Learning to Let Go (19 page)

She managed to guess who before I could tell her my suspicions. “It was that asshole, wasn’t it?” Her whole body shook as she let a new wave of tears tumble out. “Why can’t that sicko just leave me the hell alone and take a freaking NO for an answer?!”

I was glad to see her pissed off and wanting to wring his neck; this meant she’d survive this latest threat. I wanted to tell her about the note I received, but I didn’t want to push her too quickly.

“I don’t know why, love,” I said honestly, stroking her hair. “Eventually, he’ll slip up and make a mistake, and when he does, we’ll be there to catch him and make sure he pays.”

The paramedics released Dillon and Laurel shortly after Thompson and I arrived. The police officer said he would drop by the following day for a thorough interview, but he wanted them to rest for now. We left the vehicle and a copy of the note I received in his possession so they would know just how sick a game this asshole was playing.

We were offered an around the clock officer to help guard everywhere we went, but I didn’t trust Chase or his father not to find a dishonorable person to pay off and gain access to us, so I declined in favor of my own personal security team. I wouldn’t trust anyone but my team with our lives.

I held tight to Laurel on the way back to the penthouse as Dillon explained what happened.

“The car began to pick up speed and the brakes started failing the further we got to the exit of the garage. I knew once we hit traffic that we’d be in a whole heap of trouble. I didn’t want to run over any pedestrians or wreck anyone else’s vehicles, sir. My only choices were to crash into the concrete of the garage and risk injury to both of us or to try and somehow navigate to the park and pray no one was near the water.”

My body shuddered at the thought of them crashing, knowing things could have been a lot worse than they were. I pulled Laurel closer into my side, having her rest her head on my shoulder as Dillon continued his recount. I knew Dillon was born and raised in the south, but had never heard his drawl so thick before, until now.

“I guess the fool thought I wouldn’t have dealt with defensive driving or knew how to handle these kinds of situations, but the FBI teaches you all kinds of crisis scenarios. I used to bitch about it, but now I’m damn thankful they did. Anyhow, I managed to just miss hitting a few vehicles coming out of the garage at 50 mph, then whipped through the few blocks to the lake and found some nice concrete curbs and shrubbery to drive through to help slow us down.”

His hands were shaking as he ran them through his hair and took a deep breath in. “I told Miss Hart to undo her seatbelt, grab anything she absolutely had to have and to wait for my word to jump. I managed to get us through another set of shrubbery before we jumped. We both rolled onto the grass as the vehicle hit a concrete curb and then flipped into the lake.” Dillon looked at me, nodding to Laurel resting against my side. “My apologies for the scrapes and bruises, Mr. Waters. My only thoughts were to get her out of this alive.”

My hand wrapped instinctively around her, squeezing her almost painfully to my side. I had come so freaking close to losing her again. “You’re a fine man, Dillon, an asset to my team. You’ll be rewarded for your quick thinking and saving both of you today.”

Laurel was wound tight when we arrived home, so after Thompson and Dillon went to their quarters, I suggested she either rest or get out some of her aggression in the lap pool.

“I might do that, but there’s something I want more,” she cooed.

“Name it,” I replied. “You know I’ll give you anything you want.”

Tears began to stream down her cheeks as her whole body began shaking. I pulled her into my arms, holding her tight. She buried her face in my chest and I could hear her trying to calm her breathing.

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“First, I want to learn self-defense,” she said, looking up. “I know you and Thompson spar on occasion and are both black belts. I don’t want to sit around, helpless, just waiting for that bastard to come at me and not be able to protect myself.” She swallowed hard. “If he gets me, I want to be able to fight back and really hurt him for what he’s done to me.”

I couldn’t help but smile. I’d been afraid that this recent incident would set her back, making her want to run screaming for the hills, but not my precious Laurel. She wanted to kick some serious ass and I would most definitely help her.

“We’ll absolutely help you learn some basic defense moves and practice as often as you like. I don’t want you to feel weak against him, either, but you should know that if he ever got his hands on you, I’d find you. There’s nowhere he could run without me being able to find him.”

Her face looked confused. “How would you know where to look?”

I didn’t want to alarm her, not yet, so I only told her half the truth. “Your vehicle and cell phone have locator devices on them. Unless he knew how to disable them, there’s no place I couldn’t find you.” I hugged her tightly. “So what’s the other thing you wanted?”

Before she could open her mouth, Donny, Freddie, Grace and Jonathan burst through the doors. They took one look at her and all breathed a sigh of relief.

No sooner than I had released Laurel from my arms, Donny came in and swooped her up into his. “You scared the shit out of me! Was it that asshole again?”

She nodded as he held her close to him. “I’m fine, but my car and cell phone are destroyed. Thanks to Dillon and Garrett, I’ll be okay.”

Thompson walked into the room, clearing his throat. “Sir, we need to speak with you a moment. A development has occurred that requires your attention.”

I walked over to Laurel, kissing her on the temple. “Will you be okay for a moment while I go talk with security?”

She nodded and Grace came up and gave me a squeeze on the arm. “We’ll watch her and take good care of her, Garrett. Don’t worry.”

To my surprise, Jonathan followed me into the surveillance monitoring office, where I had a conference table for meetings with my security team. “Mind if I join you?” he asked, though it obviously wasn’t up for discussion. “This is getting too personal for my taste to just sit back and do nothing. I want in to help wherever I can, brother.”

It felt good to know that my family had our backs. “Have a seat,” I offered.

From what my security team, along with the police, could gather, Chase had followed Laurel to her appointment with Jocelyn. I’d given strict orders for her to be kept in sight at all times, so Dillon stayed in a separate room while she had her therapy session. It must have been during this time that little heathen slipped in and messed with her brakes.

Thompson had managed to get a copy of the video feed from Jocelyn’s condo parking. Chase had hacked the security feed and recorded a few minutes of tape before placing it on a loop while he messed with her vehicle.

My worst fears were coming to light. I wanted to push away from her to save her, but at the same time, I knew that if I did that, the weasel would come in and make her life a living hell. I was trapped between a rock and a hard place and forced to deal with feelings that I had long since shoved down.

I gave Thompson and Dillon new rules to go over with the extra security they were bringing in to help make anywhere we went an impenetrable fortress. Jocelyn would be escorted to either the penthouse or the office for therapy sessions and Laurel would not be leaving here except for work. She’d probably kick and scream over losing some of her freedom, but her safety was more important.

Jonathan’s took a sharp intake of breath as he read the copy of the note we’d received earlier in the day. “That sick bastard!” He grabbed hold of my shoulders and looked me squarely in the eyes. “I hope you’re not going to follow his orders. You do realize that no matter what you do, she’ll get hurt, right?”

I nodded, having come to the same conclusion earlier.

“You need to understand that you are not responsible for this, Garrett,” he said seriously. “Just like you aren’t to blame for the things that happened in the past.” His voice was determined to make me listen, but I didn’t want to hear about the past.

I shook my head. “I could’ve done things differently!” I yelled. “I should have chosen my words more carefully. Things might have turned out another way.”

“Brother, you can woulda coulda shoulda all you want, but what’s done is done. You were never to blame and you need to finally accept that and let go. I thought you had, but when I got to your place tonight I saw the same look on your face that I saw when you first came to live with us. Accidents and bad luck happen and if I’m right, you’re torn between pushing her away and holding her close.”

Since when did my brother get so damn insightful? “Just stay out of it,” I hissed.

He put his hands on his hips and just shook his head at me. “I’d like to, but since Laurel is my girlfriend’s cousin and you’re my brother, I’m involved in this as much as you are. I won’t let you stick your head in the sand and push everyone away. If you love her like I think you do, you’ll stay and fight for her, defend her against this abusive prick, and win, goddamn it.”

I sat down in a chair and rested my head in my hands. “I care for her like you’d never believe. She calls to me on levels I’ve never felt before and I have no intention of giving up. But can she forgive me for what I’ve done?”

Jonathan knelt down in front of me and sucker punched me in the arm.

“What the hell was that for?!” I exclaimed, rubbing my arm.

“At least I have your undivided attention now. She’s not the one who needs to forgive, you are. Until you realize you aren’t in control of everything, you’ll never be free to enjoy a future. I know you like being in command, but life can sometimes be a bitch. You can’t manage everything, but you do have power over your reactions to stuff around you. Just think about it.”

He walked out of the room and left me to my own thoughts. I knew he was right; I needed to forgive myself. Maybe I wasn’t responsible for the accidents that happened, but my heart still hurt for all the things that I’d missed out on and everything I’d lost.

I was afraid of the amount of time Garrett had spent with his security guys and Jonathan before finally joining us back in the living room. His face was a mask and I knew he was trying to hide the emotions that were going through his mind. He sat beside me and held me close to him, but he was distant. I knew better than to push things. He needed his moment, like I had needed mine, to get over Chase’s threats and attacks.

Several hours passed before my family and friends finally left, giving us time to relax. I was deep in thought when he asked, “What was the other thing you said you needed from me? We never did get to finish our conversation from earlier.”

I laughed. “This is why I don’t like my family around too much—they make it hard for me to do this.” I rose and straddled his hips, feeling his cock spring to life at the mere touch of me. I licked my lips and ran my tongue over the outer edges of his lower lip, nipping at it, asking, no, begging for his attention.

His hands clamped down on each hip, stilling me. “Are you sure about this, Laurel? You’ve had a tiring day and a life-threatening experience.”

“I need a bath first to get the grime of the grass and dirt off me, but then I want to unwind by losing myself with you. Please take control over me, make me forget.” To emphasize my point, I purposely rubbed my heat against his cock, feeling it become rock hard underneath me. “I
need
you!”

His eyes were hooded and a low growl escaped his throat as he picked me up in his arms and carried me to his bathroom. Our clothes were quickly discarded as the water warmed. He took great care in washing every part of me before drying me off and encasing me in a terry cloth robe that felt heavenly against my skin. I was surprised when he backed me against the marble countertop and asked, “What do you want from me, baby?” His voice was deep and husky as his lips grazed over the side of my neck, biting down on the sensitive juncture of my neck and shoulder.

I would normally welcome his gentleness, but I knew that was only the surface of who he was and after a day like today, I needed him to make me forget everything. “I need you to play my body and draw out all the pleasure to your liking. I need you to leave me spent and begging for more.”
Whoa, did that just come out of my mouth? Where did that come from?
Just the idea of him taking me had my center aching with need.