~Twenty-Three~
Tessa handled what I had discussed with Jonathan a lot better than I thought she would. She had been uneasy about going to the party in the first place and it took some convincing on my part for her to agree to go. Knowing that she would be protected with a tracking device made her feel better about going, and with Jonathan’s men as added protection, I reassured her that she would be safe.
Leaving her to finish getting ready, per her request, I figure this would be a great time to clear my head before I began preparing for the party myself. The trail that Tessa had introduced me to seemed like a good start. Closing the door as I left the room, I headed down the stairs and out the front door. Just like every other day in California, the day was beautiful, and being up in the mountains vs. the city made it even more beautiful.
Checking the time, I placed my phone in my back pocket knowing that I had about an hour to enjoy this glorious weather. Heading down the path, my phone began to vibrate. Pulling it from my pocket, I looked down at the screen to find that a text message had arrived. Swiping the screen, I opened my messages to find that it was from Ryan. Shaking my head, I knew he was never going to give up, and there was no way that I could afford to keep changing my number without drawing attention. Opening the text, I held my breath and began to read what he had to say.
Ryan: You can’t keep avoiding me, Josh. Sooner or later you are going to have to talk to me. I am not going away.
Me: I don’t know what you want, but you need to leave me alone. I have a new life now and I don’t need you to fuck it up.
I knew my words were harsh, but it was the only way to get through to him. I wasn’t going to give him an explanation, especially since I hadn’t told Tessa who I really was and what I had done. Placing my phone in my back pocket, I headed further down the trail, trying to think of nothing more than how beautiful Tessa was going to look tonight.
~*~*~*~
Exactly one hour later, I was in the shower regretting that Tessa wasn’t here to accompany me. I still couldn’t believe that she had locked the door to the bedroom we had shared in an effort to keep me from seeing her until she was finished getting ready. The only person she would allow inside was Agnes, who also wouldn’t give in so that I could at least kiss Tessa before I took a shower. The only thing I got from them was that they had placed all my things in the bedroom across the hall. Women were funny creatures, and I would never be able to fully understand them, but this particular one, I loved more than anything.
The half an hour I spent underneath the hot spray of the water did nothing to relieve the tension that had built up around my neck and shoulders. The only thing that would help would be for this night to be over and Colin out of our lives forever. I knew it was wishful thinking. As long as Colin was alive, he would forever be a thorn in my side.
Doing the final adjustment on my bow tie, I went to check to see if Tessa was finally going to allow me to see her. When I knocked lightly on the door, Agnes appeared with a smile from ear to ear. As she took a few steps back, opening the door wider, Tessa came into view, almost knocking me completely off my feet. My eyes were transfixed on her and there were no words to describe how beautiful she looked.
Finally able to move, I walked over to where she was standing and took hold of her hands. As she looked up, my eyes met hers as I confessed, “You are absolutely breathtaking. Why has God been so kind to bring such an angel to me?”
Her cheeks turned slightly red as she stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear, “Because he knew we were made to be together.”
Agnes’ voice rang in the background as she said, “I feel like the fairy godmother looking at Cinderella and her Prince Charming.”
It was the funniest thing I had ever heard. The room filled with laughter as I placed my hand on Tessa’s cheek and said, “I would love nothing more than for you to be my Cinderella.”
Our lips met in the most passionate of all kisses. Once again, Agnes could be heard in the background as she cleared her throat. Getting carried away in the moment, we both lost sight of her being in the room.
As we headed down the stairs, Jonathan was already waiting for is in the living room. He seemed very tense, even more than I was, if that was possible. Tessa also showed a sign of uneasiness as she rubbed her palms together. Handing each of us a glass with a shot of vodka, Jonathan held his glass high and said, “Here is to everything going well tonight with no unexpected surprises.”
“Here, here,” I responded as we all toasted and downed the shot.
Tessa’s must have gone down wrong, because soon she was coughing and rubbing her nose at the same time. “I guess I need to learn how to drink a shot,” she stated as soon as she was able to speak.
Finishing our drinks, it was time to leave. We decided to take Jonathan’s car since it would be easier for Tessa to get in and out of as her dress didn’t have much room to maneuver in. One of his security men offered to drive, allowing Tessa and I to sit in the back together while Jonathan sat next to his man. Heading down the dirt road, it wasn’t long until we were on the freeway and minutes away from Colin’s home.
Pulling through the gate and driving down the driveway, I could see that this was a bigger event than Colin had led us to believe. A few investors, my ass. There had to have been at least fifty cars parked along the long drive, in some of which the chauffeurs were still seated behind the wheel. Holding on to Tessa’s hand, I squeezed it gently and said confidently, “Everything will work out fine. I am not going to let anything happen to you.”
With a worried look she took her sight from our mingled hands and looked at me. “I know, Xavier.”
Kissing her on the forehead, the driver pulled up to the front door and waited for us to exit. Getting out first, I held out my hand, helping Tessa get out of the car. The minute we walked up the steps, there was a gentleman with graying hair present to greet us. Colin sure went through a lot of expense to have a little party. It felt more like a big celebration, given the number of guests and how formal everything felt.
The only words that the man at the door spoke were to tell us where we could take our coats and where the main festivities were being held. Since none of us wore a coat, we headed to the back of the house where everyone was directed to go. The back doors were open, and music and laughter could be heard down the hallway all the way to the great room, which led to the outside patio. Colin really outdid himself. The backyard was completely lit up and there was even a band set up on a stage in one corner of the large patio. Several waiters and waitresses were milling around carrying trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres.
As I scanned the area, many of the men were with younger women who appeared as though they were there only to be shown off like prized possessions. Some of the women were barely more than half the age of the men. “What kind of party was this, exactly?” I thought to myself. Something didn’t feel right. Walking closer to Jonathan, I leaned over and asked, “Is it just me, or does something seem a little off to you?”
“I smell trouble and I have a funny feeling that these men are more than just investors,” Jonathan concluded.
I couldn’t have agreed with him more. Pulling Tessa closer to my body. I made it very clear she was to stay by my side. Waking further into the crowd, a waitress came by holding a tray of champagne. Tessa was about to grab a flute when I asked the waitress, “Can you please bring us some sparkling juice instead?”
Nodding her head, she bypassed the rest of the guests and headed back inside the house. Tessa squeezed my arm and voiced, “One glass of champagne wouldn’t have hurt.”
She was probably right, but I needed to know that she would be alert in the event something happened. When the waitress came back with our drinks, I handed one to Tessa and kept one for myself. Her hand reached out and took hold of mine. I guess it was her way of feeling secure. When the grip tightened, I knew something had her attention. Looking over the crowd, gauging what she could have been looking at, I spotted Colin talking with an older man. He hadn’t seen us yet and all I wanted was to get Tessa further away from him.
Moving in the other direction, I spotted an empty table and suggested that we take a seat. It was out of the way, and most importantly, out of Colin’s line of vision. As we headed to the table, Jonathan suggested, “I’ll try and keep him busy for a while. Maybe I can find out who these men really are.”
I knew that Jonathan cared for Tessa deeply and he would do anything to keep her away from Colin as long as possible. Looking through the crowd to where Colin had been moments ago, the space where he stood was now occupied by a young woman who couldn’t have been any older than twenty. The man Colin had been talking with placed his arm around the young lady as he whispered something in her ear. I would have loved to hear what he might have said to her.
Losing sight of Colin, Jonathan went to find him, while Tessa and I continued walking over to the empty table. As we took our seats, there was no longer any reason for Jonathan to find Colin since he was moving towards us. We didn’t have the time we needed to move when his eyes fell upon us. Our only option was to sit tight. The last thing I wanted was for him to think we were avoiding him.
Towering over us like a vulture stalking its prey, he placed his hands in his front pockets and said arrogantly, “My sweet Tessa, you are more beautiful than ever.”
His words were as sharp as ice and I could feel Tessa’s uneasiness as she adjusted her position, moving closer to me. Her arm wrapped around mine, giving Colin the indication that she was now mine.
Before, I could respond to his comment, his eyes focused just past our heads, causing me to turn to see what had his attention. Standing not more than two feet behind us were two men, which I presume were his. With a cocky smile he said, “I think we should go inside and chat.”
“There is no way we are going anywhere with you,” I hissed, even knowing that there was a reason those men were so close to us.
“Let’s not create a scene, London,” he suggested as he removed his hands from his pockets and open the jacket of his tux, showing the gun he had tucked away on his side.
With no other choice, I stood from my seat and assisted Tessa out of her chair. Following Colin, with the two men close behind, we entered the house. The only people who knew what was really going on was us. All I could think about was where Jonathan might have been. Then it dawned on me that Tessa had a tracker in place and his men would know where to find us. Hopefully, we didn’t end up getting separated.