51 Blacktop Obsession
"About time you got up here." Carter said, watching Shayde walk in the room and slowly close the door behind her in the dark. Startled, she drew her gun, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Wow you are really tense, Shayde." Carter said, coming up to her and rubbing her shoulders. She drew her gun and had it pointed at his head quicker than he could react.
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be out on business. I could have shot you." Shayde admitted.
"Hmm, I like that you are so quick still." Carter smiled, giving her a grin. "You wouldn't hurt me and we both know this." Carter raised an amused eyebrow at her.
"Don't be so sure of yourself. We have a lot to discuss." Shayde warned.
"Oh, how I have missed you, My Shayde." Carter said, putting his arms around her, ignoring her anger. He loved it when she was angry.
"I couldn't really tell. That's cute." Shayde replied coolly.
"What's that mean, hmm?" Carter asked.
"You and Monica both show up in town? At the same time? At the hospital?" Shayde asked, taking off her jacket.
"Coincidence, Sweetheart, Coincidence. Nothing more." He promised, dismissing her angst.
"Did you tell her to arrest Kaidyn to delay us getting here?" Shayde asked with a sigh.
"What? No. Kaidyn was arrested? That is not good for her image." Carter said in an annoyed tone.
"It was for the community service I told you about and asked you to look into. Which you never did." Shayde said, busying herself with getting things together for a shower.
"What are you doing?" Carter asked, looking confused at what she was doing.
"I've been in the back of a semi for two days because I had to hide from your friend Monica's team and who knows who else wants to come after us so I am dirty, hot and tired. I need a shower." Shayde informed him.
"A shower, hmm. Interesting." Carter said, his tone accusatory.
"Yes, a shower. You want me to be clean, right?" Shayde asked, her tone annoyed now.
"I don't mind you how you are. I just want to hold you." Carter admitted.
"Well, I do mind and I need a shower. You can come with me or you can stay out here and wait another few minutes after waiting all these years. Up to you." Shayde said indifferently.
"That's fine. I have some business calls to make while you go wash up. While you are in there, how about you wash away that attitude and come out a bit more, shall we say, happier?" Carter asked with a forced grin.
"It's been a long week, Carter. I don't know about you but I have been raising our daughter while you were in jail and playing house with that whore." Shayde said icily.
"I wasn't playing house, we have discussed this before. I was trying to keep my business off the feds radar. Are you going to let that go anytime soon, My Shayde?" Carter asked, following her to the bathroom as she started the water.
"Are you going to let go of the fact that you think it's my fault that we haven't been home?" Shayde asked, her eyebrow raised.
"I missed being in the same room as you. I missed you period." Carter smiled. "We can talk about this when you are out." Carter said as Shayde stepped into the shower. He replaced her clothing with clothes he had picked out and left her to her shower. "See you soon." He said, closing the door behind him.
"You missed me but left the room." Shayde muttered to herself. She put her head under the water and just let it run down her back for a bit. She was in no rush to get back to him and needed a minute to let herself cool down. She hated that she had to be up here and she hated that she was in this position right now. She hated the fact that she was nothing more than property to the men in her life.
"Hello." Monica answered the phone as she sat at her desk, looking over some files.
"Monica, what's this I hear about Kaidyn getting arrested?" Carter asked, his eyes watching the bathroom door as he sat in his chair in the room.
"She had a warrant out for missing community service. It violated parole. I don't know. I was just told to fetch her." Monica shrugged.
"For something simple as community service, they sent you? How very odd." Carter mused.
"I do have side jobs, Carter." Monica defended herself.
"Hmm. I guess so. But I thought I told you to stay away from Shayde and Kaidyn?" He asked, not happy with her.
"They are nothing but trouble. You would be very disappointed in how Kaidyn acts. Not very ladylike at all." Monica warned.
"That will change." He promised.
"Are you going to change that cheating wife of yours? She kissed O'Connor." Monica informed him, sounding like a five year old tattling.
"You let me handle my business and you handle yours." Carter said as he lit up a cigar. "Your business is to stay out of my business. I told you to stop. You botched your chance to do what I asked. I can't trust you to do anything I need done now." Carter growled, his anger making Monica shiver.
"So let me have another shot and I will show you. They won't survive this time." She promised.
"No, the only one I wanted shot was Kaidyn. But you couldn't help yourself. You had to go too far." Carter said quietly, angered at how she had messed up and had hurt his Shayde, whim he loved more than any of his other possessions.
"You are to blame too. You didn't give Shayde strong enough pills that night to keep her asleep. We had no choice. She was going to save Kaidyn at all costs. You shoulda had us do it before she came in that night." Monica shrugged.
"You try to take a dig at my wife everytime we talk." Carter said, his lips pursed to the side.
"Yes, because you promised me you would leave her for me. You have had all this time." Monica said, sounding pouty.
"I can't get into this right now. Shayde will be out soon. Stay out of my business and away from my family. I will let you know when we can talk again." Carter warned as he hung up. He knew having Monica work for him was a liability but he also knew he needed her and her connections to protect himself from Dante should the threat of him taking Shayde appear.
"Carter, what the hell is this white clothing crap and where the hell are my clothes I had in here?" Shayde asked, coming out in a towel, looking pissed off.
"What?" Carter grinned as she held up the white lingerie with the silk cover up.
"NO. I don't wear white and you don't get to pick my clothes. I guess being gone for so long has made you forget just who I am and who you are married to." Shayde sighed.
"I haven't forgotten." Carter promised.
"Pretty sure you have. You know I never wear white. That is your other whore." Shayde spat.
"My Shayde, let's be clear. I am not with her and never was. I only want you. I love you. I think you are forgetting the reason we have not killed her off for what she did is because every federal agent would come after all of us." Carter said, putting his arms around Shayde. She remained stiff and unrelenting in his arms.
"So you say." Shayde said, shaking her head.
'It's been forever since we have been alone. Let's not do this." Carter coaxed. He laid on the bed and turned on the remote to look at the cameras.
"What are you doing, Carter?" Shayde asked, knowing the answer already.
"Seeing what they are up to and checking on my other 'sister'." Carter grinned, making Shayde roll her eyes.
"I don't know how they thought we were your 'sisters'. I don't want to be called your sister Carter. I'm sick of it. If I hear one more person call me your sister, I will kill them my damn self." Shayde promised.
"Drastic much?" Carter asked, looking at her. "I guess you prefer wife more than sister?" He joked.
"Is this all a joke to you? I can find another room, Carter. Or you can." Shayde shook her head, seriously too tired and annoyed with him now.
"I am sorry. I missed you and it's been so long. I am sorry. I will correct it with these guys tomorrow and let them know you are my wife and I will make sure they know she is our daughter. Judging by the looks of how they are acting, I need to let them know sooner than later." Carter watched the monitor with a frown.
"She's just having fun. What do you mean, you'll correct them? What did you do, Carter?" Shayde asked, acting like she didn't know they were hired.
"Did that blue eyed boy work his charms on you? Did he get more than a kiss from you?" Carter asked curiously.
"Are you fucking serious? Why would you even ask that? He gets on my last damn nerve." Shayde growled. "Why haven't you taken care of them since they put you in prison? Or is that my job now that I am here?" Shayde asked, folding her arms.
"Well, you can if you want. Doesn't bother me any." Carter shrugged indifferently.
"I call bullshit. What do you mean you will correct them?" Shayde asked, demanding an answer she already knew.
"I will set the record straight." Carter said simply.
"What record? Have you talked to them?" Shayde asked, knowing she was getting closer to getting the truth out of him. She was already tired of his mind games and knew she had to get her head in the game. Shayde crawled on the bed toward him and laid her head on his chest.
"That's my girl." He smiled, playing with her hair. She tried to relax her body and to play along with him to get the information out of him. "I may have hired those boys to bring you back here." He disclosed.
"We were coming regardless, why would you do that?" Shayde asked, looking up at him.
"I wanted to make sure it happened." Carter said, staring into her eyes.
"Are you the reason Brian was hitting on me so hard? If you had just told him I was your wife, I would have been saved a lot of annoying grief." She admitted in an annoyed tone.
"Hmm. Annoying huh? Yes, I told him I'd pay him to hit on you to see what you would do." Carter admitted.
"Carter Verone, you are ridiculous." Shayde said, shaking her head.
"Hmm. No, I just wanted to see what you would do. Eight years is a long time. Call it a test, if you will." He kissed her gently.
"Well, we can skip the tests because I am right here and we are starting over, yes?" Shayde asked, laying her head back on his chest.
"Yes, if only I could be able to be seen by my own daughter. Are you sure we shouldn't just let her see me and see how she acts?" Carter asked nonchalantly. They had agreed that he would stay hidden from Kaidyn until she was a bit more settled and stable.
"I woulda said yes before she got beat by Johnny Tran. But since she has gotten beat, she has had more episodes and she's not herself." Shayde admitted.
"That's a shame. We need to get her a better doctor." Carter sighed.
"I have the best doctor already. We are doing what we can." Shayde said, trying to not sound too defensive.
"Hmmm. I think we can always look into other doctors. I am not going to stay in hiding for long. She will adapt. She will have no choice but to adapt." Carter stated.
"But if you stay hidden, you are mine and I can have you to myself." Shayde smiled at him, making sure to turn on the charm for him.
"I don't want to stay hidden forever, Shayde. We need to get her back on track for things." Carter admitted.
"Carter, we just got here. Things take time. Do you want to focus on her or me?" Shayde asked, knowing she had to make him focus on her to keep him distracted.
"I feel like you are trying to distract me. What are you worried about?" Carter asked, holding her tight as he kissed her forehead.
"I feel like you are not taking her condition seriously. If I am being honest, we need to give her some time and I need you to be on the same page as me. We are finally a team again and I missed you so much. I just want us to work on us before we bring her back into it and risk setting her back more." Shayde explained.
"Is that right?" He asked, staring in her eyes. She nodded and kissed him. "I think what you are saying makes a lot of sense. We will give her some time as long as she keeps progressing. But if we run into trouble, I am going to consult another doctor." Carter advised.
"Give me a chance, we just got here and she needs time to adjust." Shayde kissed him, climbing on top of him.
"Oh, I will give you a chance, Mrs. Verone." He grinned as he put his arms around her.
"I haven't heard that in so long. I really hate the name Sutton." Shayde smiled as she grabbed the remote to flick off the television monitor. "Let's just worry about us tonight." She purred.
"I like that idea." He grinned, pushing her on the bed and climbing on top of her. "It's been far too long and I have missed you so much." He whispered.
"I missed you too." She admitted, although she was lying. She wanted to go to sleep and rest but she knew this wasn't going to be possible.
"Hold on. I have to get this." Carter looked at his buzzing cell phone. Shayde laid back and rolled her eyes.
"Of course." She sighed. Deep down inside, she was extremely happy for whoever was calling.
"Hello." Carter answered the phone in an angered tone.
"How does it feel to have my daughter back in your possession?" Dante asked, his thick accent making Carter scowl.
"She's my wife, of course she's back." Carter replied.
"Always avoiding those questions still, I see. I was very very close to collecting her today. I could have and you could still be as lonely as ever." Dante laughed.
"Ah, but she wanted to come home so who has the last laugh?" Carter asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I believe she tried to come home but you chose to move that agent into your house and I think that is where you lost some trust." Dante advised.
"Thank you, I didn't realize you were a marriage counselor. I will take that into consideration." Carter said sarcastically.
"Well, since we are on the advice subject, you might want to stay out of prison too, Carter. Just a slight suggestion, you know." Dante said mockingly.
"Yeah, real funny. Why are you calling? Is there something I can help you with?" Carter asked.
"Since you haven't had a wife in your possession in, how long? Oh, yes, yes, eight years. That is right. Just make sure to treat her correctly." Dante ordered.
"I do not need to be reminded of how long it has been, but thank you. We are just fine over here in the US. We do not need you to tell us what we need to be doing." Carter said, starting to get angry.
"Yes, you are in the US. Just remember I can still collect her anytime I please. That goes for her and my granddaughter." Dante reminded him.
"You will not be collecting them, as they are mine. I do recall we have had this discussion a time or two before." Carter sighed.
"My daughter is yours unless you break the contract. I will very happily bring her back should I need to. Just don't forget that. Don't treat her badly because I will find out about it if you do." Dante warned.
"Have I ever mistreated her?" Carter asked as he rubbed Shayde's back. She was pretending to fall asleep and couldn't help but smile into the pillow at how uptight this phone call was making her so called husband.
"I would hope not. Because all hell would break loose if I was to find out you had. Just so you understand, my daughter is to be allowed to check in with me whenever she wants." Dante ordered.
"Of course she can check in when she needs to. I would never keep her from doing that. I have nothing to hide, Dante. You have known my family for years. I think you know I keep my word." Carter reminded him.
"Well, good, then we should have no issues." Dante replied, sounding pleased with the reply he was given.
"Was that all you needed?" Carter asked, ready to be off of the phone. He saw Shayde sleeping and was hoping she wouldn't be too hard to wake up.
"No, no, no. We still need to discuss Kaidyn." Dante requested.
"What about her?" Carter asked, sounding annoyed.
"I need her healed and Shayde to deliver her to me as promised. By my calendar, she is way overdue." Danted said, looking at his calendar on the wall.
"You know she has said you are not getting Kaidyn. You will have to take that up with Shayde." Carter said, secretly wishing Shayde would just give Kaidyn to Dante.
"I will speak to her about that but you are the husband. Sometimes I wonder if you are strong enough for my daughter." Dante admitted.
"You have never been happy with me as her husband, Dante." Carter said with a frown.
"She was sold to you for protection, not to become your wife and you have a kid with. That was never part of the deal." Dante reminded him.
"I can't help that she fell in love with my charm. And you got a granddaughter out of it, it's not like you're unhappy about that." Carter reasoned.
"It wasn't supposed to be a permanent thing. She was to return to me at some point." Dante growled.
"But here I am, her husband. We will have to leave this here for now. I have things I need to do and Shayde is not available to speak to you right now." Carter advised, looking at Shayde sleeping peacefully.
"We'll talk again soon, Carter. Just treat my daughter well." Dante repeated.
"Always." Carter hung up with a sigh. He laid back and put his arms around her, seeing she was asleep. "You're mine, you will always be mine. Nothing or no one will ever take you from me again." He muttered out loud as she slept.