Come Undone (25 page)

“Are
you hurt?” David asked, stopping mere inches from me. I stepped back automatically
just as Cooper approached behind him, turning something over in his hand.

“Are
you all right, miss?” he inquired, concern etched across his face.

“Yes,
I’m fine,” I said mechanically. “Thank you for coming. How did you know?”

“I
called him,” David said.

“Is
this yours?” another cop called from the street, holding up my purse. My hand
went instinctually to my side; I hadn’t even realized I’d dropped it. I thanked
him as he passed it to David.

“Detective
Cooper. What happened here?” he asked.

I
blinked back tears, trying to decide where to start. “He chased me here from my
office,” I said.

“Coop,”
David said softly. “Can we do this another time?”

      
He bowed
his head into a nod. “This is my card.” He handed it to me, and I struggled to
read it in the dark.
Detective Cooper
,
Chief of Detectives
. I peered closer.
Chicago Police Department, Organized
Crime Division
. I repeated it to myself, trying to think of why it sounded
familiar. “I’ll need a statement so we can book this guy right away,” he
continued. “However, it would be acceptable to do it tomorrow, if you’d like.”

 
“Is it necessary to do it at all?” David
asked.

“Yes,
I need a witness account. Otherwise I can’t detain him, and I’m sure neither of
you want that. I’ll explain more tomorrow, though. I’m sorry, I didn’t get your
name,” he said, turning to me.

“Oh,
I’m so sorry. I’m Olivia.” I extended my hand.

“Olivia,
can I give you a ride somewhere?”

“I’ll
take care of it, Cooper,” David cut me off.

“I’m
asking her,” Cooper growled.

“Come
on, Coop. You know me.” ‘Coop’
gave
David a very ungracious look.

David’s
words from earlier rushed into my head, stinging all over again. I had no
desire to leave his side. But he’d made it clear that he didn’t want me around,
and the last thing I wanted was to give him another opportunity to burn me.

“I
appreciate the offer David, but I think I’ll go with Detective Cooper.”

“Olivia,
no, wait,” he said, grasping my arm and withdrawing when I recoiled. “I’m not
letting you out of my sight until I know you’re home safe, even if that means I
get in Coop’s car with you.”

“I’m
not taking you home, Dylan,” Cooper warned.

My
insides quivered with indecision, thrown off by David’s mixed signals. Just a
few hours earlier, he never wanted to see me again. “If you insist. Detective,
I don’t want to put you out. I can go with David.”

“Are
you sure? It’s no problem at all.”

David
gave a dismissive nod and crossed his arms. “You heard her,” he said. I
confirmed with a tired dip of my head.

“K.”
Cooper’s shoulders slumped back into position. “If you need anything else, you
call me,” he insisted, never taking his eyes off me. “I’ll be in touch
tomorrow, Fish.” He slapped David lightly on the shoulder. They said good-bye,
and he ran to catch up with the other officers.

David
surprised me by pulling me from the wall and into his arms. Despite my mind’s
wary protests, I felt myself let go infinitesimally, safe in his clutch and
hidden from the world. His muscular arms wrapped around me so that I could barely
move. “Relax,” he willed softly. I loosened my shoulders the best I could and
rested my head on his hard chest.

“Oh,”
I pushed him away reluctantly. “I don’t want to get blood on you.”

He
leaned down and touched my cheek gingerly, but I flinched and pulled away. “Did
he hit you?”

I
was silent. He shut his eyes, sighed heavily, and opened them again. He was so
close that I was hit with the brackish musk of fresh sweat. He pinched the
bridge of his nose and turned his back to me. “I should have
fucking
shot him,” he said to himself.
Fabric strained against his shoulders, and I thought for a moment he might
burst through his suit and reveal himself as the Hulk. I knew better than to
point out that if he had, he’d be in the back of the car instead of Mark. “I’m
taking you to the hospital,” he said finally.

“No,”
I replied with certainty. “I’m fine.”

“Fine?”
he asked, incredulous. “You’re shaking.”

I
hadn’t realized, but once he’d enveloped me, I had begun to tremble. “I’m
really fine,” I insisted, trying to even my tone. “I’m just frightened.”

He
pulled me close again, running his hand slowly over my back. After a beat, he
gathered the hair from my neck with his hand, sweeping it in to a loose
ponytail. He pulled lightly so I glanced up and with his other hand, lifted my
chin higher so he could inspect the cut. As my head was almost vertical, I
looked away awkwardly, unsure of where to focus until he finally relented.
“It’s just a surface wound,” he said, licking his finger and wiping away some
blood. Relieved, I gave a short nod.

“Does
anything else hurt?” he asked.

I
hesitated.

“Olivia.”

“Well,
not much,” I lied, touching the back of my head. With every moment that the
adrenaline subsided, the pain increased.

“Come
on, we’re going to Northwestern,” he said.

“No,”
I pleaded with him. “Please, I’ve had a rough night, I can’t take anymore
commotion,” I said, trembling harder.

“Okay,
shh,” he said rubbing my arms. “You could have a concussion though,” he
reasoned softly.

“I
don’t think so,” I said, and he smiled for the first time all night.

“You’re
a little stubborn, aren’t you?” he asked, and my only response was a glare. “All
right, all right. No hospital. But tell him
he
needs
to stay up and watch you tonight, it’s very important, in case of a
concussion. It’s necessary to check on you - ”

“Who?”
I interrupted, dazedly.

“Who?”
he echoed. “Your husband.”

“Oh.
Bill,” I nodded. “Of course. He’s in New York.”

David
paused and looked at me for a moment. “You’ll come with me then. I can watch
you tonight.”

“No,
no,” I rebuffed. “I can call Gretchen,” I said, retrieving my phone. We looked
at each other as I held the phone to my ear, not sure if I wanted her to
answer. When I heard the familiar greeting of her voicemail, I ended the call.

“No
answer,” I said. “I’ll try Lucy.”

He
gently took the phone from my hands, and I looked up at him.

“It’s
late. They’ll be asleep. Come with me,” he said. “Let me take care of you
tonight.”

“Don’t
be ridiculous. I don’t expect you to do that.”

“I
want to do it.”

“What
about everything you said earlier?”

“Forget
it. We can start tomorrow,” he said with a goofy smile. He placed his arm on my
shoulder to lead me out to the street, but I stopped.

“Don’t,”
I said, moving out from under his arm. “I can’t forget it. I’m not going home
with you.”

“I’m
sorry if I hurt your feelings,” he intoned. “But I’m not sorry I said it. I
needed to be firm. I needed it to stick.”

“So?
This isn’t firm. This isn’t making it stick. Look, it’s fine, I get it. It’s
done. Just let me get a cab home. I don’t have a concussion.”

“I
just said – Jesus, Olivia.” His harsh tone was suddenly deep with bass.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight, especially now that I know you’re hurt.
We can discuss what happened tomorrow, please, let’s just get through tonight.”

I
heaved a sigh. His expression went from angry to concerned to hurt, all in the
span of ten seconds. I relented finally, but made sure to keep enough distance
that he couldn’t touch me again.

“I
hope my car is still there,” he said as we walked.

“Hmm?”

“That
was my car you almost ran into. I hopped out to chase you down.”

“Oh,”
I said distractedly. I didn’t even remember a car in my flustered state. I followed
him blindly, too tired and edgy to resist anymore. He opened the door of the
Porsche for me, and we didn’t speak another word. Questions began to form as I
reviewed the events of the night, but all I wanted was to lie down.

David
parked in his designated spot under the building, and I followed him to double
doors. He held a keycard up and they clicked audibly, allowing us to enter into
a marbleized elevator bank. David placed his hand on my lower back and led me
to the furthest car.

“Good
evening, Mr. Dylan,” said a severe-looking man from behind his security desk.
His eyes turned suspicious when he greeted me.
I must look a hideous mess
, I thought. Then I realized the look
wasn’t because of my appearance, but because of the countless girls he must see
pass through here under David’s arm.

“Gorman,”
David said with a nod.

“Everything
all right, sir?”

“Yes,
thank you. A small altercation near my office, but it’s all taken care of.”

“It’s
my fault, really,” I said, offering my hand. “I’m Olivia.”

“Pleasure
to meet you, miss,” he said, taking my hand with mild surprise. “And I doubt
that. But one must be careful on these streets late at night,” he offered.
“Should I have anything sent up?”

“We’re
all set,” David said. I could feel him watching me while we boarded the
elevator, but I stood with my arms crossed, watching the numbers rise until we
hit the top. The very top. The penthouse. Again, I wondered at his salary.

The
doors opened to a simple marble foyer with a single door. I noticed the sag in
David’s shoulders as he unlocked the door and realized he must also be tired.

“Make
yourself comfortable,” he said, tossing his keys onto a circular table in the
entryway. He motioned to the living room and disappeared through another door.

Once
inside, it took me a minute to adjust to my surroundings. I removed my shoes
and stepped from cold wooden planks onto a plush ivory carpet. Three steps down
deposited me into an immaculate sunken living room with two pine green
mid-century couches and a brown leather lounge chair. A monochromatic stone
wall housed a cozy fireplace that was the focal point of the room. A glass coffee
table, with a base fashioned from the same ebonized mahogany as the floor, held
three small colorful abstract sculptures and a stack of design books.

The
room was carefully curated, yet it didn’t have the vacant feeling I’d
experienced in other upscale apartments. Perhaps the most mesmerizing part was
the floor-to-ceiling white-paned windows that showcased Lake Michigan between
great smooth columns.

“It’s
not quite what I expected,” I called out. I scanned the view from the
eighty-fourth floor and lifted my head to the vaulted ceilings ribbed with dark
wood beams.

“Not
bachelor pad enough for you?” he responded from the other room. I smiled to
myself.

“Ah
finally, a smile,” he said, reappearing. “Come,” he motioned as he walked
purposefully toward the couch. I crossed the room but before I could sit, he
touched my chin again, lifting it to him. “This might sting a little,” he said,
showing me a towel of ice. I nodded up at him as he carefully applied the ice
to my cheek, looking between my eyes and the towel. I inhaled sharply as he
adjusted it. “Sorry,” he murmured. “It will help though.” After a moment, he
said, “You must be beat.” I scrunched my face at him. “Shit. Bad choice of
words.”

I
laughed lightly and then winced. “I never asked if you were all right. Did he
hurt you?”

He
looked skeptical. “No, I’m fine.”

“A
regular Clark Kent. My superhero,” I said, smiling as best I could.

“Hardly,”
he scoffed, but I noticed his cheeks redden slightly. “Well, maybe. Do you know
how hard it is to chase and subdue someone in dress shoes?” I think I laughed,
but I felt like I’d been sucker punched.
Chase
. . . and subdue . . .
. The words echoed in my head. Lust reared within me
at the thought of David acting out those verbs on me, only when he caught me,
things would go somewhat differently than they had tonight.

“Here,
hold this for a minute,” he said, jolting me from my thoughts. He disappeared
once more and returned with two Tylenols and a glass of water. I handed over
the towel and gratefully took the medicine, eager for the pain to subside.
“Let’s get you into bed,” he said, and my head snapped up. He rolled his eyes
at me. “I have a guest room you can stay in.”

“Of
course, I know.” A shaky laugh escaped my lips. He showed me to an empty room
that was equally as nice but much less inventive. It was furnished with a bed,
nightstand and dresser, but it lacked the warmth of the rest of the apartment.

“There’s
the bathroom, there,” he said, pointing to a door at the other side of the
room. I’ll get you something comfortable to sleep in.”