Going Down Ch. 06

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This is a romantic story with erotic themes, story being the key word. If you are looking for a quick fix, then I suggest you read elsewhere. If you like a little romance and a little suspense, then read on! If you like the story, please remember to vote, and I always love feedback! SD

Going Down Ch. 06

Over the next couple of weeks I found myself going through a series of emotions. First was shock and denial. I was nauseas and shaken, positive this couldn't possibly be happening to me. I knew that somewhere there had been a mistake. No one could want me dead, I mean, I was the most harmless person on the planet.

When Grayson and Amy finally got through to me that it was real, fear, cold and dark, settled deep into my bones. It curled through my blood in inky black tendrils, chilling my soul until I was almost paralyzed from it.

I felt like a field mouse running for its life, even as the hawk swooped in from the sky, claws extended. I could feel the hunter, I knew it was coming for me, but I couldn't see it. It was outside my field of vision, and like the mouse, I could feel my heart hammering nearly out of my chest.

Cale did his best to keep my spirits buoyant, but I could tell that inside, he was just as frightened as I was. I wanted to tell him to run away, to get as far from me as he could, before he got caught in the crossfire; that I couldn't bear to see him hurt because of me. I didn't, because I was certain that I couldn't survive this without him.

Grayson and Amy had questioned me for hours about anyone that might have a reason to be angry with me. I could have counted those on one hand, even with the recent addition of my former boss.

They were investigating everyone on the list, but I was certain they were wasting their time. I knew that they had to start somewhere, but I couldn't see any of the people I had named wanting to cause me real harm, Brent included.

I had asked about the likelihood that I had been mistaken for someone. What if the person who did this was after someone else?

Gray and Amy had exchanged another of those looks they were so good at and let me know that it wasn't probable. What they didn't say was if you were going to cut someone's brake lines, you would make damn sure you had the right car first. I sighed as that fanciful hope died a quick death. It made sense in a warped sort of way.

I let out a laugh over the surreal feeling of discussing my near death as though we were brainstorming ideas for a new design project. Cale looked at me, worry etched deeply around his eyes. I wanted to ease his fears, but I couldn't stop the laughter that came billowing out of me.

I know he thought I was cracking up, and perhaps I was, but it was either laugh or cry until my eyes were dryer than dust. I had to let it out somehow, and once it started, there was no force on the earth that could have stopped it.

Cale sat down beside me without a word and grabbed my hand tightly.

Eventually the tears I had managed to avoid, insinuated themselves into the hysterical laughter until all that remained were the sobs wracking my sorely abused body. Throughout, he stayed there, stroking his hands over my hair and letting me cry.

That was a couple of days after my surgery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, I was just pissed.

I took the typical next step in the psychological evolution and worked up a really good rage.

"I am not doing it."

I knew I sounded like a petulant child, but I really didn't care.

Cale's sigh was the only evidence that I was wearing on his vast patience.

"Gracie, we've already been over this. Do you really want to stay in police protective custody?"

I huffed loudly.

"Is it so wrong to want to go on with my life? Why should I let some psycho dictate the way I live? It isn't fair!"

Cale leaned over and grabbed my upper arms. His face was fierce as he gave me a shake, his eyes boring into mine.

"Dammit Grace, this is not a neighborhood kid pulling pranks we're talking about, it isn't an annoying person at the table next to you in a restaurant. It is someone who wants you to die."

He enunciated each of the last four words carefully as though I were an imbecile. It fueled my already livid temper, but I still didn't say anything. Yea for me! I just glared as he kept up the lecture. "Yes you have a life, and I plan to make damn sure you keep it. I'm not going to allow you to put yourself in any more danger."

I blinked a moment before I narrowed my eyes. My voice, when I spoke was deadly calm. It was his only warning that I had gone beyond the boiling point.

"Allow?"

He had the grace to wince.

"Who in the hell are you to decide whether or not to allow me to do anything?"

Cale sat back and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Christ Grace, that's not how I meant it and you know it."

His eyes were painted with dark circles, testimony to the fact that he hadn't left my side in two weeks. I felt the guilt nag softly in my mind. He had been nothing but perfect, while I had been riding an emotional roller-coaster. He was the unfortunate target for all of the anger and frustration that had been building for almost two weeks now.

Don't ask me why, but the fact that someone was trying to disrupt my lifestyle upset me more than the fact that they could be trying to rob me of my life itself.

Foolish? Yes. Unreasonable? Certainly.

I didn't deal well with being confined to a hospital bed. Now that I was finally out of it, I wanted the security of my routine firmly back in place. I needed it to make me feel safe. I was trying to get Cale to see that.

"My building has much better security than your house does Grace, and even though you're doing better, you still need someone with you."

I listened to his melodic voice as it relayed the same arguments I'd been hearing for the last two weeks.

I was starting to wonder how my life had spun so impossibly out of my control. I knew that Cale was only trying to look after me, to protect me. I knew I wasn't being fair to him, but I was feeling so helpless. It wasn't something I was used to, and it wasn't something I liked.

I had always been so independent. I stopped suddenly, struck by the realization that my whole argument was based on my need to remain that way.

I felt my resistance begin to melt.

None of this was is fault and he was only trying to take care of me. Why did it matter which place I stayed? We had been alternating between my house and his apartment anyway. I had to admit that my routine had already been disrupted by a sexy, sweet guy in an elevator.

My self righteous indignation melted in the face of his altruism.

I closed my eyes.

"Alright."

I opened my eyes when he didn't say anything. Cale was regarding me warily and I mentally kicked myself for causing that reaction. Finally he spoke.

"Alright what Grace?"

I sighed.

"Alright, I'll come to your place."

I watched the tension flow away from his body like water. Even the heavy circles under his eyes seemed to lighten. I felt horrible. Here I had possessed the power to take that stress from him with a simple sentence, and I'd been too selfish to see it. Too selfish to notice, truly notice, how hard this had been on him.

Yes, I was a victim, but I wasn't the only one. I had been throwing myself a hell of a pity party, and I hadn't invited anyone, least of all the man who had earned the right for a pity party of his own.

He was beside me in an instant, his arms wrapping carefully around me. He pressed a tender kiss to my forehead.

"You won't regret it sweetheart."

I wilted like I always did when he used that endearment.

I had to trust that he was right.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mmmm, that's it Baby."

I couldn't avoid the little moan that escaped as I urged him on. I was sitting on the couch with my feet in Cale's lap as we watched a DVD. He was giving me the best foot massage of my life.

I had to make due with that little bit of physical contact since the doctor wouldn't clear me for more strenuous activity for another week and a half. If I had my way, what the doc didn't know wouldn't hurt him, but Cale was taking no chances.

I had to admit, even something as innocuous as a foot rub was driving me to enough distraction that I had no idea what the movie was about. All I could focus on was the feel of Cale's oh-so-talented hands gliding over the sensitive skin on my feet.

Anyone who's ever said that a foot rub isn't sexy is obviously a fool or an idiot. My vote is on both.

Heat followed in the wake of his touch, causing a tingling sensation to roll over my body. I was remembering in vivid detail what those hands felt like on the rest of my body. Damn him and his old-fashioned honor!

I was just about ready to crawl over him and beg mercilessly when there was a knock at the front door.

Cale's eyebrows drew together in a puzzled frown as he gently set my feet aside and went to answer the door. I was thinking how odd it was that the doorman hadn't called up.

Worry propelled me from the couch. I moved quietly behind Cale and peered around his solid form. I let out a gasp as I glimpsed the person standing in the hall.

"Brent!"

His eyes snapped away from Cale and zeroed in on me. For a moment I thought he would try to push past Cale, but he stopped short, casting glares in both of our directions.

"This is just too fucking fantastic!"

It was nice to see that some things in the world were stable. With the vast changes my life had undergone, it was almost a relief to see that he was exactly the same.

"Brent."

I let out a long sigh.

"You aren't supposed to be here."

He ignored me and turned his attention back to Cale.

"Here you are shacked up with the little whore while you sick the cops on me. Get the fuck out of my business Grant, I'm warning you."

Cale went completely still. I thought he was like a great jungle cat that was being attacked by a smaller animal, an animal that didn't yet know that it was dead. He was just waiting, body coiled with tension until he was ready to make the kill. I hurried back down the hall and called Grayson. I was terrified, not that Brent would hurt Cale, but the opposite.

I quickly filled him in and he paused long enough to tell Amy to get some officers over here. I headed back down the hall with Gray still on the line.

"What's going on Grace?"

I heard his voice, insistent and calm.

I couldn't see Cale's face, but I could see Brent's and it was growing paler by the second. Cale was obviously saying something, but he was speaking too low for me to make it out.

"So far they're just talking, but Gray, hurry."

He kept that calm and reassuring tone.

"Amy and I aren't far from there now. We'll probably be there before the officers are. In the meantime, I'll stay on the line."

I was sure he heard my sigh of relief.

Nothing had happened since I was released from the hospital and I was beginning to hope that maybe, just maybe, the person had come to their senses, that maybe I could go back to my boring, normal life.

Seeing Brent snarling like a rabid dog on the doorstep had disillusioned me of that notion rather quickly. I was ashamed at how frightened I was, seeing him that close, even knowing that Cale wouldn't allow him to harm me.

I hadn't let Brent see me with the phone. I didn't want him to know that help was on the way. I peeked around Cale again, keeping the handset out of sight. His face had gone from white to angry red.

He still didn't seem to notice me. His attention was squarely focused on the man in front of him. I moved back down the hall a bit, and spoke to Gray.

"So far there are no fists flying, but he looks really angry."

"We're in the lobby now. We'll be up in about two minutes."

I nodded, and then shook my head, realizing he couldn't see me.

"Right."

Even knowing they were almost here wasn't enough to ease my fear. I watched the two men, my breath arrested in my lungs as I waited, praying that Gray would get here before violence erupted.

Reading the tension through Cale's shoulders, I made a decision. Walking up behind him I placed a hand on his shoulder.

I took a deep breath and tried to project an outward calm. I stepped up beside him and looked at Brent. What I saw was a pathetic man who was so unhappy with himself that he had to find enormous fault with others, just to feel better. My fear dissolved and I squared my shoulders.

I tilted my head to the side.

"You really aren't the brightest candle are you?"

That surprised him so much, he forgot to ignore me.

"What did you say bitch?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, how smart was it to come here? You were already in enough trouble before Brent."

His face turned a brighter shade of red.

"Trouble all caused by you!"

I watched as his face contorted into a snarl.

I shook my head sadly.

"See what I mean about smarts? You haven't figured out that you are your own worst enemy. I don't know where your misogynistic views come from, but everything that's happened to you has been the result of your actions and no one else's."

He lunged at me, only to be blocked by Cale's solid form as he stepped neatly in front of me.

"You fucking bitch! If you're gonna talk shit, then face the consequences instead of hiding behind a man. You want to be all independent until it suits you. You're all nothing but whores."

He was screeching now. I had the brief thought that I should be frightened again, but I still just felt sorry for him.

"That's enough."

Cale's voice, quiet and deadly, sliced over him.

"You will cease speaking to her like that. In fact, I remember warning you not once, but twice about disrespecting the woman I love. Apparently you've already forgotten our conversation from a few moments ago."

Cale kept talking, but I didn't hear anything else he said.

He loved me?

Warmth flooded my body, not caring about the inappropriateness of the timing.

Cale loved me! It was everything important in my world. It was the only thing important in my world.

Damn! I'd never thought of myself as the hearts and flowers type, but there I was.

I was drawn out of my daze by a commotion in the hall.

Apparently Grayson and Amy had arrived and were taking Brent out of there. I was sure one or both of them would be back up in a moment, after they could hand him over to the other officers.

I ran and threw myself at Cale. His arms tightened around me, his hand sliding over my back.

"It's alright sweetheart."

I inhaled deeply, the scent of him filling my senses.

"Of course it is. You're here."

His eyes crinkled at the edges, but he didn't smile. I could feel the tension still vibrating through his frame.

I didn't say anything, content just to stand there in his arms.

Dimly, I heard the elevator, and looked up to see Gray striding towards us, his face grim.

Cale and I turned to meet him.

He looked at both of us before rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Alright, let's go inside where you can tell me what the hell just happened."

To be continued.......

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