Saved (A Standalone Romance) (A Savery Brother Book)

by Naomi Niles

  She poked her bottom lip out. She had apologized repeatedly for the past week about placing me in that situation with her crazy stalker. For some reason, she felt like it was her fault, even though I told her that it wasn’t. She can’t control who likes her and what they are willing to go through just to get close to her. It wasn’t her fault, but I couldn’t tell her anything other than, “I forgive you.”

  I gently grabbed her chin and lifted her eyes towards mine. “Hey, what did I tell you? It’s not your fault, all right? Just let it go. I’m just happy I was there.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. You’ve been saying the same thing all week, but I can’t help how I feel about it.” She slid her hand into mine and interlocked our fingers. Suddenly, a wide smile spread across her face. “Come on,” she said with excitement. “Let me show you around this jet. It is soooooo nice!” She took me further into the jet. There was a small wet bar against the window with crystal glasses hanging across the top. The floor was carpeted, and one long, brown leather couch sat on the other side of the aircraft with two small tables bolted to the ground. On each side of the couch, there were two smaller chairs, and on the wall near the cockpit, there was a flat screen television mounted on the wall.

  The only time I had seen anything like this was in a movie or an upscale magazine that highlighted the lives of the rich and famous. I tried not to look too anxious to be inside of this luxurious jet, but I couldn’t keep my smile hidden. “Go ahead,” Hannah said. “Smile! Shoot, I know I did as soon as I got on this thing. I’ve been smiling ever since I sat in that big, soft recliner. I can’t believe we are about to fly like this!”

  “Yeah,” I said as I grabbed one of the champagne glasses. “I can’t either. One day, though, and one day soon, I will own one of these for myself.”

  Just as I put the glass back into its spot on the wet bar, Leonard seemingly came out of nowhere, clapping his hands together as if he had just seen one of the greatest feats known to man. “Yes, yes, yes,” he said, reaching towards Hannah for an embrace. “Welcome to my home away from home, away from home.” He kissed Hannah on each cheek, then embraced her once again as I watched with a curious look. When they released, he switched his attention to me. “And you, Ezra, my handsome star in the making. Come, come,” he ushered me closer to him. “Don’t be shy. You know how I operate now, I am sure of it.”

  I reluctantly embraced him, squirming as he brushed his lips against each one of my cheeks. “So, I am happy that you all made it here. The ride here was smooth, no?” He didn’t give us a chance to respond. “Oh, of course it was! I only hire the best drivers and security detail, so I know that- ” he stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the bandage on my arm. His mouth opened slowly like a whale in the depths of the ocean. His eyes lifted from my bandage until we met mine. “What happened?!” he gasped. “What in the world happened, Ezra?!”

  He lunged for my wrist, but I kept it away from him. Just behind him, Hannah lowered her gaze to the floor as if she were a young child getting ready to be scolded by her parents. “Ezra! For heaven’s sake, let me look! What happened?! You must tell me at once!”

  “I um, I just got into a minor accident.”

  His eyes widened like saucers as he put his hand over his heart. “Accident!? Oh, no, no, no! Automobile?! Please, tell me that you or anybody else weren’t seriously hurt!”

  “No, Leonard, not a car accident. Just a scratch. I was lifting weights this past week, and one of the machines caught a hold of my forearm.”

  “Dear God! You must take the bandage off at once so I can analyze it! We are headed to New Zealand, and you cannot wear long-sleeved shirts in New Zealand! Your arms,” he rubbed my other forearm, “they need to be out in the open!” When he rubbed his hands onto my chest, I was moments away from socking him in the mouth. “And these pecs! Yes, they must see it all! They must get a full view of this body of art! Remove it, Ezra! Remove it at once!”

  “Leonard, it is nothing, really. It’s just a–”

  “Remove it!” he said, stomping his foot on the floor. I glanced at Hannah as she turned her back to our interaction. I exhaled, then unwrapped the bandage as Leonard tapped his foot against the floor with his arms folded across his chest. “Goodness, I hope this is not bad! I hope this is not bad!” Once the bandage was removed, he slid his glasses onto his ears and leaned down to get a closer look. He squinted his eyes together as if he still couldn’t see my scar well enough. After he had got a good enough look, he straightened himself out and removed his glasses.

  Hannah paced the side of the jet, waiting for Leonard to finish his examination. “Did you know about this?” he asked her. When she spun around, I could tell that she was searching for a way to explain the scar on my wrist.

  “I umm–”

  “No, she didn’t,” I said, interrupting her response. Leonard fixed his attention on me again as I continued, “well, I mean, she knew but only because I told her. She was the first person I told that I had been in an accident, so, yeah, she knew… but she wasn’t withholding anything.” He looked between the both of us as if we were siblings, taking up for each other when we were both under the gun.

  He slid his glasses back into his pouch. “Well, I suppose. It is not that bad, though. A little makeup will take care of it,” he looked at the scar again. “Well, maybe a lot of makeup. Anyhow, it is not a deal breaker. You have to be careful, Ezra. You are the star of this movie, and we need that body of yours flawless for the screen.” He looked at Hannah. “And you as well, my dear. You as well. Well, I suppose you two should get comfortable. The flight is 12 hours long, as you both know, but the time generally flies on this aircraft, no pun intended.” He smiled. “I shall see you two when we land. I will be in my room getting some much-needed rest. Enjoy.”

  After he had walked away, Hannah approached me. “I thought that was going to go bad,” she said as she grabbed my hand. “At least it is healing… sort of.” She sighed. I am sorry, Ezra. I am–”

  “You are going to make me go crazy if you apologize one more time, all right, baby? Listen,” I pulled her closer to me, “if I had to do it again and get this same ugly scar on my arm, I would do it without hesitation. My job is to make sure you are safe, and that is something I can’t fail at. I want to make sure you are secure, and I want you to know that if we are together, I will always protect you. Always.” I gently held the sides of her face and pulled her closer to me for a kiss.

  “All right,” she said. “I’ll just let it go.” She took my bandage and rewrapped the scar on my arm. “But, I am taking care of you while we are on this flight and I am not taking ‘no’ for an answer. It is the least I can do. I want you to relax, OK? Deal?” I started to respond, but she cut me off. “OK, deal. So, you take your seat right there,” she pointed to the couch. “Lay down, do whatever you want. Would you like a drink? They have a lot of different wine bottles up here. Chardonnay. Merlot. Pinot Noir.”

  “Merlot is fine.”

  “OK.”

  I sat down on the soft leather couch, and before I could get comfortable, my phone rang. I exhaled, then shook my head as the phone rang in my hand. “What’s wrong?” Hannah asked while she poured the drink into my glass.

  “It’s fucking Tanya. She made good on her threat to keep my boys away from me while we are filming this movie and she won’t stop calling me about it. I told her I was going to get a lawyer, so she is bugging me about random bullshit to keep provoking me. Honestly, I think she is trying to piss me off and then record the conversation so she can say that I am stressed out with shooting the movie, you know? Make it seem like I can’t handle my boys during this time.”

  She walked the drink to the couch and sat down beside me. “Well, you know the lawyer I was telling you about? I mentioned the situation to her and she said she would take the case, but I didn’t hear anything else about it, so I didn’t know which way to take it. Sounds like you need her, though. Do you want me to give her your number?”
/>
  “Yes. Please, that would help out so much. My lawyer is a fucking asshole, and honestly, I think he is fucking Tanya anyway. He does a half-ass job whenever we go to court, and then I always catch them exchanging flirty glances at each other. When I brought it to his attention, he denied it, and Tanya basically did the same thing.”

  “Wow. Fucking your lawyer?”

  “Yeah. I guess she found another way to fuck me.”

  I chuckled as she narrowed her eyes at me. “Hey, hey, don’t give me that look. I was just messing around.”

  “Yeah, yeah, you better be. I know one thing, I am the only one that gets to fuck you, and if that changes, you will have to explain why you no longer have a dick between your legs.”

  “Sex change?”

  “May as well be. You will go from Ezra to… umm… Ezramina.”

  “Ezramina? That’s an ugly ass name.”

  She laughed. “Shut up, Ezra, nobody asked you. You make me sick!”

  I grabbed her and pulled her closer to me, kissing her on the cheek as the pilot walked to the back of the jet. “All right, we are getting ready to take off. If you guys can take a seat and strap in for safety precautions, I would appreciate it. You will be able to move around again in no time.”

  “Sure thing,” I responded.

  We strapped ourselves in, then moments later, the jet began its taxi on the runway. We were finally on our way to New Zealand, and for a guy that had hardly ever gotten out of Hollywood, this was a big step in the right direction.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Hannah

  When we arrived in New Zealand, I could feel the difference in the air. The bluest water sat in the middle of a city with beautiful buildings situated at the base of majestic hills. It was more than I thought it would be, and I could hardly walk without tripping over my own feet because my eyes were glued on everything around me. Ezra put his arm around my shoulder as we strolled through the city. Leonard gave us a couple of days off because they had to get some last-minute things in line for the movie shoot, but he told us to stay out of trouble because this week would be a vigorous one since we were on time constraints.

  “Wow. This place exceeded all of my expectations. This is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen.”

  “What? No. This looks just like New York. It is not as busy as the Big Apple, but it looks similar.”

  “Oh. Well, I’ve never been to New York.”

  “That explains it, then. Don’t get me wrong, this place is beautiful, but I’ve seen things like it before.”

  “Well, don’t rain on my parade!”

  I whipped out my cell phone and snapped pictures like a tourist as we strolled down the busy streets in the heart of the city. We ended up at a spot called Urchin Amber. It was a restaurant in the middle of the city block with seating outside to enjoy the view of the lake that was just across the street. “I want to sit outside, Ezra. Can you go and get the table out here for us? I’ll wait.”

  “Sure, baby. I’ll be right back.”

  I stood on the sidewalk as he went inside the building. Pedestrians rode past me on their bikes, smiling as they cycled down the walkway. Everybody seemed friendly to me, but maybe it was because I made it obvious that I wasn’t from around here. The way I snapped my phone and smiled at everything like a kid in a candy store. The water across the street glimmered like diamonds as the sunlight reflected off its surface. Just then, I received a call from Leonard.

  “Hello, darling. How are you? Are you and Ezra staying out of trouble?”

  “Yes, absolutely. We are just grabbing a bite to eat right now.”

  “Ah, a bite to eat. That is precisely the reason I called you. I wanted to take you out to dinner. Let’s say… tomorrow evening?”

  “Um,” I looked into the restaurant to spot Ezra. I saw him through the window, waiting in line to speak with the hostess. He smiled and waved towards me as I blew him a kiss. “What is this about?” I said, speaking into the phone.

  “Oh, um, I believe that I may have a few more opportunities for you in the future. The near future. Movie roles, you know? I just wanted to speak with you about those possibilities since we will be wrapping up the movie here pretty soon.”

  “Oh! Well, in that case, sure! I don’t mind.”

  “Excellent! I will send for you at the hotel tomorrow, let’s say, around 9-ish?”

  “That is perfect.”

  “Very well. Enjoy yourself and you stay out of trouble. I mean it.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  After I hung up the phone, Ezra walked outside with a waiter. “All right, where would you two like to sit?”

  Ezra looked in my direction, prompting me to lead the way. I glanced around until I found the perfect spot on the other side of a small, wooden picket fence. “Here is fine.” She led us to the table and sat two menus in front of us.

  “Your server will be with you shortly. You two enjoy your stay here in New Zealand and, um, good luck with the movie.” She smiled and held her gaze towards Ezra a little longer than I felt was appropriate.

  I watched her walk away from the table with a curious brow raised in her direction. After she had entered the building, I fixed my gaze upon Ezra. “Um, what was all of that about?”

  He popped his napkin open. “What was all what about?”

  “That. That whole extended look she had given you before she walked away from the table.”

  He laughed it off as he grabbed the menu. “Oh, that was nothing. I mean, I talked to her a little bit when I was inside the restaurant. I told her I was here shooting a movie and I told her a little more about it.” I tilted my head towards him, waiting for more of an explanation of their conversation. “I just told her what movie I was shooting and how long I was going to be here. She seemed like she was really interested in it all, you know? So, I told her, then we came out here, and that’s it. That’s the end of the story.”

  I noticed how he kept saying, “I was shooting a movie,” with no mention of “us.” I wanted to ask him about it, but I didn’t feel there was a need to. Maybe I was looking too deep into things and taking his conversation out of context. She did come off as a friendly young woman, and after a few moments, I convinced myself that I was thinking too much. I had a habit of doing that from time to time, so I figured this was one of them. Finally, I grabbed my menu. “All right,” I said with just enough attitude to keep the conversation open.

  “Babe. Do you really think I would come out here with you and have the nerve to talk to another woman? I haven’t thought about another woman since I met you, and that is the truth. You are the one I’ve been waiting for, and I’m not going to mess it up.” He reached out for my hand and held onto it as we sat at the table. He hadn’t done anything for me not to trust him, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Besides that, he was attractive, and if I were the hostess, I might have stolen a glance or two at him just like she did.

  I looked down at the bandage on his arm. He wouldn’t have gotten in the middle of that altercation if he wasn’t serious about me. That was something that he went out of his way to take care of for me. A scar that would show his love for me for as long as he lived, and for right now, that was enough. I leaned across the table and kissed him on the lips. “All right, you’ve made your case.”

  “Good.” He smiled. “Now, let’s see what this New Zealand food is all about. I hope I don’t get anything that makes me sick. I have a weak stomach.”

  I laughed as I opened the menu. “Well, maybe you should just get a burger or something to be on the safe side.”

  “A burger? I didn’t come all the way to New Zealand for a burger. I came to shoot a movie with that weird ass director. God, that guy gives me the creeps sometimes.”

  “Oh, that reminds me,” I said, placing my menu down on the table. “While you were inside, he called me. He said that he wanted to take me out to dinner tomorrow to discuss the potential for another movie role after this one.”

/>   His brows wrinkled together. “Out to dinner? Like, a date?”

  “No, silly, not a date. More like a business meeting.”

  “Hannah, I don’t trust that guy. I mean, he is a good director and all, but I’ve seen the way he is. His hands sort of roam whenever he hugs you.”

  “Oh, stop it. They do not! And besides, you know he is touchy-feely anyway. I mean, for God’s sake, he damn near raped you when we were on the jet when he was feeling on your chest.” I laughed out loud, but Ezra didn’t crack a smile. “Come on, babe, seriously. Leonard? He is harmless.”

  “He is a creep.”

  “But he is a director and says that he has more opportunities for me in the future. Look, I didn’t grab this role with the intentions of doing one movie and then retiring. I grabbed this role because I figured it would lead to other roles. That’s what we are here for. At least, that’s what I thought. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

  “No, you’re not wrong, but I just don’t trust him. Like, I think he may be trying to pull you into some shady shit. Like, I think he directs porn on the side, and that is what he wants you for.”

  “What?” I laughed. “Please, Ezra, that is sad. If he did have his hand in directing porn, I think that would’ve made some kind of splash by now. I’ve told a lot of people in Hollywood who my director was and nobody said one bad thing about him. Well, if, ‘that guy is an amazing director’ is a bad thing, then I take that back. But seriously, Ezra, you are worrying over nothing.”

  “Nothing?” A cold, hard glare escaped his eyes and pierced my soul as I sat across from him. It was a look that was foreign to me until now. His jawbones gyrated inside of his mouth like he was grinding meat. “So, my girl is going out with a porn director, and she is sitting here telling me that I have nothing to worry about?!” His raised voice attracted the attention of neighboring customers.