Falling Tower

Chapter 16

My mind goes blanks while trying to sit. I look up and Lucas is telling Dayo to get the car. He turns, walks towards me, and bends in front of me. He goes to put his hands on me and I slap it away. He looks hurt and puts his head down. 
"How could you?"
"Jasmen, I-"
"Don't you dare apologize! You destroy a mans life, a woman is killed, Tate is in the Hospital, Maria-!" I just remembered that someone was following her. I get up and run to his desk. I dial Maria's number on the Office Phone.
"Hello?" Maria sounded fine.
"Maria!" I say relieved and out of breath.
"Jasmen? What's wrong, are you okay?"
"Yes, Listen to me, go home! Okay? Go straight home right now!"
She agrees and we both hang up.
"Jas, can we please-"
"No! We need to go to the Hospital," I say pacing back and forth. "Check up on Tate."
He nods and grabs his things. He walks ahead, opening the door for me. I grab my purse and go to grab my Blazer but Lucas grabs it, trying to put it over my shoulders. I snatch it from his hands. The look on his face crushes me but I didn't want him anywhere near me right now. If it wasn't for Sam, I would've went home alone. God knows if that lunatic was still outside, waiting for us.

We get in the elevator and Shawn is waiting for us by the Elevator door, in the Main Lobby. We get into the Porsche and are followed the entire way to Hospital by Dayo, driving the Cadillac.

"We don't know how long he will be in this Coma. It can be days or even years." The Doctor said there was little anyone could do. It was all up to Tate at this point.
I looked at Lucas and gave him the dirtiest look imaginable. He was the reason why another human had suffered this much. His own lies and deceit had finally caught up to him.

"Please say something to me. Anything." He pleads as the Doctor walks out the room.
What was there to say? I was scared and hurt. Even if I wanted to walk away from this relationship, I would still be entangled in it. However, that wasn't an option for me. I loved Lucas and no one would take me away from him.
"There needs to be Security here for Tate. Sam could waltz in here and finish him." I say and Luke's eyes grow big. I walk out the room.

When we got home, Maria was at the door waiting for us. She had a look of panic on her face.
"Thank god!" Maria yells. She hugged me and looked at Lucas.
"Maria," I took her hand and we began to walk up to my room.
She turned and looked at Lucas. He put his head down and walked towards the Kitchen.

"Oh my Lord!" Maria was in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"And she told him she would kill herself if they couldn't be together. He told her he didn't care and she killed herself."
We were sitting on the bed and I started to cry. She got up and handed me a tissue.
"This man could've killed us! And Tate!?" She held her heart.
"He's in a coma. Doctors said it's up to him to pull through."
She sat next to me and gave me a hug. She looked at me and dried my tears with her hand.
"This may sound cruel but you can't hold this against Mr. Bower. We all mistakes. And this was a long time ago. I chose to forgive the man that killed my Stuart and you know what? I felt a lot better. We have to move on. That Lucas isn't the same Mr. Bower I know today."
She was right. I needed to talk to him. But I would take a nap first. Too much has happened in one day.

I walked down the stairs and Dayo was standing near the Front Door looking straight ahead.
"Dayo, where is Mr. Bower?"
He ignored me.
Ugh!
"Dayo, I asked you a question. Are you really going to ignore me?"
He didn't say a word. Didn't even bother looking at me.
How rude!
I decided to stand in front of his face until he acknowledged me. Hopefully that would get some type of noise.
I walked up to him, smiled, and asked again, "Dayo, where is Mr. Bower? If you don't tell me, I will just accompany you until I see fit."
We both stood there for a good minute. I decided to stand next to him and lean on him.
"I seriously need a mani and pedi. Know any good places around here?"
I looked at him. He still looked straight ahead. Didn't even blink.
"My feet are killing me, hold my shoes please!"
I went to bend down and take my shoes off when I felt myself being lifted off the ground, and swung over massive shoulders.
"Wait a second! Dayo, what are you doing? Put me down you brute!"
I started to punch his back, but to no avail. He felt like a brick wall. He started walking down the Hallway, assuming we're headed to Luke's Office. I kept kicking and screaming. Dayo knocks on the door and without waiting for Lucas to answer, he enters.

"You are so rude!! Oh my God! You're so lucky I can't fire you!"
The brute won't talk to me but its fine to touch me?
"Dayo! What did she do?"
What did I do!? What the? Me!? Was Lucas on his side now?
He places me carefully on floor and walks toward Lucas.
"I speak to no female. Especially in this home. Please tell her. I am also not a guide or a girlfriend. I am only here for her protection."
I cross my arms over my chest. Oh he does speak? So he wasn't such a brute. And I liked the protection part, but still!
"I only asked where Mr. Bower was."
"You lie!" He snapped his neck back towards me. "You ask about something called a mani and to hold your shoe! None which are in my job description!"
Lucas and I both smile.

"Dayo, that is all. I will talk to her." Dayo bows to Lucas, turns to give me a Gruff and walks away.
I imitates his thick African accent and flap my hands in the air, "none which are in my job description."
Lucas starts to laugh and walks towards me.  He hesitates when he sees I've gotten serious.

"So why where you looking for me?" He says grabbing my hands leading me to the front of his desk, where he sits.
"Why did you do that to him? Your best friend." He let me go and walked to his window, looking out.
"I was a broken man at that time. I was still reeling from losing my parents, and all I had was my work. Elizabeth came to the Office one night to drop off paperwork. Her Dad and Mr. Ludwick were working together, sending contracts back and forth to one another. She was the middle man. One thing led to another and we started our affair. It's not like we were dating or anything. She would come by the Office a couple of times a week and we would have sex. I knew it was wrong but at the time it was convenient. Two days before I left, we had just finished having sex and I told her I wasn't coming back. That I was going to move to London. She begged and pleaded for me to bring her. I told her no. She kept saying she loved me and I told her I didn't."

"She kept blowing up my phone and I kept ignoring her. She just wouldn't stop. So that's when I decided to call Sam to tell him about Elizabeth and I. But He sounded so happy about wanting to propose. I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth. All I could think was to tell him not to do it. Not yet anyways. That there were so many other women out there. For him to wait until he was absolutely sure. And of course she wouldn't stop calling me. I decided enough was enough and I answered her last call. She pleaded with me not to go and kept repeating how much she loved me. That she didn't care for Sam. How she would make me happy. I told her to stop. I knew I was being a hypocrite but I told her to leave Sam alone because of her betrayal. Then she started talking about killing herself if I left her behind. I told her that was fine and hung up."

The tears began to fill up in my eyes. What a horrible thing to do. I walked up to him and hugged him.
"I'm sorry," he whispers  as he hugs me tightly. "Because of me, my family is in danger."
I look at him, the tears were already pouring down my face. Maria was right. As hideous as all this was, this was a different man standing in front of me. One that I would fight tooth and nail for.
"Let's go to bed."