Chapter 7: Now You’re Mine: Chapter 7

A scream pierces my skull like an ice pick.

Then Harper’s voice penetrates my consciousness, as does the pain radiating along my shoulder. “Oh, my God, Calista!”

“Don’t touch her.” The deep boom of Sebastian’s command has me opening my eyes. The bodyguard crouches over me while holding out his arm to block Harper. “If Mrs. Bennett has sustained a head injury, we can’t move her.”

“Mrs. What?” My friend shakes her head. “Never mind. What do we do now?”

“The ambulance is on the way. Get the customers out of here, and don’t let anyone else in until we’re gone. This situation needs to be handled with discretion.”

Both Harper and Alex race to follow his orders while I blink against the overhead lights, trying to make sense of everything. My brain offers me nothing by way of explanation. The only thing I can concentrate on is the painful throbbing in my shoulder.

“What the hell happened?” Alex asks, coming to stand beside my bodyguard.

Harper takes up the spot on the other side of Sebastian, her face damp with tears. “Calista fainted and fell into the display case.”

I scrunch my face in confusion, searching my mind once again for any memory of what just happened. Everything is blank except the image of the lacy panties. A surge of panic hits me, and I struggle to rise, my body urging me to take flight.

“The box… the note…”

Sebastian lays his hand on my chest, his touch gentle but firm. “Don’t move. I don’t think you have a concussion, but that’s for the doctor to determine. Until then, lie still.” A wry smile twists his thin lips. “Knowing Mr. Bennett, he’ll be here before the ambulance does.”

Harper straightens, her expression grim. “I can’t sit here and do nothing while we’re waiting. I’m going to sweep up the glass.”

When I try to turn my head, Sebastian lifts his hand from my chest to rest it on the side of my face. “If you move you’ll cut yourself. There’s broken glass all around you. Don’t worry though. Everything’s going to be fine, Mrs. Bennett.”

“Calista,” I whisper.

He presses his lips together before giving me a nod. “I need you to stay calm, Calista.”

“Okay.”

The coffee shop, once a place of productivity, has transformed into a den of chaos. Not more than my mind. The reality of what happened sinks in, the way it affected me, to the point I had no control over my body and am now lying on the cool tile, surrounded by people concerned with my well-being.

Harper leans the broom against the counter with sweat dotting her forehead. “I’ve cleaned as much as I could without sweeping up Calista too.” She smiles at me, but her lips tremble. When I attempt to smile in return, she wipes at her eyes.

The sound of someone pounding on the door startles me. Sebastian frowns while Harper rushes from behind the counter to let Hayden in. I watch him through the display case as he bursts through the door, his gaze widening when he takes in the destruction.

“Calista?!”

My heart lurches in my chest at the sound of his voice. It’s frantic and unhinged. I mouth his name, unable to find my voice.

After a few strides, he rounds the counter, his face unreadable. However, his hair is tousled and there are deep wrinkles in his suit. Did he run to get here?

I stare up at him, taking in his blank expression and the way he clenches his fists, as if he doesn’t want to touch me. Hayden might’ve rushed to my side, but he’s not here to comfort me.

“What the fuck happened?” he asks.

A siren wails in the distance, growing louder every second, but all I can hear is Hayden’s anger. Is he upset because I interrupted him at work? Given how much this man wants to possess me, he could be mad because I broke his favorite toy.

Me.

Sebastian lifts his gaze to Hayden, his expression calm. “Mr. Bennett, she had a panic attack and fainted. From what I can tell, she doesn’t have a concussion.”

“And the blood?” Hayden asks.

“It has to be a laceration from the glass. I haven’t moved her to ascertain the extent of the injury. My guess is it’s superficial.” When Hayden steps closer, Sebastian raises a hand. “Mr. Bennett, please stay back. The ambulance is almost here.”

Hayden’s entire body goes taut. “Remember who you work for.”

“That’s why I’m looking after her.”

I flinch at the look Hayden gives him. Sebastian merely waits, holding his ground until the paramedics rush in. Once they do, Harper, Alex, and Sebastian step aside, their focus on me. Hayden doesn’t move. He simply stares at the health professionals as if daring them to question his presence.

The paramedics begin to assess my condition, asking me a barrage of questions that I struggle to answer through a haze of pain and shock. Hayden remains by my side. I’d be comforted by him if he didn’t look ready to unleash violence on someone.

I grit my teeth when I’m rolled onto my side and pain shoots through my shoulder. The new position allows me to see the blood that pooled underneath my back while I laid on the floor. Nausea rises, causing my stomach to lurch as I fight the urge to vomit.

For the second time that day, everything goes black.

A steady beeping creeps into my consciousness, waking me.

I clench my teeth in irritation, ready to smash my alarm clock into silence, but the sound of Hayden’s voice keeps me still.

“Josephine, clear my schedule for the rest of the day.” He pauses, and then, “Yes, Calista’s fine, but I won’t leave her for anything except court tomorrow.”

I peek at him from underneath my lashes, unwilling to expose the fact that I’m eavesdropping. This man is brutally honest—more than I’m comfortable with on occasion—but he doesn’t always tell me the things I’m desperate to hear. Right now, I’m aware of the depth of his concern for me. Considering he hasn’t shown me an ounce of tenderness since he walked into the Sugar Cube, it’s a nice change of pace.

“I’ll be in the office tomorrow to prepare for Monroe’s case,” he says. “After that’s done, I’ll begin my emergency leave of absence. Make sure the paperwork for that is on Peter’s desk today.”

With my mind still fuzzy and my limbs heavy, it’s not difficult for me to keep my facial features relaxed, but if it wasn’t for that, my curiosity would give me away. An emergency leave of absence? My injuries aren’t severe enough for that, so what’s going on with Hayden? Is someone he cares about in trouble? He’s never mentioned any siblings, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them.

There’s so much about this man that I don’t know. While having insight into someone’s past isn’t a prerequisite to caring about them, it’d help when contemplating if you want to make them part of your future. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do about Hayden, but I know for certain that he’s decided to keep me.

I inhale slowly to remain calm, and the sterile scent of a hospital tickles my nose. The only sources of illumination in the private room are the few rays of sunshine peeking around the thick curtains and the neon lights on the machine next to my bed. Then there’s Hayden’s presence, looming like a specter, ready to possess me.

He ends the call with his secretary and dials another number. The phone rings twice before someone answers. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but the man’s voice is young, light, and carefree.

“Zack, I need you to look into something for me immediately.” Hayden’s tone is dark and weighted with his urgency, the complete opposite of Zack’s. “Calista received a package today while at work, and it triggered her. I want to know who sent it and why. There was a cryptic message inside, along with the underwear. I’m having everything sent to you. It’ll be there within the hour.”

Hayden runs his hand through his already disheveled hair. “I haven’t asked her yet, but when I do, I’ll call you. She’s resting, so it’ll have to wait.” He flicks his gaze to me, giving me a clear view of the turmoil churning within. “For now, check the surveillance footage from the Sugar Cube, track down the delivery person, and dig into anything else that might give us a clue who’s behind this. Revisit all of the information we have on her father and see if any of it’s relevant. I don’t care what else you’ve got on your plate. Make this your only priority.”

I watch Hayden pocket his phone before he closes his eyes, his jaw tight and his hands fisted. As much as I want to call out to him, I can’t. Just hearing about the delivery has my body tensing with panic.

The machine beeps loudly, revealing my elevated heart rate and snagging Hayden’s attention. He sweeps his gaze over me as he walks to the side of the bed. I give up the pretense of sleeping and open my eyes fully. I lean forward to sit up straight, but he stays me with a hand on my forearm.

“Easy, Callie. Don’t move just yet.” When he withdraws his arm, I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from holding onto him. That contact, although brief, was enough to calm my racing heart. “How are you feeling?” he asks.

I look up at him, noting the dull ache in my back, as well as the bandage along my shoulder. Thankfully, the machine has stopped chiming. “Fine,” I say, my voice cracking from disuse. I clear my throat and try again. “I’m fine.”

“Are you in any pain?”

“Not really. I’m pretty groggy, though.”

“It’s the medication. You needed a few stitches, but you’re not suffering from any serious head injuries.”

I nod, unsure of what to say or how to act around him. Last night, I found out Hayden was my stalker, and it broke me. Today, I received a package that sent me into a panic attack that ended with me in the hospital. The more recent event doesn’t lessen Hayden’s guilt, but I can’t deny it pales in comparison now. Especially when he’s doing everything he can to figure out why this happened.

Part of me wants to thank him for taking the initiative, while the other part withers at the idea of him discussing this with me. I never want to relive the night of my assault, but with the look on his face, Hayden’s not going to let this go. Even if he doesn’t ask me about the panties right now, he will eventually.

“They’re mine.”