“Oh, Kat—sweet, innocent Kat. What you don’t know is that my dad was one of your boys’ biological dad’s lackeys in Boston. He was second-in-command. Your boy destroyed him when he brought his brother in to take over the family. As a result, the week after James got back, my dad was found dead by apparent suicide. That family killed my dad, and I want revenge. I knew that Trent was working for Mr. Milano, so when he was relieved of his duty, I took over and started to pay Trent to get to you. James put that guard dog on you and we never had the chance until today. Bren told me you had an appointment, and it worked out perfectly. Now I get to take you and his baby away from him while James suffers.”
No one here knows the truth. I have to keep it that way no matter what. They think that they are taking away James’ baby and me. I play along with it. It looks like my only chance to save us. I play it off like I know what he is talking about when he talks about the Milano Family. I honestly have no clue. Nothing he just said made any sense to me.
“What are you going to do now?” I ask.
“It is time to go to Boston and see about making a trade with Jackson. It is time to see how much your life is worth,” Jayce answers.
Who is Jackson? Then it all clicks as I play back what Jayce said. Family, Boston, Jackson this is the mob they are talking about, a Mob family. Why is James mixed up in a Mob family?
I am picked up off the couch and pushed in the direction of the door back outside. This time, we get into another car, and I am shoved in, making me lie down across the back seat. No one can see me from this angle as we drove.
Nothing is said the entire ride to Boston until we arrive at our destination. I know they were ready and waiting for us at the Milano house by the reaction heard from the front seat. I almost expected them to speed in the opposite direction, but then I hear the sound I dread—the sound of two guns being cocked and ready to fire at a seconds’ notice. Trent gets out and puts me in front of him as a shield. This guy seriously had no backbone. He would always be an errand boy for the likes of these people. Before I know it, I have Jayce next to me and we are walking to the door like it is a normal visit to a friend’s house. We are let into the house and led to an office where I see a handsome man sitting behind a desk.
“Jayce, I assume and Trent hiding behind Miss Woodbridge, would be my guess,” the guy says with a sexy deep voice.
“Who are you?” I ask since the gag was gone.
The sexy guy walks around the front of his desk and stands right in front of me with a kindness in his eyes. “Miss Woodbridge, I am James’ half-brother, Jackson. I have heard a lot of amazing things about you. How are you doing right this second? Do you need any water?”
I notice as he speaks to me, his eyes keep looking down like he is trying to tell me something.
“You’re looking a little faint, my dear.”
Then it clicks. With an air of exaggeration, I sink down to the floor and try to brace myself as best as I can without being obvious that I’m not really out.
Soon, the room is surrounded by what seems like a hundred footsteps, but it isn’t nearly that many. I am quickly removed to the other side of Jackson’s desk, and when I look up, I see Max. He must have been right on our tail to be able to get here so fast. “I’m so sorry, Miss Kat.” He looks at me like he is hurting and disappointed in himself. He unties the ropes on my wrists and stays in position making sure I don’t get hurt.
“Max, it isn’t your fault. I should have checked to see who was on the other side of the door before opening it.” I then hear a gunshot and Max covers my body with his. Apparently, the only defense that Jayce had was his gun but he quickly learned that a gun can only protect you so much when you aren’t the only one with a gun. Max and I hear one of the guys yell, “All clear,” so we got up off the floor. Trent has a few bruises on his face, and Jayce has a gunshot wound in his shoulder.
“Trent, James is here to finish what we started. He wanted to have a turn, and, Jayce, you will be dealt with on our terms. Boys, don’t expect to have a happy life after today,” Jackson says to Trent and Jayce.
I now Know for sure that we are surrounded by the mob I also know that James wants to keep away from this life, he made that clear when he spoke in my apartment a month ago. I don’t know if it is for me or if it is for himself, but now I have a better idea of what has been going on and why Max became a permanent fixture in my life. I am sitting at Jackson’s desk drinking a glass of water when James walks in. He takes my breath away even though he looks like shit but in a sexy way. I haven’t seen James in almost a month and I blame that on myself. James looks tired and worn out, he even looks like he has lost some weight. I knew I have done that to him by causing all the worry. He looks at me and a ghost of a smile passes his lips before he turns to Jayce.
“Jackson, they both think I have James’ baby; they both have no idea about Trent. Please go let James know this.” He nods his head and makes his way over to James, pulling him aside to whisper in his ear. With a nod of his head, James goes back to talk to Jayce, and I sit here watching the man I love mentally destroy someone I thought was a friend. Then he makes his way over to Trent, and with no words, he looks him in the eyes then pulls back and gives him a right hook and then a knee to the stomach and adds a kick to the face while he is down. Trent is in a bloody heap on the floor and doesn’t look like he is in the best shape after encountering James.
“Jackson, they are both all yours to do with as you please. Just make sure we no longer have to see or worry about them again. Also, may we borrow a room for the night? We will head back to Portland tomorrow after breakfast.”
“Sure thing, brother,” Jackson replies. “Dinner will be brought to your room if you need it too, just let me know in a little bit. Night, Kat, it was nice to meet you.”
“Same to you, Jackson. See you in the morning,” I reply, and then we walk upstairs to one of the many bedrooms in this beautiful house on Beacon Street.
James
Weeks have gone by and nothing has been figured out to why Trent went rogue. Today, Kat has an appointment with her doctor. I have been getting updates from Max about Kat. The day is going as well as can be expected considering I haven’t slept well at all or been eating much. It’s time for Kat and Max to leave for her appointment and I am on edge—I have a bad feeling running through my blood. Within thirty minutes, I receive a call from Max.
“James, she is gone. I went to get the car locked her in the apartment, and when I came back up to get her to bring her down, the door was wide open and she was gone.”
“Max, have you heard from Grey, did he catch where she went?”
“He caught sight of her and is following the car. We will find her. Meet me out back and let’s go.”
I run to the front of the shop and tell the girls that I have to go. I might not be back soon and I toss the keys to Mindy as I went running out the back door. Max is in the car waiting for me and then we are off. I don’t know where we were going, but we are on the road.
My phone rings, and it isn’t a number I recognize so I answer it. “Hey, James, this is Trent. I have something you may want.”
Panic sets in, and all I want is to hear her voice, make sure she isn’t hurt. He lets me talk to her for a second, long enough for Kat to tell me she is fine, and then the line disconnects.
“Max, call Grey; we need to know what is going on.”
Max calls through his Bluetooth in the car.
“Grey, it’s Max, what is going on? We just got a call from Trent. Kat seems okay, but we need to get to her.”
“Max, there is two guys now, and they just put her in a different car. I don’t know where they are going, but I’m on it. I will update you when I know where they are taking her. James, don’t you have a young guy, Jayce, that is a manager at your shop?”
“Yeah, I do, he actually didn’t show up today for his shift. I had to leave the keys with Mindy to close up today.”
“I think that Jayce is the other guy th
at has her. They are now getting on 295 heading toward 95,” Grey answers back “We are three cars back from them. We will stay with them no worries. We will find her.”
“We are getting on 295 now; let us know if we are going north or south on 95 as soon as you can. But I have a feeling they are heading toward Boston.”
“Will do,” Grey shoots back before we disconnect.
“Max, I need to call Bren. I told her what was going on a few weeks ago with my family and she will worry. Just keep driving. I have a feeling we will be in Boston in a couple of hours.”
I grab my phone and call Bren. “Bren, it’s James. We have a problem. Kat was just taken by Trent, and we think Jayce and heading toward Boston.”
“What the hell? Jayce has her and Trent? Oh, my God, what the hell is going on?”
“Bren, we are on their tail. We will get her back and safe. But I need you to do me a favor. I trust you. Can you go to the shop and get the keys from Mindy? I need you to close up tonight, don’t worry about anything Mindy will do the closing duties, but please just lock the door up for me I will deal with the rest later. Bren, we will get her back, and I will call you as soon as we know more. Can you do that for me?”
“Yeah, I will lock up for you, just bring her back. Call me as soon as you can.”
“Don’t tell anyone what is going on try and go through the day like normal.”
“I got it, James, just call me.”
“I will, I have to go. I’ll call you. I promise.”
While I am on the phone with Bren, Max gets a message—South. We are going toward Boston and once again this is my entire fault. Everything that has happened with Kat is all my fault. We need to get her back, and I will promise to be there for her for the rest of her life if she will let me.
The rest of the ride is long and silent with updates from Grey every now and then. They are now in the city, and from the looks of the route we are going to Beacon Street. We are on the way to Jackson’s place.
I quickly grab my phone and call Jackson. “Jackson, they have Kat. Two guys, Trent and Jayce They are heading toward your place. I don’t know what they want or what they have planned, but Grey is on their tail, and we are not far behind them.”
“We will be ready for them. Any idea what they want?”
“Not a clue, but they have Kat, and we need to keep her and the baby safe.”
“Don’t worry, James, we will be ready and get her safe as soon as we can.”
I get off the phone with Jackson and we get to the house as soon as possible. When we get there, there is no sign of anyone. Max and I walk into the house and hear voices coming from in his office. Before I know it, Max has rushed ahead of me and disappears. I enter the office after the commotion has stopped, and I see both Jayce and Trent being held by a couple of guys and Jayce has a blood running down his arm. Kat is sitting at Jackson’s desk with a glass of water and Max is inches from her back in his protection mode. I walk over to Jayce but then get pulled back from him by Jackson. He tells me quietly that everyone thinks I am the dad of Kat’s baby and don’t let them know differently. I nod my head and go over to Jayce.
“I trusted you, Bren trusted you, and Kat trusted you. What do you think you are doing you sorry excuse for a person? Why would you take Kat?”
“You destroyed my father when yours died and he took over so I wanted to destroy you,” he snarls at me.
“How did that work out for you? I don’t care about you. I will let Jackson and his guys take care of you, but know if I see your face anywhere near Bren or Kat again if you survive this, I will kill you with my own hands.”
I step away from the bleeding bastard and over to Trent. I don’t say a word to him I just give him my best right hook I got. I knee him in the stomach, and when he is down I kick him in his face a few times. I walk away from him, and as I pass Jackson, I tell him that he can do as he pleases with them. I ask for a room for the night and then make my way over to Kat. As I get close, Max backs away, relieving himself of his duty to protect her, and I step over to her. I grab her hands to lift her out of the chair, and when she is standing, I wrap my arms around her tight. Her stomach has grown in the last month, and she is gorgeous. I pull back and take her hand and lead her to one of the guest rooms. Jackson lets me know as we pass him that if we want dinner brought up to let him know and tells Kat it was nice to meet her.
When the door closes behind us and we are alone for the night, I finally speak to Kat. I feel the rage leave my body as I look at her. I wrap my hands on either side of her face and place a light kiss to her lips.
When I pull back, I look her in the eyes and say, “Kat, my God, I was so scared today. I am so sorry my life has done this to you. Everything is my fault. I wanted to explain everything to you the night you told me about Trent, but you wanted me gone. Kat, I am so sorry for this.”
“James, I am okay, they didn’t hurt me. Scared me, pushed me around a little, but no one ever hurt me.”
“Kat, you don’t understand. You being pregnant is my fault, you being threatened is my fault. Everything is my fault because of who my father was. Trent was on my father’s payroll, his job was to get to you and keep you away from me. Because of me, Trent went after you and did what he did. Kat, you were raped because of me, because my father wanted me under his thumb. I can never express how sorry I am but, Kat, I am here, and I will always be here for you. When Max called me today, I was in the car so fast. I needed to get to you. I love you, Kat, and I will never let anything happen to you again if you will let me.”
“You are not to blame, James, you are not your father, and I have seen what you have done to stay away from this life. You left to find Jackson so you wouldn’t be trapped here in the position he is in now. I don’t know if you did it for me or for yourself but I trust you, James. I don’t blame you for anything. Your dad, Trent, and Jayce are all sick people. They did everything not you. James, I love you.”
“I love you too, Kat.”
I take her face in my hands and kiss her slowly, lovingly. Kat wraps her arms around my waist, and with her touch, I deepen the kiss, putting every emotion I feel into it. We are sitting on the edge of the bed, and I slowly push her down, wrapping myself around her. I have no intention of making love to her since I know she is not cleared by her doctor yet, I only want to hold her. Kat makes it so difficult to not go further, but I have to resist.
“Kat, I want more than anything to make love to you, to show you what sex is supposed to be like, but we can’t. You need to be cleared by the doctor. I know you had an appointment today. Right now, I just want to feel you in my arms and take care of you. “
“James.”
Before she can say anything else, her stomach growls loudly.
“I think I need to feed you,” I say with a chuckle, “I’ll call Jackson and have some dinner sent up.”
“Thank you, I haven’t eaten all day. But, James, I want you to know I love you, and I appreciate you thinking of me first. I want you, I want to feel loved by you, and it will happen.”
I kiss her quickly on the lips. “I love you, Kat.”
Katarina
One of Jackson’s people brings us up an amazing dinner and we sit and eat in bed. After eating, we set the plates to the side and curl up together in bed. I want to love this man with everything I have, but I can’t—not yet. We lie in bed wrapped around each other talking about anything and everything, and I fall even deeper in love with him. For once in my life, I feel loved unconditionally for who I am. I love the feel of this man in my arms, and I don’t ever want to let him go. We are both tired and can feel sleep taking us over when his phone starts to ring.
“Hello?” he answers
“Is she okay, what happened, you never called.” It’s Bren on the other end of the phone.
“Bren, Kat is fine, we are here together right now. I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier. We will be back tomorrow.”
“Let me talk to her.”
James hands me the phone, and I say, “Hey, Bren.”
“Are you really okay? I have been terrified all day.”
“Bren, I am fine, I am here with James and feel safer than I have in a long time. We need to talk when we get back, though. But don’t worry, I’ll see you tomorrow. James needs to talk to you before we hang up. Love you, Bren.”
“Love you too, Kat.”
I hand the phone back to James. “Bren, once again, I am sorry, I had to take care of Kat. Is everything going okay at the shop?”
“Yeah, everything is getting cleaned up now, and I will lock up. What about the morning?”
“That is what I wanted to ask you. Are you up to opening the door in the morning? You won’t have to do anything; Grace will be in and can do everything. You just need to let her know the drawer is the same from today.”
“I can do that for you. Just keep Kat safe and bring her home.”
“That I can do, we should be back before noon.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow. Night.”
“Thanks, Bren, night.”
James sets the phone down on the nightstand and turns off the light. He leans over to me and lightly kisses me on the forehead.
“Let’s get some sleep, Kat. It has been a long day.”
“Sounds good.”
I lean over and kiss him, and in by my next breath, his tongue is sliding across my bottom lip trying to get me to open for him. I allow it, and we kiss slowly for a few minutes before I feel the rush of passion surge through my body. This kiss has more emotion in it than I have ever felt in a kiss. We start to slow the kiss down and pull away from each other. The lights are out, but I can still feel his eyes on me. James pecks me on the lips once more and then pulls me into his chest giving me another kiss on the forehead as we settle in for the night to sleep.
I wake the next morning to silence—no sign of James anywhere. Once I am done stretching like I have never stretched before, I get up and make my way to the bathroom that is attached to the bedroom. At some point last night, James was able to find me a shirt to sleep in. Once I get done in the bathroom, I curl back into bed. Not more than a minute later, James comes walking in with a tray of breakfast. He sits on the edge of the bed next to me and sets the tray off to the other side of the bed and leans in to kiss me.
The Night He Saved Me Page 15
