The Embrace Series: Romantic Suspense Box Set

by Dana Mason

  She tried to clear her head as she slowly got up off the garage floor.

  “You’re coming with me today, Sarah. We’re going home and getting married.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her up. “Or I could just kill you. I spent a year in jail for you, you fucking bitch. Now I get what I want.”

  Sarah got to her feet and looked at him defiantly. “Why would I go anywhere with you when you hit me like that? I’m not marrying you, and I’m not leaving with you.” When the words left her mouth, the air left her lungs.

  The blow across her cheek sent her flying over the hood of the Mustang and back onto the concrete floor. She gasped to catch her breath as her mouth filled with more blood.

  “You’re going with me. You—are—going—with—me.” He got louder as he repeated himself. “Don’t fucking fight me, bitch.”

  Sarah’s mind flooded with memories, her senses clouding. He hadn’t changed, but she had. No longer would she cower and flinch away from him and follow his orders.

  She moved slowly, her body ached from the impact of the car and the ground. She lifted the back of her hand to her face and felt the heat from the swelling.

  “Kevin, let’s sit down and talk, okay?”

  “Bitch, you need to do what you’re told.” He grabbed her arm, pulling her off the floor. “We’re leaving now!”

  She pulled back and punched him with all the strength she had. As if she hadn’t touched him, he grabbed her around the neck and tightened his fingers, pushing her against the car.

  The punch she’d landed to his face didn’t even leave a mark. She went through the motions, following the careful instructions Mark had given her to protect herself but nothing worked. Kevin lifted her to the hood of the car in the seated position. With his free hand, he grabbed her shirt and started ripping the material. She felt the panic set in as she struggled to breathe and fight.

  “You look good, girl—you’ve been working out. Yeah, nice, tight ass. I was checking you out in that dress at the party. You’re going to get fucked right here on this car. I bet your new, little boyfriend would love to know I fucked you on his car.” He leaned closer. She used every ounce of strength she had to push him off and pulled at the fingers around her throat. His grip was just tight enough to slightly restrict her air and hold her in place.

  She tried to kick him, but he pinned her legs to the car with his bigger legs. “Kevin, Kevin...stop!” She gasped, trying to get him to look at her eyes. “Kevin, please...let’s talk first.”

  He chuckled at her. “Talk? What would you like to talk about?” He carefully released her throat, but kept his tight grip on her breast under her shirt.

  “We can talk while I...ah...pack. I can’t leave without my things. I need to pack.”

  “Cool, we can talk, but don’t fucking try to punch me again.” He let her go and leaned over, grabbing her keys off the ground where she had dropped them.

  “Here,” he said, throwing her against the closed door and thrusting her keys at her. Her head smacked the door and stars erupted in her vision. She tried to focus on the keys, but her hands shook and she dropped them. Tears burned her eyes, and she thought hard about Mark, hoping he would have some sixth sense that something was wrong.

  When would he realize something was wrong? Would it be after Kevin killed her and her baby?

  She slowly turned the handle and opened the door. The loud beeping of the alarm system almost stopped her heart. She still had a chance.

  Kevin slammed her from behind, grabbed her by the hair, and hauled her into the house by her ponytail. “Nice trick, bitch, now turn it off.” He slammed her face into the keypad, still gripping her hair. “Turn it off now—or I slit your throat right here.”

  Sarah felt the cold blade against her neck.

  “Okay, I need my hand,” she cried as he held her against the wall. Think Sarah—ambush code—think! Mark’s alarm code backwards, right?

  “Turn it off,” He grunted and pushed her harder into the wall, pressing her lower back with his knee.

  “Okay, stop! Okay.” She reached up with her right hand and entered 2590. Is that right? She questioned herself as she pressed the off button. When the beeping stopped, she let out a strangled sob as Kevin pulled her away from the wall by her hair.

  He pushed her toward the kitchen, slamming her into the bar. Sarah’s hands slapped onto the counter, leaving a smear of blood on the gleaming white countertops. Her ribs smacked the high counter of the bar, knocking the breath out of her.

  “What time is boyfriend getting home? Maybe I should wait for him? Take care of him before we leave? Wouldn’t want him trying to track you down like I did.”

  “No, no, he’ll be gone all day,” she huffed, trying to catch her breath.

  He grabbed her arm and shoved her into the kitchen around the bar. “Maybe I should fuck you here in the kitchen. I’m sure the blood will be a nice greeting for him when he comes home and you’re gone. He turned into her and backed her into the corner against the counter, smothering her mouth with his.

  Kevin pinned her with his hips and tangled one hand in her hair. With the other hand, he slid the knife up, cutting what was left of Mark’s shirt off her and slicing her skin at the same time.

  Sarah gasped as she felt the rush of blood. “Kevin, you’re hurting me...please...stop!”

  The cold steel of the blade forced her to suck in another sharp breath when he wedged the knife under her bra and cut it away. Kevin then shoved the blade down the waistband of her sweats. The tip of the knife penetrated her skin as he tugged to cut through the sweats and slide it down her leg.

  She frantically looked around for something to grab but couldn’t see with Kevin holding her head in place by the hair. She reached out for anything she could find on the counter, her breathing hitched as her hand wrapped around something. She realized it was the table knife Jamie had used for his toast. She reached up and thrust the knife into Kevin’s back. At the same time, his knife stabbed further into her thigh as he dropped it to reach for his back.

  “You fucking bitch!”

  Sarah pushed him away and ran for the nearest door.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Mark looked over at Shane when his phone buzzed again in his pocket. “I guess I better answer this. It’s the fifth time Seth has tried to call me.”

  “He’s calling me now too, it must be important,” Shane said.

  Mark stood and looked across the table at his new client. “Excuse me, James, I really need to take this call.” He stepped out of the large, glass door, into the hall, and flipped his phone open.

  “Seth, what the hell, we’re—“

  “It’s Brian, Mark.”

  Mark pulled the phone from his ear to look at the caller ID.

  “Mark! Are you listening to me? Lewis is gone.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I called Flagstaff PD this morning to have him checked out. They can’t locate him.”

  “Mark’s phone beeped and he pulled it away from his ear again to look at the ID. “Brian, hold on.” He hit the button to answer Seth’s call. “Seth, what’s up?”

  “Ambush code from your house!”

  “What!” Mark turned and caught Shane’s eyes through the glass door.

  “I have an ambush code from your house, four minutes ago.” Seth took a deep breath. “What do you want me to do?”

  Mark turned back into the conference room and waved Shane out of his chair. “James, I’m sorry but I have an emergency.”

  James looked at Mark’s face and nodded quickly. “No problem, we’re almost done anyway. Call me and we’ll set the date for the install,” James said as Shane followed Mark out of the room.

  Mark turned, and without thinking about what he was doing, rushed toward the parking lot with Shane close on his heels.

  “Maybe it was a mistake—did you try to call?” he said into the phone.

  “No, it’s against policy.”

  “T
ry now, but use your cell. If someone answers, act like a friend instead of the alarm company.”

  “Okay, hold the line.”

  Mark clicked back over to Brian’s call. “Seth has an ambush code on my house.”

  “Fuck!” Brian said, “You’re not home?”

  “No, Sarah’s alone. Meet me there.”

  “I’m on my way,” Brian said as Mark clicked back over to Seth’s call.

  Shane reached over and snatched the keys from Mark’s hand. “I’ll drive.”

  “No answer, should I call the uniforms?” Seth said, coming back on the line.

  “Yes! 911. We’re on our way.” Mark climbed into his truck. “Pull up the cameras on my house, maybe we can see who—”

  “I’m pulling up the surveillance, Randy’s on with 911.” Thirty seconds later Mark heard Seth gasp.

  “What?” Mark felt his heart leap out of his chest.

  “I have a very large man dressed in fatigues sneaking into the garage behind Sarah.”

  “How long ago?” Mark’s airway constricted in his panic. “Shane, hurry!”

  “Ten...minutes ago.”

  “What the fuck are you looking at? Tell me everything you see.”

  “He...ah...he’s hit her a couple of times and knocked her to the ground. She got up and they’re talking. Oh fuck...she’s bleeding. Mark, hurry up. He’s got her trapped against the car with his hand around her throat and he’s pulling at her clothes.” Seth sounded breathless as he explained. “He’s trying to, no-no-no, son of a—”

  “Stop and tell me what the fuck is going on!” Mark screamed into the phone.

  “She’s trying to fight him off, but he’s too strong. Shit! It’s just making him mad. Wait, he’s letting her go. Okay, okay, good girl. Whatever she said to him, made him stop. He’s letting her up. Okay, she’s getting up and unlocking the door to the house. Oh man, Mark, he dragged her into the house by her hair. I can’t...they’re out of sight. Randy took off to meet you there and the uniforms are on the way.”

  “Seth, keep watching, call me if you get them back into view.” He closed his phone, feeling completely out of breath. “Fuck!”

  “We’re two minutes away.”

  “He’ll have beaten her to death before we get there at this rate. I’ll kill that fucker. Drive on the sidewalk if you have to. Just get there!”

  Mark’s heart pounded so hard he felt like it would jump out of his chest. Helplessness had never hurt so badly. He swallowed and scrambled to dig his gun out of the glove box.

  “Fuck!” Mark growled. “Shane, did you bring your gun?”

  “Yeah, I stuffed it under the seat.” Mark pulled the gun out from under the seat and handed it to Shane before checking the rounds in his own gun and sticking it in the back of his jeans.

  Mark’s phone buzzed and he nearly jumped out of his skin. “Seth,” he shouted into the phone.

  “I have them back in view. He chased her into the backyard. She was running from him, but he caught her and threw her to the ground. He’s straddling her—”

  “Where the fuck are the uniforms?” Mark cursed when Shane pulled in front of the house. “We’re here, Seth!” Mark closed his phone and dropped it into his pocket as he grabbed his gun. When they got out of the truck, they heard Sarah screaming from the backyard. Mark felt a thrill of terror race down his spine when he heard her.

  “They’re in the backyard.” Mark quickly pointed Shane to the right side of the house and rushed toward the left. As he turned to the yard, Brian’s car pulled to a stop in the middle of the street. Sarah’s screaming stopped, and Mark now heard the police sirens.

  He thrust himself onto the fence and looked over. Sarah wasn’t in sight, so he scrambled over and ran to the end of the house. He peered around the corner and had a perfect view of Kevin straddling Sarah.

  Before he could react, a crash came from the house, and then Brian shouted, “Let her go, Lewis. Put the knife down.” Kevin looked up at Brian who was standing, gun extended at the back door of the house.

  “Fuck you! I’ll slit her fucking throat right now. Back off!” He lifted Sarah’s head by the hair. She was face down on the ground, naked and unconscious—or dead. Fear coursed through Mark when he looked at her face. She was bloody and swollen. Purple marks ran across her eyes, forehead, and chin. With his only thought being to get to her and protect her, he pulled the trigger. At the same time, he heard shouts and two other shots.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  “Mark, sit down,” Shane said.

  Mark dropped back down. He couldn’t talk. Bile rose in his throat and his stomach burned. He had to squeeze his eyes closed to fight back the tears as the worry consumed him.

  When Ava came around the corner, she looked as bad as he felt.

  “Mark...where is she, how is she?” she said in a worried sob.

  Mark’s resolve broke when he looked at her. He shook his head unable to talk.

  “Where is she?” she shouted.

  “She’s being treated now by her doctor. Relax. She’s stable, but really beat up,” Shane told her.

  Ava let out a shaky sigh of relief as she walked over and hugged Mark.

  Mark laid his head on Ava’s shoulder. “It’s all my fault, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, brother. Don’t do this to yourself. She’s going to be okay,” Shane said. “Do you want me to go check?” he asked, trying to get Mark to look at him.

  Mark nodded against Ava’s shoulder.

  “She tried to tell me this would happen, but I left her alone anyway. It’s my fault. She’s going to hate me.”

  “Mark, she’s alive. That’s what’s important.” Ava tried to sooth him through her sobs. “How did he find her? What the hell happened?”

  She pulled out of the hug and grabbed a box of tissues for them both.

  “We ran into him at the Christmas ball.”

  Ava’s face paled.

  “She told him she lived in Colorado.”

  “Colorado. Mark, if he was in the Bay Area, he would have seen the two of you all over the news reports. He had to have known she was lying.”

  Mark stared at her, the realization of how badly he’d let Sarah down killing him. “I know—we knew that, but we tracked him back to Phoenix. Dammit!” He looked down at his bandaged hand to hide his shame. “I’m so stupid. I didn’t think he would turn right around and come after her.”

  When he looked back up, Shane came in the room, followed by Dr. Davidson. Mark jumped up to greet him.

  “She’s stable. We’re running tests to check for brain injuries. She has a broken hand and several lacerations.”

  “Is she awake?” Mark asked.

  “She woke up screaming and fighting. We needed to sedate her.”

  Mark felt the blow to his stomach when he heard this. Sarah was stuck alone in her nightmares.

  “Doctor, the baby?” Ava sniffled.

  “The baby is fine, no distress.”

  “The baby is okay?” Mark asked.

  Dr. Davidson nodded.

  “Did he...was she?” The pain in his chest took his breath away, keeping him from finishing his sentences.

  “It doesn’t look like she was raped. You must have gotten there just in time.” He reached over to put his hand on Mark’s arm. “I’ll come get you when she’s back from—”

  “No, I want to see her before you take her...let me talk to her. It’ll calm her down.”

  “She’s calm, trust me, the medication is working.”

  “Please, please just for a minute.”

  The doctor nodded. “We have to hurry. If she has a head injury, we need to know ASAP.”

  Mark rushed after him toward Sarah’s room. When he entered, the sight of all the monitors and machines stopped him in his tracks until the sound of the static heartbeat coming from the baby monitor drew him forward.

  Sarah lay naked under a sheet, her skin pale where there were no bruises. She had a blood pressure
cuff on one arm and a tube in her nose for oxygen. The baby monitor stood out, a small square strapped to her belly and hidden under the sheet.

  Mark inhaled sharply as he examined her bruised face and matted hair. Her lip was cut in two places, both of her eyes were black, and both cheekbones bruised up to her temples. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, and then both her cheeks.

  “Baby, I love you,” he whispered in her ear. “Sarah, can you hear me? The baby is safe. It’s okay, he can’t hurt you anymore.” He leaned in close to her face, and her eyelids flickered slightly when he talked to her.

  Mark placed his hand on her small belly. Tears stung his eyes again as he forced them back. When the doctor appeared in the doorway, he kissed her gently again. “Sarah, my love, Sarah...just know that I love you.” He heard the monitor beep and looked up quickly. The doctor stepped inside and looked at the readout.

  “You’re right. It did calm her down. Her blood pressure is lower and her pulse normal.” He smiled at Mark. “She’s doing better. Now let me take her for the tests.”

  Mark nodded weakly as he turned to leave the room. He wandered back to the waiting room in a daze. He could hear phones ringing and people talking. None of it meant anything to him. His head and heart were with Sarah.

  “How did she look?” Ava asked when he entered the room. He looked at her, confused. “Mark, did she look okay? Tell me something.”

  “She looked...hurt. Her face is bruised and cut. She looked hurt.” He slumped into the nearest chair and lowered his head to his hands. He tried to remember the last time he’d seen her smile...laugh. This morning—just this morning when she was safe and whole. They’d made a date for tonight. She’d promised to take care of herself and the baby. She’d tried. Seth said she‘d tried to fight back.

  Sarah had warned him this would happen. She had said she couldn’t fight him off. He’s too strong...too big. Mark hadn’t listened to her. He shouldn’t have left her alone. Why did I leave her?