His Runaway Queen

Chapter 1

Ellie's POV

***7 years later***

“Great class, everyone,” I yelled out to all the women in my self-defense class.

As soon as they all filtered out, I cleaned the room really fast and headed to the showers. After my shower, I went to my office to finish the books for the night and then I could go home. My daughter was waiting for me. I left seven years ago, and she was the best thing to happen to me since then. It’s never been easy, but we’ve made a life for ourselves.

When I got to my office, my phone was blinking with a message. I picked it up and hit the voicemail button.

“Hey Emily, this is Detective Rollins. I have someone who could benefit from your class. A mugging and now terrified to leave home. Anyway, call me and I can give you more information.”

Unfortunately, this had been a routine phone call from detective Rollins since I opened the gym and started doing self-defense classes five years ago. After what happened to me, I didn’t want anyone to go through the same thing. So anytime a woman was scared because of a man hurting her I taught her how to defend herself for free. I shouldn’t just say women because we also had men that we helped but those were few and far between.

I dialed his number and waited for him to answer.

"Hey Emily, you get my message?"

"Sure did. What other details do you have for me?" I asked.

"Why don't you let me take you to dinner and I can go over them with you then."

"Detective Rollings, you know I don't date." I told him for about the hundredth time. I haven’t been on a date since I left seven years ago. I had a serious trust issue with men and if I’m being honest with myself, I was still a little in love with Tate.

"Never said it was a date. I said dinner. Hell, well go to a pizza joint and your daughter can play video games all she wants. My treat." He said pressing even harder. I had never introduced my daughter to anyone other than my brother. We were all she needed. She was seven and in the first grade.

"Detective Rollings," I started to say to turn him down again, but he was persistent.

"I will meet you at seven tonight at Pizzaroma." He said quickly and hung up. I would entertain this dinner this time only because I didn't want to cook but that would be the only thing happening.

I busied myself with the books at the gym and was looking at opening a second location since it was doing so well, and my brother was willing to help run one of them for me. He has been my rock these past seven years, and I wouldn’t have made it without him. When we came out here, he worked hard so I didn’t have to until I was healed up and then not until after I had Preslee. The attack had left me scared. Physically and mentally. If I ever find the three that hurt me, I will kill them. It’s a promise I made to myself years ago.

“Hey boss lady, I am out. You should be too. I am sure that Pres is waiting for you. Give her kisses for me,” Rachel said, popping into my office. She was like my right-hand man around here. She was a personal trainer but quickly became like my manager and one of my very friends. I am also pretty sure that she and my brother are dating but they haven’t said a word about it, and I will give them all the time in the world to tell me.

“I’ve got just a few more things, then I’m out as well. Have a good night.”

She left my office, and an hour later, Preslee and I were in my car headed to Pizzaroma. She was more than excited to go. It wasn’t very often that she got food like this. We ate pretty healthily, and she didn’t complain but she did love it when we had our cheat days.

"Pres stay where I can see you," I told her as I handed her tokens to play games. She ran off without giving Detective Rollings a glance.

I sat down at his table and waited for him to begin. This was supposed to be about work, but I knew better, and I would wait him out. This was not a date unless I said so and I wouldn’t agree to that.

"Your daughter is adorable. Just like her mom," he said giving me a big smile.

"Thank you. Now you told me some more information about the girl you were referring to me."

"We can get to that later. Tell me more about yourself."

"Detective Rollings, this is supposed to be about work, nothing else."

"Please call me James."

"I would rather not. Now please tell me what it is that you need to tell me about this girl."

He sighed and then started in on the girl. There was nothing new about this. This was his ploy to get me to go out with him and it worked but it was the only time it would work. Don't get me wrong. He was handsome. His big arms and his shirt stretched across his chest and the warm brown hair that was tussled back, that you could run your hands through as he pounded into me and those eyes. They were so green and memorizing. The strong jawline that could cut glass. I thought as I looked at him up and down and my face flushed, and my panties got wet, but I threw those thoughts away. I didn't do that. Not anymore. Not since the night I left Cedar Hills.

Our pizza arrived and I went and got Preslee and took her to the bathroom to wash her hands after touching all of the games. We went and sat back down with Detective Rollings.

"So, Preslee, what grade are you in?"

"First," she replied with a mouth full of food.

"Preslee, don't talk with your mouth full of food." I scolded her and she giggled.

Her and detective Rollings visited about the first grade, and she told him all about what they were learning and her art project for the week. Once she was done eating, I thanked him for inviting us and dropped a twenty on the table to pay for our half of dinner and practically dragged Preslee out of there. That will never happen again.

"Mom, I wanted to play more games," she whined as we left.

"Next time. You haven't done your homework yet and you need a bath tonight."

I turned the radio up to distract her from leaving and having to do her homework. She loved to sing regardless of how bad she sounded. It didn't take us long to get back to our house. I had found us the perfect little place that wasn't that far from her school and even closer to my work. I bought it four years ago and have turned it into the perfect home for us. Michael, my brother, bought the house three down from us. He's, my rock. When I left Cedar Hills, he came with me and helped me so much and I wouldn't have been able to do it without him.

I unlocked our door and Preslee dropped her bag right in the walkway, "Pres take your bag to your room and bring your homework back out here." I told her and she huffed but grabbed her bag off the floor and went to her room. I sent a text to Michael letting him know I was home. I knew he wanted to have a talk and I had been putting it off. I didn't want to, but I couldn't avoid it any longer.

"MOM," Preslee screamed, coming out of her room.

"Preslee, we don't scream in the house. You come and find me like a normal person."

"Sorry. I have to study all my spelling words."

"OK, get to it. At the kitchen table."

I walked behind her and made sure that she got started and then started cleaning up our breakfast mess as she started writing them all down. I was halfway through when I heard the front door open and close.

"Uncle Mikey," Preslee squealed and jumped up from the table. I swear sometimes those two lived to annoy the crap out of me. He would get her wound up and she wouldn't finish her spelling words.

"Mikey, she has spelling words. Either sit down and help her or leave her alone." I scolded him. He ignored me and spun her around before putting her back down.

"Come on princess mom says you have homework. I mean she's kind of a buzzkill but whatever."

"Ya mom don't be a buzzkill."

"Michael, I swear one of these days you are going to have kids and I am going to teach them the worst things ever."

"That's not happening. Come Pres I'll help with those spelling words," he said sitting down next to her.

I finished cleaning the kitchen and got a load of laundry done while they were studying and when they were done, I sent Preslee to take a shower and I sat at the kitchen table with a glass of wine. I had already had one glass tonight, but another was good for courage.

"Ellie, you don't have to do this. We can hire a lawyer and they can take care of it for you."

"Mike, you know I have to. I already felt like I left dad high and dry when we left. You may not have gotten along with him, but I did. It's the least I can do."

"I know but at least let me go with you."

"No, I need you to stay here and take care of Preslee."

"She can come with us."

"Absolutely not. Please stay here with her and take care of her for me. You're the only one I trust with her."

"What about you? It's not safe for you to go there."

"It's been seven years and I'm not the same person as I was before. I can do this. Besides I'm going to take care of dad's estate and come right back home. I'll be gone for a week at the most."

"MOM," Preslee screamed again, this time from the bathroom but I knew this time it was for me to check her hair. She was notorious for not getting it rinsed out well enough.

"This conversation is over. I'm going and you're on Preslee duty." I told him getting up from the table.

I walked into the bathroom and checked Preslee's hair and deemed it rinsed and helped her out of the bath. She started her bedtime routine while I went back out to the kitchen table.

"Do you ever feel bad that we didn't hold some type of funeral or celebration of life for him?" I asked, sitting back down drinking the last of my wine.

"No but he was an asshole who did nothing but worked."

"I feel like we should have done something. I'm assuming that the partners at the law firm did something."

"Mom, can I watch TV now?" Preslee came out asking.

"Yes, you have thirty minutes before bed." I told her and she jumped in the air and ran to the living room. I waited for the living room TV to kick on before I said something else. I might be leaving in two days, but I wasn't ready to tell Pres.

"I'm leaving in two days. I will tell Pres tomorrow and leave the next morning. My flight is at five am so you can either stay the night here or be here at like three am."

"I'll stay, thanks."

"Perfect, I'll talk to Rachel tomorrow and have her take care of the gym while I'm gone, and you can focus on Preslee."

"I can handle more than just taking care of Preslee, you know. I can help at the gym also."

"You are supposed to be looking for a new location for us. Plus, all your other clients."

"I have nothing set up for next week, it will be fine. I’ll stop in and check with Rachel throughout the week and Pres, and I will party all night."

"Don't joke. I'm nervous about this as it is. I have never left her since the day she was born."

"I know and I promise that she will be just fine."

"I have to say this and please promise that whatever happens you will not bring Preslee there."

"I won't."

"I'm serious Michael. If something happens to me do not take her there. I don't care what it is, you can't bring her here and don't leave her here. Just leave me and make sure Preslee has a good life."

"Don't f*****g talk like that or you're not going."

"Just promise me, please."

"Fine I promise, but I don't like it. I'm going to tuck my princess into bed, have another glass of wine and go take a bath.”

“I will tuck Preslee in and then I will wait for you to get out of the bath."

I just smiled at him and poured another glass and headed to my bathroom. He knew how much I loved my baths, but I hated taking them home with just Preslee.

I turned the water on hot and added a bath bomb and quickly stripped down and stepped into the water and sat down. I could feel my muscles relax and I closed my eyes. I wasn’t excited about going back to Cedar Hills, but I would for my father. I would just have to be careful and hopefully not be found by Tate or his friends. I don’t know what would be waiting for me if they did. Did he still love me like I did him? Probably not if I ‘m being truthful. I thought about that night that made me leave. I could still feel every time they ran the blade through my skin or the awful words, they yelled at me.

I had done years of therapy but sometimes it still played in my head. There was nothing I could do about it, but I have learned a lot of techniques to help me.

When I got out of the bath, I threw on some jammies and walked out into the living room to let Mike know he could go home.

"Hey so who is this hot guy that bought you dinner tonight?"

"It was Detective Rollings, not hot and work related. He had a girl to refer to me for some free training."

"Didn't know that required dinner."

"He was just being nice."

"I'm sure he was. but hey it's OK to go on a date once in a while."

"Go home," I told him and turned back to my room to go to bed. I wasn't having that argument with him.