by Grey, T. A.
Dropping to her knees silently, she took a steadying breath and then swung her right arm out in a wide arch, knife pointed out. She caught meat, pushed her shoulder further back until it was digging into the wall. A scream and a curse, and then a flash of light and an explosion of sound.
Lina fell awkwardly into the archway and stabbed with the other knife with everything she had. She met with his stomach. The heavy clanking of metal to the floor was like music to her ears as his gun fell from his loose grasp. He stumbled back and she collapsed onto her stomach trying to reach for him. His white suit shirt had two big splotches of red growing bigger by the second.
His hand touched it. He looked at his fingers with shock, then looked side to side before stumbling down the hall. Lina heard a door open.
She tried to lift up on her arms, to get her legs working. She needed to get to that gun and go after him. Needed to call 911 and get someone after the car with a little girl in it.
What's wrong with me? Why can’t I move?
She pushed herself into a sitting position, her arms shook like leaves in the wind, and then she fell back to the ground. She struggled to drag air into her lungs, her throat made a horrible wheezing sound with each breath. She turned her cheek to the side and sent a prayer of thanks up above because the cool tile underneath her felt like a godsend to her heated, sweaty flesh.
Her head felt like it was lolling around. Everything spun around her as if she were on a carousel going eighty miles per hour.
She heard a shout—a man's voice, familiar. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out but thin, reedy air.
She blinked, but her eyes didn't open again.
Her last thought was—he shot me.
Chapter 13
Cade was certain he'd never panicked as hard as he did when he saw Lina lying on the floor in a pool of blood. It was a sight he'd never be able to vanquish from his mind. It and the fear he'd felt would forever be etched in his nightmares.
When he'd gone to find Lina for a late night breakfast and couldn’t find her, he'd thought maybe she left. After seeing her explosive passion yesterday, he wouldn't have been that surprised if she took off…again. Though he did figure she wasn't one to run from something like that. At least not twice. But that's what he'd assumed when he couldn't find her. He hated to say it, but he'd been disappointed. Very disappointed.
When he asked Carlos if he'd seen his sexy little detective, he'd said yes and told him where to find her. His dick actually throbbed at the thought of seeing her again. Or maybe it was the thought of fucking her. Yeah, it was definitely both.
But when he found the room empty with a tape in the deck on pause, he watched the scene she'd been watching. He had no idea if this was important. It was just the VIP bodyguard showing a client out. But then he frowned when the guard left and his manager Sara came out. She seemed to be talking quickly and looking back at the door to make sure they were alone. The other man looked angry and was talking fast. Finally the man got into the car and left.
Hmm, interesting. Cade wasn't aware that Sara had such an interesting relationship with the client.
Cade went to find his detective, but was stopped in the hallway. Carlos came running out of the control room looking scared.
"They took her. She's gone."
Those words had cemented his fear forever in his mind. He'd watched the footage with Carlos. Everything seemed to slow down on his way to the control room, people were walking slowly in the hallways, and everyone seemed to be blocking him. Even the tape wasn’t playing fast enough. Everything was wrong.
He watched as Sara, his manager Sara, hit Lina over the head with a metal trophy. His fingers curled into white-knuckled fists, and he felt a snarl curling his lips. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Carlos changed channels, showing him footage from the outside camera as Sara stuffed Lina into a car in the parking garage reserved for employees only. A client he recognized, and had some minor complications with before, helped her to lift the body. That son of a bitch was a dead man.
Cade took off at a sprint. Employees, customers, and clients plastered themselves against the walls to stay of his roaring path. He jumped into his car and peeled his tires taking off. As he made his way to the client's house, he was hoping like hell that he was going to the right place. It was either the clients or Sara’s, but if the client was the one dabbling in child pornography then it had to be his place. God he hoped he was right.
Cade dialed 911 and reported what he knew, and then he drove like mad hoping he'd get there in time. Please God, let him get there in time.
But he hadn't found her in time.
He'd found her in a pool of blood. He could feel all the color leave his face. Her eyes were closed, lips parted, and unmoving. Please don't be dead, was all he could say over and over in his head. His heart stuttered so hard in his chest he thought he might be dying too.
He yelled her name, but she didn't move. His fingers shook when he reached to test her pulse, and the faint bum bum he felt there, had the breath he'd been holding expelling hard.
He heard movement at the back of the house. A rage the likes of which he'd never felt before screamed through him. had him grabbing a gun off the floor and running to the back. It wasn't hard to miss Darrel, his blood was leaving a dark red trail to his car parked behind the house.
Cade didn't hesitate. He lifted the gun and squeezed the trigger. Four sharp cracks echoed through the air. Darrel dropped hard and heavy to the ground. He kept pulling the trigger, but when nothing came out, he gave a disgusted sigh and dropped it. Cade's hands shook with the barely repressed urge to pummel his face in. His arms felt like someone had electrocuted him because they were twitching in their sockets.
He went back to Lina though. The man was dead, and that would be good enough for now. He grabbed Lina's hand, terrified to move her even as every ounce of his body was telling him to pull her close and hold her, just hug her. So he took her hand instead and held it tight. He pushed the hair out of her face and couldn't stop the moisture that gathered in his eyes.
He watched her breath, watched her nostrils flare just a little, and then he watched her take no more.
Chapter 14
Bright lights, too bright. Someone turn them off, she wanted to growl, tried to even, but her mouth was drier than the Sahara and her tongue felt swollen.
Ah, but it was okay, because someone was a mind reader here and turned the light way down to a faint dim. She sighed and slowly blinked. Heaven? She must be in heaven. She'd never really believed in it before. The whole have faith thing was pretty hard when she'd seen the things she had. But still, she'd always hoped there was something after death.
Chapped, dry eyes made it hard to blink; she badly needed some of Ben Stein's famous eye drops. Things came into focus like a camera lens being turned left then right, then sharpening perfectly. A window, a chair, a TV resting high in the corner on the wall, beeps and monitors, and then finally the man who made her heart heavy.
Not heaven. She wanted to cry so badly then. Wanted to curl up and bawl and sob until nothing was left, and she wasn't sure if it was because she hadn't died and found out if there was heaven or because she was so glad she wasn't dead. Tears did fall down her face, which surprised her given how dry her eyes were.
The tears felt salty and burned her eyes, making her push them into her pillow to dry them. She was gasping, the tears not stopping, when warm, gentle arms moved around her, leaned close to her. Just holding her.
She did cry then. Hard shudders that racked through her body; she was getting his shirt wet, but she didn't care. He smelled so good, felt so good. She tried to lift her arms around him, but couldn't move them, which made her cry harder.
He was speaking softly, gentle, encouraging sounds. She couldn't make out the words at first through the haze and the pounding pulse of pain that seemed to be coming from everywhere inside her.
"Oh, baby, it's okay now. Let it all out honey. You're so strong."
Lina finally calmed enough to feel embarrassed. She closed her eyes tight and fell back against the hospital bed with his help. She winced as something tight and excruciating pulled in her chest.
It took her a few tries, but finally she managed to croak, "What happened?"
Cade pulled his chair up closer until his knees bumped into the bed. He looked different. His face was pale with tight lines around his lips and purple shadows lined under his eyes. His suit shirt had wrinkles everywhere and looked like he'd been wearing it for days. Lina couldn't help but think that this was the most real she'd ever seen him, aside from when they were making love. She winced at her choice of words, not making love. Just having sex. Right.
He licked his chapped lips before speaking. "I found out you were taken soon after it happened. I called the cops and tracked you to Krentsky’s house. I, um, you were on the ground. He'd shot you in the lung. He was just out back though, you slowed him down good when you stabbed him. I grabbed the gun and shot him. He's dead. When I came back, I held your hand and waited for the police," he looked away, a haunted looking coming over him, "and then you died."
"What?" He heard her cracking voice and handed her a jug of water.
"They said you could have this if you woke up, but only sips. Here, let me help." He held the large jug and brought the straw to her lips.
The water was the coldest, best tasting thing she'd had in her whole life. Her body told her to suck hard and drink all of it, but she forced herself to go slow. When she was done, he put it back and held her hands in his. They were so big and warm in her cold ones. Did the man never get cold?
"Anyways, he shot you through the chest. It punctured your lung and the doctor said that when you fell onto your chest, you blocked the wound off and it made your lung collapse. It started sucking in blood instead of air and you eventually died. I turned you over and performed mouth to mouth."
"I bet you just liked that," she said cutting in.
A harsh, uneven laugh escaped him. He looked at her with wide eyes. "No baby, I prefer you kissing me back. I did CPR until the ambulance arrived. Thank God, I'd already called them or..." He made a violent noise and shrugged his shoulders like he was trying to get something nasty off him.
"How long have I been here?"
"A week."
Now it was her turn to have wide eyes. "Has my family been here?"
He nodded. "Oh yeah, and Captain Drammer. I called them as soon as you were brought here. They've been in and out of here crying and half-hysterical since you got here. I like them," he said with a small smile.
A loud yawn escaped her making them both laugh a little. Her eyes were growing heavy again. "I'm going to just take a little nap. If they come back, tell them I'm fine and I love them."
"Lina, before you go to sleep, I need to tell you something."
Her eyes popped open at his serious tone. "What?" The effort it took was exhausting.
"They found the girl. Darrel had an accomplice named Harry Jennson. They didn't make it far. They were trying to escape in Darrel’s car, which we had the license plate number for. I just wanted you to know that they only took pictures of the girl. They didn't...abuse her any more than that."
She smiled bright and wide with her dry chapped lips. Thank God. One little girl saved.
"Since Sara and Darrel are dead, they are charging his accomplice with everything. They have enough evidence on him to keep him locked away for a long time."
"Good," she said, her eyes drifting closed.
"Go to sleep baby. I'll be here when you wake up."
Lina smiled and drifted off.
* * *
He wasn't there when she woke up.
One month later and Lina was still telling herself it didn't bother her. The shrill of the phone saved her from having to think about Cade and all the unsettling thoughts he brought. Like how she missed him.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Lina. How you doing? Enjoying your leave?"
A deep sigh. Being her Captain and on and off friend for seven years didn't mean she liked that he called every day to check up on her. "As I told you yesterday and the day before that, and the day before that, no. I have nothing to do here but wallow in my thoughts." Her hand tightened on the phone. Shit, she hadn't meant to say that. She'd meant to say something flippant and sarcastic.
Her hope that he wouldn't notice it was quickly extinguished. "Lina...I don't know what happened between you and Vanderoth, but it's off the books. If there's unfinished business between you two then why don't you go take care of it? You have five days left of sick leave, use it."
Lina was just about to tell him to mind his own damn business when the phone clicked. She stared at the phone with her mouth hanging open. The bastard actually hung up on her. She slammed the phone down harder than necessary. Like he knew what she was feeling?
He couldn't possibly know how stupid she'd been. How she'd let her guard down and fallen in love with a man who owned a sex club. Christ, she must have lost her mind. She didn't know what was worse, that she missed him, or that he'd introduced himself to her parents and they called him 'such a nice boy.'
Lina showered and dressed with slow, steady moves, her thoughts in deep reflection. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she was pulling on a skirt and heels and not the usual jeans and jacket she wore when she saw him. She popped some painkillers as she stopped by the bathroom and locked up behind her.
One month and he didn't even send her a card that said get better soon. So many times she wondered if she'd just imagined his looks of passion or his concern in the hospital. The man had looked wrought, devastated. It might just be her ego wanting to claim that he felt that way because he actually liked her, but either way she was getting angrier by the minute.
She sped down the darkened streets, the streetlights zooming by like little dim suns. She pulled into the parking garage and shut her car off. She didn't move for several minutes, her hand poised on the door handle. She wasn't stupid, or at least that's what she tried to tell herself.
She was really about to go chase after a man who clearly didn't want to talk to her. Not a phone call, a text, an email. What did she expect flowers and chocolates? From Cade Vanderoth? She was certain he had a ridiculous amount of money and had no need for a girlfriend or whatever it was she was wanting. She hit her head against the steering wheel. Then again.
Hell, she didn't even know what she wanted. One thing she did know though was that she was going up there to find him.
She pushed her way through the club’s dancers and was surprised that the guards recognized her and let her up the stairs to the VIP lobby. Did Cade not tell them that they weren't under investigation anymore? The last suspect was currently in jail waiting for what will probably be a long, drawn-out court case. The good news was that Amber Fitzgerald, the little girl, was returned to her parents, and Harry and Darrel hadn't touched her. Just pictures. Lina felt the cold steel vise around her heart loosen at the thought. It wasn’t right, but she couldn’t help but feel relief that it wasn’t more.
She reached for the gun at her back only to find nothing but the soft material of her shirt. She sighed and stopped outside of Cade's office. Her gun was locked up until she returned to active duty. She would have to do without its comfort. Hell, she might as well be going in there butt ass naked.
Her stomach felt like a bowling ball in her gut. Her palms were sweaty and everything was telling her to turn and run. But that would be giving up, running away, and that was something she wasn't prepared to do—no matter how terrified she was.
What did she have to be afraid of? How about him in there with a woman sitting on his dick? Yup, like that wasn't a possibility.
Before she lost the nerve, she turned the door handle and swept into the room.
Cade looked up from his desk and their eyes met. Her heart was pounding so hard she wouldn't be s
urprised if he could hear it. Her skin felt too tight and sensitive, her mind too aware of everything. This, she thought looking at him, this was why she'd come.
Chapter 15
They must have stared at each for some time because when he finally spoke it startled her.
"It's good to see you, Lina." His voice was a dark reminder of all the whispered words in her ear as he held her in his arms that night she stayed over. It haunted her these past weeks remembering his words of how beautiful she was, how good she felt, all the things he'd said to her during their time together.
For a moment, she wavered, not knowing to say. She should have prepared a speech, argument, or something. God, why did she come here with nothing? So she could bare her soul to a man she barely knew and get shut down? Panic was quickly rising inside like water boiling.
She finally settled with, "Ditto." She saw a ghost of a smile at his lips and didn’t have time to be embarrassed over her stupid reply. She realized she hadn't moved from her spot inside the door when he stood and came to her. As he got closer, she saw his eyes were still shadowed like they were in the hospital. The little crinkles at his eyes and the lines at his mouth seemed a little deeper.
He stopped a few feet from her, so far away. "How do you feel?"
"Fine." She took a deep breath and felt the hot burn of humiliation scorching through her neck and cheeks. God, this had been a mistake. A huge mistake. He didn't want to see her; he'd made that very clear. And now that she was here, she could barely mutter more than a single word. Pathetic. She tried telling herself that if only she'd worn her jeans, had her badge and gun, she'd feel strong again, but she knew that was a lie. Just as she knew it was impossible for her not to come here, if only to see him one last time.
