Chapter Six
Joshua sat on the couch at Caleb's villa, feeling oh so pleased with himself.
Ah, it was all going so well. All according to his plan.
To think, he had Elizabeth to thank for all this. It was uncanny.
Especially her little part in letting Caleb go. The woman was a jewel, really. Too bad she grated on him so. She could be so amusing at times.
And amazingly useful.
But her lovely daughter, now there was the real prize. And he'd win her, if it was the last thing he did.
Joshua walked over to the bar to pour himself another celebratory drink. It was time for a toast, he thought..
To Caleb - snug as a bug in his cell below.
To Rafe - for his valiant, yet pointless effort to try and stop him.
And to the lovely, Livvie and Alison - who would help him destroy them both.
***********
Running into the apartment, Rafe practically threw the door off his hinges. He couldn't believe he had left her alone. His heart raced, desperately afraid he was too late.
"Alison?!" he cried - looking around wildly.
He finally saw her, sitting on the floor next to the bed - surrounded by broken glass.
"Alison" he said again, exhaling sharply, and slowly walked towards her.
"I'm OK - I'm fine -" She insisted, as much to herself as to him. He pulled her up from the floor and into his arms, holding her tight. "I just got spooked, that's all. I thought it was from you."
"What?" Rafe asked, slightly distracted, still trying to process the fact that she was safe.
"The rose, it was pink - and now ---" Alison trailed off.
Rafe pulled back to look at her then and saw the flower she held limply in her hand.
A perfect rose, black as night.
He had no doubt now who had sent it to her.
"Alison." He spoke carefully - trying to keep his tone light, "Where did you get that?"
"It was here, on the bed, it just appeared." Alison replied. "It was so beautiful, so perfect, I was sure it was from you."
"Why would you possibly think that?"
"When I found it, Rafe, it was a perfectly beautiful pink rose, so of course I thought it came from you. But then, in an instant it turned into that."
Rafe took the flower from her then, nearly crushing it in his grip. His eyes filled with pure rage as he turned away from her. That bastard, he thought with utter contempt.
He glanced back over to Alison, and saw the fear in her eyes. He swore under his breath as he moved towards her. This will not happen, he vowed to himself.
"Let's go." Rafe said quickly, grabbing her hand.
"Whoa - w-w-wait - Rafe! Ow - stop pulling me! What's going on?" Alison dug in her heels.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, c'mon - I'll explain later" Though he just apologized for doing it, Rafe yanked her arm again. This time he managed to pull her a few steps forward.
"God, Rafe! Stop it. No!" she succeeded in wrestling her hand from his grip. "Tell me now - or I'm not going anywhere." She glared at him, her hands on her hips.
Rafe took a deep breath. He would tell her just enough to get her to go with him, he decided. He'd get to the rest on the way. "It's Joshua," Rafe said, almost too calmly. "He's coming after you." Believing that would be enough information, he reached for her hand again.
He had miscalculated. She moved alright, but backwards and away from him. She linked her hands behind her back. When she spoke to him. her voice was annoyed and just slightly confused. "Me? Why? What do you mean?"
She made him want to scream. "Alison, please, I need to get you out of here."
"No, - Rafe, stop! I'm not a child. You can't just order me around like that. I'm not leaving here until you tell me what's going on." It was clear. She wasn't budging.
Rafe ran his hands through his hair and stared at her. Her beautiful face was set and stubborn, her eyes full of fire, ready to fight. God help him. One of the things he loved most about her was that when Alison set her mind to something, she hung on for dear life. The good part about that was that he happened to be one of those things. The bad was that it made her nearly as stubborn as he was. He thought, not for the first time, that they were in for real trouble when they finally started their family. The combination of both their personalities could prove to be maddening.
Pacing slightly in frustration, Rafe realized he could solve this problem one of two ways. He could just grab her and throw her over his shoulder and in seconds they would be out the door. It would certainly be quicker, but the fuss she would make once they got outside would just draw attention to them, and that was the last thing he wanted. Or, he could take the few precious moments to explain some of what was going on. The latter made more sense, he decided, though giving in to her would cost him.
He wanted, nearly as much as he wanted to keep her safe, to shield her as best he could from the horrible things he was beginning to suspect would happen.
He looked over at Alison again, and saw her expression hadn't changed a bit. She shook her head back, tossing her hair, and stood facing him with her chin tilted up slightly, like she was almost daring him to try and make her leave.
He rubbed his hands over his face as he said, "I swear to God, you are unbelievable!"
He grabbed Alison by the shoulders then, startling her as he practically picked her up off the floor, and none too gently, dropped her down on the edge of the bed. She landed with a bounce, and started to say something to him about it, but the look in his eyes kept her from uttering another word.
His voice was quiet and serious and just a little shaky as he began to speak.
"Ian and I, we were at Joshua's, at that place your mother told you about. He's got something planned, and I'm not letting him anywhere near you. So - I need you to stop fighting with me and just come with me. Now. Please. Alison." He held his hand out to her again.
It might have been hearing the words he spoke, or maybe it was his tone of voice. Something sent a chill up her spine. Instantly, her feelings moved from annoyance to fear, since whatever this was, it had even Rafe scared. Without another moment's hesitation, she placed her hand firmly in his.
Rafe let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He brought their joined hands to his lips and gave hers a quick kiss. Then, still gripping it tightly, he led her out the door.
Joshua sat on the couch at Caleb's villa, feeling oh so pleased with himself.
Ah, it was all going so well. All according to his plan.
To think, he had Elizabeth to thank for all this. It was uncanny.
Especially her little part in letting Caleb go. The woman was a jewel, really. Too bad she grated on him so. She could be so amusing at times.
And amazingly useful.
But her lovely daughter, now there was the real prize. And he'd win her, if it was the last thing he did.
Joshua walked over to the bar to pour himself another celebratory drink. It was time for a toast, he thought..
To Caleb - snug as a bug in his cell below.
To Rafe - for his valiant, yet pointless effort to try and stop him.
And to the lovely, Livvie and Alison - who would help him destroy them both.
***********
Running into the apartment, Rafe practically threw the door off his hinges. He couldn't believe he had left her alone. His heart raced, desperately afraid he was too late.
"Alison?!" he cried - looking around wildly.
He finally saw her, sitting on the floor next to the bed - surrounded by broken glass.
"Alison" he said again, exhaling sharply, and slowly walked towards her.
"I'm OK - I'm fine -" She insisted, as much to herself as to him. He pulled her up from the floor and into his arms, holding her tight. "I just got spooked, that's all. I thought it was from you."
"What?" Rafe asked, slightly distracted, still trying to process the fact that she was safe.
"The rose, it was pink - and now ---" Alison trailed off.
Rafe pulled back to look at her then and saw the flower she held limply in her hand.
A perfect rose, black as night.
He had no doubt now who had sent it to her.
"Alison." He spoke carefully - trying to keep his tone light, "Where did you get that?"
"It was here, on the bed, it just appeared." Alison replied. "It was so beautiful, so perfect, I was sure it was from you."
"Why would you possibly think that?"
"When I found it, Rafe, it was a perfectly beautiful pink rose, so of course I thought it came from you. But then, in an instant it turned into that."
Rafe took the flower from her then, nearly crushing it in his grip. His eyes filled with pure rage as he turned away from her. That bastard, he thought with utter contempt.
He glanced back over to Alison, and saw the fear in her eyes. He swore under his breath as he moved towards her. This will not happen, he vowed to himself.
"Let's go." Rafe said quickly, grabbing her hand.
"Whoa - w-w-wait - Rafe! Ow - stop pulling me! What's going on?" Alison dug in her heels.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, c'mon - I'll explain later" Though he just apologized for doing it, Rafe yanked her arm again. This time he managed to pull her a few steps forward.
"God, Rafe! Stop it. No!" she succeeded in wrestling her hand from his grip. "Tell me now - or I'm not going anywhere." She glared at him, her hands on her hips.
Rafe took a deep breath. He would tell her just enough to get her to go with him, he decided. He'd get to the rest on the way. "It's Joshua," Rafe said, almost too calmly. "He's coming after you." Believing that would be enough information, he reached for her hand again.
He had miscalculated. She moved alright, but backwards and away from him. She linked her hands behind her back. When she spoke to him. her voice was annoyed and just slightly confused. "Me? Why? What do you mean?"
She made him want to scream. "Alison, please, I need to get you out of here."
"No, - Rafe, stop! I'm not a child. You can't just order me around like that. I'm not leaving here until you tell me what's going on." It was clear. She wasn't budging.
Rafe ran his hands through his hair and stared at her. Her beautiful face was set and stubborn, her eyes full of fire, ready to fight. God help him. One of the things he loved most about her was that when Alison set her mind to something, she hung on for dear life. The good part about that was that he happened to be one of those things. The bad was that it made her nearly as stubborn as he was. He thought, not for the first time, that they were in for real trouble when they finally started their family. The combination of both their personalities could prove to be maddening.
Pacing slightly in frustration, Rafe realized he could solve this problem one of two ways. He could just grab her and throw her over his shoulder and in seconds they would be out the door. It would certainly be quicker, but the fuss she would make once they got outside would just draw attention to them, and that was the last thing he wanted. Or, he could take the few precious moments to explain some of what was going on. The latter made more sense, he decided, though giving in to her would cost him.
He wanted, nearly as much as he wanted to keep her safe, to shield her as best he could from the horrible things he was beginning to suspect would happen.
He looked over at Alison again, and saw her expression hadn't changed a bit. She shook her head back, tossing her hair, and stood facing him with her chin tilted up slightly, like she was almost daring him to try and make her leave.
He rubbed his hands over his face as he said, "I swear to God, you are unbelievable!"
He grabbed Alison by the shoulders then, startling her as he practically picked her up off the floor, and none too gently, dropped her down on the edge of the bed. She landed with a bounce, and started to say something to him about it, but the look in his eyes kept her from uttering another word.
His voice was quiet and serious and just a little shaky as he began to speak.
"Ian and I, we were at Joshua's, at that place your mother told you about. He's got something planned, and I'm not letting him anywhere near you. So - I need you to stop fighting with me and just come with me. Now. Please. Alison." He held his hand out to her again.
It might have been hearing the words he spoke, or maybe it was his tone of voice. Something sent a chill up her spine. Instantly, her feelings moved from annoyance to fear, since whatever this was, it had even Rafe scared. Without another moment's hesitation, she placed her hand firmly in his.
Rafe let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He brought their joined hands to his lips and gave hers a quick kiss. Then, still gripping it tightly, he led her out the door.