Page 79 of Dominic Powers Duet Box Set
4
Chapter Four
“That looks like him now,” the nurse says as Tucker pulls up to the front door of the hospital where we are already waiting for him.
I chanced a glance in the mirror before we left my room to smooth my bed hair down. The angry purple, black, and red bruises and swelling startled me. Knowing it must have been bad simply by the way Tucker reacted to seeing me, I tried to prepare myself. When I actually saw it for myself, it made me feel sick. I ran quickly my fingers through my hair and pulled it around my face to hide as much as possible.
Thankfully, it’s a slow time of day, so there aren’t many people coming and going at the moment. Tucker jumps out and jogs around to open my door for me. “All set?” he asks and I all I can do is nod in reply.
Even after everything that’s happened, he’s still the consummate professional. I would never know he despised me if I didn’t know how loyal he is to Dominic. He helps me into the cab of the truck and I gingerly put my seatbelt on.
When Tucker takes his place in the driver’s seat, I croak out, “Car?”
“I had your car picked up and taken back to your condo. It’s fine and there whenever you’re ready for it,” Tucker replies in pure business mode.
“Thanks,” I whisper and Tucker gives me a single nod response. He’s not accustomed to being thanked for doing his job, but I feel like he’s gone above and beyond the call of duty in the last couple of days.
As he drives, thoughts of Dominic flood my mind. My only link to him is sitting next to me and I can’t speak. Literally – I have no voice to ask about Dominic.Where is he? Is he doing okay? Does he miss me? Will he ever hear me out and let me explain everything?I know I deceived him and that was one of his hard limits. Hard limits are established so that they are never breached. Trust is absolutely non-negotiable in this relationship, but he taught me that trust has to be shared between us. It was never meant to be a one-way street.
I have to know if forgiveness is also part of this relationship.
I can’t take it any longer and the need for answers completely overcomes me. “Dominic?” My eyes plead with Tucker when his head jerks in my direction. His eyes leave the road for a second as he scrutinizes me. I tilt my head to the side and reach to touch his arm. My hope is the contact will remind him of the times that I wasn’t the enemy.
“He’s still out of town. He doesn’t know about this, Sophia,” Tucker tries to give an ambiguous answer, but it’s crystal clear to me.
Dominic doesn’t know because Tucker was only told to follow me, check my whereabouts, and determine if there was anything he could use against me. Dominic doesn’t want to know anything personal about me. He only wants to know of anything that could possibly help him with this lawsuit. The fact that my former Sir just beat the shit out of me wouldn’t have any direct bearing, except to add fuel to the fire of not trusting me.
Leaning my head back on the headrest, I release a deep sigh, hoping it conveys everything that I can’t say–even if I wanted to. But, I won’t put Tucker on the spot or make him feel like he’s in the middle in any way. Not that there’s any contest as far as loyalties go, but I think he feels a sense of responsibility for me in my current state.
“How long will you be out of work?” Tucker asks, back to strictly business. He glances over at me and I hold up two fingers.
“Two weeks?” he asks to clarify and I nod my head. “Okay, Dana has delivered your laptop to your condo along with all the files on your desk. If you need anything else from the office, just email her and she can send the courier to deliver it to you. You obviously won’t be able to take any calls, so Dana will distribute a statement to let people know your only mode of contact will be email. When you feel up to it, you’ll be able to work from your condo.”
For anyone else, working from home would be a dream come true. For me, it feels like an unfortunate set of circumstances that’ll prevent me from seeing Dominic even longer. Catching Tucker’s eye, I incline my head toward him, silently conveying my gratitude for everything. I can only hope the he understands as he watches me intently.
“Sophia,” he says, his voice pained. “I don’t -,” and he stops speaking. He’s frustrated and I instantly know he wants an explanation for everything that has come to light in the last few weeks. “I don’t understand what happened. Or, I guess I should say why it happened.”
He ponders his statement for a few seconds before amending it again. “No, I don’t understandwhat or why, to be honest with you,” he sounds more pissed off now. “Why would you do this to Dominic? He was good to you. He took care of you. Helovedyou, Sophia.”
Hearing that word used in past tense shreds me inside.
He sighs loudly, “I thought you loved him, too. You fooled all of us.”
I vehemently shake my head from side to side. “No!” I try to yell but my voice doesn’t cooperate and I immediately grab my throat in pain. But, it’s not that pain that I care about at the moment. “I love him!” I try to tell him.
“Don’t talk anymore. I shouldn’t have said anything, especially knowing you’re not supposed to talk. It just really bothers me.”
Grabbing his arm, I squeeze it until he looks at me. I mouth the words to him again, “I love him!”
Tucker turns into the front drive of the condo and puts the truck in park. He sits silent for a minute as he considers the phrasing of the bomb he’s about to drop on me. “If you loved him, you wouldn’t have used him like that, Sophia. You wouldn’t have kept another man hidden just so you could file a sexual harassment lawsuit against him and demand a lot of money to keep it out of court and the media.”
My eyebrows draw inward and my mouth drops open. “What?” I strain to speak, my vocal chords growing increasingly more sensitive by the second. “No!” I don’t want his money, or to hurt him, or to take him to court. I don’t understand what all is happening. All I know is that Harrison is behind it, pulling the strings, and orchestrating the whole charade from behind the scenes.
“Let’s get you inside so you can rest. You’ve had a rough twenty-four hours. Maybe you should reconsider your relationship with Harrison Dictman,” Tucker says with barely masked condescension in his tone.
I want to scream, deny every allegation, and explain what started this whole mess, but no one is listening. No one can hear me over all the noise this situation has created. Tucker exits the truck and comes around to help me out. He grabs what few possessions I have with me and escorts me up to the condo.
Once inside my unit, he says, “I think it would be best if we just say you have some personal medical issues to attend to, if anyone persists in asking for you. Otherwise, when you feel able, you can do everything through email.”
