Remember Me: Oakville Series:Book Two (27 page)

When there’s nothing left in my stomach, I rinse my mouth out. Throwing on a pair of gym shorts from the closet, I go back into the bedroom to get some answers. Something still isn’t sitting well with me. There’s no way I got so drunk I don’t remember anything. When I get in the bedroom, I feel sick all over again. Leena is sitting up in the bed uncovered and smiling seductively at me. There is nothing about this woman that attracts me.

“Coming back for round three? I always knew you’d be amazing in bed, but you’re even better than I imagined,” she announces. Bile rises once more, threatening to send me back to the bathroom.

“There’s no way in hell I slept with you once, let alone twice, and there definitely won’t be a third!” I yell as I gather my clothes.

“Well, maybe you did...maybe you didn’t, but good luck trying to convince Amber of the latter. She wanted me to tell you to get your things from her house before she gets back from her trip.” I knew it. I didn’t touch her, but if Amber was here and saw this, she’s not going to believe that.

“Where’s Amber going?” I snarl. This bitch is lucky I don’t knock her into next week. I’ll let Holly have the honors. She’s been itching to get her hands on Leena again anyway.

“I have no idea. I didn’t bother to ask. I do know that Jax is going with her, though. I’m sure he’ll take good care of her.” She chuckles as she gets herself dressed. With my clothes in hand, I go to the bathroom and quickly get myself dressed. How do I prove to Amber that I didn’t do what she thinks I did? Between the way I’ve been acting and the scene she witnessed here, the only thing more convincing would be catching us in the act.

Once I know Leena is gone, I go downstairs. I see the wineglass covered in lipstick next to a half empty whiskey glass sitting on the bar. Suddenly, it hits me. That bitch drugged me. Thinking quickly, I find my phone on the bar and call Beasley. As calmly as I can, I explain all that I can remember and everything that has happened since I woke up, hoping he can run a test on the cup. After a few choice words, he says, “Stay put, son. I’m coming to get you.”

“Okay. But what if I can’t make her believe me? I love her, Beasley. I can’t lose her again.” He takes a long breath. I know he’s just as worried as I am.

“Kyle, have you checked the security video? If she drugged you, she needed help getting you upstairs. You have cameras all over the place, they should prove that what you say is true.”

“I’ll check them now.” I hang up the phone and run back to my office. I must still be drugged, I totally forgot about the videos. Once the computer is fired up, I open the recordings from today. Son of a bitch! I shouldn’t be as shocked as I am. There’s Leena, plain as day, dumping something into my glass when my back is turned, pouring her wine. When I pass out, she yells toward the kitchen and out comes Jax. He leans downs and kisses Leena with way too much tongue for them to be cousins. Once he finishes, he picks me up, throws me over his shoulder, and carries me out of the main bar. I click on the file for the camera in the stairway leading up to the apartment. There he is, carrying me up the stairs, and there’s no doubt I’m out cold. Leena picks the lock to the apartment and they go inside. This is all the proof I need. I copy the files to a disk so I can show it to Amber.

Beasley gets there and I fill him in on the videos. His officers take the glass for testing and then we head to my house.
What if I’m too late?
This feels like six years ago all over again. When we pull up to the house, I breathe a sigh of relief. Her car is here and the light is on in the kitchen.

“Do you want me to wait here?” Beasley asks.

“No. I think you better come with me.”

I unlock the front door. As soon as I walk through it, I know she’s gone. Something catches my eye on the counter in the kitchen. I see three envelopes, one clearly marked for me. My hands shake as I open the envelope, terrified as to what I’ll find inside.

Dear Kyle,

It’s sad that we are in this place once again. This time, however, is different. I stuck around long enough to confront the situation and confirm that what I was seeing was real. I would have given you a chance to speak but as Leena put it, she wore you completely out. You wouldn’t wake up, so she kindly filled me in. I know it looks like I’m running away, but I’m not. I need time to sort through all that’s happened. Not only have I lost my babies, but now I’ve lost the love of my life. I trusted you, Kyle. I never thought you would hurt me like this, especially with the likes of Leena. Maybe you weren’t ready for a family or maybe it was you’re way of punishing me for losing our babies. Either way, you’re free of me. I can’t forgive this. As much as I want to, I just can’t. So, please get your things together and move out before I get back. I’ll be gone for at least two weeks. Don’t try to find me because it won’t do any good. You destroyed my heart in a way it won’t ever be able to be fixed.

I will always love you.

Love,

Amber

I fall to my knees, my heart shattering. Broken is the only word that can describe how she sounds. She really thinks I’ve done this and she’s gone god knows where with Jax. I have to find her and prove to her I didn’t let her down. I have to do it before it’s too late.

I
CAN’T
get the image of Kyle and Leena out of my head. It makes me want to vomit. However, there is a little satisfaction when the image of her face bouncing off the wall enters my mind. For a few seconds, the sadness that fills me is gone. I need to put that image on a constant loop in my head. Holly would be proud of me if she knew I didn’t just lay down and take Leena’s shit. Just like that, the sadness is back. All it takes is the thought of Holly and the rest of my friends. I miss them already. This situation is going to affect all of them. They are all already pissed at Kyle and this is going to push them over the edge. I need to call Angel and let him know I’m okay. He’s been so protective of me recently, he’ll worry the most. I reach into my purse for my phone and turn it on. Kyle and Beasley were calling it so often I had to shut it off.

“Who are you calling?” Jax questions.

“Angel. I don’t want him to worry.”

“I thought you weren’t going to call anyone? You won’t tell him where you are, will you?” he asks, sounding a little desperate. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as an uneasy feeling washes over me. What’s up with him all of a sudden? He’s throwing off that vibe that makes me think he’s up to something, but what the hell do I know? I thought Kyle loved me and would never cheat on me. I was wrong about that, so I could be wrong about this too.

“I’m not telling anyone where I’m going, but I want Angel to know I’m okay. He worries about me and this will freak him out.”

“If you don’t want Kyle finding you then I would keep that phone shut off. Beasley can use his connections and find you by your phone.” He’s right and I’m not ready to face anyone. I need some time to grieve the loss of my babies and now the loss of my marriage. I turn the phone back off and put it in my purse again. “Besides, you said you left them all notes explaining everything, so why would they be worried? You’re an adult, not a child.” Where’s that coming from? They don’t treat me like a child. They worry because they care. Too tired to argue with him right now, I lay my head back and close my eyes. Maybe I can sleep a little before we get there.

“Amber...wake up. We’re here,” Jax whispers as he gently shakes me. Reluctantly, I open my eyes. I was hoping this whole day was nothing more than a terrible nightmare. When I see where I am and who I’m with, I realize the nightmare is my reality. I wish I could just sleep until all of the pain goes away.

Jax hands me a cup of coffee — I must have really been out if I didn’t even wake up when he stopped for coffee — and we both get out of the car. It feels good to stretch after the long drive. Jax explains that we will be meeting the caretaker here at the docks. He’s going to take us to the island by boat and drop us off. I walk closer to the water and lean against the wooden rail. It’s only eight in the morning, but already very hot. There’s a slight breeze coming off the ocean. What a view. The sun is shining brightly against the clear blue water, making it look like there are thousands of diamonds sparkling on top. At least I chose a beautiful place to get my shit together.

“I’m going to bring our bags down to the boat,” Jax informs me.

“Okay, I’ll run into the store and grab a few groceries.” He gives me an odd look before pulling out his wallet and handing me a few hundred-dollar bills. “I have money, but thanks anyway.”

“Do you have cash? You don’t want them to trace your credit cards, do you?” What is it with him? Once I call and tell Beasley I’m okay, he’ll understand and won’t be tracking me down. “I just want to make sure you have the time that you need to clear your head before Kyle comes begging for forgiveness.” I don’t think Kyle is stupid enough to come within ten feet of me right now. I take the money just to make him happy.

I buy enough food and essentials to last us two weeks. I’m not planning on staying much longer than that. I use Jax’s cash to pay so he doesn’t freak out on me. I’m starting to wish I came by myself. The bag boys offer to take all of the bags down to the boat for me and I tip them generously. As I’m following them out, I spot a cute purple sundress hanging in a shop window.

“Do you guys mind going ahead? I need to stop in here.”

“Take your time, we’ve got this,” the young boy says with a smile.

I go into the shop and head right to the dress that caught my eye. I find my size and bring it up to the register. I hand the woman my credit card. What Jax doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Nobody is going to be tracking me down and really, so what if they do? If Kyle really does have the balls to come find me right now, I’ll just tell him to leave. Simple as that. I’m not running away like I did before. I think they’ll respect the fact that I asked for some time to clear my head. Once I leave the shop, I look in my purse for my phone. I really do need to call Beasley. I don’t want him or anyone else to worry. I can’t seem to find it. Not that I’m really surprised, this purse is like a black hole. I’ll look later when I can dump it out.

The boat ride out to the island only takes about ten minutes. It’s breathtaking. There are white sandy beaches all the way around. Jax was right, the house and cottage are totally hidden by trees and bushes. There’s a long, wooden dock with a gazebo that sits at the end. I bet that’s a beautiful place to relax and watch the sunset. Once the boat is docked, Jax helps me off. The caretaker loads our grocery bags and luggage into a wagon. He leads us along a cement pathway through the tropical foliage. This place is beautiful. It makes me miss Kyle even more. This is the type of place I would’ve loved to have been with him.