by Mia Ford
“Sorry, Raelyn, I didn’t mean to sound like a dick then, that wasn’t ever my intention. I’m just scared.”
I nod, accepting this as a valid excuse, because it is. We’re both full of fear here. “Okay, well that’s fine, but I don’t want to keep working against you. It’d be easier if we just faced it together.”
“I know it would, I do. I just don’t know what to do for the best.”
I step closer to him and take his hands in mine. “We need to find a solution that we’re both comfortable with.”
“I’m just asking for more time,” he assures me. “That’s all. I want some more time to come up with a rational solution. I don’t know about the organized crime just randomly; I have a guy who finds stuff out for me.”
“About organized crime?” I ask with furrowed brows. This isn’t quite adding up to me right now.
“There were a wave of threats against businesses a few years back. I needed to know who it was.”
“Were you ever threatened? By the criminals, I mean?”
“No, that never happened, but I was prepared just in case. That’s how I know about them.”
Okay, he sounds calmer now, this is good, I can actually get some serious talking done here. I can steer Carter towards the resolution that I want once we’ve gotten through all of this.
“Do you really think they have anything to do with all of this?”
He shrugs, bewildered. “I don’t know, but they could be, and if they are then we need to be really careful because this could end up being very dangerous for us. I know you think I’m being a fool by holding back in alerting the authorities, but these groups are far reaching and I want to be sure that we are safe.”
“Okay, that makes sense,” I have to admit, because it really does. He has better instincts than I thought. “So, what do we do right now? I mean, while we’re here and waiting it out.”
“I guess we try and get some sleep… which I already know sounds crazy and impossible, but we need to have our head’s on straight for tomorrow. Whatever we decide to do, we need to be alert. We need all of our faculties about us. Especially if we decide to talk to the police.”
I nod, my body aching with exhaustion. My brain might not be tired or able to ever switch off again, but my body is so desperate to lie down it’s incredible. I don’t want anything else in the world.
“Can I rest on your couch then? I don’t really want to go home if you have a good security system here.”
“You can sleep in my bed. I will take the couch.”
“I don’t mind…”
He shakes his head. “No, I insist. I want you to be comfortable after the night that you’ve had.”
I’m too tired to argue so I let him take me into his room. As I lie on the bed, he wraps his arms around me to reassure me and hold me close. I snuggle into him, needing him more than I could ever know. So much so that when he stirs to move, I cling to him and hold him close. I don’t want him going anywhere. I need his warmth, the feel of him, the knowledge that I’m not alone.
I cannot be alone right now.
25
Carter
“We’re going to work?” Raelyn asks me, stunned. “You must be joking me, Carter.”
“I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but just hear me out…”
“Hear you out? Carter, it sounds like you haven’t had any sleep at all. I can’t keep going along with this.”
She might be right on the lack of sleep part. I just couldn’t switch off. That’s when I started to do my research in to the organized crime groups, just to see what I could find out. Of course, it wasn’t much. I’m not Lee, who I will contact later on if I decide that involving someone else is the right thing to do, but I got enough to make me even more scared. If those assholes chase after us, we’re screwed. It’s bad enough what they’ll do to me, never mind what they’ll do to Raelyn. It doesn’t even bear thinking about it.
No, we need to work out what sort of trouble we’re in before I plan my next move.
“I have contacts,” I try my hardest to reassure her. “I want to find out what position we’re in.”
She chews on her bottom lip thoughtfully for a moment. All I want to do is rub my thumb along her bottom lip to make sure that it’s okay, but it seems that romance has taken a back seat for now. Understandably.
“And while you’re doing that, we just go to work and act like all is okay?”
“We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves, do we?” I ask her. “The guy might already know who I am, since I’m pretty sure that he saw my face.” There’s no point in making this worse by saying both of our faces. “So, he may be able to find me at work today. I don’t want anyone to get hurt on my behalf.”
“But I guess you’re prepared for you to get hurt? And maybe me too?”
“No one will hurt you, believe me. I will make sure of it. I’ll have extra security on.”
“Won’t that be suspicious enough? People will suspect.”
“They will be discrete, Raelyn. I can assure you of that. I know what I’m doing.”
But she doesn’t look convinced and I don’t know how I can change that. It’s very challenging to make her see that I’m doing the right thing when I don’t fully know that myself. I think I am, but any move could be wrong.
“I just don’t get it, Carter. I don’t understand. I want to, but it’s hard.”
I lean in and take her hands. Her eyes meet mine and I can see the sheer terror there. “I know you don’t, Raelyn, but please just know that everything I’m doing is for you. I want to keep you safe.”
“Right sure. So, all I have to do is act like everything is normal and that my life didn’t completely up end last night.” She gasps in, trying to get buckets of air. “Easy peasy. I’m sure I will pull that off easily.”
“Come on, I will drive you home first, then you can get changed. Have a shower, put on some fresh clothes, then we can try our best to face the day… even if just for a little bit.”
“We can’t drive anywhere.” She cocks an eyebrow at me. “Your car is still at the office. Don’t forget.”
I clap my hand to my forehead hard and rub the ache away. “Of course! I forgot that we walked last night.”
Neither of us say anything but I’m sure that we’re both thinking that was the biggest mistake that I’ve ever made, suggesting that we walk. If we’d just gotten in the car and driven to my place, then none of this would have happened. We wouldn’t have seen anything and we wouldn’t be in danger now.
“I will go and get the car. You take a shower here while I go. I won’t be long.” The idea rolls off my tongue rapidly. “Ten minutes or so, then I can take you to get clean clothes. How does that sound to you?”
“Right, sure. Ten minutes.” She gulps. She doesn’t like being left alone. I can see that, but it’s essential to make it work. It won’t take me long, I will run. “Shower… I can shower. Thank you.”
I show her where everything is in the bathroom before I take off. I run as quickly as I can. I run almost as fast as I did last night when I was trying to escape the mad man with a knife and murderous intents. Sweat pours off me, my chest hurts, but I keep going. I keep thinking of Raelyn in that shower at my house, scared and crying. She already looked like she had tears in her eyes before I left. I’m sure she must be a mess already.
I want to help her. I don’t want to leave her scared by herself. That’s the worst thing.
We just need to get through today, I try to convince myself. That’s it. Once I’ve done that…
Well I don’t know what will happen then. There’s just no way to know. Right now, it’s all about taking one moment at a time, trying to just survive it. Trying to make it until I plan what I’m going to do next.
I find the car quickly, still where I left it last night. But before I hop into it, I look at the office building to see if there are any obvious signs of a break in… but it seems nothing. I guess the group hasn’t worked
out who I am yet. Either that or they are watching me from afar, trying to see what I’m going to do next.
Hopefully by doing nothing, I will please them and they’ll leave me alone. That’s all I want.
I jump in the car and drive to get Raelyn, hoping that she’s still holding it together… for now….
I’m struggling to focus; I will admit that. It’s really hard when I’m so shattered and I’m so panicked as well, but what’s going on with Raelyn is something else. She isn’t hiding what’s happened at all.
She isn’t telling everyone what we saw or anything, but it’s so obvious that something is wrong with her. She’s shaking, barely able to talk, and making a whole lot of mistakes. Everyone has noticed it.
I’m going to have to do something. It’s the right thing to do.
“Raelyn, can I have a word, please?” I say quietly to her so no one else hears.
“Why, has something happened?” She spins rapidly, her eyes wide and crazy. She’s being too loud; everyone is now looking at us. “Carter, is there something I need to know?”
I grab her arm gently and guide her along with me. The tremble in her body is intense. It’s actually amazing that she’s still standing! I’ve pushed her too hard by bringing her here. I should have allowed her to be ‘sick’ to take the day off. The only reason I didn’t think of that was because I didn’t want her to be alone.
As soon as we get into my office and I have the door closed behind her, I turn to stare at her in shock. “Raelyn, it isn’t going well today, is it? You are a real bag of nerves and it’s making everyone suspicious.”
“I… I’m trying not to. It’s just really hard to focus. What with everything going on…”
I touch her arm softly, making her calm down just the tiniest of bits. “Raelyn, it’s okay. I don’t blame you. I know what’s going on here as well as you do. I just want to do the right thing.”
“How are you okay? I don’t get it. Why am I the only one who’s a mess?”
“I’m just hiding it better, that’s all. Which is why I should be the one to stay here and you go.”
“Go?” Instantly she looks panicked again. “Go where? Where do you want me to go?”
She’s getting louder and more hysterical by the moment. I need to stop this.
“Go home. Lock yourself away and calm down while I sort this out. I will keep you up to date on everything that’s going on, you don’t need to worry about a thing. You can trust me on that one.”
Whether she trusts me or not doesn’t matter. She nods and agrees with me which is enough for the time being. I will take it and roll with it because getting her out of here is important.
“I don’t want you to be alone. Is there anyone that you can call, to spend time with you?”
“I… I don’t know. Abbi might be back. I don’t know what time she said she’d be here.”
“Is that a friend of yours?”
I do need to be careful. Raelyn is bound to tell her friend about what happened because she clearly wants to get it off her chest, and the more people that we involve in this, the more complicated it becomes.
“Yes, she’s my best friend. From high school. I can trust her; she’ll look after me.”
I nod. “Okay, well then you should call her. Get her to meet you.”
As Raelyn does what I’ve asked, contacting her friend, I call a driver to come and get her. There’s no way I’m letting her walk around by herself, and not to be controlling but because I care so much, and she’s in no fit state to drive herself. I would take her, but things here are already weird enough. I don’t want to make it worse, and I do need to stick around to make sure nothing happens. This is the best way for all of us.
“All sorted?” I ask her as she finally hangs up the phone. “Your friend coming to meet you?”
“Yeah.” She rubs her arms anxiously. “She said that she’s going to meet me at my place.”
I grab her into a hug and I try my hardest to reassure her. I know that someone could easily peer through the little window on my office door and see what’s going on in here. They could easily put two and two together and figure that something is going on between Raelyn and me, but that’s hardly important anymore. After what we have been through, a little bit of office gossip isn’t going to trouble us.
Let them talk, I think as I slide my eyes closed and I nestle in to Raelyn. I inhale deeply, breathing in her delicious citrusy scent. Right now, this woman is the only one who’s important to me.
“I have a car coming in a moment, to take you home.”
“A car?” She pulls back to look at me. “But I can make my own way home.”
“Raelyn, I just want to take care of you. Please just let me. This is harder for me than you know.”
“But I’m capable of looking after myself…”
“I know you are. This isn’t for you, it’s for me.”
“Okay fine,” she caves. “I’ll let you take care of me, but just until this is all over. Then it will be my turn to take care of you.”
I smile, truly believing that this is what she wants to do. She really is unlike anyone that I have ever met before, particularly Anna, and that just makes her the most appealing person on the planet.
We need all of this to be over now, so we can really work out what we could be to one another, given half the chance.
“Fine, that sounds like a deal. I look forward to it.” I lean down and gently kiss her on the lips. “Now, you go home and be careful, okay? Look after yourself so I don’t need to worry.”
“Will do,” she replies softly. “And the same goes for you too. Be careful.”
We’re equal, a partnership, and I absolutely love that.
26
Raelyn
“Abbi,” I gush out excitedly as I see her. Relief floods me as my friend, the one person I need to see more than anyone else in the world. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here. I’m so sorry to disturb you when you just got back…”
“What the hell is going on, Raelyn? It seems like things are really crazy with you right now.”
I grab out my key, needing to get inside. I can’t deal with the rest of the world right now. I need to be in my home where I can be safe. “Come inside. I can’t talk about it out here. It’s all too much.”
“Raelyn, you’re actually shaking! I haven’t ever seen you like this before. What’s going on?”
I don’t answer her. I just tug her into my home and slam the door hard. My heart hammers so loudly, I’m scared it might burst out my chest. “I don’t know, Abbi. I don’t know where to start.”
“Okay, well I’m going to get the kettle on. I think you need hot tea to calm you down.”
“Hot tea?” I shrug. Whatever the hell she wants, I’ll go with. “Sure, why not.”
“Take a seat and get your thoughts in order. Just remember that the last time we spoke properly, you were about to go on a date with the hot guy from the app. So, it might help if you start from there.”
I groan loudly. That feels like forever ago now. “Oh God, Thomas, that was a nightmare.”
“It didn’t go well then? That’s a shame, I had really high hopes.”
“So much has happened, Abbi, it’s got really crazy.”
“Well, just start from there. Tell me what went so wrong with Thomas.”
“He was boring, Abbi. That was the first problem.” Actually, this was a good idea. As I try and think through the fog to get to where Thomas and I were, my brain becomes a little clearer. “And he was rude as well. He was arrogant throughout, only really bothering to talk about how wonderful he is.”
“Urgh, I hate that sort of guy. The sort who thinks everyone gives a shit only about them.”
“Yeah, and then when he dropped me off, he got a bit mad because I didn’t want to have sex with him.”
“Why the hell would you want to have sex with him?” Abbi exclaims, horrified. “It was date one.”
“He holds on to the assumpt
ion that because he paid for dinner, I owe him.”
Abbi shakes her head hard and hands me a drink. I sip it gently, blanching at the amount of sugar in this drink. I know they say that sugary tea is good for shock, but I think Abbi has taken that too far.
“Okay, so that didn’t work out. Is that what happened last night when you called me?”
“No. That wasn’t it. That was before all of that.” Oh God, the closer we get, the worse I feel.
“Okay, because if he’d made you that upset, I would have absolutely kicked his ass.”
I let out a little sound that’s almost a laugh. I can just imagine Abbi tracking him down on the app to kill him. “I know you would, but it wasn’t that which upset me that much. It was this mess with Carter.”
“Carter?” Abbi’s eyes widen with surprise. “Something happened with him?”
“The date made me realize just how much I like him. I know it’s stupid, I’m aware of how complicated it can be, but I can’t help my feelings. I just like him so much. He just… he isn’t like anyone else, you know?”
“I knew it! And I knew it would be awesome as well. I could just see how much you liked him… oh.” Realization crosses her face. “But you were crying. Why were you crying? What did he do to you?”
“Well, he had a meeting with his ex-wife and I thought they were getting back together. I was all worked up because I assumed that I lost him, which was why I called you…”
“But…?” Abbi asks me curiously. “It seems like there’s more to this story.”
“There is.” I gasp a couple of times, knowing that I’m getting to the bad bit. “There is more. And it isn’t good. Well, it is with Carter and me, we talked and we sorted it all out. It was all just a bunch of misunderstandings. We actually got to a really good place but then… but then…” I can’t get the words out, tears are falling.
