Fade to Black

by Unknown

  Rich nodded to Mona, who took the card and walked away. “I want to do this,” he told Kate.

  “But it’s going in my house and someday…”

  “Someday,” he sighed, and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry about someday. Just think about right now.”

  She relaxed against him, resting her cheek on his chest. “I wish I could.”

  “You can, Kate.” His muscles tensed against her. “Damn, I wish you’d believe that.” Her belly was hard against his abdomen and he loved the thought of his child growing inside Kate’s womb.

  “You’re all set.”

  Kate jumped and stepped away from Rich. He was flooded with an unavoidable sense of loss which was extinguished as soon as Kate took his hand. He lifted their hands and kissed hers.

  Mona handed him the paperwork, completely oblivious to the tender moment she’d just interrupted. Rich signed it, wrote down the address, and took his copies after Mona tore them off. “Delivery tomorrow, between noon and 4:00.”

  “Great. Thanks, Mona.”

  She offered a nod then left them alone. Kate squeezed his hand and Rich looked down at her. She smiled. “You’re sure you like the bed? I want you to feel at home.”

  “Stop.” He hushed her by pressing his finger to her lips. “It’s fine, all of it is fine.” He replaced his finger with his lips. “I was happy with the couch.” A smile plucked at his lips and she cocked her head. “But what I really enjoy is waking up in your bed.”

  Her beautiful brow arched while her eyes twinkled. “Yeah, I’ll bet you did.”

  Rich was still smiling as she tried to pretend she didn’t enjoy sleeping in his arms. She’d told him she did, had actually asked him to stay. This new bed was nothing more than window dressing for the guest room. If it made Kate feel better to think he had his own bed, so be it.

  The drive to Rich’s—and Shea’s—house was really long despite only being a few miles. Kate’s mind raced with the skeletons that might still reside inside. Shea’s ghost haunted Kate every day. Not so much the murderer, but the woman who had captured—and broken—Rich’s heart. It was one thing to hate the psychotic, murdering bitch who had devastated Kate’s world, and quite another to be jealous of her for being loved by Rich. For sharing his home. Taking his name.

  Mature trees lined the quiet street. He pulled the car into the driveway of a red brick, split level. The yard was meticulously manicured, the only thing that appeared out of place was the ‘for sale’ sign planted in the middle of the front lawn.

  “Wow, who takes care of the yard.”

  “I do,” he said with a shrug. “It’s something I like to do. You want to come in?” he asked as if either answer wouldn’t come as a surprise to him.

  Her brain screamed no, but her mouth opened and said, “Yes.” The out of body experience continued as her hand reached for the door handle, jerking it open. She stepped out of the safety of the vehicle and was struck with an overwhelming wave of nausea.

  Rich stepped up behind her. “You don’t have to…”

  “It’s okay. I’d like to see your house.” Only part of that statement was true. She was actually far more scared than curious.

  Rich took her arm and guided her up the steps. He slid the key into the lock and opened the door, holding it for her to enter. She muttered a thank you and stepped in onto the tile of the entry. She wanted to run, screaming back to the car and lock the doors, but found her feet carrying her up the stairs to the living room.

  It wasn’t like anything she would have expected in the home of laid-back, easy going Rich Spencer. This room was filled with fancy furniture and frou-frou accessories. The statues and vases looked expensive and above the fireplace was a hand-painted portrait that nearly caused Kate’s heart to stop; Shea was sitting in a chair with Rich kneeling next to her. Bile rose up in the back of her throat. She hated that he actually looked happy, and breathtakingly handsome.

  Large hands came to rest on her hips then moved around her waist, easing her against his body. “I have always hated that painting.”

  “I don’t like it either.” She leaned into his warm body and enjoyed the sound of his heartbeat. His hands rested on her stomach, easing her tension with slow, loving circles. There was magic in his touch. Always had been.

  Despite being so close to Rich, Kate couldn’t shake the nervous feeling eating at her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and Kate tried to shake the feeling that she was being watched. She hated the constant sense of paranoia that plagued her. Shea was a danger that seemed to stalk Kate at every turn. Kate hated her—wanted her caught and rotting behind bars where she couldn’t hurt anyone anymore.

  Rich cleared his throat and spoke low in her ear. “I just want to grab a couple of things.” As soon as he broke contact, a shudder wiggled its way up her spine and she hurried to follow him.

  The den was much more Rich; a large leather couch against one wall, a flat screen television on the other. He rummaged through a dresser drawer and pulled out a picture, setting it on the small table next to the couch. A snapshot; one the subject didn’t realize was being taken. It was of her; smiling, happy. She couldn’t be sure when, or by whom, it was taken except that it was before her world had been turned upside down.

  Rich made quick work of disassembling the expensive plasma TV and lifted it from the wall. “This is the only thing I want from my old life.” Kate followed him out of the room and down the hallway. “My life began the day you admitted you loved me.” It was said as matter-of-factly as ‘the sun is shining today’, but the statement brought tears to her eyes. She blinked quickly hoping to keep them where they were.

  Rich muscled the awkward high-tech rectangle down the stairs and out the front door. Kate opened the car door then hurried around to the other side to help guide it into the backseat.

  “I’m just going to lock up. I’ll be right back.”

  Kate nodded and closed the rear passenger door before she climbed into the front to wait for Rich to return.

  It took only a few seconds for Rich to come out of the house. His face was pale, as if he’d seen a ghost, and he was running toward her. He whipped the door open, his eyes frantic as he did a visual inventory of her well-being. “Are you okay?” The tone of his voice had her worried and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end again. As the phone landed in her lap, he ordered, “Call Reggie.”

  “Rich, what’s wrong? What’s going on?”

  His hands shook as he jammed the keys into the ignition and turned the engine over, then slammed the car into reverse. Tires squealed and the transmission moaned as he shifted into drive, then the smell of burning rubber assaulted her nostrils as he drove away.

  “Rich!” Kate screamed as she frantically punched in the number to the police station. “What the hell happened in there?”

  He grabbed his cell phone from her hands. “Reggie Brown,” he said into the phone. “Rich Spencer. It’s about Shea.”

  Kate turned in her seat to look back at the house they’d just left. There was no sign of anybody there, but something—someone—had Rich freaked. And because of his reaction, Kate felt her nerves jolt to life. Her stomach rolled and the baby living within kicked in protest of her anxiety.

  Rich rattled off the address into the phone then relayed what had him so spooked. “I came back down the hall and the portrait above the fireplace had a huge slash across my face.” He shook his head in response to whatever Reggie had asked. “No, we looked at it only a few minutes before and paintings don’t just shred themselves. She’s close, Reggie. Shit, do you realize…” He blew out a breath and nodded as Reggie spoke to him. He took Kate by the hand. “I won’t let anything happen to her. Yeah, we’ll be there in a few.”

  Kate felt numb, like she’d spent hours on the frozen tundra without the comfort of clothes. She was cold to the bone. Shea had been in the same house, nearly the same room as Rich—as her and her baby. Shit was right. This whole situation was bad. Bu
t not just for her. Rich was in danger too. If Shea had slashed the painting, she had something sharp in her hand, something that could have just as easily killed him.

  Shivers raced up and down her spine and her lungs gulped for air. Tears stung her eyes as she wrapped both hands around his hand. She cursed the console that separated her from Rich. Right now the only thing she wanted was to have him in her arms, to be in his, holding on to him, making sure that nothing would ever take him from her.

  Rich’s body was tense, his back so straight it looked like his spine had been replaced by a steel rod. His hand was tight on hers as though he were truly holding on for dear life. His eyes were focused with worried intensity out the windshield.

  Kate closed her eyes and concentrated on the beating of her own heart, the air coming in and leaving her lungs, and the life line that had her tethered to the man she loved.

  He squeezed her hand. “I won’t let anything happen to you—or our son.”

  Kate let the reference to her son slide. This wasn’t the time to debate that again. There was more at stake than the paternity of her little boy. The situation had literally escalated to life and death. “I know,” she breathed. “Rich, she could have…”

  “Don’t think about that,” he cut her off. And by the intensity of his voice, of his body, it was obvious that he wasn’t going to follow his own advice.

  She’d made fun of him for sleeping in her driveway to protect her. Mocked him. But here they were. Kate could no longer live her life as though Shea wasn’t a threat. A piece of paper wouldn’t stop her if she was determined to cause more heartache.

  “We have to go give a statement to Reggie. It shouldn’t take very long then we’ll get you home where you’ll be safe.”

  Safe, Kate thought with a shudder, wondering if she’d ever feel safe again.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Rich pulled into the parking lot of the police department, and Reggie was standing on the front steps flanked by a couple more officers. He turned to Kate and flashed what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded and mumbled, “Okay.” Her face was pale, her eyes dim as she offered a pathetic smile of her own. He opened the door, but the death grip on his arm didn’t loosen as he tried to exit the car. Rich wondered if she even realized she was shaking.

  He leaned across the seat and kissed her on the mouth. “Then I’m going to need my arm.”

  “Oh.” She blinked, looked down at where she still held his arm then slowly, reluctantly, released him. “Sorry.”

  Reggie was all business as Rich approached the group of men. “Was the place wrecked when you left it?”

  Rich’s stomach fell to his toes. “No. Everything was fine. Well, except for the painting. Why? What’d your guys find?”

  “If you wouldn’t mind following me over.” Reggie motioned for the other officers to move toward their vehicles.

  The only thing on Rich’s mind was Kate—and her son. “I don’t want Kate to know any more than she already does.”

  Reggie’s eyes drifted over Rich’s shoulder. “Agreed.”

  Then a thought occurred to Rich and he narrowed his eyes at Reggie. “If you were just going to drag me back over there, then why’d you make me come all the way down here?”

  “If Shea was…” Rich cocked a brow and Reggie amended, “Because Shea was in the area, I didn’t want either of you anywhere near there. The good news is that she stuck around long enough to take her frustrations out on the house which means she didn’t follow you. That is a good thing.” Reggie ran his hand through his hair and looked at Kate again. “Forensics is going over the scene now in hopes of finding some tip that will lead to where she’s been hiding. I’d just like you to look at things and see if something stands out.”

  “Okay, I need to drop Kate off somewhere safe then I’ll meet you.”

  “Thirty minutes, Rich, that’s all I can give you.” His dark eyes bored into Rich’s. “Can you be there in thirty?”

  “I’ll make it work,” Rich said before turning toward his still running vehicle. Kate’s eyes were wide, scared. He jogged to the driver’s side and she unlocked the doors. “I’m going to take you to Nate’s, then I’ve got to meet Reggie back at the house.”

  Tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “I can’t, Rich. I can’t. You can’t leave me right now. I need you. I need to know that you’re okay.” She sniffed and wiped at the tears with the back of her hand. “Please.”

  He went back around to her side and opened the door. Sobs burst from Kate’s throat as she threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest. His hands cupped her head then moved slowly down the auburn strands, palming the arch of her back and holding her tighter.

  “I won’t ever leave you, Kate. Never. Do you understand that?” Her head moved against his chest. “Okay, let’s go.” He helped her back into the vehicle and went to climb behind the wheel.

  The ride back was quiet, and when he eased the car over to the curb in front of the place he used to call home, he cut the engine. He waited for Reggie to approach the car then opened the door. Reggie smiled at the officer standing next to him. “This is Officer Terry. He’s going to stand here and keep an eye on Kate while you’re with me. Is that okay, Kate?”

  Rich was reluctant to leave Kate with Officer Terry, but Kate nodded and said, “Okay. It’s okay, Rich. Really.”

  He leaned across the seat and cradled her head in his hand, whispering low in her ear, “I love you. I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded. “I love you, too. Please hurry.”

  “I promise.” Rich pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. His heart couldn’t decide whether to fly with the knowledge of her declaration or to give in to the anxiety that was flooding his bloodstream.

  Reggie stood on the front porch, his hands stuffed in his pockets. “You sure you’re ready for this? It’s kind of…disturbing.”

  “Shea does disturbing really well,” Rich muttered sarcastically under his breath, brushing past Reggie as he stepped aside. Inside, everything was a mess. Shattered glass, broken lamps, shredded couch cushions, and that was only what could be seen from his vantage point in the entry. Yes, the order had been disrupted, big time, but the thing that caught his eye and caused his blood to curdle in his veins was the sight at the top of the stairs.

  Kate’s picture, the beautiful one from his room, the one he’d dropped when he saw the vandalized painting, was there being held to the wall with a butcher knife. The point going right through her smile.

  “Rich!” Reggie yelled as another detective rushed to grab Rich before he was able to reach the top step.

  “What the hell?” Rich growled. He went toe to toe with Reggie, careful not to touch the man in charge, but close enough to get his point across. “You.Find.Her!”

  Reggie didn’t flinch. “We will, Rich. I promise. I don’t want anything to happen to Kate anymore than you do.”

  “Do you love her?” Rich asked. Reggie just stared at him. “Because I do, Reggie. More than anything in this world. You find that bitch or I swear that I will. And if I find her, you’ll end up putting me in a fancy set of bracelets. I will stop at nothing to protect Kate. Nothing. Are we clear?”

  “Rich, I know you’re upset…”

  “Upset doesn’t even begin to describe what I am. That’s Kate…with a knife… That’s a clear threat, as if we needed another sign that she hated Kate and would like to see her dead.” Rich raked his hand through his hair then slammed a fist into the wall. The drywall gave under the force. “Dammit!”

  “Look, we’ll post an officer outside her house and one at the station just to be safe.” A chubby hand rested on his arm. “I don’t want anything to happen to her either, Rich. Kate’s a great girl, and I really think a lot of her. I’m glad she has you. But I’m also concerned for your safety.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Rich grumbled, but he was worried. About Kate, the baby
—and himself.

  Reggie waved a hand at the remnants of Hurricane Shea and asked, “Do you see anything that might give us a clue as to where she might have gone?”

  Rich’s eyes scanned the room from one end to the other. Everything that was made of glass or crystal had been smashed to smitherines. The painting above the fireplace had been ripped from the wall, the canvas shredded. The couches were bare, their cushions fluff covered the floor like snow. He shook his head. “I don’t know, Reggie. I really don’t know. I wish I did. If I think of anything I’ll let you know.”

  Reggie extended his hand. “Thanks, Rich. We will get her. You have my word.”

  Rich shook the older man’s hand, then returned to the vehicle where Kate was sitting, chatting with the officer. She smiled, but there was tension in her face. “You ready, love?”

  “Yeah, you done in there?” Her head jerked toward the house.

  “Um hum, let’s get you home.” He climbed behind the wheel. “Thanks, Terry.” The officer tilted his head and mumbled a ‘you’re welcome’, then he walked off toward the house.

  Kate grabbed his hand. “I’m tired. Let’s go home.”

  Home. It had been a long time since Rich had truly felt at home anywhere. Hell, it’d been a near eternity since he’d felt at home in his own skin. Kate had changed all that. Not only was she his home, she was his everything.

  He’d not told her what he’d seen in Shea’s house, nor would he. She was already scared. There was no need to have her afraid to leave her home. With Reggie’s help, Rich would do everything within his power to protect her.

  **

  Rich connected the last of the wires, then stood back to admire his handy work. The room where he currently stood was empty except for the television on the wall. But tomorrow, between noon and 4:00, it would be nearly bursting at the seams.

  Kate was in the shower, freshening up, and Rich was doing everything he could think of to keep his mind off that fact. He walked down the hall, fully aware that her room was eerily silent. The door was ajar and he listened, holding his breath. Through the quiet, a soft crying caused Rich’s blood pressure to spike.