36. August 2024
36
August 2024
I t had taken all of Vaughn’s patience and self-control to handle the situation with Harrison lawfully. He’d thought about showing up at the director’s townhouse in the middle of the night, dragging him from his bed, and letting him sit in his own piss as he contemplated his death. But then he reminded himself that the goal wasn’t revenge—it was justice. He needed to ensure that Willow and the other dancers would never be harmed by him again. So Vaughn did it in a way that was both satisfying to witness but would ultimately be Willow-approved.
Harrison hadn’t spoken another word after he left the boardroom. He was either waiting for his lawyer to be present or simply knew it was over. The people who normally bought his lies would never believe another word that came from his mouth again. No one at Victoria Ballet would ever forgive him for what he had done.
Vaughn had met Harrison’s broken stare for a split second before the car door slammed shut between them. While the satisfaction was immense, the knowledge that Willow was finally free of the predator was something far richer.
After answering a few questions the officers had for him, Vaughn watched the two police cars leave, then walked over to his own vehicle. Finn was standing a few feet from it with his hands in his pockets.
‘Done?’ he asked.
Vaughn nodded once.
‘Where’s Willow?’
Vaughn glanced in the direction of the Star. ‘Inside.’
Finn followed his gaze. ‘You going back inside?’
‘No.’ Vaughn went and leaned against his Mercedes, pulling his cigarette case from his pocket.
Seeing that the plan was to wait for her, Finn retreated to the car.
For the next thirty minutes, Vaughn chain-smoked and watched the automatic doors in front of him. As tempting as it was to go searching for Willow, he knew waiting until she was ready to face the outside world was the right thing to do.
Eventually, the four board members exited the building, acknowledging him with a polite nod as they passed by. All except Caroline, who threw him a slightly wicked smile instead.
Nigel was next to appear, looking ten years older than before the hearing and in desperate need of some sleep. He stopped when he spotted Vaughn. The pair watched each other for a moment.
‘She’ll be down soon,’ Nigel said eventually. He offered a weary smile before shuffling away towards the car park.
Vaughn felt bad for the man. ‘Hey.’
Turning back to him, Nigel waited.
‘I’m sorry,’ Vaughn said.
‘For what?’
Vaughn tapped the ashes of his cigarette on the ground. ‘For everything you’ve lost.’
A slow blink was his only response.
‘You’ll get it all back,’ Vaughn assured him. ‘And it’ll be better than you can imagine.’
Nigel looked around. ‘I hope you’re right.’ He went to leave, then said, ‘I’m sorry too.’
Vaughn raised an eyebrow in question.
‘For believing them.’
Vaughn laughed through his nose, then took a drag of his cigarette. ‘I’ll see you around.’
Nigel waved before walking off down the street.
It was close to an hour before Willow finally emerged from the building. He was used to seeing her in leggings and T-shirts, but that day she wore wide-legged trousers, a cream silk shirt tucked into them, and a blue wool coat. A crossbody bag sat in place of her usual sports duffel. She looked taller in heeled boots.
Willow glanced around, and her gaze locked with his. For a moment, she didn’t move. Then she walked towards him, holding tightly to the strap of her bag as if it were the very thing holding her up. She stopped five feet from him, as though there was a boundary there he couldn’t see.
‘Hi.’ She sounded about as energetic as Nigel had.
Vaughn put out his cigarette, then straightened, respecting the space she’d put between them. ‘How are you doing?’
She shrugged and looked around. ‘Did they take him to the police station?’
‘They did.’ The smell of coffee drifted from a nearby cafe, mixing with the exhaust fumes of passing cars. It was an oddly pleasing combination. ‘You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you.’
She touched the scar on her head. ‘Amazing what a shower and some stitches can do.’
His lips turned up briefly. ‘I’ve been worried about you.’
Willow’s eyes went instantly shiny at hearing that. ‘I know. I’m sorry.’
‘I think our recovery time has been about the same.’
That made her smile.
There was a lot he wanted to say, and he was struggling with where to begin. ‘Listen, I know it’s been a huge morning for you, but there are some things I want to say to you before I drive away.’
Willow’s expression turned serious. ‘Okay.’
‘A big part of me wanted to shield you from what happened in there.’ He drew a breath. ‘But I’m not sure you would have believed it had you not witnessed Harrison’s guilt the way you did. Or Nigel, for that matter.’
She didn’t respond.
‘Not every bad guy looks like me.’
Willow ran her eyes over him. ‘My mum’s his biggest fan. She’s never going to believe it when I tell her. I’m tempted to just let her read about it in the paper.’
He really wanted another cigarette. ‘You seem confident that I was telling the truth in there.’
‘You might keep a lot of secrets, but you’ve never lied to me.’
Vaughn nodded slowly. ‘I’d say I’m sorry about all the secrets, but that would be a lie, putting an end to the streak.’
The corners of her eyes creased.
‘Some parts of me are better left in the dark,’ he added.
She searched his face. ‘I wanted to bring every inch of you into the light, you know. Now I realise how wrong that was. As with all great works of art, it’s the play of light and shadow that makes it interesting.’
Suppressing a smile, he looked off down the street. ‘Very true.’
She was silent a moment before saying, ‘For the record, I loved you just as you were, even if I had a few improvements in mind.’
He wasn’t surprised by the mention of love. They might not have said it aloud before, but they’d felt it. They had fallen dangerously fast, and he had yet to resurface.
‘Willow.’ He took a step towards her, then, remembering the boundary, stopped. ‘There’s no light and shadow without you, only darkness. You’re my anchor to the light.’
Willow’s eyes filled with tears before she looked away. ‘I’m sorry I believed the people who said it was your fault.’
‘Don’t be.’ He shook his head. ‘Even I thought it was my fault.’
‘I should have called you the next day from the hospital,’ she continued, looking back at him. ‘I should have said thank you, and I trust you, and I love you.’ She bit down on her lip when it quivered. ‘Because I do.’
Vaughn was done with the invisible boundary. He stepped up to her, and she threw her arms around him, clearly forgetting that she’d broken a rib six weeks earlier. He held her as gently as he could, for the longest time.
‘I’m not letting go this time,’ she said quietly.
He buried his face in her hair. ‘Good. I’ll find a way to make this work. All you have to do is trust me.’
She melted against him. ‘I trust you.’
He savoured the sensation of her heart thrumming against his chest.
‘There are only so many times we can break our own hearts,’ she said.
He gently detached from her so he could look into her eyes when he said, ‘Crafting a life for us, in which you thrive , will be my masterpiece.’
Willow pushed up onto her toes, kissing him with those impossibly soft lips of hers. She tasted so familiar.
And just like that, she was his again. That realisation was everything. She was the only true addiction he had. The only one he would never recover from. That was why he would bulletproof them against the world. He would protect her heart and mind as if they were his own.
Breaking the kiss, he held her head to his chest. ‘You’re loved. You’re safe.’
Willow entwined her fingers with his. ‘I never thought I’d have a moment like this with you again after everything that happened.’
His thumb stroked the back of her hand. ‘Well, now you get thousands more just like it.’
They remained there for a long time, quietly loving each other while the world carried on around them. When the wind picked up, Willow burrowed into him. He covered as much of her with as much of him as he could. Only when she started to tremble did he open the car door and usher her inside.
‘Afternoon, Miss Hayes,’ Finn said into the rear-view mirror, a faint smile on his face.
She met his gaze in the mirror. ‘Hello. I’ve really missed these heated seats.’
‘I turned them on just for you,’ the driver replied. ‘Where to?’
Willow looked at Vaughn. ‘I don’t really feel like going home yet. I just got you back.’
Vaughn didn’t consider himself an overly empathetic person, but when Willow was afraid or hurting, he felt that fear or pain as if it were his own. ‘Come to my apartment. Stay there until you know with certainty, until it’s imprinted on your very soul , that any separation is temporary.’
She suppressed a smile. ‘Okay.’
Vaughn dragged her to his side of the car, then pulled the middle belt across her, clicking it into place as the car pulled away from the kerb. Willow leaned her head against his shoulder, and he kissed the top of it as they headed to his apartment.