“You need to find out who she is, man, before you get in too deep. I’ve never seen you like this before. The way you look at her. It’s how I used to look at Kim. If not now, soon I can see you buying a little diamond ring and trying to settle down. You can’t do that if you don’t know who the woman is behind the façade.”
“You see it, too, then?” Kade asked.
“The hesitance? Yeah. She’s hiding something. What it is, I don’t know. I mean she seems nice. And Rachael loves her. Heck, everyone loves her. There is nothing at all that would lead me to believe she’s bad for you. But still…before you take the next step, you need to find out what she’s keeping from you, if for no other reason than your peace of mind.”
Kade knew he was right. He hated it, but he knew it to be true. The chance he might be ring-shopping for Patreece wasn’t that farfetched. “I know.”
“Good. So why don’t you go find her and figure all this out. Until then, you won’t be able to move forward.”
“What about you and Rachael?” Kade asked.
Chuck shrugged. “We’ll hang out here in case she shows up. Maybe she just got held up fixing her hair or something. But if she is still at home then you two can have some privacy to talk about things.”
Kade got up from the table and grabbed his keys from the hook on the kitchen wall. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”
Chuck waved. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t go getting all sentimental on me. I’ll have to kick your ass in front of your favorite little girl.”
“Pfft… Right. You could try.”
He chuckled, heading for the front door. He offered Rachael a quick peck on the forehead and told her he’d be back shortly. Outside, he slid behind the wheel and turned on the truck.
His heart pounded as he drove the few blocks over to Patreece’s house. He had no idea what was keeping her, but Chuck’s assumptions had been right. For weeks, the private and secretive side to Patreece had been worrying him. It intensified with each day that passed.
He knew she didn’t mean to act indifferent at times. She would always quickly cover when she responded with guarded behavior. It was that instinct that made him all the more curious. Whatever she was hiding, he had a feeling it was big. He just hoped it wasn’t such a large obstacle that they couldn’t overcome it.
If there was one thing these last few weeks had taught him, it was that there was no more Kade Riley, bachelor extraordinaire. He was off the market. Patreece had ensured that, whether she had meant to or not.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Patreece woke to the feel of ice-cold water splashing against her face. She blinked against the moisture clouding her eyes and tried to catch her breath. Her throat burned with every breath she took. A horrendous pain sliced through her head as she tried to remember what had happened to her.
She lifted her hand to her head and tried to move. Every muscle hurt with the familiar sensation of bruises and cuts on her body. A knock at her front door had Carl storming from the room. He came back a moment later and pulled her up by a fistful of her hair.
“Why in the fuck is that tall worker at your door? You fucking him, too? You slut!” Carl stood over her, his anger still evident in the way his eyes bore down on her. “You just remember you caused this! If he comes in here, I swear to God I will kill you both.”
“Carl, no,” she begged. If she had to die by his hands, she could handle that. Not Kade, though. Not the man she loved.
“You are fucking him, aren’t you, whore?”
“Treece? Babe, where are you? Is everything okay?” Kade hollered to her from outside.
Kade’s voice, so deep and soothing called out to her. She had no idea what time it was. How much time must have passed that he came looking for her, she wondered. What she wouldn’t give for one more moment with him, just one final moment to kiss his lips, stroke his face and make love to him.
Carl ran from the room. She stared in disbelief when she realized he’d left her alone. The sound of kitchen drawers being pulled open as Carl searched for something echoed in the silence. Her head still pounded and the subtle taste of dried blood coated her lips.
Remembering the gun she’d left in the drawer of her foyer table, Patreece knew this was her chance, probably the only one she would have, and she had to take it. She stood up on weak and wobbly legs. It took all the strength she could muster just to walk toward the door. She did her best to hurry, but her legs barely moved. She could still hear Kade outside. His knocks became more insistent as she tried to make her way toward the living room.
She’d just reached the hallway when her whole body flung backward from a force that overpowered her. She stared up to see Carl standing over her. He bent down and ripped off her T-shirt, tearing the cotton fabric as if it was made of paper.
Looking down at her, he smiled. “First I’m going to fuck you. Then I’m going to kill you while your boyfriend watches. And then when I’m all done with you, I’m going to rip his heart out and feed him his own dick.”
“Carl, no,” she pleaded with him. She didn’t care what happened to her, but she’d do whatever it took to protect Kade. “Please, I know you need to punish me. I won’t fight you anymore. I deserve it all. Do whatever you want. I just ask one thing from you, Carl. Please?”
He glared at her, as if actually considering her question. She remained calm, no longer fighting for breaths or trying to fight the inevitable. “Please, Carl. Just this one thing. Then you can do your worst.”
He didn’t answer her question. She waited, wondering if he had any amount of compassion in his evil heart. The only thing she saw staring back at her was his steely glare.
Suddenly she heard a crash, followed by the front door being knocked down. She tilted her head back and looked down the hall. Kade charged toward them at full speed. She blinked, trying to rationalize what it was she was seeing.
Carl stood up and howled as he rushed toward Kade. She saw the flash of something silver in his hands and she rolled over to get a better look. Carl had a knife, and not just any knife, but her large chef’s knife.
Any pain she had quickly left her body as she witnessed the two men fall to the ground, wrestling for control of the sharp blade. Her only concern now was for Kade. She would sooner die than allow anything to happen to him. She crawled toward them, desperate to help Kade.
No matter how fast she tried to move, time seemed to stand still for her. Every muscle and joint screamed in pain. She had no idea what Carl had done to her while she was unconscious, but the memory of what he was capable of told her enough.
Minutes had passed by the time she finally reached the table by the front door. She pulled herself up, hanging onto the wooden leg and reaching for the drawer. She fumbled through the contents, searching for the small handgun she’d owned for less than a month.
The metal touched her skin and she quickly picked it up and rolled to her side. She watched in horror as Carl dealt a final blow to Kade, rendering him nearly unconscious. His body went down with a thud and Carl straddled over him. Carl lifted the knife over Kade’s chest.
“Sandra will always be mine!”
Carl shouted the words as Patreece lifted the gun. Her arms felt heavy and tired. Her hands shook as she tried to aim. She hadn’t spent the time learning the gun like she’d been told to. All she knew to do was to turn off the safety and pull the trigger.
Closing her eyes with a wish and a prayer, she squeezed the trigger. The loud pop echoed inside her head. Time stood still as she watched, waiting to see if her aim had been true. Seconds passed before relief washed over her as she watched Carl fall to the floor.
Kade opened his eyes, taking only a moment to regain his bearings. He then got up from the floor and came toward her. He grabbed a blanket from the couch and covered her with it. Sirens wailed in the distance as she felt Kade’s arms wrap around her, holding her snug in his arms, cradling her body in his lap.
“Jesus,” Kade said in a whisper. “Are you o
kay? Don’t move. The ambulance will be here soon.”
She stared up at him. Her thoughts were still jumbled inside her mind. Everything seemed like a nightmare. It didn’t seem real.
A police officer came in with his gun ready. He held it steady, levying it around the room, all around as he took in his surroundings.
“Is there anyone else is the house?”
Kade shook his head. “No. Please, she needs help.”
“It’s clear.” The officer spoke into his radio.
A paramedic entered the room and set his kit down beside Kade. “How is she doing? Is she responsive?”
Kade shook his head. “I don’t know. No. She’s not talking, and she’s bleeding and beaten pretty bad. You have to help her.”
“I will, sir. You have to let me help her, though. I need you to set her down.”
“It’ll be okay,” the officer assured him.
Once the paramedic started checking her vitals, two officers pulled his aside and began asking him questions. He looked on while the paramedic tended to her. She didn’t want the strange man poking at her. She wanted and needed Kade.
“Do you know the victim, sir? Can you give me a name?” the officer asked.
Kade looked down at her. She tried desperately to read his thoughts, hoping he understood why she had lied to him.
“Her name is Patreece…I mean, Sandra. Her name is Sandra.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kade rested his chin on the side bar of Patreece’s hospital bed. The never ending beeps of the monitoring machines filled the otherwise silent room. He had her hand tucked protectively in his own. He hadn’t let go of her for hours. The doctors and nurses, even his mother had encouraged him to step outside and get some fresh air. But he refused to leave. He wanted to be the first person Patreece saw once she woke.
She’d been sleeping, he hoped peacefully, for the past six hours. He wondered if this was the first time she’d been able to truly rest in a very long time. As he waited for the doctors to check her over when they first arrived, one of the responding officers gave him an insight to the secrets Patreece had kept hidden.
To say he’d been shocked was an understatement. He had known there were things she was hiding. He just had no idea they were anything so big. It wasn’t that he had an idea of what to expect, but not once did it cross his mind that she was hiding from an abusive ex-husband who would rather kill her than allow her to leave.
When he’d first saw the condition of her beaten and bruised body, his heart broke for her. He had fallen in love with Patreece. The feelings he had for her came so naturally and felt so right. To see her small body in such a way tore him apart. If Patreece hadn’t fired that shot that killed Carl, he felt confident that he would have done the man in himself. He wasn’t even a man, really. A real man wouldn’t do what he had done to Patreece. Only a coward could beat a woman down the way that Carl Jamison had.
It sickened Kade to think that this had been just one of many beatings that bastard gave her over the years. It was no wonder that she had been so guarded when they’d first met. His stomach churned when he considered the daily horror she must have faced, never knowing when the next punch would come.
Patreece stirred in her sleep and shifted her head to the slide. Kade lifted his head from where he rested it and watched for a sign that she was beginning to wake.
“Patreece? Baby? Can you hear me?” he asked, filled with hope.
He wanted so desperately to see her gorgeous eyes. He needed to hear her voice so he could convince himself that the doctors were right and she was going to be okay.
“Baby, it’s me, Kade.”
He spoke softly while gently brushing his thumb across her knuckles. Please wake up. Please say something.
He had just about given up hope when he saw her eyelashes begin to flutter. That’s it. Come on, baby. He willed her the strength to wake up, needing her to be okay more than he needed anything else in this world.
Finally, her eyes opened and a wave of relief washed over him. “Hey you.” He smiled softly at her, trying his best to hide the tears that stung his eyes.
“Kade.” Patreece whispered his name through a raspy voice.
“I’m here, babe. Just take it easy.”
“Carl? He’s...?”
“He’s dead.” He stood up from his chair and leaned over her. Bending down, he placed a soft kiss to her lips. “You don’t have to worry about him ever again.”
Her eyes looked so tired, not in the normal way when one needed rest. She looked beaten down, drained and alone. The sight broke his heart that much more. He shuddered to think of all the terror that monster had put her through.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. I understand.” He wanted to assure her that she didn’t need to explain.
“You understand?” Her expression seemed to be puzzled. “What do you mean, you understand?”
“What you’ve been through. Why you lied. The officer told me your real name, what you were running from. I understand.”
He cupped the side of her face, gently grazing her cheek with the pad of his thumb. She looked so confused and hurt. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to take away her misery.
“Kade, I…” She looked away for a long moment before turning back to face him. “I think I need to be alone for a little while.”
“Don’t worry about me. You get your rest and I’ll be right here when you wake up,” he assured her.
“No.” She looked up at him. “I mean alone.”
“What are you saying?” His heart tightened with his question. He had no idea what she was about to say, but he felt sure that he wasn’t going to like it.
“I need some time. Time to figure out…what happened. Who I am. How I let my life come to this.”
“Baby…” He leaned in close to her face. “You didn’t let anything happen. All of this, this was Carl’s fault. Not yours. He is the monster.”
“Was the monster,” she corrected him. “I killed him.”
“That’s right. You killed him. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“But it wasn’t just me he was trying to hurt. It was you, too. He could have killed you. I swore when I left him, I’d never let him hurt me or my family.”
“And he hasn’t, baby.” Kade softened his voice. “You’re just upset right now. You’ve been through so much. You need rest.”
“No, I need you to leave.”
Her steely-eyed glare caught him. She may as well have slapped him across the face. He looked down at her, stunned by her dismissive tone.
“You don’t mean that.”
“You don’t understand, Kade. When I left him, I swore I was leaving him behind. But he found me. He found me and he turned me into the same kind of monster that he was.”
“What?” Kade shook his head. “No, Patreece, no. You could never be like him.”
“Aren’t I? I shot him. I didn’t stop and think of the consequences, I just pulled the trigger. Just like every time his fist came across my body. I acted with aggression.”
“No.” His voice was stern this time. “You acted in self-defense.”
“I’m no good, Kade.”
Kade’s heart was clenching inside his chest. He wanted so desperately to understand where all of this was coming from. None of it made an ounce of sense to him, though. How on earth could she doubt what she’d done? How could she think she wasn’t any good?”
“No.” With both hands, he cupped her face in his and dropped his forehead down, resting it against hers. “You listen to me. You did what you had to do. He would have killed us both if you hadn’t.”
Tears stung at his eyes as he began opening his heart to her. “You are good. You are so good, baby. And your heart, you have the most amazing heart. And your soul. God, baby, your soul.”
“Please don’t do this.” Patreece blinked and tears trailed down her cheeks. “I don’t want to hear this.”
�
�It’s true. It’s all true. If you don’t believe in yourself, believe me. Patreece, you have changed me. You’ve made me a better man. I love you.”
She shook her head from side to side. “Don’t say that. Please, Kade, don’t say that.”
“Why? I do love you.”
“You shouldn’t. You can’t. Please…just go.”
“No. I’m not leaving you.”
More awake now, she began struggling against his hold and tried to squirm free. “Please, Kade. Just go. Please!”
Her shouts were finally heard by one of the nurses and they came inside the room. “Mr. Riley, I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you to leave.”
He stood there, stunned and unsure of what had happened. “What? No!” He turned his attention back to Patreece. “Baby, I know you’re hurting right now. But, please don’t make me go. I love you.”
“Mr. Riley? Please don’t make me call security.”
“Patreece, please. Baby, talk to me.”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she turned her head away and stared out the window. Tears slid down the side of her neck while she sniffled.
Kade had spent his whole life knowing how to fix things. That was what he did. He fixed. He mended. He made everything better.
Why was it that the one time in his life he really needed to fix something, he didn’t know how?
Chapter Twenty-Six
Patreece stared at her reflection in the mirror. The bruises had faded and only a slight cut on her forehead remained as evidence of what had happened that fateful Friday night. It had been two weeks since she’d shot and killed Carl, two weeks since she’d seen Kade. She missed him every day, wishing she hadn’t pushed him out of her life so abruptly. He’d tried for several days to see her, calling, stopping by, doing anything he could to let her know that he was there for her. Until one day earlier this week he just stopped trying
She’d thought of calling him several times. She even considered stopping by his place once after picking up some groceries. No matter how hard she tried to muster the courage to face him, she never did.
Risqué Renovation [Blue Collar 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 15
