Tattooed Emotions Part 25

Finished, I shut off the valve and stood up straight. My head slopped forward, and I closed my eyes. I'd just slept for at least ten hours, yet I felt like it hadn't made the slightest difference. I sighed, thankful I'd talked Damien into bringing me home last night.

Finally, I gazed up at the person reflecting back at me in the mirror. It was the same woman I'd tried my best to conceal with makeup on Sat.u.r.day night for the charity. She was pale. The only color on her face appeared from the dusky purple circles under her eyes. Somehow, their darkness stole my attention and managed to pull at me, as if dragging me into a dark storm, a ferocious one that I knew would grip ahold of me, sink its nails into me, and try to suck every last breath out of my lungs.

I'd barely survived the fight against my illness the first time, and I was terrified out of my mind at the mere thought of doing it again. I wasn't strong enough to endure such torture twice.

Petrified beyond reason, I s.n.a.t.c.hed the green soap dispenser on the counter next to the sink and hurled it at the mirror. "No!" I screamed defiantly over the loud noise of the gla.s.s shattering into pieces.

Tiny shards fell against the counter, covering the surface. I barely felt an unforgiving sharp stab at my forearm. It was nothing compared to the aching fear in my heart.

Uncontrollable sobs ran through me. My exhausted limbs protested holding me up, so I crumbled to the floor and cried. Never had I wanted Damien more than I did in this moment of weakness. I wished I were resilient enough to call him, so he could burst through the bathroom door, swoop me off my feet, and chastise me for hastily jumping to conclusions about my state of health. I longed for him to soothe and comfort my worries.

Yet, in order for him to come to my rescue, I'd have to tell him my greatest fear and take the risk that he might run when I do.

The vulnerability of being alone kept me from doing so.

So, instead, I cried and let my emotions roll out of me in dense waves as I was consumed with loneliness.

I was unsure of how long I'd sat in the bathroom before I found my inner strength to pick myself up off the floor and stand to my feet.

Refusing to let my apprehensive mind and body play tricks on me anymore, I inhaled a refres.h.i.+ng deep breath in an effort to bring color back to my cheeks even if I couldn't see it.

I was cured. I was in remission. My oncologist, Dr. Enright, had said so himself. And I wanted to live, more than ever before. I would not let these foolish worries drag me down any longer. It was probably just some bug or virus messing with my head.

"You're fine, Raelyn," I whispered rea.s.suringly to myself, squaring my shoulders and standing tall.

I quickly showered and readied myself for the long workday ahead of me. It would be the perfect distraction.

When I was finally ready to go, I grabbed my keys and purse before heading out to my car. I was b.u.mmed that Iris wasn't awake before I'd left, but I would try to catch up with her tonight. I'd yet to grill her for details on this new Joshua guy in her life.

On the drive to the office, I cranked up the radio and listened to some tunes. It was amazing how music could be so uplifting on the spirits. I parked my car and grabbed my belongings before heading into the front of Adam & Jennings where I saw Kate at her desk.

Tim walked out of the break room and approached me with a chipper morning smile. Other than work-related discussions, we hadn't spoken much since the night at FireSide Bar. I was relieved that things hadn't been awkward with us.

"Hey, Tim." I gave it my best to reciprocate his expression. "Can you bring me the Luxemburg files? I'd like to get started on them right away this morning."

"Uh, sure." Tim s.h.i.+fted his stance and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his cream-colored slacks before rocking on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet. He seemed off today.

Nerves washed over me at his uneasy state. "Everything okay?" I asked, knowing it wasn't. I hoped there wasn't an emergency with any clients because my ten-hour day was already going to be jam-packed.

Tim looked around the office, as did I. Kate was talking on the phone and jotting down notes from her seat.

When Tim realized that she wasn't paying any attention to us, he glanced back at me and queried, "Did you know that Cale was going to be here today?"

"No." My head snapped back on my shoulders. I briefly glanced to my left to see Cale's office door was shut, and the light was off. "Where is he?"

"He's in the conference room."

"Okay..." I drawled, perplexed. "Did he say why he was here? Does he want to talk to me?"

"He didn't say." Tim scrunched up his face, appearing distressed, as he confessed, "But I did see him walk in there with Mr. Heathman."

"Oh." My chest deflated a mere second before my body snapped into gear. "Excuse me, please."

I barreled straight for the conference room. If Damien and Cale were talking about Adam & Jennings, I had a right to be there, too, so I would know what was going on.

My strides increased, as did my irritation that they'd left me out. I was especially upset with Damien for his lack of communication skills on the matter. We'd spent a good portion of the weekend together, and he hadn't mentioned a single word about Cale.

Without delay, I reached the door and whipped it open where I immediately saw Cale sitting down in a chair with paperwork on the desk. Damien was standing next to him, looking as powerful, confident, and handsome as ever.

I shook off the thought and demanded, "What's going on in here?"

Damien's brows rose slightly before he picked up the papers in front of Cale and sauntered toward me. As he neared, his eyes ran up and down the length of me where they immediately lingered on my face. Worry etched itself across every plane of his own as he came to a stop. "Are you okay? You look-"

I cut him off, not appreciating his diversion tactic, "Why are you meeting with Cale without me?"

Damien seemed as though he was about to argue about my looks, but he sighed. "Cale has just signed over his portion of Adam and Jennings Accounting Services to you." He handed me the papers. "You now own all the shares in the company."

There was no point in trying to mask my shock as I stumbled backward. "What?" I gasped, completely thrown.

I could understand Damien forcing Cale out of Adam & Jennings, but it shouldn't be to benefit me. Damien deserved to recuperate his stolen funds.

"Damien, you should have spoken to me about this first."

"It wasn't your decision to make."

"Yes, it was." I narrowed my eyes at him. "But if this is how you plan to resolve your matter with Cale, then you'll accept my repayment." It was the only way to rightfully attain full owners.h.i.+p of Adam & Jennings.

Damien's jaw set before he tilted his head at me. "We'll talk about this later, Raelyn."

"No, we'll talk about it now," I countered.

Cale set down his pen and pushed back his chair, so he could rise to his feet. Regret pa.s.sed through his features when he came to stand before me. "Raelyn, I'm so sorry for what I did to you. You were the last person I ever wanted to hurt. And at the bar..." His face fell with shame. "I shouldn't have said what I did. It was hideously low of me."

"It's okay," I said, referring to the last part of his speech, so he wouldn't elaborate on the subject. I hoped Damien wouldn't catch wind of Cale referencing my illness. I didn't want Damien to ask questions when I had no answers for him-especially with my recent...episodes.

No, it is just a virus or a bug. I tried to calm my inner qualms. There was no time for them right now.

I felt Damien's inquisitive eyes on me, but I ignored him and kept my full attention on my former business partner.

Cale exhaled a long sigh and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his slacks. "Adam and Jennings Accounting Services is now yours. It was the right decision to make, so please don't fight Damien or me on this." He frowned. "It was a small price to pay for my wrongdoings, and I'll always be thankful to Damien for letting me off the hook so easily." A small smile tugged at his mouth. "Even if I know it was only because he happened to fall in love with you."

My heart lodged in my throat, choking me at Cale's choice of words to define Damien's feelings for me, when a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

I definitely am not going to look at Damien now!

I turned my attention to the door while thanking my lucky stars for saving me from facing the two men standing behind me. "Yes?" I squeaked.

Kate peeked her head inside and smiled. "You have an unexpected visitor. He said it's important."

Normally, I'd be upset with Kate for interrupting me in the conference room but not today. "Bring him to my office. I'll be right there," I said, stifling the relief in my voice at a clear path to escape. I needed to regroup, and focusing on work would give me that.

Without glancing backward, I flew out of the room and barreled for the safety of my office.

"Raelyn, we need to talk." Damien was hot on my heels.

"Not now, Damien." I increased my strides. "I have a client who needs to see me."

I flew into my office where I grasped the door and set it in motion to close behind me. There was no way I was going to gaze into the depths of those penetrating gray eyes right now. I needed some time to think and calm my raging emotions without Damien near me.

He barged into the confined s.p.a.ce before I could even reach my desk. "That's the second time Cale has referenced that night at the bar, and-"

A throat cleared at the door, and I did a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn to see Kate giving me an incredulous look, no doubt from Damien's loud voice with a client nearby.

"Uh, your visitor." She gestured to her right.

My gaze followed the line of her path.

"No," I cried on a broken whisper. I staggered in shock, feeling every ounce of air vacating my lungs.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Damien rotate to see what had me in such a state.

"Raelyn, it's so great to see you again." Nick beamed, exposing an intimate smile, one he'd reserved for when he told me he loved me or missed me.

"Who in the f.u.c.k are you?" Damien roared with a truly frightening tone, making me jump.

I rushed to the door with my hands out in front of me in warning, eyes pleading with Kate. "Kate, please see Nick out."

"Just hear me out, Raelyn." Nick pouted and stepped forward. "Please, we need to talk."

"No. Now is a really bad time." I reached for the door myself, prepared to slam it in his face, and I corrected, "Wait. No, we won't ever speak to one another again. Good-bye, Nick."

Nick slapped his palm against the wooden door, halting my efforts. "Don't run from me again. I'm so sorry for leaving you when you needed me the most."

"Stop talking, please," I cried, realizing Damien's chest was already pressing up against me.

Nick didn't relent. In fact, he continued to ramble, "I don't know what I was thinking. I was an idiot for leaving you when you were so ill. I-I got scared, Raelyn. I thought you were going to die. Y-you weren't supposed to survive."

That made me feel all rosy inside. Not!

Damien gently captured my arm and spun me to face him. Too many emotions flickered across his face to place. "What in the f.u.c.k is he talking about, Raelyn?"

No words would come to me, so I could explain what Damien had just heard from Nick. My brain was shutting down. All rational thinking was gone. My past and my present were colliding worse than I ever could have imagined, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was falling apart at the seams.

"Excuse me. Who are you?" Nick queried with his infamous c.o.c.kiness.

Damien cut him a hard glare. "Who am I?" He laughed menacingly. "Who in the f.u.c.k are you?"

"I'm her fiance," Nick stated way too bravely. "Well, if she will still have-"

"Get out!" I screamed, deranged, at the top of my lungs.

In the same instant, Damien was on the move, charging straight for Nick, with a murderous look on his face.

"No!" I tried to shout, but my lungs were empty.

Damien threw his shoulder into Nick's chest, taking him flat to the floor.

"Damien, stop!" I cried.

I'd never forget the way Nick had crushed me when he left me at my worst nearly ten months ago, but I wouldn't wish Damien's lethal rage upon anyone.

Nick tried to sit up and swing at Damien, but he was too slow. Damien connected his fist with the side of Nick's face, once and then twice. Each sounded with a smacking thud that resonated through the office.

Nick slammed his elbow into the side of Damien's face, but it didn't slow Damien down, not even for a split second. In fact, it seemed to have the reverse effect and fueled his wrath. Blood droplets poured out of Nick's nose as Damien delivered each punch with fluidity, strength, and precision.

I launched myself forward and clawed at Damien's s.h.i.+rt to pull him backward as Cale came running for us.

"Help," I sobbed at him.

"s.h.i.+t, Damien!" Cale threw himself atop Damien, wrapped his arm around his neck, and yanked hard. "Let go, man!"

It wasn't working, Damien was too powerful, so I darted to Nick's head to face Damien.

I fell to the floor and threw my hands in front of me. "Stop, Damien!" I cried. I knew it was reckless to throw myself into the mix, but I needed him to see me, to look into my eyes, and then maybe he'd see reason.

Then, my world spun on its axis, and Damien disappeared before my eyes. The whole room went pitch-black as a familiar sharp pain sliced through my temples, striking with such intensity that I buckled over at the waist, feeling blind and helpless.

"Damien." I gasped for air, crying out at the unwelcome agony that continued to rip me to pieces, but I was completely at its mercy.

"My G.o.d, Raelyn."

I couldn't see Damien, but I could feel him gently pulling at my limp body to cradle me in his arms.

"I got you, baby. I got you." He slowly rocked me back and forth in his arms and pressed a kiss to my hair. "Someone call nine-one-one," he ordered frantically.

"No. It will pa.s.s," I slurred into his s.h.i.+rt on a broken sob.

"She's right, Damien." Cale's quiet voice boomed around me.

I felt a washcloth being placed along my forehead. I closed my eyes and prayed the coolness would ease the throbbing ache. It felt so good against my flaming skin.

Cale added, "Just give her a minute. The headache will pa.s.s quickly. They always do."

"What in the f.u.c.k does that mean?" Damien's tone was full of panic. "What's wrong with her, Cale?"

"I-I..." Cale stammered and then trailed off, only to speak again, "It's-"

"No," I cried.