Julian (Trinity Academy Book 4) Read online

  After the officer finished with the questioning, a nurse moved Jamie to a private room.

  Rhett and Miss Sebastian come into the room, and Miss Sebastian immediately goes to hug Jamie.

  Framing Jamie’s face, Miss Sebastian begins to ask, “What’s your name?”

  Jamie frowns, and slurs as she answers, “Jamie Truman.”

  Miss Sebastian gives her a tearful smile. “How old are you?”

  Jamie blinks a couple of times before murmuring, “Nineteen.”

  “Where were you born?”

  It takes a couple of seconds before Jamie responds, “Saluda.”

  Miss Sebastian lets out a breath of relief, then hugs Jamie again once she’s seemingly satisfied with evaluating Jamie’s memory and concentration skills.

  Rhett comes to stand in front of me, and I see the same anger on his face that’s burning inside of me.

  “Carter will be here any minute. What did the doctor say?”

  “They did a CT scan. There’s no serious brain injury. They said they would check on her routinely because of the concussion she sustained.”

  Rhett glances at Jamie, and there’s a flash of pain on his face seeing the state she’s in. “What did they say about her neck?”

  “There’s severe bruising, but no permanent damage has been done to her airway and vocal cords. She’ll be hoarse for a couple of days while it heals.”

  Rhett nods, then locking eyes with me he asks, “How did the fucker get his hands on her?”

  Just as I’m about to answer, Mason comes into the room with Carter, having picked him up from the airport.

  Seeing the rage on Carter’s face, I square my shoulders and expecting the blow, I keep still as his fist connects with my jaw. The man packs quite the punch, and I move my jaw to ease the ache.

  “You fucking left her alone?” he shouts.

  “Carter.” Jamie tries to sit up and not wanting her moving, I quickly place a hand on her arm.

  “It’s okay. Lie back.”

  Carter takes a couple of deep breaths to reign in his temper, and it gives Jamie time to say, “Don’t blame Julian.” She swallows hard before continuing, “I shouldn’t have left the studio.”

  Carter shakes his head hard and pushing past me, he leans over Jamie and engulfs her in his arms. “Don’t blame yourself.”

  “I was so stupid,” she whimpers, her voice hardly recognizable.

  “None of this is your fault,” Carter reassures her.

  He’s right because the blame rests squarely on my shoulders.

  Chapter 28

  Jamie

  The past couple of days have been crazy, to say the least. My friends and family are trying to be strong for me, but I can see they’re buckling under the weight of the frustration and worry. It’s not just my life that’s been disrupted by this nightmarish hell.

  Carter almost lost his mind, and it took a lot to get him to ease up. I’m worried what this will do to Della’s health with her being so close to her delivery date.

  I let out a deep sigh.

  So many worries. So much trauma.

  How do I even begin to deal with it all?

  A psychiatrist came to see me, but I declined his offer for counseling. I have a supportive family, and I’ll talk to Julian if I need to.

  Sitting in the car as Julian drives us to The Rose Acre, I stare at nothing in particular.

  Henry Little.

  Such an ordinary name. An unassuming face.

  I doubt my judge of character because never in a million years would I have suspected the janitor who always smiled, could be capable of such inhumaneness.

  When Julian brings the car to a stop in front of the entrance, I climb out and glance at the vehicle stopping behind us and see Hayden and Max get out. While Hayden scans our surroundings, Max immediately walks to my side and placing his hand on my back, he murmurs, “I’m always two steps behind you. Let’s go inside.”

  Glancing at Julian, I see the guilt eating away at him. Reaching for his hand, I intertwine our fingers, then we walk inside the luxurious hotel.

  I’ll be staying with Julian until I’ve made a full recovery. After that, I have no idea what I’ll do.

  Walking into the suite, Hayden and Max first check every room.

  “I had the hotel swap the bed in the other room for two queens,” Julian says.

  Glancing around the penthouse suite, I’m relieved to see it’s big, so at least there’s enough space for the four of us while we’re here. The first time I was here, I didn’t pay much attention to my surroundings, and now all the luxury means nothing.

  My world has been dulled, the beauty stolen from it.

  Julian takes my bag to his room and giving Hayden and Max a small smile, I follow after him.

  I close the bedroom door behind us and wait for Julian to place my bag next to the bed. He first looks at me before he closes the distance between us. He begins to reach for the back of my neck, but then he stops and draws back.

  “Sorry, it’s become a habit.”

  Taking hold of his hand, I bring it up to my face and press my cheek to his palm.

  My body shudders at the familiar touch, and it has Julian stepping closer. He wraps his other arm around me and slowly moves his hand to my jaw. His worried eyes scan over my face.

  Feeling drained from all the emotional strain and trauma, I take a shaky breath while I fight back the tears for the hundredth time.

  “I’m so sorry, Jamie,” he whispers, his face tightening with regret and sorrow over what has happened to me.

  I bring my hands up between us and take hold of his jacket’s lapels. “It’s not your fault. Stop blaming yourself.”

  He shakes his head and presses his forehead against mine. “I almost lost you. It fucking terrifies me.”

  “I’m still here,” I try to comfort him. “I’m stronger than I look.”

  Closing the remaining distance between us until our bodies touch, Julian presses a kiss to every bruise on my face, then his mouth moves to my neck. He's so gentle with me, it makes it so much harder not to cry.

  Bringing his eyes back to mine, he must see I’m struggling because he wraps his arms tightly around me and whispers, “Cry, Jamie. No one will see.”

  As if my tear ducts were waiting to hear those words, I’m unable to stop myself. I tighten my hold on his jacket and press my forehead to his shoulder, trying to smother the first sob.

  “I’m here,” he whispers close to my ear.

  Nodding, I press closer to him.

  Julian’s grip on me releases, but it’s only for a moment so he can slip his arms under me. Lifting me to his chest, he walks us over to the armchair. He sits down and positions me sideways on his lap, so my legs can rest over the side of the chair.

  Cradling me, he keeps whispering words of comfort until I drift off from exhaustion.

  Waking with a start, my breaths rush over my lips.

  Arms tighten around me, and I hear Julian whisper, “It’s okay. I’m here.”

  He’s still sitting with me on his lap, and it makes my body relax against his.

  “Aren’t you tired?” I ask.

  “No. I’ll sit with you for as long as it takes,” he murmurs.

  I pull back and force a smile to my lips. “You can’t be comfortable in a suit.” I begin to shift off his lap, but he drops a hand to my hip to stop me. Glancing at him, I say, “At least change out of the suit. I’ll sleep on the bed.”

  Julian pushes his arms under me and getting up, he carries me over to the bed where he gently places me down.

  My eyes follow him as he walks to a dresser. He pulls a pair of sweatpants out and then drops them on the bed.

  He unbuttons his suit jacket and shrugging it off, he first goes to hang it up before he steps out of his shoes.

  The moment feels intimate while I watch him undress. There’s no sexual tension as I take in the gorgeous sight of him. I’ve never spent this much time with a man before.r />
  Julian has been by my side ever since this mess started. We haven’t had a chance to enjoy each other like other couples do, and it makes me worry whether our newborn romance will survive this nightmare.

  After pulling on the sweatpants, he lies down on the bed and gently lifts my head so he can push his arm under it. I snuggle closer to him until our bodies are pressed together, and rest my head on his shoulder.

  Julian presses his mouth to the top of my head and takes a deep breath, then asks, “How do you feel?”

  “I’m okay,” I answer automatically, hesitant to share my worries about us with him.

  The look of concern never eases from his face. “And your head? You’ll tell me if it hurts?”

  Lifting my face to his, I press a soft kiss to his mouth. “You’re so caring.”

  His arms wrap around me, and he holds me as if he’s scared I’ll vanish into thin air if he relaxes for a second.

  My new worry wins out, and I ask, “Do you think our relationship will survive this mess?”

  I have never been a needy person, and the feeling is a foreign one.

  I hate it.

  This attack has stripped me of my self-confidence.

  Julian brings his hand to my jaw and gently nudges it up, so I’ll look at him. “What made you ask that question?”

  I swallow hard before I answer, “It’s a lot of pressure getting involved with someone who…” my words trail away as I’m unable to finish the sentence.

  He leans in and presses a kiss to my mouth. “There’s no pressure, Jamie. Yes, I’m worried and fear for your safety, but that doesn’t affect how I feel about you.”

  How do you feel about me?

  As if he can read my thoughts, he says, “I’m not going to tell you I love you. Not now. You wouldn’t believe the words, and in all honesty, you deserve more than a confession that’s overshadowed by trauma.”

  Although I understand his reasoning, it doesn’t lessen my worry.

  “Hey, look at me.”

  My eyes drift back to his.

  “I’m committed to you, Jamie. Through the good and the bad. Once this is over, we’ll get to enjoy each other.”

  When this is over.

  “Will it ever end?” My voice sounds hollow because there’s no hope left in me.

  “The police now know who he is. They’ll find him,” Julian assures me.

  “Why me?” I ask, even though none of us have an answer.

  Julian tightens his hold on me and presses soft kisses to my forehead, my cheeks, and my jaw.

  Clinging to each other, I try not to think of the cold treat of death creeping closer.

  But there’s a reason I’m still standing.

  Focusing on Julian’s face and seeing how much he cares about me only makes me more determined to survive this killer.

  I have to fight for Della.

  I have to fight for everyone I love.

  I’m going to fight for myself.

  Chapter 29

  Julian

  I’ve been working from home for the past three days. Lake came over today with all the work Jamie has missed out on, and I’m relieved to see that it’s helping to distract her.

  Lake opens his laptop, then says to Jamie, “This is the paper I did on international law. Read through it while I order us some snacks.”

  Getting up, he grins at me. “I’m putting it all on your tab.”

  I let out a chuckle. “I’m totally okay with that.”

  After Lake has placed an order for an obscene amount of food, we move to the balcony so we won’t bother Jamie.

  “With everything going on, we haven’t spent much time together,” I say as I stare out over the city.

  “Yeah.” He leans against the banister. “I thought you’d want to know that I’ve spoken with my father. He’s willing to stay on for another four years. He said he’d talk to you once you’re back at the office.”

  I’ve totally forgotten about the problem of Mr. Cutler retiring.

  Placing my hand on Lake’s shoulder, I say, “Thank you.” My eyes drift back to Jamie. “Thank you for helping her.” In the spur of the moment, I pull him into a hug. “I owe you so much.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We’re family,” Lake murmurs.

  “I hate to break up your bromance,” Jamie’s voice pulls us apart, “but I need Lake to explain this sentence to me because it feels like I’m reading a foreign language.”

  Lake lets out a chuckle as he hurries over to her. “Which one?”

  Minutes after the food arrives, I receive a call from reception that Detectives Olsen and O’Neal are here.

  While waiting for the two men to come up, Jamie begins to chew on her thumbnail. I take hold of her hand and weave our fingers together.

  Hayden opens the door for the two Detectives, and when we’re all seated, Detective Olsen says, “We’ve looked into Henry Little’s family history and prior places of employment.” The detective clears his throat. “He comes from a middle-class family. Previous employers all say he was a good worker, and they never had any problems with him.”

  “In other words, you found nothing that will be helpful?” Hayden asks.

  “Actually, we did find something,” Detective O’Neal takes over. “After searching through his home, we found items that could be mementos he kept from potential previous victims. We’re looking into unsolved cases to see if we can link any to Henry Little.”

  “So, he has killed before?” Jamie asks, her face going ghost white.

  “We’re still looking into it, Ma’am.” Shifting in his chair, Detective O’Neal says, “We’d just like to go over some of the details you gave in your statement.”

  They only spend another ten minutes with Jamie before they leave, promising to let us know if they learn anything new.

  The moment Hayden closes the door behind them, he says, “They’re not telling us everything.”

  Lake, who’s been quiet the entire time, suddenly asks, “Should I ask Preston to hack into their system for the file.”

  “He can do that?” Max asks.

  Lake nods, already pulling his phone from his pocket.

  Hayden is deep in thought as he murmurs, “The more information we have on Henry Little, the better.”

  While Lake is on the phone with Preston, Jamie gives me a tired smile. “I’m going to take a nap.”

  “Let’s just hear what Lake says, then I’ll go with you,” I say, not wanting her out of my sight.

  Lake hangs up, then grins. “He’ll get right on it. I’m going to head home. I’ll call you as soon as Preston has anything.”

  “Thanks for all your help today,” I say as I walk him to the door.

  Jamie gives him a hug. “I really appreciate you bringing my assignments over.”

  “Just let me know if you need help with any of them. I’m only a call away.”

  “Will do.”

  I shut the door behind Lake, then taking Jamie’s hand, I pull her toward the bedroom.

  “I guess we’ll watch baseball,” I hear Max mutter before I close the door behind us.

  “You don’t have to stay with me every second of the day,” Jamie says as soon as we’re alone. “You must have a lot of work to do.”

  “I can answer emails from my phone.”

  She lets out a sigh then goes to use the ensuite restroom. My eyes never leave the door while she’s in there, and I feel the familiar panic clawing up my spine from her being out of my sight.

  The moment she walks back into the room, I let out a deep breath.

  I wait for her to crawl onto the bed before I sit down next to her. She first snuggles against my side before I pull my phone out.

  Even though I open my email account, I can’t focus on any of the words. Giving up, I set the device down on the bedside table, and look down at Jamie’s face.

  Lifting my hand to her head, I softly pull my fingers through her hair, careful to avoid the area where her stitches are heal
ing.

  I have no words to describe what I felt when we found her, and I saw her all bloody and gasping for air on the ground.

  I thought the night I got the call that Jennifer had died was the worst night of my life, but I was wrong.

  I continue to softly caress Jamie’s hair and try to think back to when things changed between us but can’t. It feels like I’ve always cared about her. I now also understand what Mason must’ve gone through with Kingsley.

  Almost losing Jamie to such a senseless violent act, I realized one thing. If the worst had happened, I would’ve died out in those woods with her.

  Chapter 30

  No matter where you go, you’re mine.

  Jamie

  Since Julian went back to the office two days ago, I’ve been spending all my time catching up on the work I’ve missed. A couple of times, I had to call Lake for help, and I feel lucky that I have him to lean on, or I’d have to drop this semester.

  Hayden and Max have been working in Julian’s study on the file Preston managed to get for them.

  Glancing around the living room while I stretch my neck, which is healing nicely, I wonder whether I’ll be able to go back to Trinity Academy after almost being killed there.

  Julian hasn’t told me anything about what the reaction is at the academy or with the press, but I’m sure news has gotten out by now.

  Just added pressure for Julian to deal with.

  My phone begins to buzz next to me, and I smile when I see Julian’s name flashing on the screen. He’s been so protective of me, which is only making me fall harder for him.

  “Hey,” I answer. “Missing me already?”

  “Yeah, I wanted to check on you before I go into a meeting. What are you doing?” he asks.

  “I just finished a paper.” I lean back against the couch, feeling relaxed now that I get to hear his voice again, even though I just saw him five hours ago.