“What’s this?” I ask, but the elevator doors shut before he can answer. When I open it, I see an address and time on it. I could just not go, but would that mean he will show up to my place again unannounced, make a scene and invite himself in? And why tonight? I just spent the entire day with him.
“Ellie, I’m going to have to cancel,” I say to her through the phone as I put away the groceries.
“What! Why?”
“I have to go meet Keir. He sent me a letter. And I don’t want him coming for me as he makes so much noise the neighbors complain, and I don’t want to lose my apartment.” I choose not to tell her he was here most of the day.
“Okay, well, call me when you’re done. I can come over after?”
“Maybe,” I say noncommittally, then hang up. It’s not that I don’t like her. I do. It’s just that I like having me time more.
After I put everything away, I grab my keys and phone again, then leave the apartment. The place he asked me to meet him isn’t far from where I live. It’s a large block of apartments, more hotel style. Pressing the correct number, I’m buzzed up to the fifth floor. I knock on the door, and when it opens, I see her standing there.
“I like that you aren’t late.” She holds it open for me to enter, but I stay where I am. “Come inside, Sailor Allan.” She calls me by my maiden name, not my married one. Odd.
“I think I’ll pass.” I go to leave, but a hand grabs my arm and tightens its hold on me. When I look up, I see a man who looks a lot like Paige. Same dark hair, tall, and same facial features. Resting bitch face comes to mind.
“Please remove your hand?” I ask kindly while trying to pull away. He ignores me and pulls me toward the door as I attempt to pull back, not wanting to go in there. When he doesn’t let me go, I kick him where I know it will hurt—right between his legs— and he swiftly drops my arm. I manage to step back away from him, but as I do, a pair of strong arms wrap around me tightly.
“I know why he likes her. Feisty, this one.” He bites my ear, and I cringe at the smell of smoke and alcohol that’s leaking from him. I can’t see him, but he carries me easily through the door and into the apartment. There are only a few chairs and nothing much of anything else.
“Sit her in the chair, and will someone check on Frank?” Paige questions as I’m placed in a chair like a rag doll. I go to get up, but his hand comes to my shoulder and pushes me back down with a hard knock.
“He bought me this as an early wedding present.” Paige waves her hand around. “That was over three months ago. He told me in the next three, we would be trying ...” She pauses, then swings her gaze back to me. “Then you came along.” She sucks air in through her teeth and says the words like I’m worth less than the shit on her shoe.
Two other people join us. One is an older woman, who I’m guessing is her mother, followed by another woman who I think was with her at the club last night.
“You aren’t welcome in this family,” the mother says to me, then takes a seat.
They all have chairs.
The front door opens, and Phillip steps through, his head down as he walks over to Paige and whispers something before he goes to stand near the door.
“If you kill her, it won’t be an issue any longer. Keir would start trying for the baby,” the mother says.
“Sir said you are not to kill her.” They all look at Phillip.
Keir knows about this?
What the hell is going on?
I go to stand, but the guy who brought me in pushes me back down in my seat once again. “Stay, or you will regret it.” His breath tickles my neck, and it stinks, causing me to nearly dry retch.
“Accidents do happen,” her mother chimes in, smiling.
What the actual hell?
“You can’t be serious?” I say under my breath, but because there is no other noise in this room, they all hear me.
“Oh, you think you’re better than us?” Paige stands and walks over to me, and the hand on my shoulder disappears. “He is only with you because you are a piece of ass who gives it willingly, where I do not.”
“But you are, correct? You plan to have a baby with him, willingly?” I say back to her. “Oh, actually, you didn’t get a choice, yet he does.” I smirk, keeping my eyes locked right on hers.