Chapter 21
The Monster
F ucking hell. I had this amazing idea for what today was going to be like, but the call from Jonah ruined it all.
Some girl came into the house claiming she was your girlfriend, he had told me over the phone. She had keys.
When he mentioned the name Christina, I knew exactly who she was. I had a fling with her when we were younger, back before my fascination with Ainsley turned into an obsession. Christina never accepted that I didn’t want her.
If it’s true, I can’t help you with this. You know that, right? Jonah had told me, though he sounded a little scared to admit it. His determination to stay on Ainsley’s side only made me more confident in keeping him as security.
Of course it isn’t true. I’m sure she said some pretty convincing things if Ainsley was so quick to leave, but that pisses me off even more. I’ve worked my ass off this week to get Ainsley back, and now we’re going to be back at square one.
As I’m racing to my car, I dial Ainsley’s number and wait for her to pick up. The ringing stops, but there’s only silence on the other end.
“Ainsley,” I growl through the phone. She doesn’t get pet names when she runs away from me, especially the day after promising that it would never happen again.
Before I can say anything else, she snaps, “Go to hell.”
The sound of the dial tone fills my ears as I cross the parking lot. As soon as I get in my car, I dial her again, not expecting her to answer this time. I have to try, though. My call goes straight to voicemail.
Either my little succubus turned off her phone, or she blocked my number. Again. She’s already been warned about blocking my number and making me mad.
The drive to her apartment feels too slow, especially knowing that the longer she’s away from me, the more she’ll convince herself it’s all true. And yet, I’ve only ever driven this fast twice before. The day I thought I would rescue her from the boss, and the day I did rescue her from Carlos.
This situation is nothing like that, but having her away from me is never easy. And the sooner I get to her, the better chance I have of getting her back.
When I finally arrive, I can’t stop the laugh that bubbles up in my throat. She parked my favorite car like she’s never driven a day in her life, probably hoping something would happen to it so she could spite me. To show her I’m more amused than angry, I park my car the same way, right next to the Corvette.
As I climb the stairs and reach the floor her apartment is on, I find her door locked to keep me out. Too bad she’s never been able to do that successfully. I copied her key as soon as she moved here, which means all I have to do is push it into the lock and, like magic, the door opens for me.
The first thing to greet me is the sound of Ainsley retching through the walls. If I ever see Christina again, she’s going to receive the same treatment everyone else has for hurting my girl. Especially for hurting her to the point that she’s vomiting.
I close the distance to her room with only a few long strides. She didn’t even bother closing her door, allowing me to slip in silently. I find her kneeling on the floor of her bathroom with her head in the toilet and her hair falling around the seat.
As I approach her, I gently pull her hair away from her face and wrap it around my hand as I whisper, “Shh. Everything’s going to be okay. I’m right here.”
She doesn’t acknowledge my presence as she continues heaving into the toilet. Nothing comes out except the tears rolling down her face.
“Take a deep breath, little one,” I whisper in her ear. Her body calms at my words and she takes a long, cleansing breath in, still not acknowledging my presence behind her. “Good girl. Keep doing that.”
Her body relaxes as she focuses on her breath, and soon, the dry heaving stops and the tears slow. Once she’s calm enough, she stands up and walks to the sink, making me drop her hair. I watch as she gathers water in her cupped hands and swishes it around her mouth, trying to get rid of the taste of her vomit.
“Would you mind telling me what she said to you, so I can tell you she was lying and we can go home?”
She jumps at the sound of my voice, as if she had no idea I was actually here. Our eyes clash in the mirror as she spits the water into the sink, but she refuses to turn around and look at me.
“You know where the door is. Feel free to go to your house , and leave me alone,” she spits at me through her reflection.
With a growl from deep in my throat, I use my arms to cage her against the sink and hold eye contact. “You want to do this the hard way? Fine. But we both know I always win in the end.”
She closes her eyes as she tries to keep her composure, then, with the small space I’ve allotted her between my arms, she turns around to face me. Except, her eyes don’t meet mine. They land on my neck, where she bit me last night.
“Funny, you’re trying to get back in my good graces, but you’re too ashamed to show the mark I left on you last night,” she sneers.
She thinks she has the upper hand as she stares at the large bandage on my neck, but I can’t wait to pull the rug out from under her feet. With a smirk to warn her I’m about to win this part of our little battle, I reach my hand up and slowly peel off the bandage.
It hurts worse than when she broke through my skin last night, but this is a pain I’m proud to endure. Her eyes widen as she takes in the black tracing around each tooth mark she left on me, and through the mirror, I can see just how red and irritated my skin is.
It was one of the most painful tattoos I’ve gotten; not just because it was on my neck, but because it was over an already painful wound.
Just as quickly as the shock appeared on her face, it disappears, leaving her staring at my neck with blankness in her eyes.
“Congratulations. You got a tattoo to remind yourself that you won.”
Her voice is so monotone, and I know it’s killing her as much as it’s killing me for her emotions to be masked. She’s feeling everything right now, but she doesn’t want me to see it.
“I won? I got this tattoo as a celebration for you promising you wouldn’t run from me again, but as soon as I walked out of the appointment, I got a phone call that you took my car and left. In what world did I win?”
Now, her eyes meet mine, and she looks broken. Devastated, angry, vengeful. They’re all emotions I would use to describe how she’s looking at me right now.
“You never wanted me back,” she tells me, sounding confident in her delusional words. “You wanted to reel me back in, make me fall in love with you, just so you could crush me and cause me the same pain I caused you when I left.”
It’s the most twisted logic I’ve ever heard, and if I was anything but completely obsessed with her, it might actually sound like a good idea. But, I am completely obsessed with her, and anyone who would dare hurt her has to answer to me. That includes myself.
That must be what Christina told Ainsley to convince her to leave me, though. And through her eyes, I can see exactly why she rushed out of that house and away from me. It doesn’t make me any less angry that she believed it, but I can understand it.
“That’s adorable, baby,” I chuckle at her, which earns me a hateful glare. “And you’re partially right. I did want to reel you back in, and I did want to make you fall in love with me, but it’s not because I wanted to crush you. It’s because I want to own you. I want to possess you, how you possess me. The thought of hurting you? Never crossed my mind, because your pain is the last thing I want to see.”
A spark of hope lights up her eyes, but it dies before I can even get excited. She doesn’t believe me yet. But she will.
“She knew too much. She knew about you carving my name into your skin. And about how I caved last night, and you fucked me against the house. Apparently, you told her about that. Oh, and there’s still the fact that she had a key to your house.”
I’m still trying to figure that last one out. I have no idea how she had a key, or if she’s just good at picking locks and lied about having the key to get to Ainsley.
“What else, little one? Tell me everything, so I can address it all at once.”
I’m already losing patience. All of this would be easier if she just threw it at me all at once, so I know exactly what I’m fighting against. I want her to believe me, but I wish none of this was happening in the first place.
So, that’s exactly what she does. She starts with Christina coming into the house like she owns the place, calling for me like it’s normal for her to be there. She told Ainsley we had a fling when we were younger, which is true, but then told her we started up again after Ainsley left me. Christina said that I was carving Ainsley’s name into my skin to remind myself of the pain she caused me when she left, and I had this devious plan to get revenge.
The tears are streaming down Ainsley’s cheeks as she relives the things Christina said to her, making my hands itch to murder someone. Particularly Christina, and whoever else is behind this.
“I’m only going to say this once, and you’re going to listen, understand?” Ainsley stares at me through her tears, listening with her breath held. No matter how upset or hurt she is, she still wants to believe that none of this is true. “There will never be another girl for me. It’s been you, and only you, for years. And it’s only going to be you for the rest of my life, even if you decide you’re tired of me.”
Her expression softens at my declaration, but she still gives no sign of fully believing me.
“I slept with Christina, but it was years ago. Before you became the only girl on my mind. I haven’t touched her since, nor have I really acknowledged her presence. You already know why I was carving your name into my skin, but as for how she knows, well, it wasn’t exactly a secret. Anyone can see it if I’m not wearing a shirt. Which isn’t uncommon for me to do when I’m outside, or when I get into a fight with one of the men. As for last night, well, we were outside,” I remind her before leaning in close so I can whisper in her ear. “Anyone could have seen us or heard you screaming my name.”
A shiver runs through her body at my words, making me add that to my mental list of kinks to try with her. Exhibitionism. Not that I want anyone else to see what she looks like when she comes on my cock, but maybe I could find something that gives the illusion of being watched while being completely private.
“You didn’t address her having a key to your house,” she reminds me, as if that little piece of information possibly could have slipped my mind.
Instead of answering, I pull the phone out of my pocket and pull up the feed for the camera pointed at the front door. Ainsley watches as the men work and Jonah supervises, making sure it’s all done to my specifications.
“Because I don’t have an answer for you, but I have a solution. The locks are being changed as we speak, so if she somehow made a copy of my key, she no longer has access. If she picked the lock, well, that’ll be taken care of once you come home with me.”
I can see the fight in her dying as I wipe the tears from her cheeks, wishing they weren’t there. Today was supposed to be a new start for us. A new beginning to a future I couldn’t wait to share with her.
“What do I need to do to convince you she was lying?” She knows I would do anything for her. She’s always known that. All she needs to do is tell me what will make this better, and I’ll do it.
The wheels in her mind turn as she tries to think of an answer, a way that we could put this all behind us. A small light flares to life in her eyes as an idea comes to mind.
“I want to go through your phone,” she states. Without hesitation, I hold out my phone to her. As she goes to grab it, I pull it back just slightly.
“One condition. Go lay in your bed. While you’re scrolling through my phone and finding nothing, I’m raiding your medicine cabinet and getting you some painkillers.”
Her head was already going to be pounding today, but after all that stress and the retching into the toilet she just did, she has to feel like there are tiny men trying to drill holes through her head. Stepping back, I allow her space to walk around me and to her bedroom, where I watch as she lies down. The second her head gently sinks into her pillow, I hand my phone to her and she starts scrolling, a look of determination etched into her features.
I leave her alone with my phone while I head out to the kitchen and find her medicine cabinet. It doesn’t take long for me to find a bottle of Tylenol, shake two out, and fill a glass of water.
By the time I get back to the bedroom, Ainsley is staring at the ceiling with my phone on the bed next to her. Silently, I hand her the medicine and water and watch as she sits up and swallows the pills before downing the glass of water.
“Would you like more?” I offer. The cool water probably felt good on what’s sure to be a sore throat. Instead of an answer, she sets the glass on her nightstand and glares at me.
“I didn’t find anything,” she announces, referring to her scan of the contents of my phone. I knew she wouldn’t, but her anger is throwing me off guard. “That doesn’t mean you didn’t delete any incriminating evidence before you got here. You could even have another phone for all I know.”
Snapping my teeth together is the only thing that keeps me from bursting with anger. One person tells lies, and suddenly every ounce of trust I’ve built with Ainsley vanishes. Seriously, a second phone? At this point, she wants to believe Christina, but I’m not going to let that happen.
“I didn’t delete anything, and I don’t have the patience for another phone,” I tell her through my teeth. “What else can I do?”
“Tell me where you were today.”
Anything but that. Please, ask me anything but that.
But, of course, she doesn’t. She stares at me, and I swear she doesn’t even blink as she waits for my response.
Okay, fine. I can do this. I don’t have to tell her the whole truth, just enough that she’ll believe me.
“I had an errand to run, and then I was at the tattoo shop, getting this done.” I point to the permanent mark of her teeth on my skin, reminding her of the tattoo I was so proud to show her only a few minutes ago.
She studies me, trying to decide if I’m being honest or not. “What errand?”
Fuck.
“Ask me anything else, little one.”
Hurt crosses her features, but I close my eyes so I don’t have to face it. I’ve had this whole thing planned so perfectly in my head, and it’s all about to get ruined. And I know that if it comes down to making her happy later and making sure she doesn’t leave me now, I’m going to pick the latter. I can’t make her happy later if I don’t have her later.
“Your errand was with her, wasn’t it?”
“No.”
“Then tell me what it was.”
I can still save this. Give her a vague answer that tells her the truth without giving away my surprise.
“I had a few presents made for you, and I had to pick them up,” I tell her.
Please, don’t question me anymore, I beg whoever will listen to me.
“Too vague.”
“Fine. One of them was a birthday present for you.”
“My birthday was months ago.”
My eyes snap open, unable to hide the rage boiling beneath my skin. “You think I don’t know that? I know your birthday, Ainsley. December second. I couldn’t wait to celebrate for the first time with you, instead of watching from the sidelines, but you were gone, and I was in a fucking coma.”
Her mouth snaps shut at the reminder of why we never celebrated her birthday. When I rescued her, I still wanted to celebrate however we could, but she left me. I knew if I tried to send her a present, she would either throw it away or have Ethan give it back to me. Which is why I waited until now to get her the perfect present. Two presents, actually.
“One of them was a present,” she repeats my words, ignoring everything else I just said to her. “What else did you get?”
“I’m not answering that,” I state.
She lies back on her bed and crosses her arms over her chest with the look of defiance I always thought was adorable on her face. It’s not so adorable right now.
“You can go,” she tells me without even looking at me.
It takes me only a few long strides before I’m at her front door and yanking it open. The entire building can probably hear me storming down the steps in anger, if anyone is even here right now.
As soon as I reach my car, I get what I need and then storm right back up to her apartment. I find her sitting on her bed, looking at her door in disbelief as I round the corner to her bedroom. When she sees me, she wipes the look off her face and gives me a neutral expression I can’t read.
“I’ll give you two choices,” I get out through my clenched teeth. “One, I can give you your present and the other thing I picked up right now. Or two, you can come home with me and I can give them both to you how I planned to.”
She doesn’t hesitate. Even seeing the fancy gift bag the jewelry store gave me, she still doesn’t believe me. “I want to see them now.”
I stand over her as I dig the larger box out of the bag and hand it to her. When she opens it, her eyes light up at the beautiful sight within.
“That’s your birthday present,” I explain. In the box is a tennis necklace covered in bright red rubies, and at the very center is a single black diamond. It cost me nearly as much as the car she tried to have towed, but it was worth every penny. “It goes with this.”
I place the smaller box next to her on the bed. As she picks it up, I walk out of the room. I’ve dreamed of seeing her reaction to it, but that was when I had a plan. Seeing her reaction to me giving it to her like this is going to break me, especially if she still wants me out of her life.