Trouble In Paradise
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“We are looking everywhere boss! Her mobile phone isn't coming up on any radars. The lad watching her shop went to take a piss and she was gone before he got back. Please give me one more hour. We'll find her Edward, I promise you that. I have got all hands on deck on this one” said Gaius, with quiet determination.
Giaus was my head of security, tough as nails and very efficient. The fact that he sounded tense, worried and edgy only increased my own level of unease. My hands began to shake even though I had the steering gripped in one hand and the phone in the other. I ended the call, not wanting to transfer my aggression to him. A sick feeling of dread invaded my stomach making me feel slightly nauseous. Where the heck was my fiancee? Had my enemies taken her? Had she been kidnapped? Was she alright? Candy was my everything. If anything happened to her...oh lawd! I couldn't bear to think like that.
She was my world. She owned my heart, lock, stock and barrel. My life had been shitty before her and without her, everything would return to status quo. She was different from all the ladies I had ever known. She was so free and so trusting with everyone. She didn't care a jot about my wealth. The littlest things made her happy and diamonds made her cry. She loved me just the way I was. People called me cold and calculating but she called me her warm, loving sweetheart. She didn't understand the constant need for protection and she often tried to slip away the body guards I had gotten for her. She was innocent and I would do anything to preserve and protect her. My phone rang, cutting off my train of thoughts.
"Hello", I growled into the phone.
"Edward darling", said Candy in a soft tremulous voice sounding like she was in pain.
"Candy! Dammit!" I exploded with both fear, anger and relief. Was she hurt? Why was she sounding like that? I pulled sharply over to the curb causing my tyres to squeal shrilly.
"Candy darling, talk to me. What happened? Are you ok? Are you hurt? Where the heck are you?" I was trying to ask everything all at once and my girl began to sob on the other side. I uttered an expletive and forced myself to calm down. This wasn't getting us anywhere.
"I'm sorry baby. Talk me me. Where are you?" I asked in a gentler tone.
"I am at your apartment Edward. I'm sorry I caused a panic. I had been feeling slightly unwell all day and I took the first opportunity to come rest a bit here" she said.
I pulled the the phone away from my ear and started at it incredulously. She was at my place? The only place my team would definitely not think to check! Lawd! This woman was gonna be the death of me! I started the car and made a u-turn without checking out the oncoming traffic, speeding straight towards my house. I sped past a van whose driver kept flipping me the birdie. I ignored the blaring horns and the curse words yelled at me by angry motorists. I had to see her, hold her and be sure she was fine.
I was home in a few minutes, pressing the buzzer with impatience. The door slid open and the elevator whisked me off to the penthouse as though it knew I was in a rush. I hurried out of the elevator and my apartment door burst open just as a raised my hand to knock. She must have been watching my ascent via the CCTV cameras.
“Edward!” she cried, leaping into my arms as I stepped in. It was obvious she had been crying. I walked her back into her apartment, shutting and locking the door behind us. I led her to the couch and pulled her onto my lap.
“What the hell happened today?” I asked, the residue of fear still in my voice making me sound angrier than I actually was. I was so damned happy to see her but I couldn't let her off the hook too easy else she'll probably do something foolhardy next time.
“Today has been terrible. I kept feeling sick and woozy. I don't know what's wrong with me”.
With those words, she began to weep and I held her against my chest, feeling her body tremble. I was relieved it was just a little health issue. All was well, or so I thought.
“I’m sorry to hear that love. How did you get home though?” I asked.
“How can you ask me that love? The guy you sent to me brought me here. It was as though you were psychic. He came in at the very moment I thought I was going to faint. Thank you for always having my back baby. I love you so much" she said, smiling sweetly up at me.
My heart constricted with incredible fear and I felt my temperature begin to rise slowly. I gently moved Candy off my lap and stood up. I didn’t want to alarm her so I made sure to ask my next question was uttered in the calmest voice I could manage.
“Ok baby, what did he look like? What kind of car did he drive? Did he follow you upstairs?” I asked.
She began to chuckle, obviously thinking I was kidding or acting jealous as usual. But she humored me and answered.
“He was cute and about 6 feet tall with a crew cut and he was driving an ash colored Mercedes”
"Shit!" I exclaimed, punching the wall with my fist and she yelped in startled fright.
“What’s going on baby?” she asked, staring at me in fear.
I couldn't say a word. I just stood there staring at my girl. I was in trouble. I had always been invulnerable to stuff like this but my worst enemy and worst nightmare had found my cryptonite, my Achilles heels. He must have been watching her all day and had known the perfect time to approach her. His message was very clear. He was letting me know that he knew how to hurt me now. I had a mad man on a vendetta against me and my fiancee had just unwittingly become his pawn out of sheer naivete. How could she have gone off with a stranger without confirming from me. I had no words to tell her what a huge mess this was. She got up, took my tightly clenched fist and kissed my bruised bleeding knuckles.
"I have messed up again haven't I?" she asked quietly.
The smell of the blood on my wrists seemed to set her off and she dashed off to the guest toilet and began retching violently. I held her shoulders as she threw up, feeling the sweat breaking out all over my skin. My baby was pregnant and Damien was astute enough to have guessed this while he watched her. My dreams had come true and my my worst fears had materialized to take it all from me. God help me.
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