Running my fingers through the curls in my hair, the butterflies I’ve managed to keep at bay since I opened my eyes takeover my stomach with a vengeance. Letting my hands fall from my hair, I place them over my stomach just as it rolls.
My breakfast threatens to make a re-appearance.
Swallowing the nerves, the best I can, I spin on my wedges when I hear a whistle from behind me.
“You have no idea how fan-fucking-tastic your arse looks in those trousers, and if we had time, I’d be peeling them off you.” Neil stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms folded across his chest, causing me to wish, once again, that we knew what the meaning of quick sex meant.
It’s my own fault really: when he’d asked me what he should wear today—because for once in his life, he feels out of his comfort zone—I’d laughed at him before making my suggestion.
Now, I’m paying for it because there he stands in his light grey trousers, a white shirt, and no tie. The top two buttons of his shirt are undone, and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. His hair looks like he’s just run his fingers through it and thought fuck it, it’ll do. But it’s the pride that shines in his eyes that has my frazzled nerves settling slightly.
Fuck me.
Today is gonna be a long day for me and my greedy bitch of a vagina.
Stepping towards him, I run a finger over the bare skin of his arm, and with my best, sultry voice, I say, “You don’t look too bad yourself, Mr Montgomery.”
“That tone of voice isn’t going to work on me, Miss Jones. We need to leave. I’ve already had Dylan on the phone twice because Serena is driving him fucking nuts.” He uncrosses his arms and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. “That woman is a tornado, Dyl needs a gold fucking medal putting up with her crazy arse.”
On a small laugh, I lean forward and place a kiss on his cheek. “I’m ready; let’s get this show on the road.”
Gathering up all of the things I’m going to need for the day, we leave the apartment and head to The Mayfair. The entire drive, he holds my hand on the console between us, knowing I’m going to need him more than ever today.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Neil
My phone rings and my hands-free picks it up.
“Yo, fuckface, what’s up?”
“What’s up? Are you kidding me? Serena is driving me fucking mental. She’s paced the floor that many times she’s gonna wear the carpet away and, honestly, mate, I don’t need that bill. And if I see her look at her watch again, I’m going to have to blindfold her.”
“Whoa… stop right there. I don’t wanna know what kinky shit you pair get up to. I don’t need that shit in my head.” I laugh as he tells me to shut the fuck up. “We’re on our way now. Half hour at most…”
“Half an hour…? You better be here before that!”
“Yeah, yeah. Take a chill pill.”
When we arrive at The Mayfair, we greet the concierge at the door and carry on through to the ballroom where it’s all going to be happening.
Backstage is amuck with curtains, leggy models and outfits hanging up on hangers.
As I look around, I see Dylan rushing towards me. Taking Bonnie by the shoulders I turn her to face me. “Look at me.”
Sucking in a breath she blows it out slowly and gives me her gorgeous green orbs.
Dylan stops in his path when he sees us sharing a moment and waits patiently.
“This is your day... I love you.”
“I love you. All this is because of you and those two nutters. I’m so scared I could cry.”
“Don’t you dare. Now”—giving her a quick but firm kiss on the lips, I turn her around until my lips are at her ear— “go get ‘em, tiger.”
With a firm nod of her head and after a little shove from me, she sucks in a breath, pushes her shoulders back and walks tall.
That’s my girl.
Folding my arms across my chest and with my feet spread inches apart, I stand proud and watch her walk away as Dylan comes to stand with me.
“I’m so fucking proud of her,” I tell him as he comes and stops at my side.
“So am I, mate; she’s done amazingly.”
Serena greets her and marches with her to get things rolling as Dylan and I go to the curtain, looking out. The seats that are situated around the catwalk begin to fill with media, magazine editors and cameras.
“Look at this. Everyone is here for her.”
“Yep, that’s the power of Serena, buddy. She can make any fucker bend to her will. She did all this. All I put in was my name and recommendation.”
“I owe her big time after this.”
“Nah, no need. She’ll do anything for that girl—just like I’d do anything for you.”
With an appreciative smile I nod. “Feeling’s mutual mate.”
Patting each other on the back with some manly affection, we leave it there, and stepping back from the curtain I see Bonnie giving her orders out to the models and Serena sorting outfits so they can grab and change as they come off the catwalk.
This is the biggest event of my girl’s life, and I can't wait to see her pull it off in spectacular form.
Serena comes over and shoos us away from the stage. “Well, come on you two; you can’t stay back here. Go take your seats. It'll be starting soon, and the first set of models need to get dressed.”
Dylan and I just glance at one another.
“Don’t make me force you, Proctor.”
“I love it when she gets forceful,” he jokes, thinking only I can hear.
“I heard that,” Serena calls out as she walks back the way she came.
Laughing at the look on his face, we do just as we’ve been ordered and find the seats that have been reserved for us at the front.
Dylan speaks with a couple of the editors he knows then takes his seat with me as the lights begin to dim.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Bonnie
If I had the time to take it all in, I’d be in awe right now.
Even amongst the chaos that surrounds the backstage area, the energy that’s buzzing through the air is undeniable. The chatter of voices I can hear out front tells me that all the seats are filling up quickly, which means I’m going to have a full house with all eyes on me and my designs that the models are about to showcase for me.
There are rails upon rails of clothes set out in sections for each model, all thanks to Serena and her amazing organisation skills. She’s also found me some of the best makeup artists and hair stylists in the business to work here today. The woman is a perfectionist, she knows how I like things done, that’s why she was here before me and on the war path sorting everything out.
I’d watched her kick Neil and Dylan to their seats, which they’d looked grateful for: judging by the looks on their faces they hadn’t had a clue what to do back here—not that I would have expected them to help. Knowing those two, they would have either got in the way or said something they shouldn’t have, so it’s safer if they’re not around right now.
Heidi, the runner we hired to keep everything and everyone on track, comes rushing through the curtain, clapping her hands, just as I’m zipping Kate into her skirt.
“Two minutes, people. Two minutes. I need the first ten girls ready and waiting to go.” Her headset and clipboard are firmly in place as she starts to reel off the girls’ names to get them in order.
My hands start to shake and sweat when Kate turns to me and smiles.
“Everything is gonna be okay; I can feel it. This is your moment, so enjoy it.” Pulling me in by my shoulders, she gives me a quick hug before she scurries off to get into place before the music starts.
Clenching and unclenching my hands, I pop my head out to look at the crowd. I see Neil sitting in his seat whilst Dylan is talking to some dude who could pass as Brad Pitt.
Spotting me he blows me a kiss and I pretend to catch it.
When I
hear the first few beats of Justin Timberlake's Senorita kick in, I know it’s showtime, and all my hard work is about to be criticised.
Just as I step back, my heart sinks in my chest.
No. Surely not… I haven’t seen him since college.
Blinking my eyes rapidly, I come to the conclusion that I’m seeing things because when I open my eyes again, who I thought I’d seen standing in the back corner is no longer there.
The girls start to file out onto the catwalk, one by one, and Serena comes to me and squeezes me.
“It’s happening, Bon. I’m so bloody happy for you.”
Feeling a little off kilter because of what I think I’ve seen, I give her a fake smile, yet before she can pull me up on it, the first few girls come back off the catwalk and it’s back to work I go, getting them out of the outfits they’ve just shown and into their next ones.
The music changes to Everybody Loves an Outlaw’s - Give ‘em Hell, and the hairs on the back of my neck prickle and goose bumps breakout all over my arms. I can feel eyes on me, which sounds daft because I’m in a room full of people who are watching me, but this feels totally different.
As I unzip Kate's skirt, she steps out of it and I pull a pink and white striped trouser suit from one of the hangers to hand to her. Just as I’m about to turn around, I can feel someone at my back and my gut tells me it isn’t Neil, Serena, or Kate.
“Well hello, Bonnie Jones.”
My body freezes and the blood in my veins runs cold.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll hand Kate her clothes and pretend that everything is perfectly fine.”
Joseph's voice is chilling, and it travels all the way down my spine.
“J… Joseph. What do you want?” My voice shakes, giving away that I’m scared.
“Do as I say, Bonnie and then we’ll talk, shall we?”
Slowly turning away from the rail, I come face to face with Joseph. I haven’t seen or heard from him since the day he’d disappeared from college, taking not only mine but several other students' work who had been hand-picked by one of the best design schools to show their work.
The day he left; he’d threatened each student individually so they would give him what he wanted. He’d been a fashion design student just like us—thing is, he’d been nowhere near as good as some of us, and he knew it—he’d taken our work and passed it off as his own. We’d all reported him, but by the time the head of the college and the police had known all about it, he had skipped town, never to be seen again.
And I haven’t thought about him since.
Not once during all of this, did it occur to me that it could have been him behind everything that’s happened, and right now I could kick myself for being so stupid.
I can see the coldness in his grey eyes, and the way his jaw ticks tells me this isn’t over—not by a long shot.
Gripping the trouser suit in my fingers, I reach around him and hand it to Kate. It’s then I can see he has something strapped to his chest under his jacket. I can’t quite make out what it is.
“Bonnie, we need Kate,” I hear Serena shout.
“She’s coming,” I answer quickly, not taking my eyes off Joseph.
“Be right back,” I hear Kate snigger as she walks off.
This time, I break eye contact with him and follow her with my eyes, just as I feel the colour draining from my cheeks and my mouth opening into a perfect O. Sensing that I’m piecing it together, he starts to chuckle.
“Isn’t she just lovely? I knew I could rely on the wonderful Kate to get me this far.”
“I… I… It was you? Everything was you.”
“Let’s take a walk, shall we?” He grips my elbow, and I try to look around for help, but everyone is busy and not paying me any attention. My fight or flight instincts kick in, and I know in a flash I’m going nowhere with him.
Lifting my chin, in a defiant way, I glare at him. “I’m going nowhere with you; just tell me what you want?”
Gripping my elbow harder, he yanks me behind a rail of clothes so we’re out of sight before he sneers. “I want your flash drive. You see, Bonnie, all of this”—he waves his hand in the air, gesturing to everything going on around us— “should be mine. I’ve watched you fuck your way to the top with your fancy lawyer fuck buddy and your posh friends at the advertisement agency. You’ve had everything handed to you on a fucking silver plate.”
“N... No. It hasn’t been like that at all.” I try to defend my actions, but I’m cut off when he grabs me around the throat and drags me to the other side of the stage.
“Now, if you’re not going to give it to me willingly, I’ll just have to force you to do it.”
From where we’re standing, no one can see us, which means I’m helpless. The music once again changes and as Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule blast thought the speakers about being real, I’m dragged by the scruff of my neck out into the middle of the stage.
“Hello, everybody.” The music cuts off as Joseph speaks, and a chorus of gasps rings out when they see us standing there.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but you see, I’ve been warning Bonnie here for months, only she hasn’t listened, and now I want what I’m owed.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Neil and Dylan stand from their chairs and go to move forward, but so does Joseph.
“If you want your little girlfriend here to live, I suggest you sit the fuck down, Mr Montgomery.”
“I swear to God, I don’t know who the fuck you are, but if you hurt her, I will end you… permanently,” Neil growls from his seat.
Taking his hand from my neck, Joseph grips my hair and pulls my head back, causing me to yelp in pain. “Do as I say, and this won’t go any further.” Letting go of my elbow that’s now throbbing, he pulls his jacket back and reveals what I’d seen underneath it backstage: there, strapped to his abdomen, is a row of explosives.
Screams ring out, and people start to run, but when a gunshot rings out and Kate walks back out on the catwalk, everyone stops what they’re doing.
“Thank you, Kate. If only these people would just do as they’re told.”
I can see the sweat that’s starting to pour out of him. He doesn’t really want to do this; he’s just desperate.
As scared as I am right now, I know I have to try get him to stop all of this. Even though I’m anything but calm, I gather myself the best I can and in my best soft voice I say, “You don’t have to do this, Joseph. This is between me and you. Just let everyone go, and I’ll give you the flash drive.” I have no intention of giving it to him, but I’m willing to try anything at this moment.
As if he hasn’t heard me, he pulls a small remote from his pocket that’s got a flashing light on. “Do you really think I’m gonna believe you?” he sneers.
“I’ll go and get it for you; I know where she keeps it,” Neil tells him as he stands up again from his seat.
I can see in his eyes that he’s trying to pacify him and that he’s got some sort of idea swirling in his mind. Silently with my eyes, I beg him not to do it. It’s not worth me losing him over. He doesn’t take my silent warning though. Instead, he steps forward and Joseph's grip on me tightens. I cry out in pain once again.
“Why should I believe you?” His voice is starting to lose its edge, and I know he’s at his tipping point.
With his hands spread out to show Joseph he isn’t going to harm him, Neil steps up onto the stage and stands right in front of us. “You have to believe me because that woman you have there isn’t just any woman: she’s my woman. She’s one of a kind, and I love her more than anything in this world, and if I have to get you that flash drive to stop you from hurting her then I will.”
The remote in Joseph's hand starts to shake, and I know Neil sees it, too.
Trying to get a read on what Neil is going to do next, I plead with Joseph one last time. “Let me go and you can have it all.”
No sooner is the
last word is out of my mouth than Neil dives forward, grabbing me and pushing me to the side as Joseph screams, and the loudest bang I’ve ever heard pierces my ears. Neil and I are thrown from the stage and onto the floor amongst all of the chairs with an almighty crash. It happens so fast that it takes a moment for me to realise Neil is bleeding: he’s lying beside me, his eyes closed, with blood soaking into white shirt and running down the side of his face. I try to shake him, but pain like none I’ve felt before takes over my entire body and I struggle to breath.
With one last look at the man who’s tried to save my life in more ways than one, I succumb to the darkness and let my eyes close of their own accord.
No amount of forcing them open is going to help.
If he’s dead, then I might as well be, too.
Epilogue
Bonnie
One Year Later...
Standing and staring in the mirror that’s attached to one of the wardrobes in the suite I'm currently in, I run my hand over my neck and feel the scars that will be with me for life.
The day Joseph blew up my fashion show, he didn’t just hurt me emotionally: he left physical scars on my body that I will never be able to hide from. The ridged skin spreads across my neck, my shoulder and collar bone and to any outsider, I look like a burn's victim—not the survivor of a bomb attack all because I’m good at my job.
I shouldn’t complain really: I got off lightly compared to some of the other people.
Joseph died, instantly, and Kate died after being on life support for almost a month. I found out, through Kate’s best friend who contacted me just after Kate had died. She also informed me that she’d met Joseph at another fashion show, and he’d dragged her into his warped plan to sabotage me, with the promise of being his number one choice of model for everything he did in the future. And being naïve, she fell for his promises and lies that eventually got her killed.
Clash (The Forever Duet #2) Page 17
