The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (161 page)

When I hang up, I hear Adam on his Bluetooth talking to someone.  “Yeah, we’ll be there in five.  How’s it look right now?”

I hear Marcus’ strong voice booming on the speakers.  “Right now, there’s only two out there.  You shouldn’t have any problems getting in.”

“Two what?” I ask Evan.

“Paparazzi,” he answers sourly. 

I have an argument with myself in my head.  Part of me wants desperately to go home, close the blinds, and climb into my bed, shutting out the rest of the world.  But I know that when we get there, photographers will be waiting like vultures.

Another part of me wants to keep driving.  We can check into some hotel far away under fake names and hide out until all this nonsense goes away.  But I’m afraid our ordeal is only beginning and we have a long road ahead of us.

As Adam approaches our home, I spot some SUVs, a van, and a few cars parked across the street. There are two photographers on the sidewalk, but not the large crowd I had feared.

Once we’re safely in our own driveway, Evan quickly leaps from the car and rushes to my door. He protectively keeps me on the inside of his arm, close to the house and away from the street. It doesn’t take long for the paparazzi to wake up and start clicking. A few photographers jump out of their vans, clicking their cameras fiercely. 

Marcus swings the door open, ushering the three of us safely inside, away from prying eyes.  Once we’re behind closed doors, I get my first good look at Evan.  Damn, he looks almost as bad as I feel.  I look up at him and smile. “You need a shower, Chief.”

“Look who’s talking.  Did you get the license plate number of the truck that ran you over?” he teases.

“I do feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck,” I admit.

Adam immediately takes control of the situation.  “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen.  The two of you are going to take a shower and get some sleep.  Marcus and I are staying right here to run interference.  Both of you need to leave your cell phones with us.  We’ll handle things from here.”  Evan and I look at each other and nod.  “Mac, I’m getting you up at noon so you can be on the field by two.  Your game’s not until five and I need you in top form.  Can you do that for me?”

“I don’t know,” Evan counters.  “Juliette’s been through hell.  I think we have a lot to talk about first.”

I can’t hold back a gigantic yawn that escapes from my mouth when I try to answer.  “Evan, I really don’t want to talk about it right now.  Can we talk later?”  Another yawn follows the first.  “If I could just put my head down for a little while,” more uncontrollable yawns, “I’d feel much better.”

We hand over our phones and head straight for the master bath.  The hot water pounds my aching body from all directions, and I close my eyes as Evan’s muscular hands massage the shampoo into my hair.  As he does, I squeeze some gel onto his loofa and rub his chest and back, enjoying the closeness I’ve missed so dearly.

I can feel the tension leaving my body with every drop of pulsating water and each flex of his masterful fingers on my scalp. 

Before long, I’m exactly where I want to be – tucked safely in my own bed with Evan beside me.  I roll into his outstretched arms and cuddle up to him. I nestle my cheek on his chest, receiving a warm, welcoming arm to hold me there. In an instant, we’re both sound asleep.

Somewhere in my subconscious, I hear noise coming from other parts of the house.  Our bodies are nestled together perfectly.  I feel his arm pull me closer to his chest, his warm breath caressing my shoulder as he snuggles with me.  His breathing returns to the sound of sleep, so I let myself drift back to my incredible dream of happily ever after. 

My bedroom is dark when I wake, startled.  I feel the bed being jostled, and when I look up, Adam is standing at the foot of the bed.  “Time to get up,” he announces.  He walks over to the windows and opens the blinds, bringing in the bright midday sun.

One of the first senses to kick in is that of smell, and I’m immediately greeted by the unmistakable aroma of sizzling bacon.  My stomach rumbles, reminding me of how little I’ve eaten in the past few days.

Evan sits up and stretches, and then scratches his belly.  “Mmm, what’s cooking?  I’m starving.”

“Reese is in the kitchen making BLTs.  Get your shit together.  As soon as you get some food in your stomach, we’re leaving,” Adam explains.  “You have five minutes,” he tells us as he walks out.

“What time is it?” I ask Evan as I try to sit up.

“Exactly twelve o’clock,” he answers, throwing his legs over the side of the bed.  He runs his long fingers through his thick hair, hunched over, trying to find the motivation to get up.  I know how he feels.

I crawl over to him and wrap my arms around his waist and nibble on his ear.  “I’ll be right here waiting for you after your game.”

He swings around, grabs me, and deposits me on his lap.  “As tempting as that sounds, I think I’d be able to play better if you were there with me.”  Evan places a kiss on the tip of my nose and puts me square on my feet.  “You’re coming to my game, and that’s the end of this discussion.”

Evan wastes no time joining the others for lunch.  Reese has a platter full of sandwiches and a nice hot pot of cream of potato soup simmering on the stove.  Evan and I fix our lunch and take a seat with Marcus and Adam, who are nearly done with their meal.  Reese soon joins us, and suddenly all eyes are on me.

“So did you make any new friends at your sleepover?” Reese teases.

“Ha, ha.  Very funny.”  I know she’s just trying to lighten the heavy mood.  “But since you asked, I can tell you that they gave me a private room with a view.  They had room service and everything.”  I take a big bite of my sandwich before continuing.  “Unfortunately, the room they gave me had no TV and no WiFi.  I’m never staying there again.”

“Damn straight you’re not,” Evan agrees with his mouth full.

“So, Jette, what happened in there?  Why did they hold you for so long?” Marcus asks.

I explain to them how I was booked and questioned by the Indianapolis P.D.  I don’t get into the specifics, but I tell them enough to satisfy their curiosity.  It’s hard for me to look at Adam as I retell the story, knowing that the police have him in their sights, too.  I’d like to know what happened when he was questioned, but it will have to wait until after the game.

“Too bad Emmy’s at Rush,” Adam interjects, “because if she was here right now, she would tell you not to dwell on the bad, but to look at the positive.”

“I’m positive you’re completely whipped,” Evan teases, giving Adam a friendly jab in the arm.

Adam rolls his eyes.  “Yeah, yeah.  Whatever.  But seriously, Jette was questioned for hours, and they had no choice but to release her.  That’s a pretty damn good sign, right?”

Everyone agrees.

“You two are back together again,” Reese chimes in.

Evan kisses me.  Again, heads nod in unison.

I was in such a dark place for so long, it feels good to step out into the light and look at things from a new perspective.  Even if it’s only for a short while, I’m going to enjoy this while it lasts.

“And I have a division playoff to win today,” Evan adds.

He, Adam, and Marcus begin discussing today’s game strategy.  I love to watch Evan talk about football.  He always speaks of it with such reverence and awe, it’s impossible not to feel his passion.  Each man sounds more to me like a general, debating elaborate schemes and attack formations, waging a take-no-prisoners warfare approach to defeating the enemy and emerging victorious on the battlefield.  I gave up my naïve childhood notions about dumb jocks long ago, and I now know the game they play is as intellectually complex as any out there. 

Much sooner than I would have liked, Evan finishes his lunch and it’s time for him and Adam to make the drive down to the stadium.  He wraps his arms around me and reminds me of our deal.  “Callie and Dean are going to pick you up on the way to the game.  Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need luck,” I assure him.  “Play smart and come home to me in one piece.  That’s all I want.”

“That plus a win would be nice,” he admits.  He tips my chin up and kisses me.  “I love you.” He smiles gently, warming my battered spirit.

“I love you more.” I love this man so deeply I can hardly contain it, now knowing more certainly than ever that he would weather any storm in our path. 

I watch as he pulls out of the driveway.  The same two paparazzi who were here earlier this morning remain.  They point their cameras at Evan as he slips past them.  I wonder how long we can expect them to stay.

I return my attention to the kitchen so I can help Marcus and Reese clean up, and I find Marcus chatting on my phone.  He motions for me to come over.  “Emmy, hold on – here’s Jette.  Tell her what you just told me.”

“Um, Jette, I hate to bother you, and I know you have a lot to deal with right now, but Derek just left and there’s no one here to hold down the fort.”

My entire managerial staff is here right now:  Reese, Marcus, and me.  And now my head bartender just took off without warning.  “What do you mean, Derek left?  Where did he go?”

“Didn’t say.  He got a call and left.  Something must have happened, though, because he left in a big hurry.”

“All right, Emmy.  One of us will be right down.  Thank you for calling.  How’s everything going otherwise?  Still slow?”

Emmy laughs loudly.  “Slow?  Hell, no.  There’s a line out the door, Jette.  Ever since your arrest, it’s been a madhouse.  Your legal problems are the best thing that’s happened to this place in months.  If we can get Evan to keep winning football games, we’re going to need to hire more staff.”

I hang up the phone and find that Marcus is already halfway out the door.  “I got this, boss,” he tells me.

I know Evan wanted Marcus at the game today, but now that Derek’s missing, one of us has to run the restaurant.  The only other option is to close for the day, and from what Emmy tells me, we’re making good money for the first time in quite a while.

Reese and I stand at the sink, washing and drying our lunch dishes.  “So now that I have you here alone, tell me – how bad was it?”

With my wet hands in the soapy water, I take a deep breath, sigh, and admit, “Terrifying.  I’ve never felt so alone in my life, Reese.  David better be fucking dead, because if he’s not, I’m going to kill him.”

“How’s Evan taking all this?” she asks.

I turn off the water and turn to her.  “That’s the worst part.  He’s been amazing.”

“I’m sorry, did you say that’s the worst part?”

“Yeah.  I kept all of this a secret because I didn’t think he could handle all this bullshit and still focus on his job.  I was wrong.”

“No shit,” she agrees.

We finish washing and drying the last few items.  I grab two mugs, fill each with some hot, fresh coffee, and hand one to Reese.  “Reese, can I tell you something?”

“Anything.”

“Let’s sit down.”  I lead her into the living room to chat.

“Is it about your police interview?” she asks.

“Kinda.  I told you the police asked me a lot of questions about my history with David, right?”

“Right.”

“Well, that’s not all they asked about.”

“Go on.”

“They asked about Auggie, Derek, and Adam too.”

She looks at me like I’m speaking Chinese.  “What do you mean?”

“Well, all three of them were taped leaving the hotel alone late at night and I have no idea where they went.”  She has a look of shock on her face.  “Well, that’s not entirely true.  I know Adam went to pick up Evan from the trainer, but he was gone for hours.”

“Do you think one of them might have ... ”

“I don’t know.  All I’m sure of is the fact that I didn’t, and I think the police know it too.  There’s no video of me leaving the building until early the next day.”  I wait for her to process what I’ve just shared.  “What do you think?”

“Honestly, Jette, I think it’s possible.  Auggie would do anything for you and you know it.  Derek is a wildcard.  He’s unpredictable and ... well, who knows.  Adam?  Frankly, I don’t think there’s anything he wouldn’t do to protect Evan.  David was a threat to Evan’s career just as much as yours.”

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.  If I could go back in time, I would do things differently this time.  I’d call the police immediately and get his punk ass thrown into jail.”  And I mean it.

“Well you can’t.  And it looks like David got his in the end.”

Just then, I hear a phone ringing.  Reese and I both check, and it’s neither of ours.  I scurry into the kitchen, following the sound, and I find Evan’s phone sitting on the counter.  Adam never gave it back to him.  I check the caller ID, and it’s Gavin, so I hurriedly answer it before it goes to voicemail.

“Gavin, it’s Juliette.  Evan forgot his phone.  Is everything okay?” 

“No, Juliette, it’s not.  I just got a call from a reporter who got someone at the courthouse to leak copies of Evan’s paternity suit.  He wanted an official statement from Evan.  He’s going live with it immediately.”

Holy crap.  I wonder if that’s why Derek took off so suddenly.  Maybe Shea got the same call.  “And what did you tell him?”

“I told him that if he released sealed court documents, we would sue his ass and take him and his network for everything they’ve got.”

“Do you think it worked?”

“Probably not.  The truth is, this scum bucket isn’t the one who released the documents, he’s only reporting on the contents.  The best we can hope for is to throw him in jail and wait for him to release the name of his informant.  The problem is, most of those cases fail and the name of the informant is never revealed.  I’m afraid there’s not much we can do.”

“How much does he know?”

“He’s got it all.  The name of the mother, the minor child, the legal guardians.  Everything.”

“Is there anything Evan can do about it?” I ask.

“Not at this point, no.”

“Okay.  Thanks for letting us know.”  I hang up the phone and let out a loud and emotional, “Fuck!”

Reese looks at me with fear laced with concern.  “Jette, what the hell just happened?  Who was that?  You look like you’re ready to tear someone’s face off.”