by Dawn Brower
He stopped at the entrance and pushed the door open. It was eerily quiet inside. Most of the lights were already turned off. There was a slight illumination down the hall leading toward their main offices. She must still be in her office. He stopped short when he heard muffled voices. Who was she talking to?
“Claire?” he called out.
His shout was answered with silence. Matt scrunched his eyebrows together and headed toward the back of the office. An uneasy feeling settled into his gut. Something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t put a finger on what bothered him. They didn’t have a large office. Down the hall was a conference room and four offices. They each had their own space to work in, and once they hired a new attorney the fourth would have an occupant.
Was he losing his mind? He inched his way toward the hallway. There were no sounds, but he swore he’d heard muffled voices. Now there was nothing. A little bit of light, but no one else around.
“Claire?” he called again.
Her car was in the parking lot. She had to be in the office. Where else would she be? She’d not leave her car behind, even if she’d texted him she was leaving. Claire would have texted him if she was leaving her vehicle behind. That was how she was. She didn’t like to leave people guessing about her intentions.
A loud crash filled the office. Whatever it was, he’d bet his entire bank account it was damaged beyond repair. He rushed down the hall and pushed open the door to the conference room. His heart froze in his chest at the sight. His gut hadn’t steered him wrong. Nolan held Claire against his chest, a knife against her neck. He gulped back his fear and assessed the situation. How should he handle it? If he took a wrong step, Nolan could slice her throat. Matt refused to lose her when he’d begun to accept her into his life. This was supposed to be their beginning. Nolan Pratt wasn’t going to ruin their future. Why was he holding Claire with malicious intent? What was he missing? His vision blurred and he forced himself to focus. No, no it couldn’t fail him now. Every fear he carried deep inside of him was on the brink of coming true. He blinked and everything was clear again. But for how long? He had to remain in control or he’d not be any good to Claire.
Matt leaned against the door frame, acting as nonchalant as possible. His insides were one huge ball of unending fear. He couldn’t let either one of them see it though. “What am I interrupting? Is this a new game?”
Claire’s eyes widened at his statement. No doubt she thought he was losing his ever-loving mind. He couldn’t really blame her. Nolan didn’t bother responding. Matt didn’t know what to make of that. If he didn’t get a clue soon, he’d not know how to react. He slid his hands inside his pockets and thumbed his cell phone. Maybe he could manage calling for help if he could figure out the right buttons to push—damn touch screen made it almost impossible to figure out blindly.
“Not a game then?” He raised his eyebrows. “Is this a new sort of love play I’m unaware of?
“Go away you fool.” His face twisted up maniacally. “If you move any closer, I’ll slit her throat.”
Matt reminded himself to breathe. If he left, Nolan would hurt Claire. There was no if involved. The man’s eyes were filled with a kind of crazy a person couldn’t help noticing. He was unhinged, and Matt didn’t have any idea how to handle it.
Then an idea formed in his mind. What if Nolan thought Matt was leaving? It would give him the opportunity to get a call for help and come up with a better plan.
“That sounds reasonable. I’ll leave you to—” Matt waved his hand. “—Whatever this is.”
His vision became a little hazy again. Damn it. He didn’t have time for his handicap to rear its ugly head. Claire’s screams almost made him turn around. It pained him to allow her to think he’d leave her in peril, but it was necessary. He had to make a call fast. Nolan wasn’t going to let him leave. He was too crazy and hung up on whatever insanity was rolling through his messed up brain, but he’d realize his mistake soon. Matt pulled his phone out of his pocket and stared at it helplessly. It was a square blob blending into his hand. He blinked several times and prayed he’d be able to focus enough to make the call. After several excruciating seconds, he was able to see the phone clearly and then dialed immediately. He breathed a sigh of relief—if he failed to protect Claire he’d never forgive himself. It started ringing when he heard Nolan yell, “If you leave I’ll kill her.”
A click sounded and he heard, “Hello, what is your emergency?” Thank God, the call had gone through. Matt closed his eyes and slid the phone into his pocket. He left the call open, hoping the emergency operator would connect and realize they needed assistance and fast. With a sigh, he turned around and stepped back into the conference room. Everything blurred again, but he could make out Nolan and Claire in the room. Fuck. What good was he when he couldn’t save the woman he loved? How could he help when he couldn’t make anything out clearly? He wasn’t where he’d like to be with his vision, but he would find a way to save her. His loss of eyesight was all mental and his fear drove it. If he gained control of the fear, in theory, his vision would return to normal. Claire’s life depended on his ability to do just that. “Make up your mind, man. Although, I have to warn you, this isn’t my cup of tea. I’m not into...” He scrunched up his nose. “Violent play.”
“I am not playing anything.” Nolan sneered. “You’re both going to die.”
Matt was afraid that was a very real possibility. “Don’t be so melodramatic,” he replied. “I’m still here. No need to make things interesting.”
Matt blinked trying to make his eyes work. The fogginess was slowly falling away and allowing him an unobstructed view. He itched to get his hands on Nolan and beat some sense into him. Claire would not die—he wouldn’t allow it. Nolan’s actions didn’t make sense. Why would he suddenly want to kill either one of them? What was he missing?
“Have you lost your mind?” Claire asked. Her voice was barely audible. If she moved the wrong way, the knife would slice her throat. Her eyes promised retribution. Matt wasn’t sure if it was for his perceived indifference or Nolan’s audacity to hold a knife to her. He suspected it was a little of both.
“Shut up,” Nolan said as he pulled Claire tighter against his chest. He stared at Matt and studied him. “I thought you were blind.”
Matt sighed. “I was, but my vision improved. I have an amazing doctor.”
Which was the truth, albeit abbreviated. He didn’t owe this asshole an explanation. How was he going to get Claire free from Nolan’s grasp? Matt inched into the room. He kept his tone and pace as casual as possible. Any sudden movements could end up in disaster. There was nothing he could do until he was closer to them. His heart raced in his chest as he made agonizingly slow progress.
“You like what you see?” Nolan ran his hands down Claire’s side. He cupped her breast in his hand and taunted, “She’s perfect, isn’t she? And all mine.”
Matt had to disagree there. Claire didn’t belong to Nolan. She was her own person and she made choices for herself. Not to mention, she was the only woman he’d ever loved. They hadn’t even had a chance to share their feelings. He’d thought, foolishly, they had all the time in the world to make those declarations.
“Claire’s absolutely flawless,” Matt agreed. “If you like the perky blonde type.”
He silently hoped she understood. Claire was his everything. He didn’t mean half of what he was saying. All he could do was pray he could get her safely away from Nolan. What had caused him to become unhinged? Maybe if he understood what was going on inside the man’s head he’d be able to extricate them from the situation. Somehow he didn’t think it was that easy. Maybe he’d just lost his mind and there was no reasoning with him. If that was the case he was afraid he’d not be able to save Claire. No, that was unacceptable. He would find a way to get her away from the crazy man holding her hostage. Matt refused to accept any other outcome.
“You both can go to hell,” Claire spat out. The knife dug into her throat. It
s blade digging in, a tiny pinprick of blood beaded beneath it. She winced as the pain hit her and shut her mouth firmly into line across her face.
“She’s perky in ways you don’t even know,” Nolan sneered. He slid one of his hands down her legs and played with the edge of her skirt. He slid his fingers underneath the edge and across a span of her inner thigh. “I bet you’d love it if I fucked you hard in front of your boss. You’d like that a lot, wouldn’t you, Claire? As naughty as you’ve been lately... Would that be proper punishment for running from me? I can’t let you go again. This is the last time I allow it.”
Damn. Nolan was even more bat-shit crazy than he thought. And worse—Matt still had Claire’s panties. He prayed the maniac holding her hostage didn’t realize that tidbit. It might cause him to act on his threat. What had possessed him to take them from her? He shook the thought away—it wasn’t as if he could’ve predicted the situation they were in. At the time it seemed like a good idea, and hot as hell. In hindsight, maybe he’d not remove them and keep them again. Especially when it hadn’t turned out as he’d hoped. “I’m not much into exhibition myself.” Matt shook his head. “This is some strange stuff. Why am I here?”
If he kept Nolan talking, and occupied with other things perhaps he’d forget about his plans for Claire. It was a long shot, but it was all he had. He had to buy them time for help to arrive. Surely the emergency operator had ascertained the severity of their situation and sent someone to their aide.
“It’s your lucky day,” Nolan replied. “You get the chance to see how a real man takes his woman.”
Fuck if he did. He’d kill the bastard if he didn’t let Claire go soon. It was bad enough she had a small cut on her throat. If he assaulted her further, Matt wouldn’t be able to control himself. The only thing he could think of was to keep the damn man talking. If he was talking, he wasn’t hurting her.
“I assure you, I know how to pleasure a woman.” Matt grinned. He didn’t feel it, but Nolan seemed to expect something like it from him. “I don’t need pointers.” He inched a little closer. The pace was excruciating, but he was making progress. Nolan hadn’t appeared to notice he was closing the distance between them. “Why don’t you tell me how Claire was naughty?” Matt wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Nolan responded exactly how Matt thought, but the words weren’t nearly what he expected. “All of them. Every Claire ran. I had to catch them. They were all naughty and had to be taught a lesson. They weren’t very good Claires.”
What. The. Fuck? Matt tensed at his words. All the... That meant there was more than one woman this sick bastard molested. Was he obsessed with Claire? Did he look for a substitute of some sort? Claire started to quiver in Nolan’s arms. Matt took another small step. They were less than two feet away from him now. If he had to, he could leap forward and do something now. But he had to wait for the right moment. Claire could be harmed if he acted rashly.
“Right.” He shook his head. “What did they have to say for themselves?” Another small step. “You couldn’t have been happy with all those bad Claires.” Matt shuddered on the inside with each forward inch. He had to save her. If he didn’t do something soon... He mentally shook his head. The bastard was loonier than a Looney Tune. He wouldn’t let him win.
“They were punished, as all bad girls are. They won’t be bad anymore.”
Did that mean... He hitched a breath. “Why not? Sometimes a bad girl can be fun.”
“I don’t like it. They had to go away.” He stared off in space. “That’s the only acceptable chastisement. I had to do it.”
Matt gulped. That sounded like he killed them. Those poor women. Claire wouldn’t join them in their fate. He couldn’t help them, but he could do something for the woman he loved. He concentrated as hard as possible and allowed himself to focus on what was important. She was everything and without her his life wouldn’t be the same. For her he’d conquer his fears and rise above the damage the accident caused deep inside of him. His vision cleared and he could see everything without any difficulty. Matt met Claire’s gaze and nodded slightly. Claire seemed to understand and went limp in Nolan’s arms. “What’s this, Claire? This won’t prevent your punishment.” She remained unmoving in his arms. Nolan set the knife down and shook Claire slightly. The knife no longer pressed against her throat. Matt jumped forward and punched him.
Nolan jerked backward. “That wasn’t very nice,” he said with a sinister gleam in his eyes. “Now I’ll have to kill you before Claire.” He wiped his mouth and reached for the blade he’d set down. “I was going to share her with you.”
“Well, that’s the thing,” Matt replied. “I don’t want to share her with you. In fact, you’re never going to touch her ever again.” Two quick jabs in the nose and Nolan hit the wall. “You’re never going to hurt another woman again.”
Claire crawled away from them both. She rushed to the other side of the room and hugged the wall. “Matt,” she said. Her voice was wobbly and hoarse with emotion.
Matt couldn’t afford to glance at her. If he took his eyes off of Nolan for even one second. He stalked toward Nolan as he retreated. The other man hit the wall as he ran out of places to go. Matt continued advancing. He was about to reach forward and slam the evil dickwad’s head against the wall, but halted when the room was rushed by two other men.
“Don’t,” a male voice echoed through the room.
Matt continued to watch Nolan. He was afraid if he did the man would manage to escape somehow.
“Carter,” Claire sobbed.
Carter Jackson rushed into the room and went immediately to his sister’s side. He pulled her into his arms and attempted to soothe her. “It’s all right,” her brother cooed. “I’ve got you.”
Dane went around Matt and pushed Nolan against the wall. He handcuffed him and read him his rights. Matt’s fists balled at his side. It’d ended better than the man deserved, but at least it was over. Claire was safe. That was all that mattered. He turned to glance at her finally. Her brother held her close as she shook heavily. He should go to her and console her, but he was afraid. What if she hated him? What he’d said... After the mess was all cleared up he’d sit her down and have a long overdue talk with her. For now, he’d let her brother comfort her and he’d take a back seat. Her needs were more important.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The bright light of the exam room almost blinded her. Claire shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulder. Carter had insisted she come to the hospital to be checked out. As far as she was concerned she was fine. The harm had to been to her pride and a small nick on her neck. The EMTs had bandaged that up with a butterfly stitch and called her good. Nolan hadn’t had a chance to do any damage. Thank God Matt had shown up when he had. She thought she was done for. She still didn’t understand why he’d come to the office, unless her text hadn’t gone through.
Matt was acting odd too. He’d kept Nolan talking with nonsense and acted like an ass. She could forgive him that though. He’d used his brilliant mind and came up with a strategy that was guaranteed to give him the upper hand. She shouldn’t have doubted him, but for a brief moment she had. When he’d turned around and left, her heart had fallen, but he came back and saved her. She owed him so much.
A movement at the doorway startled her and she flinched involuntarily. She glanced up and met her brother’s gaze. “How are you doing?” Carter asked. Concern filled his face as he studied her.
“I told you. I’m fine.” She gritted her teeth. “When can I go home?” Claire fought tears from falling. She’d not give into them—if she did, Nolan won. She was stronger than that. “Is Reese okay? Did he hurt her?”
“Reese is fine. She’s on her way with mom.” He stared at her all stoically. No emotion crossed his features. Claire didn’t know what to make of his demeanor. There was something he didn’t want to tell her. “I need you to be honest with me. It’s important.”
“I’m always honest with you. When
have I not been?” she raised an eyebrow. “Quit acting like a cop. I need my brother right now.” She didn’t really want to see her mother. At least Reese wasn’t harmed. Nolan’s obsession appeared to be limited to her.
“The cop has a job to do,” he reminded her. “Nolan Pratt is...”
“An evil bastard,” she supplied helpfully.
His lips twitched slightly. Good. Yes, it was a serious situation, but that didn’t mean they had to let it rule their life. Nolan was going to prison for a long time, and Claire was more than glad to assist in his downfall. He’d hurt a lot of women, and he’d have done the same to her if he’d been given a chance. Claire shook the mental image away. She couldn’t focus on what he had planned to do to her. He hadn’t done it. She was one of the lucky ones. It bothered her she’d not seen past his perfect veneer into his dark soul. Sure, she’d known he was a misogynistic pig, but not a murderer and rapist.
“He is.” Carter nodded. “Matt filled me in on what he walked in on. When I heard what was happening...” He shook his head. “I didn’t think I’d make it there in time. I am so glad he was able to get an emergency call through. If he hadn’t...”
Matt was able to make a phone call? When? Then it hit her. That’s why he’d willingly left the room for a brief moment. She should have realized he had a strategy in place. Matt didn’t do anything without a reason. He’d done what was necessary to save her from Nolan.
