Running from...: A Blackrock Wolf Pack Novel, page 16
The curtain on the window next to the door was moved slightly and I saw Harley peeking out. “Hello?”
“Hi, Harley,” I called through the window, trying to smile through my nerves. “Is your dad home?”
Harley nodded briefly and scampered down from whatever he had been climbing on. Moments later, I heard him calling out, “Daddy! Someone at the door!”
Glancing back at Crow, I saw that he hadn’t moved a muscle, but was constantly scanning the surrounding area. It made me even more nervous to realize that they obviously thought Rob was always out there watching me and that I needed someone with me. But, as the door opened, I had to shelf that thought.
“Ellis?” Damon’s expression was surprised and thankfully void of any of his usual smarminess.
“I came to talk to you. I came to apologize.”
“You had better come in, then,” he muttered and stood back to allow me to walk by him.
I was pleasantly surprised by the house. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was expecting, probably calendars of half-naked women or something, but this was a family house through and through.
The pictures on the wall were impersonal but decorative, the living room had a large chocolate brown sectional sofa and the TV was mounted on the wall, playing a children’s cartoon. Toys were scattered on the floor and it looked like they were in the middle of building an intricate tower of bricks.
Harley stood by the tower of bricks, clearly unsure of how to feel about a strange woman in his house. I crouched down next to him and said, “Have you made this? It’s amazing.”
He nodded and smiled shyly. “Daddy helped me.”
“Well, you’ve both done a fantastic job.”
The scent of the wolf was strong in the house and I had to wonder how the little boy was doing. It had been so long since I had been around a pup.
Damon cleared his throat behind me and walked over to Harley. “We’ve been trying to keep his mind off his tummy ache, haven’t we, squirt?” and he gently ruffled his son’s hair. Looking at Damon now, I could see the stress on his face and how desperately tired he looked.
Now that I looked at Harley properly, I could see that he looked a little green around the gills. Poor kid. “I’m pleased that you’re feeling a bit better. Does your tummy still hurt?” I asked when he started doing a little dance on the spot.
“Why don’t you go to the toilet and I’ll come in and check on you in a minute?” Damon said and the little boy raced off, leaving us in his dust.
“He’s not feeling great, is he?”
Damon shook his head. “It started in the middle of the night. I couldn’t send him to school like that.”
I held up my hands. “I agree. I wouldn’t have sent him, either. I’m not here to judge you.”
“So, why are you here?”
He motioned for me to take a seat on the sofa. “I wanted to apologize.”
“What for?”
This could be a bit awkward to explain. “I know Deacon came to see you, and Connie has been giving you a hard time.”
“I told Deacon I didn’t do it!” He stood up abruptly and looked ready to kick me out of the house.
“I know you didn’t. That’s why I’m here to say sorry. They shouldn’t have pointed the finger at you. It wasn’t fair or right.”
“So, you know who did that to your car?” He seemed to calm down a bit and took a seat at the opposite end of the sofa.
“I do. Or at least I have a fair idea, but the main thing is I know it wasn’t you.” I closed my eyes for a moment and ran a hand through my hair. “But I had to come around and tell you I’m sorry if it caused any problems for you. I’m sorry it got so out of hand.”
“I understand. I really do.” He cleared his throat again. “I liked you and I went about it the wrong way, no wonder you thought I was some kind of crazy stalker.”
“I didn’t think that.”
Damon laughed. “You did. I’ve spoken to Ronnie. She told me what’s been going on.”
I groaned and shook my head. “Look, I don’t know what else to say. I’m so sorry if it caused you problems.”
“Don’t worry, it didn’t. I’ve had other things on my mind lately. Deacon just caught me at a difficult time.” He glanced over to the open door, to the corridor that leads to the bathroom. “Look, I don’t want to be rude, but I need to see to Harley. Can we do this another time?”
I stood up, not wanting to keep him from his poorly son. “That’s okay. I’ve said what I need to say. I hope you understand.”
“Completely. Don’t fret about it. It was a misunderstanding.”
“Thank you, Damon.”
He walked out to the hallway, “I’ll see you out, and then I’ve got to get back to Harley.”
“I hope he’s feeling better soon. Is there anything you need?” After the stress I had caused him, I was willing to make amends.
“No, thank you. Ronnie said she would call round later with some soup. He can’t seem to keep anything solid down, poor kid.”
Ronnie was calling round with soup. Huh. I didn’t realize she was even friends with Damon? “Okay, well, thank you.”
As he opened the door, Crow glared over at him. Damon didn’t back down an inch. Giving him a nod, I walked out of the house and heard the door slam behind me. Getting into the car, Crow didn’t say anything until we had pulled out of the street.
“So, that didn’t go so well then?”
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“His face was like thunder.”
I chuckled softly, “It went fine. I think he didn’t appreciate you sitting in his driveway.”
“I don’t give a shit what he appreciates.” Crow tightened his knuckles on the steering wheel. “I’m glad it went okay, though. For your peace of mind, anyway.”
I nodded and turned to look out of the window. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts. So much had happened in such a short space of time, I didn’t know what to think. It did make me feel a lot more safe and secure, knowing that I had people like Crow at my back. They wouldn’t let Rob get to me. Hell, he would be foolish to even try. But, why did he want to try, that was the million-dollar question?
∞∞∞
Connie answered that question for me when we sat at the kitchen table a couple of hours later. “You’re the one that got away. He is one of those men who likes to control everything, yet, he couldn’t stop you from leaving.”
“Yeah, because he nearly killed me. Now, he’s coming back. Why? Why would he do that? I don’t want to be with him. I don’t love him, and I don’t think he loves me anymore, so why?”
“This isn’t about love. It’s about control and ownership.”
I sat back and took a sip of my coffee. It was good. Connie was getting better at using my ‘new-fangled machine’ and she wasn’t hitting it with a rolling pin when it didn’t work how she liked it. It was progress, at least.
“It’s about him having a screw loose.”
Connie burst out laughing and slapped the table like a crazy person. “That’s about right! Nutter!”
A knock at the door had her springing out of her chair and almost running to the front door. I bet she was hoping that Crow needed something.
After a couple of minutes, she came back into the house with a confused expression on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing really,” she said and put a box on the table.
“What’s in there?”
“Pies from Rachel,” she said as she pushed the box to the center of the table.
“Great!” I stood up again, moving across to the kitchen counter. “I’ll make us some coffee.”
“Wait a minute, Ellis.” Connie glanced behind her as Crow walked in the door. “I didn’t order them. We don’t know who did.”
“Oh, for God’s sake.” I groaned and leaned against the counter. Why did Rob have to mess about with something so delicious?
“Don’t touch it until I’ve given you the say-so.” We heard Crow stomp out of the kitchen, with his phone to his ear.
“So, does that mean Rob’s been in the diner?” It made me shudder to think that he could have been that close to Rachel.
Connie didn’t have a chance to respond as Crow walked back in and scooped up the box. “Apparently, he didn’t. He sent in a couple of kids who are staying up in The Cabins to get them.” Moving across the room, he dumped the box in the trash. “I’m not risking you eating them. Hell, if you’re that desperate, I’ll get one of the boys to go in town and pick you some more up.”
I shook my head dejectedly. I didn’t think I could eat a thing right now. Why was Rob messing with silly immature acts like this? All he was doing was wasting his money and my time. It made no sense.
“Look, I’m sorry, Ellis. I shouldn’t have let this through.” Crow looked fit to burst, the anger radiating off him in waves.
“You weren’t to know.”
“But I should have checked out who they were from.” Crow turned and muttered to himself, “Can’t drop the ball like that again. Not with her.”
Connie and I sat back at the table and she shook her head. “He needs shooting, messing with Rachel’s pies like that.”
I started to chuckle and soon, laughter rumbled from me. Of all the things that Connie could be annoyed about, it was the pies that were the final straw for her. She laughed along with me, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.
“So, what have you got planned for today?”
I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Nothing at all. I was supposed to be at work, remember?”
She snorted. “I forgot about that. Do you want to help me?”
“What are you doing?” I knew it was prudent to ask before committing.
“I’ve got some baking to do. It’s Mary’s birthday and we’re having a little get-together.”
I wasn’t sure who Mary was. I was still getting used to people’s names around the town. “Sure, why not?”
We spent the rest of the day cooking up a storm, and Crow enjoyed every minute of sitting with us and sampling all the goods. My day had started with me being a bundle of nerves from what happened the day before and ended with me having sore cheeks from laughing at Connie’s antics.
Chapter Thirteen
Charlie: Some people are like Slinkies … not really good for anything, but you can’t help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.
Ellis: And this is why you’re my best friend
Within a few days, I had gone from depression and fear to feeling royally pissed off. Seriously, who did he think he was? What did he want from me? Sending me flowers after all that happened and causing all these problems, there was no need and it was infuriating. It was over. And it was as simple as that.
I felt so bad that I was putting everyone out. The girls were taking turns so that I wasn’t ever left alone, Deacon’s brother and his guys were always rotating to make sure that I had someone watching over me and now there were even two men from head office lurking behind me wherever I went. It looked like I had an entourage.
“You really don’t have to stay here, you know? This is the last thing you should be doing on your night off,” I told Ana. It was just over a week since I had received the flowers from Rob. Thankfully, there had been no sign of him, other than the pies sent from the diner. “You should be out there having fun, not babysitting me.”
“Don’t be so ridiculous,” she admonished. “A night away from the bar was just what I needed.”
I thought that I may as well bite the bullet and ask her while it was just the two of us. “How are things going with you and Marv?”
Ana paused, holding the bottle of wine in mid-air before regaining her composure and pouring us both a fresh glass of wine. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You know exactly what I mean?”
She sighed and put her head down. “Is it that obvious?”
I knew that I was going to have to tread carefully here. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel self-conscious and awkward when she went back to work. “No, don’t worry. No one has mentioned a thing. I don’t think he’s noticed. You know how clueless men are.” Which wasn’t technically a lie. Marv seemed entirely oblivious to Ana’s feelings for him; it was everyone else who was clued in.
“I know that nothing is ever going to happen, but I can’t seem to help how I feel.”
Ana looked desperately sad and I felt for her. “No, you can’t,” I said, sympathetically. “Have you thought about telling him?”
“He went out on a date the other night. A second date. I don’t think there’s any point in mentioning it now. I left it too late.”
I stayed quiet. I knew that he had gone out on a date. We were all in the bar the night Asher was holding the fort, but I hadn’t heard about the second date.
“I’ll get over it.” Ana smiled cheerfully, but I could see it was forced.
“Isn’t there anyone else you’re interested in?” I smiled at her encouragingly. “Anyone else in town? There have got to be some single men out there somewhere.”
She shook her head. “I can’t even look at anyone else at the moment.”
“What about Asher?” I couldn’t look at her as I said it, but I also couldn’t hold it in. He was a gorgeous man and had a bit of a thing for Ana. She could do a lot worse than him.
“Asher? What about him?”
“Do you like him?”
“Not like that.”
I smirked, “He’s hot.”
“Well, I guess.” She laughed, “But, why did you ask about Asher?”
Shrugging, I said, “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, but you’re too busy looking at Marv.”
“No!” Her eyes grew wide. “He doesn’t, does he?”
“It’s just something for you to think about. He seems like a nice guy. He’s obviously into you and he’s single.” I winked at her. “There’s no point in swearing off men forever just because one was too blind to see a good thing when it was standing in front of him.”
Ana giggled. “I don’t know. Marv’s brother? Wouldn’t that be weird?”
“Just keep an open mind, okay? Your happiness doesn’t start and end with Marv. Just think, Asher could be a better match for you.”
We lulled into a companionable silence. Ana was lost in her thoughts, as was I. I couldn’t help hoping that she was thinking about Asher; they really could be the perfect match.
Ana was the first to break the quiet in the room as she turned to me with a grin. “So, is there anyone that you’ve got your eye on?”
“No,” I chuckled. “I haven’t had the time to look for anyone, in between working and being stalked.”
For a moment, Ana looked mortified that I could joke about my situation and clasped her hand over her mouth. “Ellis!”
“What? If I can’t joke about it, I’ll go nuts.” I took a sip of my wine.
“True,” she grinned. “But, seriously, would you be open to a relationship?”
“With you? Sure, why not?” I burst out laughing, tears streaming from my eyes when I saw the surprise on her face.
“Ellis be serious for a moment. With all that stuff that happened with Rob, all that stuff that’s still happening, I know moving on would be difficult.”
“It’s been a long time. I’m not going to let what happened with Rob ruin my view of other men. I know that they’re not all like that.”
“That’s so true. So, you’re not giving up on men?”
“If someone catches my eye, you’ll be the first to know about it.”
Ana gripped my hand and squeezed it. “I’m always here for you, you know that, right?”
“Of course, I do. I’m grateful for a friend like you.”
“What about Deacon?”
“What about him?”
“Are you interested in him?” she asked with a cheeky grin.
I laughed at her brazen question, clearly payback for me talking about Asher and Marv. “I haven’t really thought about it.”
I know. Bullshit. You would have to be blind not to notice how ruggedly handsome he was, especially now that we were both aware of our connection. Who wouldn’t imagine bagging a gem like him? But it wasn’t something I was ready to admit to myself, so I certainly wasn’t ready to talk to Ana about it.
“He likes you, you know. I know he does.” Ana didn’t want to drop the subject. “I’ve known him forever, so I can tell. He likes you.”
“Oh, my God. It’s like being back in high school.” I giggled and held up my glass.
She clinked her glass against mine with a broad smile, “Well, it’s true!”
“I have hardly seen him. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Rob hasn’t made an appearance or done anything else stupid, but it seems like Deacon’s got a bit bored. I’m sure he’s got more important things to be getting on with.”
“Nonsense. I don’t think he’s coming around because he’s finding it too difficult to keep his hands off you.” She grinned triumphantly like she had it all figured out.
“I think your theories are a little extreme.”
I cleared my throat and placed my glass on the table. This was the perfect opportunity to talk to Ana about a few things and even though it may make her uncomfortable, it would be good to get it out there. I only hoped that by letting her in on a few of my secrets that I wouldn’t scare off such a good friend.
“I think he’s been giving me some space.”
“Why would he do that?” she asked.
“To give me time to come to terms with the fact that he’s my soulmate.” I stared at her intently to take note of her reaction and I wasn’t disappointed. Ana flinched before casually taking a sip of her wine.
“Soulmate, you say? Do you believe in that kind of thing?”
“I do. As a wolf, we are fated to be with our true soulmate.”
She looked up at me sharply, “You’re a wolf?”
Nodding, I didn’t say anything.
“You don’t smell like a wolf.”
“Neither do you,” I countered.
