by Nikki Rose
Drew sighed. He knew there was no fighting me on this. “Go to the phone. Dial 8 for the kitchen. You can order food, drinks, ice, whatever you want.”
I followed his directions then got him settled into the bed. Within fifteen minutes there was a knock on the door.
“Who is it?”
“I'm from the kitchen, ma’am.” It was a clear, American female voice but I was still hesitant when opening the door, knowing Mikhail was somewhere in the estate — probably plotting his next more.
I cracked the door open and peeked out to see a pretty blonde girl in waitstaff uniform standing with a rolling cart. I opened the door and allowed her to roll the cart inside.
She quickly made her way to the small table by the window where she began placing the drinks and a bucket of ice. She didn’t even glance around the room or to the bed where Drew was laying. Mikhail’s staff was discreet if nothing else. She kept her eyes lowered toward the floor though I wasn’t sure if it was shyness or fear I detected in her.
“Is there anything else I can do for you, ma’am?”
“No, thank you very much.”
“Oh no, thank you, ma’am.” The girl rolled the cart back out as fast as she came.
I shut and locked the door. I used a shower cap I’d found in the bathroom to wrap some ice in before slowly placing it on Drew’s ribs. He tensed but made no other sounds or movements.
“Sorry.” I looked up at him, sitting on the edge of the bed while I helped hold the ice in place.
“It’s just cold.” Drew forced a smile.
“I still think you should see a doctor.”
“I agree.”
“You do? Should I call for an ambulance?” I jumped off the bed but Drew caught my hand.
“No. There’s an in-house doctor here. You’d be surprised how often he’s needed in this business.”
I frowned. “No, I wouldn’t — not after what I’ve seen. Are you sure you can trust this in-house doctor?”
“Yeah. He’s a professional even if he’s a little unethical in who he treats and what he reports.”
“Okay. How do I get him?”
“Dial 9-1-1 on the phone.”
“911? Won’t that connect me to you know — 911?” I wondered if maybe those guys had kicked Drew in the head during the beating.
“The room phones don’t make outside calls.”
“Of course, they don’t.” I rolled my eyes and went to the phone.
“911 on that phone connects you to him.”
It only took the doctor twenty minutes to arrive and about fifteen to examine Drew’s wounds.
“Well my boy, I’d say you got lucky. You somehow managed not to break anything during this — encounter.” He gave Drew a knowing look. “Seems the blows hit just right to apply the least amount of damage which is usually not the case in these situations. You either knew how to shield yourself or were very lucky.”
“Oh yeah, luck’s my middle name.” Drew joked but the laugh made him wince.
“You’re going to be in a good deal of pain for a few days but you should be fine. Take some aspirin, or I can have something stronger brought to you.”
“I’ll be fine, thanks Doc.”
The doctor turned to me as he was walking toward the door. His voice lowered to a whisper. “Call me back out here if anything changes and you should both try to be more careful. Next time, one of you might not be as lucky.”
“Thank you, doctor.” I smiled and watched him walk out before locking the door behind him.
I returned to the bed and climbed up beside him. I sat in the middle of the bed facing him. “We need to go. Please?”
“We leave tomorrow morning anyways. There’s no point in leaving tonight. It’s over with now.”
I let out a sigh and curled up beside him on the bed still dressed in my gown but too tired to bother changing. I quickly dozed off to sleep.
I didn’t see Mikhail when we left the next morning which relieved me more than anything. One of the doormen had taken our bags and placed them in the trunk.
“Will you please let me help you to the car?”
“I’m fine. I can walk on my own.” Drew argued as we walked out to the yard.
The driver stood by the car waiting for us. His body tensed and there was a flash of something in his expression when Drew limped toward the car. I suspected then, that the driver was probably also one of Drew’s men undercover to provide safety and backup if it was needed.
He left the car and met us halfway. His professionalism was shattered as he ground out a low growl only Drew and I could hear. “What the hell happened?”
“Nothing to worry about, Philip. Minor incident. We’ll discuss it on the drive home.”
“Yes, Sir.” The driver — Philip — regained his composure, opening the door and allowing me to help Drew into the car before shutting us both inside.
Once we were on the road, he adjusted the rearview mirror and spoke with a much more casual tone than I’d heard before.
“One of you want to fill me in now?”
“Mikhail decided he wanted to try to fuck Hailey while sending me on a wild goose chase on the other side of the estate,” Drew said in a matter of fact voice.
Philip pumped the brakes. His concerned eyes darted to me in the mirror.
“I’m fine. Drew got there before anything could happen.”
Philip relaxed a bit and glanced back at Drew. “I’m guessing Mikhail didn’t like being interrupted?”
“Nah, he had a couple of his goons rough me up. Doc says there’s nothing broken but it still hurts like a bitch.”
“Do we need to stop by the office and see our doc?”
“Nah, they’ll be watching us even more now. Gotta keep the cover tight.”
“So, you are staying the course? Both of you?” He glanced back and me to check my response.
“Both of us,” I answered.
The drive home was pretty quiet. At least it was until Drew decided he should probably call Jason and fill him in on what was going on. I could hear the yelling through the phone followed by a demand Drew put the phone on speaker.
“Am I on speaker now?” Jason’s angry voice boomed through the phone.
“Yes, you’ve got me and Hailey and Philip is driving.”
“Hailey? Are you alright?” Jason’s harsh voice softened slightly.
“I’m fine. Drew took the brunt of it.”
“Drew’s an idiot but he’s trained to take a beating with minimal injury. I’m not just talking physically, Hailey. Are you okay?” He emphasized each word.
“Yeah.”
“And you are wanting to stay the course. Even after all this?”
“Yes. I don’t want to leave Drew in a bad position.”
“We can figure something out. Say a distant relative died and gave you the money you needed in their will, or that they are sick and need you to come stay with them for a while. We can figure out a way to get you out without risking Drew.”
“Thanks, Jason, but... I met one of these girls you guys are trying to help. I get it now and I want to do what I can to help.”
“It’s admirable you want to help but you aren’t trained to deal with this stuff.”
“I’ve got good guys to help with that.”
“Okay Drew, I’ll approve this — for now. But I swear, if you let anything happen to her, these Russians will be the least of your problems. Understood?”
“Thanks for the support boss and yes, I’m fine. My injuries will heal before too long. Thanks for the concern.” Drew smirked and hung up the phone. “Well, we clearly know who the favorite is here.”
I raised a brow at him and smirked. “Did you ever really think it was you?”
“Not for a minute.” He chuckled and winced.
I looked out the window at the cars passing by as we headed back into the city and let my mind wander. I thought about my life, about Drew, our past, how he seemed so different now. I thought about
Mikhail, Dmitri, Conrad, Lacy... There was this whole other world right under my nose all this time. I wanted to help. I wanted to do more than my silly HR work that seemed so insignificant now.
We parked at the apartment and Philip opened the door for us. “Go ahead and get him upstairs. I’ll bring the bags up.”
“Thanks, Philip.” I smiled and wrapped my arm around Drew.
We settled onto the couch while Philip brought in the bags. “You can just put those anywhere. I’ll put them up later.”
“If you’re sure.”
I nodded. “It’s been a long drive. I’m sure you could use a break. Can I get you a drink?”
“No thank you. I have an apartment in the building too, so I’m just going to slip out and go home. Call if you need anything.”
“I will. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome, and ma’am?”
“You can call me Hailey, you know.”
“Hailey,” The word sounded awkward on his tongue. “I think what you are doing is incredible. Just be careful.”
“I will.”
I walked Philip to the door and came back to see Drew sleeping on the couch. He was awake when I’d fallen asleep and awake before me that morning. I doubted he slept at all. He had to be completely worn out. I covered him with the faux fur throw and gently brushed a stray hair from his forehead.
I hadn’t eaten anything since the night before and that had only been a couple hors d'oeuvre before all the trouble started. I hadn’t even noticed how hungry I was until half an hour before we got back to the apartment.
I rummaged through Drew’s fridge and settled with making a grilled cheese sandwich. After I devoured the sandwich, I checked on Drew, who was still sound asleep. I figured he would be out for a while.
I went into his office and found my laptop still in its bag. I opened it and logged in to the secure network. Diving into my usual work for about an hour was good for me. It helped reset my brain and reminded me of what was real and what wasn’t.
It might sound strange, but after only those few days, I was already feeling unhinged. I needed the normalcy to help bring me back.
After a bit of work, I decided to take a bath. I ran the hot water into Drew’s clawfoot tub and added in some of my vanilla-jasmine bath oil before climbing in. The hot water stung my skin but it felt good. I sunk down until the water came to my neck. I loved the curve of the tub. It cradled my head perfectly as I leaned back and closed my eyes.
I breathed deep and let the warmth consume me.
Chapter 13
I woke up still in the tub. The water was cold and my eyes were wet from tears. I’d been dreaming. I wiped the tears away as I sat up, hugging my knees to my chest. I closed my eyes and thought about Drew. I’d dreamed of the day my whole world had turned upside down.
I really had thought we’d end up getting married and living happily ever after. I was a fool. There was no happily ever after — not for me. Drew had given me a crash course in reality the day I walked in on him making out with that girl in the bar. I could still hear her moans and giggles as he kissed her ear and down her neck to the crook of her shoulder.
Tears streamed down my cheeks again. You can’t let yourself fall for him again. Drew was the only man with the power to completely destroy me. He’d done it once and if I let him, he’d do it all over again. The first time shattered me. It broke my heart and left me guarded against loving any man ever again. A second time would be more than my poor heart could bare.
Drew’s soft voice from the door caught me off guard. “What were you dreaming?”
I jumped guiltily and swiped away the tears. “I— I can’t remember.”
“You’ve never been a very good liar.” He walked right into the bathroom without invitation and leaned against the sink.
“The water’s cold now. Could you hand me the robe?” I pointed to the robe that hung well within my reach. I’d just needed something to change the subject.
Drew handed me the robe but his gaze lingered on my body as I reached for it. He turned away to allow me privacy while I slipped it on.
“Okay. I’m covered.”
“Too bad.” Drew said as he turned back to face me with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him. “You’re impossible.”
“At least I’m consistent.”
My smirk fell. As it did, so did Drew’s. “What? What is it?” He stepped closer to me but I turned away toward the door.
“I’m hungry. What do you want to do about dinner?”
I could hear the defeat in his voice. “I could order some take out. Pizza or Chinese?”
“Chinese.” I forced a smile and Drew walked past me out of the bathroom to make the call.
It had been a long emotional few days. I slipped on my pajamas Rebecca had packed from my apartment. It was nice to wear something that was really mine. I bet she knew that. Rebecca knew me better than just about anyone. I missed my best friend. Once this was all over, I decided I was going to kidnap her for a girls’ spa weekend.
I lazily wandered out of the bedroom and down the hall toward the living room when I heard Drew’s angry voice radiating down the hall from his office.
I quickened my steps and stopped just outside his almost closed office door as his voice lowered.
“I don’t care what the hell you do to me. Send all the Russian bastards you’ve got, you are not going to touch her you son of a bitch.”
I held my breath, listening and praying he wouldn’t find me snooping.
“No. I don’t care if it's common practice to share with the leader. I’m not one of your lackeys.”
Mikhail was still trying to sleep with me. He wanted what he couldn’t have and the events of this trip had made me the biggest challenge of his life. Not only did he need to convince me, he had to deal with Drew. It was a rush for him — a power trip.
I walked into the room and whispered to get his attention. “Drew...”
His eyes widened, probably unsure of how much I’d heard. He held his finger up to tell me just a minute, probably expecting me to leave but I didn’t.
“I don't care. I told you I don’t share.”
“Drew...” I whispered.
“This discussion is over.” He went to hang up the phone but I could hear Mikhail’s booming voice over the line.
“This is not over.”
“Sorry about that. How much of that did you hear?” Drew looked at me hesitantly.
“Enough to know Mikhail still wants me and is threatening your safety to get me.”
“I will never let him touch you.” Drew stepped forward and ran his finger down my cheek. I instinctively leaned into his touch before catching myself. I took in a sharp breath and stepped back.
“That’s what you were dreaming about, wasn’t it? About the attack?”
“No, I —” I waved my hand like I was fanning away the words. “Mikhail isn’t going to give up on having me.”
“I won’t let him hurt you no matter what I have to do.”
“Drew, there are more people involved in this than just me.”
“I don't care. I’ll blow up this whole mission if it means keeping you safe.”
“But that won’t keep me safe. That won’t keep anyone safe — except for Mikhail and his men.”
His jaw tensed. He knew I was right.
I took a deep breath, not believing what I was about to say. “You need to voluntarily loan me to him to get back on his good side.”
“What? Have you completely lost your damn mind? You want to —.”
“I don’t want to, but think about it, Drew. What better way to show him you're on board with him? That would erase any doubts about your loyalty to him. It would prove to him you’re with him.”
Drew’s head looked like it might explode like in the cartoons. “You have got to be kidding me. Or you’ve lost your mind. Damn it, Hailey, why would you even say something like that?” He turned away from me ang
rily.
I rushed to him and pulled on his bicep until he turned to look at me. “Tell me it's not true. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“Do you even know what that would mean for you? For me?”
“Before you came storming into the club and interrupted things, I was going to go home with Mikhail that night.”
“So, you want to be with him?” His accusatory tone was filled with pain.
“No of course not, not now that I know who he is. But that’s my point. Most of the time with things like this, I don’t take time to find out much about the guy before hooking up with him. At least this would be to help the whole operation.”
“Hailey, you are half stupid if you think for one minute, I’d let you go off alone with him.”
“So that’s it then? Protect me in exchange for saving all those poor girls who are stuck with him and his men for the rest of their lives or until they get bored of them. Then I don’t want to even think of what they do to the ones they tire of.”
“That’s not fair.” Drew roared.
“No, it's not fair. I know what I’m getting into. It would be a one-time thing. Then I wouldn’t be such a challenge to him and he’d trust you completely. He’d never suspect you if you allowed that.”
“If I allowed him to —. Hailey, no. I can’t do that?”
“Why not? What makes me better than all those girls that are being held against their will? Why am I special?”
“Because I don’t love them.” He yelled.
“You don’t —? Drew, that’s ridiculous.”
“Hailey, I don’t care about what happened in our past. I know you can feel it too. I still love you. I never stopped. Tell me you don’t feel it too.”
I did love him. I’d never stopped. Even when I hated him for what he’d done to me, I never stopped loving him. But, if I told him that, there’d be no going back. My heart would be opened, vulnerable and raw, ready to be broken all over again when his true nature took back over. Once a cheater...
He stepped forward to be right in my face. “I’ve seen it in your eyes. Tell me you don’t feel the same. Tell me you don’t love me and I’ll agree to this.” He demanded.
