Business and Pleasure (13 page)

“That’s a beautiful sound.”

I frown, at first uncertain of his meaning,
but I quickly catch on. My face heats. What a charmer…he always
knows exactly what to say. “I’m sorry I got upset.”

Alex resumes his seat and grasps my hand
with both of his. “It’s not your fault. Anyone would get upset over
what that man did. I should have waited to tell you, but I couldn’t
let you think all was lost. I’m waiting on email responses from the
board members—including Mr. Davidson—and once the police question
you; you can press charges against Robert.”

I take a deep breath. “Okay.”

“That’s my girl. Now rest.”

I lay my head back on the pillow and close
my eyes. Just as I’m beginning to drift off, the door swishes open,
and my watchdog of a nurse comes back into the room. What now?
Certainly she can’t find fault in Alex sitting with me while I
sleep, can she?

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Ms. Hamilton,”
she says, “but the police are here.”

“Oh. Yes. Well, please bring them in.” I
struggle to sit up a little, but the pain in my shoulder holds me
back.

“Wait. Don’t move.” Alex presses a button on
the side of the bed and raises it up until I’m more sitting than
lying down.

“Thank you,” I whisper, just as the police
enter the room.

Alex sits next to me, holding my hand,
throughout the entire interview. The questioning doesn’t take five
minutes. “I was standing in front of the window one minute and the
next minute I was on the floor.” “No…I didn’t see a thing.” I mean,
what did they expect me to see? Even if I’d been looking in that
direction, the next building over was too far away for me to see
anyone if they were standing in the window.

Once they finish asking me about the
shooting, I relate what we learned about Bob and tell them I’d like
to press charges against him. They take my statement then leave me
to rest. Finally, I’m feeling a little safer. As the police walk
out, my nurse comes back in.

“Okay, Ms. Hamilton. I’m going to check your
vitals, and then I want you to get some rest. The doctor said if
you do well the rest of the day and tonight, then you’ll be able to
leave tomorrow.”

This is music to my ears. She checks my
temperature, my blood pressure, and my shoulder, and then she
leaves Alex and me alone, dimming the lights on her way out.

“I am so proud to call you my girlfriend,
Elizabeth.”

Whoa
.
What
? Alex is calling me
his girlfriend? Since when? “When did I become your girlfriend,
Alex?”

“From the moment we met.”

“Alex.” Why do I always feel as if life is
moving faster than normal when we’re together?

“Shh.” He hushes me with a quick kiss, then
smiles. “I love you. You love me. We are together. End of story.
Now…rest, so I can take you back to my place tomorrow.”

Faster than normal, yes, but
this…him…us…
we
feel right. I smile up at him and nod in
agreement. “Yes, dear.”

*****

I wake up groggy, as if my head is filled
with cotton balls. Nurse Ratchet must have put a sedative in my IV
when she gave me my pain medication, and I feel like I’ve been
sleeping for years. As I struggle to focus my eyes, I see a figure
standing over me.
Alex
. What a sweetheart. He stayed with me
all night. I smile and start to reach for him, but hesitate;
something feels…wrong.

“Alex?” I blink rapidly, clearing my vision.
Oh, my God
.

“No. Not Alex, you stupid little bitch. Did
you really think you could press charges against me and get away
with it? You think you have it made, don’t you? Ms. High and
Mighty? You’re nothing but a spoiled brat…you, with your little
publishing company and your parents’ company handed to you on a
silver platter. You’ve never had to work for a thing, have you? And
now you have your little heartthrob boyfriend wrapped around your
finger, huh? Life is just grand, is it? Well, you’re very much
mistaken. I’ll make you wish you never laid eyes on me, Elizabeth
Hamilton. I may have missed the first time, but I will get you the
next time, you mark my words. You are going to live in fear of what
I have planned next.”

Bob stands over me, his head covered with a
hoodie. His hands are wrapped around my throat, making it
impossible for me to scream.

“Oh, don’t worry; I’m not going to kill you
right now, although, I’d like to. I’m going to let you squirm a
bit…wring your hands and fret over when I might strike. So, enjoy
your little boy toy while you have a chance. I’ll be coming for
you, Elizabeth. Soon.”

He releases my throat, spins around. As he
runs out the door, he collides with Alex, who’s on his way in. For
a moment, I think they’ll both end up on the floor, but Bob manages
to keep his footing. Before I can catch my breath, he disappears,
fleeing down the hallway.

Alex turns to me and frowns. “What the hell?
Are you okay?”

He rushes to my bedside, and I frantically
shake my head.

“Bob! That was Bob!” I manage to scream.

Alex presses the call button for the nurses’
station.

“Yes? Can I help you?” A male voice comes
over the speaker.

“Call the police!” Alex quickly explains the
situation, and the nurse assures us the authorities are on their
way.

“It’ll be okay, Elizabeth. I am so sorry. I
shouldn’t have left you. I thought it would be okay to run out and
make a few calls. I didn’t want to disturb you. Oh, my God; I am so
sorry.”

“Alex.” I assume the role he normally takes
and find myself comforting him. “It’s okay.
I’m
okay.”

“Yes, this time, you’re okay; next time, we
might not be so lucky. I will not leave you again. How dare that
bastard!” He paces the floor, back and forth, back and forth.

“Honey, please…calm down.” I feel like I’m
watching a tennis match. “You have to get ahold of yourself,
because unfortunately, there’s more. Bob’s our man…the police need
to question regarding his whereabouts the other night, because he’s
the one who shot me.”

Alex pauses in his attempt to wear a hole in
the floor. He stares at me, his normally handsome face twisted in
what can only be rage. His cheeks are bright red, and his lips form
a straight line. I suck in a breath, fearing he’s about to
explode.

“I’ll kill him!”

The way he says this sends chills racing
along my arms and down my spine. He doesn’t shout; in fact, his
voice is very low. But it’s filled with such venom and so much
conviction, I have no doubt that, should Alex get his hands on Bob,
the man won’t live to tell about the encounter.

Alex runs toward the door.

“Alex, no!” I call out, frantic to stop him
from doing something he’ll regret. “Wait! Let the police look for
him. The authorities will handle this. Please…that scumbag isn’t
worth you screwing up the rest of your life.”

He stops, turns, and slowly comes back to my
bedside. “Okay. You’re right. But I’m ordering my security team to
get out there and search for the bastard, too. Do you feel up to
calling the police and telling them what he told you?”

“Sure. I think so.” I reach for my cell
phone, which is sitting on the bedside table beside a box of
tissues. I remember the officer who came to take my statement left
a business card…”just in case you remember something else, ma’am…”
I rummage in my purse and retrieve that, as well, and then hold it
up and shake it a bit, to show Alex I’m prepared to make the
call.

“Excellent. While you talk to them, I’ll
track down my head of security and have him round up his men and
get them out looking, as well.” Alex digs his phone from his pocket
and steps over near the window, several feet away, to make his
call. “We’ll find that son of bitch, Elizabeth. I promise you.”

I nod, feeling a little calmer, now that
we’ve got a plan, and we at least know who we’re looking for, I
punch the numbers from the card into my cell, sit back against my
stack of rock-hard hospital pillows, and wait for someone to answer
my call.

* * * * *

An hour later, the police have come and
gone, but they left a man behind, stationed outside my hospital
room door. I told them what Bob said to me, and they’d assured me
they’d track him down. Alex’s men are also out there looking, and I
wonder who might find Bob first… He seemed pretty sure of himself
when he’d bragged about how I’ll die the next time. Despite the
fact I’m under twenty-four-hour police protection, I still shiver
when I think about Bob’s tone of voice and the evil look on his
face when he promised he’d kill me next time. The piece of shit…
And what about her? Christina. Is she still in on it with him? The
police and Alex’s men aren’t looking for a woman. What if she’s as
crazy as Bob, and she finds me first? A scary thought…frightening
enough to make the lights on the machines beside me begin to blink
like crazy. My blood pressure must be rising, along with my heart
rate; I have to calm down before I set off the alarms and Nurse
Ratchet comes in here again. This time, she might actually make
Alex leave.

“Elizabeth, honey, are you okay?” He looks
back and forth between my face and the machines.

“No.” I frantically shake my head. “I’m not
okay. I have a crazy, ex CFO trying to kill me, a pissed off woman,
who may or may not be after me, as well. I’m stuck in this hospital
room, and I’m ready to get out of here. I have a sister, friends,
and a job I need to be worrying about.”

“I know…I know; but it’ll be okay. I’ve
talked to the nurses, and you’ll be going home first thing tomorrow
morning. I’ll have your things brought to my place, and you can
stay with me—at least until we’re sure your life’s no longer in
danger. I talked to your sister, and she promised to let your
friends know what’s going on, that you’re okay, and where they can
find you if they wish to be in contact.”

I sigh. Seems he’s thought of everything.
“Okay.”

“That’s my girl. Now, go to sleep. The
sooner you get some rest, the sooner morning will get here, and the
sooner I’ll be able to take you home.”

Sleep sure did sound good right about now.
“You won’t leave, right?”

“Never again, my love. Never again.”

Chapter Eight

I tipped back my head and faced the sun,
basking in its warmth. I was only in the hospital for two days, but
considering how much I hate those places, forty-eight hours was
about forty-seven hours too long. Despite my injury and the amount
of pain I’m still in, I’m smiling on the drive over to my place to
get my things. Afterward, I’ll go to stay with Alex for a while. He
and I haven’t discussed how long he plans to keep me cooped up at
his apartment, but I’m not going to argue with him about the
arrangement. I can’t wait to spend more time with him…alone…in his
home…in his bed. Like a teenage girl experiencing a first crush, I
smile at the thought.

Upon arrival at my place, I allow Becca to
draw me into a careful embrace. Her phobia of hospitals is even
worse than mine is, so I don’t blame her for not visiting me at
County General. As Becca pulls back, I look over her shoulder.
There, in the hallway, stand Nicki and Mark.

“Damn, I’ve missed you guys,” I whisper
through my tears. I take Nicki and Mark each by one of their hands
and squeeze. “Feels like we haven’t seen each other in years, not
days.”

Throughout my impromptu reunion with my
sister and my friends, Alex stands quietly and patiently on the
sidelines, watching us, no doubt ready to jump in should I show the
slightest sign of discomfort.

“Oh, Lizzy. I am
so
glad you’re okay.
I was worried sick when Becca called and told me what happened to
you. I phoned everyone and let them know about the shooting, but I
didn’t invite anyone but Mark to come over. I didn’t think you’d be
up to that much activity so soon after being released from the
hospital.”

“Thank you, Nicki. You thought right.” I
love my friends, but right now, seeing the whole gang would be a
bit overwhelming.

“Come on,” Nicki says and turns on her heel.
“Becca and I will help you pack your things.”

I turn to Alex. “Be right back.”

“You go ahead. I’ll wait for you right
here.”

He smiles, and once again, I can’t believe
my good fortune at having such a gorgeous man who loves me.

“I’ll wait around, too, if you don’t mind,”
Mark says. “Walk you down when you leave…”

Oh, shit. Mark
. How the hell did I
forget about him, when he is standing right here? More importantly,
can I leave these two men alone without worrying they’ll rip each
other apart?

“Elizabeth? Honey, are you coming? Do you
need help walking?” Becca stands near the foot of the staircase,
waiting for me.

I shrug, and then wince in pain. I have to
stop moving my shoulder like that... In any case, Mark and Alex are
big boys, and surely, they’ll behave like adults while present in
my home. I hope.

Upstairs, the girls grill me about every
little detail, while I do my own packing. What happened to them
helping out? They apparently forgot I’m the injured party, here,
because they both perch on the edge of my bed and ask me question
after question.

“
What’s it been like with Alex
?”
“
Why do you think you got shot
?” “
Who do you think shot
you
?” And on and on it goes, while I move gingerly around the
room, gathering up a few necessities and a couple changes of
clothing, providing as few details as possible.

“C’mon, Lizzy; tell us. I know there’s more
to the story than you’re letting on. Who tried to kill you?” My
sister knows me well.

I sigh in defeat and join them on the
bed.

“It was Bob.” I keep my gaze pinned on the
pair of Gucci pants I’m folding and smoothing on my lap.