Temperance: Biker Romance (The Davis Chapter Book 2) (2 page)

I gave him a nod without looking over. The sight of the guards made me sick. They were everywhere around our estate. At any given point during the day, five or more of them strolled the grounds. Each of them was a large, dangerous man, and had guns to match just beneath their jackets. Conrad said they were there to protect us, but to me they were just prison guards, there to make sure I couldn’t get away.

Shutting down the Lexus, I waited until the guard wasn’t looking and grabbed the envelope. Pain gripped my heart as I looked at the stale mansion I called home. I was terrified to leave it, but far more terrified to stay. It would suffocate me after draining every good memory I had left if I didn’t leave.

My shoes echoed on the marble floor just inside the front doors. Even filled to the brim with opulent shit, the place still felt hollow and empty. Perhaps Conrad did that to mirror his own heart. With Kyle on my side, I could see the hint of light at the end of the tunnel. I could also feel that the tunnel could seal up on me in a heartbeat. The next twenty-four hours would test my spirit. With the money tucked into my purse and the engagement ring back on my finger, I attempted to make it past Conrad’s study undetected.

“Ah, Celeste.” Conrad stood right in the doorway. I reached my hand up to my chest out of instinct. My other hand tightened around my purse. As if my heart was racing enough. He knew I would be walking past and caught me completely unaware. The guard that had tapped on my window must’ve alerted my fiancé. “And how is your girlfriend?”

I hated his boarding school accent. It was as fake and shiny as the mansion. I gave him an equally disingenuous smile. “As good as can be expected, dear. I feel terribly for her. She didn’t seem enthused by any of my suggestions, but I think it helped for her to talk it out a little bit. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

His eyes never left mine. I knew the Conrad was looking for some crack in my story; anything that would give me away. I’d lived a lie for six months, and I had gotten very good at deception. Once he was satisfied that I was telling the truth, he gave me a curt smile and a nod.

“I certainly hope things end well for her.” He turned back to his office, “I’ve still quite a bit of work to do. South America doesn’t seem to be playing ball with me at the moment. I expect I’ll be quite some time.” He eyed me the way a slave owner must have eyed the workers in his fields. It was a cold stare that iced my heart over. Despite the pain, it was just something I had almost gotten used to.

“I understand, dear. Take all the time you need. Hearing about all her problems has exhausted me, as you can imagine. I’m going to get some much needed rest.”
 

Conrad nodded, giving me permission to head upstairs and to bed.

Once the door to the guest bedroom was closed, the tears came. The shake in my hands was worse than ever, and I fought down a panic attack. The weight of everything crashed down on me. I grasped my purse with both hands. My knuckles went white as I squeezed the leather. Over and over again, I told myself it would all be over soon. Just twenty-four hours.

As I packed a small overnight bag, I thought about Kyle. I tried to tell myself that the past was the past, but I knew that wasn’t true. Conrad and Kyle were so similar, but so different at the same time. They both had a temper that could tear down cities. Kyle had never, ever directed that anger toward me, though. He was the kind of man that got mad on my behalf. He’d stuck up for me more times than I could remember. Kyle stood behind me through school, even when my family disagreed with my decision to hold off on college for a while. He even understood my decision when I told him I was going to marry Conrad instead of him.

I saw that this was more than just a favor in Kyle’s eyes. I saw that every bit of our history was still alive and well in his mind. I hid my bag in the back of my closet. Man, I was going to owe my ex-boyfriend something major.

Sitting through dinner while Conrad talked about business was probably the most torturous hour of my life. Knowing just a short time later I would be abandoning that life forever only made things harder to sit through. Conrad went on and on about trades in South America. It couldn't have meant less to me.
He
couldn’t have meant less to me.

The last few years of my life played in my mind; not a flash but a slow slideshow like an old carousel. Kyle and I had flirted on and off for a few years during my wild child phase. I was sure that we would be together forever right up until the accident. After that, Conrad swept in when I needed it most. My mother’s care became more and more expensive, and even Kyle had to admit that Conrad’s wealth came in very handy.

When he asked me to marry him, I couldn’t understand what Conrad saw in me at first. I was a mess at that time. The accident and caring for my mother had taken its toll on me. Kyle and I had grown apart as Conrad and I grew closer out of necessity. His proposal ate at me, but in the end, I had no choice but to say yes. Telling Kyle was probably the hardest thing I’d ever done. Much harder than abandoning Conrad in the middle of the night.

The reason I had agreed to marry Conrad was clear to us both, but in the year since my mother's accident, it was never spoken of. The truth was like a ghost, though. That coldness was always there to make me shiver harder on lonely nights. My mother even refused to talk about the accident. She would go on and on about what a good man Conrad was, and I was expected to believe the same thing. When I tried to mention anything bad about him, she would hush me up like I was telling a lie. There was no point trying to tell her about the abuse. He was a saint in her eyes. Conrad may have planned that from the very start.

No one in my family would understand what I was going through. He was everyone’s savior but mine. To me, Conrad Blythe was a rich man, and I was his prize. His prize that could accompany him to gallery openings in Los Angeles, pose with him for pictures in prestigious magazines, and look beautiful in his mansion with other purchased items. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to marry him. Conrad promised me a life without wanting. He was right: I didn’t want anything. I didn’t even want my freedom anymore; I needed it.

Inside the guest room, I waited. I couldn’t stop checking my phone for a text from Kyle. After midnight, the guards would all be stationed in the carriage house, preparing for their hourly walk-around. At quarter past, I’d head for my car. It was facing out of the drive, waiting for me to hop behind the wheel. I would ditch it when I met Kyle. It would be another part of my life I was going to abandon. Fear and apprehension battled inside my mind. I knew I had to get out, but I also knew that Conrad was a man capable of anything. I hoped to God that Kyle was capable of even more.

My phone vibrated as I held it in my hand.

Hope you’re ready.

For six months I wondered if I would be. I wondered if the moment would present itself to me, and I might freeze up. As I responded to Kyle, my hands stopped trembling for the first time in weeks.

Never been more ready.

I looked around the guest room one last time. There wasn’t a good memory associated with the Blythe mansion, and the sooner I was on the road to Bakersfield, the better. I looked through my purse for what must’ve been the hundredth time. I had photocopied all of my important paperwork. The copies had been switched out; the originals were with me, just in case.

The hallway was deserted, and I took the long way through the large home. I already knew that Conrad was preoccupied with some conference call in Portuguese, but I was more worried about the security staff. They had very strict instructions when it came to me. I wasn’t to leave unless Conrad gave permission. Not that night, though.

That night, I moved around the outside, taking my time and staying out of the perpetual brightness of the lights that lit up Conrad’s home. There was no movement outside the guest house. As soon as I started the car, they’d scramble, but I’d thought of that, too. They couldn’t find what they couldn’t see. My heart raced, and I felt sweat forming at my forehead, but I was in too deep. I had taken the first few steps, and it felt incredible.

My car was bathed in indirect light. With key in hand, I checked over my shoulder one last time. I didn’t see any movement near the guest house. A second before I was about to take my first step into the light, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. A guard was making his way down the side of the building. I couldn’t go back the way I came, so I shoved my way into the shrubs. They scratched at my face, but it didn’t bother me in the moment. I was trying not to panic as the guard got closer.

As I watched his boots move ever nearer, I held my breath. When the guard stopped right beside of me, I shut my eyes. I didn’t want to see his face when he yanked me from the bushes. I would keep my eyes closed, even when he dragged me in front of Conrad. I couldn’t stand to look at anything.

A moment passed, then another. Then I heard the splashing. My eyes flew open, and I saw the stream right beside the shrub. The guard was taking a piss right next to me. I didn’t even know what to feel. I wanted to laugh, cry, and scream all at the same time. It was almost worth blowing my cover. The nerves were starting to get to me. I had to get away. The Blythe life was frying me.
 

The guard let out a low groan as he emptied his bladder. Vomit was rising in my throat as I tried to remain absolutely still. Whatever he had eaten made his piss reek. I held my breath in spite of my racing heart.
God, when was the last time you went?

The stream finally trickled out, and after one last grunt, the guard zipped himself back up. I waited until he was long out of earshot before moving. The man was in no great hurry, so at least I knew they weren’t looking for me. Once I was certain no one else was coming, I pulled myself from the shrub. More scratches that I didn’t notice until later. I was laser-focused on my escape.

It was twenty or so feet to the Lexus. I had my key in one hand, and my two bags in the other. All of my worldly possessions could be carried in one trip, but it was a good thing. Travel light to travel fast. I was more than ready to travel fast and travel far. Kyle could get me to Bakersfield, and from there I’d decide where I wanted to start over.

After a shaky slow breath to try and calm myself, I ran for the car. I could hear the small rocks beneath my flats and my sharp, gasping breaths; everything else faded into the distance. Time seemed to slow down as I got closer to the Lexus. It was almost teasing me; the closer I got, the slower I moved. I hit the unlock button and saw the yellow lights flash like a taunting wink.

My feet slid in the pebbles as I tried to come to a stop. I was carrying too much momentum and slammed into my door. I look back over my shoulder, but didn’t see anything. Yanking at the handle, I threw the door open. My bags were tossed into the passenger seat, and I dropped down into the driver’s. I hit the start button, but nothing happened. Fear began to creep over my shoulder.

I wouldn’t let the fear in, though. I jammed my foot on the brake and clicked the seatbelt in, “Fucking new cars.”

Once the Lexus was satisfied that I was safe, it fired up. As soon as it was in
Drive
, I nailed the gas pedal. The doors clicked, and I was locked in.
Yeah, like that’s going to keep me safe.
The headlights blazed on, and I cursed the car again. “Dammit, dammit, dammit.” I had forgotten that the headlights came on automatically, and they couldn’t be turned off in the dark. My plan to drive without them once I got outside the gate was trashed.

As I sped down the driveway, I looked in the rearview mirror, but didn’t see the telltale sign of lights giving chase. There were two Land Rovers exclusively for the security force, and in retrospect, I should’ve slashed their tires or something. The car hit a bump, throwing my view out of whack. When I got things back under control, my headlights shone on the gate. I slammed on the brakes, sliding on the fine rock driveway.

The car came to a stop just a few feet before the gate. The sensor kicked in, and the slow crawl of freedom began. As I watched the gate move glacier slow to my right, my hands wrung at the wheel in a death grip.