Chapter Thirty Nine

“Will you stop fussing? I can do it!” she said exasperated.   Ever since she’d gotten home from the hospital, Sidney had waited on her hand and foot and would not let her do anything.  At first it was sweet.  It was nice to be taken care of some of the time, but this was getting old. 

“How can you do it? Your arm is in a sling. Give it to me,” he ordered, taking the bowl of batter from her good hand.

“I am not an invalid, Sidney Patrick Crosby. I think I can manage to make some pancakes!”

“You can’t stir them and hold the bowl at the same time,” he said laughing at her annoyance.

“I can,” she said stubbornly.  “Besides, that’s why someone invented an electric mixer.”

“Ew.  No, they are better by hand. Stop being so ornery and let me do it.”

“You’re the one who is being stubborn. You won’t let me do anything!”

“Pate, you were shot, for heaven’s sake.  You can let me help out,” he said, smirking as she huffed over to the table and sat down.

She watched him stir the pancake batter and sighed.  She frowned and adjusted the sling on her arm.  The bullet had gone straight through her shoulder. She had been lucky.  It could have been much worse. It was sore. It was hard to sleep as well, but none of that mattered. What mattered was standing right there in front of her stirring her pancakes.  She watched him pour the batter onto the griddle and he glanced and flashed her that brilliant smile.  Her irritation dissolved. 

“I think I want chocolate chips today,” he said.  “Would you get them for me?”

She pulled the jar of chocolate chips from the cabinets and sat them on the counter.  She looked at the jar perplexed. There was something besides chocolate inside.  She pulled the lid off and gasped.

“Sidney?”

She looked into the jar at the sparkling, marquise-cut diamond ring resting on top of the chips.  Her heart jumped in her chest. She turned to him and he got down on one knee. 

“Baby, I love you.  I don’t want to be without you, ever. Will you marry me?”

Her hands were shaking so much, she almost dropped the jar.  He took the jar from her, pulled the ring out and took her left hand.  He started to put the ring on her finger and hesitated.  He looked up at her.

Suddenly, she realized he was waiting for an answer.

“Oh, yes!” she exclaimed. “Oh, Sidney, yes.”  She dropped to her knees in front of him. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him.  He slid the ring onto her finger and ran his hands up into her hair and kissed her again. 

“I love you, Sidney,” she said, overwhelmed with emotion and held him close.  “But I think the pancakes are burning.”

The End.

Chapter Thirty Eight

“Pate?  Payton?” Sidney held her tightly in his arms. 

“Sidney,” she said in a small voice that was barely a whisper.  He felt something warm and sticky trickle down his hand.  Payton’s large brown eyes rolled back.

“Payton!  Get me an ambulance!” Sidney cried. “She’s been shot! Tony, help me!”

Sidney lay her gently on the sidewalk, calling her name over and over. He didn’t hear the reaction of the police to the shot. He didn’t see the security detail head down the street.  All he knew was that Payton was bleeding all over him.  

“Payton,” he pleaded, brushing the hair back from her forehead.  Her eyes fluttered.  He felt her hand squeeze slightly.  He leaned over her to hear her whisper.

“I love you.”

She was looking up at him while the tears rolled down his cheeks.  She tried to brush them away, but couldn’t lift her hand. He grabbed it and held it to his cheek, kissing her palm.

“You’re going to be okay, Baby. I promise,” he assured her. “I love you, Payton.”

Tony brought the paramedics running to their side.  Sidney sat back and watched them work on his prone girlfriend.  She had lost consciousness again. There was so much blood. 

“Sidney?” Tony tried to get his attention. “Sidney, are you hit?  You’re covered with blood. Is any of it yours?”

It took a minute, but finally Sidney realized that Tony was talking to him.  He looked at the blood on his hands an covering his shirt. “I don’t think… no, not mine.”

The paramedics lifted Payton onto a gurney and rushed her away toward the ambulance.  Sidney followed them and crawled into the ambulance. He held her hand tightly in his.

A shot rang out down the street as they were pulling away. Sidney was so absorbed with Payton, he didn’t think to wonder what it could mean.

Brisson swore at what he witnessed. How the hell did she get away?  She ruined it all.  At first he thought he might have gotten them both, but it seemed she took the bullet for Mr. Perfect.  He dropped the rifle to his side. Everything was ruined. He thought of taking another shot, but a sea of cops were headed in his direction. It was time to go.  He crossed the rooftop to the access door, but when he opened it, he could hear the shuffling of feet and police walkies squawking up the steps.  They got here much faster than he’d expected. They must have already been closing in.  Another mistake.  Pat moved away from the door and searched for something to secure it with.  He found a narrow metal rod, fastened the padlock bracket on the door and slid the narrow piece of metal down through it. It didn’t have to last long, just long enough for him to decide how to proceed. He ran across the roof to the fire escape.  He looked over the edge and four officers in blue were already on their way up. He swore again. He looked across the rooftop. The next building was too far away to jump. They were coming from all sides now.  He was going to have to think of something quick.

Brisson went back to the rifle.  He leveled the sight and peered down the street again. They were loading the girl into the ambulance. There were two technicians along with Tony surrounding her and Mr. Perfect.  There was not a clear shot.  He didn’t have time to miss again.  He could hear the police officers trying to muscle the door open.

“Put the gun down,” called a voice from behind him.  Pat froze, hearing the crushing of multiple footsteps on the rooftop behind him.  There was more than one.  No time left.  “Sir, put the gun down now.”

Pat sighed, “Okay, okay.”  He held the gun in one hand and put the other in the air and began to turn around slowly.

“Sir, do not move. Put the gun on the ground now.”

Pat smiled. In one swift movement, he swung around grabbing the rifle and got ready to fire.

The bullet from the police officer’s gun struck him square in the chest. He barely even registered shock as the power from the bullet forced him backward and he stumbled from the rooftop.

He was dead before he hit the sidewalk below.

Chapter Thirty Seven

It was a quick trip to the rooftop.  It was cold up here, but he didn’t think he’d have to wait long.  If Crosby’s crack security team was worth what they paid them, they would track him down fairly quickly.  It’s not like he tried to hard not to be seen.  How often does someone see an unconscious woman being carried out of a car and into an empty apartment building.  Surely someone would have seen him.  From his favorite spot on the roof, he could see that Crosby had finally called the police.  There were several cars and a flurry of activity at Payton’s studio.  A smile crossed Pat’s face. This was more than fun.  He created all this chaos.  It was quite a rush.  He pulled the rifle up to his jaw, closed one eye and peered through the sight.  He practiced zeroing in on the police officers that were coming in and out of the studio just like he had practiced at the rifle range.  He took a breath and held it to steady his hands. His finger caressed the trigger, but didn’t pull it.  No, the trigger was for someone else. 

He had gotten quite proficient at the rifle range.  At first it was a stress reliever. He went to the range once or twice a month for the last 6 months. It was therapeutic to leave his day out on the range.  After a typically stressful day at the office, making his target pay shot after shot made it easier to go home.  Even though, home now was no more than coming in and going straight to the basement, his haven where the things that were his belonged.  He sat in his old easy chair with his favorite bottle of scotch, while above the wife and family went about their everyday lives like nothing was wrong.  No one ever came down to the basement. The basement was his. They knew better. That lesson was taught long ago, though the wife needed a refresher now and then.  She made him break his tv. That really pissed him off.  Now all he had was the radio and it wasn’t exactly the same.  But the bottle made it better. And the rifle range. Over the last two weeks, his trips range became much more frequent.  He’d spent almost every evening there.  At the range, there was nothing but him, his rifle and the target.

There he was. Pat spotted the target coming out of the studio.  The security guard followed quickly grabbing Crosby by the arm.  Pat’s finger twitched.

Payton forced herself to stay her tears.  She had to get out of here. She had to warn Sidney. She could not lie her and wait for him to die.  She struggled against her bonds, but they wouldn’t give.  She pulled harder at the ropes around her wrists, first her left hand then her right hand over and over.  Her tears had dried on her cheeks, but now the frustration threatened to bring them on again.  She screamed, ripping her wrists away from the metal simultaneously.  The bar on the right popped, but held.  Payton looked up at it. The weld where the bar was connected to the frame seemed broken on one side.  Payton pushed the loops of rope upward so that they were as close to the break as she could manage to get them.  She took a deep breath and jerked her arm as hard as she could.  Nothing. Though, she thought she heard a small pop.  Maybe it was just her imagination, but it was all she had to cling to right now.  She took another breath and jerked again.  The pop was definitely audible now.  Her wrist was really hurting. Struggling against the rope had left red burns around it.  She took another breath for one more effort.  She jerked her arm forward again hard.  The bar popped away from the frame.  Payton’s joy was palpable. She cried out in triumph and began to cry and laugh at the same time.   She wiggled the rope upward, struggling to get it free from the bar.  Finally, her arm was free.  She rolled over to grab the knot that secured her other wrist.  All her struggling against it had made it very tight. She pumped her fist a few times trying to get the blood pumping to her fingers.  Her tenacity paid off after a few minutes as the knot began to come free.  Her hands were free!  Elation began to take over and she rubbed her wrist and quickly began to work on the bonds around her ankles.  She jumped up off the bed and stumbled slightly. She had to find a phone. She had to warn Sidney. She searched the table for her cell. She went to the window and searched the crate.  He must have taken it, she thought and looked out the grimy window.  She gasped slightly.  It was her street.  She could see the studio from here.  She could see the policemen. 

“Oh God,” she said aloud, seeing Sidney come out of the studio door.  She dashed for the door, grabbing the coat that Brisson had left on a hook by the door.  She was thankful for it, though modesty was not the first thing on her mind. 

“Let go, Tony,” yelled Sidney, pulling away from his security guard.

“Sidney, don’t go running off like this. We need a plan, a strategy.  You have to know that he is waiting for you.”

“I don’t care. That bastard has Payton right down the street,” he cried, moving down the sidewalk in front of the studio.  The police had just informed him that they had a witness who had seen a man carrying a woman matching Payton’s description into the apartment building just down the street.  She’d been right here the whole time!

“Come on, man, at least give us a minute to check things out. Let me send Paul down there discreetly. We need to find out what we are dealing with.”

“I’m not going to sit here while he has her down there doing God knows what to her. You can come with me or not, but I am going!”

“Sidney!”

The scream was not loud, but they all heard it. Tony and Sidney both looked down the street.  The policemen stopped what they were doing.  Sidney broke into a run seeing Payton running toward him not even a block away.  He closed the distance between them quickly, but she was still yelling.

“No, go back inside.  He’s got a gun.”

A shot rang out, splitting the air with an explosion of sound. 

Chapter Thirty-six

Sidney hesitated momentarily. He nearly forgot everything he and Tony discussed before the phone call. He just couldn’t believe it.  This man, his friend, was responsible for putting him through hell the past few months. He had abducted Payton. Now he was answering the phone as if it was business as usual. Doubt crept into Sidney’s mind. 

“Hi Pat,” Sidney said slowly. “I… uh… I was wondering if you’d seen Payton. I’m looking for her.”

Sidney was playing as if he didn’t have suspicions, just like Tony had advised.  He was trying to sound calm and unconcerned.  If Pat didn’t know they were on to him, they would have the advantage.

“Oh, sure, I’m looking at her right now,” he said.

Sidney had a hard time keeping his mouth from dropping.

“Can I speak to her?”

“She’s a little tied up right now, Sidney. Can she call you back?”

“Ah, well, it’s kind of important. Can I just speak to her for a minute, please?”

“Well, it might be a little hard to understand her through the duct tape,” he hissed.

Sidney almost dropped the phone.  Icy cold stole up his spine as fear tightened its grip.  Sweat broke out across his brow. In his struggle to keep the fear at bay, he felt the rage well up inside him.

“If you hurt her, you son of a bitch, I will rip you limb from limb with my bare hands,” he yelled into the phone.  Tony stepped closer and attempted to take the phone from him, surprised at the fury coming from his employer.  Sidney shook him off.

“WHERE IS SHE?” he cried.

“Now, now, now, that’s no way for a good Canadian boy to behave. What would your mother say?”  Pat taunted.

“You mother-fucker, what have you done to her?”

“Now Sid, I will not talk to you if you speak to me in that tone,” he said and disconnected the call.

Pat was giggling like a schoolboy when he glanced over at Payton.  He grinned at her and his eyes got wide.

“You’re boyfriend’s a little mad -- such language.”

She watched him laugh and walk over to the filthy window.  He picked up the binoculars and fixed his attention at something down the street. The phone rang again.

Pat looked over at Payton. “Wonder who that is?” he said with a sneer and answered the call.

“Where is she, Pat?” said Sidney, doing his best to keep the anger out of his voice.

“Well, I told you, Sidney. She is here,” he laughed, crossing the room to sit down next to her on the bed again.

“I want her back.”

“Well, of course, you do. But that’s not part of the plan.”

After a moment, Sid responded, “What is the plan, Pat?”

Pat looked Payton up and down and licked his lips. Then his eyes rested on hers, “The plan is: you are going to die.” 

Pat watched Payton’s eyes get wide and begin to fill with tears again.  He slid his hand across her skin and cupped her breast, grazing his thumb across her nipple. 

“And then your sweet little morsel and I are going to have some fun.”

Payton could hear Sidney yelling as Pat snapped the phone closed again, disconnecting him.  Pat kneaded her breast a few seconds longer and then sighed.

“We’ll have to continue this later, my dear,” he said getting up and walking to the kitchen.  She whimpered behind her gag unable to control the tears.  You are going to die, he’d said.  She couldn’t get those words out of her head. He was going to kill Sidney.

He rattled around in the kitchen for a few minutes and returned to the living room.  He was carrying a large rifle with him.   He sat back down on the edge of the bed and looked into her eyes, rubbing the barrel of the gun.

“Don’t worry, dear. I won’t be gone long.”

Chapter Thirty Five

Payton’s panic was becoming closer to terror as Brisson cut off the last button of her blouse. He slowly opened her the sides of her shirt revealing her creamy lace bra and goose bumps broke out over her torso, not just from the chill in the room.  He grazed the point of the knife across her skin from her belly button to the front clasp of her bra.  Payton squirmed, but he only pushed the blade harder against her skin.

“Hush now, Payton, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before,” he said laughing as her eyes got wide. “You should really close the curtains when you and Mr. Perfect get it on.”

With this, he slid the knife under her bra and sliced it open.  Payton screamed and tried to raise her knees against him.  Her attempt was unsuccessful.  He leaned in over her and sneered at her.

“Such lovely … skin,” he hissed.  He traced the curve of her left breast with the tip of the knife.  The goose bumps on her skin redoubled in response to the cold blade and the terror that was stealing over her.

“No, please, don’t,” she whimpered. 

“Don’t worry, my dear. I would not damaged such beauty, not yet anyway.  First, we’re gonna have a little … fun.”  He lay the knife by her side and smothered her breasts with both palms, kneading and pinching her nipple hard.  Payton couldn’t stop screaming. The tears streamed down her face as she struggled in vain to get away from him.  Suddenly, he slapped her hard across the face.  She was shocked into silence.

“That’s better, be quiet now, or I’ll have to gag you.”

“You shut up, you son of a bitch! Keep your hands off me,” she cried and took advantage of his proximity to spit in his face.

He slowly wiped the spittle from his cheek. She watched the rage building in face, just before he hit her full force in the mouth and the room began to swim.  As she struggled to keep her senses, he got up from the bed and crossed to the side table. He pulled a roll of duct tape from the drawer.  She shook the fog from her head and tried to scream again. He quickly smothered her mouth with a length of the tape. He tossed the rest of the roll across the room and climbed on top of the bed again.

“That’s really too bad,” he hissed. “Such nasty words should not come out of such a pretty mouth.  A mouth so lovely is for other things, my dear.”

He leaned over her and licked his lips.  Payton raised her head with force and caught him in the mouth.  She dropped her head back down on the bed seeing stars herself.  Brisson cried out and sat back dazed.  He shook his head and raised his hand.  His backhand caught her across the right cheek and she saw only black for a few seconds.  He moved from the bed and went off to the kitchen. Her tears flowed in a steady stream and she her sobs were muffled against the tape. 

“You should not have done that,” he said threateningly.  “I’ve had enough now. No more Mr. Nice Guy.”

He threw the towel he had used to blot the blood from his lip forcefully on the floor and crossed back to the bed.  At that moment, his cell phone rang.  She could see the hesitation on his face.  She could see he was ready to hurt her, but the call was part of the plan. The plan just might save her.

He pulled out his phone, saw the caller ID and smiled wildly at her with eyes wide.  He put his finger to his lips and shushed her, as if she could make a noise if she wanted to.

He pushed the answer button.

“Hello, Sidney.  What can I do for you?”

Chapter Thirty-four

“Hey Pate?” Sidney called, entering the studio.  He stopped short as he saw Brooks lying in the floor. The pup was breathing hard and managed a whimper.  In a second, Sidney was down on his knees beside him, stroking his fur.  He checked his mouth to ensure he hadn’t swallowed anything and felt his chest. 

“Payton!” Sidney yelled.  “Payton, where are you?” 

Panic began to steal over him and he raced his way through the studio calling for her repeatedly.  He quickly dialed Tony on his cell and returned to his pets side. Brooks was doing his best to get to his feet.  Sidney stopped him and made him lie down again. 

“Tony, where is Payton?” Sidney asked the panic leaking into his voice.

“What?  She’s at the studio as of 20 minutes ago.”

“She is not. She is not here,” Sid cried frustrated.

“Let me check with Paul, just a minute.”

Tony was gone from the phone a couple of minutes and Sid could hear a muffled sound on the other end.

“Sidney, Paul said she returned from her appointment approximately 20 minutes ago, unloaded her car and went inside the studio. She has not left since then.”

“Well, she is not here now, Tony!  And my dog is nearly passed out on the floor!”

“What?”

“It’s like he was knocked out or something. He’s just now trying to get up.”

Tony was absent from the phone for a minute again. 

“I’m on my way over, Sidney. Paul is coming from up the street. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

“Should I call the police, Tony,” Sid asked quietly with trepidation.

“I’ll be there soon. Just wait for me.”

Tony scanned the room quickly and found faint signs of struggle. He checked the back door in the kitchen and found it unlocked. The look on his face confirmed what Sidney already knew. She was gone.

“Okay, let’s go over this again, Paul,” he said to his subordinate.

“She went to her photo shoot with the family of three. She returned here at 15oo hours. She was inside the studio by 1510. She did not leave by way of the front door.  Mr. Crosby’s agent, Mr. Brisson stopped by shortly after she returned--”

“Pat?” Sid asked. “What was he doing here? I was just at his office an hour ago.”

“What?” Tony asked, becoming suspicious. “You just left him? No reason for him to come over here?”

“No, but Pat. That’s ridiculous. Pat would never hurt Payton.”

“Paul, Brisson was the only person to come by?”

“Yes, sir.  But I thought Brisson was a friend. Did I make a mistake?”

“I think we all made a mistake,” Tony reasoned. “I think it’s time to call the police.”

Chapter thirty three

Her head hurt.  She was cold. She was lying on a bed or a couch that was soft, but lumpy.  She tried to put her hand to her head, but she couldn’t move it.  She opened her eyes. The room was dimly lit. She was lying on a small bed with a metal head and foot. Her wrists and, she discovered, her ankles, were tied to it with nylon rope.  She looked around her slowly, struggling with the ropes on her wrist.  The room was small, grey and sparse. There was a small kitchen. It was covered with dust. There was an old wooden chair sitting by a dirty window. There were scuff marks on the ledge, like someone put their feet up there. She struggled to see out of the window, but the dim light and the grim prevented it. Next to the chair was a wooden crate upended with a pair of binoculars resting on it.  She directed her attention to the other side of the room and gasped. He was sitting there watching her. He had his ankle resting on his knee and was toying with a long knife. He had his head down, but his eyes were on her. He looked very menacing and Payton felt the panic well up inside her again.

“I wondered how long it would take for you to wake,” he said quietly. He cocked his head slightly as if waiting for her to respond.

Payton’s head was spinning. Of all the people in the world, she couldn’t understand why he was sitting there opposite her. Why would he want to hurt Sid?  He grinned at her.

“Let me guess, you want to know why? How? Are you really expecting an explanation?” he laughed. He was clearly crazy. She’d never heard anyone laugh that way.  There was no other explanation for why Pat Brisson was sitting opposite her, fingering the point of a long knife with a wild look in his eye.

“But,” she managed to croak. She couldn’t find her voice.

“But what, Payton?” he stood, still playing with the knife. He took a couple of steps and leaned over her on the bed with his arms on either side of her. She was acutely aware of the knife in his right hand only inches from her side.

“You know, it didn’t start out this way,” he snorted and looked away from her almost bashfully. “I was helping him, getting a little press, making some headlines.  Just letting a little information leak out.  He is so damn protective of his privacy. Then he met you and this became so much fun.”

At this, Pat sneered and his eyes grew wide. Payton squirmed and pulled on her tethers.

“No, point in doing that. You’ll hurt yourself,” he said, and looked up and down her body, making Payton’s skin crawl.

“But, he’s your friend,” she cried.

“Ha, no, he’s not. Mr. Perfect doesn’t need friends. Mr. Perfect doesn’t need anything but hockey. Mr. Perfect…” he hissed and paused. “I know him very well, you know.”

Payton stared up at him, still completely confused.

“He has to be the best, you know. I never met anyone so determined to be the best, following the best to learn from them, hounding them about technique. All so he can take their place as the best.  And my wife calls me a parasite.”

He snorted a laugh, “I didn’t realize how much I hated him until you though. Mr. Perfect got himself the perfect girl.”

He raised the knife to her neck. She gasped and squirmed away from him as much as her bonds allowed. He pushed the point of the knife to her skin lightly and traced down her neck and chest and stopped at the button on her blouse. 

“I’d never seen him so happy before. Then the fun began. I made him jump through hoops trying to keep you safe.  It was funny, really. He was willing to anything for you. You were as much a gift for me as you were for him.”

Payton squirmed again, trying to get away from him.  There were tears in her eyes. The fear that crawled up her spine doubled, realizing that Pat was going to be able to hurt Sidney because of her.

“I wonder,” he said using the knife to pop off one of her buttons, “if the perfect girl could make that kind of change in me.”

Chapter Thirty-two

The trip to North Carolina was very interesting.  She made everything so easy, walking off on her own, completely oblivious. He could have grabbed her there, but it wasn’t part of the plan. There were too many people around anyway. No sense taking such chances when patience would make everything play out his way. He’d gotten mad and made a mistake already.  Not a big mistake, but he caused more problems for himself with the break-in. He was mad that they thought they could get away from him, even for a little while.  Now he had to rework his plan slightly, move a few things around, change his time table. She’d moved in with Mr. Perfect, an unforeseen result of his impetuousness.  His access to her was a little more limited, but she was still his best plan.  Mr. Perfect was in full panic mode before he found her in Raleigh. The memory brought a smile to his face even now. 

He looked through the binoculars again. She was not living at her studio anymore, but she still worked there.  She was loading her car with camera equipment.  He watched her move in her slacks and silky white blouse. He could definitely see what Mr. Perfect saw in this one. She had very nice curves. It was too bad they no longer stayed upstairs. He wouldn’t mind an encore of that night by the window. She slid behind the wheel of her little blue Mustang and the engine roared.  He dropped the binoculars onto the seat next to him and pulled his own sedan out into the street and fell in behind her.  She drove through the center of town and he almost lost her, but he chose the run the red light, at the risk of her noticing.  She continued on to a wooded city park. He didn’t think she noticed.  At the park, she unloaded her equipment and set up under a large tree that shaded a cement bench.  Shortly after her arrival, a family of three joined her under the tree.  He watched her kneel down and greet the toddler, who hid behind his mother’s pant leg.  She finally coaxed him out with a small toy and she settled him on the bench.  She spent over an hour snapping pictures and playing with the child. She seemed to enjoy herself as much as he did.  He heard the child squeal and found that this whole scene irked him more than he thought. 

Eventually the family said their good-byes and took their smiling toddler away. She sat under the tree alone and watched a few other people in the park. If he was a photographer, he would want to take that picture. He would call it, “The Calm before the Storm”. He sneered to himself at his little joke.   She collected her camera equipment and loaded the car again. He followed her back to the studio.

Payton unlocked the door and an energetic Brooks greeted her.

“Hey buddy!” she called and leaned down to pet her blue-eyed companion.  She dropped her camera and bag on the side table and went back outside to unload the rest of the car.

“No, stay here, Brooks,” she said as the pup tried to come outside with her. She quickly closed the door on him. The last thing she needed was to chase him all over the neighborhood while he explored.  She wrested the rest of her equipment out of the trunk and stumbled back inside, nearly dropping the tripod on the floor. Brooks cocked his head to the side as he heard the swear word slip from her mouth.  Then she saw his whole body stiffen, the hair down his back bristled and she heard a low growl coming from deep inside him.  He launched himself toward the door before she could even turn around and she heard the hiss of electricity and a yelp from her protector.  She saw him on the floor his body writhing from the taser and then going limp. 

“Hello, Payton.”

Payton didn’t take time to think. She didn’t take the time to even qualify her shock as she recognized the man in front of her. She just turned and ran.  He chased her down the hall and caught up to her in the hall knocking her to the floor.

“Don’t do that,” he said.

She rolled over and scooted away from him a few feet. He stood over her. 

“Where are you going to go? You can’t possibly hope to get away from me.”

“Why? I don’t understand. Why… why did you do this?”

“Don’t worry, my dear. It’s not about you at all. You’re just the right thing at the right time. You are how I’m going to make him pay.”

Payton scrambled up and took off toward the kitchen, but he blocked her access. She turned and headed up the stairs.  There was a lock on that door, if she could just get there, she could get to the phone. He tripped her up on the stairs, grabbing her from behind and pulling her to him. He put a white cloth over her face. It smelled sweet.  She couldn’t breathe. Now it smelled rotten. She felt herself getting lightheaded.  As much as she fought it, she was not going to be able to keep from passing out. Panic took her over as the room began to spin and fade to black.

Chapter Thirty-one

The look on his face at first was relief, but it quickly turned cold and angry when Sidney saw who was in the green house with Payton.

“What are you doing in here?” he asked angrily.

“I just wanted to see what was out here. Alex saw me come in and wanted to say hello. That’s all,” Payton answered, suddenly very nervous about the tone of his voice.

“Come with me,” he ordered and took her arm.

“She is fine. You no need to be rough,” Alex said, standing up quickly.

“It’s none of your business. You stay away from Payton,” Sidney seethed, turning back toward Alex and getting up in his face.  Alex towered over him, leering in return.

“Stop it. Stop,” Payton exclaimed, getting between the two men, pushing her hands against their chests.  “Sidney, let’s go. Please.”

He let her lead him to the door.  Alex did not follow, but still stood as if he was ready for anything that might happen.  She smiled weakly at him as she left the green house and mouthed, I’m sorry.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was? You can’t disappear like that. Paul has been scouring the grounds for you. Tony was about to call the police.  I thought…”

“Oh, Sidney, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you,” she said, wrapping her arms around him.  She felt him relax some and he returned her embrace.

“I want you to stay away from him,” he said quietly.

“Sidney, don’t be silly. He’s not a threat. He’s not going to hurt me.”

“You don’t know him like I do.  Just do what I ask this one time, Payton. Stay away from him.”

“Sidney… he told me what happened,” she answered him apprehensively.

He pulled away from her quickly and looked her in the eye, “I don’t want to talk about this now and certainly not here. Let’s just go back to the party. People are waiting on me.”

She felt the tension return to his body as he grasped her hand and led her back to his peers.  She watched him put on his “Crosby” face and mingle among the NHL brass.  She was quiet and uncomfortable. She was not as good at this as he was. He introduced her to some people and played affectionate, but she could feel that he was still angry.  She could see when he smiled at her that his eyes were cold.  She grew more uncomfortable as the night went on.  She couldn’t turn around without seeing Paul standing just a few feet away. Finally, she just sat in her seat at the table and let Sidney move around the pavilion.  Alex caught her eye more than once, but, thankfully, he kept his distance.  All she could offer him was a weak smile before she looked away. By the time Sidney was ready to leave, Payton was miserable. 

He was quiet on the ride back to the hotel. Payton sat staring out the window watching the lights go by. She didn’t even realize she was crying until he moved close to her and took her into his arms. 

“Sidney, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t mean… anything.”

“Shhh, doesn’t matter now. Don’t cry. I’m sorry.  I should have told you myself.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t let it go. I should have just let it go,” she said.

“Yes, well, it’s over.  Let’s just forget about it. Just listen to me when I tell you to stay away from him.”

“But, Sidney, he didn’t do it,” she protested.  He looked at her dumbfounded.

“Payton, you’re so naïve. You believe everything people tell you. Don’t get me wrong, I love that about you,” he added as she rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to fight anymore about this, whether he did or didn’t, whether she played me or not, I want you to stay away from him.”

He said the last four words with such force that she knew he really meant it.  She didn’t have it in her to argue with him about it. Besides, how often was she going to see Alex Ovechkin anyway.

Chapter Thirty

The NHL All-star game was in North Carolina this year.  Sid told her it would be a fun weekend and even though she was still recovering from the break-in, she was excited to go. Sidney had helped her fix up her studio, buying her all new furniture to replace what had been destroyed.  She had basically moved into his house so her room upstairs was mostly left untouched. She didn’t want to live in there anymore. She didn’t want to go in there anymore. It was as if the stalker still made his presence known up there.  It would never be her room again.

Sidney’s agent, Pat, had them checked into their room by the time they got to the hotel. Sid ushered her in through a back door and Tony led the way up a back staircase and to a second level where they took the elevator the rest of the way.

“Everything is clear,” said Paul, Tony’s new assistant. Tony had felt the need to add more security with the threats on Sidney and Payton escalating. Paul was a short man with dark brown hair and a non-descript face. Payton thought he would blend in and easily be forgotten. She guessed that was a good thing in security.  Tony informed her that Paul would be her shadow while they were in Raleigh.  With all the extra measures that Tony was taking, she didn’t feel like she could argue.

Paul sat with her during the All-star Skills Competition. It was so much fun.  Sidney did some incredible moves somehow popping the puck up over the back of the net and managing to get around to the front to bat it in out of the air. The show was really a lot of fun.  Then she saw a skater come out on the ice dressed in one of the mascot uniforms.  It was an eagle, Slapshot, the Washington Capitals mascot.  He shuffled the puck around in an amazing display of puck-handling. Payton was incredibly impressed that a mascot could handle the puck so well, especially in that suit.  Then Slapshot flipped the puck into the air, spun around and batted the puck, still in the air, toward the goal mouth. It went in. The crowd roared with appreciation!  At this point, another skater hurried out onto the ice and started pulling on the mascot. He eventually struggled the hawk head off and revealed Alex Ovechkin hidden beneath it. The crowd roared again at the deception and cheered.  Alex skated around waving at his fans.  She found herself giggling at his stunt. He definitely knew how to spark the crowd.

There was a dinner for all the participants that night.  It was in the gardens of a lovely estate just outside Raleigh. Chinese Maple trees littered pathways through the gardens that comprised of incredible roses and lilies and many flowers that she couldn’t identify. As the sun went down solar lights lit the path creating a lovely sparkle leading up to a glowing pavilion. Payton spied several NHL players that she had met briefly and still got that thrill of excitement to be in the same proximity as them.  Marty Brodeur was quiet yet still larger than life. She was in awe of him as was Sid. He had told her that being able to play with him, one of his hockey heroes, at the Olympics was a dream come true for him.  She chatted briefly with Marty and his wife and wandered down the path after spying a greenhouse a short distance away. It was all lit up and she felt drawn there.  She looked around over her shoulder as she turned the knob on the door wondering if she should go in, but unable to stop herself.  The greenhouse held orchids of every color she could imagine.  She looked around her dumbfounded. She had never seen anything more beautiful in her life.

“Hello, Payton.”

She twisted around quickly, her heart pounding in her chest.  She let out the breath she was holding as she turned and realized that it was only Alex.

“You scared me. You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” she exclaimed, steadying her nerves.

“I’m sorry,” he smiled. “It was not my intention. I saw you come here. I wanted to say hello.”

“It’s okay. I’m happy to see you. I saw your show today.”

“My show?  No. I only part. It was fun. We like to have fun. I am glad you like it.” 

He had moved closer to her. He was clean-shaven tonight and in a beautiful navy suit and blue shirt that brought out his eyes. He took her left hand that she had clasped to her chest when he’d startled her, raising it to his lips and pressed a small kiss there.

“I am glad you are happy to see me. I was not sure you would be.”

“Now I have a chance to thank you for the flowers. They were beautiful. It was kind of you,” she stepped back slightly, gently pulling her hand from his grasp.

“So, you are here with Crosby, yes?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said quietly, wondering where this was going.

“I not do what he say. I am not monster.”

“I don’t know what you mean, Alex,” she said shocked. “Sidney didn’t tell me anything. He won’t talk about you.”

Alex looked at her in surprise.

“Will you tell me what happened?  I’d really like to understand. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

“I no think… if he not say--” he protested.

She took a step closer to him, “Please, Alex.”

He sat down on a stool next to a delicate white and violet orchid.  He gently touched the petal and took a breath.

“It was long time ago, second year here, I think.  There was girl.  I not know she was with him,” he looked into Payton’s eyes and then down at his feet. “But I no care anyway. I was young. Did not think about much but me then.  I only see her once. Most girls then were only once. She crazy. She got mad. Told him I force her.”

He looked up into Payton’s eyes again, “I no force her. I no force anybody,” he said adamantly.

“He got mad, attack me, accuse me, say he would see me pay, send me to jail or back to Moscow.”

“I tell him I did not, but he no hear me.  He no want to hear me. There was fight,” he said rubbing his jaw slightly. Payton thought Sid must have gotten a good punch in if Alex was brushing his jaw like that at the memory.  She was shocked. This is not what she’d expected to hear.

“Malkin tell me she finally told him the truth. I guess is why I am still here,” he said quietly. She waited to make sure he was finished. She was still processing what he had told her.

“That’s all,” he finally said.

“I don’t know what to say.  I’m sorry, Alex,” she said quietly. He looked so young and vulnerable sitting there. He looked at her with his soft blue eyes and smiled slightly.

“You a lady, Payton, the photographer. Crosby is lucky man.”

Just then, the door to the greenhouse burst open.

Chapter Twenty-nine

“It’s okay. I’ve got you. Nothing can hurt you while I’m here,” he whispered and shushed her holding her close.  She snuggled close into his neck.

“I know,” she whispered.

“You want to tell me about it?”

She shook her head no. She didn’t want to go through it again. It was already fading away from her just lying there safe in Sidney’s arms.

“I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“Don’t be silly.  I don’t mind you waking me in the middle of the night. Of course, I prefer a kiss to a scream, but…” he shrugged and smiled at her.  She reached up and stroked his cheek. He took her hand and kissed her palm. She pulled him slightly toward her, urging him to claim his kiss.  He brushed his lips across hers lightly and she opened hers in expectation. He kissed her softly, sliding his tongue inside to meet hers, pushing her back down into her pillow.  Her heart rate jumped again, but fear was not the cause this time. She ran her fingers up his strong neck and into his soft, dark curls.  She loved his kisses. Nothing in the world could be wrong as long as he kissed her like this.  She moved her lips across the stubble on his chin and down his neck. He let out a soft sigh and slid his hand up underneath her t-shirt. She loved the feel of his fingertips across her skin. His hand traveled up her ribs and he cupped her breast, brushing his thumb across her nipple in the process.  She gasped slightly and he smothered her mouth with his again. He kissed her hard and pinched her nipple gently between his thumb and forefinger. She felt his knee slide over hers as he shifted his weight.  The multitude of sensations was making her lightheaded and desperate for more. 

“Oh, Sidney, please,” was all she could manage. He pulled her t-shirt over her head and it landed on the floor. Her blue silk panties and his boxer briefs joined it there soon after. He shifted his weight to be over her and leaned down and sucked a nipple between his lips. He teased it with his tongue while sliding his hand between her legs and teasing her clit with his fingers. She moaned softly.  She rubbed her hand up his muscular arms, across his shoulders and against his chest, squeezing his nipple in return.  He returned his mouth to hers and plunged his fingers inside her as his tongue entered her mouth. He kissed her hard and fast.  His kiss left her breathless as he released her and kissed down her neck, returning to her breasts shortly before continuing to kiss down across her stomach.  She grabbed a handful of sheet as he plunged his face between her legs and sucked on her clit.

“My favorite place in all the world,” he whispered, his hot breath teasing her. She moaned his name softly and he smiled before continuing to lick her up and down.  He took turns sucking and licking gently over her clit, until her breathing was rapid and he knew she was close.  He slid his fingers back inside her, pumping her and sucking her simultaneously.  Faster and harder, he fingered her until her hips were bucking against him.

“Come for me, baby,” he ordered and sucked harder.

“Oh, God, don’t stop. Oh… Sidney,” she cried, her hips thrusting toward his face, her muscles seizing as the hot tingle of her orgasm exploded up her spine.  He quickly sat up between her legs, picked her up like a rag doll and pulled her onto his huge cock. She was still feeling her powerful climax as he entered her, making her cry out again.  He held her tight to him, cupping her ass with his strong hands and thrust his cock up into her over and over. He buried his face in her neck as she clung to him, completely at his mercy.  His grunts and groans were coming faster as he moved his hips against her.  She was completely lost in the ecstasy of his embrace.  He slammed her back against the bed and plunged harder and faster into her, rising up on his on his elbows for better leverage.  She wrapped her legs around him and locked her ankles completely content have him ride her into oblivion. He cried out with one last powerful thrust and came into her, his hot spunk filling her with warmth as her second orgasm shot up her spine. 

He collapsed on top of her with a sigh and she wrapped her arms around him, stroking his shoulders and playing with his curls.

“Oh, Payton,” he mumbled.

“I love you, Sidney,” she whispered breathlessly and kissed his neck just beneath the ear.  He rolled over to his side crushing her to him and there she fell asleep, safe in his arms.

Chapter Twenty-eight

A noise woke her.  She looked over the back of the couch, but it was too dark to see anything.  Maybe it was Brooks.  She sat up, but Brooks was curled up by the glass door, sleeping. She heard the noise again.  It sounded like papers shuffling in the front room.  Her heart lept in her chest. There was someone in the house.  She quietly stood up, concentrating on the noise. Slowly she moved toward the kitchen, thinking of the back door and escape.  Her foot exploded in pain as she smashed her toe into the coffee table.  The rustling noise in the other room stopped. Her heart was beating so loudly in her chest that she wasn’t sure she could hear anything else.  Suddenly, there was a footstep on the hardwood floor. She glanced at Brooks, still softly snoring way blissfully unaware.  The ominous sound of another footstep reached her ears. She backed up slowly, frantically trying to think of a place to hide. Panic was rising in her and she was having difficulty keeping herself from breaking out into a run.  She slipped behind the couch and kneeled down, but not before she glimpsed a shadowy figure in the hall. She held her breath. She crawled to the far edge of the couch ignoring the cold of the floor against her bare knees.

“Paaayton…” whispered a deep frightening voice.

She froze. He knew she was there. Her hands were shaking.

“Paaaaaayton…” the voice repeated. “Come out, come out, where ever you are.”

She swallowed away a whimper that tried to escape and fought the building scream with all her might.  She heard his step again at the far end of the room.

“Come on Payton. You don’t need to bother hiding. I will find you anyway. You’re just making it harder on yourself.” 

If he kept talking, she would be able to know where he was and keep away from him.  He was across the room now and sounded as if he was moving toward the glass door. If she didn’t make a move now, he was going to get between her and escape.

“Payton, this is getting old,” his voice had lost the spooky playfulness and began to hold more anger.  She heard him bump into the side table.  He cried out and she jumped up and ran for the kitchen.  In a second, he was on her, pushing her to the floor and crawling on top of her.

“NO!” she screamed as she struggled against him.  She flailed against him swinging her fists at any part of him that she could connect with. He was fighting to get her wrists under control.  She connected with his nose and he growled at her and slapped her hard.  It stunned her just enough for him to get his hands around her wrists and hold her down. 

“Now stop, Payton. If I wanted to hurt you, I’d have done so already,” he hissed.  “I have other plans for you.”

Payton’s eyes grew wide.  His face was still in shadow, but there was something in his voice. For just a second, she thought she’d heard it before.  Her panic began all over again as he forced her legs apart with his knee. She could feel his breath on her cheek. She struggled underneath his weight. He had her arms pinned, but she managed to get a foot against the floor and push up against him as he was trying to wrestle both wrists into one hand. She gained a little moving space and shoved her knee into him pushing with all her might. For a second she was free. She rolled quickly to the right, but he was on her again before she could get to her feet. He shoved her face into the floor and climbed on top of her.

“Oh, you’ll pay for that I was going to be nice, but now…” he hissed at her.

He slid his hand down to her hips and grabbed the waistband of her knit pajama shorts.

Payton screamed.

“What, what?” a bewildered Sidney sat up in bed next to her.  She had screamed out loud, waking her from the nightmare. She was breathing hard, so hard in fact that she was having a hard time getting it under control.  Sid wrapped his arm around her and she clung to him. 

“Baby, hey, it’s okay. You’re okay.”

He reached over to the side table and banished the darkness with the lamp. She was here in his house, in his bed, safe in his arms. He pushed the hair away from her face and looked at her with concern.  She kissed him quickly and held on to him.

“It was just a dream.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

Sidney held her close, feeling the anger well up inside him.  He couldn’t keep from feeling responsible. Her whole world was destroyed because of him. Her tears were too much for him.  He’d never felt so much rage, not on the ice, not ever. Somehow, he was going to fix this. Somehow, he was going to find this guy and make him pay.  He lifted her chin and wiped a tear off her cheek.

“I will fix this. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” she sniffed.

“But it is. I brought this into your life. You don’t know how sorry I am.”

“Sidney,” she smiled weakly. “You have brought me the greatest joy I’ve ever known.”

He looked away from her, but she drew his face back and gently kissed his lips. He pulled away from her and stood up, clenching his hands into a fist.

“I don’t know how you can still feel that way. Look at this place. Everything you own, everything you love, everything you are is trashed all over!”

“Not everything I love. You are what I love. You are the most important thing to me,” she gazed up at him and reached for his hand.  He let her pull him back down next to her.

She wrapped her arms around him and lay her head against his chest. “I wouldn’t be able to get through this without you.”

He held her close again doing his best to make her feel safe.  He looked over the chaos that her room had become and closed his eyes against the sight.

“We don’t have to do this now.  Let’s go to my place. We can do this tomorrow.”

“No, I … I want to see clean it up. I … I want to see if anything is missing. I don’t want to leave it this way,” she said looking around at all her destroyed possessions.

“Okay then, I’ll get some boxes. Will you be fine?”

She smiled weakly at him and nodded. She took a deep breath, moved toward the bookcase and knelt on the floor.  They’re just books, she told herself. She picked up her copy of Treasure Island and thumb through the torn pages.  She pulled the book close to her. It still had that old book smell. It was a comforting scent, reminding her of the time she spent with this book, quiet happy times, safe and secure times.  She pulled the book into her chest and took another deep breath.

“Payton?” Max appeared in the doorway.  “Oh man.”

She looked back at him and smiled at the look of concern on his face. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” she offered a weak laugh. “You’ll just make me cry again.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that. Really, it’s not a good look for you.”

Payton giggled. Max joined her on the floor, picking up the scattered books.

“Thank you, Max.  I’m glad you were here. I don’t know I would have done if we’d come home to this unprepared.”

Max shrugged at her.  Sid reappeared in the doorway and they set about cleaning up the wreckage. She kept her emotions under control, even with the sideways glances from Sid and Max every once in a while.  She knew they were worried about her, but she had to concentrate on one thing at time.  By the time, she made it to Sidney’s home that night, she felt like she’d spent the whole day on the worst rollercoaster of her life.  It was so nice to slip in between his soft sheets and curl up in his arms and put the whole day behind her.

Chapter Twenty-six

“We’ve got to go back to Pittsburgh,” he had said as soon as she’d gotten out of the shower that morning.  She’d looked at him questioningly and he explained. “Your place was broken into.”

“What?”

“I don’t have all the details, but we have to go back now. The plane is waiting.”

“Oh, my God, Brooks!” she exclaimed, worried about her pup.

“He’s okay. Max took him home the night that we came up here. He wasn’t even there.”

She wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her. “Come on, get your stuff. We’ll go see how bad it is.”

With the tailwind, the flight was actually shorter than normal, but it still seemed to take forever.  Now they were finally standing at her door.  She put her hand over her mouth in shock as they entered the studio.  Max was struggling with a large piece of heavy plastic to cover the hole left by the shattered glass door. He turned as they entered.

“Pate, it’s gonna be okay,” he said quickly, crossing to them and placing his hands on her upper arms, “I have a new door coming in a couple hours. I just wanted to keep the cold out.”

“Oh, Max,” she said and hugged him. He held her for a minute.  Sid offered his hand and his thanks. Max just shrugged it off as if to say he knew Sid would do the same for him. 

“Did you bring Brooks?” she asked.

“No, he’s still at my place. I just stopped by here to get that extra dog food and I found it this way. By the way, that pup eats like a horse.”

Payton smiled weakly. It was the first time she’d managed one since last night. Max could always find a way. She found herself loving the jokester in front of her all the more.

“The officer said he would be back when you got here if you would just call him. He wanted you to see if anything was missing,” he continued. “I wanted to clean up a little, but I was afraid to throw anything away.”

“Thank you Max,” she said, squeezing his hand.

She turned and look over her studio. “What about upstairs? Have you been upstairs, Max?”

He shook his head no.  She felt Sid’s strong hand in hers and he moved with her up the staircase. She hesitated with her hand on the doorknob.   Sid stepped forward and opened it for her.  She walked through the door openmouthed.  Then she let out a soft moan and buried her face in Sidney’s chest.  The room was completely trashed. All of her books were ripped from the shelves and pages were torn and tossed on the floor. The frames holding her personal pictures lie broken across the room.  The bedding was crumpled and ripped and joined all the other debris on the floor.  The canvas portrait of the forest above her bed still hung on the wall, however, it had been slashed with a knife, probably the same knife that the villain used to rip her bedclothes.  There were broken pieces of shell all over. It looked as if some came in swinging a bat and didn’t stop until everything had been destroyed.  Payton pulled away from Sidney, wiping the tears from her eyes.  She sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up a broken frame from her nightstand. It was the photo that she had taken of Sid, the one that he had autographed for her, Always your captain.  The tears streamed down her cheeks again. Sidney sat down next to her and took her in his arms.  He held her close and let her cry, running his fingers across her hair. 

“It’s going to be okay, baby.  I’m going to make it okay.”