Embracing Ellie: K&S Securities Series

by A. J. Andersen

  Firing off a quick text to Travis I find that he is, as I suspected since it’s still early, in his room with Faye. She’s recovering well from the beating she took at the hands of Dominic’s man, but he has been keeping a close eye on her. I don’t blame him. I hastily walk through the casino where a few K&S tech guys will be working later. Everything looks like it’s in order. The area is already roped off from the public and boxes of equipment are stacked against the wall waiting for them. Swiping my keycard to access an employee-only staircase I start up the stairs to the security office to finalize the plans for the rest of the day.

  Before I’m there my phone rings with the tone I assigned to Geno. I ignore it. I’ll be there in less than five minutes. Whatever it is can wait, I’m sure. There shouldn’t be anything urgent happening. It immediately rings again. “I’m almost there. What can’t wait a couple of minutes?” I grumble into the phone.

  “Thought you might want to know I just saw Lawrence,” his tone is disgusted as he says the man's name, “follow Ellie into the housekeeping employees lounge.”

  “What?” My voice echoes in the empty concrete stairwell. There isn’t any reason at all for Lawrence to be in that part of the casino, let alone the locker room. A mushroom cloud of rage blossoms inside of me, and with it a hazy veil of red falls over my vision. Geno is still talking, but I can’t hear him through the buzzing in my ears and the pounding echo of my heavy boots as I dash back down the way I just came.

  “Call Xavier,” I think I yell the words, but my voice sounds muffled to my own ears. “I’m gonna kill that motherfucker if he laid one finger on her.” I shove my phone in my pocket, not caring if I hung up or not. Doesn’t matter. Getting to Ellie before that fucker can dare to make her cry again is the most important thing in my world.

  It’s the only thing in my world.

  Chapter 35

  Ellie

  I’m lost in such a cloud of happiness that even Ms. Smith telling me that the café asked to borrow me for the morning doesn’t faze me. Several of the waitstaff are out with the same bug that knocked my family flat. I don’t even mind the fact that I’ll most likely be subjected to Lawrence’s constant badgering and attempts to humiliate me. At least the Rosewoods left yesterday. Someone put a happy face by their room number on the room assignment board. So, there’s nothing that can ruin the glow of this morning now!

  Smiling to myself I push through the door that leads from the employee lounge into the ladies changing room where I pull my little black dress and heels from my locker. As much as I hate the outfit, at least I’ll look sexy when I meet Blake for lunch in a few hours. Stripping off my grey polyester dress I put it on the hanger and slip off my sneakers, happy that I took the time to put on pantyhose this morning so that I don’t have to spend the day with bare legs all the way up to my butt cheeks.

  The door creaks loudly, opening behind me. Usually the other girls knock before entering, just in case someone is undressed. I spin to see who it is, clutching the black scrap of fabric against my body in a bid to cover myself. My heart stutters in terror when I meet the leering eyes of Lawrence. He smiles, a dark, twisted slash of teeth and lips, as he flips the deadbolt with a click that echoes through the still room.

  “What are you doing in here?” I strive to hide the tremble in my voice but fail miserably. Evil intent gleams in his eyes and I suspect it has always been there. How did I miss it before?

  A sly smile dances across his lips and he reaches down to the front of his pants, adjusting himself inside them before taking a step toward me. “I can smell him on you from here, you whore,” he spits venom as he advances.

  I back away, attempting to maintain the same amount of distance between us, my mind spinning as I try to figure out how I’m going to get past him and the locked door. I don’t think it’s going to be possible. I’m trapped!

  Oh God, please help me, the prayer runs through my head as my eyes dart around, looking for something, anything, that can possibly help me. There’s nothing. Even the benches are bolted to the floor.

  Talk to him. The idea comes to me as my bare back bumps against the cold metal of the lockers and goosebumps prickle all over my skin.

  “Why are you doing this, Lawrence? You aren’t going to get away with it.” I can hear the plea in my voice and hate how weak it sounds to my own ears. He must be loving seeing me frightened.

  He steps closer, until just a few feet separate us, and I have nowhere else to retreat. A glacial shiver races across my skin. “I tried to be nice,” he whines. “Asked you to go out with me like a gentleman and you shut me down. More than once.” His voice rises, losing its petulant edge. “Then he shows up and you’re kissing him in the parking garage and he’s spending the night at your house.” His tone changes again, anger coloring his face and his words, “It was bad enough knowing he was there, but then I heard you. Heard him fucking you!”

  He’s raging now, drops of spittle flying from his lips and landing on my face and chest. My knees go weak with fear and acid boils in my stomach. He’s been at my house! I should have kept my mouth shut. I only made him angrier by talking.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper, shaking my head. I don’t know what else to say. I already know that it doesn’t matter anyway.

  “If you were sorry, you little cunt, you wouldn’t have snuck into his room this morning and did it again!” He screams in my face, his hands grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. My head bounces off the metal behind me and I see bright pops of light behind my eyes. If I don’t fight right now, I’m going to be raped or worse. The truth is there in his crazed eyes.

  Blake, help me!

  “He doesn’t even know you need help, stupid bitch.” He slams me back against the metal doors again. My knees buckle and the only thing holding me up is the bruising grip of his hands on my shoulders. I didn’t even realize I’d said it out loud. I wish I hadn’t. A helpless sob rips from my throat. He does it again, but I don’t feel the pain this time as my vision blurs then fades to grey. He lets me go and I collapse to the floor in a heap. I want to protect myself, but I’m too dazed to figure out how. Then he’s on me, ripping the dress from my numb fingers. I feel the cold air slide over my bare breasts. I should have worn a bra. It’s such a pointless thought. I make a move to cover myself, but my hands are pinned against my sides by the insides of his knees.

  Stay calm. Fight when he thinks he has you beaten. I don’t know where the thought comes from, but I know it’s right. I refuse to lie here and let him do this to me. Swallowing the bile rising in my throat I lie motionless beneath him. I know I will only get one chance and letting him believe he has me subdued is the only way I will get it. With as little fight as I’ve put forth so far, I’m not surprised when I hear him chuckle. I keep my eyes closed, listening to the swoosh of his belt being pulled from his pants and the quiet rasp of his zipper being lowered, over the sound of his labored breathing.

  “If you stay quiet, I won’t hurt you,” he croons, his breath hot and moist against my ear.

  I don’t move. I can’t. I don’t even breathe. I’m going to hurt you! I know that he can’t do what he wants to me in this position, but neither can I, so I need to bide my time.

  “See… I knew you could be a good girl.” The smell of unbrushed teeth and stale garlic makes me fight another wave of revulsion twisting in my stomach. The eggs I ate with Blake for breakfast threaten to come back up. I stop fighting the nausea and twist my head to the side and let it out, choking a little from the awkward position.

  “Fuck! Fuck!” he screams jumping to his feet. How has no one heard him? I roll to the side crawling away from him, my head spinning, coughing and gagging. Didn’t plan on that, but it got me out from under him.

  My retreat is halted by his fist in my hair dragging fully pain to my feet. I scream just as the sound of something large crashing into the far side of the door reverberates through the room. For an instant Lawrence is distracted by the sound and looks away from me.
I take the small window of opportunity the momentary interruption affords me and lift my knee as hard as I can, connecting with the testicles and hard penis that are hanging out the front of his slacks. He releases my hair and I gag again at the evidence of his intentions as he falls to his knees howling and cradling his injured manhood.

  “You fucking bitch,” he gasps, reaching for me with one hand. I stagger back a step and trip over the bench, falling to the floor with a startled cry. White hot pain shoots up my spine and down my legs as my tailbone makes agonizing contact with the concrete, freezing me in place while my mind screams at me to move. MOVE! His hand grasps my ankle, dragging me toward him.

  Fight or he’s going to hurt you!

  I lash out with my other foot, my heel connecting with his nose. He screams again, blood gushing down over his bared teeth and chin. He releases me, gurgling and muttering curses while clutching his face, injured privates temporarily forgotten. This time I’m able to move, despite the pains rattling my body, and I scramble on my hands and knees across the floor toward the door. The distinctive sound of the lock turning overwhelms me with relief. Someone is coming in!

  “Help me!” I scream, terrified when I hear Lawrence rising to his feet behind me, cursing under his breath as he shuffles toward me.

  The door flies open and two large forms barrel through from the hall beyond. I can’t see who it is, my vision still blurred from the impact of my head on the lockers, but it doesn’t matter. It’s a good thing I’m on the floor because I think I might faint. Strong arms enfold me, pulling me close, and a voice whispers in my ear. I fight to free myself, still screaming for help.

  “Shhh. Angel, it’s okay. I’m here. Shhh.” The familiar voice breaks through my panic. Blake!

  “Blake?” I sob past my raw, painful throat.

  “I’m here, Ellie. I’m sorry. So sorry,” I can smell him. The distinctive, clean scent that I love overpowers the smell of fear and vomit and a fainter, metallic smell that I can’t quite place.

  “Blake…” his name is the only word in my shocked vocabulary.

  “You did so good, baby. So good.” Strong arms sweep me off my feet and I weakly rest my head against his shoulder.

  “You got this?” he says to someone I can’t see.

  “Yeah, cops are on their way.” I recognize the voice. It’s Ana’s husband, Xavier. My boss.

  “I’m taking her next door.”

  “What’s next door?” I whisper against his throat. The tears burning in my eyes stream down my cheeks, clearing my vision somehow and as he turns I see Xavier, a big black pistol in his hand trained on Lawrence who is sitting on the floor with his flaccid penis still hanging out the front of his pants, blood streaming from his broken nose while he sobs and mutters to himself.

  “Doesn’t matter, Ellie. Just need to get you out of here. I’m so sorry baby.”

  “Not your fault,” I whisper, suddenly so tired. My head hurts. “My head,” I lift my hand and touch my forehead where the pain is and feel something wet. My fingers are red with blood. “What happened?” I ask, confused. I remember hitting the back of my head, not the front.

  “I don’t know babe, you were bleeding when I got to you.”

  Next door is the men’s changing room. I’ve never been in here, not even to clean. Carefully, Blake sets me on the wide counter by the sinks and quickly snaps pictures of my injuries with his phone before wetting a clean towel from a cabinet and gently wiping my face clean.

  “Did he…” he starts, a dark cloud settling over his striking features. I shake my head, then moan from the dizziness and fresh wave of nausea the movement causes.

  “Almost,” I say, “but then a voice told me to fight, so I did. I got away, and then you were there.” Tears start flowing again and he crushes me against his familiar chest, carefully stroking my hair, avoiding the tender place where the back of my head connected with the lockers.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t faster,” he whispers, rocking us slowly while I sob out my terror.

  “You were fast enough to keep him from doing something worse,” I look up into his worried green eyes. “I wouldn’t have been strong enough to fight him off again.” I admit. Releasing me, he pulls his flannel off and helps me into it, covering my nudity, before wrapping me in his arms again.

  “You will be,” his words are a promise. “I will always try to be there when you need me, but I won’t ever get a moments peace until I know that you can protect yourself from the sick fucks of the world.”

  The sound of the door opening behind us registers in my ears, but Blake is all I see.

  “I love you,” I murmur, ignoring the uniformed police officers entering the room. I try to smile, but my head hurts too much and it’s more of a grimace.

  He brushes a soft kiss against my cheek. “Fuck, I love you too, Elinor. Thank you for fighting and giving me time to get where I needed to be,” he responds.

  I nod. There’s nothing I can say. It was his voice I heard telling me to fight, so no matter what he thinks, it was him who gave me the strength to fight. I will always fight if it means being with him. No matter what. Leaning into his arms I listen to the low buzz of voices around me as Lawrence is led out in handcuffs. A female officer gently asks me questions and I feel Blake’s rage as I explain what happened.

  Finally, she is satisfied that she has everything she needs to know and thanks me for my help before exiting the room, leaving me blessedly alone with Blake.

  “I need to call Mama,” I whisper. I’m so tired.

  “I’ll call her for you, angel, but first we need to get you upstairs.”

  I think I nod. I mean to anyway, but it doesn’t matter. I’m okay. I’m right where I need to be. With Blake, as he carries me into his room and lowers me against the soft bed where he made love to me earlier. The rest of the morning is nothing but a bad dream. The mattress dips as he lays down beside me, carefully pulling me close and holding me against his chest. The steady thrum of his heart against my palm calms me as I curl closer to him and slowly lift my heavy eyelids.

  “Love you,” I mumble thickly.

  He kisses me so softly, like I’m made of the most fragile spun glass. “I love you too, Ells. Rest if you can. I’m not going anywhere.”

  I’m not either. I close my eyes. I’ve finally found where I belong and I’m never letting this man go, but he needs to know.

  “I pushed you away because I was scared that I would never learn to be strong if I had you willing to fight my battles.” I admit into the silence. He makes a sound of disagreement, so I open my eyes and force myself to meet his gaze. “I was wrong. Loving you is what gave me the strength to fight when I felt weak.”

  “I’m glad,” he whispers, giving me time to say more if I want to, but that’s all I have. Exhaustion makes my eyelids heavy and I let them drift shut, trusting him to keep me safe while I sleep in his arms.

  Epilogue

  Ellie

  I slip out the back door onto the back steps of Mama’s yard, leaving Auggie sleeping on the sofa in the living room. He’s completely worn out from all the excitement. I peek into the Pack n Play set up by the back door under a pop-up awning and smile happily at the sweet sleeping faces of Ana and Xavier’s newborn twins, Lennox and Layla. Their little rosebud mouths are pursed in identical puckers around their binkies. My hand drifts down to settle briefly over my flat tummy before smoothing the skirt of my smoky grey dress over my hips.

  “Hey angel, Auggie all settled?” I look up into Blake’s excited emerald gaze. He looks beyond perfect in his black slacks and crisp white shirt with his tie loose and the sleeves rolled up to reveal his corded forearms. I’m so used to his laid-back jeans and t-shirt look that seeing him like this, freshly cut hair and his jaw that was shaved silky smooth just a few hours ago, makes my mouth water to taste him.

  “Yep, he’s out cold. Mama is finishing up with the food. She said after she showers and changes she will wake him up.” She came straight home
after the christening and immediately started cooking. Xavier offered to hire a caterer, but she wouldn’t hear of it, she told him that no baby born in her family would have food prepared by anyone but her. She takes her role as grandmother to the twins very seriously. X conceded, of course, and Mama started planning the menu.

  When Ana and Xavier asked Blake and me to be Lennox’s godparents, and Faye and Travis to be Layla’s, I thought Blake was going to burst with pride and excitement. The man that never had a family now has a big one and my heart is close to bursting with happiness with the secret that I’m announcing after we eat.

  “I’ll go see if she needs a hand with anything,” he says, dropping a sweet kiss to my forehead before walking inside to check on my mom. My heart clenches when I hear him ask, “Need help, Mama?” I’m so happy that my mama is his now, too. After what almost happened to me they bonded even more.

  Gray’s girl, Nikki, is sitting by the empty firepit sipping a mimosa with Ana. She’s come a long way in the last couple of months, and if I didn’t know what she had suffered at the hands of Dominic and his men I would never suspect that she was a survivor of such heinous abuse. Watching her learn to navigate life after her kidnapping has been nothing short of inspirational, even though I suspect she would roll her eyes and laugh if I ever said that out loud. I cross the yard to join them, a little sad that I can’t have one of the tasty drinks this time, but happy about the reason why.

  “Hey, ladies,” I say, pouring myself a glass of orange juice instead before lowering myself into an empty chair.