Chapter Thirteen
She managed to pass Noah with a pleasant enough smile, and he nodded at her. His bland expression was back in place, and consequently, they were back to nothing. Except pleasant. At least, she could breathe again and perform the duties she had grown increasingly proud of.
She did all that for seven more glorious days, until she glanced up on the eighth day, and there stood Elliot.
Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widened and her heart nearly stopped. Holy shit, what was he doing here? How? And… what would he do to her, now that he caught her here? She pressed a hand into the doorjamb to support her trembling legs. He hadn’t seen her yet. She was hidden behind the corner. He was staring around, the disdain clearly etched on his face.
Standing erect, with his back straight and his weight balanced perfectly on both feet, he wore a gray, pinstriped suit, with a spotless, crisp white shirt underneath and a green-speckled-with-gray tie. His brown hair was brushed off his forehead. He appeared to be a man who could stand before anyone, be it politician, CEO, or anyone else in the world, and become the most imposing, commanding, breathtaking model of humanity. His voice was always smooth and low, like honey on his tongue. Always. Even when he was on top of her, beating her, hitting her, kicking her, burning her, choking her, or locking her in her room: he always spoke in the same low, baritone voice. It should have been soothing and wonderful to her ears. It should have brought her feelings of comfort and love, not a blood-curdling fear that paralyzed her.
What could she do? Where could she go? He had to know she was here, or he wouldn’t be standing there. She glanced around, but saw no escape. And even if she managed to, it would only make whatever punishment awaited her so much worse.
With a deep, breath of courage, she emerged from the alcove that hid her. She fisted her hands as she gulped down the knot of dread that was lodged in her throat.
He turned fully towards her when he heard her stepping forward. His clear, big, green eyes narrowed in on her. They followed the line of her body from her casual, purple t-shirt and jeans down to the black flats she wore before his lips curled back with disgust.
“What did you do?” His tone was as silky smooth as a sports announcer. But his facial expression was that of a murderer.
“I—”
“Lindsey, where is—” Noah asked as he came walking up behind her, just at the exact moment she opened her mouth to answer Elliot. Noah stopped talking when he noticed her frozen stance before the stranger in the entryway.
“Lindsey?” Noah’s prompt shook her as much as if he actually touched her.
“Yes, uh, yes, Dr. Clark. This is Elliot. My husband. I was just picking up some paperwork for Jessie to do while on bed rest. Could you please get that for me, Dr. Clark?”
She turned towards him, and his mouth dropped open at her hasty, ill-prepared and poorly executed introduction. His head whipped around to Elliot, who continued to stare hard at her. She could feel it. His eyes pounding, no, drilling into the back of her head. Elliot hated every aspect of this scenario. How she looked. How she spoke with a stupid, incomprehensible stutter. How she worked in a veterinary clinic alone with Dr. Clark. If Noah failed to get her message, which she tried to tacitly communicate through her pleading eyes at him, she feared she might be dead by morning.
Noah glanced back at her and his mouth turned downwards into a deep frown. He didn’t know what to think of this. Or of her.
“The paperwork, Dr. Clark?” she repeated.
He nodded slowly. “Oh, right, Jessie’s work. Yeah, I’ll run back and get it.” He glanced over her head. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Johanson.”
Elliot’s gaze was cold and his expression blank. What was he picturing? What was he thinking? She could not begin to guess. “Yes, Dr. Clark. I was curious as to what my wife is doing here.”
Lindsey tried to gulp the goose egg stuck in her throat. “How… how did you know I was here? I’m here so infrequently. Barely a few times a week to grab the work for Jessie.”
Noah shook his head and muttered as he left to go down the hall.
“I knew the name of the vet where Jessie worked, but I wasn’t sure how to get to her house. I was planning to surprise you.”
“Oh. Right.” Surprise her? Yeah, right. It was more to see if he could catch her doing something “wrong.” Did he know anything? If he knew the truth and caught her lying about it, he’d react much worse than if she begged for mercy. But if he didn’t know anything, then it would be like committing suicide for her to tell him.
Her breath hurt as she expelled it from her lungs. She could not do this. She could not face Elliot. It wasn’t so much his anger, but what she knew he would do to her. She shouldn’t have come here. Having so much luxurious time, free of Elliot, must have made her reckless. It made her temporarily forget what it felt like to be weak, and wrong, and scared. She had to live as if a loaded gun was constantly being aimed and ready to fire into her temple. That was the atmosphere in their house. That was how she made decisions. What could keep Elliot from pulling the trigger now?
Being there, away from Elliot, with her sister, Will and Noah weakened her and made her soft. They allowed her to forget. But now, it felt so much worse to go back to it. It was like having concrete poured on her feet. She could not face moving forward with Elliot. She could not do that. She had the impulse to turn and run after Noah. She could tell him and he would surely help her. She knew he would. He would keep Elliot from taking her back, and hurting her. He would call the police and maybe even get Elliot arrested. One word. One scream. One tear. Any of it, and Noah would save her.
But… for how long? How long could he save her? A week? A month? A year? How long before Elliot was free again to find her? And that would be only if Elliot actually got in trouble for abusing her. There was no proof. She did not have one photo of her injuries. There were no police reports. There were no witnesses. There was nothing, but her word against Elliot’s.
Not to mention, what Elliot would do to her once he found her again! No matter what anyone thought or said to reassure her, she had no doubts he’d find her. He promised her that on more than one occasion.
She licked her lips and tried to accept that there was no escape. She realized it several years ago, but managed to forget it for the last few weeks, and pretended there was a way out. Now he was back and the shackles were snapped back on.
“Come here, Lindsey.”
She nodded as she came around the desk. Tears streaked her face and she rubbed them. He touched her cheeks. “Tears?”
She smiled up at him and nodded. “I missed you, Elliot. Seeing you now, I don’t know how I managed to be away from you for so long.”
His expression didn’t soften, but he nodded slowly. “I don’t know how I allowed it either.”
He slid his hand from her cheek, down her neck, and cupped the back of her head as he pushed her into him. The grip of his fingers was vise-like. He raised her face to his and put his lips on hers. There was no moving away as he held her head completely immobile. His fingers pressed into her jugular vein, applying enough pressure to give her the sensation of choking. She knew not to fight him. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing in and out of her nose, despite the wet, hard lips moving over hers.
A throat cleared behind her. Noah. She shut her eyes and her embarrassment was obvious. She didn’t want Noah seeing her like this. Elliot pried his face off hers before he rested her forehead on his shoulder. She couldn’t bear to face Noah. Or Jessie. Or Will. She didn’t want them to see her as “Elliot’s Lindsey.” Not after she established herself as simply, Lindsey.
When Elliot released the pressure on her neck, she turned slowly. Noah was standing behind her temporary desk. His brilliant, blue eyes were clouded with confusion. He didn’t know what to make of this. Her lying. Her strange mannerisms. Too quickly, he forgot that was how she usually behaved.
“Here’s the stuff for Jessie.”
&nb
sp; She nodded and stepped forward to take it from him. He held it for a second and his gaze invited hers. He was seeking comfort from her and wanted her to assure him she was okay. He wanted to know why she was lying. She smiled a small, forced grin as if to say, sure, she was great. This was all her normal behavior.
“Thank you, Dr. Clark,” she said, adding at great risk, “for everything. I know Jessie appreciates everything you’ve done and are doing for her.”
Noah stared at her for a prolonged moment. Then he nodded as he handed her the pile of paperwork. Most of it had to be fake. Someday, she hoped to find a way to thank Noah for doing that. “Yes, I know how Jessie appreciates working here. It is good for her. I hope she remembers that. I mean, of course, after the baby is born. Will you let her know that?”
Lindsey’s eyes filled with tears. She smiled and dropped her gaze to the floor. He knew what she meant. She knew what he meant. She should never have let them get close enough to share coded messages. All if it was far too dangerous.
“I will,” Lindsey replied as she turned and smiled at Elliot, saying, “Let’s go.”
Elliot stared at Noah, but nodded, and took her hand. She felt the unnecessarily tight grip around her fingers, but dared not let on. He was furious. She would not be okay. Maybe never again.
****
Noah watched Lindsey being nearly dragged behind the stern, formidable figure that was her husband. He deposited her on the passenger side of his sleek, black, rented Porsche. There was nothing subtle about the man. He was as imposing as an FBI agent bursting in there. And as secretive as a CIA spook, running a covert operation. In a matter of only a few seconds, he had Lindsey right back to the strange, awkward, formal, fake, incompetent and unsure woman she was when she first got there.
Noah passed around the desk and crossed over to the front windows. She didn’t look okay. Her expression was bleak and fearful. The man got into the front seat. He was talking. Rapidly. She had her head lowered and kept nodding frequently. Something cold and strange rocked through him.
Why did she so quickly lie and try to cover up what she was doing there? He glanced back. Luckily, her bag with her lunch and other telltale signs of working there were off in the break room. She left her purse and car behind. Did that even register with her strange husband?
He dropped onto the couch that ran the length of the reception room. Was she okay? It didn’t seem like it. The man appeared angry and lethal in a way he never experienced before. He was so cold, it was like a zombie invaded his clinic, leaving an icy chill that hung around from his dead and lifeless spirit.
He shook his head. Where the hell was he getting that? He was not usually prone to jealousy, much less disliking someone for no real reason. He wiped a hand over his face. But… he hated Elliot Johanson. He did. There was not one kind, caring or decent thing about him. And he ruined Lindsey. He instantly transformed her from the beautiful, capable, compassionate, sweet woman he knew five years ago in North Carolina, and whom he only recently revived. Elliot automatically turned her into the cold, senseless mannequin that she was when she first arrived there.
He fisted his hands. She was married. He knew that five years ago, when he first felt an intense flash of attraction toward her. He ignored it, however, since they were only introduced in passing, and she was married. He did not consider it much beyond that in all the years that Jessie discussed her sister with him.
But now, he felt something for her and there was no denying it. The passion and the fierce care that independently motivated her to help Tessa reminded him that maybe she really was a former officer in the U.S. Army.
But in a matter of five seconds or less, Elliot had her scrambling and falling over herself to please him. Noah stood there, feeling shaken before he wandered back to the animals that needed tending, and the dwindling supplies he needed to reorder. But instead, all he could think of was her long, slender body pressed against him with his mouth over hers in a deep, hot kiss. Her kiss with Elliot was overtly sexual; at least, that was how it appeared to Noah. Elliot seemed to take complete domination over her, both in body and soul. Maybe… maybe she was into that. But somehow, he didn’t think so.
****
“What about my car?” Lindsey stared down at her clasped hands as she asked Elliot. She had to say something, anything to take the edge off the chill in the car. Did he know? And if so, what did he know? Was he mad? What did he know? her brain kept screaming at her. Her breath was soon coming in shallow pants and she was nearly hyperventilating. What did he know?
Worst of all, why wouldn’t he reveal it? He remained strangely cool, without a word of derision to her. He asked about Jessie. He asked about Will. He didn’t even comment on the pile of papers she clutched desperately on her lap. Where was he taking her? What did he intend to do to her this time?
“We’ll get someone from the rental agency to pick it up.”
She bit her lip. Right. Expense was never an issue for Elliot. He wanted to enjoy a far more lavish lifestyle than they did; but he simply could not, because, after all, he had a plan. It was a very well thought out, and soon to be well executed plan. He considered everything, even down to how he should dress, where they should live, and how much they could allow for their monthly budget. He certainly didn’t want to appear like a rich, clueless, out-of-touch politician, thereby tanking his chances for the political office he sought.
“I’m glad you’re here. But why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
He slid a side glance at her. “I decided I needed to see for myself what was going on here. I didn’t like you being so far from me. I delegated the last specs for the hotel to someone I trust. We will stay over tonight, then tomorrow, we go home.”
She turned her head into the window so he couldn’t see her grimacing with disappointment. She shut her eyes tightly to hold back the tears. God, no. One more day. And then it was all over. She couldn’t even see her niece being born. Then again, it wasn’t like she could ever hope to have any kind of relationship with her niece. She couldn’t exactly invite their child to come and visit her and Uncle Elliot, now could she? And after this stint, how often would Elliot allow her to return? He wouldn’t. Simple as that. He only did this time because of a freak set of circumstances, which could never occur again.
“Lindsey? I trust that is fine.”
She took in a sharp breath, and plastered a smile on her face. “Sure. Of course. I look forward to getting back home.”
“I suppose we’ll have to stay with your sister, although I hate to.”
“It would go a long way towards promoting good will with them. After all, we do need Will’s support. You know how popular he is.”
Elliot pursed his lips. “Yes. I suppose. You never did answer me; why do you look like that?”
She twisted her fingers together. “I just prefer not to dress up when you aren’t there to appreciate it. It was a total waste on these people. You’ll see the kind of people they are around here. And plus, you’re the only one I ever want to impress, so I guess, I wanted to save that for you.”
He liked her answer and it wasn’t often that she pleased him. A smile hovered on his lips. “This is a horrible place. Why would they choose to live here?”
She nodded eagerly, almost in tears that he liked what she said. Perhaps she could even avoid being hit by him finding her looking that way, and being at the vet clinic. Now, all she had to do was get into the house before he did. She hoped Jessie and Will would simply follow along with her story that she was just out picking up Jessie’s work from Dr. Clark.
They soon pulled into her sister’s driveway. She stared at the house, as if seeing it for the first time. In one hour, her entire life shifted, and all because of Elliot, as usual. So far though, he seemed almost affable. Maybe, he really accepted her explanation for spending her time there. If he could just be okay about all of it, and let her survive the trip, she’d be glad to put it all behind her. She’d never act that way again
. She would never do such dangerous things again. She closed her eyes and silently pleaded with God to just let her get away with this. In return, she promised to never do anything so awful, or so risky again, as spending time with Noah.
Shaking her head, she bolted from the car. She had to get in first. She took the paperwork, gripping it like the Holy Grail. It was her only chance of surviving her trip. She wasn’t naïve and knew how stressful the next few minutes would be on her physical and mental health.
She burst through the door and Jessie sat up from where she lay on the couch. The TV was on. Jessie still grumbled every single day about her restricted activity and diet. It had become Lindsey and Will’s favorite joke to laugh about behind her back. However, they always promised her they would take her concerns as seriously as they once did her other problems.
“Lindsey, what’s wrong? Why are you—”
“I got your paperwork, Jessie. You know the stuff you sent me town for?” she said as she rushed forward to hand the pile to Jessie. “Elliot is here! Isn’t it a coincidence that he found me at Dr. Clark’s right when I was getting your stuff?”
Jessie’s brown eyes nearly crossed as she turned with a grimace and looked up at Lindsey, who immediately read Jessie’s “what the fuck?” face. She gripped Jessie’s hand and pleaded silently with her to understand. Then Elliot came in the front door. He shut it with a soft click behind her that sent a strange rush of adrenaline throughout her body. She needed this. She needed for Jessie to get this.
“Oh, wow. That is strange. Uh, thank you for grabbing all this from Noah.” Jessie got up slowly, her stomach causing her to almost waddle towards Elliot. “Hello, Elliot. Nice to see you.”
The Good Sister (Sister Series, #2) Page 16
