Chica? Seriously? The condescension in Amber’s tone was astounding.
“Chase’s little trip down memory lane is officially over,” Amber continued. “He’ll come to his senses and realize that he was duped by a second-rate floozy who’s been catting around behind his back. And when he does, his long-suffering, patient girlfriend will be there to pick up the pieces.” She threw back her head, giving her hair a flick. “You’ve done me a favor, actually.” She chuckled. “Now, Chase will be beholden to me for the long haul.”
The hair on Cat’s neck rose. Catting around? Was Amber delusional? This was absurd! “I don’t know who you think you are, but you’ve got less than twenty seconds to get out of my studio before I wipe that neon-red lipstick off your spiteful lips.” The only thing that kept Cat from socking the woman in the jaw was the knowledge that it would cause her more problems on the backend than it was worth. No doubt Amber would go after Cat for assault. That’s probably what she was doing—baiting Cat so she would attack. “Get out!” Cat demanded.
A scornful smile twisted over Amber’s lips. “Sure thing, chica. Just one more thing—I’ll win,” she taunted, her eyes glittering with confidence. “I always do.” With that, she turned on her heel and strutted out.
Cat’s pulse was thrashing against her ears. The anger was so blistering hot that it nearly choked off her breath. Amber’s hateful words ran through her mind, stopping at the part where she talked about the deportation. Chase had to have told Amber that. Otherwise, how would she have known? Tears rose in her eyes, nausea churning her gut. The students for her six o’clock class began arriving. Cat glanced at the clock on the wall. She still had twelve minutes until the class started. Her wrath was burning a hole through her. She grabbed her phone and went to the restroom in the back. She stepped in and closed the door, dialing Chase. It went to voicemail.
“How could you?” she began. “The things I told you about my dad being deported were private. You had no right to tell Amber.” Her voice quivered, her air getting cut off as she began again. “Amber had no right to come here and threaten me. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it’s over!” A tidal wave of emotion rose in her throat as she swallowed. “Don’t ever come near me again!” She ended the call, her hands shaking profusely. Tears welled in her eyes, dribbling down her cheeks. A sob rose in her chest. She gulped it back down, knowing she couldn’t give in to the grief. She had students waiting, a class to teach. She leaned against the door, attempting to pull herself together. A fierce headache pounded against the bridge of her nose. She wanted to go home and forget this day ever happened. An image of Chase flashed through her mind, gutting her insides. She’d been so happy, so hopeful for the future. Now, in one fell swoop, everything had imploded. She sucked in a ragged breath, determined to stay the emotion. She had the rest of her life to fall apart, but for the next hour, she had to hold it together.
A few minutes later, she emerged from the restroom. Her posture was stiff, her chin held high as she went to greet her students. Only one thought kept running through her mind—how could she have been so wrong about Chase?
13
Finally! The class was over. Cat had managed to get through it with only one student asking her if she was okay. She’d plastered on a large smile and answered with a resounding, Of course. After the last student left, she gathered her things and headed for home. She’d missed several calls from Chase, but he hadn’t left a message. It was just as well. There was nothing he could say to fix the situation. He’d betrayed her trust, told Amber private things about her, things that Amber had used as a weapon. Her anger from earlier subsided to a numbing ache that permeated every inch of her body. She wanted to fall into the bed and sleep for a week. She thought of the ingredients that she’d so painstakingly gathered for tonight’s dinner. Chase had seemed excited about her cooking some of Mami’s dishes. Now, her effort seemed foolish and naïve.
There was a light breeze in the air that ruffled Cat’s clothes. She looked up at the evening sky, which had deepened to an inky indigo. A bright yellow moon shone overhead. It was a perfect evening—not too hot, not too cold. The irony was not lost on Cat. Tonight would’ve been perfect for a moonlight stroll with Chase. She looked at the moon again, scowling. She felt like it was jeering at her misfortune. She was about to go up the walk leading to her house when a flash of white caught her eye. She halted in her tracks, her pulse ratcheting up. At the foot of the large, leafy tree bordering the edge of her yard was a white slip of paper weighted down by a rock. She glanced around before going over to it. Had it been here this morning? With trembling hands, she slid the paper out from underneath the rock. It was folded into a neat square. Swallowing, she opened it, dreading what she would find inside. She exhaled a relieved breath when she saw that it was blank. Had a child left it? Perhaps. She looked around again, seeing no one. Taking in a deep breath, she walked across the yard to her front door. What a day this had been!
For good measure, she tried the front door before she thrust in her key. It was locked, just as she’d left it. She unlocked the door and went inside. She went to the kitchen and deposited her things on the table. She’d just turned on the kitchen light when a movement from behind caught her attention. She whirled around, coming face to face with the one person she’d hoped never to see again.
“Hello, Cat. Did you miss me?”
Terror slammed against her ribcage as she shrank back against the wall. “D—drew?” she stammered. “What’re you doing here?” He was an imposing mountain with his large, muscular stature. His blonde hair was receding, his jaw was collecting flesh, and his face was more lined than she remembered. Her gaze settled on his cold, calculating eyes. Same old Drew. She thought of her purse on the table. If she could just get to her phone …
Drew seemed to be reading her thoughts. He clicked his tongue in amusement, shaking his head back and forth. “Don’t even try it.”
“You broke into my house,” she said, stating the obvious.
“On several occasions.”
A chill ran down her spine. She thought of the unlocked door, the feeling of being watched. Anger coursed through her veins as her eyes narrowed. “Does your wife know you’re here?”
He barked out a laugh. “I doubt that she’d care much,” he said casually, “considering that she’s taking me for every penny I’ve got.” He darted forward, clutching Cat’s arm.
She yelped. “What’re you doing?” His fingers were digging into her flesh.
“It’s time the two of us had a nice, long chat.” His ruthless expression chilled her to the bone. Drew was dangerous. She shuddered to think of what evil plan he’d concocted in his brain.
He dragged her over to the kitchen table and shoved her into a chair. Then, with a swipe of his arm, he sent her purse, file folder full of papers, and jacket flying off the table. He pulled back a chair with a loud scrape and sat down.
His eyes raked over her boldly with no shame. “You’re still beautiful.” Her stomach roiled when she saw the glimmer of lust. “Do you know how long I looked for you?” His eyes hardened. “Do you?” he yelled, pounding the table, causing her to flinch. “You left without so much as a word,” he mused reaching over and rubbing a finger over her jaw.
She backed away, grunting in disgust. “I left because I was done with you and your pathetic antics. You can’t bully someone into having a relationship with you, Drew.”
He caught her hair in his fist, yanking her towards him. “Don’t ever talk to me like that again,” he seethed.
“You’re hurting me, Drew,” she squeaked, terror clawing her insides.
He released her hair, shoving her in the process.
A silent prayer wrenched through Cat’s mind. Please, help me! The only thing she could think to do was to keep him talking. She glanced down at her purse. It was only a foot away from her. If she could just get to her phone she might stand a chance. “You left the paper under the rock.”
He sm
irked, a smug look coming over him. “That was a nice touch, don’t you think? You were always so caught up in that hero nonsense. I knew that paper would get your attention.”
She jerked, the realization hitting her square between the eyes. “You’re not Hero.”
He belted out a raspy laugh. “No, duh.”
Her mind whirled. “H—how?” she blustered. “How did you trick me?” Her mind sifted through the pages of the past, searching for the answer. Suddenly, she knew. “That day when one of the notes blew away in the wind, it went across the schoolyard. You found it.”
“Yes, Cat, I did,” he said nastily. “Then, I started watching.”
Her insides chilled. “You spied on me.”
“I saw him put the notes in the tree, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Her breath caught in her throat, curiosity outweighing her fear. “You know who Hero is.”
He grunted. “The only ‘hero’ you need to be worried about is me,” he thundered.
The timing of Drew’s reappearance was suspicious. Her mind worked to figure out the puzzle. “What connection do you have with Amber?” she demanded. The shocked look on his face let her know she was on the right track. This was crazy! What possible connection could Amber and Drew have?
He smirked. “You’ve been a naughty girl.”
The innuendo in his voice made her skin crawl. Drew was still a handsome man, but he was weak and unprincipled. In other words, he was a scumbag. She shook her head. “What’re you talking about?”
“You fell in love with the wrong man and, in the process, made a powerful enemy.”
“Amber,” she said flatly. Her heart thudded heavily. This whole thing was insane. She’d never even met Amber until today!
“Imagine my surprise when I get a call from a private investigator, asking about you.”
A private investigator? Digging into her past? The truth came at her with such force that it nearly stole her breath away. Chase hadn’t told Amber anything about Cat’s dad. He probably hadn’t even known Amber was coming to see her. The whole thing was a setup. Her heart sank as she replayed her accusations on the phone. What must Chase think of her? She realized that Drew was still talking.
“One thing led to another, and before I knew it, Amber hired me for a job.”
Her throat closed to the size of a straw. She swallowed to clear it. “What sort of job?” she squeaked. An icy fear was taking hold of her insides.
“Make her boyfriend believe that you’ve been running around with me.”
“That’s absurd,” she spat.
A cruel smile twisted over his lips. “We can do this the easy or the hard way.”
For a split second, she didn’t get it. The synapses of her brain connected when she saw the look in Drew’s eyes. Fear—swift and paralyzing—swept through her. Drew planned to rape her. Time turned back, and she felt like she was right back where she started, the night she fled Chicago. She rose from her chair. “Your plan won’t work.” Her pulse was hammering so erratically that a wave of dizziness assaulted her.
He rose to his feet. “It’s interesting how things come together, isn’t it Cat?” The sound of his voice was triumphant, like he was getting a thrill out of taunting her. “I’m about to get what you’ve denied me for years. Now, I’ll even get paid for it.”
Drew was crazy, twisted. “No one will believe it was consensual.”
He laughed. “Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure. Amber’s a crafty one. With enough money, it’s possible to make people believe anything you want them to.”
Cat made a run for it. She got only a couple of feet away before Drew caught her ankles, causing her to fall forward. She spun around, scrambling to her feet. He lumbered forward to attack, but she kicked him in the groin. Cursing, he doubled over. Cat went for the door, but before she could get out, Drew caught her in a choke hold. She ground her heel into the top of his foot, causing him to loosen his grasp. She tried to open the door, but he stopped her. She clawed him in the face.
“You’ll pay for that,” he growled, grabbing her hair.
Hard knocks sounded on the door. “Cat? It’s me. Open up.”
Tears sprang to Cat’s eyes. “Chase!” she screamed. “Inside! Help!”
“’Hero’ comes to save the day,” Drew sneered. Cat saw the flash of movement, and then felt the blinding streak of pain across her jaw. It went through her mind that Drew had punched her. Stars exploded in her head as she fell …
Cat was swimming in a darkness so complete that she couldn’t penetrate it. She saw the tree with the knothole from her childhood. It began to spin, notes flying out of it. Drew’s face loomed over her, terrible and taunting. “I’m your hero,” he boasted.
“No!” she shouted, tears staining her cheeks. Another image floated in her mind as soft and supple as a palm full of rose petals. She saw his boyish grin, those penetrating blue eyes that could see into the innermost parts of her soul. She was drifting, trying to get through the haze.
“Cat?”
Her heart lifted. She heard his voice. She had to get to him. She had to let him know that she knew the truth.
“Cat, wake up.”
Her eyelids fluttered. They were weighted with concrete, impossible to open.
“Cat!”
She opened her eyes, his face coming into focus. “Chase?” Was she dreaming, or was he really here?
He breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re okay.”
She realized that he was holding her in his arms. For a second, she couldn’t get her bearings. Then it all came rushing back. She looked around, the fingers of panic prickling her spine. “Drew?” She and Chase were on the floor, their backs resting against the bottom of the couch.
“We fought. He went down. I called 911. He got up and ran away.” Chase pulled her to him. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he breathed into the top of her hair.
“Thanks, to you.”
He chuckled. “I don’t know about that. You looked like you had things under control … slugger.”
The admiration in his voice caused her to smile. “I’m surprised you came after I lambasted you.”
“That’s precisely why I came early, to find out what was going on. I got Dr. Simpson to cover for me and rushed over as quickly as I could.”
“You got here just in the nick of time.” Needing to see his face, she pulled back and angled to face him. The movement caused pain to stab through her jaw. “Ouch,” she said miserably. “My jaw hurts.”
A lopsided grin pulled at his lips. “You should probably have that looked at.”
“Yeah, I’ll see if I can find a good doctor.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she croaked, “for all of those things I said over the phone.”
His expression was earnest. “I don’t know how Amber knew those things about you, but I swear it wasn’t from me.” His forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Why was Drew O’Hannon here?”
A hysterical laugh rose in her throat. It was too much to contain. Mirth shook her shoulders as it issued out. She laughed in hoarse thrusts, the tension inside her breaking up. She must’ve looked absolutely ridiculous because Chase frowned. “What?”
She shook her head. “You won’t believe it when I tell you.”
His eyes held hers, demanding answers. “Try me.”
She sucked in a breath. “Amber hired him.” His lips parted in surprise. Before he could respond, she rushed on. “She hired Drew to break us up. From what Drew said, Amber was trying to make it look like I was running around with Drew behind your back. Drew took the opportunity to try and rape me.” A shudder ran through her. “And, he almost succeeded.”
Fury burned in Chase’s eyes. “I should’ve pummeled Drew to a pulp when I had the chance.”
Cat figured that Chase had given Drew a good throttling but was too modest to admit it.
Chase’s head swung back and forth. “How could Amber be so cold and calculating?”
They heard sir
ens in the distance. They rose to their feet, looking out the window. A few seconds later, a police car pulled up. Two deputies piled out. After a short round of questions, the deputies took off in search of Drew, promising to come back and take Chase and Cat’s statements.
Cat turned to Chase. “So, it would seem that we have some unfinished business … Hero.”
He blinked. “What?”
Tears rose in her eyes. “All this time … it was you.”
He gave her an incredulous look. “How did you know?”
“When you knocked on the door, Drew said that my hero was coming to save me. Suddenly, everything clicked, and I knew.”
He flashed a sheepish grin. “I guess the secret’s out. I’ve always had a thing for you, Cat.”
She touched his jaw. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was too chicken. You were larger than life … so take charge … ready to face down any bully. Even Drew O’Hannon. I wanted to muster the courage to tell you … was working my way around to it, but then you put the rock in the knothole.”
“I never did that.” Anger rose in her breast, thinking of all the things Drew had taken from her.
His head snapped up. “Huh?”
Regret filled her. “That was Drew O’Hannon.”
He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
She let out a long, heavy sigh. “Drew found one of your notes. He pretended to be Hero.”
His eyes widened before his brows darted down in a sharp V. “Is that why you started dating him?”
She nodded.
Chase’s features tightened in an agonized expression. She could feel the pain and anger simmering inside him. “I’m so sorry.” He grunted. “I’m such an idiot!” He searched her face. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” She thought of something Amber said, her stomach tightening. “Chase, Amber said that you gave up a position at St. Mark’s Hospital for me. Is that true?”
Dancing With the Doc Page 12
