Winter Heat

by Jennifer Lucia

  “If you value the lives of your sister and nephews, you’ll go along with this. You think I’m a lone wolf? Think again. I have associates all over the country who are chomping at the bit to have their next kill.”

  Anna. I went limp on the bed, all the fight taken out of me. If I resisted, my sister’s entire family would be murdered. What else could I do besides go along with his plan until I found a way to kill him?

  “Time to start packing the car up. Don’t worry, I’ve got all you need for our trip.” It was a bizarre parallel to the last time I’d been whisked away without warning, and I felt sick comparing the two wildly different men and situations. Jack checked my bindings to make sure I was secure while I stared at him with pure hatred. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek while I recoiled. “We’re going to do great things, you and I.” I jerked my head from him and he smiled. “In time, you’ll embrace what you really are.”

  He went the door, where three bags were lined up and ready to go. “I’m going to go start the car and load these up. No use wasting time.” He checked outside to make sure no one was in the hallway, then left.

  I started to tug at my restraints as soon as he was gone, but stopped at the thought of my sister. I slumped down in despair. I had no energy to react when the door swung back open.

  “Kelsey,” he said. That wasn’t Jack’s voice, it was deeper, less raspy. Liam.

  “Liam?” I whispered, starting to cry. “Liam, you’re alive?”

  “Of course, baby,” Liam said, rushing to my side. “No time to talk now, we need to get you out of here while we wait for backup.” He reached up and untied my wrists, and I flung my arms around him, sobbing now while I kissed him all over his face. He squeezed me quickly, but gripped me by the shoulders. “Kelsey, we have seconds left until Jack comes back.”

  “No, you don’t,” Jack said from behind Liam. He swung an iron upward and knocked Liam to his side. “I should’ve squeezed your neck, harder, it seems. No matter, I’ll do it right this time.”

  Something metal glinted in the light from the lamp. Liam’s gun. I took my opportunity when Jack turned for a split second and grabbed the gun. Thank goodness Liam had shown me how to use one in the backyard one time. I turned the safety off and pointed it at Jack while Liam moaned.

  “You’re going down, motherfucker,” I said, taking aim for his heart. I pulled the trigger and Jack reeled. I’d shot him in the arm, which was just as well. He dropped to the ground, whimpering. Apparently he could delight in inflicting pain, but when it came to himself, he couldn’t take it. Liam sat up and gently pried the gun from my hand, then turned the safety back on as soon as he had it out of my possession.

  Liam cuffed Jack quickly while Jack was still prone on the ground, then he sat on him and read him his rights. Jack sneered at Liam and struggled to get up, but Liam readjusted his position to put pressure on Jack’s wounded arm. Jack went down flat on his stomach with a whimper. “You heard Kelsey. You’re going down, motherfucker.”

  All at once, the room was flooded with U.S. Marshals, all of whom had their guns pointed at Jack. Liam got up and came to my side while the Marshals hauled Jack up roughly and took him with them. Liam untied my ankles and rubbed them before coming back up to my face.

  “He told me he killed you,” I said. I couldn’t stop crying. Liam reached up and wiped the tears off my face.

  “He tried. My neck was too strong for him to strangle, I guess,” Liam joked. “Kelsey, I promised to protect you, and I failed. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t, Liam, it’s not your fault,” I said. I leaned forward to pull him to me, and I winced. I looked down at my stomach and was surprised to see how blood-soaked my shirt was. “Hey, Liam?” I said

  “Yeah, baby?” he asked.

  “Merry Christmas,” I said, and everything went black as I fainted yet again.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  One Week Later

  I’d spent the past week in a hospital in Washington, D.C., recovering from my wounds, which, thankfully, were shallow enough that I should’ve been released in a day. I asked my doctors to check my blood sugar levels because I was fainting so frequently, but it turns out that was just because of shock. I was ordered to undergo psychological evaluation, though, which was what was keeping me in the hospital. I was getting pretty antsy with psychologists constantly trying to make sure I wasn’t permanently damaged by my torture. I had a feeling the U.S. Marshals were so concerned with me getting intensive psychological treatment because they thought I would sue them. I admitted that I got myself into this mess, though, which made McIntyre relax a little.

  I hadn’t seen Liam in the week since Jack had been captured. He was going through some sort of debriefing period, and I guess he’d gotten into a bit of trouble for allowing his witness to be kidnapped from right under his nose. I wasn’t told much else besides that. I was pretty worried for Liam’s job, partly because it would be my fault if he lost it. I hadn’t exactly made it easy for him to guard me. Truth be told, I was pretty desperate to see Liam, to tell him that I loved him and wanted to be more than friends with benefits, and also that I’m sorry I made him lose his job if he got fired.

  We had also apparently made quite the splash in Langdon Falls. Since nothing exciting ever happened there, the discovery that there had been someone in the Witness Protection Program there was the highlight of the year. Daisy told me that we were the talk of the town. Dolores claimed she knew we were spies all along, and no one bothered to correct her. Daisy, angel that she is, forgave me immediately for my deception when I’d apologized via email. (“I knew you guys were too attractive to be called Agnes and Amos! I knew your husband wasn’t just a construction worker!”) We’d been emailing back and forth every day during my hospital stay, and we had made plans for Daisy to come visit in the spring.

  Jamie, Hannah, and Eric had been immensely relieved that I’d come home safe and sound, and had come to visit me in the hospital quite a few times. They, like my sister, hadn’t been informed of anything when I was whisked away by the Marshals. They’d all been worried sick about me, and of course the police hadn’t been any help.

  Meanwhile, I missed Liam so much I left the golf channel on while I browsed the Internet. It was still awful and boring, don’t get me wrong, but it reminded me of him and that was comforting. I was reading a gossip blog idly and checking Facebook incessantly when my nurse walked in.

  “Kelsey, how are we feeling today?” she asked, walking around my bed to take my vitals.

  “Mentally and physically sound, Nurse Davis,” I said. “Any chance I get to go home soon?”

  “I don’t want to get your hopes up, but there’s a chance you can leave today. There’s someone who needs to talk to you first, though.” She nodded her head towards the door.

  I looked to where she was pointing. Liam was standing there with a new haircut and freshly shaved, holding a poinsettia.

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” she said, winking at me.

  “Thanks, Dayna,” I said, not taking my eyes off Liam. She left the room, and I smiled from ear to ear and bolted upright. My stitches protested, however, and I winced and laid back. “You’re going to have to come to me,” I said apologetically. Liam looked alarmed and came to the bed. He set the poinsettia on the bedside table, trying to make room for it amongst the various other flower arrangements. I swiped the other flowers onto the floor so that Liam’s poinsettia was prominently displayed.

  “I swear you try to get yourself hurt,” Liam said as he gingerly teetered on the edge of my hospital bed. I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer so that I could give him a big hug.

  “Nah, I am just eager to see you,” I said into his shoulder. Liam pulled back and looked me up and down, as if checking to make sure I was all there. He seemed satisfied, and kissed me on the forehead before sitting back.

  “You sure enjoy the golf channel for someone who gave me so much shit about watching it,” Liam observed.

 
; “Not a chance,” I said. “I just watch this as background noise to help me fall asleep. So how much trouble are you in with McIntyre?”

  “Not that much trouble, thankfully. I am assigned to desk duty for the next year or so, though,” Liam said. “At my request.”

  “Oh yeah?” I asked casually. “Why is that?”

  “So I can stay in Norfolk and not be sent all over the country,” Liam said.

  I smiled. We would be seeing a lot of each other, then.

  “I am so sorry that you were taken while you were under my watch. That should never have happened, and I will regret it for the rest of my life,” he said. He took hold of both of my hands and held them in his lap. “And I’m here because I need you to know that I am okay with just being friends, if that’s what you really want. But I want to be in your life. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and if that’s all we’ll ever be, then I’ll be happy.”

  “Liam, you idiot, I love you,” I said, interrupting what was sure to be a very long and depressing speech. “I tried to tell you the day of the tree lighting, but you told me not to say anything, so I was planning on waiting till the night, and then, well, you know, I got kidnapped.” I chuckled, but quieted down when I saw how quickly Liam’s face had turned from elated to distraught. “Sorry. I’m no worse for wear for that, by the way. You can stop self-flagellating.”

  “I’m not self-flagellating. I love you, too, Kelsey,” Liam said, still gently holding my hands. Why hasn’t he kissed me yet?

  “Yeah, I figured. You’re so emotional, Liam,” I said, grinning at him. He shot me a look. “Liam, I’m not that fragile right now. You could throw me against this bed and kiss me like there’s no tomorrow if you’d like to. You could do many things to me in this bed if you’d like to.”

  Heat flared in Liam’s eyes, but he shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt you. I know you like to think you’re invincible, but you’re in pain right now, Kelsey.”

  “Kiss me right now,” I commanded, pulling him flush against my body and putting his hands on my breasts.

  Liam grinned. “Yes ma’am.” And he did. He kissed me with the weight of everything we’d been through together, with all the emotion that had been building between us for the last month. He kissed me with passion, with love, and with tongue. I had to break our kiss for my own health, though, because I was one second away from saying screw it and ripping off his clothes right then and there. Liam kissed my nose and smiled at me.

  “So. Do I call you my boyfriend now or something?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.

  “Call me whatever you want,” Liam said. “Just make sure you’re in my bed whenever I need you.”

  “Ooh, bossy, I like it,” I teased, grabbing his package and winking. We were interrupted by my doctor walking in, and I quickly pulled my hand back and pretended I hadn’t been about to give my boyfriend a handjob in a hospital room.

  “Miss Jones,” he said, completely oblivious. Bless his heart. “And guest.”

  “I can leave,” Liam offered.

  “No, stay,” I said, pulling him back down. “What’s up, doc?”

  The doctor smiled at this. “Well, I have good news for you. We’re discharging you today with a clean bill of health. You just need to come back in a week to get the stitches taken out, and keep them clean in the meantime. And if at any point, you’re experiencing any symptoms of PTSD, you are to call any of our psychiatrists on staff.”

  I smiled at Liam, who was smiling right back. “I get to go home?”

  The doctor nodded. “Yep.” I tried to push myself up to leave right away, but my stitches protested again and I blanched. The doctor gently pressed down on my shoulder to keep me in the bed. “You should leave the hospital in a wheelchair. It’s policy. Once you’re home, no strenuous activity until your stitches are out. That’s a firm order.”

  I looked at Liam and tried to hold in my giggle. No luck. “I will try my best to abstain from- ahem- strenuous activity.” Fat chance.

  Liam frowned at me, then turned to the doctor seriously. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t overexert herself. I’ll be staying at her place this week.” So presumptuous! I liked it.

  The doctor nodded disinterestedly. “Sounds good. I’ll get your discharge papers in order, and you’ll be free to go.” With that, he left.

  Liam packed my stuff up and scolded me every time I tried to get up. So I sat there on the bed, helpless, while I watched my incredibly hot man take care of me. Liam brought the wheelchair to the side of my hospital bed and helped me into it with more care than was strictly necessary.

  “Kelsey, will you go on a date with me?” Liam asked, leaning down to kiss me on the neck and surprising me.

  “Aren’t we a little past going on dates?” I asked.

  “Baby, I hope we are never bored enough with each other that we are past going on dates,” Liam said.

  “In that case, yes,” I said happily. “I will go on a date with you. But first, take me home.”

  Liam took me home, as promised, and I will have you know- we found some very interesting ways to follow doctor’s orders that week.

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