Chapter 36

Ethan

“Who was that?” I asked Lisa. I could tell by her reaction that it was Becka. I leaned in closely to her and brushed my lips against her neck. We were sitting on the couch. Lisa had crossed her legs toward me, and my hand had been warming her thigh throughout her entire conversation. Her sweet, short skirt showed off her gorgeous legs, and she’d leaned into me, tilting her head toward me so I could smell her hair, a light, crisp soap scent.

I had thought when I’d arrived at Becka and Lisa’s apartment that it might be a challenge to flirt my way into the house, but, as it turned, out, Lisa was more than willing; she was definitely a girl who liked to have a good time. When I’d arrived, she’d opened the door almost as if she’d been expecting me, and she’d invited me in right away and offered me a drink.

My primary goal, of course, was to find out where Becka was staying. I’d lost track of her, and I didn’t like not knowing where she was. But, there was no reason I couldn’t have a little fun while I was getting that information.

“It was Becka,” Lisa said. “I’m really worried about her.” She was telling the truth; worry flashed across her face, and I put my arm around her, pulling her close to me.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” I said. “Maybe I can help.”

“You can’t, I know, it’s just… I’m really worried about her. That’s all I can say.”

I leaned in and kissed her lightly; her soft lips met mine hesitantly at first, then more willingly. After a moment, I pulled away. “You’re a very caring woman; Becka is lucky to have you as a best friend.”

Lisa stood up reluctantly. “I really need to go,” she said.

“I understand,” I said, standing up next to her. “Let me drive you to her.” I looked directly into her eyes. It was impossible for me to explain to her exactly how important it was that I see Becka; I would just have to use my charms on her and make them work.

The look on her face told me she was on the fence about telling me anything. I leaned in a bit closer.

“I…” she looked like she was struggling. “I really can’t.”

“I understand,” I said smoothly, trying to keep my voice as even as possible. I felt a spark of anger, but I stilled it. I took a deep breath instead, and smiled.

“Can I at least walk you to your car?” I tilted my head toward her intimately.

She smiled, a sense of relief on her face. I had hit the right side of the fence. “That would be really nice of you,” she said gratefully. “Let me grab her things and we can go.”

She quickly went to Becka’s room, and I finished our wine while she packed a bag. She emerged a few minutes later with a blue duffel bag.

“I think we’re good,” she said. “She’s just at a hotel down the street, the Holiday Inn. I’ll go meet her and spend the night there, then we’ll probably come back here tomorrow.”

I smiled and set down my empty wine glass. “Perfect. I’ll walk you to your car, and we’ll get you on your way.”

I followed Lisa down the stairs and she led me to her car which was, conveniently, parked right in front of my own. I smiled, remembering how I’d spotted her car while searching for a parking spot, sure it was hers because of how Becka had described it to me once when we were together.

“Are you sure you won’t let me drive you to meet her? I’m sure I can be helpful in one way or another,” I tried one last time.

Lisa turned and looked at me, then she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I reciprocated. “Thank you,” she said into my ear, “but I better go alone.”

“I’m sorry to hear you say that,” I said, and I quickly turned her around and put my hand over her mouth. Her eyes went wide and she began to struggle, but my former training kicked in and I was able to subdue her quickly. I took care; I didn’t want to hurt her, of course.

I tied her up and put her in the back of my Escalade. The windows were tinted enough that she could be comfortable on the seat without being seen. Well, I smiled, as comfortable as someone could be when they were tied up.

“Sorry,” I whispered to her, “but I did offer to drive you myself.” Her eyes were wide and scared. “Listen, I’m not going to hurt you, and I’m not going to hurt her. I love Becka; I just need to talk to her.”

I got into the front seat and turned up the radio. I’d put a piece of tape over Lisa’s mouth, but she was still making a lot of noise, and I was trying to think about what I was going to say to Becka to convince her that she could trust me. Convince her that my motives were pure.

The Holiday Inn was just a few blocks away. I parked on a side street and checked Lisa’s bonds to make sure she was still secure. I left the car running with the radio turned up. I closed the doors and locked them and, as I walked toward the hotel, I smiled; the only sound coming from the Escalade was the thump of my bass.

A few minutes later, I was standing at Becka’s door. The lovely, gorgeous young woman at the front desk had been more than happy to give me Becka’s room number when I’d convinced her I was Becka’s brother and had brought her a few things she’d forgotten at my house. I probably could have told her anything; she was looking at me like I was Brad Pitt.

I knocked softly on the door. I heard her walking toward the door, saying something about being hungry. The door opened and she gaped at me.

“You!” she said sharply. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Well, that’s not a very nice way to greet someone,” I said, standing in the doorway of her room. “Especially someone trying to do you a favor.” I didn’t step toward her; it was important for Becka to fully trust me.

I had already done enough to wreck that trust, and I didn’t want to do it again. I was taken aback by how beautiful she looked, and I was reminded that it had been a rather long time since we’d seen each other.

“I’m sorry,” she said. She was obviously flustered, and I felt badly for her. “I was expecting Lisa.”

“I know,” I said. “Lisa couldn’t make it; she sent me to pick you up. I’m here to help you.”

“She couldn’t make it? What do you mean?”

“She texted me; I happened to be in the area. I think she said her car wouldn’t start or something. She was really panicking because she knew you were expecting her. So, I told her I would swing over and explain what happened.”

“Why didn’t she just text?” Becka asked. There was confusion on her face, but there was something more as well. She was stressed out, exhausted.

“Can I come in?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, sure,” she said, and she stepped out of the way. “I’m just… I guess I’m just hungry.”

“I’m sorry, I should have thought to bring something,” I said. “I just wanted to get here to you. I’m here to help you.”

I led her to the bed and encouraged her to sit down. She protested, but I told her she looked absolutely exhausted, and she agreed. I ordered a pizza from room service, and then I joined her on the bed. We sat face to face, and I gazed into her eyes.

“Now,” I said, “tell me everything.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said. She was obviously uncomfortable, and I felt bad. I leaned in to her and kissed her.

“I’ve been watching the news, Becka,” I said gently. “I haven’t contacted you because I know that you’ve been away, and I know that you’ve been struggling with all of this. It has to be really hard to become a part of this world under such ridiculous circumstances. This isn’t normal; I’m sure Oliver has told you that.”

“I don’t even know what’s normal and what’s not anymore,” she said. She put her head in her hands. I put my hand on her knee and she looked up at me. “I’m supposed to be with Oliver right now.”

“I know,” I said. I felt that clip of anger bubble up once again, and I worked to squelch it. All of this was Oliver’s fault. I knew at some point the truth would come out; the question was, how many people would have to be hurt in the time before that happened.

“He would kill us both if he found out we were here together.” She looked up at me suddenly, her eyes wide. “Imagine how this looks! Oh my God!”

“He won’t find out,” I said gently. “Becka, I’m just here to help you.”

The doorbell rang and Becka jumped up, panicked.

“It’s the pizza, Becka,” I said. “Sit down.” I grabbed my wallet and walked to the door. “Who is it?” I asked, looking at Becka meaningfully.

“Room service!” said a voice on the other side of the door.

“See?” I said, then I opened the door. I paid for the pizza and tipped the server, then brought the pizza to Becka. “Eat.” I handed her a plate and napkin. She grabbed two pieces of pizza like she hadn’t eaten for a week and attacked them.

“I’m starving,” she said. “I had no idea how hungry I was.” She looked up at me and I smiled. I’d watched her work her way through the pizza, her adorable mouth filling with each bite. I leaned in and wiped a small bit of grease from the pepperoni from the corner of her mouth.

“Cutie,” I said.

She smiled. “I actually feel quite a bit better now,” she said. “I’m just so confused about what’s going on.”

“Becka, I need to tell you the truth. You deserve to know, and I need to get it off my chest.”

“What is it?” she was fully attentive to me, the remainder of the pizza forgotten, at least for the moment.

“I’ve been in love with you from the moment we first met that night for drinks,” I said. I took a deep breath; I needed to lay everything out. It was my one chance to win her over, to take her away from Oliver and bring her over to the side of right and truth.

“I didn’t think it was possible for me to love anyone like I love you. I can’t stop thinking about you. When I imagine dating, the only person I can think of is you.” I spoke the words with conviction; they were absolutely true.

“Ethan,” she said.

“Let me finish,” I said. I put my hand on her leg. “I want us to be together. I don’t know how to break the hold that Oliver has on you, except to say that all of the things that are causing you stress, the press, the stuff with your college, your dissertation, all of that anxiety will go away once you get Oliver out of your life. Think about it, before you met him, everything was going along just fine, right?”

She looked at me with the saddest eyes I’d ever seen. I swallowed.

“Yes,” she said. “That’s true.”

“That’s because Oliver can’t possibly love you like I do. He can’t make you happy. I can.”

I grabbed her hands and squeezed them.

“I’m not sure I trust you either,” she whispered. She was talking as if I wasn’t in the room. “And, besides, I’m pregnant. Oliver is the father.”

I saw red. Every muscle in my body tensed up and I squeezed my fists together to keep myself from jumping off the bed.

“What does that mean?” I asked. I was trying to keep the fury out of my voice, but, judging by Becka’s reaction to me, I wasn’t doing a good job. She stood up and backed a few steps away from me.

“I don’t know what it means,” she said. “You sound so angry. I’m sorry.”

“Are you going to keep it?” I asked. The idea of Oliver getting everything, Becka, a child, getting out of Neurotova completely unscathed… I felt my peripheral vision shrinking down as all I could see was an image of Oliver in front of me.

“I already love my baby,” the image said.

I pulled my fist back, which had been tightening with anger the entire time, and I punched Oliver in the face. The image fell to the floor, knocked out cold.