by T. S. Ryder
“Why don’t you take the rest of this week to relax and recover from this, and you can start fresh on Monday?”
“That sounds great. I think I’ll go home and take a nice, long bath.”
“Well, don’t tell me that. You’ll make me want to leave early.”
She giggled. “Okay. I meant I’m going to put on frumpy sweatpants and an oversized shirt and sit around with no makeup on, tweezing my eyebrows.”
There was a pause then. “Nope. Not working. You’re sexy no matter what I picture you in.”
She blushed. “Get back to work, Mr. Lynch. See you when you get home.”
“Yes, dear.”
Kaelyn couldn’t help grinning. He was so sweet and fun. So different to anyone she’d dated before. She tried not to think about the fact that he was a billionaire. Most times, it was easy. He was the same old Hayden from high school. More grown up and far sexier, but the same underneath. Living in this house, though, and going to fancy meals and whatever else they might do together would just be such an amazing lifestyle, she honestly couldn’t picture it. What would it be like to really be with him? To be his girlfriend? She wanted to know badly.
When she got home, she did go to her room and take a long bubble bath. It helped her relax and she did feel much better already.
Just knowing that she wouldn’t have to go in tomorrow to face Will brought her huge relief.
Then she thought, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to go for a run. Hayden was always working out and said it helped him relieve stress. She should ask him about it. Maybe have him help her workout in the basement or something. But for today, a little jog or walk in the park sounded lovely. Get in touch with nature, get in a little exercise. She’d be feeling great by the time Hayden got home. Maybe they could have a nice dinner together.
Kaelyn drove to the park. Anytime a thought of Will came up, she replaced it with a thought of Hayden. So far, it was working pretty well. She parked and found the trail, but when she got there, it seemed so peaceful, she decided today was not the day to become a runner. She began a stroll, pausing to appreciate any flowers or trees along the way that she found interesting.
She’d walked a long time and was starting to wonder how close she was to her car. This trail was much longer than she expected. What if it just kept going? She stopped abruptly and turned around.
Behind her, on the path, and who knew how long he’d been there, was Will. Kaelyn froze. She couldn’t keep walking back to her car, that would take her right past him. But if she turned back around, she had no idea where this path led and how far it might go.
But she didn’t have to choose. Will darted off the path, into the trees. He disappeared from sight. Kaelyn took off at a run, past the place he’d been standing, toward her car.
She almost chuckled. It looked like she was going to get that run in after all. She ran until she was out of breath and then bent over, panting. She kept looking around, but there was no sign of Will anywhere. He must’ve been following her, but why? And where was he now?
She stood up to look around again, and a hand clamped over her mouth. She didn’t bother trying to scream but put her energy into getting away. She dug her heels into the ground and pulled her body back. She gained a foot or two but lost in the end when he tugged and knocked her off her feet.
Will was much stronger than he looked. They moved slowly, but he managed, step by step, to get her into the woods. They were out of sight of the path now. Anyone walking by wouldn’t see them.
Now she tried to get his hand off her mouth so she could scream. She managed to get out a few garbled cries, but it probably wasn’t enough. She expected to be thrown down on the ground any second and for him to climb on top of her. That’s what he wanted, wasn’t it? To have her?
Will growled at her, “You shouldn’t have quit, Kae.”
Then she felt a pinch in her neck. By the time she realized he had injected her with something, it was too late. The world around her went black and she felt herself fall to the ground.
Chapter Eight
Hayden had expected Kaelyn to be home when he got there, and he was disappointed to find her car gone.
“Heya,” he texted. “What are you up to? Wanna grab dinner?”
She didn’t respond and when it had been almost an hour, he called her. No answer. He waited a few minutes and called again. Still no answer.
He tried to rationalize. She could be out with friends and hadn’t heard her phone. Maybe she was seeing a movie. That would explain her not answering for such a long time. But with all that had happened, that wasn’t really acceptable. And she wouldn’t question for a second why he was freaking out. He called one more time and sent one more text: “Hey, I’m getting worried. Please call or text as soon as you can so I know you’re okay.”
Then he opened the app on his phone that he’d downloaded and hoped to never, ever use. It was a tracking app used by parents to let them know where their kids were. But when everything with Will started to happen, Hayden had set it up so that he could track Kaelyn’s phone if he ever needed to.
He tapped the screen with shaking hands. When he’d done all this, he kept telling himself it was just a security measure. He’d told himself that he’d never need to use it, and when things went back to normal, he’d delete it. The fact that now he was relying on it terrified him.
He waited while the app worked. When Kaelyn’s dot appeared, Hayden sucked in a breath. She was far away from him. No way would she just get in the car and drive. She wouldn’t do that with everything happening with Will. She wouldn’t just take off without mentioning it. She wouldn’t just not respond when he called and texted. Something was very wrong.
Hayden dashed upstairs to his room and went to his bedside table, where he kept his gun. This, too, he had as a security measure and never expected to have to use. Especially not with a coded gate, a top-of-the-line security system and a house full of staff. But as he tucked the gun into the back of his pants, he hoped the few hours he’d spent at the range would do him some good.
He hurried back downstairs to his garage and jumped into the Jaguar. He tore out of the driveway and sped toward the little blinking dot—the only thing he had to go on to find her.
He drove as fast as he could without getting caught. He’d thought a few times that maybe he should just call the police. But what could he tell them? His… friend? Roommate? Hadn’t come home and wasn’t answering and because she had a stalker, he assumed she’d been kidnapped? And his only evidence was that her phone was far away? They’d think he was nuts.
He called his gorilla family. They would come any time he called for them. They kind of had to since he was the alpha, but he knew they would anyway. By the time he hung up the phone, Katherine was on her way to get Stella and Bella.
He drove for a half hour, and the logical, rational side of his mind started to take over. Yes, he was a gorilla shifter and had a gun. He could take Will out if he had to, and would do it for Kaelyn in a second. But he’d also spent a lot of hours in office buildings in white collar settings and hadn’t been in a fight—aside from his scuffle with Will—in many years. He never doubted himself when it came to investments and business decisions, but when it came to a kidnapping? He could be out of his realm of expertise, and that could get Kaelyn hurt or killed.
He picked up his phone, dialed the police, and asked for the officer who’d been working on Kaelyn’s case.
“I have reason to believe that this stalker may have kidnapped her,” Hayden told the officer.
He relayed the day’s events, how she’d quit her job because he’d left a torn stuffed animal on her desk—that was a veiled threat, wasn’t it?—and now how she wasn’t answering and was far away.
“Where is she right now?” the officer asked.
“According to my tracking app, she’s two hours north of the city, but she’s still moving.”
“And what is this app?”
“It’s for parents to be
able to track their kids. I put it on our phones in case something happened with Will. Something like this.”
“Any idea how accurate this app is?”
Hayden tried to recall if any marketing had given information on that. “I’m not sure.”
“And you know for sure that she didn’t just decide to go for a long drive after an upsetting day?”
“She would answer my calls and texts. She would have told me, especially with all that’s going on.”
“Okay,” the officer said. “Well, problem is, she’s out of our jurisdiction.”
“But the crime happened here.”
“Alleged crime. We don’t have proof of anything, but I can’t just drive to where you think she is and knock on the door if it’s not my jurisdiction. I’ll have to call that department.”
“Okay, and will they call me or something?” Hayden tried to keep his voice calm, but he was anything but. He was so frustrated that no one seemed to be able to do anything about this.
“They will. I’d expect to hear from them just as soon as I can call and relay the information of the case.”
“So that’ll be soon, right? I mean, who knows what he’s going to do. He could kill her, for all I know. He may have already.” His throat was thick when he thought of it. That couldn’t be true. Will couldn’t have hurt her. He wouldn’t allow his mind to even think it. They were going to get to her in time. She would be fine. Scared, sure. The emotional repercussions were enough, but she would be unharmed.
“I wouldn’t worry too much, Mr. Lynch. Based on what we know about this case, I doubt it would escalate that fast.”
“Okay, well, thanks for your help.”
He tossed his phone aside and pressed on the gas. At this point, if he got pulled over for speeding, it might not be a bad thing.
Katherine called to check in. They weren’t far from him at all, surprisingly. Katherine did always like to drive fast. He gave them the updated location.
He’d driven for an hour before his phone rang. It was the police, calling to get an update. Hayden went through much of the same information with the new officer that he had with the first one. He gave him an update on their location. Kaelyn’s dot seemed to have stopped, but he was still a little bit away.
After the call, he was feeling antsy and sped even more. The cops were headed in her direction, but they didn’t have any way to track her like he did, and it wasn’t like he could give them an exact address or anything. His family was close, too. They might all arrive at the same time.
When his location and her location were on the same screen on his phone, his heart started to race. This was all taking too long. How long had she been with Will? What sort of condition was she in right now?
His phone told him to turn off the highway and he was now on small back streets. He texted an update to Katherine and, soon after, they texted back that they’d also just gotten off the highway.
When he was very close to the location and had an address, he texted Katherine and called the police to give it to them. They were in the area patrolling but hadn’t had the address. They advised him to stay in the car and wait for their arrival.
Hayden drove slowly down a dirt and gravel path, thick with forest on either side, to an old house. It looked like it might be abandoned. Sitting in front of the house was Will’s car. He got out of his car as Katherine pulled up behind him. He jogged to their car.
“Hey, ladies. I’m going to circle around and see if I can get in the back.”
“We’ll try the front,” Katherine said.
They approached the house. Hayden went to the back, where the door was locked, and met the ladies on the side of the house.
“Front door is locked,” Katherine said.
“Only one thing left to do.” Will started stripping right there in the yard and the ladies followed his lead. They all shifted into gorilla form and charged the back door together.
The door splintered into pieces under the force behind Hayden’s shoulder. His shoulder ached, but they were inside. The four gorillas tore through the house. Stella and Bella found the basement and bounded down while Katherine ran around the main floor and Hayden went upstairs.
He heard some commotion coming from one of the bedrooms. He saw the door slam shut as his feet hit the top of the staircase, then something that sounded like heavy furniture moving in front of it.
He didn’t pause. Hayden charged at the door, sending his other shoulder into this time. This interior door was less sturdy than the back door had been and it broke with little effort. His pure animal strength sent shards of wood flying through the room.
There was a dresser in front of the door and he knocked it over with one shove of his thick arm.
On the bed, he saw Kaelyn. She was tied up, in her underwear. Will cowered in the corner, holding out a gun with a shaking hand.
“Don’t come any closer,” Will said.
The biggest downfall of having to shift to get inside was that now his own gun was sitting outside with his clothing. All Hayden had was his thick skin. Then he heard the heavy footsteps on the stairs. He had his family.
Hayden took a step forward as the ladies entered the room behind him. Will didn’t know where to turn. He pointed the gun at Hayden, then Katherine, then each of the twins. When he pointed it at Bella, Katherine, who was the farthest from her, bounded forward and crashed into Will. The gun fell from his hand.
Katherine stood on top of him, while Stella and Bella pinned down his arms and legs. There was no way he was moving now.
Hayden shifted back into human form. In the distance, he heard what sounded like several cars driving down the gravel path.
“I think the police are here,” Hayden said. “Bella, can you get our clothes?”
She hurried away and Hayden ran to Kaelyn. “Are you okay?” He pulled down the bandana that had been tied around her mouth, keeping her from making a noise.
He worked to loosen the ties from her wrists.
“I think so,” she said, groggily. “He drugged me.”
“What?” Hayden looked at her more carefully. Her eyelids looked heavy and she was moving slowly, but she seemed okay.
He paused in his untying to put his hand to her cheek and kiss her. “You’re okay now.”
Bella ran in and dropped the clothes in a pile on the floor as she pulled on her pants. “The cops are here.”
Hayden quickly got dressed. “Bella, can you finish untying Kaelyn?” He picked up the gun and pressed it against Will’s forehead, kneeling on his back to keep him from moving. “Get dressed,” he said to the others. All they needed was for the cops to see them in gorilla form or half naked. How would they explain that?
They hurried to dress and Stella went to help Bella get Kaelyn untied. They heard footsteps on the lower floor. Katherine pulled her shirt over her head and stood at Will’s head, waiting for him to try to make a move.
Before the cops reached the stairs, Hayden drew back his fist and punched Will hard in the kidneys. Will groaned in pain. He knew it would hurt—that was one of the worst places to be punched. For good measure, he punched him again.
Hayden leaned close to Will’s ear. “If you ever come near Kaelyn again, if you talk to her, text her, follow her, write notes to her, or have any contact with her in any way at all, I will kill you.” He yanked Will’s head back and slammed his face into the floor.
The cops walked into the room as blood began to pour from Will’s nose.
Four officers came in. They pointed guns and told Hayden to get off Will. They put both of the men in handcuffs to talk to them, but by the time they’d all given their version of what happened, they took the cuffs off Hayden.
“I hope you understand, Mr. Lynch. Anytime there’s a fight, we cuff everyone involved to make sure it doesn’t get violent,” the officer who unlocked his cuffs said.
“I know you just need to do your job.” Hayden looked across the room to where Kaelyn sat on the bed, getting med
ical attention. “Are you done with me?”
“For now, yes.”
Another officer took Will from the room, still in cuffs. He was being arrested and they were taking him to jail.
Hayden went to Kaelyn’s side and put his arm around her. “How are you?”
She nodded and took a sip of her water. “Okay.”
“Are we almost done?” he asked the medic taking her blood pressure.
“Just about.” The medic checked her reflexes and handed her some pain relievers.
When everything with the cops and the medics was finally done, they walked together out to their cars. They exchanged hugs with Katherine, Stella and Bella. Then, he was finally alone with Kaelyn. He took her into his arms and held her for a long moment.
“I was terrified thinking he’d kill you or do something awful to you,” Hayden said. “Well, more awful than what he did.”
Her face was buried in his shoulder and she cried softly. “I’m so glad you came. Thank you.”
He brushed her hair back, squeezing his arms tighter around her. “I don’t know what I would have done if he’d hurt you worse. You’ve only been living with me a short time, but I can’t imagine life without you.” He pulled back to look her in the eye. “Kaelyn, I’m in love with you.”
“You are?” her voice was small and surprised. She started to cry harder and squeezed her arms around his neck. She whispered in his ear, “I love you, too. Can we go home now?”
Chapter Nine
After such a horrible day, and with the drive home being long, Kaelyn fell asleep in the car, leaning against the door. She felt the car stop and heard the garage door. She was just waking up as Hayden opened her door and scooped her into his arms. She rested her head against his chest as he carried her upstairs and into her room.
He lay her gently on the bed and bent down to kiss her before standing back up.
“Hayden?” she said softly.
“Yes?”
“Will you stay with me? I don’t want to be alone right now.”
He slid into the bed behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and making her feel safer than she’d felt in days.
