Taking Control (The Control Duet Book 2) Read online

  Taking Control

  Lindsey Powell

  Contents

  Other books by Lindsey Powell

  A note from the author

  Taking Control

  Chapter 1

  Flipping the game

  Chapter 2

  Two weeks

  Chapter 3

  Face the music

  Chapter 4

  Ties are severed

  Chapter 5

  Tomorrow

  Chapter 6

  Something Different

  Chapter 7

  Learning to dodge

  Chapter 8

  Breaking ground

  Chapter 9

  Unexpected interruptions

  Chapter 10

  Never-ending cycle

  Chapter 11

  Hidden bruises

  Chapter 12

  Upping his game

  Chapter 13

  Beg me

  Chapter 14

  I need you

  Chapter 15

  Help is on the way

  Chapter 16

  Shutdown

  Chapter 17

  A little peace

  Chapter 18

  Uncomfortable questions

  Chapter 19

  Unexpected visit

  Chapter 20

  Hero

  Chapter 21

  Peace is shattered

  Chapter 22

  Hiding in fear

  Chapter 23

  Holding on

  Chapter 24

  Time’s up

  Chapter 25

  One moment

  Chapter 26

  Demons

  Chapter 27

  Reality Bites

  Chapter 28

  Inner torment

  Chapter 29

  The woman that I lost

  Chapter 30

  The Watchman

  Chapter 31

  Distraction

  Chapter 32

  Talking to a stranger

  Chapter 33

  Waiting

  Chapter 34

  Curveball

  Chapter 35

  Everything

  Chapter 36

  Dreams do come true

  Chapter 37

  Contented bliss

  Chapter 38

  Bring me down

  Chapter 39

  Confronting demons

  Chapter 40

  Forgiveness

  Chapter 41

  Darkness always lays in wait

  Chapter 42

  Goodbye

  Chapter 43

  Strong

  Chapter 44

  One year later

  Chapter 45

  Taking Control

  About the Author

  Author Acknowledgements

  Other books by Lindsey Powell

  The Perfect Series

  Perfect Stranger

  Perfect Memories

  Perfect Disaster

  Perfect Beginnings

  Part of Me Series

  Part of Me

  Part of You

  Part of Us

  The Control Duet

  Losing Control

  Taking Control

  Stand-alone

  Take Me

  Fixation

  Checkmate

  A note from the author

  *** Trigger warning ***

  This story is intended for readers 18 years and over due to scenes of domestic abuse and violence.

  Taking Control

  written by Lindsey Powell

  Book two of The Control Duet

  Content copyright © Lindsey Powell 2020

  Cover copyright © Wicked Dreams Publishing 2020

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form, or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the author.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional. Any similarities to other fictional workings, or real persons (living or dead), names, places, and companies is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  The right of Lindsey Powell to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents act 1988.

  A CIP record of this book is available from the British Library.

  Except for the original material written by the author, all mention of films, television shows and songs, song titles, and lyrics mentioned in the novel, Taking Control, are the property of the songwriters and copyright holders.

  Chapter One

  Flipping the game

  “No.”

  My answer echoes around the hallway, resounding off of the walls, and I watch as the colour drains from Cal’s face.

  “What?” Cal whispers, his voice low and disbelieving. My eyes may be fixed on Cal’s, but I know that Michael has a smirk plastered on his face. I daren’t look at him directly for fear that I will change my mind and opt for the escape route that Cal has given me.

  “I said no,” I reiterate, somehow keeping my voice firm.

  “What are you doing, Lucy?” Cal asks me, his eyes wide with shock.

  “I’m doing what I should have done all along,” I reply, fighting every urge I have to go to him.

  Cal’s strength falters and Michael pushes him off. I look between the two of them, and the difference between them strikes me.

  Cal, with his strong jawline that is clenched, his chiseled features, full lips that are pulled into a straight line, his brown hair a little messy and his royal-blue eyes fixated on mine.

  Michael, with his light brown hair neat and tidy, his lips pulling into a sly smirk, and his chocolate-brown eyes showing the darkness that lurks beneath.

  Two men.

  Both worlds apart in looks and in every other way imaginable.

  Michael doesn’t have a caring bone in his body, or if he does then it’s a severely fucked-up way of caring.

  Cal gives so much of himself to those that he loves and calls his family, and I know he wants to rescue me from all of this, but that isn’t the answer. The police won’t do anything without enough evidence. And I have to make sure that Michael will never be able to come after me again.

  “It’s time for you to leave,” Michael says, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

  “I’m not leaving without Lucy,” Cal responds, his gaze burning into me as he speaks.

  “She’s staying here with me.” I refrain from cringing at Michael’s possessive words.

  “No way,” Cal retaliates, and I intervene before this ends up getting more heated.

  “Cal, please don’t do this. I’m staying here with Michael as it’s the right thing to do. Please understand––”

  “Understand?” Cal bellows, cutting me off. “Understand what, exactly? That you are actually choosing to stay with this asshole?” he says as he points at Michael. “That you are giving up the chance to leave with me, so that you can stay here and endure more beatings?”

  “Cal, please––”

  “I’m not finished!” he shouts, causing me to jump back with fright. Cal doesn’t shout at me, ever, and I know that it is just because of his fear over what I am doing.

  Cal’s shoulders are heaving, each breath deep and heavy. My heart breaks as I watch him fighting for me.

  “Kim and I have been worried sick about you. Kim wanted to phone the police, but I stopped her, I told her that I would bring you back to us. Don’t make me go back to her without you,” he pleads, and the silence stretches between us. I desperately want to reach out to him, go with him, run away from here, but it’s no
t the answer.

  It will never stop if I run.

  “He will end up killing you, Lucy. Is that what you want?” Cal asks, his jaw clenched.

  The question hangs in the air between us, waiting to be answered, but I can’t give him the answer that I want to. I can’t tell him that I need to break free from Michael on my own. I can’t tell him that this is part of some plan to take Michael down and avoid having to run from him for the rest of my life.

  “Michael loves me.” It’s the only feeble excuse that I can give.

  “He loves you? Really? Is that why he hurts you?” Cal retaliates.

  I can feel Michael watching me and I know that he is looking for any signs that I may not be firmly on his side, but I’m not going to give him any reason to doubt me. I’m going to act out the role of my fucking life to make sure that he can’t come after me in the future.

  “Cal, Michael and I have a lot of stuff to work through, but I’m prepared to fight. Believe me when I say that I will be okay, and that you need to trust me. Michael loves me,” I repeat, reiterating this to show Michael that I know that he loves me. Let Michael think that I am naïve and completely at his mercy.

  “I fucking love you, Lucy,” Cal says, shocking the hell out of me. “Doesn’t that count for anything?”

  Yes, I want to scream. Of course it counts, but I can’t drag you into this any further.

  I want to tell him this so badly, but I don’t.

  Instead, I shrug my shoulders and feel pain sear through my heart like never before.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper, blinking back the tears that threaten to fall. The crestfallen look on Cal’s face nearly breaks me.

  I know that he will think I’ve lost my damn mind, and so will Kim, but I’ll be damned if I am going to let Michael do this to another woman.

  “Goodbye, Cal,” I say before I turn and walk back to the bedroom, ignoring Cal’s shouts as I close the bedroom door and let the tears fall.

  Chapter Two

  Two weeks

  Two weeks have passed since I shattered my bond with Cal.

  Two weeks and I can still picture his devastated face as I walked away from him.

  Two weeks since I chose to stay with a man who has abused me from the moment that I let him into my life, even if I didn’t see what he was doing straight away.

  In the last two weeks I haven’t left this apartment, or prison as I view it. I haven’t been to work or to the shops, and I haven’t spoken to anyone other than Michael. I thought that the best thing to do was to have some time by myself, in which to plan how I am going to get Michael out of my life for good. But no. Michael has had two weeks of compassionate leave due to my ‘illness.’ I dread to think what illness he has concocted to tell our boss, but it must have been bad enough for him to have been granted two weeks off, with full pay.

  So, instead of planning my escape, I have played the part of the doting girlfriend. Michael hasn’t shouted at me, hit me or belittled me. In fact, he has reverted to the man that I first fell in love with, except this time I haven’t fallen.

  I could never love him again, not in this lifetime or the next, but if he thinks that I can then I’m winning.

  “Lucy, we need to talk,” Michael says as he sits next to me on the sofa, interrupting the film that I was watching.

  These words used to fill me with dread, but now I sit here calmly, knowing that he doesn’t have a hold over me like he used to, even if he doesn’t realise it.

  “What’s up?” I ask, plastering a fake-ass smile on my face. A distinct turnaround to the cowering that I used to do.

  “I’ve had Mr Collinson on the phone, and he wants me to return to work on Monday. Apparently, I can’t have any more time off.” Michael looks miserable as he informs me of this, clearly expecting me to be as gutted as he is.

  “Oh, that’s a shame,” I reply, giving him a sympathetic smile to make it seem like I give a damn. “Still, it will be nice to get back to normal, won’t it?”

  I already know that he will be worrying about what he can do with me if he isn’t here to keep an eye on me. For me, the separation will be a welcome relief.

  “I suppose, but I don’t want to leave you on your own.”

  “I’ll be okay,” I say with a shrug, not wanting to make too big a deal out of it.

  “I don’t think that you will, so I have arranged for you to come with me and we can have our own private office to work in.”

  He looks as pleased as punch with this news, whereas I must look aghast. For months I have hated the fact that I work with Michael, because it means I never get a break from him. Working together, living together, sleeping next to a man that has become my enemy.

  But I have never hated it as much as I do in this moment.

  “It’s a bit soon, isn’t it?” I say hurriedly. “I mean, I’m still not feeling great.”

  I feel fine, but I have to think of something. I need him to think that I am still suffering.

  “All the more reason that you should be with me, so I can keep an eye on you,” he says with a smirk.

  “Of course,” I respond robotically.

  Any hope that had flared up within me is quickly snuffed out.

  How stupid of me to think that he would have left me here on my own.

  Chapter Three

  Face the music

  “Lucy, it’s so good to see you,” Mr Collinson says as Michael escorts me into his office. “Please, take a seat.”

  “Thank you,” I say as I sit down, Michael sitting on the chair next to me, his hold on my hand tightening slightly.

  “How have you been? Are you sure that you’re ready to come back to work?” Mr Collinson asks, a look of deep concern on his face.

  “Lucy is doing much better than she was,” Michael answers for me.

  I watch as Mr Collinson’s eyes divert to Michael, quietly assessing him and wondering why Michael has answered instead of me.

  Mr Collinson looks back at me, his eyes softening. “I’m glad that you’re doing better, Lucy, but I don’t want you to feel like your job is more important than your healing process. I can’t imagine what you have been through,” he says, and I feel my brows furrow.

  Why is he acting so concerned?

  I don’t understand the pity that settles in his eyes.

  “You are a strong woman, Lucy. Lord knows how it feels to lose a child,” Mr Collinson says, and if I weren’t already sitting down then I would definitely have collapsed from his words.

  A child?

  A fucking child?

  My eyes dart to Michael’s, his bore into mine, and his grip on my hand tightens in warning; a warning for me to say the correct thing.

  The bastard has told everyone that I lost a baby?

  A miscarriage?

  Fucking asshole.

  I don’t voice my thoughts, and Michael needn’t have bothered tightening his hold on me. I know what is expected of me, I know the drill.

  I plaster a small smile on my face, unable to make it reach my eyes as I speak. “Mr Collinson, thank you for your concern, but I need to come back. I’m a little restless being stuck at home, so I’m looking forward to returning and getting back to my daily routine.”

  Michael smiles and I know that I have fulfilled my role, done my job, fooled another person.

  “And we’re very pleased to see you back, Lucy,” Mr Collinson says as he gives me a heartfelt smile.

  Guilt at going along with Michael’s lie rears its head, but I push it down.

  I can’t allow the guilt to consume me.

  I have a plan, a focus, and that is the only thing that I can allow myself to think about.

  I’m going to get away from Michael.

  I’m going to make it out of this toxic relationship.

  And I am going to take him down doing it.

  “Now,” Mr Collinson continues. “Seeing as you were working on a project with Michael and Tyler, I have made arrangements for you to solely be b
ased in the small project room for the foreseeable future. I don’t expect you to take phone calls or deal with complaints. Just focus on the project, and if you find it too much then please, let me know.”

  “She won’t need to, she has me to look after her,” Michael says shooting me a look that suggests that I don’t argue with him.

  I nod my head and smile as I wonder how the hell I am going to begin the process of separating myself from him.

  Chapter Four

  Ties are severed

  Walking back into the main office, my eyes connect with Kim’s, and boy does she look pissed off. I gulp and try to wrangle my hand free, but Michael doesn’t let me go. Instead, he pulls me closer, drawing me into his side, and leans his head down to whisper, “Don’t even think about it.”

  “I wasn’t thinking anything, Michael,” I say, but it sounds pathetic and he knows that I’m lying.

  Fuck’s sake, Lucy, don’t let him in.

  Don’t let him see past the walls that you’ve been building.