by Conley, Anne
As silently as he could, he crept up to the house. When he saw Casey’s Acura, he took to the trees, hoping to disguise his footsteps as a wild animal crashing through the brush. If anyone was listening, they would recognize boots on gravel. Brent hoped no one was listening.
Please let Casey have just run away.
When he was just across the yard from the house, he concentrated on hearing any noises. A man’s voice came from the other side, and Brent sprinted across the yard, knowing he wasn’t under the cover of trees anymore, and praying there was only one man and nobody else.
Knowing she wasn’t alone kicked his fear for her up a notch.
He flattened himself against the side of the house, and crept to the corner, before peering around the side. He slunk around to the window and peered in. He could see Casey tied to the bed in her underwear, eyes wide and terrified looking.
Brent could hear his own heartbeat, pounding in his ears. The man standing next to the bed had his back to Brent, and he was only about ten feet away. There was nothing stopping him from turning around and seeing him, but Brent was frozen. He couldn’t move, he could only watch events unfold in front of him
He was relieved she seemed to be okay. Sort of. There was a bloody gash on the side of her head, but other than that, she appeared to be in one piece. Brent watched as her eyes widened further at something in the man’s hand. When the man turned his head slightly, Brent recognized Kevin from the pictures in the photo album, and his fists clenched on the windowsill. Brent didn’t dare move now, he stood rooted to his spot, willing the man not to notice him. If he moved, Kevin would see him in his peripheral vision and there wasn’t anything he could do to save Casey from the hatchet.
He couldn’t lose control. Kevin had a hatchet, and was running the blade up and down Casey’s skin, scaring her to death. She was screaming bloody murder around the gag in her mouth, and every cell in Brent’s body told him to go inside and save her. When Kevin’s head turned away, Brent turned and sank to the ground below the window. He had to think, and he couldn’t watch that monster do that to her and think about how to save her at the same time.
Of course, as soon as he turned away, the image was burned into his psyche. The hatchet blade, pressing into Casey’s smooth creamy skin, leaving red indentations as the bastard dragged it up her legs.
He fervently wished he’d brought his grandaddy’s Colt pistol out here with him. Hell, even his hunting rifle would do. His Winchester was in the truck, but he didn’t have enough time to go get it. It was a varmint caliber anyway. It would likely just piss off Kevin before he did something to really hurt Casey. As it was, he had no idea if he was armed beyond a hatchet or not. He had no plan. Think, man!
Carefully, he raised his head above the windowsill again. Kevin’s back was to the window, and Casey was facing him, which meant she was facing Brent. He managed to get her attention, then put his finger over his lips. He wanted her to know she wasn’t alone.
The recognition in her eyes before they flickered back up to Kevin’s face garnered him a brief respite. At least she knew now that he was here for her. Maybe she could do something while he thought frantically.
He watched as she started to writhe against the restraints. Was she trying to get free? He listened. Christ. She was moaning. She was trying to distract Kevin by pretending to be turned on. At least he hoped that’s what it was.
He watched as Kevin murmured something before his hands went to his belt buckle. Brent decided that now was the time to act. He’d been standing around doing nothing for long enough.
Still not having any plan besides brute force, he crept around to where the front door was, and took one of Casey’s cleansing breathes before bursting in. An inhuman roar escaped his lips when he saw Kevin grasping his cock in one hand while the other still rubbed Casey’s skin with the hatchet. Without giving him time to react, Brent launched himself at the man and tackled him to the ground, the hatchet flying wildly against the far wall.
He shook his head briefly to dispel the jarring sensation of crashing to the floor, and started pounding on Kevin’s face, one punch after another.
His ribs hurt, and he couldn’t catch his breath because he hadn’t stopped yelling since he’d burst in the door, but he was a man possessed. He continued hitting Kevin on the face and head.
At some point, Kevin grabbed onto a chair leg, hurling it against Brent’s head. It was a flimsy ladder backed chair, nearly rotten, and it did as much damage as hitting him in the head with a toothpick.
Kevin reached up and pressed on Brent’s eyes, weakly pressing into the sockets. Brent twisted his face and bit his wrist until he released. Kevin then tried wrapping his large hands around Brent’s neck, but Brent was stronger, and his neck muscles were corded with tension, and Kevin’s feeble attempts were useless, eventually dying down to ineffectual slaps. The whole time, Brent continued to pummel him, not stopping until the man beneath him was a limp bloody mass of pulp.
Gulping ragged breaths, he reached in his pocket for his knife, and unfolded it as he turned to Casey who looked on with tear-filled eyes. He didn’t bother with knots, just cut the gag off her mouth before moving on to her hands and feet. When she was loose, he gathered her in his arms and covered her face with kisses.
Casey clung to Brent, unable to focus on anything else. He was her sanctuary, her life-force. He had saved her from whatever Kevin had planned for her. Right now, he was cradling her face in his hands and kissing her cheeks and eyelids, murmuring shooshing noises at her while she fell apart.
Brent pulled away long enough to rip his shirt off, spilling buttons everywhere, before wrapping it around Casey and picking her up. She leaned into his strength, not having the energy to even wrap her arms around his neck. She folded them in her lap and let her head fall against his chest, as he carried her down the driveway to his truck, which was surrounded by the flashing lights of two police trucks.
“Freeze! Stay right where you are. State your name!”
“I’m Brent Baum, the one who called you.” He muttered to the top of Casey’s head. “Now might be a good time to tell them I’m a good guy, here.”
“I’m Casey Stewart Conway. My ex-husband is at the cabin up the road.” To herself, she muttered. “I hope he’s dead.” She felt Brent’s chuckle rumble deep in his chest.
Casey watched Brent speak to the officers. She wanted nothing more than to go to his house and curl up in his bed, but something told her that wasn’t going to happen.
She was right, the police had other ideas. They put her in an ambulance, and Brent grudgingly complied, leaving her with them to walk down to wherever he’d left his own truck. Once she was tucked into the wheeled ambulance bed, she closed her eyes against the odd lighting of the interior and shut off her consciousness to the incessant noise, willing herself to feel safe again.
Chapter 28
The next thing Casey was aware of was being flat on her back, covered with warm blankets, and a weight on her left arm. She cracked open an eye and immediately recognized the hospital setting. She had to think to remember what had happened, but her initial panic was eased by the sight of Brent asleep next to her bed, leaning on her arm. His hand clasped hers, and the dark circles under his eyes gave evidence to her suspicions that he hadn’t been sleeping well.
So she let him rest, as her mind wandered to the experience at her family cabin and the realization that she had spent twelve years of her life married to a psychotic. She remembered all of the times he’d touched her and shuddered. The subtle movement woke Brent, who raised his head and smiled a sleepy grin at her.
“Hey there, pretty girl. You feeling better?” Still squeezing her hand, he raised his other arm to stroke her face. A bandage covered a side of his face, and she realized he hadn’t left the cabin unscathed. A shard of guilt pierced her.
“Not really. I’m just laying here, reliving my marriage to Kevin. I could definitely do without those memories running around in my head.
”
“We’ll have to make new ones to replace them, won’t we?” His sleepy smile was nothing short of sexy, and Casey’s eyes roamed over his wrinkled appearance. He’d put back on the shirt he’d put over her, and it was open over his T-shirt, since the buttons were gone. She remembered seeing him in it at the Gin, when it was all pressed and starched neatly.
Which brought back memories of the women. And his unfaithfullness.
As if on cue, a tall, leggy brunette strolled into the room, blowing on a cup of coffee. “You’re awake! Thank goodness. Brent’s been really worried about you. You had us all so worried.” Her eyes filled with concern, but Casey couldn’t tamp down the tears. She turned to Brent.
“You brought her here?” Without warning, her hand zinged out and slapped Brent across his face, leaving a stunned and hurt expression in its wake. She hadn’t slapped him nearly as hard as she wanted to, but it was the best she could do with an IV dangling from her wrist.
“What the hell, Case?” He looked at Casey like she’d turned polka-dotted, and sat up straighter. “What’s going on?”
“I was at the Gin, before all…this.” She waved her hands around vaguely, motioning towards the woman, who had flattened herself against the wall, obviously trying to be invisible. “And I saw you with her and those others. I saw you kiss…” She spat the words at him, too livid to finish her sentence.
Brent’s brow smoothed and his face fell as realization dawned. Yeah, busted. But instead of anger at his dawning realization she’d caught him red-handed, something else sank in her tummy. She realized then she’d read it wrong. “Who are they?” Something told her she’d made a terrible mistake.
He looked back at the woman and said. “Will you bring in the others, Lauren? So I can finally introduce y’all to Casey?” The woman, Lauren, nodded and left quickly.
“Lauren?” Something was familiar about that name, but Casey couldn’t quite place it. It only served to reinforce the knowledge that she’d grossly misread the situation.
The three gorgeous brunettes filed in and stood in a row against the wall furthest from Casey, as if she could hurt them, hooked up to her IV and weak as a kitten in the hospital bed.
“Casey, this is Lauren, Haley, and Alexis West. My cousins.” He’d never let go of her hand through her entire hissy fit, and at the word cousins, he squeezed it tightly.
“Cousins? But you didn’t act like cousins…the way you danced with them…” She pointed to Haley. “And the way she was touching your hair…That’s why I reacted that way. Y’all weren’t acting like cousins…” Suddenly she felt feeble and pathetic. Especially once she remembered his and Summer’s stories about weeks during the summertime at their aunt and uncle’s house with their super awesome younger cousins. Besides Nana, the only family they had left. She could feel the heat of embarrassment rising to her face, and Casey almost couldn’t look at them all.
Haley shrugged, “He’s the one who taught us all to dance.” She continued weakly, “And he needs a haircut. He’s getting shaggy, that’s all.”
“What about the kiss? You kissed Lindsey.” That had been the vet, a woman familiar to Casey. She knew what she’d seen. Although after the events of the past twenty-four hours, she was beginning to doubt her own judgment.
Brent turned to them, “Can we have a moment?” They filed out the way they’d come in, silently and quickly. He turned back to Casey. He encased her hands in his, and kissed each knuckle, seeming to gather his thoughts.
“I’ve made too many mistakes in my life regarding you, Case. But cheating’s not one of them. You have made me the happiest man in Serendipity, hell, the entire state of Texas these last few weeks. I’m not about to screw that up. Please believe me when I tell you that.” The sincerity on his face shone through unshed tears, and she felt awful. “Lindsey kissed me, not the other way around. You must have left before I shoved her off me and left her on the dance floor.” His hand stroked his hair. “I told her to leave me alone, for good. I’m so sorry you saw it. I’m sorry it happened.” He looked at her sheepishly.
“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions,” she offered meekly.
“It’s okay. I know I’ve got a lot of work to do to earn your trust. But I’m willing to do it. One thing I’ve learned from all my mistakes is that nothing worth having comes easy.”
Casey felt about two inches tall. Brent had sacrificed his own safety and his freedom to save her from Kevin, without even thinking about it. He worked every day to rescue horses from a life of abuse and neglect. He had never shown her a harsh word or unkindness. He showered her with love and attention every spare minute of his day. And at night, he held her close to him, not asking for anything in return.
She didn’t realize she was weeping until Brent’s thumb wiped a tear from her cheek. He didn’t say anything, just watched her as she battled with her emotions.
A rapid knock at the door preceded a harried doctor with a clipboard. “Mrs. Conway?”
“It’s Ms,” she corrected with a shudder. She wanted to change her name as soon as possible.
“I’m sorry. Ms. Conway, I have some news for you before your release. Are you feeling better?” She nodded, so he continued. “This may be sensitive information, if you’d like, your guest can wait in the lounge.”
“No, I’d like him to stay.” She didn’t want to be away from Brent again, ever.
“Well, then. It appears that you’re pregnant. It’s still early, about three weeks, but when we ran the tests and scans, it showed up. I’ve got some recommendations for OB/GYNs here.” He handed her a sheet of paper with a list of names. “And a prescription for prenatals here.” He handed her a smaller slip of paper covered with illegible writing. “Do you have any questions?”
Mute, she shook her head, before the doctor made his excuses and left the room. To her horror, Brent grabbed her face between his hands and started covering it with kisses.
“Brent, wait. Stop.” She pushed him back, and was dismayed as she watched the childish jubilation turn to pain at her rejection. “Brent, I’ve had four miscarriages. It won’t take.” Her tears welled up again, and she cursed her hormones.
“Shhh…That may be, but I love you Casey. I want to be there for you through all of it. Don’t cry. It might work. I’ll go with you to the doctor and see if there’s anything different that we can do this time. If not, I’ll still be there for you. You are doing things that only you can do. You are pregnant.” He stroked her cheek and smirked at her. “I’ll never be pregnant. Ever.” She laughed at the idea of Brent, belly huge with child. “You are a fantastic woman. If this doesn’t work, I’ll be here to support you, no matter what. Do you understand that? I love you.”
She nodded, emotion stealing her ability to speak. “I love you, too Brent.” She pulled him closer for a kiss of promise, for their future together.
Chapter 29
Casey finally convinced Brent to go home and shower if he was going to insist on spending the night. When her mother got there, completely hysterical about Kevin, he agreed to leave as long as Gloria was there to watch her. Suppressing her eye roll at being treated like a child, Casey watched him dart out the door before turning to her mother.
“Mom.”
“Sweetie…I had no idea…”
“Nobody did, that’s why it was so brilliant. Act like a helpless ass for twelve years and then turn psycho.” She again shuddered at the memories of Kevin touching her, having sex with her, putting his hands on her body. She’d had to recount everything for the police, and it had been humiliating: talking about their marriage, their divorce, his stalkerness, everything that led up to the kidnapping. She certainly didn’t want to continue rehashing it all.
“I’m so sorry you went through that.” Gloria was obviously trying to keep it together for Casey, like she always had. Casey could remember times past when her mother had apologized for her father’s actions, totally incapable of changing them.
“Mom, it’s not y
our place to apologize. I’m the one who married him, and now he’s gone. It’s over.”
Tears spilled from Gloria’s eyes as she gripped her daughter’s hand. “I’ve never been very good at protecting you, have I?”
“Mom, don’t…” She spread her fingers across her mom’s cheek and watched her mother’s tears spill between them. “You don’t have to feel guilty about any of this. Or Dad. It’s done. I’ll be okay. I promise.” She could feel her own tears, but managed to hold them at bay. She didn’t want to talk about any of it anymore. Seeing a way to change the subject, she said, “I’m pregnant.”
Her mother’s eyes lit up behind the tears, and she offered a weak smile. “That’s wonderful news, Honey.” Casey knew that Gloria was trying not to state the obvious. She’d been privy to all of Casey’s miscarriages, although not necessarily all the emotions that went with them. She patted Casey’s hand, and Casey squeezed back.
“It’ll be okay, Mom. Brent’s nothing like Kevin. Even if it doesn’t take…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Knowing she was the one who brought up the topic didn’t make it any easier to talk about. Thankfully, a knock at the door interrupted her. She looked up to see Lindsey, and then wondered when she would be able to go back to sleep.
“Hey there…” Lindsey offered, hope in her eyes. She was dressed like a vet, in jeans, worn boots, and a blue polo shirt with her office logo on the breast. Casey didn’t respond. She couldn’t think of a thing to say, simply marveled at the woman’s nerve, to come to her hospital room like this.
“I came by to apologize.”
