It was time to stop being a coward and start living as though Jason wasn’t a part of her life. Eliza strode across the room, unlocked the door and opened it. She grabbed the two bags of garbage and peeked out into the alley. It was a dead end with only one point of entry. The streetlight illuminated the metal container. The cold air seeped through her sweater, making her shiver.
The first day of the New Year was certainly a cold one. They might even get a sprinkling of snow overnight, but for now the sky was clear. She listened but heard nothing beyond the sounds from the street.
She stepped out and hurried to the disposal unit, quickly tossing the bags into the bin. A chill raced up her spine, one that had nothing to do with the icy weather. Someone was watching her.
Eliza spun around and automatically shoved her hand in her pocket. Her phone was there. Before she could pull it out, Jason appeared like some demon slithering out of the darkness.
“I knew you had to come outside eventually.” He sounded so calm and rational. The wind ruffled his hair, but he didn’t seem to notice the cold. But then again, why would he when he was wearing a long gray topcoat. Leather gloves covered his hands. He looked like exactly what he was—a successful businessman.
Eliza ran her finger down her phone, pressing what she hoped were the right buttons. Both Rabb and the detective were in her favorites. Hopefully, she was dialing one of them.
Keeping one eye on Jason and the other on the door, she took a step toward safety. Jason moved with her and she knew if she tried to make it to the door, he’d stop her. She quickly glanced around the alley searching for a weapon. But there was nothing there.
This was one time that Denver’s penchant for cleanliness and order, even in the alleyway, went against her. Denver was all about not giving vagrants or rodents any reason to take up residence. Eliza wouldn’t have minded a stray broken bottle or stick right about now.
“I didn’t expect to find you lurking in the alleyway behind Hatter’s.” If she’d managed to dial someone and they were listening, they’d know where to find her. “What do you want?”
He frowned. “I want you to come with me.”
“Why?” If she could keep him talking, maybe Rabb would come looking for her, or someone would come down the alley. Not likely, but it was all she had.
“Why? Because you belong with me.” He tilted his head to one side and studied her as if she weren’t too bright.
“I don’t understand.” She was so cold she was beginning to shiver. She suspected fear was also making her knees weak. Sucking in a breath, she tried to order her thoughts. “I’m not your type,” she pointed out.
“Is that why you ran from me?” He smiled and spread his arms wide. “By the time I’m done with you you’ll be polished and perfect. The right haircut and clothing and you’ll be perfect by my side.”
She really didn’t like the way he used the word perfect several times, as if she were a doll he could remake in the image he wanted.
“But I like myself exactly as I am.” She sidled closer to the door, trying to do it so slowly he wouldn’t notice.
He frowned then, drawing his dark eyebrows down. “But you’ll be so much better when I’m done with you.” He took a step toward her and she took one closer to the door. “You have no money, no breeding, no family and I’m offering you everything.”
She shook her head. “Not everything. All I want is for you to go away. All I want is my freedom.”
His gloved hands fisted at his sides. “I don’t know why you continue to be so difficult about this, Eliza. I had to discipline you once, don’t make me do it again.”
Her stomach churned and her coffee almost came up, but she swallowed it back. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he was scaring the crap out of her. Her scars ached in remembrance. Was that how he thought of it? He’d been disciplining her because she’d done something to displease him.
Well, she knew him better this time. She’d done a basic self-defense course through one of the shelters where she’d spent a few days. Not much, but she knew enough to go for his eyes, nose, throat and testicles if he got close enough.
A sense of calm radiated through her. She could do this. She had to do this. She had too much to live for now. The thought of Rabb finding her gone, or worse, finding her dead body in the snow sent a blast of anger rocketing through her.
No. Hell no! She wasn’t going to allow Jason to take any more from her than he already had. “Go away, Jason. You’re not wanted here. I’ll never go with you.”
“It’s Hatter, isn’t it?” He took another menacing step toward her. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a knife. She shivered and almost panicked. She recognized that knife all too well.
“I knew it,” he continued to rant. “You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?” His face grew redder with each passing second. Maybe if she got lucky he’d work himself into a heart attack.
She saw the movement in his eyes a split second before he attacked. She threw herself to the left and brought up solid against the side of the brick building. Her shoulder throbbed but she kept moving, trying to get around Jason so she could run out the alley.
When he lunged, she whirled away. He thrust the blade toward her and caught her, slicing through her sweater. A sharp pain radiated up her arm and blood stained the wool.
“See what you’re making me do?” He sounded more like a petulant child than an adult. His usual smooth, deep tone was gone.
There was no reasoning with him. Eliza drew in a deep breath and screamed. It wasn’t as loud as she’d hoped, mostly because she was almost hyperventilating. A combination of fear, cold and blood loss was making her feel lightheaded. She knew she was close to going into shock. She recognized the feeling from the first time he’d attacked her.
He lunged and his dress shoes caught a patch of ice. Instead of hitting her head-on, she managed to slip away. But not before his blade found her other arm, leaving a shallow slice.
While he was off balance, she spun around and shoved him as hard as she could. He stumbled and hit his head against the wall. But it wasn’t enough to knock him out. Eliza staggered toward the door. It was unlocked. If she could get inside she could lock him out and find help.
She lurched toward the door and wrapped her fingers around the handle. An inhuman sound came from behind her. She yanked the door open, but had to let it go when Jason leapt at her. She fell and rolled, trying to keep away from him.
He was completely crazed now, just like the last time. He stabbed at her, but thankfully missed. “How dare you attack me?” he yelled.
She hit the far wall and shoved to her feet. Her vision blurred. The door seemed miles away. She’d almost made it.
She curled her hands into fists, ready to strike out at him. He might kill her, but he’d damn well wear her mark. She was beyond cold now, almost numb. Her left hand was wet. She frowned and looked down. Blood dripped from her fingertips onto the dirty snow in the alley. She wiped her hand on her jeans.
Jason came at her, knife raised. She shifted her weight, ready to fight.
He never reached her.
A deep roar echoed in the small space. Jason went flying through the air as if tossed by some unseen hand and hit the brick wall. Hard. Eliza blinked not quite believing what she was seeing.
Rabb grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Are you all right?” he demanded. “What the hell were you thinking being out in an alleyway by yourself?” He half dragged, half carried her across the alley to the open door.
“Rabb?”
He stopped and his big body shuddered. In a heartbeat his entire demeanor changed. His grip became gentle and his tone softened. “Yeah, baby, it’s me. You’re safe now.”
But he wasn’t. She saw the shadow of Jason rising behind Rabb like some monster in a horror flick. Rabb must have seen the panic in her eyes, because he moved swiftly, practically tossing her through the door. “Call 9-1-1,” he ordered even as he pivot
ed to face Jason.
“I’m going to kill you, Hatter. You touched what was mine.”
Rabb shook his head. “She was never yours.”
Jason smile was sly. “Are you sure about that?” he taunted.
“Yes.” Rabb said nothing more. Jason’s smirk disappeared.
“I’ll have to kill you both now,” Jason said, his tone almost conversational, as though he were discussing the weather.
Eliza ignored the throbbing pain in her arms and managed to pull her phone from her pocket. The blood on her hand made her fingers slippery and she almost dropped it. She fumbled with the phone, catching it before it fell.
The line was already open. Had she managed to contact someone earlier? She held the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Eliza? It’s Detective Zurkowski. Help is on the way. I’m almost there.” She’d never been so happy to hear another voice in her life.
“He and Rabb are fighting,” she managed to tell the detective even though her teeth were chattering. “Knife. Jason has a knife.”
The blare of sirens grew louder. Eliza pushed herself up onto her knees, reached up and grabbed the handle of the door for support. She had to help Rabb.
The fight in the alley was deadly and eerily silent. Both men moved in a kind of macabre dance. Jason obviously knew how to use a blade in a fight. Rabb had no weapon, but he was light on his feet for such a heavily muscled man, jumping nimbly out of the way and managing to land a few blows to Jason’s body. They slowed Jason down but didn’t stop him. With each deadly swing of the knife she expected Rabb to be stabbed, but he always managed to jump out of the way at the last second, which wasn’t easy given the confined space.
Rabb landed a blow to Jason’s jaw, snapping his head back. Jason shook his head and jumped at Rabb. Eliza barely stifled a scream when Rabb got out of the way in the nick of time. As it was, the knife caught his shirt, ripping the material. She looked frantically but didn’t see any blood.
She should get a weapon. Something to help Rabb. But for some reason she was finding it difficult to think, to find the energy to act. She knew she was bleeding, knew she was cold, but strangely enough she didn’t feel much of anything. Her entire focus was on the deadly fight in front of her.
Tires squealed to a halt and then she heard the heavy tread of boots hurrying toward them, but she didn’t take her eyes off Rabb. “Police,” one uniformed man yelled. “Drop your weapon.”
Jason turned his head and saw her standing in the doorway, holding herself up by leaning against the heavy panel. “This is all your fault,” he roared. “All your fault,” he repeated as he lunged toward her, knife glinting in the streetlight.
Rabb yelled her name.
Her reflexes were slow and before Eliza could pull the door shut, several shots rang out. Jason’s body jerked before he fell to the ground. Rabb raced toward her, jumping over Jason’s body. He grabbed her and yanked her into his arms. “Are you okay?” He pulled back and pushed a lock of her hair away from her face. “Eliza?”
“She’s bleeding.” The male voice was deep and one she recognized.
Rabb turned and practically growled. “Who the hell are you?”
“Detective Mitchell Zurkowski.” He waved to someone at the head of the alley and moments later the EMTs hurried toward her. Another group was working on Jason.
There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but she was so tired. Her eyes drifted shut. She heard someone calling her name and frowned. She knew that voice.
Rabb.
She managed to pry her eyes open. “I’m okay.” Or at least that’s what she thought she said. It sounded a little garbled even to her. She’d rest for a minute and then help them sort things out. Until then, they’d have to manage without her.
She shut her eyes and drifted into the waiting darkness.
Chapter Twelve
Rabb sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair next to Eliza’s bed and held her hand. She looked so small and fragile lying there with the pristine white sheets pulled up over her chest and her bandaged arms resting on top. But he knew looks could be deceiving. She had the heart of the lion, as he’d seen firsthand.
The machine that monitored her vital signs hummed quietly. The IV dripped silently. Both her arms were wrapped in gauze. It had taken quite a few stitches to close the wounds Jason had inflicted. Two more scars to add to her collection.
He’d never been so scared in his life as he’d been the moment he’d stepped into the kitchen to find Eliza missing. It was only because there was a chill in the air that he’d even thought to check the door. When he’d discovered it unlocked, his heart had practically stopped.
He’d burst into the alley to find her confronting Jason on her own. Hell, her attacker had about ten inches and eighty pounds on her, yet she’d faced him bravely and had managed to stay alive until Rabb had gotten to her.
And not only that, she’d managed to call Detective Zurkowski and leave the line open so he could hear. Yeah, she was courageous, but Rabb sincerely prayed she’d never have to be that courageous again. His heart couldn’t take it.
A light rap on the door made him tense. It pushed inward and Detective Mitchell Zurkowski poked his head into the room. He glanced at the bed and then at Rabb before entering. “How is she?”
Rabb rubbed his thumb over the back of Eliza’s hand. She was warm now, which was good. She’d been so cold and in shock when they’d brought her in. “The doctor said she’ll be fine with time and rest.” And he was going to make sure she got as much of it as she needed.
The detective was a big man, standing well over six feet. He paused at the end of the bed and stared down at Eliza. Rabb could see the anger and regret in the man’s eyes. “I only wish we’d been able to stop Ware before he attacked her again.”
“You believed her,” Rabb pointed out. “Which is more than everyone else did.”
Zurkowski dragged his fingers through his hair. “Yeah. Fat lot of good it did her.” He pulled his gaze away from Eliza and faced Rabb. “You’ll take care of her.”
It wasn’t a question, but Rabb answered anyway. “Yeah, I’ll take care of her.” Rabb glanced at Eliza to make sure she was still sleeping. “Did Ware make it through surgery?” Although he’d been shot several times by the responding officers, he’d been alive when they’d taken him from the scene.
Zurkowski shook his head. “No, he died on the operating table. That’s one of the reasons I dropped by. I figured she’d want to know.”
Rabb nodded. He felt better about that, but knew Eliza would have mixed feelings. She was a tenderhearted soul. “Thanks.”
Zurkowski shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “We checked out his home. He had a room filled with pictures of Eliza and several other women. Seems she wasn’t the first one he had an obsession with.”
That really didn’t surprise Rabb. His buddy Archer had been pretty adamant that Eliza wasn’t Jason’s first obsession. Stalking of this nature wasn’t something that generally started when a guy was in his early thirties. There were usually blips or signs that started earlier in life.
“One of the women is missing. The other one we found married and living in California.”
Rabb prayed the missing woman had run away to escape her stalker.
“Anyway,” Zurkowski continued. “If Eliza or you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”
Rabb reluctantly released Eliza’s hand, stood and held out his hand to the detective. “Thanks for everything.” The handshake was solid.
“Wish I could have done more.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done, and I know Eliza does too.” Rabb sat back down and reclaimed Eliza’s hand. “Why don’t you stop by Hatter’s some night for a drink? On me,” he added.
“I might just do that.” Zurkowski tipped his head toward the bed. “Tell her I came by to see her. She’s a special lady.”
Rabb could hear the longing in Zurkowski’s voice and realized the other
man was attracted to Eliza even though he’d never acted on it. “I will.” Rabb felt bad for the guy. He knew what it was like to carry a torch for a woman, this particular woman. But Zurkowski needed to find a woman of his own. Eliza was taken.
The detective left as quietly as he’d entered, leaving the two of them alone once again. His parents had called and Nevar had come by, offering any assistance. Right now Eliza didn’t need much. That would come later when he had her back home.
She stirred, opened her lovely green eyes and blinked at him. A small smile tilted her lips upward and his heart skipped a beat. “I thought I heard you talking with someone. I must have dreamed it.”
He shook his head. “The good detective dropped by. He just left.”
“Oh. Sorry I missed him.” She shifted on the mattress.
“You okay? You need anything?” Rabb reached for the call button attached to the bed.
“I’m fine.” She tugged the covers higher.
Rabb released her hand and helped her. “Are you cold?”
“A little.”
He reached behind him and grabbed a bag his mother had sent with Nevar. “Mom sent this along for you.” Rabb shook out the homemade quilt, his mother had stitched.
“Oh my.” Eliza’s jaw dropped.
“Yeah. You know how much my mom loves Alice in Wonderland.” The quilt was predominantly blue and white with touches of red. It also prominently featured the Red Queen and the White Rabbit. “Mom was going to save it for your birthday in a couple of months, but figured you could use it now.”
Eliza reverently ran her hand over the fabric. “It’s beautiful. Amazing.” Her eyes were shining with unshed tears when she looked at him. “Have I told you lately how much I adore your family?”
“The feeling is mutual,” he assured her. He’d already gotten an earful from all them, demanding he bring Eliza back home as soon as the doctors would release her.
“What did Mitchell have to say?”
It took Rabb a moment to realize she was talking about Detective Zurkowski. He ignored the flare of jealousy that flashed through him. He was the one here with Eliza and that was what truly mattered.
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