A Stranger's Affection

by Charlene Namdhari

  “Colt?” Accustomed to late-night calls, the doctor didn’t sound surprised.

  “Evening, Rob. I need you at the estate. I’ll be there in an hour.”

  Dr. Rob didn’t ask any questions. “Okay.”

  Colton disconnected the call and glanced over his shoulder at the woman with a disgusted shake of his head. The fact that she’d made it to the road in her condition shocked him—and very little caught him unawares. He was considered a hardcore bastard among his men and enemies. And he could probably be accused of treating a woman like shit, but he’d never beat her within an inch of her life.

  A record-breaking forty-five minutes later, he sped through the gates of his estate and headed straight for the mini-clinic at the back of the property. A medical contingency in the event of emergencies. Rob was slipping on surgical gloves when Colton pushed through the doors. He set the woman down on the bed. Rob immediately took charge. Colton moved away as the doctor inspected the woman. He checked her pulse and airway then turned away to search the draws. His movements were frantic.

  “Doc?”

  Scissors in his hand, Rob stepped back to the table. “Her pulse is weak, and her breathing is abnormal. I need to administer CPR.” He quickly snipped through her shirt.

  “Anything I can do?”

  “Get me an oxygen mask from that cupboard.” Rob jerked his chin at the medical supply cabinet and began his administration.

  Several minutes later, Rob removed her pants, did a thorough check of her body then covered her with a blanket. He adjusted the oxygen mask over her nose and straightened. “Jesus Christ, Colt, who is she?” Rob looked away from the woman to stare at him, his brow wrinkled in concern.

  “Don’t have a clue, doc. She ran into my car.” In the brightness of the light above, Colton eyed her features, the little he could see. Creamy skin covered in blood alternated with blue-black blotches where she sustained injuries. “Could be an accident or assault.”

  “I’d go with the latter.” Rob glanced at her. “No accident would cause those swollen eyes.”

  Colton nodded. He doubted she’d be able to open them any time soon. Her split lips resembled that of a boxer who’d taken one too many punches to the mouth.

  “She’s in a bad way. From the little I’ve seen, I’d say she might have a busted rib, a twisted arm, and some severe lacerations to her body and face. But it’s this cut.” He pointed to the open wound on her forehead. “That’s a cause for concern. Might keep her unconscious for a bit.”

  “Will she make it through the night?”

  Rob looked up. His eyes, deep pools of sadness, Colton hadn’t seen before. “I need to get some x-ray’s done. Frankly, I’m shocked she’s still alive.”

  “That goes for the two of us.” Colton glanced at her once more. “Can’t believe she survived the ride here.”

  “She may need a hospital, son.”

  “Unless you want to take her there, do what you can, doc.”

  If the doctor picked up on the underlying curtness to Colton’s reply, he made no mention of it and merely nodded. While Rob was a renowned neurosurgeon, Colton had helped him out when Lacey, Rob’s daughter, suffered a significant stalker situation. Since then, he’d become Colton’s go-to person for any medical issues. He understood Colton’s way of life and the need for privacy. If the woman died, his men would bury her at the edge of the property—no questions asked, no info shared.

  He gripped the back of his neck and twisted against the stiffness. “You need anything?”

  Rob shook his head without taking his eyes off the woman. “This place has everything I need for now. If there’s anything major, I’ll let you know. I need some time with her. Can you call Lacey and ask her to come out? Tell her she’ll need an overnight bag. We can’t leave this child alone.” Rob gently pushed away strands of hair from her face.

  “Sure.”

  Lacey was a registered nurse who helped her father whenever an emergency arose at the Black residence. Like her father, she was privy to Colton’s operations, and he trusted her. He left Rob, made the call then headed back to the house. When he entered, Rex met him at the door, his brow puckered in worry.

  “What’s up? James mentioned you went straight to the clinic.” His brother referred to their head of security.

  “Someone ran into my car.”

  “You’re fucking with me.” Rex’s brow shot up. Colton shook his head. “You hit him?”

  “Her.”

  “Wait. You hit a woman?”

  “No. A woman ran into my car on the road near the warehouse.” Colton corrected.

  “What the hell?”

  “You could say that.”

  “And you brought her here?” Rex raked a hand through his hair. “Jesus, Colt, what about the privacy crap and not bringing strangers on the property.”

  Colton stared at his brother in silence. Aware, he tempted faith by bringing an unknown woman into the estate. There was no telling what shit she was involved in that warranted an assault. He sighed. “I didn’t have a choice, Rex. Fuck, I’ve seen some sick shit in my life, but someone made her a punching bag. Taking her to the public hospital would’ve created more drama than we need right now.”

  “What the fuck was she doing out there in the first place?” Rex stared at Colton.

  “That’s what I’d like to know. Rob’s with her and Lacey should be here shortly. Let James know, will you?” He rubbed the back of his neck. The ache intensified. “I need a shower. Lazarus?”

  Rex grinned. “No longer a problem. Brody made sure of that. Go shower. I’ll tell James about Lacey.”

  Colton nodded and headed for the stairs. At the bottom, he stopped. “Rex?” When his brother turned, Colton raked a caring glance over him. “You know I never wanted you involved in this, right? I mean, getting rid of Laz.”

  “I’m a big boy, Colt.” Rex chuckled. “I can take of myself.”

  “Yeah, but you’re in legal now.”

  “And you’re still my fucking brother, no matter what. Family comes first.” His brother winked and walked away.

  Colton’s chest constricted. No one it seemed, not even the law would come between him and his brother. He climbed the stairs. While Lazarus was no longer a problem, he had a feeling DeLuca would become suspicious when Lazarus didn’t pitch for their next meeting. Colton didn’t consider DeLuca a threat but always remained wary. He tried to stay ten steps ahead of his enemies. DeLuca might’ve surpassed retirement age, but he was sharper than most men in his business. Something, Colton would know best. After all, he had DeLuca to thank for Colton’s reign as the Black Lord. A title, the men in his line of business—especially the ones that hated him, had given him.

  WHEN COLTON DESCENDED to the kitchen the next morning, Lacey stood at the coffee machine. She turned when he approached. It wasn’t unusual to see her there. She’d helped her father on more than one occasion when Colton’s men injured themselves.

  “Hi.”

  “Lacey.” He nodded a greeting. “How’s our guest doing?”

  “Too early to say. She took a turn for the worse last night. As a precautionary measure, Dad put her on life support. He’ll remove it once she stabilizes. I can’t believe someone would do that to a woman.” Lacey shook her head.

  Colton poured himself a mug of coffee, turned and leaned against the counter. “Did she have any identification or something to give us an idea of who she is?”

  “Nope. Just lots of blood.”

  “Will she live?”

  Lacey set her mug down and sighed. “Dad seems to think so. The good thing is the attack doesn’t appear to be sexual. She has a few broken nails and fortunately, no busted ribs like he thought. Apart from some deep cuts and severe bruising where they hit her, all her main organs seem to be fine. The wound on her forehead is profound, though. Dad fears she’ll remain unconscious for a while. Worst case scenario, she might wake and suffer memory loss. He’s seen it before.”

  “Did
she sleep through the night?”

  “No. She moaned a few times. It could be nightmares or pain. Dad gave her something...” Lacey trailed off as Rex entered the kitchen. She offered him a shy smile. “Hi.”

  His brother returned the smile and nodded at him, then busied himself with coffee. Colton grinned. There was an unconcealed sexual tension between these two. Something both refused to acknowledge and probably waited for the other to make a move. Colton downed his coffee, set his mug in the sink, and turned to Lacey. “Keep me posted, okay.” She nodded before he left the kitchen.

  Chapter Six

  COLTON NURSED HIS DRINK and stared out the bedroom window, seeing nothing. While he suspected DeLuca was suspicious, there was still no aftermath to Lazarus’ disappearance. Maybe it was too early to tell. Colton accepted it would take a while before Lazarus’ absence fizzled into nothing. It didn’t help to know the fucker lay somewhere with a bullet in his skull, and if Colton knew Brody well, Lazarus was probably missing some body parts too.

  The fact they had no clue to the identity of the woman Colton rescued was also another cause for concern. Checks with their contact at the local police department proved futile. Internet searches about missing women in the area yielded nothing. It was like she’d dropped out of the sky.

  Over the last three weeks, she remained in a coma, healing slowly, which was a good thing until she woke. Then what? The unknown worried him a little. The Black estate was enormous, with rolling acres of land that stood along the shores of Deepwater Ridge. While access wasn’t easy, and their privacy key, an unknown guest, could cause potential problems—bring strangers—.

  “No!”

  The sudden shout startled him. He swiveled, set his glass on the coffee table in the middle of the room, and hurried to the door. A soft moan flittered down the passage. Hesitant, Colton walked the short distance to the guest bedroom and stood at the door. Their patient appeared to be in the throes of a dream. Her hands thrashed wildly, head shaking from side to side as though she fought someone—something.

  Colton glanced around. Where the fuck was Lacey? Cautiously he neared the bed and stared down at the woman. Her breathing raced; erratic pants turned into loud moans. Unsure what to do, he sat down on the bed.

  The second he touched her hand, she screamed. “Please. No. Get away from me.”

  Alarmed, he jerked back his hand and glanced at the door hoping Lacey would hurry and get the fuck there. The woman’s moans rose, her body shook in sporadic convulsions.

  “Please, don’t,” she cried out once more.

  Colton took a deep breath and slid down next to her. Gently, he pulled her into his arms. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe.” He hoped she’d hear him. The jerking stopped instantly. Her moaning persisted for another minute before she turned and buried her face in his chest. The groans lowered in volume and became soft whimpers.

  Several minutes later, when her breathing evened out, Colton slipped his hand out from under her, covered her up to the chest, and stood. He stared at the sleeping figure for a bit and wondered what gave her nightmares. Who was she fighting in those dreams? Would they ever learn the truth? Most of the purple discoloration had lightened to a yellowish-brown. The swelling of her eyes not as puffy. Her features were beginning to show. She was no doubt a beautiful woman. Pity. She had one helluva enemy who hadn’t thought twice about assaulting her.

  Whatever the case, Rob would take good care of his patient. Thank goodness for Lacey. Not only had she brought her clothes for the woman, but without Colton asking, bathed, and changed her daily. Rob suggested their patient be moved into the house to make it easy on Lacey and their housekeeper, Maria, who’d volunteered her assistance in Lacey’s absence.

  Colton reached the door at the same time Lacey did. “Where were you?” he asked. She offered him an embarrassed smile just as Rex came up behind her. When he caught sight of Colton, a sheepish grin curved his lips. Colton shook his head. “She had nightmares, but she seems to be sleeping now.” He glanced back at their guest. “Any changes?”

  “Apart from the nightmares, she’s doing well, I guess. Dad has back to back procedures for the next two days. When he returns, he can give you a full report until then I hope she wakes.” Lacey whispered, then when Colton looked at her, added, “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

  “It’s okay.” He left the room and grabbed his brother’s arm on the way out. “What the fuck, Rex,” he pounced the minute they entered Colton’s bedroom. “Lacey’s supposed to be working.”

  “Sorry, Colt.” Rex raked a hand through his hair. “I asked her to join me for coffee. We lost track of time.”

  “Coffee?” Colton grinned. “Is that what we’re calling it these days. You’ve been horny for the damn woman a good year now, and you’ve only managed to milk her coffee. I thought I raised you better.”

  Rex laughed. “Yup. I want her to have my babies someday. So, I’m taking it slow.”

  “Babies? Jesus Christ, Rex. There’s plenty of time for that. With the way things have been between you two, I thought you’d be humping like mindless bunnies by now.”

  The day he met Lacey, almost four years ago, Rex had practically drooled the entire time she was at their home. Then she left to live with her mother in London. Rex had to forget about her until she returned a year ago to help her father with his practice.

  “Yeah, I’m slow like that, what can I say.” His brother shrugged. Colton laughed. “Given our background, understanding women like her are hard to come by, so I’m not fucking this up no matter how horny the woman makes me.”

  “Take your time then.”

  “How’s New York? Did he sign?” Rex referred to the CEO of Rai Corporation.

  Colton had spent the last five days in New York. The meetings had gone off better than he’d expected. He was in the process of signing with Rai Corporation, one of the largest industries in the world and the Black’s soon to be new partner on the waterfront project.

  “Chilly. Went well, but Rai hasn’t signed yet. We have a few issues to iron out before we’re both satisfied. I want this deal as clean as possible.”

  “That’s great.” Rex nodded. “What about DeLuca? Should we be worried?”

  DeLuca wanted the waterfront for a casino and the perfect front for his operations. Only Colton planned to turn the waterfront into luxury apartments to attract more refined people into the city. The idea was to bring a respected entrepreneur into the game and who better than Rai.

  Colton picked up his glass. “I don’t trust that bastard. Make sure Brody is with you all the time. Understand.”

  “What about you?” Rex slipped his hands into his pants pockets and rocked back on the balls of his feet. A nervous tell.

  “I can handle myself.” He downed his drink. “If the need arises, I’ll take James with me.”

  “Okay. I’ll be in the gym if you need me.”

  Colton stared after his brother, then turned and glanced out the window. Rex was concerned, and he had every reason to be. Most people with intimate knowledge about the Black brothers would call them mobsters, but Colton preferred the term businessmen, protector, or cleaner if it came down to the wire. People of Deepwater Ridge lived with the acceptance they were safe as long as they didn’t fuck with the Black brothers. In return, Colton made sure Deepwater remained free of crimes he considered unnecessary.

  Drugs, prostitution, and terrorism annoyed him. Although, if someone needed something, and depending on that need, he always knew the right people. He’d made his money from the manufacture of armaments, both to the Department of Defense and certain Mafia bosses. Some would call it a serious conflict; however, what his buyers didn’t know, didn’t hurt him. As long as they never mentioned his name and stayed out of his territory, he didn’t care what war they started. A motto he adopted four years ago.

  DeLuca had wanted a piece of that pie for a long time. When he figured his fingers were too short, he veered his attention to Deepwater instead.
He once told Colton it was the case of the right time right place when DeLuca stuck his fingers into the human trafficking disease, and Colton called it quits. That was twelve years ago. Becoming DeLuca’s protégé since the age of ten, left Colton with good relationships. Some ambiguous and some legit yet most willing to help return favors and get him the government contract.

  Chapter Seven

  NISHANI CAME TO WITH a start. She opened her eyes and immediately shut her lids against the offending brightness. It hurt like hell. God, it felt like she had way too many tequilas. Usually, she could hold her liquor and woke the next morning, ready for action. But this—this pain felt different—almost like the time she spent locked in a cage with no sunlight for more than a year. Shoving aside the memory, she let the white spots dissipate before opening her eyes once more. A hazy sheen glazed her eyes. She blinked rapidly for a few seconds. Where am I?

  She rotated her head slowly but couldn’t widen her gaze. Her eyes narrow slits, she peeked around. It looked like a hospital ward with the beeping machines and a metal table topped with God knows what. But the room lacked the cold, clinical feel one would find in a hospital. The stone-colored walls, white trimmings, and large windows added an air of elegance. And the bed. A double or queen-sized mattress—not even a private hospital could provide. This was someone’s bedroom. But who? More importantly, why?

  Baffled, she wondered about her surroundings when a door opened. Nishani instinctively closed her eyes and, in a practiced manner, eased her breathing to give the impression she was asleep. She’d done this so often before; it became easy to fool people.

  Someone entered. From the sound of his movements appeared to be checking the machines on the side of her bed.