Waking up the next morning, I stretch, my spine cracking so loud that Gareth glances up from his zombie book with a raised brow. He goes back to reading without a word, and I try not to wince as I stand.
He notices.
I narrow my eyes, warning him not to say what he's thinking while I make my way to the bathroom. The water beats down on my overly sensitive skin while leaning my head back, feeling the drops on my face, thinking about the way Eric's rough hands had been all over my body less than twenty-four hours ago.
Me, Danielle McClure, had pounced on my ex-bodyguard during a fit of rage, slept with him, and now all I can think about is how much I want to do it again.
My skin is littered with even more marks from his fingers digging into me and his mouth biting and sucking at the flesh of my throat.
He needs to stop eating me.
I wonder what that would feel like...
Shaking off my intrusive thoughts of his head down there, I get out of the shower, noticing my extremely cheerful reflection. I'm not looking at the evidence from Eric's mouth that I'll need to cover up, again, but the glow that has taken over my features, the way I'm fighting a grin, appearing more alive than ever.
Maybe the intense butterflies I feel are from finally having sex with him; the kissing so hard that my lips are still raw, or the messages that we've been sending since last night. I mean, he isn't exactly being sweet with me, just casually sending empty threats of fucking me to death if I keep being sarcastic and the name-calling followed by sexual innuendos that have me giggling.
Gareth has given up asking me what I'm smiling at.
I can tell he's holding back a lot of questions, so I'll take his silent looks instead of having to answer things I really can't. When he'd seen those messages between Eric and I, the flirting, the one he had spotted about being fucked too hard, I managed to talk them down as if that's just the way we speak to each other. But I know Gareth doesn't believe me. I just hope, for his own protection, he doesn't say anything.
By the time I dry my hair and get dressed for my shift at the school, Gareth has breakfast set up at the table. He's silent, all that can be heard between us is the crunching sound of our chewing.
"I have my final fitness test later this weekend," he finally says. I nod slowly, not peering up at him. "Are you going to stop being awkward and quiet?"
I frown at my cereal. "I'm not. You are."
He laughs, causing me to look up at him with a raised brow. "So what if you fucked him? I'll keep my mouth shut, alright? The last thing I need is my boss hunting me down." Then he tilts his head at me. "You have the most ruthless guy in the dome wrapped around your finger, and you haven't been smiling as much as you were last night from a few messages." Gareth takes my bowl, standing. "So cheer the fuck up."
My annoying new bodyguard says the last words with a smile, and it makes me fight against my own. I've been terrified of what his intentions would be with this information, but he does have a point, Eric would skin him alive if he even attempted to tell anyone.
By the time we get sorted and leave the house, he's back to chatting away, explaining his fitness test and what it entails. I'm fairly glad I'm not in his position, having to attempt an assault course after running for over an hour, followed by a beating by Eric himself. I have no doubts that he'll enjoy the final part, and that it has been specifically added for Eric's own pleasure.
Orla and two other kids cheer as I walk in, jumping up on me. "Guess what, Danielle! Mrs McClure said we might go on a school trip tomorrow!" the excited girl shouts, taking my hand and pulling me to the carpet with the other Primary two kids. "Will you come as well?"
I look up at my mum while she carries art supplies around the room, placing paint pots and paper at each desk. She gives me a tight smile when she glances at me. "Will dad let me go?" I ask her. "Where are you going?"
"Camping," she replies, wiping her hands on the pleated trousers she's wearing today instead of her casual uniform. "I've gotten permission from eight parents and four volunteers but, of course, Richie hasn't replied to my emails." Mum lowers her voice to a whisper so none of the children can hear. "Orla isn't allowed to go, Fi said there was no chance."
I huff. "Can you talk to Fiona? She's your friend, she'll listen to you. It's ridiculous that Orla misses out on so much and is trapped in her room when she's not at school. Ainsley could come, Orla is her adopted sister, after all."
She sits down next to me on the miniature chair. "I'll speak to her, okay?" I nod in response, and she drags out a sigh. "I think Richie will say yes, and possibly let you come with us, but he'll need to put extra security on. I suggest you speak to him face-to-face about it, though, he's not in the best of moods, going by him ignoring me all day, but I don't blame him with what's going on."
"Why? What's going—"
"I'll get the packed lunches ready," she interrupts me, standing and flattening down her clothes once again. "You get the kids settled into their seats."
Weird.
A few hours pass by, and Gareth has been dragged into the corner to show the kids how to work the Roamer, a small educational robot that moves along a map on the floor, depending on what direction it's been given. Strange little contraption. I've not used it since I was in Primary school. He seems more confused than the kids when it keeps turning right instead of left, four spaces instead of six, then eventually throws his hands up and says he's not qualified enough to work the bloody thing.
I giggle, cleaning away all the Math books and sorting them into the personalised trays. I can hear Gareth as he tries to explain to a little boy how Santa will get into their houses now since we are stuck in a fishbowl; that he's magical, and he will find a way.
Christmas hasn't really been a celebration anyone has taken part in the past twenty-four months of being in the dome. Last year, we ate at the table, Ains and I got drunk while our parents talked about developments. Robbie had taken me home in a huff, where we fought about the red dress I was wearing being too low cut at my cleavage, that eyes were on me all night and he didn't like it. There were no gifts, no trees, decorations, or even the Christmas spirit.
Dad has vowed to make it different this year, and has his team in the underground labs constructing three-dimensional printing units to create toys for the kids. The team has started to place artificial trees and grass all around the dome, hoping to make it seem more homely since the watering system, the sprinklers Eric had taken me to, was deemed unsuccessful.
Another failure that Dad is working hard on fixing.
One step at a time.
This year, we plan on hosting a party in the town hall for everyone in the dome, which Dad is worried about, but he wants peace all round. So, hopefully, everyone plays nice, and we all get along for the sake of Christmas.
My tablet dings, and I try curb a smirk as I see a message from Eric.
Osprey#001: Good afternoon. Just a daily reminder that you're a dickhead, a hot dickhead, but a dickhead nonetheless.
McClure#069: Idiot.
Shoving my tablet back into my bag, I make sure Mum hasn't caught me. I'm not allowed on it unless it's during break times, but I'm barely going to message Eric back while sitting next to her.
I take the rubbish out back, probably going to get my head bitten off by Gareth for not informing him, but it's a one-minute walk to the skip, so I don't see an issue. Pushing back the large lid of the bin that's taller than me, I swing the bag into it with a thump, wiping my hands.
Feeling someone else's presence, and not the good kind, I freeze. A hand pushes against my chest after I turn, so I'm backed between two of the bins. Robbie is in front of me, his manner wild, messy hair falling down his face. He covers my mouth before I can ask him what the hell he's doing, before I can shout for help. Searching around to make sure the coast is clear, his nervous-looking eyes meet my terrified ones.
"I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" he says in a soft tone, but it doesn't relax me at all. "Please don't scream. I promise I won't hurt you."
His hand slowly slips from my mouth, my bottom lip being pulled down by his palm. "What do you want?" I ask, my voice breaking at the end.
He's shaking, looking anxious. I narrow my eyes at him, seconds from running and sending a panic message to Eric, but Robbie is fast, he'll make me pay for it if I do. "I needed to see you. I needed to make sure you were okay."
My brow raises, rage starting to overpower my terror at his audacity. "I'm perfectly fucking fine."
Robbie moves forward, and my back smacks against the wall to get away from him, hard enough to rush all the air from my lungs, winding myself. He grimaces at the movement, the distance I'm trying to put between us. "With him, you're not. I just want to keep you safe, and Eric..." He screws his face up in anger, tensing his fist before dropping it to his side, making me glance around to see if anyone can stop him if he attacks me. "That bastard doesn't deserve you."
How does he know about us?
"What, and you do?" I snap back, gritting my teeth. "You better walk away right now or I'm going to lose it, Robbie."
He shakes his head, eyes beginning to redden as they water. Fake tears, most likely. "I don't deserve you either, and I accept that. But him, he is lying to you, babe. I saw his file, have you? I've read every bit of detail about that man, and I know for a fact if you knew, you'd never let him near you."
"That's just an assumption you can't seem to get over. Eric works for my dad, nothing's going on between us, you need to get that out of your head, it's been years of you accusing me with him and it's getting tiring. Not that it has anything to do with you now."
He laughs, but he doesn't find what I've said funny. My spine tingles with the fear being injected into my body at a high dosage as Robbie takes another step towards me, his cheeks now soaked with tears. "I did something...bad. Really bad."
I'm making an effort not to cry, not to show him I'm frightened, but it's difficult, especially as I'm staring into the eyes of a broken man who I once loved unconditionally. We spent our childhood together, had our firsts, everything. He's not the Robbie I fell for, or even the cheating ex, he's... someone else entirely.
"What did you do?" I ask, even though I shouldn't, curiosity getting the better of me. I glance over at the school. Gareth will come looking for me soon, and he'll stop this, I know it.
I let out a desperate breath as he stands back from me, placing his hand on the bin lid next to my head, chewing on his cheek. He's keeping me trapped. "He was told to target you. When I found out what he'd done, I..." Robbie stops, rolling his jaw as his sights clash with mine. "I wanted to protect you."
"What did you do?" I ask again, more forcefully this time. "Who?"
"I saw the footage, they played it in the flat we're all staying in. I had to sit there and watch that fucking arsehole over you while they laughed. When I found out they nearly killed you, I had to make sure they didn't try again."
Something cold and painful runs up my arms, my neck, causing me to feel sick. He is with the people trying to murder me, he knew, and he didn't tell me. "What did—"
"Eric is dangerous, Danielle. He's not safe to be around, do you get me? The guy is a megalomaniac. What man gets a thirty-eight-year prison sentence and walks free two days later? Do you have any idea who he is?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
He hangs his head, counting to three, as if he's mellowing himself. "Please be careful. I don't trust him."
What?
He's got to be fucking kidding me.
"You're serious right now? Eric has been one of the only people to keep me safe in here," I retort. "So whatever jealous kick you're getting out, your lies won't work. I trust him more than anyone in this dome, got it?"
He looks me dead in the eye, crossing his arms. "Ask him, then. Ask to see his file. Watch him shit himself and scramble for an actual lie. I highly doubt you'll feel the same when you read about everything he's done, all the charges he'd gotten from the judge."
"And how exactly have you've seen it?"
My band beeps before he can reply, and Robbie lets out a shaky breath as he backs away even more, teardrops falling onto his dirty shirt, as if it's not been washed in weeks. I take a careful step forward, my eyes on the school again, begging Gareth to burst through those doors any moment. "I need to go. And you need to stay away from me, okay? We are done, finished, and for your own safety, keep your distance."
He nods quickly, wiping his hand down his devastated face, taking my arm as I try to pass him. My pulse quickens, my nerves screaming at me to run as fast as I can. "When they find out what I've done, I'll be thrown out of the dome, without a doubt. But I did it for you. I'm not asking for you to help me, I'm already lost. Please know that I'm always going to love you. Trust no one, even the ones closest to you are against you and your family."
I swallow down a lump, wanting but not wanting to know what exactly it is he's talking about. My mind is reeling from the possibilities of what he's done, and the revelation of Eric having been handed such a long sentence and walking away from it so freely.
Who have I not to trust? And is he just trying to get in my head? I've witnessed his lies a million times, but the expression on his face shows nothing but the truth.
"If you have any solid evidence on anyone who is plotting against my family, then I want it. But if this is just hearsay or you being paranoid, stop."
I try to shake his grip from my arm, but he pulls it ever so slightly, sniffing.
"Let go of me, Robbie." Eric has taught me how to fight this off, so I'm giving him to the count of five before my knee connects with his balls.
"Just check his file. I only want you to be safe, fuck everyone else." Robbie doesn't let me go when I attempt to get away from him again, green eyes roaming the length of my body, his lip quivering. "I wish I didn't fuck things up." I nod once in response, because it's all I can do in the midst of my panic. My band beeps again, and he releases me with a mumbled apology.
"Sort yourself out," I tell him firmly. "Don't approach me again."
Robbie wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'm not the threat here, it's closer than you think. Babe, just... be careful."
One more beep of my band sounds. He huffs through his nostrils, reaching out and yanks me against him. My psychotic ex crashes his lips down on mine for half a second before letting me go and backing off.
"Consider that a goodbye. And remember what I said."
I'm frozen in place, watching him walk away, the burn of his unwanted mouth against mine scalding me. I find myself gripping the bin lid beside my head, legs trembling. He didn't hurt me, I fully expected him to attack and leave me for dead, but I had been far too paranoid to hit my panic button without him stopping me and making things worse.
Was he talking crap?
Is the danger closer than I think?
And was Eric truly sentenced to thirty-eight years in prison? Why?
Who do I need to be careful of?
Oh, God. Fuck you, Robbie. Get out of my head.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Gareth calls out, my eyes pinging up to see him rushing towards me, his thin black tie over one of his shoulders from his run, brows furrowed as he looks around. "The fuck are you doing?" he asks again with more punch, checking me over when he reaches me. "You aren't supposed to leave the school grounds without me. Do you have a death wish?"
Robbie's words are playing in my head. Paranoia running thick in my veins. I'm not the threat, it's closer than you think. It could be anyone, or it could be him messing with me.
Eric would never go against my dad, or me. Frank is far too loyal to his job. Gareth was the one who saved me from drowning, he got there faster than...
I stop my thoughts, blood draining from my face as I glance at him, the man who made it to my house not two minutes after the alarms started sounding. I was in trouble, the water had filled my lungs, the walls closed around me, but he came so fast that I survived, and the heroic act gained him a pat on the back from my dad—trust.
No.
Not Gareth.
He smashed the glass, took a split-open head from the force of the eruption and captured me in his arms. I live with him, he keeps me safe, and pines after my best friend. He wouldn't...
"Earth to Danielle." He waves a hand in my face, making me flinch and come back to reality. "Are you alright?"
"I..." Looking around, the bin area empty still, I plaster a smile on my most likely pale face. "I was taking a bag out and just got dizzy," I lie, unsure if I can confide in him. I need to speak with Eric; I need to tell him what Robbie had said.
"That's because you didn't eat lunch," Gareth replies with a mocking grin, tilting his head towards the school. "Let's go before you pass out. I'm not up for your boyfriend hunting me down because you're out cold."
"You need to shut up about that," I say, watching him smirk, but I'm just so sceptical now. How genuine are you? I want to ask. I brush my hands together and ignore his grunt, the one where he doesn't believe a word I say when it comes to Eric freaking Osprey.
I try to maintain a smile on my face as we enter through the back again, pretending to tidy up in the storage room when Gareth appears behind me, making me jump out of my skin.
"Woah, why are you so skittish? Elaine said I've to escort you to the manor, to speak with your dad," he says while I sort through the filing cabinet, trying to ignore my thoughts running a million miles an hour. "I don't think he'll allow you to go camping, to be honest, Danielle."
I shrug, taking a deep breath and turning to him. "It's worth a try. He might say yes."
"Do you think Eric will let you?"
I scowl at him. "Why would he not? He doesn't own me."
He raises his hands in defence. "The guy is more paranoid than anyone else in the dome, that's all. You'd need clearance from him to go, and I highly doubt he'll accept it."
I guess I could shag an acceptance from him.
Right?
We eventually clean the entire classroom, the kids waiting by the door for their parents to pick them up. A few waves later, and we're locking up. Mum informs us that Frank and her need to go to the resource centre then the medical building, so tells us to walk ahead and she will see us later.
Is it wise for me to question Eric? To bring up something from his past that he wants to forget? But, Jesus, a thirty-eight-year sentence in prison? For bloody what? And how the hell did he get out of it if it's true?
By the time we make it to the manor, I've not spoken a word, giving Gareth a hum in response to everything he's said. I'm sure he can tell something is off, but my head is going wild with thoughts right now and all I can think about is that someone close to me has a target on my back. Again, if Robbie wasn't talking shit, but the way he stared into my soul, the deep need to protect me in his eyes is now burned into my brain.
He wasn't lying. He's a dick, and I will never forgive him, but he was being honest with me.
The fact that I haven't told Gareth about Robbie approaching me speaks volumes. I do, however, need to tell Eric, especially after he kissed me. We aren't together, or exclusive, or anything, but if I knew someone had kissed him and he failed to tell me, I'd be upset.
Eric is mine, and I don't care how possessive that makes me sound. He's mine.
I stand before my dad, asking for permission to go camping with my mum and the class, at the same time as asking for permission for them to actually go on the two-day trip to the outskirts of the dome. The area is away from the town, but he looks like I've asked him if I could throw myself out of the dome after stabbing myself in the eye with a blunt pencil.
He stares at me for a beat too long. "No," Dad snaps, his eyes dropping back to his work.
"What?" I ask with a scowl, my hands on my hips while he leans his elbows on the table, tablet and a stack of paperwork on each side of him, head buried into his fist while he tries to concentrate.
"No. Absolutely not," he snaps, tapping his pen on the wood between us as he looks up again. "Your mother came up with this idea? Ridiculous. We don't have any tents in the dome, so how the fuck can the school take the children on a camping trip?"
I huff, looking at him, two guards standing at the back of his office, and then Gareth, who is silently appreciating his shiny shoes, is stood beside me. "We can have them made, she already has it all planned." Dad narrows his eyes at me, but I don't step down from my request. "All we need is for you to give us the go-ahead."
"What is the point in a camping trip?"
"To give the kids some normality," I reply confidently. "They need it. They need fun and adventure."
"But it's pointless," he fires back.
"For you, maybe." My palms slap down on the table, getting annoyed. "You can set up patrols around the camp, extra security, even if we just do one night instead. Come on, Dad."
He rubs his eyebrows with his finger and thumb. "Eric is in charge of this shit. Go and ask him."
"Where is he?" I ask, feeling the butterflies already fluttering deep within. My skin heats with just the thought of seeing him again.
He points to the ceiling. "The third floor Security room. Tell him I need to go do something and will be taking all of his team with me for protection. You're his responsibility for the next three hours."
"Where are you going?" I ask, but he ignores me.
Oh, dear God.
Gareth stands forward with a confused look. "Sir?"
"Sweetheart, go." Dad tilts his head towards the door. "I have a lot of work to do." His eyes land on Gareth's. "Eric tells me you're the best he has in combat, it's time to test that out."
I slowly make my way out of the room with furrowed brows, wondering what they're going to do, closing the door behind me without glancing at Gareth. I'm unsure if he is genuine now, and fuck Robbie for having me feeling this way about him.
Taking two steps at a time, watching the security team piling out of the manor. Why isn't Eric involved? He would never pass up the opportunity for a fight, to hunt people down and wreak havoc on them.
Once I make it to the top floor, silence surrounding me, I contemplate knocking on the door, but stop with my fist raised. Fixing my summer dress despite it snowing outside the glass hemisphere, fingers running through my curly hair, I take a deep breath, attempting to ignore the excitement bubbling deep within and the smile pulling at my lips.
I haven't seen Eric since leaving his house, after basically shoving him onto the couch, our bodies colliding until we moaned each other names, so this should be fun.
Why am I nervous? Why am I smiling so hard I need to bite my lip?
"Are you going to stand outside the door forever or are you coming in?"
______________
Thoughts?
I had taken a short break to read and spend time with my kids before they went back to school. Thanks for being patient with me. You're all the best readers ever!
Edited by laurenwolfe12