Obsession (Endurance) Read online

I grinned, “Padme teaches me about makeup and does my nails sometimes. She says I should know just in case I ever need to pull off glamorous by myself. I feel like we’re normal friends when we watch romances and eat ice cream. She likes Channing Tatum best but Ryan Reynolds makes me laugh. Sometimes…not always but sometimes…everyone will hang out together and watch an action flick. I really like that.”

  I shrugged. “And Hyde…”

  Let it go, Elliana…just let it go. It will never be the same again.

  My mother’s touch brought my face up. “What has he shown you, Ellie?”

  “That just because I’m me doesn’t mean I can’t go out in the world. I wanted to visit a fair. The cattle exhibits, the silly shows, the food, the rides. It’s hard to manage a protection detail in a situation like that. Too many things can go wrong. I didn’t think they’d let me go. He and Bianca put me in disguise and the entire team disappeared, there but not, so I could enjoy the experience.”

  It had been so noisy with children screaming and the sound of the rides. The air smelled like popcorn and funnel cake. “Most of the stuff I did by myself so they could maintain a perimeter. I played games and even dunked a clown. There was a roller coaster. It was huge, set up along one whole end of the fairgrounds and rising a hundred feet in the air. Because the cars were open, Hyde went with me.”

  I looked out the window as I remembered my nervous excitement at the top, the hardness of Hyde’s shoulder and how warm he was against my side. I remembered him saying, “Hang on, Ellie.” Then the drop and closing my eyes with my hands in the air and wishing it could go on forever.

  I shook my head and gave my parents a half-smile. “I think that was the best day of my life. The closest I ever came to normal. I’ll never have normal again. But I’ve decided to devote myself to your charities and my writing. With a child to love, it will be enough.”

  I’d never talked to anyone about the fair. That had been two years ago just weeks before Preston died. Talking about it now made my heart ache but I wanted to share these things with my parents. To help them understand how different I felt as a person, as a woman, from everyone around me.

  To reinforce my defenses, I added, “I’ll leave for home whenever you’re ready.”

  Chapter Three

  Late July

  It took Theresa another two weeks to get the equipment she wanted installed at my parents’ house and for the necessary renovations to be completed. The minute she gave the all-clear, I said my goodbyes to my elderly friends in the long-term geriatric wing and allowed a team of guards to escort me to the caravan of armed vehicles waiting in the hospital’s secured underground parking garage.

  The drive to the estate took half an hour and I used it sticking a bent wire hanger into the top of the leg cast that extended from my thigh to my ankle. It was awkward because my wrist and forearm were broken on that side. I finally asked Padme to help.

  The relief was sublime.

  “Two more weeks, Ellie, at the most. Then soft casts that can be removed at night.” Her slight Indian accent was beautifully musical and matched her shimmering black hair and almond-shaped eyes. “I’ve organized all your emails and correspondence so you don’t have to plod through weeks of crap to get to the important stuff.”

  Bianca was the only member of my personal team who was in evidence during transport. She gave Ellie a grin. “Jamie Vasquez and her little boy Ricky sent a three page letter thanking your parents for the car and Ricky’s four-year college fund but insisted it was unnecessary. They were so happy to hear you were on the mend. That woman is hysterical.”

  The woman who posed as my housekeeper was from South Africa. She spoke four languages and had the kind of beauty models could only wish for. White-blond hair and ice blue eyes that always seemed to be laughing and a long, lean figure.

  At one black tie affair held in my parent’s house, Bianca had watched one of the catering staff pull a poisonous blow dart gun from his jacket pocket. She snapped his neck and hauled his body into the back garden before anyone even realized there was a scuffle.

  My parents sat on the opposite side of the limo. Their smiles of relief were enough to convince me I’d made the right decision in going home. Not having me close, especially vulnerable, was worse on them. I could see that now.

  As we turned into the long drive leading to the main house, I absorbed the ambiance of the home I’d grown up in. Designed to mimic the multi-winged homes made famous during Regency England, it wrapped around a central courtyard that was part garden, part driveway. Soft ivory stone gave it a castle feel and the wide stone balconies on every floor lent a welcoming air.

  There were currently fifty members of the staff lined up under the overhang of the main entrance.

  As I was assisted from the limo I was greeted by cheers. The biggest bodyguard I’d ever seen came forward to lift my wheelchair, with me in it, to the landing stretched before the massive double doors. One by one, the people who’d watched me grow up came forward to take my hands or kiss my cheek.

  Mrs. Safoya, the matron of the inner domain who’d served my mother and father for forty years, fully embraced me and held my face gently as she kissed my cheeks. Her husband, combination butler and majordomo, wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

  My second mother and father, just as protective as my actual parents, took turns whispering about their love for me and their relief to have me home at last.

  “Cook is making Beef Wellington tonight with a fresh horseradish sauce. Blackberry tarts for dessert. A celebration that we have you back in our arms again.” The Safoyas were originally from Poland but their accent was dulled by so many years in the States. I loved them dearly.

  I gathered them both to me and said, “Thank you. I’ve missed you both so much.” Hugging me as hard as they dared, they stepped away in an attempt to hide their tears. I waved to everyone as Bianca pushed me inside.

  A suite of rooms had been prepared in the rarely used east wing to give me privacy. Inside the elevator, Padme described the changes cheerfully in an effort to disguise the fact that my freedom had been completely curtailed for the time being.

  “The apartments are lovely. When the contractor realized your mother intended a full kitchen installed and an entire room removed to expand and upgrade the bathroom, he stopped trying to up-sell her. The views of the rear gardens and stables are incredibly relaxing.”

  I was nodding but unsure how to respond. I’d lived in this house most of my life and I loved it – but I doubted I’d be relaxing anytime soon.

  She rushed on, “I set your office up, of course. Bianca oversaw the gym installation. Dr. Spellman has her office and suite across the hall. The lab is attached so you have no need to go back and forth to the hospital. I think you’ll be really happy, Ellie.”

  I had to let her off the hook. “Padme. It’s fine. I’m fine. I know I have to fully recuperate and I realize my parents are going to need reassurance for a long time that I’m safe. I miss running and riding. I miss…” Padme and Bianca shared a look over my head and I was glad I hadn’t completed my thought out loud.

  Entering the apartment, Fiaaz was there to greet me with a bow before taking my good hand and kissing my knuckles. My driver was descended from Persian royalty and very beautiful. Thick black hair and pale green eyes were the icing on an elegant and well-muscled form.

  I suspected he was involved with Bianca but was too shy to ask. They often went riding on the two horses Fiaaz stabled on the estate. Breathtaking Arabians of perfect lines that he’d agreed to breed for my father.

  I often wondered where my parents found the people they hired to protect me. I was always given a single paragraph bio and told “they checked out” as if their criminal background were all I’d find interesting.

  “It is a blessing to have you with us again, Elliana Monica.” Fiaaz always used my full first and middle names when he spoke to me. I found it so pretty and it made him unique. He continued, “There are many thi
ngs I wish; I am unable to express them adequately. For now, it is enough to see your eyes bright and the beginnings of a smile on your face.”

  “Thank you, Fiaaz.” It was good to be back with my team. Padme and Bianca helped me settle into my bedroom suite that was too large to contemplate or explore right now.

  To my horror I took a long nap and had to be awakened an hour before dinner.

  It was Bianca who wrapped my casts and assisted me into the enormous shower stall. Once they were certain I was secure on the medical chair placed in the center, I took my time washing my hair and body.

  Turning off the water and grabbing the thick bath sheet from the hook just inside, I wondered if I could make it from the shower to my chair. I’d wrapped myself in the towel and placed both hands on the chair rails when Bianca’s voice stopped me cold.

  “I know…absolutely know you aren’t going to try to leave a wet shower with two broken limbs. Because that would be incredibly stupid and needlessly prideful, two character flaws that do not generally afflict you, Ellie. I know you were waiting for help. Am I right?”

  Giving her a bright smile, I lied through my teeth and gritted them as she helped me to the chair and back into my bedroom. “God, I hate this shit.”

  Meeting my eyes, her reply was strangely gentle, “I know Ellie. I swear that I do. For a woman who has been sheltered as you have, you are admirably independent and brave. Still, the true mark of bravery is in knowing when to call in reinforcements. Knowing when to ask for help so you don’t make a bad situation worse. Do you understand?”

  I sighed with a small nod. “I didn’t think about how my parents would react if you had to tell them I’d been injured due to stubbornness. Thank you, Bianca. I’m sorry.” I meant it.

  Padme had already laid out my clothing and Bianca left me alone. For simplicity sake, I pulled on a flowing sundress that came to mid-calf and panties.

  There was a healing wound under one shoulder blade from my attack and wearing a bra was impossible. The stitches had dissolved but it still itched like mad. Someone had ordered me a wardrobe that offered support in butter-soft materials that wouldn’t irritate my skin.

  When Padme knocked I told her to come in and she brushed my hair, pulling it back from my face. “Would you like me to do some makeup, Ellie?”

  I rolled my eyes dramatically and asked, “Pad, when do I ever wish to wear makeup?”

  She grinned at me in the mirror. “I have to try, Ellie.”

  Padme pushed me from my apartment to the elevator, Fiaaz and Bianca on either side. In the formal dining room, there was a mix of employees I loved and friends of my parents I knew but wasn’t really ready to see.

  I was suddenly very nervous, putting my good foot on the floor to stop the chair. It jarred me sharply and I hissed in pain.

  Bianca was in front of me instantly. “These are people you know, Ellie. No one will hurt you, nor even be allowed to touch you if that is what you wish.” I was humiliated when my eyes filled with tears, blinking furiously to keep them from falling. “Ellie, take a deep breath, love. There are no injuries visible with exception of your casts. Your face is completely back to normal and you look beautiful. You can do this. Yes?”

  I nodded and lifted my foot from the floor. I felt Padme touch my shoulder on one side and Fiaaz on the other. They gave a small squeeze of support and released me. My mother and father saw me as they turned. I forced a smile as they hurried to my side.

  “Ellie, you look so lovely, princess.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” I pulled him to me and whispered, “Thank you for the apartment. I’m so happy to be home with you both again.” My mother was kneeling and hugged me. I touched Dad’s cheek and he leaned into my palm with his eyes closed.

  I knew both of them were on the verge of losing their composure completely. “Enough. We’re together and we’re safe. I love you very much. Help me get through this.”

  The visitors to Elysian Fields Estate ranged from long-time business associates to men and women who’d attended Oxford with my dad or Yale with my mom. Most of them had been at my christening and all of them knew I’d been brutally attacked.

  Over the course of the cocktail hour I was asked if I would like to use Dean Marcos’ ninety foot yacht to get away for a while. Nelinda Baker and her elderly husband reminded me of their private island in the South Pacific that was mine for the asking.

  Tuscany villas with fortress protection, castle style ski lodges in Aspen, and bulletproof motor homes for a cross-country jaunt were offered up. There were multiple offers of vengeance and Dad rushed to assure them it was being handled to which heads would nod with cool calculation.

  The media portrayal of the uber-rich focused on those selfish bastards who lived only to spend their money. My parents made it a point to keep such types out of their inner circle. Their friends were socially aware and generous to a fault – a fact I had always appreciated.

  I didn’t have to fake enjoyment of their company.

  I was so tired by the time Mrs. Safoya announced dinner. I asked to sit near my mother with Bianca and Padme on either side of me and Fiaaz close. It was arranged instantly and I was relieved to be assisted into a normal chair. Course after course of my favorite foods were served.

  I was jittery and ready to crawl out of my own skin.

  When my entree was placed in front of me, I worried for a moment about being able to cut the filet wrapped in filo dough. I shouldn’t have given it a second thought. Mrs. Safoya and Cook had pre-sliced my food with knives so sharp it still looked whole.

  I glanced up to see the housekeeper looking at me with a smile and I mouthed ‘thank you’ to her. To my pleasure, she blew me a kiss down the table.

  My first speed bump occurred when everyone was finishing their meals. For the past several years I’d become a wine connoisseur. Though I rarely drank, I had Dad’s discriminating palette and it was unknown to see me consume a meal without a glass of something from my collection.

  Dean, one of the most observant men I’d ever known, asked quietly, “Elliana, is there a reason you’re not partaking of your lovely wines? We’re fortunate to be enjoying your favorites.”

  “I…I…” the question had taken me so by surprise I was unsure how to answer. I blushed violently.

  A deep voice that sent chills through my body spoke directly behind me, “Miss Fields is on too much medication at this time to risk combining it with alcohol.”

  Dean’s broad smile over my head made me want to turn more than anything. “Of course, of course. Our Ellie looks so beautifully vibrant I didn’t consider the danger of mixing pills and alcohol. Thankfully someone did.”

  Had I not been pregnant, it likely would have been the truth.

  That Hyde had appeared behind me and come to my defense instantly in such a way told me two things. The first was that he’d been there far longer than I’d realized. The second was that he knew I was pregnant and keeping the resulting child of my rapists.

  I hadn’t seen him in weeks and I was truly worried about passing out from instant, debilitating stress.

  My body shook violently and I placed my hands on my thighs to conceal it as much as possible. Beneath the table, Padme and Bianca each placed a hand over mine. I stared at the candle in front of me, willing myself into a shallow meditation that finally allowed me to calm down.

  There was a final pat and my friends pulled away.

  “So, Ellie, how’s the writing going? I’m dying for more chapters.” Thadias Kellering owned a publishing company and had begged to be given first looks at my work. “Your writing is fresh and exciting. I confess I’m hooked.” His lovely wife Sarah nodded in agreement. I’d known them all my life since their estate abutted my parents’ on the north side.

  I swallowed carefully and extended my good arm to lift my water goblet with a steady hand. “I’ve finished another six chapters. I can email you those if you like.”

  “Loved the first two books of the series. Love
d them. Sarah stayed up all night to read them. We’ll anxiously await the next in the series. No pressure, you take your time, but you have a faithful audience. I don’t even cringe at the romantic elements. They’re well-blended into the main stories of espionage and villainy.” Thadias said the last with a stereotypical cartoon villain’s voice.

  I laughed lightly, afraid I’d give way to hysterics any moment. “I should be finished in the next month. My typing speed is pathetic but Padme is transposing my notes. How is Cameron?”

  “Getting far too big! We didn’t bring him tonight since he’s getting over a nasty cold but you won’t be able to keep him away for long.” Sarah was always happy to discuss their little boy who’d been born a year after their wedding.

  Since Thadias was almost twenty years older, it was especially wonderful for both of them. The father said proudly, “He asks about you, Ellie. As far as he’s concerned you hung the moon. The colt rarely goes a day without being ridden.”

  “I recognize a fellow equestrian when I meet one. I knew Sarafina’s foal was going to be perfect for his first horse. I’ll be glad to get back in the saddle. After…I mean, when I’m not wearing these.”

  I held up my casted arm wrapped in fluorescent pink. “Not much longer now. You’ll have to send him over for a visit, Sarah. I have it on good authority that Dad put a PS3 in the media room. I owe him a rematch on Halo. He owes me one on Call of Duty. Two weeks, tell him to be here or I’ll consider him too scared to face me.”

  The nine-year-old was brutal at video games. I had to bring my A-game.

  Laughing happily, Sarah and Thadias agreed they’d present him the instant I was ready. Glancing down the table, I smiled at Zoe Queen, my mother’s best friend since college. “Zoe, how are the mastiffs?”

  “Breeding faster than I can wean the pups from their mamas.”

  “I’d like a puppy, please. Preferably a girl. I haven’t had a dog since I lost Princess Pretty when I was twelve. I thought it disloyal to try and replace her. I think I’m ready now.” It would be nice to have a dog again. A big fucking dog that could swallow someone’s head.