Hold On, page 1
Hold On
Saz Taylor
Copyright © 2024 Saz Taylor
Hold On
Copyright © 2024
By Saz Taylor
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any printed or electronic form, without written consent from the author.
This book is fictional. All names, characters and incidents within are pure fiction.
This book contains adult content.
Mature readers only.
The author will not be held responsible if a minor reads this book.
For the ones who never gave up on their dreams,
This is for you.
Hold on.
Trigger Warnings
This book may contain moments that could potentially trigger readers. The author will not be held responsible if you choose to continue beyond this point. While this book does have a HEA, you may experience some emotional damage along the way.
- Betrayal
- Death
- Guns
- Kidnap
- Knife
- Revenge
- Stalker
- Spice
- Torture
- Violence
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Acknowledgments
About The Author
Chapter One
Aliannah Stackton was your typical American girl. She was blonde, 5’5’’, freshly tanned from a summer in Europe and had eyes as blue as the Adriatic Sea. As she stepped off the plane at JFK airport, the smell of approaching autumn clung to the air. The sizzle of the Croatian sun and glitter of the glorious sea had been replaced with concrete buildings and grey skies. She had spent the last three months working on one of the mega yachts that dock along the Croatian coastline.
Aliannah was happy to return home to her family and friends but was definitely disappointed to leave summer behind. She sighed as she made her way through the usual security and baggage reclaim. She was not looking forward to returning to her internship at the Museum of Antiques. The mundane just didn’t appeal to her after experiencing the high life of a European summer. The trip absolutely lived up to the hype and beyond. She had spent the entire first year of her internship planning this trip instead of being focused. She planned to fly to Dubrovnik and spend a week exploring the city before continuing her travels across the continent. Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece, before possibly getting a flight up to Paris and then returning to the States. She had a list of sights in each country she wanted to visit, as well as many restaurants and vineyards.
That all went out the window. She landed in Dubrovnik, checked into her hotel for the week and went out for dinner. While strolling along the marina after dinner, admiring the boats, from local fishermen's boats to the extravagant billionaire yachts, Aliannah couldn’t help but stop and watch as there was shouting coming from one of the mega yachts. It was a large three-storey boat with a black exterior. It looked like a floating hotel. In large letters on the bow was the name “Serenity”; the scene playing out before her was anything but serene. Three women and a man were arguing on the back deck when all three women stormed off the boat, luggage in hand. The man, exasperated, spotted Aliannah on the boardwalk and asked if she knew how to do laundry and set tables. He hired her on the spot for the week – and so her summer of adventure changed. It was an adventure, just not the one she had planned.
The cab home took over an hour in the usual New York traffic, but she eventually made it back to her apartment. Her key had barely turned in the door when she was knocked over by a squealing redhead. Michelle Westbrook was Aliannah’s best friend. They had been inseparable since they met in kindergarten. They always dreamed of leaving Hartsgrove, Ohio, to live the big life in NYC. Aliannah always thought of Michelle as her sister, as they both lacked siblings. She had returned just in time for Michelle’s 23rd birthday that weekend.
“EEEEEEK! I am so happy you are home!!” Michelle shrieked as both girls got up from the floor.
Aliannah dusted herself off. “Next time, can you not floor me when I’m wearing white?” Michelle shrugged this off and helped bring in the luggage.
“I know we spoke every day, but tell me all about your summer” Michelle was so excited to hear Aliannah retell her entire story – no detail was allowed to be spared. So Aliannah obliged and retold how she was hired to work on Serenity, what the boat was like, and how the crew was.
“So…. Did you sleep with any of the deckhands? I know you denied it in all our phone calls, but I am certain you did!” Michelle, if anyone could sniff out a scandal from ten miles away. There was no way Aliannah could tell her about Ivan. She would never hear the end of it.
“No, sure, the rules were strictly no co-ed staff quarters, and we were too busy, between the constant duties aboard the ship or genuinely sleeping from exhaustion. Being a stewardess is all go! go! go!” Michelle appeared to have bought Aliannah's story, at least for now.
“We should go out for cocktails before this jetlag kicks my ass” Aliannah knew this distraction would get Michelle off her case. So the girls got changed and went out to the bar down the road.
Ger’s bar was the standard sports bar. They served crazy good chicken wings with amazing Malibu Sunset cocktails. The girls were easily pleased. They sat back, enjoyed their meal, and soaked up the atmosphere. There was some sort of ball game being displayed across all the monitors in the bar. Aliannah was not really into sports, so she didn’t know who was playing; just that the patrons of the bar were happy with the progression of the game.
At 10 pm, Aliannah decided she had had enough and desperately needed to get to sleep and adjust her body clock back to NYC time. They paid their bill and walked home. It was the end of August, so it was not bitter cold at night yet. On the plus side, the consumption of the cocktails also kept them warm. She was sure she wasn’t drunk, but between the cocktails, jet lag, and then the fresh air hitting her on the walk home, Aliannah felt a happy buzz.
The doorman – Harry, smiled at them as they entered their apartment building. There had been many a night he was witness to their drunken stumbles returning from a night at Ger’s or whatever club they had been to. Harry was like the grandfather of the building, part of the furniture, one could say. He was in his 70s and never took a day off work. NEVER. He was always there.
“Welcome back, ladies. It is always good to see you return safely.” he would always say when they came home. Having Harry there made the girls feel safe. It’s rare to find such a genuine doorman who does not have untoward intentions.
After finally getting up to the apartment – those lifts take forever! She felt so content to be back in her own room that she didn’t even bother to remove her makeup. She simply threw on her pyjamas, crawled into bed and instantly fell asleep.
It was a sleep so deep it was dreamless. She didn’t wake up until late in the afternoon the next day. Michelle was shrieking again. Aliannah would need to have strong words with Michelle if she was going to keep up with this shrieking nonsense. She didn’t used to do that? Did she? Maybe the three months living apart has desensitised Aliannah from it. By god, was it noticeable and really annoying now!
Aliannah cursed her friend for such a ruckus and dragged herself from the comfort of her bed to the sitting room. She could not believe what she was seeing. She rubbed her eyes to be sure. Peonies, a gigantic bouquet of white peonies, easily 200 dollars’ worth in one huge bunch; there was a red envelope with a card in it in the centre of the bouquet. Aliannah asked Michelle who the mystery man was.
“These are not for me; the card is addressed to you!! So the real question is who your mystery man is! Who is “I”??” Michelle resumed her shrieking with added bouncing as Aliannah took the card from her to read it herself.
Aliannah, please forgive me – I.
Chapter Two
Aliannah rolled her eyes and groaned. She wanted to forget about “I” for Ivan and leave him behind in the glorious Adriatic Sea. She should have pushed him overboard when she had the chance. Regrettably, she did not
“Sooooo, who is I?” Michelle asked for the millionth time. Aliannah covered her face and plonked onto the couch. She really did not want to talk about Ivan. It was still too raw to mentally unpack those memories.
“He is no one. I left all that behind in Europe. It’s done, dusted, adios! I don’t want to talk about it. I have to get ready for work.” With that, Aliannah got up, went to her room, and shut the door, leaving Michelle stunned to silence in the sitting room on her own.
There was an event at the museum tonight that Aliannah had to help coordinate. A gala hosted by the historical society to raise money for the refurbishment of the upper level of the museum. She jumped in a quick shower, shimmied on a black dress with strappy heels, and slicked her hair back into a French roll. The makeup was kept simple but elegant, and the lipstick was a bold red. In order to attract hefty donations, one must look sophisticated. The men would willingly part with their money at the bat of her long eyelashes.
Aliannah arrived at the museum with an hour to spare. The prep crew had just finished setting everything up, from table locations to placement settings. It was very well done. The colour scheme was black and gold to tie in with the theme of the Golden Era. Mysterious glamour was the vibe. Aliannah did a quick look over everything and then triple-checked the guest list with the seating charts to make sure everyone had been accounted for.
At 8 pm, the guests began to arrive. A steady stream of limousines pulled up one by one. Every donor was dressed to the nines. Aliannah stood at the host desk and greeted every guest as they entered the event. There was a strict guest list in place, with no exceptions. The majority of the guests were high rollers; they worked in finance, CEOs or family wealth. Those who fell outside this bracket were the plus-ones of the unmarried guests. Each plus-one had been vetted prior to the event – no escorts were allowed. The museum had a no-flex policy on that. They wanted an elegant affair.
The event ran without a hitch. There were speeches from the board of museum directors and the curator of the pieces on display. This was followed by a five-course meal. Aliannah moved from table to table to ensure everything was as it should be and all the guests were happy. A harpist played softly in the background, loud enough to be heard and enjoyed but not so loud that conversations were drowned out. The atmosphere of the event was luscious.
Aliannah was relieved that there was no drama. There is nothing worse than having to deal with an overly intoxicated guest at these events. It becomes messy and scandalous for both the guest and the venue. Before Aliannah could leave, she had to stay to supervise the clean-up crew and make sure none of the antiques were broken or damaged as the crew carried out the detailed cleaning. She was not sure of the total cost of all the items on display, but it was definitely closer to a billion than a million. Most of the antiques were one-of-a-kind items or extremely limited edition. The antiques varied from paintings to vases to musical instruments. For tonight’s display, everything had to be gold to match the theme, so the security was tripled, as the museum did not usually display that many items of such outrageous value.
It was close to 3 am when she finally returned home. Harry was snoring gently at his desk in the lobby, so Aliannah made sure to tip-toe by so as not to wake him. She took the stairs to the first level before hopping in the lift so the ding would not disturb him either. Michelle, on the other hand, snored so loud that Aliannah could hear her from outside the apartment door, or at least she thought it was Michelle. It could have been the apartment across the hall instead.
She dropped her heels on the rack inside the door and fixed herself a quick sandwich in the kitchen. Aliannah never gets a moment for a sneaky plate at these work events. She is always too busy running around after the finer details. This was the best ham sandwich she had ever tasted. Maybe it just seemed that way because she was so hungry. Every bite was truly savoured. Once finished, she wearily plodded to her room, passing the peonies on the sitting room table. Tonight, Aliannah was determined to remove her makeup and brush out her hair before flopping into bed. She would not return to old beauty habits after a summer of a good self-care routine. All she could think was, “Thank god it is Friday!” she had never been more thankful for the arrival of the weekend.
Chapter Three
Another day of waking up to Michelle screaming with excitement again, “Michelle, if you don’t shut up screaming, I will shove a sock down your throat!!” Aliannah shouted from her bed as she looked at the alarm clock. It was 8 am. Saturday morning. What the hell had anyone screaming at 8 am on a Saturday? Aliannah was still half asleep from working late last night, and she shuffled into the kitchen. It was Michelle’s birthday weekend, and coffee was essential. Once the liquid of the gods had been secured, Aliannah made her way into the sitting room. There was now a second bouquet of peonies on the coffee table. This one was even bigger than yesterday. Aliannah knew who the sender was without looking at the card in Michelle’s hand.
Aliannah, darling, please – I.
“Who is this, Mr I? And why is he sending more flowers? What happened in Europe, Aliannah??” Michelle looked concerned for her friend. These flowers were expensive, and this guy clearly had no plans of letting up. Aliannah shook her head. She took the card from Michelle and put it in her robe pocket. Unwilling to talk about Ivan yet, Aliannah suggested they both get ready and head out for a birthday celebration breakfast. Michelle went running to get ready. Aliannah let out a breath. She knew Michelle would not give in on wanting to know the truth, but for now, at least she could distract her.
By 10 am, the girls were ready to go out. It was mild and sunny today, so they took full advantage of this and went to Cherubs Tearooms. A lovely little café in Central Park, it was very heavily Valentine-themed but so perfectly Instagrammable, and the view from the terrace overlooking the lake was Aliannah’s favourite. She loved coming here to decompress. She enjoyed watching the people going out on the row boats, the children playing with remote control boats, not to forget the most precious of all, the swans. The grace with which they glided over the water was just memorising. The girls sat in their usual spot out on the terrace and ordered a hearty breakfast of croissants, pastries and cakes; it was a birthday breakfast, after all – who said it had to be nutritional?
“If I eat any more, I will explode”, Michelle announced after downing her fourth croissant with jam in it. Aliannah nodded in agreement as she sipped her coffee. Thankful she had opted for comfy leggings instead of her jeans. Jeans were certainly not a food-eating item of clothing. They did not allow room for full bellies at all!
“Let’s go shopping. I am sure the sales have started. It will be fun to see what we find. I need a dress for tonight anyway.” Aliannah was eager to find something new to wear to the club tonight. Finding a new man was exactly what she needed after leaving Ivan in Croatia, even if it was just a dance partner for the night.
Having fuelled up on Michelle’s birthday breakfast, they were ready to shop the day away. They hit all the major stores, and Michelle bought something in every store. A dress here, a handbag there, many… many pairs of shoes too. They had to have a courier take the haul back to their building. Harry would have no problem storing their purchases in his back office until they returned. Aliannah had yet to find something that gave her that must-buy zing.
The girls strolled along the high street, passing by the windows of various high-end boutiques, when Michelle grabbed Aliannah by the arm and dragged her inside one. Wilamena’s was luxurious. The interior was cream, so spotless you would be afraid that merely looking at it would dirty it.
“The dress on the mannequin in the window, do you have that in a small?” Michelle called out to the sales assistant, who nodded and fetched one from the rail. When she returned, Michelle handed it to Aliannah and demanded that she try it on. Aliannah obliged. A few minutes later, she emerged from the fitting room. The dress was mid-thigh with a deep V-neck cut in a deep shade of red. Expensive red, exactly the shade of red Ivan loved to see her in, and it was her favourite colour. Unsure, Aliannah walked to the mirror in the middle of the store for a better look.
