"What?" My stomach clenched and I suddenly felt ill. "They know where I live? They're there right now?"
He nodded. "I'm really sorry, Emily."
I barely heard his words. The press is at my apartment. My apartment! Fear crawled up my spine and my mouth went dry with fear.
"Emily." Reed's concerned voice caused my thoughts to dissolve. "I'm so sorry. I know it's a lot for you to take in."
I stared back at him. For a second, I wanted to scream at him. Tell him he had no idea what this could to do to me. The problems it could cause for me.
"I think I should…" My voice faded because I wasn't sure what to say. I wanted to say that I should go home, but I couldn't go home. Not now. Not when there were reporters there waiting for me.
"You can stay at my place until this blows over." His words caught me off guard, and I looked over at him.
"I can't stay at your place, Reed." Is he crazy? I barely know him. "I'll be fine at a hotel."
"Please, this is my mess. I have two extra bedrooms. It's already late. You can stay there tonight and then we'll figure everything else out tomorrow."
Every part of my brain was telling me no. This was not a good idea. This was just going to get me deeper in this mess.
"Okay," I whispered as the little voice in the back of my head continued to tell me how stupid and careless I was being.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled into an underground garage. The car drove down a few floors to the basement level, finally coming to a stop in front of a small elevator door, away from the main ones near the front of the garage.
Reed got out and then held the car door open for me. The elevator doors opened when we approached and we didn't speak a word once they slid closed. With each second that passed, the more and more I wondered what I was doing in here. Even though I felt a connection to the man standing beside me, I was still in a freaking elevator with a guy I barely knew, heading up to his apartment. And the only reason I was going to his apartment was because my place was covered with reporters and paparazzi. What had my life become in the last few hours?
Even though all of this was going through my head, I was still curious as to what he was thinking. I couldn't even take a guess because my eyes were focused on the doors in front of me, but I swore he was looking over at me. I could feel his eyes on me.
My mind swirled with everything that had happened over the last couple of days, starting when Reed walked into my office. That’s what had started all of this in the first place. The words Christine had said to me rang loud in my ears. Reed was trouble. He had a reputation for breaking girls’ hearts. Then I couldn’t help but wonder. What were his intentions for wanting me to stay at his place? Was he just trying to be nice because of what happened tonight? Or was he expecting more? Suddenly, my mouth went dry. What had I gotten myself into?
When the doors opened we stepped into a brightly lit hallway. There was nothing on the plain, white walls, the carpet was a bland neutral color, and only one door was at the very end. Still feeling a little uneasy, I walked down the bland hallway.
"We had to take the freight elevator. Robbins said the reporters were all over the front of the building," Reed explained.
"Oh," was all I could say.
He opened the door and allowed me in first. The room I stepped into was a stark contrast to the hallway I’d just left. The walls were painted a dark grey and beautiful paintings hung on the walls. A long, thin table with two brightly lit lamps sat to our right. Reed immediately emptied his pockets and set everything down in a bowl in between the two lamps. It looked like it was something he did every time he got home. I followed him down the hall and into the foyer where a large round table sat in the middle.
The tall, broad-shouldered man I now knew was Robbins was standing near the kitchen, holding a plastic bag.
"Thank you, Robbins." Reed took the bag from him and handed it to me. "Here are some toiletries. I'll find you something to sleep in, in a minute. I just need to talk to Robbins first."
"Thank you.” I took the bag and glanced over at Robbins, who was staring forward. "Thank you," I said, looking directly at him. This whole situation seemed a little too familiar. As much as it hurt to even think about him, and even though they looked nothing alike, Robbins reminded me of Mike, even though the only thing they had in common was the same stoic expression they wore. I was beginning to wonder if it was a requirement in order to work in security.
"You're welcome, ma'am." He turned to walk across the room, toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Make yourself at home," Reed said to me. He then turned and made his way over to Robbins. Even though I knew it was rude, I stood there and stared at them as they dove into a deep and serious conversation. Reed's eyes met mine for a second, catching my stare. I looked away immediately.
Trying to find a distraction, I turned around in a slow circle, taking in the room. There were two dark-grey couches in the middle of the large living room, facing each other, and a black slate coffee table sat in between them. Besides a few floor lamps and another couple of chairs and an ottoman near the floor-to-ceiling windows, the room was mostly empty.
I stole another quick glance at Reed and Robbins. Their voices were too deep to whisper. I couldn't hear every word, but I picked up on a few things. Their main concern seemed to be Lexi. They also mentioned her two bodyguard’s names, Peters and Warren. My name was mentioned a couple of times and then their conversation ended. Robbins went in one direction and Reed went in another. Where they went, I had no idea. Reed reappeared a few minutes later, coming from a different direction with something in his hands.
"Here." He held it out for me to take. "It's really all I have."
Without even knowing what it was, I took it. "Thank you." I could now see that he was giving me some clothes to sleep in. I held them, along with the plastic bag from Robbins, close to my chest. I didn’t know what else to say.
"Your room is down the hall, second door on your left," he said, breaking the silence between us. "There should be fresh towels in the bathroom. If you need anything else, just let me know."
"Thank you." I smiled softly and then turned to walk down the hall.
I reached the bedroom and slowly pushed the door open. Standing there in the doorway, I looked over the room, wondering with each passing second what the hell I was doing here.
The room held a king-size bed that was covered in a dark-blue comforter with many different pillows ranging in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The far west wall was floor-to-ceiling windows, matching the view from the living room. Nightstands were on either side of the bed and tall lamps with grey shades sat on top. I was more convinced than ever that Reed had hired someone to decorate. Everywhere I looked in his house, it had a woman’s touch.
I walked in and placed the toiletry bag and the clothes he gave me on the bed and then made my way into the bathroom.
The bathroom alone was the size of my bedroom in my apartment. It had all the modern fixtures. The walk-in shower was the largest one I’d ever seen and had multiple showerheads. It looked absolutely amazing right now. A claw-footed tub sat on the far right wall and fresh towels hung over the side.
Stripping off my clothes, I took an extra-long shower, allowing the hot water to dissolve what had happened early this evening. It wasn't just the problems it could potentially cause me that filled my mind. I was more concerned for Lexi. What happened had really freaked her out and it was clear that, two years after the attack, the memories were still fresh and she was still suffering from them.
After drying off, I wrapped the towel around me before picking up the clothes that Reed had given me. I held the shirt out in front of me; it was worn looking. I couldn't help it; I pulled the shirt up to my nose and took in a long, deep breath. The smell was a mixture of him and clean laundry.