by Brandy Ayers
Sophie nodded, forcing one word from her raw throat. “Safe.”
Mercifully, his grip slackened enough for her to suck in a great lungful of air.
“Where?”
When she didn’t answer immediately, his fingers pressed into her windpipe once more, causing her to wheeze and her eyes to water. Both her hands flew to grip his wrist, desperately trying to pull him from her.
“Down…” The word came out more a squeal than anything, but his hold on her loosened once more. “Downstairs.” She forced the words out between bittersweet gulps of air. “Safe is downstairs.”
His hand slid around to the back of her neck, and pinching the nape, he pulled her from the wall and shoved her out the door into the master bedroom. “Show me.”
As the air began to flow more easily into her lungs, clarity came with it. If she couldn’t pull herself together and find a way out of this, she would die.
Knees threatening to collapse with every step, she walked down the hall to the stairs that bisected the house. Sophie knew her advantage in all of this was her knowledge of the layout, but she wasn’t sure she could get the opportunity to make a run for it. If her intruder turned out to be the same man breaking into homes and beating the occupants, then she would have to act quickly. He had already proved to have little regard for the life of his victims.
Sophie glimpsed the front door at the base of the stairs. Could she make a run for it straight out the front? No. Even if she managed to throw this guy off balance, somehow it would take precious seconds to unlock the deadbolt, time during which he would recover, and then she would just have an even angrier junkie on her hands.
The safe was in the den to the right of the stairs. If she gave him the combination to open it, she could possibly get away while he rummaged through. Or grab one of the weapons she knew were stored there. But it wouldn’t take him long to figure out the only thing of value in the safe were family heirlooms that held no real monetary value. He might be able to get a couple hundred dollars for the jewelry, but that was a long shot. She had long ago moved anything of real value to a safety deposit box at the bank.
Halfway down the staircase now, and Sophie still had no real idea of how she would get away. She could lead him in the wrong direction, turn left at the bottom of the stairs instead of right. In the kitchen she could grab a knife, make a run for the garage.
“Pick it up girlie. I don’t have all night.” A slight shove and Sophie went spilling down the last three stairs and sprawling onto the cold tile floor of the entryway.
A crash sounding from her right and something hard clipping across her ribs and back had her shrieking in pain and burying her face in her arms on the ground. Confusion swept through her mind. Had the intruder had enough of her and decided to beat her to death before even getting to the safe?
Too afraid to look, she held still and listened. Grunts and groans filtered into her fear-riddled mind. Flesh hitting flesh. A cursing voice, more feral growl than human. But even laced with anger, Sophie would recognize that voice anywhere.
Luke.
She turned onto her back and shrank back against the door. Luke had her captor pinned against the stairs, his fist cocking back for another blow to what was already a very bloody face.
Sophie whimpered involuntarily, equal parts relief and terror warring in her body at the scene laid before her. The small sound must have pulled Luke’s attention from the man below him, because he turned to look at her. The rage in his eyes made Sophie press back harder against the door.
The distraction gave the man enough time to pull his feet up and kick Luke away from him. Luke recovered quickly, but the intruder managed to slip by and run toward the back of the house.
Still plastered against the door, Sophie listened to the echoing sounds of the two men grunting and struggling in the place she had called home her entire life.
A yelp of pain from Luke broke through her increasing shock and pushed her to action. She’d lost the most important people in her life already. Even if Luke didn’t hold the same feelings for Sophie as she did for him, there was no way in hell she would let a drug addict looking for his next score take away the man she had fallen in love with. Even if that man had shattered her heart.
Scrambling to her feet, Sophie rushed into the den and pulled open the bottom drawer of her father’s desk. She took out the small pistol that she had learned to shoot with at the age of sixteen, thankful for her reluctance to put the thing in the storage locker in the closet with the rest of her father’s gun collection. She checked to make sure it was loaded and held it down and away from her body as she stalked toward the sounds of struggling.
Something heavy hit the floor, sending vibrations through the boards to shake her bare feet. A low groan filled with pain came from one of the men, though she couldn’t tell which. As she rounded the corner into the family room, relief swept through her to find Luke flat on his back, his huge bicep holding the intruder in a tight choke hold. Luke’s other arm held the man’s arm behind his back, wedged between their two bodies.
The junkie squirmed and fought against Luke’s hold on him, but it was useless. Luke’s strength was no match for the scrawny, strung-out man. But still he kicked and fought, trying to drive his head back into Luke’s nose.
“STOP.” Sophie yelled at the top of her lungs, and both men froze. She leveled the gun at the man who had broken into her home, the one place on earth she had felt safe. A sick sense of satisfaction spread through her as she saw the fear creep into the man’s crazed eyes.
“Good girl, Soph.” She shifted her gaze to Luke’s eyes; he looked at her with admiration. “Keep the gun trained on this dirt bag. He gets away from me, you pull the trigger, got it?”
Sophie nodded, no doubt in her mind she’d be able to take the shot if it came down to it. The criminal’s body went slack as he gave in to the inevitable.
Still keeping his hand around the man’s neck, Luke rolled him onto his stomach and gripped both the guy’s arms behind his back. Once the man was secure on the ground, one of Luke’s knees pressed into his lower back, both hands held tight in one of Luke’s, Sophie let out a sigh of relief.
“Don’t fucking move. You’re under arrest.” Luke practically growled in the guy’s ear.
Arms instantly weak, Sophie lowered her hands and let the gun fall to her side, flipping the safety on as it went.
A loud crash from behind her had Sophie wheeling around. Raising the gun once more, she staggered back until she hit the wall.
Officers Reilly and Jones burst into the foyer with guns drawn and ready, but the moment they saw Sophie, they lowered their weapons and ran to her side.
Sophie lowered her gun as well, allowing her body to slump to the ground in a heap against the wall. Her vision blurred as the tears that she had been holding back since hearing the man break into her home loosened and streamed down her face.
“Reilly,” Luke barked out from the other side of the family room. “Get your ass in here and cuff this fucker.”
“McCracken, what the fuck are you doing here?” Reilly holstered his gun and removed a set of cuffs from his belt. Kneeling down next to the intruder, he slapped the metal rings around the man’s wrists and helped Luke stand him up.
“I was in my car when I heard the call come over the scanners. I was nearby.” His eyes slid over to find Sophie still huddled on the floor, curled in a ball and shaking. “Get this lowlife out of here. I’ll help her.”
The officers dragged the man in cuffs from the room, reading him his Miranda rights as they went.
Slowly, Luke walked to where Sophie sat sobbing on the ground. “Sophie, are you okay? Did he touch you?” He knelt down a foot away, talking and approaching her as if she were a wounded animal that would break at any moment.
Unable to speak, Sophie nodded, another sob ripping from her throat.
“I’m going to kill him.”
Chapter Seven
Luke
Rage like he had never known before surged through Luke’s body. The thought of that asshole’s hands on his Sophie made red flood his vision.
Luke started to stand, but Sophie threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and dragging him back to the ground with her.
“Shh… It’s okay sweetheart, I won’t leave you.” He drew in a deep breath, striving for calm, and stroked the hair at the back of Sophie’s head. “What did he do, Soph?”
God, he didn’t want to know. But he needed to make sure the guy paid for everything he did to this sweet woman’s body.
“N-n-nothing, really,” she stammered. “Just roughed me up a little. Choked me, pushed me around.”
Relief and anger battled for dominance in his chest. For a moment, he had thought the scumbag had raped her; knowing that he hadn’t put his hands on her in that way was the kind of relief that made Luke’s limbs feel light. Yet at the same time, knowing the man had tried to harm the only woman Luke had ever considered giving up his promise for, made him want to exact some very painful revenge on the lowlife.
He blew out a heavy sigh, resigning himself to let the law do its thing and let justice exact his revenge for him.
“I heard your address on the scanner, and I swear my heart stopped for a moment.” The words tumbled from his mouth before he could stop them. And once they started, there was no stemming their flow. “I didn’t think I’d get here in time. But I was closer than the responding squad car. I don’t think I’ve ever driven that fast. I just kept thinking about you in danger, and I knew I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
“I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t made it in time,” Sophie whispered against his chest.
Sirens wailing and cars screeching onto her street made Sophie jump slightly in his arms. He tightened his grip around her and kissed the top of her head, unable to resist the pull of her sweet scent.
“Come on, let’s get you some water. You’ll have to make a statement.” Luke slowly pulled them both up from the floor, never loosening his grip on the most important person in his life.
Over the next hour, police swarmed Sophie’s house. Some were there in an official capacity; most had heard one of their own was targeted and came to help in any way they could.
Luke never left her side. He held her hand through her giving her statement, as officers swirled around the rooms collecting evidence, and while she wandered the house, numbly taking in the damage. Helplessness threatened to squash him beneath its weight, but he held strong and stood by her side, hoping that just his presence would help her in some small way.
At one point, it occurred to him he should be worried about what their coworkers thought of his attentiveness. But just as quickly as the thought came, he dismissed it. They could go fuck themselves if they had a problem with him holding her hand and comforting her.
The only time his hands left hers was when her uncle showed up. Luke shoved them into the pockets of his jeans and took a step back at that point. Both out of respect for his superior, but also out of respect for the woman who had wormed herself into his cold, walled-up heart.
“My Sophie girl. Are you okay?” The man who might as well have been her second father rushed into the room. His large hands cupped her face.
“I’m fine, Uncle Jon. Luke got here just in time.” She nodded toward Luke, standing quietly behind her shoulder.
“Luke, I can’t thank you enough.” Chief Gallo wasn’t known for his overt emotions, even after the passing of his brother. But the large man’s voice cracked as he reached his hand out to shake Luke’s.
“Just doing my job, Chief.” Luke pulled himself up straighter, locking his spine into attention.
“Bullshit. You were off duty and put yourself at risk for this girl.” The Chief pulled Luke into a back-slapping hug, and mumbled words into his ear that Sophie wouldn’t be able to hear. “Don’t think you’ve ever fooled me, boy. You don’t make this girl yours, someone else will.”
The comment left Luke reeling. The Chief knew about them? And more, he approved? Luke had spent so much time in the past two years suppressing his feelings for Sophie, he didn’t know what to do with the knowledge that his mentor and boss had known all along. The reasons for staying away from Sophie had nothing to do with her uncle, but he had always assumed that if the chief ever found out about their night together and his continued feelings for her, he would be livid. Knowing that wasn’t true made Luke consider if all the other reasons for staying away had been bullshit as well.
As soon as the chief left, Luke took up his spot by Sophie’s side once more, taking her shaking hand into his steady one. The need to sit and analyze his feelings, and whether it was possible to allow himself to love Sophie and still keep her safe nagged at him. But he put it to the side. Right now he had to be there for her, not confuse her further with his own bullshit.
Once all their statements had been recorded, and the window that had been busted out where the perp entered boarded over, people filtered out, leaving the two of them alone.
They stood awkwardly for a moment, hands still connected, but neither seeming willing to be the one to let go. He knew he should leave, let her alone to recover from the night’s events.
But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Selfish prick that he was, the thought of not being with her at that moment made acid bubble in his stomach.
“I’m not leaving,” he blurted out, at the same time as she whispered, “Please don’t leave.”
Their words stumbled over each other. She smiled, and warmth spread through Luke’s chest. Finally, he allowed himself to give in to the feeling. If only for one night, he would allow himself to be Sophie’s rescuer. He’d worry about building those walls back up around his heart tomorrow.
For the first time since the police descended on them, Sophie began to really look around her house. Luke followed the path of her gaze, taking in everything as she did.
What a mess.
Drawers and cabinets were pulled open, their contents scattered over the floor. The window above the kitchen sink was broken, but plywood now covered the gaping hole.
Curiosity filled her eyes. “How’d you get in?”
“You keep a spare key in that stupid ass fake rock next to the porch.” He dropped her hand abruptly, and walked around her kitchen, picking up the silverware that littered the floor. Unexplained anger slinked through his body; Luke tried to hold it off, knowing she didn’t need a lecture from him, but thoughts of how careless she had been with her own safety spurred him to let loose on her. “Which, by the way, is the worst fucking place to hide a key. If that junkie had been in his right mind, he could have made it into your house without you ever knowing it.”
The scumbag’s face surged into his mind once more, the dazed yet determined look in the man’s eye as he’d pushed her down the stairs. Suddenly Luke felt the need to do something, anything. The pressure of what could have happened, the images of what shape he could have found her in wouldn’t stop flashing behind his eyelids every time he blinked. A clatter echoed through the kitchen as he chucked the utensils into the sink. “You should know better, working with a bunch of cops.”
Silence filled the space between them.
Luke turned to face her, needing to see once again that she was okay. She had survived.
Sophie looked pissed. Tired, but pissed. “Are you seriously berating me for my choice of key hiding places right now?” She flung her arms open, gesturing to the disaster area that was her home.
Luke looked down at the plate he hadn’t realized he’d picked up in his distracted state. Guilt burned in his chest. How could he resolve his own feelings of failing her, with his anger toward her attacker and his need to comfort her? All the emotions were getting mixed up, leaving him confused and taking it out on the wrong person. He shook his head, mumbling under his breath.
“If you have something to say to me, just freaking say it. Stop mutter
ing like an old man.” Sophie grabbed a broom and dust pan then turned her back to him and swept up the broken glass from the window.
The need to touch her overwhelmed him. With a deep breath, he closed the gap he had forced between them. The scent of her washed over him as he stood just behind her, coconut and her own sweet scent filling his nose. He gripped her shoulders and spun her around so they came face to face. She squeaked, dropped the broom and tried to jump away from him, all at the same time. He refused to withdraw his hold on her, though. She had no reason to fear him, and the sooner she remembered that the better.
“Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I heard your address come across the scanner?” Barely contained emotions strained his vocal cords. He needed to yell, scream, anything to release the fear that still knocked around his bones, even knowing she was safe and with him. “Every fucked-up crime scene I’ve ever been to flashed through my head, only your face replaced the victims. I thought I was going to puke every time I heard another scanner update.” He took a deep, steadying breath. “When I think about what could’ve happened if I hadn’t made it in time…” His forehead lowered to press against hers.
Sophie’s soft, warm breaths huffed against his lips, and he sucked in a lungful of her, wanting as much of her inside him as he could get.
A devastating sob came bubbling out from her throat, her body shaking with the effort of her emotional release. He pulled her closer to him, cradling her head against his chest as she let the fear and relief pour out. Her knees collapsed, but before she could hit the ground, Luke lifted her into his arms and carried her to the couch.
“Shh… It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m here.” It was in that moment that he made a new promise to himself, and silently to Sophie. Before he had vowed to stay away, but now he made the opposite vow. He’d never leave her again. Giving in to the love and passion he had been trying to ignore every day for two years, he swore to be the man she deserved. He pulled her away from his chest, inspecting her face. “I’m never going to let anything like this happen to you again. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. He never should’ve even touched you.”
