Running Away With You (Running #3) (29 page)

“Derek, wait.  There’s more.”  He puts the phone down and waits.  “But if I tell you, you have to swear that you won’t tell Evan, no matter what.  The playoffs are just a few weeks away and every member of his team is counting on him.  He can’t know about this.  Got it?”

“I can’t promise you that, Jette.  If you’re caught up in something dangerous, I’ll have to tell him.  He has a right to know.”

“I swear.  My ex-boyfriend David would never hurt me –
physically
.  It’s not like that.  He has videos of me that were taken during our private times together and now he’s threatening to sell them to the press unless I’m willing to buy them from him.  He sent me a picture of one of the worst frames and it’s ... disgusting.”  I exhale loudly.  I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath.

“Can I see it?  How bad is it?”

I cover my face with my hands.  I can’t look at him.  “It’s bad, Derek.”

He walks to my desk, peels my hands from my face, and looks at me.  “Show me.” 

I shake my head. 

“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.  Show me,” he demands.

He means it.  I have no choice.  Reluctantly I open the drawer and, without looking up, I slide the picture across the desk toward him.  He takes one look at the photo and I can see the shock register on his face.  I am beyond humiliated.  Five seconds is all he needs to process what he’s looking at.  I snatch the photo from him and shove it back into my desk.

“Happy?” I ask.  “Now you know.  There’s nothing you can do to help.  It’s my problem.”  I can feel the tears threatening to break through, so I take slow, calming breaths, hoping desperately to keep them at bay, at least until I’m alone again.

“How much?” he asks. 

I don’t answer.  I can’t answer, even if I wanted to – which I don’t. 

He stands up and snarls, “I asked you how much,” pounding his hands on my desk.

I whisper.  “Ten thousand.”

“When?”

“Saturday, one week.”

“Do you have it?”

I shake my head.

“It’s done.  You’ll have the money Monday morning.” 

I can feel the tears threatening to break free again.  “Derek, I can’t.  You can’t.”

“See, here’s the thing.  I can.  And you will.”

Day Late and a Dollar Short

A
fter today’s game, Evan and I drive home together.  The Sentinels won today against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He’s just accomplished something no one dared to imagine possible – he’s just clinched his spot in the playoffs.  Win or lose next week, this amazing man will be taking the New Jersey Sentinels to the Divisional Playoffs. 

Evan drives us directly to Rush.  We’re having dinner with his entire family tonight.  I love it when Evan plays early games at home.  It gives us a chance to act like normal people.

We arrive in downtown Asbury and the streets are all decorated for the holidays.  Streetlamps are adorned with giant snowflakes.  Storefront windows proudly display wreaths and finely decorated trees.  Parking meters are transformed into candy canes.  If it looks this nice during the day, I cannot wait to see it sparkle and shine at night.

We park close by and walk up to the restaurant’s entrance.  Reese and Emmy have put the final touches on our winter decorations, and I must say, it looks spectacular.  There are boughs of pine lit with simple white lights covering the windows and doors.  An enormous wreath of cranberries and white birch fill the storefront window.  It’s so beautiful, it takes my breath away. 

Evan grins impishly and opens the door, leading me inside our restaurant.  What I find waiting for me stops me in my tracks.  The tables and bar are covered with the boldest and brightest assortment of red-and-white flowers, too numerous for me to count. 

“Do you like them?” Evan asks.  “Callie helped me pick them out.”

“Like them?  Evan, they’re beautiful.  Are they lilies?”  They have long, green stems and trumpet blooms in beautiful, vibrant colors perfect for the holidays.

“They’re amaryllis flowers.  They’re named for a Greek shepherdess, Amaryllis, who loved with all her heart.  She loved so deeply that she was willing to sacrifice her own happiness just to grant the shepherd his wish.  Her love was unselfish and unswerving.”  He leans in close and whispers, “It reminds me of you, Juliette.  After all that’s happened, you haven’t given up on me, even after all I’ve put you through.”

I step up on my tiptoes and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him down even lower.  I press my lips to his.  “I love you, future husband.”

“Not half as much as I love you, my future wife.”  He takes me by the hand and leads me over to the table where his parents, his sister, and his brother-in-law are seated.  The three men gather at one end of the table, while Jill, Callie, and I sit at the other.  I turn to Callie and thank her.  “Did these come from your shop?”

“They did.  That brother of mine is my best customer.  It’s me who should be thanking you!” she teases.  “I’m glad you like them, because there’s about a dozen more waiting for you at home.”

“You, my dear, have brought out a side of my son I never dreamed I would see,” Jill gushes.  The three of us look over at Evan, who is chatting animatedly about today’s game.  “I’m quite proud of the man he’s become.”

Callie places her hand over mine and adds, “He’s going to make a great husband.  I’ve always wanted a sister, and I don’t think he could have chosen any better.”

“Oh, speaking of which, I got a call from the bridal salon.  Our gowns are in.”

“This is going to be the best Christmas ever in the history of Christmases,” Callie pronounces.  “I get to buy a pretty dress and ridiculously expensive shoes and my embarrassingly rich and famous little brother gets to pay for it all.  Life is good.”

T
he next morning, I wake up in a panic, alone in bed.  Something is wrong.  I can sense it.  I look around the bedroom and there are things missing.  My jewelry box is gone.  I rush into my closet, only to discover that my clothes are no longer there.  I rush to my dresser, frantically opening drawer after drawer, finding each one as empty as the day we bought the dresser.  What the hell is going on?

I hear noises coming from another part of the house.  I stop and listen carefully.  The sound that reverberates in my ears is a familiar sound.  The grunting, the panting, and the sound of flesh pounding against flesh.  It’s unmistakable.

Terrified, I ease into the main living area of the house.  I look to the left and see suitcases sitting near the front door.  They’re my suitcases.

Evan is sitting on the couch watching porn.  That doesn’t make sense.  None of this makes sense.  I step closer and Evan notices me.  He turns and stares with an icy-cold expression that sends chills down my spine.

“There she is, our little starlet.”  His voice cuts through me, dripping with sarcasm and hostility.  “I was just watching some of your finest work.”  Evan returns his attention to the couple on the screen.  There it all is, bigger than life.  David has me spread-eagle on the bed, spreading my legs apart as far as they will stretch, and he’s ramming into me with all he’s got.  As disturbing as that may be, there is a look of pure ecstasy on my face that would make a schoolgirl blush. I want to vomit. 

“Evan, you have to let me explain,” I beg.

He holds up his cell phone.  “Not necessary.  I got a phone call from one of my teammates who suggested I turn on Penthouse TV.  Imagine how shocked I was to find your homemade video being shown to the world.  I’m the laughing stock of the entire NFL, Juliette.”

“Baby, please.  It’s not what you think,” I plead.

“Do you think for one minute I could ever look at you again after seeing this?  Everyone I know has seen this.  Everyone you know has seen this, or will see it.  You could have at least warned me.  You could have said something.  Or did you think you could wrap your legs around me and make me forget all about it?  Well not this time.  I’m done.”

“Evan, please don’t say that.  You don’t mean it.  You don’t know.”

“Oh, I think I do.  It’s time for you to go, Juliette.  I’ve packed all your things.  Take your car, you can keep it.  You earned it.  But I’m keeping the dog.”  Evan whistles and calls Maddy to come to him.

He walks to the door and opens it, placing my bags outside the door.  Completely at a loss for what to say, I numbly walk out the door, placing one foot in front of the other until I find myself standing on the front porch with Evan and Maddy standing in the doorway, watching me.  Without another word, Evan slams the door.

The sound shocks me, and I feel my heart pounding, about to burst from my chest.  I cry out “No!”  But it’s too late.  I’ve lost him.  I begin to sob until I feel a pair of strong arms on my shoulders, shaking me.

I rub the tears from my eyes and find Evan standing over me, wrapped in a towel, dripping wet.  “Juliette, wake up.  It’s just a dream.  Wake up, baby.”  Wildly, I look around and find that I’m still in bed.  It felt so real.  I can feel the pulse in my neck throbbing uncontrollably.

I throw my arms around him and squeeze with all my might.  It wasn’t just a dream, it was my worst nightmare.

Evan patiently holds me, wrapping his strong arms tightly around me like a cocoon. He whispers reassuringly in my ear, soothing and calming my frayed nerves.  “Shhh.  You’re safe.  I’m here.  It’s okay.”  He gently rocks back and forth until my breathing slows.  “Want to talk about it?” he asks.

I can’t speak.  I just shake my head emphatically.  Saying it out loud would make it seem more real.  It felt real enough.

He holds me at arm’s length and looks deep into my swollen eyes.  “I can’t help if you don’t tell me.”

Reluctantly, I tell him a little.  “You kicked me out of the house.”  I reach over and grab a tissue to wipe my nose.  “And you kept the dog too.”

Evan looks down at me and smirks.  He finds that idea humorous.  “Juliette, I promise you that day will
never
come.  You are my breath and my heartbeat, my inspiration and my soul’s fire.  That ring on your fingers is my promise to you.  Nothing is perfect and hardly anything is permanent, except for our love.  Don’t ever forget that.”

God, how badly I hope he means that.  If he ever finds out what David is doing, I may have to remind him of those words.

He releases me and heads back to the shower.  I glance at the clock and it’s only a few minutes past six.  “What are you doing up so early?  You had a game yesterday, so you should be off today, right?”

“Change in plans.  With yesterday’s loss and Christmas just a few days away, Coach Vinciguerra is calling everyone in for an additional session.”  He disappears into the bathroom, but calls back to me,  “I’ll be home by four.”

Is it wrong that my first thought about Evan having to drive down to the field for an extra practice is relief?  All I can think about is throwing on some running shoes and trying to expel some of my tension.  I also need to hook up with Derek today so he can give me David’s blood money.  Having Evan out of the house will make that a thousand times easier.

Those are selfish, self-serving thoughts.  I should be more concerned with Evan’s wellbeing.  His body endured punishing blows from his opponents charging at him like shots fired from a cannon.  His shoulder and elbow will be sore for days from the repetitive overuse and stress during the game.  But those thoughts are secondary to my own.

When I finally drag myself from the bed, I head into the kitchen to make us some fresh coffee.  While he finishes getting ready, I fix him a bowl of hot oatmeal with freshly sliced peaches – his favorite winter breakfast.  I set the table for him with natural honey and fresh cream just as he appears from the bedroom.  His face lights up when he sees it.

Without hesitation, he pulls out a chair and plops himself down, eager to enjoy the hot meal I’ve prepared for him.  “You, my dear, are a mind reader.  How did you know?”  He shovels a big spoonful into his mouth.

“It’s my job to know these things,” I remind him. 

He notices me watching him.  “Come.  Eat with me.  There’s plenty.”

“No, you eat.  Enjoy.  I’ll grab something later.”