The runway affair, p.24
The runway affair, page 24
Addie looks at me and frowns. “I know that look, Scarlett. What is it?”
“You almost died again, Addie. I can’t keep putting your life in danger.”
She shakes her head. “No. You’re not breaking up with me. I don’t care if there’s some crazy bitch out there trying to kill me because she’s in love with you. You’re mine.”
“Addie, I-”
“No, Scarlett!” She raises her voice two octaves higher. “We lost so many years of our happiness because of other people. I refuse to let this person take you away from me.”
I fumble with the velvet box in my pocket. “What if she takes you away from me, Addie? She’s not trying to kill me. She hit you with her car, framed Claire. I thought we were free, but then she stole your EpiPen. I was doing CPR on you at the restaurant. I can’t be the reason you die Addie.”
“I’m a fighter, baby. I don’t care if loving you puts me in danger. I will risk everything if it means I get to love you. Besides, the dumb cunt is going to have to try harder. I’m still kicking.”
“I didn’t want to do it like this, but…” I pull the red box from my pocket and pop it open, Addie’s eyes lighting up as she looks at the diamond. “You set my soul ablaze, and every day, I’m grateful you came back into my life, that you took my kids and loved them like your own. You are my best friend, the person my heart chose and never let go of. I love you, Adeline Grace, and I want to love you until the air leaves my lungs. Will you marry me, Addie?”
Addie has tears rolling down her face as she lifts her hand. “Yes, I will marry you.”
I slip the ring on her finger, and Addie grabs my face, kissing me hard. After we part, she looks at her hand, her fingers shaking as she takes in the ring. “That’s a big rock.”
58
ADDIE
Walking into the police department after being released from the hospital feels surreal. This person used my medical issues against me again—only this time, they took away the only thing that could save my life. How did this person get my EpiPen out of my purse or know where we were going to eat? Scarlett said the detectives have the camera footage from the restaurant. I want to know how she did it.
The ring on my finger catches the light, and I can’t help but smile. Scarlett really wanted to leave me because of this person. I understand why she was scared; I’m scared too, but I refuse to let some insecure bitch take my happiness away from me. Scarlett is my endgame.
“Ms. Moreau. Ms. Ellis,” Detective King greets us as we walk further into the station. “I’m sorry for not believing you.”
Scarlett glares at the man but remains civil. “It’s fine. Someone believed me enough to look into it. Can you show me the footage so I can find out who almost killed my fiancée again?”
Fiancée.
It still doesn’t feel real. Our happy ending is on the verge of starting—we just needed to
get rid of this unfortunate bump in the road.
I feel bad for Claire. She spent four months in prison because this person framed her. Zade
said her story was always the same: she didn’t like me simply because of how my absence affected Scarlett. Even after she explained everything to Claire, she wouldn’t listen. It wasn’t an obsession. It was more of a friend not wanting her friend to get hurt.
I can’t blame her for looking out for Scarlett.
King doesn’t say anything—he only gives a stiff nod. This asshole was certain Scarlett was a murderer and didn’t even bother looking into the stalker. Without Zoey and her brother, I don’t know what we would've done. He leads us to a private room in the back, holding the door open as Scarlett pulls out a chair for me. She stands behind me, her arm on my shoulder, rubbing soft circles on my exposed collar bone.
Detective Knight walks in along with Zoey, who has her arms folded across her chest. She has her own issues with King—I’m trying to understand how this man is still a member of the NYPD if he doesn’t care about certain cases.
“Ms. Knight didn’t think you’d be here.”
She shoots daggers at him. “I’m here to make sure you don’t fuck up again.”
He clears his throat, opening his laptop. “We got this from the restaurant. This person snuck in through the back and waited for Pierre to leave. She crushed up peanuts and mixed them into the gravy of your meal.”
Scarlett looks at the screenshot of the woman. She doesn’t ring any bells for me, but it’s not me they want. I’m just an issue they need eliminated. Scar’s brows furrow.
“I…I don’t know who that is. They know too much to just be a random person I had sex with ages ago. I only told a handful of people how I’d be proposing and the dishes Pierre would make us. Unless someone pulled Addie’s medical records, I’ve never said anything about her allergy.”
She takes a deep breath. “If this person wants to hurt me, I need to get my kids somewhere safe.” I feel her body tense. “They’ve already been traumatized enough. Remington is having nightmares again because of this.”
King’s face drops. “We can have a detail put on your house until we catch them.”
She glares at him. “I’m sorry, detective, if I don’t believe you care about the safety of my children, considering you didn’t care about Addie and accused me of killing Cami. If I lose one of my babies because of this bitch, I’m going to make that accusation a reality when I murder her.”
Zoey clears her throat, drawing attention away from the tension. “What about the ranch? I can take them up there for a few days. I don’t have any new cases to work on. You know I’ll protect them.”
Scarlett looks at me, and I nod. “Okay.”
I kiss her cheek, feeling the wetness that coats her face. “Come pick them up tomorrow,” I tell Zoey. “We’ll go home, get them ready and tell them what’s happening so they won’t be scared. Scarlett will call you with time. I need to get her home.”
Scarlett isn’t happy; I can see it all over her face.
Granted, I’m terrified too. This person almost killed me twice, but I’m worried about
Scarlett. I can only imagine what this person would do to Scarlett if she got her hands on her.
I can feel Scarlett shaking as I take her hand and lead her out of the police station. Her entire body is gently convulsing as I look at her face. Her jaw is tight, and her eyes are glossy; she’s holding her composure the best she can. Everything shatters, though, when we get back to the car, and she breaks down in sobs. Her entire body shakes as she holds her hand to her mouth, silencing her cries the best she can.
I gather her into my arms, holding her as she falls apart, her face nuzzled in the nape of my neck as my hand runs up and down her back. “Let it out, my love.”
“I just want us to be happy,” she sobs “Why? Why us? Who wants to hurt me so badly for being in love with you and not them? I don’t even know who that woman was!”
I run my hand through her curls, using my other to clean her tear-stained face. “I love you. Breath for me, my love. We need to get home to our babies. They need to know what’s going on so they won’t be scared.”
The ride back to the house is tense. I can feel the fear and anger radiating off Scarlett, her knuckles turning white with how hard she’s gripping the steering wheel. I keep my hand on her thigh, letting her know I’m okay.
We would be okay.
59
SCARLETT
I don’t even know where to begin telling the twins what’s happening. Remington is having nightmares again, more severe this time after watching Addie get hit by the car. She wakes up screaming, crying for her mama. Rhyder has attached himself to Adeline to the point where he doesn’t want to leave her side. He thinks if he’s with her, nothing bad will happen.
We finish packing their suitcases; Zoey will be here in the morning. The twins are downstairs watching Frozen. They knew something was wrong with mommy, but they didn’t ask questions.
“Are you ready, baby?”
I let out a long sigh and grab Addie by her waist. My lips find hers, and I kiss her softly, pulling her closer.
She is my rock, and I should be hers, considering this person almost killed her twice, but I’m terrified I’m going to lose her, that this person will succeed in killing her.
I can’t live life without her again.
I pull away from her, and she caresses my cheek. “I’m ready. As ready as I can be, at least.”
She takes my hand as we go downstairs. “My little loves, can you come in the kitchen please?”
I hear their feet padding over to us, and they meet me with a smile. I help Remi into the chair while Addie helps Rhyder. “Auntie Zoey is going to take you to the ranch in the morning. You remember when we went there with Mama Cami?”
“Mhm. We can ride Tika?” Remi asks.
I run my hand through her hair. “Yeah, baby.”
“Mama Addie can meet our horses.”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry baby, but Mama and I aren’t coming. We want to, but I need you two to be good for Zoey.”
“Is it because of the bad man?”
“Yeah, my love. Mommy doesn’t want you to get hurt.”
Remi’s lip trembles, and Rhyder looks at us in concern. “What about you and Mama? I don’t want Mama getting hurt again.”
“Me either, my love. I'm going to stay with Mama, and we’ll have Zoey’s brother staying with us. Once the bad man is caught, we’ll be together again.”
I pull them into my arms, holding back the sob in my throat. All I can hope is that this person is caught soon before anything else happens. The failed attempts at Addie’s life are making them angry, and anger makes people sloppy.
I want this to end.
The twins slept in bed with us last night, Rhyder curled up with Addie and Remi clinging to me while holding Addie’s hand. This will be the first time I’m without my babies, and I am barely holding myself together.
I wake before anyone else, if I consider my broken episodes of rest sleep, and I watch everyone sleep soundly. Soon, life would go back to normal, and my family would be safe. All I want is their safety.
“Hi,” Addie mumbles, her eyes still closed. “I feel you watching me.”
“You’re beautiful when you’re sleeping.”
“My morning breath says otherwise.”
Remi stirs in my arms, her eyelashes fluttering as she smiles at me. I kiss her nose, and she giggles. A few moments later, Rhyder wakes up and jumps across us.
“Hi, Mommy.”
“Hey, bug. Are you two ready to go with Aunt Zoey?”
They both shake their heads. “What about this,” Addie starts. “We go on a vacation together after we’re safe, just the four of us.”
“Yeah. We can go to the ranch together? Ride our horsies?”
Addie nods. “Yes. We can ride together. Me and your mommy used to do it all the time when we were younger. My daddy loved horses before he got sick.”
“Where’s your Daddy, Mommy?”
I press my lips together. “Uhm, how about we have breakfast first, and then I’ll tell you about him.” The twins jump out of the bed, and I met Addie’s concerned-filled eyes. “I don’t need the lecture or pity, Addie.”
“I’m not doing that, Scarlett. It’s your choice to tell your kids the trauma your father put you through. Everything you endured in that town made you the beautiful, strong woman you are today, but we both endured trauma from that man. Have you told them anything about your parents?”
I sigh. They know about their grandmother, but my mom died when they were two. “They knew their grandmother. She wasn’t the best mom, but she loved them. They know nothing about him, though. Talking about him brings up memories I would rather forget.”
Him not believing me after I told him what his best friend did to me shattered my heart. I went to him crying, fumbling, telling him what he did to me, what he made me do to him, but all he said was that a man of God would never hurt a child. He didn’t believe me, called me a liar and accused me of wanting attention.When it came out that he was molesting me, my father blamed me. I shouldn’t have worn the dress or smiled at him. I was nine the first time he did it. He never made me touch him until I was older.
I called my mom, but she was too concerned about her happy life in Europe to care about the daughter she abandoned. I left her a message to call me, but she never did. To this day, I still don’t know what that man did to get her to take me before graduation. I should’ve said no, but I wasn’t eighteen. I was bound to my parents for a few more months, and in those few months, my mother became a better mom, and our relationship slowly healed.
“Come back to me, my love.” Addie’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you back there.”
I give her a forced smile. “No, baby. You didn’t do it. I healed from my trauma. It took a long time and a lot of therapy and tears. Cami didn’t even know the sexual abuse—she only knew about the religious trauma. When the twins were born, they saved me. Two little souls were given to me to raise, but I was terrified.” I take a deep breath. “I’m terrified someone is going to hurt them, that some sicko will touch my babies, and I won’t be able to help them.”
Addie brings her hands to my face, holding my cheeks and looking into my eyes. “Baby, you raised them well. They know what a good and bad touch is, and if anyone hurts them, I will go to jail for murder. I couldn’t save you, but I can save them if it comes down to it.”
Her lips curve into a smile, but her eyes are flooded with fear. She’s scared just like me, and I understand why. This person is bound to attack us again, and I don’t know if we’ll both survive a second time.
I run downstairs, adjusting my robe as Addie follows behind me. Zoey will be here soon, and I guess I have enough time to tell them about their grandfather. The twins are sitting at the table, kicking their legs and waiting for us.
I walk to the table as Addie goes into the kitchen to make breakfast. With everything going on, I told Agatha and Stephan to take some vacation time. A long sigh escapes my lips as I give my twins a smile.
“Your grandfather wasn’t a good man.”
Rhyder frowns. “Was he a bad man like the one who took Mama Cami?”
I shook my head. “No, baby. My father is a preacher. You know when Aggie takes you to church and they have a man who preaches?” They nod. “That’s what he did, but he wasn’t nice. You know how Mommy loves Addie, but she's a girl like me? My dad didn’t like that. He made it bad, but it’s not.” I grab both their hands. “Loving someone is never wrong. I want you to know that. I don’t want you to feel bad if you love someone.”
“I love you, Mommy,” Remi coos.
“I love you, baby. You remember when I told you if someone touches you in your private areas to tell me, and I’ll always believe you?” They nod. “Someone touched me in my private areas when I was little. When I told my dad, he didn’t believe me. He wasn’t a good daddy.”
They jump out of the chairs and run to me, throwing their arms around me in a hug. “Hugs make everything better, Mommy.”
“They do, my loves. Remember, if anyone ever touches you, tell me or Addie. If we aren’t around, tell another adult. I don’t care if you have to scream and yell to get someone's attention. I will always believe you.”
“I love you, Mommy,” they both chime, kissing my face.
Addie finishes breakfast, and we eat as a happy family for the last time. I hope it’s only a few days, but I don’t know when or how this person will attack. For now, I have the three most important people in my house, in my arms, until everything goes back to normal. I just hope we’re both alive to witness it.
60
ADDIE
The house is quiet, and the smallest gust of wind makes the floorboards creak. With the tension in the air, it makes the two of us jumpy, to say the least. Scarlett is a wreck. The twins have been gone for six hours, and it’s almost time for them to sleep. She doesn’t know what to do now that a major part of her night routine isn’t here.
“I miss you both so much.” She gives air kisses to the phone before hanging up with a frown.
“Scarlett,” I call her name, and she walks into the kitchen. “Let’s pretend.” Her brow arches as I remove the straps of my nightgown, letting the satin fall down my hips and puddle on the floor. “Let’s pretend there’s not a psychotic woman trying to kill me and screw you. Fuck me. Right here. Right now. Don’t hold anything back. You can get your strap and bend me over the counter. I don’t care. Let’s forget. Together.”
“I fucking love you, Adeline Grace.” She kisses me roughly before gripping my throat. “Be a good girl and bend over the counter. I’ll be right back.”
I nod as she runs upstairs, and I make myself comfortable, resting my elbows on the granite countertop and opening my legs. Having sex right now won’t solve anything, but it will distract us from our cruel reality. Neither of us thought anything about the notes, but then I got hit and ended up in a coma for five days. Then there was the restaurant…
My death won’t make Scarlett fall in love with them.
I hear Scarlett coming back downstairs, and I turn to make eye contact with her. Her smirk sends chills down my spine, making my entire body shudder. My eyes trail down her bare chest and torso to the black harness with a thick, eight-inch blue dildo attached to it. The girth on that thing could put male porn stars to shame. Is she trying to kill me instead?
“Take a breath, Addie.”
“Says you. I’m pretty sure you're going to rip me in half. That thing is bigger than my thigh.”
