Welcome to New Haven (72 page)

“You asked, I told.
Anyway, I saw what
you
bought today, too.”

“I know you did. I’m wearing a pair very similar to them right now.”

If she’s going to tell me what she has on I’m going to burst.

Alex carried on talking before Holly could reply, as he was on his way to the main bathroom to get ready for a cold, cold shower.

“They’re black, with a white waist band saying ‘Calvin Klein.”
 

“Oh my God.” She barely whispered. “Just like the ones you bought today?”

“Yep” He said as he blew out another breath.
 
“I could tell you what I’m wearing…but it’d be pointless.”
 

“Why?” He asked, a bit confused as he was removing his clothes to get in the water.
 

“I
could
tell you.” She teased.

“Tell me, Holly.”

“I’m not wearing any.” She breathed, sexily, into the phone and Alex stopped breathing.
 

“In fact, I’m naked and just getting in the shower.

"“
Fuuucckk!
” He said and he started to recite his sporting lists. It wasn’t helping.

“I can hear water, are you getting in the shower too?”
 

“Yes.” He managed to say though gritted teeth.
 

“Are you naked…right now?” Alex could hear, in Holly’s voice, that she was turned on. It was how she sounded earlier on the sofa.

“Completely.” Alex’s tone low to stir Holly even more. He heard her take a quick breath, and he whimpered, slightly. The way she did when she would bite her lip to stop herself from crying out.

“No more, Holly babe. I can’t take it. You haven’t even touched me and I’m losing control.”

“Neither can I. Just talking to you drives me crazy.” She rasped.
 

“I think I need to let the cold water cool me down. I love you, Holly.”

“I love you too, Alex.”

“I just need to say one more thing before I go.” He said, his voice dripping with sexiness.

“What is it?”

“Nueve días. Nueve días hasta que tenga desnuda… En la cama.” Alex barely whispered his promise into the phone.

“Oh my fucking
hell
!” she squealed.

“I’ll leave you to translate that, babe. But, I assure you…I mean it. Goodnight my sexy girl.”

“Goooo aaaahhhh” Was all Holly managed.

Alex stepped into the water and cooled
himself
down as the water didn’t help much…at all.

“Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!” Said Holly as she held onto the edge of the sink.
 

She’d translated what Alex had said to her. It wasn’t difficult to make out the words, as he’d said them slowly enough for her to catch them.
 
Holly looked at her phone.
 

‘Nine days. Nine days until I have you naked…In bed.’

He said he’d meant it too!

“Oh, my, ah!” Holly got under the cold water. Her skin was burning, her breasts were heaving, nipples hard and painful. She was aching between her thighs so much, she could feel her pulse throbbing there.

“How can he do this to me?” she asked out loud, to herself. “How can he get me this way without even being here? Without touching me?”

Holly knew the answers to those questions immediately.
 

“Because he’s Alex and he’s sexy as hell.”

And all mine.

Once Holly had gotten her wits together, she dried, dressed, and got into bed, the conversation still playing in her mind.
 
She had a good idea that
that
was what phone sex would be like.

Suddenly, the thought of Alex doing things to himself, because of her, made her tingle all over. She liked turning him on and the thought of him ‘helping’ himself, because of her…she liked it.

She went to bed running his words over in her head.
 

“Nine days.” She said and smiled to herself before falling asleep.

Chapter 24

Holly found herself drifting into her own world when she heard Alex talking.
 

“Hey, babe. What are you thinking?”

“About you.” She said dreamily.

They were in Alex’s car, headed towards Olympia.
 

“Where are we going?” she asked, excited that it was just the two of them in a romantic day out.
 
She felt bad for leaving Dev, today, but she’d said she was studying for the test she had coming up for art class.
 
Alex took art class too, but he’s said he had already finished his so they could go out.

“It’s a surprise.” He said with a wink. “You’ll like it. I promise.”

Holly’s stomach was filled with butterflies, her heart racing. The anticipation of being alone, not counting the car ride, close together was overwhelming.
 

“You’re killing me!” She cried as he laughed.

As Holly looked in the wing mirror, she noticed a black car. She couldn’t tell the type because there was no badge on the front. It was pretty close to them too, but not close enough to see the driver. She had a horrible feeling in her stomach that something was very, very wrong.

Alex took the next right turn at the junction.

So did the black car.

It might be a coincidence.
She thought, until it turned with them again.

“Alex. The car behind us…I think they’re following us.”

“I noticed.” He said. “I took the last turn to double check. It could be coincidence, but I’m not sure. I don’t want to take the chance.”

“She’s still in custody, right?” she asked, now afraid.

“As far as I know.” Alex replied. “The police haven’t called, and I wouldn’t have driven out here if she had.” He said, checking his mirror again. “I’ll carry on going to where I was taking you. If they end up there, then they’ve been following us. There wouldn’t have been any reason for them to make the turn back there if they were just headed to the same place.” He paused. “We’re going to the new botanic gardens. They’ve just opened a rare tropical flowers and plants house. I thought you’d like it.”

“Oh my God that’s excellent!” She said excitedly. “I heard about it and wanted to go. Aw, thank you, babe.” She said as she kissed his free hand.

“Anything for my girl.” He said with a warm smile.

Alex looked in the rear view mirror, and Holly looked in the wing mirror. The black car was still behind them, but it had backed off a little.

“Can you tell whether it’s a man or woman?” She asked.

“No, but it looks like they’re wearing a hat and sunglasses.”

Holly was getting really scared.
 
She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling it was Stacey.
 

Alex looked at her; his expression filled with worry.

He was thinking the same thing.
 

They reached the botanic gardens, and the black car drove past.

“Oh thank God!” Holly said, relieved.
 

“Why would somebody
do
that?” Alex asked, rhetorically. “That’s just fucked up.”
 

He took Holly’s hand and led her to the entrance.

As they went inside the big hot house, Holly was amazed.
 

Tropical plants of all colours, shapes, and sizes.
 

“It’s like a jungle!” She whispered in awe.

“It’s awesome.” Said Alex, like he’d never seen anything like it. They walked further through the house along the pathway. It went off in a few different directions.
 

“Wow, you could get lost in here!” she giggled.
 

“And that makes it easier for me.” Said a bitter female voice behind them.
 

“Stacey!” They both said.

She was standing there with loose jeans, white T-shirt, large Jackie ‘O’ style glasses and a baseball cap, and holding a black holdall.

No wonder they didn’t recognise her.

“This is
your
fault!” She spat as she spoke to Holly. "If you’d have just fucked off, he’d be mine.”

“No I wouldn’t.” Said Alex as he slowly pulled Holly behind him. “This isn’t Holly’s fault. I would
never
be with you Stacey.”
 

Stacey laughed.

“Oh you’re not blameless yourself, hot stuff. If you had given in, just once, this might never have happened. Oh…who am I kidding?” She chuckled with a sick, twisted cackle. “Once would
never
have been enough. You know I want you, Alex, you want me too. I know you do. You just say no in front of your friends because
they
want me too.”

“
What?!
No…I don’t! They don’t either!” He shouted.
 

“You’re delusional, Stacey. You need help. You should go back to your psychiatrist…” Said Holly.

“Shut up!” Stacey screeched as she reached into her bag…and brought out a gun.
 

“What the fuck? Stacey, what are you doing?” Asked Alex as he tucked Holly behind him again.

She wasn’t having that, and she dodged his hands and moved to stand in-between him and Stacey’s gun.

“Don’t Stacey!” Said Holly, and Alex reached for her again.

“Don’t fucking move, pretty boy.” Stacey said with malice. “One fucking inch and I’ll put a hole in her pretty face.”

Alex stopped.

“Stacey please…Don’t do this.” He said.
 

“Don’t beg.” She said with a childish, sarcastic pout. “You’ll be begging me later, when I’m fucking you. You’re little girlfriend can watch.” She laughed. “She might learn something.”

“No I
won’t
! I will
never
be with you. Stacey. Why don’t you understand? I don’t like you. I never have. I hate you!”
 
Alex growled.

“You don’t mean that.” Stacey screamed in a psychotic rage. “I’m the only one for you. Nobody else!
We’re
meant to be together.
Not
her, not anybody!”
 
Stacey was waving the gun back and forth between them.

Where are the security guards?
 
The police?

“Stacey, there are cameras everywhere. Security will be coming, Police too.
 
Just put the gun down.” Holly said, calmly.

“Cameras? Do you think I give a
shit
about cameras? They’ll show me coming for what’s
mine
!” Stacey screamed.

Holly and Alex looked at each other.

They couldn’t run, there was nothing they could do but wait for the authorities to come to their rescue.

They’d have to stall her somehow.

“Move” Stacey pointed the gun and gestured to the pathway behind them. “Get walking!”

“Where are we going?” Alex asked.

“Just keep moving sweetie.” Stacey sad in a sickly sweet tone, before switching back to her spiteful self. “Move your ass, bitch!” She said to Holly.

Holly was terrified of What Stacey might do to Alex. She had to think of a way to get her away from him. “Stacey, if you loved Alex, at all, you wouldn’t do this to him.” She said, pleading.
 
“You’re just making things worse.”
 

“Shut the fuck up!” Stacey screeched. “I’m doing this
because
I love him! He’s mine!” Stacey kept the gun on them as they walked throughout the tropical house.
 
They came to a small door that said ‘staff only’.
 
“Go in there.”
 

Alex opened the door, and they went through.

The inside looked like a garden shed.

Holly was confused as to what they’d entered. The door looked normal but the inside, a wooden shed.
 
It was completely empty.
 
No tools, no materials… nothing. There was another door off to the right.
 
Stacey came in, and Holly looked to Alex before pointedly glancing at the other door.
 
He turned so his back was to the handle.

As Stacey turned her back to close the door behind her, Alex turned the handle behind him.

It opened!

They ran through the door, slamming it shut. It led outside to a huge lawn surrounded by the gardens. They ran as fast as they could and hid behind a huge yellow azalea plant.

Holly’s tears were flowing fast.

“Shh babe.” Said Alex gently, cupping her face. “Everything’s going to be ok.
 
I promise.” He said.

“I’m not going to let her hurt you, Alex. I won’t. I’ll
kill
her if she does anything to you.” Holly was trembling in fear.
 

“Come out, come out, wherever you are…!” Stacey said in a sing-sing voice.
 
“Don’t hide from me. I promise I won’t hurt you…much.” She said as she laughed maniacally.

Holly looked around.

Lots of colourful plants and bushes.
 

They needed to move; Stacey would find them there.

They needed to go…now.

She pointed to the red chenille plant behind them.
 
They moved quickly and silently.
 
The couldn’t hear, or see Stacey.
 
She couldn’t have gotten far though.
 
They would have known if she were close to them.
 

Holly looked around, and she, and Alex, crawled behind the zedoary plant.
 
It had grown tall and had spread wide, providing great cover for them. They waited for a few seconds as they listened for Stacey.

Nothing.

“Where is she?” Alex mouthed, and Holly shook her head.
 
They crouched and moved behind a large poinsettia plant, and it started to rain.

Oh great. Now, we can’t hear her.

Holly was so scared for Alex. She held tightly to his hand like they were glued together. Nothing was going to separate her from him.
 
She had to protect him, her Alex, from the psychotic, delusional Stacey.

They needed to get out.

Where the fuck are the security?

N
obody
seemed to be there.
 
They were alone and as Holly realised that, she started crying.
 
Alex stroked her cheek.