by Marie Skye
Grayson
I gently laid her in bed, and she moaned. I kissed her softly on the forehead. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.”
She stirred. “He would’ve found me anyways,” she said sleepily and drifted off. I froze. She was completely out. I had no idea what she meant by that.
I was glad she was out because I was trying hard not to lose my fucking shit in front of her. I went back into the living room with the sole intention of getting blood on my hands.
The head of security for the hotel started to approach me and stopped the moment I glared at him. “I want to know how a billion-dollar company rents a theme park that’s guaranteed prestigious security that would basically rival the royal fucking family, manages to loop a breach, and not only have an attack, but an attack on the girlfriend of the CEO of the fucking company?”
“Mr. Mandrake, I assure you...”
“Don’t.” I held up my hand. “Don’t you dare say a fucking word to me right now. I want to know who that person was, and I want to know now. As far as I’m concerned, this entire park should be expecting a fucking lawsuit from my lawyers. Now unless you have answers for me, or are cleaning up this mess, get the fuck out of this room.”
“Mr. Mandrake, we’ll need your cooperation for further questioning. We’ll review the feed, of course. You can ensure my team is sweeping the grounds for anyone that matches the description that’s on the security feed.”
I nodded at the detective. “Of course, whatever you need. Just make it happen.”
I turned to Benny. “I don’t want us here any longer than we have to be. Get the plane ready. Corporate is already in the process of making arrangements for everyone else here, as well as offering our sincerest apologies, and PR is already on it.” I rubbed my head thinking of the major fuck up this was causing.
While Emmalin slept, I was in the living room waiting for Jack, while Benny made sure all the footage from the hotel security was secured.
Benny turned to me. "So, anyone with a vendetta against you, or do you think it was random?”
I shook my head. "Someone always has a vendetta against me. How long before we're in the air?”
He checked his phone. "Plane will be ready within the hour.”
I nodded. "She'll be out the entire flight, which is good. I just want her out of here, away from all this.” I stared at the crystal vase sitting on the dining room table, filled with white roses. Emmalin loves white roses. She hated red. I learned that in a session with Dr. Klein.
"Her things are all packed. Do you want me to grab her?”
I shook my head. "No one touches her but me.” I stalked over to the vase, gently touched the roses, and plucked out a single stem, admiring the softness of the petals. I then picked up the vase and threw it at the wall and watched all the roses and water trickle down the wall.
Benny walked up next to me. "Feel better?"
"No."
Five hours later, we were back in Chicago. Emmalin slept the whole way, and I just held onto her. I couldn't stop thinking what could've happened. Hell, I still don't know what happened, and she didn't say much. She finally started to wake up as we reached our new apartment. I got rid of Caliscades shortly after Emmalin started therapy. Besides, I fucked it up so bad. I decided a brand new start was best, and I couldn't do that with memories of my deceased wife in a house I built for her.
We finally reached home, and even though she was exhausted, she said she was going to shower and asked if I would join her. I wasn't going to pass that up.
We stood there, just holding each other. I grabbed her favorite soap and started slowly soaping her up, not missing an inch of her body. She moaned as I massaged over her body. "Enjoying yourself?” She whimpered in response, and I laughed. I pushed her hair to the side to get better access to her neck and froze. I traced the finger marks on her neck and felt my blood turning cold, even with the heat from the water. "What's wrong?” She turned to look at me with her big green eyes.
"Time to rinse off," I half muttered. I knew if I spoke any louder, I was going to snap, and right now I was focused on counting and trying to control my rage that was brewing. My inner beast was ticking and scratching on the cage to escape. We got out, and I dried her off quickly and gently. She walked to the dresser to get a dress shirt. I walked up behind her. “Tell me what happened.” Her body stiffened.
“I told you. He came in and threw me around a bit.”
I turned her to face me. “He didn’t?”
She shook her head. “No.”
I clutched her to me. “I would’ve killed him. I swear I would’ve fucking killed him.”
She shuddered in my arms. “I’m fine, alright? I’ll be fine.” She tried giving me a reassuring smile, but it failed and tears glistened her eyes as she turned away from me. “I think I’m still a little loopy from the meds.”
“I want you to eat something. You haven’t eaten. I’ll have something brought up.” She got into bed and turned on the TV, volume set to low. After she finished eating, she started to drift off.
While Emmalin slept, I went to my office and waited for Jack while Benny sat at my desk with multiple monitors opened, studying them carefully.
"You keep doing that and you're going to be bald.”
I looked up. Chace. "At this point, I might as well be.” He nodded at Benny before sitting down.
"What's going on? For two in the morning, must be pretty important.”
I sighed. "Emmalin was attacked.” Chace sat up straighter. "I had a meeting this morning. I came back to the hotel room, glass was shattered, and she said someone broke in. Emmalin locked herself in the bathroom.”
"Okay, here's you leaving your room.” We all turned to the monitors Benny had opened and studied the footage as I walked out. I barely walked into the elevator, when someone in all black walked around the corner and knocked on the door to our room. "Here's the footage that angles into your room, to where the door opens.” We all leaned closer to the monitor as we watched Emmalin open the door and then get shoved back hard, where she fell. The person walked in and closed the door.” Benny rewound the feed a few times, from all different angles.
I jumped up. "My laptop! My laptop was there, it was open, and the camera was on. Maybe it caught something."
"The one time I'm glad you were filming your activities, Grayson."
"Not the time, Chace.” I turned my laptop on to the video settings, rewinding it. "Fuck, there's no audio, but there's a clear view.” We watched as Emmalin was swung across the room, and the guy stood over her with his hands around her throat. Her arms flailed relentlessly as she tried to fight him off. Good girl. I grimaced as she looked up at him with complete fear in her eyes. He touched her face, and she flinched. My hands clenched.
"He's just yelling at her. Fuck man, the way he manhandled her, if you don’t kill him then I sure as fuck will.” Chace looked closer. "We don't have a clear shot of him, just a profile to go off of?" Chace turned back to me.
"That's where I come in.” We turned, looking to see Jack coming into the room. Thank fuck. We played the video a few more times.
"He's been in your room.”
I looked at Jack. "How do you know? “
“He knew exactly where to stand. That's why we don't have a clear shot of him. We also don't have a clear shot of him on any of the camera feeds from outside of the hotel. He knew exactly where to stand. He knew exactly what he was doing. I'm willing to bet your house, he's been following her for a while.”
I rubbed my face. Fuck. I glanced at my watch; it was nearing four. “Wait. You said her.”
Jack looked at me. “Yeah.”
“What makes you think he’s following her?”
“The way she looked at him. She looks like she knows him. Benny rewind it. You see here,” Jack said and pointed to the screen. “She’s talking to him. I can’t make it out for sure on your laptop, but it looks like she’s saying ‘what the fuck do you want’ and then she dips
her head, so I couldn’t read her lips for the name.”
Benny rewound the scene five more times just to be sure. I’ll be damned.
“Let’s wrap this up. I appreciate you guys coming here. Benny and Jack, I need security increased.”
“Already on it.” I nodded. Jack started gathering up what footage we had. “Try talking to her. We need as much information as we can, and I’ll question Tyler.”
“Trust me, I plan on it. Hostile force.” He smiled before everyone left.
I finally made my way back to bed. Even in sleep, she seemed troubled. We’ve come so far together, yet this seemed like a huge step back for us. I got into bed and pulled her to me. She gently stirred. Knowing that someone had their hands on her and hurt her, made me want to kill. And that’s exactly what I would do.
Emmalin
I looked at the clock. 10:00 in the morning. These pills definitely work, but I hated how long they made me sleep. I tried sitting up, and that’s when I felt the aftermath of the assault. My head was pounding, and my side hurt. I gingerly stood up, walking to the bathroom to search for some pain relievers.
I was clutching the sink with my head down, trying to endure the pain, when I jumped as hands traced my side, causing me to flinch from the pain.
“Shit, Emmalin, let me see.”
I turned away. “It’s fine. It’s nothing.” Before I could walk out, he stopped me and sat me down on the lip of the tub. He lifted my shirt gently and examined the bruises.
“It’s nothing? A man pushes himself into our room, practically chokes you to death, and you say it’s nothing? You’re sitting here bruised, and you’re saying you’re fine, it’s nothing? What the fuck, Emmalin?” He crouched in front of me, checking me over. I opened my mouth to protest, and he stopped me. “You’re no longer having a say in anything.”
He stood up, staring down at me. “How are you feeling?”
I gave a little laugh. “Like someone beat the shit out of me.” He glared down at me and clenched his jaw. Okay, not a time to joke. “I’m okay for the most part. Sore, helpless.” I wondered what adjectives I could throw out there.
He helped me up, and after getting dressed, we went down to the living room. “Can I trust you not to move while I get you something to eat?”
I rolled my eyes. “I think I’ll be fine.” I sat there, head throbbing.
“You took quite a fall.” I raised my head at the unfamiliar voice.
“We’ve never been properly introduced. I know you, but you don’t know me. I’m Jack. I’ve known Grayson quite a few years.”
I studied him tentatively before extending my hand. “Emmalin. But I guess you already knew that.” He smiled. Grayson reappeared with fruit and yogurt with granola.
“You need to eat something.”
I stared at the food. “So, what does Jack do?”
“Jack is a part of my security team, which yes, that means you now have a security detail assigned to you 24/7.”
My eyes shot between the both of them. “Are you serious?”
“My girlfriend gets attacked, and you’re asking if I’m serious about assigning a security detail? I’m very serious. You’re lucky I haven’t tied you up because that was a close second.”
I sighed. This was going to be hard. Especially if Carson was up to something. While Grayson and Jack talked, my phone dinged. An unknown number.
Unknown: We need to talk
I looked at Grayson; both he and Jack were on the phone. I don’t even know how the hell Carson got this number. I just needed to find out what he wanted and make him go away. Before I could respond, he texted back.
Unknown: Ignoring me isn’t in your best interest.
“You need to eat.” I jumped at Grayson’s voice.
“I’m not really hungry.”
He cocked his head. “That’s not really an option. Eat.” I ate a few pieces of fruit just to make him happy. I stared at my phone and replied.
Me: What do you want?
Unknown: Got ur attention. Good. I’ll send an address in a few days. Be there. Alone
Me: That may be hard to do.
Unknown: Not my problem
A wave of nausea washed over me. I still wasn’t feeling well. I sipped on the ice water, hoping it would help. Jack approached me.
"Emmalin, we've been studying the security feed from the hotel, as well as what we could get from Grayson’s laptop.” He turned the laptop toward me. "Is there any chance you know the person who attacked you?” I stared at the screen, then I looked at Grayson and Jack. I saw the way Jack was looking at me. The way he was studying me. I didn't like it. I didn't know a thing about Jack but he sure as hell knew a lot about me, and I sure as hell didn't like it one bit. I suddenly stood up, almost knocking the laptop over. "I want to talk to you now. Alone.” I glared at Jack, making sure he got the point he wasn't welcomed. He looked at Grayson. "I'll call you later.” Jack quietly left.
"Emmalin?"
"Grayson, how much does Jack know? In fact, how much does anyone know, for that matter?"
"Jack is head of my security. He knows me better than anyone."
"How much does he know about me? What I told you?”
His eyes grew wide. "Nothing! Do you think I would do something like that?”
I took a step back, needing a bit of space, and feeling overwhelmed. I was also suddenly feeling very nauseous. I ran from the living room to the nearest bathroom just in time. Grayson was behind me almost immediately, holding my hair and rubbing my back until I finished. I finally stood up, reaching for some mouthwash.
“You okay?”
I looked at him in the mirror and saw the concern etched in his eyes. “Yeah. Maybe it was the fruit.”
“The fruit was fresh. I had some myself.” Then his eyes grew wide, and a small smile crept on his face. "Come to think of it, you haven't been feeling well awhile now.” He watched me in the mirror.
"So?" I shrugged. He put his arms around me.
"We don't use condoms anymore, and I know you're on birth control, but there's always that chance.” His smile grew wider. I dropped the glass, and it shattered against the marble sink. "Jesus, Emmalin." He backed me away from the sink, and I stared down at the tiny shards of glass, broken just like me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’ll clean this up.”
“No, I got it. You should lay down. Let’s have a lazy day before we have to join the rest of society.”
Grayson
She hadn't said a word since the bathroom. I even picked one of her crude zombie movies, and she stared at it distractedly. I was trying to be patient, and trying not to lose my shit, but the fact that I mentioned the slight chance of her being pregnant clearly had the opposite reaction than I thought. I finally turned her head toward me. "Talk to me," I whispered against her lips.
She smiled. "I'm fine.”
I shut my eyes. "Don't lie to me.” She sighed and looked down, taking several deep breaths. When she finally looked up, she had tears in her eyes. "You would make an amazing father, Grayson.”
I wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled. "And you, an amazing mother.”
She shook her head. "No."
"Are you kidding? I see how are you are with Noah and Abby. They love you.” She kept shaking her head, and I cupped her face and kissed her.
"Grayson, after I miscarried, there was a lot of damage; a lot of scarring. My chances of ever conceiving are slim to none, and if I did, it’s a twenty percent chance. I can't give you a baby. That's not fair to you, and I'm sorry for letting this go this far knowing this. I didn't mean to fall in love with you. I'm so sorry. I didn't think I would fall in love with you.” I pulled her to me. That fucking bastard ripped her of everything. She suddenly stood up.
"I'm so sorry, Grayson, I didn’t know how to tell you. I should've told you from the start before things got serious. I can't do this anymore. You deserve someone who will give you what you want. Give you what you need.” She
could barely get the words out as she cried harder. I stood up and crushed her to me. "Don't say that. Don't you fucking say that; do you hear me? It doesn't matter. You're all I need; do you hear me?” She shook her head no, and I gripped her tighter. "Stop it. When I said I wasn't letting you go, I meant it, dammit. We'll figure it out. There’re options, okay? Lots of options. Specialists to consult, if you want, and if it's too much for you to handle, we can adopt. Or fur babies, lots of fur babies. Whatever you want, baby, I swear, but you're not giving up on us. I won't let you.” I held her tighter. Her crying had subsided, and I sat us down, her in my lap. God I loved her. All of her, and for the first time, I didn’t know what to say or do to fix something, other than to just hold her.
I awoke a few hours later with Emmalin gone from bed. I had gotten used to that habit. I got up and went to the kitchen, following the smell of coffee. She was fully dressed and ready for work. “What are you doing?”
“It’s Monday. I thought I’d go in early to catch up on a few things.” She handed me a cup.
“I’d rather you stay home, Emmalin. Especially after what happened.”
“I’m fine, Grayson. Really.” I ran my hand through my hair. “I suppose there’s no reasoning with you?” She shook her head. “Okay. Fine. Give me twenty minutes.”
Emmalin
Almost twenty minutes exactly and we were heading down the lobby. The first thing I noticed almost immediately was the different vehicle occupied by Alistair, as well as the new guy riding with him up front. After getting in, I turned to Grayson. “What happened to the other car?”
“These offer more protection.”
I glanced at the guy in the passenger seat. “Did it come with the guy too?”
“That’s Hawkins. He’s assigned to you. As well as the car following us. That’s Heather. Alistair is going out of town, so they’ll be temporary.” I turned around to look at the SUV I hadn’t noticed following us. “What’s all this for?”
