Love Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy (30 page)

"It was a dream." I try to calm myself.

"That's right, just a dream. You're here with me, and I won't let anything happen to you. Do you want to talk about it?" He holds onto me tightly.

I shake my head. "No, it's not even worth worrying about," I say, trying to reassure him and myself.

I get up to get a glass of water from the kitchen. I look at the elevator as I walk past it to make sure I'm not dreaming again. The doors are shut when I walk past, making me sigh with relief. I get a large glass out of the cupboard and pour myself some cold water from the fridge. Suddenly, arms wrap around my waist. I jump, dropping my glass of water to the floor, the glass smashing on the ground into tiny pieces. I turn to see Aiden, who looks at me bewildered and wide eyed with confusion.

"Jeni, it's me."

I sigh with relief and hug him tight. He lets me go and looks down at the mess on the floor, noticing that my feet have been cut by the glass.

"Stay still until I get something to clean that up." He watches me closely as I shake with nerves.

Aiden goes to the bedroom to put on some shoes. He walks back into the kitchen and picks up the dustpan and broom and sweeps up the glass surrounding me. He looks up at me periodically, checking that I'm okay. He then gets a tea towel and wipes up the water spilled across the floor.

"There, all done. Now let's have a look at your feet." He lifts me in case he didn't get all the glass and takes me into the living room, sitting me on the sofa examining my feet closely. I don't even feel the pain when he gently wipes the blood from them.

"Baby, are you alright? You're so jumpy."

I nod, trying hard to convince both of us that I'm fine.

"You're going to need some bandages for your feet; I'll have to go down to Mom's to see if we can borrow some. Will you be okay here for five minutes?"

"Of course, I'll be fine. I'll wait here."

He presses the button for the elevator, he steps in and the doors close.

I sigh and decide to keep myself occupied while he's gone. I see the flowers on the table and think to myself that I haven't read any of the cards attached to them. I pull the coffee table toward me and open the cards one by one.

To my darling Jenifer, hope you get well soon. Love always Mom xo

Baby, I love you so much. Get well soon. Forever yours Aiden xoxo

Dear Jeni, wishing you a speedy recovery, Love Callie, Brielle,

Blair, and Benjamin.

I smile and take the last card from the biggest bunch of flowers and on the card is typed:

I'm sorry, Jeni <3

I read the card again, and look at it with a sense of familiarity. Why would anyone write "I'm sorry"? What a weird thing to say. Maybe it's like "I'm sorry you're sick"? No, this doesn't seem right. The <3 looks familiar. Then it hits me. It's the same person who sent me the flowers originally and the teddy bear. Suddenly, I feel an overwhelming sense of panic as I realize the person who has been taunting my dreams is the dark figure who must have lit the fire. It must have been the person I saw in the elevator when the doors were closing on my way to the kitchen. My memory comes flooding back as I remember turning off the stove before I went to the bedroom. When I came back, the kitchen was on fire, and the elevator doors were closing. The person must have been in there on their way out. The dark figure was actually in our apartment with me.

The elevator chimes, and a sense of relief hits me that Aiden is back. The doors open, and there is a manly figure dressed in black, his head is down; I can't see who he is, but panic sets in immediately. My feet are hurting as he enters the living room.

"Who are you?"
I yell at him. He lifts his head and stares at me intently. I recognize him instantly.

"Jason?" I ask and he takes a step toward me. I take one back, seeing my ex in front of me.

He tilts his head, staring through me. "I see you got my flowers, Jeni."

I look at him, my forehead crinkled in confusion.

"Jason, what are you doing here?"

"I've come to take you back, Jeni." His face seems different; his eyes dart around and seem somewhat darker and more menacing than when we were together.

"You look lovely in that." His eyes look me up and down with a mischievous smile, instantly making my heart pound in a bad way.

I move my arms to hug myself. "What do you mean take me back?" I question.

"I know I hurt you when I cheated on you and left you for Annie."

I cringe at the mention of her name.

"But I know now that I'm meant to be with you. I needed to show you that I still love you, so I sent you flowers and a teddy bear that looks like Mr. Snuggles."

I gulp at the words. "Jason, did you start the fire?"

He looks down at his hands. "I was angry that you were with ...
him
. I'm sorry. I never mean to hurt you." A sting of pain moves over his face.

I inhale sharply at his admission. "Jason, why now? Why would you come back for me after nearly four years of being apart?" I gasp and take a step back.

"Annie left me. She said I was overly angry. Then I knew. I knew you were the one I'm supposed to be with. It's only you." A crooked smile sweeps across his face, making me feel uneasy. He takes another step toward me as I search the room for a way out.

"Jeni, when I saw you that day at the restaurant next to O'Connell Finance, I knew I had to be with you again. When you dropped your handbag and the elevator swipe card fell out, I took it before you could see me, and I followed you back to your apartment that night so I knew where you lived."

I gulp when I vaguely remember going there with Brielle while Aiden and Alistair worked over lunch on the new Anderson account.

"How did you get into the apartment this time? We swapped the codes on the machine so the card you had wouldn't work anymore."

He grins. "Come now, you know me better than that. My cousin, she's a helpful little thing."

"Your cousin?"

"Yes, you might know her. Her name is Josie."

I cringe. I knew she had something to do with this. "How did she get the new card?"

"Apparently you're still as clumsy as ever, so when you tripped over in the main foyer and spilled your bag everywhere, it was the perfect time for her to switch the cards and give you back the one that doesn't work."

My mouth opens with shock. "Why would Josie help you with whatever it is you're planning?"

"Because it's a win, win situation. Don't you see, Jeni? We split you and that imbecile you call a boyfriend up, we get back together, and Josie is free to have him for herself. God knows why she wants him though."

I exhale at his words. "He's not my boyfriend," is all I can think to say. Jason looks at me and smiles a beaming smile.

"He's my fiancé. I show him the ring on my finger.

His face turns from a smile to a frown. He looks intense and angry, and I know instantly that was a bad move. I notice that crazy look in his eyes, the one that always terrified me.

"You know we're meant to be together, don't you?" he asks eerily.

I gulp a lump down my throat as bile creeps up. He walks toward me; luckily, the coffee table is between us.

"Jeni, come with me. We can get married and live happily ever after like we were meant to," he whispers.

I feel tears welling in my eyes when he reaches his hand out to mine. I flinch away, and he frowns.

"This will be so much easier if you accept that you love me."

I look at him, and my eyes shift to the elevator. I decide to make a run for it. I step out from behind the coffee table and walk around to meet him; he looks at me with a loving look in his eyes. I inhale sharply. "Close your eyes," I whisper to him, leaning in like I'm going to kiss him. He looks at me and closes his eyes. I wait until he shuts them completely, and tiptoe over to the elevator and quietly push the button, trying not to make a sound, although my feet are killing me.

"Come now, don't be shy."

I cringe away and start to push the elevator button repeatedly in panic. He opens his eyes to see me by the elevator. I freeze, stunned as he looks at me angrily.

"You know I don't like to play games." He storms over to me, the elevator doors open, and I try to run in, but he grabs me by the arm, holding so tightly that it hurts. He pulls me back toward him and holds both my arms tightly in his grip.

"Now, now, Jeni, if you behave, this will be a lot easier for you," he says menacingly.

"Jason, why are you doing this?"

He tilts his head. "Because I love you, Jeni."

I try to fight back the tears as they pool in my eyes. "Jason, you're hurting me." I look down to his hands gripping my arms tight.

He tilts his head again. "I never mean to hurt you."

"Then don't," I whisper, pleading.

He lets my arms go. I rub them where he was holding on to them. "Look, Jeni, come with me, love me and never leave me, and everything will be all right." His fingers stroke my hair.

I start to shake as the fear hits me. "Jason ... I—"

He puts his finger up to my lips to silence me. "Shh now." His face close to mine he leans in to kiss me.

I curl up my face in response, but I figure it's best to play along until Aiden comes back.

He moves in closer and gently kisses me. Tears flow freely down my face when he moves his tongue into my mouth. Revulsion overcomes me as I kiss him back.
Please let this be over soon
. He moves his hand to my breast as I convulse with fear. I can't take anymore and I pull back from him. He looks at me angrily, with such fierce intent that he raises his hand and slaps me across the face so hard it knocks me to the floor. I grab the side of my face in pain as the tears flow rapidly.

"Jeni, now what did I say,"
he yells at me, and then his mood switches instantaneously when he finds remorse. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I never mean to hurt you." He crouches down next to me as I flinch away from him in disgust. "Don't be like that." Gently he strokes my arm while I sit on the floor, holding the side of my face.

"Jason, what's wrong with you?" I blurt out before my brain has time to stop me.

His face scrunches and his nostrils flare.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? Why are you fighting me on this, Jeni? You know we belong together, and I know you still love me. You always have and always will," he says, believing every word he speaks.

I think he's truly gone mad.

"Jason, I don't think we're good together."

He stands up, taking me with him, violently pulling at my arms. "Stop playing games. Now let's go."

He drags me toward the elevator; I struggle against him and break free. I run toward the balcony. He reaches me and throws me. My stomach crashes into the corner of the glass coffee table, knocking the flowers off and the table breaking beneath my weight. I roll on to the floor, clinging to my stomach in pain as the tears flow.

"See what happens when you don't listen? You brought this on yourself." He grabs hold of my arms and placing one knee on either side of me on the floor so he's straddling me. I fight against him, kicking my legs and trying to free my hands from his grasp, my head thrashing from side to side while he sits atop me, smiling like the Cheshire cat.

"
Jason, get off me,
" I yell as I struggle against him.

"Only if you promise to behave and come with me."

I stop thrashing and concede. He slowly gets off me and stands up, still holding my hands and dragging me up off the floor. I hunch over as my stomach aches. He walks me over to the elevator and pushes the button, holding on to my hand tightly. Overwhelming fear engulfs me when the doors open and we step in. As the doors start to close, I pull his hand up and bite it; he lets go.

"Ouch, you little bitch!"

I run out of the closing doors back into the apartment. I turn around and see he's following me, making it through the closing doors just in time. I cry with disappointment. I run toward the kitchen to grab a knife, but he catches me, pulling my hair and making me fall to my knees in pain.

"Ahh," I scream out as he rips at my hair. He slaps me again and pushes me to the floor; in return, I turn over and kick him in the balls. He hunches over in pain as I stand and run to the elevator, pushing the button frantically. He sees what I'm doing and drags himself over to me, pulling me by the ankles until I fall flat on my face. He positions himself over me again as I try to fight him off.

"
Aiden,
" I yell out, hoping somehow he might hear me.

"Don't call for him. He can't help you," he says manically laughing, making me instantly think he's done something to him.
Oh God, Aiden, what's he done to you?
I struggle against him.

He stands up and pulls me with him, this time standing behind me and locking my arms down at my sides as he bear hugs me from behind. He moves toward the elevator again, and I have only my legs to defend myself with. As we get close to the doors, I pull my legs up against the wall, kicking back so he falls backward into the broken table. I roll off him, my head pounding as he grabs me by my hair again, pulling me toward him; I look around and see a vase. I reach for it and smash it over his head.

"Jesus, Jeni," he calls out as blood runs down his face. Now he's really mad. He picks me up off the floor and flings me onto the sofa, pounding his fist into my face as he does. The pain is unimaginable as he continues his relentless beating.

"See, if you behaved you wouldn't have made me do this,
" he yells in my face as tears stream from my eyes. I'm starting to nod in and out of consciousness when I hear the elevator chime.

"What the
fuck
? Oh my god, Jeni," I hear Aiden scream, and the pounding stops.

"You,"
I hear Jason yell as I fade in and out. I hear a scuffle and everything fades to black.

Chapter 22

My
head pounds as I try to open my extremely sore eyes. One eye can open only a slight amount as the other blinks rapidly. I hear a heart monitor beeping in the background and I try to move, but my whole body aches, making me moan in pain. Someone is at my side, holding my hand; I can't quite make out who it is until I hear their voice.