Dangerous Attraction Romantic Suspense Boxed Set (9 Novels from Bestselling Authors, plus Bonus Christmas Novella from NY Times Bestselling Author Rebecca York)

by Kaylea Cross

  Patel must have sensed Ryan’s desperation because he turned around and made eye contact. “Ryan,” he started, “I know what you’re thinking, and don’t.”

  Ryan didn’t say a word to his friend. The wheels in his head were turning so quickly that he almost didn’t hear the warning tone in Patel’s voice. Instead, his inner-cop kicked in and he did the only thing he could.

  He opened the back door and bolted. I’m coming, Kate. Just hang on a little longer.

  The last thing he heard as he ran from the car was Porter, “Aw, crap.”

  * * *

  For an instant, the room lit up. Headlights flashed across the picture window. Ethan froze and listened. There was the sound of a car door opening and closing in front of the house.

  “Not. A. Word.” His voice came in short panting bursts, his knee still pinning her down.

  Then Ethan raised his head and stretched to peer out the bottom of the bare front window. With the pressure on her chest momentarily alleviated, Kate lifted her head to see.

  There was a dark SUV parked in front and a man getting out. It resembled Ryan’s vehicle, and that’s when she realized why the house seemed familiar. It was the one Ryan had wanted to show her, but it had been too dark. For a second her heart surged with hope, but it dropped again when she noticed the man go inside the house across the street.

  “Whew. It’s not the cops,” he muttered under his breath. His forehead wrinkled with a frown, but he seemed to relax a little, seeing that it was just a neighbor.

  Then Ethan’s expression changed. The crazed, cold stare came back. “Now, where were we?”

  Kate stared at him intently, trying to read his face, searching for a chance to escape. She knew now that that was her only hope. No one had come to help her. It was just her and this madman.

  His knife blade flashed with the light from the streetlamp. Kate’s fear froze into a lump in her throat. This is it. I’m going to die, she thought. Oh, Whitney, I’m so sorry.

  Just then, there was the sound of rattling at the front door. The MLS lockbox! At that instant Kate knew it was Ryan outside.

  They both looked toward the front door and they could see Ryan bringing his hands up to cup them around the sides of his face, presumably in an attempt to peek inside the dark house.

  Ethan dropped low and frantically dragged Kate to the basement door before Ryan made it inside. “Don’t make a sound, or after I kill you, I’ll kill your nosey boyfriend.”

  She nodded.

  He pulled her to her feet and down into the basement. He lifted her up and slid her bound wrists over a broken two-by-four in the wall. It was too high for her to get herself free, but if he left her alone long enough…maybe.

  “Not a peep,” he warned her again. Then Ethan closed his blade and shoved it in his back pocket. “I could stab him, but I’m saving my dad’s knife just for you, Kate.” Hastily, he rummaged around the basement for something else to use to deal with Ryan.

  Finding a few loose bricks, he grabbed one and climbed back up the stairs, opening the door just a crack to peer out. He flashed a warning glare at Kate as he slowly eased the door open, not making a sound.

  “Ryan!” Kate shouted, but she was too late.

  As much as she hoped that Ryan would see Ethan first, the loud thud she heard after Ethan stepped through the door told her he had managed to sneak up behind Ryan and had likely smashed the brick against the back of his head, sending him flying to the floor. A sharp crashing noise made her jump, which she imagined was Ethan dropping the brick on the hardwood. When there were no further sounds of a struggle, she assumed that Ryan had been stopped.

  Ethan came running down the basement steps, breathing frantically. He unwrapped her wrists from the two-by-four and dragged Kate up the stairs sideways, by her tethered arms. As he headed to the back door, she caught a glimpse of Ryan lying prostrate on the floor. Is he dead?

  “Ryan!” she called out as Ethan dragged her away, but he remained motionless.

  “Come on,” Ethan demanded as he pulled her to the car. “Get in.” He opened the back door.

  She kicked him hard in the shin and turned to bolt.

  Cursing at her, he grabbed Kate by her hair and shoved her into the back seat. Then he jumped into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and backed down the narrow driveway at a furious pace. Once on the street, he floored it.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kate bounced around in the backseat, worrying about Ryan and trying to think of a way out. She worked at the ropes binding her wrists, but they weren’t budging.

  Ethan eyed her in the rearview mirror. “Don’t worry, Kate,” he said. “When things didn’t work out at the apartment earlier, I figured I’d better have another backup plan if things didn’t work out at the house. Killing you at Kerry Park is just as good, I figure. You know Kerry Park, don’t you? Just down here a few blocks from the house. It was one of my parents’ favorite places to go.”

  She didn’t say anything, just studied him, looking for a solution.

  In the mirror, she could see Ethan get a wistful look in his eyes. “My mom and dad loved Kerry Park, how it was terraced into the side of Queen Anne Hill, you know, with that long set of concrete steps from the street below up to the top tier. That was their favorite part—the top tier. You could really get a good look at the Space Needle and downtown Seattle from there. I remember Suki and I used to play on the lower tiers, on the swings and the playground equipment.”

  Kate watched, as Ethan’s face twisted again into the crazed one she was now familiar with. “That was before you ruined everything!” he yelled over his shoulder. “If I can’t kill you at our old house, this is the second best place.”

  Trembling, Kate pondered the irony. Not only that she had come here with Ryan, but that it had been her parents’ favorite spot, as well.

  * * *

  Ryan lay on the wood floor, coming to as he heard his phone ringing in his pocket. Weak from the blow to the head, he struggled to sit up. Leaning back on one hand, he answered his phone.

  “This is Ryan,” he said, feeling a few drops of blood trickling down his neck.

  “Ryan, this is Raj. What were you thinking, man?”

  “I was thinking I needed to rescue Kate.”

  “Well, as much as I’d like to chew you out right now for running off, I’m not going to—I’ll do that later. We have the GPS location of Kate’s phone. It’s not at the house on Comstock like it was—it appears to be nearby. Where are you?”

  “I’m at the house on Comstock. I think Ethan was here.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Because the house was dark when I got here, but there was a car in the driveway. So, I used my lockbox key and let myself in to look around.”

  “You shouldn’t have done that.”

  “I know, I know. I wish I hadn’t,” Ryan said. “I got hit from behind and knocked out.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, a little dizzy, but I’ll be all right.”

  “Good. You were lucky.”

  “I know.”

  “Was Kate at the house?”

  “She could have been.”

  “Hang on.” Raj put Ryan on hold, then he came back. “Well, it looks like the GPS is showing Kate’s phone at Kerry Park on West Highland Drive.”

  “Let’s hope she’s with it.”

  “That’s all we’ve got to go on, so we’re headed over there right now. We’re just a few minutes away.”

  “I’ll meet you over there.”

  “No, Ryan. You sit tight, and I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

  “But, Raj, I—”

  “You heard me. Sit tight. I mean it.”

  * * *

  Ethan stopped at the curb along the narrow strip of park. Since it was late and there was an icy chill in the air, the tiny park was empty. He yanked Kate out of the car and pulled her across the park to the overlook railing near the top of the concrete stairwa
y. Peering over the railing to the playground area below, Kate’s heart began to pound hard against her chest and her knees felt shaky, as if they might give out.

  “Ethan, don’t do this. Please.” She glanced beyond the railing again.

  “Listen to you beg. You make me sick.”

  “Come on, you don’t have to do this.”

  “You didn’t give my mother a chance to beg for mercy when you slammed your big fat SUV into her little car.”

  “It was an accident. I keep trying to tell you—it was an accident!” she screamed, her lips trembling.

  “Accident or not, it was your fault!” he yelled back, tightening his grasp on her arm. “You ruined my whole life.”

  “Ethan, please,” she implored. Physically and emotionally exhausted, she was losing the battle to control her tears. “That’s why the police never charged me, it wasn’t my fault,” she said, trying to explain between sobs. “Please…believe me. I, I beg you, don’t do this.”

  “Shut up! If it hadn’t been for you, I’d still have my family!” His behavior was becoming more erratic and agitated. His eyes darted around as he wiped his nose on his sleeve.

  I can’t just crumble and let him kill me. Maybe if I can keep him talking…you can do this, Kate.

  She took a deep breath, willing her sobs to stop. She was determined to rally her courage and get more power over the situation. “What do you mean you’d still have your family?”

  Ethan did not answer her. He had that faraway look in his eyes again. Was he thinking back to a fond childhood memory?

  Then, as fast as the faraway look settled on his face it was gone, replaced by a vicious snarl. “You know exactly what I mean!”

  Kate remembered him saying something about his father back at the house, but it didn’t make any sense to her at the time, something about his father killing himself. She wasn’t aware of anything having to do with his family, except for his mother dying in the car crash.

  “Because of you, my father began drinking and killed himself. Suki got sent to live with a freakin’ foster family!” he barked.

  But she didn’t know about their father’s drinking problem or his suicide. How could she have known what had become of Mr. Henderson or that Suki had been sent to a foster home? After the investigation, she had no further contact with the Henderson family. In her wildest dreams, she could never have imagined that the family’s last remaining members would become obsessed with taking revenge on her.

  Even though the accident was not her fault, as a teenager Kate had gone through a year of therapy to help her cope with the guilt over taking a life. With the investigation of the accident behind her, and with the help of her therapist, she had worked hard to move on with her life.

  “I honestly didn’t know anything about that.”

  “Are you serious?” he asked, with biting sarcasm.

  “I am serious.” Keep him talking. “Tell me what happened.”

  “Are you trying to say you didn’t know my dad started drinking after the accident and lost his job and killed himself?”

  “No, I didn’t know. How could I? Think about it. I didn’t have any contact with your family once I was cleared of the accident.”

  “It was after you killed my mom that all the crap happened with my dad. Because of that, I had to quit school.”

  “I didn’t know,” Kate kept saying.

  “I would’ve finished college and had a good job and a nice family. Now look at me, look what I’ve turned into!”

  And that’s my fault?

  “And my sister, oh, my sister,” he shook his head and chuckled in disgust. “She wouldn’t have had to be raised by those freakin’ foster parents. That Mr. DiMarco was a real peach. We could have had a good life, Suki and me, but you took that all away from us!” he screamed, his eyes widening. “And nobody made you pay for it. Nobody!”

  Take a breath. Keep him talking.

  “Listen, Ethan. You already paid me back, remember?” She tried to reason with him, acutely aware of the nearness of the long line of cement steps leading down to the street below.

  He shook his head violently.

  “Yes, you told me you killed my folks.” Her throat tightened. “And probably my sister.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Isn’t that enough? Please say that’s enough.”

  “No! It’s not enough,” he growled. “I thought it would be, but it’s not.” He shook his head again. “My life was ruined, and you’re sitting pretty in Los Angeles with your cushy job and your expensive stuff.”

  “Please don’t do this. Would your mom want you to do this?”

  “Shut up! Don’t talk about my mom!” He slapped her across the face. “You’re just trying to stall. Well, it’s not gonna work, princess. I’m done talking!”

  He attempted to push her nearer to the steps with his body, but she planted her feet and pushed back. She leaned into him with her full weight and resisted with every bit of strength she possessed.

  “Don’t do this, Ethan!” she pleaded, gritting her teeth.

  “I have to. An eye for an eye, ya’ know?”

  At the sound of car doors closing, Ethan spun around to see. Because Kate was leaning into him, she fell off balance as he swung her around with him, and she hit the ground. He pulled her to her feet as the detectives approached.

  In the background, Kate noticed a female officer helping his handcuffed sister out of the back seat of their car. In a flash, he whipped out the knife, clicked it open, and held it dangerously close to her neck.

  In response, both detectives instantly drew their guns.

  “Ethan! Stop!” Suki hollered as she and the police rushed toward him. Officer Diaz pulled hard on Suki’s arm to stop her when she was within fifteen feet from her brother. Suki tried to shake free from her grip, but Diaz held firm.

  “What are you doin’ here, Suki?” Ethan questioned, visibly irritated things were not going as he had planned.

  “Trying to stop you before you do something we’ll both regret.”

  “It’s too late.”

  “No! We were wrong, Ethan. We were wrong. You have to let Kate go.”

  “What are you talking about?” his voice rising with agitation.

  “I found out today that the crash wasn’t Kate’s fault after all.”

  “I don’t believe you. The police are messin’ with you, Sis. They’ve twisted your mind, brainwashed you, but I’m not falling for it.”

  “Ethan, listen to me. We blamed Kate for so many years, planning our revenge. It was our thing, what kept us close. I know it’s hard to admit now, but we got it wrong.”

  “Why are you saying this now?” Ethan shouted, wild-eyed and jittery, moving from foot to foot.

  “Do you remember Mrs. DiMarco? My foster mother?”

  “Yeah. So what? What’s she got to do with anything?”

  “She saw the police bringing me in, on the TV, and came to the police station. She brought a copy of Dad’s suicide note that she’d been holding all these years. He explained in the note how everything was his fault.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Ethan said, tightening his hold on Kate. “I don’t remember any suicide note.”

  “There was. Mrs. DiMarco’s been holding on to it.”

  “How do you know it’s real? Huh? How? It’s probably just a trick.”

  “That’s what I thought too, at first, so I looked at it for a long time. I know it was Dad’s handwriting.”

  “What did he say?” Ethan asked skeptically.

  “He said he was sorry for ruining everything. The day Mom died she found out he was having an affair.”

  “I don’t believe it! Dad would never do that to Mom!” Ethan erupted, all the while holding on to Kate’s arm and brandishing the knife. The long cement staircase was just a few feet behind them, and Ethan could easily throw her down the steps at any moment.

  “She was drinking when he came home and they had a big fight. Mom got in her car and left. She�
��s the one who ran the stop sign.”

  “No, no. That can’t be right.”

  “Dad said he was sorry for losing his job and the house. He said it was all his fault.” Suki said. “I know you don’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe it either, but it’s true. Please, Ethan, put the knife down and let Kate go.”

  “No, Sis, I can’t believe it. I won’t! Not in a million years. How can you even say that?”

  “I wouldn’t lie to you, Ethan.”

  “The cops probably put you up to it, didn’t they? What the hell did they promise you to get you to turn on me?”

  “Nothing. They didn’t promise me anything. I’m here because I don’t want them to kill you.”

  “Kill me?” he snickered.

  “Yes! If you hurt Kate, they’ll shoot you down. You know they will.” Suki paused for a moment, releasing a long sigh. “We were wrong, Ethan. We were just plain wrong. Now, please, please…let Kate go.” She took a couple of steps closer to her brother, dragging Officer Diaz up with her.

  “No, you’re wrong!”

  “Come one, Ethan, people make mistakes. Dad made a mistake, a bad one. Then, everything else just started falling apart around him—around us.”

  “I’m not listening to this.” He shook his head back and forth. “I know it was Kate’s fault. It was all her fault.”

  “No, Ethan, no,” Suki argued, “it wasn’t. I’m telling you…she’s innocent in all of this.”

  Ethan jerked Kate closer in front of him, into a chokehold, and held the knife against her neck.

  Feeling the sting of the sharp blade against her skin, her body stiffened and her eyes grew big as saucers, terrified that he was about to slit her throat before the police could do anything to save her.

  “Put the guns down or I’ll kill her right now,” Ethan demanded. “I mean it!” He was jumpy and highly agitated. “If I die, she dies too.”

  Porter and Patel held their ground, neither lowering their weapons. The four back-up officers, who had quietly fanned out behind the detectives, also kept their guns laser focused on Ethan.