OK, folks, here we are again! lol First, of course, we want to say thank you for all of the great comments we've gotten! We love to hear that you've enjoyed reading our story as much as we've enjoyed writing it. We know that it's been a minute since we updated, but after the last chapter, we wanted to give everyonethat minute to cool off. lol So now that we've rambled on for a bit, here is Chapter Twelve. Please let us know what you think.
Yours, as always,
butterflyswest and Erin Allen
12
He had to lean on Neela to get to the bed. When his heart finally stopped racing, and his legs stopped shaking, he realized that he was just as drunk as he'd been before coming into the room. He laughed ruefully as he fell heavily on the mattress.
"I'm sorry," he said as she helped him out of his pants.
She gave him a sardonic glare and tossed his jeans into a corner. He scooted across the bed and pulled the blankets over both of them when she crawled in with him.
"I don't understand how you could have gotten as knockered as you are," she said, burrowing against him.
"Neither can I," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "I was…"
He paused, and she waited a moment before she turned her head to look at him.
"You were…" she prompted, gently.
"I was pissed off," he said finally, staring off into space. "I kept trying to get her off…" He broke off and blew out a breath. "I was afraid that I would lose you."
She turned in his arms to look him in the eye. Giving him a soft kiss, she stroked his stubbled cheek with her palm.
"You're not going to lose me, Ray. It took us too long to come to this to throw it away on a whim." She paused, biting her lip. "Besides, I was more worried about losing you to her."
He frowned and took her wrist in his hand.
"Why would you say that?" He shook his head in confusion. "Why would you even think that?"
She looked away, not wanting to say exactly what had come over her while watching that woman grope him. She had been angry, but that was nothing compared to the hurt she had felt. The feeling of inevitability. She just wasn't the type of woman that Ray would usually go for. She knew that. She'd seen some of the women he had brought home, and she didn't even come close.
"Neela?" he persisted, and she sighed.
"All I could think of was that she was beautiful and exciting. Why would you want to be with someone dull like me when you could…"
"Ok, stop right there," he said sharply. "First, she was not beautiful. She's window dressing. She was like an old table with a lacquer finish."
Neela laughed, unable to help herself.
"And you are not boring," he continued with a grin. "You keep me on my toes, wondering what the hell you're going to jump my ass for next." He leaned forward to kiss her lightly. "You, babe, are beautiful, sexy, smart. You're gorgeous all the way through. Why the hell would I want hamburger when I have fillet mignon?"
Neela raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know whether to feel better or be insulted to be described as a piece of meat," she said half joking. Then she burst out laughing. That was Ray, though. Using totally corny metaphors to describe what he was thinking.
He grinned and pushed himself up on his elbow to look down at her.
"I'm in the mood to sing," he said.
"What?"
"Hey where did we go…days when the rains came…my brown eyed girl," he began to sing, and she really started laughing. She didn't know how he knew the words to that old Van Morrison song, but when he came to the "sha la la's" she was in tears from laughing so hard. Her sides ached and she thought she might very well need the loo very soon.
"Ok, then," he said with that pout that got her every time. "Since you don't like that one, how about this. I know you like listening to this crap. My life is brilliant…my love is pure…I saw an angel…of that I'm sure…"
She laughed even harder at that. "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt was one of her favorites, but coming from Doc Rock it was just bizarre. And when he tried to hit the higher notes, it was almost more than she could take.
"Ray…please…you need to stop," she gasped out, trying to bring herself under control. "How hard of a knock did you take to your skull?"
He just grinned and kept singing only to break off a minute later when Emily banged on the wall between their rooms.
"Will you two shut up?" her muffled voice bellowed through the wall. "Some of us are trying to sleep here."
That set them both off. Ray rested his head against Neela's shoulder as he laughed, pulling her close. Neela buried her face against his neck to stifle her giggles. Then he jumped to his feet on the bed and began to sing right at the wall at the top of his lungs, forcing himself to be as off key as he could. He pounded on the wall twice and fell back into bed, right on top of Neela.
"What song was that?" she asked, breathless from laughing.
"You should know it," he said, settling back on the mattress. "Its Def Leppard. They're British."
"That doesn't mean I've heard of them," she said as she snuggled up beside him, his arm around her shoulders. "And by the way, that was dreadful."
"Maybe she'll keep quiet now," he said without remorse. "I can't even serenade my girl without a critic."
She chuckled and listened to the sound of his heartbeat against her ear. His breathing grew slow and even, and she let the sounds and his warmth lull her into a doze.
"I love you," he whispered, before he finally fell into sleep.
Those words followed her down as she too fell asleep.
0000000000
Ray jerked awake at the sound of a voice outside his bedroom door. He blinked against the glare of the morning sun coming through his window. The light seemed to stab through his eyes and into his brain. What was I thinking, drinking so much, he thought as he scrubbed at his face. He winced as Brett knocked on the bedroom door.
"Hey, Barnett! Get up and fix some coffee for God's sake."
Neela groaned beside him and lifted her head to glare at the door.
"Can we just kill him?" she asked, her voice sleep drugged. "I'll even hide the body."
Ray leaned over and kissed her head.
"Go back to sleep," he said. "I'll get rid of him."
She dropped her head back on the pillow, pulling Ray's pillow over her head.
"I'll mop up the blood later," she muttered.
Ray grinned and rolled off the bed. Pulling on some sweats and an old tee shirt, he quietly made his way to the door. He paused, grinning at the hardened puddle of wax on his dresser. Until the day he died, he'd never forget what Neela had done. Nor could he ever forget singing to her or the light in her dark eyes as she laughed with him. Even now, the memory was enough to bring his blood to a boil and make him wish that he hadn't given Brett a key.
With a heavy sigh, he opened his door and shuffled out. He touched the top of his head as he pulled the door shut and couldn't help but flinch at the sharp pain that followed. Kicking his bag toward the door, he went to the kitchen to make coffee.
"It's about time you got up," Brett said, rummaging through the cupboard.
Ray scowled at him as he started measuring out coffee.
"What are you doing here, Brett?"
"I came to see how things went last night," his friend said as he pulled the box of cereal from the shelf. "I didn't see your crap out in the street so I assume that you two kissed and made up."
Ray turned away to look in the fridge to hide the heat he felt in his face. They had done a lot more than kiss and make up.
"We're cool," he said nonchalantly as he pulled out the gallon of milk. He felt Brett's eyes on his back and glanced at him over his shoulder. "What?"
Brett narrowed his eyes before a slow grin spread across his face.
"Aww…Ray. You're blushing," he said in a high little singsong. He crossed the kitchen to tweak Ray's cheek. "That's so cute."
Ray shoved him away with a laugh.
"That's none of your business," he said, slamming the fridge door. "And get your hands off that cereal. Neela catches you eating that and she'll have your ass."
Brett looked down at the box and frowned.
"I like this stuff, and I'm hungry. I can't eat that crap you like."
Ray paused, remembering his sister eating his cereal the night before. He raised an eyebrow. Well, if Neela could give his cereal away…
"Knock yourself out," he told his friend, and busied himself getting a bowl of his own.
"So she wasn't pissed?" Brett asked as he poured enough cereal into a plastic bowl to feed an army. He used half the milk they had left to drown the flakes and proceeded to eat like some over excited mastodon, crunching loud enough to wake the dead. Ray couldn't look at him.
"She wasn't pissed," he answered, scowling as he lifted his box of cereal. How much couldone fourteen year old eat? The box was half empty.
"Good," Brett said around a mouthful of milk and cereal. "She's good for you."
Ray shot him a disbelieving look.
"Are you kidding me?" he asked. "I thought…"
"She'll keep you honest," Brett said with a close-lipped grin. "You need that. I'm getting tired of keeping you out of trouble."
Ray raised an eyebrow and poured some coffee for the two of them.
"I seem to remember that I'm the one who's always pulling you out of trouble. What happened the last time I wasn't there? You ended up with a DUI."
"Isolated incident," Brett said cheerfully. "Besides…"
A knock at the front door interrupted him. Ray frowned and glanced at the clock. It was barely ten. Who the hell would come here that early?
"Someone's at the door," Brett said around another elephant sized bite of cereal.
Ray set his cup down, and shot Brett ahard look.
"Your powers of observation are just amazing," he said dryly.
"I know."
Rolling his eyes, Ray went to the door and looked out the peephole. He didn't recognize the man standing in the hall. He was maybe in his thirties with dark hair that was thinning on top. Dark eyes glanced nervously up and down the hall as he waited. It was as if he was afraid he was going to be mugged at any minute. It didn't surprise Ray what with the way he was dressed. Nice suit, tie, with a shiny watch on his wrist, the guy had "victim" written all over him. Ray pulled back, flipped the lock, and yanked open the door. The man actually jumped back, and Ray held back a grin.
"Can I help you?"
"Raymond Barnett?" he asked, regaining his composure enough to sound condescending. Ray bristled at the tone as much as he did the name. He hated to be called Raymond.
"I'm Ray," he snapped coldly.
"Where is she?"
"Excuse me?"
The man sighed and started past Ray into the apartment. Ray stopped him with a hand on his chest.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he asked, pushing the bastard back into the hallway. The guy was taller than Ray by a few inches, but didn't look to be in shape. Ray glanced over his shoulder at Brett who had set his bowl aside and was coming toward him.
"Mr. Barnett…"
"Dr. Barnett," Ray interrupted harshly, crossing his arms over his chest. He sensed Brett at his back and was reassured. At the very least, he'd have a witness if he had to beat the hell out of this guy.
"Be that as it may, the question still stands. Where is she?"
"It would help if I knew who 'she' was."
The man sighed and shook his head sadly. Ray felt his gut clench as the first flames of anger began to lick his blood.
"I'm talking about Emily Reena Barnett. Age, fourteen. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Your sister. Correct?"
"She's my sister, but I haven't seen her in years," Ray lied.
"Holy, shit, Ray! You have a sister? I never would have thought that your parents would want to procreate again."
Ray shot Brett a cutting look over his shoulder for that little shot, but Brett was staring at the man in the doorway.
"I told you last night that I didn't know who you were talking about," Brett said, curling his lip menacingly.
"This matter is none of your business, sir," the man said sharply. He looked at Ray again and pulled a card from his suit pocket. "My name is James Randly. I'm an attorney with…"
Ray snatched the card from his hand and read the title of the firm. Barnett, Oakes, and Sands. Son of a bitch. He turned sharply, hearing a door open behind him.
Neela was standing in the doorway to his bedroom, staring at the scene with wide eyes. He glanced at the hall, fear stirring in his heart as another door was opened. Her mouth dropped open, and he jerked his head toward the hall, imploring with his eyes to get Emily into the back. Please…
She nodded quickly and fled the room toward the back of the apartment.
"Who was that?" Randly asked sharply. "Your roommate?"
"None of your damn business," Ray snarled, taking a step forward.
Randly stepped back, fear flickering in his eyes.
"I'm here on orders to bring Miss Barnett back to Philadelphia," he said, a slight tremor in his voice. "Your father…"
"My father is a bastard," Ray snapped, his temper on a short tether.
"Is that any way to be to your guest, Ray?" Brett asked from behind him. "If it was me, I'd just kick his ass and leave him in the street." He laughed. "In this neighborhood, that watch alone would get you shanked."
Randly actually paled at that.
"I'm here to offer…"
"Let's just cut the bullshit, Mr. Randly," Ray said tiredly. His head was really starting to throb with the force of his emotions, the hangover, and the thumping knot on his head. "If my father wants to speak with me, then you can call him and tell him to come here himself. He obviously knows where I live. Tell him that he'd better bring a better lawyer than you are if he comes. He's gonna need one."
"Are you making threats, Mr. Barnett?"
"Dr. Barnett is making promises," Brett said in a bored tone.
"Tell him," Ray said, and swung the door shut. He took a deep breath and leaned his head against the wood as he turned the deadbolt. He couldn't remember ever being so tired. Why did his father send that squirrelly little man for this? Suddenly he knew and laughed bitterly. He knew damn well why. Because Ray was nothing to John Barnett. Nothing at all.
"Ray?"
He turned to find Emily leaning in the hallway with Neela at her side. Her face was pale as old milk and her face pinched as if she was in pain. Ray glanced at Neela and she could only shrug helplessly.
"He'll be coming for me. Won't he?" Emily asked softly.
"Not if I can help it," he said, crossing the room to take her in his arms. She clung to his shirt and started crying. Ray and Neela locked gazes, both thinking the same thing. He's coming now. But they couldn't tell her that. She was scared enough as it was. Ray suddenly wished that he had taken a leave of absence until this was all settled. There was no way that he was going to leave her here now with his dad sniffing around.
"Can you stay with her, Neela?"
"I'm on duty today," Neela said quietly. "I can call…"
"I can't miss any more work," Ray interrupted with frustration.
"Dr. Carter would understand if you called him."
Ray shook his head. "Can't do that. He's doing enough for me as it is." He glanced at Brett who held up his hands.
"I'd stay here with her, but I have to go to work."
Ray raised his eyebrows and did a double take.
"You got a job?" he asked.
"Just trying to be like the man, Doc Rock," he said with a grin.
"Can't I just go with you?" Emily said, looking up at Ray, her eyes pleading with him. "I promise I won't complain. I'll even leave your cereal alone."
Ray glanced at Neela who gave him a small shrug.
"It would give us a chance to ask Wendell's advice," she said.
He nodded, clenching his jaw. God, he didn't want to deal with this today!
"Ok, squirt. Go get a shower and get dressed. Bring my IPod with you so you don't get too bored."
She gave him a questioning look, and he kissed her on the forehead.
"It'll be all right, Em. I promise."
She swallowed, looking down at the floor, before nodding. It made Ray proud to see the way she handled herself. Most kids would have been hysterical by now.
When she had disappeared into Neela's room, Ray ran his hands over his face.
"What the hell am I getting myself into?" he asked no one in particular.
"I thought you were wonderful," Neela said softly, slipping her arm around his waist.
"Yeah," Brett said, retrieving his bowl and spoon from the counter where he'd left it. "You had me quaking. Mr. Barnett."
"Bite me, Brett," Ray muttered, resting his arm around Neela's shoulders and leading her into the kitchen. He was thinking of his father and the sewer rat of a lawyer that had come to his door, so he didn't notice when she gasped and froze in place. What she said next, however, caught his attention, and he cringed inwardly.
"What are you eating, Brett?"
Ray eased away from her, knowing what was coming next.
"Cereal."
She spun around to glare at Ray. "You bloody well knew that was mine, and you let him eat it?"
"You let Em eat mine," he said defensively. "And wear my shirt that you stole three months ago."
She gave him an evil grin, her eyes shining with mischief.
"You really need to learn how to share, Ray," she said too sweetly as she swept from the kitchen and back to his room.
Ray looked at Brett and threw up his hands.
"Always has to have the last word," he muttered with a mock scowl.
Neela's voice drifted from the bedroom.
"I heard that."