Eli has come to terms that he and I will never happen, unless our relationship remains solely focused on the friendship aspect of things. Things between him and Reid are still a little tense, but I can see that they are both trying. Eli has promised to come to our place — still getting used to that — for dinner once he is out of here. After a daylong surgery, both of Eli’s knees were replaced, and he’s well on the road to recovery.
Things with Reid and I are far better than great. After we got checked out at the hospital that night, our wounds properly attended to, we went home and had a long talk. I told Reid everything he needed to know about my life, starting with my childhood. I shouldn’t have been surprised when he told me he knew my true identity and who my parents were, but to hear him confirm it was shocking. What he didn’t know were the small, intimate details. It took a while to hash the story out, considering there were years I had to tell, and I had to stop every so often because I couldn’t stop crying.
Things were rocky a couple of weeks ago, when I asked Robert for a DNA test, and what I hoped was a lie was actually the truth. Heidi did one thing right, something neither of my parents did, and that was telling me the truth. After talking about it with Reid, things from my childhood started to make sense. Like why my parents couldn’t stand each other, why my father was as hard on me as he was, and why they avoided me, and each other, like a plague. I am the child they never wanted. Though I already knew that.
The biggest step I took, with Dr. Uria and Reid’s encouragement, was that I went to the prison. I sat down, with Reid by my side, and told my father to his face everything I have ever wanted to say. Jared said nothing, and when I was finished, he stood up and just walked away. Since then, I haven’t been plagued with nightmares. The police finally finished up with their investigation, and my childhood home was no longer a crime scene. It’s up on the market now, and I am counting down the days until it is nothing more than a distant memory. A piece of my past.
“Hey, so Reid came and talked to me the other day,” Eli says, cutting into my thoughts. I stare at him and wait for him to elaborate. Reid never mentioned anything about coming to see him. I am going to have to talk to him when I get home. “I guess congratulations are in order.”
“Hmm, what?”
“The two of you are getting hitched, aren’t you?” Eli asks. His voice is soft, but carries a tone of hurt underneath it.
“Oh yeah,” I whisper. That’s the biggest change in my life. I’m getting married. Reid asked me last night. He left work early yesterday, and when I got home, all the lights were off inside. A trail of rose petals and candles greeted me at the front door and led me out to the balcony, where he had a four string quartet softly playing and a candlelight dinner waiting for me. Before I could say anything, he kneeled down on one knee, gave me some long speech that I can barely remember because I was so focused on the man himself, and then he asked me to marry him.
“Can I see the ring?” I nod and pull the ring out of the front of my pants pocket where I placed it before coming into the hospital. I slip it onto my finger and hold my hand out for Eli to see. “At least he knows how to pick a diamond out. That thing is a rock!” I smile at Eli and lean down to give him a hug.
A soft knock raps across the door, and I turn my head to see Reid standing in the doorway. “You ready to go, sweetheart?” I nod to him and squeeze Eli one more time. “I hear you’re getting out of this hell hole next week. Let me know when you’re up for that round of golf you promised.”
I glance between the two men who hold my heart and smile. “You got it,” Eli says. I smile at Reid as I walk towards him. He winks at me and holds his hand out to me.
“See you later, Eli.” I wave over my shoulder.
“See you later, little rabbit.”
After we reach the car in the parking lot, I peek over at Reid and smile. “Rumor has it that you came to see Eli the other day… what gives?”
Reid moves his hands off the steering wheel and shifts in his seat so he is facing me. “The truth?” I nod my head. “I came to ask him if it was okay if I asked for your hand in marriage.”
Tears brim my eyes. I lean over the center console and pull him into a kiss. “You…” Another kiss, “Are…” kiss… “Perfect.”
Reid chuckles and plants a soft kiss on my lips. “I know.”
He starts the car, puts it in reverse, and slowly backs out of the parking space. We reach the house in no time, and I head inside to start dinner. I glance through the pantry and refrigerator and decide to make spaghetti. Reid pulls open his bag and pulls out his laptop. As I start prepping dinner, I glance over at Reid and smile as he clicks away on the keyboard. Just as I get the sauce going, Reid’s phone starts to ring, and he steps out onto the patio to answer it. At first, it used to bug the hell out of me when he stepped out of the room, but now I have grown accustomed to it. Especially since I know that if I was to walk outside, I wouldn’t be forced back inside. I can listen in if I want to, but the moment I leave the office, I like to leave work behind.
Everything between us has settled into a bit of a routine now. Reid returns to the kitchen just as I’m dishing up the plates and pulling the garlic bread out of the oven. We eat dinner, talk, and then make our way upstairs. We share a shower before crawling into bed and watching horror movies. I’m no longer ashamed when he sees or touches my scar, especially now that he has one similar to mine. Although, I still haven’t been able to see it without the guilty feeling that it’s my fault. I try to avoid looking at it as much as I can. Not because I find it unattractive, but the weight of guilt is overbearing. Eventually I will overcome that, but in the meantime, I will keep loving the man next to me in bed.
Sometime during the movie, I drift off to sleep, something I am no longer afraid of. None of my nightmares haunt me any longer, as they are now a thing of the past. I jump awake when I hear the doorbell ringing in the middle of the night. I glance at the clock glowing in the dark on the night stand and see that it is a quarter past two in the morning. I have no idea who would be ringing the doorbell at this time of night. The bell rings again, and I glance over at Reid, who is sound asleep. The poor guy has been working hard over the last few weeks. When the doorbell rings again and Reid doesn’t make any indication that he is getting up, I quietly slip out of bed, pull on my robe, and head down stairs.
I can see the shadow of a tall man standing in front of the door as I approach it. I flick on the porch light. Slowly, I tiptoe to the door and peek outside to see a man I don’t recognize. I should go back and wake up Reid, but the man seems harmless enough, so I open the door. “Can I help you?” I ask softly.
The man jumps and turns to stare at me. My face meets a set of broad shoulders and I glance up into a pair of brown eyes. He removes the battered hat off the top of his head and reveals a headful of dark blond hair. “Oh sorry,” he says deeply, “I think I have the wrong house. Is this Reid Harder’s house?”
“It is.”
“And who are you?” The man tilts his head to the side and raises an eyebrow.
“I don’t see how th—” The man barrels past me and leaves me standing by the front door in complete disbelief.
“Reid!” he bellows out.
“Excuse me, but I think you should wait outside until I get him.”
The man laughs and spins on his heels to look at me. “Nonsense. Just go tell him Marco Rodriguez is here to see him.” My feet stay planted to the floor, unwilling to move, and I’m not sure what to do. “It’s okay… I mean no harm. Now, hurry along and go wake him.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“REID!” I NUDGE HIM on the arm. Reid stirs in the bed and doesn’t respond. I shake his arm a bit harder, and he slightly opens his arms.
“Liza?” His voice is groggy. “What are you doing? Get back into bed.”
“I wish I could, but some guy downstairs is eager to see you. He came barging in the front door and insisted on me telling you that Marco Rodriguez is
here.”
Instantly, Reid jumps out of bed. He is wide awake now. “Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place?” He rushes past me in nothing but his plaid pajama pants.
“I just did,” I whisper. What the hell? I make my way downstairs to find out what is going on and who exactly this man is that came barging into my house in the middle of the night. When I reach the foyer, I discover that it is empty. I can hear voices coming from the kitchen and follow them into there.
Reid is standing across from the stranger, who is sitting on a bar stool and sipping on a beer. The two of them are in a deep conversation when I walk into the room, and I clear my throat. They stop talking, turn their attention on me, and for the first time, I get a clear look at the man. He’s handsome in a rugged, manly kind of way. His features are soft and kind, and his eyes seem to have a trace of green mixed into them. He’s taller than Reid and has a bigger build. I have no doubt in my mind if these two were to start knocking fists around this very second that he would overpower Reid in a heartbeat. My eyes flicker over to the knives along the back of the counter near the stove. If I am quick, I can make it over there before he can stop me. I laugh silently at being so absurd. It’s obvious they aren’t going to fight, and in fact, I can see they are good friends.
“Marco,” Reid says, “I would like to introduce you to my fiancé, Liza.” Reid walks towards me and wraps an arm around my waist.
“Fiancé?” The man seems slightly confused for a moment before a beautiful smile crosses over his face. “Hell, congratulations, man.” He walks over towards us and pats Reid on the shoulder. “Sorry about earlier; I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay.” Reid squeezes me tightly. Marco heads back over to the stool and sits back down. As Reid begins to lead me to a stool across the bar from his friend, I lean in and whisper to him. “Is everything alright?”
“We’re about to find out,” he whispers back. I take a seat across from the man and watch as he takes a sip of his beer. Reid stands behind me, his body pressing against mine, and his chin resting on top of my head.
“Wow, I seriously can’t believe what I am seeing here.” The man laughs and takes another sip of the beer before placing it down on the countertop. “Reid Harder is finally settling down.”
“Cut to the chase, Marco. Why are you here? At two in the morning?” I can feel Reid slightly tense behind me. I debate asking him if I should leave the two of them to some privacy, but curiosity wins, and I stay planted firmly in my seat.
“It isn’t good.” Marco sighs. “I lost him.” The hand Reid is using to rub my arm stops and digs into my skin. I don’t know if he realizes he is squeezing me or not, so I just bite my lip and say nothing to him. “I fucking lost him, man.”
Reid releases my arm and rounds the breakfast bar. I’ve seen this look in his eyes before, the one filled with anger, and one I haven’t seen in a long time. It’s more intense than I have ever seen it, like a storm is dancing in his pupils, and I start to wonder if grabbing a knife just might be necessary. Reid stops just in front of the man, his face inches away from him, and his breathing is shallow. I squirm in my seat, worry and fear begin to fill me as I wait to see what might happen next. After a few seconds, Reid takes a deep breath and a few steps back, allowing some room between the two of them.
“Where? Tell me what happened,” Reid says. His voice is hoarse. He glances at me, and I see a glimpse of fear flash in his eyes. What in the world is going on? Who did this Marco man lose and why was he following him for Reid in the first place?
“We were in Russia, man,” Marco says. “I had been following him in and out of bars and clubs for four days straight, never stopping to get any rest. I think he was on drugs at the rate he was going. He was plowing through drinks and women as if it didn’t faze him. He was chatting up some escort in a bar, and I figured I would be okay if I used the bathroom. I was gone for less than five minutes, and when I came back out, he was gone. Poof! He vanished into thin air.”
“What were you thinking?” Reid shouts. He begins to pace across the kitchen, and all I can do is sit and try to figure out what the hell is going on.
“I wasn’t, man,” Marco admits. “He must have finally caught on that I had been following him the past few weeks and disappeared the first chance he got.”
Reid stops pacing, quickly looks at me, before turning his attention back to Marco. “Do you have any idea where he is? Or where he is going?”
“I have reason to believe he hopped back on a flight to the States using an alias. I’m still trying to figure out where he came in at and where he is going.”
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Reid says loudly. “This isn’t any fucking good.”
“You think I don’t realize that?”
I can’t take being silent anymore and finally muster up the courage to speak. “What the hell is going on?” Reid stops walking around the room and stares at me. “Is anyone willing to clue me in on what is going on?”
“You haven’t told her yet?” Marco asks Reid, who shakes his head. “Shit, man. You need to tell her. I’m going to leave you two alone and grab some shuteye. One of the guest rooms, okay?” Reid nods his head and Marco leaves the kitchen.
He glances at me before stomping towards the refrigerator. He yanks open the door, pulls out a beer, and slams the door closed. Reid pops off the top of the beer and takes a big gulp of it before walking towards me and placing it down on the breakfast bar. “We need to talk.”
“I would say so.” I laugh softly, trying to make light of the situation. On the outside, I seem calm and collected. Like nothing that’s been said in the past few minutes is doing anything to me. On the inside, my head is spinning with confusion and a hundred and one questions I want to ask.
“Marco is a friend of mine,” he pauses and takes a sip of his beer, “He’s ex-Special Ops. The best there is and he’s been keeping an eye on someone for me.” Who? I say nothing and wait as Reid takes another gulp of his beer. “The person he has been watching is my brother. He’s been watching him, because he is a dangerous man caught up in some dangerous business. Business that my moth—” The landline begins to ring and interrupts Reid for a moment. Neither of us move to answer it. “Look, he’s dangerous. That’s all you need to know for now. Okay? Let’s go back to bed, and I will tell you everything tomorrow, but for now, let’s just leave it at that.”
I want to protest. I want to demand that he tells me everything I need and want to know right then and there. Instead, I get up off my chair and wrap my arms around Reid. He presses a kiss against my forehead and holds me close to him. “Sounds like a plan to me,” I finally say.
Reid stands up, walks towards the sink where the hidden recycling bin is, and pounds down the rest of his drink before tossing it in with the rest. The glass bottle clinks against the rest of the bottles and echoes throughout the kitchen. Reid takes my hand and begins to lead me out of the kitchen when the phone starts to ring again. “Maybe you should answer that.”
Reid shakes his head, “Nah, let the answering machine get it. I mean, who calls phone lines anymore these days anyways? Whoever it is clearly hasn’t heard of a cell phone before.”
I laugh, and he pulls me into his side. As I flip off the light, the answering machine clicks on with the standard greeting. When the robotic voice stops talking and beeps, a haunting voice plays out through the speaker. “Silly brother.”
Reid stops and tenses next to me. We are frozen in place as we listen to the rest of the message. “You really didn’t think you could get rid of me forever, did you? What a shame. You clearly don’t know me as well you think you do. You don’t think I didn’t notice the man you’ve had following me? What a joke he is! He stuck out like a sore thumb. Here’s a little advice for you, baby brother. Don’t play in the big leagues if you can’t keep up. In the meantime, while you are awaiting my arrival, don’t let that pretty woman of yours out of your sight. You never know what is going to happen to her
if you do. Oh! Before I go, I should tell you that our mother says hello and that she can’t wait to have both of her boys under the same roof again. I’ll be coming for you when you least expect it, and when I do… you will have hell to pay.”
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If I Say Yes (Say Something #1) Page 21
