His for Now (His #2) (10 page)

“I guess that’s one way of putting it.”

“And you’re not with him banging his brains out right now because…?”

She made a good point. 
But before I could ponder the question, a noise from outside made me jump.  For a moment I’d been so preoccupied with thoughts of Hayden that I’d forgotten the danger I was in.  If someone really was after him, then that meant I might be a target just as he feared.  With a gasp, I ducked down behind my desk and whispered, “Hey Mina, I’ve got to go.  Thanks for listening.”

“Daniella, be careful.”

I didn’t answer.  I was too busy gawking in horror.  There was no question about it:  those were footsteps I heard out in the hall!

The suspense was killing me.  For what felt like ages, I’d been crouched behind my desk holding my breath as I listened to someone rummaging around down the hall. 
I could hear desk drawers opening and the rustling of papers.  It felt like I was a sitting duck just waiting to be picked off…I had to get out of there.

Looking around, I found a letter opener on the far cor
ner of my desk.  It was very sharp.  I didn’t want to use it but if worse came to worse I didn’t want to be caught empty handed.  I carefully tucked it into the waistband of my skirt and then crept toward my office door.  I moved the chair away as quietly as I could and then released the lock.

Peering out into the hallway, I saw the light on in Mark’s office.  My plan was to go the other way and get the hell out of there as quickly as possible.  But right that moment, someone walked out of the office and looked right at me.

This was it…I was going to die!  My life flashed before my eyes – I always thought that was just an expression but it turns out it actually does happen.  Maybe that was a bit hasty of me to immediately assume I was going to
die
but people don’t always act rationally in the midst of a crisis.  At least that’s the excuse I’m going to rely on.

Interestingly,
when my life flashed before my eyes, it wasn’t my academic accomplishments or professional achievements that came to mind first.  It was Hayden Slate. 

“What
are you doing here?” the night janitor asked once we’d both calmed down. 

“I, uh…I’m
trying to get an article written!” I blurted out, pretending to smooth my skirt so the night janitor wouldn’t think I’d been on the verge of attacking him with a letter opener.  “You know how it is – tight deadline!”  I laughed a bit too manically.

Shaking his head, the janitor picked up a
duster and began to clean.  I leaned against the wall and tried to catch my breath.  I hadn’t realized just how jumpy I was.  I also hadn’t realized what a good liar I’d become when the truth simply wouldn’t do.  Was I supposed to feel proud or embarrassed by that?

“Isn’t that the phone in your office ringing?”
  The janitor looked at me expectantly, his voice interrupting my thoughts.  I blinked and stared back at him vacantly.  Then his words sunk in.

Sure enough, it was.  I’d been so engrossed in my thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed.  I rarely ever got calls on that line and certainly not in the middle of the night when I was supposed to be at home in bed.  Who would even know I was there?  “
Thanks,” I told him, turning on my heel to retreat to my office.

I nearly dropped the phone when I heard Hayden’s voice on the other end.  He sounded exasperated with me.  “I knew you’d be there,” he told me before I’d even had a chance to speak.  “I’m not the only one who can track you down, you know.  You shouldn’t have left
me,” he said flatly, sounding hurt and angry.  “If you’d stayed at the cabin I could have protected you.”

“
Maybe you’re right,” I agreed.  “But what would you have done in my position?  You have to admit, what you told me sounds pretty far-fetched.  But I’m sorry you had to wake up to find me gone, Hayden.  I shouldn’t have left the way I did.”

“How did you get out?”

“I uh…walked past your limo driver?” I replied and then paused to consider how silly that sounded – and how easy it had been for me to escape.  “Is he really a security guard?” I asked incredulously.

“My father tells me he’s one of the best,” Hayden replied.  I could hear the bewilderment and mounting suspicion in his voice, and I could practically imagine the way his eyes were narrowed as he pondered what I’d told him.  “Either you’re an expert escape artist or that’s bullshit.”

“I’m not an expert escape artist,” I assured him.  “I hate to say it but maybe your expert security agents aren’t such experts after all.”

“The thought occurred to me,” he agreed.  Then after a loaded pause, he asked,
“Do you believe me now?” I sensed reluctance in his voice as though he was afraid I might reject his reality and continue to think of him as delusional.

“Yes,” I told him quickly, with no hesitation whatsoever.  “I believe you now. 
Where are you?”

“On my way to get you,” he replied matter-of-factly.

I should have known he’d be on his way to rescue me from whatever dangers lurked in the shadows.  “Is that safe?” I demanded.  It was sort of a rhetorical question because we both knew very well that it wasn’t.

“No, not at all,” Hayden shot back.  “What I should be doing is getting out of the country
immediately and going off the radar.  But you haven’t left me any other choice but to come back for you.”

It was clear that leaving me behind wasn’t an option – not even when he was
hurt and furious with me.  That knowledge reassured me, but I worried for Hayden.  “Can’t you send someone else to get me?” I asked, immediately accepting that I’d be leaving with Hayden no matter where his destination was.  “I don’t want to endanger you.”

“If
you were anybody else, I would.”

“It’s good to hear your voice, even if you are mad at me,
” I told him as I sat back down at my computer.  I’d left it on when the footsteps in the hallway had interrupted me.  As I was about to shut it down, I caught a glimpse of the search results for Omari Heath, the artist who’d created the stolen painting.  Several thumbnails of his art were visible and they immediately captured my attention. 

“What
was the name of the painting that was stolen?” I asked as I enlarged the thumbnails.

“
That’s
what you want to talk about right now?” he asked, not bothering to mask his surprise.  When I waited expectantly for an answer, he added, “Uh, it’s called ‘Travesty’.” He sounded puzzled by the strange turn the conversation had abruptly taken.  But of course, he couldn’t see what I was looking at.  Maybe if he could then it would have made sense to him.

Cocking my head to the side, I studied the images on the screen wit
h great interest.  “Hayden, that painting…I found a photo online and I’ve seen it before!” I exclaimed, stunned.

“I’m sure you have,” he replied as though my statement was entirely unremarkable.  “It’s a pretty famous political commentary piece.  I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve seen it in a Sociology textbook or something.”

“No,” I insisted, shaking my head even though he couldn’t see me.  “I mean I’ve actually
seen
it.  I went to the art gallery here on campus a while back and ended up wandering into the storage room by mistake.  It was in there, propped up in the corner with brown paper over it!”

“
That’s a strange coincidence.  It must have been a print,” he reasoned.

“I don’t know…
how would I be able to tell?” 

“If it was a high quality print then you might not be able to.”

“If you saw it, would you be able to tell?” I asked.  “I mean, you know what to look for, right?”

“Yes.  Daniella, you do realize we don’t have much time, don’t you?”

“I know that,” I assured him.  “But Hayden…”

He sighed.  “You really want me to look at it?”

“I could be wrong,” I acknowledged.  “But what if I’m not?  I know how remote a possibility it is, but what if it’s the real thing?  I know I’m untrained but it sure looked like an original painting to me – I saw brushstrokes and everything.”  I knew what I was asking.  I was asking him to trust me even though my recent actions hadn’t given him much reason to do that.  But that nagging feeling inside me wouldn’t go away. 

“I’m about ten minutes away,” Hayden said.  “I guess we can take a minute to go look at it, if you can get us inside?  I’m guessing everything is locked up this time of night and breaking in would set off an alarm.” 

“Oh, you’re probably right,” I conceded.  His willingness to rely on my instincts meant a lot to me.  It showed me that he valued my opinion and trusted my intellect.  Then with determination in my voice, I told him, “You just get here safely.  I’ll take care of the rest.  Meet me outside the library.”

“Daniella, please be careful,” Hayden
begged, his voice hoarse.  The anger I’d initially heard was rapidly fading – or at least I hoped it was.  “I don’t know what I’d do if anything were to happen to you.”

“Don’t worry,” I said brightly.  “I can take care of myself.”  I said it with such certainty that I nearly convinced myself.  I just hoped I’d convinced Hayden.  I didn’t want him to worry about me.  Anything I could do to put his mind at ease, I would.  He’d been through enough already.

This lying thing was getting old, but I tried to tell myself it was for a good cause.  Plastering my most charming smile on my face, I went out into the hallway and tapped the night janitor on the shoulder.  “I have a strange favor to ask.  I was in the library earlier on and I think my earring fell off in there.  Would you happen to have a key I could use?”

He hesitated but only for a moment.  I was, after all, a college employee.  He pulled a large silver key out of the pocket of his coveralls.  “Just make sure you lock the door when you’re done,” he cautioned before handing it to me.
  “And bring the key right back!”

“I will
, I promise!  Thank you!”

When I laid eyes on Hayden, it was like for one brief moment, all was right in the world.  As I stood just inside the library doors watching him stride across campus looking tall, muscular and completely in control, I was filled with a sense that everything would be okay.  I lit up inside, startled by how brightly I
still burned for him. 

“Hayden!” I called, stepping outside
and waving to make my presence known.  I wanted to run to him and launch myself into his arms, but I hesitated.  I’d been the first person he’d opened up to in years.  He’d broken all his rules for me and even risked his life.  In return, I’d deceived him and left him while he slept.  Would he even want to catch me if I jumped?

The answer, as it turned out, was in his stride.  As soon as he laid eyes on me, Hayden Slate the heir to a fortune broke into a run.  Sprinting the rest of the way until he reached me, he moved with agility and grace.  But it was so unlike him to break that carefully constructed air of control that it spoke volumes. 

“Daniella!” he gasped as he came to stand in front of me, his hands gripping my arms just above my elbows.  “Are you alright?”  The moonlight illuminated his handsome face, which was full of concern for me.  I couldn’t help but think he looked like a movie star who belonged on the silver screen instead of in some sleepy little college town.  But I was glad he was there.  Actually, glad didn’t even begin to describe it.

Opening my mouth to answer him, no sound came out. 

“Daniella?” he urged, his fingers gently brushing my long dark hair back from my face. 

As though it was instinct, I wordlessly wrapped my arms around his neck.  That one simple gesture seemed to melt the last of Hayden’s defences and he lifted me up with ease.  His
embrace felt like home, warm, loving and safe.  “You’re not mad at me for leaving?” I whispered, my lips almost grazing his earlobe.

He shook his head.  “
At first I was,” he admitted.  “I was hurt and embarrassed.  But it pales in comparison to what I did to you.”

It was clear he was still harboring guilt for the awful things he’d said to me.  A short while ago I would have said he deserved to feel guilty but now, knowing what I did, I wanted to absolve him of regret.  “You had your reasons,” I reminded him.  “I understand that now.”

“And you had your reasons as well,” he agreed.  “I should have known you don’t take orders from anyone – at least not outside of the bedroom,” he added with a glimmer in his eye.  “You’ve worked hard for the life you have here.  I admire that you’re not willing to just walk away from it.  You’re a strong woman, Daniella.  Your independence is a pain in the ass sometimes, but it’s also pretty damn sexy.”

Our lips brushed then and just like that, all bets were off. 

We half-tumbled into the library foyer, our bodies pressed together in a tangle of limbs.  “The art gallery is over there,” I managed to breathe, pointing in the direction of the door.  But despite the urgency of our situation, we were suddenly in no hurry to get out of there.  Something else had become more urgent.

The library had always been my sanctuary.  It was housed inside an impressive old building with a rich history.  The interior had that familiar, comforting musty smell of old books.  In this day and age of electronic readers and online research, there was something sac
red about the scent of a well-worn book and the words patiently waiting between its pages.