Page 39 of Submit

WHEN TUESDAY ARRIVES, I can barely focus at the CAC. I was hoping Bea would be on site today. I really need to talk to her. I need her advice, wisdom, and honestly, I need her help. I’m starting to feel the effects of being trapped and it’s making me panicky and paranoid.

Just yesterday on my way to the gym, I could have sworn I was being followed but the car turned off before I was even halfway to my destination. When he turned, I noticed a man driving and a child’s car seat in the back.

I’m really losing it.

Thankfully the day at the center goes by quickly. We are pretty busy working on the calendar for next quarter, lining up artists, revamping the gallery, and running auditions for an upcoming play. Or course, my role is more in the background, but it’s a great atmosphere and they make me feel appreciated. Before I realize it, it’s time to get home and shower and head up to Beatrice’s house.

Hoping to keep the peace and feel less like I’m sneaking around, I send Will a text.

Me: Don’t forget I’m meeting with the governor’s wife tonight. Not sure what time I’ll be back.

As expected, I don’t get a reply.

~

I’M A BUNDLE OF TIGHTLY wound nerves as I pull up to the gate house. I have my driver’s license out and I’m prepared to hand it over but the guard waves it away. “We’ve been instructed to grant you access anytime, Ms. Baker. Please proceed.”

Okay, VIP at the governor’s house…that’s me. Clearly this was Casper’s doing.

My pores are spilling my anxiety all over the place and my palms were sweaty the whole way here, but once I’m through the gate and behind the fence, I feel the tension lay off a bit, providing just enough room to breathe.

Beatrice is waiting for me in the circular drive again but this time Casper is directly behind her. My heart rate speeds up to unhealthy levels and my breathing hitches. He looks off-duty - but no less deadly - in dark jeans, work boots, and a plain gray t-shirt that is tight in the chest and biceps and loose as it covers his narrow waist and abs. A silver watch sits on his left wrist, catching my attention as it stands out sharply against his caramel skin. His arms are folded across his broad chest, somehow making him look bigger than usual.

Remembering how out of place I felt last time in shorts and a t-shirt, I went the opposite direction this time, sporting a light blue A-line dress that hits me at my knees. I tried for curls but they weren’t happening in the midday heat so my hair is on top of my head in a messy bun.

Beatrice greets me with another hug but this time her enthusiasm is subdued into a somber smile. “I hear things are as we suspected and you were quite unaware of Willem’s true situation.”

I huff a sigh, my eyes drifting back to Casper over Bea’s shoulder as she continues to grip me in her arms. “Yes,” I confirm. “I’ve been wondering how I could not have noticed or suspected anything, but our life was so normal for so long. And I may be naïve but I believe that Will loved me in the beginning.”

She lets me go with one final pat on my back and leads me into the house. In the hallway, I can’t help but notice that the house is eerily quiet. She must pick up on my sudden discomfort. “Richard is working at city hall today and I’ve let the maid have the afternoon off.”

Casper chimes in as well, “I sent the internal staff with Richard. We still have guards at the gate and perimeter, but no matter how well trained, some people will still talk, and we don’t need Will getting suspicious, so no one is inside the house except the three of us.”

I’m briefly taken aback. “Why are you guys doing all of this for me?” A sad thought crosses my mind and I address Bea. “The project we’re working on for the Center, that’s legit, right?” I ask, suddenly curious if she just played along with this idea the night of Marcel and Will’s dinner to get me on my own and feel me out. I’d be crushed. The Cultural Arts Center has come to mean a lot to me.

“It is, sweetheart, but first we need to get you away from Willem Van den Tweel, and we need to do it before the next wind farm proposal gets shut down. As towhywe’re doing it?” She glances at Casper who gives her a slight nod encouraging her continue. “Cas was right, you’re innocent in this. Perhaps Willem loved you once, but he’s no longer looking out for you. He’s dragged you into a terrible mess and he didn’t even have the decency to tell you the truth or give you a choice.” She looks deadly serious and however scared I was before, I am ten times that now. She takes my hands in hers as we stand in the foyer. The gravity of her next words weighs me down and roots me to the floor. “If you tell me a life with Willem and the Van den Tweel empire is what you want, we will let you walk out that door and live your own life. But, if that’s not the life you would choose, after having the knowledge that you now have, which is only the tip of the iceberg, then we’re here to help. Now, just so we’re clear, do you want to spend the rest of your life with Willem Van den Tweel?”

I see Casper’s eyes darken and his jaw clench again, signs of his anger as he waits for my answer. I look right at him, telling him a thousand things with my eyes, as I utter the most life changing words I’ll probably ever speak, “No. You know I don’t.”

I don’t know how or why or when it happened, but I’m pretty sure I want to spend it with you.

I may never have envisioned marriage, but I still thought Will was my future and I can’t describe the feeling of relief to know that he isn’t.Maybe I’ve always known something was off.

Casper, Bea, and I are tucked away in the room the men must have had drinks in the night Will and I were here for dinner. There are no windows. It’s like an inner office of some kind.Veryprivate. Thankfully, there’s an air conditioning unit in the corner like hotel rooms have so it’s nice and cool, otherwise it would be sweltering in here and entirely too claustrophobic.

“Would you like something to drink, dear?”

A shot of tequila is probably warranted right about now, but I opt for something that will keep my mind clear instead. “Tea would be lovely, thank you.”

Casper raises an eyebrow in my direction. “Tea’s a little dainty for you don’t you think? I’ve seen you wipe out on the board. Nothing dainty about that.” He smirks and gives me a lopsided shrug. Being the mature adult that I am, I stick my tongue out at him and he rewards me with a seductive chuckle.

“Casper!” Beatrice shrieks, startling me. I think she’s getting ready to admonish him for teasing me, but instead she says, “Did you just make a joke?” I laugh out loud because I asked him the same thing the first time he said something remotely sarcastic to me.

“It’s been known to happen,” he deadpans, not unkindly.

“Not in the eighteen years I’ve known you. At least not in front ofmeanyway.” She winks at me while she finishes preparing our tea. “Cas, drink?”

“No thanks, Bea.”

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