Cat 'N Mouse (16 page)

Somewhere in the distance, two birds called to each other breaking the awkward silence that had settled between the two men.

“Prescott is not going to like this.”

“Tough.”

“What happened to you in Boston?”

“What do you mean?” Sam knew exactly what Matt meant. Boston had changed him. He was through with taking orders or allowing people to control his life. He did what he wanted to, when he wanted to.

“You know what I mean.”

“Look, Prescott wants her so dependant upon him that she doesn’t have to do anything for herself. He wants her to run back home. I won’t let that happen if that’s not what she wants.”

One of the garage doors opened and Sam turned to see Colt emerging from the garage and appeared to be looking around for something. He obviously found what he was looking for. He stood still watching them in silence.

“You can be her knight in shining armor if you like,” Matt said. “Just be sure when it all blows, up you’re still around. People in her life have a habit of running when the going gets tough, or when Prescott puts money on the table.”

Sam watched Matt hurry off toward his black Camaro, got in and drove away. For some reason Matt, seemed annoyed and he couldn’t figure out why? He headed up the path to the front door and heard the fireworks as he opened the door.

“Daddy, it wasn’t his fault—

“You’ll move back home.”

“No, why are you—”

Mimi met Sam at the front door. “She needs you. Go to her.”

“I can’t talk to you.” He reached the office door as Alexandria stormed out, crashing into him.

“Alexandria! Come back here,” Prescott yelled from his office. “I’m not finished talking to you.”

Sam caught her and held her as she exited Prescott’s office. She was running from her father. It was time she stood up to him. “Hey, you okay?”

“He won’t listen to me.” She threw her hands up in the air.

“I’m here.” Sam touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “Let’s make him listen.” His hand was on her back and he guided her back into Prescott’s office.

“Why didn’t you tell me there was another attempt on her life last night?” Prescott jumped on him when they entered the office.

“Because I took care of it, Prescott,” Sam said. “That’s what I was hired to do. Dragging her over here because you feel insecure is not going to keep her safe.”

“It shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

“Daddy, it wasn’t his fault.”

“It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. He’s fired!”

“I don’t work for you, Prescott.” Sam’s voice was calm and controlled. “I answer to your daughter.”

“What do you mean?”

“I work for your daughter because she asked nicely.”

Sam felt a sense of satisfaction when Prescott’s eyes widened in surprise. His jaw clenched. The arrogant bastard didn’t see it coming. However, while he was happy that he’d stuck a blow at Prescott’s ego, it came at a cost. It wasn’t his news to tell. It was Alexandria’s and she responded to the hurt she saw in Prescott’s eyes. Yes, she wanted to stand on her own, but she didn’t want to hurt her father either. The dilemma played out on her face.

“I don’t care. You’re moving back in,” Prescott said to Alexandria. “We’ll be having dinner shortly.”

“No! I’ll stay for dinner, but that’s all. I’m going back to the condo. You’re more than welcome to join us for dinner, Sam. Should I tell Mimi to set you a plate?”

“You can have dinner with your father. I want to talk to Colt about your car.”

“I’ll be ready to go in an hour, Sam.” She turned on her heels and headed quickly out into the hall.

Sam was proud of his Princess and wanted to hug her. If he had to guess, that was probably the first time she had ever stood up to her father, especially in front of someone, and Prescott was seeing red. With this new found self-confidence, she would be just fine.

“I’ll go and find Colt. Excuse me,” he said to Prescott, leaving him to stew.

Forty-five minutes later Sam looked over at the second patio when the door opened. Prescott and Alexandria came out heading toward the wide umbrella that covered the patio. Prescott pulled out a chair and she sat down. Mimi brought out a tray of drinks a few minutes later. Sam assumed dinner was over.

Colt had been talking about Alexandria’s car but all conversations came to an abrupt halt when Alexandria and her father stepped out onto the patio. Sam was counting down the minutes. He only had fifteen minutes left and just wanted to get her away from the estate.

“She’s very beautiful, isn’t she?”

He glanced at Colt then turned his attention back to Alexandria and Prescott. “I guess.”

Sam watched as her back stiffened. She folded her hands across her chest and sat back in the chair. Prescott was wearing her down, trying to convince her to move back home. That’s what men like Prescott did. They kept at you until they wore you down and you had no other option but to give in. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but she didn’t look happy. She kept shaking her head.

He started toward the patio and Colt grabbed his arm stilling his movement “Don’t interfere.”

He ignored Colt. This was his second warning in an hour and like the first, he ignored it. It was time for him and Alexandria to go. Sam cut across the grass to get to the patio. Prescott stood up from the table as he approached, tightlipped. He looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel.

“It’s time to go, Alexandria,” Sam said, his voice calm, controlled.

“Princess?” Prescott’s eyes were begging her to stay and Sam could see she was torn.

“I’ll call you later, Daddy.” Alexandria pushed her chair back and it scraped against the patio stones. She got up from the table and kissed Prescott on the cheek. “I want to say goodbye to Mimi.” She touched Sam’s arm as she passed him. It was more than a touch. It was a silent thank you. He had arrived just in time.

When she was out of earshot, Prescott said, “Do not cross me, Mr. O’Malley. You have no idea what I’m capable of.” His voice was low and dangerous. Prescott was flexing his muscles.

“Funny thing is, Prescott, I do know,” Sam said, his voice equally dangerous. “You’re the bully in the playground. What you should know about me is that I’m not afraid of you. You brought me into her life to protect her and now you’re pushing me out. Why?”

“You should be afraid of me.” Prescott pushed past Sam and left him standing on the patio.

•  •  •

Alexandria felt exposed.

Alone.

She had stood up to her father and he was angry. The first thing she had done when she’d left her father’s office was to call Robyn to see if his check to the Foundation had cleared the bank and it had.

Since he couldn’t dangle that carrot in front of her any more he would find another way. There would be a fall out from her trying to assert her independence. What that would be, she wasn’t sure as yet.

Everything she had, money, the condo and the car, all belonged to her father. He had given her everything she had ever asked for, but as she pulled away from him, all of that could be easily taken away. What would she do then? Who could she lean on?

Sam? No. He would leave when the threat was over. She wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to stand up by herself. Robyn always said she could. Sam had hinted at it too, but at the end of the day, it all came back to her. Was she strong enough to stand on her own two feet? Or would she fall flat on her face?

“Are you okay?” Sam asked as he opened the door of the SUV for her and closed it when she settled in. He was looking at her funny. Perhaps he thought that she would fall apart. She just felt numb.

“It’s been an extremely long day,” she said, not looking at him. If she looked at him she knew she would want him to hold her. He wouldn’t and would push her away. She couldn’t handle that. “I just want to go home and crawl into bed.”

They arrived at the condo half an hour later and she mumbled a goodnight to Sam. After her shower, she called her father to tell him goodnight. Conversation was strained and awkward, but she called because she had said she would. He asked her to come home. She said no.

Alexandria crawled into bed after she hung up the phone, but sleep didn’t come quickly. When it did, it came in separate scenes. It was like watching TV with someone constantly flipping the channel.

It was a birthday party, her party…with lots of pink heart-shaped balloons, and a big cake in the shape of a princess, because she was a princess. Daddy said so. Her mother was laughing and then she began to cry. Daddy made her cry. She started crying too. Daddy said seven year olds didn’t cry.

“She can cry if she wants to,” Mommy said, throwing a glass at daddy. He ducked and it smashed against the wall, showering the patio with pieces of glass. A piece caught his cheek. It bled.

Blood.

Daddy retrieved a pink bicycle from the garage. It had chrome handlebars, fenders and a chrome bell. Streamers from the handlebars blew in the wind as he walked toward her smiling. Pink balloons floated up in the air.

“Happy Birthday, Princess.”

The party finished, but mommy was still crying. Daddy left because he couldn’t stand to see mommy cry.

It wasn’t his fault he had to work so much. He kept yelling at mommy, which made her cry harder.

Rain.

Hard rain.

The thunder roared above like a slow moving train rumbling down the track. Lightning lit up the room. Alexandria sat up looking over the side of her bed for her Winnie the Pooh slippers, but she couldn’t find them.

Her mother and father were fighting again. She was scared and wanted Mimi. Another rumble of thunder and she slipped off the bed, pulling her blanket behind her. She didn’t want mommy to cry any more.

When she opened the bedroom door, Mommy was standing at the top of stairs fighting with a man.

“Mommy!”

Lightning lit up the hallway like someone had turned on a one hundred watt bulb, and mommy went over the…

Alexandria jumped up out of her sleep. She couldn’t breathe. When she heard the thunder, she clutched at the sheet pulling it up under her chin.

Shaking.

The lightning lit up the bedroom and she threw the covers back and ran from the room.

•  •  •

Sam opened his eyes when he heard the thunder. Alexandria was standing in the hallway, half way between her bedroom and the living room, terrified. The thunder roared above and she jumped about ten feet off the ground.

He’d fallen asleep on the sofa just in case she needed him. She was visibly upset when they’d returned from the estate. She looked like she’d seen a ghost.

“I thought you left. You weren’t in your room.”

“Come here, Princess.” Sam sat up in the sofa and stretched out his hand toward her. She hurried to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nightmare.”

He laid back down, making space for her on the sofa as she stretched out beside him. Her night shirt, some kind of satin material and white, was long enough when she was standing, now exposed long, tanned legs up to her waist. He pulled the light blanket from over the arm of the sofa and threw it around them. Out of sight out of mind. Not so.

She was shaking and he wrapped his arms protectively around her waist. Her hair smelled of a floral scent, jasmine or something along that line. Again, the need to protect her overwhelmed him.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I started having this dream after I moved away from the estate.”

“What’s the dream about?”

“It’s always the same. It’s raining and the thunder is loud like tonight. The lightning lights up the hall as I come out of my room and I see,” she drew in a sharp breath, “a man pushed my mother over the banister.”

“You witnessed your mother’s death?” Sam raised up on his elbow, looking down at her.

“No. Daddy said it was a dream, but it seems so real, Sam. I was seven at the time. It’s entirely possible. I don’t know.”

“Did you see the man’s face?”

“That is assuming what I saw was real, no. Just his hands when he started toward me.”

She started trembling again and he held her until she stopped. The living room was dark except for the light shining from the hall. She was quiet for a long while and he thought she had fallen asleep.

“Why did you decide to work for me instead of my father?”

“Because you asked me.”

She shook her head not buying his argument and turned to look at him. They were almost nose-to-nose. The lightning lit up the room. A smile played on his lips.

“I’ve asked you for a lot of stuff and you’ve not complied.”

“I didn’t want your father bullying you.” Sam stroked her hair. It felt like heavy silk against his hand. He loved the copper tone of her skin. If he shifted an inch, their lips would touch. He knew what her lips felt like against his…soft, full, sexy and, oh yeah, sweet. As much as he wanted to indulge at the moment, it wasn’t the right time. At the mention of her father she became quiet, sad.

“He’s my father and he loves me,” she said. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Who was he to tell her Prescott didn’t love her? His love may be twisted but it was still love. Twisted love was better than no love. His old man didn’t care whether he lived or died.

“Did your father love you?”

He didn’t see that question coming and hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Never knew him.” That one meeting where he gave the man money didn’t count, he thought to himself.

“What about your mother?”

“What about her?” His arm instinctively tightened around her waist because he knew what she was going to say next.

“She must’ve loved you since your father didn’t care.”

“I was the product of a one night stand and became an inconvenience for her. I received a letter from her friend that she died last year. End of story. No real loss since she wasn’t much of a mother.”

He hadn’t meant for it to sound bitter, but that’s how it came out. He had survived without his part-time mother and non-existent father. So what if he was screwed up. They can take some of the credit for that.