Finding Spencer

by Kimberly Knight

  Spencer and I hung out with Ryan and Max while we carved pumpkins and watched the Giants win the World Series. I couldn’t believe that they pulled it off in the end. The playoffs were a tough run for them, but when it came down to it, they won all four games and clinched the title.

  On Halloween, Spencer showed up to my house dressed as a sexy cop. She never ceased to amaze me, and that night, I ate her out while she was handcuffed and tied to my dining room chair. I missed the feel of her hands in my hair, but that night, I made her cum three times in a row.

  For Thanksgiving, we visited her parents down in Los Angeles. I wasn’t nervous about meeting them; I wanted to meet them. The more Spencer wanted me in her life, the better. Each day I still feared that she would run. I couldn’t blame her if she wanted to. I hadn’t heard from Christy since the day at the doctor’s office, and honestly, I didn’t care. She wasn’t asking for money, and that was a good thing.

  While Spencer, her mom and her sister made Thanksgiving dinner, I watched my Dallas Cowboys with her dad and sister’s boyfriend, Chris. I was getting along with all of them, and that just proved more that Spencer was the girl for me. I didn’t care that we had only been dating for almost three months. Three months was the longest relationship I had been in since high school.

  “So Brandon, let’s cut the shit,” Spencer’s dad, Kevin, said when Chris walked out of the room. “Do you love my daughter?”

  I didn’t even need to think before I answered. “Yes, sir, I do love your daughter.”

  “I worry about her being up there in San Francisco.”

  “Sir, you don't need to worry. I won't let anything happen to her.” I meant that. If anything were to ever happen to Spencer, it would crush me.

  “Please, call me Kevin, and I think I trust you. I never met that Travis guy, but from what I heard, he could give two shits about Spencer.”

  “I have met him and I will never treat Spencer the way he treated her. You have my word.”

  “You seem like a really nice guy, but if something happens to my baby girl...let's just say I have friends.”

  We both laughed. If I cheated on Spencer, I would cut off my own dick.

  “Kevin, I love your daughter very much, and hopefully one day we will all be family.”

  “You want to marry my daughter? It’s my understanding you have only been dating a few months.”

  “I do want to marry her, but I know it is too soon. But I don’t see my future without her in it. She is like my rock. She is smart, funny, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, a good dancer...”

  “Brandon, you don’t need to get all girly on me. I get it. But you have been warned. Now let’s go see why it’s taking Chris so long with those beers.”

  *~*~*

  When we arrived back to San Francisco the following Monday, I got a call from Paul that we needed to head to Seattle to sign all the papers and get the keys for the gym. I didn’t want to leave Spencer, but it would only be for one night, and Jason and I had worked hard to get this deal to work—and paid a pretty penny for it, too.

  Spencer was moving stuff into my condo slowly, and by Christmas, I wanted her to live with me. We stayed every night together, but I wanted it official. I didn’t want to have to tiptoe around Ryan anymore. I wanted Spencer to call China Basin home. Granted, I had stuff stored at Spencer’s house, too, but I just wanted all of our stuff together and in my condo.

  Just like the time before, Spencer made my night with her unforgettable before I left for Seattle. I hated leaving, but at the same time, it was nice to see how she would please me, acting like she needed to or I would find someone else. Never would that happen.

  When Jason and I landed in Seattle, we headed straight to the gym and met with the owner’s real estate guy. After we signed the papers and got the keys, Jason and I had a meeting with the club manager and employees. Everyone was still employed, the gym was still open, and it was just going bankrupt. Jason and I planned to fix that.

  We kept all the employees and told them that slowly things would be changing. We planned to launch Club 24 officially January 1st and would do the name change and everything then. We weren’t ready to extend the hours of the gym until Ben came in with his team and renovated it completely. His team would work nights, flipping the gym while it was closed and change it into the vision that Jason and I had.

  The gym would be just like all of our other ones. It would be a one-stop shop, a place where we wanted people to spend their day at—not just come for an hour and leave. It was like a bar; the longer people stayed, the more money they would spend.

  Just before Jason and I were about to head to dinner, my girl called.

  “Hey, Baby,” I answered.

  “Hey…”

  “What’s wrong?”

  I could hear that something was wrong just by her tone.

  “I have something to tell you,” she sighed.

  I started to freak a little. Was she leaving me? Had she finally had enough and didn’t want to help me raise a baby? I was over eight hundred miles away from her and couldn’t fix whatever she needed to tell me.

  “Okay?”

  “In Vegas, Ryan and I met these two guys…” I was wrong, the girls did hook-up with guys in Vegas—and it wasn’t me. “Nothing happened besides we gave them fake names and danced with them Saturday night before we ran into you in the High Roller room.” I let out a sigh while she continued. I wasn’t wrong. “Anyway, we thought that was that, but the last time you were in Seattle, I ran into the guy, Trevor, at MoMo’s. He said he was there on business and still called me by my fake name. Max showed up that night, if you remember, and we got him to pretend that he was Ryan’s brother and we left. Well…now that you’re in Seattle again, the same guy showed up—this time in the parking lot of Club 24.”

  “What?” I yelled, causing Jason to jump.

  “I asked him again about being in San Francisco; he said that he transferred for his job and is now living here.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked. I was trying to keep calm and not freak her out more, but something didn’t sit right with me, and the fact that she was freaked out made me more worried.

  “Yeah, I didn’t stick around to find out why or anything. I told him I had to catch the bus, and he offered me a ride, but I ran off after telling him no and that I had a boyfriend.”

  “I don’t want you to go to the gym without someone else from now on. I’ll find out his name and revoke his membership.”

  “See, that’s the thing. I watched him after I got on the bus, and he didn’t go inside. He drove off. It was like he was waiting for me.”

  My breath caught. I promised Spencer’s father that I would take care of her, and now some guy was stalking her and I couldn’t do anything because I was miles away. “I’ll talk to Jason and we’ll hire security,” I said, looking over at him. His eyebrows crunched up, asking me silently what the hell was going on. I shook my head as if to indicate I would tell him when I got off the phone. “Are you okay? Where are you now?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m home, and Ryan called Max. He is going to stay the night here.”

  “Good. If for whatever reason that happens again—which it better not—go back inside and get Jay or Luke to help you.”

  “I will. Did everything go okay with the gym up there?” Spencer asked.

  We talked about the gym, and by the time we were done, I think we were both more relaxed about the stalker. Monday I would review the security cameras and get a look at this asshole.

  *~*~*

  “I don’t like this,” I said to Jason on the plane home.

  “I don’t either. Becca goes alone all the time.”

  “I know… Fuck!”

  “We need security.”

  “I know and tonight.”

  “Let’s just go to dinner when we get home and go in tomorrow to check everything out. No sense in ruining our night.”

  Jason was right. There was nothing we cou
ld do tonight. We couldn’t hire people—well, we probably could, but we had plans to go out with our girls and celebrate finally getting the keys to Seattle.

  “Alright, but tomorrow, meet me there early. I want to review the security cameras.”

  “Me too.”

  We landed at SFO, and after I switched my phone from airplane mode, a text from Spencer came through:

  Spencer: Hey Baby, I'm almost to your place. I left my dress there so you need to pick me up at your condo. Miss you.

  Brandon: I miss you, too. Just landed, we should be there in about 45 minutes and then we will go to pick up Becca. Be safe and lock the door!

  I didn’t know if the guy from the night before was still following Spencer, but I didn’t want anything to happen to her. I hated that she had to ride the bus, but it was easier for her. I was going to change that, though. I wanted to do everything possible to keep her safe.

  After getting Jason’s car out of the parking lot, we were on our way to pick Spencer up at my condo for dinner. I couldn’t wait to see her. Since she told me she needed to go to my place to get her dress—the dress I loved—the dress that could make me stare at her rock hard all night, I couldn’t wait to see her.

  We maneuvered in traffic, making our way to China Basin. As we got closer, fire trucks, ambulances, and cop cars sped past us, causing us to pull over. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and when I pulled it out, I saw Spencer’s face on the screen, and a smile spread across my face.

  “Let me guess…”

  “Yeah, Spencer,” I said, laughing. I guess I had a tell; every time she called, I smiled. “Hey Baby, Jason and I are just down the street. There is some commotion with cops and fire trucks, so we are stopped in traffic to let them pass,” I said, answering my phone.

  “Bra...andon…” her voice cracked. My heart stopped.

  “Spencer, what’s wrong? You never use my name.”

  “I… I think… I think I killed your baby.” I could hear her crying into the phone. My heart broke. We weren’t far from my condo, and I wanted Jason to drive through everyone. My girl needed me. My baby needed me.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Christy broke in…”

  “She what? Stay there, I am almost there. Christy broke into my place. I gotta go!” I opened the passenger side door, and I was running. Running faster than I’d ever run in my life. “Baby, I am literally like a block away. Are you hurt?”

  “No.”

  “Where is Christy?”

  “She is lying on the floor not moving; there is blood everywhere.”

  “Stay with me on the phone, Baby. Just keep talking to me until I get there.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  My legs couldn’t carry me fast enough. I could hear Spencer crying into the phone. People walked along the street, getting off the Train, walking home from work, walking to dinner—it seemed that they were everywhere.

  As I neared my condo, I saw the fire trucks, ambulances and cop cars that had passed me and Jason only a few minutes before. My heart was pounding in my chest.

  “I gotta go…”

  “No, I’m almost there. I’m in the elevator.” I panted, trying to catch my breath.

  “A paramedic wants to speak with me,” she said.

  “Okay.” I hung up with Spencer, pressing the number to my floor repeatedly. It felt like hours before it finally reached my floor.

  Nothing looked skewed. My door wasn’t broken in, no wood was shattered, no glass, nothing. Once I ran through the threshold and saw Christy laying at the bottom of my stairs, covered in blood, everything came crashing down.

  Christy had broken in. She had obviously tried to hurt Spencer, and Spencer…I looked up the stairs, my eyes locking with the brown eyes I dreamed about, and then my feet were moving, taking two at a time to her. I needed to wrap her in my arms and never let go.

  “Thank God you’re okay. Tell me what happened,” I said as I wrapped her in my arms.

  “I got out of the shower, and I heard her come in. I thought it was you anyway. I thought Jason was with you too, so I quickly put on my jeans and t-shirt to tell you two that I needed more time and I wasn’t ready for dinner. When I came out of the bedroom, I saw her walking up the stairs.”

  I noticed then that Spencer’s hair was still wet and she was in her jeans and t-shirt instead of her dress that she had come back to my condo for.

  “How did she get in? The door looks fine.”

  “She had a key.”

  “What?”

  Before Spencer could finish, a police officer walked up the stairs to talk to her. Jason walked in and walked up the stairs as Spencer began to tell the officer what had happened.

  “I came out of the bedroom, and I saw her walking up the stairs. I asked her what she was doing here, and she said she wanted to talk.”

  “Do you know who she is?” the police officer asked.

  “Yes. She’s Brandon’s ex.” She pointed to me. “And father of her baby.”

  “She’s pregnant?” the police officer asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And she wasn’t supposed to be here?”

  “No, Brandon lives here,” she said.

  “We broke up months ago. I haven’t heard from her in about two months. I don’t know how she got in,” I said.

  “She had a key,” Spencer said. “And I’ve heard from her.”

  “You have?” I asked.

  “She’s been texting me.”

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” I questioned.

  “Because it was stupid…or so I thought. Her last one said “Are you ready?” I don’t even know what that means. I’ve never texted her back, besides the time you did from my phone on my birthday.”

  “Baby…” I said, bringing her closer to me.

  How did Christy get a key? I never gave her a key. How did she think she was going to get away with hurting Spencer?

  So many thoughts crossed through my head as I listened to Spencer talk to the cop and tell him what happened.

  Pulled a knife. Was going to kill her. They went round and round right where we were sitting. She had been planning it for weeks. Dispose of Spencer’s body. She said she had help. Christy fell down the stairs, her own knife stabbing her in the stomach…where my baby was.

  *~*~*

  It was like I was living my own episode of Law and Order, but as we drove to the hospital, I counted my lucky stars because Spencer had survived. We were still winning the war. The war that Christy wouldn’t give up on.

  I couldn’t believe that Spencer wanted to go to the hospital. I knew she didn’t, but she was doing it for me. For my baby.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I asked, holding her hand tight as we drove.

  “Yeah, everyone will be there. I want to be there.”

  “I love you so much, Spencer. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault. Christy needs help. Now, hopefully she will get help.”

  When we arrived at the hospital, I checked in with the Emergency Room and was told to wait until a doctor could give us an update on how Christy and my baby were doing.

  We waited and waited. Jason and Becca arrived. followed by Ryan and Max. Spencer recounted the horrific event as Becca and Ryan gasped several times. Everyone hugged her numerous times, just thankful she wasn’t hurt. I never let go of her hand. I couldn’t. I had flashes in my head of Spencer lying in the puddle of blood and not Christy. If things would have been different, I would probably be on the hunt for Christy to kill her. I didn’t care if she was pregnant. I wasn’t thinking clearly anyway.

  I didn’t know how Spencer was still being strong. Maybe she was still in shock. I was. I wouldn’t let her see how much I was shook up over the ordeal because I didn’t want her to lose it, especially in public. I had to be her rock. I fucked up and didn’t protect her, and I just needed to be strong for her.

  Finally, after waiting several hours, a doctor came out to talk to us. H
e was reluctant to talk to me because we weren't family of Christy’s, but I only had one question for him.

  “How is the baby, doctor?” I asked.

  “Baby?” The doctor paused and checked his chart. “I'm sorry—I can't give you any information. You will need to speak with Ms. Adams regarding that.”

  I turned to Spencer, raising my eyebrows. Why did the doctor question me about my baby? I turned my head back to the doctor. “Please Dr. Ames, just tell me if my baby is okay,” I pleaded. I needed to know.

  “Sir, I wish I could tell you more; however, due to patient-doctor confidentiality, I am not able to give you any information. You’ll need to speak with Ms. Adams.”

  “Well, when can we see her?” I asked.

  “Visiting hours are almost over for the night, and Ms. Adams is in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit. She will not be able to have visitors until tomorrow at eight a.m.”

  We thanked the doctor and turned to our friends who were sitting behind us.

  “How much you want to bet that she’s been faking the pregnancy all along?” Jason said.

  When we left the hospital and went to Spencer’s, she finally started to break down. She was quiet, barely ate the pizza we ordered, and then was too out of it to get undressed for bed. I helped her change into her pajamas and held her tight while we both tried to sleep, thankful I didn’t lose her.

  The next morning we arrived at the hospital a little before eight o'clock. I asked the Nurse's Station what room Christy was in, and when we finally found Christy's room, we saw a nurse exit and close the door behind her. I slowly opened the door as I held onto Spencer’s hand. I needed her with me, step by step. If Christy lost the baby, I could move on with my life. Move on with Spencer. But if she was still pregnant, I didn’t know if she would give birth in prison. Where had I gone wrong?

  We walked into the room; the bed curtain was around the first bed. I peeked in and then turned to Spencer and shook my head, indicating that it wasn't Christy. We walked a little towards the second bed that didn't have a bed curtain around it. Christy was lying there with her eyes closed, sleeping. Spencer grabbed the medical chart at the end of the bed and scanned it quickly, trying to hurry before the nurse returned.