She hadn’t showered. The feel of Wren still lingered on her skin. On her mouth. In her body. She knew she would have to clean up soon, but for a few moments longer she could pretend that it wasn’t Sunday, that her plane wasn’t scheduled to depart today to take her back to Louisiana.
But all things must end, and when Aldy started groaning from somewhere under her bedcovers, she knew the time had come.
She threw the blanket off and rose from the chair, walking over to find her friend in the tangled sheets.
“Morning!” she called.
“Oh God, shut the hell up,” Aldy moaned, her dark head finally emerging.
“I see,” said Caroline as she pulled some clothes from her suitcase. “Not feeling up to par, eh?”
“Stuff it, Grace,” Aldy growled.
Caroline only grinned. “The play is at ten.”
Aldy blinked and then crawled back under the covers. “Can’t make it.”
“What? You’ve already bought the ticket.”
No response.
Caroline knew better than to push her friend. “All right. I’ll go by myself. But you’re going to regret it.”
She disappeared into the bathroom, using everything to distract her from her thoughts. But the shower gave her a moment to release her tears, allowing them to fall and wash away. They were her secret. And when she was done, with the shower and the crying, she looked at herself in the mirror, at the carefully made up eyes and powder pressed face. She hoped like mad that no one could see the sadness lingering in the burning of her eyes.
She wet a wash cloth with cool water, rung it tight, and brought it to Aldy, who had managed to sit on the edge of the bed looking like a bedraggled animal who had one too many spins in a dryer.
Caroline held out the wash cloth.
“Thanks,” Aldy said as she took it.
“Come with me,” Caroline urged.
Aldy stared at her through eyes opened halfway, pressing the wet towel against her forehead. “I can’t. I’m sick.”
“No, you’re hung over. How much did you drink after I left the party last night?”
Her friend gave a dismissive wave, meaning she probably didn’t remember. She flopped backward onto her bed.
“All right,” Caroline conceded. “But you’re gonna miss a great play.”
“Take Wren,” Aldy said from under the pillow that she had pulled over her head.
Caroline bit her lips but didn’t respond to the suggestion. Instead she said, “Hey, I’m leaving my phone here to charge, but the volume is turned down so it won’t disturb you. The play ends about twelve, which gives us plenty of time to get to the airport.”
She heard more mumbling but ignored it, double-checking she had her ticket and key card before leaving.
****
“Excuse me, Miss,” said one of the theater ushers.
Caroline looked up from her Playbill and blinked at the smiling man. “Yes?”
“I’m afraid we’ve shown you to the wrong seat. If you come with me I’ll take you to the right one.”
He gestured to her to follow him down the almost vertical stairway from the upper mezzanine section, otherwise known as the nosebleed seats.
“Oh,” she said, frowning. “Are you sure? I’m pretty positive this is my seat.”
“Right this way,” the usher repeated with a patient smile and another wave of his hand.
Caroline smiled benignly to the people watching, gathered her purse and stood. He led her down and through the back, using a side hallway that led to a curtained room. When he held the curtain open, Caroline took a step back.
“Isn’t this an orchestra box? I didn’t purchase this seat!”
“No, I did,” came Wren’s deep voice from the private room. “We wouldn’t have been able to see anything from outer space.”
Caroline smiled weakly at the usher and then hurried inside. The curtain closed behind her. “How did you know I was here?”
He held up Aldy’s unused ticket. “I upgraded.”
Caroline took a peek over the balcony. They practically sat on the stage. She bit her lip and took her seat. Through the show she marveled at being able to see the actor’s faces, silently admitting that the extra cost of the ticket had been well worth the price. It made the experience of a Broadway play all the more exciting and memorable.
They were silent as they walked the block back to the hotel, although they were far from alone. People bustled up and down the sidewalk.
“What time is your flight?” Wren asked.
Caroline looked at her watch. “Four. I probably should hurry ba––”
Suddenly, something very sharp poked into her ribs and a split second later, an arm curled around her neck. She was confused until she saw Wren tense up and a harsh voice snapped in her ear.
“You cost me my job, bitch.”
Immediately, she recognized Gil’s voice. The sharp jab in her side got worse, and pain radiated through her body.
“Get your hands off her, Gil,” Wren said in a low, warning tone.
“Not until you give me back my job.”
“If you hurt her, I will fucking destroy you.”
That’s when it dawned on Caroline that Gil had a weapon trained on her, and from the sharp, needlelike agony determined it was a knife. Icy fear erupted and her gaze clashed with Wren’s. Several emotions flittered through their stormy grey depths, but all she could register was her own panic.
“Give me back my job!” he demanded.
Dozens of people passed by, but they were oblivious to the drama being played out in front of them. No one paying attention she could signal to for help. Caroline wondered if she’d die right there on the sidewalk, one more casualty on the streets of New York City. Tears welled up in her eyes and ran down her cheeks.
“Listen to me,” Wren said. His hands curled into fists as he faced Gil. “You have less than a minute to let her go and drop that knife, or I’m going to break both of your hands. Do you hear me?”
“I did nothing wrong!” Gil shouted.
That had a few people turning to look at them.
“You were going to rape her.”
“She was asking for it.” Caroline could feel him shaking his head. “All women ask for it. No reason for you to fire me over this bitch!”
Caroline saw a few people were pulling out cell phones. She hoped to God they were calling the police and not simply shooting a video to upload later to social media.
The knife dug a little deeper and she couldn’t hold back a whimper of pain. Wren’s face darkened.
“Let. Her. Go. Now!”
At that moment, everything erupted. Chaos ensued as red and blue lights flashed, a siren rang out, and a cop car pulled up next to them just as Wren grabbed hold of Gil’s arm, the one that held the knife in her side, and wrenched it down. Gil let out an ungodly scream as two patrol officers swarmed over all three of them. Caroline felt herself falling as she was freed from Gil’s hold. She landed on her knees and then began crawling away.
A hand landed on her shoulder and she cried out, fearful that he had managed to break away and come after her again.
“I’ve got you,” a woman’s voice said and Caroline looked up to see a woman police officer. Caroline let the female cop help her up and only then did she notice an ambulance nearby. “I’m going to walk you right over there and let the paramedics take a look at you.”
“I-is he … is he c-caught?” she stammered. Her teeth chattered as shock settled into her body.
“Yes, ma’am,” the cop said. She held Caroline’s hand. “I believe you’re going into shock, so just come with me.”
Caroline glanced behind her but she couldn’t see a thing between the men in uniform and the lingering crowd of spectators. Something oozed down her side and when she looked, she saw a ribbon of bright red staining her clothes. Blood. She almost fainted right then and there.
“Where’s Wren?” she managed to say out without stuttering.
“He’s okay.” The cop gave her warm smile. “He’s telling the police what happened.”
“He saved me,” Caroline whispered.
“We know.”
After that, the paramedics took over and she was remanded into their care. It all became a haze as she was placed on a gurney, strapped in and loaded into the ambulance. Her top was cut away and placed in a plastic bag, allowing access to the wound. Medicine was administered and moments later, she let it work its magic, leaning back and closing her eyes.
****
“Oh my God!” Aldy cried, so loud she could be heard over the hum of the busy triage center of the hospital. “You fucking scared me!”
Caroline rolled her eyes. The nurses and doctors turned to glare as Aldy rushed over to hug her. The knife wound had just been a very minor scrape, where the tip had pressed a little too hard. Stitches were not needed but the doctor had given her a shot around the area to numb it while he cleaned and dressed the area. They’d taken blood samples and had given her a tetanus shot. The female cop had stayed with her through the whole process and had taken her statement. Now she waited for the discharge papers, sitting on an ER bed, wearing a scrub top that was a size too large for her.
Wren hadn’t been in to see her, but she’d been told he was asked to go to the police station to make a statement. Caroline wondered if she would see him again.
“Okay, Aldy,” Caroline murmured as she eased out of the embrace. “I’m going to be fine.”
“I knew that man,” Aldy said. “Gil Foley. Didn’t work in my department but I saw him at the conference. Slimy fucking creep.”
“Yeah,” Caroline agreed. “We missed our flight!”
“No worries,” Aldy replied with a negligent wave of her hand. “Troublemaker Cosmetics picked up the tab on shifting our flight. We fly out later tonight.”
Caroline frowned at looked at the cop. “Will I be able to leave? Or will I have to come back to press charges?”
“No,” the cop replied. “Mr. Foley made a full confession. You don’t need to do anything more.”
A weight slid off Caroline’s shoulder and she let out a deep breath of relief. “Good. I didn’t really want to relive that.”
At that moment, a nurse came into the cubicle with several sheets of papers. “I have your discharge papers if you can give me a few signatures. Here’re a couple of prescriptions. An antibiotic, and this one for pain in case you need it.”
Caroline signed everything, and a few minutes later, walked out of the hospital with Aldy on one side and the female police officer on the other, who offered to drive them back to the hotel.
She entered the room behind Aldy and discovered her friend had been busy. Their suitcases as well as their toiletry bags were packed and waiting to go.
“Are we in a hurry?”
Aldy threw her a dark look. “You just got stabbed by a crazy person. Let’s get our stuff and get the hell out of here.”
“But it’s still several hours until our flight.”
“I don’t give a shit,” Aldy said. “I’m never coming back to New York City. I’ve determined I hate it for almost killing you.”
Caroline hugged her friend. “Love you too.”
Aldy sniffed. “Come on, let’s get going. We may be flying out of different terminals, but at least no one is trying to stab you at the hotel.”
Just then, a knock sounded on their door. Aldy opened it and then stepped back to let Wren in. He didn’t even say hi or acknowledge her, just barreled past her to scoop Caroline up in his arms.
She hugged him back.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Aldy cleared her throat. “So, yeah, I’ll, uh, just be that way.”
Neither of them said goodbye as she made an exit. The door closed behind her with a firm click.
“I’m okay,” Caroline replied.
He pulled back to look her over. “I should’ve killed the mother fucker.”
“You fired him?”
“Of course I fucking fired him!” he snarled. “He isn’t the type of employee we want representing Troublemaker, not to mention the fact he’s a son-of-a-bitch. I can’t help but wonder how many other women said no to him and he didn’t take the hint.”
Caroline shuddered at her close call. “Thank you.”
“Fucking hell, Caroline! He could’ve killed you!”
She nodded. “I realize that. Believe me, I more than understand all that could’ve happened. But they gave me a Valium at the hospital. I’m feeling really great right now.”
A small smile cracked the hard line of his mouth. “Christ, Caroline. This isn’t how I wanted this day to go down.”
“I should hope not.” A vise grip squeezed her heart. Finally, the moment she had been dreading. “I suppose this is goodbye.”
He stiffened. “That’s it? Just goodbye?”
“What else do you want me to say?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck,” he muttered. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a box. “I’d like for you to have this.”
Caroline’s breath caught in her throat. With shaky hands she took the box and eased open the lid. A gold necklace twinkled at her, the chain thin and delicate. A smiley face charm dangled on it.
“It’s to chase away the frown in your eyes,” he said softly. “Don’t let the frowns win, Caroline.”
Unexpected tears sprang into her eyes at the tender and thoughtful gift. It took her a moment of swallowing for the lump to disappear from her throat.
“Thank you,” she mumbled. “It’s perfect.” She took the necklace out of the box and held it out to him. “Could you put this on me?”
He nodded and she turned. The delicate brush of his fingers over the back of her neck brought goose bumps to her arms. Her heart thundered in her chest. Still, after all they had done to and with each other, her blood still heated like it had upon meeting him for the first time. Her body tingled to life. She closed her eyes as she leaned into his hands, savoring the feel of them one last time on her skin. Once the chain was hooked, he gripped her shoulders and leaned down, his nose coming to rest right behind her ear. She heard his ragged breathing, felt the quiver in his body, and realized he was experiencing the same quicksilver reaction as she. It was always like this between them. Intense and powerful.
“I’ll go with you to La Guardia,” he murmured against her skin.
Her heart sang, happy to have delayed her inevitable broken heart.
****
The taxi let Aldy off first since she was flying out on a different airline. She hugged Caroline tightly, tears shining in her dark eyes.
“You scared the shit out of me,” Aldy whispered in her ear.
“I know,” Caroline murmured. “But I’m okay.”
“I just can’t imagine life without you, my friend.”
“Same here.”
Aldy placed a kiss of her cheek. “Call me when you get in. Let me know you’re home safe.”
Caroline nodded. “I promise.”
It was sad watching her friend go and she waited until Aldy was out of sight before climbing back into the waiting car next to Wren. The taxi sped to the next terminal where it braked quickly. The driver jumped out and hurried to the trunk to take out her luggage.
As Wren paid the driver, Caroline noticed the bruising on his knuckles. The reminder of her close encounter sent a shiver down her back. He picked up her luggage and they moved inside. With the automatic check in kiosks Caroline had her boarding pass in a matter of minutes. She eyed the short line at the airport inspection gate before turning to face Wren. His eyes reflected the sea of people around him, a washed out moss color of control.
“I’m sorry about Gil,” he said. “I’m having an investigator research his background to see if there are any other potential victims out there.”
The thought made her stomach clench. “You think there could be other women?”
“How could there not be?
” he asked wryly. “The man has no respect for women and no respect for his position within the company.”
“What will you do if you find any other women?”
“Urge them to come forward and make sure he serves the maximum punishment allowed by law.” Wren shrugged. “At the very least, give them comfort he’s been brought to justice.”
“Thank you,” Caroline said. “For all you did. For all you’ve done.”
He brushed the hair at her temple. “I’m glad I was there. However you got there, I’m glad you were in my life, Caroline Grace.”
He bent and brushed his mouth against hers, lingering for an all-too-brief moment. A lump rose in her throat and she had to fight hard to keep the tears at bay.
When he straightened, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a business card. He held it out to her. “My numbers. I leave for Paris in a week.”
She hesitated, but before she could think things over she grabbed it and stuffed it in her purse. He took her hand and squeezed it tight.
“Call me,” he said, quietly.
With one last look, she pulled her hand away and stepped into the inspection line, which thankfully was moving quickly. She deliberately did not look back until she had gone through the detectors. But when she finally turned around, Wren was nowhere to be seen.
Chapter Thirteen
“Hey, Caroline,” Grant, the pharmacist, greeted as he walked into the store. The day was just about to begin and her two morning employees smiled at her as they took their tills to count them.
“Morning, Grant,” she said, hurrying to get the store ready to open.
The bustle of the workday always helped take her mind off Wren. Work, in general, kept her occupied. It was only when she went home at night and had time to remember the sex, the intimacy, and the way Wren had made her feel did it become a little too overwhelming.
Made her feel a little too sad.
“So, are you recovering from the jet lag?” Grant asked.
She blinked and looked at him over the reports that she’d just printed out. “Excuse me?”
“Your trip,” he said. “You haven’t said much about it.”
It’d been a week since she’d flown home. A week to think about everything that had happened. A week to dream about Wren every night. All the time in the world to reflect on everything that had happened to her.
A Man After Midnight Page 8
