Already she could feel the numbness begin in the spot where he’d injected her.
“It’s okay,” he said, holding up his hand in front of him. “You’ll feel better in a few minutes.”
“No!” she cried, shaking her head, but it made her woozy, and the room moved with her. “Why are you doing this?” she asked again, sobbing now. “Why?”
He took a few cautious steps toward her. “Let me help you.”
Olivia jerked away and again felt the room shift, so she held on to the next chair over, determined to not fall.
“Olivia, you’re going to fall and hurt yourself,” he said calmly. “Let’s get you back in bed.”
“No!” she screamed, but even her voice was feeling weak, and she was having trouble seeing straight.
Something banged in her head, and she shook it, blinking wildly. Then she realized when Elton grabbed her and brought his hand over her mouth that the banging wasn’t in her head; it was the front door.
“Liv!” she heard someone yell then bang again. “Are you in there?”
Her eyes went wide as she realized what was happening. Elton was trying to drag her back in the bedroom, holding his hand to her mouth and nose so tightly she could barely breathe, and she knew if she didn’t pass out soon from the drugs, she would from the lack of air, so she screamed as loudly as she could.
The front door crashed open, and to her utter surprise, AJ charged in. Elton immediately let her go as AJ bolted past her. She was so dazed she hadn’t even seen Lorenzo enter, but he was holding her now, tapping her cheek softly with his fingers. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked urgently. “What did he do to you?”
She shook her face, unable to find the words to express herself. Then she turned to the commotion behind her. Her other brothers and cops were pulling AJ away from Elton, who appeared to be unconscious now.
AJ’s foot connected viciously with Elton’s bloodied face even as Isaiah and Nathan tried to pull him away. One of the cops tried grabbing AJ, but her infuriated little brother wouldn’t stop. He pushed away the cop, who hit the doorway of the bedroom. The words were stuck in her throat. She couldn’t say anything, but she wanted to scream at AJ to stop, tell him he was going to get arrested, but she couldn’t. She turned to look into Lorenzo’s fretful eyes, and then everything went white.
Twenty-four
Lorenzo
The waiting was torturous. The moment they were informed that Liv was waking the family had rushed into her room, but Lorenzo stayed back. The cops had gone in a while later to get a statement from her and had since left. Her siblings were still in there with her. They’d been in there for a long time now. Lorenzo could see AJ still wasn’t completely at peace with him about this. Lorenzo couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow his sudden and untimely breakup had something to do with Liv’s state of mind and why she’d chosen to rush out and purchase the first available flight home, even if it was at an ungodly hour. He was sure AJ was thinking something similar.
Vince, of course, insisted that it didn’t matter what time of the day her flight had been. That whack job would’ve struck eventually anyway. He’d obviously been planning this for some time. He also reminded Lorenzo that if it hadn’t been for him remembering the flowers being sent anonymously and thought to have Emi ask Jay if he’d sent them, it would’ve been hours before they got the idea of checking out Elton. All her brothers and Emi admitted to having forgotten all about the flowers. Lorenzo was also the only one to suggest they might’ve come from Elton. It was that suggestion that prompted Romero to do a quick check on Elton, which ultimately led to them finding her.
Still, while they were all certain the statements Elton had since given the police when he’d finally come to were ninety-nine percent bullshit, there was one thing none of them could deny. They’d all seen the airport video. Though she’d obviously been surprised to see him at the airport, waiting for her, and she’d initially shook her head no to whatever he’d suggested, she did concede in the end. She’d smiled, nodding in agreement, and though none of them read lips, it was clear she’d thanked him before accompanying him—of her own free will.
Lorenzo just couldn’t help wondering if she would’ve agreed if things had been different between them. If she hadn’t been upset about his not responding to her text, she might have refused to go with Elton just to avoid adding fuel to the fire when she and Lorenzo finally talked.
There was also no doubt what had been still on her mind that night: her continued heartache about the breakup. Drunk, drugged, or whatever, she’d felt compelled to talk about it to Elton. And according to his story, she’d been beyond distraught. But that was the most any of them were willing to believe of his story.
The door to her hospital room opened, and Isaiah stepped out but stopped and turned to AJ. “Get back in there,” he said firmly. “You’re not making a scene here, AJ. I got this.”
AJ protested a bit more but gave in, and Isaiah closed the door. Lorenzo and Vince stood from the bench they’d been sitting at, looking at Isaiah, confused.
“What happened?” Lorenzo asked, his heart already racing. “Something wrong?”
“No, well”—Isaiah half frowned—“as expected, she was disoriented and confused when she first woke up. At first, she didn’t remember anything, but as we gently brought her up to speed and as the shit that psycho shot her up with wore off, things started coming to her. She was able to tell the cops everything she did remember: waking up at his cabin, pretending to believe his outrageous story, and then trying to get away. She explained it all calmly, and while, yeah, she’s pretty shaken up about it still, she seemed more relieved that it’s over now, and she appears to be okay. She was fine until Emi mentioned you were here. It was the only time she broke down. With everything else that happened, she hadn’t thought about that until the moment Emi asked her if she wanted to see you. She doesn’t.”
It was a blow to the gut but admittedly not a huge surprise. Lorenzo had been bracing himself for it.
Vince started to say something, but Lorenzo waved him off. “That’s fine. She just woke up. She’s been through a lot. The last thing she needs is more emotional drama. I’m just glad she’s okay and the docs think the worst is over—”
“About that,” Isaiah said, cutting him off. “She doesn’t remember anything before she came to and was fully awake at his place, but before that, she does remember waking one other time. Only not fully, so it’s still fuzzy. She does remember being tied though, both her wrists and her ankles, but her ankles weren’t tied together. They were spread apart.”
Isaiah stopped as if even he couldn’t go on anymore. Lorenzo and Vince exchanged a quick glance, and Lorenzo felt his insides go even icier than they did hearing that she didn’t want to see him.
Clearing his throat, Isaiah continued. “She has no recollection of anything he might’ve done to her while she was out. So they’re going to be doing an examination to determine if there are any signs of sexual battery. But Lorenzo,” he said a bit cautiously, “even when she was talking about all that, she was still fine. At least she was holding it together. And then Emi mentioned you, and she fell apart. As you can imagine, Nathan and AJ, but mostly AJ, were all over it. You may as well go home and get some rest, man. You won’t be getting in to see her today.”
Without arguing and with an even heavier heart, Lorenzo agreed to leave but made Isaiah promise to call and text him with anything new. He needed to prepare himself for whatever trauma Liv would be dealing with. One thing was for sure: he’d been so wrong when he thought this might be like with Linda. That he could just move on with his life and never look back except to remind himself why he shouldn’t allow himself to fall in love again.
He wouldn’t dismiss what he had with Linda as not being love. But he knew now without a doubt whatever it was he’d felt for Linda had nothing on what he felt for Liv. He wouldn’t be walking away from this one, and he’d learned his lesson good and well. He’d never a
gain be as hasty as he’d been with Liv and just give up on them. He was certain now that was why she was so upset with him and why she didn’t want to see him.
The walk back to their cars was a silent one. They reached the place in the parking lot where they’d part ways.
“Alright,” Vince finally broke the silence. “Rosie spoke with Emi earlier. Rosie called her for an update when you guys were still gone looking for Liv in Arrowhead. Emi told her the details of why you two broke up. I get it. I wasn’t surprised by your reaction. I would’ve been surprised if you’d reacted any other way. Hell, I was more surprised you agreed to a relationship with her in the first place and how fast things got serious between you two than I was about this. Here’s the thing, Enzo. I know you. Without even asking, I know the only way you would’ve agreed to give into this relationship is if you set her good and straight about this kind of stuff from the beginning.” Vince rolled his eyes, shaking his head, and then actually smiled. “I bet you thought you’d be sticking to your guns too, right? And I bet you anything that until you got back from deployment and realized what was going on you had every intention of being a hard ass and not budging.”
“Are you gonna get to your point any time soon?” Lorenzo asked, pulling his keys out of his pocket. “I’ve gotten about four hours sleep in the last three days. I’m tired as shit.”
“My point is,” Vince said with a smirk, “look at this as another one of those times in life Dad always talks about. You probably thought your rules about this were carved in stone. As unreasonable or unfair as they may be, that’s how you’d handle any of your relationship from now on, even with a girl you’re obviously this crazy about. I know it seems drastic, but seriously think about it. If this hadn’t happened, if Emi hadn’t come searching for you because Liv was missing, your stubborn ass might still be refusing to budge. Clearly,” he said with a chuckle, “she isn’t about to kiss your ass. So the ball’s in your court now. I’m guessing since you decided to be so involved in getting her home and because you stuck around all this time this means you’re gonna be doing some ass kissing, but we both know if things hadn’t played out this way that would’ve never happened.”
“You don’t know—”
“Get the fuck out.” Vince laughed.
Lorenzo got the feeling his brother was just trying to lighten the mood, but at the same time he knew he was spot on. Even Lorenzo had to smirk now. He’d very likely still be refusing to even listen to Liv if she’d gotten back without incident. The mere mention that Jay may have been the one who took her to the airport would’ve had him throwing his infuriated hands in the air and saying, “Fuck it! I’m done!” No way in hell would he even be considering letting it go much less him being the one having to grovel. Even if he was willing to do some groveling, getting past her brothers would be a challenge, but he was even more convinced that Liv was his soul mate now. As impossible as things felt, not only did he have every intention of begging for her forgiveness, he’d stop at nothing to get her back.
The red thread of Fate may stretch or tangle, but it’ll never break.
Grateful that he had a brother who always seemed to shed some light on and make Lorenzo see things differently, he showed his gratitude by punching Vince in the arm.
“I got my work cut out for me,” he said as he started to amble away. “But I need to get some sleep first. Thanks for hanging out all night. Go home and kiss your wife and Ruby for me.”
“I’ll kiss Ruby, but you can kiss my ass if I’m doing anything to Rosie for you.”
“Aw c’mon,” Lorenzo turned around, holding his arms out at either side and walking backwards. “Where’s the love? Not even a long hot wet one after everything I’ve been through today?”
“Shut up, ass!” Vince laughed.
Even as Lorenzo laughed, he felt a hollow inside him, one he knew wouldn’t be filled until he talked to Liv. But first he needed sleep. If he was going to have to go up against Rage and his brothers, he needed an energy refill. As usual, his brother had hit it right on the nose. When he’d gotten home yesterday, he’d been so ready to swallow that bitter pill and just move on as he had with Linda. He had no idea how he’d do it, but aching heart and all, his stubborn ass was determined to do so: be a dick before he got dicked around.
Now he’d stop at nothing, even if it meant fighting—literally getting past her shielding brothers—for a chance to reclaim the best thing that ever happened to him.
~*~
Olivia
As much as I’d like to think of myself as a better man than either Jay or Elton, I can totally understand now what I never would’ve before. How any man could feel like he’s being driven to the brink of insanity over a woman he can’t live without. But I’ll wait until forever if that’s how long it takes.
Bringing her hand to her quivering lips, Olivia smiled for the first time in over a week. This was the first text from Lorenzo since she’d woken in the hospital eight days ago that consisted of more than just the same two sentences he’d been sending once a day since.
I love you and I’m SO sorry. Call me when you’re ready to talk.
She knew Lorenzo was no Jay. The relationships she’d had with both couldn’t be more different. But what had scared her so much and why she’d hesitated to call Lorenzo despite dying to talk to him was how easily he’d walked away, how cold he’d been, and how profoundly disappointed she’d been when he never responded to her text. She’d come too far to get sucked into another relationship where the love and need for one another felt so lopsided.
Emi had been honest and told her about how unyielding he’d been about listening to her when she insisted that Olivia was in fact in love with him and not Jay. As sorry as he claimed to be now, would she always have to deal with this? Jay would be moving even further away now that he accepted they’d never be together again. He also accepted that a relationship with her even via phone or texts would be impossible if she ever got back together with Lorenzo. But there’d always be other guys, not that she’d ever do anything to hurt or betray Lorenzo, but she didn’t want to live in fear that if something he deemed unacceptable, even if it was out of her hands, happened, then things between them would be over just like that. He’d walk away as easily and as coldly as he had this time. Something she knew she’d never have in her to do.
Lopsided.
“You okay?” Isaiah asked as he hurried out to her.
Olivia glanced up from the screen on her phone she’d been staring at and nodded. She’d just pulled into the back of their house from a day’s work. Apparently, her brother had seen her get out of her van and freeze in place when she’d read her text.
“I’m fine.”
“You sure?” he asked, looking down at her phone and then back at her, and suddenly he appeared even more alarmed. “You’re crying? What happened?”
“Nothing,” she assured him.
“Well, something—”
“I just miss Lorenzo.”
His alarmed expression turned into a cross between annoyed and sympathetic.
“Has he called you since—?”
“No,” she said, holding up her phone. “But he’s texted me every day. He says he’ll wait until I’m ready to talk.”
“So I take it as much as you miss him you’re still too mad at him to talk?”
She shook her head, leaning against her van, and took a deep breath. “It’s not even that I’m so mad, Isaiah. I’m scared.”
“About what?”
She glanced at the back door Isaiah had just walked out of then back at her big brother. “Don’t tell Nathan or AJ, okay? I don’t want those two getting any ideas about flying out to Dallas to kill Jay.”
Isaiah’s expression went hard. “I won’t tell them, but I can’t promise you I won’t do anything to him until I hear this.”
“He never hurt me or anything,” she quickly assured him, “not physically anyway, but for so long because of him my self-worth was in the toilet.
He was the one with all the power. I put up with so much, and he did me wrong time after time. I swore I’d never be that person again. Then Lorenzo came along and I fell harder than I ever had. I believed him when he said he’d fallen just as hard. Then . . .”
She shook her head as her lips began the stupid quivering, and that infuriating lump in her throat nearly suffocated her again. Jesus, would she ever get past that? Isaiah reached out and hugged her, pulling her against his chest. “It’s okay to feel hurt,” he whispered.
“I just never expected that from him,” she said, pulling away a little. “I really thought I meant more to him. I sent him a text basically telling him if he wasn’t going to give me an opportunity to explain then I knew how much I’d actually meant to him. He never even bothered to respond.” She shook her head, glancing down. “I’d never have it in me to do such a thing. I’m too weak when I love someone that hard. I won’t allow myself to get back into something like that, Isaiah. I just can’t. It’s too painful.”
Isaiah kissed her head. “Rosie told Emi about Lorenzo’s past. You wanna know what I think?”
Olivia looked up at him and nodded.
“Emotionally, you’re both damaged goods. I personally think the guy’s crazy about you. I see it in his eyes. The day you were missing I’d say he was just as terrified as we were. But let me ask you something. What’s this weak talk about? You say you’re nuts about the guy—love him so hard—yet here you are even after all these days of reading his texts saying he’s sorry and that he loves you, and I don’t see you running back to him. In fact, you just said you won’t allow yourself.”
Olivia stared at him, feeling the slightest bit of excitement. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did.” He smiled. “According to Rosie, he made an exception for you when he agreed to a relationship. I’m guessing it wasn’t an easy exception to make. And yet here he is making yet another exception if he’s gonna let you slide about taking off with your ex and hanging out for days with him. Because let me tell you I would’ve been pretty hot about that too.”