by Scott, S. L.
“Hanging in there.”
“Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything tonight.”
“I won’t and thanks for being here.” I give him a hug, though we pat it out before it gets mushy.
“She’s a good woman. Her heart is in the right place,” he says.
“She is, and it is.”
“You’re a good man, Ben.”
“I am,” I say, laughing.
He steps back with a guard behind him. “Take care, little brother.”
“You too, big brother.” I shove my hands in my pockets and return to Winter. “I think I should wait in the room with you.”
“I don’t want to scare her. She doesn’t know you.”
“Still so stubborn, but you’re probably right this time, so I’m not going to fight you on this.”
“Really?”
“Yup. I’m too tired. I’m going right down that hall and sleeping. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” I kiss her cheek and start walking. “And Victor is staying outside the door. Yell if you need him.”
When I turn around, she calls, “Hey, you!”
“Yeah?” I ask, looking back with a raised brow.
“I love you, movie star.”
“Good thing I love you too, or this would be awkward.” She rolls her eyes and laughs. “Bonsoir, ma chérie.”
36
Winter
When Chelsea stirs, I sit up. Her eyes open, and I move to her side. “Hi,” I whisper.
“Hello,” she says and then clears her throat.
I reach for the pitcher of water and pour some into a cup with a straw. “Here.”
She takes a sip but starts coughing, a little water dribbling. A nurse rushes in and fusses about, so I step back and give her the room to work. When we’re alone again, I stand by the bed and hold the railing.
She watches me. A lot like I’ve been watching her.
“How are you feeling?”
She grimaces. “Like I’ve been shot. Will I be okay?”
“Yes. The nurse was just here. The doctor will be in soon.”
“Did you get hurt?”
“I’m fine. Bennett and Lars, the man who carried you, arrived and . . . well, they saved us from what could have been much worse,” I say shakily. I’ve thought of the scene over and over again during the past however many hours, and I’m still trembling.
“And Kurt?” By the way her voice quivers, I know she doesn’t really want to know the answer, but I just don’t have it in me to lie anymore.
“We don’t know where he went. But the police and the Everest security team are looking for him. They’ll find him, Chelsea. They will.”
She looks away for a moment, and I see her suck back a sob. So, I add, “I don’t know if you want this, but you have a friend, Chelsea.” She doesn’t say anything, so I keep rambling, “If you want. There’s no pressure—”
“I’d like that.”
“You would?”
“Yes. You saved my life, Winter. But I don’t understand why.”
I’ve thought a lot about this over the past few hours, and I don’t have an answer other than saying, “It was the right thing to do.”
Her body lies so still that if the monitor wasn’t beeping along to the beat of her heart, I’d be worried. “After I saw what he did to you, I tried to talk him into letting you go.”
Standing there, I’m not sure what to say. Thank you? I don’t know. My gut twists over this one.
She adds, “I believed his lies that you were the one stalking him. I wanted to believe anything he said. He loved me supposedly, but after he broke up with me at dinner, I saw you differently. I saw some of you in me. Once in love with a man you thought cared about you, but then discarded for someone else. I had no idea he could be so cold. So vicious.”
“Is that why you came with me? Because you thought I was pathetic, and you didn’t want to turn out like me?”
“No, I saw how strong you were.” She struggles to take a deep breath, and I know I need to let her rest rather than discuss all this. I’m about to get up when she says, “You gave me hope that I could be more than I was. I see what he sees in you.”
“Who?”
“Kurt.” She coughs. “You’re more than a pretty shell. Your heart shines.” I grab tissues for her and reach for the call button, but she stops me, glancing at the monitor. “I’m fine.”
My fingers tighten around the rail, and my eyes well with tears. I tilt my head back, not wanting them to fall like the fool I am, but when I look at her again, two tears fall like heavy raindrops from my chin. Her hand covers mine. It’s cold, but the emotion that comes with it is warm. “Thank you,” she says.
“How can you thank me when you were shot?”
“I lived because I was shot. I’d be dead if I lived another day of that life.” I cover her hand, and she adds, “So yes, I owe you a thank you.”
I bend down and gently embrace her. “You’re going to get through this.”
“I hope.”
“Hope is worth hanging on to.” Standing up, I give her a sympathetic smile. “You should rest. Get better, Chels, and when you’re up for it, call me when you’re back in the city.”
“I will, and Winter . . . Thank you for staying with me. So I wasn’t alone.”
I’m not sure if she’s referring to the apartment or the hospital, but either way, I still want to hug her. So I do. She has so much to get through. To live for.
Just before I leave, she says, “Do you think you could put in a good word for me with Ally Everest. Kurt was the one to encourage me to work there. I now know for his own access to the Everests, and I’m afraid, me being selfish, I snubbed my nose to actually working for charity.” Tears fill her eyes. “But I’ve come to realize that everyone needs a hand every now and then. You gave me a second chance. Maybe I can help others get their second chance, too.”
“Answering the helpline?”
She nods.
“I’ll talk to her, but let’s get you better first.”
“Thank you.”
I quietly exit the room, and Victor stands from leaning against the wall. Pointing toward the other room, I say, “I’m going back to the other room.”
He asks, “Should I come with you or stay?”
The room is within sight. “Stay here to make sure she’s safe. I’ll be fine. I’m just going right there.”
“Oui.”
I walk down the hall. Victor’s eyes are still on me, but when I see the bathroom, I detour. “I’ll be quick.” Inside, I bend down to check for feet in both stalls. All clear. Then, I mentally scold myself for being paranoid.
I can’t walk around in life fearful that Kurt will find me. I can’t let him control my life like that any longer. Stopping in front of the mirror, I take in the shocking sight of myself. Earlier, I purposely avoided the mirror, but now I can’t avoid it anymore. I wet a paper towel and dab under my eyes. My makeup has long worn off, but residue remains. At least the bruising is receding. It’s still ugly, but it should be gone soon.
Tossing the towel in the trash, I finger comb through my hair and then fluff. There’s nothing else I can do to save it. It’s just funny that Bennett still looks at me like I’m beautiful when I’m in such disarray.
The handsome charmer.
The thought of him makes me smile, and I realize that’s all I need—him and the happiness he brings me. Ready to get back to the slumbering giant, I choose the second stall. As soon as I push the door open, a hand clamps down over my mouth as I come face-to-face with Kurt.
I scream as my eyes go wide. The sound muffled as Kurt grabs the back of my head with his other hand and forces me backward at an aggressive speed too fast for me to grab hold of anything.
There’s nothing to help me, my arms flailing until I reach out to push him away by the face. My body slams into a full-length mirror, and he releases me, letting me fall like rain to the ground. I cry out in pain as shards dig into my hands and knees.
“You turned your back . . . me. Dismissed my feelings . . . weren’t good enough for you . . . I wasn’t good enough . . . the nerve to take what’s mine and turn her against me. Did you think . . . get away with it? Did you not learn your lesson the . . . ”
Kurt’s words are mumbled, my hearing going in and out. My head pounds from the impact, and I stay hunched over. My back . . .
Lifting my hands, glass stabs into my palms and blood runs down my wrists. He might have finally broken me into pieces like the slivers of mirror surrounding me.
I hurt everywhere, but he hasn’t broken my will to survive. I’ll never give him the satisfaction. Kicking me to the side with his foot, he says, “Get up, Winter. Get up.”
His voice becomes clearer, his hateful words taking me back to when I first arrived in Paris. He wanted vengeance. I thought it was against his enemies, but it wasn’t. It was against me.
I’m the only woman who ever left him. Though he filled me with shame, I still walked away. I left because I knew my deeds were never dirtier than the emotions he felt for me. The devil craves fire, and I was his flame.
He could never predict that his inflicted pain would make me stronger. I’m not a flicker that will burn out. I’m the ember that rises from the ashes.
He plays rough.
He plays to win.
He plays for entertainment.
I look up at him, the man who claimed at one time to love me. He never hurt me until I was gone, until I was no longer his. I’ve choked on Kurt’s hate, and then I tasted Bennett’s love. I’ll fight for love. I’ll fight to win. “You won’t kill me.” There are no doubts. None. Bennett loves me. I know that with all my heart, so I’ll fight.
“Yeah? Who says?” Kurt squats down and pats my head. “Who says, little girl.”
Fight.
“Me.” Snatching a piece of broken glass, I swing, cutting him across the neck, and then kick him away from me. Using the sink, I pull myself up but slip on the glass. I land hard with the corner of the porcelain jabbing into my stomach but catch myself before I fall. He roars and reaches for me, taking hold of my ankle and tugging.
One swift kick to the face with my free foot sends him rolling back again. I push off and run for the door despite the glass biting into my skin.
Bennett’s smile, laugh, love—I fight for me, for my happiness. I fight for him.
“Help!”
Yanked backward by my hair into Kurt’s arms, his hand covers my mouth while he holds a gun to my head. “What did I tell you about my property? No one touches what’s mine in life or death.”
Victor stands, flicking his eyes nervously between Kurt and myself, his shaking hands aiming a gun at me. The door across the hall swings open, and Lars and Bennett rush to a halt. Tears swell in my eyes as I stare into Bennett’s. I close them, hoping to always hold on to the warmth his bring, letting his love wash over me.
“I’ll kill her.” Kurt’s voice tremors for the first time ever. There’s no way out, and he intends to take me down with him. My mind races as he moves into the hall, forcing me with him. “Keep your hands visible and stay back. If I die, she dies.”
Bennett raises his hands, but his eyes never leave mine. I love you spoken freely between us, the sweet words silently shared over and over.
My feet slip, and his grip tightens around me, leaving bloody footprints in our wake. He’s losing a lot of blood. Good.
Oh, God! Is it mine?
And then things seem to go in slow motion.
I’m pulled back as the metal shakes against my temple.
Such a big man when he’s in control and a coward when he’s not.
Hospital security runs down the hall but stops behind Victor.
One uses his radio, but the feedback makes it indecipherable.
I hear Bennett’s growl. “I’ll make sure you die a gruesome fucking death, McCoy.”
I love you, Bennett Everest.
“You have to catch me first.” Not brave words. Words of a fool.
And then everything speeds up again. When they’re out of sight, I’m swung around, and with the gun still pressed to my head, he says, “Run.”
I have two choices: Run and be shot by this maniac or fight for my life.
Strike
With all my might, I’m swift with my arm, swinging it forward and jabbing my elbow back.
Fall
Kurt stumbles. I turn around with the glass still piercing my hands and shove him as hard as I can.
Protect
Shots fire, and I duck, pieces of the ceiling falling around me. I shield my head and run for cover.
Defend
Kurt rushes me, slamming into the door before I can open it. “We’ll die together.”
Time slows as the gun rises, our eyes locked on an eternity I refuse to live with this man. I take my last shot at living this life. Leaning in, I kiss his cheek to surprise him and grab the gun. “Not today. Not ever!” I drop to my knees and lean back with the gun pointed at his face.
“Ma princesse ténébreuse.”
“The tables have turned.”
37
Winter
Kisses cover my palm, and I open my eyes with a smile on my face even before I see who it is. I don’t need to see Bennett because I feel him—the kisses and his love all over me—with me while I slept. “Why are you so sweet to me?”
He stares at me with half a smile and then gets up from the side of the bed and hugs me. I wrap my arms around his head and hold him. The attack, the almost being killed part of our evening, and the stress he must have felt when I was taken in New York are all taking a toll on him. The weight of his pain comes to rest on me, and I welcome it wholeheartedly if I can make my giant happy again.
When he tries to speak, he’s too choked up and tucks his head into the nook of my neck. “Hey, look at me.” Making eye contact, I see the shine in his eyes, and ask, “Are you okay, babe?”
“Are you is the question I should be asking.”
“I am now.” I caress his face with my bandaged hands. “Everything’s going to be okay. Have you been here all night?”
“Where else would I be?” He leans his forehead against mine. “Don’t scare me like that again, okay, Rambo?”
The concussion Kurt caused was diagnosed as mild. I’m fortunate I didn’t have more damage. I survived. I’ll also survive a few little cuts and a mild concussion. “Tell me about it.” I giggle, but that hurts the ribs on my backside, so I stop. That concern lingers in his eyes, so I smirk, and try for a joke. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty okay.”
He takes a deep breath while taking me in, then a chuckle follows. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Give me another chance?”
“Another chance? You’ve had me since the moment we met. I’m not getting rid of you, and there’s no way in hell you’re getting rid of me.”
I look down, pulling at a loose thread on the blanket’s edge. I can’t play coy around him though. He has me wrapped around that big pinkie of his. “I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my life, but you’re the best decision I’ve made yet.”
“Who’s the charmer, now?”
“You. Always you.”
“Nah. I have plenty of flaws.”
“Like what?” I ask.
He kisses my hand before his confession. “Sometimes I leave the toilet seat up, but sometimes I remember what my mama taught me and put it down.”
“Ugh. That’s all you got?” I roll my eyes and laugh. “Humor me. What else?”
“I don’t always use a chip clip before shoving the bag back in the pantry. And my brothers used to steal my fries, so they’re sacred to me now.”
“Your brothers or the fries.”
“Ha! The fries,” he jokes.
“You were willing to share with me.”
“I’ll let you have anything you want, sweetheart.”
My cheeks feel hot, so I push down the covers on one side of my body.
No relief. It’s official. It’s him. I adore him.
“What about your flaws? Got any?” he asks.
“Plenty. I brush my teeth four to five times a day.”
“Is that really a flaw? C’mon. Give me something good.”
“Okaaaay.” I tap my upper lip a couple of times. He’s transfixed, a smile hanging around like a drunken moon in his eyes. I’m not the only one who’s smitten. “I pick at my cuticles when I’m nervous. I kick my shoes off and leave them wherever they land until I need them again. I save the wire hangers from the dry cleaners because I hate to throw anything away, and sometimes . . .” I suck in as deep a breath as I can without it hurting. “I read the end of a book first.”
“Nooooo,” he says sarcastically. “You rebel. Why do you think you do that?”
“If something happens to me before I read the whole book, I know where the characters are left in life. Hopefully, in their happily ever after.” Pushing past the embarrassment, I add, “I also only read stories with a happily ever after, so there is that.”
“Why do you only read happy endings?”
I take his hand and hold it on my lap. “Seems like a good way to go.”
“You’re not going anywhere if I have a say.”
“Have I told you how much I love you?”
“Say it again.”
“I love you, movie star.”
Leaning down, he kisses my head. “Now that’s the best confession of all. I love you, ma chérie.”
* * *
“Bennett?”
My breathing comes staggered, regulated by fear. My heart races, and I try to get my bearings. The curtains aren’t heavy enough to keep out the daylight. It slips through the crack of the blinds.
Clean lines.
Warm browns.
Home.
My love runs into the room, concern written all over his face. “What’s wrong?”
I’m not sure how to answer. I used to be a lot more stubborn, feisty even. I’ve learned that I don’t have to have my guard up at all times. I’m safe to lower my walls and let in loved ones.