I just want to thank everyone who has been reading my book so far! I really appreciate you comments and the fact that you've took the time to read my story!
I hope that you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to vomment and tell me if there is anything that needs to be changed or doesnt make any sense.
Please and thank you!
Suki xx
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Cain was too annoyed to confront Veronica. He lifted what ever she wanted him to and did all of the irritating deeds that she asked of him. He had no clue what had been going through her mind when she warned Alana away from him. They had barely said two words to each other.
"What do you want me to do next?" Cain asked turning around, only to find that Veronica had disappeared.
"That woman..."
Sitting down and having finished her glass of white wine, alone, Alana felt her head beginning to feel heavier and began to wonder what was wrong with her. She had never been a lightweight and yet the feeling of drunkenness felt to be setting in.
"There you are. I was looking for you all over the place. Can I speak to you outside please?" Veronica asked, her face, for once appearing fairly sincere.
"Sure..." Alana answered hesitantly. She had no clue what Veronica wanted to say but picked up her purse and followed her outside. Veronica led them to the lobby of the hotel and glancing around began to speak.
"I just want you to know that I've actually always liked you working for me. You were a good assistant. In fact, it was both Rosie and Jill who wanted me to be hard on you," she started, instantly confusing Alana. Already starting to lose herself, the thought of Rosie asking Veronica to be hard on her didn't sound like something that could be true, but Alana allowed her to continue.
"Rosie insisted that I were hard on you from the moment that you walked into our office. When you messed up the other night, I begged Jill to give you a second chance but she wouldn't allow it and Rosie didn't even try to back you up either. I just don't want all of this to ruin our friendship which is why I'm telling you all of this now. The guilt was beginning to weigh me down." Veronica sighed, her grey eyes focused on the ground. Nothing made sense at that moment and Alana wasn't sure whether it was just because of the white wine. Feeling dizzy and uncoordinated, Alana couldn't find her voice to reply and started to sway, side to side.
"Are you okay?" Veronica questioned, helping her to stand upright.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know why I'm like this to be honest. I only had one glass of white wine." Alana stated.
"I hope you didn't leave your glass and then go back to it. Someone could have spiked it, Alana. Let's get you inside and find someone to take you home." She suggested.
"Hey Rosie, have you seen Veronica?" Cain wondered, finally having spotted the woman with wavy ombre hair that he had seen his girlfriend with and had been introduced to.
"The last time that I saw her was with you... I have no idea where she is now. Actually, there she is," Rosie pointed. Following her finger, Cain recognised Veronica walking in his direction, through the crowd of people that were starting to leave.
"Thanks," Cain smiled, before making his way towards her.
"When are we leaving?" Cain questioned. The engagement party had been great fun but after hearing what Veronica had said, Cain was growing highly impatient since he wanted to talk to her, in private.
"Soon but I need to find someone to take Alana home. She's drunk." Veronica stated easily, glancing over her shoulder. Cain frowned and soon enough noticed Alana's head on the table, as though she were asleep.
"I'll go and find her friend, he should be here somewhere and if not I'll take her home myself." Cain stated, earning a glare.
"You will not take her home." Veronica growled. Cain had allowed Veronica to boss him around with many things that night, except when it came to Alana, since she was no longer her assistant, his girlfriend had no say.
"I can't let her stay here until her friends find her! What if someone takes advantage?" Cain argued, staring down into her misty grey eyes.
"It's her fault for getting drunk."
"You are heartless sometimes Veronica. That girl used to be your assistant."
"Used to be. Past tense. She's no longer under me which means that I don't need to look after her. Now leave her alone and help me clear this place up." Veronica instructed, barging past him, expecting him to follow. Glowering at her back, he waited for her to turn around when he began to make his way towards Alana.
"Cain. If you dare, expect to be sleeping on the couch." Veronica warned.
"I'll be sleeping on the bed in my house." Cain retorted, not surprised by the shock on his girlfriend's face. Sighing through his nose, Cain made his way towards Alana. He usually slept at her place but that night, he would sleep at home.
"Alana, we need to go and find your boyfriend so that he can take you home," Cain informed her. Alana's head slowly tilted upwards and her glazed over eyes met his.
"Hey, Cain! Could you take me home please because I want to go to sleep now. The puffy clouds are calling me to lay on their soft, velvety sheets so that I can have super sweet dreams..." Alana mumbled, closing her eyes again. Cain couldn't help but chuckle softly at her. Alana was a sleepy drunk. Shaking his head, he placed her heavy arms around his neck before lifting her whole body into his arms. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought about how heavy she might have been and noticed that although she looked slim, she had some weight on her.
He would wait at her house until her boyfriend got back and tell him what happened, but for now, he would take her home. Picking up her purse, Cain made sure to lay Alana gently into the back seat of his car on her side and could only hope that she didn't throw up. Driving to her house seemed to take longer than it actually was and Cain was grateful when they had finally reached her apartment without any accidents in his backseat.
"C'mon, Alana." Cain mumbled, picking her up again as she whined about something in her sleep. Once he finally reached the door, happy that he had such good memory, he frowned when his eyes landed on the key hole. Struggling, Cain managed to keep hold of Alana in his arms whilst fishing through her purse which luckily held her keys in it and opened the apartment door.
"I'm home! I can hear you calling me bed! I'm coming!" Alana cried, flying from his arms. Cain hadn't realised that she'd been awake whilse he carried her and when she fell onto the floor, was too stunned to do anything.
"Are you alright?" Cain asked, slowly helping her up.
"Officer Stone? What are you doing in my house?" Alana frowned, her brown eyes confused as she swatted his hands away, sitting on her knees.
"I brought you home from the engagement party because you were drunk." Cain told her, his eyes watching her intently. He wasn't sure what she would do next and so could only continue to be intrigued by her.
"Well, I'm going to bed now." Alana shrugged, crawling towards her bedroom.
"Oh Gosh..." Cain breathed, shielding his eyes until she disappeared into a room, slamming the door closed behind her. Following where he guessed that she went, Cain called out to her, opening the door at the same time only to see her dress halfway over her head, revealing her matching black bra and panties against her fair skin.
"I'm so sorry!" Cain yelled closing the door again. He obviously should have waited for her to answer him.
"It's alright Officer! You can come back in, I'm dressed now!" Alana shouted a few minutes later, a giggle slipping through. Walking in, Cain saw Alana wearing an oversized shirt which still didn't cover her black underwear. Turning away, since it became increasingly visible as she jumped into her bed, Cain took in her feminine room, noticing her baby pink walls and mainly white pieces of furniture, with a couple pieces of black.
"Goodnight Officer," Alana yawned, snuggling into her pillow. Cain knew, by the way that she was behaving that she would definitely have a hang over if not more, the following morning.
"Goodnight Miss Judy." Switching off her bedroom light, Cain quietly closed her bedroom door and settled on her leather couch, switching on the TV. He would watch anything that was on at... one in the morning until her boyfriend came home.
The next morning Alana woke up feeling as though her head had been trampled on by a thousand hippos and they had then shoved her stomach into her throat. Running to the bathroom, she heaved out air, lucky enough not to throw up any blood. It was only then that Alana realised that she was dressed in one of Bobby's shirts and not the dress that she had worn out. She had no idea what happened after speaking to Veronica and that thought scared her.
"Are you alright?" Bobby asked, softly stroking her back. Alana winced from the sound of his loud voice and slowly stood from the toilet.
"Who changed me?" Alana wondered, washing her face with freezing cold water, hoping that it would cool her burning cheeks.
"I doubt that the Officer did, but if he did, I'll kill him." Bobby threatened, frowning behind her in the mirror.
"Oh my gosh. Why would the Officer have done it? Didn't I come home with you?" Alana wondered when no memories from the night before popped back into her head.
"No. You disappeared and when I ran home, I saw the Officer holding your hair while you threw up. What did you drink yesterday?" Bobby quizzed, following Alana back to her room.
"No, I just remember having white wine, but Veronica did say something about people spiking drinks. That's the last thing that I remember." Alana groaned, falling onto her bed too fast.
"Can you get me some painkillers please?" She whispered, squeezing her eyes closed as the pain began again. A few minutes later, Bobby laid his hand on her shoulder and Alana slowly pried her eyes open.
"Thank you," Alana smiled weakly. Hesitantly sitting up to take the painkillers and water, Alana gently laid back down before closing her eyes and drifting into a short nap.
To Alana, waking up to a quiet and empty house could only be a blessing. Walking around, Alana noticed a piece of paper on the kitchen counter explaining that Bobby had gone grocery shopping and that she should call Officer Stone to thank him for bringing her home. Glancing at the clock, Alana decided to take a shower so that she felt cleaner and have something to eat before calling him, his number written on the same paper.
The shower that Alana had, allowed her to replay her conversation with Veronica and she couldn't help but question everything that she had heard. Nothing made sense. Had Rosie really asked Veronica to be hard on her? She was sure that she had done nothing wrong to Jill and even sometimes kissed her butt just so that she would get on her good side. Would she really not consider giving her a second chance because of one mistake?
Once she had finished, Alana heard her phone ring and instantly searched for her purse. The caller ID looked familiar to the one written on the paper and so she guessed who it was.
"Are you still alive?" Cain's deep voice wondered on the other end of the phone, amusement evident in his tone.
"Yes I am. Thank you." Alana said, lying down on her bed, feeling much more relaxed.
"You're welcome. Who knew you were such a lightweight?" he joked, making Alana shake her head even though there was no way that he could see it.
"I'm not a lightweight. It's just that someone spiked my drink. Since you're a cop, you should be able to tell me who looked suspicious enough to do that, Officer." Alana insisted.
"Well no one that I saw or spoke to sounded suspicious. What makes you think that someone spiked your drink anyway? I think that you should just accept that you're a lightweight Alana."
"I am not! Veronica told me that someone could have spiked my drink since I left it on the table and then went back to it. Ask her yourself. I am not a lightweight." Alana insisted. She knew her drinking limit and the fact that Cain continued to ignore her, made her slightly annoyed.
"I know what I'm talking about Alana, unless..." Cain trailed off.
"Hello?" Alana frowned when the phone line went silent.
"Cain, are you there?" she asked, unsure about what was happening.
"I'm here, sorry. I'm glad that you're okay. I'll probably speak to you later." Cain rushed, ready to cut the phone before Alana spoke up.
"Wait! How about I buy you a coffee sometime, to thank you for helping me?" Alana kindly suggested. Anything could have happened to her last night and so the least she could do was offer him a coffee.
"Sure, I'm free later on. I'll pick you up then." Cain agreed, sounding distracted before hanging up.
Alana had no idea what made him change his mood. All she knew was that she hadn't meant that they should have coffee that day since it was Sunday and so hoped that he would suggest Monday. Shrugging off his weird behaviour , Alana turned her phone to silent so that she could begin to apply for event planning jobs without any interruptions. She was not too fussy about the position considering that at that moment she did not have a job.
When her phone buzzed beside her after an hour of applying, she had not been expecting to see a message from Cain.
"I'll pick you up in an hour for my free coffee. See you soon.
Cain."
After reading the message, Alana saved all of her things and quickly picking out a pair of jeans and a plain white top, changed and brushed out her straight hair. Not applying much make up, Alana packed her hair into a high pony tail, slipped on her shoes and just as she was about to text Bobby to tell her where she was going, the doorbell rang.
Cain needed a distraction. After Alana had revealed what Veronica had suggested about spiking drinks, he had been furious. It seemed as though his girlfriend may have in fact been the one to spike Alana's drink. He couldn't allow himself to accuse her, even though it seemed highly likely. Everyone at the engagement party was high class since it was a private event and Cain was sure that none of the men, or women for that matter, would stoop so low.
"You're early." Alana smiled wearily as she closed the door behind her. Glancing at his watch, he realised that he had only messaged her half an hour ago.
"I'm sorry about that. If you need more time, I can wait," Cain suggested, slightly stressed as he ran his hand through his dark locks once again.
"It's fine. I'm ready...but if your not feeling up to it, we could just reschedule." Alana frowned, her worried dark brown eyes watching him.
"No, no. I'm great. Now let's go before the café closes." He insisted leading the way towards his car. Cain had brought his black Nissan only a couple of year ago, after a couple of months of working as a police man and it was his off duty baby.
"Nice car." Alana commented as he helped her in.
"Thanks," Cain smiled softly. The drive to the café was silent but thanks to the radio playing in the background, it wasn't extremely uncomfortable. It allowed Cain to think once again about what on earth Alana had done to Veronica. He would make sure that he got to know her so that maybe he could understand her feelings towards Alana and know why and how they developed. Pulling onto the curb, Cain noted how Alana seemed surprised when he held up his finger, signalling for her to wait, so that he could open the door for her. A small smile lit up her face as she stepped out of the car and Cain only then, realised how innocent Alana was.
"So, how's work going at the police station?" Alana asked as they waited for their order to arrive. They were both seated outside of Sally's Café, the warm breeze surrounding them, yet Cain was finding it hard to concentrate on Alana. Veronica had been messaging Cain non-stop since he had left the car and replying back to her, to blow off some steam, seemed to take all of his attention.
"It's going fine. There hasn't really been much going on since you got arrested." Cain reminded her, his eyes locked on his phone as he replied angrily to Veronica's text of abuse. He had not intended to sound rude, he just had been preoccupied and so was not paying much attention to his tone, or words. Alana seemed to be debating whether or not to leave but still Cain did not notice.
"If you want to be with that woman then I don't care! But when you realise how stupid and young she is, don't come back running to me!"
Veronica was getting on his last nerve and he had had enough! Stuffing his phone into his pocket, Cain finally glanced up to find that Alana had disappeared. Confused, Cain looked up and down the road and saw her retreating figure walking in the direction that they had came from.
"Alana! Where are you going?" Cain finally yelled, his large hand softly covering her wrist. A deep frown of confusion was etched on his face as his frantic hazel eyes watched her.
"Home." Alana answered simply, her dark brown eyes focused on her phone as she attempted to message someone. Cain hoped that it wasn't her boyfriend.
"I was surprised that you even realised that I had gone since you've been staring at your phone non-stop. Plus, after your rude comment, I guessed that I wasn't wanted." Alana stated sourly, glowering up at him. Wiping his forehead with the hand that was not holding her in place, he nervously glanced around. Cain had never been in this situation before and so he had no idea what to do. He always liked having a simple relationship and had girl friends that got along with each other, not the other way around, causing problems within his relationship.
"I'm really sorry about that Alana --," he started to apologise.
"We could just go if you want. I mean, we've already ordered and paid. It's no big deal." Alana interrupted, making him feel even guiltier.
"No, it's fine. Look. I'll put my phone away and we can talk." Cain urged, looking down at her, his eyes hopeful. He wanted to get to know her even if it meant getting into an argument with his girlfriend. He didn't understand why but he knew that was what he wanted. Staring up at him, Alana seemed to contemplate what she would do and with a roll of her eyes, began to head back to the café. Cain breathed out a sigh of relief as he followed her and made sure not to look at his phone again, at least until he was alone.
"Here's your order." A waitress said, placing they're items on to the brown plastic table, her eyes mainly focused on Cain.
"Thanks," Alana said, picking up her hot chocolate to take a sip. Cain noticed how she smiled blissfully once the drink touched her lips before averting his attention back to the waitress to also thank her.
"I just wanted to ask whether you were single?" the waitress asked Cain. Chuckling politely as he picked his coffee off the table he replied,
"Sorry, I'm taken unfortunately." Glancing across the table, he saw Alana lean back in her chair, appearing to be highly amused by the whole situation.
"Too bad," she informed him, swaying her hips in an attempt to seduce him before sauntering away from the table. Alana simply bursted out laughing.
"Are you alright?" Alana wondered, trying to gain her breath back.
"That was interesting..." Cain mumbled wiping his mouth with one of the napkins that they were given. He definitely had not been expecting that to happen. The woman looked as though she was at least his mother's age or even older. There was no way he would go there.
"I thought all guys liked older women. I mean she's gorgeous. Those sexy stiff hips, greying black hair and don't forget those lovely brown eyes behind those reading glasses." Alana continued, her eyes shining as a bright smile lit up her face. The sound of her laugh was refreshing to him since it eased up what had been a tense atmosphere not too long ago. Cain knew that she was not being sarcastic, the woman was not ugly but he was sure that a man her age would appreciate her looks, not him.
"Younger women yes, but older than both of us put together, not so much." Cain smiled slightly.
"Hey! You don't know how old I am. I could be fifty for all you know, looking for a 'baby' like you," Alana teased, beginning to eat her blueberry muffin. He rolled his eyes at her comment as he took another sip of his coffee. The hot liquid warmed up in insides, burning his throat only slightly and he could feel the caffeine making its way through his system.
"It wasn't that funny, Alana," Cain sulked, causing Alana to pout her thick pink lips, making her look adorable.
"Is someone upset? I'm sorry Cain, would you like some of my delicious, scrumptious looking muffin to make up for my teasing?" Alana grinned, waving it in his face. Cain had never liked blueberry muffins and so was not the least bit enticed by her peace token.
"No thanks, I don't really eat anything that's green or blue thanks."
"Well once again, it seems as though you're missing out, 'on all of this,'" Alana repeated, placing a piece in her mouth and making sounds as she ate. Cain's eyes never strayed from her face as he watched her, intrigued by her fun side considering that the only side he had seen so far was her vulnerable one.
"I'd just like another coffee actually, as great as that looks." Cain stated, his sarcasm slipping through.
"Well you haven't even finished that one yet, but if you want another one I'll --," Alana shrugged.
"No, I meant another time." Cain corrected her. As a response, Alana smiled softly and looked away as she began to drink her hot chocolate again.
"So you're a twin. That is so cool, but I can't believe she did that!" Alana laughed, the sky beginning to darken as she ate her second blueberry muffin, which Cain had kindly brought for her.
"Well she really wanted to get me back for breaking her favourite Barbie doll and that's when I realised that she was the evil twin," Cain smiled, drinking the second coffee that he had also brought himself. Cain's twin sister, Casey, had only ever been evil when he provoked her, which was almost all the time when they were young. He remembered when he used get into fights with anyone and everyone that tried to mess with her. When it came to his sisters, no one got away with anything which was why, for a long time, she never had a long time boyfriend.
"She's the evil twin? Fine, she cut off her hair to look like you and then painted on the school walls, but you broke her doll first. I'd say that she was too smart for you, considering that she was only six." Alana defended, a small smile on her lips.
"It was just one doll..." Cain grumbled.
"Her favourite one! Cain, that's terrible," Alana playfully scowled at him. It was hard for him to believe that she was only twenty three, four years younger than him, since she acted more mature, making her easy to talk to.
"You're defending her like you know her. If you met her, you'd think that she's innocent like everyone else, but on the inside she's evil I tell you!" Cain insisted pulling out his phone which seemed to be buzzing in his pocket.
"I'm really sorry but I have to take this, it's the station." He apologised, standing up as he picked up the phone.
"What's happening? I'm supposed to be coming in later." Cain stated, confused. Upon glancing at his watch, he realised that later was in fact in less than half an hour. The time had flown by.
"A guy named, Bobby Williams, just called in to report his friend missing." Ben informed him.
"The girl's name is Alana-May Judy. We booked her in on Friday but then released her..." Ben added. Why would Alana be missing if she was with him? Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Alana watching him and when his eyes caught hers, she quickly looked away.
"He said that he's been trying to contact her and that she's not answering and she didn't tell him that she was leaving the house. He wanted you, specifically, to look for her since he said that you knew her." Cain then realised that it was her boyfriend calling, since they lived together. Smirking, Cain glanced back at Alana who seemed oblivious to what was happening and realised that he had not seen her take out her phone since they had been together for the past four hours.
"That's funny cause I'm with her right now." Cain said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Are you being for real?" Ben questioned and Cain could imagine the frown on his friend's face.
"Yes."
"Well you better get her home now because he's going crazy. Oh and tell her what's happening." Ben instructed.
"Alright, I'll tell her now. Thanks Ben," Cain smiled, shaking his head as he made his way back to the table.
"What happened?" Alana frowned, her muffin now finished.
"Well apparently your missing and your boyfriend called the station commanding that I look for you and bring you home safe and sound." Cain repeated, his lips still stretched in a smirk.
"Oh no! I didn't text him to say that I was going out. No wonder he's freaking out." Alana rushed, the realisation of what he had said setting in. Searching through her bag viciously, Alana stared at her phone and hit her forehead with the palm of her hand.
"I guess I better take you home then." Cain instructed. The ride back home was far from silent this time as Alana joked about what Bobby would have done if she wasn't on her way home. Cain simply laughed at the idea of him hiring a tracker to find his girlfriend. It was obvious that he cared about her.
"You will be the death of me Alana-May Judy! Thank you so much Officer for bringing her home." Bobby cried, pulling Alana into a tight hug.
"I can't breathe." Alana complained, struggling in his tight grip.
"Your thanks isn't really needed since Alana had actually been with me the whole time." Cain informed him sheepishly. Alana had been too afraid to hear his wrath over the phone and so decided to wait until he had dropped her home. Yet, Cain did not want Alana to get in trouble alone and so made sure that he escorted her to her apartment door so that he could explain without seeming inappropriate, considering that he was her boyfriend. When angry green eyes met his, he was not surprised.
"What? Did you kidnap her? I should kill you for that Officer! Are you some sort of weirdo?" Bobby started, pushing Alana behind him as he advanced towards Cain.
"Bobby he didn't kidnap me!" Alana yelled, only to get ignored.
"And you changed her yesterday night! Did you get a kick out of that you freak?!" Horrified at the accusation, Cain knew that he had to clear the air and explain before things got out of hand.
"You need to calm down before I calm you down." Cain retorted, standing at his full height, a couple of inches above Bobby.
"I dare you to." Bobby scoffed, approaching Cain's face.
"Bobby! I just brought him a coffee to thank him for yesterday. We lost track of time and I forgot that I had put my phone on silent when I was applying for jobs this afternoon." Alana explained, quickly standing between the two angered men.
"I think I deserve an apology since I didn't change her yesterday. I have a girlfriend if you've forgotten so I wouldn't dream of changing another girl even if Alana is a lightweight." Cain stated, and he noticed Alana roll her eyes whilst he glared back at her boyfriend.
"I am not a lightweight." Alana growled quietly under her breath. Bobby slowly stepped away from Cain and scratched his neck. After mentioning Veronica, Cain remembered that he needed to speak to her to sort out their relationship right after he left. He did have feelings for her and thought that their relationship could continue but that could only happen when he understood what her problem was.
"I'm sorry man. You could understand why I thought that though. I'm just glad that she's home." Bobby apologised, pulling Alana to his side as he lazily snaked an arm around her shoulders.
"It's fine...I'll just take that as my queue to leave. Veronica's probably wondering where I am anyway. See you later Alana and thanks for the coffee." Cain smiled softly, his eyes still hard as he peeked warily at her boyfriend.
Leaving and closing the door behind him, Alana pulled herself away from his grasp and glared at Bobby.
"You idiot!"