Keep Me Safe

by Angela Bennet

  Regardless of how awkward they felt, they still needed to eat so Olivia did the cooking. That evening she put together a tasty chicken parmesan and side salad while Paul worked in his office. She liked to cook. Her mom was a chef with her own restaurant and she passed on all her secrets to her and Marissa. Cooking was the one thing she used as therapy when dancing wasn’t available, or consuming her every hour.

  “Something smells amazing out here. I love having you for a roommate,” Paul said as Olivia pulled the hot dish from the oven. “Tell me how I can help.” He didn’t come close, but stood in the doorway watching.

  She threw a look over her shoulder and saw his intense look. “You only want me for my cooking? Huh.”

  She expected Paul to tease her or grab her and kiss her as he had in the past but his look was serious. She couldn’t decipher his expression but even she couldn’t ignore the heat in his gaze. She swallowed and forced her thoughts to more practical matters before he acted on whatever it was he was thinking. “You could grab a plate and something to drink.”

  He nodded and the spell was broken – for the moment. “Want to watch a movie while we eat?” he suggested as he pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge and poured two glasses.

  She accepted the glass of wine he offered. “Sounds like a wonderful evening to me.” A movie would keep her mind off other things.

  They settled on the couch. At first, she was on one end with Paul at the other. He flipped through the channels until he found one playing a movie marathon from the nineties. They ate their fill then Paul reached for her plate and set it aside. She eyed him warily as he slowly and carefully drew her into his arms.

  “This okay?” he asked.

  Olivia sighed. “Yes. I felt like you were avoiding me. I like it when you touch me.”

  “I didn’t want you to think I was forcing myself on you. I was giving you time to adjust to the situation.” His fingers traced lightly down her cheek, making her sigh again as she snuggled against him.

  “I appreciate the sentiment but we don’t have an abundance of time.” They needed more. She deserved to be happy. She didn’t want to lose a second before Ethan caught up. She shivered at the thought. She couldn’t allow herself to forget that she wasn’t safe no matter how secure she felt. Safety was an illusion.

  Paul adjusted so he could better see her face. “Ten tell me why you ran away, why you’re still running.”

  She knew the questions were always there. She wanted to ignore them but her situation hung between them constantly. “Paul, please don’t do this. You know I’m not going to tell you anything and why.”

  “I can help you,” he answered and she could hear his frustration.

  “No one can. Please don’t ruin a perfect evening.” She tried to pull away but he kept her close and gently turned her face so she was looking at him.

  “I’m not asking names.” She eyed him doubtfully. He pressed her for information every day.

  “And I’m not gathering intel as a cop.”

  “You’re not.”

  Paul shook his head. “Of course I want to know the criminal’s name, but for now I’ll settle for less. I just want to know what happened to you. You need to confide in someone or that crap will build up on the inside and make you crazy.” He pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “Come on, Liv, tell me. Give me something.”

  “Those memories need to stay buried,” she answered blandly.

  “If they stay buried, they will continue to hurt you,” Paul retorted.

  Olivia lifted her chin and glared at him even though she knew he was right. He was only trying to help. Maybe if he had a sample then he would understand the gravity of her situation. “All right, you want stories, here’s a story. This happened shortly after my injury,” she noticed his eyes flicker with interest at the mention of her accident. He probably would demand those details next. “I was in a lot of discomfort because I wasn’t allowed proper medical attention. He didn’t want anyone touching me, so it was difficult for me to sit through a long meal. I didn’t have much appetite that night either so I was picking at my food. I didn’t really like it. The chicken had too much tarragon for my preference. This made Eth – him – mad because it was his favorite dish and apparently I wasn’t giving it proper reverence. Even though I tried to eat, he wasn’t satisfied. He calmly drained his wine then he threw the glass at the table in front of me.” She fingered the scar near her eye. “Several pieces of glass hit me in the face.”

  “Oh, honey, I’m sorry –“

  Olivia held up her hand to forestall his sympathy. “There’s more. It gets much worse. Before I could say anything he gathered the plates, strode over to the balcony and threw them. We were on the fortieth floor and you know how populated LA is. I was so afraid he hurt someone. If a shattered glass cut me, imagine what several China plates from the fortieth floor would do to a person on the ground. It could bust a windshield or kill someone. I never heard if anything bad happened because I was stuck in the apartment.

  “After he threw the plates he came back to the table and acted like nothing was wrong. He insisted the chef serve our dessert while my face was bleeding all over the linen napkin. I was afraid he would punish me for staining it but he didn’t. Instead, he fired the chef that night. She was the sole support of her family. They were deported back to Brazil after a fire broke out at their home destroying everything. He claimed responsibility for all of it as repayment for making me unhappy. And because of my lack of gratitude, he gave me only bread and water for two weeks and wouldn’t allow me to leave my room. He chained me in there like an animal.” She took in a deep steadying breath as all those old emotions washed over her. She hated Ethan. He tried to destroy her. Little by little he tried to consume her life but she always kept a piece of her pride to herself. She wouldn’t let him break her completely and she silently fought him in her own way. It drove him crazy that he couldn’t touch that part of her.

  “How did you get together with him?” Paul asked softly. He carefully brushed her hair off her cheek. She was surprised by his gentleness after reliving what Ethan did to her. She shivered at his touch. She watched as Paul slowly unclenched her fist and laced his fingers with hers. She stared at their joined hands and took a deep steadying breath. It reminded her of Ethan’s words, “One life, one blood, two joined together as one forever.” She squeezed her eyes shut. No! She was not joined to Ethan.

  “He’s handsome and persistent. He wouldn’t take no for an answer when he started pursuing me. I didn’t know he was so unstable when I first met him. I would have refused all his advances, but that probably wouldn’t have stopped him. He brought me flowers and invited me for late dinners and early coffee dates. He seemed boyishly awkward and charming, a little insecure. He flattered me with endless compliments and gifts and the only thing he asked in return was my time. I could see he was extremely intelligent but he was so awkward. I guess I was sympathetic because I was insecure in so many ways. I never dated much and I often froze up in social situations – like he would. Sometimes he spoke technical jargon I couldn’t understand, and other times he sounded like a poet. He would get jealous of other men talking to me and he’d always compare himself to them. I didn’t realize every man who enraged him would have something taken away.”

  Paul continued to trace his thumb over the back of her hand, but she knew she had his undivided attention. “What do you mean? What would he take?”

  Olivia let out a long sigh. “He’s destructive. He’s ruined a lot of people’s lives. He gets jealous and spiteful and uses his knowledge with computers to hurt others. It’s child’s play to hack into a person’s bank account and remove the funds. He can give someone a criminal record. He has people working for him - people with no morals who will do anything. He’s caused people to contract HIV and other diseases; the severity of the disease depended on how offended he was. I can only imagine what he’s tried to do to my family. His men steal viruses from medical labs and inje
ct them into victims. He blackmails government officials so they’ll bend the rules for him. He’s stolen millions upon millions. He’s had people killed. He can hack into any government system within a few minutes. He’s a demon, Paul. And he’s obsessed. He’ll do anything to get me back.”

  “And you think that if I picked up the phone right now and had my buddy start an investigation on him, it would lead him here?”

  Olivia’s eyes widened with fear and she started trembling. “Please don’t, Paul. I have to trust you. You said I could trust you. He has unlimited resources. Please don’t tell anyone; you have to keep my secret. You can’t find out who he is. If you do anything so drastic he’ll locate me right away, and he’ll punish both of us.”

  Paul pulled her close. “Easy, honey. I’m not going to do anything to put you at risk. But if this guy is as bad as you say, then he has to be stopped. You’re not the only one he’s hurting.”

  “I know,” Olivia nodded. “You have no idea the guilt I live with because of him and all the people he’s hurt. The night I left, he warned me he was about to destroy a young man I spoke to at a party. We talked about the weather. Is it fair to lose your career because of such a stupid conversation with a stranger? A friend of mine suffered a broken jaw because of Ethan’s jealousy. And I have no idea what’s happened to my parents. I’m too scared to contact them because I know he’s watching and waiting for me to get in touch with them.”

  Paul’s arms tightened around her. “Shhh, none of that is your fault. I’m sure your parents are fine, otherwise he would have gloated over what he did to them, don’t you think? You can’t carry such a load of guilt and worry. Right now we have to take care of you.” He tipped her chin up so she was forced to meet his gaze. His blue eyes softened as he studied her. “Thank you for telling me; thank you for trusting me.”

  “I don’t know why I trust you, but I do,” she admitted with a shuddering sigh.

  “That’s enough for now,” Paul said before his lips closed over hers.

  SEVEN

  “What are you grinning about?” Taylor, one of Olivia’s co-workers demanded. She was as thin as Olivia but very short. She made up for her lack of height with ridiculous platform shoes. She reached up and smoothed her pixie haircut as she bent over one of the makeup mirrors at the counter. “You don’t really share much about yourself, Chelsey.”

  Olivia shrugged. She’d encountered this same conversation before. Her caution and reticence made people think she was a snob. She didn’t like putting up walls to keep people out but right now those walls kept her safe. “I didn’t realize I was smiling.”

  “Oh, yeah, and I bet it’s because of a guy.” Taylor spun around and studied Olivia with a raised brow. “So who is he?”

  “Who do you mean?” Olivia hedged but she knew Taylor was talking about Paul. And yes, she’d been thinking about Paul. He’d carried her up the stairs last night despite her protests, then tucked her in bed.

  “The guy who drives you to work every day in that big bad-ass truck. He’s your boyfriend, right? I wouldn’t mind waking up to his gorgeous face every morning.”

  Olivia stiffened. She didn’t like other women drooling over her guy. Besides, the situation was a lot more complicated than Taylor realized, and Olivia doubted Taylor would care about the details anyway. She was saved from answering when a customer approached the counter.

  “Hello Miss, I’m looking for Belle Femme. Do you carry this fragrance?”

  Olivia stiffened instinctively. Belle Femme was the perfume she’d modeled for four years ago. Her face was on large posters in the stores, flyers, and even on the fragrance boxes. Thankfully they’d moved on to a new model since then – several in fact.

  She quickly gathered her composure and pressed a stiff smile to her lips. “Um yes. Of course, ma’am. Would you like the two ounce bottle or the four?” She bent to unlock the cabinet then slid the door back. With a barely noticeable wince, she straightened and put the two boxes on the counter.

  The woman eyed the boxes then shook her head. “Neither of those are right. A few years ago I got the special pink one, you know with that ballerina on the box. I want that one.”

  Olivia pursed her lips as a horrible feeling of dread crept up her spine. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we don’t have that in stock any longer. If you like, I can ask my manager to give you a special discount on one of these since we no longer carry –“

  “I saw some of those in the overstock cabinet yesterday,” Taylor piped in. “Hold on a sec while I get it for you.” She dashed away and was back in less than two minutes, carrying a small pale pink box. She grinned with triumph, and waggled her brows at Olivia. “You’ll have to forgive my co-worker, Chelsey. She’s new to the team and didn’t even know we have a cabinet for things like this.”

  The woman snatched the box out of Taylor’s hand and held it up for inspection. “Yes, this looks right, there’s the ballerina.” She turned the box and her eyes widened. “Wait a minute. You look exactly like her.”

  Olivia cringed but kept a placid smile on her face. “Pardon me?”

  “I can’t believe this! You’re the ballerina, aren’t you? I don’t remember her name but you could pass for twins.” She held up the box close to Olivia’s face and did a comparison. “Don’t you think?” she asked Taylor.

  Taylor pursed her lips and squinted between the box and Olivia and back again. Olivia wished she could sink through the floor.

  “You look amazingly similar if it weren’t for your dark hair. Your eyes are green too; hers aren’t. And she’s a lot skinnier through the face. You sure she’s not your cousin or something?”

  “We’d both be rich, wouldn’t we?” Olivia laughed. It sounded forced to her ears. She hoped they would drop the subject but she had a feeling Taylor would bring it up again and again. She loved to gossip and this was a new juicy mystery. Then others would start to scrutinize her. All it took was one name search or a Facebook comment and Ethan would have the tipoff he was waiting for. “Shall I ring up your purchase, ma’am?” She asked in the hopes of distracting them. They were now discussing Olivia’s illustrious ballet career. She took the box from the woman and strode purposefully to the register. Taylor and the customer eyed her skeptically but followed her anyway.

  “I heard everyone has their own body double out there somewhere; what do they call it? It’s a weird word -”

  “Doppelganger?” the customer supplied.

  Taylor snapped her fingers. “Yeah, that’s it! She’s your doppelganger. Or is she? It seems a little too surreal, wouldn’t you say, Chelsey?” Taylor studied her closely as Olivia finished ringing up the order.

  “The world’s full of weird things, isn’t it?” Olivia answered with a casual shrug she hoped was convincing since her heart was pounding and she was sure she looked panicky. It took great effort to keep herself from glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. She felt too exposed; the mall was too public. And knowing Taylor and how she liked to gossip, this look-alike occurrence would appear on social media as soon as she had her first break. Olivia decided right then this would be the last time she came to this job.

  ***

  “You have to see this,” Janice announced as Paul let his sister into his condo. She slapped his chest with a magazine.

  “Hello to you too,” he muttered as he took the magazine with a frown. An old Dance magazine?

  “Is she here?” Janice asked as she peered at Paul’s family room and the empty kitchen. “No? Then we need to talk.” She pulled Paul toward his office then flopped in his large leather chair. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement as she gazed up at him. “I told you she looked familiar to me and I’d figure it out. Well, there’s the proof.” She pointed at the magazine he held.

  It took a moment for Paul to rein in his thoughts and focus on what his sister was blabbing about. He’d just gotten off the phone with one of his FBI contacts. While he promised to respect Liv’s wishes for privacy – for now �
�� he had no intention of letting a known criminal continue ambushing people without any investigation. Not that he was a cop anymore, but old habits died hard. “What are you talking about?”

  “Page thirty-seven. I took Chloe to her hip-hop class and was sitting in the foyer with all the other moms, bored to tears. So I started flipping through the old magazines. Why wouldn’t they get new ones? These are four years old! But I was glad they were older, at least for my purposes –“

  “The point, Janice?” Paul bit out. His sister could ramble around a subject and never get to the main reason she started talking in the first place.

  “I told you, page thirty-seven,” she huffed.

  Paul flipped through the pages, then stilled as he peered at the full color picture of Liv. He sucked in a sharp breath. Her hair was blonde, but her eyes were the same green – minus the haunted look she always had now. It was almost impossible for him to tear his gaze away but he slowly turned the page. There was another shot of her dancing. She wore a simple leotard and leg warmers, and those ridiculous ballet slippers with a flat toe. Now this looked familiar to him since he’d seen her dressed this way for her workouts. The picture caught her in some fancy leap and it looked like she was doing the splits in the air.

  “Olivia Tellerman. I told you I recognized her,” Janice declared with triumph. “She was one of the best ballerinas. They called her ‘America’s Sweetheart’ or something like that. Anyway, she supposedly brought people to tears when she performed and everyone loved her. For a short time she was hot with advertisers. She posed for makeup and perfume, and sports clothes. Then a few years ago she had an accident and dropped off the map. Don’t you think it’s weird she disappeared so completely? I know an accident can do that but I mean there was nothing about her so I looked her up.”