Obsession (Endurance) (5 page)

The
visitors to Elysian Fields Estate ranged from long-time business associates to
men and women who’d attended Oxford with my dad or Yale with my mom.  Most
of them had been at my christening and all of them knew I’d been brutally
attacked. 

Over
the course of the cocktail hour I was asked if I would like to use Dean Marcos’
ninety foot yacht to get away for a while.  Nelinda Baker and her elderly
husband reminded me of their private island in the South Pacific that was mine
for the asking. 

Tuscany
villas with fortress protection, castle style ski lodges in Aspen, and
bulletproof motor homes for a cross-country jaunt were offered up.  There
were multiple offers of vengeance and Dad rushed to assure them it was
being
handled
to which heads would nod with cool calculation.

The
media portrayal of the uber-rich focused on those selfish bastards who lived
only to spend their money.  My parents made it a point to keep such types
out of their inner circle.  Their friends were socially aware and generous
to a fault – a fact I had always appreciated.

I
didn’t have to fake enjoyment of their company.

I
was so tired by the time Mrs. Safoya announced dinner.  I asked to sit
near my mother with Bianca and Padme on either side of me and Fiaaz
close.  It was arranged instantly and I was relieved to be assisted into a
normal chair.  Course after course of my favorite foods were served. 

I
was jittery and ready to crawl out of my own skin.

When
my entree was placed in front of me, I worried for a moment about being able to
cut the filet wrapped in filo dough.  I shouldn’t have given it a second
thought.  Mrs. Safoya and Cook had pre-sliced my food with knives so sharp
it still looked whole. 

I
glanced up to see the housekeeper looking at me with a smile and I mouthed
‘thank you’ to her.  To my pleasure, she blew me a kiss down the
table. 

My
first speed bump occurred when everyone was finishing their meals.  For
the past several years I’d become a wine connoisseur.  Though I rarely
drank, I had Dad’s discriminating palette and it was unknown to see me consume
a meal without a glass of something from my collection. 

Dean,
one of the most observant men I’d ever known, asked quietly, “Elliana, is there
a reason you’re not partaking of your lovely wines?  We’re fortunate to be
enjoying your favorites.”

“I…I…”
the question had taken me so by surprise I was unsure how to answer.  I
blushed violently.

A
deep voice that sent chills through my body spoke directly behind me, “Miss
Fields is on too much medication at this time to risk combining it with
alcohol.”

Dean’s
broad smile over my head made me want to turn more than anything.  “Of
course, of course.  Our Ellie looks so beautifully vibrant I didn’t
consider the danger of mixing pills and alcohol.  Thankfully someone did.”

Had
I not been
pregnant
, it likely would have been the truth. 

That
Hyde had appeared behind me and come to my defense instantly in such a way told
me two things.  The first was that he’d been there far longer than I’d
realized.  The second was that he knew I was pregnant and keeping the
resulting child of my rapists. 

I
hadn’t seen him in weeks and I was truly worried about passing out from
instant, debilitating stress.

My
body shook violently and I placed my hands on my thighs to conceal it as much
as possible.  Beneath the table, Padme and Bianca each placed a hand over
mine.  I stared at the candle in front of me, willing myself into a
shallow meditation that finally allowed me to calm down. 

There
was a final pat and my friends pulled away.

“So,
Ellie, how’s the writing going?  I’m dying for more chapters.” 
Thadias Kellering owned a publishing company and had begged to be given first
looks at my work.  “Your writing is fresh and exciting.  I confess
I’m hooked.”  His lovely wife Sarah nodded in agreement.  I’d known
them all my life since their estate abutted my parents’ on the north side.

I
swallowed carefully and extended my good arm to lift my water goblet with a
steady hand.  “I’ve finished another six chapters.  I can email you
those if you like.”

“Loved
the first two books of the series. 
Loved them
.  Sarah stayed
up all night to read them.  We’ll anxiously await the next in the
series.  No pressure, you take your time, but you have a faithful
audience.  I don’t even cringe at the romantic elements.  They’re
well-blended into the main stories of espionage and villainy.”  Thadias
said the last with a stereotypical cartoon villain’s voice.

I
laughed lightly, afraid I’d give way to hysterics any moment.  “I should
be finished in the next month.  My typing speed is pathetic but Padme is
transposing my notes.  How is Cameron?”

“Getting
far too big!  We didn’t bring him tonight since he’s getting over a nasty
cold but you won’t be able to keep him away for long.”  Sarah was always
happy to discuss their little boy who’d been born a year after their
wedding. 

Since
Thadias was almost twenty years older, it was especially wonderful for both of
them.  The father said proudly, “He asks about you, Ellie.  As far as
he’s concerned you hung the moon.  The colt rarely goes a day without
being ridden.”

“I
recognize a fellow equestrian when I meet one.  I knew Sarafina’s foal was
going to be perfect for his first horse.  I’ll be glad to get back in the
saddle.  After…I mean, when I’m not wearing these.” 

I
held up my casted arm wrapped in fluorescent pink.  “Not much longer
now.  You’ll have to send him over for a visit, Sarah.  I have it on
good authority that Dad put a PS3 in the media room.  I owe him a rematch
on
Halo
.  He owes me one on
Call of Duty
.  Two weeks,
tell him to be here or I’ll consider him too scared to face me.” 

The
nine-year-old was brutal at video games.  I had to bring my A-game.

Laughing
happily, Sarah and Thadias agreed they’d present him the instant I was
ready.  Glancing down the table, I smiled at Zoe Queen, my mother’s best
friend since college.  “Zoe, how are the mastiffs?” 

“Breeding
faster than I can wean the pups from their mamas.”

“I’d
like a puppy, please.  Preferably a girl.  I haven’t had a dog since
I lost Princess Pretty when I was twelve.  I thought it disloyal to try
and replace her.  I think I’m ready now.”  It would be nice to have a
dog again.  A big fucking dog that could swallow someone’s head.

Zoe
fidgeted excitedly in her seat.  “I have
just
the girl for you,
Ellie.  Perfect form and
excellent
manners.  I’ve been working
with the newly weaned to make sure they exhibit good behavior before placing
them.  As big as they are, being ill-mannered is just an accident waiting
to happen.”  Lifting her glass, she added, “I’m going to bring her by to
meet you.  I think it will be a match made in heaven.”

I
gave her a smile before turning to my parents.  “Would you hate me if I
turned in?  I’m so exhausted.  I napped but I’m wiped.”

“Of
course, baby.  I’ll have Cook save tarts for you for breakfast.”  Mom
stood up with my father.  “Excuse us for just a few minutes while we walk
with Ellie to her wing.  Please, enjoy another glass of wine. 
Dessert will be served shortly.” 

With
that, she waited for me and my security team to join them in the doorway. 
Bianca and Fiaaz stepped back to allow my folks to stand on either side of
me.  “I’m sorry, Ellie.  I forgot how long our dinners manage to
stretch once we all start talking.”

“Normally,
I’d be one of the last to cry uncle but I’m ready to drop.”

Padme
said quietly, “We’re a little late on your medication, Ellie but I think we
should be alright.”  At my sharp glance she smiled, “No worries, I had all
the original prescriptions changed to…safer selections.  But Ellie,
they’re not as effective.  Are you sure you’ll be able to handle the
pain?”

I
kept it simple, “Yes.  I’m sure.”

I
had a floating feeling for a moment when we arrived to my rooms and didn’t see
Hyde.  Had I dreamed his voice?  Then I caught him from the corner of
my eye entering his own space without a backward glance and my heart slammed
painfully against my ribcage. 

Mom
insisted on helping me get ready for bed so we could chat about the dinner
party.  When I was wearing a tank top and sleep shorts, she tucked me into
bed and sat on the side to smooth my hair.  I felt ten-years-old again in
a way that wasn’t unwelcome. 

Dad
came in and both of them loved on me for a few minutes before saying they’d see
me in the morning.  I settled in to sleep as I heard the sounds of my
household quieting for the night.  The new guards were stationed on the
roof and the grounds. 

Si
and Fiaaz had rooms down the hall.  Bianca’s rooms were next door. 
Padme and Hyde slept in my suite.  I heard the locks engage through my
partially open bedroom door and the tones of my alarm system being
activated. 

It
took me a long time to fully relax and I should have known life wouldn’t be
quite so easy.  For the first time since my attack, I wasn’t sliding
headlong into a drug-induced sleep.  My bedroom wasn’t as brightly lit and
constantly noise-ridden like the hospital. 

It
was quiet. 

It
was dark.

Terror
had just been waiting to reach out and toy with me.

Being
home brought down a brick in the wall my subconscious had erected. 

I
had my first nightmare since the attack and it was a whopper.  The
contents were hazy but terrifying and I woke up on the floor of my room with
Padme and Hyde leaning over me.  Padme had bleeding scratches on her upper
chest and Hyde was sporting a busted lip. 

All
of us were sweating.  I was soaking wet and could feel streams of sweat
dripping from my body.  I was also in severe pain.  My hair was
plastered to my damp face and upper body.  Padme reached out with a
shaking hand and pushed the strands away. 

“Ellie…please
tell me you’re awake now.”  I nodded.  “Thank God.”

She
sat back and lifted my head from the floor into her lap.  I realized my
throat was raw when I tried to ask what happened.

Then
Padme did something I’d never seen before in the nine years I’d known
her.  She burst into tears.  Rocking me in her arms, I felt a ripple
of fear skate down my spine. 

I
looked at Hyde’s face.  Every muscle in his body was taut with
tension.  He was pale and so angry there was an instant when my fear was
directed at him.

One
piece of my dream flashed before my conscious mind and my body reacted immediately,
sending knifing pain through my healing limbs.  “Going to…to be
sick.  Please.”  Hyde was up with me in his arms in seconds, striding
for the bathroom. 

He
literally held me suspended from the floor around my waist as I lost anything
still in my stomach.  The pressure on my ribs was agony but the position
was necessary since I couldn’t bend one leg.  His other hand gathered my
hair and held it out of my way.  Padme got a damp cloth and wiped my face
and mouth. 

“Alright,
Ellie.  Okay.  Let’s get her to the sink, Hyde.” 

He
gently moved me across the room and held me steady as I brushed my teeth and
washed my face with one hand.  Leaning heavily on the cool marble, I
looked up into Hyde’s face behind mine. 

To
me, he was like the perfect blend of everything I’d ever admired in a
man.  He was six-four, heavily muscled but lean.  His hair was kept
shaggy.  It was light brown in the winter, golden blond in the
summer.  His eyes were hazel green but sometimes looked blue. 

He
had to shave twice a day to keep his jaw smooth but I liked it when he only
shaved once.  Right now, he had a dusting of stubble over his jaw and
around his mouth.  He had multiple scars and he was serious all the
time. 

Everything
about him screamed danger but I would have run toward him before anyone else if
I felt threatened.  I rarely saw him smile but I knew that when he did
there were dimples in his cheeks.  I’d seen him run, fight, and shoot for
the past several years and there was nothing I didn’t like about him.  He never,
ever
lied to me and he always made me feel safe.

He
was watching me carefully in the mirror. 

“I’m
so sorry, Hyde.”  My heart rate was too high.  I felt dizzy and
strange.

He
opened his mouth to respond but I was already gone.

I
woke the next morning between clean sheets and in a clean t-shirt.  I hurt
everywhere
.  My wrist was throbbing like an open wound and it felt
like my shoulder was out of place.  There was pain shooting down my leg
and my toes were numb.  I tried to sit up and moaned in agony. 
Bianca was at the door two seconds later.

“Jesus,
Ellie.  You need the pain meds.  Let me get them.”