effort to recompose herself. She tried to focus on the memory of him holding a sword covered in blood. “Well, you know who I am,” she said severely.
“I do, but do you?” His eyes went from her eyes to her lips in an unsettling way. He looked to the yard in front of them. Alexis noticed that he swallowed hard and almost imperceptibly shook his head as if he were reprimanding himself.
“What do you want from me? Why was that man after me? What did he want?” Alexis had so many questions she couldn’t choose one to prioritize. She wanted to know everything.
“I know there’s a lot you want to know, but we don’t have time now. You need to go back to Adam’s,” he said calmly.
“You’ve been following me?” She was outraged.
“Yes. It’s for your protection, Alexis. Tell Adam that this is a good venue. Suggest coming back tomorrow to plan the position of chairs, tables, stage, and so on. You need to get here earlier, or else we won’t have time to talk. Ten o’clock.” He looked at her before he started walking to the mansion.
Alexis didn’t want that conversation to be over. She feared that he would not show up the next day. She couldn’t leave her mother waiting though. She didn’t want to be grounded or else there sure wouldn’t be another opportunity to meet Ethan anytime soon.
He stopped walking. “Don’t worry. I’ll be here,” he said, aware of her concerns. He turned around and looked at her. “I’m not leaving you,” he said in a deep voice giving the sentence the depth of its meaning. The fire burning in his eyes was so real that Alexis could feel her skin burn. He didn’t deviate his eyes this time. Feeling uncomfortable, she looked down and back to him before she started walking to her car. Leaving was all she wanted.
The Defender (The Elkavians Book 1) Page 4