Private Affair (The Private Series) (31 page)

“Fuck!”

Charles being a good friend that he is asks if I am okay, “Hey, Ben what’s going on? What can I do to help you?” He looks afraid, but of what? That I am going to stroke out or that I am going to trash something in here.

I grab my head of hair and I pull hard, anything to make my vision come back into focus and color to return. I slam my fist down on the bar, making Charles and a few bar patrons to jump. “I got to go, something is up and I need to get back to Tess now!”

I speed to the airport in my GTO, not giving a fuck as to where it gets towed to when I leave it at the entry of the airport, ignoring the man yelling at me that I can’t leave it there. I run to the counter and get the next flight out to Vegas, which leaves in twenty minutes. I run to my gate and call Tess. It rings but no answer. I look at the time and the show is going in full force right now, so either she can’t pick up, because she is busy, she can’t hear it or…

I don’t want to think about the
or
.

I keep calling, keep texting. I even try Jennifer’s number and nothing. I even have Towers number from
Tones
and nothing. Everyone must be working.

FUCK!

During the flight I keep trying and keep trying. My leg is bouncing and I keep rubbing my face. I can’t relax. I even snap at the flight attendant by asking how much longer until we land. When she offers me a drink to calm my nerves I snip at her a no thanks. I didn’t mean to upset her, but Jesus Christ!

The plane finally fucking lands and I see a man in a suit getting into a taxi, I pull him back by the shoulder causing him to land on his ass. I jump in and close the door. I snap my destination at the driver, who irritated, rolls his eyes at me. I tell him to go faster and he dishes back my same attitude. I apologize.

I call the three people again and nothing.

Nothing.

When we are pulling up to the concert hall I see a crowed starting to exit. I throw cash at the driver and hop out before he comes to a complete stop. I run to the doors, pushing young women out of my way, some swearing at me and flicking me off as I pass. I shove my way through the back stage, I see Jennifer, “Where the fuck is Tess?” I gust out, out of breath.

“I don’t know the last I saw her she was side stage getting ready to shoot the show.” She crunches her eyebrows, “What’s wrong Ben?”

“I was misled to go home and now she isn’t answering her phone. Where’s Towers?”

“In the green room most likely, come on, I’ll show the way.” She sees my despair and sprints to the green room, me close behind.

We reach the room and she swings it open, he is in there with a group of fans for a meet-n-greet. “Tony!” She waves him over from the crowed. He kisses a girl on the cheek and makes his way over.

“Hey Ben, you made it back.”

I look him dead in the eye and grip his shoulders, “Please tell me you know where Tess is!”

He puts his hands up, “No, I don’t. I assumed she went back to the hotel right after, because she might not be feeling well…” He drifts off from talking. Fucker knows.

“I have been trying to get a hold of her and nothing. I even tried you two. Did you see anyone talking to her, or abruptly disappear?”

They look at one another and shake their heads. Towers face goes pale at the same thought that I am having. Someone has her. “I’ll keep calling her and ask people. Jennifer you do the same!” He instructs her.

“Thank you, the both of you.” I give Towers a nod of approval and a look that says
thank you
.

Jennifer pulls me over before I start to run out the door, “Do you think Nicole has anything to do with this?” I had no idea she knew about her, but I am guessing Tess filled her in.

“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t put anything past her right now. She has tried many times in the past.” I start making my way out the door again, once I am outside I look up and down the strip. I know our hotel was just down the way.

Just as I am about to make a run for it, Jenn stops me, “Do you know if there is anyone else who would want to hurt her or you?”

My heart sinks to the floor.

“Wake up, baby doll…”

Who….what….where am I and why does my head hurt so bad? My ears are ringing so badly and my face feels like it is on fire.

Those words. That nickname… No. I try to open my eyes but they feel like they are sealed shut. All I feel is pain in my head. No, no, no…I go to reach for my belly for my baby, I can’t move my arms. I feel rope on my wrists. I finally realize that I am sitting up in a chair.

I feel a fingertip graze my jaw line to my lips. I feel the wet heat from my tears trying to escape this blindfold that I now know that I am wearing. I am afraid to speak, to speak will only acknowledge that this is real, that this is happening to me all over again. Except this time I have a reason to live.

The last thing I remember is heading to the balcony of the concert hall about half way through Tony’s show. After entering the level that’s it, everything is black after that point.

“Dave?” I ask, already knowing the answer. “Where am I?”

He laughs this light, eerie laugh that sends chills through my whole body. “All you need to know is that we are alone and your boyfriend is back in Seattle. He can’t save you this time.”

He yanks off my blindfold and the light in the room is dark, but he has a single table light on. I can’t see twenty feet in front of myself, to even begin to describe where I am. Not that I will be talking to anyone…

“How did you find me?”

“Funny thing about social media, once someone tags you in a few photos, it only leads to more information. Such as a musical tour and a highly advertised event. It wasn’t that hard at all, in fact I would say it all kind of fell into my lap.”

“Why?” I cry.

He steps in front of me and leans in close to my face, “You really need to ask why?”

I suck in a sharp, painful breath, “I didn’t deserve any of the awful things you did and tried to do neither does Ben. You did all of this to yourself!”

He shakes his head with that same creepy grin and traced his finger around my face, down the center of my throat, to the hollow of my neck. I can’t stop the silent tears from falling. This is it. He is going to finally win. His hand dips down into my shirt and I scream. I scream as loud as I fucking can. I cannot let this mother fucker win. I will not let him take everything from me.

He covers my mouth with his hand and I bite. Hard. He hisses and retracts his bleeding hand and then backhands me across my face sending the already agonizing pain to a whole new level. I want to say I am screaming, but I can’t tell. I can’t hear the words he is yelling, but I see his mouth moving.

I have no idea how long I have been in this room, there are no windows to indicate any sunlight. I have to stay smart. I have to stay conscious, but it’s beginning to become more and more difficult with this pain. My vision is darkening and I can feel my heart rate slow. I need to stay awake! I need to.

I feel my hands being released and I open my eyes to see Dave lifting me up over his shoulder. He is once again talking, but I can’t hear him. He is just smiling from ear to ear. Sadistic asshole. There is no greater insult out there that could come close to how vile he is.

I want to kick and scream, but my body is seizing me. The only thing I can manage to do is wrap my arms around my belly. My baby bean. I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. Darkness falls around me.

Beep. Beep. Beep…

I hear beeping and it is a better sound than a constant high pitch ring. Why am I hearing beeping though? Have I taken another blow to the head? I try to open my eyes, but I am afraid. I ease them open to see a bright white light and a white ceiling.

I feel a hand grip my hand and I pull back. “Don’t touch me!” I scream in panic, “Don’t touch me! Stop!” The speed of the beeping increases.

“Tess! Tess… It’s okay, Oh my God.” I hear from my side.

I finish opening my eyes to see Ben. I sob. I must be dead, I must have died, because there is no possible way that I am here with him. No one could have found me. I shake my head and it still hurts, but if I am dead why am I still hurting?

I feel his lips on mine and I don’t feel scared anymore. I know his mouth, his scent his touch. “Ben?”

I feel him move onto the bed with me. My face is wet from a mix of our tears. My heart and everything else inside of me drops. “The baby?” I ask.

He looks me in the eye and drops his head to mine.

“No. No!” I scream. My throat and my chest burn with my head. I start to kick and throw my fists. This isn’t fair! This isn’t right! Why do I deserve to only be in pain when something finally good happens to me?

Ben wraps his arms around me and tries to shush me. “Calm down baby, you’re going to hurt yourself even more than what has been done.”

I feel like the world is shattering beneath me and I am going to be engulfed into the earth. I sit wrapped up in Ben’s arms. He is cradling me from behind and I lean forward as he keeps me from falling forward. I just cry and sob. A nurse tries to come in and Ben waves her away. My chest hurts and it’s difficult to breath.

A beautiful life was taken from me, before I even got to meet him or her. My baby. Our baby. Our family was ripped from us in a blink of the eye and for what reason? Revenge?

I never even got to hear a heartbeat or see them on an ultrasound. How could I have grown so attached to something or someone I never met? Either way I feel broken. I feel violated.

“What happened?” I ask Ben. I don’t remember a thing after Dave had untied and moved me. I am afraid to know the answer.

He is playing with my hair lightly and kissing my head. He takes in a deep breath and sighs. He is hiding his emotions well. “Towers found you in a far back storage room, below the concert hall…”

“But there was a bed…” I close my eyes seeing it all over again in my head. I start to shake.

Ben’s hands move to my shoulders and tighten, “He had it all set up. The sick fuck.” He seethes. Ben shifts on the bed and arranges me on his lap, paying attention to my IV. “I don’t know how long he had all this planed and worked out, but there were things in that room that made me want to vomit when I saw it. I just wish I was the one who…”

“Who what? What happened Ben?” I am feeling panicked and frightened by his dark look. All emotion has left his face, he looks as if he has been carved from stone.

“Towers found you. We all went looking for you and he was the one to find you and…” He won’t say his name. “I got the call from Tony as soon as it was done.”

“Stop being so vague, what happened Ben? I need to know.” I am begging him to just tell me, to tell me what exactly happened. I need to know so I can start to figure out how I am going to even start to heal.

His eyes close, “He found the room and pounded on the door, when no one answered the locked door he went through it. That’s when he saw Dave… He was climbing up on the bed, with his pants undone.”

I scream and I grab for the pink bucket next to the bed and I lose it. This can’t be happening. He didn’t do it, he didn’t do it I tell myself over and over like a mantra.
He didn’t do it
. Ben holds my hair back and rubs my back. When I am done I lean back onto his chest and tuck my head into his neck. “What else?” I finally ask after a moment.