by Abby Wood
He pointed toward apartment 715, held up three fingers to the four-man team waiting at the end of the hall, and counted down. He closed his fist, giving the sign, and then kicked in the door with his pistol drawn.
Colby stood in the middle of the room. The man tensed, and his dark gaze darted around the room in a wildness that made him unpredictable. Trent trained the pistol on Colby’s chest. “Hands in the air.”
Without taking his eyes off Colby, he took in the room. There wasn’t any sign of Doreen, but he knew she was in the apartment. Witnesses heard the screams, and called the police.
Colby raised his hands. “Where is Katina?”
Trent stepped around the pile of clothes on the floor, never moving the bead off Colby, while his men fanned out and covered him. “Where is Doreen?”
Colby shook his head. “No. No. It’s Katina.”
Even with him armed, his men behind him armed, Colby flitted his attention around the room, unable to focus. Trent body scanned him once, twice, concluded that Colby was unarmed, and he holstered his weapon, knowing his men had his back.
The movement sent Colby darting around the couch. Trent dived, tackling him in the middle of the floor. Pinned down by two of Trent’s men and Trent, Colby thrashed his arms, striking out blindly. Trent pulled back his arm and punched Colby, whipping his head.
“Katina,” Colby said, shaking his head.
Trent lifted his gaze to his men. “Have you secured the apartment?”
Bruce nodded. “The female is in the bedroom with Canton.”
“Where’s Katina?” Colby asked.
Trent pulled Colby to his feet and slammed him against the wall. “You don’t fucking speak her name.”
Blood dribbled out of Colby’s mouth, and he spit. “She’s mine.”
“You messed with the wrong woman, asshole.” He pulled Colby forward and banged his head against the wall again.
“I need to talk with her,” Colby said, his voice low and cracking.
The panic, confusion, and stupidity apparent in Colby were not signs of a stable mind. He gripped Colby’s neck but spoke to his men. “Let Tim in the apartment to find Doreen.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be her. I want Katina. It was always Katina,” Colby mumbled.
He tightened his fingers, cutting off Colby’s air supply. “Bad idea.”
“Boss. We have him covered. Step down.” Bruce spoke calmly, connecting with Trent. “Tim needs you. The police are coming up the stairs. We’ll get this scum put away.”
Trent pushed away and watched Colby crumple, gasping for breath. He pivoted and marched through the apartment and into Katina’s bedroom, where he found Tim on the floor holding Doreen. Anger swelled in his chest, and he fisted his hands. Fuck.
Doreen’s swollen cheek, ripped shirt, and remains of the terror she’d gone through in her gaze told him everything he needed to know about what happened in this room. He clamped his teeth together, trying to erase the memory of the results of his sister’s attack out of his mind.
This time it was different. Doreen had all her clothes on. Even her shoes. They’d arrived before anything worse could’ve happened.
“Tim?” He kneeled down beside his best friend. “What do you need?”
Tim ran his arm across his mouth. “She…she wants Katina. I don’t know…”
Trent clamped his hand on the back of Tim’s neck. “She’s fine. Look after her. Stay with her. I’ll get Kat.” He directed his attention toward Doreen and softened his voice. “Hey, darling. You had a big surprise, huh?”
“Kat.” Doreen moved to get up, but Tim held on to her. “Find her. H-he’s going to hurt her.”
“We’ve got Colby in custody. Katina’s safe.” Trent spoke calmly, despite feeling anything but blind rage. “I’m going to go out and get her, bring her to you. You’re safe. Katina’s safe.”
Doreen blinked up at him. “She’s safe?”
“Yeah.” He inhaled. “It’s all over.”
Tears slipped out of her eyes and left her blinded to reality. He curled his fingers, wanting to ease her pain. Pain so real and vivid, he could almost taste it. He’d seen the same moment with his sister when Julie realized her world wasn’t safe anymore.
Doreen leaned toward Tim. She was going to be all right. Tim would make sure of that. Trent left the room, walked through the living room, glad to see everyone else had cleared out of the area. He did not want to bring Katina back to the area where that piece of shit Colby brought so much pain.
Instead of taking the elevator, he jogged down all seven flights of stairs to decompress. The physical exertion left him no calmer.
He strode into the office, stopped, and homed in on Katina. Her eyes, wet from crying, searched him, but otherwise she was safe. He stiffened. It could’ve been her upstairs.
“Come here,” he ordered, gruffer than he meant.
She jumped up and hurried to him. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah. She wants you.” He turned and opened the door.
They walked to the elevator in silence. He didn’t touch her or speak with her. But he watched her.
He recognized the haunted worry, but reality hadn’t touched her yet. If he held her, explained what was happening, she’d fall apart. Hell, he was barely holding it together. He wanted to vent his fury on someone, and he didn’t trust himself not to take it out on her.
How many times had he told her to lock the damn dead bolt? He’d given her a driver with specific instructions never to go anywhere alone, and that included Doreen, during the day when they were working.
He hated that the world was a dangerous place. To force her to adopt his rules was unfair but necessary. One slip, one mistake, one chance, and her life would change forever. She was not a gamble he was willing to risk.
Outside her apartment door, he stopped her. She turned to him. He glanced away before meeting her eyes. “Doreen’s beat up pretty bad, baby, but she’s okay. She will be okay.”
She closed her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand. He waited for her to accept what he was telling her. He wanted her warned about what she’d see when they walked into the room. When she again focused on him, he continued, “I’m going to leave you with Tim. You’ll go with Doreen to the hospital, and I will meet you there after I talk with the police and fill out paperwork.”
She nodded, looking past him through the open door. “‘Kay.”
He wanted to pick her up and haul her out of here. She didn’t need to return to the place that should’ve been her safe haven, only to see a nightmare. His heart hurt for her, but he also knew she’d suck it up and be strong for Doreen. She would ignore the emotions overwhelming her, because that was the type of woman she was.
She’d deal with Doreen and make sure her friend felt safe and loved. He hooked his finger under her chin and brought her attention back on him. “You need me, call my cell.”
“I will,” she whispered.
“Let’s go in.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “She will be okay.”
When they reached her room and she spotted Doreen, Katina broke away from him. He stayed in the doorway, letting the women console, reassure, and support each other. As he predicted, Katina took control of the situation.
Tim remained at Doreen’s side. Trent connected with Tim, nodded, and received a nod in return. Growing up with Tim, working together, gave him the confidence that Tim would watch over both of the women.
Katina raised her gaze and caught his eye. The tightness returned to his chest, but he hid his reaction. They’d deal with today’s fuck up later, when he could grasp what was happening.
She mouthed thank you. He acknowledged her with a lift of his chin, took one more look to make sure she could handle helping Doreen, and left the room.
Tonight, things would change. There was no going back.
Chapter Seventeen
Trent drove Katina to his house after picking her up at the Swedish Hospital. Quiet and exhausted, she t
ried to relax, knowing he wasn’t going to take her back to the apartment. She shivered. It was still hard to grasp that Colby had acted out and hurt Doreen, all because he was fixated on her.
Thank God, Doreen received good news, and none of her injuries entailed internal bleeding or broken bones. The doctor released her from the hospital after making her an appointment to come back in three days for a follow-up.
Katina had wanted to go home with Doreen and make sure she was okay, but Doreen asked Tim to take her to her parents’ house. Guilt sat heavy on Katina’s shoulders.
If she hadn’t let Doreen go off alone to pick up those stupid pillows, none of this would’ve happened. She was responsible, and she had no idea how to make things right.
Trent pulled into the garage. She glanced over at him and worried. He’d arrived at the hospital in a scary, bossy mood. She’d tried to get him to talk, but he only told her to hold it until they were home.
She wanted to ask him if he was okay, because she’d witnessed the look in his eyes when he was around Doreen, but his silence stopped her. Later would be a better time to approach him.
She walked behind him, waited for him to open the door leading into the house. Inside, he tossed his keys on the counter and looked at her.
Uh. Oh.
“Do you want me to fix you something to eat?” She moved to go around him, but he hooked her arm.
“Katina.” He watched her.
No, this definitely wasn’t the time to talk. He used her full name. Not baby, not Kat, but Katina.
“You left the fucking apartment without locking the dead bolt,” he said.
She winced. “I know.”
“You know?” He let go of her. “You said you trusted me.”
“I do.”
“If you trusted me, you’d do what I asked of you. It’s not a hard thing to do. It takes two seconds to put the key in and turn.” He rocked back on his heels and pushed his hands through his hair. “It doesn’t take any skills. But instead of trusting me, you blew off something that I think is important. I am not your parents. You do not have to defy me.”
“Don’t you think I feel bad enough? It was my fault Doreen got hurt. It was a stupid thing—”
“Stupid?” he exploded. “Baby, do you realize that it was supposed to be you in the hospital with your face swollen, fighting to find some reasoning behind having your ass kicked…or be dealing with something much worse? That man was after you. Doreen was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
His words hurt physically. She curled into herself, wrapped her arms around her waist, and rounded her shoulders. “God, I’m sorry. I should’ve—”
“It is not your fucking fault.” He glared. “He could’ve taken you away from me, and it would’ve been my fault. It’s my job to keep you safe.”
She stilled as Trent stalked out of the room. She continued to stare down the hallway long after he’d disappeared up the stairs. He’d shared with her about his sister, and his anger and frustrations over not being there to save her. But for a man like Trent, he never let go. She sensed his pain festered inside him, multiplying into something too big for him to handle. He wasn’t the kind of man who got over anything fast. No, he held it inside, always in control, saving the world.
She’d pushed away his concern and need to take care of her, and let Doreen go by herself back to the apartment. Her throat constricted. Trent told her from day one that she’d have to trust him completely or they’d have no relationship. It was a hard and fast line he drew for her and reminded her of constantly.
Tonight, she’d stepped over the line and hurt him. She covered her mouth. One simple thing he required of her, and she screwed up. He’d been right. Her rash decision was the reason Doreen got hurt.
What if he couldn’t forgive her and get past her mistake? What if he broke up with her because of her carelessness?
She’d damaged his trust in her. His request that she follow a few little rules to assure him of her safety meant everything to him, and even though she shrugged off any danger to herself, she never once thought of his requirement as a burden. In fact, she loved how he took care of her, and if making sure she stayed safe made him happy, she’d do everything in her power to give him that security.
Except she screwed up today. Big-time. He might never forgive her, and if he broke up with her, she’d be lost. Life without Trent in it would be lacking in everything wonderful. He was her heart.
She pushed her hair back off her face and followed him in the direction he’d left. She arrived at the bedroom and found Trent staring out the window, the Puget Sound somewhere out there in the dark. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t see beyond the glass, because he was looking in the past.
“Trent…”
He turned and shot her a look that stated he was not in the mood to hear anything she said. “A rapist cut Julie. Not only on her face, but in places a woman would never want to be cut. He did things with his knife that no woman should even think about.”
“Trent,” she whispered, wanting him to stop.
“Julie’s alive, but do you think a day, a minute, doesn’t go by that she doesn’t wish she had stayed in the restaurant with her date? She sleeps with the goddamn light on every fucking night.”
“Nobody can predict—”
“That’s right. Julie couldn’t have known. Doreen couldn’t have known.” His jaw hardened. “You couldn’t have known that Colby was waiting for you. It could be you lying in a bed, so traumatized by what he’d done to you, you refuse to look your family in the eye for months, because some asshole made you feel dirty and worthless.”
She clasped her hands together and thumped her chest. “But it wasn’t.”
“He could’ve taken you from me,” he yelled.
She rushed across the room and planted her hands on his stomach. “Don’t yell, honey.”
“He could’ve taken you from me,” he repeated.
“He didn’t. I’m right here. Look at me.”
Trent gazed down at her. His eyes, wet and pained, pierced her soul. “I thought I could keep you safe, and I can’t.”
There it was, the heart of his anger. It was just like Trent to blame himself for what happened to his sister, to Doreen, and probably every woman he couldn’t protect.
She leaned into him, holding his head, forcing him to see her, to hear her. “I’m safe. There was nothing you could’ve done to control how Colby acted.”
He closed his eyes against the truth. She shook his head and waited until he looked down at her again.
“You saved Doreen. You were there to help your sister recover. That’s what matters. You’re not God. You don’t control the choices other people make. Bad things will happen to good people. Cancer attacked Tim’s sister. Horrific natural disasters happen to cities all around the world. Babies are born with problems that only let them live a few minutes, but we have to cherish the time we have with each other. There are going to be certain things you can’t control, honey.”
“You trusted me to keep you safe,” he said.
“I still do. I listened to you. I stayed at the Mitchells’, but Doreen is a grown woman. And for as much as I wish I had refused to let her go to my apartment alone, it’s not wrong that she went. It wasn’t wrong that your sister walked outside alone. What’s wrong is there are crazy sick people in the world that do terrible things.”
He inhaled swiftly, staring at her. She had a feeling she’d finally broken through to him, so she continued. “Bad things will happen, but I know it’s not from you. I will try to be more aware of my surroundings and what I’m doing, because it’s important to me too. I also know that you’ll protect me if the situation arises. That comforts me. I need that security from you as much as you need to give it to me.”
His brows rose, and she watched as the stiffness went out of his spine. He swayed, and she put her hands back on his stomach. “Come to bed, honey.”
“Baby.” He kissed her.
> When his mouth left hers, she whispered, “I’m right here.”
“Fuck,” he muttered, lifting her in his arms.
He carried her to the bed, set her on the mattress, and planted his hands on either side of her. She squirmed out of her pants, taking her panties off too. Then she wiggled out of her shirt, melting as he took in the red bra. “I want you inside of me. I need you right now.”
“Always,” he said. “Don’t want to be anywhere else.”
She managed to smile through the tears pooling in her vision. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby,” he whispered back.
He ran his cheek against hers. She shivered at the rough caress of whiskers. He rubbed his hand over her belly and up to her breast.
“I never want to see you wear matching panties.” The strength in his voice, thick and filled with emotion, caressed her.
“‘Kay.” She agreed, because she saw the effect wearing two different colors of underthings did to him and liked it.
Then he slid his hand between her legs, and his long finger filled her. He latched onto her nipple, sucking, stroking her with his tongue. She arched off the mattress at the deep pull that shot straight to her pussy. She sank her fingers into his hair and moaned.
He slid out of her, circling her clit. Emotionally raw and vulnerable, she spiraled out of control as everything hit her at once. She was going to orgasm in her desperate need to connect with him before he even entered her.
He removed his mouth and his hand. She whimpered.
“Together, baby. Don’t come without me. Not tonight. I need you,” he said.
He grabbed the backs of her knees and pulled her legs up, spreading her more. She hooked her ankles around his waist. His weight came down. He slid into her, so hard, so heavy, and so pleasurable. She leaned forward. “Trent.”
He moved. Back and forth. Fast and hard. She reached up and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, lifting her upper body, and kissed him. Her tongue clashed with his, and he ground his pelvis against her clit with each stroke of his cock.
He sped up, taking and giving, needing her as much as she needed him. She scrambled to get closer, almost frantic, reaching to ease the hurt that’d touched their lives today. He growled in her mouth, and the vibration was enough to push her over the edge. Every cell in her body exploded, and she hung on to Trent, loving every deep pulse rebounding in her lower stomach.
