Aligned: Volume 4 (13 page)

I feel Drew’s pain the same as mine as he holds me on the floor of his condo. He doesn’t try to console me. He doesn’t make any of it better. He just hurts. Same as me.
 

I continue sobbing well into the night, and Drew doesn’t do anything but hold me. And sobs along with me.
 

It takes forever for my sobs to calm to soft cries. I’ve never cried so hard in my life. Never. I’m cold. I don’t cry. I don’t show weakness, but losing him when I finally thought he was mine is unbearable.
 

Drew picks me up when he hears my sobs turn to soft cries. He carries me down the hallway toward my bedroom, but he doesn’t turn right. He turns left to his bedroom. I’m too tired to argue or wonder why. I don’t care where he takes me. I can’t think about anything but the pain.
 

He kicks the door open and carries me to his bed. He untucks the covers before placing me in and then covers me up. I feel exhausted. My eyes are heavy, and I could fall asleep in an instance. He stands and watches me as I curl around a pillow as he takes off his shirt exposing his hard muscles. He walks out of view, and I find my eyes following him as he takes off his slacks and deposits them in a hamper in the corner. He climbs into the bed next to me all without a word.
 

Our eyes meet each other and say enough. Neither of us can be alone tonight. Landon never came home, which can only mean one thing. He’s in jail.
 

I turn away from Drew, and he moves until he is up against my back. His hand reaches out hesitantly to find my hand. He starts the slow calming circles again that instantly relax me. It’s not enough, though. I take his hand and wrap it around me until his hand is resting on my stomach making the same calming movements.
 

“I’m never going to leave you,” he whispers in my ear.
 

“Never,” he says again as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

93. The number of times I almost gave up hope.
 

“Wonderful job with the food, Alexandra,” Laura says sweetly as the event runs to a close.
 

I try to force a smile, but I can’t. I’m in too much shock that she has said something nice to me. The food is fine for a luncheon event like this, but I’m sure Laura could have done better. The Laura I knew would have found something wrong with the catering company I chose. Or she would have selected bruschetta over Caprese salad. Or white instead of cream napkins. She would have found something wrong with my planning even though she only gave me forty-eight hours to put this event together. She would have found more than enough things to criticize. She doesn’t, which just makes me all the more suspicious.
 

“Thanks,” I say hesitantly. I look up at her suspiciously, but she gives nothing away.
 

“Oh, Chantelle, darling. Let me introduce you to my wonderful daughter-in-law, Alexandra Wolfe.”

I shake the woman’s hand.
 

“I’ve heard so many good things about you from Laura.”

My eyes dart to Laura’s and back, checking to see if she is serious, and it seems she is. Her expression doesn’t falter.
 

“That’s good to hear.”
 

“Has life gotten back to normal for you after all the horrible things that have happened to you and Ethan?”
 

“Yes.”
 

“Wonderful to hear. I’d best be going. You two have thrown an exquisite event. I look forward to attending more of your events.”
 

I smile and nod as the woman leaves and then I scowl at Laura.

“What was that?”
 

“What was what?” she says feigning innocence.
 

“Why are you being so nice to me?”
 

“I don’t know what you mean, sweetie. I’ve always been nice to you.”
 

I roll my eyes and walk away from Laura out of the ballroom and into the lobby of the hotel. I can’t be with her another second, pretending that I like that woman. I can’t. Not when she is being so fake in return.
 

I only agreed to work for her to try to earn Ethan’s and her trust. Somehow, I’ve managed to do that in less than three days, and it doesn’t make sense. Why would she be acting like this toward me? Did she help Ethan? Did she help him try to kill me? Did she help him cover it up?
 

Probably. Although I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to prove that. Ethan is too close to his mother to keep something like that from her. I just don’t know why she is being nice now unless ...

I take a deep breath. Unless she is on to me. Unless she thinks I know, and she’s trying to do the same thing I am. She’s trying to gain my trust so that she can kill me. My time is running out. I’ve only been here three days, and I already know that I don’t have much time left before Ethan, or Laura, or someone he hires tries to kill me again. I know too much to leave me free.
 

I just have to convince him I don’t. That I don’t know a goddamn thing. That I want him more than I want Landon. That I have truly changed my mind.
 

I glance up at the television in the lobby. I have to cover my mouth when I see the news to keep from screaming or crying or letting out any other awful noise.
 

I read the words as they cross the screen. “Landon Davis has turned himself in and has been arrested on charges of assault and battery and attempted murder. He is fully cooperating with the investigation. Bail has not yet been set.”
 

A picture of Landon flashes on the screen with Caroline. “Landon is the alleged boyfriend of actress Caroline Parker, who is expecting his baby next spring.”
 

The shock is too much. He turned himself in. Why would he do that?
 

I take out my phone to call Drew. To find out what the hell is going on. Landon could end up in jail for a very long time because of this. At the very least, his music label will definitely drop him because of this.
 

When I pull out my phone, though, I realize what I’m doing. I can’t call Drew. I can’t give Ethan any reason to doubt that I want him and not Landon. I put the phone back into my purse.
 

I let one tear fall for Landon. I let one tear fall for Caroline’s baby that will grow up without a father. And then I let one tear fall for me. Because by turning himself in, he effectively ended any chance of a future for us, either.
 

I wipe the tear away. There wasn’t a chance anyway. I wouldn’t have changed my mind. He should be with Caroline. He should be with his child. Now, he never will.
 

It’s too late to save Landon. He has to save himself. I try to put that pain aside so I can focus on what I have left to do. I have to save myself and exonerate everyone else.
 

***

I make it back home before Ethan for the first time this week. He’s beaten me home from work at the charity every day giving me no time alone. No time to search. It’s six o’clock now. I might have an hour, maybe two, before he’ll be home. That’s all the time I have to search.
 

I run to his office as soon as I enter and realize he isn’t here. I grab the handle of the door and am surprised when it turns without an issue. He left it unlocked, which just means there probably isn’t anything in here worth hiding. Still, I have to start somewhere. I have to look.
 

I take a seat at his desk feeling my gun move in the waistband on my shorts as I do. I begin opening each of the drawers in his desk. Everything is so organized. So perfect that I have to move carefully not to disturb anything and give away that I was in here. I open another drawer that is files and files of papers.
 

I thumb through them quickly, but it looks mostly to be legal forms and tax information.
 

I move to his computer and turn it on. To my surprise, there isn’t even a password to get on the computer.
 

I sigh in frustration but do my best to search through the files on the computer as quickly as possible. There are files and files of pictures of Ethan as a child. More files of pictures of us at our wedding. Pictures of us together. But no evidence of Ethan attacking me.
 

I click on more files, but nothing valuable is on this computer. There is no work information. There is no other personal information. There is no information leading me to think he is a dangerous killer. Just nothing.
 

I open the web browser and look through the search history. Nothing looks out of place. Not even a mention of a porn site. Nothing.
 

I lean back in the chair in frustration. Just because I can’t find it doesn’t mean it’s not there. I just don’t have a clue how to search for hidden things on a computer.
 

I get up from the chair and move to the filing cabinets. I open each drawer, but I don’t find anything but forms for work in the cabinets.

I slam the drawer in frustration. I look around the office. Nothing else is in here. I try to find any hiding places, any hidden places where he could be hiding evidence, and I find none.
 

I glance at the large painting on the far wall. It’s a detailed painting of soldiers fighting in war. Most likely painted by some famous person. I go over to the painting and lift it off the wall. Just like in the movies. I look to see if some hidden vault is behind the painting that might contain the evidence.
 

I close my eyes to keep the panic away when I realize nothing but a wall is behind the painting.
 

His office holds no evidence. Now, I’m all out of leads. Evidence could be anywhere in this house. It could be at his LA office. It could be at his mother’s house. It could be in our NY apartment. It could be at his NY office. Or ...

It might not exist at all.
 

The only reason he kept the video of the rape was so he could watch the video over and over and relive that night. There is no video of the car attack. There is no video of my being attacked in my condo.
 

There was a surveillance video of James, though. Somehow. So a real video of Ethan sneaking into my condo must exist.
 

“Alexa, are you home?” I hear Ethan shout as he walks in the door of our house.
 

I quickly leave his office only glancing back to make sure everything is still in its perfect place. I hurry into the kitchen and find him standing there.
 

“I’m here,” I say smiling at him.
 

He doesn’t return my smile, though. Instead, he looks at me intensely.
 

“I thought you might have left after seeing the news today.”
 

I walk over to him and kiss him softly on the lips. We haven’t done anything other than kiss since I moved back, and I’m not planning to do more than that now. I just need him to know there is that chance again soon.
 

“What are you talking about?” I ask even though I know exactly what he is talking about.
 

He narrows his eyes. “You didn’t hear?” He waits for me to reply, but I don’t.
 

He runs his hand down my cheek stroking it softly before running his hand through my hair.
 

“You didn’t hear that Landon was arrested today?” His body is so close to mine now that I swear he can hear my heart beating too fast in my chest. I can’t lie. He’ll know.
 

“I did.” I look away from him just long enough to gather myself. When I look back at him, I feel calmer, stronger. “It just confirmed my decision even more.” I reach up and touch his cheek much in the same way he just did to me. “You’re the one I want. Not that monster.”
 

He smirks at me. “You’re not mad at me.”
 

I squint my eyes at him. I walk over to the cabinet in the kitchen and get a glass. I begin filling it with water from the fridge trying to remain as calm as I can “What would I be mad at you for?”
 

He comes up behind me and puts his hands around my waist possessively. I try not to panic as his hands land just inches from where I’ve hidden the gun in the back of my waistband. “I just thought you might have thought I was the one who turned in the evidence to the police.”

I turn to face him. “I wouldn’t be mad at you if you did. He deserves to pay for what he did to that man.”

“I didn’t do it.”
 

I smile. “I know.”
 

“You don’t miss him,” he breathes on my neck just before he kisses me there.

“I miss you.”
 

I feel his lips curl in a grin as he kisses me again on my neck. I try my best to moan in pleasure when all I’m really feeling is disgust. I hate that I have to let this man kiss me and touch me.
 

He pulls his lips from mine and waits until I look at him in the eye.
 

“Prove it.”
 

At 28, I lost someone too.

I understood my father
 

And the pain he couldn’t bear.

“I need a moment with my client,” Allen, my lawyer, says.

I watch as the officers leave the room. And then, it’s just Allen and me sitting on the metal chairs and table in the dank room.
 

He looks at me like I expect a father would after something like this happens. His face is sad.
 

I expected to have longer here to tell my story. I expected to already be in handcuffs and on my way to jail by now. Drew was fast, though. Faster than even I expected. He called our lawyer before I even had a chance to say a word other than showing the police the video.
 

I watch as he lays all sorts of papers onto the table.