The Debt Collector

by Chris Taylor

“Just a little holiday. I’ve had it planned for a while,” he responded lightly and hoped the man would leave it at that.

  “You’re taking a lot of luggage. How long will you be gone?”

  Max forced a laugh. “Yes, I told myself to pack lighter. I just can’t seem to manage it. I’m only going for a couple of weeks; can you believe it?”

  To Max, his voice sounded shaky, but he prayed Jacob wouldn’t notice. He pulled open the front door and debated making a run for it. His car was parked where it usually was, right outside the building. The keys were still in the pocket of his pants, concealed beneath his robe. No doubt Jacob had called the police, along with the ambulance. There would be more questions to answer.

  And then he noticed the blue and white strobe emergency lights and the stern face of the detective who’d attended upon him. Had it only been earlier that day? It felt like a lifetime ago. The man strode toward him with intent. Max’s gut stirred with fear. Was it too late, already? Had he miscalculated?

  The detective reached for the handcuffs that were attached to his belt and Max had his answer. With nothing to lose, he made a dash for it.

  Running harder than he had in his life, he raced toward his car. Tugging out the remote, he unlocked it and kept running. His heart pumped. His breath came fast. Three yards to go. Two… He dived toward the driver’s side and reached for the handle. His fingers scraped the door. He was almost there. And then the wind was knocked out of him from behind and his lungs were screaming for air.

  The detective had flattened him against the side of his car and was holding him still with his weight. All the while, he had Max’s arm in a death grip, twisted behind his back.

  “Going somewhere, Max?” the officer growled low against Max’s ear.

  Max strained against the hold, but it was of no use. The man held him fast. Max went limp. The game was up. He was filled with a feeling of despondency… He’d come so close to fulfilling his dream. So close… And now it was over.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Jacob stared at his brother, lying still and silent on the white sheets. Toby had been brought by ambulance to the Sydney Harbour Hospital and was in the emergency ward. Jacob had already checked him over and couldn’t find any injuries other than a gash on the back of his head, but he was still only semi-conscious and Jacob wasn’t sure why.

  “Toby? Can you hear me? Tobes? Please, open your eyes. Tell me you can hear me!”

  A faint moan came from Toby’s lips and Jacob nearly collapsed with relief. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He’d been separated from his twin for more than a decade, not knowing whether he was alive or dead. Not knowing anything. He couldn’t lose him again.

  “How’s he doing?”

  Jacob looked up in time to see Hannah parting the privacy curtains and moving closer to Toby’s bed. He was relieved to see her.

  Jacob nodded cautiously. “I think he’s improving. I can’t find any injuries, other than a scratch to his knee and a bump to the head, but something’s not quite right. He’s in and out of consciousness. If I didn’t know any better, I’d hazard a guess that he’s drunk. Either that, or he’s been drugged—maybe both. We’ll know for sure once the doctors get back the results for the blood tests.”

  Hannah shook her head in disbelief. “Do you think Max…?”

  She left the question hanging, as if she was unable to complete the thought. Jacob could only imagine how it would feel to discover the boss she had liked and respected was a murderer. But, he refused to sugarcoat it, even for her.

  He nodded grimly and answered. “Lane’s convinced Max is behind it. I think so, too. Lane’s questioning Max as we speak. I hope the bastard confesses and saves us all a lot of time and money.”

  Hannah continued to look shell shocked. “I just can’t believe it! I mean, how did he do it? It must have taken considerable planning. These crimes didn’t happen on the spur of the moment.”

  “You’re right about that,” Jacob replied. “Lane believes Max took out the life insurance policies in his nephew’s name. He opened a bank account using fake ID. Everywhere the police looked, the trail would lead to The Bobster. Max almost got away with it.”

  Hannah crossed her arms and shivered. “If we’d been a few moments later… If it had been another vehicle that had come along… Toby might have ended up dead, like Christopher and Edward and nobody could have proven it wasn’t an accident.”

  Jacob moved closer and put his arm around her shoulders in an effort to provide her comfort. “You saw Tobes on the sidewalk. You saw him fall. You saved his life.”

  She stared at him, her eyes wide. “You saw Max. You helped get him arrested. If not for you, he’d still be out there, free to do the same thing to someone else. He’s already gotten away with it twice. He must have been feeling rather confident.”

  “Yes, well, we’ve taken the confidence out of him. Lane assures me he’ll be behind bars for a long time to come. Likely for the rest of his life.”

  Hannah remained silent. She rested her head against Jacob’s shirt. He enjoyed the feeling of having her in his arms, of protecting her and keeping her safe. He pressed a tender kiss against her hair and was gratified when she tightened her arms around his waist.

  “Jake? What happened? Where am I?”

  Jacob released Hannah and rushed to Toby’s side. His twin stared up at him, his eyes shadowed with pain and confusion.

  “Tobes! Oh, thank goodness! You’re awake! And you know who I am! You don’t know how happy you’ve made me, bro.”

  “My head hurts,” Toby complained and reached up to touch the bandage that was wrapped around his head. “Why do I have a bandage?”

  “You hurt yourself when you fell into the street outside the funeral home,” Jacob explained gently.

  “The funeral home? What was I doing there?”

  Jacob stared at him. “You went there after dinner. You were upset.”

  Toby’s frown deepened. “I went to the funeral parlor? In the middle of the night?”

  “Well, it wasn’t the middle of the night when it happened, although it was certainly dark. Don’t you remember?”

  Toby shook his head slowly back and forth. “No. The last thing I remember was telling Hannah about…”

  “That’s it?” Jacob asked. “Nothing else?”

  “No, nothing,” Toby replied and then added, “Do we have to do this now? My head hurts.”

  Jacob hurriedly reassured him. “No, mate. We don’t have to do this now. Lane’s all over what happened. We’ll talk about it later, when you’ve had a chance to rest. How does that sound?”

  Toby’s eyes lit up with a smile. “That sounds great.”

  * * *

  The clock on Jacob’s nightstand showed it was almost midnight when he and Hannah finally made it home. They crawled into Jacob’s bed and collapsed against the mussed sheets, exhausted. Had it only been a matter of hours since he’d made sweet love to her? If felt like a lifetime. Rolling to his side, he reached for her, needing to feel her close.

  “What a night,” he murmured, pressing a kiss against her lips.

  She kissed him back and even though he was tired, his body immediately responded. Her lips were warm and inviting. Her arms crept around his neck. He pressed her to him and she tightened her hold. Need, immediate and explosive, flooded his veins.

  He wanted to take things slowly, but his body was having none of that. His cock throbbed, hard and pulsing. In record time, they divested of their clothes, not pausing until they were both naked and pressed together, skin to skin. Jacob sighed at the exquisite feel of her against him.

  “I shouldn’t be thinking about how much I want you when my brother’s still lying in a hospital bed,” he muttered and nuzzled her neck.

  “At least we know there’s been no permanent damage,” she replied, a little breathlessly.

  “Mm, I was relieved when his CT scan came back normal. I’m guessing whatever drugs Max used have resulted in the memory
loss. Still, Lane’s confident he has enough to make a case.”

  And with that, Jacob turned his attention to more important matters, like loving the woman in his arms as thoroughly as he could. He started with pressing kisses along her jawline and then moved lower, across her neck. His hands cupped the fullness of her breasts and squeezed gently. She moaned.

  “Do you like that?” he murmured, continuing the onslaught.

  His tongue flicked at her earlobe and traced the curve of her ear. She smelled of vanilla and spice and every now and then he caught the scent of her shampoo. The strawberry stuff. His favorite. Until now, he hadn’t been close enough to take advantage of the delicious smell.

  He buried his nose in her long, thick hair and breathed in deeply. She smelled clean and spicy and wonderful. She smelled like Hannah, the woman he loved. Finding her lips, he kissed her again, slowly, lovingly, tenderly. Moving lower, he kissed his way to her breasts.

  Her nipples were small and puckered and slipped easily into his mouth. He suckled gently, first one and then the other, loving the breathy little gasps that elicited.

  He continued lower and pressed kisses against the soft skin of her stomach. Pausing at her belly button, he dipped his tongue inside the shallow hollow, before moving to the nest of curls between her legs. Once again, he breathed in her sweet scent. His tongue stole out for a taste.

  “Jacob!”

  He lifted his head and stared at her. “You don’t like it?”

  “No! No! It’s… It’s just that…no one’s ever…done that before.”

  Light from a nearby street pole leaked through the half-open blinds. He looked up at her and caught her blush. His heart swelled with tenderness.

  “Then I’m unbelievably lucky,” he said and meant it.

  He parted her soft lips with his tongue and lathed the silky skin until she stirred restlessly beneath him. Her hands reached down and tangled in his hair. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to get him to stop or hold his head in place. From the murmurs of want coming from her mouth, he guessed the latter and continued his sensual investigation.

  “Jacob, I… I need you. Please.”

  The whispered plea filled him with quiet satisfaction. A surge of eagerness quickly followed. His cock was so hard it was painful. He couldn’t wait to bury himself in her warmth.

  Lifting his head, he stared at her, loving the desire that filled her eyes. He moved and reached for a condom. Quickly sheathing himself, he kneeled between her thighs. He meant to take it slowly, but the tip of his cock was barely inside her when he lost the battle with his self-control.

  He plunged all the way inside her and her eyes flew open in surprise. He paused, but she reached for him, drawing him down hard against her and clinging to his shoulders. His strokes lengthened and he slowed his pace, luxuriating in the feel of her surrounding him. Her scent, her taste, her murmurs of desire. He loved everything about her. He wasn’t sure how she felt about him, but it was clear they had a connection. He was hopeful that one day, she’d care for him as much as he cared for her.

  Her mewls of excitement became more frantic and he opened his eyes and stared down at her. Her color was high and her face was tense. She was on the cusp of an orgasm. He stroked harder, pounding into her. Her nails dug into his skin.

  And then she reached the climax and was toppling over the edge. She cried out and clung to him, while her body convulsed around him. He stilled, enjoying the feel of her pleasure. When it was over, she stared up at him, her expression filled with delight and wonder.

  Jacob locked his gaze on hers and slowly began to move once again. In and out, he stroked her tight warmth until he couldn’t stand it a moment longer. With a low growl, he thrust inside her, faster and faster until he’d also reached the peak. With a guttural moan, he collapsed against her. They both groaned their relief.

  He was still catching his breath when she whispered the words.

  “I love you, Jacob.”

  He tensed. Propping himself up on his elbow, he stared down at her, hardly daring to believe what he’d heard.

  “You… You love me? Are you sure? Because, I understand it might take you a little while to reach the place I am, but I’ve been in love with you for years. Just because we’ve made love, doesn’t mean I expect—”

  She placed a finger against his lips and smiled. “Shh. Don’t say anything more. It’s got nothing to do with the fact we’ve just shared the most wonderful experience of my life. I think I’ve been falling a little in love with you ever since we reconnected. You’re good and kind and generous. Your love for your brother melts my heart. To top it off, you’re incredibly sexy.” She gave him a cheeky wink. “What’s not to love?”

  EPILOGUE

  Six months later

  Hannah smoothed down the white satin fabric of her wedding dress and tried to suppress her nerves. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been looking forward to this day for the whole of her life. She was getting married to the man of her dreams.

  Jacob Black was the man of her dreams in every sense of the word and it wasn’t until she’d experienced love as an adult that she could look back on her childish infatuation with Luke Parker and see it for what it was. She could only shake her head now, all these years later, and be grateful that things hadn’t worked out the way she’d prayed. Not that she’d ever wanted Luke to die, but she could see now sometimes there was a reason God didn’t answer all her prayers.

  “You look beautiful, Hannah,” Samantha whispered, smiling softly at her friend.

  Hannah smiled back at her. “Thank you, Sam. And thank you for being here, supporting me as my matron of honor. You’ve barely dragged yourself out of the birthing suite and I’m sure you’re desperate for some sleep. I really appreciate it.”

  Sam’s eyes welled up with tears and she hurriedly wiped them away. “Look at me, getting all emotional! As if the pregnancy hormones didn’t wreak enough havoc!” She moved closer and took Hannah’s hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

  “There’s no need to thank me, Hannah. No matter how much I love and adore Rohan Junior, I wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world. After all you’ve been through—you and your future husband—I wouldn’t miss this day of happiness for anything.”

  Hannah felt the burn of tears behind her eyes and quickly blinked them away. She didn’t want to smudge her makeup before Jacob had seen her in her finery.

  “We’re lucky things worked out so well,” she admitted quietly. “Out of such evil came some remarkable things. Bobby’s finally cleaned up his act and he’s the best boss I could ever have. Toby’s starting to like him and Bobby thinks a lot of Toby, too. I think he reminds Bobby of Jacob and the time they spent in jail.”

  She sat down on the bed and pulled on her five-inch, white satin heels before continuing. “They were good friends. They looked out for each other. That kind of bond is hard to break and I think it’s nice the two of them have renewed their friendship. I think it’s helped Jacob, too. He’s able to look back on his incarceration and remember that something good came out of it.”

  “What happened with Toby?” Samantha asked softly. “Did anything come of his confession?”

  Hannah shook her head. “No. Jacob and Lane and I agreed not to say anything to the authorities. There was no need. What was done was done. Jacob had repaid the debt. These past months have given us all time to come to terms with our past and forgive each other. I’ll always feel a little sad I never saw the truth all those years ago, but Jacob’s helped me to stop beating myself up about it and to let it go.

  “He’s such a good man,” Sam said quietly.

  Hannah stared up at her best friend and smiled. As she thought of the future, her heart filled with hope. “Yes,” she replied, “he is. And best of all, he’s mine.”

  NOTE TO READERS

  I do hope you have enjoyed reading Hannah and Jacob’s story. If you’ve enjoyed this book, please feel free to leave a review for The Debt Collector at Goo
dreads and your favorite digital retailer. Every review is very much appreciated.

  Click here to sign up for my newsletter if you would like to receive news on upcoming stories, release dates, book launches and other snippets. I love to receive feedback from my readers. Please feel free to contact me at chris@ christaylorauthor.com.au

  The Lab Test is the next book in the Sydney Harbour Hospital Series.

  Here’s a sneak peek:

  As a teenager, Danielle Porter was a wild child. The product of a broken marriage and parents who never wanted children, she did all she could to live up to her reputation, despite the desperate urgings of her younger sister, Sabrina.

  Ten years later, Danielle has finally gotten her life together. Working as a respected pathologist at the renowned Sydney Harbour Hospital, she’s come a long way from the turbulence of her youth. Sabrina couldn’t be more proud.

  Now married to a successful lawyer, Sabrina’s also done well for herself. She’s living the dream with a husband who loves her and a baby she adores. To Dani, Sabrina has the perfect life.

  And then Sabrina and her daughter are brutally murdered and nobody knows who’s responsible. Is it the maintenance man who was in the apartment or someone far closer to home?

  Detective Constable Jett Craigdon of the State Crime Command catches the case. Angered by the senseless deaths, he’s determined to catch the killer. With thirty-seven stab wounds to Sabrina’s body, it’s obvious this attack was personal, but is it the grieving husband who has done this awful thing, or is Sabrina’s beautiful, enigmatic sister the one to blame?

  The Lab Test will be released on 28 August, 2016 and is AVAILABLE NOW for pre-order.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS