ESCAPE INTO ROMANCE- 4 Book Bundle

by Patrice Wilton

  “Hi, Carl. You wouldn’t happen to know whether you saw my daughter tonight, do you? Nicole Bradley. She may have been here with Brett Calloway.”

  “Sure I did.” His color deepened and he looked down at the floor. “They didn’t seem too happy. Fact is, they looked like they were having a hum-dinger of a fight, by the way they were both acting.”

  “What do you mean?” Christine’s nails dug into the palms of her hands. Her voice shook, “Did she go upstairs with him willingly?”

  “He wasn’t forcing her, if that’s what you mean. I wouldn’t stand by and let a man do that.”

  “No, I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to imply that you would. Oh, shit. Look. The thing is I got a call from her and she was at the mall walking toward her car. He showed up unexpectedly, and I could hear them arguing, and she said she wasn’t getting into the car with him, but that was the last thing I heard. I drove over to the mall and her car is there. I know that she didn’t go willingly.”

  The big man grabbed a set of keys. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go see if she’s all right.”

  Gratefully, she followed him to the elevators, allowing him to take control. She was so very glad of his help, and pleased to know that she wouldn’t have to try to deal with this situation alone.

  Her only hope was that they weren’t already too late.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Carl pounded on the door and they both heard Nicole scream, and the sound of a scuffle inside. He didn’t wait, but used his key and pushed the door wide open.

  Brett was holding Nicole, with a gun in his hand. Christine held her breath, more afraid than she’d ever been in her life.

  “Nicole, we’re here, sweetheart. Let her go, Brett.”

  “Mom.” Nicole’s frightened eyes met hers. “He says he’ll kill me if I try to leave.”

  “Shut up!” Brett pushed the gun closer to the side of her head. “Tell them to go away.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Carl answered. “Come on, son, give me the gun.”

  “I’ll kill her if you come closer.”

  “You don’t want to do that.” The gun was pointed at the ceiling, so Carl bravely took a step forward. His gun was already out, leveled toward Brett.

  Christine didn’t know whether a security guard carried a loaded weapon, but then neither did Brett. They were at a stand off. A life or death chess game, she thought, taking one step closer too.

  “Stand back. Don’t come any closer,” Brett said, waving the gun around wildly.

  “Give it up, son. You can’t possibly win.” Carl sheathed his gun. “I’m putting mine away. Now you do the same.”

  “Oh shit! It’s not real, anyway.” Brett tossed it to the floor. “Thing’s fake.”

  “Fake? You kidnapped me with a fake gun?” Nicole kicked him in the shins before stepping away.

  He gave her a dirty look. “You wouldn’t have come otherwise.”

  “You got a point there, asshole.”

  Carl picked up the gun and turned it around in his hands. “Good imitation. It scared me.”

  He glanced at the others. “Well son, you did force her to come with you at gunpoint, real or not.” He glanced at Christine. “Call the police.”

  Brett looked around at the three angry faces. “I didn’t do nothing. You don’t need the cops.” He started to walk past Carl, but Carl put a foot out, tripping him up. Brett landed on his knees.

  “You’re not going anywhere. You took this woman by force, threatened her with intent to harm.”

  Christine dialed 911. “Police,” she told the operator. “My daughter was taken at gunpoint by her ex-boyfriend. The suspect is down. Yes, a security guard has a gun on him. Should we tie him up?”

  “Mom?” Nicole chuckled. “You watch too much TV.”

  Relief flooded through Christine, and she felt limp as a noodle. She kissed her daughter’s wet cheeks, and wrapped an arm around her. They sat on the floor hugging, waiting for the police to arrive. Brett was sitting with his knees up and his head buried in his arms. The fight had gone out of him, and his shoulders were shaking as he silently wept.

  Carl let the police in, explained what happened, and they all gave their statements before Brett was handcuffed and led away.

  The two women thanked Carl profusely, then an emotionally drained Christine took her daughter home.

  * * *

  Derek never called back. Christine slept badly that night, partly from the fright she’d suffered, partly because she was half-listening for the phone to ring. The only call she got, however, was from the police early the next morning, setting up a time for her and Nicole to come in and give their full statements.

  The depth of her disappointment and pain at Derek’s silence surprised her—and worried her. This was just what she had been hoping to avoid, this sort of heartache. The heartache that struck when the man she loved hurt her. Obviously, she hadn’t been protecting her heart well enough if a simple thing like an unreturned phone call, regardless of the circumstance, could distress her so much.

  Perhaps it would be best, she thought as she left for work, if she stayed away from Derek for a while. A long while. As long as it took for any notion of loving him to shrivel up and die. She would not allow herself to be hurt again!

  Fortunately, when she arrived at the office she didn’t have time to think about Derek.

  Jenny had told her the previous day that they had sold 198 tickets for the dinner-dance to be held in one week. She was thrilled they’d sold that many tickets, but the numbers were still lopsided. They needed another eighteen men to even them out. Christine had already exhausted all of her sources, from the men’s golf committee to the men at the senior retirement center where her mother lived.

  As soon as she got to the office, she called a power meeting of Nicole, Helga and Jenny to try to figure out a way to make it happen. Helga said she knew a Polish club where she might be able to find some men, and Christine welcomed the idea. Nicole suggested an auction. That way, any women who hadn’t met a man would still have the fun of bidding on a guy and getting a date with him. They all agreed that the money the auction made should go to charity, and Jenny said she’d call the local fire departments to see if they could rustle up a dozen firefighters who’d be interested in participating.

  While Jenny made the calls, Christine took Nicole out for a coffee and a chat. They’d both been too exhausted, emotionally and physically, to talk the night before.

  “I’m fine, Mom,” Nicole told her as they found an empty table. “I’m just kind of depressed this all had to happen. Jake is really upset and his parents called me last night to see if I was all right. They feel just terrible, but nobody thought Brett would ever do something like this. Not even me.”

  “Oh, honey.” Christine squeezed her daughter’s hand. “I’m sorry, too, but at least he’ll get the help he needs and won’t be able to bother you again.”

  “I don’t know how much help he’ll get. He needs some serious counseling, and a stint at Hanley Hazelton for substance abuse.” Nicole sighed. “I still feel bad that it came to this.”

  “I know you do, but I’m glad you had enough sense to leave him when you did. This could have turned out a lot worse than—”

  The buzzing of her cell phone interrupted her. It was Jenny, calling to tell her that Derek had just called the office looking for her. She had him on hold.

  “You can tell Derek—” Christine began angrily, but then saw her daughter’s look of surprise. “I’ll call him back later,” she finished, and snapped her cell phone shut.

  “What’s going on?” Nicole asked. “I thought you two were hitting it off.”

  “Then you thought wrong.” Christine lifted a hand to her aching head. She’d never had a migraine in her life, but right now if felt as if her scalp was split half open. Maybe it was just her heart. “I called him last night to see if he could help me find you, and he was out with a woman named Maddie. He never called bac
k, probably because he never went home last night.”

  “You don’t know that for sure, and you have no idea who this Maddie is or why he was out with her. Do you?” Nicole’s voice rose with impatience. “You just jump to the wrong conclusion and don’t give a guy the benefit of a doubt.”

  “That’s not true. I gave him lots of benefits—” She caught herself in time. “I mean, I was with him yesterday when Maddie called and he said they were friends. He made plans to see her tonight, but I guess he just couldn’t wait.”

  Nicole’s expression softened. “Oh, Mom, you do have a hard time with men, don’t you?”

  “Yes, and that’s exactly why I need to stay away from them. Who needs that kind of heartache? Besides, I have so much going on in my life that the last thing I need is a romantic involvement.”

  “Okay, I won’t press you. You’ll know when you’re ready, or it’ll happen when you least suspect it. Like it happened with me and Jake.”

  “Hopefully not. Love is meant for the young, and I am far too advanced in years to take those risks again.”

  “What? You? I wouldn’t exactly say you’re ready to be put out to pasture. Not yet.” She laughed. “Come on, Mom. You’re always telling me not to give up on my dreams, that life would not be worth living if we didn’t have any hopes and dreams left. What are yours? Are you telling me that you’d rather be safe then take a chance at real happiness?”

  “Yes, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. Now, let’s get back to work.”

  * * *

  Christine sat at her desk, mentally rehashing the events of the previous night, and thinking long and hard about what she was going to say to Derek. It really didn’t matter why he had not been available; it simply made her decision easier. She would tell him she’d changed her mind—once again—and wanted to maintain a professional relationship with him, but nothing else.

  He was going to be furious because she had made the damn rules and was now, again, changing them. But so be it. She hadn’t expected him to make love to her, then turn around and jump into another woman’s bed, only hours later, either.

  Derek had led her to believe that he hadn’t dated anyone since his wife’s death, but she knew men had a natural capacity to lie. Kyle had no such reason—there was nothing to be gained by it, whereas Derek could have his way with her and any other woman she set him up with, and getting his dick wet was incentive enough for most men.

  A rumbling began in her stomach, and her guts tightened and squeezed. It was a physical pain, as strong and as real as if a boa constrictor had found its way inside her.

  She put a hand to her tummy and tried to breathe. The rotten bastard. She had fallen for his sweet ways. She had really believed that he was the grieving widower still pining over his wife. Instead he was probably boinking half the neighborhood. So like a man. So untrustworthy!

  He had probably thought it hilarious when she threw herself at him. He’d probably laughed himself silly, letting her think she was calling the shots. Oh, yes, she had played right into his hands. Well, she knew better now. He wouldn’t be getting any more from her, that was for damn sure.

  Her heart hurt, and she cursed him vehemently. She had promised herself she would never know this kind of pain again. There was no way in hell she was going to love a man enough to feel anything. She would put an end to it, right now.

  Picking up the phone, Christine dialed Derek’s cell. Her resolve was up. She would be civil, courteous, keep her accusations under control. After all, they had a professional relationship to maintain. She was simply putting a stop to their sexual liaisons, that was all.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t get back to you last night,” Derek said right away. “Something came up, and I had to help out a friend.”

  “Kyle told me about Maddie. Said you spend a lot of nights together,” she told him quietly.

  “We do. She works with me and sometimes we grab a beer and hamburger after work.”

  “Right.” The lying, cheating, prick of all pricks.

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I believe. It’s not my business,” she spoke slowly, careful not to reveal how devastated she was by his trickery and deceit. “I don’t care. You can have lots of women friends, and as a matter of fact, I encourage you to do so.” Christine was pleased at how calm she was. How unemotionally detached. She was not in love with him. She was not.

  “What did Kyle say to you?” he asked, puzzled. At her silence, he cursed under his breath. “Look. Maddie’s mother had a heart attack, and I was with her at the hospital all night. I don’t know what Kyle said to you, but that’s the truth.”

  “He said you often stay out late, and sometimes don’t come home at all.”

  “That little rascal. I’m sorry, but he’s having a little difficulty with the idea of me dating.”

  Her heart was racing, wanting to believe him, but more afraid to do so. It was simply easier not to. Better to forget about him entirely and focus all her love and energy on her job. It was easier, and safer, and less stressful, and she was all for that. Who needed the ups and downs, and all that emotional turmoil that falling in love involved? Not her, that’s for sure.

  She forced a laugh. “Yes, I suppose he does.”

  Poor kid, she thought. His mother had only been buried for a few short years, and his father was ready to replace her in his heart and in his bedroom. No wonder the son was hurting.

  “It’s not going to be easy, Derek. I mean, whoever you choose will have to win the boy’s approval and affection. And what if it doesn’t work? The kids don’t need any more grief in their life.”

  “I know that. You don’t have to tell me about my own kids.”

  “That’s true. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lecture you. I know you love them to death and would only do the right thing by them, but…but…you and me. I’m sorry, Derek, but it’s not a very good idea, I’m afraid.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  “Yes, I am what?”

  “Afraid.” His voice lost its friendliness, and he seemed angry.

  What right did he have to be angry? What friggin’ right? He had been the one who’d not been there when she needed him, and may very well be stringing her along. Besides, they’d agreed to end it the moment one of them changed their mind, and she had changed hers. That was all there was to it. He’d enjoyed the sex with her, but it was over. Big deal. He could have his Maddie and anyone else he chose. He’d certainly have no problem finding someone more willing, with a lot less baggage. So, let him find her. She couldn’t do this. She had thought she could handle sex without commitment, but she’d been wrong.

  Her stomach was churning like sour milk, and all the joy she’d been feeling lately was gone. She didn’t feel like smiling, or laughing, or talking. She wanted to crawl into bed and stay there until she felt happy again.

  Except she couldn’t. She had work to do and people who relied on her, and she would not let them down.

  How was she going to manage the night of the dance? Seeing him, talking to him, dancing with him, pretending she didn’t care.

  “You’re right,” she said. “I am afraid. And if you had any sense, you might be too.”

  “I would rather take a chance on happiness than to close myself off to the possibilities.”

  “Yes, you are definitely keeping your options open, aren’t you?” she snapped.

  “Oh, come on. You can’t possibly believe I was sleeping with Maddie. Dammit, Christine. Do you want to call the hospital and check to see if her mother has been admitted? She’s in ICU. Will you believe me then?”

  “It doesn’t matter, Derek. Maybe I believe you, and maybe I don’t. The point is, I made a mistake. It’s my mistake and not yours. I thought I could handle sex between us and not get emotionally involved, and I was wrong. I can’t, and so I won’t. That’s why I won’t be sleeping with you anymore. I’m sorry.”

  “Christine. I’m getting mighty fe
d up with your whims. One minute you want me as your fuck buddy, and next, I’m tossed out the door. I care about you, Christine, and I know that you are worried about our age difference, but to me it doesn’t mean a damn thing. What does matter is, if you can’t trust me, and you are so fucking uptight and insecure that you won’t give love a chance, well, then it really is best that we don’t see each other again. I want a woman who will meet me half way, and so far Christine, you haven’t even come close.”

  He hung up, and Christine was left with a dial tone ringing in her ears.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  The days dragged by slowly. Christine felt as if getting out of bed was a monumental effort, and putting on a brave front at work was almost too much to ask. So many times she had come close to picking up the phone and calling Derek, because the more she thought about it the surer she was that he had been telling the truth, and that Kyle had been lying.

  But of course she didn’t. It was much better to keep her emotional distance and end things before they really got started. She was only half in love with him, and that half was already aching with grief from their separation. Wasn’t it Shakespeare who said, parting is such sweet sorrow; well, she sure could tell William a thing or two about pain. There was nothing sweet about it; it was more like a thousand bee stings at once, or like a piercing ear-ache, only in the heart. It hurt, and you could romanticize it all you wanted, but she wasn’t real big into pain, or going around all weepy-eyed and feeling blue.

  The half of her that wasn’t in love with him, felt as if she’d lost her best friend in the entire world. And nothing was ever going to be the same again.

  She made sure that no one suspected a thing at the office, but at home she moped around like a sick puppy. She watched old romantic movies in her room at night and cried into her pillow. For the umpteenth time, she watched Doctor Zhivago and when he told Lara that he was leaving and never coming back, Christine sobbed along with Lara.