Taking What He Wants (6 page)

We said our goodbyes and I set Delia up on the couch in my study with her school books and her iPod . 

My decision to remain at home was two pronged, I needed to be close to her, after what happened I needed that reassurance that my little family was safe, and also, I knew that when the wheels that I set in motion started to turn, those vultures would seek her out, I will be a shield between her and them. They'll never get past me to get to her.

By one o'clock that afternoon my family's company that was run by my brother had bought and called in the mortgage on the Fielding residence.

Phase one of my open warfare had begun, let's see how long it took them to play ball.

Chapter 10

CHASE

I know the shit's going to hit the fan as soon as their loan is called in, so I did everything to insulate Delia. They didn't have her new cell number, my house phones were turned off for the duration, anyone who needed me could reach me on my cell, so her parents couldn't reach her, and if they came to the office, that was fine by me.

I wanted them to come after me and leave my wife and kid the fuck out of it. I was sure that at some point they'll get to her, but that was going to be sometime in the distant future if I had anything to do with it.

She was out of school for the next week at least, that's as much bed rest as I could get away with forcing on her. She wasn't stupid, the doctor had told her that everything was fine so if I kept forcing the issue she'd know something was up.

I don't want her worrying about the destruction of her fucked up relatives. Celine was still in hiding but I had no doubt that with my resources I would be able to smoke her out before long.

I'm hoping her parents keep hiding her whereabouts though, I want them to play hardball so I can keep fucking with them, not that I needed anymore of an incentive, I just liked the idea of keeping them on edge, never knowing when the next shoe would drop.

I took Delia to our country estate this morning, we usually stayed at the condo in the city, it was closer to school and my office but it lacked the necessary security needed to keep her protected while I was at work.

Here she was well hidden behind an electronic gate that needed a code, not just to open , but to call up to the house, so it wasn't like they could just randomly drive up and buzz the door. And if by some miracle they got past the gate, then she knows not to open the door to anyone unless it was a member of my family, I'm not taking any chances. 

Last time I took shit for granted I almost lost them both, not knowing where  the fuck that psycho bitch was had me feeling extra cautious.

I checked her over before leaving the house, there was no bleeding, no tenderness, and the bruise on her head was starting to fade. 

I set her up with her school books, DVDs, magazines, laptop, iPad, iPod, there wasn't a thing she could possibly need that wasn't on the bed with her, I didn't really want her moving around too much as yet.

My babygirl was alright though, both of them were, and that's all that mattered to me. I've been extra loving and tender with her, I knew when this shit was over she was going to have a hard time dealing with the fallout. Who the fuck could deal with assholes for parents?

Hopefully by then she'd have realized that she was better off without them.

I've been at the office for a couple hours already, dad thought I should stay home with her one more day, but I convinced him that she was okay there alone, I'd taken a ton of time off already and although my original plan was to take off longer, her injuries was such that I felt comfortable leaving her on her own. Besides the bulk of my cases were scheduled for today, if I could knock them out then I could have a three day weekend.

I've called home every hour on the hour though, I even found myself doing something I'd never done before, making a patient wait while I checked in with her.

She kept laughing at me because she would hang up the phone only to be answering it again in ten minutes as she puts it. Cute.

"Chase we're good, really, I haven't even moved, well hardly except to go to the bathroom, I'm going to get fat if I keep this up."

"You're perfect, just keep dong what you're doing, I know what the docs say but you took a pretty hard fall and you were out for a little bit, I don't want you overdoing it okay?"

"So you don't trust your colleagues?" She joked.

"No, when it comes to you and peanut I don't trust anyone but myself." The silly nickname for the baby was stuck, poor thing.

"Okay, can I at least make dinner for us tonight?"

"No, I'll be home in time to put something together, just concentrate on getting better. I put a sandwich and a salad in the little fridge, there's plenty juices and water in there as well, and those chocolate covered almonds you can't live without."

She squealed at that, such a girl, I sometimes forget how young my wife is. She still has a touch of the innocent left in her. It warmed my heart to know that in the short time we'd been married she'd started breaking out of her shell, she smiled more now, enjoyed things. Sometimes I would catch her playing with my choker around her neck with a dreamy smile on her face. I had explained to her that the choker meant she was mine in all ways forever. It seemed to give her comfort.

It's been two nights without making love, after she'd broken through my resistance the first night I'd put my foot down, that's a first since our wedding, I hoped we didn't have too many more nights like those, this morning I was hard as fuck and my girl was needy, rubbing her heat against me, whining in her sleep. She missed her daddy's loving too.

Tonight though, tonight we'd be back to tearing up the sheets.

I got off the phone with her after ascertaining that there had been no surprises, no one had tried to get in or call. Huh, so far so good.

It was four thirty in the afternoon, Charlotte the receptionist that I shared with dad had just informed me that my last appointment for the day was in half an hour and then I was free and clear.

It was a consultation with an elderly lady who already had an opinion from another specialist but wanted a second opinion and maybe a third.

Dad and I had a reputation for no bullshitting, we took pride in our profession, helping people or making them healthy if we could was our number one priority. Yes we made great money, but that's not why we got into the field.

My family has been well to do for generations so money wasn't an issue. Anyone who got into the medical field just to get rich was an outright asshole.

Anyway, because of mine and dad's rep for straight shooting and putting the patient's needs first, we had more patients than we could handle. It kept us both busy which I never used to mind before, but now with Delia waiting at home for me in the evenings I found myself resenting the time I spent away from her. She was fast becoming my everything, my whole world. That's saying a lot considering a few short months ago I had been ready to swear off women.

She wasn't like anyone else I knew though, she was genuinely sweet, naive and damn near innocent. In fact, outside of my corruption of her she was still relatively innocent, funnily enough I wanted to keep her that way.

When the commotion came ten minutes before my last appointment of the day I can't say I was surprised. I'd expected it, been waiting for it almost, but I think I was still a little floored by their audacity.

I came out in the middle of Charlotte repeating her mantra of you can't go in there. Of course it was both of them, they travelled in pairs or packs like most vile things did.

"It's okay Char, I'll see the Fieldings, you can knock off for the rest of the day."

"Okay if you're sure Dr. Thornton, your father's still in his office if you need him." She gave my two visitors a suspicious look before grabbing her purse and heading out the door.

I led them out of he waiting room and into an empty office between mine and dad's. I wouldn't dignify them with a visit to my private office, they aren't welcomed, why should I pretend?

"Make this quick, I have a patient in a few minutes."

"We want you to undo it." Joann was her usual snarly annoying self, which meant I was ready to annihilate her ass coming out the gate.

"Undo what Joann?"

"You know what, you had your brother buy up our mortgage and call in the loan. Where are we supposed to come up with that kind of money?"

"I'm sure the bank gave you time to come up with it didn't they?"

"Ten days, where will we get one point five million dollars in ten days?"

I shrugged my shoulders in a how the fuck should I know gesture. This bitch knew the deal, she knows what I want, I refuse to play her game. I don't trust this family at all. How they'd managed to raise my babygirl was a complete and total fucking mystery, because she was nothing like these monsters. 

Not once had they asked about her, after hearing that their pregnant daughter had been attacked, their only concern has been for her attacker, they could give a fuck about my wife and I could give a fuck about them.

"There's nothing I can or will do for you, if that's all you need to go I've wasted enough time on you already."

"We'll not stand for it." She moved to block my path, not exactly a smart move on her part.

"Stand for what exactly?" I folded my arms across my chest, spread my legs apart and waited, this ought to be good.

"We'll not be bullied by the Thorntons, just because you have money and we don't......"

"Stop right there, the "Thorntons" aren't attacking you, or bullying you. I am. Direct your anger towards me, I told you what would happen if you crossed me. Your fucking bitch of a daughter brought harm to my wife and child....." I shouted in her face finally reaching my limit.

"Your wife and child, your wife and child, that's all you think about, what about Celine what she's been through, do you think it's been easy for her, how can she keep her head up in our community after what you did?"

"After what I did huh, I don't recall being anywhere on that tape, that was your bitch of a daughter and her greed, you really are a piece of work, now I see why she has such a false sense of entitlement, it's all you, you're a joke, your tyranny of Delia is at an end. You want to keep Celine's whereabouts a secret, go right ahead, I'll find her eventually. In the meantime I'll destroy everything you hold dear, I will take everything from you."

"What have we ever done to you Thornton?"

"Oh ho, Carl Fielding, finally found your balls I see, I thought your bitch of a wife and whorish daughter had neutered you long ago, what was that again, what have you ever done to me? Nothing, absolutely nothing, other than spawning that bitch who humiliated me and my family."

"We had nothing to do...."

"Shut up Joann I'm not finished, you might not have done anything to me, but you did plenty to Delia, my wife, the mother of my child."

"You keep saying that but it's not true."

"It's not true, I didn't watch you for months belittling and putting her down, always choosing Celine over her even when she was wrong? I didn't hear the insults, see the put downs, did you think I was blind and deaf?" At least the dickless wonder had the decency to look ashamed. Too late asshole.

"That's enough Chase, you don't owe them any explanations, Mr. and Mrs. Fielding, I would appreciate it if you left now. The next time you come onto my property I will have you arrested."

"This is public property, it's a doctor's office for heaven's sake."

"You'd think so wouldn't you, but no, it's mine and I reserve the right to see whom I will, I don't choose to see you. Goodbye."

"You people don't understand..."

"I understand as a father that you two are severely lacking in the parental department, I understand that a member of your family sought to bring harm to my son."

"Delia's a part of this family too..."

"No, she's a part of mine, I haven't seen any part of you in her, she's a sweet, kind hearted young lady who now falls under my care as head of this family. Trust me, you don't want to piss me off anymore than you already have. Stay away from my son and my new daughter."

"Just as I thought, bullying tactics."

Dad laughed her off, I kept quiet and let him finish them off, I had no idea he felt so strongly about the whole situation, but the anger was coming off of him in waves. We'd discussed the issue of course, but not once had he let on that he was this angry.

I should've known, both my parents loved my Delia and were looking forward to their first grandchild. I had no doubt dad could use his formidable power to bring them down, but I don't want him to. This is my fight, I have to do it, for her.

Maybe some of that was my guilt for how I'd treated her in the beginning, when I'd set out to use her for my own end, but mostly it was because I hated what they'd tried to do to her.

Dad's voice intruded on my thoughts once again.

"Call it what you will, I'm sure my son has already told you, but if he hasn't let me warn you now. Delia is now a Thornton, she carries the name and is accorded everything that comes with that. That means she now has access to heads of state, not only in this country, but quite a few in other parts of the free world. She's not to be touched, if she so much as stubs her toe while you're in the vicinity, run and hide....... Chase you have a patient waiting."

Dad turned and left, I raised my brow at the now sheet white pair.

Oh well, I had only intended to play with them for a while, but papa bear had brought the hammer down on them.

I wanted to laugh my ass off.

"If you'll excuse me, unless you have something to tell me?"

I waited to see if they would give her up, Carl made as if to speak but once again he was beaten to it by his lovely wife.

"We don't know anything, this is just an attempt to get back at us for some imagined slight against that...that...she spluttered as I felt my ire rise.