Love Me (Trust Series #2) (17 page)

I’m glad he’s not fueling those rumors, except for the incident with his parents and Cassandra. Damien needed a small victory. They’ve been playing him all these years.

It’s eight o’clock in the morning, and we are supposed to meet Martin at nine. The doctor’s office doesn’t officially open until ten, but Damien’s arranged for them to open early to see me. At least, that’s the story that’s being told. With how the press is reacting, it even feels wrong to go, but we need the next clue from Martin. Quite frankly, Martin’s in control right now. On a semi-positive note, we are going to see a general practitioner, not a gynecologist.

If it were a gynecologist, I would have probably done bodily harm to Martin.

My phone pings. It’s Sam, answering my earlier text when I asked her how the manager’s meeting had gone last night.

Sam: I love my job. It was great.

Me: Did you see the quarterback, Mark?

Sam: Yes. He’s hot. Moving on.

Me: You’re funny.

Sam: Gotta go. Meeting the kicker.

Me: Good luck!

Sam: Thanks, bestie!

Damien walks in the room, fresh from his shower. “Shall we, darling?”

I giggle at his term of endearment.

“We shall.”

He loops his arm in mine as we leave the room. It felt good to talk to him, like we had yesterday. I make a mental note to do it more often instead of trying to handle things on my own. As we get to the door, I see Ben talking to the security guards.

“Good morning, Mr. Wales, Mrs. Wales.”

Damien and I both say at the same time, “Good morning, Ben.”

“Sir, I have some details to discuss with you regarding the property closure in Arizona. Do you have time to review?” He has a manila folder in his hands.

We continue walking, and Ben stays right with us.

Damien responds. “Not right now, Ben. We have an appointment to get to. I’ve canceled all my meetings until this afternoon. Leave the contracts at the office, and we’ll meet up later.”

Ben starts to protest, “But sir-”

Obviously, Damien’s patience has run out as he cuts Ben off. “Make sure everyone knows the schedule for the pregame interviews.”

“Yes, sir.” Ben continues to walk with us to the elevator. “I’ll leave everything on your desk at the sports complex. I also wanted to apologize for the oversight at dinner last night. Directions regarding the seating arrangements were given to the hostess, and I can provide the email documentation if you’d like to see it.”

He seems genuine.
Is he really that desperate to get laid? I wonder if she propositioned him
. I’m sure that it’s not every day when a woman who looks like that offers sex to someone like Ben. It’s sad that he’s betrayed his boss and will end up out of a job because he’s not able to keep it in his pants.

Damien softens, slightly. “Thank you, Ben. Yes, please forward it, so I can address it accordingly.”

Ben gives another apologetic glance. “I’ll send it as soon as I get the contracts dropped off.”

We all step inside, and the elevator doors close. The ride down is quiet. Once the doors reopen, Damien and I make our way towards the front entrance of the hotel hand in hand with security and Ben in tow.

Damien whispers in my ear, “Stay close to me. Straight to the car.”

I squeeze his hand in acknowledgement. We are greeted by the paparazzi. Ben heads to the left to get into a waiting town car, and we head to the right. Apparently, a few celebrities are staying at the hotel this weekend for the game, so photographers are stationed outside constantly.

Ugh.

As we make our way to our waiting car, they shout things like, “Allison, when is your due date?” and “Mr. Wales, how is Cassandra Williams taking the news of your marriage?” and “Any leads on Martin Mills?”

Without saying a word, we get into the vehicle and start driving to the dreaded doctor’s appointment.

After this is over, if Martin is innocent, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.

Damien and I don’t say much on the way there. Martin’s message made it clear. Only two security guards are to come with us. Bane is with us along with Jeremy, who Bane seems to trust the most out of all the security detail. Apparently, Jeremy is a buddy of Bane’s from the past.

Bane begins briefing Damien for what probably is the millionth time. “I will accompany you both inside, and Jeremy will remain outside with the vehicle. Without having more specifics, we have done the usual background checks on this location, and everything checks out. The doctor’s office is an annex that connects to the hospital. Dr. Jacobs is the physician Allison will be seeing.”

Martin knows what he’s doing—I’ll give him that. He made a smart move as he will have a million places to hide in the building if something were to go awry during our little meet-and-greet.

Only a couple of cars are in the parking lot. We park the car and head to the entrance. It’s a gray building with the name
Physicians Plaza
in large blue letters along the top of it. We walk into the office, and a middle-aged doctor greets us. He appears to be in fairly good shape, and his auburn hair is beginning to gray.

“Mrs. Wales, I presume?”

“Yes, Dr. Jacobs?”

He extends his hand, and we shake. This feels idiotic, going through the motions for the sake of pretense when no one can see us.

The doctor turns his attention to Damien. “Mr. Wales.”

“Dr. Jacobs, thank you for seeing my wife on such short notice.”

Totally asinine.
I roll my eyes. I just can’t help it with the scripted craziness.

“No problem. This way, Mrs. Wales.”

Damien goes to follow me when the doctor turns and looks at him.

“I’ll need to see Mrs. Wales—alone.”

I knew I would be seeing the doctor alone, but hearing it out loud causes an uncomfortable prickly feeling on the back of my neck. My face flushes. The last time I was with Martin, he had me at gunpoint.

Damien starts to protest. “I don’t fu—”

The doctor folds his hands in front of him. “Sir, if you would prefer to cancel your appointment, that’s fine. However, I can tell you that the schedule is full, and it will take a while to see your wife again.”

Geez, this guy is all no-nonsense.

Damien pulls me to the side, and Bane forms a barrier between us and the doctor.

He has me by the shoulders as he tries to talk me out of something we have to do. “Alli, I don’t like this at all. You’re not going in there. The last time—”

What did he think was going to happen?

“Damien.”

I wait for him to calm down a little. I’m feeling the same way, thinking about the last time…the gun…the danger.

“Just give me that panic-button pen thing you carry to signal security if there’s a problem, and I’ll use it if needed. You guys will be right outside. We both knew this was a possibility. I don’t like this any more than you do, but we need to get this solved.”

He looks utterly torn, furious, and scared to death, all at the same time. After I reach up and give him a kiss, he hands me the panic-button pen, and I stick it in my jacket pocket.

“Be careful, Alli. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”

I give him a kiss on the cheek. “I love you, too. It’ll be fine. If Martin really wanted to hurt me, I think he would have done it last time.”
At least I hope that’s the case
.

With that, I turn and walk up to the doctor, keeping a little distance between us, and I follow him down the hallway. The office is done in a solid white with a green trim.
It’s odd for a doctor’s office
. We come up to an exam room, and he opens the door.

“Mrs. Wales, take a seat in there. Someone will be right with you.”

I walk in with my hand firmly on the pen in my pocket. I need to be careful, or I’m going to accidentally set it off, which would pretty much be a bad thing.

Maybe I should lighten up my grip just a hair.

The door clicks shut as I sit down in one of the leather chairs. This looks like an office that was temporarily converted into an exam room. It has two doors, giving multiple escape options.

After a few minutes, the door across the room opens. Someone in a doctor’s coat with a stethoscope, dark-rimmed glasses, and dark short hair enters. When he raises his face, I recognize him instantly. It’s Martin. His longer blond hair is gone and has been colored. He blends in as a doctor.

I work on remaining calm.
He did not hurt me last time. He’s helping.
I repeat this over and over again.

“Why hello, Allison. It’s been a while.”

I want to say,
Not nearly long enough
, but I know that would not get us off to a good start. He has something I need.

“Hello, Martin. I’m ready for the next clue.” I sit as erect as possible, trying to remain strictly business.

He makes a tsk-tsk noise as he positions himself near the back door of the room, leaning his body against the wall. “Let’s not rush this, Allison. It’s rare these days to find myself in pleasant company. Plus, I’m sure your husband will be seething by the time our little chat is done. Congrats on the nuptials by the way.”

Martin is constantly contradicting himself. One minute, he acts like he’s Damien’s enemy, and the next, Martin wants to team up with Damien.

“Thanks.” I roll my eyes.

He just wants to piss Damien off on top of everything else. The worst part is that he knows he can.
Why does he act like he’s the one who’s been scorned?
He’s the one who had Cassandra.

Martin crosses his arms over his chest. “So, Allison, are the rumors true? Are we going to have a little miniature Damien crawling about in eight months?”

I give him my best go-to-hell look, and he laughs at me.

“I didn’t think so. He’d never let you meet me if you were pregnant. I bet the rumors though have him wanting one badly. Deep down, I know he’s always wanted a family of his own.”

I don’t even respond. He knows Damien too well for me to deny it. Maybe my lack of a response will send a message that I’m not up to discussing my relationship with Damien.

Martin mischievously smiles. “Okay, Allison. I was just curious.”

I give him my best irritated look and say with as much bite as I can, “Move on from that subject, and quit trying to piss him off just for the hell of it.”

He shrugs. “Okay.”

After looking at me for a moment he continues, watching my reaction closely, “How did Damien like it that Ben has been banging his ex? I bet he’s still fuming at the fact that he’s been deceived twice by that woman, and he can’t do much about it right now. I’ve got to hand it to her—she’s got moxie.”

He chuckles to himself. “The lengths she’ll go to in order to have Damien are unreal. She needs to come to grips with the fact that it will never happen. Our Damien has found true love, it would appear. By the way, technically, I wasn’t the first one she cheated on him with during their fucked-up arrangement.”

I wonder if Damien has any clue about that.
What does Martin mean by arrangement?
I’m not asking him about it. I’m not letting this guy know that he has piqued my curiosity in the slightest. I’ll ask Damien later if I really want to know, but more than likely, I don’t want any knowledge of his past sex life.

As if I had spoken my thoughts aloud, Martin says, “Oh, Allison, you really are sweet and innocent. How he convinced you to end up with him, I have no idea. Let’s just say that they were up for almost anything in their relationship.”

He leaves that out there, and I focus on keeping my breathing calm. He’s trying to bait me, but I refuse to fall for it.

“Alas, I digress. Has the killer contacted you?”

There’s no sense in lying, and I need to give him something. He’s looking for a beneficial relationship, a quid pro quo.

“Yes, I received a couple of emails while I was on my honeymoon, and he trashed my old apartment. I’m sure you already knew something had happened because of the increase in security since our return from overseas.”

He nods. “I figured as much. Seems like our boy is getting a little sloppy after hearing about your nuptials. I bet the pregnant rumors have him absolutely livid. They’re just rumors at this point to him, so he hasn’t reacted yet. When he gets wind of your appointment this morning, he’ll confirm it, and then I have no doubt that he’ll reach out to you again.” His eyes are serious, and he’s no longer screwing around.

I finally feel like I’m talking to an adult, and I need information. “I don’t understand this person’s infatuation with me. It’s not as if I know him.”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to assume anything, Allison. You have met him at least once.”

My body goes rigid. I start thinking about what seems like thousands of people I’ve met since Damien and I have been together.

“See, Allison, this is give-and-take. I want this fucker caught as much as you do. It’s my freedom and your life at stake here. Regardless of my motivation to save myself, we both benefit, and I need you on my side for the time being.”

I internally shrivel at his words. “Then, why not just tell me who the killer is? That way, we can all just get on with our lives.”

He gives me an earnest look as he straightens his body upright. “I wish I could. I have to let you inconspicuously piece this together, or both of us are not going to get the ending we want. He’s a genius, and no doubt, he has a back-up plan built in if we pull the trigger too fast. He’s watching you closely, and he’s framing me—quite cleverly, I might add. Little bastard.”

“When I happened upon the information that led me to figuring out who had killed Rebecca, he found out. I couldn’t come forward because he said he would make sure I took the fall for Rebecca’s death. I was working on a plan, but he somehow knew what I was up to, which caused him to put his plan into action first. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m on the run now and no longer a threat with all the evidence stacking against me.”

He takes a breath, pushes off the wall, and then takes one step toward me. “We need him to be sloppy, and you are driving him to that point. My flowers and little escapade at the hotel photo shoot gave Damien a reason to up security on you, so you wouldn’t get hurt. The killer wasn’t expecting that, or he would have tried to take you. He knew what I had done. That’s why the quilt magically turned up at my property less than a week later. I need you alive and safe in order for us all to come out unscathed. Damien is welcome, by the way, for me helping him even though he doesn’t deserve it.”