Murphy's Law

by Jennifer Lowery

  A figure pounced out of the darkness. She opened her mouth to scream. A hand clamped over her mouth and she realized the light hadn’t burned out.

  It had been turned out.

  Chapter 16

  Sara flew over the bed and slammed into the full-length mirror across the room. Her back hit with enough force to shatter it before she fell to the floor in a limp heap. Pain exploded in her head as she tried to shield herself from the broken glass, but it did no good. The giant who had thrown her was already coming for her again. Stephen sat on the bed watching in the moonlight as the linebacker tossed her around like a hackie sack.

  The guy picked her up by the arms and held her upright. She tried not to cower, but couldn’t help it.

  “Where is Abby?” Stephen asked, not moving from the bed.

  Sara pursed her lips together and refused to answer. She would die before giving up her daughter’s location. Thank God she had agreed to let her stay with Justine tonight. If she hadn’t…

  “I’ll ask one more time. Where is Abby?”

  Again, she didn’t answer and with a curt nod from Stephen the giant holding her reared back his fist. She braced for the blow. The man suddenly jerked back and released his grip. She fell to the floor and pressed against the wall as the linebacker sailed across the room and hit the wall beside her bed with a deafening crash. She cringed when he hit, and pulled her knees to her chest.

  There, in the shadow of moonlight, stood Murphy, looking murderous. He stalked over to the linebacker and grabbed him by the shirt collar. Stephen was nowhere to be found.

  Murphy dragged the man to his feet and with one well-placed punch, knocked the guy out cold. He slumped to the ground and Murphy let him fall. Then he turned to face her with fury in his eyes. His expression said he blamed himself for letting Stephen get to her.

  She couldn’t stand to see that look in his eye and turned away. Biting down on her lip to control her emotions, she tried not to think about what had almost happened here. Who knew how far Stephen would have gone to get the information out of her? He wasn’t going to stop until he had Abby, and tonight he had come close. If Abby had been there, she would have lost her.

  A sob escaped her throat before she could stop it and Murphy lifted her carefully into his arms and wrapped her in his warmth. She winced as her bruised body protested, but quickly forgot her aches and pains when Murphy carried her into the bathroom and set her on her feet.

  He cupped her chin and lifted her eyes to his. The fury was gone, but not the hardness. “Are you hurt?”

  Sara shook her head. Shaken and scared, maybe a little bruised and cut up, but she wasn’t hurt.

  “Shut and lock this door behind me,” he commanded. “Don’t open it for anyone but me or Gabe. Got it?”

  She nodded.

  “You have some explaining to do when I get back.”

  Again, she nodded.

  Murphy stared down at her for a moment and she struggled not to cry. Then he cursed and kissed her hard on the lips. When his lips had finished punishing hers, he closed his eyes for a second then turned and walked out of the bathroom. She shut and locked the door, touched her bruised lips with the back of her hand. She knew what he was going to do and she didn’t want any part of it. Not after the guy had thrown her into a mirror. No, she had seen the look in Murphy’s eyes before he left. He would show no mercy until he got the answers he wanted. For the bad guy’s sake, she hoped he gave them to him.

  Aching and worried about Abby, Sara sat on the toilet and folded her shaking hands in her lap. She wished she had a phone to call Justine, but it was late and they were probably asleep. She would only worry them if she called and woke them up. Stephen didn’t know where Abby was, or he would have gone straight for her. For now she was safe. For now. Until Stephen came again.

  Sara lowered her head into her hands, ignoring the small, bloody scrapes and cried.

  * * * *

  Murphy circled the brute trussed to a chair in the center of the brand-new barn floor, in control even though he wanted to slam the guy’s nose down his throat and feed him his lungs on a spoon. He had heard Sara hit the wall on his way up the stairs, and experienced his first heart palpitation. In all his years of service he hadn’t felt that kind of fear. He never wanted to feel it again.

  When he’d walked into the room and seen the man preparing to hit Sara, he’d seen red. He hadn’t been there for her. Hadn’t protected her. Had gotten caught up in reliving the past he missed so much. Leaving her open for Benchley to make his move. The man was smart, he’d give him that. And Murphy was a fool for letting his guard down, even if only for a dance with his sister.

  The party still raging in the barn would drown out any sound his captive might make if he decided not to cooperate. No one would know what was going on right next door, and he planned on keeping it that way.

  He stopped in front of the man.

  “Where is your boss?”

  The Italian glared at him and remained silent. Murphy pegged him as a loaner from the mob boss Benchley had gotten off on a murder charge. Payment on a debt. Murphy was going to make the man very sorry he had taken this job.

  Murphy glanced at Gabe standing sentry near the door. “I don’t think he’s going to cooperate, do you?”

  Gabe shook his head.

  “You get paid to hurt women, or do you like it?” he asked the man.

  The Italian grinned. “I like it.”

  Murphy nodded. “Hmm. Do you know where you are?”

  The Italian frowned, not following.

  “Let me help you. You,” he leaned down and got in the guy’s face. “Are in North Dakota and we have a saying up here in the north. ‘Only the best come north,’ but something tells me you’re not the best. Because if you were, you wouldn’t be tied to a chair in the middle of my barn.”

  Anger flared in the guy’s dark eyes. Even he knew when he was being insulted. “You and your country hick friends don’t scare me,” he said, casting a glance in Gabe’s direction.

  Murphy raised an eyebrow at Gabe, who nodded. He leaned in even closer and said softly, “We have another saying here in the north. Shall I spell it out for you?”

  The Italian’s eyes narrowed seconds before Murphy’s fist broke his nose.

  * * * *

  Sara dried her eyes on a hand towel and pushed off the toilet seat. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy and the tip of her nose was red, but she felt marginally better. She still worried about Abby and Murphy, but she was calmer, enough that she could get herself cleaned up.

  One look in the mirror and she sighed. There was glass in her hair. She could only imagine what her back looked like. It felt like being poked with tiny, red-hot needles. No way could she reach her back, so she opted for leaving the safe haven of the bathroom and going in search of Murphy.

  Slowly, she let herself out of the bathroom and tiptoed into her room, though she didn’t know why she was being quiet. The house was empty. She doubted Stephen would try again after seeing Murphy throw that brute across the room like a football. If Murphy could overpower a man that size, he’d make mincemeat of Stephen. No, Stephen was licking his pride somewhere and planning his next attack.

  Carefully, she slipped out of her clothes and the shook glass out. It upset her that Alice’s mirror had been ruined. As soon as she got back on her feet, she’d buy her a new one.

  Sara sighed. When would this stop? First the barns and now the mirror. What next? She fumbled in the semi-darkness and found a pair of jeans and long-sleeved shirt to slip into, then a pair of running shoes, and hurried out of the house. She saw a light on in the office area of the barns and headed in that direction.

  She had almost reached the side door when Murphy’s SUV came barreling out. She stopped and watched it fly up the hill and down the drive until the tail lights faded away. Frowning, she opened the door and slipped inside the empty building. Nothing out of place.

  Reaching over, she flipped the lights off and
backed out. Where had Murphy gone? What had he done to the man he’d saved her from? Too many questions raced through her head. She wouldn’t sleep until he returned, but she didn’t want to be alone in the house. Just in case. The light was burned out in her bedroom, so she couldn’t go there. She had already changed her clothes, so she couldn’t return to the dance.

  Now what?

  Biting down on her lip, she trudged toward the house. Only one place would make her feel safe tonight.

  * * * *

  Murphy rubbed a weary hand over his eyes and slipped silently into his room. It was well after three AM. He and Gabe had gotten nothing from that no-good bastard Italian. Gabe was taking him to the sheriff at that very moment.

  He’d catch a few hours of sleep before a long, serious talk with Sara in the morning. She would to have to trust him if she wanted to keep her daughter safe. Tonight she had gone against him and it cost her. If he hadn’t been keeping tabs on her, who knew what the goon would have done.

  The thought made him scowl as he tugged his shirt off and tossed it aside. His boots and jeans followed, then his boxers. He pulled back the covers and slipped into bed. And bumped into a warm body.

  What the hell?

  He turned, saw the shimmer of golden curls in the moonlight, and let out a frustrated groan. After seeing Sara in that sexy dress tonight and then dancing with her, the last thing he could handle was her in his bed. Cinnamon- and vanilla-scented temptation.

  Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him through half closed lashes in a sexy, bedroom look that made him break out in a cold sweat.

  Then she smiled.

  He scowled.

  “I didn’t want to stay alone,” she whispered. “Is this okay?”

  He heard the tremor in her voice and knew he was done for. He would deny her nothing tonight. Or ever.

  “Are you angry with me?”

  Murphy sighed. “No.”

  “I screwed up.”

  Murphy heard the self-deprecation in that comment and didn’t like it. Sara was already hard on herself; she didn’t need him making her feel worse for what had happened. He couldn’t tell her that he was upset with himself and not her, because then he would have to admit that he had feelings for her. He wasn’t ready to do that.

  “I’m sorry, Murphy.”

  The hitch in her voice he couldn’t ignore. With a growl he pulled her into his arms, felt her trembling. She burrowed in and wrapped herself around him like he was her lifeline. The night had taken a toll on her. She didn’t cry, but she clung to him as he stroked her hair and whispered soft nothings in her ear.

  His body responded with a more primal need. A couple more inches and Sara would know just what she did to him. He stroked his hand up her back and felt her stiffen, remembering too late that she had been thrown into a mirror. He jackknifed in bed and reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. Sara stared at him like he’d lost his mind when soft light illuminated the room.

  Her eyes dropped to his chest and then to his waist where the sheet had slipped down. A blush spread from her neck to her forehead before she looked up and met his eyes. He went hard when he saw the desire in her eyes.

  “On your stomach,” he ordered roughly.

  Sara rolled onto her stomach and he carefully lifted her tank top so he could see the damage done to her. Tiny, red welts and small scrapes peppered her back. Some had bled, others were just angry looking. She would be sore for a couple days until they healed, but none of them needed stitches. The sight of her like this made his gut clench. He shouldn’t have let this happen. Never should have let her out of his sight. He’d have to chain her to his hip in order to keep her safe. Avoiding her for personal reasons wasn’t working.

  “As long as I don’t lie on my back, it doesn’t hurt,” she said, her voice muffled by his pillow.

  That gave him all kinds of scenarios as to how to keep her off her back. He’d always enjoyed it when the woman was on top.

  Cursing, Murphy lowered her shirt and forced himself not to touch her.

  “What else did the bastard do to you?”

  “Nothing. You stopped him before he could go any further.”

  At least he had done that.

  “Stephen doesn’t know where Abby is. If she had been here, he would have taken her. He’s getting closer, Murphy. I can’t stay here.”

  She pulled away as she spoke and Murphy knew she was serious. She was getting ready to leave. The thought settled heavily in his chest. He hated to admit it, but he had grown used to her presence in the house, and looked forward to seeing her first thing in the morning and at night before he went to bed. He liked having Oreos with Abby in the morning. Liked seeing Sara happy and comfortable. Since being here she had smiled more and laughed with his sisters with total abandonment. The fear in her eyes had faded and she no longer looked over her shoulder. She had begun to release her hold on Abby, meaning she was beginning to trust again. The first step in getting on with her life.

  He wanted her to get on with her life. She deserved that happiness. She and Abby both. Was he ready for this to be over and for her to leave?

  Murphy scowled. Of course she would leave. She had a life to get on with. He didn’t have anything to offer her. He was a broken man. With a nice sized bank account and a cabin in the mountains. He’d retired from Special Forces and had no prospects for his future. He had yet to share his experience with his mom and sisters, and he still woke up in a cold sweat every night because of what happened.

  He wasn’t husband material and he sure as hell wasn’t the settling-down type. Best to let her go. Then she could find a nice guy to settle down with, have a few more kids and a house with a picket fence. He couldn’t offer her children and he knew she would want more. She was a good mother. He would only hamper that as Abby grew older and Sara longed for more.

  The thought of her living with another man made him want to punch something, but he tamped it down. He couldn’t give her the life she wanted, so why worry about it?

  Sara’s hand skimmed his chest. He’d be damned if anyone else was going to have her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her on top of him in one swift move. He scowled and she smiled, not bothered in the least by his roughness. If he didn’t know better he would almost believe she liked it. Her nipples were hard against his chest and he wanted her naked. Now.

  “Is your mother still at the party?” she asked softly, her lips moving lightly over his jaw. Murphy’s hands tightened on her waist.

  “She’s been in bed for hours.”

  Sara stilled. “That’s too bad,” she murmured, letting her head drop on his shoulder. Murphy couldn’t agree more. He knew where Sara stood when it came to doing anything that would disgrace herself under his mother’s roof. It hurt him as much as it did her. Hard and aching with her lying on top of him, he exercised impressive control in order not to tear her clothes off and surge inside her.

  They lay there in silence trying to ignore their rapid breathing.

  Against his neck, she whispered, “I need you, Murphy. Do you think…maybe if we’re quiet?”

  “My mother is a sound sleeper. Besides, she’s in the other wing of the house. There’s no one to hear us, Sara.”

  Her pupils dilated and color flooded her cheeks. She was the most innocently beautiful woman he had ever seen. In the soft light of the lamp, she looked delicate and feminine.

  She sat up to straddle his thighs and slowly, shyly, took off her shirt and tossed it on the floor. Murphy drank in the sight of her and forced his hands to remain clenched at his sides so she could set the pace. She spread her palms across his chest and gently kneaded his flesh. He watched as she explored her bolder side and experimented with what he liked, which wasn’t a hard task. He liked everything Sara did to him.

  “I’m going to miss this,” she murmured as she rose to her feet above him and slipped out of her jeans shorts. Murphy forgot how to breathe when she took him inside her with one hesitant tilt of her hips.r />
  He would never let her go. Not without a fight. She belonged to him, and he wasn’t letting any other man have her.

  Only one thought filled his head as he drove into her and took them both to the edge. Mine.

  * * * *

  Sara opened her eyes and looked around at the masculine colors surrounding her. A slow smile spread across her face as what had happened the night before flooded back. She had never acted so bold or so free. It had been enlightening and rejuvenating. One experience she hoped to repeat. Murphy had let her take the reins during their lovemaking, making it more erotic, empowering. She had done things to him she’d never thought possible. Recalling his reaction, he liked it too. She’d never made a grown man beg.

  A blush crawled up her cheeks as she rolled over to face Murphy’s side. Not surprised to see he was already up and gone, she slid her hand over the sheet and found it cool. She glanced at the bedside clock.

  Sara gasped and bolted up in bed. Abby. How come no one woke her? Thank goodness no one did. She couldn’t be found in Murphy’s bed. Rolling stiffly to her feet, Sara found her clothes and headed for her room. She tiptoed across the hall, chiding herself, and quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and t-shirt, sore from being thrown into the wall and the intense lovemaking session with Murphy. She had exercised plenty of muscles during that little interlude.

  After pulling her hair into a ponytail and putting on shoes, she went downstairs, following the sound of voices into the kitchen. Alice and Justine were making sandwiches for lunch. Both smiled over their shoulder when she walked in.

  “’Bout time you got up,” Justine said with a knowing smile. Sara tossed her a fierce glance, but Justine only rolled her eyes.

  “How are you feeling, dear? I’ll have that glass cleaned up in no time.”

  Sara dropped into a chair. “Mu-Jon told you about that?”

  Alice nodded. “Of course, dear. Your safety is the most important thing to us. Is your back all right?”

  “It’s fine, just a little scraped up. I’m sorry about the mirror.”

  Alice waved it away. “Don’t worry about the mirror, we’re just glad you and Abby are all right. That’s what’s important.”