Prologue Part Two

Lauren

I snatched my cell phone up as soon as it started ringing, much to Mason’s, my business partner’s, dismay. He hated it when I answered my cell phone at work. Even though we weren’t in a meeting, it still irked his soul. He was too strict when it came to our company, but when it came to Laurel, he was never going to win.

“Hey, sis! What’s up? Are you okay?” I asked.

“No,” she sobbed. “I can’t do this! He’s out there! I see him! He’s standing outside your house! He’s going to kill me,” she sobbed.

I immediately jumped to my feet to rush out of Mason’s office and down the hall to Carl’s. I threw the door open, and he spun his chair around to glare at me. I narrowed my eyes on him for a second as I listened to my sister sob hysterically in my ear.

“Are you here to fire me?” he hissed.

“If I could, I would. Just give me a reason,” I spat before slamming his door and walking back to Mason’s office. “Laurel, listen to me, Carl is not standing outside my house. He’s here at work,” I told her softly.

“B-but how do you know?” She cried. “I’m looking right at him.”

“Honey,” I called softly. “Deep breaths. He’s in his office. I just went down there to check. He’s there. He can’t be in two places at once.” I waited for her to do as I asked before calmly telling her, “Tell me what you want me to do. How can I help you feel safe?”

“I-I don’t know,” she whimpered. “I can’t do this, Lauren. If I see him, he’s going to kill me. I know it.”

I bit back a sigh. “Do you want me to get you a bodyguard? Or two? Or three? Would that make you feel safe?”

“W-would you?” She sobbed.

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Yes, Laurel. I will get you a bodyguard, and they can accompany us to court this afternoon. Is Rona there?”

“Y-yes.”

“Good. Ask her to make you a cup of tea and give you a piece of apple pie. Then I want you to take a nap, and I will be home to pick you up an hour before we have to go to court. Okay?”

“Yes. Okay. I love you, Lauren.”

“I love you too, Laurel.”

We hung up, and before I could say anything, Mason slid a piece of paper across the desk to me with a number on it. I glanced up at him.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Harrison Security Firm. You need a bodyguard, right? That’s the security firm we represent. I know they’re good at what they do. And I’m sure if you requested a bodyguard or two, or three, they would give you them at a discounted price. Maybe even for free if you tell them that we will give them services up to the cost of what you need in return,” he said.

“I thought you didn’t care.”

“It’s not that I don’t care, Lauren. It’s just that I’m not willing to have our company take a hit by firing one of our best client pleasers. Carl closes a lot of deals for us. He is a big part of why we are so successful. We agreed when we started this business that we would not let our personal lives interfere with it. And that’s exactly what you’re doing. I don’t know Laurel, Lauren, but I still care about her. I don’t want to see anything happen to her, and I’m glad that she’s taking the initiative to divorce him, but that has no bearing on me or our company,” he told me, making me sigh.

I knew he was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. I didn’t respond to him in favor of calling the security company. Within fifteen minutes, I had four bodyguards heading to my house to give Laurel the protection she so clearly needed after everything she had been through. I quickly sent her their pictures so she wouldn’t freak out when she saw them. I sighed as I turned my attention back to Mason.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. May we continue?”

“Yeah.”

As he continued to talk about the new attorney we were trying to build a positive reputation for, I let my mind wander to Carl and Laurel. I wondered how I had missed the signs that he was getting more violent with her. When we talked, she never said anything. Hell, she didn’t even hint at it, and that pissed me off. Probably more than the fact that he was getting violent. If our twin connection hadn’t gone off the week before, I wondered if he would have killed her. Her skin was mostly healed by now, but the emotional and mental scars were still very much burning bright. I hated it. For the longest time, Laurel had been the brighter of the two of us, but over the last two years, since she had been with Carl, she had grown more distant until she stopped visiting with our family entirely. It worried me greatly, which was why I made my weekly stops at her house to check on her. I always did it while he was at work so he would never know. She always seemed happy, so I never had a reason to question her.

“LAUREN!” Mason yelled as he slapped his desk.

I jumped as I looked at him. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

He grumbled under his breath before waving his hand at me. “Go on! Go handle this divorce hearing, and take the rest of the afternoon off. You are not going to be of any use to me here while you’re focused on Laurel and her cheating husband.”

I swallowed hard as I nodded. I never told him how deep Carl’s abuse went. Laurel begged me not to tell anyone, including our family, and I had honored her request. “Alright. I’m sorry, Mason.”

“Whatever. I expect you to come here tomorrow fully focused. I need you to be present here with me. Our company depends on us, both of us, to make decisions.”

“I know. Tomorrow I’ll be focused. I promise,” I told him.

He rolled his eyes before smiling softly at me. “You know I love you, Lauren.”

I beamed at him. “I love you, Mason. You’re the best gay best friend a girl can have!”

He burst out laughing, just like he did every time I told him that, because we both knew that he was the farthest thing from gay. He was just the last man that I would ever be interested in. Closer to me than a brother. I blew him a kiss as I stood up to go back to my office to grab my purse. As I was walking toward the elevator, Carl stepped into the hallway, heading in the same direction. Before he reached me, I started the recording program on my phone. When we stepped inside, he turned toward me, backing me up against the wall as my hand went into my purse to wrap around my gun as I held my phone facedown.

“She’s never going to divorce me, Lauren! You might have talked her into going this far, but she won’t go through with it! She belongs to me! And she knows it! She knows the consequences of playing my temper!” He smiled coldly at me. “If you’re not careful, you’re next.”

The elevator started to slow down, and right before the doors opened, I brought my knee up between his legs as I pushed him backward away from me. I stood above him, glaring down at him.

“She is stronger than you think she is! I know men like you! You are all small-dicked bitches who need to be put into your places. Today, Laurel will show you that she can stand on her own two feet. And when she does, I hope you cry. I hope you show the world what a little bitch you are. It’s not your choice; it’s hers, and with you beating on her, she’s definitely making the right decision. So, suck it up, buttercup! She’s getting her freedom, and you will never be able to touch her again!” I told him.

As I walked away, he shouted out, “SHE DESERVED EVERYTHING I DID TO HER! AND TONIGHT, I BET YOU, SHE’LL BE BACK AT HOME, COOKING MY DINNER AND SUCKING MY DICK! JUST BECAUSE I WANT HER TO!”

I shivered in disgust as I strolled out of the doors, stopping the recording and making sure it was saved. As soon as I got in my car, I sent the recording to Laurel’s attorney, whom I was paying for. He immediately replied, telling me that he would listen to it in a little bit. I flipped Carl off as I passed him on my way out of the parking garage. God, how I fucking hated him! I hated any man that would be willing to put their hands on a female. Add to that, the female in question was my sister, and I was willing to burn bodies. I glanced at my purse, where my gun was. Or at least give them an extra hole or two.