Her Dangerous Promise - Part 4: (Romantic Suspense Serial)

by Stryker, Ashley

  “Let her go, Adam!”

  Thom stepped onto the catwalk. He balanced the lock bar in his left hand. He held it low, non-threatening, but ready to use.

  Adam pushed at Mary harder. Her feet lifted from the walkway. She screamed again.

  Thom raised his right hand, aimed the pepper spray and squeezed the trigger. A stream shot out and splattered Adam in the face.

  He yelled and staggered into Mary, almost sending her over the railing.

  With both hands full, Thom had to sacrifice something. He dropped the pepper spray. It bounced on the walkway before rolling off into space. Thom caught Mary by the back of her dress and yanked her back onto the walkway. With a hand on her hip, Thom maneuvered Mary behind him. “Get back.”

  Adam scrubbed at his face, muttering angrily. He squinted at Thom with his red and watery eyes. With a yell, Adam charged at Thom.

  Thom raised the bar in both hands and managed to keep it between them as Adam tackled him around the middle. The pair hit the walkway with enough force to rattle the metal grating.

  Thom shoved the bar against Adam’s chest and bench pressed him to arm’s length. He worked his foot between them and kicked out. Adam flew backward.

  Thom got his feet under him before Adam reoriented himself. He reached around and snatched the handcuffs from his back pocket. As Adam grabbed the railing, Thom snapped a cuff around his wrist.

  With a shout, Adam punched at Thom with his free hand. Thom brought up the bar to block it and caught Adam across the forearm.

  Adam howled in pain. He dropped to the walkway and Thom rolled Adam onto his stomach. Kneeling on Adam’s back, Thom twisted the other arm behind him and snapped on the other cuff.

  “Okay, Scuzbag.” Thom climbed off Adam and he tugged on his elbows to force him to his knees. “Get on your feet. You mess with my girl, you go to jail.”

  Mary called, “Thom, be careful. Don’t trust him.”

  On his knees, Adam panted, “No.”

  “Get up,” Thom ordered. “You’ve done enough harm.”

  Adam worked one foot under him. “You’re not the boss of me!”

  Mary screamed, “Adam, no!”

  Adam kicked up and back. He launched himself against Thom and pitched them both over the railing.

  “No!” Mary screamed.

  The railing jabbed in Thom’s side as he flipped over it. Adam’s weight propelled him into space. His feet flew up toward the ceiling. Nothing but three stores of air separated his head and the concrete.

  Thom caught the railing in one hand. Adam soared past him as Thom twisted around. His grip held for all of a second before his momentum tugged him loose. Thom kept reaching even as he dropped away from the walkway. As he fell, everything slipped into slow motion. He saw Mary race to the railing and reach uselessly out toward him.

  The impact against his back came much sooner than he expected. An explosive crunching surrounded him as he sunk into the surface that gave beneath him. He lay there a second, verifying he’d come to a stop and taking inventory of any injuries.

  “Oh God, Thom,” Mary cried and ran toward the steps.

  Thom rolled to his side to take in his surroundings. He sprawled in the crater of a stack of cardboard boxes which had partially collapsed beneath him.

  Thom eased his way to the edge of the boxes and looked down. He was still twenty feet up off the ground on a pillar of boxes. Beneath him, Adam rolled on the pile of flattened boxes on the floor below, moaning. With his right leg at that gut-wrenching angle, he wouldn’t escape this time.

  Groaning, Thom maneuvered to his stomach. He used the irregular edge of the boxes to climb down. Never had standing on solid ground felt as good as it did when Thom finally stepped onto the floor.

  He stood over Adam, who glared up at him with his teeth gritting.

  “Like I was saying,” Thom said, “you’re under arrest.”

  “Thom!” Mary rushed to him.

  He caught her in a powerful embrace and lifted her up off her feet. Thom crushed her to him, burying his face in her fragrant hair. She felt soft and warm and, at long last, safe. Their mouths came together. Her kiss tasted sweet, sweeter than anything he’d ever tasted.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “I’d like to propose a toast,” Thom lifted his glass and addressed the small gathering in Mary’s living room. “To Mary and her first day back to work.”

  “Here! Here!” Warren Seeton, Mary’s father, seconded.

  “And how was your first day back, dear?” Elizabeth Seeton asked Mary, cradling an arm around her daughter’s waist.

  “Fantastic. The kids all made me ‘we miss you’ cards and the principal threw me a little party with one of those big chocolate chip cookie cakes.”

  “Oh, I love those,” Brad rubbed his stomach.

  Mary smiled at him. “There are lots of leftovers in the kitchen.” Mary furrowed her brows at the large bandage taped over Brad’s temple. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine. At least we settled the argument of who had the thicker skull, me or Thom. Don’t worry about me. I’m tough.” Brad lightly patted Mary on the back. “Just like you.”

  Brad chucked Thom on the chin as he passed him en route to the cookie cake. “And I’m glad you convinced this lunk-head to take his vacation with you these last two weeks. Do you know, he’s not missed a day of work in five years?”

  “She didn’t need to convince me,” Thom murmured, then gave Mary a wink that made her blush.

  “How was Paris?”

  “We didn’t do much sightseeing,” he grinned, then noticed Mary’s embarrassment in front of her parents, so he amended, “We mostly visited with Mary’s folks.”

  “And we had a lovely time,” Elizabeth agreed. “But we had to come back and make sure Mary settled in all right. Plus we needed to throw a party to dispel any negative memories that might be lurking.”

  “I’m just glad Thom’s mom didn’t mind watching Fizgig.” Mary picked up the cat and grunted. “Boy, you’re getting heavy.”

  Mrs. Brady reached over and scratched the cat between the ears. “He just appreciated my cooking, didn’t you little man?”

  Fizgig purred and leaned into her caress. “Uh-oh. I think he may have lost his heart to you.”

  “I’m certain that is not true. He probably smells the chicken on me. Which reminds me, I need to check on it.” Mrs. Brady stroked Mary’s hair affectionately before going off to the kitchen.

  “Anybody home?” Nancy called through the screen door. “I brought champagne.”

  “Then we are definitely home,” Warren said.

  “So we are only waiting on your neighbor, Mrs. Jorgenson to join us now?” Elizabeth asked.

  Mary looked at her watch, then out the door. “Law and Order just signed off a minute ago. Yep! There she is right on time.”

  Mrs. Jorgenson scooted across the street. “I’m here!” she announced. “Did I miss anything?”

  “Not yet. Dinner’s almost ready.”

  “Good.” She straightened her polyester pantsuit. “I like your new front door. You know, when I saw that man and you struggling that night, I called the police. Too bad they arrived too late. You should have seen them surround the house and smash in the door. It was just like Law and Order.”

  “I’m sure it was,” Thom slipped a protective arm around Mary and squeezed her to him.

  “I’ve been dying to ask what happened with that Adam fellow,” Mrs. Jorgenson piped up.

  He’d hoped to avoid the subject during the party but everyone was watching him expectantly. “Dr. Westin got him in a special institute in Cleveland for people with his condition and temperament. The judge will probably make him a permanent ward of the institute. It’s a high securi
ty hospital, so he won’t be going anywhere.”

  “I almost feel sorry for him,” Mary said.

  “I don’t,” Nancy interjected. “I don’t want him to ruin our festivities either, so let’s not talk about him anymore.”

  Mary’s father took his daughter’s hand and said, “Now, I want you to promise me you’ll never keep something like this from us again.”

  “No more secrets?” she asked and glanced up at Thom who nodded. “Well, I guess I should wear it then.”

  “Wear what?” her mother asked.

  Thom reached in the breast pocket of his suit and pulled out a diamond ring. He slipped it on Mary’s left hand.

  “You’re engaged?” Elizabeth gasped.

  “I know it is kind of quick,” Mary said, “but we both felt it is right.”

  “Don’t freak out,” Thom added. “We agreed we’ll make it a long engagement.”

  Mrs. Jorgenson sighed. “How romantic. Just like that lawyer on Law and Order.”

  Mary laughed, slipped the fingers of her newly bejeweled hand between Thom’s, and kissed him.

  ###

  Thank you for reading

  Her Dangerous Promise!

  I love to hear from readers! If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. You can also connect with us on Facebook. Let me know if you’d like to see the Dangerous series continue with a new serial featuring Thom’s friend, Brad Macosa.

  Visit my web page for an up-to-date list of titles and to see the recommended reading order. Keep up with all the new titles by signing up for the mailing list.

  Looking for something new to read? Check out the paranormal romance, Secrets of the Dark, by Ravynheart Romance author, Elizabeth Drake!

  ~A taste of~

  Secrets of the Dark

  Running didn’t lessen the drenching downpour driving into Tia Lansing with the cold sting of dozens of tiny whips. She leaped over a swirling puddle too quickly replenished by the runoff to disappear down the storm drain at the curb. Her thin skirt, now a nearly transparent wrap, clung around her knees and cut her stride short of its mark. Tia landed with both feet in the puddle and the freezing water completely covered her strappy sandals. With a squeak of shock at the cold rush over her feet, she jumped up onto the curb.

  The streak of street lights glistened off the night-blackened buildings and asphalt, transforming the city into a vision of one built entirely out of volcanic glass. The rain washed away the usual city smells and perfumed the night with its eerie wild river scent. No sound reached Tia through the muffling hiss whispered by each of the billions of droplets falling from the sky like arrows.

  She hurried to the underpass where the late night trains rumbled through the city on their elevated railway. In the shelter of the underpass, she shook the rivulets from her bare arms. Her hair clung to her face and curled into wet ringlets over her shoulders. Tia wiped uselessly at her face with her wet hands while she struggled to catch her breath and shiver at the same time.

  “You didn’t really dress for this weather.” The voice rumbled low like a distant echo of thunder.

  Tia glanced up, startled to discover she shared the underpass with someone else. He half sat, half leaned on the guardrail further up the sidewalk on her side of the street, his ankles crossed casually. The mist of the rain reached out to him but always recoiled before touching him. He hadn’t glanced in her direction but watched the toes of his black leather shoes instead.

  A glint of something shiny flashed in his hand before he slipped it down beside his thigh where she could no longer see it. His other hand remained tucked in the pocket of his black slacks. The sharp white of his shirt glowed from under his black suit jacket. Unlike Tia, the rain hadn’t yet touched him. His satin midnight hair remained perfectly parted and combed back.

  Tia crossed her arms, both for warmth and to disguise the fact her drenched pastel pink blouse no longer concealed the outline of her bra. Walking carefully so her wet feet didn’t slip in her heels and cause her to stumble, she crept toward his side of the underpass. Her apartment, a tiny one over the Aquarius New Age Bookstore, waited for her several blocks further down in The District, as the locals call the historic market district that remained picturesque and nearly unchanged in the heart of downtown like a gem in a tacky plastic setting.

  As Tia passed the stranger a streak of lightning flickered like a strobe, driving back the depths of the night for the span of a breath and revealed not a soul on the hauntingly empty streets. With renewed force, the clouds opened and released a full-on torrent so heavy the rain just beyond the shelter rippled like a curtain and completely closed off the outside world.

  “Best to simply loiter until it passes,” he said. With a smooth roll of his wrist the shiny object she’d noticed in his hand caught the reflection of the streetlight. Whatever it was appeared thin and around five or six inches in length. Before Tia could get a good look at it he completed the movement and raised his empty hand to rest against his thigh. The object was gone as if by sleight of hand, if indeed there had been an object and not simply a trick of the light.

  “It could be a while, don’t you think?” Tia asked, rubbing her arms.

  “It is storming with a passion.” He grinned, still not meeting her eyes. “Have you ever known something with this much passion to last?”

  “I guess not.” She paced away from him and as she turned to cover the same ground again she found his gaze following her. A shiver tingled across Tia’s skin and she felt her nipples hardening in response. Her arms, still crossed over her chest, rubbed tantalizingly over the sensitive points but she managed to suppress any telltale expression. “Are you from around here?”

  “For now.”

  “What’s your name?”

  He straightened suddenly, coming to his feet and towering much taller than she’d expected. His jacket and shirt, both unbuttoned, flapped open with the movement, revealing a far more toned and massive chest than his previous stance suggested. The shape of him sparked interest low in Tia’s belly and made breathing difficult. In looks, he should have been a model but he carried himself like a cat, all smooth and fluid movements designed for efficiency but graceful none the less. He purred, “Do you need to know?”

  Tia froze, recognizing the domination in his baring. Determined not to show fear, she tilted up her chin. “I need to know.”

  “Simon. And yours?”

  Watching him closely, she replied, “Tia.”

  “Nice name.” Simon strode a few paces away, glancing at the impenetrable rainfall. “And what beckoned you to adventure out on a hellish night like tonight, Tia?”

  She shifted from foot to foot, not sure she wanted to share any more personal information with this strange man. Then again, she didn’t want him to get the wrong impression of why she walked the streets alone this late at night. “I own a bar downtown. I just finished closing up and I’m heading home.” Living in the city, she’d learned never to display weakness to a stranger. With challenge in her voice she demanded, “And you?”

  He chuckled to himself as if finding the question amusing and he eased back toward her. “Just out looking for a bite to eat.”

  “Uh-huh,” Tia said, watching him size her up wolfishly as if she were on the menu. A tremble, composed of equal parts fear and excitement, coursed through her. Tia found him far too sexy to trust her judgment. She wanted to stay, wanted to get closer, maybe even touch him but she heard the warning sirens in her head blaring. Best to listen to the warning, she decided and circled a wide path around him toward home.

  She was just a step away from reentering the pelting rain when a sudden explosion of thunder overheard jolted her back. Her heels slipped on the slick pavement and before she could fall or catch herself, Simon gathered her in his arms. He’d crossed
the distance between them extraordinarily fast.

  “Whoa, fella. Hands off.” Tia pushed against his chest, missing the opened shirt so her palms pressed on his unyielding bare pecs. The skin glistened with a golden tan and felt as supple as fine suede.

  His hands slid down Tia’s arms, leaving hot trails in their wake. Simon lowered his hands to his side but didn’t step back. Standing so close to her, the rustle of the storm winds blew his open jacket so it fluttered against her torso. The heat pulsing from his body drove away the chills and pulled her magnetically toward him. He asked, “You’d prefer I allow you to fall?”

  “I guess not,” she mumbled, no longer focused on the minor offense but instead staring with fascination into his eyes. A starburst of white ringed his pupils and flamed into burning yellow only to cool into a red crown circling the edge of his irises. The color seemed to modulate, as if capturing the flicker of a flame in slow motion. “You have fire in your eyes,” she said, only half aware of how stupid the comment sounded.

  “Not just in my eyes,” Simon smiled.

  A gust of dry heat puffed over Tia and she stumbled back a step in surprise. “What was that?” She touched her newly dried hair and smoothed her perfectly pressed clothes. “How did you do that?”

  “That was nothing,” he dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

  “Sure impressed the hell out of me.”

  He cocked his head, sizing her up. A grin quirked up the corners of his perfect lips, which were just full enough to imply a melting tenderness to his kisses. The expression softened the perfect planes of his face. With amused surprise in his voice, he stated, “You’re not afraid, are you?”