“Medics are on their way up. Tell me what happened.”
The cop’s gaze dipped to her chest. For the first time she realized all she wore was her skimpy nightgown, which got pulled down and nearly off her breasts. She righted it and grabbed a pillow to hold against her for comfort and warmth.
“I left my son, Alex, here with Mariana to babysit so I could get some sleep. Something woke me. I heard whispers in the hall and got out of bed to investigate. I heard that asshole fighting with his wife and daughter and came into the room to make sure they were okay. I needed to know my son was okay. He came here to take my son.”
“Why would he do that?”
Her heart lurched again.
“Evan Faraday must have paid him to do it.”
“Why?”
“My son is Evan’s brother. Their father was murdered nearly two weeks ago. Alex is due to inherit everything, unless he’s dead. Then the Faradays will get everything as Donald Faraday’s surviving heirs.”
“Are you serious?” the cop asked, skeptical.
“Call Detective Raynott. He’ll confirm everything.”
The medics rushed in, cutting off the officer from asking more questions. She’d let him get the answers from Detective Raynott.
Mariana stood in the doorway, Alex crying in her arms. Kate waved her forward and took Alex, despite the protests from the paramedics.
“We need to check you out.”
“He’s my son. He was nearly kidnapped. Work around him.”
The head pounding she took made her woozy. She didn’t fight the medics demanding she go to the hospital to get her head checked out. They settled her on the gurney on her side, thanks to the glass still stuck in her back and the bleeding cuts. She settled Alex next to her.
“Is there someone who can look after the baby?”
“No. He’s coming with me.”
“I can call Ben,” Mariana said, tears shimmering in her eyes as she wrung her hands together.
“Go to my room. My phone is beside the bed. Call him, and bring my phone and Alex’s car seat to me at the ambulance.”
Mariana took off to do as she said. The girl met her at the ambulance and handed over her phone.
“Ben will meet you at the hospital. He’s very worried.”
Kate took Mariana’s hand and squeezed it tight. “Thank you, sweetheart, for protecting Alex. You did so good.”
Pride lit Mariana’s eyes, erasing some of the embarrassment and regret that clouded them after what her father did. She squeezed Kate’s hand back, then let go, brushing her hand over Alex’s back before she stepped away.
Kate let the paramedics do their thing, taking her blood pressure and cleaning the cuts on her back. She snuggled Alex close, pressed her face into his sweet little body, and closed her eyes, hoping Ben hurried. She wanted to see him. As tough as she was in the moment, now she needed to feel Ben’s arms around her. She needed him to reassure her Alex would be safe. Somehow they’d find a way to end this.
BEN RACED TOWARD the hospital, smacking his hand against his rental car’s steering wheel when he got caught at another red light.
“Fuck.”
He needed to get to her. He needed to see her. The second his phone rang in the middle of the night, he’d known something terrible happened. He hoped it was just another false alarm at Haven House. His hopes turned to fear when he heard Mariana’s shaky voice on the line and not Kate’s.
Mariana stumbled through telling him what happened. At this point, he could barely decipher her jumbled statements about her father attacking Kate and trying to kidnap Alex. There’d been a struggle. Kate got hurt, but what about Alex? Was the little boy okay? Kate would never forgive herself if something happened to her child. He’d never forgive himself for not protecting them better.
The light turned green and he rammed his foot down on the gas, squealing the tires as he raced the last half mile to the hospital. It was all he could do to muster the patience to park the car and not leave it outside the front doors. He ran into the emergency room and asked at the desk, “Where are Kate Morrison and Alex Faraday?”
“Room nine. Down the hall, last door on the right.”
Ben ran, dodging an old woman pushing her husband in a wheelchair, sliding a pole with IV lines next to them. He nearly slammed into a nurse.
“Hey, slow down.”
He didn’t stop, just rushed to the room and pushed open the door, stopping in his tracks when he spotted Kate lying on her side, Alex tucked against her chest, and a doctor sitting behind her with a pair of tweezers in his hand. He dropped a piece of bloody glass into a metal tray. The clink of glass hitting metal snapped him out of his stunned state and made him move to the bed. He leaned down and kissed Kate on the forehead, pressing his lips to her skin and holding the sweet touch until his heart stopped beating itself against his ribs and settled down. Her hand came up to touch his face. It trembled against his skin. He leaned back and held her hand between both of his.
“What’s the damage, Doc?”
“Mild concussion. Bumps and bruises. I’ll stitch closed some of these cuts, the others are minor. Almost got all the glass out now.”
Ben shook his head and ran one hand over his head.
“Kate, honey, are you okay?”
“Better now that you’re here.”
“And Alex?”
“Sleeping like a baby,” she said, but without even the hint of a smile. Her lips began to tremble. Her eyes filled with tears that spilled over and ran down her cheeks and into her hair. “He tried to take my baby.”
“He didn’t. You stopped him.”
“The way I heard it, she kicked some ass. Busted the guy’s nose. Knocked him out.” Admiration filled the doc’s voice that matched the grin on his face.
“That’s my girl.” Ben brushed his hand over Kate’s hair. “You’re one tough chick.”
“Don’t forget it,” she said, though it lacked the oomph he’d hoped for.
He held her hand and rubbed his hand up and down her thigh covered only by the thin hospital gown they’d put her in.
“What hurts the worst, honey?”
“My head.”
“We gave her something to take the edge off. I’ll give her a prescription for pain meds to take home.”
“You’re releasing her tonight?” Ben asked.
“As soon as I’m done here, she’s free to go. Someone should stay with her. The concussion is mild. She’ll have a headache for a day or so. She needs to rest and take it easy. She should refrain from carrying the baby around in case she gets dizzy.”
“I’ll take care of her.”
“Ben . . .”
“No arguments.”
“I was only going to say that I don’t have anything to wear. They cut my nightgown off in the ambulance to check out my back.”
“Oh, well, that’s no problem. I’ll get you something.”
“You can wear the hospital gown home for now,” the doc said, tying off another stitch in Kate’s back.
Unable to help himself, Ben leaned over to see the damage. He hissed in a breath. “Damn, honey, that looks bad.”
“Oh, good, I thought it only felt bad,” she teased.
“Most of this is superficial. Looks worse than it actually is. In a few days, the swelling will go down and most of these cuts will heal. Stitches can come out in five to seven days,” the doc explained.
“Okay. I’ll make sure she sees someone about them.”
The doctor worked for another five minutes. Kate flinched a couple of times when he pulled tight on a stitch, but otherwise she stared up at him. He kept her hand firmly in his and rubbed her leg to let her know he was there. Right beside her.
It took the emergency room personnel another half hour to finally get her paperwork together and
discharge her. Ben hated to leave her, but he had to run out and bring the car around. A nurse wheeled Kate outside. He’d already secured Alex’s car seat in back, though he didn’t have the base.
He helped Kate out of the wheelchair and into the front seat.
“Nice car,” she said.
“I rented it while mine gets a makeover,” he teased.
“You have a thing for sports cars.”
“So?”
“It’s nice.”
With her settled in the front seat, he ran around to the driver’s side. Kate stared over her shoulder at Alex in back.
“That’s not safe.” The seat belt crossed over Alex’s car seat. It would keep him from tumbling over if they got in an accident, but no, it wasn’t ideal.
“We’ll stop by Haven House and get the car seat base and your things before we go to my place.”
Kate went quiet on him during the ride. Not surprising given the early-morning hour and all she’d been through. He called Jill at Haven House to pack up Kate and Alex’s things. Used to late-night phone calls from women in trouble and in need of a safe place to hide, Jill didn’t mind doing what he asked. By the time he pulled into the back parking area, she’d put all of Kate’s things by the door. He grabbed them, stuffed them in the trunk, and resecured Alex’s car seat with the base. Kate scanned the parking area like any minute an army would rush out of the shadows. He hated seeing that fear in her eyes. The second he got behind the wheel, she reached for his hand and held it tight.
“You’re okay, Kate. We’ll be at my place in a few minutes.”
She nodded, but didn’t say anything about his plan to take her home. Things between them had been heating up this week. They’d grown closer. So much so that he couldn’t really imagine his life without her and Alex in it. He’d long ago stopped thinking that all of this, his feelings, was because of what Morgan predicted. All he knew is that getting that call tonight, the fear he’d felt on the way to the hospital not knowing how bad Kate was hurt, his mind spinning every conceivable “what if” that turned out worse than the next, made him understand one thing. He loved her. How that happened, he didn’t know. But he didn’t want to lose it. He wanted to hold on to her, make her happy, be happy with her for the rest of his life.
“Ben?”
“Yeah, honey?”
“I’m glad you came to get me.”
Ben brought their joined hands to his mouth and kissed the back of hers. “I’m sorry you got hurt, sweetheart. It kills me to see you scared and in pain. I swear, you’ll be safe with me.”
She didn’t say anything. He hoped he could keep that promise, but like him, she probably thought nothing would keep her safe so long as the Faradays wanted her and Alex out of the way.
Ben pulled up to the gate at his place and punched in the code for the security gate. Kate leaned forward to stare out the window and up at the luxury apartments.
“You live here?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Nothing. It’s nice. Expensive.”
“I make a good living, Kate.”
“I thought you’d have a house, that’s all.”
“This place has security, a pool, a gym, and a concierge service if I need it. I work a lot. I don’t have time to take care of a house and property.”
“Oh.”
He heard so much in that “Oh.” Like he didn’t have the time for a wife and family. For her and Alex.
“To tell you the truth, I’ve gotten tired of this place. Well, not so much the place as being alone here. Which is probably why I work so much and avoid it. It’ll be nice to have you and Alex here with me.”
“For how long?”
He pulled into his parking space and cut the engine. He turned and faced her, her hand in his. “As long as you want to stay, Kate.” He leaned in and kissed her softly. “As long as you want to stay.”
She didn’t say anything, just stared up at him, her eyes wide and round.
“Come on, honey, let’s go inside. You’re tired. You can take the meds the doc gave you. I’ll fill your prescription in the morning. I’ll take Alex, and bring your stuff in after I get you settled.”
Kate got out, her movements stiff and automatic. He pulled Alex from the backseat, carried him, and led Kate to the lobby door. Steve and John, the two night guards, nodded to Ben when they entered. Kate punched the button for the elevator, holding the hospital gown closed.
“Everything okay, Mr. Knight?” Steve asked.
“This is my girlfriend, Kate, and her son, Alex. Kate had an accident. I picked her up from the hospital. They’ll be staying with me.”
“Welcome, Kate. Feel better,” Steve said.
Kate gave the guards a halfhearted smile and stepped into the elevator. They rode up in silence. Ben walked out ahead of her and led her to his door down the hall. He unlocked the door, let Kate go in ahead of him, and entered the code into the security panel by the door.
Kate sighed with relief.
“You’ll be safe here. The alarm system is monitored by security downstairs. We’re on the third floor, so nobody can get in through the windows. Fire exit is three doors down the hall to the left.”
She nodded and stood in the middle of his living room in her bare feet and the hospital gown tied at her back looking lost. She didn’t see the comfortable furnishings or landscape paintings on the walls.
“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”
He led the way down the hall past his office in the spare room. She stood in the doorway, staring at the king bed covered in a dark blue blanket.
“You and Alex can take the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“You don’t have to give up your room.”
“I don’t mind. You need your rest, Kate.”
“I want to stay with you.” Her head fell and she stared at the floor. “If that’s all right with you,” she said to her pink painted toes.
This time Ben didn’t know what to say. He wanted her to be with him. He’d never expected it to turn out this way. Still, this wasn’t about seducing her into his bed. She needed him to comfort her. She needed him so she could feel safe.
He walked straight into the master bedroom and set Alex’s car seat on the bed and pulled the blue comforter and white sheet down. He unstrapped Alex from his seat and gently lifted him out, trying not to wake the little guy. Alex sucked his pacifier hard and grumbled a bit, but settled once Ben laid him in the middle of the bed and tucked his baby blanket around him.
He turned to face Kate. She stood next to his tall dresser, her fingertip touching his law school graduation photo. The hospital gown, though tied, showed off her backside. A man could get used to seeing a woman in white-lace-trimmed blue panties. He could get used to seeing her in anything—and nothing.
Focusing on the task at hand, he went to his dresser and pulled out one of his college T-shirts. He closed the distance between him and Kate and stood too close to her just to see what she’d do. If she was half as nervous as him, well, they’d have to find a way to ease into this together.
Kate surprised him and walked right into his arms. She held him close, her face buried in his chest. “Thank you.”
He closed his arms around her, the T-shirt hanging from his fingers down her backside, his fingertips pressed to her smooth spine where the hospital gown split. “Um, you’re welcome.”
“I mean it. I really appreciate this. I know it’s weird. We haven’t even . . . You know. And here I am asking to spend the night with you, but we have Alex, and it’s not for the reasons you want, and . . .”
“Kate, stop.” He cupped her bruised face and tilted her head back so he could look down into her worried blue eyes. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m still so angry and upset about what happened to you. I want to hold you close and reassure myself that you’re reall
y okay. Let’s start there, like we started this relationship as friends. Everything has to start somewhere. It doesn’t have to happen all at once.”
“I’d really like to . . .” She waved her hand toward the bed. “But . . .”
“We will when there isn’t a but, just you and me and what we want and need from each other. Right now, you need me to comfort you. I can do that. I want to do that.”
She hugged him close, then turned in his arms and reached up over the dresser to touch one of the silver framed photos of him as a boy with his trusted black Lab at his side. Ben had his arm hooked around his beloved dog.
“You were such a cute little boy.”
“I think I was about eight in that picture. All big front teeth and gangly legs.”
“That cute dimple in your right cheek when you smile.”
He smiled behind her and felt the heat in his cheeks. He draped the T-shirt over his shoulder, placed his hands on her shoulders, and squeezed, massaging the tense muscles, knowing the worst of the cuts and bruises were a bit lower.
“What if he’d taken Alex? I might never have had the chance to see him grow into a little boy.” The hitch in her words tore at his heart.
“Kate, honey, he’s safe and sound. They didn’t take him. They won’t. You kept him safe. I’ll keep you both safe.”
She bent her head. He couldn’t see her face or hear her cry, but he felt the shaking in her shoulders beneath his hands.
“You’re tired. You need to take your meds and rest.” He slid his hands over her shoulders to the first tie on the gown at her neck. He pulled it free and traced his fingers down her spine to the next one, and the next one. Finished, he pushed the gown off her shoulders and let it fall at her feet. He leaned in and kissed one of the cuts high on her shoulder. Maybe he got a glimpse of one rosy tipped breast, but he didn’t stare or linger, but moved down her back to kiss a particularly angry red mark that would turn to a bad bruise.
“Ben.” She sighed out his name.
“Kate,” he answered, kissing another small cut, a bruise, the length of her puckered stitches running along her shoulder blade. Now that he had her attention, and she wasn’t thinking about losing Alex, he continued to kiss the marks on her back and crunched up the T-shirt so he could pull it over her head. He kissed his way up her neck, draping her long hair over her shoulder. He hated to stop, but she needed comfort and time to settle into this part of things between them. He didn’t want to take advantage of her vulnerable state. They could lose each other making love and forget for a little while the terrible things that happened, but he wanted more. He wanted to give her more than a distraction.
Everything She Wanted Page 18
