WildLoving

by N. J. Walters

Jason turned to Nevar. “That your brother hired a seriously mentally ill and potentially dangerous woman to work in your club.”

  “Really?” Nevar glanced at Rabb. “You did that?”

  Rabb shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not.”

  Nevar barely suppressed a grin, but had it well under control by the time he turned back to Jason. Rabb relaxed and let his brother go to work. “Thank you for your concern, Mr…?”

  “Ware. Jason Ware.” Jason puffed out his chest. Rabb could tell he thought Nevar would listen to him. Jason was like the tattletale on the school playground, a bully thinking everyone would give in to him out of fear.

  “I’m Nevar Hatter and I own this place with my brother. And I don’t like being told what to do either.”

  That stymied Jason, but only for a moment. Damn, the guy was relentless. Rabb was only beginning to get an idea of what Eliza had been up against and it wasn’t pretty. It was a wonder she’d survived on her own.

  “I’m sure your landlord wouldn’t like the idea of harboring such a potential liability. Just think what would happen if they were sued if something went wrong.” Jason tugged on the cuffs of his coat, doing his best to look important. “It wouldn’t be easy to find another location this prime if you lost your lease to the place.”

  Nevar simply smiled. “Hey, Rabb, you think Mom and Dad would kick us out of the building?”

  Rabb pretended to think long and hard about it. “I don’t think so, but you never know. Mom can be mean when she’s riled.” He gestured toward Jason. “But hey, feel free to try.”

  “I can see I’m wasting my time here.” He turned and strode across the room, but paused dramatically at the door. “But mark my words. It’s only a matter of time until she does something.” He stroked his chin. “Or maybe you’ll get lucky and she’ll just run off and disappear one day.” He yanked open the door and left.

  “That is one seriously angry man,” Nevar pointed out.

  That last remark worried Rabb. “Yeah, and that remark was a threat if I ever heard one.”

  Nevar shoved the stool Jason had been sitting on back into place. “Do you think he’d really do something stupid?”

  Rabb had told his brother the basics about what had happened to Eliza. He only thought it was fair to warn him of the potential danger. “He’s put her in the hospital once before and they couldn’t prove it. He always has an alibi.”

  “He’s smart and he’s obsessed. That’s a dangerous combination.”

  “I won’t let him touch her.” There was no way Rabb was going to let him close enough to Eliza to do her harm. He picked up his phone and hit the button to stop recording.

  Nevar looked at the phone and then back at Rabb and smiled. “That was smart.”

  Rabb shrugged. “I have my moments. But damn, I really wanted to beat the fucker to a pulp.”

  Nevar came around the bar and slapped Rabb on the back. “This is better. You should pull the security footage as well. He was standing right in front of the register and we’ll have a perfect picture of him being here.” They only had one security camera in this section of the bar and it was pointed so it had a perfect view of the bar. They had another one on the back entrance and one in the office.

  “I’ll go and do just that.” Rabb glanced toward the door as it opened, but it was a group of six women and not Jason. He relaxed, but only slightly. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Take your time.” Nevar smiled as the ladies headed toward a booth. “I’ve got this. Denver is in the kitchen and the rest of the wait staff will be here any minute.”

  Eliza barely had time to duck into the ladies’ washroom to avoid running into Rabb. Her heart was pounding and her head spinning. Jason had found her. She hadn’t heard the entire conversation, but she’d heard enough to know he was up to his old tricks and trying to stir up trouble.

  She’d come out of the kitchen and heard Jason’s voice. The shock had frozen her in the shadows. She’d heard all his lies before, telling people she was the one obsessed with him and that she was mentally unstable. But she’d never heard him tell anyone she’d stabbed herself to frame him. That was a new one. And, she would imagine, almost physically impossible given the placement and angles of the wounds. She’d have to ask Detective Zurkowski about that. She wouldn’t put it past Jason to try to use that theory to get her put away in a mental institution.

  He was vindictive enough to try.

  She swallowed hard, refusing to give in to the nausea that churned in her stomach. Jason had found her. It had to be sheer bad luck. She’d only left the kitchen a few times to deliver trays of clean glasses to the bar, and only because the wait staff was slammed with customers. What were the odds one of Jason’s acquaintances would see her in that short length of time?

  Yet that’s exactly what had happened.

  Should she leave? Her first instinct was to run. But that hadn’t worked before. And she wasn’t alone anymore. She had a job and a place to live. But most of all, she had Rabb.

  Eliza stumbled over to the sink and twisted the cold water tap to the on position. She scooped up handfuls of the cool liquid and splashed it on her face until the queasiness in her stomach passed.

  She grabbed a handful of paper towels and dried her face before studying herself in the mirror. She looked pale but composed.

  Should she let Rabb know she’d overheard his conversation? No, she’d wait to see if he mentioned it.

  Oh God, why did this have to happen? Why now when she’d felt safe for the first time in months?

  She needed to call Detective Zurkowski. She couldn’t put it off any longer.

  Eliza pulled the phone Rabb had given her out of her jeans pocket. There were several people listed in her favorite’s list—Rabb, Nevar, the club and Detective Zurkowski. She hit the right button and listened while it rang. She was on the verge of hanging up when it was finally answered.

  “Zurkowski.” His voice was low and gruff.

  “Detective, this is Eliza Hart.”

  She could hear him moving around and the background noise went quiet. He must have ducked into another room. “Where are you? Are you all right?”

  She gripped the phone tight and felt a pang of shame. He’d worried about her so much and done his best to help her, and she hadn’t even called him. “I’m good. I’m safe, for now.”

  He heaved a deep sigh. “I’m glad. I kept expecting your body to turn up somewhere when you didn’t call. You disappeared, dropped off the grid after you got out of the hospital.”

  “Yeah.” This man had been nothing but kind to her. She owed him the truth. “I was homeless for a while.”

  He swore under his breath. “You told me you had the address for a shelter.”

  She scuffed the toe of her sneaker against the tile floor. “I know, but it was full. They wanted to help but couldn’t.”

  “You should have called me.”

  She shook her head even though he couldn’t see her. “I couldn’t do that to you.”

  “Okay, what’d done is done. But you’re okay now?”

  “I’ve got a job and a place to stay.” She gave him the name and the address of the club.

  “Where are you staying?” he asked.

  “Here.” She only hesitated a moment. “I know one of the owners and he’s helping me out.” Eliza hurried on before the detective could question her more closely about Rabb. “Jason was here.”

  “What? When?”

  “A few minutes ago. He didn’t see me and he’s not a hundred percent sure I’m here. Someone he knew caught a glimpse of me while I was at work.”

  “Waitressing probably isn’t smart, Eliza. It puts you out in the open.” She smiled at his faintly lecturing tone. He and Rabb would get along.

  “I’m not waitressing. I’m the dishwasher. And I only took a few trays of clean glasses into the bar when they were busy. It was nothing but bad luck that I was seen by someone who knew me and Jason.”

  “Okay,
what did Jason say?”

  “He talked to Rabb Hatter, one of the owners and the man I’m staying with. He accused me of stalking him, of being mentally unhinged. The usual. But he also said I’d injured myself just so I could accuse him.” She shivered at the memory. “What kind of sick mind thinks up things like that?”

  “A dangerous one. Don’t underestimate him, Eliza. I’ve been doing some discreet digging on him, but so far he comes up clean. He’s good at covering his tracks. The night he attacked you he was seen going into a gallery opening and leaving later that night with friends. But it’s easy to slip away from a party like that for a short time without anyone really noticing.”

  “I’ll be careful,” she promised.

  “Look, I’ve got a hot case I can’t leave right now. But you have my number. If you see him at all or if he comes there again, you call me immediately. You hear me?”

  “Yes, I hear you.” She straightened and smoothed out her apron. “And thanks.”

  “Just stay safe and don’t let that bastard win. That’s all the thanks I want.” The line went dead and Eliza tucked her phone back into her pocket. She’d been gone a long time. Denver was going to wonder where she was.

  She opened the door and checked the hallway. When she saw the coast was clear, she hurried back to the kitchen. Denver turned as soon as the door opened. “You okay? You were gone a while.”

  “Sorry about that.” She took up her position at the counter and started washing tomatoes and lettuce for the club sandwiches. She always helped Denver prep the food and do whatever else he needed help with when she wasn’t busy with the dishes.

  He eyed her critically. “You look a little pale. You take it easy today.”

  She shot him a smile she hoped looked more convincing than it felt. “I’m fine. Honestly.”

  The kitchen door swung open and Rabb walked in. His gaze went straight to her and she could see the worry in his eyes. “Everything okay here?” he asked.

  “Any reason it wouldn’t be?” She gave him the opening and wondered if he’d take it.

  He slipped his arms around her and kissed her. It wasn’t a quick peck on the lips either but a claiming. His tongue swept into her mouth, demanding a response. And she gave it to him. It was a hot, passionate kiss that ended when Denver let out a low whistle.

  “No wonder the girl looks tired.”

  Rabb broke the kiss and studied her intently. “You do look pale.”

  “I’m fine. Really.” And she was getting tired of telling everyone that.

  “Okay, but take it easy today. We’ll talk later.”

  She nodded and watched him leave, admiring the breadth of his shoulders. He’d probably tell her about Jason later. Now was not the time or place to get into it and he probably didn’t want to worry her. That was Rabb.

  Eliza went back to work but knew she wouldn’t settle. Jason had found her. It was only a matter of time until he made some kind of move.

  * * * * *

  Rabb ducked back into the office and shut the door. He pulled out his phone and scrolled down his list of contacts until he found the right number. A few rings later, the call was answered. “Hey, Rabb.”

  “Hey, Archer. You got anything new on Jason Ware?”

  “Not since I was talking to you a few hours ago. Why? What’s happened?” Rabb could hear traffic in the background and knew Archer was out and about.

  “He came here. Seems a friend of his caught a glimpse of Eliza working here and couldn’t wait to tell him. Jason tried to get me to fire her. Claimed she was obsessed with him. Unstable.” Just saying it aloud made Rabb want to hunt Jason down and beat a confession out of him. He was grateful that Eliza hadn’t seen Jason. Rabb knew he’d have to tell her about the unexpected visit, but not now, not when she had a full day of work ahead.

  “Damn, that’s not good,” Archer said. The siren from a fire truck made Rabb pull the phone away a few inches from his ear. It quickly faded and Archer kept on talking. “Listen, a guy like this doesn’t reach his age and suddenly start obsessing about a woman overnight. He’s probably done it before. Not to this extent, but there has to be something. I’m going to talk to some folks in the neighborhood he grew up in, people he went to school with and see what I can dig up. It won’t be easy, though. A lot of folks are away for the holidays. I’ll be able to do more once they’re over and everyone is back to normal schedules.”

  “Do what you can and be careful,” Rabb told his friend. “This guy is smooth on the outside, but inside he’s got a lot of anger pent up.”

  “Will do.”

  Rabb ended the call and tucked his phone away. He wanted to go back to the kitchen to check on Eliza, but that would only make her suspicious. She was pale as it was. He dragged his fingers through his hair, took a deep breath and left the office, locking the door behind him.

  He strolled back to the club and took up his position behind the bar. It was filling up quickly. It was going to be another busy day.

  Chapter Ten

  Rabb was worried about Eliza. She’d been withdrawn and quiet all day. Although he couldn’t really blame her for that. It wasn’t easy to get a word in edgewise around his family. Christmas dinner, served promptly at one o’clock had been the usual Hatter celebration—loud, boisterous and fun.

  But he was glad to be taking Eliza back to his place for a few hours before he had to head downstairs to open the club. It always amazed and saddened him how many people crowded Hatter’s over the holidays. So many were away from family or simply didn’t have any to spend the day with.

  “Did you enjoy yourself?” With one of his arms wrapped around her shoulders, they walked side by side up the flight of stairs to his apartment.

  “I did. Your parents are great.” She flashed him a tired smile.

  “They can be a bit overwhelming at times.” His mother had been in her glory, dressed in a red velvet dress with a white apron over it. But there was no mistaking her for a motherly Mrs. Claus. His mother was slender and more vibrant than most women half her age.

  Eliza gave a quick laugh. “That’s an understatement.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I don’t mean that in a bad way,” she hurried to add.

  Rabb laughed, unlocked the door and motioned her to go on in. “You don’t need to explain it to me. I grew up with them. My parents are a bit crazy and over-the-top when it comes to celebrations of all kind, and life in general, but I wouldn’t have them any other way.”

  “They’re really something special.” Eliza kicked off her shoes and practically fell onto the sofa. She rubbed her hand over her stomach. “And I ate so much. I’m glad I’m wearing a dress and not jeans.”

  Rabb loved the dress she was wearing. It was long and fell to her calves. The color matched her eyes and made them pop. The design was simple, but she made it look good. Her red hair was bundled up on top of her head in some kind of loose ponytail that appeared as though it could tumble free any second.

  His heart jumped and his cock surged to life. Eliza was oblivious as she sprawled across the sofa with her eyes closed. He turned on the tree lights before lifting her and settling onto the cushions with her in his lap.

  She sighed and opened her eyes. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” He stroked his hand up and down her arm.

  “For making this such a wonderful day.” She plucked at the skirt of her dress. “For the new outfit and all the other presents.”

  He hadn’t had much time to shop for Eliza, but his mother had helped him, picking up everything he’d asked her to. He hadn’t gone overboard, knowing it would make her uncomfortable. But he’d gotten her a bath gift set, complete with lotion, body wash and one of those mesh puff things that women seemed to like. The dress was another gift, along with the stockings and shoes. He’d also bought her the latest paperback by one of her favorite authors and a box of chocolates.

  His family had helped out by adding to her small pile of presents. Eliza needed so much and asked for so
little. She’d surprised his family by baking Christmas cookies and fudge as gifts. He’d never before tasted fudge as creamy and melt-in-your-mouth good. The woman had talent. She’d spent her own money on ingredients. And as much as it had pained him not to, he hadn’t offered to pay the grocery bill, knowing she both wanted and needed to have the gifts come completely from her. “I’m glad you had a good time.”

  She yawned, barely covering her mouth with her hand in time. “What time do we need to go down to work?”

  “Not for a few hours yet.” His dick was throbbing and he wanted nothing more than to strip off her dress and make love to her on the sofa. But they had to talk. He’d delayed the inevitable long enough and was starting to feel guilty about not telling her about Jason’s little visit. He’d put it off because he knew it would only upset her.

  “We need to talk,” he began. Eliza started to move off his lap, but he stopped her. “Stay. Please,” he added.

  “All right.” She settled back and distracted him from his purpose when she started toying with the buttons on his shirt. Her fingers slid into the opening between the buttons and caressed his chest. His cock responded to her touch. Now the damn thing was poking into her side like an iron post.

  Eliza laughed. “Seems to me like you want to do more than just talk.”

  Her light, teasing tone sent him over the edge. With a low growl of arousal, he swooped down and captured her delectable, soft lips. Her mouth tasted sweet, like the decadent chocolate fudge he’d eaten for dessert.

  Her tongue tangled with his, rubbing and exploring. The little sounds of arousal she made drove him crazy with need. He reached behind her, found the tab of her zipper and slowly pulled it down. His fingers met bare skin.

  She wasn’t wearing a bra.

  Rabb’s brain threatened to explode. All the while they’d been having dinner and laughing with his family, she’d been all but naked under her dress. His testicles tightened and drew up close to his body.

  “You’re not wearing a bra.” His mind was still having a hard time wrapping itself around that fact.