“Fuck, I love you, Lana. I’m gonna be there in a few minutes okay?” He can’t see me but I nod.
Click.
Pulling the phone from my ear, I look at her home screen. My palms are shaking even more than they were minutes ago, my leg fidgeting and my knee bouncing up and down in rapid motions. We’ve been sitting here in silence for ten minutes, me nervous, Shayla in her own frazzled world.
“I need to go get ready to open the store, I’ll be back in a minute.” Giving herself a brief moment, she looks me over one more time before she turns and leaves. I’m just about to get up and make an exit for it when the door to my office flies open, hitting the wall behind it. Kingston announces himself with a wild presence.
“Lana, baby what’s wrong?” He runs with urgency to me, dropping to his knees and placing his warm, strong hands on my thighs. I bring my hands to my quivering lips and sob, all my fear and guilt unleashing.
“Joel, he’s been sending me things, terrible things. Pictures, flowers, letters...I couldn’t tell you because I was scared you would do something rash,” I say into my palms, still crying, my tears cascading down my face and over the ridges of my fingers.
“Lana, you need to tell me these things, you can’t hide this shit from me.” He curses, but he’s not angry, the only mood emulating off him is concern.
“You almost killed him, Kings. The doctor said you nearly rattled his brain loose. I didn’t want you to do something stupid when he got out.” I move my hands and right when they’re clear from my face, he and I both start wiping away the mascara run tears forming down my cheeks.
“Lana, that’s my choice to make, protecting you is my first priority.”
“I can’t lose you Kings, I can’t. You’re my world, I need you, our little guy needs you—this family needs you.”
“Oh, baby, I’m not going anywhere. I have a detective on this.”
Wait what? I must have heard him wrong. “You have a detective on it? What am I missing here Kings? What aren’t you telling me?” I ask pulling my hands away from him. He didn’t like that, grabbing my hands back he squeezes them even tighter.
“Don’t do that shit, don’t pull away from me. I’m gonna tell you something and you’re gonna listen and not freak out.” The razor-sharp cut in his voice sends goosebumps down my skin, like they are lavishing me. The kind that makes you shut your mouth and listen.
“Before we went to Utah to tell your parents about the baby, Joel sent something to you and I got it before you did.” He doesn’t let our eye contact break except for the millisecond it takes him to blink. “I threw it away because you were finally living again. So I destroyed it and then decided I would see Joel when I was in Utah, tell him to back off. Then more images came and I was convinced, beyond determined, that I needed to protect you.”
I gulp, the image of Joel in an orange jumpsuit only a few feet away from Kingston. My savior, my hero—my King. Those two shouldn’t even be able to breathe the same air, Kingston is too perfect to share any space with that man.
“It didn’t work, he said he wasn’t going to give up on coming after you so I threatened him and then went to see Detective Henson.”
“And what did he say?” I ask anxiously, scooting to the edge of the couch.
“He said there is no proof since I destroyed the items and Joel hasn’t sent out packages from prison since he’s been there. Which tells me it’s an outside job.” I feel the familiar burn of acid building in my upper chest, my throat becoming tight and sensitive, the overwhelming knowledge that I’m about to vomit is strong.
I leap from the couch and dig my whole face in the wastebasket, emptying nothing but bile. I have thrown up so much today there’s nothing left. I’m dry heaving at this point.
“Lana, it’s okay. Take deep breaths.” The door creaks and I know Shayla’s back, which means our employee came in to cover. I look over my shoulder when I hear another male voice, one that isn’t Kings.
“Shit, is she okay?” Trey asks, his arm around Shay as they all watch me toss my cookies—how embarrassing.
“She’s fine. Lana, baby, you need to lie down and drink some water,” Kingston coos in my ear, holding my hair back with one hand while the other rubs tiny circles on my lower back.
Doing what he says, I grab the napkin from Trey and lie back on the couch. Looking up I see three beautiful people standing there looking over me like guardians. I can’t believe I have had such perfect people in my life as friends, as family—as supporters for so long.
“We can talk about this later if you want,” Kingston suggests, rubbing his hand up and down my arm from where he kneels on the floor next to the couch.
“No, better to get it out now rather than later.” I close my eyes and try to gain equilibrium again, opening them again when the dizziness finally subsides.
“You don’t have to L, not if you aren’t ready,” Trey’s voice is low and comforting and I smile at him, loving how protective he is over Shay and me. I never had a brother, being an only child and all, but Trey was close enough to me to be one.
“I know, I do. I just think it’s time to hear it, obviously this is more serious than I had thought,” I state looking back and forth to all three of them.
“Okay. After I told the detective and the Seattle PD they said they need substantial proof, part of that being if he sends anything else.” I nod, urging Kings to continue. “Well, when you destroyed everything that destroyed all evidence.” How could I be so stupid? Why did it not cross my mind to keep those things and turn them in? To stop covering for that monster?
I guess I’m still used to protecting him—to lying to myself and others.
“What do we do now? What did he send me? You know, whatever you gave the detective?” I pivot to Kingston.