by Susan Hayes
“Stay here!” Ben ordered her before racing down the hall to join his partner.
For once, Kelly didn’t feel the need to prove herself. She took a few hasty steps back from the fray and started rifling through her purse, searching for her cell phone. Fighting armed men wasn’t in her skill set, but she could at least call 9-1-1.
By the time she had the phone in her hand, the fight was done. Ben had Scarface pinned to the floor, Ben’s foot squarely between his shoulder blades. Scarface was whining about police brutality, but Kelly noticed he wasn’t moving anything other than his mouth. The pervert was huddled in a ball, cradling his bleeding arm and whimpering a string of curses. Chase had the third one cornered and was barking nonstop, daring him to move. Ben had his gun at the ready and everything was suddenly quiet.
It was over.
Relief hit her like a freight train and Kelly sagged against the nearest wall, her hands suddenly shaking so hard she could barely hold onto the phone, never mind dial a number.
Ben said something to Chase and he stopped barking, never taking his eyes off the man he had cornered.
“Kelly, are you okay?” Ben asked and shot her a worried look, revealing he hadn’t come out of the fight unscathed. One eye was rapidly swelling, though that seemed to be his only injury.
“I’m okay.” That wasn’t exactly true. The cuts on her side were hurting like hell and she knew she was bleeding enough it would start taking a toll on her soon. She was alive though, and a few cuts and bruises were minor in the grand scheme of things. Ben was right. There had been a next time, and it had been far worse.
Siren’s wailed in the distance and Ben’s lips quirked up into a dark smile. “They’re going to be sorry they missed the fun.”
“You call this fun?”
His grin vanished. “No. Not really. When you didn’t show up, I nearly lost my mind. I don’t ever want to feel that way again, baby.”
Kelly felt her cheeks heat as Scarface groaned.
“Aw, man. Enough with the mushy crap already. Arrest me. Beat me up some more, but save that shit for later. I don’t want to hear it. My day is shitty enough already.”
Ben just ground his foot a little harder into Scarface’s back. “You’re just lucky she’s in one piece.”
“Uh, officer? C-can you call off the mutt already? I didn’t do nothing to your old lady. I was the one who told ‘em to let her go. Isn’t that right, doc?”
Kelly nodded. The kid had lost his hat in the scuffle and she was surprised at how young he was. His dark skin was still baby smooth. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen or so.
“I’m sorry, Doc. I didn’t want you to get hurt. I just needed the money.”
“Ben, it’s okay. Call Chase off, that one isn’t going to try anything.”
Ben frowned but Kelly gave him another nod and he relented. “Chase, platz. Backup will be here any second, so it would be stupid for anyone to try anything.”
Chase lay down, his head on his paws. That was when Kelly finally noticed the blood in his fur. Oh no.
She and Ben were okay, but Chase had been hurt. Kelly pushed herself away from the wall and ran down the hall. This was all her fault, and she was going to make it right.
* * * *
What the hell was Kelly doing coming back into reach of the men who had tried to rob her? Ben was about to order her back when he heard Chase whine softly. The moment he saw the blood, Ben’s stomach twisted into a new set of knots and his throat tightened. Chase was used to wearing Kevlar body armor capable of stopping a bullet or a knife blade. Tonight, neither of them had been wearing it.
The hallway lit up with flashes of red and blue as the cavalry finally arrived. He couldn’t do anything to help Kelly until the suspects were secured, and it was killing him to have to stay back and watch.
Ben wanted to be there for Chase, telling him it was going to be okay. He needed to have Kelly back in his arms and check for himself that she was really fine. Instead he stayed right where he was and waited for his fellow officers to get their asses in here.
“Police! Hands where I can see them!” a voice bellowed as the front door of the clinic flew open. Ben raised his hands in the air, careful to keep his foot pressed firmly on his suspect’s spine as he identified himself.
“I’m officer Ben Wilde. I called this mess in. Now get over here and arrest this bastard so I can check on my partner!”
“Why is it every time I get a call to this address, I find you here?” a familiar voice asked from behind him, and Ben turned around enough he could see his friend.
“Chapman? Thank Christ. Will you please get this lowlife cuffed? Chase is hurt and I need to go check on him.” Chapman nodded once and gestured for several more officers to join him. The hallway filled with uniforms and Ben let himself relax a little. It was nearly over.
“So who are we arresting and what are the charges?”
“Three locals took Kelly. I think they grabbed her from the parking lot. I haven’t had a chance to talk with her yet. I came in, Kelly came running out, and these three little bastards came chasing after her.”
“Three?” Chapman asked and Ben nodded. Those three right−fuck!” There were only two suspects present, and he couldn’t see Kelly or Chase. What the fuck was happening now, and where was Kelly?
“Kelly!” Ben charged down the hall, pushing through the sea of uniforms. He skidded to a halt when he spotted Kelly working on Chase in one of the examination rooms. Standing beside her, his arms splattered with blood, was the third suspect. He trained his gun on the suspect and snarled, “Get away from her!”
“Ben, it’s okay. He’s helping me with Chase.”
For a split second Ben was frozen as his brain tried to process what Kelly had said. It didn’t make any sense. He blinked and looked at the scene in front of him again. Chase was up on the table, his golden brown eyes trained on Ben, and the tip of his tail was wagging just a little.
The kid Kelly had vouched for was following Kelly’s directions, applying pressure to Chase’s side. The kid’s skin was definitely on the gray side, and it looked to Ben like he was trying not to puke.
Kelly was bent over Chase, her hands and shirt stained with blood. Ben’s gaze moved to her side and his heart lurched as he spotted more bloodstains along her side. Kelly was bleeding. Son-of-a-bitch, she’d lied to him. He was going to read her the riot act for that, right after he got her and Chase safe and sound at home where they belonged.
“Ben, put the gun down. Travis is trying to make amends, and I need him to help slow the bleeding while I get this cleaned up and stitched.” Kelly gave him a brief smile. “Chase is going to be just fine. It’s just a shallow cut along his shoulder. It’s bleeding a lot, but it’s nothing serious.”
“And when were you going to mention the fact you’re bleeding?” Ben snarled, lowering his gun.
“”Uh…” Kelly blinked at him, looking guilty.
“Busted,” Travis whispered, but he was looking at Kelly with concern. “You got hurt? When? I didn’t know they was planning on hurting you, doc.”
“I got cut with the same knife that got Chase. Your friend didn’t like me moving so slowing walking over here.”
“He ain’t my friend. Not no more. I told ‘em I didn’t want no one getting hurt. I just needed the money. I’m sorry.”
“Why did you need the money, Travis?”
“My grandma got sick. Her medicine is real expensive. Those others said I could make money real quick if I helped them. I didn’t think anyone would get hurt.”
“Okay, you can let go of Chase now. Give him a pat and then go wash your hands. You’re going to have to go talk to the police, but maybe, if you help them out, you and I can talk about another way for you to earn some money. After you’ve answered for what happened here tonight.”
Ben caught her expression and inwardly sighed. He knew that look. It meant Kelly was in rescue mode, and Travis was her new project. He almost felt sorry
for the kid. Almost.
“Wilde, everything good in here?” Chapman asked as he stepped up behind Ben.
“Apparently.”
Kelly glanced up from her work to smile at Chapman. “Hello again. Travis here is going to cooperate any way he can with your investigation. Do you think you could make sure the judge knows that he’s sorry? You know, when the time comes.”
Ben groaned and Chapman made a soft sound of surprise. “Uh, yeah. I guess…”
“Wonderful. Travis, this is Officer Chapman. He’s going to talk to you and help you, if you’ll let him. You’re in a lot of trouble, but if you listen to him, he’ll help you make some better choices.”
Danny scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “Right. Uh, okay. You need to come with me now Travis.”
Ben’s lips twitched as he heard Chapman’s confusion. It was the first time either of them had ever had a victim befriend the suspect before an arrest was even made. As Travis left, he turned and looked up at Ben.
“I’m real sorry about your dog, sir. And ‘bout your old lady getting hurt. It won’t happen again.”
“It better not,” Ben growled at him, pleased when the kid blanched and swallowed as he darted for the door.
Once they were alone, Kelly glowered at him. “Did you have to scare him like that? He isn’t a bad kid. Not like those other two.”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me! Baby, he was part of a gang who grabbed you out of a parking lot and tried to rob you! Yes, I had to scare him. If I had my way, I’d tear the three of them apart for what they did to you.”
He closed the distance between them between heartbeats, hauling her into his arms and burying his face in her sweet scented hair. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again. Do you hear me? Never again. If something happened to you…” The thought made his chest ache and his throat close over, cutting off his next words.
“When it got bad, I didn’t panic. Do you know why?” Kelly wrapped her arms around his waist, her head pressed to his chest, right over his heart.
“Because you’re crazy?”
She laughed, a soft, fluttering sound that soothed his fears more than any words she could have spoken. “Maybe I am. But I knew you’d come for me.”
“Always.” In that moment the truth dawned on Ben. He would always be there for her, no matter what the cost. He would protect her with his dying breath, because he loved her.
Chapter Ten
The sky was lightening with the first blush of sunrise by the time they finally got home. Kelly was so tired that it didn’t even dawn on her at first that she instinctively thought of Ben’s place as home.
It had been a long night and all three of them were bone-weary. Even still, Ben insisted she stay seated while he exited the vehicle and carefully lifted Chase to the ground. Then Ben had opened her door and taken her into his arms, ignoring her repeated protests that she was perfectly able to walk.
Truth be told, Kelly was happy to be carried. Not that she would ever admit it. Ben hadn’t let her out of his sight all night. No matter what was going on, he had always managed to be close enough to touch her, as if to reassure himself she was really okay. As the adrenaline had worn off, she had needed that reassurance. The reality of how close she had come to being a victim of terrible crimes had seeped into her awareness a bit of a time. Each new realization had threatened to overwhelm her, but she had bitten back her tears, clenched her hands, and refused to give in.
Ben had been there every step of the way, offering his silent support. Kelly wasn’t sure if she would have made it through the night without him, and she was grateful she didn’t have to find out. Despite being a vet, hospitals made her deeply uncomfortable. They were too big, too anonymous, holding too many sad memories. Her parents’ death, her sister’s overdoses, nothing good ever seemed to happen inside the dreary, worn out walls.
The staff had poked and prodded at her, making Kelly roll her eyes on more than one occasion. She knew full well the cuts weren’t that bad. Hell, they didn’t even need stitches. But they had wanted to document everything and it had taken hours. Hours of waiting and answering the same questions over and over again. Nurses, police detectives, everyone wanted to know what had happened in painstaking detail. It was exhausting.
Now they were finally home and Kelly could hardly keep her eyes open. She let her head fall against Ben’s broad chest, listening to the steady thump-thump of his heart as he carried her inside. She felt cherished and safe in the comfort of his embrace, and Kelly knew this was what she wanted. She wanted his love and protection, now and always.
There was a time when she believed that would have lessened her as a woman, made her weaker, announcing to the world that she wasn’t capable of facing the world alone. Not anymore. Ben didn’t weaken her, he made her stronger, and she would do the same for him.
“Hey, baby. I know you’re tired but I need you to open your eyes.” Ben’s soft words drew her out of her introspection and Kelly forced her lids to open so she could look up at him.
“What’s up, caveman?” He smiled at her nickname for him and she felt a flutter of love and desire deep in her core, along with a pang of guilt as she saw the bruising beneath his right eye. All three of them had been hurt tonight, and that was on her. She would have to find a way to make amends.
“Well, before you went and got yourself kidnapped, I had a plan. I was going to apologize to you properly, and then I had a question I needed to ask. Think you can stay awake long enough for me to do that now? Then we’ll go to bed, I promise.”
“I think after tonight, you shouldn’t be apologizing for anything. You were right, Ben. The world is more dangerous than I wanted to admit.”
“That doesn’t give me the right to tell you how to live your life though. I could have found a better way to tell you I was worried. I should’ve told you about the guys I saw hanging out by the clinic and explained why I was concerned instead of just ordering you around. That is what I’m sorry for.” He sat down on the couch, cradling her in his lap.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Jenny. I should have.” Kelly lifted her head so she could look him in the eyes.
“Yeah, you should have. If we’re going to do this, then we’re both going to have to try and actually communicate. You know, like couples are supposed to.” He sighed and Kelly couldn’t help but laugh at the faint look of horror on his handsome face.
“I promise I won’t tell anyone. It will be our secret.”
“While we’re on the topic of promises, I want another one out of you.” Ben’s brows wrinkled as he glowered threateningly. “Promise me you will never, ever drive off with one of my brothers again and leave me standing at the side of the road.”
Kelly laughed at that. “What if you go all caveman again?”
“You want to see caveman? Get into one of my brothers’ cars again without me there to make sure they behave themselves. I promise when I catch you I will throw you over my shoulder, carry you back here and spank your pretty little ass pink.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” she exclaimed, but as Kelly met Ben’s gaze she could see he was dead serious. The thought sent a tiny thrill down her spine and she wondered if there was another way she could get him to make good on that promise without having to drive off with one of his flirtatious siblings.
“I would. I will. Don’t tempt me.”
“That’s some apology, caveman.” The storm clouds departed as quickly as they had come, and his sunny smile returned.
“You want a proper apology? Turn around and look at the coffee table.”
Kelly turned her head and blinked. How had she missed this? Roses, tulips, and carnations in a rainbow of colors covered every inch of the table. Well, almost every inch. A larger than life, plush stuffy that looked a little bit like Chase took up the center of the arrangement. Around the puppy’s neck was a bright pink ribbon, and fastened to that was something metallic, but it was too far away to see pro
perly.
Kelly turned in his lap so she could reach the nearest bouquet, wincing when she twisted too fast and tugged at the butterfly closures holding her cuts together until they healed. “When did you have time to do this?”
“Right after I got off the phone with Tag. Do you have any idea how much it sucks getting lectured by your little brother on your love life? Especially when the little shit was right and you were wrong?”
She giggled at the mutinous expression on his face and then hid her smile behind a handful of sweet smelling petals. “Sorry about that. I was angry and hurt and it all sort of came tumbling out when he was taking me home.”
“It just had to be Tag you ran into in the door on your way out,” he grumbled, but the corners of his eyes crinkled with laughter as he said it.
“If I had known he drove a gas-guzzling girl magnet, I would have reconsidered.”
Ben’s laughter echoed around the living room. “Never disparage Tiffany. I swear Tag loves that car more than any woman he’s ever dated.”
Kelly put the rose back in its vase and started to reach for the stuffed animal, stopping when her side protested the movement. “I want to see the rest of my apology present, but I can’t reach it.”
“I’ll get that.” Ben lifted her very gently off his lap and set her down on the couch before moving off of it completely. He knelt on the floor at her feet and snagged the big stuffed German shepherd puppy out of the sea of flowers.
Chase watched with idle curiosity from his spot on the rug, his tail thumping against the floor as she gave the massive toy a hug. “He’s lovely.” She peeked over at Ben and found him staring at her, an unfathomable look in his hazel eyes. “What?”
“Check around his neck, baby.” Ben’s voice was thick and he never took his eyes off of her as she untied the ribbon and finally saw the rest of her present. It was a freshly cut key.
