Chapter 14
Fin
Throwing my key fob on the table, I made my way back to the kitchen.
Leaning against the counter for support, I tried to make sense of what occurred as a concoction of emotions surged through my circulation.
The worries and concerns from earlier in the day were superseded by the new information.
“Fucking reporters,” I said to the empty room.
The deputy would be taking Vee to the garage. Suddenly, I worried that the police car wouldn’t be able to enter. Yesterday, when Jacob escorted us down to the garage, he gave me a card with the number for the concierge desk. I pulled it from my wallet and called.
The garage was chilly at this time in the evening.
With my arms crossed over my chest and my foot bouncing impatiently, I waited for the sheriff’s car.
Ethan was at the gate, ready to allow the sheriff’s vehicle to enter the garage.
That kid and Jacob both deserved bonuses for all the extra work they were doing for us.
I tried to keep my thoughts from turning dark as I imagined the scene outside the Hubbard property. What happened? Why did Vee run off the road? Where was the deputy?
Security.
That was what Vee needed.
We’d hire private security.
Headlights brought my focus back to the present. I held my breath as I watched a car enter—a blue Jeep. Not a sheriff’s car. Turning away from the driver, I paced the length of two parking spaces until the car passed.
Another set of headlights shone from the entrance. My chest tightened like a fist.
Fayette County Sheriff’s Department was written on the side of the vehicle. I lifted my hand to shield my eyes from the bright illumination. Every muscle in my body pulled taut as the car came to a stop. Squinting, I tried to look through the windows.
Only the deputy was visible in the front seat.
That meant Vee was in the back seat. In two strides I was there.
Opening the rear passenger door, I scanned the gorgeous woman in the back seat.
She was stoically calm, considering what she’d been through.
Moisture glistened in her green eyes. I offered her my hand.
Vee stepped from the car without saying a word.
She wrapped her arms around my torso and buried her face in my shirt.
Instinctively, I encircled her body with my arm—a shield to keep her safe.
With my other hand, I splayed my fingers over the soft satin of her blouse and held her against me. “Are you okay?”
“I am now.” Her words were muffled.
Deputy Pittman cleared his throat, popping our bubble. While Vee pulled away, I kept my touch in the small of her back, unwilling to let her get away from me. “Deputy, thank you for getting Ms. Hubbard home safely.”
He nodded. “Ms. Hubbard, once again, I’m going to recommend you see a doctor.”
Vee inhaled. “I’m fine. Seeing a doctor doesn’t fit with my schedule. I’ll have someone look me over tomorrow at the football center. What about my phone and my car?”
“Deputy Ellis retrieved your phone and bag.”
Vee looked from side to side. “My bag. Oh my. I obviously wasn’t thinking. Thank you.”
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Do we need to pick them up?”
“No, sir. He will bring them here.”
“Thank you.”
“And your car,” he said, “will be towed to the dealership off Highway 25. We may need to ask you more questions about what happened. Are you available?”
“I will do my best,” Vee said. “Right now, I just want to get upstairs.”
“We’ll be in touch,” Deputy Pittman said as he walked back to the sheriff’s vehicle.
Palming Vee’s cheeks, I drank in her emerald-green eyes. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “I can tell you more once we’re upstairs.”
We turned the corner and found Ethan waiting for us by the elevator.
As we rode up to the seventh floor, I told him that a sheriff’s deputy would be bringing Ms. Hubbard’s belongings soon.
Ethan assured us that he would receive them and bring them upstairs.
Vee remained silent, her lips paling from the pressure as she held them tightly together.
Once we were alone and safe behind the locked outer door of her condominium, I let out a long breath. The worry throughout the day and panic instilled by the call from a sheriff’s deputy had me wanting to move, to pounce and attack. None of that would help Vee.
“Fin? What smells so good?” she asked.
In the light of the kitchen, I saw her more clearly. Gently, I lifted my fingers to her cheek. “Fuck, Vee. You’re bruised.”
She inclined her face to my touch. “I don’t know how it looks. I haven’t seen myself.”
I scanned her up and down. “Is there more? How did you get hurt?”
“The airbags deployed.” She shook her head and looked down. “My skirt…there was powder…” She lifted her hands and splayed her fingers. “I only knew my hands were sore.”
I took her hands in mine. They were ice cold and the skin was red and inflamed. “Tell me what happened.”
Quickly, Vee blinked her eyes, fighting back new tears. “It happened fast and at the same time, it was slow motion.” She exhaled and laid a hand on her stomach. “I think I need to sit.”
Reaching for her slender waist, I lifted her to the kitchen island.
A slight smile spread across her lips. “You don’t have to be a caveman. I could have sat in a chair.”
“I could pound my chest if you’d like.” I leaned closer and tipped my forehead to hers. “We don’t have time for a chair. I need to know what happened and why you’re injured.”
“I’m not injured.”
I lifted her hands, turning them so that we could both see the red and puffy abrasions. “We can argue or you can talk. It was reporters, wasn’t it?”
Vee nodded. “There has always been a sheriff’s car at Dad’s gate, I mean, since yesterday. It wasn’t there when I tried to leave. I didn’t realize it was missing until the gate started to open.”
The trembling of her hands filled me with rage. “What the fuck did they do?”
She shook her head. “They came onto the property. I tried to drive. I made it outside the gate but stopped to be sure no one stayed inside the property.” She took a stuttered breath.
“It was like they came from everywhere and swarmed the car. I honked the horn and tried to move forward. They were yelling questions at me. I decided to keep driving slowly, hoping they’d back away.
When they did, I realized the road was blocked with another vehicle.
” She looked down at her hands and back up.
“I turned the wheel to avoid it, and I guess I hit the accelerator. My car went forward and down.” She rubbed her left shoulder.
“The seat belt pulled tight and the airbags exploded.” Her eyes met mine.
“I wasn’t going fast at first. I just wanted to get away from them. ”
“Was anyone injured? Did you hit anyone?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t think so. The deputy arrived right after I went off the road. I don’t know where the people all went. They dispersed.”
“Cowards,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”
Vee looked up at me. Her expression brought back my earlier rage.
“Fin, I’m tired.”
I nodded. “You’re so strong, Vee.”
She blinked away tears. “I’m tired of being strong.”
“Then let me do it. Let me take charge.”
A faint shade of pink returned color to her cheeks. “Please.”
There were so many things I wanted to know; however, Vee was my priority. “I have one important question.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“Dinner first or bath?”
Her lips curled as she exhaled. “Whatever is cooking smells wonderful. I’ve never come home to such an amazing aroma. What is it?”
“Lasagna.”
Her eyes opened wide.
“Not to worry, it’s vegetable.” I tugged her skirt higher on her thighs and stepped between her knees.
Vee lifted her hands to my shoulders. “All the way home, in the back of that car, I kept thinking what it would be like to arrive to an empty condo, to be all alone...”
“You’re not alone, Vee. I’m here.” My lips landed on hers. For a slice of time the world around us no longer mattered. We kissed and kissed, our heads turning, our tongues swirling, and our breathing shallowing. Soft mews filled the air as she pressed her breasts against me.
When we pulled apart, Vee’s hands lowered, her fingers splaying over my chest. “Your heart is beating fast.”
I laid my hand over her breastbone. “And yours is beating. When I first answered the call and it wasn’t you, I was scared that we lost you too.”
“I’m here and I’m safe.”
Stepping back, I lifted one of her sexy legs and removed her shoe. Next, I did the same for the other foot. Reaching behind her, I tugged at the zipper on her skirt.
“Fin.”
“You should be comfortable.” I winked. “Remember, I’m in charge. You can relax.”