I could tell he didn't seem happy but that he nodded stiffly anyway. "I apologize, Ms. Samuels—"
"It's all good," I said with a sigh, waving my hand dismissively. "You were doing your job. I'm sorry to have been so rude about it but as you can see, I've got a crisis on my hands—literally. Thank you for understanding but we've got to go now."
He wordlessly stepped aside and let us continue on our way out.
"Charlooootte. Can't go home yet," Anna wailed behind me as we stepped out into the lobby. "Can't be aloooone."
I sighed. "If you'd like you can stay with me tonight. It's nothing luxurious, mind you, but I doubt that in your condition, you'd care. You're clearly wasted."
"I'm not wasted!" Anna argued just as we came out to the front steps of the hotel entrance. "I am broken-hearted! There's a difference."
I raised my brow at her, fighting my irritation just as my own memories started to surface. "Of course there is. Getting wasted is usually the idiot's solution to being broken-hearted or just being simply broken. People shouldn't get drunk. They should take their heads out of their cups and do something about their situation whether it's to try to fix things or get on with their lives."
Anna grunted, about to reply, when the doorman approached us. "Can I assist you in some way, Ms. Samuels? Ms. Maxfield?"
Ah, thank God. Here's someone who wouldn't yell at you to get your grubby self off their doorway.
"Yes, please," I said, flashing him a grateful smile. "If you don't mind, we need a cab—"
I nearly stumbled forward when Anna suddenly bolted from me and scrambled down the front steps, her heels clicking unsteadily as she reached for the cab that just pulled up on the curb to let its passengers out.
"Anna!"
I dashed after her as she practically elbowed her way into the backseat of the cab. I gave the woman Anna just brushed past an apologetic smile as I jumped into the backseat. Anna was shaking the head rest of the driver's seat, spurring him on.
"Where are we going?" I demanded at Anna as the taxi pulled out into the street, the sudden motion throwing us back into our seats. I groped for my seatbelt and strapped in on before reaching over Anna's lap to do the same for her.
"Nowhere—"
"21 Cooke St., ma'am. Paragon Towers."
I glanced at Anna, recognizing the address as an upscale high-rise condo. "Is that your place? Anna?"
She didn't answer. She turned away instead and curled into herself. I could see her pale complexion in the low light filtering through the window on her side of the taxi. Her skin was shiny with perspiration and when I reached out to to her arm, her skin was breaking out in cold sweat.
"Anna, hey," I said softly, brushing her damp hair off her forehead and touching her cheek. "You okay? You're suddenly quiet. What is it?"
"I don't feel so well," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her belly and closing her eyes. "The motion of the cab... Charlotte. I don't—"
And with little warning, she lurched forward and tossed her cookies all over her feet and the taxi floor.
The strong, rancid smell of alcohol and stomach acids filled the taxi and I groaned in disbelief just as the driver shrieked in fury.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing? You can't just throw up in my cab! You lousy drunk—"
I kept one hand rubbing circles on Anna's back as she continued to empty her gut and reached into the pocket of my shorts where I kept my small wallet. "I'm so sorry but just get us to the address and I'll pay you to get it all cleaned up."
The driver was still muttering as he pulled up in front of the twenty-story building and grumpily took the small wad of about six-hundred dollars I handed him. It was cash Felicity had handed me almost two weeks ago when we went over my sudden financial access to the generous allowance Brandon provided me. I barely touched it and just carried it with me for emergency because it didn't really feel like it was my money. I figured spending it as compensation for cleaning up after Brandon's sister was reasonable. The guy needed to get this cleaned and he would probably be out of commission for the rest of the night.
I just got Anna out on the sidewalk before the taxi sped away. I looked at her soiled feet and shook off my sweatshirt. Despite it being a summer night, the hour was late and there was a nip in the air that made me shiver slightly but I ignored it.
"Hold still, will you?" I said impatiently as I crouched on my knees and started wiping her feet down with the sweatshirt. I never thought that the skillset I developed looking after my alcoholic father would ever come handy again but I stopped myself from saying so. Anna was in no shape for my grim philosophies about drinking in excess.
"Jason!" She started screaming, swaying toward the entrance of the building. "Jason, come out here!"
"You've got to be kidding me," I groaned at the realization of where we were as I dropped the sweatshirt and shot up to my feet, grabbing Anna by the arm before she could alert the building security. "Really, Anna? Of all friggin' places, you brought us here? Have you lost your mind?"
If I didn't lower my voice, I'd be the one alerting building security. I took a deep breath and dragged her away from the entrance as she twisted and tried to break free from me.
"Charlotte, I have to see him!" Anna wailed. Thank God the streets were mostly empty now. This was a nice part of town but it didn't mean it was safe. Thugs knew where to prowl for their prey.
"Not like this, you can bet your ass on it!" I snapped, growing increasingly frustrated with her. "I'm not going to let you scandalize everyone in the building at one in the morning and get us both thrown into jail!"
Tears shone brightly in her eyes. "But you said yourself that a person has to do something with her situation—to try to fix things or move on with their lives."
I rolled my eyes. "Well, don't take my advice. Only crazy people do and you're not, are you? So come on, let's get you—"
"Charlotte, no!" Anna protested stubbornly, trying to pull her arm out of my grasp. She was way taller than me but she wasn't exactly clear-headed. I just grabbed another arm when she managed to loosen my grip on the other. "I have to see Jason. He has to decide once and for all whether he wants to be with me or her! If he loves me, he'll choose me no matter what the odds are. I should've done this a long time ago!"
I groaned out loud, exhaling sharply. "For God's sakes, Anna, now is not the time to have an epiphany. Try it first thing tomorrow morning."
"But Charlooootte..."
"That's it! We're taking you home," I declared as sternly as possible, reaching for her bag. "Now, where's your cell? I'm going to have to call Gilles and have him pick us up because I'm out of cash to pay cab drivers if you decide to toss your cookies all over their floor again."
"No cell," she answered weakly, shaking her head.
"What do you mean no cell?"
She burst into tears. "I tossed it in the toilet and flushed it down! I called him and... and I could hear her voice in the background. He was home with her, doing God knows what! I just... I couldn't stand it! That's when Tessa walked in on me."
I stared at Anna in disbelief. "Well, we're completely screwed now because I don't have my cell either. I remember you grabbed it from me and I have no idea where it is now."
My eyes squeezed shut briefly and I rubbed my throbbing temple.
Brandon and Martin are going to kill me if anything happens to Anna. I might attend both my wedding and funeral in three days.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and opened my eyes so I could look around the street.
I wasn't going to risk trying to get into Jason's condo building to try to use the phone because I had no desire to chase Anna up the elevators. Everything else seemed closed in the area. It was Wednesday night after all. There was not a single soul around.
I gasped out in relief when I saw a telephone booth at the end of the block, just by a pharmacy that was now closed.
"Anna, come on," I said, pulling her along with me. "It's time to call reinforcements."
/> "But Charloooootte..."
I whirled around and glared at her. "Listen. If you show up like this at Jason's door, I won't be surprised if he washes his hands of you. Is this the kind of woman he should leave his wife for? One who's completely sauced and reeking of her own vomit?"
I knew it was harsh and I normally wouldn't have said anything like that but I'd let this go on long enough tonight. Anna was going to get us into serious trouble if she didn't pull it together.
To my everlasting relief, my statement seemed to have sobered her up.
She paled further than I thought possible and nodded slowly, biting her lip. "You're right. I shouldn't have come. I'm... I'm so sorry."
"It's alright," I said with a sigh, tugging her forward again. "We all screw up at some point. Now, come on."
I had no trouble getting her to follow me into the telelphone booth. I dug out some change from my pocket and was trying to find enough quarters when someone slammed into the side of the booth.
My arm shot out to grab Anna as two figures loomed over the door. They reeked of weed and alcohol.
My chest tightened in terror but I said nothing as Anna whimpered next to me.
"Hello, pretties," one of them slurred and tilted his head that a shaft of light coming from the street lamp overhead caught his face. It was scruffy and pock-marked, the eyes slightly bloodshot.
"What are the two of you doing out here? Looking for some action?" the shorter figure said, switching the beer bottle he was holding from one hand to another before reaching out to touch my breast. I instinctively swatted his hand away.
"Get away or we'll scream until the whole neighborhood wakes up," I warned in as steady a voice I could manage, my fingers gripping Anna's arms tightly.
The taller guy cackled out a laugh. "I doubt you could if both your mouths are stuffed with something that will please both me and my buddy here. What d'ya say, pretties?"
I narrowed my eyes at them despite the severe pounding of my heart against my ribcage. "I say, fuck you."
"You're a mouthy bitch." The shorter guy grabbed me by the chin, his fingers digging into my skin as I tried to twist my head away. "If you don't want to give us a good time, how about you give us all your cash and goodies, yeah? Your friend here looks like she's from around here. She must be loaded."
I really wish she were loaded with more vomit so she can throw up all over you dirtbags.
"I'll give you my stuff," Anna finally piped up in a trembling voice, handing her bag to them just as the bigger guy snatched it away. "Just please, let us go."
"I want those blings on your ears, missy," the shorter guy said, reaching forward to flick his fingers against the diamond studs I was wearing—another part of my jewelry collection that Brandon provided.
Suddenly afraid the man was just going to tear them off my ears, I raised my hands and quickly unfastened the earrings. That's when I realized my mistake.
The shorter guy sucked in a breath as his hand grabbed my left one and pulled me out of the booth. He raised my hand to the light to further admire the glittering diamond.
"Now, there's a rock, Tony," he said to the big guy in a breathy voice. "Think of what that will buy us."
"Loads, Vic," Tony answered in almost childish excitement. "We'll be good for a while."
I bit the inside of my cheek, slyly glancing at Anna who had quietly slipped out of the booth and stood behind me as the two men bent over my hand.
I knew it was a huge risk but I suddenly reared my right leg back and swung my shin forward until it came into contact with Vic's crotch. He howled in pain and bowed over, dropping his beer bottle to the grassy patch of the sidewalk.
"Anna, run!" I screamed at her as I whipped around to take off.
I yelled out in pain when a thick arm caught me over my rib and sent me slamming against Tony's large, burly body. "You're going to pay for that!"
Vic, still groaning and bouncing around in his toes, came over to me and sent a fist straight into my stomach. All of my breath left me in one great whoosh to be replaced shortly by an excruciating pain.
"You fuckin' little bitch!" he hissed furiously, his spit spraying all over my face.
"Charlotte!" Anna shouted in horror.
I gasped in pain further when Tony's arm tightened around my crushed midsection, my vision dimming. "R-run, Anna! Go!"
She hesitated and Vic glanced over his shoulder, his gaze landing on the wide-eyed Anna.
Since Tony's lock on me was practically holding up my entire body, I pushed both my feet up until they were up in the air, forcing all my weight down on Tony's arms around my midsection and ignoring the vicious pain as I folded up my legs up and stretched them forward on a swinging motion, landing both my feet at Vic's chest with enough force to send him sprawling on the ground.
Caught off guard by my attack, Tony's hold loosened as he tried to get to his partner and I crouched down and grabbed the beer bottle by its neck, turning around fast and smashing it on the side on his head.
I hissed a string of curse words as a couple pieces of sharp glass embedded themselves in my palm as I pushed a wailing Tony back, blood coursing down the side of his face.
I turned around and saw Vic crawling back up on his knees, lunging forward and grabbing one of Anna's ankles. She screamed at the top of her lungs and tried to kick him off but he regained his footing and came up to her, backhanding her on the side of her face.
"Anna!" I started to come after them but Tony caught the back of my tank top and used it to propel me toward the concrete bench next to the telephone booth. The momentum of his throw flung me against the sharp and hard edge of the bench seat which I first caught with my left hand that immediately slipped and twisted, sending a jolt of pain along my wrist. When my body met the ledge of the bench seat, a bruising force slammed into my already battered midsection. The rough surface of the concrete path along the sidewalk scraped my knees raw.
My vision was blurry with pain and consciousness threatened to drift away but I took a deep, punishingly painful breath and forced myself back up on my feet, holding my weight against the bench.
Suddenly, there were voices shouting as footsteps thumped on the sidewalk. Through my spinning vision, I saw a small group of men heading toward us, most of them wearing pajamas, a couple of them carrying baseball bats. I could hear our attackers cuss out loud just as the sound of a police car siren started getting louder.
"Hey, miss. Are you okay?"
The next half hour was a blur.
I remembered the police arriving and arresting the pair of thugs who were detained by the guys who lived in the apartment across the street. One of them saw me and Anna arguing at first from his window. He rounded up a few of his buddies to come help when he saw Vic and Tony approach us.
Anna and I were taken to the hospital in an ambulance after we gave our statements to the police. When we got there, I waited until Anna was sent away to be looked after, as she may have suffered a concussion from the impact when Vic backhanded her on the side of her face. Once she was gone, I pulled a nurse aside to speak with. I told her I only had very basic health insurance that would charge an arm and leg for co-pay for any of the medical exam bills and that since nothing felt seriously broken or injured, I could do with just a little patching up and some rest. I barely had enough money in my personal checking account to afford a grocery bill and I didn't want to dip my hands into any of Brandon's money.
She didn't look convinced about letting me skip the exams but my disheveled look with the dirty cut-offs and ratty tank top must've helped. She eventually seated me in one of the empty gurneys lined up by the hallway outside of the emergency ward and bound my left wrist before applying antiseptic to my cuts and bandaging them up.
"Thank you, Mercel," I told the motherly woman softly as I stretched my leg forward, wincing at the sting on my knee and the pain on my midsection as I straightened my back a little. "I probably should go home though."
"You're going t
o have to ice those ribs," she said. "I can't tell if they're cracked or just bruised but breathing, talking and eating are going to be difficult in the next few days. You'll have to take some painkillers for that but you'll need prescription for anything stronger than the average over-the-counter stuff."
"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll have to—"
"Charlotte!"
We both jumped at the thunderous voice resonating throughout the hallway. I bit my lip to keep myself from crying out at the pain that hit my rib area again after bouncing up in my position.
That man can't do subtle. Really.
"Who's that?" Mercel asked as she warily eyed a furious Brandon stalking down the hall with an anxious-looking Jake right behind him.
"I got a call from the police about you and Anna getting rushed to the hospital after being attacked by a pair of muggers," he snarled, his hazel eyes dark and flashing. "I drove like a mad man here and rushed to the room filed under Maxfield, expecting to find you in there with my sister or at least in another private suite. When you weren't there, I terrorized the staff until they finally told me where the other girl who was brought in with Anna went to. Finally, at the billings desk, after more menacing threats from me, I found out that you're only listed for the ambulance expense and that you've opted out on all medical aid."
My ears were starting to turn red and blister especially since Brandon's voice was picking up in volume and drawing the attention of other people loitering around the hall.
"Can you explain to me why my fiancee is sitting out here in the hall, unexamined and untreated, when I can buy this hospital ten times over?" he growled, his fists clenching as he finally stood in front of me, growing more angry as he inspected my appearance.
Mercel gave me a nervous, accusing glance and I gave her a weak, reassuring smile.
"You can but I can't," I muttered under my breath, looking away as my cheeks burned in embarrassment. "Do you know how my Dad's medical bills sunk him so low into debt after he got into that accident and died?"
You should know. They're one of the many reasons I'm motivated to marry you, remember?
"Didn't it occur to you to let me take care of it?" he fairly yelled at me, only backing off slightly when Jake put a warning hand on his shoulder.
The Mischievous Mrs. Maxfield Page 20
