"Janet?"
Janet's eyes widens a little but she recovers fast.
"Hi." She said in a bored voice.
What is going on? What is Janet doing here? Has she been here this entire time? How does she know this man?
She does not even stand up from where she is sitting but keeps a bored expression.
"Janet what is going on? Can someone please explain to me?"
"Hello Mrs Anniston." The man who I assume is Mr Elrod speaks to me for the first time and I lost my mind for a minute. He stands and stretches his hand to me, I take his hand and he shakes it softly as if he does not want to be hard on me. He is beautiful.
I have never seen a man so fine. From his dark skin to his facial features to his body structure to his smell. His hair is cut very low and tapered at the edges. His jaw is sharp and I feel like if I run my fingers through it, it will cut me. He is clean shaven but has a little moustache that gives him this sexy look. I can stare at his eyes all day. They swirl with compassion. I feel extremely shy under his gaze.
"Please call me Sam." I say when I find my voice.
"Alright Sam. I am Ezekiel and this is my sister," he points to Janet who pays us no mind. "I assume you already know her judging from both your reactions."
"Yes. She is… sorry was my personal attendant."
"Hmm." That sound makes me shed tears but not from my eyes. Samantha, pull yourself together. You are married.
"Please can you tell me what is going on?"
"You were involved in an accident." He says as he leave where he is standing, takes my hand and guides me gently to the chair he was sitting in before. His movement is very fluid and smooth. What a gentleman. Levi could never.
"I know that much. I just don't understand why I am here"
"Yeah about that, um… I don't know how best to put…"
"Levi tried to kill you." Janet says still looking very bored and not looking up from her nails that she suddenly took interest in.
"Jane" Ezekiel sighs and closes his eyes.
"What?" She says in a clipped voice. Maybe I should not have taken offense all those times Janet was being standoffish to me, she really is just like that.
"You shouldn't have said it like that."
"Where's the lie though?"
"What are you talking about?"
"And she lags." Okay. Maybe Janet just does not like me.
"Janet, one more word from you and I am sending you out." Janet does not even acknowledge him.
"I'm sorry about that Samantha." Fuck. I love the way he says my name. Especially the last syllable.
I just nod in acknowledgment, not trusting my voice to not fail me if I try to speak.
He sets his ass on the edge of the table and crosses his legs at the ankles, "But I believe the accident was an attempt on your life orchestrated by your husband." That is unbelievable. Levi might not like me but isn't trying to kill me going too far?
"On that day, Levi suggested you have lunch with us. We were supposed to closes business deal. He picked the time and place. Levi was not there when I got there so I assumed he was coming with you."
"He was not there?" This is getting more confusing.
"No, he wasn't." My peripheral vision catches Janet staring and half glaring at her brother. Whatever sibling rivalry is going on between them, I do not even want to know.
"Okay. But that still doesn't prove that he planned the accident. Maybe he canceled and forgot to inform both of us." Ezekiel furrows his brows.
"No he didn't. This particular deal was long overdue."
I am sure I look confused as hell because nothing he has said still proves anything.
"I think you might find it interesting to know that the driver of the car that collided with yours was one Emmett." Oh? Okay. That is interesting.
"That's Levi's personal assistant slash bodyguard."
"Apparently slash assassin too." Janet mutters and her brother shoots her a nasty look which she promptly ignores.
"I know." He faces me again and that makes me giddy for some reason. "So what was his assistant doing there, driving an unregistered vehicle without his employer?"
"I don't know." Ezekiel gives me a look. Oh, I guess that was a rhetorical question.
"Okay. Why didn't you report it to the police then?"
"And say what? That your husband is trying to kill you? When I barely even know you? Now wouldn't that make me look like a co-conspirator?"
"You picked me up from the scene of an accident and brought me to your house instead of calling my people, doesn't that look like kidnapping?"
"I brought you here because I felt that he might want to finish the job seeing as you are not dead. Besides I heard he was snooping around hospitals and mortuaries looking for you"
"Maybe he was just trying to look for me. Seeing as his wife has been missing for days."
"This fucking girl. Until you die." Janet is full on glaring at me. "Maybe he was just trying to look for me. Seeing as his wife has been missing for days." She says in a mocking tone.
"If he is truly looking for you, why hasn't he filed a police report? Hmm? I came from the house and guess what? Even your parents are not aware that you're missing. Now why don't you rub those two brain cells of yours together and take another guess at why he is desperately looking for you." She slams her hand on the table at the last word.
"But why would Levi want to kill me? There is really nothing he stands to gain."
"Why does Levi want to do anything? Why has he been putting his hands on you all these years? You and I both know that Levi doesn't need a reason to act deranged. He does things like this for the fuck of it."
"Jane, that's okay." Ezekiel says.
"I don't know why but trust me, you are safer here than you will ever be with that monster. And I promise to help you get to the bottom of this."
"Thank you." He nods.
"Please, what happened to my driver?"
"I contacted his family. His brother came to pick his body up and I wrote them a cheque."
My nose stung with tears. Zane did not deserve this.
"Can I go pay them a condolence visit? I think it is long overdue."
"Yes. I can arrange that. Just tell me when you're ready."
I look in his eyes and he holds my gaze for a moment before he clears his throat are breaks our staring contest.
Where was this man two years ago?