Merger

by Chelle Bliss

  “I can’t wait another two hours for darkness. We don’t have time to waste. We need to move.”

  “Let me get one more visual and make sure he’s preoccupied before we bust down the front door.”

  “Get the visual, but I’m going in either way,” I tell him, done with waiting around for the sun to set.

  It won’t change the outcome. Either way, we’re going in, and if someone dies, I sure as hell don’t plan on it being me. We have the element of surprise on our side. Trent probably assumes he’s covered his tracks enough that it would take us days to find him, but he underestimated my ability to track down the woman I love.

  Maverick backs away and gives me a quick nod before jogging back to the side of the house so quietly I don’t even hear his footsteps. The man had to have been a beast during his military days and has probably killed more people than I’d want to know. I’m happy he’s on my side and not working for the enemy.

  I can’t take my eyes off the cabin, wondering what’s happening inside and if Lauren’s okay. Maverick said they were on the bed, and I know Trent’s touching her. I can’t imagine the mental pain she’s feeling, trying to reason with a deranged lunatic.

  Maverick’s large frame creates a shadow around me as he jogs back to my side. “We’re good to go. I’ll go in first and bust the door down before taking Trent out. After he’s out of the picture, you can come in and grab Lauren, sir.”

  I stare up at him, playing the scenario through my head. I can’t think of a better idea. “We’re just going to run up there?”

  He moves close again, trying to keep his husky, deep voice as low as possible. “No. We’re going to take it slow. I don’t need a lot of space to knock that shitty wood door off its hinges. Just a swift kick of my boot, and it’ll be done. I’ll have him on the floor before he has a chance to even react on instinct.”

  “I’ll be right behind you.”

  He walks slowly, too slowly for my liking, but he’s in charge even if I’m the one signing his checks. With careful attention, we step around fallen branches and anything that could cause an unnatural sound before making our way to the corner of the cabin. As if he weighs nothing, Maverick walks across the planks of the porch, ducking underneath every window to avoid detection. I stay near the corner, knowing my limits and not willing to risk Lauren’s life just so I can be glued to Maverick’s back.

  He motions to me, holding up three fingers.

  Two.

  One.

  He lifts his leg off the ground and rears back before thrusting forward with so much force that the door busts into tiny pieces under the impact.

  LAUREN

  I turn my head to the side and stare at the old brown lamp on the nightstand. If I could move over a few more inches, I could probably touch it, but I wouldn’t be near enough to wrap my fingers around the base. It’s the only thing close enough with enough weight to knock Trent out if I hit him at just the right angle.

  “You feel so good,” Trent says, moving down the middle of my chest with his body weight pinning me to the mattress.

  I touch his arm, sliding my fingernails gently across his skin as I make my way up to his shoulder. “You too.”

  He murmurs his appreciation as I swallow down my fear. I drop my hand from his shoulder, placing it near my face. I writhe against the bed, pretending I’m enjoying the feel of his lips against my flesh. I’ve never been good at faking it, but Trent’s too busy with his own pleasure to notice.

  His erection presses into my leg as his mouth skates down the right side of my rib cage. I inch my fingers toward the nightstand, straining to touch the metal base.

  The weight of Trent’s body lessens, and I freeze. “What are you doing?”

  My eyes dart to his and widen when I realize he’s staring at my hand. “I have a cramp. I’m just stretching.” Fuck. I thought I was moving so slowly that he wouldn’t notice.

  He pulls my body over, making it impossible to reach the lamp now. “I’m sorry I kept you chained up for so long.” He covers my shoulder with his hand, massaging it roughly.

  I grit my teeth through the soreness that his fingers make more painful. He smiles down at me as he works his way toward my neck. “Better?”

  “Yes.”

  This wasn’t how I thought my life would end. I planned on working until I was so old that the only suits that would fit me would come from a senior clothing store and require elastic. I figured I’d move from the boardroom right into an assisted living facility to live out the rest of my years watching episodes of reality television while I ate food that had been sent through a food processor to prevent my toothless mouth from choking. Even though it’s depressing, that vision is better than the one of my dying at the hands of my ex-lover.

  My eyes burn as tears start to form. Every little spark of hope fades from my body as I realize there’s no escaping the fate Trent has determined on my behalf. I gaze up at the ceiling, staring at the tiny black cracks in the beams above my head. I try to lose myself in the blackness as Trent’s lips and hands explore my body and I’m powerless to stop him.

  He starts to pull down his pants, and I know what’s coming, but I don’t plan on helping him in any way. I remain motionless and distant as he pulls at the waistband of my underwear.

  I close my eyes, repeating the serenity prayer to myself as he slides the lace down my legs. My skin crawls under his touch, and I close my eyes and regret the lies I said earlier that put me in this situation.

  Just as the material crosses my ankles, the door smashes open, causing us both to jump. Trent’s on his feet, pants halfway down his legs and not ready for company.

  A beast of a man dressed in camouflage and black face paint bursts through the doorway with his gun drawn. Trent growls, lurching at the man who’s easily a foot taller and no match for him physically. Before Trent can get within five feet of the man, there’s a single shot fired.

  I cover my ears and let out a scream as Trent stumbles backward, gripping his chest. Blood oozes between his fingers, sliding down his chest as he falls to the floor. His mouth is open as he gasps for air, but no sound comes from his lips. The same lips that moments ago had assaulted my flesh.

  I should be horrified at the scene before me, but even if the man who pulled the trigger is here to kill me too, at least I had the satisfaction of watching Trent die first. I’m not afraid to die. Everyone I’ve ever loved has taken the journey before me. I always allowed myself to believe in something more than what we have on this planet and in this body. I dreamed of the day I’d wrap my arms around my father again and be cradled by my mother. I just didn’t want it to be at the hands of the worthless person dying before my very eyes.

  “Ms. Bradley,” the man says softly with the gun down at his side.

  I drag my eyes away from Trent’s lifeless body as a hand pushes the man out of the way. My heart leaps as Antonio moves my way, wearing the same outfit and makeup, looking completely out of place.

  “Antonio?” I whisper as tears spill down my cheeks. My heart skips out a rhythm faster than it had moments ago when I thought I was going to die.

  He wraps his powerful arms around me, holding my face tightly against his chest. “Lauren. Oh God.” He rocks me gently and kisses the top of my head as I melt into him.

  “You’re here.”

  I wonder if I’m dreaming and maybe my imagination went off the rails somewhere after Trent slipped my panties off my legs.

  When Antonio pulls back and his hands touch my face, those blue eyes bore into me, and I know he’s real. “I’d move heaven and earth to find you.”

  I smile through my tears, but they fall harder knowing I didn’t dream this. The headline in the newspaper won’t be about my murder-suicide death at the hands of my ex-lover and Interstellar employee.

  This man, my one-time enemy, who had so quickly stolen my heart, has now become my savior from the darkness. “You’re here,” I repeat.

  “Sir, take Ms. Bradley ou
tside.”

  Antonio wraps the blanket from the bottom of the bed around my body before lifting me into his arms. I curl into him and close my eyes, feeling that I’m finally safe and that the nightmare is over.

  As he carries me toward the door, I take a final glance at Trent’s body sprawled out on the floor, covered in blood that’s now pooled underneath him.

  “Don’t look,” Antonio whispers.

  He doesn’t understand that I’ve seen a person die before. I’ve watched as someone has taken their last breath. I held my father’s hand as he gasped for air with his glassy eyes staring into the nothingness until his body gave out. That moment was devastating. Watching someone you’re not ready to let go of cease to exist is more than any person should have to bear.

  Seeing Trent doing the same has no effect on me. After the hell he put me through, I pray that every last breath is painful and impossible.

  Clutching Antonio’s shirt, I let the tears flow. Not tears of sadness or fear, but those of utter joy and relief. Even though I reached for the lamp, I didn’t know how I’d find my way out of the wilderness. Trent knew every nook and cranny of the woods surrounding the cabin, and I wouldn’t have gotten far before he pulled me back in.

  Antonio leans forward, holding my body against his as he sits down on the edge of the porch. “Are you hurt?” he asks, lifting the blanket enough to see my skin.

  “I’m okay.”

  And I am.

  I’m better than okay. I’m alive and free.

  The hours of mental anguish from being at the hands of a lunatic will eventually fade. Knowing he’s dead, will make it possible for me to not have to relive it at every turn. I won’t have to sit through a trial and face the man who tried to steal my future along with my life.

  “Oh God. Did he…” Antonio’s voice trails off, and I can hear the pain in his words.

  I want there to be no questions about what happened in that cabin. Trent did not rape me. He would have if he were given the chance, and most likely, I would’ve been powerless to stop him. But he never got that far because Antonio saved me.

  I lift my eyes to Antonio, pushing my head off his chest and cradling his cheek in my hand. “He didn’t. You came before he could…” I choke on what could’ve happened if Antonio hadn’t rescued me when he did.

  The man walks out of the cabin, turning his phone over in his palm with his gun stowed in the holster. “He’s dead. My men will come handle his body before nightfall.”

  “Thank you, Maverick.”

  I smile at the man towering over us who Antonio calls Maverick. “Thank you,” I whisper and wipe away the tears on my cheek. “I don’t know how to thank you two enough.”

  “I’ll grab the car so we can get back to the States before we run into any issues,” he says with a handsome smile.

  I don’t ask any questions. I don’t want to know about his men and how they’re going to handle Trent’s remains. I couldn’t care less if they leave him in the open wilderness and let the wildlife peck away at his flesh until he’s nothing more than bones.

  For the first time since that bastard wrapped his hands around my throat, I feel like I can breathe. Being cradled in Antonio’s arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart, I let the exhaustion pull me under as he carries me down the dirt road.

  Chapter Five

  ANTONIO

  I regret not pulling the trigger myself. Lauren looked so far away when we entered the cabin, like a lost soul waiting for death. She barely blinked and spoke in a voice so unlike her own. My heart ached the moment I laid eyes on her. I thought I was prepared for anything, but seeing her like that…so lifeless…had knocked the wind clear out of me.

  Standing in the doorway, I watch her carefully as she sleeps. Her long brown hair is messy and wet, crowning her face as she lies in the middle of the bed. She ate on the plane and wanted nothing more than a hot bath once we returned to her place. My team had done a great job in the cleaning of her apartment and had been able to replace almost everything that had been damaged.

  My phone vibrates in my hand, and I glance down. Maverick’s men in Canada gave the all clear. I didn’t want any details. As long as there would be no trace of Trent’s death leading back to Lauren and me, I didn’t care what they did with him.

  “Antonio.” Lauren’s soft voice carries through the room, washing over me.

  I push the phone back into my pocket and make my way to her. “You’re safe.” I’ve repeated those words to her a hundred times since I carried her out of the cabin. I’ll keep saying them until she believes them too.

  “What are you doing?” She winces through a stretch, looking entirely too small and fragile in the large king-size bed.

  Sliding in next to her, I pull her against my side, resting my head above hers. My fingers tangle in her hair as I stroke the delicate skin on her neck where it meets her hairline. “Just checking on you. You really should rest.”

  “How bad is it?”

  I gaze down at her. “How bad is what?”

  She pulls away and pushes herself upright as my hands fall from her body. “The damage to my company.”

  “There’s none, Lauren.”

  Her stare hardens. “None?”

  I shake my head and sit next to her. “I made sure everything remained quiet.”

  “Someone had to ask questions.”

  “Cassie handled it.”

  “How?”

  “I’ll place a few calls, and tomorrow we’ll pick up the pieces. But tonight, I want you to rest. You’re safe and alive, and that’s all that matters.”

  Work is the least important thing at the moment. I don’t care if Interstellar or Cozza crashes and burns as long as she’s okay. So many horrible things could’ve happened, and it could’ve been her dead on the floor of that cabin instead of Trent. I know how precious and short life is, and I will never waste another opportunity to seize the day.

  “You know how important work is to me.”

  “I’ll get an update about what happened today to ease your mind, but everything else can wait until tomorrow. Yes?”

  She twists her lips but nods anyway, mimicking my movements. I’ll settle for nothing less. After the last twenty-four hours being the most hellish I’d ever experienced, the last thing I want to do is worry about something that is being handled by our employees.

  “There’s a doctor coming over to check you out.” Her eyes widen, and she’s about to protest when I cover her lips with my finger. “Humor me, will you?” Right on time, there’s a knock on the door. “Just be nice to the man, and he’ll be done quickly.”

  She rolls her eyes before easing back against the headboard with her arms folded. “Show him in.”

  I leave her room, but not before looking back over my shoulder and taking another look. I haven’t been able to stop staring at her, needing to remind myself that she’s real. I show the doctor to her room, closing the door and leaving them alone before placing a call to Carlino for an update.

  “We missed you today,” he says, twisting the dagger he’d like to stick in my back a little more. “It was a very eventful day.”

  “Just give me the details. I’m not in the mood for your games,” I bite out as I pace through the kitchen and far enough away from her bedroom so she won’t overhear.

  “Josh will be presenting the terms to the board and shareholders tomorrow. He called an emergency meeting. It looks like Interstellar has finally seen the light.”

  “Don’t fuck this up, Carlino. I’ll be at the Interstellar board meeting.”

  “I can do it,” he says, but with him, there’s always a reason he offers to do anything. He’s not a selfless man. He doesn’t know it, but his time at Cozza is done, and he won’t be continuing with the newly formed company.

  “I’ll. Be. There,” I say again and hang up before he can say another word.

  LAUREN

  Antonio strides back into the room after showing the doctor out. I’m thank
ful I don’t have to be alone tonight. Normally, I like my time to myself, but I can’t fathom another second without Antonio by my side. I want to go back to those days at the beach. There was so much serenity as we stared up at the stars. Although things seemed so complicated then, I’d give anything to go back.

  “Everything go okay?” Antonio asks as he climbs into the bed next to me.

  I turn on my side, resting my head against his chest and listen to the steady beat of his heart underneath me. “He said I’m fine and that I can return to work tomorrow.”

  “Take one day off, Lauren. I beg you.”

  I slide my hand up his chest, resting it on his cheek as I stare down the length of him. “I need to get back to normal, Antonio. I can’t lie here all day tomorrow and think about what happened.”

  The last thing I need is downtime. Lying in this bed, staring at the ceiling, will just cause the memories of the cabin to come rushing back, slamming into me again. I want to forget. I want to push it as far out of my memory as possible.

  “Just one day is all I ask. Cassie can keep you updated, and you can take calls from bed. But don’t rush back into the office.”

  “Why?” I twirl my finger in the back of his hair just behind his ear.

  “I’d hate for you to break down in front of people. Give your mind a day to rest before you walk back into the lion’s den.”

  I hate to admit that he’s right. I can’t afford to have a mental breakdown in front of my coworkers or the board of directors. If Cassie covered my tracks, explaining why I turned into a crying mess will have people asking more questions than I can afford to answer.

  “Fine,” I say, curling into his body and covering his legs with mine. I’m holding on to him tightly, cradling him like he’s a security blanket. “I’ll do it for you.”

  “For us,” he corrects as he runs his warm palm down my back in long, languid strokes.

  I still can’t fathom an “us” in the future. We’re competitors by nature and circumstance. After leaving the island, I let myself believe for a moment that it was possible, but it’s just a whimsical fantasy I let myself buy into.