Shelter for Adeline (23 page)

“Chief, give me the phone,” Adeline demanded again, taking a step closer to him.

He looked her in the eyes, but continued talking to Dean. “Of course. I’ll stick with her until you get here.”

Adeline rolled her eyes and shook her head. She stepped right up to Chief and grabbed the phone. She knew the only reason he let her pull it away from him was because he was done talking to Dean, but she didn’t care. She was pissed.

Turning her back on Chief and putting the phone to her ear, she didn’t wait for Dean to say anything, but spat, “I’m fine. I’m a fucking adult and can take care of myself. I don’t need you or your
brother
to babysit me.”

“That asshole doesn’t get to fuck with you when you’re five hours away from me and don’t have me at your back.” Dean sounded just as pissed off as she was.

“No, he doesn’t get to fuck with me any time. Not just when I’m here and you’re there. You don’t have anything to do with this, Dean. This is my work. My job. You can’t be all protectorly and shit when it comes to what I do for a living. Do you see me storming into the fire station and the fire chief’s office demanding that you work less hours because I’m worried you’ll get hurt? No. I trust you to do your thing and you need to trust me to do mine.”

“It’s not the same, beautiful,” he bit out.

“The hell it’s not,” Adeline retorted. “It’s exactly the same.”

“You had a grand mal, Adeline,” Dean said, his tone slightly less acidic.

“Yeah, I did. And you know what? I’ve had them long before you were in my life, and I’m still here walking and talking. I admit, I feel like shit. But I’m so used to it, it doesn’t even make a blip anymore. I do what I have to do because it’s
what I have to do
. People are out there living and working with more pain and feeling worse than I do.”

“You don’t need to deal with his shit on top of that,” Dean tried again, his voice less pissed off and more tender, but Adeline didn’t even notice.

She was on a roll. She was pissed. At the situation. At her continued seizures. Upset that she was in Dallas instead of at home. Angry at Douglas. Pissed at Chief for calling Dean and blabbing about all the shit she was angry at.

“I do need to deal with this shit because it’s my
life
,” she screeched. “If
you
can’t deal with it, fine. But do
not
decide what I can and can’t do.”

“Chief is staying.”

“
God
,” Adeline huffed angrily. “You know what? I don’t care. He can make a pallet and sleep on the floor and feel like he’s protecting me. But don’t bother coming up here to Dallas, Dean. I’ll deal with this like I have every other time in my life—by myself. I don’t need you fighting my battles for me and I don’t need you getting me fired.” Her voice lowered and she said, “I
need
this job, at least until I officially get another. I like what I do. Don’t fuck this up for me.”

“Go to bed, beautiful. We’ll talk later,” Dean said, his voice flat and emotionless now.

“Whatever. I mean it, Dean. Don’t come up here tomorrow. I’ll be furious if you do. We can talk when I get home. I’ll be less upset then.”

He didn’t respond and Adeline shook her head in defeat. She didn’t even bother saying goodbye, merely took the phone away from her ear and clicked it off. She threw the phone on the nearby table and looked at Chief.

“Thank you for driving me up here but you’d better be gone when I get up in the morning. I mean it. You were out of line for calling Dean when you knew full well I didn’t want him knowing anything about this shit.”

Without waiting for him to respond, Adeline stomped to the bedroom and slammed the door. Putting her back against it, she slid down until her butt hit the floor. She curled her arms around her legs, put her head on her knees and cried.

* * *

D
amn
!

You were so close!

If that asshole wasn’t here, she would’ve been yours.

His fists clenched and he paced the small sitting area in his hotel room. Back and forth he went. Five steps in one direction, then a quick turn and five steps back the way he came. Over and over he paced, thinking through what he knew about her and how he could get to her.

She didn’t want to eat with you, so she’ll pay for that.

She won’t smile at you anymore? She’ll pay for that.

She thinks her boyfriends are better than you? She’ll pay for that.

Fucking cunt will pay.

But not before you get what you wanted all along.

You deserve it. You were so nice to her.

You would’ve worshiped her.

But now she’ll deal with the consequences for not seeing how perfect you were for her.

An evil smile spread over his face as he imagined her look of terror when she realized her fate. Nothing would stop him now. Nothing.

T
he next morning
when Adeline’s alarm went off, she lay in bed for a long moment. Her face felt swollen and puffy from all the crying she’d done and she knew her eyes would be red as well. She listened, but didn’t hear any movement from the other room.

The conference sessions started at eight-thirty and she needed to get up and start getting ready, but took another moment to think about the night before. She’d said some mean things to Chief, and was ashamed of herself. Even though she was upset, her words weren’t cool. At all. She’d apologize to him straight off.

Thinking about it, she was very grateful Chief been there last night when she’d met Douglas for dinner. If he hadn’t been, she most likely would’ve gone ahead and dined with him even though she didn’t want to. Confrontation wasn’t really her thing, last night with Dean notwithstanding, and in order to make her life easier, she would’ve just agreed and had dinner with Douglas. He’d been asking her out for ages and she probably should’ve seen through his ploy. She probably needed to thank Chief for that too.

But she also needed him to know how fucked up it was for him to go behind her back and call Dean and blab about it. Even though she would’ve told Dean what happened, she’d felt like crap last night and the stress of dealing with her boss and that uncomfortable situation, paired with the fact she was starving because she never did get to eat dinner, and the fact she’d had a grand mal seizure for the first time in a long while, made her want to just take a few hours and process everything…and relax.

So much for that.

Being treated like she was eight-years-old had brought back too many memories of the way her family had treated her when she’d been growing up. Fragile. Like she was a ticking time bomb that could go off any second.

Chief had taken the independence she’d clawed and fought for out of her hands, and it had hurt. She didn’t need her hand held or to be tattled on to her boyfriend. No matter how helpless Dean or Chief thought she was.

But when she thought of how she’d spoken to Dean, she knew she probably needed to apologize to him too. She knew he was protective. It wasn’t a surprise. In fact, it was just one of the things she loved about him. She also knew how much he really didn’t like her boss. So hearing from Chief that the man had tried to trick her into going on a date with him definitely hadn’t sat well with Dean.

If the shoe had been on the other foot, and Dean had a chick constantly asking him out and then trying to trick him into going to dinner with her, Adeline knew she’d be just as upset.

She sighed. She’d screwed up and would definitely be apologizing to Dean. She wasn’t sorry for telling him how she felt, she was sorry for
how
she’d done it. As much as she liked his protective and bossy side, he needed to know that he’d made her feel stupid and helpless last night. He needed to check that in the future.

Petting Coco’s head once, Adeline threw her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. She swayed dizzily for a moment before getting her bearings. She really needed to eat something. She stood up and made her way to the door of the bedroom and opened it.

Peering into the sitting room, Adeline looked around, surprised Chief had actually listened to her. He wasn’t there. In fact, there was no sign he’d
ever
been there. No sheets or blankets folded up after being used, no trash lying on the tables, no used cups…nothing.

There
was,
however, a note propped up next to the little sink.

I
put
a water in the fridge last night, so it would be cold by morning. I also ordered room service for you, figuring you’d be hungry since you skipped dinner. It’ll be here around seven-thirty.

A
nd that was it
. Well, shit. Chief had apparently stayed the night, and it was extremely thoughtful of him to get a water chilled for her
and
to order breakfast. Of course, he’d probably done it so she wouldn’t have to go downstairs and talk to Douglas, but at the moment it didn’t matter. She was starving and the mere thought of food made her stomach growl. Adeline didn’t know where Chief was or if he’d be back to eat with her, but figured either way, he’d do what he wanted to do regardless of her feelings about it.

Unfortunately, as much as she might want to hide out in her room until she absolutely had to go to the first meeting of the conference and possibly run into Douglas, she needed to go downstairs anyway. Coco had to do his business. Adeline was already wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt, so she threw a sweatshirt over her shirt, slipped her feet into flip flops, and picked up Coco’s leash.

She didn’t bother with his harness, but did strap on his vest. The last thing she wanted was someone questioning why she had a dog in the hotel when the property didn’t allow pets. She definitely didn’t need that hassle this morning on top of everything else she knew she had to deal with.

The hallway was deserted and the elevator was empty when it finally arrived on her floor. Grateful for not having to be courteous to anyone this early in the morning, and knowing she probably should’ve at least run a brush through her hair so she didn’t look like a crazy escaped mental patient, Adeline walked swiftly away from the lobby and the front doors to a side door.

The service dog relief area was located away from the high traffic area of the front of the hotel. There was a small but functional grassy area especially for animals to use. The hotel had supplied a small trash can with a stand that held plastic baggies. As a responsible pet owner, she had some bags in Coco’s vest already, but it was nice to have a hotel smart enough to provide some for those people who might not be as prepared as she was.

Thankfully, Coco did his thing relatively quickly, as usual, and they were on their way back upstairs within minutes. Adeline kept her head down and didn’t look around as she made her way back to the elevator bank.

Glancing at her watch, she saw she had just enough time to get back up to her room and take a shower before the room service should arrive. Perfect. She had no idea what Chief had ordered for her, but at this point it didn’t matter. She was so hungry; she’d eat whatever was delivered.

The arrow above one of the elevators lit up as a bell rang, and Adeline stepped inside and pushed the button for her floor. Just as the doors were shutting, a hand reached between the doors, stopping them from closing, and they reopened.

Douglas.

The absolute last person she wanted to see this morning.

Especially when she wasn’t wearing her work clothes or any makeup.

He stepped inside the small space, crossed his arms over his chest, and glared at Adeline. His back was to the doors and he stood with his feet shoulder width apart. He looked rough. He hadn’t shaved and the stubble on his face, along with the frown and the ice shooting from his eyes, made him actually look a bit scary.

She’d been nervous around her boss in the past, and had thought he was acting extremely weird, but she honestly hadn’t ever been frightened of him…until right that moment.

Adeline backed up until she hit the wall of the elevator and stared at her boss. Coco growled low in his throat and she risked a glance down at her dog. The hair on his back was standing straight up, and she’d never once seen him act as aggressively as he was right then. Coco wasn’t a guard dog; he was a floppy, happy-go-lucky Lab. The most he’d do to someone was lick them to death. But Coco was definitely not happy with Douglas. Not that she could blame her dog; she wasn’t either.

“Good morning, Douglas,” Adeline said nervously, trying to break the tension.

“Is it, Adeline? Is it really?”

She swallowed hard and tried again. “I’m sorry about last night. I wasn’t feeling well and my friend can get too protective.”

He brought his hands up and put air quotes around his words. “Your ‘friend,’”—he dropped his hands—“is a prick. This isn’t a vacation, Adeline. Bringing him up here and trying to pass him off as merely a friend isn’t professional. You’re here to work, not fuck on the company’s dime.”

Adeline’s eyes widened in shock. “Douglas, Chief is
not
my boyfriend. Honestly, he’s just a friend.”

A bell rang, announcing that they’d reached her floor. Douglas took a step out and put his back to the elevator doors and held out his arm, inviting her to precede him out of the small space.

Swallowing hard, Adeline shuffled forward, keeping Coco on her left side, away from Douglas. He followed her out of the small space and the elevator doors closed behind them. Walking swiftly, wanting nothing more than to get to her room and away from Douglas, Adeline headed down the hall. She had her key in her hand, ready to put it into the slot as soon as she arrived at her door.

“Seriously, Douglas. Chief is just a friend. Yes, I do have a boyfriend, but he’s not here. I admit that he was going to come up and spend a few nights here with me, but something came up last night and he’s not anymore. I didn’t realize it was frowned upon, but I would never take advantage of company funds that way. So you don’t have anything to worry about.” She wanted to tell Douglas how offended she was that he assumed she would shirk her work duties and eschew the conference to spend time with Dean, but she decided he was way too angry to listen to her at the moment.

She stopped in front of her door and nervously turned to face her boss. The man hadn’t said anything as they’d made their way down the hall. “I need to get ready for the first sessions of the day. I’ll talk to you later…okay?”

“No, not okay. We’re going to talk now,” Douglas stated in a flat, even voice. He grabbed the key from Adeline’s hand and pushed it into the lock.

“What are you—”

He didn’t let her finish her thought. He put his hand on her throat and manhandled her through the now open door into the small sitting area of her hotel suite.

The door slammed behind them, but Adeline barely heard it. Both hands came up to Douglas’s hand at her throat and tried unsuccessfully to pry it off.

She heard her breaths wheezing as Douglas continued to back her into the room. Looking up at the twisted scowl on his face, Adeline realized for the first time that she was in big trouble.

She should’ve paid more attention to all those times when she’d felt uneasy around her boss. Should’ve taken Dean’s advice and reported him. Should never have gotten into the elevator with him.

She hadn’t thought for one second that Douglas would force his way into her room. She thought he’d bluster and bitch at her, then leave her to get ready.

Coco, sensing the danger his mistress was in, began to bark. Deep, menacing barks.

“Shut him up—or I’ll do it,” Douglas bit out, a knife appearing in his free hand as if by magic. He eased the pressure off her throat, but didn’t let go.

Adeline’s head spun, both with lack of oxygen and the realization that she’d ignored the warning signs of Douglas being unstable all along. He probably
had
followed her home. He had been lying in wait for her when she left her office. She’d been an idiot, and was paying the price for not wanting to rock the boat before she quit.

“Coco. Quiet,” Adeline ordered immediately in a raspy voice, not wanting anything to happen to her dog. He wasn’t just her service animal; he was her best friend.

Luckily the well-trained dog stopped barking, but he growled low in his throat, following along behind Adeline and Douglas.

“Put him in the bathroom and tell him he better stay quiet. I’m not kidding. I’ll gut him if he barks.”

Adeline believed him. The man standing in front of her squeezing her throat, was nothing like the man she’d gotten to know over the last few months. She’d never really liked Douglas, but truly hadn’t believed he’d ever lose it like he had.

She nodded slightly, her movement restricted by his grip, and pointed into the small bathroom. “Coco, enter. Stay. Quiet.”

The dog wasn’t happy, but did as Adeline ordered, still growling.

Douglas shut the bathroom door with a click and pushed Adeline into the bedroom, closing that door behind him as well.

Adeline’s eyes were wide with fright and she held onto Douglas’s arm to help keep her balance as he continued to shove her backward. This wasn’t good. This so wasn’t good. She tried to think fast. What could she say to defuse this situation before it got worse?

“D-Douglas,” Adeline stammered, not sure what was about to come out of her mouth, but she didn’t have to worry. Her boss didn’t give her a chance to say anything more.

The back of her knees hit the bed and she sat down hard, Douglas following her, pushing her until she lay on her back on the mussed bedding, her boss hovering over her, his fingers still wrapped around her throat.

“You
knew
I had my eye on you, Adeline. For months I courted you. I went slow because you seemed to be shy. I didn’t want to push too hard. You’re so beautiful, with your jet-black hair and big innocent eyes. Knowing you had some sort of mysterious handicap made you all the more fragile. I wanted to protect you. To wrap you up in my arms and keep you safe. When you gave me those wonderful ideas to share with James Wolfe, I thought you were giving me a sign. That you wanted me too.

“I thought you were just being coy. That you wanted me to chase you. So I did. Time after time I asked you out, and thought it cute when you kept refusing. I was enjoying the chase. But then you changed. You started to get a mean look in your eye. I knew something had happened. Something awful. I was worried about you, but you weren’t talking to me.”

Adeline looked up at her boss in horror. He thought she was being coy? The hand at her throat tightened and she dug her fingernails into his fingers, trying to pry them loose. She wheezed in a breath, then another. She started seeing spots in front of her eyes as he continued to squeeze off her air supply.

“I followed you home one night,” Douglas continued, his eyes boring into hers, hate flashing in the brown depths. “I watched you through your window as you talked to someone on the phone for over an hour. I saw how you laughed, smiled, and flirted with whoever was on the other end of the line. I knew it was another man. You hurt me, Adeline. You cheated on me!”