Next to Forever: Shattered Innocence Trilogy Book Three

by Long, A. L.

  “Okay, see you later then,” Chloe said.

  Rade watched as the two of them headed past the room he was hiding in. Once they were out of sight, Rade proceeded in the direction they came from. His only hope was that he would be able to find Dylan before they came back.

  Opening the doors that he could, he looked inside the rooms for any sign of her. At the doors he couldn’t open, he yelled for her. Door after door he came up empty. There was one last door at the end of the hallway that had a lock on it. Rade thought it was kind of strange seeing a lock on it since none of the other doors had one.

  Pulling on the lock, he was unable to pull it loose. Once again, he yelled for Dylan, “Dylan, are you in there?” Turning around, he went to check another hallway. Just when he was about to give up hope, He heard her voice. It was faint, but it was Dylan.

  Backing up, he went back to the locked door. “Dylan, is that you, Sweetness?” Rade asked, hoping with desperation that she was on the other side of the door.

  “Rade,” Dylan answered with a muffled voice.

  “I’m, going to get you out of there, Sweetness,” Rade answered.

  Pointing the gun at the lock, he pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the lock square and the lock dropped to the floor. When Rade opened the door, his emotions took over. Looking at her, he couldn’t hold back his need to hold her. Pulling her into his body, he held her tightly, kissing every inch of her face. Holding her back slightly, he looked her over. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Rade asked with concern.

  “No, I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me. I knew you would find me,” Dylan said with tears in her eyes. “I just knew you would find me.”

  Rade pulled her close to him once again, unwilling to let her go. Gradually, he knew he had to let go and get her out of there. Undoing her bindings, he said softly, “We need to get out of here before they come back.”

  Heading down the hallway and to the lower level, Rade knew he missed his chance to escape. As soon as he and Dylan hit the bottom of the stairs, Michael was waiting for them.

  “It’s no use, Rade, you have nowhere to go,” Michael shouted.

  “Michael, don’t do this. If you let us go, I won’t say anything. You can take the money and be on your way,” Rade said, trying to compromise.

  “You think I’m going to believe you,” Michael spat.

  “I’ll go with you, Michael, Please don’t hurt Rade,” Dylan begged.

  “I’m not letting you go with him, Dylan. I would die first,” Rade confessed, still holding on to her.

  “You know, that can be arranged,” Michael smirked. “The way I see it, you can go ahead and shoot, but I might be able to get a shot off. I won’t think twice about shooting Dylan. Nobody will ever have her. So if I die, so does she. Your choice, drop the gun or shoot.”

  Rade had no other choice. He couldn’t risk losing Dylan to this psycho. Dropping his gun, Rade slid it over to Michael.

  “For a smart businessman, you’re pretty stupid. Now I guess I get to kill you,” Michael said as he raised the gun. Just as he was ready to pull the trigger a shot rang inside the empty warehouse, echoing off the metal walls.

  Michael looked right at Dylan as blood began spilling from his mouth. As he fell to the floor, Rade saw Peter standing behind him with his gun drawn. Nothing made Rade happier than to see Peter.

  Dylan went to Michael and held his head as he took in his last breaths.

  “It didn’t need to be this way, Michael,” Dylan said as tears fell down her face.

  “It’s okay, Dylan, I’ve always loved you. Now the hurt will go away,” Michael groaned. His last words consumed him as his body went limp in Dylan’s arms.

  Looking at her hands, Dylan stared down at her blood-covered hands. Michael was really gone. This time he was really gone.

  Rade knelt beside Dylan, taking her in his arms. He knew no matter how angry she was at Michael for what he did, the last thing she wanted was for him to die. Getting to their feet, Rade helped her out of the warehouse, while Peter called his men for damage control.

  As they got outside, Richard was leaning against the Yukon with his arms crossed over his chest. As Rade passed him, Richard turned and watched as Rade escorted Dylan to his car. As angry as Richard was for what Rade did, he also felt for him. He knew that if it was him in Rade’s spot, he would have done the same thing. Before Rade got too far, Richard yelled, “Rade,” and waited for him to turn around.

  “I know what you’re thinking, Richard. Save it. I’m taking Dylan home,” Rade informed Richard.

  “I was just going to say, ‘drive safely,’” Richard said, walking around the hood.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Pulling up to the parking garage at the penthouse, Rade looked over to Dylan to see her looking out the side window. Taking her by the hand, he pulled it to his lips. When Dylan turned his way, he asked with concern, “You doing okay, Sweetness?”

  Leaning into him, Dylan said, “I couldn’t be better. I just want to forget about everything.”

  “I think that’s a perfect idea,” Rade agreed with a smile.

  Leaning closer to Dylan, he captured her lips with his and took her in. With the thought of almost losing her, he was never going to let her out of his sight. “Come on, let’s get you out of those horrid clothes and into a nice bath,” Rade demanded.

  “Yes, sir,” Dylan replied.

  Once they were inside the penthouse, Rade went to the bathroom and began drawing Dylan a bath with an abundance of bubbles. He was going to worship her. Dylan stayed in the bedroom and took off her clothing. When Rade appeared back in the bedroom, he picked up her discarded clothing and took them with him as he exited the room.

  “How about a nice glass of wine while you soak?” Rade yelled behind him.

  “That would be perfect. Can I have Rade Matheson with that too?” Dylan asked as she walked into the bathroom.

  “Your wish is my command,” Rade advised.

  Going to the kitchen trash, Rade threw the ugly gray sweats into the trash. He never wanted to see them on Dylan again. He bet she didn’t want to see them ever again either. Grabbing a bottle of white wine from the fridge, Rade popped the cork and pulled two wineglasses from the cupboard. Filling the glasses, he went back to the bathroom to begin showing her his love.

  As he walked into the bathroom, Dylan was talking on her cell phone. He tried not to interrupt her. Rade knew that she was talking with her father. He had been frantic about what happened to Dylan. When Rade couldn’t find Dylan after the second day, he contacted Ray to let him know what was going on.

  When Dylan finished her call, tears clouded her eyes. Rade quickly undressed and slipped in behind her. Once he was settled, he reached over and handed her a glass of wine.

  “Are you okay, Sweetness?” Rade asked.

  “Yeah,” she began. “I just hate it when my dad worries so much. It can’t be good for him. I do have some good news though.” Dylan turned to face Rade before she told him the good news. “Dad and Sally are getting married.”

  “Well, that is good news,” Rade said as he lifted his glass for a toast. “When is the big day?”

  “They are flying to Las Vegas next week. They didn’t want to have a big wedding since they both have been married before. I would like to be there for them though,” Dylan explained.

  “I think that would be great. We should be there to share their special day,” Rade agreed.

  Taking Dylan’s glass from her, he leaned her body toward him with her back to his chest. Adding body wash to the bath sponge, he began cleansing Dylan’s body. For close to eight days, he was denied the privilege of doing this, thoroughly worshipping every inch of her gorgeous body. Moving the sponge upward, Rade began tenderly caressing her beautiful breasts. With his free hand, he took her breast in his hand and began pinching the hard pebble between his fingers. When Dylan’s head fell back against his shoulder, he knew she was enjoying his play. Dropping the sponge in the water, R
ade lifted Dylan’s body and cradled her in his arms. Looking into her beautiful green eyes, Rade entangled his lips with hers and seized her with such passion, knowing that he could have lost her.

  Dylan severed their embrace, but only to adjust her body so that she was straddling him. Lifting her hips slightly, she lowered onto him and watched as his thick cock slid inside her. She needed him. Being held captive in the small room allowed her to do a lot of thinking. She needed to find out the truth from Rade, but more importantly, she needed him. Pumping her hips up and down, Dylan took more and more of him as she glided down his cock. Circling her hips, Dylan consumed him as she felt the impact of his thrusts against her sweet spot. Closing her eyes, unable to breathe, Dylan’s body released with fury, taking with it all the pain and torment, leaving her body feeling free and alive. Everything that had happened over the past months was now over. They could finally live their life together, the way it was supposed to be.

  It wasn’t until she pulled her body from Rade that she realized it wasn’t over, Chloe was still out there. When Peter shot Michael, Chloe was nowhere. Once again, she managed to escape.

  Getting out of the tub, Dylan grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her wet body. Leaving Rade in the tub, Dylan walked to the bedroom and began changing into something comfortable. When Rade appeared from the bathroom carrying a confused look, it was then that Dylan decided she couldn’t wait any longer to get some answers.

  “Rade, I need to know something, and you need to be completely honest with me,” Dylan started. “Michael said that you knew he was alive. He said that he took money from you and you only were interested in me to get to him. I need to know if what he said is true.”

  Rade walked over to Dylan, dressed in only a towel. Dylan was serious about getting the answers that she needed, but with Rade exposed in this manner, she wasn’t sure she would be able to resist him. All she wanted was to feel his lips on hers.

  “You better sit, before I explain everything to you,” Rade said, taking Dylan by the hand and leading her to the bed. As soon as she was seated, he began. “Some of what he said to you was the truth, only my intentions changed. I was going to use you to get information on the location of Michael and the money he stole from me. Things changed the moment I saw you. Right then, I knew that I needed you. There was something about you that drew me in. You were so innocent.” Rade acknowledged as he took both of Dylan’s hands in his. “Slowly we began gathering information on him. He somehow got involved with Chen Wu.”

  “Does this Chen Wu have anything to do with David Wu?” Dylan asked.

  “Yes, David Wu was Chen Wu’s son. Chen Wu said that he hadn’t spoken to his son in years. Anyway, Michael stole the money from me to pay him back, only he never did. Chen Wu sent one of his men to search your apartment for the money. Unfortunately, you walked in on him. I didn’t know, Sweetness. When you got hurt, I had to find out who did this to you. We finally found him and got him to confess to what he did to you. Richard made an anonymous call to the police.”

  “You knew about this guy and you didn’t tell me? Did you know Michael was alive too?” Dylan asked, angered that he hid this from her.

  “I wanted to tell you, Sweetness, but I needed to protect you as well,” Rade admitted.

  “What about the charms? Did you know about them?”

  “No. We tried to find out who was sending them to you. We thought it was Chen Wu, but he said he had nothing to do with it. It wasn’t until I was kidnapped that I found out it was Alex along with Chloe,” Rade explained.

  Dylan was silent, trying to understand everything that Rade was saying. She couldn’t believe that after all this time, he knew that Michael was alive and he didn’t tell her.

  “Dylan, please say something?” Rade said concerned.

  “I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you would keep this from me,” Dylan said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Wiping them away, Dylan sat tall. She couldn’t be with a man who kept things from her. Looking at him, she wasn’t about to give him the same consideration. She needed to tell him about Chloe. “Chloe was at the sewer plant and the warehouse. She’s not pregnant. She lost the baby,” Dylan said in a strong voice.

  “I knew she was at the warehouse. I overheard Michael talking with her. I didn’t get a look at her. How did you know about the baby?” Rade asked.

  “Because, unlike you, she told me and it was evident that she was no longer pregnant,” Dylan said as she stood from the bed, ready to leave the room.

  Grabbing her arm, Rade pleaded, “Wait, please?”

  “I need to think, Rade. I can’t do that here,” Dylan confessed.

  “Let Richard take you. With Chloe still out there, I can’t chance something happening to you.” Rade demanded.

  Instead of arguing with him, Dylan nodded her head. Leaving the room, she walked out the front door down to the parking garage where she knew Richard would be waiting. She had a lot of thinking to do. Everything between her and Rade had been built on a lie. She knew she loved him, but she didn’t know if that was enough.

  Watching Dylan leave the penthouse was the hardest thing that Rade had ever done. He knew that telling her the truth would hurt her. Now that she knew everything, he just needed to wait. Give her time to process everything, it was what he needed to.

  *****

  Rade was beside himself. He was going crazy. It had been four hours since Dylan left. He contemplated calling her several times, but decided against it. He would give her another hour and then he would call her. Heading to his study, to do some work to get his mind off of her, he heard the front door open. Looking over to the door, Dylan walked into the penthouse. Relief swept over him. Walking down the two stairs he had climbed, he walked over to her.

  Stopping him before he got closer, Dylan held out her hand. “Please, Rade, let me say what I need to say,” Dylan asked sternly.

  Rade looked down on her with worry. He was afraid of what she was about to tell him. He knew by the look on her face that it wasn’t good.

  “I love you, Rade, more than I’ve ever loved anyone,” Dylan confessed, trying to get the rest of what she had to say out. “You hurt me by not trusting me enough to tell me the truth about Michael, about everything. I can’t be with someone who hides things from me. I can’t be with you. Not like this,” Dylan said hesitantly knowing it was the right thing to do even though her heart told her differently. Pulling the diamond ring from her finger, Dylan handed it over to Rade.

  Rade stood there unable to move. Looking down at the ring resting between her thumb and finger, he couldn’t bring himself to take it. It was only when Dylan took his hand and placed the ring inside that he it hit him. Nothing could have prepared him for what was happening.

  “Dylan, please don’t do this. I was trying to protect you. I love you so much,” Rade said in agony.

  “I love you too, Rade,” Dylan said, placing her lips on his. Giving him a kiss she left with once last word. “Goodbye.”

  Rade watched as Dylan turned and walked out the door. He had to make this right. He would make this right. Holding the ring in his hand, he walked to the bedroom and put it in a safe place. One day, very soon, he would have it on her finger again.

  It was late and Dylan had nowhere to go. She didn’t know what to do. She needed to talk to someone. Pulling her phone from her purse, she dialed Lilly. Waiting for her friend to answer, she told the taxi driver to take her to the BlackStone building.

  “Hello, girlfriend,” Lilly greeted Dylan.

  “Hey,” Dylan said, feeling lost.

  “Something’s wrong. What is it, Dylan?” Lilly asked concerned.

  “I need a place to stay and I thought if your apartment is available, you would let me stay there,” Dylan asked, hopeful.

  “You’re in luck. My subletter moved out about a week ago. You’re more than welcome to stay there. What's going on, Dylan?” Lilly tried to remain calm. She knew Dylan too well. Something was up.
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br />   After Dylan explained to Lilly what had happened over the past week, they were both in tears. Dylan, because she already missed Rade, and Lilly because she could only think about what it would be like without her friend.

  By the time they ended the call, Lilly was determined to come back to New York to be with Dylan. Of course Dylan convinced her that there was no need. Dylan just needed a little time and she would be okay.

  Telling the driver to take her uptown to Lilly’s apartment building, she sat back, relieved that she had a place to stay for a while. When the driver pulled in front of Lilly’s building, Dylan paid the driver and headed inside. Lilly called the security guard to let him know that Dylan would be staying at her place for a while. When Dylan walked up to the security desk, she was handed a key to Lilly’s apartment. The security guard called her by name, remembering her staying with Lilly many months ago.

  When Dylan opened the door, she was greeted with silence, which only added to her feeling of emptiness. Turning on the light, nothing had changed. Everything was the same as it was a few months ago. Sinking to the floor, Dylan’s emotions finally gave way, leaving Dylan consumed with heartache.

  Dylan tried to pull herself together. Once the tears stopped, she managed to push herself from the floor and head to the bedroom. Curling up into a ball, Dylan began running through everything. The kidnapping. The night at The Castle. Rade coming clean with the truth. The fact that she did see Michael in her apartment, only to be convinced by Rade that she was mistaken. The unforgettable night at the opera and then The Plaza.

  She thought about everything leading up to this point. Most of the things were good. Dylan didn’t have any more energy to think. Her mind was exhausted. She tried to go to sleep, but then she thought about everything all over again. She couldn’t stand it anymore, Getting up, she decided to raid Lilly’s kitchen. What she wouldn’t give for a glass of wine or a shot of whiskey. Opening the cupboards, there was nothing. The last thing Dylan wanted to do was to go out. It was still early enough that she could walk up the street and grab a bottle of wine. Grabbing her purse, she left the apartment.