Safe by His Side

by Rita Herron

  Simpleton wasn’t here.

  “Nan? Mrs. Lockhart?” His voice echoed in the emptiness. But he crept down the rest of the steps then searched the basement for a hidden door or room.

  Nothing.

  Disappointment ballooned in his chest, and he quickly raced back up to the main floor. Mitch met him in the foyer.

  “Nothing up there.”

  “Nothing in the basement either.” They needed to check the other site.

  His phone buzzed, and he snatched it up. “Hardin.”

  Lt. Roper’s voice. “Micah, we got a call. Simpleton ditched the truck he was driving. We caught him on tape stealing a black Honda from the parking lot of a convenience store near Dry Creek Run.”

  Micah glanced at the map on his phone. One of the houses on his list was off that road. “Thanks. I’m on my way.”

  “What?” Mitch asked.

  “Let’s go. Simpleton was spotted near Dry Creek Run Road.”

  They jogged toward the chopper and lifted off again. Mitch hit the air at full speed, soaring over treetops, then the main highway until they veered onto a dirt road.

  Tension knotted Mitch’s shoulders as he looked through his night binoculars in search of Simpleton’s vehicle and the house. An eternity later, he spotted the Victorian place nestled in the woods.

  The Honda was parked at an odd angle in the yard, the door left ajar.

  “There it is,” he said, adrenaline kicking in.

  “I’ll have to look for a spot to land.”

  “Drop me, then you can find a landing spot and meet me there. We can’t waste any time. Simpleton could be torturing Lenora right now.”

  “I have to see my mother,” Lenora said as Simpleton pushed her down the stairs. Just like before, the basement was dark. Dank, musky odors assaulted her, her breath shaky in the silence.

  “Mom? Nan?”

  “Lenora, run!” her mother shouted.

  “Help!” Nan yelled.

  Simpleton’s laughter boomed around her. Then he shoved her toward a white porcelain tub that gleamed below a low hanging light. Ice cubes floated in the water, waiting for her.

  The memory of his torture taunted her. She would not go down without a fight this time.

  He poked the gun in her back, and she pivoted toward him. “Let them go, and I’ll do anything you want.”

  “You’re going to do that anyway.”

  She softened her voice. “I’ll go away with you. Just the two of us. Then you can have me all the time.” She forced herself to run her finger along his cheek. “Don’t you want that, Robert?” His first name tasted like acid on her tongue.

  His eyes glittered with evil as he studied her. Then he jerked her hand away and dragged her toward the tub. “Nice try, but you have to be punished. I can still smell that bastard’s sex on you.”

  Lenora gritted her teeth. At least if she died, she had the memory of Micah’s tender lovemaking to hold onto.

  Simpleton aimed the gun at her chest. “Take off your clothes.”

  Lenora quickly scanned the room for a weapon, anything to use to fight him. But the room held nothing useful. She only saw the two rooms holding his hostages.

  Her belt.

  She slowly unbuckled the belt and eased it through the belt loops. She had one chance, and she had to take it. She gripped it in her hand, swung it up and hit him in the face.

  He yelped in pain as the buckle hit his cheekbone. She took advantage of his shock to knock the gun from his hand.

  He bellowed in anger, grabbed her arm then slung her toward the floor. She grunted, but recovered and stabbed his eyes with her fingers. When he staggered backward, she darted toward the gun.

  But he caught her around the neck with his hands, then dragged her toward the tub.

  She screamed, biting at his arms and kicking with all her might.

  But he was stronger, clenched her around the waist and pushed her over the side of the tub, then shoved her head down into the icy water.

  The sound of Lenora’s scream made Micah’s blood run cold. He tiptoed toward the basement stairs, his pulse drumming like a jackhammer.

  He had to save Lenora.

  Holding his breath, he eased open the door, then crept down the dark stairs. The sound of shuffling, then another scream rent the air, and he braced his gun, slowly inching his way down each step until he spotted Simpleton shoving Lenora’s head into a tub of water.

  Sick fucker.

  “Let her go,” he growled as his boots hit the bottom step.

  Simpleton jerked his head up, his smile gleaming in the semidarkness. “Come any closer and she’s dead.”

  Lenora kicked and tried to pry the bastard’s hands off her neck as she flailed, head immersed in the ice bath. Screams and pounding echoed from two rooms behind them. The rooms where he’d obviously locked Nan and Lenora’s mother.

  “Let her go or I’ll drop you like a rock,” Micah said.

  He spotted Simpleton’s gun on the chair near the tub. He had to release one hand from Lenora’s neck to retrieve it. “You won’t take me in alive,” Simpleton said.

  Micah grinned although he was counting the seconds Lenora had been under water. “Dead’s fine with me.”

  Simpleton shoved her deeper with one hand and stretched to grab his gun.

  Micah didn’t hesitate. He fired a round into the man’s chest. Simpleton grunted and staggered back. Micah strode across the room and fired, again and again, filling the man’s chest with bullets.

  Simpleton collapsed backward, blood spurting as he gurgled for air. Lenora jerked her head up, gasping for a breath.

  He raced to her and dragged her in his arms. She clutched his shoulders, her body trembling. Her cheeks were chilled and red, her hair damp. He stroked her back to warm her, giving her time to shed her emotions.

  Simpleton tried to rally, his hands clawing for help to get up, but Micah pointed the gun at him again. The man’s eyes bulged, and blood dripped from his mouth, then his body convulsed and went limp.

  “He’s dead, Lenora,” he murmured.

  She exhaled shakily, then looked up at him. Her eyes were slightly glazed, but as she refocused, fear flared in her eyes. “My mother! Nan!”

  He gently released her, and she raced to the first room while he rushed to the second. “We need a key for the padlocks,” she cried.

  Micah scanned the room, then spotted a set of keys on the floor beside Simpleton. He grabbed them, tried one, then the other until he unlocked the first room.

  “Mom!” Lenora cried.

  Lenora rushed inside and helped her mother out while he rescued Nan. Both women looked terrified and were sobbing, their hands bound. Micah quickly used his knife to free them.

  Lenora’s mother fell into Lenora’s arms, and Nan joined them just as Mitch raced down the stairs. “We need an ambulance,” Micah said, noting the bruises on Nan’s arms and legs.

  “I’ll phone it in.” Mitch made the call while Micah strode to Simpleton to make sure he was dead and would never be coming back.

  Lenora couldn’t stop shivering. The icy water must have frozen her from the inside out. She wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders though and went to the doctor to ask about her mother.

  The ambulance ride had been trying. Tense. Alternately quiet and filled with sobs as Nan and her mother poured out their rage and terror. Apparently, Nan had suffered the most. The icy dunks in the bath, a beating, and a near rape. For some reason, Simpleton had stopped just before penetration, saying he wanted to let Lenora watch the fun.

  Her mother had been emotionally terrorized, but he hadn’t touched her. Again, he wanted Lenora to watch.

  Thankfully, Micah had arrived in time.

  How, she had no idea. The man had been shot, but he’d ignored his own injuries to
save her and the people she loved.

  The doctor approached her about Nan. “She’s physically going to be okay. She’ll need counseling and time, but she should recover fully.”

  Lenora thanked him then slipped into Nan’s room. She’d been treated for minor abrasions and lay propped on a bed of pillows. When she saw Lenora, sorrow filled her face. “Lenora.”

  “I’m here,” she said, quickly rushing to her friend’s side. But she hesitated before touching her. “I’m so sorry, Nan. So sorry. This is my fault.”

  Nan shook her head. “No, I . . . shouldn’t have turned away from you. It was . . . he was . . . horrible.”

  “I know.” Lenora wiped a tear away. “I didn’t think he’d come after you.”

  Nan stiffened her spine. “I’ll be all right.”

  “But—”

  “I know I’ll need help to get over it,” she said, her voice cracking, “but I won’t let that sick creep destroy me. You survived much worse.”

  But had she? She still slept on the terrace because of the nightmares. Had she really moved on?

  “Can you ever forgive me, Lenora?”

  Lenora held out her arms, and the two of them hugged. Nan burst into tears, and Lenora soothed her friend as Micah had her, knowing more than anything that Nan needed loving support, not judgment or demands.

  “Take all the time you need to recover,” Lenora whispered. “I’m still working on that myself.”

  Nan nodded against her, and they stayed in each other’s arms for a long time. Finally, the nurse stepped in to give Nan a sedative to help her sleep.

  “I’ll be back,” Lenora said. “I’m here for you, Nan. Whatever you need. All you have to do is call.”

  “I know, thanks.” Nan hugged the covers to her and gave her a small smile of courage as Lenora left the room.

  Lenora walked across the hall and peeked in on her mother. “Are you all right, Mom?”

  “I will be,” her mother said with a tilt to her chin. “I . . . I’m so sorry, honey.”

  “Sorry for what?” Lenora said softly.

  “For not understanding before.”

  Tears pricked at Lenora’s eyes as she rushed to her mother and cradled her hands in hers. “Mom, you were there for me. I know that, but it was just difficult for me to talk about what happened. I was ashamed. I felt like I’d done something to deserve what happened.”

  “Oh, no, sweetheart, never think that.” A tear trickled down her mother’s cheek. “I should have encouraged you to talk, but it hurt so badly to know what he did to you. I felt . . . helpless. I’m your mother. Mothers are supposed to protect their children.” Sorrow laced her shaky voice. “I wanted to take away your pain, and I couldn’t.”

  Lenora sniffled and leaned over to hug her mother. “We both did the best we could.” She choked back a sob, then stroked her mother’s hair from her cheek. “I just want you to be okay.”

  “I will be,” her mother said. “Now that horrid man is dead.”

  Lenora squeezed her mother’s hand. “I have to admit I’m glad he is.”

  They hugged again, then Lenora sat by her mother’s bed until she fell asleep.

  When she walked out of the room, Micah was waiting, his expression concerned. “Are you all right?”

  “I should ask you that. You were shot.”

  He shrugged, indicating his sling. “Doc removed the bullet, gave me some pain meds. I’m good. Oh, by the way, forensics identified the body in Simpleton’s old house. It was his father. Theory is that the mother killed him.”

  He winced, and Lenora’s nerves fluttered.

  She wanted to hug him, to hold him, to beg him to come home with her. But he’d almost died because of her just as Nan and her mother had.

  How could any of them ever forgive her?

  Micah saw the wheels turning in Lenora’s pretty head. Guilt. Regret. Concern about everyone but herself.

  So like Lenora.

  “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

  Lenora arched a brow. “I thought you were on pain meds.”

  A smile tugged at his lips. “I said the doc gave them to me. Didn’t say I took any of them.”

  Lenora smiled. “Then let’s go so you can get some rest.”

  He placed his hand at her back, and they walked outside together.

  “How’s Nan and your mother?” he asked as he pulled away from the hospital.

  “They’re going to be okay, I think.”

  Micah’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “You know right now they’re high on adrenaline, relieved we found them. But they’ll have moments.”

  “I know,” Lenora said softly. “There will be bad days. Nights. Nightmares. It will be a process. But I’ll be there for them.”

  “You are amazing,” he said.

  “I . . . I’m just grateful that you saved us.”

  She shivered again, and he ached to pull her up against him, but she leaned against the door, hugging the blanket they’d given her at the hospital around her and closed her eyes.

  Twenty minutes later, they arrived at her condo, and he walked her to the door.

  Lenora turned to him, her eyes glittering with emotions. “Thank you for everything, Micah.”

  He swallowed, tempted to say he’d only been doing his job. But that was a lie. It had been personal with Lenora ever since the start.

  He tucked a strand of her damp hair behind her ear, the memory of seeing Simpleton shoving her head under water reminding him of the terror he’d felt at the thought of losing her.

  “I’m just sorry that—”

  “No regrets.” She stroked his cheek with her fingers. “You kept your promise, Micah. I’ll never forget that.”

  It sounded as if she was saying goodbye. He knew she’d been through hell tonight. He should leave her and let her rest.

  “Will you be all right tonight?” he asked softly.

  She offered him a brave smile. “He’s dead. You killed him. I should be.”

  Their gazes locked for a moment, and his hands itched to pull her up against him and kiss her. But she’d been mauled by another man tonight.

  He couldn’t pressure her.

  “Lock the door and call me if you need me.”

  She gave a small nod, her eyes flickering with emotions he couldn’t quite define. Deciding she needed time, he turned and walked to his SUV.

  But just as he reached for the door, his cell phone rang. Figuring it was the lieutenant tying up the case, he hit connect.

  “Sgt. Hardin.”

  Lenora’s soft voice echoed over the line, “I need you.”

  Perspiration exploded on his brow as he glanced back at the doorway. Lenora stood in the threshold holding the phone, looking vulnerable and scared and so damn beautiful that his knees felt weak.

  Desire and hunger shot through him as he slowly walked up to her. “Lenora?”

  “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

  His voice turned husky with relief and passion. “Me, neither.”

  “I know you’re injured.”

  His mouth twitched. He didn’t give a damn about his stitches. “I can still hold you.”

  She gave him a sultry smile and held out her hand, and he followed her inside.

  He paused at her bedroom, one hand on her cheek. “Are you sure, Lenora?”She nodded. “I’m sure I want you.”

  His breath caught in his throat. “What if I said I love you?”

  She licked her lips, and to his delight, pulled him toward her. “Then I’d say I love you back.”

  He reached down to lift her in his arms but winced when his stitches pulled. She laughed and tugged his hand, and they hurried into the bedroom together.

  Six months later

  Lenora fluffed her veil as she exa
mined her reflection in the mirror. She’d been planning weddings and happily-ever-afters for others for years, never expecting to find her own.

  But now she had, she couldn’t wait to say her vows to Micah.

  Her mother poked her head into the extra bedroom where she was getting ready. Micah had brought her to the ranch for a few days after Simpleton’s death, and she’d fallen in love with the land.

  She and Jenny had planned the wedding on the front lawn at sunset. White draped chairs and tables were set up facing a gazebo situated on the small hill that overlooked the creek.

  “You look beautiful, honey.” Her mother fastened a silver locket around her neck. “Here is your something borrowed.”

  Lenora fingered the heart with appreciation. The necklace had been passed down through several generations. “Thank you, Mom. I’m glad you’re here.”

  “And I’m happy you found such a wonderful man.”

  Lenora blinked back emotions. She refused to cry today. She and her mother and Nan had already shed way too many tears. Both of them had agreed to counseling and were healing. Nan admitted she still had nightmares, but they were happening less frequently. Ironically, the ordeal had brought the two of them closer again.

  Jenny and Nan slipped into the room, both looking gorgeous in the classic black dresses they’d chosen as bridesmaids.

  “It’s time,” Nan squealed.

  Jenny squeezed her hand. “Everything looks perfect. Including you.”

  Lenora hugged them both.

  “The music’s beginning.” Her mother clapped her hands. “Let’s go, girls.”

  Jenny opened the door and ushered Nan and Lenora’s mother outside to be seated. Lenora followed, her bridal gown swishing as she made her way to the French doors overlooking the lawn.

  Jenny’s fiancé Troy played the guitar, strumming softly as the bridesmaids walked through the center aisle between the rows of chairs lined up for the guests.