Monday morning comes around all too soon. The very happy memories surrounding Friday afternoon are now nothing but the precursor to a terrifying memory that loops in my thoughts and drags me screaming from my restless sleep throughout the last couple of nights.
I spent the weekend, in some very tension-filled meetings, with my family and Maximus Security. I have a headache from my mother's dramatic screeching, my Grandma's tears, and Grandpa's desperate apologies. Matthew and Caleb stand by and watch it all, offering advice and running interference when the tensions bubble over. For the six of us, this is nothing new. We have already been here and done this. I am beyond frustrated, that Dom had cracked through our security measures. But really it doesn’t highlight our failures regarding my safety, more so, it showcases how manipulative and driven Dom is in his vindictiveness.
I spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights squashed between Matthew and Caleb in their bed, which should have been icky, but it instead becomes my little haven. Each nightmare during those long dark nights, they will wake me, hugging me tight and rubbing my back as I cry myself back to sleep.
Dom is the reason for so much unfinished business in my life. He is the only reason that I left Princeton before finalising my degree. Everytime I relax into a new phase of my life, he reappears to ruin it. His grand-delusions of our relationship are mind-blowingly scary and twisted. And, my family, and I, have tried everything to get him to understand that he will not be a part of my life, nor him, a part of Bellafonte. Even now I have panic attacks thinking how close I came to succumbing to his charms. Despite the pain and hurt of what my best friend did, screwing with my boyfriend behind my back, I am torn by the gratitude I feel that she unwittingly saved me from a fate worse than death. Am I concerned for her? Maybe, probably, no, not at all. Hartley dismissed my concerns and worries a long time ago. She saw my motivation in confiding in her, as nothing more than a desperate, pathetic attempt at getting him back. I think even now, that I can tell you the exact date that she spewed back at me my words of warning, one drunken night, ridiculing me in front of all our friends. And Dom, well Dom sneered venomously from the side lines, before renewing his lets-screw-up-Ginny's-life game.
I have tried moving away from him. I changed my address more times than I can remember. I dropped off Facebook, Instagram, all social media. As a family and a corporation we implemented state of the art security protocols and measures, we regularly met with the police and our solicitors. My legal team continually reviews the best course of action. We have considered restraining orders, writs, trying to tie him up in court proceedings for slander, various misdemeanours. It is an ongoing balancing act, of ensuring I am safe while making it blatantly clear that I want nothing at all to do with him. But it only spurs Dom into acting out even more. His legal team is cut throat and ruthless. They continually throw their own threats of idle harassment and slander back in our lap.
Attending their engagement party was my decision. Caleb had been with me, so my physical safety was assured. I really was hoping that at long last I would be able to put Dom, Hartley and St Joseph’s firmly in the past and that little part of me, naively, still believed in giving people the opportunity of redemption. I hoped on so many levels that their engagement would herald their new beginning, and the end of Dom’s infatuation with me. My presence was a ‘fuck you and kiss my ass’ to all of them. Hindsight, is a valuable tool.
Matthew is now glued to my side, which is why I am sitting at my desk with a myriad of reports spread over the top of it, and he is sitting at the side table checking on our new security cameras, that only a few people knew of.
A small knock at my door pulls my attention away from the quarterly report from Finance, and I look up at Leah with an anxious looking Hunter behind her. Hunter doesn't wait for my invitation in, nor for Leah to show him in, instead he barges through and closes the door on her.
Matthew naturally takes offence at his gesture and is up as quick as lightning, his stance just as aggressive as Hunters.
"Sit your fucking ass down, pretty boy," Hunter snarls in his face before he shoves him back towards his chair. Hunter somehow has Matthew spiralling backwards and the door swings open as Leah and Caleb run inside, realising the threat. A quick glance back at the door and I see Caleb assuring Leah that he and Matthew have everything under control before he pushes the door closed on her face again.
The phone on my desk rings ominously and the cacophony of noise, motion and aggression freezes for just a moment before it starts up again in earnest. The ring is accompanied by a slight knock on the glass wall of my office and it is the first security protocol that Leah had been briefed on.
Caleb screams through the posturing that is unfolding in front of my desk, "Stop". Unsurprisingly, both Matthew and Hunter do. This demure, peaceful man, demanding their immediate attention. "You are both scaring the fuck out of Verginius and I am sure everyone will agree that she has suffered the most and the greatest. Now, both of you stop comparing fucking size and settle down," after his initial outburst, his voice doesn't even rise above loud. I am leaning in closer to him trying to hear his words, they are so softly spoken.
I grab the phone before it rings again, "Do you need more security?" Leah's voice is controlled and strong.
"I think we are okay," I offer as I look between Caleb, Matthew, and Hunter. Each of them nod back quickly before I speak again to Leah, "We are okay, thank you Leah. Sorry. I am on edge. Will you get us refreshments, please? And biscuits," I throw in the code words to confirm that I don't feel threatened by who is in my office.
"Of course. You are okay Ginny, we got you," she responds before quietly hanging up the phone.
I stand up and walk over to the view while the sound of heavy breathing sounds behind me. I wait until I hear the air rushing out of the seats as two out of three of the men sit behind me. I feel Hunter at my back, it blows my fucking mind how I know it is him, but damn I do. My hand shoots up to stop him in his tracks, as I get my breathing back under control.
"Hunter," Caleb says slowly and softly from behind us, "Hunter, sit down, let her get herself back and then it might be time to brief you on what is going on." Of course Hunter ignores him, my freakout must have been calling to him, urging him forward. He grabs a hold of my outstretched hand and holds it within both of his.
"She is my cousin Gigi. The woman is family,” his voice is low and he speaks quickly, to help alleviate part of my panic. Strange that he somehow knows I will be lost on that critical detail. “Please tell me you are okay. I haven't slept since Friday night, I can't eat, I can't fucking focus. Please let me see that you are okay," he whispers as he moves closer. I feel the warmth of his hand before I actually realise one of his hands has fallen away from my hand and now it is on my back. And once it registers in my mind, I honestly still in relief for the first time in days, weeks, months. Fucking eight years, if I am completely honest.
The stupid tears that have been present all weekend start to trail down my cheeks again as I bend forward. My hands lock onto my knees as I struggle to stay upright.
Hunter keeps moving forward following the position of my body. Closer still, tentative in his movement as his hand never leaves my back. Somehow Caleb has restrained or assured Matthew of my safety, because in this bubble in time, it is just Hunter and I. And true to always, everything fades away.
"Gigi, come on Gigi, please tell me what happened?" he squats his impressive frame, next to my folded in half form, his eyes crazed with his concern, his face begging me for my faith in him, trusting him with my truth. "What is going on?" his hand floats up off of my back and touches my cheek instead, turning it slightly so that nothing can impede upon us, so that I can’t hide from him. His gaze demanded my all.
"Dom, Hunter. Dom happened," I say before closing my eyes so that I don't have to watch his reaction. I am sure he will explode in fiery anger that once again I am bringing Dom into us.
He is quiet though, his hand still on my face, is joined by his other hand, until he is kneeling up closer, holding me, like it is fucking glass again, speaking softly, "Hey Gigi, come on, look at me. I need a little bit more information than that," his thumbs trail over my cheeks ensuring that I can't forget that he is in front of me.
"Hunter, come sit. Ginny, will be okay in just a second. Won't you honey," Caleb says quietly.
“Sit down Hunter, for fuck sake, can’t you see that you are crowding her?” Matthew snarled over Caleb’s calm words.
"Who the fuck are you anyway? Some fucking boyfriend you are, you can't even keep her safe in a fucking restaurant surrounded by all her family and fucking friends. So let me ask you again ass wipe, who, the, living fuck do you think you are?" Hunter stilled his thumb rubbing on my cheeks. I think Hunter must have forgotten that we had company, lost in our bubble again. He dropped his hands from my face and we both stand at the same time. Hunter standing in front of me protectively.
"You fucking idiot. I am her security," he laughs out incredulously, finally figuring out what Hunter's issue is.
"Why were you kissing her? Every fucking time I see you, you are touching her or kissing her," he barks back.
"Hunter," Caleb speaks softly again, trying to stem the rising irritation again.
“You too! You wouldn’t leave her the fuck alone at the engagement party. Holding her, whispering into her ear…” He turned and growled at Caleb now.
