Twelve Days: The Beginning Part 25

"I understand that Vaughn, believe me I do," Elise said placatingly, "but you have to understand as well that Dale is a part of my life a ma.s.sive part, and I need to talk to him so that we can work out how we both move on from this. I want him out of my life, Vaughn more than you can ever know, but I need to do it the right way; not by hiding out, always looking over my shoulder and seeing shadows on every corner. I need this thing out in the open and sorted out formally and finally. That is the only way I have any hope of a future."

"I can't let you see him, baby I just can't. If he ever lays one finger on you again, I won't be able to control myself. I would kill him, Elise I know I would." Anger radiated from his every pore and the calm mood of earlier had now been well and truly broken. She knew that Vaughn meant every word he said; not because he was violent by nature but because she understood now, how she had not understood before, that he would do anything to keep her safe even if that meant sacrificing his own life.

She reached across and rested her hand soothingly on his arm as she tried to think of a solution. She understood what Vaughn was saying and, in all honesty she didn't relish the thought of seeing Dale again either, but she knew that it had to be done. She had to face up to her past and deal with it so that then, and only then, could she hope to have a future.

Suddenly a thought popped into her head and she realised that she had perhaps come up with a workable solution that they would both be happy with.

"How about if I take Sean with me?" she asked, referring to the daytime security guard that Vaughn had employed. "He could even come in with me if you liked? That way you would know that I would be safe." And so would I, she added to herself.

Vaughn looked a little mollified as he considered her suggestion. She knew that this was a big deal for him and she just hoped that her idea would give them both the peace of mind that they needed whilst she undertook a visit that however unsavoury, needed to happen.

"Okay," he said finally, "But there will be a time limit on your visit and Sean will not leave your side at all. Even if you need to pee. Got it?"

"Got it." She confirmed and leaned over to drop a light kiss on his mouth. "Thank you." she said and he reached up and caressed her cheek, his eyes beginning to thaw again.

"You have no idea how precious you are to me, Angel." He said. "If I ever lost you I couldn't bear it. I thought I had, baby, I really thought I had."

Sighing, she snuggled back into his arms and transferred some of her warmth and comfort to him, hoping that he would understand that she felt exactly the same. This thing between them was real, it was strong and it was b.l.o.o.d.y scary for both of them.

Chapter Thirty-Six.

The meeting with Dale was arranged for Monday evening after work and Sean had been briefed that he was to go along with her. Of the two security guards, he was her favourite; he was always polite and friendly and she felt completely safe in his company.

The rest of Sunday pa.s.sed relatively uneventfully and now that Elise was on the mend, Vaughn had decided that she should move in with him until she was fully recovered. Elise had argued the point with him but she had little or no ground to stand on as she was technically homeless and she didn't want to trespa.s.s on Celeste's good nature any longer than necessary.

Whilst she had been watching the TV in the afternoon and drifting in and out of sleep, she had heard Celeste and Vaughn arguing about her living arrangements in the kitchen. It seemed that Celeste felt she would be much better off staying with her but Vaughn wasn't to be moved. He had pointed out that he was virtually living with Celeste as well at the moment, which made no sense when he had a perfectly good flat of his own. He a.s.sured her that he would be taking both Sean and Stan with him so essentially her life could get back to normal again. Celeste really didn't seem happy about the arrangement and Elise couldn't help wondering how much of it had to do with the loss of her beefy twenty-four hour s.e.x boosters.

Celeste had also gone shopping on Sunday afternoon and had taken Cole with her. They were going to get some clothes for Elise as she had obviously left everything behind as well as the other essentials that she would need until things could be sorted out more permanently. With Cole and Celeste organising her wardrobe, Elise was slightly concerned as to what they would come back with but was relieved to find it was mainly jeans and casual wear. She wasn't due to return to work for at least another week so didn't need any formal wear for now.

Unwrapping the packets of underwear in front of Vaughn and Cole was hilarious as they both struggled with their testosterone levels and, at one point, she was convinced that they were going to go head to head. Cole was finding it hard to cope with the visual - similar to his reaction in the meeting room to her stockings - and Vaughn was seriously wound up about the fact that Cole had bought Elise underwear. Vaughn had earlier given strict instructions that only Celeste was to purchase those items but Cole had added a few of his own choices, most likely out of devilment, and the atmosphere in the room was tense as the men argued about the rights and wrongs of the underwear choice. Celeste and Elise found the whole thing highly entertaining and were in st.i.tches by the time all of the packets had been opened and crammed into a duffel bag, ready to take to Vaughn's flat.

The only cloud on the horizon for Elise was the fact that Cole, Vaughn and Celeste were regularly receiving text messages throughout the day, which they all read and then studiously ignored. By the end of the afternoon Elise had counted nearly twenty between them which they had all laughed off with various lame excuses. Elise knew that she was being lied to and she knew that they were also all on edge - Vaughn's regular glances across to Sean for rea.s.surance gave testament to that and she had no idea what was going on. No one was talking and she found her emotions ranging from fear to hurt as she considered every possibility. She hated the fact that the three people she was closest to in the world were very obviously keeping secrets from her and it also scared the h.e.l.l out of her as to why they felt that they needed to.

Despite Celeste and Cole's shopping expedition, Elise still had very little and so it took her no time at all to unpack and settle into Vaughn's flat. It was as beautiful as she remembered and despite the circ.u.mstances, she was really grateful for the opportunity to spend some more time enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the countryside. Although it was still winter, some of the trees in the woods beyond were evergreen and they provided a colourful contrast to the otherwise stark vista of the season. As dusk fell over the fields beyond the flat, Elise revelled in watching some rabbits running around, hopping and prancing as they went about their daily business, dipping in and out of holes and bushes and she began to envy them their freedom.

After the trauma of the last few days, they both wanted nothing more than a quiet evening and so they shared that curled up on the sofa in front of the warmth of the fire, talking softly and cuddling gently. Alone like this with the man that she loved, she felt almost invincible and it was hard to comprehend the ugliness that lay in wait just outside the door. They went to bed together a short while later, content to just be with each other, and no words were exchanged as they clasped one another tightly, moulding as one and letting the beauty of their relationship wash over them as they both drifted exhausted into a peaceful and undisturbed sleep.

Monday dawned bright and wintry, and after a leisurely breakfast, Vaughn went into the office for a few hours which left Elise alone in the flat with Sean. When they had driven over here yesterday evening, Sean had followed behind in her car and had filled it up with petrol on the way so that when she was feeling up to it, she would be able to get out and about.

There was never any discussion about her being left on her own, it just didn't happen either Sean, Stan or Vaughn were there with her at all times. Cole had gone back to his usual hours at work but she knew that she would see him later on in the day and he called her virtually every hour to check in. Vaughn had arranged for Elise to have a new phone and he had made sure that all of their numbers were programmed into it, including those for the security guys, so that she could always reach someone if she needed to.

As the shock of the last week began to wear off, Elise couldn't help feeling that this was all a little bit over the top. She understood that Dale had injured her badly but she had been married to the man for ten years and she felt sure that he wouldn't put her life seriously in danger. After she had first come round and had begun to heal, Celeste, Cole and Vaughn had all sat her down and talked to her about calling the police to press charges. They wanted Dale locked up and the key thrown away but Elise was reluctant to do that. She knew that if she wanted to she could get the police involved but she didn't she just wanted to move forward and get on with her life. She needed to talk to Dale and sort it out face to face and she hoped that he would be sorry. That would be enough for her all she required was for him to understand what he had done to her and to allow her to have her freedom, and then she would be happy to close the book on that part of her life. She didn't want the mess of statements and examinations and testaments and court hearings. She just wanted to put it all to bed and move on.

Over the following days, they had each individually tried to get her to change her mind but she had remained firm. This was her life and whether they liked it or not, she needed to resolve all of her problems in her own way; getting the police involved didn't factor into her way of thinking.

Looking out of the window to the countryside beyond, Elise began to feel restless and decided that she would really like to get out for a while, go for a walk and get some fresh air. She had been cooped up for so long she was beginning to get cabin fever.

She found Sean in the lounge and he jumped up the second she walked into the lounge.

"Are you OK, Miss Grayson?" he asked. She loved the formality with which he addressed her; when she had told him to call her Elise he had declined, saying that he preferred to maintain a 'professional' relationship.

"Yes, thanks Sean, I'm fine. I was just thinking is there any chance we could go for a walk, do you think? It's beautiful out there and I would love to get some air." She knew it was pointless asking to go on her own and besides which, it would be nice to have some company.

"I'm not sure, Miss Grayson, I would need to check with Mr Granger. Let me just call him." Elise pasted on a smile and thanked Sean as he walked to the other end of the room to make the call. Honestly, this was starting to get ridiculous. She knew it was for her own good but if this ever got to the point where she had to ask to go for a pee then she would be completely and utterly done with all of this.

Sean returned, having had a brief conversation with Vaughn.

"That's OK, Miss Grayson, but we have to stay on the pavements and public roads. Mr Granger doesn't want you going into the woodland."

"Thank you Sean, I guess that's better than nothing." She said and went into the bedroom to find her new stout boots and a jumper. She smiled as she put the extra clothing on and reflected that the one bonus to all of this was a complete new wardrobe, which any girl in their right mind would absolutely love.

They left Vaughn's flat a few minutes later and exited through the beautiful courtyard that had so enchanted Elise the first time she had come here. Now she was seeing it in the daylight and it was just as stunning, the winter colours giving it a wonderful warming glow.

Turning left out of the complex they headed towards the main town and into a built up residential area. The houses were relatively modern and similar to Vaughn's flat, however they were of the smaller style where the developers had clearly tried to build as many as they could in the least amount of s.p.a.ce. That being said, there was still a certain charm about the development and Elise particularly liked the children's play area which was set off to one side. It was quiet today as it was a school day but Elise could imagine the excited chatter and laughter of the children as they played on the traditional equipment. Unbidden, a feeling of sadness. .h.i.t her as she again thought about her childless situation. Although she had come to terms with it, she had never completely gotten over it and still desperately hoped that one day she would become a mother, one way or another.

After a few minutes of gentle walking and idle chatter, Elise began to feel weary and suggested that they turn back. This was the most walking she had done since she had sustained her injuries and it would take time for her stamina to return. She was grateful of the opportunity to take in some fresh air though and breathed as much of it in as her damaged ribs would allow. This whole thing had taught her how much she had previously taken her basic existence for granted and once she was better, Elise vowed that she would live life to the full and enjoy every single minute of the life that she had left.

When they arrived back at the flat complex, Sean punched in the number for the security gate, all the while constantly looking around. As he ushered her through the gate, he took his phone out of his pocket and dialled in a few numbers, waiting for the phone to be answered before he began to speak. At the same time, he was continuing to propel Elise forwards in the direction of Vaughn's flat and she realised that he was beginning to increase the force on her back, indicating some urgency to his actions.

As they walked, she caught snippets of his whispered conversation and the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise as fear set in.

"Yes, definitely......car......outside....I don't know where Matthews is.......yes I will.....don't worry......yes......yes.....fine."

He finished his phone call and replaced the phone in his pocket before taking Elise's arm and escorting her forcefully up the remainder of the stairs to Vaughn's flat and pushing her inside. As much as Elise had come to like this security guard, she was getting sick and tired of being pushed around by everybody and of not having any independence of her own. They all kept trying to tell her that they would protect her but n.o.body seemed willing to tell her exactly what they were protecting her from. The whole situation was getting ridiculous and Elise felt the last of her already shredded nerves snap as she found herself manoeuvred into the lounge, pushed down onto a sofa and told to stay there.

"What the h.e.l.l is going on, Sean?" she asked, "Why am I being pushed around like little more than luggage and what is with all the secrets and the phone calls? I am sick and tired of being lied to by everyone and that includes you." She pointed her finger at him. "I suggest you start talking now or I may be forced to suggest that Mr Granger relieves you of your duties."

The threat was below the belt but after so many days of being on almost house arrest, Elise was losing the will to live and seriously needed some answers. Unfortunately for Sean, he just seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and he was the one that was going to have to give them.

"I can't say anything, Miss Grayson." Sean replied, seemingly unperturbed by her largely empty threat. "If you want answers then you really need to get them from Mr Granger I am just doing my job."

"Yes, well maybe you won't have a job by the time I've finished with you." she snarled at him but again, the threat appeared to fall on deaf ears.

"My job is to keep you safe, Miss Grayson, and that is what I intend to do. Over and above that, any issues need to be addressed to Mr Granger."

b.l.o.o.d.y Mr Granger. Did the whole sodding world revolve around Mr b.l.o.o.d.y Granger?

Elise was seriously mad now but also realised that she wasn't going to get anywhere with the security guard. She desperately needed her own s.p.a.ce; she needed to be on her own. She needed to be able to breathe without worrying that someone would come and check on her and she needed to think. She was going to be seeing Dale tonight and she needed to work out what she was going to say to him. How she was going to broach the subject so that she could get the outcome that she needed. She couldn't do any of those things stuck in Vaughn's house with a beefcake watching her every move. She needed to get out.

When they had left the flat a few minutes ago, she had spotted her car parked just outside and realised that the keys were on the hook in the kitchen she remembered seeing Sean hang them up yesterday. All she needed to do was distract him long enough so that she could get the keys and then make a run out of the door to her car. Hopefully, she would be able to get there before he realised she was gone and then she could treat herself to a few hours of peace at least. Vaughn would be seriously angry, she knew that. But she would leave her mobile phone on so that he could contact her and rea.s.sure himself that she was safe.

First of all she had to get to the keys so she needed to get Sean out of the lounge long enough to enable her to quickly dash into the adjoining kitchen. Her handbag! That was in the bedroom with her phone in it. She would ask him to fetch that for her which should just about give her enough time to grab the keys.

She started by apologising; she wouldn't get anywhere if she didn't start being nice to him.

"I'm sorry, Sean." She said. "I appreciate you're just doing your job, it's just really hard for me being constantly watched all the time. I'll talk to Vaughn about it tonight and I won't say anything to him about you needing another job. You've been nothing but professional and it's not right for me to threaten you like that." She looked across to him and saw that he was nodding slightly in acknowledgement of her apology. "I really am sorry." she finished.

Recognising that he was starting to warm to her a little again, she decided to go for broke and execute the rest of her hastily concocted plan.

"I wonder," she asked "would you be able to pop into the bedroom and get my bag for me? There is some lip balm in there which I could do with after that walk outside. Thank you."

Ever the professional, Sean obliged and quietly headed off in the direction of the bedroom. As soon as he had gone, Elise leaped up from the sofa and dashed into the kitchen as if her life depended on it, rapidly grabbing the keys off the hook and just about making it back to the sofa before Sean returned.

"There you go, Miss." Sean said handing Elise her bag. Outwardly he appeared the same as every and showed no sign of realising that she had been anywhere other than sat on the sofa the whole time that he had been gone.

"Thank you." she said and proceeded to search through her bag for the lip balm that she didn't really need. After applying a thin layer, she returned it to the bag and checked that her phone was also in there.

She sat back on the sofa for a while, crossing and un-crossing her legs and then decided it was time to put phase two of her plan into action. Slipping the keys surrept.i.tiously into her bag, she rose to go into the kitchen on the pretence of making a cup of tea. Predictably Sean followed her and so she filled the kettle and switched it on to boil before she suddenly grasped her head and her tummy. Mumbling 'dizzy...' she swayed and fell into Sean's arms.

"Careful, Miss Grayson." He admonished, "Perhaps you have done too much. Let me take you back to the sofa and I can finish making the drinks."

"OK thank you, Sean" she said, once again marvelling at how easy it was for her to lie these days - even pretending to be ill. She wasn't proud of herself but her life was just such a crazy place right now that she needed every tool that she could use to navigate her way through it.

Sean helped her carefully back into the lounge and then settled her on the sofa before returning to the kitchen to make the drinks. The kettle was nearly boiling and the noise filled the quiet of the flat; something that she had been banking on. Carefully she got back up from the sofa and grabbed her bag before tiptoeing down the hallway towards the front door.

A quick glance in the kitchen told her that Sean was engrossed in making the tea and was also on the phone again, no doubt updating Vaughn on her little 'dizzy' spell. He had his back to the window which overlooked the courtyard so, seizing the opportunity, she crept to the front door and then opened it as quietly as she could before hastily making her way down the stairs and through the gate out onto the street and the refuge of her car.

Jumping in, Elise quickly started the engine and drove out of the parking s.p.a.ce, heading in the direction of the main road. She had no particular destination so decided she may as well just follow the road until it joined with the coast road and she could make any further decisions then.

So engrossed was she in getting away that she didn't stop to make the basic checks in her mirrors before driving off and as she left Vaughn's flat behind, she failed to notice the familiar car pulling out onto the road behind her.

Chapter Thirty-Seven.

Elise had been driving down the coast road for less than ten minutes and in that time her phone had rung virtually constantly. A glance at the caller display told her that both Vaughn and Cole were trying to contact her and whilst she hated to worry them, she really needed this time to herself to regain some perspective. She was planning to stop in a short while anyway when she got to the little picnic area, so she would call them then to rea.s.sure them that she was OK.

Briefly she spared a thought for Sean who had no doubt had his head well and truly chewed off and only hoped that he wasn't going to lose his job over it. It wasn't really his fault.

As she continued to drive, Elise felt the hairs on the back of her neck p.r.i.c.kle and she realised that it wasn't the first time she had had the sensation since she had got in her car. She couldn't put her finger on it but she felt for all the world like she was being followed, however the nearest car was a good distance away down the road too far away for her to really see it and certainly too far away for it to be following her.

Shrugging at the paranoia that seemed that have taken hold ever since she had been on virtual house arrest, she approached the picnic area and indicated to pull in. There was a car already waiting to pull out so she slowed down to allow them to exit first before she began to make her turn, the entrance being relatively narrow and only really suitable for one car at a time. As she waited for the car to pull out onto the main road, she automatically glanced in her rear view mirror to ensure that the car behind her had also slowed down, the last thing that she needed right now was a rear end shunt. The car exiting the picnic area had by now pulled out so they each held up their hand in the universal 'thank you' signal before she once again checked her rear view mirror before commencing her turn and in that second she stopped breathing. Completely.

Her heart began to pound painfully against her battered ribs as she recognised the vehicle approaching behind her. She felt a cold sensation run from her head all the way through her body as she finally realised why Vaughn had been so protective of her and why Sean had been told not to let her out of his sight. And why she had felt like she was being followed.

That was because she was being followed.

The car now slowing almost to a stop behind her was one that she knew intimately well and belonged to the one person that she feared most in the world. The car behind her belonged to Dale and as she instinctively floored the accelerator in a futile attempt to get away, the last thing she remembered hearing was the sickening crash of metal against metal as she lost control of her car and ploughed straight into the vehicle coming down the road in the opposite direction.

This time when Elise woke up she knew that she was in hospital; there was no mistaking the sterile walls and scratchy bed linen, the bright lights and the beeping monitors. She was also suffering no memory loss this time and knew with absolute certainty where she was and why she was here.

Although she had been knocked unconscious, the accident hadn't been too bad overall because she hadn't been travelling at great speed and she had first woken up whilst being lifted into the ambulance. The paramedics had been able to rea.s.sure her that no one had been hurt in the other vehicle - she had just glanced off the side of the other car and they had been able to stop safely a short distance later. Her car however, hadn't fared so well according to the paramedic and Elise feared that due to its age, it was more than likely that it would be a write-off.

She also clearly remembered Dale being at the scene, desperately trying to get to her and being held back by the police as they allowed the paramedics to do their job. He was doing a really good impression of the devoted and concerned husband, so much so that he had managed to talk the ambulance crew into letting him on board. The second he stepped into the back however she had screamed as loud as her battered ribs would allow and the paramedic had instantly removed him. Having Dale in such close proximity to her had triggered a panic attack and she vaguely remembered the ambulance crew giving her an injection of some kind which had calmed her down, and before she knew it, she had been fast asleep again.

She was wide-awake now though and relieved to realise that she didn't actually hurt anywhere, other than her ribs which were still healing. Looking around the room, her eyes settled on the call b.u.t.ton by the side of the bed and she pressed it in the hope that it would call a doctor or nurse who could tell her exactly what was wrong if anything.

Within a few seconds, a nurse came in followed by a very relieved looking Vaughn who rushed to the side of her bed and immediately grabbed her hand.

"Jesus Christ, Elise, you have to stop scaring the s.h.i.t out of me. What the h.e.l.l did you think you were playing at? You could have been killed again." He was angry and rightfully so.

The nurse began fussing with some of the monitors and wires and then checked her chart at the end of the bed.

"You've been very lucky, young lady." She said, "Considering the nature of the impact, you've got away with just a handful of cuts and sc.r.a.pes so we only need to keep you in for a few more hours to make sure you don't have another bout of concussion." Vaughn must have told them about her recent injuries.

"Thank you." Elise said and then turned to Vaughn. "I'm sorry, baby, really I am. I didn't realise. I just got so sick of all the secrets, all the text messages and whispered conversations and no one was telling me anything. I didn't know what to think. Then when we went for a walk and Sean started acting all weird and I just lost it I guess. I just needed to get some head s.p.a.ce some time alone. I had no idea that he would follow me - it didn't even occur to me to worry especially as I was going to talk to him tonight anyway."

The nurse nodded as she replaced the chart and then quietly exited the room. "You have ten minutes, Mr Granger." She said before she closed the door behind her.

"I know, baby," Vaughn said as he looked into her eyes, "and I am so sorry that we didn't tell you anything but we all felt that it would be best not to worry you. You needed to use all your strength to get better and we didn't want anything to jeopardise you making a full recovery. I was trying to sort it all out." He stopped and grinned wryly. "He was just smarter than I gave him credit for but I won't be making that mistake again."

Elise reached out with her other hand and traced the worry lines on his face, smoothing them away and rubbing her thumb along his lip to iron out the remains of the frown.

"I'm okay now though, I'm safe. I promise to listen to you in the future." She murmured and he briefly captured her thumb in-between his lips. They both allowed the movement to continue for a second longer and then she pulled her thumb away.

"Where is he anyway?" she asked, referring to Dale.

"Downstairs. The police are still questioning him. He hasn't admitted to following you he claims it was a coincidence that he was behind you. According to him, you are still very happily married and he has no idea why there is all this fuss." Vaughn spat the words out as though it pained him to talk about it.

"What have you told them, Vaughn?" she asked, her voice small in the quiet of the room.

"Nothing. None of us have said anything. You asked us not to involve the police and until we have your agreement, we won't. But Elise, you are so f.u.c.king way off the mark on this one. You need to tell the police and tell them now. That way he can be locked up and we can all get on with our lives." Vaughn was getting angry again and she knew that he didn't understand why she didn't want to get the police involved.

"But what then, Vaughn?" she asked. "He won't go to prison for all that long - if he even gets a prison sentence at all. What happens when he comes out? He'll still be after me you know he will. This is his pride that we are talking about and, despite everything, I am sure that Dale is still the proud man that he used to be. If he goes to jail, that will ruin everything for him and I don't know if I can be responsible for doing that to someone else's life. Especially not to someone who I once loved. I know it doesn't make any sense to you and it doesn't make a whole lot to me either, but I just can't bring myself to press any charges. I won't. I need to talk to him first and hope that I can get him to see sense. You have to trust me with this, Vaughn. Even despite everything that's happened, I need to do this my own way."

Vaughn looked at her in disbelief as if he couldn't understand the words that had just come out of her mouth.

"I don't understand why the h.e.l.l you continue to defend that piece of s.h.i.t, Elise." He said. "Sure I buy the whole 'I loved him once' c.r.a.p, but Christ, he has nearly killed you twice in less than one week why the h.e.l.l do you owe him anything? Do you want to know what was going on, Elise? Do you want to know why we were trying to protect you?" He paused and looked at her his fury continued to build. "Do you?" he spat out.

Wordlessly she nodded. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to like this but she needed to know everything. She had to know what she was dealing with when she came face to face with him.

"He was threatening you Elise. Threatening to kill you. Every single text that we all had, every phone call, even letters sent to Cole's house they were all the same. Threatening your life, telling us that he would be there, watching you, all of the time. That you would never get away from him again. Cole wanted to go to the police h.e.l.l, I wanted to go to the police - but we had promised you that we wouldn't. When you pleaded to see him, I hoped that maybe you were right and that perhaps you could talk to him and get him to see sense but you wouldn't b.l.o.o.d.y listen to us. You had to go and put yourself in danger and now you have played right into his hands. Don't you see, Elise? I was having him followed but we had to be careful because if he found out then he could report us. Unfortunately he realised and he somehow managed to lose the guy that I had got on him that's what Sean was calling about after your walk. He had spotted Dale's car and realised that he had got away from our guy. We were arranging to call the police in because it had just gone too far but you did your disappearing act before we had time. That means the police have nothing unless you are willing to talk Elise. You have to talk, you have to. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d can't be allowed to get away with all of this. You have to forget your feelings of sentimentality and think about yourself, about us, about Cole, about everyone who loves you. We can't see you like this and we can't survive knowing that you are constantly in danger. You have to put a stop to this, Elise for all of us." Vaughn's speech was so raw and so impa.s.sioned that Elise felt tears beginning to form and in the back of her mind she registered that that was pretty much all that she did these days cry.

She looked up at him and saw the concern in his eyes, the emotion that he was trying to hold in check and when she spoke again, she did so both gently and calmly.

"I understand, baby, really I do. But please, please just let me try, just one last time. Let me talk to him just once. Get Sean or one of the officers to stand right outside the room so I can get help if I need to. Please Vaughn." She pulled his head down towards hers and sealed her lips over his in a tender kiss. It was now or never.