Billionaire Romance: Spencer's Torment (A Seductive Alpha Billionaire Romance Book 2) (7 page)

“You two headed out?” Crawford asked as Spencer and I approached him.

Spencer nodded and looked at me. “Yeah, I need to get Emily back so that Dr. Beck can examine her. I’ve arranged to have him meet us at the house in a few hours and I don’t want to keep him waiting,” he explained, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders. It felt good to know that he cared so much about my well-being. “You guys have everything handled here?”

Crawford nodded his head and said, “Of course. You go ahead, boss. I’ll see to it that everything is taken care of. Did you want one of the guys to escort you back?”

“Oh, no. That won’t be necessary,” he said with a distant look in his eyes. “I think the threat has been taken care of and we can all sleep soundly tonight knowing that.” Spencer clenched his jaw, masking his emotions.

I really had no idea how he felt about everything that had happened and honestly, I was afraid to ask, but I made a mental note to check on him later, after all the dust had settled.

“Alright, then. You two drive safe. I don’t think I can handle another crisis. We’ve officially met our quota for the rest of the year,” Crawford joked. And then he turned to me, a serious look on his face and said, “Miss Prescott, I’m glad you’re going to be okay. We all are. And trust me when I say: this man,” he gestured to Spencer, “loves you with everything he’s got. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

I had never met Agent Crawford before tonight, but something about him felt familiar—
safe.
I couldn’t put my finger on why, but I liked him. His gaze was warm, fatherly and in that moment I had a deep longing to see my own father and my mom, too. It had been way too long and it was moments like this that really made me realize how lucky I was to have such loving parents in my life. I didn’t see them enough. I didn’t know if it was all the emotional and physical trauma I’d gone through in the past forty-eight hours or the fact that I had so many people who cared about me, but a single tear slipped down my cheek as I fought to hold back a whole tidal waves’ worth of them.

Finally, I managed to muster a weak reply. “Thank you, Agent Crawford. I really appreciate everything you guys did for me tonight. I just…I have no words,” I whispered. Then to both him and Spencer I said, “Thank you.” And I truly meant it—at least, the sane part of me did. I couldn’t help but notice, though, a small voice in my head that expressed some resentment about the fact that Calvin was now dead. Because of
them.
I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but it was really starting to freak me out.

Spencer gently stroked my shoulder and pulled me in closer to him, kissing the top of my head. “Jesus, I’m just so thankful to have you back,” he whispered, his voice cracking slightly, despite his best efforts to hold it all together.

I hugged him back as hard as I could even though my body was in pain and screaming for me to stop. In an odd way, the pain was comforting—something I had grown used to and even somewhat
enjoyed
. It reminded me that I was alive and that, up until this point, I’d only experienced a fraction of what the world had to offer. I was done playing it safe and this whole experience had taught me that I was stronger than I ever imagined.

“Woah, there. Be careful, Emily. You’re going to hurt yourself,” Spencer said gently as he untangled himself from my arms.

As I looked up at him I could see the concern on his face and wondered what he was thinking. That I’d officially gone crazy? Did he feel sorry for me? The thought of him pitying me made my blood boil and I spun on my heel and stomped back to the Escalade.

I climbed into the passenger seat of the Escalade and slammed the door, then I curled up in a ball and rested my face on the arm rest, the pain felt like a branding iron being placed to my cheek and everything on me ached. I just wanted this all to be over with and for things to be back to normal. But more than anything, I wanted Spencer and I’s relationship to feel like it used to—easy and safe.

Spencer climbed into the car beside me. He was silent and I could feel the tension hanging in the air between us. I thought for sure he was going to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he just turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the shack that I had spent the last twelve-plus hours of my life in. I had survived, but I wasn’t sure to what extent or how much of me was still in tact.

As I examined the scene we were driving away from, through my swollen and bloodshot eyes, it all felt so surreal. The flashing lights, the police officers, the SWAT team, Calvin, the blood, the torture, the hopelessness. The girl leaving with Spencer wasn’t the same girl that had arrived there and I felt a deep and unexpected sorrow stirring in my soul for the part of me that I was leaving behind.

“What’s going to happen to Calvin?” I asked, the question taking us both by surprise.

Spencer stared straight ahead into the darkness as we drove down the long and winding driveway until we came to a stop at an unmarked dirt road. Spencer turned right.

Everything looked so desolate and dark as I took in the scenery for the first time—a black hole where life didn’t seem to exist and I sat up in my seat to get a better view. I wanted to be able to remember this moment.

Finally, we reached the interstate and Spencer gunned it out onto the empty freeway, the gas pedal all the way to the floor, the needle on the speedometer pushing 100.

He never responded to my question. I didn’t know if it was because he didn’t hear me or he simply was ignoring it, but I wasn’t going to push it so we rode in silence, the only noise the hum of the tires on the asphalt.

*****

Finally, after almost two hours of silence, Spencer responded in a tired voice, “I don’t know, Emily. And I don’t really care. He’s dead. That’s all that matters.”

I turned to look at him, unwilling to mask the shock on my face. “What do you
mean
you don’t care? He’s your brother, Spencer.”

“He
was
my brother, Emily. And I’d really appreciate it if you’d actually take my side for once and act like you give a damn about
me
. I mean,
Jesus Christ
, he was going to kill you!”

“He wasn’t. He just wanted to make you angry, Spencer,” the lie slipped out before I could even register what I was saying. “He just wanted to be close. Like you guys used to be.”

“Oh, is that what he told you? Because Calvin and I were never close, Emily. He was always fucked in the head and I couldn’t stand being around him. He was a fucking waste of space—totally demented. Did he tell you that he used to torture and kill animals?” he shouted, incredulous.

I was silent.

“Well, he did! He used to capture them, restrain them, and beat them until they were black and blue. Until they fucking couldn’t fathom anything beyond him. Until they had no hope except death.
Jesus,
Emily!” he shouted, slamming his hands against the steering wheel. “He treated you just like those
animals.
And you’re fucking defending him.
Him!”
he shook his head in disgust.

“Spencer, please,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face now.

“No! I’m sorry, Emily but you need to hear this. Calvin raped you, threatened you, took you as a hostage, shackled you up in some hole in the ground, beat you bloody and was going to come back to finish the job after he killed me and you’re going to sit here and defend
him?
Un-fucking-believable.”

I was sobbing uncontrollably now, unable to form a proper response.

“I went through hell to get you out of there. I fought for hours on end and put up with his bullshit and all his threats, had a gun pointed in my fucking face, thinking I was dead, then thinking
you
were dead. And then when I finally found you and you were alive…all you could say to me was
his
name. Do you have any idea how that felt?” he asked, tears in his eyes as we pulled up to the gate at the end of his driveway and punched the entry code into the keypad. The gate opened and we drove through.

I shook my head no. I didn’t have any idea how it felt and I was ashamed to admit that I hadn’t even really thought about it. It wasn’t like I had meant to hurt him, but that was no excuse. I had acted incredibly selfish during this whole situation and I had never once stopped to think about how Spencer had been affected by it. He had experienced just as much anguish and torment—just in a different way. I hung my head in shame. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears still silently streaming down my cheeks. “It’s just…I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Spencer. I feel so lost and broken,” I cried, burying my face in my hands.

Spencer pulled up to the front of his mansion and put the SUV in park. Then, he turned to me and placed a strong, comforting hand on my back, caressing gently. He whispered, “Shh. Shh. Emily, it’s going to be okay. I promise. I’m sorry for upsetting you. I shouldn’t have yelled like that. I think we’ve both been through hell and back in the past two days and our emotions are just all over the place. I’m sorry, sweetheart. Please forgive me,” he pleaded, his voice soothing as it coaxed me back out of hiding.

“There she is,” he said with a smile, touching me gently under my chin. “I love you, Emily Anne. And you’re not broken. We’re going to get through this. Together. I promise you, okay?”

I nodded, sniffling and wiping at my nose, trying not to think about how awful I must look. “I love you, too,” I whispered.

He kissed me on the top of my head and said, “Alright, sweetheart. Let’s get this over with, okay? I’m sure you’re exhausted and ready for a shower and some sleep.”

I looked up and noticed several cars in Spencer’s driveway. “Who are all these people?” I asked, confused.

“Dr. Beck. And the nurse staff. They’re here to do your exam, remember?”

“Oh, right,” my heart sank at the thought. I was nervous about what they’d find. What if I had broken bones—or worse, serious brain damage? With the way I’d been feeling, it wouldn’t surprise me, but I wondered…what would Spencer think of me? Would he still want to be with me if I had all these problems? He could have any girl he wanted. Why would he want damaged goods like me?

As he made his way around the front of the SUV, I suddenly remembered what Calvin had told me: about a woman named Lauren who Spencer was supposedly married to before and how she’d looked just like me. How much truth was there to what he’d said? After all, he hadn’t been the most trustworthy source of information. But if he had been telling the truth, why hadn’t Spencer told me about her? Why was he keeping it a secret?

Not to mention, if Calvin had been such a demented person and Spencer
knew it,
why had he left me alone in the house with him the morning after our first date?

I wanted to believe in Spencer and his feelings for me, but I knew I couldn’t let my guard down just yet. Not when there were so many questions still left unanswered. I had to find out the truth—even if it meant I might not like it.

The next morning, I woke up alone in Spencer’s bed, the sound of laughter echoing off the marble floor in the hallway and I was taken back to the morning after our first date—the morning that Calvin had stormed into Spencer’s bedroom and threatened me. I was frozen in fear, while simultaneously fighting the urge to run. I had to remind myself that Calvin was gone and he couldn’t hurt me—or Spencer—anymore.

But if it wasn’t Calvin, who was it? I rolled over and closed my eyes, focusing on my breath in order to calm myself down. When I opened them again, I saw a tray on the bedside table that had fresh flowers, some fruit and a giant carafe of water, along with a note that read:

Drink up, darling! Or else. ;)

Oh, and when you’re ready—meet me in the kitchen. I’ve got a surprise for you.

Xoxo,

Mr. Ford

I laughed at the excessive amount of water.
Oh, Spencer.
He had taken the doctor’s orders quite literally and it made me smile. Dr. Beck had informed me during my exam that I was severely dehydrated (duh!) and that if I didn’t consume my weight in water for the next few days I would have to be hooked up to an IV and pumped full of fluids.

Aside from the dehydration and bruising, he’d said that everything else looked normal. He had been happy to report that I didn’t have any broken bones, brain trauma, or any abnormalities that he could see—much to mine and Spencer’s relief. Dr. Beck had said I must have had a guardian angel watching over me.

He prescribed me lots and lots of rest, fluids, and sunshine and as a back-up, some mild painkillers.

When I asked him,
‘Why sunshine?’

He’d responded with a laugh,
‘Because…why
not
?’

I couldn’t argue with that logic.

As I got up out of bed, I was shocked at how incredibly sore I was. My body felt like it had literally been placed inside of a washing machine on the spin cycle for twelve hours.

I sat up on the side of the bed and took a huge chug of water, downing half the carafe in one go. Then, I picked up the two pills Spencer had laid out for me and chugged those with the rest of the water. I felt sloshy, but I knew it was either that or the IV. And I sure as heck didn’t want to have the nurses come back, or worse go to the hospital.

Because I’d been in such good health, Spencer had allowed me the final decision of whether or not the nurses needed to stay and look after me. I’d decided no. I was just ready for some peace and quiet and alone time with Spencer. Plus, I didn’t like the feeling of having people I didn’t know hovering around, waiting on me hand and foot. It just felt weird.

So, as I got up to get dressed, I was a little annoyed with all the noise and I couldn’t believe Spencer had been so careless and rude. How dare he invite guests over when I was looking and feeling like this? Especially knowing that I needed all the rest I could get. I glanced at the clock:
1:15 p.m.
Normally this would have been way past my wake-up time but considering I’d been sleep deprived for nearly twenty-four hours, everything I’d gone through and the fact that I didn’t get to bed until after 7 a.m. I was really dragging. The last thing I wanted to do was entertain other people.

I didn’t have any clothes with me and the clothes I’d been wearing the night before were ruined—most likely Spencer had thrown them out—so I had a mini panic attack over what I was going to wear. That is, until I saw the neatly folded stack of clothes that Spencer had laid out for me.

Why did he have to be so damn perfect?
It made it incredibly hard to stay mad at him.

I walked over to the chaise lounge and examined the pile. It was a pair of designer cut-off jean shorts and a super trendy t-shirt that read, ‘
I♥
My Boyfriend.’ I laughed and shook my head. 
Someone’s sure full of himself.
I checked the tags and sure enough, they were my size—and also from Luxe Boutique—the most high-end store in all of Crystal Cove. He had even completed the outfit with a pair of strappy sandals that I’d been eyeing for months, but hadn’t been able to afford. In fact, this single outfit probably cost more than my whole closet at home. I felt guilty until I remembered that he was a bajillionaire and could totally afford it.

After I got dressed, I made my way to Spencer’s master bathroom to see if I could make myself somewhat presentable, but it was no use. I nearly gave myself a heart attack when I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. My face was swollen even more and the bruising had turned from a deep purple to an ugly greenish-yellow. I looked like I’d been involved in a drug deal gone bad and no amount of makeup would be able to fix this.

I was just going to have to look hideous for the time being and hope that I could convince Spencer to let me be a hermit until my face healed. The last thing I wanted to do was go downstairs and greet guests looking like
this.

I walked out into the hallway and inched myself over to the balcony at the top of the staircase, peeking over slightly. I couldn’t see anyone, but I did hear faint whispers.

I called out timidly, “Spencer?”

“Yeah, babe?” he said, excitement in his voice. “You’re awake?”

“Yeah. Could you come up here, please?” I asked nervously.

He stepped out into the foyer and looked up at me with a huge smile. “What is it?”

“Please just come up here,” I whispered, exaggerating the fact that I wasn’t very happy.

He shook his head no.

“What do you mean,
no?!
” I asked, incredulous. “I’m not in the mood to entertain
guests.
You should know that,” I pouted, trying to keep my voice down.

He just laughed and said, “Babe, come on. I have a surprise for you.” He was talking in a normal voice, completely blowing my cover.

I shot him a look.

“What? I’m sorry. I promise you’re going to love it. Just trust me,” he coaxed.

I rolled my eyes and stomped down the stairs, totally not in the mood.

He met me at the bottom of the stairs and pointed to my shirt, wiggling his eyebrows and said, “So, what do you think?”

I sighed and said, “Really? Is
this
my surprise?”

He laughed and asked, “If it was, would you be disappointed?”

“Yes,” I replied flatly.

This only caused him to laugh more. “You’re lucky you’re all bruised up or else I’d be tickling the shit out of you,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me into him gently.

I kissed the top of his head and said, “Mmhmm.” This was the only time I’d ever had the advantage of being taller than him and he buried his face in my chest, causing me to laugh.

“But in all seriousness…I need you in the kitchen. Your real surprise is waiting in there.”

I looked at him dubiously, unsure of what to expect. “Alright, fine,” I replied, trailing behind him. Spencer was as happy as I’d ever seen him. In fact, he was downright
gleeful,
which made me nervous about what the heck my surprise was.

And as we rounded the corner to the kitchen, I couldn’t believe what—or rather,
who
—was waiting for me.

“Oh, my God!” I shrieked, jumping up and down. All of the pain I had been feeling temporarily subsided at the sight of the two amazing humans that were standing before me. “You guys! How…I mean…” I trailed off. I was speechless. I couldn’t believe my parents were here in Spencer’s kitchen. It was so surreal and the best surprise Spencer could have ever dreamed up for me.

They both stepped forward and hugged me tightly to them in a big group hug and all the emotion that I had been suppressing came rushing out in the form of loud, ugly sobs and a torrential downfall of tears. I hadn’t realized until this moment how much I had truly missed them and it felt so good to be wrapped up in their arms again.

“Oh, my sweet sweet baby,” my mom cried as she stroked my hair and kissed my cheek gently. “I’ve missed you so much. I don’t know what we’d do without you,” she choked.

“Pumpkin, we’re so glad you’re okay,” my dad whispered as he kissed the top of my head, his voice cracking.

After a good five minutes of hugging and greetings and love, I finally felt satisfied enough to step back and look at them. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Even Spencer had tears in his eyes over our reunion.

I looked at my mom and then my dad and asked, “How did you know? How did you get here so soon?”

My mom smiled at me and then grinned mischievously at Spencer. “Your angel of a man, here,” she motioned at Spencer. “He called us early this morning to fill us in on everything that was going on and to tell us that he’d already booked a non-stop flight to Crystal Cove so that we could come check up on you. Normally you know we wouldn’t take charity, but he insisted,” she said in her matter-of-fact Midwestern tone.

“Oh my goodness,” I gushed to Spencer. “You did all of this?”

He nodded, and for the first time I saw Spencer Ford blush.

“Thank you so much!” I squealed as I threw my arms around his neck and gave him a long and passionate kiss. It was the first time in over three months that our lips had touched and it made every inch of my body quiver in want for him. As much as I didn’t want to, I forced myself to pull away and whispered, “It means so much to me that you’d do this.”

“Yes, Spencer. We’re so grateful to have you in our daughter’s life,” my dad butted in, clearly uncomfortable with our PDA. “I know I’ve told you already, but thank you for saving our little girl,” he said, tearing up again.

Spencer nodded and replied, “I’ll always be here to protect her. For as long as she’ll have me.” He looked at me then, studying my reaction.

I smiled at him, so thankful that this was my life. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better man and it seemed like my parents felt the same way. I was finally starting to feel like my old self again—well, aside from the horrible bruises all over my face, but those would heal in a matter of weeks and all I’d be left with is the memory.

Only Spencer Ford could turn a situation this horrific into a celebration of life, family and love.

My mom wiped a tear from her eye and said, “Alright, enough of this sappy stuff. Let’s celebrate! How about some lunch? You’ve gotta be starving, huh kiddo?”

I nodded enthusiastically. “You know I’m always up for eating.”

Everyone laughed and then my dad looked at me and said, “You know, pumpkin we can order in if you’re not up for going out. I can only imagine how exhausted you are.”

“Uh…” I contemplated the idea of staying home, which I had to admit sounded pretty damn good, but I could use the fresh air and besides, I was going to have to face the world eventually, so why not now? “No, that’s okay. Let’s go out.”

“Are you sure, babe?” Spencer asked, his brow furrowed in surprise.

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s cool. Let’s go, slow pokes!” I yelled running towards the front entry.

As we all made our way to Spencer’s car I just prayed that the car ride and lunch wouldn’t be too incredibly awkward. After all, I had no idea how much information Spencer had given them about how we’d met and who
knew
what John had told them.

I sighed under my breath as I climbed into the passenger side of  Spencer’s Escalade and thought to myself,
Here we go.