Rachael Lost Love: contemporary romance

by J K Ashley

  “What do you want, John?”

  He stands in front of me, hands shoved into his pockets. He stares down at me with hard eyes.

  “I want you to not marry James.”

  I roll my eyes and shake my head. “You can’t be that stupid,” I say. “Do you really think I’m going to give up the love of my life just because you decided to show up again?”

  His eyes flashed, and for a second I think I’ve hurt him. But then he shakes his head ruefully. “He’s not the love of your life,” he says, voice low and steady. “And I think you’re not going to marry him because if you don’t, I won’t reveal your secret to everyone.” I gape at him. I feel my eyes go wide but I can’t shut them again. My heart flops around my chest like a limp fish and the air expels from my lungs. Is he really making this threat? Is he really willing to go to such great lengths to destroy me, all because I’ve moved on from him?

  “Why didn’t you show up years ago?” I snarl, rage contorting my face. “Why did you have to wait until I finally got over you, after all the pain you put me through? Why did you have to wait until I found a man who actually appreciates and loves me, a man who will make me a happy woman for the rest of my life? Why show up now?”

  He does not flinch. His face does not change. “Don’t marry him,” he says simply.

  “It’s not that simple, John!” my voice skips an octave, and I wring my hands together. “We’re getting married tomorrow. You’re out of time!”

  “No.” He shakes his head, though he doesn’t break eye contact. “You’re the one that’s out of time, Rachael. Don’t tell me the wedding is tomorrow like that means there’s nothing you can do. You can call it off at any time. You can call it off now. You can call it off tonight. You can call it off tomorrow morning.” He breaks off and lets out a laugh. “Hell, you can break if off tomorrow right before you say ‘I do’. I’d love that. I’ll be in the back just so I can see the look on his face.”

  “You’re disgusting.” My voice comes out in a whisper, my words low and hoarse.

  “That may be,” he says. “But I’m also a man who won’t back down. If you marry him, I’ll tell him everything.”

  My mind races. There has to be a way to get out of this. There has to be a way to calm John and get him to slow down, relax.

  “Anything else,” I finally beg, my mind blank, " I’ll listen to whatever you say, just tell me what to do.”

  A slow, lazy smile spreads across John’s face. His eyes lock back onto mine and with stmach squirming, I fight the urge to back away from him.

  “I want money.”

  Chapter Eight

  “What?” I look at him blankly.

  “You heard me,” John says. He shakes his head. “I know you’re not that dense Rachael. You heard me perfectly well. You said whatever I want and I say money.”

  “Of course I heard you,” I snap. John’s always done this. He’s always made you feel stupid and inferior with his words. “I’m just surprised that’s all, you just wanting money?”

  John rolls his eyes. “Just? You’ve become spoiled and privileged in that man’s house, haven’t you? Been rolling in the big bucks because your fiancé is a CEO?”

  “Don’t talk about him like that.” I curl my nose and look away from him. I just want to be out of this house and away from him. Sitting in his presence makes my skin crawl. “You have no right to talk about James, not now, and not ever. I broke his trust coming here today. I didn’t want him to know I was seeing you because I knew he would jump to the worst conclusions.”

  I don’t know why I’m telling John all of this. I see the satisfaction light up his eyes as I tell him all the most intimate secrets about my relationship with James, but I can’t stop. He’s always had this effect on me. He’s always made me lose my cool.

  “And now he’s probably going to know something’s up anyways . . .” I trail off, tears building in my eyes as I remember the way I evaded my security detail. Of course James would hear about that, the man worked for him. He was bound to tell him what had happened. James probably already knew.

  “I don’t care about any of this,” John sighs, though I can see the satisfaction glimmering in his eyes still. “If you want me to stay quiet, then I need some money. It’s as simple as that.”

  “Will you leave me alone?” I ask. “If I give you the money, will you stop contacting me?”

  John stares at me, and for moment I worry he’s going to say no. But then he nods and I let out a sigh of relief.

  “Alright,” I say. “Money. I’ll get it to you.”

  “Now?” He raises a brow.

  “What?” I say dumbly, caught off guard. “You want it all right now? How much?”

  “Of course I want it right now.” His gaze is fixed on me, and I squirm. “Do you think I’m stupid? Or are you the dense one?”

  I don’t flinch as he slings these words at me. I remember all too well his vicious words from when we dated. Even in high school he had quite the knack for verbal abuse.

  John tells me what money he wants. It’s a couple hundred thousand, and frankly I’m surprised he didn’t ask for me. Suspicion rises in my breast, but I beat it down and leave the house. I get in the car and drive to the local bank, with John tailing me. After a few minutes another car falls in line behind him, and I recognize it with dread. The security detail has found me. It occurs to me that I may have a tracking device on my car, and a wave of shame washes over me. I’m an idiot. But it’s too late to worry about that now. I can’t go back.

  I walk into the bank and stand in line for the counter, feeling jittery. When it’s my turn I walk up and put on my best smile, hiding my shaking hands from the teller’s view.

  I take out the money from James’ and I’s joint bank account. I feed her some silly excuse, but she still looks at me strangely and I fight to squash down the fear and worry. I know John is watching me through the windows of the bank, and I suspect that my bodyguard is as well. Perhaps he didn’t tell James what is going on yet . . . I check my phone to see that there are no missed calls or waiting texts. But then again, he could still be in a meeting. He never checks his phone while in meetings.

  The woman hands over a thick envelope packed full of my money. A man nearby eyes me curiously and I stuff the envelope into my bag before holding it close to me, looping the handle over my neck so it hangs across my body—no easy grab for anyone thinking to steal. Then I turn and walk confidently towards the door.

  I step outside to see John leaning against his car, watching me.

  JAMES

  Once I get out of my meeting, I notice that my phone is full of messages. I have three missed calls from the security detail I hired for Rachael.

  My heart jumps into my throat and nearly stops. I calm my breathing for a moment, before dialling him back. I don’t even bother to listen to the various messages he left.

  “You received my messages?” he asks on the other end. I wrack my brain but I can’t remember his name. I hired several to work on a rotating shift, and I’ve always been terrible with names.

  “No,” I blurt out. “I mean, yes. But I didn’t listen to them. Is something wrong with Rachael?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “What?” Frustration mounts in my chest. “What does that mean?”

  “It means that I lost her in traffic for a while. I think she was purposefully trying to shake me. She must not have known we put a tracker on her car. I found her again within a half hour. Her car was parked outside a house. Do you recognize this address?”

  He recites a street number and name that mean nothing to me.

  “No. Is she still there?”

  “She left about twenty minutes ago. She’s at a bank now, and appears to have taken out a great deal of cash.”

  “Is she with anyone?” I shut my eyes tight and pray that he’ll say no, of course not. She’s all by herself.

  “Another car pulled out and followed her to the bank,” he says on the
other end of the line. A man got out and has been leaning against it, staring inside the bank the whole time she’s been here.

  I don’t even bother to ask what this man looks like. I know who it must be. There are no other men in Rachael’s life, no one important enough for her to go see like this. No one at all.

  She’s with John.

  “Keep an eye on her,” I growl into the phone, before hanging up and pacing back and forth in my office.

  Rachael

  I survey the parking lot. My security detail is nowhere in sight, and for the first time that unsettles me. I wish he were here watching me, making sure that I’m safe. But no matter how hard I scan around the cars, I don’t see him. I see one car that looks like it might belong to the him, but I don’t see anyone inside.

  I walk up to John nervously. He’s rubbing his left hand across the knuckles of his right, and I catch a glimpse of them before he stows his hand away into his pocket. They’re red and irritated, like he’s just hit something. I swallow nervously.

  “What happened to your hand?” I ask, before I realize what’s coming out of my mouth. “It looks red.”

  His eyes flash at me and I immediately regret having asked. “It’s none of your bloody concern,” John says. His eyes rove around the parking lot and my blood runs cold. Did he do something to my security detail?

  “I have the money,” I say, tentatively holding out the envelope. “Take it. It’s all yours.”

  But John doesn’t reach out for the envelope. He stares at me with narrowed eyes. None of his cold humour touches his face, and somehow that’s scarier.

  “Take it,” I insist. I wince at the fear in my voice. “Take the money and leave. I never want to see you again.”

  “You’re looking a little jittery, Rachael.” He speaks slowly, never taking his eyes off of mine. “Why don’t you sit down for a sec? Drink some water.”

  My heart thunders in my chest. Under normal circumstances, if this were anyone else, I would say no. I want to get back home to my fiancé and my last minute wedding preparations. But I can’t just tell John no. He sounds like he’s asking, but he’s actually telling. Who knows what he’ll do if I try to defy him.

  “Can’t I just stand out here, with the water?” I ask. I realize my hand is still out, holding the envelope in his direction. It drops a fraction, before I raise it up again. His eyes wander down to the money, but he still makes no effort to take it from me. What’s going on his head? What does he have up his sleeve?

  “No,” he says bluntly. He steps back and reaches over to open the passenger-side door. He gestures for me to get in. “You’re worrying me, Rachael. You’re not acting like yourself. Just sit down for a moment and relax. I promise I’ll leave you alone after this. Just give me one extra moment with you?”

  His eyes are wide and pleading, and my stomach churns. He’s always been good at this. He knows just how to act and just how to make his voice sound to manipulate your emotions. He’s a pathological liar, and it took me ages to figure that out when I was with him. Even knowing how he is I still feel guilt rising in me. I know he’s manipulating me but yet I still feel compelled to step towards the car and sit down in the seat.

  Or is it that I know I don’t have any other choice?

  I step towards the door and settle myself in the seat, though I don’t swing my legs inside. I look up at him with wary eyes as he uncaps a bottle of water and hands it to me. I hesitate, but then I bring the plastic bottle up to my lips and take a swig.

  There’s a strange taste to the water, but I shove the thought away. John may be controlling and vindictive, but there was a time when I saw good in him, and he did love me dearly for a while. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.

  I’m still trying to convince myself of that when the world goes foggy and black.

  Rachael doesn’t come back that night.

  James

  I dial her number over and over. I call her security guard, and he doesn’t pick up for hours. When he does it’s not him on the other end of the phone, but rather a sniffling family member who tells me in a heavy voice that he was found unconscious in a bank parking lot, and he has yet to wake up.

  The bank, just ten minutes from our house. I’m sure that’s where she disappeared but when I go to ask if they saw anything strange the previous afternoon, they look at me with blank eyes and shake their head. My mother asks me if Rachael got cold feet and ran away, and I tell her no, because I know she would never, ever do that to me.

  She’s been kidnapped. I know it deep in my bones, and part of me hopes it because the terrible, deepest part of me would prefer that to her leaving me for John on our wedding night.

  It’s the day of my wedding and my bride is nowhere to be found. I can do nothing but pray that she’s safe, which is saying something since I’ve never been the most religious man.

  I spend a full hour in the morning scouring the parking lot of the bank. I get a lot of funny looks, especially when people emerge from the bank and see that I’m still snooping around. Eventually I see a police cruiser drive slowly by and I decide its best I leave. There’s still a chance Rachael will show up for the wedding, and I want to present if that happens, not detained at the local police department.

  I return to my house and shut myself in my room. My parents are over and my mother tries to say something to me, but I don’t hear her. I slam the door to my bedroom shut behind me and lock it, before sitting down on the edge of my bed and resting my head in my hands. I take a deep breath, and then another.

  “She’s fine.” My voice echoes pathetically in the small room. I look over at her side of the bed, untouched. “She’s fine.” I repeat it over and over until it sounds strange in my mouth.

  Something vibrates beside me, and I nearly jump from my skin. I pat my hand around on the sheets until I feel the smooth surface of my phone. An unknown number is calling me and I stare at it. I don’t usually pick these up, especially when I’m not at work and don’t want to think of anything stressful. But I know I have to, because part of me already knows who’s on the other end.

  “Hello?”

  “Ah, James.”

  I recognize his voice. Visions of him standing in my office swim before my eyes and a blind rage rises inside of me. Why did he have to show up now? Why did he have to ruin everything on what was supposed to be the happiest day of my life?

  “Where is she?”

  John chuckles. He laughs and he laughs until I think he can’t laugh anymore. I’m just about to interrupt him when he cuts himself off suddenly by clearing his throat.

  “James, I didn’t think you were so foolish. Do you think I’ve kidnapped her?” He chuckles again and I almost don’t hear it for the sound of blood pumping past my ears. My heart is thumping wildly.

  “There’s no other explanation,” I say through clenched teeth. “Rachael wouldn’t leave me of her own accord—not for the likes of you.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing you two didn’t tie the knot.” John snorts on the other end of the line and I bite my lip so as not to scream in rage. “You clearly don’t know her that well if that’s what you think.”

  “You’re lying.” My breath comes out of my nose hot and heavy, and my hands shake.

  “I don’t lie, James.” He pauses. “Well, that’s not entirely true. But I’m not lying now, I’ll give you my word. I’m sorry to tell you that Rachael’s not going to be marrying you today. She thought that she didn’t want me back, but she was wrong. She realized last night that she wanted me.”

  “Shut up!”

  He doesn’t stop. “She spent the night with me last night. Practically came to me begging on her knees. She took all your money, too, every last bit of it out of the bank. We’re running away together and we’re going to travel the world, all with the help of all that cash you’ve made. I’d like to personally thank you for that, James. I really am grateful.”

  “Shut. Up!” My voice explodes out of me and I hear my mother
gasp in the other room. But I could hardly care what she or my father hear. All I can think about is Rachael and the conflicting thoughts racing through my brain.

  She would never leave. But then why did she try to shake off the security guard? Why did she go to John’s house and then the bank, only to drain me of all my finances? Why would a woman I love do that?

  But couldn’t he have forced her to? What if he had threatened her, or made some sort of foolish deal with her?

  I shove the thoughts from my mind. It’s not the time to think of all this. I’ve got bigger concerns to deal with, and right now I have to figure out where Rachael is, regardless of whether or not she left me of her own free will. If she left on her own then I’ll have to respect that, but I need to know for certain if that’s the case so that I know she’s safe.

  My phone buzzes again in my hand, but I ignore it.

  “Might want to check that, James,” John drawls in my ear. “I’ve sent you a photo. In case you were wondering if I was telling you the truth.”

  My heart drops in my chest. I lower my phone from my ear, hand shaking. A text message notification has popped up, from the same number that called me. I click on it and a photo fills my screen.

  Rachael lies peacefully in an unfamiliar bed. Her hair is splayed across the pillowcases and she wears a soft nightgown. the spaghetti straps fall off her shoulders exposing her firm breasts. Her cheeks are rosy and she looks like she’s breathing softly.

  She doesn’t look like a captive. She doesn’t look distressed at all. She's left me.

  I let out a choked cry of grief and rage, and slam my phone onto the ground.

  Chapter Nine

  “You need to look for her.”

  I’m sitting at the dining room table now. My mother and father sit across from me, staring at me wordlessly. My mother clasps her hands in front of her, and her eyes keep bouncing around the room as if she doesn’t know what to do or say. My father drapes an arm protectively around her shoulder and has his lips pressed together in a thin white line.