Every Breath You Take (Oasis Book 1) (21 page)

I flinched when he took a step toward me, and then saw the look on his face and felt a million times worse.

“You…” He held my gaze. “You’re not afraid
I’m
going to hurt you. Are you?”

“No,” I whispered.

He frowned.

I shook my head. “I’m not. I swear. Finn, I’m sorry–it’s not you. I mean, I got used to him…it was a cycle. And I expected yelling and fists, but that’s not you. I know it’s not you.”

“Are you sure?”

Unable to keep my distance, I walked to him and put my hands on his cheeks. “Yes. I’m sure. I’m sorry you’re in the middle of this.”

He curled his fingers around my wrists. “I’m going to be wherever you are. And it sounds like you could use some back-up. I
want
to be here for you.”

“I know.”

“Then I’d appreciate it if you’d let me.”

I released a slow breath. “I’m doing a pretty shitty job of it.”

Finn pulled me to him, wrapping warm arms around me. “It’s a learning process. It sounds like you were handling all this on your own before. Now you have me. You can trust me.”

I hated that flicker of doubt. It wasn’t Finn. It was everyone–including myself. I was so used to doubting the situation could get any better–that anyone could help–I started to believe that was my life. Forever.

Instead of responding to that, I asked, “Why was Curtis here?”

“You sure you want to talk about this now?”

I rubbed a hand over my eyes. “If it’s bad news, I guess not.”

“It’s not bad news so much as a lead–one that might help us. Here,” he said, gesturing to the bed. “You can relax and I’ll tell you about it.”

I hesitated. It was late. “It can wait. I’m sure you’re tired.”

“Stay here,” he said. “Don’t go home. Or let me come with you.”

After considering this, I got into the bed. My body and mind were so tired, I didn’t want to do anything but sleep. Finn turned off the light and climbed in next to me. He pulled the covers up, curling his arm around me.

His face was just a shadow in the darkness. After a moment, he said, “Do you think it’s me?”

The wheels spun in my head. I tried to grasp what he was saying through the haze of sleepiness. “You what?”

“Why you’re having the nightmares more now. You had one the last time I slept in the same bed as you, too.”

“I…” I sighed. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it.” No, that was a lie. I
had
thought about it. More than once. “I guess…it’s possible. Maybe my subconscious is reacting to having someone else there, and since the last person I had there was Mark…”

“It’s triggering the dreams.”

I pressed closer to him. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. I want to be close to you.”

“I can leave once you fall asleep.” But he sounded doubtful. And hesitant.

“But…”

“I know. I don’t want to. But I will if it’ll help. You just have to come get me. You know, if you wake up or if you’re worried.”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I nodded. “Of course. I don’t want to hurt you. I didn’t mean to hit you before.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about, Charlotte. It’s–”

“I know,” I whispered. “Please, let’s not talk about it anymore. Tell me about Curtis.”

Finn sighed, so quietly I could only tell because of the rise and fall of his chest. “He talked to his tech guy, and he said someone from Housing had logged in with the administrator’s code.”

My body felt heavy, tired, and ready to float away again. I struggled to focus. “What does that mean?”

“That means they could access your apartment and Paige’s apartment and mess with the locks. All from the computer without having to set foot on your floor.”

“So…there really wasn’t anyone up there? It was just to scare us?”

“They could have seen you from the cameras, too.”

I drifted off for a moment, then felt Finn move, and woke again. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

“It’s okay. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

He brushed a hand down my hair, then caressed my cheek.

My mouth was full of words, but all I could manage was, “You can go if you need to.”

His voice vibrated against my ear. “I’ll wait with you a little longer.”

With his soft breathing next to me, I feel asleep, and this time I didn’t dream.

() () ()

My hand shook as I dialed the number. I hadn’t talked to my sister in over a year. She had been angry when I’d picked a fight with her and Mom, telling them if they couldn’t support my relationship with Mark, I didn’t want them in my life. Period.

I hadn’t meant it. But it had been the best way to get them out my life. Mark had overheard the conversation–I’d had to make it believable.

Outside the door, I could hear a few noises from Finn doing various activities around the apartment. We’d gotten through the end of the week, and I was at his place again. Even though I’d rather have stayed at my home, it was safer here. Harder to access. And Finn was with me.

The phone rang a few times, and then a female voice came on the line.

“Jenna?” I said.

There was a long pause before she answered. “Charlotte?”

“It’s me.” Emotion clogged my throat. “I know you weren’t expecting me to call, but if you have a minute I’d like to talk.”

“It’s been over a year.”

“I know,” I whispered. “I’m sorry. I wanted to call you, I really did.”

“Why didn’t you?” Her tone had softened some with the apology, but there was still fire in her voice.

“I…” I swallowed and closed my eyes. It was so hard opening up about this, but I had to. Not just to reconcile with my family, but for their safety. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“What do you mean?” I heard laughter in the background and Jenna said, “Hold on. Mom’s over and she’s watching some movie with Derek. Let me go to the other room.”

Mom
. And Jenna’s husband Derek. They were all together, miles and miles away from me.

Once it got quieter, I heard Jenna’s voice again. “Okay, sorry. What’s going on?”

“I left Mark. A while ago, actually.”

“You did? Why didn’t you say anything?”

The bedroom door opened. Finn peeked his head in.
Everything okay?
he mouthed. I nodded. He gave me a smile before disappearing again. I took a deep breath and told Jenna everything. She listened quietly except for a few noises of disapproval or disgust.

“He threatened to hurt you and Mom,” I told her. “I was afraid he would, so I kept my distance.”

Her voice turned hard. “I told Mom something was going on, but–Charlotte. He
hurt
you. Was it bad?”

“Yes.”

My hands started trembling even more. I answered her questions and warned her about being careful.

“I should come there,” Jenna said. “Or you could come here. Stay with me and Derek. We have lots of room.”

“I know. But I’m doing okay here.”

“Still. I want to see you.”

“I want to see you, too.”

Jenna hesitated before asking, “So you think Mark’s still…looking for you?”

“I’m worried he is. That’s why I want you to be careful. If you see him or anything strange, tell me. Promise you will.”

“Of course. I still think I should come there, though.”

“We’ll plan something soon, okay?”

“You should talk to Mom.”

Emotion closed my throat again. “Could you talk to her? I don’t know if I can go through it all again.”

“Sure…Are you going to call back?”

I nodded, wiping my eyes. “Tomorrow. And then I can talk to Mom, too.”

We said our goodbyes and I tried to compose myself before leaving the room. Finn was in the kitchen, pouring a glass of wine. He turned when he heard me.

“How’d it go?” he asked.

“Good. Really good.”

He walked over and brushed his lips on my cheek. “I’m glad. Powell said to let him know if you want him to call in someone there.” Finn poured another glass of wine and passed it to me. “But he thinks Mark’s more focused on what’s going on here to do anything there.”

“I hope so.”

Finn frowned.

“You know what I mean.” I sipped my wine. “I want everyone else safe.”

“I want
you
safe.”

“What about that guy John said might have been involved in this? Did Curtis say anything else?”

Finn leaned against the counter, relaxed in his home. He’d already changed into jeans and a T-shirt. Casual. I’d yet to change out of my work clothes, except for my heels.

“He’s having John monitor the computers, so if someone is doing anything outside their regular duties, he’ll know. But he’s narrowed it down to two employees who might have accessed the override code. If they do anything, we’ll know. And then we can ask him about Mark and if they’re working together.”

“But they’ll tell us before they do anything, right?” I asked, setting aside my glass to wring my hands. “Because if Mark really is working with someone, and then he finds out we know, he might–”

“I know,” Finn soothed, walking to me. “Powell knows what he’s doing–he won’t make a move if it means someone might get hurt.”

He placed my wine glass back in my hands, making me smile a little. I leaned up to kiss him. “Okay.”

“Good. Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s relax tonight.”

Feeling relieved about having my sister, and hopefully my mother, back in my life, I relaxed more than I had in the last week, and let Finn distract me.

Chapter Seventeen

Torque was one of the hip restaurants that just opened up in the Entertainment sector, and it was packed with people. It boomed with ambiance, dark corners, and cozy booths. Music pounded overhead, filling the room with a pulse. It felt more like a nightclub than a restaurant, but Finn reminded us that one of LA’s top chefs had joined the Torque team. His influence also scored us one of the best seats that accommodated our group. Tucker, Leslie, Paige, me and Finn. Leslie’s boyfriend also promised to stop by later.

And, somewhere in the background, Dustin was keeping an eye on things. But after a successful day shopping for our gala dresses and spending time with Leslie and Paige, I’d let down my guard some and decided to let myself enjoy tonight.

Finn squeezed his arm around my waist on the way to the booth. “I’m glad you invited me to come along tonight,” he said, lips touching my ear.

I smiled at him. “I wanted you to be here.”

“I’m glad it makes you feel safe.”

“No.” I shook my head. “It’s not that–or not just that. It’s…I’m trying, Finn. Like you wanted. To make this work. To believe that maybe we have another chance.”

He stopped feet from the table, and turned me to him. The rest of the group seated themselves, but Finn set his hands on my hips. His eyes were fathomless in the dim lighting, dark as midnight. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“I do. Because I know how much it would have meant to me to have you say those words when we were dating the first time.”

He swallowed, storm clouds passing over his gaze.

“Finn, no,” I said. I moved when someone tried to get by us. “I didn’t mean to bring that up, or to make you feel bad. I just wanted you to know that I was where you are. And I want you to know where I am now. That I’m…in this with you. As much as I can be.”

He crushed me to his chest, so tight I could barely breathe. “I know you are.
Thank
you
.”

I lifted my chin so I could kiss the underside of his jaw. Just like I used to. Finn shifted against me.

“Maybe we should skip dinner,” he murmured, lips brushing mine.

I grinned at him. “Patience.”

“No, sorry, I don’t have any.” He clasped my hand. “Let’s go back to my place. Your friends won’t miss us.”

“Finn,” I said, shaking my head. “No. We’re having dinner.”

He released a long-suffering sigh. “Yes, ma’am.”

My gaze swept the bar, stopping when I recognized someone. John’s eyes caught mine, and he smiled. I waved, pulling my hand from Finn’s. “It’s John. I’m going to say hi.”

He turned. “Wait, who?”

“John. The guy from security. The IT guy. Go sit, I’ll be over in a minute.”

He glanced behind him, and I saw him meet Dustin’s gaze before nodding. “Sure.”

I walked to John, noticing he’d brought a tablet with an attached keyboard. It sat on the bar with a glass of dark liquid.

“Hey,” I said, giving him a smile. “Checking out the new restaurant?”

He nodded and pointed to his tablet. “And making sure the cameras are all up and running.”

I looked around, trying to find them in the dark corners of the rooms. “I can’t see them.”

“They’re pretty small. Like the rest of the ones in the buildings. And most of them are strategically placed.”

“How so?”

He took a sip of his drink. “Behind mirrors or along the trim of windows. Places where people wouldn’t think to look or wouldn’t notice.”

A shiver of unease traveled through me.

John seemed to notice and offered a small smile. “It’s a good thing,” he said. “It means we can keep an eye on what’s going on–keep people safe. And it’s more aesthetically pleasing.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t convinced. I didn’t feel safe. I felt exposed. When I turned back to John, he was staring at me. I tried to give him a more encouraging smile. “Have you, uh…found out anything else about that person in Housing?”

“I’m keeping an eye on it. I see everything. I’m watching.”

I laughed. “Okay. Good.”

When I stood, he stood as well and nodded. “Have a good time tonight.”

“You, too.”

I left the bar and walked to the table. Finn scooted out so I could slide in next to Paige. Her smile was bright. She had her honey blonde hair twisted up into a sassy knot, and a dark ensemble that accented her curves. Tucker couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

“Everything okay?” Finn asked, his voice low in my ear.

My gaze traveled to the bar again, but John was gone. I scanned what I could see of the tables and the exits. He was nowhere to be seen.

“Charlotte?”

Laughter from the rest of the table brought me back to the present. “Yes. Everything is okay.”

Finn’s hand settled on my thigh. He rubbed his thumb back and forth, and I tried to focus on my friends. On the evening.

“I don’t know about you,” Leslie said, lifting a menu, “but I need appetizers.”

Paige nodded, leaning over to see the list. “Yes. Dress shopping is hard work.”

“You found something?” Finn asked. His thumb skimmed my thigh again.

I shivered, and he smiled. “Yes.”

“Can I see it?”

“Oh, no,” Paige said. “You have to wait. She looks amazing in it, but let it be a surprise.”

“Charlotte has already made it clear I’m not a patient person,” Finn said with a grin at me.

“This will help. Call it practice.”

He rolled his eyes at Tucker. “Women don’t understand. Guys work better with instant gratification.”

“Which is exactly why you shouldn’t get what you want right away,” Leslie said, smirking at Tucker. “You lose all motivation.”

Finn leaned and whispered in my ear, “I have plenty of motivation.”

I reached out and squeezed his thigh. He caught my hand and skimmed his fingertips over my knuckles.

“I know what I want,” Leslie said.

Finn settled a menu between us. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s decide.”

Over drinks and candlelight and music that kept up the energy, we ate two appetizers and several entrees that were as good as Finn claimed they would be. When Leslie’s boyfriend arrived and insisted we order dessert to keep the party going, I excused myself to go to the bathroom.

When Paige turned to me, I shook my head. “No, stay. I won’t be long.” I just needed a minute to myself. A breath.

Finn slid out of his seat, and held his hand out for me. The warmth and the strength in his fingers made my stomach flutter. There was a light in his blue eyes when he smiled at me, and that moment froze around me.

I was falling in love with Finn again. Not just the old feelings that had never left, but new ones for the man he’d become. For the life I could see myself having with him.

Now I
really
needed a minute to myself.

“You okay?” Finn asked.

I gripped his arm when I stood up, afraid I was going to wobble. I’d only had two glasses of wine, but the shoes Paige had made me wear were taller than what I was used to.

“I’m good.” I smiled at him. “Really. Just a minute.”

He looked over my shoulder, however, and when I glanced back, I spotted Dustin still lingering in the corner. Watching.

Dustin arrived at my elbow as I walked to the restroom at the back of the restaurant. The hallway was dim, pounding with music, and full of shadows. He waited patiently at the end of the hallway while I went inside the restroom.

It mirrored the rest of the place, with dark wooden stalls and a few plush ottomans off the side for sitting. The music was quieter, but still gave off a dance club vibe. I went to the bathroom and then stepped up to one of the sinks. I looked a little tired, but mostly just…alive. Like I was easing into my life here, and it was working for me.

Or was that Finn who was working for me? Despite how much I hated having him involved in the mess of my life, I didn’t know what I would have done on my own. Before coming here, I was keeping my distance from Mark, but I wasn’t living. At least now, I felt like I really might have a future.

When my phone rang in my purse, I frowned. Everyone who’d think to call me was outside in the restaurant. Pulling it out, I remembered my sister and mother. No, they were in my life now, too. And if it was one of them, I didn’t want to miss it.

Unknown caller.

My stomach jumped. I turned from the mirror as the phone continued to play music. My heart thudded in my chest. There wasn’t anyone else in here. No cameras. I was safe. Dustin was just outside the door.

The call ended. I touched up my lipstick. The phone started ringing again.

My fingers shook, poised over the answer button. I couldn’t be scared forever.

I pressed the button and said, “Hello?”

“Charlotte.”

My name was like a caress on his lips. I backed to the counter, gripping the ledge. “Mark?”

“I’ve missed you.”

Heart hammering, I walked to the door. As my hand closed on the handle, I heard his voice again. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

My hand froze and my eyes flashed to the ceilings, the dark corners of the room, and finally the mirrors. Hadn’t John said there were cameras behind the mirrors? But in the bathrooms, through? Could Mark see me right now somehow?

Oh my God, oh my God
.

“Charlotte,” Mark said again, his voice breathy and deep. “I only need a moment.”

“What do you want?” I whispered.

“A second chance.”

The same thing Finn said when I came back here. But Mark didn’t say it in the same way. Not an ounce of hope in his voice. More like possessiveness, like he already knew he’d get what he wanted.

I put steel into my voice, and curled my fingers around the door handle again. “Mark. You need to stop calling me. You need to leave me alone.”

“I don’t want to do this the hard way,” he warned. “Let’s talk. Let’s figure this out.”

“There’s nothing to figure out–”

“Charlotte,” he taunted. “You don’t want to do this hard way. Trust me. You don’t want someone to get hurt. Not that pretty blonde neighbor of yours. What if she had an accident? Fell down the stairs and broke her neck?”

My blood turned to ice. Images of Paige lying at the bottom of a staircase, her face pale, and neck twisted ran through my mind.

My voice shook. “Mark, you can’t…”

“And I won’t if you keep this between you and me. We need to talk. We need to work through things.”

I jumped back when someone pushed the door open and walked through. The woman gave me a curious glance, but didn’t say anything.

“Sorry, sorry,” I murmured, moving out of the way so I wouldn’t block the door again.

She vanished into a stall, and I clutched a hand at the blooming pain in my chest.

“I’ll be in touch,” Mark said on the other end.

Words clogged my throat. Would he see if I walked out to Dustin right now and told him what was going on? Or if I ran to Finn?

As if reading my mind, Mark said, “You keep this between you and I, and no one will have any unfortunate accidents.”

I pulled the door open with a shaky hand.

“And Charlotte?”

“What?” I whispered.

“You be very careful with that man of yours. He’s only after one thing–and that thing is
mine
.”

With a sob lodged in my lungs, I ended the call. Not paying attention, I almost bumped into Dustin.

“Ms. Evans?”

My gaze flashed to his, reading kindness and concern there.

“Are you okay?” he asked. He peered behind me to the bathroom.

“Yes,” I managed. When he didn’t seem convinced, I put more strength into my voice. “Yes, I’m fine. I ran into that woman in the bathroom and she wasn’t very happy about it.”

His eyes searched mine, but then lifted to scan the hallway again. I gave him a wobbly smile and started back to the table. My friends laughed loud enough I could hear them from tables away. I tried to force a look of calm. Tried to infuse life into my body again.

When I saw Paige, a wide smile on her face, my stomach twisted. I couldn’t risk letting her get hurt. And Finn. I couldn’t tell him anything. Mark would know somehow, wouldn’t he? The cameras were everywhere, and somehow he could see what was going on.

Finn slid out of the booth again when he saw me. When he reached for my hand, I evaded, worried Mark’s eyes were on me right now. To soften the blow, I cast him a quick smile and returned to my seat.

“You’ll eat cheesecake, won’t you, Charlotte?” Leslie asked.

“Sure,” I murmured, reaching for my wine. I downed the rest of the glass. “What else?”

“Chocolate cake, carrot cake,” Tucker said. He smiled. “They ordered one of everything on the menu.”