Morgan, Nicole - Sweet Salvation [Sweet Awakenings 2] (Siren Publishing Allure)

by Nicole Morgan

  Jack walked her toward a chair. “Well, it’s a little more complicated than we originally thought.”

  “Complicated?” Her fear turned to confusion by his choice of words.

  Jack took a steadying breath. So far, they had been able to verify that Samantha McAllister was indeed Samuel McAllister. She was actually a he, and though there had been brochures and information in her apartment regarding gender reassignment surgery, it did not appear that she had gone through with it. Then when they looked in the spare bedroom of her apartment, they had found a shrine with at least a hundred pictures or more of Shelby taken in different aspects of her everyday life. Judging from the weight Shelby had been losing, it was evident that she had been being stalked for months before she was even aware of it. They had also found another coat and ball cap that Shelby had described to them in her closet. There was now no doubt that Shelby’s therapist was also her stalker.

  So Jack told Tamara all that they knew as she sat there, stunned and bewildered. She herself had met Samantha on many occasions. There was no clue in Tamara’s mind to lead them to believe that Samantha was actually a man or that she was any threat to Shelby.

  “So now what? What can we do? Is anything being done to find her?” Tamara said in more of an outrage than a question. However, Jack’s expression told her that she was out of line. “I’m sorry. Of course, they’re doing everything they can. I’m just so worried and so scared for her. Jack, she’s been through so much. She deserves to be happy. They deserve to be happy.”

  “I know. And they will. You have to believe that. We just have to wait now. Cullen and Andrew went back to the precinct to dig up any information they could on this McAllister. It didn’t appear that she, I mean he, had rented a car or a hotel room. At least not under that name anyway, so we have to be patient and let them dig until we find a lead.” Jack expelled a huge breath. “Since McAllister’s car is missing, they put a BOLO out on it. But there have been no sightings yet. What about Rex? Did the doctor say if we could see him?”

  Tamara shook her head. “Not yet, but soon.”

  “Good. Listen, I’ve got to get back. I just needed to check on things here. Stay with him. I would tell you to play down the situation with Shelby, but he’s too smart for that. He was always able to sense a lie. Just make sure he knows that we’re doing everything we can.” Jack leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I love you, baby. Don’t worry. We’ll find her.”

  She nodded as she wiped more tears that were now falling of their own volition. “Jack?” She waited until he turned to face her. “I love you, too.”

  Jack smiled at her and left.

  Samuel guzzled the water. He hadn’t realized how out of shape he was. But dragging Shelby from the car and up the stairs to the cabin had taken a lot out of him. He had rested only a moment once he had her inside, before he had managed to get her to the bed and bind her legs and arms. He hated that he had to tie her up, but he was now painfully aware that their courtship was going to be harder than he had originally anticipated.

  The fact that she had allowed Rex Metcalf to disgrace her body was indeed unsettling news. If he wasn’t so in love with her, he would have been disgusted with her. But he knew her, the real her. He knew that she couldn’t have voluntarily given herself to him in such a way. She had obviously been manipulated and was very confused.

  But he would help her. She would learn that it wasn’t right what they had done. She would hate herself for awhile, he was sure of it. She would feel shame and remorse, which she should. But he would help her through it all. She would eventually forgive herself with his help, and she would see him for what he was. Her soul mate. The only one who had a right to touch her. Then they would be together at last, together forever.

  He sat in the chair across the bed from her and watched. Wondering what he should do next, he looked around the room. Flowers, he should have gotten her flowers. Deciding that he would see if there were any wildflowers on the property, he decided to go outside. He walked past the mirror and stopped dead in his track when he saw his reflection.

  Damn! He forgot he still hadn’t changed. He was dressed like Samantha. He looked like a damn woman. Shelby wouldn’t find that appealing at all. He walked to the dresser and took out some of the clothes he had brought to the cabin just that morning. As he headed for the shower, he imagined what it would be like to be heading in there with Shelby. Both of them covered in sweat after making love. He looked over at her from the bathroom doorway. “Soon, my sweet.”

  “All right, so here’s what we have, Jack? We didn’t think you’d be back so quickly. Rex, is he okay?” Andrew asked.

  “Out of surgery, he’s gonna be fine. Shelby?” Jack replied shortly.

  Cullen shook his head. “It isn’t much. There’ve been no sightings of the car, and no witnesses have called in, despite the news alert that they have been flashing on TV for the last half hour. It’s like they disappeared into thin air.”

  Andrew slammed his fist on the desk. “It makes no damn sense. It’s Friday night. At the time everything went down, there should have been hundreds of witnesses on the city streets who should have seen them. I mean you’d think you’d notice if a woman was screaming in a car and trying to escape.” But as soon as he said it, they all realized a very distinct possibility.

  “That means that either she wasn’t struggling or she was in the trunk,” Jack said grimly.

  Andrew shook his head. “No, we’re not going to think the worst we’ve–”

  “Dollaghan, Bristow, get in here!” their chief yelled from his office.

  Jack didn’t wait for an invitation, he followed them in.

  “Listen, we’ve–Peyton? What the hell are you doing here? This is a police investigation,” Chief Rawlings snapped.

  Cullen and Andrew looked at each other. They were in a lose-lose situation. They could get their asses ripped by their chief for including a civilian in an investigation, or they could get their asses kicked by Jack himself for not letting him help, which would then be followed up by a subsequent beating by Rex when he was well. Andrew would much rather deal with his chief than Rex and Jack any day. Especially when it pertained to protecting a woman, so he spoke first.

  “Look, Chief, you know Jack. Is he a pain in the ass? Yeah, but he’s an ex-SEAL, and you know damn well that if he’s not here helping us, he’s going to be out there going all vigilante on our asses. Trust me, no one wants that.”

  Cullen surprisingly backed him up. “He’s right, Chief. We could use him. He’s smart, and he’s quick.”

  The chief stared at them all for a moment, considering their arguments. “If your ass gets hurt or worse, that’s your problem, understood?”

  Jack nodded. “Understood.”

  “Fine, look, I’m still waiting to find out, but there’s someone that’s checking some information out. Someone thinks they might have seen someone maybe fitting McAllister’s description in the male form yesterday at a small realtor office north of here.”

  “Where?” Jack, Andrew, and Cullen all asked at the same time.

  The chief raised his hands up. “Hold on. The person who thinks they saw him go into the office was across the street at the time. We’re trying to track down the realtor now. We’re going to have to wait until we’re able to verify the information.”

  “Why can’t we head up there now? Scour the area until we find him,” Cullen demanded. His emotions were getting the better of him, which was not in his character.

  “Because it’s only a probability. Say we drive up there and waste time for nothing, then what happens when we get a good tip a hundred miles in the opposite direction? We have to use our resources wisely. If the tip turns out to be legit, we have state troopers who can get there fairly quickly.”

  “Damn.” Jack paced the office. “I feel so damn helpless. I haven’t felt this way since–”

  He didn’t finish his sentence, but they all knew. They knew the horror Jack had gone through wh
en he thought that Tamara was dying at the hands of Brent. The memory and pain of that day was still very fresh in their minds.

  It seemed so unfair, Andrew thought as he walked to the window to look out at the city. “Where are you, Shelby?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Shelby?” Rex whispered as he started to wake up.

  Tamara was at his side and reached for his hand. “She’s not here, Rex. But she’s going to be fine. Your surgery –” She quieted at the look of his eyes. To say they were laced with vengeance would be a massive understatement.

  “Where is she, Tamara? Where’s Jack?” His tone was anything but inquisitive or friendly.

  “Rex,” she said as she touched his cheek. “I’m sorry. We don’t know where she is yet, but –”

  “Stop it, Tamara. Don’t freaking sugarcoat it. Tell me what you know. Now!” She jumped at his shout, but quickly recovered.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you. But you have to tell me you’re not going to try to jump out of this bed and do anything stupid. You’ve got stitches, and you had a blood transfusion. You need to heal. You’ll be no help to Shelby if you wind up dead.” She tried to sound stern, but her voice was shaky.

  “Tamara, tell me now!” He was screaming and demanding answers.

  Shelby woke up to the sound of running water. She looked around the unfamiliar room and was confused for a moment. But then she started to remember. Her appointment with Samantha. The argument they had over Rex. The uncomfortable feeling she had as she tried to leave. Samantha mentioning her stalker and then–oh, God! The stalker. She couldn’t figure out why he had seemed so familiar before. But now she knew. The build, the body type, as well as the way he moved. It had reminded her of Samantha. But why?

  “Ah, I see you’re awake. Good evening, sweetheart,” Samuel said as he laid a kiss to her cheek, and she struggled to turn away.

  He was naked, leaning over her, trying to kiss her. Who was he? He looked so much like Samantha but without makeup, and the hair was a bit messier. But he didn’t look like Samantha. He was Samantha. “Samantha?”

  His face changed. “Samantha isn’t with us anymore. She was weak. She has gone back to where she came from. I’m back now, though.”

  “You’re back? Who, who are you?” Shelby asked. Not entirely sure that she wanted the answer.

  “Oh, my apologies. How could I be so inconsiderate as to not introduce myself? I’m Samuel, Samuel McAllister.”

  “You’re my stalker.” She was stating a fact not asking a question.

  His hands tensed, and his knuckles turned white. “That is an ugly term to use, Shelby. But nonetheless, I will forgive you. Obviously, Mr. Metcalf has confused you more than I thought.”

  “Rex.” She turned her head and saw it was dark outside. He would be looking for her. He would find her.

  “Why do you look like that when I mention his name? You shouldn’t worry. I have taken care of him. He can’t hurt you anymore. I’ve, well, let’s just say he can’t hurt you anymore,” he said with a chuckle.

  “What? What have you done?”

  He turned to her, and evil laughter escaped him. “I’ve done to him what he deserves. He violated you, and he took advantage of you. I had no choice. I couldn’t let him live after what he had done.”

  Shelby started to cry and then stopped. No, there’s no way this small man could have ever taken Rex. Rex had at least a foot in height and probably fifty pounds over him. Plus, Rex was an ex-SEAL and very fit. This man had the physique of a woman, except for–Her thoughts trailed off as she saw that he was aroused.

  He smiled at her and touched himself. “I’m sorry, my sweet. I wasn’t thinking. I should have put a towel on. Of course you would feel bashful the first time you see the proof of my love for you. You are a lady and not accustomed to such lewd sights.” He knelt on the bed next to her, still touching himself. “But I do not want you to be afraid. This, what you do to me, it is natural. God intended for a man and woman to be together in this most essential way. Just as he intended that man and woman to be us.”

  Oh no, please, no! “You’re going to rape me?”

  Her statement made him angry. He stopped touching himself and got off the bed as he stalked to the bathroom. He came out after pulling on a pair of boxer shorts. “That displeases me, Shelby. I would never take you in such a vile way. My name is not Rex Metcalf. I do not abuse women or take what is not mine.”

  She was suddenly angry. She had been a victim her whole life it seemed. Regardless of what happened to her now, she would not go down without a fight. “Really? You don’t take what’s not yours? You took me, and I am by no means yours!” she snapped.

  He raised his hand and was about to strike her when he stopped his hand inches from her face. “No, I will not hurt you. That I promised myself. I do not want you to fear me.” He took the same hand that was about to strike her and used it to run his fingers down her cheek. “I know this is new and probably quite confusing to you. I promise I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths,” he said as he motioned toward the ropes which held her in place, “if I was not sure that God had wanted it this way.”

  “God! You think God wanted you to kidnap a woman and tie her up. Who is your freaking God?” she screamed.

  He let out a small laugh. “Ah, you are tenacious. I will give you that. Not to worry. I am a patient man. One day we will look back on all of this and laugh. When we tell our children –”

  “Our children? So, you really are insane.”

  “Look, I love you, my sweet. But every man has his limits. Please do not push mine. Perhaps I should leave you for awhile so that you may consider the hurtful words you choose to use toward a man who wants nothing more than to make you happy.”

  His tone had changed. She was now making him angry. Good! Be angry, you son of a bitch. I will not be a victim anymore. Not by you, not by anyone. She made the silent vow to herself as he left the room, closing the door behind him. She waited for him to leave before she whispered, “Rex, please hurry.”

  “What?” Chief Rawlings yelled into the phone. “Great, just great!” He slammed the receiver down.

  Andrew and Cullen didn’t like the icy glare that was aimed at them.

  “You,” the chief said to Jack, pointing his finger. “You better get your wife on the phone. It seems Metcalf left the hospital, injuring an orderly who tried to stop him. Your wife was with him.”

  “What? He hasn’t even been out of surgery two hours. He has stitches. He’s probably weaker than a wet rag,” Jack exclaimed.

  “No kidding, why do you think they tried to stop him? Anyway, get her on the–Metcalf, are you freaking insane?” Everyone turned at the sight of Rex in the doorway.

  Tamara looked at Jack apologetically. “I’m sorry, Jack. He was going to leave with or without my help. I thought it best that I drive.”

  “Don’t blame her. Now where’s Shelby?” Despite Rex’s pale face, his adrenaline was running on high. When he lay there as Tamara told him all that they knew, he felt an inner rage that he had every intention of holding back until he found this Samuel McAllister. Then all bets were off!

  The chief stood up to face Rex. “Now look here, Metcalf. You should be in the damn hospital. They said you had a transfusion for Christ’s sake. And stitches. Oh hell, what am I wasting my breath for? I have as much chance getting you to listen as I do winning the freaking Miss America Pageant.” He sat back down and motioned toward a chair. “At least sit, you aren’t –” He was interrupted by his phone ringing.

  “Rawlings. Yeah.” He began writing information on a piece of paper. “Yeah, got it.” He hung up. “The realtor office tip was legit. A cabin about fifty miles from here. Real secluded. The idiot must not know about the bulletins, a state trooper is down the road a ways and can see him moving around inside. Doesn’t seem to be making an effort to leave.”

  “Shelby?” Rex asked.

  The chief shook his head. “No sign, but he appears to be makin
g dinner.”

  “Let’s go then, damn it!” Rex was already heading for the door.

  As they all scrambled out, the chief snapped at Cullen, “Get him some damn orange juice or something. He looks like he lost half his body weight in blood.”

  Jack turned to Tamara. “Honey, I think –” But he saw the look in her eyes. “All right, fine. Follow behind. But stay back. I almost lost you once. I’m not going through that again.”

  “Peyton, let’s go!” Rex yelled.

  Samuel walked back into the bedroom and dropped the tray of food. She was gone! He heard a noise and turned his head. Whap!

  “Take that, you psycho!” Shelby screamed. He went down with a thud, and she dropped the lamp. She ran down the hallway, unsure of where the door was. She had to find a way out of here. She would die before she would be a victim again.

  She rounded a corner and saw an open living room and then finally a door. Thank God! She ran for it and struggled with the lock. When she finally managed to open it, he came from behind her and pulled her back in by her hair.

  “Shit!” The trooper that was down the road had been watching the house through his binoculars when he saw it. Instinctively, he reached for his gun, but by then they were already back inside. So he reached for his radio instead.

  Shelby was thrown down on the floor. She hit her head hard on the wood floor and gasped at the pain. She propped herself up on her elbows and tried to get up but felt dizzy.

  “Stop it! Why would you do that? I wasn’t going to hurt you. How did you even –” He stopped at the sight of her wrists. They were almost raw with rope burns. While he had been in the kitchen making dinner, she had been hurting herself. Attempting to get free. Of what? Of him? It was ludicrous that she should try to escape from the only man who truly loved her.

  “You didn’t tie the ropes very hard, idiot!” She was angry, furious.