by Joy Eileen
His dimples winked. He grabbed my hand and slid my ring off. My hand felt light without it. I was a quivering mess as I stared down at him. At any moment I expected to burst apart from happiness.
“I’m glad you didn’t believe that picture. At first, I was terrified when I saw the headline. But I calmed myself knowing that you trusted me. That girl rushed the bodyguards and launched herself on me like a damn leach,” he said that part loud enough for the women in the back to hear him.
“That must have been traumatic,” I teased, tears filling up my eyes.
We hadn’t been apart for long, but seeing him confirmed just how much I missed him.
“It was very traumatic, and it’s all your fault.”
“My fault?”
“Yes, you wear my ring, but you won’t call me your fiancé. These damn women think I’m not taken.”
“I see your point,” I told him. My cheeks hurt from smiling so wide.
“So I’m asking you. No, I’m begging you. Please, let me put this back on your finger as an official engagement ring. Marry me, Slick. Save me from these crazy women.”
I collapsed to my knees, needing to be face to face. “Yes,” I whispered, my voice unable to come out any louder.
“I don’t think they heard you in the back,” he said, slipping my ring back on.
“Yes. Yes. I’ll marry you. I’ll save you from everyone who thinks they can touch you. You’re mine.”
“My hero.” Kill stood up and pulled me with him.
The room burst with screams and whistles. I launched myself up into his arms, my legs firmly wrapped around his waist, kissing him, desperate to be near him.
When the cheering and screaming died down, I detached from Kill.
“I love you, Slick.”
“I love you, Killer,” I told him, still unable to let him go. “I wasn’t expecting you here. Don’t you have a meet and greet today?”
“I’m a rockstar. They expect me to be a little late every once in a while.” He grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“You have to leave, don’t you?” I asked.
“Sorry, Slick. I was planning on proposing when I saw you, but after that picture I couldn’t wait. I needed to know we were together in this. Lissa’s covering for me.”
“I’m yours. I told you I’m not going anywhere. Why would Lissa cover for you?”
“To let you know I wouldn’t let you go even if you wanted to. And I promised Lissa exclusive pictures of the proposal. It’s good PR.” He kissed me on the nose and stepped back. “See you soon, Slick.”
He kissed me one more time before waving at the ladies in the room. When he turned, he took my heart with him. Catcher fist bumped him as Tilly continued to stare with her face bright red. Before he could make it completely out, I called out his name.
“I’ll be right back,” I told the waiting readers, jumping into his arms for one last searing kiss before letting him go. Kill caught me as if I weighed nothing, his hands gripping my ass. We collapsed into a kiss, gravitating toward each other. I pushed all my love and desperation into him, wanting him to know how much I loved him.
“We can skip out right now. Say the word,” he whispered, nibbling on the sensitive skin below my ear.
“As tempting as that option is, I’m going to have to take a rain check.”
Kill grumbled while he detached from my ass. “You better be ready for me,” he growled, leaving a trail of goosebumps up my spine.
“The question is, are you going to be ready for me?” I smacked his ass, giggling at his stunned expression. “See you in two days, Killer.” I turned around, shooting him a wink, and moved to start reading.
After reading the excerpt, the readers began to line up.
Tilly leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Are you going to quit the signings now that you are engaged?” She fidgeted with her sleeve, not looking at me.
“Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know. I just assumed now that you have Kill devoted to you there wouldn’t be a reason to keep going. You’ve proved your point.”
“What point is that?”
“That you’ve moved on. Why continue to provoke your ex? It doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t understand how you don’t see the contradiction.”
“I’m sorry I don’t see it the way you do. And no, I’m not quitting the signings. Kill understands why I need to do this.”
“Yes, Kill’s just perfect,” Tilly mumbled.
“Somebody sounds jealous. I think Tilly has a crush on your man,” Catcher teased her trying to get rid of the tension.
Tilly’s face flamed red. She stood up, her movements jerky. “I have a perfect boyfriend, thank you very much.”
We both shook our heads, watching her storm off to talk to the manager.
I was signing books when Tilly returned. She refused to look at me when I talked to her. I wanted to continue our conversation, but the opportunity never came. The rush of readers made it impossible to think of anything else.
“I couldn’t find her,” Tilly announced when she came back from searching for Catcher’s mystery woman.
My frown dug into my face. I was positive we would be able to get to her before she fled. Catcher and Tilly took off in different directions before the last book was signed. The plan was to cut her off before she exited the bookstore. She’d eluded Tilly, and by the slump in Catcher’s shoulders when he came into view, she’d gotten away from him too.
“Catcher, I’m sorry. Do you want to maybe ask around?” I floundered, desperate to think of another way to find her.
“Nah, Faith, it’s okay. Let’s just go back to the hotel. We’re out of this town tomorrow anyway. It just wasn’t meant to be. What the hell was I thinking?” Catcher got up and restacked boxes that didn’t need to be stacked.
Tilly flitted around like the nervous butterfly.
“I have to use the restroom. I’ll be back, and we can go eat. Catcher, I’m buying you the biggest ice cream sundae we can find.” I waited for him to chuckle, but when he didn’t, my heart sank even further.
“I’ll go with you,” Tilly said, sensing Catcher wanted to be alone.
The employees’ restroom was down a flight of metal stairs. Tilly was right behind me as we left Catcher to brood. As soon as my foot landed on the second step, Tilly rammed into me, knocking me off balance.
I cried out. My arms wind-milled, attempting to keep me upright. My fingers snagged onto Tilly’s sweater, anchoring me to her. Tilly locked her arm around the stair handrails, stopping us both from tumbling to the bottom in a heap of broken bones.
“Ouch,” Tilly cried when my hands clenched around her wrist to make sure I had my balance.
“Sorry,” I said. My heart hammered in my chest as adrenaline pumped through me, making me shaky. When I let go of Tilly’s arm, her sleeve I’d been holding on to slid up, revealing black and blue bruises covering her arm.
“What happened to your arm?”
Tilly yanked her sweater down and glared at me. “I’m clumsy,” she spat out.
“I’m sorry. When you tripped over me I didn’t mean to grab you. It just sort of happened.” I wasn’t exactly sure why I was apologizing. It had been her who hit me in the first place. The anger on her face when I discovered just how clumsy she was caught me off guard.
Tilly stomped down the stairs without another word. I followed her slowly. When I entered the bathroom, she was locked in a stall. I quickly did my business and washed my hands before she came out, not ready to see her just yet, still confused by her anger.
My breath caught when I returned to the room where I’d left Catcher. The woman we’d been looking for was sitting in the chair I had abandoned. She was studying her hands like they were the most interesting thing in the world. Catcher caught my gaze and shrugged, his eyes returning back to the small woman as if he was drawn to her and didn’t have a choice but to look at her.
“Hi,” I said and winced at my i
nadequate greeting.
The woman looked up with sad brown eyes. Her light blue shirt picked up on the honey tone in her skin. She was itty bitty, and I wasn’t sure if it was genes or malnutrition.
“I shouldn’t have come,” she stated, getting up and slinging her purse high on her shoulder.
“No, please don’t go,” I pleaded, beating Catcher before he could stop her.
“I don’t know why I came,” she said, her eyes on the floor.
“What’s your name?” I asked in a soft tone. I didn’t want to scare her away. She already looked skittish.
“Emily,” she answered, barely above a whisper. She glanced at Catcher and her cheeks turned pink.
“Do you need me to leave so you can talk?” Catcher asked.
His question presented him with her full attention. Catcher’s eyes widened and his mouth parted in a stunned expression. If the situation wasn’t so tense, I would have cackled in glee. Kill was going to love this when I told him.
“Would that be okay?” Emily asked, tucking a strand of blond hair behind her ear.
“I’ll be right outside. Let me know if you need me.” Catcher stared at her for a second longer than necessary before nodding and walking out the door.
“I don’t even know why I’m here,” Emily admitted, her eyes trained on the door Catcher went through.
“I’ve noticed you. You’ve been to every one of my signings. In fact, my bodyguard has a bit of a crush on you. We’ve tried to find you after every event, but you’re sneaky.”
Emily’s cheeks stained red when I mentioned Catcher’s infatuation with her.
“I was never going to talk to you, but tonight when Kill proposed, it knocked something loose inside of me. I’ve read Hope’s Journey at least ten times, and I always thought it was a fairy tale. That you could never get away and if you did you would never find true love. Even hearing you speak, I didn’t believe it. But seeing you tonight, I don’t know...” Emily trailed off, but this time her eyes were locked on mine.
It clicked why I was drawn to her the moment I saw her. We were kindred spirits. She was desperate to know it was possible to escape and find happiness.
“It is possible. I know it’s hard to believe. When I was with my ex, I didn’t think I would ever get away. Let alone find someone who treated me the way I should be treated. But it happens.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Emily leered, but her eyes were shining with unshed tears. The hope she was so afraid to let in was trying frantically to get inside of her heart.
I let out a small laugh, not wanting to offend her. “It’s not easy. Just wait until you read my next book. It tells the horrible things I did to Kill. How many times I pushed him away when he had been nothing but patient and perfect. I’m grateful every day he didn’t give up on me. On us. I pushed so hard, but he stayed firm.”
Now it was my eyes filling with tears. Admitting in written words the way I treated Kill in the beginning was almost harder than writing about Jason’s abuse. He stayed, and I thanked the universe every day that he did.
“I want to get out,” Emily rushed out with an anxious lilt to her voice.
“I can help you,” I told her, grasping her hands. She’d come to me for help, and I would stop at nothing to help her. Coming to me had to be one of the hardest things she had ever done.
“My husband. It’s not bad all the time. I just can’t do it anymore,” Emily stuttered, not making complete sense.
“I get it. They can be charming when they want to be. It’s the reason it’s so hard to leave. I can help you. Let’s get you out, tonight.” A plan was already forming in my head.
Emily jerked her hands back, her mouth an O at my words. I stopped myself from reaching for her, afraid she would run away.
“I can’t leave tonight,” she said, pushing her hair back behind her ears in a nervous twitch.
“Yes, you can. I can help you. You can stay with me in my hotel room tonight. I have a friend in LA, who I know would be willing to help you.” The last part I hoped wasn’t a lie. If I had gauged Amberlee right, she would have no problem letting Emily stay with her until she got on her feet.
“My stuff. I can’t leave tonight.”
Panic was all over Emily, from the pinched look on her face to the ridged tilt of her shoulders. I wanted to push her, but I convinced myself to back off.
The fear on her face made me try one last time.
“I can help you get new stuff. Or we can have someone get it for you later. I really think you should leave tonight.”
“I have some loose ends I have to take care of. I can leave tomorrow, but not tonight.”
I ground my teeth together, resisting the urge to call Catcher and order him to pick her up and force her into safety.
“Are you sure?” My voice was pleading with her to change her mind.
“I understand if you can’t help me tomorrow. I shouldn’t have come here.”
“Emily, wait.” I grabbed her hand, reminding myself to be gentle. “Go do what you need to do. I will help you.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a problem.”
“You’re not a problem. I’m so glad you came to me. I really wish you would leave with me tonight, but I understand. I don’t like it, but I get it.”
“I’ll meet you tomorrow. Thank you so much, Miss Annabelle.”
“Call me, Faith. Where do you want to meet?” I asked, not wanting her to leave.
“I can meet you after your signing. That will give me enough time to get everything done.”
Unease settled over me. I wanted to beg her to leave with me, but I noticed the steel in her eyes. She had made up her mind. If I didn’t agree to her terms, she would be lost to me.
“Okay. You can come early. You don’t have to wait until after the signing. But I will be here. And I will help you.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Emily nodded, her eyes still bright from unshed tears.
I leaned in and hugged her, biting my tongue to keep from asking her again to leave with me tonight. Emily hugged me back. She sniffled before turning and walking away, her head held high.
Catcher came up, and I leaned on him. “You were listening?” I guessed from the worry on his face.
“I couldn’t help it. What kind of bodyguard would I have been if I left you alone?”
“I really wish she would have left with me tonight.”
“Me too, but she’ll be here tomorrow. I can feel it.”
I looked up and smiled at the determination in Catcher’s eyes. I hoped he was right.
“Where are you thinking of sending her?” Catcher asked in the car.
“I’m going to call Amberlee. She runs a children’s center we played at while we were in LA. I think she would accept Emily with open arms.”
“That’s a good idea. Let me know if you need any help.”
“Where’s Tilly?” I asked, almost forgetting our little mishap in the stairwell.
“She said she had to go home. She would see you tomorrow.”
When I entered my hotel room, I was bone tired. I pulled my phone out, needing Kill. He would know what to do with Emily. He always knew what to do.
“Hey, my sexy fiancée,” Kill answered, making my stomach flutter.
All the worry I had about Tilly and Emily were extinguished when Kill’s voice wrapped me in its warmth.
“Hey, my sexy fiancé.”
“So did you find Catcher’s woman?”
Always the romantic.
And a perfect opening.
“Well, she kind of sought us out.”
“So she has the hots for Catcher and couldn’t stay away from him any longer?”
I wanted to laugh, but Emily’s circumstances stopped me. “Not exactly.”
“Don’t tell me she has the hots for you,” he teased.
“No. She’s actually in a really bad relationship.”
Kill sucked in a breath. “Now I feel like a complete ass fo
r joking around. What happened?”
“She asked if I could help her get away from him. She’s coming to terms that she shouldn’t live like she’s been. She wants to find someone who would treat her like she should be.”
“Are you okay? Where’s Catcher?”
“Killer, I’m fine. Catcher listened in on the conversation. I tried to get her to leave with me tonight, but she said she had some loose ends to tie up. She’s going to meet me tomorrow after my signing. I’m going to call Amberlee and see if she’ll help me.”
Kill let out a loud breath. “I’ll call Amberlee if you want, and I’ll help get transportation set up for her to get to LA.”
A watery smile lit my face. “I love you so much.”
“I love you more. Slick, I don’t want you to feel bad if she doesn’t show up. Sometimes they can’t leave.”
He was thinking about his ex-girlfriend. He had come to terms that it wasn’t his fault she’d gone back to her ex, but the scar was still there.
“I know, but she asked for help. I couldn’t turn her away.”
“You don’t have to explain it to me. I understand, probably more than anyone. You have to remember, though, you’re my main concern. Your safety and happiness means everything to me.”
“I’ll be safe. Catcher will be right with me. I know I can’t force her to leave if she changes her mind, but I have to at least try.”
“This is one of the many reasons I love you.”
“I love you too. Now tell me all about your day.”
“Well, I finally convinced the woman of my dreams to marry me.”
“Oh, yeah? How did that go?” I snuggled further under the covers and let Kill’s voice soothe my mind.
Chapter 17
“Thanks, Killer.” I blew a kiss over the phone.
“You’re welcome, Slick. Let me know as soon as she leaves, so I can let Amberlee know she’s on her way.”
“I will. The store manager’s coming. I have to go. I’ll talk to you tonight, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you more, Slick.”
We hung up just as the store manager made her way toward me. A nervous smile played on the corner of my lips. True to his word, Kill set everything up in order get Emily to safety.
