“I slept good,” I lied, cringing. “I slept on your side, maybe that was the key.”
“Yeah? That’s great, Baby Girl. I was so worried about you all night,” he admitted.
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore that nagging feeling inside me that told me that I shouldn’t be lying to him. But my intentions were good, I was lying so that he wouldn’t abandon his life, yet again, and come to my rescue. “You shouldn’t worry about me, I’m fine. So, are you looking forward to today? What time are you going to the race track?” I asked, needing to change the subject.
“The tour starts at one, so we need to leave here about quarter to, I guess. The hotel you booked for us is literally on the edge of the track. It’s so nice, you’d love it here. Maybe we could come here one time, and we could actually watch the Grand Prix race? Maybe I could convert you to a race fan,” he teased.
I laughed. “I don’t think so, you’ve got more chance of making me a football fan,” I joked, smiling.
“Right, I guess you get to look at the guys’ asses then.”
“You know I like a nice ass,” I joked.
“Yeah, I know,” he replied, sounding amused.
Dean’s bedroom door clicked open, and my eyes widened in horror. He would take one look at me and know that I was talking to Ashton and he’d tell him, without a doubt. “I’d better go, I’ve got breakfast in the pan,” I lied, needing to get off the phone.
“Oh yeah? And what are you making for my replacement?” Ashton asked curiously.
“French toast,” I teased.
He groaned. “Baby Girl, that’s not fair, you know I love your French toast!” he whined.
“I’m sure they have French toast in your hotel.” I watched as Dean strutted out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes roughly as he stalked towards the kitchen. When his gaze flicked in my direction, I cringed and bit my lip. “I’ve got to go; I’ll speak to you later, okay? Call me when you get time and let me know how you all got on driving,” I suggested, watching as Dean changed his course and strutted over towards me, his eyes accusing and hard.
“Okay, I will. And if the lawyer guy comes before I call you, then you call me instead and let me know what he said,” he instructed. “I miss you, Anna.”
My insides tingled, and my heart skipped a beat at hearing those words in his silky smooth voice. “Miss you too, bye.” Wow, if only he knew how much I missed him, he’d be frightened to death.
I disconnected the call just as Dean reached out to snatch it from my hand. He was glaring at me. “You have got to be kidding me! You called him and told him you were fine?” he growled angrily.
I shook my head innocently. “No, he called me,” I corrected, but his glare seemed to deepen at my sarcasm. “I did tell him I was fine though,” I admitted. “He’s having a really nice time. Please don’t ruin this for him? He’ll never find out, just tell the other two not to say anything, and we’ll pretend that everything was fine,” I begged.
He huffed angrily and scowled at me. “Well, I don’t suppose I have a choice now, considering you’ve already made the decision for me, do I?” he snapped, shaking his head disapprovingly.
I jumped up, smiling with relief. “Thank you! As payback, I’ll make you breakfast, anything you want, you just name it.” I practically skipped to the kitchen.
He followed behind me with a scowl still plastered on his face. “Annabelle, if he finds out, I expect you to back me up and tell him this wasn’t my idea and that you railroaded me into it.”
I nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely, I promise.” I crossed my heart with one finger and grinned. “But he won’t find out anyway. I won’t say anything, I swear.” I smiled reassuringly and stopped in front of the fridge. “So, what’s it to be? Eggs, pancakes, waffles?” I offered, waving my hands at the stove.
He shrugged and his scowl fell away, now replaced by a smile. “No wonder Ashton’s crazy about you if you treat him like this all the time.” I recoiled, taken aback by his words. He thinks Ashton is crazy about me? I shrugged it off and looked at Dean expectantly; he still hadn’t answered the question. “Pancakes and bacon?” he suggested. I grinned and pulled the stuff from the fridge, getting to work.
Later that afternoon, I was chewing on my nails so much that they were starting to bleed, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself from doing it. The man with the greying, thinning hair in the expensive suit sitting opposite me on the sofa looked just the same as he did three years ago, although maybe a little thicker around the middle. This was the man that had sat me down and convinced me that I needed to give evidence at Carter’s trial the first time. I hadn’t wanted to, in fact, I’d adamantly protested, but he’d talked at me and talked at me until I’d given in. Of course, there were restrictions on what I would give evidence on. I’d point blank refused to tell anyone what really went on between me and Carter at his house, so none of the abuse, rapes, or kidnapping charges were ever filed against him, much to this man’s disgust.
My evidence hadn’t actually helped much the first time around because I’d refused to press charges against Carter, so whenever someone asked me how I came to be at his house, or what happened to me there, it was quickly objected by Carter’s team of highly priced lawyers, and then the jury were told to disregard anything they’d heard that did not relate to the actual murder of Jack.
As a matter of fact, Carter’s team of three lawyers, had practically ripped my evidence to shreds, making me look like an immature, jealous girlfriend who barely understood what was being asked. It hadn’t helped matters that I hadn’t slept for three days prior to the trial, so I looked and acted like an emotionless zombie while I was being questioned. In the end, I actually felt as if I’d done more harm than good.
“The court are obviously understanding of your father’s position now. We have the evidence that you gave last time on video. If we need to refer to anything, we can refer to transcripts of it.” He unclasped his briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers, thumbing through them. “Of course, I have you on my list of vetted witnesses, but I’m not going to call you to the stand again,” he assured me. “The only thing that’s happened in the last month is that the defence has also put you down as a witness for their side this time.”
My mouth fell open in shock. “The defence have? What the hell for?”
He frowned and nodded. “I’m not quite sure what they hope to achieve, but the judge will not allow them to call you in on a whim. With your father being who he is, and you being in the public eye too, they won’t just be able to call you to trial without due cause. I’m assuming that they’ve added you onto their list as a publicity stunt. If they bring you in, it will draw attention to the case because of your social standing.”
I ground my teeth in frustration. “I won’t give evidence to help him,” I spat.
Mr Stanson nodded, still shuffling his papers. “I don’t believe it will come to that at all. As I said, I won’t be calling you again but may refer to your testimony. And the defence will only be allowed to call you to stand if they can prove that you can provide something new and enlightening. I strongly believe this is all just a stunt, possibly to rattle you before the trial.” He held out a stapled piece of paper to me. “Just in case though, let’s go over a few things that you said in the last trial, and I’ll brief you on any questions that you may be asked. We don’t want you to be tripped up like you were before. After that, I’ll describe what it’s like inside a court room. I’m assuming that you’ve never set foot in one before?”
I shook my head. The only court case I had ever been involved in was Carter’s, and then I’d been a minor so I was in a separate, normal room, while the lawyers asked me questions through video link.
I took the offered paper, noticing that it was a transcript of my evidence from last time. My head was buzzing with thoughts. The one that was the most prominent was that Carter had put me on that list just because he could. He was sending me a message that he could still get t
o me and have an effect on my life, even behind bars. This was a control thing all over again. I raised my chin, vowing that I wouldn’t let him or this trial get to me like it did last time. Last time I’d fallen to pieces while being questioned, this time would be a different story.
When he finally left, an hour later, my heart was heavy and my brain fuzzy. For the rest of the day, it was like I was sitting under a raincloud and I just couldn’t lift my spirits. My tiredness didn’t help my situation. Dean was blissfully unaware of what I was doing as I sat in my bathroom, using a razor to make four small but precise cuts on the inside of my forearm. The pain helped marginally, but it still wasn’t enough. I longed for Ashton. I longed for his arms, and his smile, and the silly things that he said to cheer me up when I was sad. I was counting down the hours now.
Ashton called me just after suppertime, asking about how it went with the lawyer, and what he’d said. I’d made light of it, not giving him the full story because I knew that he would just get angry if he knew that Carter’s side had me on their witness list too. I’d tried to remain emotionless, but Ashton just seemed to bring something out in me that I couldn’t control. In the end, I’d sat there, silently crying while he’d whispered soothing words down the phone, telling me that everything was fine and that I wouldn’t even get called up.
When I finally got a hold of my emotions, I sniffed loudly, wiping my nose on the back of my hand. “So tell me about your day, was it fun?” I asked, needing to hear something positive for a change.
“Fun doesn’t even cover it,” he answered. “The tour was great, and the cars… my God, I wish I’d trained as a driver when I was younger instead of SWAT. They clocked me at 143mph on the straight,” he boasted.
My heart leapt into my throat and I immediately berated myself for buying him something so dangerous as a gift. “Damn it, Ashton! Were you supposed to go that fast? You could have been killed!”
He chuckled wickedly. “I knew that would be your reaction when I told you that. You worry about me too much too, you know,” he teased. “Anyway, thank you so much for arranging this.”
“You’re very welcome,” I replied, chewing on my lip. “So, are your boys having fun too?”
“Heck yeah. Nate and Seth are talking about having me killed so they can have you to themselves.”
“Those boys don’t interest me,” I answered honestly. Nothing and no one would ever steal my heart from Ashton.
“Good girl.” I could practically hear the smile in his voice.
“So, what are you doing tonight? Getting drunk I hope.”
He laughed. “You’re always trying to get me drunk,” he teased. “I might have a couple, I won’t be getting smashed. You think I could call you when I get back and talk to you again before you go to sleep?”
My lips twitched with a smile. “If you want to. But how do you know you won’t have some girl in your room?” It was half a joke, half serious. I knew there was a very good chance he would be sleeping with some random girl tonight. I couldn’t stop the jealousy that was coursing through my veins. Deep down, I knew I had no right to be jealous, we were just friends who pretended to be more – but that didn’t stop the ache in my heart when I thought about it.
He sighed. “I won’t, Baby Girl.”
I laughed incredulously, remembering something he’d told me once before. “Right, I forgot, you’ll be in her room so you don’t have to spend the night.”
“Anna, seriously, will you stop? I don’t want another girl! Christ!” he snapped.
I recoiled, shocked that he’d shouted at me. “I was just teasing,” I muttered. I hadn’t been, we both knew it, but suddenly I felt guilty for doubting him.
“Look, just stop thinking like that, alright? I really hate it. I don’t want you thinking that I’m gonna be sleeping around just because I’m not there with you. I won’t.” His voice was sincere, and my guilt flared up again.
“Okay. Sorry,” I frowned down at my bitten nails, chewing on my lip.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s change the subject, alright?” he suggested. I smiled and closed my eyes, grateful that the awkwardness could be brushed under the carpet.
Our phone call lasted almost an hour, but it felt like merely minutes. At the end, he’d promised to call me later on, as soon as he was back in his hotel room. Once I put down the phone to him, I decided I would forgo sleep once again that night. I couldn’t take another nightmare on top of everything else, and I certainly couldn’t risk having another dream of Ashton, all broken and bruised.
I busied myself sketching while Dean watched TV. From the corner of my eye, I could see him yawning but trying to cover it up. I closed my book and stood. “I’m going to bed, Dean. Goodnight,” I lied.
He stood too, stretching. “Yeah, I think I will too. I’ll see you in the morning.”
To keep up the act, I headed to my bedroom and changed into a pair of loungewear pyjamas before quietly listening to my iPod for an hour. When I figured that Dean would be asleep, I hesitantly crept back out into the kitchen, making coffee before sneaking back into the lounge to watch TV.
At just after midnight, I got a text from Ashton.
‘Hey, Baby Girl. I’m sorry this is so late. If you’re still awake, call me. If I’m too late, then I’ll call you in the morning. Missing you like crazy x’
A goofy smile stretched onto my face as I dialled his number as quickly as I could. He answered immediately. “Hey! I didn’t wake you did I? I’m sorry it’s so late. Seth wanted to stay for another one, which then turned into two,” he grumbled.
The sound of his voice made my sour mood lighten. “I told you that I didn’t care if you woke me up. You should have just stayed out and got smashed, made the most of your time. You haven’t had a drink for over four months.”
He sighed deeply. “I didn’t want to stay out. It’s not the same without you there. I really missed you tonight.”
“You did?” I snuggled down on the sofa, unable to curb my ecstatic smile.
“Yeah. It was weird tonight. Usually when we go out, I have you to laugh and dance with but, towards the end of the evening, all the guys went their separate directions and I was left on my own talking to the barman,” he chuckled awkwardly.
I frowned. “They left you? What for?”
“They all went out on the hunt,” he replied casually.
The hunt? Oh, like hunting girls! “Right, and you didn’t want to?” I asked quietly.
“No, I didn’t,” he answered, just as quietly.
I smiled as happiness built inside me because of his answer. We chatted easily for about an hour, about nothing in particular, he was just so easy to talk to. “I guess I should let you get back to sleep,” he said, just after half past one in the morning.
I sighed. I hated lying to him but I was doing it for the right reasons. “Yeah. I miss you. Can’t wait for you to get back tomorrow.” That was the truth. Eight o’clock Sunday night couldn’t come soon enough in my opinion. I closed my eyes and imagined his handsome face as he walked through the front door.
“Shall I bring us in some takeout?” he asked excitedly.
I laughed wickedly. “You’re so excited about food!”
“I’m not excited about the food, Anna; I’m excited to see you.”
My insides fluttered. “Ashton, seriously, sometimes you are just too damn sweet.”
“It’s true. Right then, I’ll call you tomorrow when we get to the airport,” he said, sounding like he genuinely didn’t want to hang up.
“Okay, sleep well.”
“I’ll try. Goodnight, Baby Girl,” he sighed. I disconnected the call and went into my bedroom, grabbing my vanity bag, deciding to paint my toe and finger nails, just so I would have something to do.
I managed to keep myself awake all night, but I was really suffering by the morning. My eyes were stinging, my body was aching, and I’d already had about eight cups of coffee. Ashton texted me in the morning, hoping that I
’d slept okay and telling me he missed me. I text him back, lying that I had slept fine.
Dean looked at me a little concerned when he got up. “You sleep okay, Annabelle? You look like crap,” he commented at breakfast.
I laughed weakly. “Thanks, that’s what every girl likes to hear. You should know I slept fine last night, I didn’t wake you up, did I?” I retorted sarcastically.
He shook his head but continued to look at me strangely. Clearly he knew something was up.
That day I did everything and anything in a bid not to sit down. I went to the gym and then I cleaned the whole apartment, scrubbing out the stove and even washing the windows, just for something to do. Ashton called briefly at four pm, but we barely spoke for five minutes because they called his plane.
The time seemed to take forever to pass. Finally, at 8:17pm exactly, I heard the key twist in the lock and I got so excited that I thought I would die.
Chapter Eleven
~ Ashton ~
As soon as I was off the plane and out into the warm Arizona air, I hailed a cab and headed straight for Anna’s favourite Chinese restaurant. Thankfully, we came here a lot, so I didn’t even need to place an order, just request our usual with the guy behind the counter.
While I was waiting for my order, I sent a text to Peter and Dean, telling them I was back and that I’d be along in about ten minutes and that business was to be as usual once I arrived. I struggled not to tell Dean to get the hell out of my apartment so I could spend some alone time with Anna. I sat there watching the minute hand on the clock tick around. I was so excited to see Anna again that I could barely breathe properly. Finally, after forever and a day, the food was done and stacked into two bags.
By the time I got back to our apartment building, Peter was standing in the lobby where he was supposed to be. A grin stretched across his face when he saw me. “Hey, have a good time?”