27. Damien
Damien
T he idea of cohabitation had never been as important to me as it was tonight. Although I had plenty of ideas of what I wanted to do to and with Ella, the weight of the day and the range of emotions had taken their toll. After dinner, I took a quick shower. Standing under the spray, I concentrated on the one thing I could control.
Our safety.
Ella was here.
Duchess was here.
I was exactly where I wanted to be.
I would stop at nothing to maintain that sense of security.
With droplets of water dripping from my hair and a towel around my waist, I walked into the bedroom. That well-being I desired was personified in the room before me. Golden illumination shone from the lamps on the bedside stands on both sides of the bed. Duchess was sleeping, curled into a circle near Ella’s feet.
Ella sat against a stack of pillows, her computer in her lap. Her face was pink and freshly washed of cosmetics. Her long dark hair was down, cascading over her shoulders. It was her nightgown that made me smile. She was wearing one of my many Indianapolis Colts t-shirts, and it had never looked better.
“Nice nightgown.”
Her smile lit up the room. “I packed so fast that I forgot a nightgown.”
“Did you forget panties too? Because I’m a big fan of easy access.”
She closed her laptop screen as she scanned me from my wet hair to my toes. “Speaking of easy access, I’m waiting for you to drop the towel.”
Of course I did.
The plush towel fell near my feet.
I lowered my tone. “I hope you like what you see.”
Ella’s smile grew. “Very much and I like that you’re showing it to me.”
“Only you.” Ella knew me better than anyone. Nudity was perfect when a woman was stark naked. I’d be okay with making that a house dress code. When it came to me, it was another story. I liked the power of inequality.
From my perspective, allowing a woman to see me as I was now was more than sexual. It evened the playing field, and I wasn’t about even, not with anyone other than Ella.
I was about to throw back the covers and climb into bed exactly as I was when my phone rang. Ella leaned across the bed to read the screen. “It’s Marsha.”
“Saved by the bell,” I said as I nodded toward the phone. “Answer it for me. I’ll put on my boxers.”
Ella laughed. “Talking to your mom naked is…” Her nose scrunched. “Wait, if I answer your phone, she’ll know we’re together.”
“Yeah, she still thinks we’re married.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Ella pursed her lips.
“Hi, Marsha.” I heard her say as I went into the large closet and slipped into a clean pair of boxers. As I came back out, she said, “That’s good news. Here, let me pass you to Damien.”
I took the phone. “Hi, Mom. What’s the good news?”
Mom proceeded to tell me what she’d no doubt just explained to Ella. Dad was progressing. His blood pressure and pulse oximeter readings were good. It meant his heart was doing its job. On top of that, they’d lowered his pain medicine. After the update, she added, “I read about the news conference.”
“It’s nothing, Mom. Dani and I have everything under control.”
“I figured you did.”
I almost mentioned Ella’s and my invalid marriage and the one with Amber. However, as I constructed the sentences in my head, I decided Mom had enough concerns. I’d rather tell her after the annulment was filed.
After disconnecting the call, I made my way beneath the covers. Ella laid her laptop on the bedside stand and turned off the lamp. As darkness covered the room, she curled against my side, her head on my shoulder.
“I don’t think I would want to be alone after what Amber did.”
Wrapping my arm around her, I pulled her close. “You’re not alone. You never will be if I have my way.”
“Don’t you always get your way?”
“Not always, but my average isn’t bad. Sometimes it takes longer than I want.” Like having you back in my arms.
I kissed the top of her head.
“Why spy on us?” she asked.
“I’ve been thinking about it and I’ve come up with a few options. (A) she’s obsessed with me.”
“Yeah, because all women are.”
“(B) She—and maybe my brother—want proof of Dwain Welsh’s concern.”
Ella lifted her head. “That I’m sharing trade secrets with you from the coalition?”
I nodded.
“And taking Duchess?” she asked.
“A power play.”
She laid her head back on my shoulder. “I’m exhausted. Will you hold me as I fall asleep?”
“There’s no place I’d rather be.”
Ella rolled to her side, and I rolled with her. With her back to my front and my arms around her, I knew of something I wanted but couldn’t have. I wanted to take away the horrible hours we spent thinking that Duchess was missing, the way Ella’s tears streamed down her cheeks, and the sadness in her voice. The longer I held Ella, the more determined I became to bring a stop to this disastrous situation with Darius and Amber.
The next morning, I’d awakened to the email Amber said would arrive.
Ella’s and my marriage was invalid.
I was already married.
As I walked with Ella out to the driveway, she reached for my hand. We’d both had visual confirmation of Duchess, who happened to be lying in a beam of morning sunlight in the library.
“Damien, be careful,” Ella said before sliding into the back seat of Deidra’s car.
I held the door open and peered inside. Wearing one of the outfits I’d chosen for our trip to Ashland, Ella was dressed for her day at the office. With her hair styled up, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Then again, this morning with sleep in her eyes and her warm, soft body at my side, she was also striking.
“I will. I’ll see you at Corporate.” I hadn’t told Ella my plans for the morning, but that didn’t stop her from figuring them out.
“Please don’t get in a fight with your brother.”
I clenched my jaw. “It’s not my goal.”
Ella waved as they pulled away. For a moment, I stood there, contemplating my next move.
I hadn’t been to Amber’s place since the night I left her.
That night, I’d given her back her key. It hadn’t occurred to me until last night that she’d never returned mine. That was how she had gotten into my house. It wasn’t technically breaking and entering if she had a key. That didn’t explain how she got into Ella’s place. As I was driving to Amber’s place, I wondered if she’d be home or if Darius would be there. The closer I got, the more I hoped I’d see both.
My phone rang through the speakers of my SUV. The name on the screen was Anthony . I hit the green icon on the steering wheel. “What do you have for me?”
“The woman entered Ms. Crystal’s house by blocking the lock of the front door.”
“How did she block it?”
“It’s simple. When Ms. Wilmott was at the door earlier in the morning, while Ms. Crystal went back inside, Ms. Wilmott placed a thin magnetic strip over the strike plate, thus blocking the latch bolt from engaging. Ms. Crystal probably thought she’d locked the door, but in reality, the latch never engaged.”
“How the fuck would Amber know how to do that?” I asked.
“She probably watched a YouTube video. It’s an effective means to prevent someone from securing a lock.”
I shook my head. “Do you have proof?”
“I know I’m correct. There’s limited physical evidence. She undoubtedly took the strip with her after she left. There is residue and in the original video of their morning altercation, I’ve been able to slow it down. There are a few frames where she appears to be touching the doorjamb. Would my evidence hold up in a court of law? Doubtful.”
Fuck that.
I was the judge and the jury in this case. Amber was lucky I wasn’t also an executioner.
“Is Ms. Crystal’s house now secure?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Are her cameras up and running?”
“With the upgrades we discussed. My crew and I are on our way to your house now to complete the additions we discussed last night.”
I said the first thing that came to mind, “Don’t let the cat out.”
“I didn’t see that you had a cat.”
“Well, I do now. She used up one of her nine lives yesterday. I’d rather her stay at eight.”
“I’ll let my crew know.”
“Contact me once the job is finished,” I said.
As our call disconnected, I entered the same neighborhood I left over a year ago. Though Amber worked between Chicago and Indianapolis, the last I recalled, her residence was in Indy. I approached the home where she’d lived. The door to Amber’s garage was closed, hiding whether her car or Darius’s was inside. The clock on the dashboard told me it wasn’t yet eight in the morning.
“Be home,” I said to myself as I got out of the vehicle.
The walk up the sidewalk was a sick sort of déjà vu. As I scanned the front of her place, I deduced that not much had changed in the past year. With pent-up energy, I rang the doorbell and waited. I rang it again. Peering through the sidelight, I saw movement. This time, I banged on the door.
“Open the door, Amber. You fucking wanted to see me. I’m here.”
The door opened from within.
From her appearance, she was on her way out for the day.
“Lower your voice. I have neighbors.”
“We’ll explain that it’s a domestic issue. I’m here to talk to my wife.”