It wasn't a nightmare that woke me up. Although granted, I did have a very uncomfortable one. It was more of a feeling of absence next to me that had me sitting up on the bed, wondering. I didn't have to wonder much longer because a few breaths later the door slowly creaks open and Reece walks in. The timing is impecceble. For a brief moment, none of us say anything to each other. I bet he didn't expect me to be up so early in the morning, but I definitely knew he was going to sneak out on me in the middle of the night. This is his territory. He was born in New York, so he knew people here.
But in the middle of the night...who was awake for him?
"You're awake," he says, softly, sitting on the edge of the bed in front of me.
"So are you," I whisper.
"You should be resting, Catherine," he points out, placing his hand over my bump. I place my hand over his, and sigh.
"So should you. But here you are...all dressed up." My eyes well up in tears. He smells of bourbon, and smoke. He's all dressed up, and looks good. He's vibrating in energy, and adrenaline so early in the morning.
"Why are you crying?" He asks, pulling me closer to him. The smell of bourbon and smoke is intoxicating, but I try not to breathe it in. However, I tend to notice things most people probably can't when it comes to him. Reece might be smart for others, but for me...let's just say I pay attention.
"Where were you, Reece?" I don't like to question him. I know everything he does, he does for a reason. Reece might be anything and everything but one thing he wasn't was sloppy. He made and left no mess behind him. But tonight...I saw something I probably shouldn't have. It didn't matter that the room was dark. Reece leans in closer to me, and runs his thumb over my lip.
"Taking care of business, Catherine." It's all he says. Nothing more, nothing less. I know for a fact he wasn't going to give me any sort of explanation. He kept things curt, but I wished he'd open up more to me. I'm assuming I know all of his dirty little secrets, but do I? One look at his shirt, and the explanation comes on its own. I visibly shudder. But instead of questioning him, I take matters in my own hands and lean into him. Gently, I pry at his buttons, unbutton them one by one, and finally pull at his shirt and peel it off of him. I discard it across the room and it falls gently by the end of the bed. Reece looks on, never peeling his eyes away from me.
"Was that your blood on your shirt?," I finally ask, after a moment of intense silence. I had a lot of questions to ask, but I knew I'd get no answers. I feel better in knowing a little less because Reece Dean is a dangerous man to come across. If I had to put two and two together, I'd confirm the blood on his shirt wasn't his. There was not a single scratch on his face or body. Whose blood was it? And why was there blood on him in the first place?
"No." That's all I got from him. I assumed that.
"Did you...hurt someone?" I chanced to ask, hoping he'd give me something. I hate when he doesn't tell me things. Even despite being the mother of his child, and future wife, he didn't trust me enough to tell me things. Why the darkness? Tears well in my eyes, and I make no mistake in letting them just dribble down my cheeks. He looks at me, keeping a steady stare down, but doesn't give me the answer I want.
"The less you know, the better." He wipes my tears away, and leans in to place a chaste kiss on my cheek.
"Why? Why do you keep me in the dark?" I whisper, pushing him away.
"I'm protecting you, Catherine."
"I know you are. But..." I get cut off when suddenly both of his hands are grabbing my face. He pulls me to him until our noses touch, and it's aggressive. It catches me off guard, and momentarily knocks my breath right out of me.
"I'll take all your pain, and worries away. All you need to do is focus on our child inside of you. That's all. Okay?" His response was curt, but stern. I sigh, and nod because that's all I can do. In response to mine, Reece relaxes and gives me a small smile, and just like that the conversation drops. Reece shifts his focus on my belly, leans down, and gives it a long, drawn kiss. For the first time since we've met, I feel something different. It's not joy, and it's not contentment. It's utter rejection. Disappointment. Pain.
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The night drags on. Reece is up and gone before I could even blink the sleep away from my eyes. We rarely slept. Three hours later, we were up again. I was hurting inside, mentally and physically and the urge to cry and vomit grew by the seconds. I desperately needed more sleep, but what I needed more was reassurance, and some sort of satisfaction. I wanted Reece to talk to me, but he rarely had time for me now. He was always doing something, God knows what. Tenderly, I make my way to the bathroom, do my business, and lazily step out and go downstairs to join his sister in the kitchen. Things are even more tense downstairs.
Samantha looks off, and distant. Nothing like her. Without saying anything, I simply just observe her. She doesn't notice me as she rummages through utensils, and pots and pans with a tensed look on her face. Her expression is unnerving, and oddly dissatisfying. I want to ask, but I continue to just observe her. Josephine comes running into the kitchen, bumps into her mother, says something, but gets ignored. That catches my attention, and throws me off guard.
"Sam," I call out to her, momentarily startling her as she jumps from the sight of me.
"Hi. How long were you standing there? Didn't see you," she says, hurriedly as she puts bacon on the pan. It starts sizzling.
"Just got here. Are you okay, Sam?"
"Yeah. Fine. Why?"
"Did something happen?" I pry more. Samantha sighs, and turns to face me.
"It's just that...I wasn't expecting you guys to leave so soon." Leave so soon? We were leaving? Why didn't Reece tell me anything? I look at her, perplexed.
"I didn't know we were leaving," I say under my breath.
"When Reece gets done with...whatever, he always leaves. That's just what he does."
"What is it exactly that he got finished doing?" I ask, hoping Sam gives me something Reece wasn't able to. She looks at me, her eyes wide as if I caught her red handed doing something illegally. That catches me off guard, and I walk up to her.
"There are some things you just don't need to know, Catherine," she says.
"Like what? What did Reece do? I know you know something, Sam." I was desperate at this moment. I know we didn't come here just for a family reunion. Why was this family always so secretive? I know all about Reece's dirty work. I know his hands are dirty with blood. He killed before to protect me. He killed people before he met me. Why was last night any different? Who did he hurt? Sam opens her mouth to speak then closes it immediately when she realizes someone is standing behind me looking at her. I turn my head to find Reece with a stern look on his face. I didn't intend to get Sam in trouble with my interrogation. He walks leisurely towards us with his hands in his pockets, and clenches his jaw. Despite all odds, I remain steady, and tall.
"I'm hungry. Let's eat."
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Breakfast was oddly silent with stolen, tensed glances here and there between Sam and I. No one spoke. Reece was on his phone the entire time talking to someone while eating. It pissed me off. His work couldn't leave him alone even for a minute. I was forced to eat even though I had no appetite. If I didn't eat, he'd shoot me a glance that literally spoke high volumes of consequences. I hated fearing this man. It also oddly turned me on every time. When we got done eating, I met Sam in the kitchen by the sink. Making sure no one was around us this time, I leaned into her.
"If you don't tell me something, I won't rest the entire car ride. And it's a long car ride, Sam. Please. Tell me where Reece went last night."
"If I tell you, he will eat my head."
"Is he cheating on me?"
"What? Of course not!"
"Then tell me something otherwise that's all I'm going to think."
"You're so stubborn."
"You are too for not telling me." With a final sigh, she turns to me.
"He's protecting you, Catherine. Everything he does, he does to protect his family. You might not know but...."
"But what?" Footsteps emerged from behind us. Sam paused. I begged her again. Pleaded her with my eyes before Reece approached us. Finally, she caved.
"Yourfamilywasherelookingforyou. Reecefoundout." She said that so quickly in one breath, I almost didn't hear her. It took seconds before her words finally reached my brain. I paused to let those words settle and become a little clear. Then when it did, my world stopped spinning. Actually...it felt like I was spinning. Everything started to spin. Her words wrecked me like a wrecking ball, completely sweeping me off of my feet. Black dots sparkled in the back of my eyes, and the next thing I knew...I was falling back against a hard body grabbing me from behind.