Chapter 17
DORI
My stomach somersaults and my heart soars, but I’m not sure he’s serious. “Jamison Stone, do not even think of messing with me like that. It’s cruel.”
“I’m not joking. I want to marry you.” He runs his palms along my thighs as his eyes burn into mine. “I know I should’ve done this with a ring and a fancy, intricate date, but I can’t wait. We’ve been through so much, and I don’t want to waste any more time.”
I blink as I try to gauge his sincerity. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. Marry me, and let’s start a new life together. We’ve loved each other for years. We’re going to be living together, so why not?”
I try to move off of him, but he grips my legs.
“Don’t run away from this. I know what I’m doing.”
“Jami… I…”
“You don’t need to lock yourself away and think about this. What does your heart want?”
I melt into his words. All the special times we’ve shared over the years pop into my memories, showing me how good we are together. We’re friends and lovers .
I remember almost losing him when he was shot and how it almost happened again when I was kidnapped. He’s everything to me.
“Jami, my heart wants to marry you.”
His lips curl up, and his eyes shine brighter than a second ago. “Is that a yes?”
I smile and nod, allowing the joy of the moment to fill me to my core. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He beams. “Thank you, Dori Fisher, for making my dreams come true.”
I lean into him and seal our promise with a tender kiss.
I pull away, laughing when I do. “We need to move this to the bedroom.”
“Probably a good idea.” He reaches behind his head and whips his T-shirt off, wincing when he does. “Here. Use my shirt so you can make it to the bedroom without dripping everywhere.”
I take it from him and work myself off him, shoving his shirt between my legs as I do. “Is your wound hurting?”
“A little.” He waits until I’m off his lap and then pulls his sweatpants up. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing to stress about.”
“But I feel bad. I haven’t been taking care of you like you deserve.” I snag my pants off the floor and start wobbling to our room.
He follows close behind. “I can take care of myself.”
There’s a knock on our door. I peek over my shoulder at him.
He halts and peers at the entrance. “Let me see who that is. You go freshen up.”
“Okay.” My pulse quickens.
That’s either Hunter or Aiden at the door. Well, it could be housekeeping, but something tells me that won’t be our luck.
Jami stalks away as I disappear into the bathroom. I get swept up in what just happened and soar to the heavens above as I get ready for the rest of the day.
I’m going to be Mrs. Jamison Stone. It’s my dream come true. I quietly squeal. I can’t wait to tell Melanie.
Deep muffled voices make their way through the wall, bringing me back to the here and now. Jami’s talking with someone, and I get a sinking pit in my gut. I guess telling Melanie will have to wait. I finish primping and go to find out who’s here.
Jami’s controlled words fill my ears. “It doesn’t matter, Aiden.”
“What doesn’t matter?” I round the corner and stop at the edge of the living room area.
Aiden spins my way as Jami stands near the balcony with his arms crossed over his chest.
Aiden takes a few steps in my direction. “Dori. I’m sorry I stopped by without calling first, but I was afraid you wouldn’t see me.”
All the devious things he’s done over the years slam into me. “Do I even know who you are anymore?”
He stops. “I’m the same brother you’ve always known.”
“Are you?” Jami takes large strides to get to my side.
Aiden growls as his hands curl into fists. “Stay out of this and give Dori and me some space to talk alone, Jami.”
“He’s very much a part of this, so you can forget about speaking to me without him here.” I take Jami’s hand in mine.
Aiden’s angered gaze drops to the movement. “You can’t be serious, Dori. You know this won’t work.”
Jami's shoulders square as he takes in measured breaths. I squeeze his hand and flash him a look, telling him I can handle this. He releases a relenting puff of air.
I take my glare to Aiden. “There’s no reason why Jami and I won’t work. That’s just something you’ve made yourself believe. Or should I say that’s something Dad has made you believe? ”
Aiden snarls at Jami. “Is there anything you can keep between us?”
Jami’s face reddens. “No. She has every right to know what’s going on around her. Especially when she’s directly involved.”
“I can’t believe you let him control you all these years. You know how toxic he is.” Tears creep into the corners of my eyes. “He has you brainwashed, and you need to get help.”
Aiden’s hard exterior cracks for a second, but then he straightens up. “I did it for you.”
I huff away the betrayal. “No, you did it for yourself. You were promised a trust fund if you could keep me away from Jami. He’s the most decent guy I know. Why would you want me to have anything less than what he wants to give me?”
“You’re in danger if you stay with him!” Aiden waves his hand in Jami’s direction. “And if he’s so great, why did he go back on every promise he’s ever made to me the second I turned my back?”
“Dad has you in some kind of warped trance. I’m not in danger being with Jami. Dad just made you believe that for some fucked-up reason.” I glance between him and Jami. “Jami betrayed your trust because I gave him no other choice.”
“That’s not true.” Jami steps back. “I did it because I love you and can’t fathom living a day without you.”
I palm his face. “And you’ll never have to find out.”
Aiden cuts in. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You two only want this because you can’t have it. This illusion will wear off in a matter of days.”
I spin to Aiden. If he wants a fight, he’s going to get one. “I’m done letting you control me. I’m done thinking you have my back when clearly you never have. This is all about money.”
“Dori, you’re my sister. No one has your back like I do.”
“Really? Is that why I was in the hands of sex traffickers who you turned a blind eye to? Is that why you’re against seeing me happier than I’ve ever been? Is that why you let Dad run the show all these years? Because you have my back?”
“I thought he would hurt you. That’s why I did it. The money was a secondary issue.” Aiden shakes his head. “How could I have known you were going to end up in the situation you were in? You know I never would’ve let that happen if I had known.”
Fire flares in my belly. “There are thousands of girls just like me who are in that situation. They’re sisters, daughters, and friends of people just like me. By not doing anything, you’re directly responsible for where I ended up. Every one of those girls has a name. Sasha is one of them.”
The room goes silent. My lungs fight to get in air.
“Hey, sweetness. It’s okay.” Jami inches back to me. “I’m right here.”
He reaches up and wipes the rivers of tears flowing from my eyes with his thumb as his other arm wraps around my waist. I didn’t even know I started crying.
I tremble as I let him console me. “There are thousands of girls out there going through despicable things. He did nothing to stop them because he wants a trust fund. That’s all they’re worth to him.”
Jami pulls me into his chest and holds me, whispering calming words to me between kissing the top of my head. “I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay. Just breathe.”
My ordeal rolls into my brain like a tsunami. I break in half and go limp in his arms.
“Jami, he was going to kiss me, so I tried to knee him in the balls. He backhanded me for it. If Xander wasn’t there to stop it… Then he drugged me and touched me like I was his to do anything he wanted to. I couldn’t fight him off. The drugs made it impossible.”
Jami tenses around me. “What are you talking about? ”
“Dori…” Aiden’s voice, full of pain and guilt, fills the room. “What happened to you?”
Drugs muted my terror at that moment, but now it hits me like a fire-breathing dragon. It bears down on me with unrelenting grief, melting me into a weeping mess. I’m one of the lucky ones, but that doesn’t take away the horror I went through.
I sink to the floor, taking Jami with me. “They had me naked on a stage with a flood light pointed at me. Every one of those monsters saw me and Sasha standing up there with no dignity left. It was humiliating. And she’s only sixteen.”
Jami’s heart pounds against my cheek as his chest heaves. I’m in a ball in his lap. His arms clutch around me, but he says nothing. My cries are the only thing filtering through the air.
A warm touch runs across my back, and Melanie kneels beside me. “Let me take you to the other room.”
I shake my head and continue to sob. I don’t want to leave Jami’s protective arms.
Mel strokes my head like she’s caring for a sick child. “Aiden, I think it’s best if you give us some space.”
“But I want to help,” he pleads.
“Get the fuck out of here, now.” The heat coming off Jami is enough to tell me he’s barely hanging on. “If you don’t, I won’t be responsible for what happens to you. And I really don’t want to hurt you in front of your sister.”
Aiden sighs. “Dori?—”
“I said leave. I won’t say it again,” Jami hisses.
Footsteps cross the space, then the door clicks shut, indicating Aiden’s gone.
That only spurs me on. More tears of his betrayal pour from my eyes.
We can’t get out of this city fast enough. Once Jami and Melanie calm me down, I pack our bags as Jami sets up a private jet to take us to Miami.
He peeks into our room. “I made sure the police don’t need you for anything else, so we can go as soon as you’re ready.”
“I’m ready when Melanie is.” I join Jami and glance down the hall. “Mel, are you ready to go?”
She pops out of her room just as I say it. “Ready.”
“Let’s go, then.” Jami takes my hand, and his concerned gaze connects with mine. “You doing okay?”
“I am. I already scheduled a time to talk with my therapist about everything when we get to Miami. Please don’t worry about me.”
“Like that'll ever happen.” He huffs like I’m being ridiculous. “You’re going to be my wife, so get used to it.”
“She’s what?” Melanie slams her palm into his chest. “When were you going to tell me?”
He grimaces in pain. “Fuck.”
“Oh shit. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I did that.” She covers her mouth and peers over at me. She speaks through her hand. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
“I know, but let’s not hit him anymore. He still has a lot of discomfort.” I face him. “It’s my turn to worry about you. Are you okay?”
He sucks in a breath and nods. “Let’s get the fuck out of here. I’ll take a painkiller once I’m on the plane.”
I grab his bag full of our belongings. “Then let’s go now.”
Melanie drags her carry-on behind her as she follows us out the door. “We can go, but you’re not off the hook. What did Jami mean, you’re going to be his wife?”
He tosses an intoxicated-like smile her way. “I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.”
We stroll to the elevator as Melanie curses us out. “I can’t believe you would keep that to yourself. What am I? Chopped liver? Just you wait. When it’s my turn, I’m leaving you in the dark.”
Jami and I laugh as he pulls me to his side. “Relax, Mel. I only asked her a little while ago.”
“Likely story.” She presses the call button and glares at me. “I thought I was your best friend.”
Her sad demeanor makes me think she’s truly hurt.
“Melanie, he asked me right before Aiden stopped by. There hasn’t been any time to tell you.”
She flicks her chin up to me. “Right. And I’m supposed to believe that?”
“It was a spontaneous gesture. Jami didn’t even have a ring when he did it.” I hold out my left hand.
She peeks down from the corner of her eyes at my finger. “Okay, so far, your story is holding its weight.”
The elevator doors open, and we file in.
He winks at me and pulls her into his chest as soon as the doors close. “Come on, Mel. Don’t be mad. You’re still the first to know.”
She pretends to fight his embrace but gives in to it when his words register. “Really? I’m the first to know?”
“Yes. You’re still the most important friend to both of us.” He scrubs the top of her head with his knuckles.
She wiggles free from his grip, slapping his thigh as she tries to get away. “Stop it. I just fixed my hair.”
I burst into laughter. “You two are worse than children.”
The doors open to the lobby, and we all step out joking with one another. It’s a pleasant change of pace.
We round a corner. Hunter’s standing at the checkout counter, waiting for someone to help him. Our laughter must grab his attention because he shifts and faces us.
He and I make eye contact, and a part of my heart breaks off. He looks like someone just kicked him in the stomach .
I glance at Jami. “Give me a minute to talk to him.”
He nods with a look of understanding. “We’ll wait for you over here.”
I veer off in Hunter's direction and pray this goes well. “Hey there. Can I steal a moment from you?”