by Sonya Jesus
“Adrian, her sister’s boyfriend, works there,” Harper announces.
Coach Reid orders Harper to call. Harper searches through Amelia’s bag until she finds the phone. Swiping the screen, she punches in the pin number before stepping away to make the phone call.
I know of Adrian Chase, but he’s never in town. He travels a lot with his work and charity and prefers to spend his free time with Amelia’s sister in Europe. The chances of him being in town are slim, but I know that phone call will bring her family. They may not talk every week, but this will complicate things for me.
Well, actually, things are already getting complicated.
She’s still on the ground. I focus on the rise and fall of her chest. She’s breathing, I tell myself. She’s alive.
Harper comes back. “Adrian isn’t there, but he says to take her to the Chase Building and ask for Dr. Weston Chase. He’ll take care of her.”
Public Safety rushes through the door and the next thing I know, she’s coming to and being ushered off to the hospital, arguing with Public Safety to stop fussing over her. She ends up sending them and the ambulance away. Aiden is roped into driving her and Coach Reid to the hospital.
I end up driving Harper and her roommates to the hospital, with Robins and some of the soccer guys coming, too. We all got there just after Amelia. I can hear her telling the nurses that she’s fine and arguing with this Weston guy. We’re asked to wait in the waiting room while Coach goes off to find his wife. I sit beside Harper, who rests her head on my shoulder. Avery sits next to Harper, and Natalie is on the other side of her. Last time I checked, the second Coach Reid left, Christian was holding her hand. Aiden and Dylan sat a few seats down from us.
Robins leans against the wall, looking like he is about to lose his mind. This is the perfect opportunity to find out what he is thinking. I gently nudge Harper off my shoulder, gesturing to Robins. She nods in understanding. I push myself up, asking the group if they want some coffee. They all do because it is past two in the morning. I stroll over to Robins. “Mind coming with me to help carry the coffees?”
He nods and walks with me. We walk all the way to the end of the hall where we take the elevator down to the ground floor. It takes a while for him to say something, and what he says is confusing. I don’t even quite understand what he means by the few garbled words I can decipher.
“Christopher, you know she is going to be alright, don’t you? She is up and talking, and yelling that she doesn’t need to be in the hospital.” I say this more to myself than to him. I pull open the door and hold it for him to pass. He walks through, mumbling a thank you. I get in line, cursing the short line at this hour.
I need to initiate the conversation. “You act like you’re in love with her or something.” I try to joke about it. When he looks up at me, I see it, clear as glass. He’s in love with her. I compartmentalize the rage running through my body. We haven’t come to that point yet; I will not solve with fists what I can solve with words. “So that’s it?”
Robins shakes his head like he doesn’t want to believe it himself. “I’ve been in love with that girl for 26 fucking months.” His voice a low growl, almost pained. “I’ve buried my feelings for her in so many different pussies that I lost count. I thought if I kept myself busy, then it wouldn’t kill me not to be with her, and it was working just fine. Until that fucking Freshman walked into my life and threatened to take her from me. He touches her. He holds her. He kisses her. He does everything I force myself not to do. Do you know what that feels like?” His voice is raw, it almost compels me to agree, but I don’t.
“I thought you had a plan to distance her from Connor.” I note the brashness in my voice and soften it. “I didn’t know the motive.”
He shrugs, digging his hands into his pockets. “I don’t even think I really realized the motive until last night.”
“What happened last night?”
“She came over and spent the night with me.”
“Wait! What?” My hand flies out to clutch at his arm. That can’t be. She was in her room last night.
He jerks his head up. “No, not like that. She got into a fight with the Freshman and showed up at my door. I wasn’t expecting it. Shit. I was passed out when I heard the knock. When I saw her there, looking like her world was going to collapse, the realization hit me so hard I couldn’t speak. Then she looked at me with those eyes, laying everything bare. And when she wrapped her arms around me… I’ve never felt like that before.”
I lose my train of thought. “You want her for yourself?” I remove my hand before I crush him, I try not to grit my teeth at that.
“Lia is mine.” He pauses. “She always has been.”
No! Lia is mine!
I smash my lips together, taking a deep breath and rein in my anger. In hopes of dissuading his affection towards my Queen, I bring up the possible competition. “What about Dylan? I saw a picture of them on Facebook.” A jolt of pain has me rubbing at my temples. I keep him speaking so he doesn’t notice.
“That doesn’t bother me.” He shrugs it off. “Lia would never date one of them; they scare her. She’s too much of a good girl for them. They’ll find out eventually and lose interest.”
It’s my turn in line, so I order the seven coffees and one black tea. The lady behind the counter goes over to the coffee pots, giving Robins and I some more time to talk. I tilt my head to the side, unsure of what I was feeling. I need Christopher to finish getting rid of Connor, yet he’s my biggest threat. If Amelia actually does feel something real for him, this will change everything.
“You sound very confident this is going to work.”
He rests his hands on the metal bars that separate the line from the dining area, gripping them tight until the whites of his knuckles show. “How do you know Amelia will pick you?”
He sighs, then smiles at me. “I just know. That’s what happens when you know someone better than you know yourself.”
I think back to yesterday, and almost getting caught. I thought she was going to the bathroom and instead she went running to him. My jaw clenches. I look away so he doesn’t see the affliction on my face. Her conversations with Mel come into my head, all of them telling me he’s right. If Christopher makes a move, that’s it; I will lose her innocence to this scoundrel. He’ll pluck her of everything pure because Amelia trusts him with her life. No, a relationship with Christopher is out of the question. Maybe I have been thinking about taking out the wrong Knight this whole time. The Killer in me thinks I should just kill both. I agree; initially. Realistically, however, killing them both may tie me to multiple murders. This catastrophe is going to require more finesse and less retaliation, or rather more of my strategical King side and less of my inner Killer.
The lady comes back with the coffees. I pull my wallet out, grab a couple of twenties and ask her for the milk and sugar packets. She tucks her hand under the counter and fills a paper bag with coffee additives.
Christopher grabs two trays of four and inserts the cups in them. “I just want to get up there and see her.” His voice cuts through my little trance. I nod in understanding. “I just need to see for myself that she is okay; if she needs anything from me. I will do everything I can for her.”
“Maybe you should wait.” I’m grasping at straws. I’m usually so controlled about this, but these last couple months have been impossible. The more suitors who come forth, the harder it is to tame the Killer, waiting just beneath the surface.
Christopher raises his brows at me, surprised that I am commenting and tense. He’s picking up on the underlying feelings, and I need to throw him off. “Look, man. I saw the way Meg was looking at her.”
“Meg isn’t a problem. We aren’t dating anymore. This time we are officially over. I want Amelia. It’s all I’ve wanted for a long time.” I force my lips to stretch across my face in some semblance of a smile, images of Amelia with him, flashing before me. He makes me want to forget that I am human and rip his thro
at out with my teeth. I can do it, just one single nick of that carotid artery and... No. I can’t. Strategy, not impulse.
Maybe in a couple of months. No. I have to squelch the Killer’s instinct. Robins isn’t like an illegal maid with no family around to miss her. He’s been born and raised in the county. Everyone knows him, and I can’t risk it so close after Bruce.
Connor, however, would be easier.
For now, I resort to manipulating the events, no matter how much the Killer inside me wants to rid my world of these threats.
I calm myself down. Getting all worked up won’t help me plan out what I need to do. Maiming Connor or Christopher or Aiden, as extremely gratifying as the images are, would not get me in her good graces. Plus, I don’t want anything to come between our happily ever after, and murder comes with the possibility of incarceration, where I would be ripped from the embrace of my beloved.
No, I can’t do that. At least not now; it’s too drastic a move. I need to see where this relationship will go and act as it progresses. I need to block as he moves. A reaction for every action.
He isn’t worthy of her love, but she has yet to see that. I will show her how all these stupid suitors are just acting like the perfect mate. I am the only perfection she will ever now.
Patience. Time. Manipulation. The three key elements in my attack. My current sentiments and retaliation tactics are stemming from a place of worry because my Queen is in a hospital and it’s throwing me off guard.
“Here you go, dear.” The older lady gives me the bag, pushing it towards me with my change.
I wave it off. “Keep it.” She grins at me, thankful for the ten-dollar tip. Christopher grabs one of the trays, and I grab the one with my tea and begin to sip it. I need to appear calm and uninterested. Christopher reaches for the elevator call button, and I continue to tell myself this will all work out, because I have one thing on all of them. No matter who it is. If it comes to it, I will have no remorse about taking them out of the equation.
One way or another, she’s mine.
And no one else’s.
Chapter 11: The Reticence
Lia
You have got to be kidding me! The nurse is aiming for my arm with a needle, telling me to stay still. I groan and look away. I hate needles, just knowing she has a needle near me is cringe-worthy.
“Stay still Ms. Martins.” The salt and pepper haired nurse growls at me, “Stop squirming.”
When I see the needle almost puncture my skin, I jump out of the chair.
“I’m fantastic!” I say, rubbing at the arm she nearly jammed that thin metal through. “No need for blood work or whatever you are doing. I’m fine. I need to get back to school.”
Preparing to sprint for the door, I study the nurse's actions carefully. She smacks her lips together, making an annoying sound and puts the needle down. I breathe a sigh of relief. I am not a fan of hospitals, or doctors for that matter.
“Are you refusing treatment?”
I nod my head a little too quickly, and the abrupt movement makes me woozy. I force a smile just in case the nurse doubts me.
“I don’t advise this. I got a call from Dr. Chase to personally take care of you and report back.”
Adrian and Emmalynn. I groan inwardly. My sister knows. Ugh. I didn’t want my sister to alert the family, and have them all show up and bombard my life. I have enough problems as it is. I don’t need to add my mother insisting I go to a school near home.
My shoulders drop in defeat, and I tread over to the nurse who is a little too happy to be stabbing me with the torture device she calls a needle. She grabs a ball and tells me to squeeze the squishy thing until she says to stop.
“Once you take these, can I go?” I’m bargaining, hoping she will let me go before she gets further instructions to keep me here. Chase Memorial Hospital is run by Adrian, and since he’s engaged to my sister, I am going to get the full workup, even though I already know what is wrong with me. “I have an ulcer,” I inform the nurse. “I drank the stuff that would irritate it.”
“Mhmm.”
Oh, God. I squeeze the ball and close my eyes, thinking of anything other than the needle as it pierces my delicate skin.
“You’re all set, sweetheart.” I open one of my eyes just to make sure the needle is far away from me. She squirts alcohol on a cotton ball and places it on the entry site, pointing to my hand. “Hold it here for a second while I grab a band-aid.”
A band-aid! I didn’t need to come to the hospital to end up getting a two-hundred-dollar Band-Aid! I do as she orders, but release the frustration with a loud puff, causing the nurse to chuckle as she unwraps the expensive sticker.
“Dr. Chase told me you would be a handful.”
I snarl my upper lip at her which makes her laugh out loud. I roll my eyes. “Where is Adrian anyway?”
“Adrian is in Spain,” she says calmly. “I’m talking about Weston.”
“Weston?” It takes a second to connect the name to the face. “He isn’t a real doctor!” Hope fills me. If Adrian is with my sister , I can convince Weston to get me out of here. I remember him from the summer vacations. Where Adrian is intense, Weston is carefree, and that is the only good thing about tonight. I smile to myself. “Where is he?”
The door opens, and the non-lab coat wearing Adrian look-alike walks in, wearing a charcoal suit with a blue dress shirt that makes his eyes sparkle. He’s not much older than me and looks just as bothered to be here as I am, though he is trying to hide it.
He shoots me a flirtatious smile. “You looking for me, Stinkbug?”
I laugh at him and return his smile. Stinkbug! Ah, the summers in Europe, drunk nights and stupid nicknames that make memories we will never forget; even if we didn’t remember most of the night.
“So, tell me why I get a call from my future sister-in-law ordering me to report back to her about her little sister who never calls her.”
I throw my head back in frustration. I’m never going to hear the end of this.
He glides over to me and takes a seat, sitting in a chair backward and very unprofessional. Unbuttoning his blazer, he shrugs it off, then addresses the nurse authoritatively, “Get those down to the lab. Rush them. From what I remember, Lia here, is not a fan of hospitals unless she’s the one giving orders.”
The nurse nods nervously and walks away, leaving with all my blood in her hands. It makes me really sick to my stomach.
He places a hand on my bare knee and softens his features. “What happened, Stinkbug?”
“I fainted, Butthead.” Such a hot guy would normally activate my Vixen, but this is Weston, and my Vixen isn’t bothered by him in the slightest.
He chuckles that I didn’t forget our nicknames. “I gathered that much. Your friends were telling me how you were sick before. That you’ve been sick. If I didn’t know any better, I would ask if you are pregnant.”
“It sounds like you’re asking.” Why did everyone think I was pregnant? “I can assure you I am not pregnant. The doctor told me I had the beginnings of an ulcer.”
“You stressed out?” The doctor had asked me the same routine questions. However, Weston isn’t a doctor.
“Yea, sort of.” I admit my love life stresses me out. “Plus, I had three coffees today, and two yesterday. I also had fried chicken. I think I just aggravated it.”
Weston nods an okay.
“Can we just tell Emmalynn I’m awesome and call it a night? I’m exhausted.”
“I can’t let you go yet. Your pulse was very low, and I don’t like that your lips were a little blue. I’m going to have the doctor come in and examine you.”
I grunt.
“The faster he does it, the quicker I can settle your sister down and get you back to your friends. I don’t need eight of them crowding up my waiting room.”
“Eight?” The number surprises me.
“Yep, I heard the tall sexy blonde talking about some more on the way.”
I shove at h
is shoulder. Of course, he’s referencing Harper, but my mind roams to Robins.
“I think I need to stop by Westbrook and visit you sometime.”
“Harper is sort of taken. Don’t go messing it all up for her. He’s a nice guy, unlike you.” I’m not insulting Weston. Well, not really anyway.
“You still think I’m not a nice guy, huh?” His mocking tone made me smile. “You’re right. I haven’t changed, but I should have embraced the whole suit thing a long time ago. Girls love it!” He winks at me then grabs at the hem of my cheer skirt. “Nice uniform. I didn’t peg you as a cheerleader. Not the shy little Stinkbug who followed me everywhere.”
“You didn’t come this year. Emmalynn said you and Easton were coming. She rented a beach house for all of us. You left me there alone with her.”
“You had Victoria,” he says, winking at me. “And the little monster.” I did, I loved Toby. “Now, stop distracting me from getting you out of here.” He stands up from the chair and throws his jacket over his arm. “I’m going to send Dr. Rubenstein in. Please try not to give the old man a heart attack with your get up.” I shoo him away. “Later, Stinkbug.”
Three hours later I had been transferred to a hospital bed and given an IV drip while we waited for the results of the blood work. I’m certain the old dinosaur doctor thinks I’m pregnant since all my vitals are back to normal and I no longer feel sick. There is no other excuse for why I am being held prisoner here. At least prisoners get food. If they think this IV drip is sustenance they are batshit crazy. My teeth need to chomp down on something to send the mental cue to my brain and shut off my stomach’s God awful grumbling.
Weston comes back, looking like he just woke up from a nap. His shirt is crumpled, the buttons are undone, and he has sleepiness etched all over his face. He swipes his finger across the tablet screen, being all professional like and checking on the IV, before talking to me. “Well, looks like someone is okay. No signs of infection and the normal control panel isn’t that crazy. So, I guess I can let you go.”
