Ch. 44 Day of Reckoning

The weeks and months went by with little to no news about our nemesis. In the meantime, my course work and time spent assisting Dr. Jack Hyde flew by. Before we realized it, the semester's end was at hand. Christian seemed obsessed with the idea of packing up our Portland apartment and moving to Escala as soon as possible. His anxiety about my safety worked overtime. I relished my last few days as a teaching assistant though. For the next six months, I'd be writing my thesis while holed up in Seattle. I'd miss the companionship of my peers and working with the eager undergraduates.

Not that I minded spending time with my newly minted husband. We spent a lot of quality time together now that he flew down to Portland on a regular basis. Plus, Grace and Mia kept pestering us about the wedding party on everyone's agenda in June. The guest list grew by leaps and bounds once Mia had some time on her hands. I ignored most of the distractions about our celebration by agreeing to whatever scheme she suggested. Christian signed off on all the expenses with a resigned air.

On the day I turned in my grades to Jack, I received a strange text from a number that I didn't recognize.

"She's going to die," is what it read. The words sent a chill through me. I forwarded the message to Christian and Welch. Then I started packing all the books and tech toys I'd need to write my master's thesis during this summer and throughout the coming fall.

My phone buzzed an hour later. Christian's voice came on the line. It sounded strained.

"Anastasia, so glad you're there. Whatever you do, baby, don't leave our apartment."

"Don't worry, I've got so much to organize and pack for the move, I'll be here for days. What's up?"

"That text you received came from Vancouver. We think Cubber sent it. Welch intends to make a treck across the border to find out about the situation with Dana and company."

"I hope Darren isn't letting me know that his girl's about to get a taste of his TLC."

"He could be referring to any number of women including Elena, Kaitlyn, Dana and you."

The idea sends a spasm of fear through my body. To lighten the mood, I add, "Or possibly Kate Kavanaugh."

"I think she's been crossed off his list. Especially after what Elliott did to the guy. In the meantime, I'm flying down to be with you tonight."

"Great. I need to run some ideas by you for my thesis."

"I hoped we might do something more romantic than analyzing social signaling theory."

I chuckle but feel that familiar clench deep within me. "Trust me, some of the signals we'll send each other tonight will get you cooking in all the right ways. Can't wait, Christian."

"I'm leaving with Taylor in about half an hour. Don't let anyone into our apartment."

"Yes, sir." I hang up and feel incredibly excited about seeing my man in a few hours. I don't know what Christian's worried about since Sawyer's just down the hall in his own room.

I'm deeply involved with sorting through my texts and notes when our front door buzzer sounds off. I call out for Luke.

"Want to check out who's downstairs?"

"Sure do." Sawyer examines the face on our video camera and inquires about their reason for calling.

When he comes back into the living room, where I'm surrounded by piles of paper, wires and books, he looks calm.

"It's your friend Jose. He wants to say goodbye for the summer."

"Of course. I promised to see him before I left town. It's a good thing he stopped by. You can buzz him in and up. Thanks, Luke."

Then I'm up and headed to the front door to see my buddy, Jose.

Jose's waiting for me at the front door but looks a bit strange to me. He hugs me enthusiastically. Once Luke makes sure we're okay, he leaves us for some program he's watching in his own bedroom.

"Ana, I'm sorry to disturb you like this but I needed to see you before summer break. I just didn't realize you were moving to Seattle so soon." Something in his voice and manner seems off.

I hug him briefly then smile in my usual, friendly way.

"Jose, it's a small world. I'll live and work in Seattle now but come back to see you and Jack on a regular basis. After all, I've got this monster of a thesis to write and defend. Don't worry."

"It totally floors me, Ana…That you're leaving Portland forever." Jose's smile doesn't extend to his eyes. I briefly imagine that he's jealous of Christian. Then I wonder if he's got some kind of hidden agenda. He's pacing back and forth then his eyes dart around nervously.

"I'm actually just working full-time on my thesis now. That means I won't have any distractions from students. I feel sort of vulnerable here in Portland since you got attacked by Darren Cubber. Plus I've got Christian and his crew to keep me safe in Seattle," I add with a laugh while studying the body language of my friend.

"But Ana, you're really going to miss things here on campus. Don't you think? Like all my gallery shows." He swallows and turns a shade of yellow.

"I can always come back for your shows and just to hang out."

"I guess you're really freaked about having any contact with Cubber." Jose broaches the topic of Darren cautiously. I note that he's nearly in a state of panic with his behavior. I know I need to get to the bottom of his agenda.

"Now that he's in Canada, I'm feeling okay. But, what's going on with you Jose? Why are you acting so strange?" I change the topic quickly. I know it's essential to get to the point with him.

"I'm looking into getting an agent for my photos. I want to develop a national market through one of the major retailers. Using the successful series of prints I showed on campus. I sold thousands of dollars' worth of art this year."

Maybe Jose's nervous about his photography skills. I nod to encourage him to keep speaking. He licks his lips as if worried.

"You did so well…with a little help from Christian and his friends."

"Yeah. Seattle seems ripe for my kind of art. I'm asking you to help me develop some contacts there," he asks then continues speaking quickly. "Little did I know you'd be moving there full-time with your boyfriend, already." Jose's drips with need.

"Well, of course I'll help you with the contacts. And, no doubt, I'm going to live with Christian in Seattle. We've been together for a long time already. Why are you surprised?" If he knew that we were already married, my friend might really lose it.

"Some people won't be pleased to hear about your move nor about the growing relationship with your boyfriend," Jose grows very serious then and somewhat sad as we speak. I suspect he's been sent here by someone we both know. I realize he's about to give me a message; the issue can't be avoided.

"What are you talking about? Are you working with Elena, Darren or Kaitlyn? Is that it?"

"Let's just say I've been contacted and even threatened lately."

"I knew you were acting weird. What's going on now?"

"Darren sent me a text and encouraged me to keep you in town. Said he'd come back to pay me a visit soon."

"Why don't you just contact the police?"

"He said his people were already in town and watching all my moves. I haven't told anyone a thing yet."

I'm relieved that Jose hasn't called a soul yet. "At least they can't hear what we're talking about in this place. Christian's got all the eavesdropping equipment blocked. Let's get Sawyer in on this conversation, now."

Jose nods his agreement and looks marginally relieved.

I call to Luke and then explain a little of what Jose's just revealed about Darren when he joins us.

Sawyer takes charge then. "I want to discover exactly what Darren Cubber told you and who these folks are who've been following you."

"Last evening I noticed someone hanging around outside my apartment. He looked quite spooky-hovering outside like a ghost. When I woke up this morning, I found that my place had been invaded. This device was strapped to my waist." Jose spits out his dilemma with a tone of relief and annoyance.

Luke checks it out and then gives me a wary look. "This seems to be some sort of bomb. Jose's been wired."

We both look at one another in shock. Sawyer crosses his arms with a knowing look and begins interrogating Jose then.

"What does Cubber want you to do now that he's calling the shots with your survival?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Both of us seem to ask the same question simultaneously.

"Someone probably drugged you last night through an injection, while you slept. Then they attached this device to your waist. It has multiple uses as both a shock inducer as well as explosive. If you don't cooperate Darren's going to make you pay."

"He texted me and told me to visit you on some pretext. My job involves keeping you in Portland. I'm to await further instructions."

"In essence, you're now working for Cubber!" I exclaim with growing horror.

"Not voluntarily though."

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention to Darren that you saw me tonight," I say knowing that it certainly won't happen. At least, I'm putting Jose on notice that I've no desire to share my whereabouts with Cubber. He's my friend but I'm not about to give myself and Christian up for that.

Jose snorts before responding, "I can't do that, Ana. I'm Darren's assistant now. He's coercing me to know where you are what you're doing. If he discovered that I kept information about you private, he'd have me dead."

"Can you at least refrain from telling him that I'm about to leave town?"

I stare at Jose with my big blue eyes and smile for all I'm worth.

He swallows then and waffles a bit, "Yeah, I'll avoid mentioning that. Darren might go ballistic if I tell him you're packing up to move north. If he knows that you're moving to Escala, he'd get aggressive."

I nod with gratitude. "Thanks for being kind, Jose. It means a lot to us. I'll ask my man to give you a few leads for sales in Seattle."

He shakes his head vigorously.

I know that I need to tread carefully around Jose now. My first priority involves limiting his knowledge of Christian's whereabouts. The second priority concerns hiding the fact that we're married. Once that news goes public, Darren might try to blackmail us.

As we look at one another and try to find a way around the mess we're in, my buzzer sounds again. This time, Luke answers the intercom.

"Let me in, dude, or else Ana's little friend's going to explode along with both of you. He's packed with enough plastic explosives to take out the entire floor of the building you're in."

We all hear the distinctive voice of Darren Cubber. My heart drops to the very bottom of the room. It's hard to believe that he's been able to turn the tables on us in a matter of minutes. He gets buzzed up as I open the door to finally see the man, face to face, who's been questing after me for nearly a year.

I smile weakly as I look into his evil but determined looking face. "How did you find out about where I live?"

He struts into my living area and looks directly into my eyes. "You can't hide from me, Anastasia. At least, not for long."

"So Jose led you to me, tonight?" He shrugs. I might as well figure out what he wants and then probe for what other plans Dubber's devised for me and my private life.

"Yeah, Jose's easy to track. My man called just after he visited his place. As you can guess, I asked him to follow your friend's every move. Easy to do once he was hooked up to that electronic device."

Darren moves into my personal space then. I step back a bit for relief. He moves forward as if to touch me. Then stares into my eyes for a minute.

"Does that mean you want to know everything about me, now?"

"You'll tell me or your friend and you will be hurting in a major way."

The walls begin closing in around me, I want to scream. I count to five while breathing slowly. I expand the space between us by moving toward the middle of the room.

"Why do you want me?"

"I'm a man on a mission to save myself." He stares at me with a lusty and possessive look on his face.

"What exactly do you want from me, Darren?" I know the answer but hope he's going to be somewhat rational.

His response lets me know that he's far from that state.

"We belong together, Ana. Admit it. I can give you the kind of thrill you want. Why resist your fate? Forget about Grey. He's too troubled to ever deliver the goods. I can do that, however."

This man's more than delusional but I'm prepared to go along with his plan if it'll save us.

"Darren, I'm not sure what you mean," I begin. The truth about my man is much more complicated than he'd imagine. I don't want to stress out Cubber any further than I need to though. If he knew how quickly I connected I am with Christian, he'd start making demands for a ransom.

"I'm a patient man, Ana. We can have a wonderful time together while you figure out how to tame me. I can take you to places you can't imagine, buy you a whip, the right clothes, toys…whatever your creative mind conjures up. Your sexual desires, can be fulfilled."

He seems nearly maniacal as he dreams of our BDSM future together. His dark, strange eyes sparkle with need.

Apparently, Darren can't fathom that I don't want any BDSM with him. He's embraced a fantasy about me. All the torture he promises me becomes a moot point with Grey in the picture anyway. I assumed Christian's wealth would protect me from this sort of threat. In some ways, it makes things worse, however.

"What I mean is that I'm not ready to have that kind of BDSM with only one man." I know what I say just buys into his fantasy but I need to calibrate Darren's state of mind before we go any further with our conversation.

If he knows about me and Christian and our marriage, I'm in deep trouble.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ana. I can't bear the thought of you with another man! We're meant to be together."

My life could never be anything but a nightmare with Darren. He's chasing the fantasy of what he thought he saw at the Club. Now he's nearly foaming at the mouth with joy as he tempts me. Thankfully, Jose tells him nothing further about Christian. I breathe with relief.

"Darren, I intend to be a normal 23 year old graduate student. I need to develop my thesis, to find out what I can do with my degree, and embrace an independent lifestyle." I'm trying to sound rational.

"That's for typical young women. You are not a typical 23 year old woman, Ana. Look at you. You're smart, mature, lovely, motivated. Not typical at all. You already have a career in BDSM. I saw you with Grey at the club."

His mood shifts as we speak. I'm not playing to his script and now he's confused.

"I have a career in languages. Now, I'd like to complete my degree in semiotics. That's my background, and training Darren." I'm trying to make my case for a life with words but he's not buying it.

"That's old news. You've done the school bit before. I've come all this way to convince you to return to Vancouver with me."

He reaches out for me then while taking five strides across the room. His hands touch my arms and grab them. I spin away from his hold before he can prevent me from running. I'm nearly nauseated at the idea of letting him touch me.

"I've just settled into a pattern here in Portland, Darren. Don't I have any choice about my life?" I back away from him toward the kitchen and plan my next move.

"Ana, you're acting like a spoiled child. You know we were meant to be together. I know who I want to spend my time with. Doing things that will make us happy."

He's speaking as though in a trance now. The look on his face frightens me. It's determined, focused and obsessive.

I realize, in that moment, that rejecting Darren tonight could prove to be disastrous. I need to stall him for some time. He's desperate to take me with him.

"Darren, it's been a very long day for me. I have another big day at work tomorrow. I'm tired and need my rest. Can we talk about this tomorrow?" I give him an innocent look and bat my eyes.

"I don't think I'm going to let you out of my sight, Ana. The last time I saw you was in Seattle. It's taken me more than a year to find you." I swallow hard. He pulls me into his arms.

I hear a key turn in the lock at that exact time. My knees practically give way in relief. It's Christian and Taylor. I thank my lucky stars. Christian enters the condo and his eyes turn to saucers as he takes in my visitor and our body posture. I pull away from Darren's embrace quickly. Taylor gives me a stunned look.