Wanted (Addicted Trilogy Book 3) (5 page)

Alek

Sara was recovering quite nicely, although her impatience
increased with each passing day. I had to remind her the process was going to
take time, but there were days when she didn’t want to hear any of it. So I
backed off and gave her my unwavering support.

Frustration was certainly a new emotion for my woman. Well, when
I wasn’t the cause for it, at least. When she couldn’t lift something or extend
her arm to grab an object from a shelf, she would grunt, grimacing in
aggravation. I tried my best to remind her pushing herself too fast wasn’t a
smart choice. Some days, she would listen to me and others, well, she ignored
me as if I hadn’t said anything at all.

She couldn’t stand relying on others for help, especially at work,
a place where she was really hindered. I never thought I would be so thankful
she had Matt there to help her. He’d really stepped up as her friend, and as an
employee. He constantly went above and beyond for her, opening up the shop in
the early morning hours as well as closing up late whenever she deemed she’d
had enough for the day.

After witnessing more interactions between the two of them, I
realized the way he looked at Sara was exactly how I’d looked at my sister Mia.
A brother to a sister, full of love and adoration, and my favorite emotion of
all…protectiveness.

While Sara was struggling with her physical limitations, I was
doing my best to go back to the way things were before she was taken from me,
but I found it difficult. Samuel’s death was not the issue. While there was an
innate feeling deep inside me at the memory of taking another man’s life, it
wasn’t guilt or remorse. I thanked God every day I woke up and that bastard
wasn’t alive. Never having to worry about her safety where he was concerned was
a huge relief. I think the emotion which crept up now and again was…surprise. I’d
obviously never been the cause for someone else taking their last breath.
 
But whenever the odd sensation arose, I
remembered the crazed look in his eyes as he mumbled, ‘
They’ll see
I’m better one day. They’ll let me out and I’ll come back for her.’
 
Once the memory rushed forward, I pushed
everything aside and focused on Sara and her recovery.

The real issue which plagued me was ever since I stepped foot into
her shop on that beautiful, fateful day, I’d inadvertently put her in danger.

Before she met me, she was safe. I’d made sure she was protected
all those years. But since the day I’d made the selfish decision to force my
way into her life, she’d had one encounter after another, thankfully none of
them fatal.

I knew I had a decision to make, and the thought it was going to
ultimately crush us both, ending life as we knew it, made my soul weep at the
inevitable.

~~~~

 
“Hey, hey. What’s the good
word, my man?” Kael sang out as soon as I uttered my greeting into the phone.
 

“Not too much,” I replied, forever thankful my good friend had
moved back to Seattle. I’d known Kael since we were young boys. We were
inseparable most of our lives, but his job took him to California years before,
the only communication between us being a phone call every so often. Luckily, our
time apart had been short-lived.

I didn’t normally talk about my feelings, except with Sara, but I
knew I needed to bounce some things off Kael. He was the perfect sounding board
because I knew he wouldn’t judge me. He might give me advice I didn’t want to
hear, or tell me when I was being an ass, but he would listen and hear me out.
 

 
“What time did you want to
meet up tonight?” I asked, counting down the hours until I could gain someone
else’s perspective on my issue. I’d already informed Sara I was going out for a
couple of drinks after work. At first, she was only too happy to hear I’d made
plans. Admittedly, I was slightly offended she wanted to get rid of me so quickly,
but after she explained her reasoning, I wasn’t so pissy. She hated I’d been
fawning all over her for the past few weeks, never taking a night for myself. So
when she’d heard I was going to be spending some much needed time with Kael,
she was thrilled.

“Whatever time you can pry yourself away from work is good for
me,” he answered.

“Okay, how about I meet you at seven? At Billson’s?”

“I can pick you up if you want and we can go together,” he
offered, a slight twinge of humor to his voice.

“This isn’t a fucking date.” He laughed at my outburst. “I’ll
meet you there.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Plus, you’re not my type,” he joked
before hanging up the phone.
 

Still smiling, I dialed Sara’s number. I’d bought her a new phone
due to her other one being destroyed. Soon after she’d become lucid in the
hospital, she asked me how I’d ever found her and I had to tell the truth. It
was because of the tracker I’d put in her phone after I learned of Samuel’s
release. She never argued with me, a small smile appearing on her lovely face
before she drifted off to sleep. This time around, I made sure to ask her if it
was all right if a device was installed on her new phone. Without hesitation
she agreed; the added comfort of me being able to find her if she ever needed
me was what made her comply.

“Hi, honey,” she answered on the second ring. I could tell from
the rushed tone of her voice she was busy but wanted to at least talk for a few
minutes. It drove me nuts when she didn’t answer her phone and instead of us
arguing over it, she did a great job of placating me. I would have thought
after eliminating the one real threat in her life I would have calmed down, but
if anything I became even more protective. I couldn’t understand it myself, so
trying to explain it to Sara was near impossible.

“Hey, babe. How’s your day going?”

“Good. Busy, but good. I really need to hire someone to help out
around here. Matt and I are struggling these days. We have a couple of part-timers
to help with deliveries, but it’s not enough.” Blowing out a frustrated breath,
she continued with, “Thankfully, business is booming, but we’re a little
stressed. Plus, not having the full use of my arm yet is hampering me even
more.” I heard her call out to Matt about an order before she came back on the
phone. “Sorry, Alek, but I can’t talk now. Can I give you a call later on?”

“Sure thing. But remember I’m meeting up with Kael for a couple
of drinks, so how about I swing by your place afterwards?”

“Sounds great to me. And Alek?”

“Yeah.”

“Please have fun. You worry too much.”

“I’ll try. For you, I’ll try.”

After our conversation ended, I saved and closed the two
spreadsheets I had open, grabbed my keys and headed out to meet Kael.

Arriving before him, I grabbed a private booth far from the rest
of the patrons. Billson’s was a really nice, casual yet elegant establishment. It
had private sitting areas, as well as high-back tables and chairs. I’d been there
before for business meetings and really enjoyed the food, the service always
being on point. Plus, the atmosphere was calming, which was a plus since I was
a bit on edge.

Lost in my own head, I almost missed Kael as he entered. I waved
him over once I caught his attention.

“Have you been here long?” he asked as he took his seat at the
other end of the small couch, throwing his keys on the table. Before I could
give him an answer, he cut me off. “Sorry I’m late, but Adara and I sort of had
a fight before, so…” He trailed off, obviously not wanting to finish his
statement.

“Is everything okay? Is it serious?”

“It’ll be fine. And yes, I think it’s serious, but she doesn’t. But
then again, what’s new, right?” He looked around for a waitress, anxious to place
his order. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long.

Once the waitress was close enough to see us, she blanched. We
knew the sort of reaction we obtained from women when we were by ourselves, but
when we were together, it was almost too much. We knew we were blessed with
good looks, but we never flaunted it. Well, not since the day our women had
stolen our hearts, anyway.

After she’d composed herself enough to take our order, she left
us alone to talk.

Needing more time to figure out what I wanted to say to him about
my issue, I asked, “Do you want to talk about it?” I knew what it was like to
have my woman twist me up so badly I didn’t know which way was up. He
definitely had my sympathy.

“Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t want to think about it anymore
tonight. All I want to do is drink and hang out.”

“Sounds good to me.”

It took two hours after we’d arrived before I was comfortable
enough to bring up what was plaguing me, the multiple bourbons aiding the
situation.

“So…” I started, indicating there was something important I
wanted to talk about. And it worked, turning Kael’s attention on me.

“What’s up?”

“Well, you know everything that went down with Sara recently.”

“Yeah…” he answered, his curiosity piqued.

“I’ve been feeling a certain way about it. About her. I mean, I
love her and everything; that hasn’t changed. Actually, I love her more each
day, but I just…I don’t know.” I didn’t know the best way to verbalize whatever
it was I was thinking.

I was confused, plain and simple.

“If you love her, then what’s the problem? Is it because you ended
up killing Samuel? Because you could speak to someone to try and work through it.”

“No, that’s not it at all.” My face scrunched in instant
aggravation. I hated the mere sound of his name.

“Then what is, because you’re losing me here, man.” He was certainly
confused. I was rambling, not really focusing on any one point.

The waitress came over asking if we wanted refills. I admittedly
answered yes while Kael declined. I hadn’t started off wanting to drown my
sorrows in alcohol, but it was where the night was leading. I knew I was going
to need to call my car service soon. There was no way I was going to drive to
Sara’s intoxicated. She would kill me. If she ever drove drunk, or even tipsy,
I would be so angry with her I would never let her forget it.

Against my protests, Sara had stopped living with me after she
came home from the hospital. She said she didn’t want to rush anything, arguing
our relationship was still being tested and she didn’t want to jeopardize the
progress we’d made so far. I knew the imminent threat was abolished so I didn’t
really have a leg to stand on. I gave in, for the time being.
 

“I don’t really know. Well, I kind of know, sort of.” I took
another sip of my drink, letting the ice cubes crash to the bottom of the glass
before putting it back on the table. Finding Kael’s confused expression, I continued
on in my senseless ramble. “You know I’ve been watching Sara for close to a
decade now, always trying to keep her safe. Well, it seems like ever since I
barged into her life, up close and personal, I’ve been failing to protect her. Things
have happened to her which wouldn’t have had I kept to the original plan, which
was me off in the shadows, shielding her from afar.”

“You can’t really believe that. She’s the best thing to ever
happen to you, and you to her. I see how you two look at each other when you’re
together.
 
It’s as if no one else exists.
I know, because it’s exactly what I have with Adara. It’s a rare thing to find in
this fucked-up world, Alek.” He knit his brows before he spoke again. “Don’t
tell me you’re planning on breaking it off with her, because you think you’re
doing more harm than good being in her life. Because it would be the stupidest
thing you could ever do.”

He knew exactly where I was going with my conversation and
because of it, I couldn’t even look him in the eye.
 
I knew he would try and talk me out of it,
telling me I was an idiot if I went through with what I was contemplating.

I loved Sara more than I could ever explain in words, but the
thought of her being taken from this world because I was unable to protect her
was unbearable. I was too close. Her love, her very being, was distracting me
from my ultimate goal, which was ensuring she was as safe as could be, each and
every minute of the day.
 
I knew it was a
lot to put on someone, but it was a weight I was only too happy to carry.

Honestly, I didn’t know what I was going to do. The thought of
not being able to see her, to touch her whenever I needed to feel her against
me, or to even hear her voice was torture. But I knew I had to make a decision
either way because what I was tormenting myself with, over and over, was
driving me to drink. Literally.

Before we left, Kael gave me his parting words of wisdom. “Listen,
Alek, I know you love her and she loves you. I think you’re letting what
happened cloud your judgment. You need to take a step back and think everything
through before you make a rash, stupid mistake. Please, tell me you’ll think
about it before you make any decisions.” I stared at him, trying my best to
compute his words. The last drink really did me in. My brain was fuzzy, and the
words which spilled from his mouth sounded jumbled together. Kael broke the
silence with his persistence. “Promise me, Alek.”

“Fine, I promise I won’t do nuthin’ rush till I speak about it.”
What did I just say?

“All right, buddy, come on. You’ve had enough. We need to get you
home.”
 

As soon as I stood, the world spun around me. Normally, I could
handle my alcohol, but it’d been a long time since I’d consumed so much. Thankfully,
I’d called the car service a half-hour before, so my ride was already waiting
for my drunk ass.

After paying our tab, we headed outside. Each step I took was
staggered, Kael doing his best to hold me upright. The cool evening air helped
my inebriated state, but only for a minute. My driver held the door for me as I
stumbled inside, but before he locked me in, I yelled out to Kael, who was
standing only a few feet away. “Hey, do you need a ride?” I slurred.