Haunted(36)

Chapter 29 – Beth



Two weeks had passed since we’d found out Andrew had been living in my house, and a lot had changed. First of all, Berg found an apartment two days after we went to the police station. It was a nice apartment, the kind where security guards stood at the front desk. If someone was not approved, then he or she would not be allowed past the lobby. Berg said that even without the kidnapping, he would have had to move into a place like this. He reminded me that sometimes fans could be inappropriate, and it was for the best in the long run.

Roman said that Berg needed help unpacking, and helping him would give us somewhere to stay. I knew my husband better than that; he knew that when he couldn’t be with me, Berg could. Now I had around-the-clock surveillance. Roman hired bodyguards who tailed me everywhere I went. So until Roman and I could find a house, we lived in Berg’s guestroom. With the security downstairs in the lobby, two security guards outside our door, and Berg on the inside, I was about as safe as safe could be.

Roman wouldn’t let me go to my house without him going too. He even had a problem with me just going somewhere with only the bodyguards. Sometimes when I thought of my house, I thought of the crawl space and the closet where Andrew had been hiding. I had never asked what he kept there, and Roman never offered to tell me. I thought that was telling, and I imagined I would be happier not knowing. After we’d left the police station, we’d still had surveillance from the police force. Roman and I went into my house and retrieved the most important items and packed them up. We had some disagreements on what was important, but we didn’t fight. I felt as though my books should be packed up and he said that the movers could pack them. I highly disagreed but Roman was insistent.

By the end of the day, we had stacks of boxes, and Roman rented a storage room where we could put them safely until we found our house. We packed clothes and other personal items in a few suitcases and brought them to Berg’s home. Roman hired a moving company to come in and pack up everything else in the house. The boxes and furniture went in the storage unit. I overheard Roman tell the supervisor of the moving company that if any of my books where damaged in the move, he would personally come to the corporate office to complain about the movers, and he wouldn’t be too friendly about it.

Eric came over one night, and we all agreed that we would put Joey in a private school. It was a school where the security was flawless. Roman paid for it, and Eric had no problem with letting Roman pay. I think Eric thought that was the least Roman could do because of him putting our family in danger. Joey also had two bodyguards tailing him. Joey didn’t mind; he thought it was cool. He thought the bodyguards were his entourage. The bodyguards stayed with him all the time.

While interviewing the bodyguards for Joey, I made sure that the two I picked had fun-loving personalities. Roman made sure that they had excellent credentials in the field. Eric had told me that he often found the two bodyguards playing Xbox with Joey. That was fine with me. Eric told me that he once peaked his head around into the room, and one of the bodyguards pulled a gun on him. Believe it or not, Eric was pleased. Now as a result, Eric offered a verbal warning before he entered a room.

On the weekends, Joey would come over and stay with us. Eric and I decided that Joey would be staying with him until Roman and I found a new house. I couldn’t believe that Eric and I were co-parenting so well together. Maybe that was because we both wanted the best for Joey.

Every day Roman left the apartment and went house hunting. He told me that he didn’t want me to get out unnecessarily. When he found our house, he would let me look at it before he bought it. We went through several magazines, and I showed him what I liked and what I didn’t like. I told him I didn’t want a mansion; I wanted a nice simple house with land. I even offered to help with the down payment, but he looked at me and smiled. I have never been a materialistic person so when I received my mother’s life insurance policy, I put the money into savings for Joey’s future. It didn’t take a lot to make me happy: a good book, a cup of coffee, my husband, my son, and my iPod. What else did I need?

Roman and I had also started therapy together. The therapist told us that, at times, she would want to talk to us individually and that made both of us uneasy. We insisted that the other knew everything, but she explained to us that she needed to go deeper into Roman’s self-blame and go deeper into my feelings about being raped by two different men. We all agreed to see what happened but going was the first step.

I stood in Berg’s kitchen, cleaning up from breakfast. Roman and Berg sat across from me on bar stools.

“So what’s on the agenda today boys?”

“In about twenty minutes, I have an appointment with a realtor to look at three promising houses,” Roman said as he took the last sip of his coffee. “What do you two have planned for the day?”

“I was thinking that Beth and I could go swim with the dolphins today. I also heard they have a special on swimming with the sharks. It costs a little more, but I think Beth is worth it, wouldn’t you agree?”

“You’re not f*cking funny, Berg.” Roman gave Berg the stink eye.

Berg and I both liked to mess with Roman about his being so overprotective of me. I thought it was sweet, and since I didn’t go out too much, it didn’t really bother me, but Berg well, he thought it was hilarious.

“Berg, leave Roman alone. He’s stressed out enough looking for our dream house.” I popped Berg on the shoulder with my dish towel.