LENORA

 

I’ll never forget the way Blade looked at me. The intensity in his unblinking eyes. That smirk on his lips that seemed to be growing even wider. The way he could say so much without speaking a single word.

It was easy for me to fall for someone like him. Even if I walked away from him, I would never be able to get him out of my mind. He intrigued me like no man I’d ever met before.

He always had his eyes on me. He was always watching me, staring at me intently like he was waiting for me to do something.

But there was something else. Something else that made him angry. I didn’t know what it was.

“I’m sorry… Blade, please…”

I pleaded with him. I begged him not to be angry with me. I wanted him to look at me like he did when he first met me. But he didn’t budge. It was like looking at a different person.

The man I fell for was gone. All he had for me now was pure disdain.

“Blade…”

He rushed his hands toward me and wrapped them around my neck.

I gasped a deep breath and my eyes shot open.

I kept breathing hard as I took in my surroundings. A white ceiling stared back at me.

“Everything is all right… You’re okay, Miss Gibson.”

I turned my head toward the man smiling down at me. I breathed another sigh of relief when I realized that the doctor was the only person in the room with me.

Just a dream…

I closed my eyes and tried to regain my composure. But even though I’d awoken from my nightmare, the pain of my reality lingered through my body.

“What happened?” I said.

“What’s the last thing you remember, Miss Gibson?”

“I…”

I didn’t have to think long for the memories to come back to me.

Blade put his hands on me. He put his hands on me like nobody ever had before. I didn’t want to think about it but the memories were so clear in my thoughts, I could relive them over and over just by closing my eyes.

“What’s wrong with me?” I said.

“You’ve sustained quite a number of injuries. Multiple contusions. Some abrasions. But nothing is broken and you don’t have any internal injuries. You’re very fortunate, considering what happened to you.”

“Yeah…”

The doctor kept making notes on his clipboard and smiled at me.

“I’d like to keep you here a couple of nights,” he said. “Just to make sure we didn’t miss anything. In your condition, it’s probably best if you stay in bed for a few days.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“If there’s anything you need, you just let me know.”

“Actually—”

“There are a couple of people posted outside. I can assure you that you don’t have to worry about anybody trying to do anything. Just a few hours ago there was a man in a leather vest, some biker trying to get in here.”

“A biker?”

My eyes lit-up.

“Did he have a thick beard? A Black Reaper patch on his vest?”

“I believe that’s the guy,” the doctor said. “He’s still waiting outside but the police are making sure he won’t come near you—”

“I need to see him.”

“Miss Gibson, I think it would be best if—”

“You told me if I needed anything to let you know. I’m letting you know now that I need to see him.”

The doctor still looked reluctant.

“Please…”

He eventually gave in.

“Not for too long,” he said. “You really should be getting some rest.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

He gave me a polite smile before excusing himself from the room. I was so exhausted that I felt like I could barely move. I laid there with my eyes closed until I heard the door open.

When I peeked my eyes open, I saw the one person I needed to see more than anybody else standing there.

“Hey… How are you feeling?”

It was strange to see such a tender smile on Charles’s face. He was always so intense, I didn’t think he would be able to look so calm.

“I’m doing okay,” I said. “The doctor said I’ll be out of here in just a couple of days.”

“That’s good. You should take all of the rest you need.”

Charles took a seat next to me. He leaned forward but he wasn’t looking at me. He just kept looking my body up and down. I only just now noticed some of the bruises on my arms.

“I could really use a drink right now,” I said.

“Oh yeah? Maybe I could sneak in a six-pack for you.”

“I need more than a beer. Something a little stronger than that.”

“Whiskey? Vodka? Tequila?”

“Nothing like that either,” I said with a laugh. “I was thinking something nice. A mixed-drink. Something fruity like a daiquiri or a pina colada. That sounds good right about now.”

“I never took you for a girl who’d be into such fruity drinks.”

“I’m a girl, Charles. Alcohol doesn’t always have to be something bitter that stings when you drink it.”

“Sure but what’s the fun in something that doesn’t sting when you drink it?”

It was a bit of a relief to see the smile on his face but I knew he wasn’t smiling on the inside.

“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. If I’d have been there—”

“No. You don’t have anything to be sorry about. It’s… It’s not your fault.”

I sighed thinking about the situation we were both in. I knew that we both wanted the same thing but we couldn’t have it.

“It’s too much of a risk,” I said. “Lieberman knows everything about me. She’s gonna keep holding it over my head. You’re right. Even if she locks up Blade, that won’t stop her. She’ll keep pushing me until she gets your club, too.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I should have stopped him. I never should have left your side. I would have ripped my patch off if that’s what it took.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

Charles just stared at me. He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t angry or sad either. But I knew there was something on his mind.

“He’s gonna pay for what he did,” I said. “He should have never put his hands on you.”

“I know. I’ve told Lieberman everything. It’s only a matter of time—”

“I’m not talking about Lieberman.”

“What do you mean?”

I looked into Charles’s eyes. I waited for his response but he didn’t say anything.

Then I realized that there was no reason for him to speak. I already knew what he was thinking.

I pushed my hands into the mattress and sat up straight.

“Charles, I can’t ask you—”

“You’re not asking me anything. I’m doing this. I’m doing it for me.”

“You’re not doing it for you. I know you’re doing this because you care about me.”

“What difference does it make?”

Charles jumped up out of his seat and began pacing back and forth, frustration growing on his face.

“Lieberman is telling me to wait,” he said. “She wants to wait for the DA to have enough charges to lock him up for good. And then what? Even if the charges stick, the motherfucker is gonna get locked up in a jail cell where he’ll live comfortably until he gets out on parole. No, fuck that. There’s no way I’m gonna let that happen.”

“You’re gonna have to. There’s no other way—”

“There is.”

Charles took a seat back next to me and took my hand in his. Just having him there with me was enough to make me feel safe.

“I’m not afraid of Holmes,” he said. “I’m gonna teach him the lesson he deserves. And I’m gonna make sure all of Ivory hears it.”

“And what about you? What happens to you after?”

“I’m a nomad,” he said with a smirk. “I’ve been on the run all my life. I don’t give a shit about who Lieberman is. She could get as many agents after me as she wants. She’ll never catch me.”

“Charles…”

I freed my hand from his and put it against his cheek. He closed his eyes while I caressed his skin.

“…You mean everything to me, Lenora. The thought of that asshole putting his hands on you… It’s worse than any thought I could ever have.”

“I…”

He opened his eyes when I stuttered to respond. I didn’t want to admit what I was thinking.

“…I had a dream about him,” I said. “Just now. I thought about him putting his hands around my throat. I’ll never be able to forget the way he looked at me. If I hadn’t gotten out of my apartment, he would have killed me.”

“That’s why Holmes has to pay. You’ll have to live with that for the rest of your life and it kills me inside. I’d sacrifice everything so you could be at peace.”

I scoffed at the thought of it.

“Ivory… I’ve lived here my entire life and it’s been nothing but misery. No…”

I shook my head softly.

“I’ve had it with Ivory,” I said. “I’ve had it with the guys trying to sleep with me. I’ve had it with the cops. I’ve had it with Lieberman. I’ve had it with Blade.”

I took Charles’s hand in mine and looked into his eyes.

“Let’s just go,” I said. “Go for a ride and take me with you. It doesn’t matter where we go. Just as long as we leave this place behind.”

“Lenora, I can’t ask you—”

“You’re not asking me anything. I’m telling you. This is what I want. I’ve been in Ivory all my life looking for a reason to leave. You’re my reason, Charles.”

My eyes started to glaze over. I couldn’t hold back my emotions any longer. Everything building in the pit of my stomach finally came out. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes as I squeezed Charles’s hand in mine.

“Take me away,” I said. “Take me somewhere far away from here. Anywhere.”

“You really mean it?”

“I do.”

Charles leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead.

“I want you to know that I won’t ever let anything happen to you,” he whispered. “As long as you’re by my side, I’ll keep you safe.”

It was like a dam burst inside of me when he said it. More tears streaked down my cheeks, forcing me to wipe them away. Charles pulled away from me and smiled, both of his hands wrapped around one of mine.

“I’ll talk to Garnet,” he said. “I’ll figure out a way out of this for the both of us.”

“It doesn’t matter where we go or how you do it. Just as long as we’re away from Ivory and everybody else here.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes, Lenora. I promise you.”