Black Heart

by Jenny Lynn

  I slid my hand into Nicholas’ and together we went downstairs and found a car. When we arrived and found our seats, my mind kept wandering while the orchestra played. I kept my eyes forward, listening to the music rise and fall, but I couldn’t help but think about the phone call I had received. Someone wanted to know more about my whereabouts, and it left me feeling deeply uncomfortable.

  11

  In the morning we checked out of our suite and headed for the airport where the private jet was waiting to take us home to Chicago. I tried to focus on my reading while Nicholas worked on his laptop. It was a quiet flight, but the mood felt heavy.

  When we landed and the car arrived to pick us up, I asked the driver to make two stops. Nicholas looked at me, surprised.

  “I’m meeting Tabitha for drinks, remember?” I told him.

  “Yes, but I thought that after what happened you might reconsider,” he said carefully.

  “Someone tried to get my school schedule, they don’t know when I meet a friend for drinks,” I assured him. “I’ll be careful, but I’m not locking myself away.”

  Nicholas looked unhappy but he didn’t argue with me. As much as he wanted, he couldn’t protect me from the world, twenty-four hours a day.

  The driver wound his way through the city dropping me off at Bar Blue. I hopped out, giving Nicholas a quick kiss. “I’ll see you back at home,” I told him. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Breanne,” he said.

  I watched the car pull away and back into traffic, then I went into the bar. I spotted Tabitha in a corner booth with a cocktail in front of her, reading a book. I walked over and sat down.

  “Is it any good?” I asked, nodding at the book in her hands. She looked up and noticed me there then smiled.

  “Hey Breanne, welcome back,” she said. “It’s a pretty good read, I’m half-way through. How was your trip?”

  “Vienna was beautiful,” I told her. “It was a quick trip but we fit a lot in.”

  A server came over and asked if I would like a drink. I ordered a gin and tonic, Tabitha ordered another vodka cranberry.

  “So what’s there to do in Vienna? I’ve never been to that part of Europe,” Tabitha said as she polished off the last of her cocktail.

  “We did a bit of sightseeing. There’s this fantastic amusement park in the city. We toured a palace where the aristocrats spent their summers, St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Nicholas surprised me by taking me by horse-drawn carriage to a ball at the Opera House. Our last day we relaxed at a spa, then went to the symphony. It was nice to spend quality time together, we’ve both been so busy.”

  “That sounds like such an adventure,” Tabitha said wistfully. “I need to find a man like that.”

  “How did your date go on Saturday with Benjamin?” I asked as the server came back and dropped off our drinks. Tabitha stalled and stirred the glass with her straw.

  “It was okay,” she shrugged.

  “Uh oh,” I replied. “What happened?”

  Tabitha sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, not all men with money are the same. Nicholas is clearly a gentleman and a romantic. But every guy I date who has a trust fund ends up being a total bore. They’re predictable and full of themselves. I just want to meet someone different, someone who gives me as much of a rush as I know you have.”

  “It will happen,” I assured her. “When you least expect it, you’ll meet someone incredible.”

  “I hope you’re right, I don’t want to be the only one at your wedding without a date.”

  Suddenly I had an idea. “Why don’t I ask Nicholas if he knows anyone? Maybe we can set you up?”

  Tabitha’s face brightened. “Really? You think he’d do that for me?”

  “Of course, he knows how important you are to me. I’m sure he knows someone who would be perfect.”

  “Well I won’t say no to that,” Tabitha said. “Oh, by the way, it came out that Lilly was the one who submitted the photo of you and Mark to the gossip site. They labeled her the jealous other woman, I bet she’s beyond mortified. I also heard that Mark was fired.”

  “Yeah, about that,” I began. “Nicholas sort of… bought Cafe Mirage and had him fired.”

  Tabitha’s eyes widened and she almost choked on her drink. “Seriously? Wow, remind me never to piss Nicholas Blackstone off.”

  “Mark showed up at our engagement party and tried to start a fight. He said some pretty disgusting things about me, then Nicholas punched him.”

  “You didn’t tell me that!” Tabitha shrieked. A group at another table turned and looked at us, I urged her to lower her voice. “How could you not tell me that,” she continued. “I saw you both go back into the house but assumed you wanted to be alone for a minute.”

  “We didn’t want to cause a scene, and to be honest I just wanted to forget about it.”

  “I would have thrown a drink in his face, the pig,” Tabitha added.

  “I hoped that would be the end of it, but I got the strangest call when we were in Vienna. Nicholas thinks Mark might be behind it. Apparently someone called the registrar office pretending to be my assistant and got my class schedule.”

  Tabitha’s hands flew to her face. “Oh my god, seriously? And they gave it out?”

  “Apparently they did. Nicholas is furious.”

  “What are you going to do?” Tabitha asked, concern etched on her face.

  “I’m just going to be careful, my classes are all during the day and campus is so busy. I don’t think I’ll be in any danger.”

  “When I’m on campus too I’ll meet you and we can walk together,” Tabitha insisted. “Safety in numbers.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

  “Your life is never boring, is it?” Tabitha asked, shaking her head.

  “No, I guess not,” I sighed. “I would gladly accept boring. I don’t like the feeling of looking over my shoulder.”

  “No, I don’t think I would either.” We were quiet a moment, then Tabitha’s face brightened. “I found my bridesmaid dress!” she exclaimed. “Want to see?”

  “Sure!” I said, glad we were changing the topic. Tabitha pulled out her phone and scrolled through her photos. She turned the screen and showed me a floor-length black dress with a sweetheart neckline. It was simple but elegant and I knew Tabitha would look beautiful in it. “It’s gorgeous,” I said as I handed back her phone.

  “Thanks, you made it really easy on me by being open on the style as long as it was black.”

  “I’m glad you found something you like.”

  “How have things been going with the wedding planner?” Tabitha asked.

  “Much better with her help,” I admitted. “There’s a lot of pressure planning a wedding, especially one this high profile.”

  “Don’t worry about that, Breanne. All that matters is you and Nicholas — it’s your special day.”

  “I know, you’re right. It’s just easy to lose sight of that.”

  We finished our drinks and ordered one more round, catching up and enjoying each other’s company. Tabitha was one of those people I could never get tired of, and our friendship was so special to me. It was late when we left, I hugged Tabitha goodbye then jumped in a taxi and headed home.

  I hummed to myself in the elevator up, feeling lightheaded from the drinks and in a good mood. The doors opened and I walked in to find Nicholas standing in the living room, his shoulders tense. He seemed to be talking to someone. I walked around the corner and froze in my tracks.

  “Lilly? What the hell are you doing here?” I shouted. My good mood evaporated at the sight of her. Looking at her reddened eyes, I could tell that she had been crying.

  “Your wedding planner called to let me know I’ve been uninvited from your wedding,” she sniffed. I was glad she was uninvited, but I hadn’t done it. I looked to Nicholas.

  “Given the situation with the photo you shared with the tabloids Lilly, I think it’s inappropriate for you to be there on our wedding day,” Ni
cholas said firmly.

  “Nicholas, I’ve known you since we were children,” she pleaded as she reached forward and grabbed his arm. He took her hand and gently removed it from him.

  “You were there, you saw everything,” I told her. “You saw Mark push himself on me and my reaction, but you tried to make it look like I was cheating on Nicholas.”

  “I wasn’t entirely sure what I was seeing,” Lilly pouted.

  “Then you shouldn’t have sent that photo to be published, knowing the damage it could cause,” Nicholas interjected.

  “I made a mistake, and I came here to apologize. I’m sorry,” she said as fresh tears fell down her cheeks.

  “Sorry you got caught,” I corrected her. She shot me a pitiful look.

  “I haven’t been supportive of your relationship, I know,” she said as she looked down at the floor. After a pause she looked up at Nicholas. “It’s no secret that I’ve been in love with Nicholas since we were young. When you started to date, I didn’t handle it well. If I’m honest it’s still hard for me. I know how much you two love each other, and it hurts me that I’m not the one. But it’s important for me to be at your wedding, I need to see you say your vows in person. So I can finally let go and move on. Please.”

  She looked broken and wretched. I suddenly pitied her, even after all of the horrible things she had done to me. Lilly was in love with Nicholas, since before I met him. She watched the man she loved fall in love with someone else, and now he was going to get married. It must be painful. She looked down at her feet and sniffed.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come,” she said sadly. She walked out of the living room, past me and back towards the elevators. It was quiet and tense.

  “You can come to our wedding, Lilly,” I said finally. She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me.

  “Really?” she asked, rubbing a tear from her cheek.

  “I don’t hate you, Lilly, I never did. I know this must be hard for you, and how you feel about Nicholas. But if you really do care about him, and if you really are his friend you’ll want him to be happy. Nicholas and I are happy together, and we’re going to spend our lives together.”

  “I know,” Lilly said. “I feel ashamed for how I’ve acted, but that’s over now. I just want to be there so I can let go.”

  “I can understand that,” I told her. I walked over and stood in front of her. Lilly, my rival, the woman who consistently tortured me and tried to push me out of Nicholas’ life. She wasn’t evil, she was just a heartbroken woman. I leaned forward and hugged her. She flinched, then after a moment of hesitation, through all of her pain, she hugged me back.

  “Thank you, Breanne,” she whispered in my ear.

  “It’s okay,” I whispered back.

  The elevator doors opened and Lilly got in, wiping her cheeks and regaining her composure. The doors closed, and then she was gone. Nicholas came over towards me.

  “That was very kind of you, but are you sure about this?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I can understand wanting closure, needing to see something through. We travel in the same circles now, you’ve known her family since you were young. It’s time to bury the hatchet and put all of this behind us. It’s time to move forward.”

  Nicholas pulled me against him and kissed me, holding my face in his hands and looking into my eyes. “You’re an incredible woman, Breanne Taylor,” he said with a smile.

  “And you’re an incredible man, Nicholas Blackstone,” I replied.

  “I was going to open a bottle of wine and put a movie on, want to relax on the couch with me?” he asked.

  “Sounds perfect.”

  We walked together over to the living room, the city lights sparkling outside the window, settling down onto the couch together as he twisted a corkscrew into a nice bottle of Syrah. Tomorrow would be another day, and I had no idea what to expect my second meeting with Randy Wilkes.

  12

  I was quickly reviewing my notes as Doctor Shaffer drove us to the Elgin Mental Health Centre. Clearly his instinct had been correct and my presence had managed to get a reaction from Randy. I was determined to prove myself this second interaction and had prepared over the weekend. We drove up the driveway and pulled into a parking space. Doctor Shaffer turned off the engine.

  “Ready, Breanne?” he asked.

  I closed my notes and nodded. I was as ready as I was ever going to be. Inside the building we repeated the process we had the first time, passing through multiple layers of security. Doctor Crane it seems had decided not to greet us this time. I was sure he wasn’t pleased with our return to his facility. A tall and stocky guard gestured for us to follow him. Our footsteps echoed through the winding corridors, every so often laughter or a guttural howl could be heard. Opening the door for us, the guards stepped to the side.

  “I’ll be right outside,” he informed us.

  Doctor Shaffer entered the room and I followed. Randy Wilkes was seated at the table, his hands politely folded in front of him. He smiled when he saw us.

  “Doctor Shaffer, Breanne, nice to see you both again,” he said politely.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been greeted so warmly by you, Randy,” Doctor Shaffer said as he took a seat.

  “Our adversarial relationship has gone on long enough, don’t you think?” he replied. “Besides, your young protege has piqued my interest and I don’t want to scare her away.”

  “I appreciate you inviting me back,” I told Randy as I arranged myself at the table. “I was hoping to ask you a few questions.”

  “Right to the point is it, Breanne? No polite conversation to begin, a bit of banter,” said Randy.

  “What would you like to discuss, Randy.”

  “How about what you did this weekend. My weekend, you see, was not very interesting. It involved therapy sessions, a medication schedule and staring through the bars on the window at the grim view outside this facility. I want to hear about your weekend, in a world without bars.”

  “It was nothing special,” I lied. “A quiet weekend at home.”

  “I don’t believe that,” he said flatly. “The fiancée of Nicholas Blackstone holed up quietly all weekend?”

  I looked to Doctor Shaffer, then to Randy, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. “Randy,” Doctor Shaffer said, his voice firm. “How do you know that?”

  Randy shrugged. “It’s publicly available information that I was able to find from a quick online search in our library. I think it’s only fair, after all, you know all about me.”

  “I’m not a patient here to be examined,” I told him. I felt uneasy, like something had shifted between us. “Now if we can get back to my questions.”

  “Straight to business,” Randy repeated. “No friendly banter. Doctor Shaffer suffers from permanent professionalism too, you’re bound to learn a lot from him I bet.”

  “I’m not interested in being your friend Randy,” I said. “This is a study opportunity for me, nothing more.”

  He laughed. “Good, good. Try the authoritative approach, see what snippets you can pull from me this time.”

  “Who is Sarah, Randy?” I asked.

  He sighed. “That question has been asked so many times, I’m bored of it.”

  “Then why not tell the truth, and people will stop asking.”

  “The same can go for you, Breanne, why not tell me what you did this weekend?” Randy said, his dark eyes staring into mine. Watching, evaluating.

  “My fiancée took me on a trip, we needed to get away and spend some time out of the city.”

  “Why is that, stress from planning the wedding? Or was it that photo of you kissing another man?”

  I clenched my fists at my side. “Both, I suppose,” I said, my voice strained.

  “Where did you go?” Randy asked, leaning back in his chair. He was enjoying my reaction, dropping hints that he knew things about me and my life.

  “Randy,” Doctor Shaffer said forcefully. “Breanne is here to lea
rn, not to be studied by you. This is inappropriate for a man who claims to be recovered and you know it.”

  “Oh I disagree, Doctor Shaffer, I think Breanne is learning plenty. Aren’t you, Breanne?” he smiled at me.

  I regained my composure and sat straight in my chair. “No, you’re right. I am learning quite a bit, Randy. Now, shall we move on to my other questions?” I opened my notebook and picked up my pen, turning my wrist slightly. Randy glanced down, then he froze.

  “What is that?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “Nothing, now, my next question is —”

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked, his voice louder now. He stared at me, his eyes burning with anger. Doctor Shaffer looked over and noticed the S I had carefully drawn on my wrist. Randy wrapped his arms tightly around himself, standing up and rushing to look out the window, knocking his chair over with a loud crash.

  “Leave,” he commanded, his voice strained. I looked over to Doctor Shaffer, when Randy repeated himself. “Leave!” he shouted.

  The door opened and the guard came inside to see what the commotion was about. Doctor Shaffer stood and gestured for me to follow him, together we went out the door while Randy started to growl lowly in the corner of the room. The door was closed and the sounds became muffled, but he was still clearly agitated. His calm demeanor had been shattered, and now he was a caged wild thing.

  Doctor Shaffer walked along the hall and I followed him, glancing nervously at his face trying to determine if he was upset with me. I knew trying to provoke Randy was risky, but I thought trying to get a genuine reaction from him would reveal something about him we hadn't seen before.

  "Doctor Shaffer, I —" I started to say, but he cut me off.

  "Not now, Breanne," he said firmly.

  The silence was heavy as we got into the car, until he started the engine and we pulled out of the parking lot. I sucked in a deep breath for courage.

  "I'm very sorry if I was out of line."

  He turned and smiled at me. "Out of line? Breanne, that was smart thinking, right outside the box. I've been studying Randy Wilkes for years and I feel I've learned more in two sessions with you there than I ever have before."