Once She Dreamed: Part Two Read online

  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.

  “They get a lot of domestic abuse. I’m sure this hallway has other cases. She’s just being careful. I’m not insulted Sammy Jo. She should be suspiciously pissed. Boys shouldn’t hit girls.”

  I closed my eyes and said nothing further. That helped somewhat with the pain. My skull felt like a vice was clamped on it and the handle was being spun.

  “I should’ve come in sooner. I knew it would eventually happen.” His hand touched my forehead and brushed my hair back. He was a gentle but ferocious man.

  “You came in when it was needed. You had no way to know. Ezra, you can’t see through walls. I’m going to be okay.” I was too tired to keep reassuring him. But I did have a question or two: “is Gia your girlfriend? Are you getting married? Or is she already your wife in secret?” There, I covered it all. Time for the truth I guess.

  Ezra chuckled. “No and no and no. She has her own girlfriend. The same one for the past five years. She has zero interest in me. Or any other man as that goes.”

  Girlfriend? Oh, she’s a lesbian. That’s not at all what I was expecting.

  “Gia was a Marine. Gia’s mental and physical evaluations scored the same or better than the males. Not the bottom rung, but the top. She’s not really a human.” He laughed and then he held it. “I don’t completely understand her myself. She gets the job done and is more efficient than most men in this particular business. They wouldn’t hire her because she’s a woman. I hired her before ten other men and none of them have taken a bullet. Gia’s taken three. One still sits near her spine.”

  I hadn’t been that nice to her. She could twist my head from my shoulders. I felt guilty now. She’d shown she cared and I was harsh. My jealousy kept me from being grateful.

  “I need to apologize. Will I ever see her again?”

  “Why do you need to apologize?” Although my eyes were closed, I could tell he was smiling.

  “Because I was jealous and possessive of you. I saw the two of you earlier on the street and I thought, well, you know.”

  This time Ezra roared. “Gia doesn’t need or expect an apology. She would’ve killed Hale a thousand times over if she wouldn’t have been in my employment.”

  That didn’t matter. She deserved one. “I should’ve been nicer to her.”

  The sound of the door interrupted us. “Pain medicine is here,” the nurse sang. She sounded chipper and fairly upbeat.

  “It’ll be cold,” she said. She then picked up my hand and administered the dosage directly through my IV. The sensation in my veins only lasted a minute and then the air became greasy and I drifted off into space.

  “Nighty night,” Ezra said.

  When I came to there were voices in the room. Two men, gruff and masculine. I kept my eyes closed and listened.

  “You need to get her home. She’s not safe with him. You knew that from the beginning. I thought you’d learned your lesson. You can’t get attached to a woman while working a job.”

  Ezra released a hard laugh. “As if you can talk. You’re married to Nan.”

  Who was Nan? What the hell? Was I dead? No, that was Ezra.

  “I left the business. You, however died, so you could live this life. It was what you wanted my friend. Dead men can’t have relationships. They can’t care for another like this.”

  Dead? He wasn’t dead. Was I still asleep?

  “I know what I can and can’t do. Cope, Jesus, back off. I shouldn’t have called you to help.”

  “But you did. Now deal with my opinion. It is now in the fucking room.”

  Ezra sighed. “Just get her home safe. Let me know when she’s there if you will. I don’t trust anyone else. Not with her I don’t. Hale’s father was right from the start. He’s a fucked up piece of shit. There are things going on that Hale doesn’t know and the water is over his head. It’s about to get bad, then worse. She needs to stay away from him.”

  “I’ll get her there safe. I promise. But I don’t do this shit anymore. I’ve got to get home to Nan and Axel, they’re waiting and expecting me. Because she doesn’t know
that you aren’t dead I couldn’t tell her the truth about this. I’m not getting sucked back in.”

  “Understood. I owe you one.” Ezra replied sounding humble.

  “No Major, you owe me a fucking ton, this just adds to your tally.”

  Major? Who was Major?

  “Whatever. Just get her home. I’ve got to go to Tennessee and deal with this. Christopher is waiting on me.”

  “Go ahead. This is taken care of.”

  I wanted to open my eyes and beg him not to leave. But I didn’t for several reasons. Ezra was supposed to be dead. There was a strange man calling him Major and this Major had to go to Tennessee. I’d been a part of his work, this Ezra-Major, though Ezra didn’t exist. What had I gotten myself into?

  Moulton had been a prison. Now it was where I wanted to be. Life was simple there. People were real. This life wasn’t for me. The price was too high and I wouldn’t pay it, so I kept my eyes closed and waited until Ezra was gone and the stranger followed. Once I knew I was alone I stared at the wall in the room and there was comfort. Peace in returning to Moulton. Soon I’d be home to rebuild a life I’d completely turned upside down, by leaving the town in the first place. The security of the bakery was no longer. But I would be there to help. We would be okay, every one of us. As a family we would survive.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I never saw the man. The one whose voice I heard in the room. Instead, Gia came to stay. When they released me the following day I had a brace on my arm. Ligaments were torn but the vomiting had stopped and my concussion was on the mend. Gia took me to the airport. She had all my things from the penthouse. I assumed Hale gave them over. He wouldn’t say no to her. That might get you thrown from the balcony.

  She begged me to eat while we waited on my plane. However, when it was time to leave, she didn’t go, although she had a ticket. “I’m headed to Tennessee,” she said with a smile and a pat. “You’ll be fine Sammy Jo. You may think you’re alone but you’re not.”

  Then she walked away.

  I glanced around at the people boarding and wondered if he was here. The man who was escorting me. Observing my return to Moulton. Why couldn’t I know who he was? Had he been following us all this time?

  The safety and security of a simple life in Moulton had never sounded more appealing. This world I was in right now was far bigger and scarier than I’d imagined. It wasn’t the answer to my hopes and dreams. Wasn’t all lights and excitement. It was dark and twisted, with an abundance of shadows and my soul wouldn’t be sold, not to become something else.

  Stepping into line I bumped into a man and turned to tell him I was sorry. I had to tilt my head back to see him. He was tall with a beard and a man bun. His eyes were beautiful and I had a feeling without that beard he was gorgeous. The wall of muscle on his frame made me nervous. Before Hale men hadn’t frightened me. Now every size and shape caused a panic. Especially larger males.

  “I’m sorry,” I said quickly.

  “My fault,” was his short reply. He didn’t smile or make eye contact. He glanced down at his phone then back at the line and his breathing was deep and steady. His chest rose and fell like the sea.

  I turned and focused on the line as it slowly moved forward. The purse my mother had made me was locked on my shoulder and the clothes I wore were mine. Moulton was at the end of the day.

  The life Hale had afforded was behind me. I had a few fond memories, though they weren’t with Hale, they were exclusively with Ezra in the city. He’d found a way into my heart and I couldn’t believe I would never see Ezra again. He was the guy I’d dreamed as a child. Yet I knew nothing about him. Because of his job Ezra was a lie. I didn’t know his true identity. That saddened me to an extreme. When he’d explained to me that his former life was dead, it was and Ezra was serious. He wasn’t exaggerating. His “before” was a different person. Never again would we laugh over dinner, or drink too much at a restaurant. Ending the night with a toe-curling kiss was now an unrepeatable memory. I’d been given a taste of what a real man was and then it was snatched from my grasp. Nothing I could do would get it back. I’d never been in his future plans. He was working when he spent time with me. It was a ruse, a fake and a con.

  My seat on the plane was in first class. The big man sat beside me. Striking eyes and bun still there. He didn’t speak or glance my way. Instead he ordered a whiskey from the flight attendant and I ordered a soda after that. I didn’t try and talk because he gave off the vibe he wasn’t into conversation.

  The rest of the flight was the same. The man beside me finished his drink and closed his eyes to rest. I turned my attention to the window. As we rose in the sky the clouds covered then cleared. This was my second time on a plane and it would be my last. I wasn’t chasing this dream again. I didn’t need another adventure. I wanted family, security and home. Maybe love would arrive one day. If I could learn to trust what brought it.

  I no longer had a phone to call home. Momma didn’t know I was coming. I wondered if Hale got in touch with her. What would he tell her if he did?

  Calling her from the hospital had been out of the question. It would’ve scared her and I’d done enough. I’d changed her life by coming to New York and now her life was altered again and my family was upside down. All because of me.

  My momma was the best in the state of Alabama. Nobody could cook like her. She loved people enjoying her products. I’d taken that away from her. There wasn’t another bakery in Moulton. She wouldn’t be able to find another job where she ran it and made it prosper, because the customers wanted her treats.

  I had to make it up to her. I would work three jobs if needed. She could stay home with Henry and I would take care of things. I’d save and work and buy her a bakery. It’d take years but I would do it. I owed her that because of my selfishness.

  The pilot spoke and said we’d be landing soon. The flight had seemed fast, but of course I knew my thoughts had been elsewhere. I had to prepare to face my family. The pressure was mine to deal with.

  I would be landing in Huntsville and I wondered how I was supposed to get to Moulton. I had some money but a bus didn’t go there. If Gia hadn’t planned a car or a ride I was going to call someone. Jamie and Ben would be best. I could pay for their gas and time. I had enough money for that. I didn’t want to bother momma. She was currently losing her job. That was my fault, not hers.

  After the plane landed I retrieved my purse from under the seat in front of me. The man beside me slid my carry on from the compartment and calmly handed it down.

  “Thank you,” I said and he nodded, remaining silent, saying nothing.

  Something about him was peaceful. When you first looked at him he was large and intimidating, but there was a way about his demeanor. It eased you being next to him. There wasn’t any anger or hostility. Under the surface he did not seethe. That’s the best way to explain it.

  When allowed to exit the plane he stepped back and let me go first. I went ahead and although I wanted to thank him I knew he didn’t expect it. I headed for the gate to find a bank of phones, if those even existed in this airport. Cell was king, even I knew that.

  “Good luck,” the deep voice said. It came from behind me and I surprisingly turned because it was him speaking to me. He then vanished into the crowd as if he’d never been.

  While redirecting my attention to the busy airport my gaze stopped on my mother. She was amongst a bunch of people but seeing her face made my eyes fill with tears. Her expression was full of relief and love and that tenderness she’d always given. I then saw forgiveness, which made me grow calm. “Mother, there was my mother.” I was home and safe with her. I should’ve never left Moulton to begin with. Not one tear had threatened to fall since the world I’d chosen began to crumble and then it crumbled around me. The little girl that I was, and that every woman is, fell to pieces in her presence. She’d bend down to pick them up. That’s what a mother did.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “No need
to cry. It’s time to toughen up. It went to pieces and we’ll adjust. The world ain’t ended. Still spinnin’. We got our health and we got each other.” Those were momma’s words and as they sank in I threw myself into her arms. She was strong but I started to cry. That was always comforting knowing momma wasn’t scared when we, her children, were. She wasn’t afraid of anything. If there was anyone in this world I wanted to be like it was her, my mother and my friend.

  “I’m sorry,” I sobbed, tried to pull myself together, while she patted my back and kissed my temple.

  “I know. But you live and learn and I had to let you do this. It’s the way we grow up and mature.”

  I sniffled and squeezed her tightly. She’d expected me to return in a similar condition, because she knew fairytales were limited. You only got so far and then they changed.

  “Now tell me, how bad are you hurt?” She pulled back to have a look at me.

  She knew I was injured and she knew to be here. I wondered if Ezra or Major, or whoever he was had called. “Who told you I was coming?”

  Momma shrugged, “I honestly don’t know. Some woman. Said you’d been beaten. She told me Hale did the damage and that she and her partner rescued you from his penthouse. She gave me your arrival information. That was it. Nothing more.”

  Gia. I hoped I saw her again. I owed her an apology and a thank you. But I knew she was gone forever. That part of my life was over. Ezra, Gia and New York were finished. My chest ached from the thought as I fought back tears. I needed a life in a place that was safe. If common and boring, okay, at least I would have my family.

  “Let’s go home,” I said. Momma then squeezed my arm. The good one, not the other.

  “The horde can’t wait to see you. They’ve missed you to the point of insanity.”

  As she told me we began walking towards the exit. My mind was churning with energy.