I guess I was wrong.
Depression weighed heavily on my shoulders, making them sag. All I wanted to do was disappear. No one cared about me, anyway. Nettie thought I was some pathetic fat girl. Everett’s father obviously didn’t approve of me. And Everett? He was just using me. I was a damn fool to think it was ever anything else.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes before looking up.
To my surprise, Nettie was standing there, a smug, triumphant look on her face.
“What do you want?” I snapped. “Come to add insult to injury?”
“As a matter of fact…” She grinned. “Well, it’s not a bad thought, but no, that’s not why I’m here.”
“Then, what do you want?”
“You’re going to help me.”
“What? Why would I help you when you just insulted me? It’s obvious you want Everett. Take him. I don’t care.” Even as I said these words, I knew they weren’t true. Despite everything, I still cared for that man.
“Because you don’t have a choice. You see, I’ve had my eye on Walton Corp for a long, long time. I just need a little bit more information, and you’re the perfect person to get it for me.”
“What are you talking about…?” I got to my feet, eyeing her with suspicion.
“I need to get into Everett’s office.” She said as if it were obvious.
“Why?”
“Because I need something.”
“I’m not going to let you break into his office.” I protested. “I’m not going to betray him like that.”
“Really? Even after what happened today? Don’t you get it? He’s just using you. He doesn’t give one shit about any of the girls he ‘dates.’ He just wants us for our bodies, and then he throws us away like yesterday’s garbage. Take it from me, sweetie. You saw how he treated me and I did nothing wrong.”
“I don’t believe you for a minute.”
“I could pay you.”
“No,” I said, holding my ground. “I’m not betraying him. I don’t care how much money you pay me. His trust means a lot to me.”
Nettie laughed. “You really are stupid. But, if you won’t do this the easy way, then I guess we just have to do it the hard way.”
“Hard way…?” I repeated, stepping back, already feeling a little wary. What was she up to? What was she planning?
“You better start running.”
“Huh?”
All of a sudden, two muscular men appeared out of the shadows. They cracked their knuckles, smiling like madmen. And then they charged right toward me.
Fuck.
Chapter 16 (Everett)
As soon as Tanya stormed out, I got up, determined to follow her, but my father blocked the way.
“Move.” I snarled.
“You’re wasting your time.”
“I don’t care. Move.”
“Honestly, Everett, what do you see in her?” Nettie asked in an annoyingly high-pitched voice.
“Stay out of this.” I snapped. “She’s a thousand times the woman you’ll ever be.”
“Is that why you have her under contract to have your baby?” She taunted, lips curling into a sinister smirk.
I tensed. “How do you know that?”
“Is that true, Everett?” My mother asked, looking horrified. “You can’t possibly have a child with that woman. What would they say about the family?”
“Fuck the family. All you lot care about is keeping your reputation. Fuck that. I’ve been a fool. Tanya’s the only woman who hasn’t pined over my money, but I was so blinded by the threat of being hurt, I couldn’t see that. Now, get out of my way before I do something I regret.”
Nettie walked over to me, fingertips dancing across my shoulders.
Suddenly, I spun around, grabbed her wrist, and nearly snapped it. “Don’t ever touch me again,” I warned, voice full of hatred.
“Are you really going to hurt me? I don’t think that’s a lawsuit you want.” Nettie narrowed her eyes, words full of venom.
I ground my teeth, irritated that she had managed to gain the upper hand. I dropped her wrist and stormed out.
Outside, I reached into my jacket for my keys, but they weren’t there. I checked my other pockets but to no avail. Through the window, I saw Nettie standing there holding up my keys, a satisfied look on her face.
Fuck, I didn’t have time for this.
Without another thought, I rushed into my father’s garage. There, I unearthed my old motorcycle. When I was a teenager, I had bought it with my very first paycheck only to have it taken away by my father for being “inappropriate.” Fuck him.
Lucky for me, the keys were there. I turned them, praying the engine still worked.
Just as my father appeared in the doorway, it rumbled to life.
Eureka.
I pulled up the kickstand and peeled onto the road, leaving skid marks in my wake. I drove fast, blowing through lights and stop signs. I didn’t care what happened, all that mattered was finding Tanya. I had to stop running from my emotions and just admit that I truly cared about her. Having my family degrade her had been the tipping point. It filled me with such hatred that all I wanted to do was defend her honor. She meant the world to me, and I’d be damned if she left thinking anything else. For once in my life, I had to be honest.
For a long time, I zipped around, looking everywhere for her but it was like she had vanished. Then again, there was no reason for her to stay on the streets. For all I knew, she was tucked away in a bus or a 24-hour coffee shop. My motorcycle search was probably pointless.
But, just when I was going to give up, I spotted her.
She was running as fast as she could down a deserted sidewalk, a look of terror on her face. Behind her, a couple of goons chased after her, taunting as they went.
Oh no you don’t.
I pressed on the gas, bike lurching forward. Skillfully, I pulled up right next to her, wrapped my arm around her waist, and hoisted her into the space in front of me. Holding onto her, I swerved to the right, entering a small alleyway, side mirrors nearly scarping against the brick walls.
“It’s a dead end!” Tanya screamed, body becoming as tense as a statue.
I smirked, pushed the bike even faster, heading for a makeshift ramp consisting of a couple of planks of wood and discarded trash cans.
Then, all of a sudden, we were flying through the air.
“Everett!”
I held her tight; our bodies pressed together as the bike soared over the chain link fence that had halted our progress.
For a moment, I thought that all this would end badly, but a second later, we landed with a jolt on the other side.
I steadied the bike, driving off as the goons rattled the fence, faces red with anger. I flipped them the bird before disappearing from sight.
As I rode, Tanya didn’t say a word, her body shaking with fright. I wanted to comfort her, but I knew that we needed to create some distances. I didn’t know who those men were, but I wanted to make sure that Tanya was safe and sound before I allowed her to get off the bike.
At that moment, I knew that I never wanted to lose her – that I would never let her out of my sights again.
Chapter 17 (Tanya)
I couldn’t
wrap my mind around what had just happened. One second, I was sitting through an awkward family dinner with Everett and then the next thing I know, I’m running for my life. This had to be some dream – no, a nightmare.
Even when Everett came to my rescue like a bad boy hero, I still couldn’t believe it. Things like this didn’t really happen, especially to girls like me, did they?
Before I could gather my thoughts, Everett pulled over. He got off the bike and gently lifted me to my feet, hands on my hips. I looked up at him; my breath hitched in my throat.
“Tanya, tell me what’s going on. Why were those men chasing you? Did they hurt you?”
&
nbsp; I just kept looking at him, unable to answer.
“Tanya.” He looked into my eyes, his face so close to mine that I could smell his cologne.
“I…”
“Please. Tell me. Let me help you.”
I shook my head. “No…” I didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, I didn’t want to betray this man. Despite everything he had done, I truly did care about him. On the other hand, I was furious that he would try and use me.
“Tanya…” He placed his hand on my shoulders. “I understand what you must think of me. You probably think I’m some monster who just wants you for your body, but that’s not true. You have to believe me. I know, I acted like an asshole, manipulating you into the situation, but, if it’s any consolation, I do care about you, a lot. For a long time, I’ve been very guarded. Nettie and a few other women hurt me – bad – they made it hard for me to trust people. I was scared that if I trusted you, then you’d turn around and do what they did. I was so afraid that I decided that a contract would stop that from happening. I understand now that I was nothing but a fool.” He took my hand, squeezing it. “Please, tell me you believe me.”
I studied his face, watching his features. From what I could tell, he was genuine. His eyes were a soft pale blue, pleading with me.
This was real. He truly cared about me. At the thought, my heart started to flutter. I knew there was something between us. Still, that didn’t mean he was completely off the hook for the way he treated me. But first, I had to tell him about Nettie.
“She’s up to something.”
“What?” He furrowed his brow in confusion. Obviously, it was not the response he was looking for.
“Nettie.” I clarified. “She’s trying to take Walton Corp. I don’t know how she plans to do it, but she wanted me to break into your office. I told her I wouldn’t betray your trust like that. Well, she didn’t take to that very well, so she sent those two men after me.”
His eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. You can’t make this shit up!”
“Fuck.” He growled under his breath. “I should have known she was up to something when she came sauntering into my office… sitting on my desk…” His eyes widened even further. “That’s it!”
“What?”
“You remember how I noticed that there was a file missing from my desk a few weeks ago? I told you to look for it, but it was nowhere to be found.”
I nodded. “It was the list of stockholders for the company.” Just then, everything started to make sense. “You don’t think that she’s going to buy out the company, do you?”
Everett didn’t respond. Instead, he took me by the hand, hoisted me back on the bike and a second later, we were peeling down the road. Since I was behind him this time around, my arms instantly wrapped his torso, holding on tight.
Everything was happening so fast that it was hard to think straight.
A part of me refused to believe that this was happening. A takeover heist on Christmas Eve. Anyone else would be enjoying time with their family, singing carols and eating chestnuts. I waited to wake up, but it never happened.
The wind whipped through my hair as Everett pushed the bike to fly faster and faster. I could feel my heart pound as fear wrapped around my chest. I had never ridden on a motorcycle before. My stomach twisted into a knot, threatening to make me sick. I bit the inside of my lip, trying to keep myself calm, eyes closed, head pressed against his strong shoulder. I reminded myself to keep breathing, concentrating on Everett’s smooth, musky scent. So long as we were together, nothing was going to happen – I was sure of it.
Soon, we arrived at headquarters.
“I want you to stay here,” Everett commanded. “I have no idea what she’s planning, but I don’t want you to get mixed up in this mess.”
I shook my head. “Too late, she already involved me. I’m coming with you.”
“I can’t let you do that.” He took my hands, pulling them to his chest. “I do care about you, Tanya, and I can’t bear to see you get hurt. Please, stay out of this.”
“No.”
He frowned. “I’m not going to change your mind, am I?”
“Nope.”
He ran his fingers through his hair before letting out a huff of air. “Fine, but you’re staying by my side, got it? If Nettie hired those two men to chase you, she could have hired more. She comes from a rich family. She has the money.”
“Then, why is she trying to steal the company away from you?”
“She’s greedy. Cruel. But, most of all, vindictive. I broke up with her as soon as I found out she had cheated on me. She thought she was innocent in the whole matter but as soon as you severe my trust, it’s nearly impossible to get it back. I never forgave her for what she did. She never forgave me for keeping her from the Walton fortune.”
I listened to his words. It was all starting to make sense now. Everett had only acted so coldly toward our relationship because he was afraid of betrayal. I offered him a soft smile, locking my fingers with his. “I would never do anything to hurt you,” I promised.
He returned the smile before leaning down to kiss the top of my head. “I know.”
Chapter 18 (Everett)
I didn’t want to drag Tanya into this mess, but she wasn’t leaving me with much of a choice. So, I tightened my grip on her hand and pulled her inside.
Our pace was slow as we moved through the building, taking the back stairs instead of the elevator to make our arrival less obvious.
“What do you think her plan is?” Tanya whispered, a little breathless. We had already climbed ten flights of stairs, and there were ten more to go.
“I’m not sure, but whatever it is, I’m going to stop her.”
“No, we’re going to stop her.”
I smiled, glad to have her by my side. Tanya was loyal; I loved that about her. I suddenly felt silly for doubting her. I didn’t need her to sign a contract – all I needed was her love. Hopefully, we’d get out of this mess so that I’d be able to tell her – it was long overdue.
Eventually, we reached the top floor. I opened the door ever so slightly and peered out. Just as expected, there were a couple of guards stationed outside my office. It seemed they were the same two guys that had chased Tanya. Had Nettie been dumb enough to come here so underequipped. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised. She tended to underestimate people – including me. But, not this time. She was in for a very rude awakening.
“What are you going to do?” Tanya was by my side, holding onto my arm.
“The only thing I can do, fight.”
“What? Are you crazy? Those men are huge. You’d get hurt.”
“I don’t have much of a choice.”
Tanya looked fearful. “I don’t know about this.”
“Trust me. Just stay here. Stay out of sight.”
Before she could protest, I had already slipped into view, holding up my arms in challenge, a smirk on my face.
The two guards looked surprised to see me, standing there like a couple of statues.
Casually, I rolled up my sleeves, forearms tensing in preparation. “C’mon, you know you want a piece of me.” I beckoned them forward, already in a defensive stance.
Like a couple of bulls, they charged forward.
Effortlessly, I sidestepped, watching one of them crash into a nearby vase. With one fluid motion, I grabbed an umbrella from the holder by the receptionist desk and bore it down on the brute’s back.
He gasped in pain, crashing to the ground.
His partner growled, nostrils flaring, grabbing my shirt. He yanked me right off my feet, throwing me like a rag doll. Luckily, I landed on the couch, momentarily winded. His fist came flying in my direction, but I rolled out of harm’s way just in the nick of time, clipping his feet. He stumbled but kept his balance, grabbing me by the neck and throwing me onto the coffee table, glass surface shattering into a million pieces. His grip tightened, crushing my windpipe.
/> I did everything I could to stop him, but he seemed driven to end me.
Then, just when I thought it was all over, the man toppled over. To my surprise, Tanya was standing there, holding one half of a broken keyboard. “Do you think Kelly will mind?” She asked with a giggle.
Fake Bride: A Billionaire Boss Fake Marriage Romance Page 20
