“I don’t know. Tell her I got sick?” Her stomach tied in knots. “Take her home for all I care.”
“Take her home?” Confusion lined his face. “This party was your idea.”
Please, Nate. Get her out of the rifle’s range.
“I’m well aware of that, but it turns out I wasn’t as ready to pretend we’re a happy family as I thought I was. I need some breathing room. I’ll meet you at your place later.”
His shoulders tightened, and she prayed he’d do as she asked. If Maggie was out of the equation, Mel could run.
He crossed his arms. “You didn’t bring your car. How will you get there?”
“Enough with the inquisition, okay?” She raised her voice, desperate for him to go. “Maggie is your responsibility, not mine.” She swallowed hard and braced herself. “It’s easier to love someone when you’re naked in his arms. I didn’t sign up for an instant family.”
He almost flinched. The surprise and hurt in his eyes made her physically ill.
“I don’t understand.” He shook his head. “I thought you…” His words died on his lips as a well-worn mask of indifference settled over him. “Never mind. I should’ve known better. Go. I’ll take care of Maggie.”
He stormed away, widening the distance between them as her heart tore in two. Tears stung her eyes. Seeing the way he’d closed himself off from her, and knowing it was her own fault, seared her, but not with sorrow.
With rage.
This had to stop. She wouldn’t be played like a puppet.
She lifted the phone to her ear. “Why not just shoot me now?”
“No questions. Keep walking.”
She glanced back at the party. Nate was back at the grill. He didn’t take Maggie out of the park. She didn’t really expect him to, but it was her only hope. There was no other way out now. She’d have to give herself up. Two more steps, but when she looked back this time, Nate was rubbing his shoulder. His green eyes met hers.
His mark. He would know she was in danger.
She spun around before he came after her and walked to the corner of the library. “Okay, I’m here. Leave Maggie alone.”
Her instinct to run and save herself overwhelmed her, flooding her with adrenaline and fear. But somewhere deep inside, a voice whispered that Nate would come. Even though she’d hurt him, he’d still come for her because he was her Guardian. Regardless of how betrayed and pissed he might be right now, he wouldn’t let them kill her.
A man in a black suit and dark glasses approached her, grabbing her upper arm hard. “Give me your phone.”
She handed it to him, and he raised it to his ear. “I’ve got her.”
He ended the call and pocketed her cell. She’d get it back after Nate kicked his ass.
The muse inside her railed against the spark of hope, but Mel held her head high as the guy shoved her into the back of a black SUV. Nate might not ever trust her again, but he’d still save her life. She had to believe that or she’d lose her mind.
And for now, that was all she had left.
Nate glared at Mel as she continued toward the library. What the hell happened? She’d seemed so happy earlier. He reached for the tongs to turn the hot dogs and burned his fingers on the grill.
“Dammit!” The pain from the burn snapped him back in time, reminded him he was nothing. Damaged goods. Mel could do better.
Maybe she finally figured it out, too.
He lifted his gaze, and she turned around. For a moment, their eyes met and his birthmark throbbed. He frowned, reaching up to rub his shoulder. When he looked back, she was gone.
His wounded heart was glad. It was easier to forget someone if he couldn’t see her. Forget her and never make this mistake again.
But his shoulder hurt like hell, burning more than his red, angry fingers.
John came over. “You’re turning the dogs into charcoal, Malone.”
“Take over for me.” He handed his partner the tongs. “I’ll be right back.”
Nate walked toward the library, replaying his last conversation with Mel. It made no sense. She’d made him believe he was a Guardian, her hero. Why? Why do that and walk away?
He had too many questions and not enough answers.
And for the first time in his life, he believed he deserved them. He wasn’t nothing, goddammit. He was a good detective and a good man. Mel helped him recognize that and see past his scars.
The closer he got to the library the less his heart ached and the more his gut burned. He would get her out of whatever mess she was in, and then he’d demand an explanation. By the time he neared the corner of the building, his shoulder was throbbing. She was definitely in danger.
He boxed up his emotions and ran.
At the back of the library, he stopped and checked in both directions. No sign of Mel. He grabbed the pole on the corner of the building and a vision bloomed. A man in black gripped her arm and held her cell phone. He walked her around to the front and into a black SUV. Nate struggled to see its plate number.
But then the vision faded.
“Shit.”
He jogged around the front of the building, scanning the lot. Nothing. He was too late.
“No, no, no…”
At the curb, he leaned on a parking meter and Mel’s face filled his head. The man in black shoved her into the SUV and raced around to the driver’s seat. Another man in jeans and a black T-shirt hustled to the passenger door, a rifle at his side.
It vanished as quickly as it had come. “Dammit!”
His heart pounded in his ears. The visions weren’t enough. If he couldn’t figure out where they were taking her, they would kill her. And without a plate number to call in, he was fucked. He raked his hand through his hair, struggling to think straight.
Then it came to him. Thinking was the problem.
He ran back to his car, calling to John, “Watch Maggie for me. I’ll be back.”
John waved the tongs in reply, and Nate started his car. He pulled out and took a deep breath, anything to quiet his scattered thoughts and clear his head. One time he’d accidentally jogged to the theater and stopped the Kronos cult from blowing it up, and another time as he’d driven home, he’d ended up at Callie’s place instead. He just needed to trust it would work this time, too.
Fighting the urge to try to deduce a potential destination, he focused on Maggie and how happy she’d been all day. He wanted her to have that every day. Mel had been right about the barbeque. Maggie was making new friends. There was still a chance he could save that little girl when he couldn’t do the same for her mom.
Up ahead he caught a glimpse of a black SUV as it turned a corner. His pulse surged. It was working. He gripped the wheel tighter and punched the accelerator. After he made the turn, he eased up on the gas. If he got too close, they might spot his tail.
There was no guarantee this was even the right SUV, but the burning in his shoulder told him it was, and after the past few crazy weeks, he trusted his new senses. He didn’t have any other choice anyway.
The SUV parked at a warehouse with a For Lease sign on the wall. Nate pulled into a nearby alley and held his breath, watching in the rearview mirror. The man in black got out of the driver’s side and opened the back door. He yanked Mel outside. She stumbled, and Nate tensed. If they hurt her, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop at just arresting them.
The two men looked up and down the street and then hauled her inside.
Nate got out of his car, drew his Glock from his shoulder holster, and made his way across the street.
Mel’s heart sank the moment they pulled her out of the car. There was no sign of Nate. She’d been certain he’d come for her. Maybe he’d been too late. Or maybe he had done what she’d told him to and had taken Maggie home.
Either way, she wouldn’t get a chance to explain that every word she’d said to him was utter bullshit; to tell him she’d never been happier than when she was spending the day as a family at the park with hi
m, Maggie, and her sisters.
At least Maggie is safe, Mel reminded herself. That would have to be enough.
Inside, a man stood alone at the far end of the dimly lit warehouse. He wore a golden mask of Kronos and a black hood. She stopped, heart palpitating as her legs turned rubbery. The man in dark glasses shoved her forward.
Her eyes burned, but she willed back the tears. She wouldn’t give these psychos the satisfaction. “Why are you doing this?” Her voice trembled. “I haven’t done anything to you.”
The man at the end shook his head. “On the contrary. Every day that you are alive, your inspiration slows our progress.”
“Progress of what?” she shouted. “Killing innocent women like Nia?” Saying her friend’s name, hearing it echo back, stoked the fire in her belly. “She was kind and full of light. The world was better with her in it.”
“Enough talking.” He raised one hand. “Bring her to me.”
Something glinted in the thin beam of sunlight filtering in—a knife of some sort. Mel struggled, stomping on Dark Glasses’s foot. He let go. She spun for the door, but he caught her hair, jerking her back so hard she saw stars. She landed on her ass. She looked around, trying to get her bearings back, and realized the guy with the rifle was gone.
Dark Glasses hoisted her up, dragging her toward the man with the knife. “You’re him. The one on the roof. You had a rifle. I saw your face when you got in the SUV.”
If he had a reaction, she couldn’t see it through the mask of Kronos.
He came forward and grabbed her arm. She reached for his mask, but his knife slashed across her hand. The sharp pain stunned her long enough for him to drag her closer. He raised the blade again. Her eyes widened as fear gripped her heart, and she closed her eyes.
“Let her go!” Nate’s voice. She opened her eyes as hope blossomed inside her.
Nate’s heart hammered in his ears. Mel was bleeding, but from this distance, he couldn’t tell where she was injured. All the verbal wounds from the park were erased. All that mattered right now was getting her out alive.
The second man in the dark suit and glasses ran past him and out of the building, but Nate didn’t move. He couldn’t aim his Glock at them both, and he had to stay on the one with the hostage. The man in the Kronos mask pressed a blade to her throat until Mel squeaked. The sound gutted him, but Nate kept his sights lined up on the bastard’s forehead.
Time slowed as Nate’s finger caressed the trigger. His voice was as level as his aim. “Put down your weapon and let her go.”
“For the Titans!” He buried his blade in Mel’s chest as Nate pulled the trigger.
Mel and the masked man crumpled to the ground. Nate sprinted forward, holstering his gun on the way. He fell to his knees, moving Mel away from the now-dead man. The golden mask was still on, but it had a new hole in the forehead that cracked down to the chin like a sick Greek version of the Phantom of the Opera.
He kissed Mel’s hair, eyeing the knife. Only the handle protruded from her chest, the blade buried deep in the left side. She winced. “It hurts. Get it out.”
She was bleeding but not hemorrhaging. “You need a hospital,” he said softly to her, trying to keep her calm. “If it nicked your heart or an artery, you could bleed out if I remove it. Stay with me.”
He pulled out his phone with one hand, holding Mel in his other. “Yeah, it’s Detective Malone. Get the paramedics here. Now. Stab wound.” He gave them the cross streets and stroked her hair back from her face. “Hang on, baby. You’ve got to stay awake. They’re on their way.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “What I said… Not true… Didn’t mean it.”
“We can talk later. Save your strength.”
“Maggie?”
He watched the door for any sign of the man in black returning. “She’s safe. John’s with her at the park.”
“Good…” Her eyes drifted closed. Shit.
He tapped her cheek. “Mel? Open your eyes. Wake up.”
Sirens blared in the distance.
Come on…
He kissed her temple and whispered, “I’m not giving you up. Please, Mel. I love you.”
The door burst open and in rushed two paramedics with a gurney. “We’ve got it from here.”
He forced himself to turn her over to them. They slid her onto a crash board and took her vitals. Pulse was tacky, breathing shallow.
Nate gave them room to work, staying close enough to notice she didn’t open her eyes again, even when they inspected where she’d been stabbed. He ground his teeth. Once they had her lifted onto the rolling gurney, the police pulled up. Nate rushed through his explanation about the dead assailant and let them know they could call him at the hospital.
Maggie ran across the waiting room and flung her arms around his neck. He’d never been more grateful to see her. He closed his eyes, holding her tight.
John walked over and took the chair next to him. “Maggie insisted we come see you before I took her back to Mrs. Gaines.”
She sat on his lap and patted over his heart. “Is Mel…” Her voice trembled. “Will she be okay?”
“I think so.” He nodded, hoping he looked more certain than he felt. “The doctors are fixing her up.”
John met his eyes over her head. “They ID’ed the guy in the mask. Ben Rodgers.”
“Does he work for Belkin Oil?”
“He’s not on the employee roster, but we’re running a background check now.” John glanced at Maggie. “I should probably get her home. School in the morning.”
Maggie lifted her head to look at Nate. “Can I stay with you? Please?”
Nate sighed. “It might be a long time before they finish with Mel. You should go home and sleep. I’ll come by and see you tomorrow, okay?”
She slid off his lap. “Okay.”
John squeezed his shoulder. “Keep me posted.”
“Will do. Thanks for taking care of Maggie.”
John nodded and they left him alone, the silence of the waiting room weighing on him. He fought to keep his eyes off the second hand on the wall clock. Mel had been in surgery for almost four hours now. He leaned back, rubbing his hands down his face.
If only he’d been faster, or shot first, or never walked away at the park, or done anything to avoid this outcome.
Before he could make himself insane, a doctor came through the door. “Are you Melanie Jacoby’s husband?”
A small lie. It was the only way he could get to see her after surgery.
“Yeah.” He stood, every muscle tense. “Is she all right?”
The doctor’s single nod stole the breath from Nate’s lungs.
“We repaired the damage. Thankfully the blade missed her heart and didn’t puncture her lung. She and the baby should be fine. She’s in recovery now. A nurse will come get you when she’s conscious and stable.”
Nate’s pulse jumped a beat. “Excuse me? What?”
The doctor frowned. “She’s in recovery. It shouldn’t be long before you can see her.”
“No.” Nate fumbled for the words. “Before that. I thought you said…”
“Oh… You didn’t know.” The doctor’s eyes widened, then he shook his head. “I’m sorry to spill the beans.”
“So Melanie…Mel…she’s…”
“Pregnant. Yes, the blood test was positive. She should definitely visit her doctor to get a due date and prenatal care soon.” He held out his hand. “Congratulations.”
Nate stared at his hand for a second. Maybe he’d drifted off in the waiting room. A baby? Mel had seemed so sure she was in the clear.
He gripped the doctor’s hand. “Thanks for saving her.”
“She’s a fighter.” The doctor smiled. “I just plugged the holes.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Ben is dead.” Ted stared at the back of his father’s head. Although Ted had taken over Belkin Oil as CEO, his father was still chairman of the board and he wore the power like a king’s robe.
&nbs
p; Belkin, Sr. turned his chair around slowly. His gray eyes pinning his son where he stood. “You’re sure his body won’t lead the police to us?”
“No, he’s not on the company payroll.”
His father shook his head. “Damned waste. He was the first of the Order to take the bull by the horns and get rid of a muse.”
“He won’t be the last. I’m already grooming a new enforcer. A better enforcer. He follows orders.”
Belkin, Sr. leaned back, his executive chair squealing in protest. “Good thinking. Does he know about the Order yet?”
Ted crossed his arms. “Not exactly. He thinks he does.”
“Good.” His father nodded. “Reconditioning is more successful the less he knows.”
“You’ll like him. Bryce isn’t as…driven as Ben, but he’ll do what he’s told.”
“No ‘loose ends’?”
“Exactly.” Ted dropped his arms to his sides, relaxing slightly. His father was taking the news much better than he had anticipated.
“Tie Ben to the C-4 so we’re out of the police investigation. And have our investigator check into Bryce’s background. Be sure he has no family to start missing him. If he’s clear, bring him to me next week.”
“I already did. He’s estranged from his mother and he doesn’t know his father.”
His father actually smiled. “Good work.”
Ted nodded and went to the door before his father could see how much his praise meant to him. Stopping at the door, Ted turned back. “Melanie Jacoby made it through surgery, by the way.”
“As long as that detective is protecting her, she’s not worth the risk.” His father picked up a pen and began signing documents. “There are seven other muses. Perhaps one of them will be easier prey for our new enforcer.”
The corners of Ted’s mouth curved into a thoughtful smile. “I was thinking the same thing.”
Nate flinched when the nurse called his name. He’d been lost in his jumbled thoughts, staring out the window as if something out there might tell him what to do next.
My Paranormal Valentine: A Paranormal Romance Box Set Page 107
