She frowned and looked at Ezra. “We need to take her now.”
“We will,” Ezra replied. “Hale, I’ll put it like this. Move or you’re going through the sheetrock. I will put you through that wall.”
I expected Hale to refuse. He then cleared and backed away. “Do what you want. You’re all three fired and that goes for your mother Samantha. I’m closing the bakery and selling the building. Then your family can starve to death and it will be your fault.”
Ezra didn’t say anything. He stalked past Hale, bent down in front of me and asked “Sammy Jo, what hurts? Don’t leave any place out.”
“Mostly my face, head and arm,” I replied in a childish whisper. “I’m sorry, no, it’s my body. He kept… ”
“You don’t have to say another word.” Ezra slid his arms under my knees and back and lifted me as if I were weightless.
“You’re both going to regret this,” Hale said. We then left the penthouse with the woman following, spinning to see what he’d do. She slammed the door with force and then stood there, listening for movement behind it. “God, I wish we could be fired. I hate that spoiled little bitch. We should leave ‘em a gap to knock his ass off and then act like we didn’t know.” Apparently she was something else. And she sounded mean as hell.
“His father will deal with him.” Ezra replied businesslike. “Go ahead and call him please. Give him a run down of what’s happened to date. He’ll have heard all of this and he will need an update. Then stay close to the place and watch who comes and goes. I’ll update you on Sammy Jo as soon as we get where we’re going. Use your second phone and not the first whenever you speak with his father. Then switch back to the first. You know what to do.”
“Got it,” she responded to the order. She was happy to receive it and did so.
I stared up at Ezra then back at her. The woman was glaring at the floor numbers as they flashed in the descending elevator. “I swear I hate that bastard,” she muttered.
Ezra nodded in agreement. Then he looked down at me. “How’re you feeling? A little less stress?”
“Like she got her ass beat,” the woman replied. “Don’t make her talk if she doesn’t have to.”
Ezra ignored her and watched me closely.
I told him “sore and more than confused.”
His frown then deepened and “we should’ve come sooner. I didn’t realize he was hurting you. The last time you cried out I knew he had.”
“What are you?” I asked still wondering. Was I unconscious in the apartment and dreaming all of this. Were Ezra and the woman not real? Not my current reality?
“I’m what I told Hale I was. And yes, this is actually happening. I’m protecting him for his father. There’s been a business deal go bad in South America concerning one of his interests. He believes they’ll go after Hale, being as that’s his only son. Hale knew nothing about it. His father didn’t want to concern him. He believed I was working for him. Now for the introduction.”
“I’m Gia. I work for Ezra.” The woman said it and smiled and flashed her eyes and it even made my wounded heart leap. He had a hot female employee? Great. That’s just perfect. All girls want to know the guy they like has a porn star working in their care. “Oh,” was all I could say. I should tell her thanks for helping me but my jealousy was plainly ridiculous. I’d be going back to Moulton. I’d never see Ezra or this Gia again and I would have to find a job to help momma. My dream was gone. It was finished. It went from dreamy to weird to a nightmare and I had to get free of its grip.
The elevator opened and Ezra left Gia inside while he carried me out. There was a black car waiting for us. The driver opened the door and Ezra climbed inside with me folded in his arms like a chair. This wasn’t Hale’s car or driver. I thought Ezra didn’t do black cars.
“Whose car is this?”
“It’s Christopher’s. Hale’s father first name is Christopher. I had to tell him I was taking you from Hale. He immediately sent the car. He heard everything that was said in the apartment. I was wired as he requested.”
This all had to be a dream. I had to be unconscious in Hale’s apartment sound asleep while rolling through this. That made sense to me. I just hoped I didn’t die.
Chapter Seventeen
Though this wasn’t a dream and I wasn’t catatonic, because the IV the nurse was trying to administer wasn’t agreeing with my vanishing veins. The digging of the needle couldn’t be non-reality and neither was my splitting headache. Yes, this was all happening. And it got even more confusing. Ezra, who was standing beside me, was security for the rich and the spoiled? Was that why he was so secretive? And why was his helper a female? Wouldn’t a man do a better job? Apparently I knew very little. And that was getting smaller and smaller.
“Sorry. We got it this time.” The nurse smiled apologetically for having to stick me three times to get a good vein. “We’ll start the fluids first then deal with the pain. What he prescribed is on its way. When she brings it I’ll give you a dose.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “I appreciate it.” She said “you’re welcome,” then looked at Ezra, with suspicion and what you’d call angst. She didn’t appear to trust him. They’d asked me what had happened and I told them that my boyfriend beat me up. Ezra had coached me on this and the details of what would happen. If I said my employer then lawyers and policemen would immediately get involved. I’d have to deal with them. I didn’t want all that scrutiny. Inciting any more anger from Hale wasn’t appealing to me.
“Are you okay if I step out a moment?” the nurse asked rather straightforwardly. She didn’t completely believe my story.
“Ezra’s who saved me. Not who hurt me,” I repeated again and again.
She nodded and replied “okay.” She left the room staring at Ezra.
“She doesn’t believe me,” I said. I then turned my head and frowned. I was on the verge of tears.