Loving True (36 page)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Walking into the den, Ms. Pinson placed the plate of food under
Hayward
’s face. He had been buried deep in work for the last few hours. “What are you doing?” Ocean blue eyes looked back at her confused. The food smelled appetizing, but he didn’t have time to eat right now.
  

“I’m trying to get you to eat something and take a break from all of this work.” Ms. Pinson pointed to the three stacks of paper divided up on his desk. She had never seen him this swamped with work before. “You have been working steadily since this morning. I don’t know the last time I saw you with True.”

Rubbing his eyes
Hayward
asked. “Where is she anyway? She hasn’t been in here to check on me.”

“You don’t know?”
 
She muttered.

“What am I suppose to know?”
Hayward
asked her rising from behind his desk.
 

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pink sheet of paper that was folded in half.
 
Clutching it in her hand, she showed it to
Hayward
. “I found it upstairs by your nightstand while I was cleaning. I thought you knew it was there or I would have shown it to you hours ago.”

Taking the note from her,
Hayward
opened it scanning
True’s
feminine handwriting quickly.

Hayward
,

You’re busy with work, so I’m going home.

True

Hayward
balled the note up in his hand and glared at her. She flinched under his cold hard stare. “I’m really sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner Mr. Campbell. But I thought you knew True wasn’t in the house.”

Throwing the note on his desktop,
Hayward
grabbed his coat off the back of the chair. “I don’t have time to get into this with your right now. I’ve something I need to take care of. You can go ahead and leave. We’ll talk about this another time.”
Hayward
brushed past her and stormed out of the den. Seconds later she heard the front door slam shut.

* * * *

Ignoring the doorbell to his right,
Hayward
pounded on
True’s
door with his fist. He couldn’t believe she slipped out of the house without him knowing it. Why would she do something like that?
 
He knew that he had been locked away in the office a lot since they came back home, but that wasn’t any reason for her to leave. He planned on taking a break today so they could do something together, but something can up and he had to cancel his plans.

“True, open this door.”

“Who is it?”
 
True mumbled.

He frowned at the sound of
True’s
voice. Why was she whispering like that? “It’s me Kitten. Open the door.”
  

Cracking the door a
little,
True peeked out at him. She stepped back and let him in. As soon as he was half way in the house
True
slammed the door and locked it behind him. The lock clicked so loud in the quiet room that it almost made him jump.

“Why are you opening the door like that?”
 
He questioned.

Avoiding eye contact with
him,
True walked back into the living room and sat back down on the couch. Her eyes focused on the wide screen television in front of the couch, instead of him.

“True, you didn’t answer my question.”

Not taking her eyes off the reality show playing on the television,
True
mumbled under her breath. “You can’t be too careful about who you open the door for.”
 

He didn’t like being dismissed by anyone. Storming across the room, he picked up the remote off the table and turned off the television, then tossed it in the chair behind him.

“Hey, I was watching that!”

Sitting down on the table in front
of
 
the
couch, he blocked her view. “What is going on with you, Kitten? Why did you leave without letting me know? Why are you over here watching television when you could be at my house?” He regarded her with puzzlement for a moment. “Is there anything going on that I need to know about?”
  

Leaning back from him as far as she could
True
looked at him with hurt eyes. “No, there isn’t anything going on. Why don’t you go back home and finish whatever you have been doing the past four days?”
 

He reached out to touch her face but she slapped his hand away. “I don’t need to be pacified by you.”
 
She tried to stand up but he wasn’t about to move out of her way. “Get out of my way.”
 
She yelled, shoving him in the middle of the chest.
 

He pressed his lips closed to keep from laughing but it didn’t work. His laughter bounced off the walls.
 
True looked adorable all upset and pissed at his behavior. It made her bedroom eyes sparkle and shine even more. His girlfriend could be a small package of dynamite when she wanted to.

“Why are you laughing?” She hissed.

“You’re pouting, aren’t you?”
 
He choked out over his deep laughter.

A small hand hit him in the center of his chest. “I wouldn’t have to pout if you hadn’t ignored me the last four days. I was so lonely over there. Your body occupied a space but your mind wasn’t on me. You didn’t even notice when I went to bed nude for you.”

“Please tell me you are kidding.” For months he asked her to sleep in the nude and she turned him down every single time. Finally she does it and he was too tired to even notice. He shook his head in utter disbelief. What else could go wrong for him tonight?

“I’m not kidding.”

“If I swear off work for the next two weeks will you please do that for me again?”
 

Tilting her head to the side True stared at him. “No, I don’t think I can do that. Getting rejected once was painful. I don’t think I’m up for a second try.”

Hayward
remembered that night he had worked late. Not wanting to disturb True he had decided to sleep downstairs on the living room couch. “Shit, I can’t believe what an idiot I have been to you. Can you please forgive me for being a workaholic the last four days? I promise to make it up to you.”

Leaning forward,
True
wrapped her arms around his neck. “How are you going to repent for your sins?”

“Come back home with me and I’ll show you.” His voice was thick and heavy with arousal. He forgot it had been almost an entire week since he’s made love to the gorgeous woman in front him. “I promise I wouldn’t even go near the den for the rest of the week.” Nibbling her right ear he licked the side and breathed in her unique scent. “Is that okay with you? Do you think you can handle it?”

“I think I can handle it as long as you keep your word.” She agreed, kissing him on the mouth.

“Wonderful.”
Hayward
pulled True up off the couch then pushed her toward the steps. “Go upstairs and repack all those bags.”
 
Standing back, he watched the snug fit of the worn jeans on
True’s
tight butt as she raced up the steps and rounded the corner to her bedroom.

Happiness filled
Hayward
’s body as he walked over to an entertainment center and searching through the variety of CD’s finding one that he liked he put it on to play. He waited for the raspy voice of Toni Braxton to fill the room before he turned up the volume.

The shrill of the phone ringing cut into the second track on the CD and drew his attention. Walking over to the phone, he picked it up on the third ring.

“Yeah.”

“So, I finally get to talk to the jerk she’s dating. Don’t think you’ll keep me from getting to her.” The voice taunted him.
True’s
a slut and I will treat her like the slut she is once I have her.”

The blood in his body was rushing through his veins so fast that he literally felt its movement. The sound of the stalker’s voice taunting him, made the hairs on his arms stand up.
 

“Are you the sick fuck who has been calling my girlfriend? If you even think about touching her, I’ll kill you.”
 
He threatened. “Do you hear me?”

“Those are strong words coming from a man who couldn’t protect his wife and child from dying.” The guy tossed back at him.

How in the hell did this man know about Brooke and Tyler? What in the hell was going on?

“If you couldn’t protect them how in the world will you save tasty True?” The man ridiculed him bringing him back to the conversation. “Just tell her I called back. Everything I told her earlier will happen to her.” The guy hung up before he could get another word out.

“
Damnit
!”
He fumed, tossing the phone down in the chair. The bastard laughed at him and threatened the woman he loved in the same breath.
 
Storming around the room every curse he knew flew from his mouth.
 
Hell, the guy was crazed with lust for True. Did she really not care about the danger she was in? He was furious with True for not telling him about the phone call the second he walked into the house.

“What in the world is wrong with you?”

He whirled and stared at the soon- to- be cause of his first gray hair. “Did you get any phone calls today?”

True sat her suitcase down on the thick beige carpet by the end table. Her eyes darted around the room before finally landing back on his face. “Yes. I got another phone call from that guy.”

“Were you going to tell me about this?”
  

Biting her lips she looked at him and shook her head. Why wasn’t that a surprise to him?

“Why in the hell not?”
He demanded in a harsh tone. “Do you know I just got through talking to the psycho?”
Hayward
fought back the urge to wrap his hands around True and shake some sense into her head. “He told me to warn you that he would do everything that he promised.”

He saw the fear that darkened her usual lively bright brown eyes. He hated that she had grown so stubborn over the past several months. She could lean on him without him taking over the entire situation. She wasn’t going to be able to handle this nut by herself. Hell, he still didn’t know why they hadn’t already been to the police about this.

“True, what did that wacko say to you?” He added, in a lower, softer voice walking closer to her. “I promise I won’t let him touch a hair on your head.”

Pacing, True twisted her hands in front of her. From her posture he could tell she was scared to repeat the vulgar words whispered to her over the phone.

“Somehow he’s been watching us having sex and he plans on making me do the same things I do with you to him.” She choked up over the tears streaming down her face.
 
“Are you happy now?” Her accusing tone stabbed at the air between them. “I already felt dirty now I’m even more ashamed now that I had to repeat it to you.”

Hayward
’s fury almost choked him. How in the shit did this psycho even know him and True were sleeping together? Was he peeking through the windows? Was the house bugged?

“No, baby you have nothing be feel ashamed about.” Coming across the room, he slipped True into his arms while she cried. Each teardrop that dampened his shirt was like a stab through the heart. What if Ms. Pinson hadn’t showed him that note? He would still be working and she would be over here alone.

How can you protect
True
when you couldn’t save your own family?
The stalker’s words rung out in his head again.

Pressing True closer to his chest, he placed a kiss at the side of her temple as chills raced down his spine. Life wouldn’t be so cruel to him twice in a lifetime. True wasn’t going be caught by that psychopath on the phone. He had to make a decision and he would make it whether True liked it or not.

“You aren’t staying in this house a moment longer.” He informed his eyes searching her surroundings.

The windows and doors wouldn’t be a match for a man who meant business.
 
The stalker would be in the house and on True before a sound escaped her mouth. “You’re coming home with me and staying permanently.” He replied in a voice that forbade any further argument from her. “I’m going upstairs to pack the rest of your clothes with or without your help, the choice is yours.”
 

Hayward
eased True out of his arms. Moving away from her he walked up stairs toward her bedroom.
 
Softly, he heard
True’s
footsteps following behind him up the steps.

After finding a sizeable suitcase in the closet,
Hayward
tossed it on
True’s
bed and begin filling it up with her clothes. “I want you to make sure that you take everything you need because you aren’t coming back over to this house.”

“You can’t keep me locked away at you house either. If he really wants to get me that won’t stop him.”