Chapter 4
T rue to his words Jax did get most of my things from my father’s residence delivered to his penthouse. I was happy to have an assortment of my own clothes though I did enjoy the scent from Jax’s clothes. The t-shirt and sweatpants I never gave back to him and he never asked for them either.
My bruises were still visible and had turned into an ugly shade of green and purple. I did my best covering them with make-up as I got ready for the evening. A glittering blue velvet dress that reminded me of the night sky was the only one with sleeves long enough to cover the rest of the healing wounds .
I adjusted my make-up accordingly, put on some jewelry and the best formal shoes I’d be able to walk in even with the cuts on my soles. An agonizing task no doubt but I was already used to enduring vast amounts of pain on a daily basis. One evening was child's play compared to the things I had been through in the past.
There was a knock on the door and when I went to open it, I was reminded just how handsome Jax was. I shouldn’t have been that easily aroused but the man wore suits like a second skin and had his hair gelled back which made him look absolutely gorgeous.
“Are you ready?” Don’t I look ready? His eyes traveled up and down my body, but when he didn’t comment on my appearance I assumed my outfit was acceptable attire for the evening. I wasn’t fishing for compliments but at least acknowledgement for my efforts would have been nice. However his face remained unchanged.
“Yes.” I sighed and tugged on the sleeves.
“Good. Let’s get this over with.”
We descended the stairs and were immediately greeted with the house staff, most whom I was already familiar with. Emilio the chef had prepared a buffet of appetizers, mountains of different hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. Is that a salmon puff? Louisa was being her usual self fuzzing about some stains on the coffee table.
In a short amount of time the penthouse had transformed from the white and sterile to a glittering extravaganza. Streamers and balloons gathered up in the ceiling and every surface was covered in silver.
Jax proceeded to mingle amongst the other patrons, greeting and well wishing each one with a handshake, myself in tow. He introduced me to each member of his staff, guards and all, personally ensuring no more incidents would occur because of a misunderstanding. I was theirs to protect with their life.
I saw trayfulls of food being served around but I didn’t have time to grab one piece as I was dragged along to meet yet another associate. Putting on my best socialite smile I greeted them politely but stayed quiet during the conversation. It was the best way to keep out of trouble as my mouth tended to have a mind of its own. Instead I focused on spinning the ring on my finger.
“To another successful year, Mr. O’Hara.” A man with a large mustache said toasting his glass. “And congratulations on the new bride.”
I nodded my head politely as a response.
“We thank you. Looking forward to spending a new year with her.” He said it so naturally yet I could sense the coldness in those words. We hadn’t spent any time together these past days. Not that I expected to either. I was just amazed how my marriage wasn’t so different that of my parents, once upon a time.
They too kept up appearances to the public, fabricated images to the paparazzi of a perfect marriage, yet behind closed doors it was far from perfect. If it was any regular marriage, I assumed my mother would have left long ago and filed for a divorce. But we were no regular people. When you marry into a crime family, there is only one way to leave. In a casket. The creed demanded it.
Nodding and smiling agreeingly was becoming slightly tedious and pretentiously annoying. Every step was agonizing, every handshake rattling my already aching body and the hunger in my stomach only grew each passing minute.
Another tray passed by. Crab cakes. I’d kill for a handful and some dip right now. Who am I kidding, I’d settle for just one bite. I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast for the fourth time this week. I had only myself to blame for my poor condition. Except for last night, that was on Wilson. During the whole conflict I completely forgot about my dinner and went to bed hungry.
I think I mumbled an excuse before hobbling to the bathroom and locking the door. The room was spinning. Anchoring myself against the sink, I splashed some water on my face in an attempt to alleviate some of the dizziness. Before I knew it, everything went dark and the last thing I remembered was feeling the cold tile against my cheek.
At some point, I was awakened by an annoying beeping sound going off somewhere above my head. My eyelids were heavy, my mouth was like sand and there was a steady pounding in my head. Somehow I couldn’t feel the rest of my body, no aches, no pains, no irritations to my injuries. I was under a cover of some sort that was warm and soft, and I definitely wasn’t wearing the midnight gown anymore.
Willing my eyes open the first thing I saw was bright lights. Someone turn that shit off right now. I groaned and made an attempt to crawl from under whatever the thing I was under. The task was laborious, every muscle and nerve in my body was fighting against me to stay down. Ugh. Simply moving my head was overbearingly taxing.
After what seemed like a century, my eyes adjusted to the light and I could finally scan my surroundings. The beeping was coming from a monitor connected to multiple wires that were attached to me. On my other side was a pole with a bag of liquid, a drip and an IV running down to my arm. Well shit, how hard did I fall? Sitting up I could tell that I was in a hospital room. Everything smelled like hand sanitizer and plastic, even the thing I was wearing smelled sterile.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and reached for the glass of water on the nightstand. The cords attached to me tugged and pulled as I stretched my arm towards the table just out of my reach. Damn it. Fuck this. Digging into my hospital gown, I found the pads connecting me to the machine and yanked them clean off one by one. The monitor went quiet, finally , and I was able to stand up, get a hold of the glass and extinguish my thirst.
“What the fuck are you doing out of bed?” Voice belonging to Jax growled behind me. Spinning around I almost spilled the remaining contents of the glass all over myself.
“I-I’m sorry. I just-”
“Sit your ass down.”
As if struck by lightning, I did as I was told and backed up against the edge of the bed. Jax strode across the floor and stopped right in front of me, crossing his arms and smelling like a fresh shower. Damn, I want to lick him so bad. Shocked at my lewd thoughts I had to physically shake my head and take a deep breath to calm myself. Jax’s eyes narrowed and there was a rumble in his chest, so I bowed my head down banishing the idea of tasting him, willing my mind to focus on anything else.
“H-have you been here the entire time?” A daring question I happened to blurt out before I had a chance to stop myself.
“No.” He didn’t hesitate. He gave me a straight answer with that monotone voice of his I had gotten used to. Of course he wouldn’t just stay here. He was a busy man after all. To think he would even spare a moment with his wife in the hospital made my chest ache. I’m not his real wife anyway. Just a fake one till he can get rid of me. Why would he care?
“Right.” I fiddled with the wrinkles on the gown trying to smooth them out like it would help me smooth out the wrinkles in my mind .
“I had a few errands to run today. You should be in bed and stay there. Doctor’s orders.” Remaining on the edge, I frowned at him. Doctor’s orders my ass.
“I’m fine.”
“Your lies sting. Makes me believe I can not properly take care of my wife. After all, have I not provided you with everything you could possibly desire?”
“You have.”
“And have I not been accommodating enough to assure your comfort and safety?”
“Yes, but-”
“And have I not been perfectly clear of the terms of our agreement?”
“Uh. I suppose.”
“Then what the fuck is your problem? Are you so high up on your pedestal that you can’t comprehend the simplest thing as to keep yourself out of harm's way?”
“High up? No. It’s not like that.” I did not dare to look him in the eyes. His voice had risen till he was almost roaring with anger.
“Oh? Then explain to me why I got arrested because the doctor who examined you, saw the condition of your body and reported me for domestic abuse and assault I knew nothing about. Took me hours and a few good lawyers to prove I had nothing to do with your injuries.”
I sat there quietly, taking in all that he had to say. I was still haunted by the ghost of my father, feeling his touch on my skin, his hands on my neck and his boots on my back. I had been branded, bruised and scarred countless times and countless times after and yet my heart ached knowing my troubles had now burdened someone else.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, husband. I’m sorry.” I said, stilling the quiver in my voice. The ring offered me little comfort as it was a shiny reminder of the contract I had signed.
“Sorry? That’s it? That’s all you have to say, that you are sorry?”
“What do you want me to say?” I shrugged, letting out a long breath. Jax remained stern.
“Tell me who the fuck did this to you?”
“I-” My head fell between my shoulders. A pang of pain struck my heart. I knew revealing my father as the perpetrator would have catastrophic consequences. Going against my father meant going against the entire Gregorovich empire. It would start a war. Literally. I couldn’t allow that to happen. “Doesn’t matter anymore. What’s done is done.”
“It matters to me! It’s not done until whomever touched you bleeds. I will cut them till there is no more blood to spill and their corpse lays cold on the bottom of the river. Tell me.”
His choice of words made my stomach flutter. Fear mixed with arousal caused my whole body to shudder. His eyes were full of fire and determination which was exhilarating. But there was still a part of me that was unsure if he was being truthful, so I shook my head.
“You don’t understand. There is nothing you can do.”
“There is nothing I can’t do concerning my wife. Now, tell me the truth or do I have to kill every last one who has ever even laid their eyes upon you before you tell me?”
“This is madness. Can’t you just let it go?”
“No. Why do you insist on protecting those who hurt you?”
“Because it wouldn’t matter. You can’t protect me from what already happened. Nobody can.”
A long silence followed where I counted the tiles on the floor and he stood there seething. Eventually he left without saying another word, slamming the door behind him. Feeling my throat close up I crawled into a ball and hugged my knees. I felt like I needed to cry but I couldn’t bring myself to tears. If being alone meant nobody could hurt me, then why was I hurting? I asked myself drifting off to sleep.
Hours later, when I was brought back to the house, I was happy to be in my own clothes and in a room where everything wasn’t wrapped in plastic. The doctor ensured my fainting was caused by mild malnourishment and dehydration. My own stupidity really. They gave me medication for the pain and anxiety, as well as a little advice on how to relieve some of the stress I had been experiencing. It included aromatherapy and getting massages. As if. But of course I have been stressed lately. I’m married to a murderous psychopath.
“You will stay in your room till further notice. You are not to leave the penthouse for any reason. Guards have been instructed to stay by your side at all times. No exceptions. I will have you under surveillance 24/7.”
“You said this wasn’t a prison.”
“I will make it one if I need to. I’m not arguing this. You will stay here where you are safe.”
“No.” That was the first time I truly disagreed with Jax. Even though I hadn’t exactly taken advantage of going out freely, I still didn’t like the idea of not having the option at all. No. I don’t want to be trapped. Anything but that.
Images flooded my mind, filling it with memories of my father locking me in the basement for punishment. Vague flashes of a small child clawing at a door, crying till her voice died, begging and pleading for anyone to come and save her. Nobody came. Not once. I shook my head banishing the thoughts and faced the demon in front of me.
“No, please. You can’t do that. Please don’t do this. I can’t stay here like this.”
“Try to run and I will have to drag you back in here, kicking and screaming, but bring you back I will non the less; and I swear, I won’t be as accommodating anymore. Am I clear?” His voice rumbled in his chest as he strode across the room to get to me. I thought his deep, low, calm voice was even more threatening than when he was shouting.
“Jax, please.” His hand tugged at the base of my neck, bundling my hair in his fist and angling my head so I couldn’t shake no to him anymore. It wasn’t painful, but stern enough, letting me know just how serious he was. I swallowed, silencing the whimper that lingered on my lips.
“Am I clear?” The mint on his breath invaded my nostrils as he leaned in closer, daring me to defy him again. He had never been like this towards me before but I was convinced he only acted nice to lull me into false security. He was the devil after all. As my fight proved to be futile, I finally admitted defeat.
“Crystal.” He held me like that for a moment longer before releasing me, brushing his thumb over my jaw. I mentally threw daggers at his back as he stalked across the room, closed the door behind him and locked me in. Guess the conversation was over and my confinement had begun.