by T. K. Leigh
“Martin, she’s walking around out here without a jacket. I need to find her. Just drive to her house. Maybe we can catch her on the way.”
Martin didn’t even need to ask who. He knew there was only one person that could cause Alexander to look so rattled. At that moment, he knew that Olivia was back.
~~~~~~~~~~
As she walked through the Boston streets after leaving Alexander’s office, snow falling at a steady clip, Olivia didn’t know what to do. She needed something to dull the pain. Her mind went to the first thing she could think of…alcohol. She spotted a liquor store and ran into it, grabbing several bottles and paying. Back outside, she continued down Boylston Street, clutching her bag of alcohol as if her life depended on it.
Out of nowhere, a broad-shouldered man stepped in front of her, glaring. “Olivia,” he sneered. “I knew you would come back to town.”
She gaped at him, wide-mouthed. “Could my luck get any worse today?” She tried to push him aside but he grabbed her, holding her in place. He looked familiar, but Olivia couldn’t place him. “Listen, if we used to sleep together, great. But I’m so not interested, okay?”
“Oh, we never slept together, but if you’re offering…” A crooked smile crept across his face as his fingers traced down her damp dress.
Her heart started racing as she attempted to step back. “How do you know my name then?”
“We’ve been looking for you for quite a while, Olivia. Or do you go by Sarah?”
Olivia looked around. The street was bustling with rush hour commuters coming and going. Cars crawled at a sluggish pace along the busy road. No one appeared to notice her predicament so she did the only thing she could think of…she opened her mouth and screamed as loud as she could before pushing the man aside and bolting down the street. Her hands were shaking and numb from the cold as she clutched her brown paper bag.
~~~~~~~~~~
Martin turned the corner onto Boylston Street and the SUV continued to crawl. Alexander scanned the streets, desperate to find Olivia, if only to make sure she wasn’t walking in the snow.
“Shit!” he exclaimed, seeing a woman who looked like Olivia running away from a large man. He threw open the car door and ran across the street onto the sidewalk. “Olivia!” he shouted.
She paused briefly, hearing a familiar voice. Turning around, she saw Alexander running after her, clutching her jacket. She shook her head before she continued down the busy street. The strange man gained on her as she desperately ran away from him, wondering why no one thought it was odd that a large man was chasing a woman during a snow storm on one of Boston's busiest streets. Within a few moments, Olivia heard a scuffle behind her. She paused, catching her breath, before she glanced over her shoulder. Alexander was on top of the strange man, punching him repeatedly.
Fearful that he would do some serious damage, she turned around and ran to him. “Alex!” she cried out. “Stop!” She took a deep breath as he raised his eyes to meet hers, his fist in mid-air, ready to strike again. “Please,” she begged quietly.
Alexander glared at the man he had pinned to the ground. He looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen him before. That was never a good sign. The man moaned out in pain. “You go near her again, I’ll fucking kill you.” Alexander slammed his head into the pavement one last time before standing up, watching as the strange man quickly raised himself off the ground and ran away in the opposite direction.
Alexander walked over to Olivia. “You forgot your jacket,” he said softly, handing her the coat in his hand, switching from angry, temperamental, controlling Alexander to sweet, caring, compassionate Alexander.
She stared at him, still clutching her brown bag.
“You shouldn’t be out here walking. It’s not safe,” he said quietly.
Olivia grabbed her jacket out of his hands. “Stop trying to save me, Alex,” she hissed. “I don’t need your help.” She turned and continued down the street.
“Well, then, what do you want from me, Olivia?” he asked loudly, watching her walk away.
She spun around abruptly and searched his eyes. “I don’t want you to always feel like you have to come and help me, Alex,” she whimpered, her throat beginning to close up again, thinking about the man who was no longer hers. “I just want you to stand by my side while I try to help myself.”
Her words caught Alexander off-guard. He had always tried to protect her. He failed to do that at an early age and spent the last several months trying to make up for that.
Her eyes narrowed, staring at him as he remained silent on the busy Boston street. “Do you think you can do that?” She looked at him as snow continued to blanket the sidewalk, desperately wanting him to say that yes, he could do that. That he would stand by her side. That he would forget all about her running out on him. That he would do anything he could to make sure she never did the same thing again.
But, instead, Alexander just stood there and stared, not saying anything.
Several moments passed, the silence deafening. “That’s what I thought.” Her eyes fell as she turned and continued to walk, shivering from the snow and the last shattered pieces of her heart being stomped on.
Alexander tried to open his mouth to say something, anything. Tell her to wait. Stop. He made a mistake. But nothing came out. He knew he had just let the only woman he would ever truly love walk out of his life, and he did nothing. He watched his entire world fall apart and he didn't do anything to stop it. All of a sudden, he felt more lonely than he had ever felt in all his thirty years.
~~~~~~~~~~
Olivia flung open the door to her house, soaked from the snow that continued to fall steadily around the city. She bolted the door, not wanting to see anyone, even some well-meaning friend. She needed some time alone. Stripping off the sexy black boots that, just a few hours ago, made her feel confident and ready to face the world, she walked into the kitchen and poured some Sapphire gin over ice, wishing she could turn the calendar back to October. Taking a gulp, she exhaled loudly, feeling the effects of the alcohol warm her stomach.
She grabbed the bottle and collapsed on the couch. Nepenthe walked over and sat down over the floor heater, warming his body. Olivia was chilled to the bone, but she had no desire to go upstairs and change. The cold helped take her mind off how much pain she felt.
“Why did I ever come back here?” she sobbed to no one at all. “I don’t belong here… I don’t belong anywhere."
~~~~~~~~~~
“Grant. Did you get her?” Donovan asked, hopeful.
“No, sir. I was in pursuit, but Burnham tackled me to the ground.”
“Shit,” he spat into the phone. “Did he recognize you?” He sounded worried.
“I don’t believe so.”
“Fuck. Why is one girl so fucking hard to kill?”
Grant laughed. “I didn’t realize we were going to kill her. I just thought we’d abduct her and make her lead us to those documents.”
“Well, yes. And then we’re going to kill her, Grant. I don’t leave any loose ends.”
“Then what’s the plan?”
“The plan is to lay low. There have been too many fuck-ups. Burnham could have recognized you and, even though he’s engaged to that other woman, he’ll probably be on high alert over the next several weeks. So we wait. Let Burnham forget that we’re after her. Once he lets his guard down, we make our move. When they least expect it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE SURE BET
“HEY, ALEX,” TYLER SAID as he pulled up a barstool next to his brother on a Thursday night in early January. “How’s everything going?” He signaled the bartender to pour him a beer.
Alexander looked at his brother. “I’ve been better,” he replied, downing a shot of tequila.
“Shit. What happened?” Tyler inquired as he took in his surroundings at the bar in Davis Square. At the far end of the room, a pair of college students sat on stage and performed to a captive audience.
He had never been there before and had hoped to convince Alexander to meet him closer to Boston University, but his brother was adamant about going to a place called Johnny D’s.
“She’s back, Ty,” Alexander said, staring down into his pint glass filled with an amber liquid.
“Who is?”
“Olivia.” The word fell off his tongue in a way that made him miss her even more.
“Does Chelsea know?”
“Yup. She ran into her outside of my office, after she came to me and begged me to take her back.”
“And did you?”
Alexander raised the glass to his mouth and slowly shook his head. “No. I just couldn’t do it. All I could remember was how I felt when I left her in Florida after she begged me to leave her alone because it was the only way she could survive. I knew she didn’t want that, but she looked so broken. And now I don’t know what the fuck to think. I’m supposed to be getting married next month.”
Tyler exhaled slowly, thankful that he didn’t have the girl problems Alexander seemed to have. He loved his brother and was grateful that, whenever he needed someone to talk to, Alexander would always call him. They were never that close when they were younger, but once Tyler started college, they became closer. Over the years, he watched Alexander go home with woman after woman until Olivia walked into his life. Little did Tyler know at the time that it was Alexander’s Olivia from all those years ago, but he did know that Olivia was the best thing to ever happen to his brother. It made him change his ways and open his heart to love…a heart now possessed by Chelsea.
“Are you in love with her?” he asked.
“Of course I am!” Alexander exclaimed. “I wouldn’t have gone all the way to Florida if I didn’t love her!”
Tyler lowered his voice. “No. Chelsea, man. I was talking about Chelsea. Are you in love with her?” He raised his eyebrows, realizing that he probably already knew the answer.
Alexander paused, thinking about the question.
“Come on, Alex. You put a goddamn ring on her finger. You shouldn’t have to even think about it. Just answer the question. Are you in love with Chelsea?”
Alexander sighed. “It’s not that easy, Ty.”
“It should be. There shouldn’t even be a doubt in your fucking mind if you’re about to give that girl our last name.”
Alexander nodded, knowing that his brother was right. Why did Olivia have to show up and throw herself at him, begging for forgiveness? After the months spent with Olivia, his life finally had some semblance of normalcy. Chelsea offered him security in a relationship, which was something he never felt with Olivia. And he was in control. He needed the control. With Olivia, he had none. With Chelsea, he didn’t feel as if his world was about to fall out from beneath him any second.
Alexander shook his head, knowing that he wasn’t in love with Chelsea. He knew he probably never would be. There was only one girl he would ever love. A girl that captured his heart years ago, and he never got it back. The apple of his eye. His Eve. His Olivia.
“Tyler! Alex!” a voice called out, bringing Alexander back from his thoughts.
“Hey, Mo! Good to see you.” He looked at Mo and Kiera with anxious eyes. “I didn't expect to see you two tonight.” He wondered whether Olivia would be there, as well. It was Thursday night after all. Immediately, his heart started to race at the thought of seeing her.
“You know how it is, Alex,” Kiera said. “We’re never one to break with tradition. It’s Thursday, and Thursday night is Open Mic night.”
“Have you…?” Alexander raised his eyebrows, not sure if he could finish his question.
Mo shook his head. “No. She won’t let us in, and she’s not answering our calls. I think she just needs some time to process everything.” He led Kiera away from the bar toward their usual table, wondering if they would see Olivia that evening.
A worried look spread across Alexander’s face. Was she okay? He prayed that she didn’t do anything stupid. “Excuse me for a minute.” He walked away with the intention of calling Carter and ordering him to coordinate round-the-clock surveillance outside of Olivia’s home. He wasn’t thinking clearly earlier in the week when she was being followed. Now, could they have figured out she was back in town? What if she was in danger? He needed to at least make sure she was alive.
~~~~~~~~~~
As Olivia exited the Red Line subway station, climbing the stairs to street level, she wondered what had possessed her to go to Open Mic. It had only been three days since Alexander stomped on her heart, leaving it to bleed all over Boylston Street. During those three days as she wallowed on the couch, all she could hear was Alexander’s voice calling her name. As much as she tried to forget about him, he had a tighter hold on her than she realized.
On Tuesday, she felt horrible, using all of her willpower to not dull the ache with drugs and alcohol. So she begrudgingly picked up the phone and called Dr. Greenstein, who showed up at her door within an hour, a look of concern etched on her face as she took in Olivia’s appearance.
Without saying a word, she embraced Olivia while all the sadness, anger, hurt, and pain spilled out of her eyes. Dr. Greenstein ended up canceling all of her appointments that day, ensuring that Olivia was going to be alright. It was the doctor who encouraged her to resume her normal routine, little by little. And that meant Open Mic. So it was with a heavy heart that Olivia walked the block from the Davis Square subway stop in the snowy Boston streets to Johnny D’s on Thursday night.
She didn’t know what to expect when she opened the door to the bar. She had been gone for so long but, as she made her way through the familiar bar, nothing seemed different. It was as if everyone’s lives had gone on without her there, as if her life wasn’t important. And she knew that was true.
“Holy shit, you’re here!” Kiera said, jumping up from their usual table, eyeing Mo suspiciously.
“Yeah. I’m here. Might as well try to get back to my old life,” Olivia said dryly as a server came to the table to take her drink order.
“You singing tonight?” Mo asked, wondering whether he should tell her that Alexander was sitting at the bar.
“Yup. And if either of you say the ‘A’ word, I will leave immediately and never speak to you again. Got it?”
Kiera sighed. “Libby, you need to talk about it eventually. You know that, right?”
Olivia took a sip of her much needed gin. “Of course I do. But only when I’m ready. It’s just too painful right now,” she quivered. “So, please, I beg you both to give me time.”
Mo draped his arm around her, kissing her temple gently, wishing he could take away the pain that so clearly consumed his friend’s entire being. “Of course, Livvy. We get it.”
“He said I would always be his ‘Eve’, and I have no fucking clue what that means!” Olivia downed the rest of her drink, signaling the server to bring her another one as she got up from her chair, leaving Mo and Kiera alone.
“He what?” Kiera asked under her breath.
“It’s that song, K. The one he did right before he asked you-know-who to marry him. Livvy's his Eve. She came crawling back, begging for another shot. He knows that she’s still the only one for him. He wants her back, but he’s just too scared to admit it. That’s what that song’s all about. It's about something beautiful arising out of pain.”
“Well, then, why the fuck is he torturing her?”
“He’s doing the same thing she always did. He’s too scared to get hurt again so he’s sticking with the sure thing.”
Kiera turned around and shot daggers in Alexander’s direction, wanting to hurt him for destroying her friend.
~~~~~~~~~~
Alexander signaled the bartender for his check as the M.C. jumped back on stage. Carter said he was held up on another assignment, but would report to Olivia’s house as soon as he could to make sure she was alright. But what if she wasn’t? Alexander needed to go over there and check on her. He was starting to shake with apprehension
about what he had said to her and the way he just let her walk away from him, knowing that there could be a possible threat to her life out roaming the streets of Boston.
“Okay. Next up, an old favorite back from parts unknown.”
Alexander’s heart stopped. Could it be?
“Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Olivia Adler!”
The crowd roared with applause as Alexander watched Olivia rise from her table on unsteady legs and walk toward the stage, positioning herself behind the piano. It felt like no time had passed at all since that first night back in August when he watched her perform on that very stage. That was less than five months ago. Everything had happened so quickly. But things were very different now.
“Thank you,” Olivia murmured into the microphone. “You’re all probably wondering where I’ve been.”
The audience clapped in response.
“Well, it’s kind of a long story, but the short end of it is that I got spooked, I guess. I got scared, and my gut reaction is to run when that happens. So that’s what I did,” she explained to the crowd, her voice shaking. “I ran to a beach in Florida, and I pushed away the one person that meant the world to me. Then I came crawling back only to find out that he wants nothing to do with me anymore. Which kind of sucks, but I guess I deserve it.”
Olivia took a deep breath as she surveyed her captive audience. “Anyway, as I sat around my house today, I debated what song to do tonight. I didn’t even want to come, but my persistent therapist was fairly persuasive in making sure I made an appearance here. This song came on my iPod and I knew it was perfect. This is What Did I Ever Come Here For by Brandi Carlile. I hope you all enjoy.”