Chapter 52
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
ELENA
Orion flew his plane to the board meeting. He looked more stressed and angrier this morning. When I inquired, he told me he had a lot on his mind regarding the meeting.
I could only imagine the pressure he was dealing with. His father was in a coma, and now he had to deal with the aftermath. I wanted to ease the tension when he returned.
An idea formed in my head, but first I had to call my mother.I didn’t want to wait until she returned from Cancun. I needed to know now.
“Hi, Mamá .” I opened the sliding door, letting the cool breeze enter. “Are you enjoying Cancun?”
“I am, sweetie. Orion’s place is beautiful.”
I could imagine. “Are you busy?”
“No. My bonsai class starts in a few days. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. I just discovered something important about my father.”
She sucked in a breath. “What do you know, Elena?”
I told her what I knew, and she cried.
“I’m sorry I never told you. Pablo didn’t know I was pregnant. When he visited me later, I was already married. He was involved with some dangerous people, and he wanted us safe. I knew he watched over you.”
“Did Dad knowI’m not his biological daughter?”
“Yes. He was a good man. The brooch you have is from Pablo. It’s a set of wings from a bird statue he had.”
“Did you know he died recently?”
“Yes. I received a letter from someone named The Raven. He said he was Pablo’s friend.”
I had to thank Reid for alerting my mother. I remembered she’d been sad months ago, saying a good friend had passed.After asking her a few more questions, I realized she didn’t know what Pablo did for a living.
She didn’t need to know any of that. After an hour of chatting, Mom suggested we continue when she returned. She had more things to share about my father. I felt blessed to have two fathers who loved me.
Feeling hopeful, I worked on Musepaper. When I finished what I had to do, I focused on making Orion happy today. I wanted to make him dinner while wearing something provocative. Because of the urgent trip, I grabbed some baby pink lingerie that wasn’t as provocative as the black set. If I had known I’d be in the mood to seduce him, I would’ve brought more options.
I put on the baby pink bra and panties. Then I found one of Orion’s T-shirts and threw it over me, making me look like I was wearing an oversized nightshirt.
Orion told me he’d be home for dinner, but he wasn’t sure what time. I grabbed the apron from the hook, turned on the music on my phone, and went to look in his fancy refrigerator to see what was available. He still had containers of those lavish foods from yesterday, but I didn’t want any of it.
I wanted to make him something simple that reflected my kind of lifestyle. Our lives were blending. I was getting used to his, and I wanted him to get used to mine. A salad with some sautéed chicken strips that were already marinated in a sealed bag. Something simple and healthy.
When I finished making the chicken, I took out the container of salad mix. As I filled two bowls with the mix, I danced to a Taylor Swift song, shifting my hips back and forth.
“Well, hello there,” said a male voice, startling me.
I whirred to a face I never thought I’d see again. Terror trickled down my spine like a block of ice. Over the years, whenever that horrific memory surfaced, my body would tremble. He was the reason I feared heights. But something had changed in me today. Though the fear was there, my body didn’t tremble.
JR2 turned off the music on my phone, which was on the marble counter.
“Where’s Orion?” he asked, studying me.
Nerves had me ready to vomit, but I didn’t want to show it. JR2 didn’t appear to recognize me.
“He’s at a meeting,” I said calmly. “He’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll wait for him then. Get me a glass of wine.” He jerked his chin to the wine cabinet.
How could I forget the privileged attitude that had protected him and his fucking club? A club that had tormented people who didn’t measure up to their wealth or bowed to their demands. I was so sick of people like him. He must be friends with Chantel.
I stared at JR2, not making a move.
“Did you hear what I said?” he barked. “Why are you still standing there? Get me my wine.” His creepy eyes raked down my body. “I didn’t know Orion had such a hot maid working for him.” He crossed his arms, analyzing me like he was about to buy me. “How much does he pay you? I’ll pay you double if you work for me.”
JR2 stepped closer, and I stepped back.
Nausea still bubbled in me. I didn’t want to be close to this asshole, but I wasn’t a frightened thirteen-year-old girl any longer. I’d had plenty of experiences with people like them. My armor had strengthened over the years.
Right now, I wished I’d signed up for Vivian’s martial arts class.
“Not interested.” I moved the bowls of salad aside, trying to look busy. “I think you should leave. I’ll inform Orion you stopped by.”
“You’re kicking me out? How dare you tell me to leave.” Annoyance splashed over his face as he walked closer. “Do we know each other? You look very familiar.”
No.
He studied me as I wiped the counter with a towel.
“No fucking way!” he said. “You’re that bitch from summer camp!” Laughter erupted from him. “I still have that video of you. Wanna see? Wanna see how pathetic you were? Wetting yourself on that bridge?”
In that moment I wanted to kill him.
JR2 rushed toward me, but I dodged him, rushed to the other side of the counter to grab my phone. But he reached me, wrapping his thick arm around my waist. I fought him, and my phone dropped to the floor, cracking.
I kicked, screamed, and did everything I could to get away.
“You bitch!”He slapped me, pinning me to the floor.
The urge to gouge his eyes out soared in me. “Get the fuck off of me!”
I curled my knee, hitting him in the balls. He winced and released his grip on my wrists. I scratched his face, and my nails caught one of his eyes.
Even better.
JR2 shrieked in pain, and I pushed myself up. Adrenaline pumped through me as I rushed to the kitchen counter for a knife—for anything that could be used as a weapon. I knew he’d rape me and then kill me. I’d never killed anyone, but I’d do it right now without hesitation.
I rounded the counter, but he caught up to me. “You can’t escape me this time! I’m going to fuck you, bitch! Then I’m going to bury you alive!”
“Help me!” I shouted, even though I knew there was no one on the island.
He gripped my legs, and I fell to the floor. He dragged me back toward him, flipped me over. Then he threw his weight on top of me.