Chapter 25: Twenty three

There were days even the normal, everyday routine felt exhausting; it was one of those days for Raymond. After what he considered had been a stressful week -- mostly emotionally,-- he'd been looking forward to a chill weekend, no work, no distractions, and especially no thoughts of Hope. It was a something he desperately needed considering how his life seemed to be steering itself in a direction he couldn't control.

He'd succeeded -- for the most part. Still, he reasoned that was the best he could get. At least in the confines of his own space, he had some semblance of control over himself, however short lived it might end up being. He'd already come to accept he lost all semblance of reasoning around Hope.

He knew he was already far too gone when it came to her. It wasn't easy to admit, but he had to at least be honest with himself; he had no idea what he was doing anymore. He'd as good as handed himself to her on a platter the minute he'd admitted his feelings to her. Looking back, it hadn't been the smartest decision, and he could only hope she didn't realize the extent of the power she held over him.  He wasn't even sure he was fully aware of it either, and he wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of finding out.

Raymond wasn't sure how long he'd zoned out for, but he barely caught the screen light of his phone going off. He'd long since set the phone to silence, determined to have his peace. Picking up the phone, he saw he had three missed calls. His mouth curled in distaste on seeing the name displayed on the screen. Rose. What did she want from him now? As far as he was concerned, they'd said all that had to be said between them.

He tried to ignore it, but it was as if a spell had been broken. Rose had managed to sneak her slimy self into what had been his serenity and was now a dark cloud hovering over his day. It couldn't be good. Whatever had urged her to call him could not have been good. He released an exasperated breath, annoyed at himself for letting himself get bothered by her.

His back stiffened when the doorbell rang. He knew without doubt that it was her. He again contemplated ignoring it, but the ringing persisted, fervent knocks following. Knowing she wouldn't go away unless he granted her audience, he stood and strolled over to open the door, stepping outside and shutting the door behind himself.

As expected, the Rose stood before him, wearing a provocative red gown and a fake smile, one that'd held the power to bewitch him at some point, but now only succeeded in causing him to recoil even further.

"What are you doing here, Rose? I honestly was of the mind we were done with each other for real this time," he said, cutting to the chase.

Her smile slipped off, replaced by an exaggerated pout. "Not even a 'hello, Rose'? That's not very nice, Ray."

"What do you want?"

She scoffed, dropping the act. She gestured at the door. "At least let me in first."

"What do you want, Rose?" He repeated, his tone stern and unyielding.

She stared at him in awe for a long second, pondering. He kept showing her a side she hadn't known existed, and it made her see Raymond in a light she'd never seen him in before. It made him so much more attractive to her.

She subtly moved forward, reaching out and taking his hand. She made her voice low as she drawled, "Wow, Raymond. Is it really like this between us now?"

Raymond shook her off, his irritation growing. "I'm one second away from slamming the door in your face."

Her gaze hardened, followed by her crossing her arms indignantly. "Fine, let's talk here then."

She stared at him, expecting some sort of response. He nodded.

She sighed, uncrossing her arms and staring at him in obvious frustration. He was like a brick wall and it frustrated her she wasn't getting through. "Look. I miss you, okay?"

"No." Raymond shook his head tiredly. "I'm not going back there with you."

"Raymond," she whined. "I know I've messed up a lot in the past, but these past few weeks without you has made me realize just how much you mean to me. I promise you, I've changed, okay? I'll be good to you from now on. Really. I'll be good."

Her expression was earnest and she looked more sincere than he'd ever seen her. He almost felt his resolve weakening. "What about Jason?"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she cast them downwards. "I- I'm really sorry I didn't tell you earlier about him. I didn't mean for him to die, Ray. I promise. You have to believe me."

Raymond wasn't sure why he still felt disappointed at that point, but he knew better than to confront her with the truth. She'd almost fooled him. Again. Only God knew what she'd resort to if she found out he knew the truth about her son.

"It's exhausting going back and forth with you, so I'll say this in very clear terms now since you don't seem to have gotten it the last time. The next time I as much as sense you around me, I'll have you arrested."

The tears instantly vanished and she stared at him wide eyed. For a moment there, she'd been pretty sure she had him. "What? Ray, you can't--"

"I will," he affirmed, his hard gaze communicating just how serious he was.

She seemed at a loss for words, which was good since there was nothing left to be said. With that assurance, he opened the door and went back inside, leaving her standing as the door shut in her face. He'd hardly sat back down when the doorbell rang again.

Was she really determined to push him to his limit? He stormed over to the door and swung it open, ready to make true on his threat. His gaze softened when they landed on Hope instead, standing just outside beside Rose who had seated herself on the step, staring at Hope in a mix of curiosity and disdain.

Raymond hardly saw her though. All of his attention was now fixed on Hope. He sensed immediately that something was really wrong. She looked . . . Lost. She was staring up at him sort of teary eyed, and he could see the almost invisible movement of her shaking hands. Immediate worry gripped him as he reached for her, his first thought to protect her from whatever was hurting her.

"Hope? Are you okay?"

She didn't say anything as her gaze shifted to Rose for a brief second. She seemed to be hardly holding on, on the verge of breaking down right there. Raymond guided her in, shutting and locking the door behind them.

He led her to the couch, seating them both down. "It's just us now, talk to me. What's wrong?"

"I-I can't do this anymore," she choked out on a sob, her resolve finally shattering. "I'm so scared."

Without missing a beat, Raymond gathered her to himself, gently soothing and consoling her even as his heart ached at her obvious pain. He wanted badly to rip out the throat of whoever had made her like this.

It took a while for her to calm down. It didn't matter to him though, he would have waited as long as he had to. He was beyond relieved when she finally stopped crying. She pushed hesitantly away from him until she was free of his embrace. Her eyes sought his and the tears in them brought a new stab of pain to his already bleeding heart. His fingers reflexively reached to wipe them.

Hope let out a soft sigh. Now that she'd cried herself out, she was feeling very embarrassed and even though she wouldn't readily admit it, more than a little comforted. He made her feel safe, and his presence somehow was all she needed to reassure her. She'd been feeling what she could only reason was her worst, and he'd been the only thought on her mind.

"I'm sorry I'm being such a mess right now," she whispered when she was finally able to find her voice.

Raymond was taken aback. Why would she apologize? "Are you serious? You didn't do anything wrong. All I want is for you to be okay."

"I've been getting threatening phone calls for a while now," Hope blurted before she gave in to the urge to chicken out.

Raymond sat up, realizing she was finally opening up to him. His heart seemed to cease at the thought of her being threatened but he was careful to keep his expression neutral. The last thing he wanted was to scare her off. "What threatening phone calls?"

"It started a few months to Alex and Sophie's wedding," Hope continued, her stomach sinking as she thought back to that time. "The first time, I thought it was some sort of prank. He told me he was going to be contacting me when it was time and I better comply with his demands if I didn't want my family to be in danger."

It took every last inch of restraint Raymond had to keep his cool despite his boiling blood.

"The next time was at the wedding," she continued monotonously. "He sent me a text saying it was time. The next call I received, he asked me for ten thousand naira or he was going to harm someone dear to me."

Raymond's face was a mix of disbelief and anger. "Ten thousand? All of that just ten thousand?"

Hope nodded, a humorless smile lifting her lips. "Yes. At least that was how it started. Slowly, it increased. Before long it was twenty, then thirty, until it was fifty. Every month."

Raymond couldn't keep his voice from rising this time. "You send him fifty thousand every month?!"

Hope flinched at the unrestrained anger oozing off his words and posture. She'd expected him to get angry, had thought herself prepared for it. Now, she wasn't so sure. "Yes."

Raymond's mind reeled as he digested the information. "How do you even--"

"I work in school as well," Hope confessed, sensing his next question.

"Of course." Raymond heaved out a deep breath, trying his hardest not to get riled up. Hope had to admire his restraint. "Who's he?"

There went the million dollar question. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

Hope shook her head. "I've never met him. I don't know who he is. All I know is that he knows every single member of my family. He knows my friends. He knows almost everything about me. It could be anyone, and he threatened to kill everyone close to me if I as much as said anything to anyone."

"Hope," he called uncertainty, unsure of how to deal with everything she was telling him. She was finally confiding in him and he didn't have the slightest clue what to do.

Hope's lips trembled as the fear she always tried her best to keep at bay returned. She fought it, willing herself not to give in. As always. "I didn't have a choice, Raymond. I didn't know what to do. What if I called his bluff and he made good on his threat? I'd die if anything happened to any of you because of me."

"Hope . . . "

"I'd literally die."

He embraced her, wishing there was a way he could keep her in his arms, safe from whoever this person was that was threatening her.

"I don't even know who he is. He could be someone close to me and I wouldn't even know. I'm so stupid," her voice was muffled against his chest but he could already tell she was close to tears again.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're anything but stupid, and he can't be anyone close to you. If he was, you'd have at least recognize his voice," Raymond reassured, rubbing her back soothingly.

"I would," Hope admitted. As much as she hated it, that voice had been engraved in her brain and except he was using some sort of voice phishing machine, she'd recognize it anywhere. "I hate his voice so much. There's no way I wouldn't recognize it."

Raymond nodded, relieved that whoever it was didn't seem to have direct access to her. But how long before that changed? "How do you pay him?"

Hope sighed. "He has me drop off the money in an envelope in any random location. He could ask me to drop it underneath a brick somewhere. Most times, it's close to wherever I am. There's this one time I hid and tried to hang around to at least get a glimpse of him. I got a text saying if I didn't leave within the next five minutes, I was going to be responsible for whatever happened."

Raymond pulled away gently as a realization struck. "The calls . . . "

"It's never with the same number," Hope concluded.

Raymond sucked in an annoyed breath. He hated this. He really hated this. "He knows what he's doing."

Hope nodded.

His eyes bored into hers as they studied the wonder right in front of him. He marveled at her. "How did you keep all of this to yourself and still . . . Keep it together?"

Hope smiled, the first genuine one after she got that call. "I was extremely scared at first, but don't forget I was on the brink of death for more than a year. Remember? It takes a lot to rattle me, you know."

Raymond found it hard to match her humor. Maybe it was because the whole thing was new to him, but his mind was going a mile a minute and he wondered how she'd managed to keep it all bottled in for years.

"Why are you telling me now?"

A chill engulfed Hope as she recalled the conversation she'd had with him less than an hour prior.

Hope's hand trembled as it hovered over the phone. She stared down at the unknown number and she just knew it was him. She'd at some point grown accustomed to his calls and wasn't so bothered by them anymore. But recently, she found herself dreading even the mere thought of him. It was just this feeling deep in her gut urging her to be extra careful when it came to him.

She sucked in a deep breath as she picked the call. The voice she hated so much immediately floating into her ears.

"I thought you were never going to pick up."

"What do you want?" Hope demanded, giving herself a mental head pat for managing to keep a leveled voice despite the torment in her.

"A hundred thousand within the next seven days."

"What? That's impossible! I can't--"

"Remind me the name of that niece of yours again. Emmanuella, is it?"

Hope's mouth went dry at the unconcealed threat, unable to form any sort of words. It wasn't the fist time he was using her family to threaten her, but something about this time just screamed danger to her. He spoke again but she hardly heard  him over the pounding of her heart.

"A hundred thousand, Hope. Or I promise your sweet Emmanuella is going back to where she came from."

Hope could feel another wave of tears threatening to break free and she hated herself for showing this weak side in front of Raymond. She was usually not -- never -- this pathetic.

"No, don't cry. Please," Raymond pleaded, sensing another wave coming on. He was almost at the point of tears as well, but what was dominating his emotions was anger. There were so many scenarios playing in his head of what he'd do if he ever caught the bastard.  He'd never felt such deep hate for anyone before, especially one he had no clue to his identity. "Nothing's going to happen to Ella or anyone else, okay? We'll find a solution to this no matter what."

Hope wanted so desperately to believe him. She needed to. "How?"

"I don't know yet," Raymond admitted. "But we'll find a way, I promise."

"You can't tell anyone . . . "

Raymond shook his head, halting her words. "I could only imagine how difficult it was for you to make the decision to confide in me about this. I'll be a fool to take it for granted. We're going to find a way out of it. I'll do everything it takes to put an end to this. Okay? Trust me."

Hope's eyes welled up again, this time from a totally different emotion that she couldn't place a name to. Her throat seemed clogged up from it and she couldn't seem to find the right words to express how grateful she was.

"I do," was all she could manage at last.

He smiled, and she was left momentarily stunned. She stared at him, her stomach flipping and heart leaping. The sudden reaction had her jerking back slightly.

"What's it? Are you okay?" Raymond asked, the action not escaping him.

Hope shook her head, her gaze still trained on that face that seemed permanently etched in her memory. Her heart thudded even louder the longer she stared, but she couldn't for the life of her tear her gaze away.

Maybe it was a natural reaction to whatever she was unconsciously communicating to him, Hope wasn't sure what prompted him to, but she completely broke when he whispered her name so gently before cupping her face in his soft palm. Unable to resist any longer, she leaned forward to kiss him. All thoughts of fear and threats dissolved. With him, all she felt was safe, cherished and protected.

Raymond had been right. He'd known he was far gone, but hadn't realized just how much. He knew now as his body, soul and mind completely surrendered to her. She had him. She owned him, and he would never belong to anyone else but her. He never wanted to belong to anyone else but her.

Craving to be closer, his hands encircled her and gently pulled her forward as he deepened the kiss. His heart skipped when she let out a small sigh in content. This was everything he wanted, and he would be damned if he let his stupid fears or any threatening asshole take it away from him.

Slowly, she pulled away from him, creating space between them as she did. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have . . ."

Raymond stared at her intently, trying to no avail to not look as shaken as he felt. His only consolation was that if anything, she looked as affected as he was. "What?"

Hope was incapable of forming a response, so she didn't.

He gestured with his index finger for her to come. Heart in throat, Hope obliged, still unable to resist. Never had she felt as vulnerable as she did at that moment, but never had she experienced a better feeling.

He reached for her face, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead before tucking her into him. "I really like you, Hope. It's crazy, but I can't help it."

A big smile broke on her face, all of her worries completely forgotten. Her hands wrapped around him until they were locked into an embrace. Here, she was content and that was all she needed.

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