Access Granted (18 page)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Bitch,

I haven’t forgotten about you. Did you think I had? I hope not. I only let you get comfortable with being a married woman for a while, but how a lying whore like you could land a husband is beyond me.

You should be buried six feet under instead of wearing that ring of your finger. But don’t worry, I won’t have any problems putting you there. In fact, I’m going to get a lot of pleasure from killing you in front of that big, worthless bodyguard husband of yours.

                                                                                       Forever watching you,

                                                                                                 XO
XO

****

Jax read over the letter again before flinging it down on his desk. He was trying his best to stay calm, but his anger and fear for his mate raced through his body.  How was this still happening to her? Sahara should feel safe and protected, but this bastard was still out there taunting her.

“Why in the hell did that psycho send this letter to your house instead of ours?” he asked Sahara’s Uncle Frank who was sitting across from him.

He had brought Sahara back to Alpha Male Incorporated with him while he finished up some last minute assignments for his bodyguards.  Raya had met them there, so all three of them could have a late lunch but he had no clue he would be dealing with this shit.

His mate’s stalker was getting more dangerous as time went on and if he didn’t do something about it soon the guy might get even bolder with his threats. He could be thinking about another physical attempt on Sahara’s life and the mere thought of this creep harming his woman made him see red.

“I believe he’s taunting us. He wants to show us that he knows where my baby girl is at all times. I told you I had been getting these damn things for weeks before I hired you,” Frank reminded him. “I thought after Sahara married you he might back off and everything would get better for her but they haven’t. This guy is relentless. He just won’t go away. Sahara will never feel free again in her life.”

“The hell this bastard will keep my mate living in fear. I’m in her life now and she’s going to be able to go out without worrying about looking over her shoulder every five minutes. This has gone on too long,” Jax snapped. “I swear if I ever get my hands around his throat I’ll snap his fucking neck.”

“Are you going to tell Sahara about this?” Frank asked, touching the newest threatening letter. “Is she here with you? I haven’t seen her yet. I planned on taking a shower and coming by your house tonight but when I saw that in the mail I came straight over here. I’m glad I ran into you instead of her. I wouldn’t have been able to keep this from her. She knows me too well.”

He and Sahara had reached a point in their relationship that they no longer kept anything from each other. As much as he wanted to keep her in the dark about this note, Jax wouldn’t do it. She had to know they had started back up again. Her life was still in a lot of danger and she had to be very aware of what was going on around her at all times until her stalker was caught. He couldn’t let his mate be walking around not aware that this guy’s need to kill her had grown more extreme.

“I hate to bring this back into her life now, but Sahara needs to know about it.” He sighed.

“She is going to be so upset about this,” Frank pointed out to him.

“Fuck! I know she is,” Jax said, running his fingers through his hair. “She was actually beginning to relax a little more. I even let her go shopping with Raya without me the other day. You should have seen how thrilled she was when she got back home with her shopping bags. I’m getting sick of this. I swear the sooner I find her stalker, the safer and happier she will be for the rest of eternity.”

“Shit! I hate that this is happening to my goddaughter. She has already been through so much and just when she’s beginning to find happiness again, he has to send another damn note. We have to deal with this monster and I mean now!” Frank shouted.

Jax understood his friend’s anger about the situation but they couldn’t jump in with both feet without having a plan. This jerk was too smart, way too smart just to be an obsessive fan. Something else was going on here. The latest letter from him came off way too personal for his liking.

“Frank, I know you’re livid about all of this, but we can’t let him get into our heads. That’s what he wants to happen so he can catch us off guard. We have to be more intelligent than he is.

“Sahara isn’t as vulnerable as she used to be since I turned her. She does have a lot more power and strength now to help protect herself, but we can’t let her see any apprehension or fear on our part.  She needs to see we believe she can protect herself if the situation unfortunately comes to a head.”

Frank’s eyes narrowed at him. “Are you saying you’re going to allow that sick SOB to get close enough to hurt our Sahara?”

“No, I’m not saying that,” Jax hissed, slamming his hand down on the desk. “All I’m trying to tell you is this man is smart and we don’t know what he has planned. You and I have to be on guard to make sure nothing out of the ordinary happens.”

Sighing, Frank closed his eyes and then reopened them. Jax saw the worry in them. “You know I’ll do anything to help you protect her.”

“I know, but first I have to tell her about the letter without upsetting her. I’ll do it when she comes from seeing Zander. She went upstairs with Raya to ask him about installing a security camera in the studio room. Now, I’ll have to hire an extra security guard at the house to watch over her.”

“Alright, I’m going to leave because I need to take care of a few things at home. Call me and let me know how it goes. I hope she doesn’t take it too hard.” Frank got up from his seat and walked out of the room leaving Jax to his thoughts.

“My Sahara is a tough woman. I know she’ll be able to handle this,” Jax said to himself hoping he was right. He hoped the news about this wouldn’t push her into wanting to do something crazy. She could be quite stubborn when she got an idea in her head.

However, she didn’t need to fight him where her stalker was concerned. The more he thought about this man, the more his worry grew, because he truly wanted her dead. The notes weren’t empty threats. Now, all he had to do was figure out the reason why and put an end to his plans before he tried to make them come true.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Above Jax’s office, Sabrina wandered around Zander’s workspace wondering how much longer his meeting was going to take. She had already waited for him for over two hours and promised to stay here for him, but she was running out of things to do to pass away the time.

Sabrina hoped that Hayden Arthur would call while she was here, but she hadn’t heard from him yet. She was trying to keep her excitement level at a minimum, but it was hard to do when she wanted to do another freelance assignment. She couldn’t believe how much her world had changed in the last couple of days.

She felt like she was burning her candle at both ends between figuring out what direction her new relationship with Zander was going now and admitting to herself she loved Zander. After learning he was a vampire a lot of things made so much more sense about him. Like why he
never
seemed to get tired or he could help her move a heavy piece of furniture without any help at all.

Wow, it all of sudden felt like she was living a different woman’s life. She could only imagine how Avery was probably laughing his head off at her now. She constantly whined about how there wasn’t enough excitement in her life. Well, she had excitement times twenty now and enough left over to share with other friends and family.

God, she was getting bored out of her mind. She was trying her hardest to be patient and to keep her promise, but it was getting harder. Making her way over to Zander’s desk, Sabrina took a seat behind it. She would check her emails to pass away some more time, but if he didn’t come back within the next twenty minutes then she would have to leave.

Touching the mouse in the middle of the keyboard with her finger, Sabrina waited while the laptop buzzed back to life. Once the screen came up, she noticed Zander had been listening to some kind of MP3 file. Wondering who it was, she clicked on the link and seconds later Sahara’s gifted voice filled the office.

****

Why is it I can’t get over you?

You have been my crush for so long

That I don’t know how to go through

A day without the thought of you crossing

My mind.

However, I have to understand the difference

Between you and me.

I’m twenty-five and you are forty-three. What I

Feel for you isn’t the same thing you feel for me.

You were my crush.

You were the man I looked

Forward to seeing when I went to

Work everyday.

I never knew what real emotions

Were until I laid eyes on you.

Right then and there, I knew I had a

Crush on you.

I was so excited when my ultimate dream came true.

You finally asked me out on a date.

But I should listened to my head instead of my heart.

Because no matter how much you told me you were sincere

About our date.

It turned out to be a lie and we both knew it would.

As much as I want to put the entire blame on someone else

Like your friends, family or anyone else for you not showing up.

I can’t do it.

You made your own decision and stuck to it.

You were my crush.

You were the man I looked

Forward to seeing when I went to

Work everyday.

I never knew what real emotions

Were until I laid eyes on you.

Right then and there, I knew I had a

Crush on you.

Now, as I think back. It dawned on me. You

Never had any intention of keeping your word.

Cowards never do.

You just used me to make yourself feel better.

Which was so wrong on so many levels?

Now, when I think about you my stomach doesn’t

Flip flop from excitement because those feelings are long gone.

If you truly didn’t want me, you should been man enough to let me know

The last time we spoke on the phone.

I would have understood and let you go; however, you were an asshole and

Ignored my calls.

You were my crush.

You were the man I looked

Forward to seeing when I went to

Work everyday.

I never knew what real emotions

Were until I laid eyes on you.

Right then and there, I knew I had a

Crush on you.

But something good did come out of this;

You no longer have to tell anyone

That I’m the love of your life.

We both can find other people who truly are.

I know I’m over you and without a doubt in my mind.

I know you are over me.

You were my crush.

You were the man I looked

Forward to seeing when I went to

Work everyday.

I never knew what real emotions

Were until I laid eyes on you.

Right then and there, I knew I had a

Crush on you.

People grow up and I’m woman enough to admit

Your rejection made me tougher in ways I’ll never forget.

As much as I want to be upset or even mad.  I can’t

Because my crush on you showed me.

What kind of man, I don’t want in my life and for this one experience,

I thank you.

After the song was finished, Sabrina hit the link at the top of the screen bringing it back down and then closed the laptop. She loved the song; it was beautifully written. Without a doubt, it would make Sahara even more famous than she already was.

“Sahara is so brilliant. I see why she’s getting all of this attention,” she mumbled, trying not to be a tad bit jealous.

“Thank you for the compliment, but I think I need to work on that song some more before I officially release it as one of my singles,” a voice said behind Sabrina, shocking her.

Jumping up from her seat, Sabrina’s eyes landed on Sahara standing in the doorway with another woman next to her who was just as attractive as her.  She hadn’t even realized there were other people in the room with her.

“Sahara, I didn’t know anyone was here. I apologize for listening to your song, but I was waiting for Zander to come back from a meeting and decided to check my email. That’s when I saw the link and clicked on it.”

“Oh, I don’t care you listened to it,” Sahara said, coming further into the room. “I love hearing another person’s opinion, because sometimes my husband, Zander and even Raya’s can be bias. How are you doing? It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you. Oh, have you meet my best friend Raya August?” Sahara asked.

Coming around the desk, Sabrina stood in front of Sahara and her friend. She couldn’t believe she was talking to a woman who used to be human, but now was a vampire. It was so unreal.

“No, I haven’t. It’s nice to meet you,” Sabrina answered, looking at the other woman.

“Hi,” Raya said. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

“I’m doing well,” she answered, looking back over at Sahara. “You know how he can be. Zander tries to keep me busy, so I won’t always be inside the house thinking about Avery.”

“Yeah, I do,” Sahara answered. “Jax and I both know how much he loves you. He constantly tells us how he wants to spend every waking moment with you.  So are you willing to give him a chance?”

Wow...she didn’t know that Sahara was so blunt.

“Hmmm... I’m thinking about it. Zander is an amazing guy.” Sabrina couldn’t deny what a wonderful man she had in her life, but the vampire thing was still strange to her. “I love being around him. He has a way of relaxing me.”

“Hey, don’t let the vampire thing scare you. I was frightened at first of Jax, but now I hardly ever think about it,” Sahara told her. “Don’t let it keep you from being with Zander especially after he tells you everything. He needs a good woman in his life and I think you would be so perfect for him. My brother-n-law is a little rough around the edges sometimes which means he needs you to straighten him out. I swear, dealing and understanding the curse is hard, but you can do it.”

“Sahara, what are you doing?” Raya cut in, shocked. “How do you know Zander has even told Sabrina his secret? You might just ruin everything for him.”

“Raya, it’s okay. I read her mind. She already knows about part of our family secret. Am I wrong?”

Sabrina was momentarily taken back by Sahara’s ease at talking about being a vampire. She acted like it wasn’t a big deal to her.  She wasn’t quite sure how she should answer her question at first, but the truth was always the best.

“You’re right. Zander has filled me in on the meaning of my birthmark and how it makes me a
Unique
woman. He thinks I should just welcome him with open arms, but I’m finding all of this hard to process. It’s not everyday you learn vampires really exist in the world. But what else is he supposed to tell me?” She could feel something else was going on. How could she trust to tell Zander her true feelings if he wasn’t being completely honest with her?

“I’ve said too much,” Sahara answered, backing off some. “I think you need to talk to Zander when he gets back. I’m sure that he has his own timeline to tell you everything. It isn’t my place to tell you. Honestly, I shouldn’t have told you this much, but I just want him to be happy.”

A war of emotions raged within Sabrina. She was getting sick of people only telling her what they thought she needed to know. It might surprise at lot of people to find out she wasn’t as fragile as they made her out to be. She decided to go before she said something she shouldn’t.

“Sahara and Raya, it was nice to see both of you; but I need to leave. If you see Zander, tell him I’ll call him later.” She walked around both women and headed for the door.

“Sabrina, wait! Don’t leave. I really shouldn’t have opened my mouth,” Sahara called out to her.

Instead of turning back around, she kept walking because she wasn’t in the mood to listen to anything else today. If Zander got back and wanted to talk to her, he knew how to reach her but she was done waiting for him.

****

Sahara’s dark eyebrows slanted into a frown as she stared after Zander’s mate. Sabrina didn’t even give her time to explain before she just stormed out of the office. At first, she didn’t think Sabrina was tough enough to be with Zander, but after their encounter she changed her mind.

Zander was as bad as her loving husband. He wasn’t giving her enough credit. Sabrina was a whole lot more capable of handling herself than he ever talked about to her and Jax. She wasn’t this fragile little doll to be held close and protected. There was a hidden strength in her that came out when she needed it. Sahara couldn’t control the smile from spreading across her face.

Oh, her dear old brother-in-law was in store for a very big surprise and she wished she could be there to witness it.

“Sahara, aren’t you going to try to stop her from leaving?” Raya asked, drawing her attention away from her inner thoughts.

“No, I’m not. Zander needs to learn that he can’t keep his mate waiting for him. I’m thinking about having another conversation with Sabrina. She might need some directions about how to make him work for it more.”

“I think you shouldn’t get involved with their relationship,” Raya pointed out to her. “Jax wouldn’t like it. How about we head back downstairs? I know your husband is probably wondering what is taking us so long.”

Sahara wanted to disagree, but she knew her girlfriend was telling her the truth. She was surprised Jax hadn’t tried sending her a message telepathically. It made her wonder what had his attention.

“Fine, let’s go” She sighed. “I should be getting back home anyway. Tomas finally agreed to come back as my choreographer. I think Jax is able to deal with him better now since we are married,” she said, heading towards the door with Raya behind her.

“Are you crazy?” Raya asked while she closed Zander’s office door and checked the handle to make sure it locked behind them. “He’s probably waiting for the right moment for Tomas to mess up so he can toss him out on his ass. You know the way Uncle Phil did to Jazzy Jeff on
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
all of the time back in the day.”

Laughing, Sahara wrapped her arm around her best friend’s shoulder as they walked back toward the elevator. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” she asked. “After I get Zander married off to Sabrina , you’re next on my list. I only wish Jax had another brother. If he did the two of you could fall in love and you would be able to stay with me forever.”

“I don’t think so. I have no plans to live forever,” Raya insisted. “I’m quite happy living my life to the fullest and then dying, the way I’m supposed to do. You were always more into the horror stuff than me anyways.”

Sahara thought about pushing it further, but decided to leave it alone. Raya’s time would come and she couldn’t wait until then. She wondered what man could make her best friend settle down and start having a house full of babies.

Oblivious to what was going on around her; Sahara continued walking with Raya not realizing a pair of eyes was watching them from the opposite end of the hallway. However, the person wasn’t looking at her but her best friend walking next to her. Thorsten Irizarry stood in utter disbelief watching as Sahara got onto the elevator with his mate.