"Jesus, Ana! What the f**k is going on?"
I am relieved to see Ethan as he paces the small lobby, still carrying his large shoulder bag. Oh, thank heavens he's okay! When Taylor sets me down, I practically throw myself at Ethan, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Ethan. Oh, thank God!" I hug him, holding him close. I was so worried, and for a brief moment, I enjoy some respite from my rising panic at what is unfolding upstairs in my apartment.
"What the f**k is going on, Ana? Who's this guy?"
"Oh, sorry, Ethan, this is Taylor. He works with Christian. Taylor, this is Ethan, my roommate's brother."
They nod at each other.
"Ana, upstairs, what's going on? I was fishing for the apartment keys when these guys jumped out of nowhere and grabbed them. One of them was Christian..." Ethan's voice trails off.
"You were late... Thank God."
"Yeah. I met a friend from Pullman - we had a quick drink. Upstairs, what's going on?""There's a girl, an ex of Christian's. In our apartment. She's gone postal, and Christian is..." My voice cracks, and tears pool in my eyes.
"Hey," Ethan whispers and pulls me close once more. "Has anyone called the cops?"
"No, it's not like that." I sob into his chest and now I've started, I can't stop crying, the tension of this latest episode releasing through my tears. Ethan tightens his arms around me, but I sense his bemusement.
"Hey, Ana, let's go get a drink." He pats my back awkwardly. Abruptly, I feel awkward, too, and embarrassed, and in all honesty, I want to be on my own. But I nod, accepting his offer. I want to be away from here, away from whatever's going on upstairs.
I turn to Taylor.
"Was the apartment checked?" I ask him tearfully, wiping my nose with the back of my hand.
"This afternoon." Taylor shrugs apologetically as he hands me a handkerchief. He looks devastated. "I'm sorry, Ana," he murmurs.
I frown. Jeez, he looks so guilty. I don't want to make him feel worse.
"She does seem to have an uncanny ability to evade us," he adds scowling again.
"Ethan and I will go for a quick drink then head back to Escala." I dry my eyes.
Taylor shuffles from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Mr. Grey wanted you to go back to the apartment," he says quietly.
"Well, we know where Leila is now." I can't keep the bitterness out of my voice. "So, no need for all the security. Tell Christian we'll see him later."
Taylor opens his mouth to speak and then wisely closes it again.
"Do you want to leave your bag with Taylor?" I ask Ethan.
"No, I'll keep it with me, thanks."
Ethan nods at Taylor, then ushers me out of the front door. Too late, I remember that I've left my purse in the back of Audi. I have nothing.
"My purse - "
"Don't worry," Ethan murmurs, his face full of concern. "It's cool, it's on me."
We choose a bar across the street, settling onto wooden bar stools by the window. I want to see what's going on - who's coming, and more importantly who's going. Ethan hands me a bottle of beer.
"Trouble with an ex?" he says gently.
"It's a bit more complicated than that," I mutter, abruptly guarded. I can't talk about this - I have signed an NDA. And for the first time, I really resent that fact and that Christian's said nothing about rescinding it.
"I've got time," Ethan says kindly and takes a long slug of his beer.
"She's an ex, from years back. She left her husband for some guy. Then a couple of weeks or so ago he was killed in a car crash, and now she's come after Christian." I shrug.
There, that didn't give too much away.
"Come after him?"
"She had a gun."
"What the f**k!"
"She didn't actually threaten anyone with it. I think she meant to harm herself. But that's why I was so worried about you. I didn't know if you were in the apartment."
"I see. She sounds unstable."
"Yes, she is."
"And what's Christian doing with her now?"
The blood drains from my face and bile rises in my throat. "I don't know," I whisper.
Ethan's eyes widen - at last he's got it.
This is the crux of my problem. What the f**k are they doing? Talking, I hope. Just talking. Yet all I can see in my mind's eye is his hand, tenderly stroking her hair.
She's disturbed and Christian cares about her, that's all this is, I rationalize. But in the back of my mind, my subconscious is shaking her head sadly.
It's more than that. Leila was able to fulfill his needs in a way I cannot. The thought is depressing.
I try to focus on all we've done in the last few days - his declaration of love, his flirty humor, his playfulness. But Elena's words keep coming back to taunt me. It's true what they say about eavesdroppers.
Don't you miss it... your playroom?
I finish my beer in record time, and Ethan lines up another. I am not much of a companion, but to his credit he stays with me, chatting, trying to lift my spirits, talking about Barbados, and Kate and Elliot's antics, which is wonderfully distracting. But it's just that -
a distraction.
My mind, my heart, my soul are all still in that apartment with my Fifty Shades and the woman who used to be his submissive. A woman who thinks she still loves him. A woman who looks like me.
During our third beer, a large cruiser with heavily-tinted windows pulls up next to the Audi in front of the apartment. I recognize Dr. Flynn as he climbs out, accompanied by a woman dressed in what look like pale blue scrubs. I glimpse Taylor as he lets them in through the front door.