Ash: Jagged Edge Series #5

by A. L Long

  The nurse took another swab and shoved that one up my ass. I knew they wouldn’t find anything. As sadistic as Mr. Marlow was, anal sex wasn’t his thing. I was thankful when the rape examination was finally over. The only thing left to do was to take pictures of my body. Standing to my feet, I untied the strap behind my back and pulled the gown off my body. Nothing had changed since the last time I looked at my body except the additional welts where I tried to scrub off the grime. After turning me this way and that way, they were finally done with their examination.

  When the nurse pulled open the curtain, my chest began to tighten. Ash was standing on the other side, leaning up against the door frame. He was the last person that I wanted or needed to see. His eyes met mine and I knew then that concern was in them. Nodding to the woman officer and the nurse as he let them pass, he walked over to the bed. His eyes were no longer making contact with mine. Instead, he was looking at my chest where my gown had accidentally fallen when I got into bed. Pulling it back over my shoulder, I reached behind my back and began trying to tie it, with no luck. Ash must have sensed my frustration, because he was soon beside me.

  “Let me help you with that, Jules,” he said in a soft, comforting voice.

  When the strap was secure behind my neck, he stood beside me with that same look of concern on his face. Unable to stand it any longer, I place my hand on his and said, “It isn’t as bad as it looks.”

  “What the hell happened to you? I’ve been at your place every day for almost a week. I even went to your boss’s office trying to find out where you were.”

  “You did what?” I questioned, making sure I heard him correctly.

  “I went to see Sebastian Collins, your boss. He said that you were out of town on assignment. By the looks of it, it looks like you went to a lynching instead of an assignment. What is going on, Jules?” he asked, his body becoming tense, giving him a couple of inches in height.

  “I was out of town on assignment.”

  “Do you mind telling me how you happened to get all banged up?”

  “I don’t remember.” Just like with the police officers, I was going to stick to that story.

  “I don’t believe that for one second,” Ash snarled, raking his hands through his hair and turning his body away from me toward the window. “I read the contract, Jules. I know all about your Boss, or should I say Master? Is that what the tattoo is about? Some sort of mark of ownership?”

  “How could you know that? Unless you went inside my home again, without my permission. How could you?”

  “It wasn’t like that, Jules. I knew how angry you were. When I went back to apologize for what I did, you were gone. For four days I went to your house and you weren’t there. I got worried,” he began, walking back over to the bed where I was boiling with anger. “I really care about you, Jules. I thought that if I took a look around your house, I could find out what happened to you.”

  “So you went back to seek out that damn contract, just like you did the first time?”

  Everything inside me burned like a volcano wanting to erupt. He had no right snooping inside my home. I knew the minute he saw the contract the first time, I should have put that damn thing somewhere else. It still was no excuse for what he did.

  “Yeah… I mean, no… I just wanted to know who you are. I don’t care about that stupid contract. The only thing I care about is you and what happened to you,” Ash paused before taking my hand in his. “Jules, what happened to you? Where were you?”

  “It doesn’t concern you, Ash. How can I ever trust you again?”

  I knew my words hit him like a big tank. I couldn’t trust him. Even though we had a moment together, it wasn’t an open door to allow him to dig into my personal life. It was my choice if I wanted to share my past with him. He had no right to that contract.

  “It does concern me, Jules. Everything about you concerns me. Did Sebastian Collins do this to you?” he questioned, pulling his hand from mine and waving it in a circular motion over my body.

  I don’t know what got into me, but everything suddenly let loose: the anger, the tears, the pain. “I can’t do this anymore.”

  I wasn’t sure where my strength came from, but the IV was out of my arm and the stand holding the bag fell to the floor with a loud crash. Before I could get out of bed, Ash had his arms around me, holding me as tight as he could. I tried getting away from him, but his hold on me was too strong. My body finally relaxed and the rush of adrenaline that surfaced moments ago was gone, leaving me exhausted and drained. The only thing that felt good was the warmth of Ash’s body as he pulled me closer to him.

  Even speaking in a hushed voice, I could hear the vibration in his throat as he said, “Shhh… it’s okay, baby. Everything will be okay.”

  Looking at him with tear-drenched eyes, I uttered softly, “That’s just it, Ash. It won’t. It will never be okay.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Ash

  When the nurse came in to reinsert Juliette’s IV, it was the perfect time for me to re-evaluate the situation. Walking down the hall, I spotted the police officers that had questioned Juliette. One of them was Officer Caleb Stevens. I knew him very well from assistance calls that were initiated by Jagged Edge Security. Taking a chance that he would remember me, I walked over to the two men and called out his name as though we were best buds. “Caleb, hey, do you have a minute to talk?”

  Looking over to me, I could tell he knew me. Holding out his hand, he said, “Ash, from Jagged Edge, how the heck are you? It’s been a while.”

  “Yeah, it has. I guess one would say that is a good thing,” I replied.

  “So, what can I do for you?”

  Walking away from his partner, Caleb followed my lead. When I was sure I was out of earshot, I asked in a lower than normal tone, “You and your partner questioned Juliette Daniels. I wanted to know if you had any information on what happened to her.”

  “I don’t mind sharing what we found out. You guys at Jagged Edge are top notch. You have certainly made our jobs easier,” he began as he patted me firmly on the shoulder.

  “I appreciate the compliment. We know how tough it is out there. That’s one of the reasons Peter started the company in the first place. Anyway, about that information.”

  “So it seems that Miss Daniels doesn’t remember anything that happened to her, which I personally think is a crock of shit. I think she knows exactly what happened to her and she is protecting someone else or herself. Her boss, Sebastian Collins, is the one who made the call.”

  “How much do you know about Sebastian Collins, Caleb?” I asked, trying to plant a seed in his head so that he would dig into him.

  “He isn’t a person of interest here, so not a whole lot. Do you think he had something to do with this?”

  “Damn straight. When did he make the call?” I asked, planting another seed.

  Flipping through his handy notebook that he pulled from his back pocket, he found what he was looking for and said, “It was early this morning, around 1:00 a.m.”

  As Caleb moved the pages back, his eyes began to focus on something else. “What is it, Caleb?” I asked, knowing his little mind was spinning with information that he was putting together.

  “It’s just that… Umm… Miss Daniels was seen at Cello’s… wait a minute, that was five days ago. It doesn’t make sense. Unless…” Caleb said, scratching his head.

  “Unless what, Caleb?” I asked

  “Okay, here is the thing. Mr. Collins admitted seeing Miss Daniels at Cello’s and she appeared to have been intoxicated, according to him. Given her state, if I were a gentleman, I would have made sure she got home okay. So the question here is, what was she doing at the Four Seasons, and why was her boss there with her five days after the initial encounter at Cello’s?”

  “I would say that you just made Sebastian Collins a person of interest. Thanks for the info, Caleb.”

  As I walked away from Caleb, I couldn’t help but turn my head back
towards him. He was a funny guy. The way he began piecing things together reminded me of the reruns of “Columbo” that my grandfather use to watch. At least now there was a reason to start looking into Sebastian Collins, and with the contract he had with Juliette, I was pretty confident that something would eventually surface without my input.

  The nurse was just leaving as I entered Juliette’s room. She seemed a lot more relaxed than she did twenty minutes ago. If I had to guess, the nurse probably gave her something to calm her down. Pulling up a chair, I took my place beside her bed. The green of her eyes were like glass as she looked over to me. There was something about the way she looked at me that suggested she wanted to say something. Just when I thought she might, her eyes shut and remained that way as one last deep intake of air sounded before she fell asleep.

  ~****~

  I wasn’t sure what possessed me to sleep in the hospital chair next to Juliette’s bed all night long when I could have spent it in the comfort of my own bed. Stretching my achy body, I headed to the elevator to get some much needed coffee from the cafeteria before Juliette woke up. When the doors opened, I could believe who was on the inside. He was the last person I expected to see.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I growled as he shifted the bouquet of roses he was holding in the other hand.

  “I was just about to ask you the same thing,” he said between gritted teeth.

  “Juliette is in no condition to see visitors, at least not you.”

  “Well, I'm pretty sure you don’t have the authority to stop me from seeing my star employee. Now if you will excuse me…”

  Before I could lay into him, one of the nurses on duty came up to us and warned, “Need I remind you gentlemen that this is a hospital and not Madison Square Garden? If you have a problem, take it outside.”

  The nurse was right. This was neither the place nor the time to get into a fight with this man. Letting him pass, I got onto the elevator as he got off. As the door closed the last thing I could see was his smartass grin as he looked over his shoulder. I might have let this go this time, but soon enough he would get his.

  By the time I had returned to Juliette’s room with my coffee, Sebastian Collins was already gone. The expression on Juliette’s face said it all. Something had happened during his visit. It wasn’t only her expression that was a dead giveaway. The roses that he had brought her were not in her room like I would have expected, but sitting on the counter at the nurses’ station in a glass vase.

  Concerned, I took a seat beside her bed and asked, “That bad, huh?”

  “I wish he would have never showed up,” Juliette confessed.

  “Yeah, he looked pretty full of himself when I met him in the elevator,” I admitted, looking into her worried eyes. “Whatever is going on, Juliette, would you please let me help you?”

  “I’m beyond help, Ash. Even if you could help, you don’t know what Sebastian is capable of.”

  “How about you let me worry about that?”

  Just when I thought Juliette was about to open up to me, the nurse stepped in, letting us know that the doctor had released her from the hospital and that she could go home. The timing couldn’t have been any worse. Even though Juliette was relieved to be leaving, I wasn’t so sure that she would tell me anything once she left. The moment of truth was gone.

  While the nurse was getting Juliette ready for her release, I went down to the parking garage to get my truck so I would be ready for her when she made it to the lobby. Getting in my truck, I noticed a note of some kind under my wiper. Standing on the running board, I reached over the windshield and grabbed the note. As I unfolded the paper, there in black ink it read ‘STAY AWAY FROM JULIETTE.’ Knowing the precautions that I should have taken beforehand, I placed my index finger and my thumb in the corner of the paper and held it lightly as I searched the glove box for something to put in. I always kept a few plastic bags in there just in case the time would come that I needed one. Placing the note in the bag, I laid it in the glove box and started the engine.

  Juliette was already in the lobby waiting for me when I arrived. Climbing out of the truck, I rounded the front so I could assist her. Once she was safely inside, I reached over her and locked the seatbelt in place. As we pulled away, there was only one thing on my mind and that was her safety. In a stern but caring voice, I said, “You’re staying at my place. I don’t want you to be alone. It’s not safe.”

  Just when she was about to argue, I looked over to her with my signature ‘Don’t bother’ look before she could say a word. I heard a hitch in her breath and knew she understood the look loud and clear.

  There was silence the whole time we were in the truck. It was only when we neared her house that she said, “We need to stop at my house so I can get a few things.”

  Nodding my head, I pulled up in front of her house. I wanted to get this over as quickly as possible and get her inside my house where I knew she would be safe. When Peter and the guys found the cameras and bugs in my home, Peter suggested I get a surveillance camera of my own. Taking his advice, I installed five cameras in all, two in the back and three in the front. I hooked them up so that I could monitor any activity on my laptop computer. The equipment was state of the art and cost me a pretty penny. If it worked, it would be money well spent.

  It was a miracle how quickly Juliette gathered the things she needed and stuffed them into a suitcase. I had never seen anyone pack so fast. Loading up her suitcase, I put in the back seat and helped her in. Pulling away from the house, a thought had crossed my mind which brought a smile to my face. I hadn’t realized that Juliette was looking at me until she asked, “What are you smiling about?”

  “Just glad you didn’t argue with me on this,” I replied, knowing that wasn’t the real reason for my smile. Sure, I was glad that she didn’t argue, but I also was thinking about all the fun we were going to have.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Juliette

  The minute I saw a package stuffed between my front door and my screen, I knew exactly who it came from. After everything that had happened, I thought that Sebastian would have given me a break. I was glad that I told Ash I would only be a minute and there was no reason for him to come inside. Kicking the package inside was the only way I could assure that he wouldn’t see it.

  I made sure that the package was out of view before I grabbed it and took it with me to the bedroom. Tearing into it, I saw that it wasn’t the typical gown that he always sent, but a black corset with matching panties and black stockings. Thinking that there had to be more to this outfit, I shook the box, only to have a white envelope fall to the floor. Looking behind me to make sure I was still alone, I ripped it open and read the contents.

  ‘Be ready at 10:30 p.m. A car will be there to pick you up.

  DON’T BE LATE!!!!’

  I crumpled the note in my palm and threw it against the wall. There was no way, I would ever be able to meet Sebastian’s car at 10:30. Trying to figure out what to do, I began shoving whatever I could find in my suitcase. It was the quickest I had packed in a long time. Looking down at the torn box, I grabbed the contents and stuffed them inside my suitcase as well as I could before I zipped it shut.

  Ash had a look of amazement on his face as I opened the door. It was most likely due the fact that I was in and out in less than fifteen minutes. As he pulled away from the house, I couldn’t help but think about the note. I knew that if I defied Sebastian and simply refused to show up, he would get his revenge on me and that revenge would be Ash. I couldn’t let that happen. Somehow I had to figure out a way to get back over here without Ash knowing or coming after me.

  Ash took my suitcase from the back seat as I headed up the stairs. Looking over my shoulder to make sure he was behind me, I said, “I think I am going to take a quick shower and get some of this hospital stink off me.”

  Before I could open the door, he took my hand and pulled me closer. His mouth melted into mine as his tongue glided between my
parted lips. The kiss ended much too quickly as he whispered softly, “I’ll fix you something good to eat.” Looking up to him, I nodded as he smiled and brushed a strand of hair from my face. “There should be towels in your bathroom.”

  Pulling away from his embrace, I walked up the remaining steps and opened the door to the kitchen. Grabbing the handle of my suitcase, I rolled it down the hall and into the room that would be my haven for who knew how long.

  Things hadn’t changed when I got to my room. Everything was still as perfect as the first time I set foot inside. The only difference was that there were actually towels waiting for me in the bathroom. Stripping off the scrubs that were given to me at the hospital, I turned the water on in the shower and waited for the water to get hot. While I waited, I looked at myself in the mirror and studied the bruises on my body, remembering each and every one of them. The rage began building inside of me. All I wanted was to break the mirror and shatter it to pieces. Looking around the room, I grabbed the small soap dispenser sitting on the counter and threw it at the mirror. It didn’t do anything but bounce off of the hard surface. Screaming, I picked it up from the floor and threw it again. Over and over I threw it, wanting so badly for the glass to break. Suddenly, without warning, Ash’s arms wrapped around me and held me close.