Forget Me Not (Remember Me Series)

by M. G. Morgan

  The operator picked up, her cheerful voice demanding to know what my emergency was. I barked out orders, demanding the police and an ambulance. If I had been different I might have felt sorry for the woman on the other end of the line. But I wasn’t different, I wasn’t soft and I didn’t care if I hurt her feelings or not.

  Hanging up I pushed the phone back into my pocket as I started to stand. Stacey simply fell across Thomas’ body, her voice high and breathy as she pleaded with him to stay with her.

  “Please, Thomas, baby, I’m sorry… I’m so so sorry.”

  Her words caught my attention and I dragged her to her feet. She fought me, struggling to escape my iron grip but I refused to let her go.

  “Why are you sorry? What happened? What did you do?”

  She sobbed loudly and slapped at my body.

  “Let me go, let me be with him, he needs me, he needs to know I’m here with him.”

  I shook her violently, her small head bobbing around on her delicate neck as she fought to breathe, cry and escape all at once. But I couldn’t let her go, I needed the truth. Thomas was my one chance to get to Bella, if he died then all hope was lost… And if Stacey was the cause of it, then I wasn’t sure what I would do.

  “For god’s sake, let her go.”

  A tall man strode up to my side, he grabbed my arm in an attempt to pull my grip from Stacey. I held on, with all the strength and determination of a dog with a bone.

  “This is not your business, butt out.”

  I snarled, still holding Stacey. I tried to move away, tried to take her somewhere more private so I could question her about what happened. I needed to know. Was Christopher back? Were we closing in on him and so he felt the need to come back and try and silence us?

  “My business? When you have your hands all over my sister, this is very much my business.” The other man’s tone had dropped to a cold, furious, whisper.

  When he grabbed at me again, I released Stacey suddenly and turned into him, using my body to knock him off balance. He tried to defend himself, tried to duck out of the way but I was faster, angrier and I used it to my advantage. I jabbed my fist upwards connecting with his jaw. It sent him sprawling back on the grass.

  “Will!”

  Stacey cried out, her voice so full of distress it was practically unrecognisable. I didn’t wait around to see if he got back up. Holding her arm in my vice like grip I towed her away from the scene, the sound of sirens splitting the air.

  No one tried to stop me, they seemed too stunned to move or even do anything else except stand around in shocked silence. I dragged Stacey, her stockinged feet sliding across the tile. We reached the living room before anyone had a chance to intercept us.

  I pushed her down onto the couch and went back to close the door.

  “Aidan, I don’t understand, why are you doing this? You were Thomas’ friend? I need to go back to him.”

  “No.”

  My voice was cold, clipped and filled with authority. She instantly froze, her sobs half formed in her throat. She shook her head, as though she didn’t understand me, and maybe she didn’t. To everyone else I was probably behaving like a lunatic. But it had to be this way. If I could cut myself off, force myself not to feel anything, then I would find Bella. I would get her back.

  “Aidan, I don’t understand, you have to let me go back to Thomas.”

  She stood and flung herself at the door but I stood in her way. She beat her fists against my chest but it may as well have been a child doing it. I had no intention of letting her out until I had every last detail.

  “I need you to tell me what happened?”

  She shook her head and sobbed.

  “I don’t know. I need to see Thomas.”

  I grabbed her roughly by the arms and shook her gently.

  “Stacey, you need to tell me what happened. You need to tell me how Thomas ended up like that… You have to help me find out who did this?”

  That seemed to get through to her and she nodded slowly.

  “I don’t really know. I went to the bathroom and then there was someone there with me. He told me he was planning a surprise for Thomas and then he gagged me, covered my eyes…”

  She hiccuped and sobbed. I watched as she covered her face with her hands and struggled to get her emotions under control. And for the first time in a long time I felt a twinge of guilt over what I was doing. She loved Thomas as much as I loved Bella. And I was keeping her away from him in what could be his final moments…

  I squashed the emotion as far down inside myself as I could. I couldn’t let it get in the way, it would be a mistake.

  “Next thing I knew I was up in the honeymoon suite on the bed. Thomas burst in and there was a fight. He tried to fight him off but Thomas isn’t like that, he doesn’t like violence… And then…”

  She paused again, her eyes widening and I knew she was reliving the moment. It would stay with her for ever and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

  “And then?”

  I prompted her along, I had to get as much information out of her before the cops came in and ruined everything.

  “Thomas stood up, he was right in front of the window… And then he was gone, he just pushed him out the window. He disappeared out the window… I can’t get his face out of my head… The look of surprise on his face and then nothing…”

  She broke down completely and I knew I wouldn’t get anything else from her. She collapsed against me, her face buried in against my chest. I had no choice but to hold her, it was either that or let her slide to the floor.

  The door swung open violently and her brother strode into the room. I could see the bruise that was beginning to swell on his jaw, the place where I had hit him.

  I didn’t try and stop him as he drew back full force and punched me. If I was him I’d have done the same, I was a jerk after all. The blow knocked me backwards onto the couch and he came after me. Stacey was in a heap on the floor, her crying reminding me of someone who was broken. And maybe she was.

  “You leave her the hell alone. Do you hear me?” He wrapped his hands into my shirt, ripping some of the buttons free and tearing it at the seams. I didn’t fight him, I had what I’d come for.

  “Will, leave him, he just wanted to know what happened, he wants to find who did this.”

  Stacey spoke up from her place on the floor. Instantly Will released me and turned to his sister. I watched as he gathered her up into his arms and carried her from the room. He was a good man, probably always wanting to do the right thing by everyone. People like that couldn’t survive in my world, people like Christopher would simply chew them up and spit them back out.

  All I could hope was that when I found Bella, she would be able to forgive me for what I’d become. I could only hope she would love the monster I now was… For her.

  The hospital corridor was practically empty as I sat and waited for news on Thomas. His family sat at the opposite end and I wasn’t welcome, not after my earlier display. None of them truly understood what I had been doing with Thomas anyway. He hadn’t ever shared it, and the little he had shared with people didn’t explain why he needed such an asshole hanging around.

  Burying my face in my hands I contemplated going for another cup of coffee, the stuff was more like tar but at least it was something to do. Hospital was the worst place on earth to end up. I’d always hoped that when my time came it wouldn’t involve lying in a hospital bed.

  The sound of shoes hitting the vinyl flooring drew my attention upwards. Will strode towards me, a look of distaste and something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, etched across his features. He stopped in front of me and I waited for him to speak. He was probably going to tell me that I had to leave, that I wasn’t welcome there… But I didn’t care what any of them thought. Thomas would want me there and if I got the opportunity then I was going in to see him. No one knew if he would make it and I wasn’t going to take any chances or miss any opportunities.

>   “No one is happy about you being here.”

  Will finally spoke, confirming my suspicions. I smiled up at him, but it wasn’t a friendly look.

  “And I suppose you’re here to tell me to get lost? Sorry to disappoint you but I ain’t going anywhere.”

  “No I’m not here to tell you anything of the sort.”

  It wasn’t the answer I’d expected and he caught me off guard. But I wasn’t going to let him know that.

  “Oh? Well if you don’t mind then, I’d rather not have the company.”

  Will let out a frustrated sigh and scrubbed his hand across his jaw.

  “Do you really have to be like this? Do you have to be an asshole?”

  I shrugged and went back to staring at my shoes. I didn’t want to talk to him, he pissed me off. He was a goodie goodie and I couldn’t stand it. Perhaps a part of me was a little jealous. There was a time when I had been good… There was a time when I had believed in black and white, right and wrong. Now my life was nothing but one big grey blur and it all revolved around Bella.

  “We need to talk, Aidan.”

  Something in the tone of his voice made me look at him. It was the same something I had seen in his face as he walked down the hall. But I couldn’t read him, I had no idea what it meant and why it had to do with me.

  “Do we?”

  “I’d say so. I know you’re looking for Thomas’ half brother. Christopher St James.”

  To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I could feel my mouth hanging open. I knew it was open, I knew I probably looked like some slack jawed idiot but I didn’t care. How the hell did he know I was looking for Christopher? What did he know? What had Thomas told him?

  “What do you know?”

  “I know where to find him. But you have to let me help.”

  I shook my head.

  “No way. You tell me and I deal with this bastard on my own. I’m not letting anyone else get involved.”

  “You don’t have a choice. If you don’t let me in, then I’m not telling you anything… I know how much this means to you, and if I were you, I’d take my offer.”

  I stood, squaring up against him. I jabbed my index finger in against his chest, enunciating each word.

  “You don’t know anything, the simple fact that you are standing here trying to persuade me to let you help me, shows how little you truly know. If you knew anything at all you’d tell me what I need to know and let me get on with it.”

  “I know he took your girlfriend. I know that’s why you’ve been helping Thomas. I have a stake in that company and I’m not willing to let Christopher run it into the ground from underneath me.”

  My anger boiled over and I grabbed him by the front of his shirt, balling my hands into fists, I tugged him in closer to my body. Our faces practically touched as I gritted the words out between my teeth.

  “I don’t care about your godforsaken company. I don’t care if it crashes and burns and you’re left with nothing. All I care about is the woman I love. All I care about is getting her back, holding her in my arms and hoping that he hasn’t done too much damage.”

  Will’s face was perfectly calm as he pushed me away.

  “You’re not the only one with someone you love in danger because of Christopher.”

  “Stacey will be fine. He’s not going to bother with her, not now that Thomas is in hospital in a coma.”

  “I’m not talking about my sister. I’m talking about the woman I came back for. She works for the company that Christopher has been stealing the money from.”

  “So?”

  Will sighed and sat down on the bench seats. He dropped his head into his hands and I watched as he seemed to take a few minutes to gather his thoughts. When he finally looked back up at me he looked older, more serious and far more capable of dealing with Christopher than he had earlier.

  “She’s in charge of the accounts. Thomas set up a fake merger in an attempt to have her go over everything. She’s brilliant at what she does, and if anyone was going to find out where Christopher was leaking the money then Paige would.”

  I dropped into the seat beside him. I could hear the admiration in his voice, but that wasn’t what drew all the anger from me. It was the glimmer of love for her that flickered in his eyes as he spoke about her. She meant something to him, she was important and he would do anything to keep her safe. It also meant that if I didn’t let him help he would be a giant pain in my ass… He may even become a liability if I didn’t let him get his hands dirty.

  “Let me guess, she found something?”

  I couldn’t keep the tiredness from my voice and I was tired. Tired of always playing second fiddle to these rich pricks who thought they knew better than me. Tired of always being held to ransom on something, and all because they were the ones with the money and the connections. I just wanted Bella back and there was always something standing in my way.

  “No one has questioned her on it yet.”

  “What? Why the hell not? Surely if you’re so worried about her you’d have gone to her the minute you found out?”

  “No one has questioned her because I’ve only just found out about Thomas’ plans. I was looking for her and I’ve only just found out that Thomas had her working for him. He left a letter for me, explaining everything. An incase anything happened to him type of insurance. He knew involving her would drag me into it… Hell he knew I was looking for her and he kept her working for the company, a secret…”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I know she’s at the office late tonight, so I’m headed down there now to talk to her.”

  I nodded, it made sense. Everything he had said to me so far made sense. I’d always known Thomas had a devious side to him. I’d always known he was capable of being nasty… The simple fact he had kept Christopher’s whereabouts from me was proof enough.

  “So, do we have a deal?”

  Will turned to me, an earnest expression on his face. How could I say no? He wanted to do the one thing I had failed to do. He wanted to keep the woman he loved safe, I couldn’t deny him the opportunity. And if I got the chance then I would use it all to my advantage. I would do whatever it took, no matter the cost.

  “You have a deal.”

  I reached out to him and we shook hands. As we shook I couldn’t help but wonder did he know that he had just made a deal with a monster? After all, only a monster could have let someone like Bella go.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Bella

  I spotted the new girl the moment she entered the room. She had that terrified look that every new girl had. I didn’t make a sound as she burst in through the double doors, it was almost as though I’d been waiting for her all this time. There was something about her that told me she was important

  I dismissed the thought the second it entered my head. I’d learned my lesson a long time ago, no one here was important. We were simply toys, existing at Christopher’s discretion. If he wanted us dead then we wouldn’t live very long.

  I winced as the guards raced in after her, using brute force to drive her to her knees. I’d asked them in the past why they felt the need to be so aggressive. Why was it necessary to always use such force? The simple answer seemed to be that they needed someone to take their frustrations out on, the girls were an easy target. Christopher enjoyed pain far too much, it didn’t really matter to him who was suffering, male or female, just as long as they were screaming.

  I’d learned to scream a long time ago, survival demanded it. At first I’d thought I was being weak, that I was showing him my vulnerability. But then I realised there was strength in knowing when to give in. I wanted to live, I wanted to survive and if that meant letting Christopher believe that he had gotten to me, that he had broken me, then I could do that.

  I watched as she struggled and fought against the guards. I watched as Terrence tried to intimidate her. He was a nasty piece of work, almost as bad as Christopher. I had often wondered that if
Terence hadn’t found a position with Christopher would he have struck out on his own.

  The moment Christopher entered the room I felt his presence like a prickle of heat across the back of my neck. I hated having to be near to him. I hated what he had forced me to become. Training to be a nurse had been a means to an end, I had wanted to please my family but it didn’t change the fact that I liked helping people. Christopher had taken that and twisted it almost beyond recognition. Forcing me to watch as he tortured others was his way of punishing me. Punishing me for reminding him of someone he couldn’t have.

  But what was worse, there were times when I watched him with some of the other girls and I felt lucky. Lucky that I wasn’t the victim strapped across the horse. And the guilt was almost too much. I didn’t want to feel that way. I didn’t want to watch them crying and pleading with him to stop, and feel happy that I wasn’t in their place. I’d always thought of myself as a good person, until I met Christopher. He had shown me what truly lay inside me. He’d shown me the cruel selfish bitch that existed within me and I hated him for it. I hated him for everything he had done to me and the others.

  My feelings were beginning to build to a crescendo. How much more could I take? Survival was one thing, but survival at what cost?

  Terence lay in a crumpled heap at Christopher’s feet and it took me a few seconds to register what had happened. I’d been so caught up in my own thoughts I hadn’t noticed him beating the other man to a bloody pulp.

  “Bella, will take you to be prepared now. I want her ready for my private chambers. You have one hour.”

  Christopher’s voice was the usual barking tone, but his features were flushed. Beating Terrence down had excited him. A cold curl of despair crept through my gut as I stared at the girl he had called Paige on the floor. He was worked up and he seemed to have a particular interest in her… What he had done to Terrence that was simply a starter, something to whet his appetite. But what he would do to her. Images danced through my head and I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to shake them. How much more could I simply stand by and watch? The feeling in my gut told me it wouldn’t be long before I did something stupid, before I did something that would get me killed. It didn’t frighten me, instead it left me feeling oddly calm.