Page 20 of The Storms Between Us
seventeen
Riding back homewith Ember pressed tightly to my back is like heaven. Something shifted back at the plantation, as if this became something so much more from the second we walked through those doors. I knew then that I could see myself making that place a home with her. The moment she said she loved me, I knew I had to make her mine in a forever kind of way.
I've done my best these last few weeks to keep her mind off the nightmare she ran from in Durham, but I know it's still haunting her. She thinks no one sees her double check when she locks the door or the way she’s always looking over her shoulder any time we leave the house, but I see it. I hate that this asshole has made her live in fear. I wish I could take her pain away, but I know the best I can do is keep her safe.
We pull up to the house and head inside through the garage door. I could have sworn I’d locked it behind me when we left, but maybe I hadn’t. As I turn the doorknob, it feels loose in my hand. I make a mental note to fix that tonight. The last thing we need right now is lax security.
Everett stands in the kitchen, watching baseball and eating cereal at four in the afternoon. Sometimes I swear he's twelve years old. “Hey guys, you have fun?” he asks without looking away from the game.
“Yeah, it was amazing,” Ember says with a huge smile. I’m surprised at how happy it makes me to know I’m the one who put that smile on her face.
“That house is so fucking badass. I think you’ll have to make room for me there too, Eli,” he mumbles as he shovels another spoonful of Cocoa Puffs into his mouth. “You got a package delivered while you were out, Sparky” he points to the long rectangular box lying on the corner of the bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ember move towards the box, then stop dead in her tracks. I look over at her and all the color has drained from her face. Her hands are shaking by her sides and the fear in her eyes is palpable from across the room.
“What’s wrong, Ember?” I come to her side instantly. Everett looks over at us, concern on his face.
“That… that box… I got a box just like it before I left Duke… from Justin.” She says the last part so quietly it's barely a whisper. I feel rage building throughout my body.
“Everett, open it,” I say, wrapping my arms tightly around Ember and pulling her into my chest. Her hands clutch tightly into my shirt. I can feel her body trembling as I rub my hands up and down her back. “It's ok, Sunshine. It’s gonna be okay,” I tell her as calmly as I can. Everett pulls open the lid and I can see the tips of crimson red roses poking out of the top. He picks up a card from inside, reads it, and throws the box against the wall.
“FUCK! This guy is a fucking psycho,” he screams, his breaths coming in heavy pants. His fists are clenched tightly at his sides and the look in his eyes is murderous.
“What does it say, Ev?” she says, her face still buried in my chest.
“Are you sure you even wanna know, Em?” I ask.
“Yes. I obviously can’t hide. I have to know what it says.“ She looks up at me with fear and uncertainty in her eyes.
Everett hands her the card and bends down to clean up the mess he made with the flowers. She takes a small step back, but I don’t let her go. Turning the card over in her hand, she reads it out loud,
Ember
This cat-and-mouse game you’re playing has been fun. I do appreciate your attempt at keeping things interesting. But you should know by now that I’ll always find you, no matter where you hide. Don’t worry my dear, I’ll forgive your indiscretion with that tattooed degenerate. Everyone needs to sow their wild oats before they settle down. As long as you behave yourself from here on out, I won’t have to punish you. I’ll be watching.
Justin
She crumples the paper up in her hand and throws it to the ground. Tears are rolling down her face and she doesn’t hide them. I look to the floor where the remains of the bouquet lies and I see a photo lying there. I pick it up and study it, already knowing I remember exactly when this was taken. I took Ember to the bookshop in town two weeks ago to browse and we ended up in the back row of romance novels. The picture shows us locked in a passionate kiss with Ember’s back pushed up against the bookshelf as I cup her ass. I remember it vividly and I feel rage burning inside of me. Knowing that intimate moment between the two of us was tainted by him makes me furious.
“God damnit!” She screams, “How did he find me here? How did he even know where I am? What did I do to deserve this?” She asks, more to herself than anything else.
“Nothing, Ember.” I reach out to pull her back into my arms. “You didn’t ask for any of this. He’s obviously a fucking crazy son of a bitch. This isn’t on your shoulders,” I kissing the top of her head, trying to soothe the pain and fury coming off her in waves.
I look over at Everett while she sobs heavily against my chest. He’s barely keeping his anger under control, and I know the feeling. I see him jerk his head towards the back door and I give him a small nod.
“Why don’t you go take a long shower and calm down? Ev and I will clean up this shit and take care of dinner. You can rest for a while,” I say, softly kissing her forehead. She sniffles and nods her head, no fight left in her eyes. It kills me to see her look so defeated. She shuffles upstairs and I watch her walk into my room and shut the door.
I gather up the flower box, card, and picture, and walk out the back door with Everett trailing behind me. I throw the box into the trashcan on the deck, tossing the card and picture on the patio table.
“What the fuck do we do here, Elijah?” He asks, lighting a cigarette and falling into one of the deck chairs.
“I honestly don’t know, man,” I drag my hand down my face roughly.
“I mean, this is some seriously psycho shit. I feel like we need to take this to the cops,” he says.
“I agree with you there, but I can already see how that’s gonna go. They’re gonna tell her she has no proof that it was him and there’s nothing they can do until he actually harms her,” I say, leaning against the railing.
“So we’re just supposed to fucking sit around and wait for him to hurt her?! No fucking way! I won’t do that, Eli! I can’t believe you would just let this go,” he shouts, obviously close to losing his shit.
“That’s not what I said, Ev. I’d never let him touch her. He’d fucking die before he even got close,” I say fiercely. “We just need to make a plan here.”
“Oh, I have a plan. Find this fucker and put him in the ground,” he says viciously.
“A plan that doesn’t end with you and I both in jail would be nice,” I tell him, trying to remain reasonable.
“Fine. I know she’s gonna be pissed, but I don’t think she should go out by herself anymore. Apparently, he knows exactly where she is and we can’t keep her locked up in here like a fucking prisoner.” He sounds emotionally exhausted and I know the feeling.
“I agree. I know she won’t like it, but I think it's what we have to do. I’ll call tomorrow morning and see about getting a better alarm system put in here, just in case. Until we figure out where the hell this guy is, she can come to the shop with us when we’re both working. She can pretty much work from anywhere, so the only thing it's gonna hurt is her pride.” I say, knowing she’s probably gonna raise hell about having to be babysat. Usually, I like the fire in her personality. But this time I can’t give in to her. I won’t. Her safety is more important than anything else.
“Yeah, good luck to your balls when you tell her that news,” Everett says, laughing at my pained expression, “I would say I’ll tell her, but I know how much shelovesbeing told what to do so that’s all you, dude.”
“Thanks so much for the vote of confidence, Ev. Your support is so encouraging,” I say as sarcastically as I possibly can. I take a deep breath and head back inside. I climb the stairs slowly, bracing myself for what’s to come when I find my woman.
