Zenith Rising (30 page)

“You’re not a failure and your life isn’t
crap,” she said quietly.

He glanced at her. “I didn’t say that.”

“It’s what you were thinking.”

He shrugged. “That’s not too far from the
truth. Not news to me.”

Using logic to argue was fruitless. It led
nowhere with him. His low self-opinions were nearly etched in
stone. Somehow, Erica would have to show him how to be different in
order to crack through his unfounded self-doubt.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” she asked
quietly.

“Whatever,” he shrugged as if he didn’t care
one way or another. But she saw the look in his eyes. He cared more
than he even wanted to admit to himself. He dared not hope for
simple joys like just being with her. Spencer’s life regularly
taught him if he wanted something really bad, he couldn’t get it.
And somehow, his longing for more than he had, eventually cursed
whatever he desired.

****

Erica looked up to find Preacher Don Ortiss
standing in her office. His expression was contrite, and he hung
his head almost in deference to her. She stood up, still startled,
behind her desk.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry. I slipped past your front desk.
They refused all my calls the last few days.”

“For good reason, Mr. Ortiss.” Erica picked
up her cell phone, texting Spencer instantly that Ortiss was in her
office.

“I know. I do. I deserve your wrath and
resentment. I was so wrong to do that pamphlet. I just thought it
would help you see—”

“I don’t need another dissertation on your
opinion of me, Mr. Ortiss. I’ve heard enough from you. No matter
what your reasons,” Erica said, her voice sharply
authoritative.

“I know. I’m sorry. Really, I am. Sorry that
you got attacked. It makes me sick just to think about it. But I
thought of something that I think you should know.”

“What could you possibly have to say to
me?”

Before Don could answer, the door burst open
and there stood Spencer. His expression was thunderous and dark as
his eyes fell on the preacher. He was breathing hard, after running
all the way to get to her office. He glanced at her briefly,
obviously checking to make sure she was okay. Before Erica could
speak, Spencer had crossed her office, and pushed Don Ortiss
against her desk; thus bending him, face first into her stack of
papers. Spencer held his arms roughly behind his back.

Erica gasped, at seeing how fast it happened,
and how furious Spencer became.

“Spencer! What are you doing?”

Spencer twisted his wrist and the preacher
whimpered. “What are you doing here? Why are you sneaking into her
office?” he demanded.

“I’m trying to tell her something,” the
frightened preacher said, his voice somewhat muffled from having
his lips pressed against her desk.

“Spencer, let him go.”

Spencer raised his eyes to hers with a glare.
“Didn’t he sneak in here?”

“Yes, but…”

“But nothing,” Spencer said angrily before he
let up. He pulled the preacher to standing, but kept his hands
twisted behind his back. “Quit being so nice,” Spencer said to
Erica as his eyes sparked with anger. “All it would have taken is
for him to slip in here with a knife or gun. In less than two
seconds, you could have been hurt or even killed.”

“I came to tell her who might be hurting
her.”

Erica and Spencer stopped arguing, as they
both stared at the preacher. “What?”

“I came here because I thought she should
know something.”

“Know what?”

“Please have your henchman kindly release me.
I prefer to finish my conversation with you under more civil
conditions.”

Erica’s lips tipped up. “He’s not my
henchman; he’s my boyfriend.”

Preacher’s eyes rounded in shock as he
glanced up at Spencer, who was looking at Erica, with his eyebrows
raised. He looked just as shocked about being called her boyfriend
as the preacher appeared. Erica bit her lip to keep from laughing.
“Spencer, please, let him go.”

Spencer obeyed her finally.

Preacher adjusted his suit jacket, and shook
out his shoulders, with a piercing glare at Spencer. Spencer stood
close with his arms crossed over his chest. He scowled down at the
man who tried to sully Erica’s reputation.

“As I tried to tell you, I thought I should
pass this item along to you, but your receptionist kept cutting me
off when I said my name.”

Erica smiled. “You’re not particularly
popular around here, Mr. Ortiss. You know, calling me a baby
butcher didn’t exactly ingratiate you to us.”

Preacher blushed. “I’m sorry for that. Still,
I felt you should know this.”

Erica nodded, and indicated for him to take a
seat. “Fine. Sit down and tell me.”

“Can he leave?” Preacher Don waved toward the
menacing, hulking Spencer. It thrilled Erica to see him as her
henchman, and all because of his feelings about her.

“No. But he can sit too,” Erica said, with a
significant look at Spencer. Finally, Spencer dropped his hands and
sat down.

Preacher swallowed a gulp, but hastily
started speaking. “About a year or so ago, we had a young lady join
our prayer group on Thursdays. She seemed quite broken and racked
with guilt. She was a mess, because she’d had an abortion. I, of
course, counseled her, while trying to convince her that if she
confessed her sins, God would forgive her. She only had to accept
the light of Jesus into her heart.”

Spencer let out an audible sigh. “Get on with
it, Preacher. We don’t believe you care that much about your
congregation, beyond, of course, what you get from them in
donations,” Spencer said rudely.

Preacher glared back at Spencer before
returning his attention to Erica as if Spencer had never spoken.
“So, as I was saying, I counseled her and we prayed together for
her soul. And in time, I got to know her fairly well. We became
close. She finally told me about you. She’s the one who gave me
your name, and knew all about you.”

“Who was it?”

“Tamira Tobison.”

Spencer reacted visibly and so did Erica.
“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“I didn’t realize that she worked for you
until recently. She came in, looking again for guidance, as I’m
sure you heard about her latest tragedy. Anyway, she mentioned you,
and I finally figured out she works for you. I thought she was long
over you. When she first started telling me about her problems, all
she could focus on was you. And how angry she was at you for
insisting she get the abortion.”

“I didn’t force her. I didn’t even try to
convince her to have it.”

“Well, whatever took place, I think it’s now
quite clear, she blamed you. That’s why she wanted me to try and
show you the light.”

Puzzle pieces started to line up in Erica’s
mind. “She directed you to me? She wanted you to save me?”

“Yes. And then I met you, and I thought I
could.”

Spencer bristled and opened his mouth to
speak, but Erica gave him a scathing look.

“And now?”

“Now I fear she’s punishing you in ways I
can’t condone. Prayer, consultation, enlightenment, those are the
methods we use. I don’t agree with any violence. Ever. I have no
proof of anything. It’s just a feeling, but I thought you should
have the information.”

Erica thought she should too. “Yes. Thank
you, Mr. Ortiss. It’s certainly a revelation.”

“I hope that explains the urgency and why I
nearly barged in here.”

“Yes. But you’ll have to understand how I
feel. What you did to me with that pamphlet isn’t something I’m
going to forget in this lifetime. So, you’re not welcome here
simply because I don’t trust you.”

Preacher nodded and his face fell as he
tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “I just
wanted…”

“I don’t want whatever you think you need to
show me. Now, please, you’ll have to excuse me. Thank you for the
information. If you have anything else to say, please call
first.”

Preacher left with his shoulders slumped in
shame. Erica watched him leave with her lips pressed tightly in
disapproval. Finally, the door shut and Erica went around her desk
to where Spencer still sat. Sitting down on his lap, before he
could guess what she intended, he jerked reflexively, in surprise.
Then he lifted his arms to fit around her waist. Erica leaned her
face onto his collarbone, relishing his arms around her, and
appreciating his strong, intimidating presence, and all for her.
She even liked his scary scowl, because it was also for her.

“What do you think of that?” Erica finally
asked.

“I think you’d better pass it along to the
police, and have them interrogate both the preacher and Tamira. I
think it’s all too much of a coincidence.”

“I can’t believe Tamira would intend to harm
me physically. Besides, I know that was not a woman who hit me in
the stairwell. And certainly could not have been as small as she
is.”

“She might not have done it; but she might
know who did.”

“Can you really believe her?”

Spencer sighed. “Doc, she’s definitely crazy.
I’m sorry to sound insensitive, but she’s certifiably crazy,
delusional, and paranoid. She has a sick attachment to you, and
maybe a perverse hatred that you have everything and are everything
that she lacks.”

“She hasn’t been to work since the
pregnancy.
I doubt, somehow, she’ll be back. She’s confused
and hurt. Maybe I’m an easy target for her. I still can’t believe
she’d intentionally try to hurt me.”

Spencer was quiet. Then he said, “But you
took me away from her. And for whatever insane reason, she insisted
on believing I wanted her. Even though I didn’t. Never did. That
couldn’t have gone down too easily for her. The one person she
needed the most was you, and you stole the one guy she really
thought she loved.”

“But we weren’t together then.”

“She’s not stupid; she saw it between
us.”

“How could she? I didn’t?”

“I guess she saw it in me then.”

Erica stilled in his arms and shifted to look
up into his eyes. “What, Spencer? What did she see in you?”

He smiled down at her. “That I had the hots
for you.”

Erica nearly screeched with frustration. Why
couldn’t he say more? She got up, suddenly feeling testy and
annoyed. “I have to get back to work.”

Spencer grabbed her hand. “Okay, okay, Tamira
saw I had more than the hots for you and it bothered her a
lot.”

She raised her brows at him. “And it bothers
you a lot.”

“Yeah, Doc and it bothers me a lot.”

“Why? Why does liking me bother you?”

He tapped a finger on the chair’s armrest.
“Because it’s so new for me.”

She grumbled. “Well, get over it. It’s good.
We are good together. Why can’t you just realize that?”

“Why don’t you realize how easily someone
could hurt you again? And knowing that someone wants to?”

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting with the
preacher’s gossip?”

“No. I don’t. You’re the one who doesn’t
react enough to stay safe. You trust everyone, anyone, even now.
Even after being viciously attacked here at work! What don’t you
get about this situation?”

“I called you, didn’t I?”

He smiled. “Yeah. You did. That’s a
start.”

She stared, still annoyed. “I have to work
tonight.”

“And…”

She let out a long, frustrated breath. “And
so I can’t come over or vice versa.”

“I didn’t know we had plans.”

She slammed down a pile of papers. “You’re
such a clueless jackass sometimes.”

He threw his hands up in surrender and
smiled, which infuriated her more. “I’m probably guilty of that.
And worse.”

“That doesn’t forgive it,” she said, grabbing
her stethoscope, intent on passing him without another word, look,
or touch. He stepped in front of her.

“Be careful. Have someone walk you to and
from the parking lot, or the hospital if I’m not around. I mean
it.”

“Why is my safety the only thing that gets
you all up in arms about me?”

He reached out, putting his hand behind her
head, and pulled her forward. His mouth came over her lips. “Just
promise me.”

She sighed and closed her eyes. His presence
literally took her breath away. “Fine. I promise.”

“And you’ll call the police about the
preacher’s inside information?”

“I will.” She stepped around him and grabbed
the door handle, glancing over her shoulder. “Hey, Spencer? Maybe
you should put as much thought into being my boyfriend as you do in
being my body guard.”

****

It wasn’t until four in the morning when
Erica finally finished her shift at the hospital. She was
exhausted. Her mind kept drifting to what the preacher said. She
kept pondering how Tamira became involved in the situation and the
weird dolls. Why someone would physically assault her. And of
course, Spencer. Although lately, he was first and foremost on her
mind.

Quickly crossing the parking garage, she
broke her word to Spencer, and got inside her car with no problems.
She refused to be as paranoid, or distrustful as Spencer was.
Careful she could be, but not paranoid.

It was dark outside still. She was wired, but
also tired and hungry. She didn’t want to go home into her dark,
lifeless condo. She wanted to go home to someone. That’s what she
wanted more than anything. She wanted to go home to Spencer
Mattox.

The realization startled her, then possessed
her, and finally, thrilled her. Heading across town, in the
opposite direction from her condo, she drove to Spencer’s
house.

The house was dark. She entered the garage
code and the electric opener lifted the door. She hoped the loud
rumbling wouldn’t wake Rob or Spencer. She just wanted to go inside
and crawl into bed with Spencer. Not to be alone.

The house was silent and shadowy, and no one
seemed to stir at her entrance. She crept as quietly as she could
towards Spencer room, slipping her shoes off to keep her heels from
clicking on the hardwood floors. She opened his door, still
receiving no response. She slipped in and found him sound asleep,
as silent in sleep as he was awake, she realized. On his back, the
covers twisted around his waist, as he breathed steadily. Her heart
swelled with happiness at the mere sight of him. She slipped off
her slacks, leaving on just her tank top, and climbed into bed. She
wanted only to sleep, she was so worn out. Finally, starting to
relax, she scooted closer to absorb some of Spencer’s radiant
warmth. Just as her skin made contact, she was suddenly
attacked.