Be Here Now: A Cedar Creek Novel (40 page)

I leaned back and grinned at him smugly. “How can I make it up to you?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. This is a big one so you better come up with something good.” My grin widened and I kissed his cheek. “Love you, Chris.”

“Love you, too. You think you can call off your husband? I kinda need all my limbs attached to my body.” I looked behind me and saw Jason standing close, glaring at Chris, waiting in the wings to rescue and defend me it looked like.

“It’s okay, honey. I’m forgiven,” I reassured him on a smile as I beckoned him to come over.

“You’d better be,” I heard him murmur as he reclaimed me and pulled me into his side.

“Relax, Sanders. It’s all good. As long as you can keep her as happy as she looks right now.” Jason nuzzled my neck. “That’s the plan,” he said. Chris slapped Jason’s shoulder, which in guy code meant “We’re moving on.”

The music started and the party began. For the next hour, I was hugged and kissed and hugged some more as everyone who had come congratulated us. Jason didn’t leave my side once. He kept my hand clasped in his, which made the hugging part a little awkward at times, but he wouldn’t let go even after I gave him a look.

“I’ll share you with your family and close friends, but that’s it.” And that’s all he had to say about that. I didn’t think it was worth throwing a fit over, and everyone thought it was sweet, so I let it go. This time.

Until Rick was standing in front of us.

I felt Jason stiffen beside me as he tried to pull me closer to him. “Jason,” I said warningly.

“I get it, Sanders. She’s taken. Don’t worry. I won’t try anything.” Jason stopped pulling at my hand but still refused to let go when I leaned in and hugged Rick. I rolled my eyes. We’d have to work on his possessive streak.

“I’m happy for you, sweetheart,” Rick whispered into my ear.

“You are?” I asked disbelievingly.

“Of course I am. How could I not be? Look at you. I’ve never seen you this happy.” Wow. Rick really was a good guy. I hoped someone would come and sweep him off his feet soon. We separated and I gave him a grateful smile. He smiled back at me then turned his eyes to Jason.

“I’ll admit I wanted what you have, but I’m her friend first and I’m happy for her. I wouldn’t do anything to destroy that friendship so wipe that glare off your face, Sanders.”

I elbowed Jason in the ribs, earning a scowl. “Stop it,” I said, my voice low and full of meaning. I was about to pull my hand out of his for real this time, done with his theatrics, when he gave in with a sigh. Then he shocked both me and Rick.

“I wanted to thank you, Rick. For being there for Loreley when I wasn’t. I know what you did. All of it. So, thank you. I owe you.” I stood there, my eyes wide and my mouth open as I stared at my husband holding his hand out for Rick to shake. This was huge and it made me unbelievably proud that he could put his possessiveness aside and be the man I knew him to be towards a man he didn’t like all that much.

I looked from Jason to Rick and saw that Rick, too, was shocked. Then I watched as he took Jason’s hand and they shook. And that was it. They understood each other. They might never become best buds, but they respected each other enough to let go of the rivalry. Rick gave me another smile then turned and headed back to the bar.

“I want to jump you right this second,” I said when Rick was out of earshot.

“Yeah?” Jason rested his hands on my hips and leaned in for a kiss.

“Oh yeah,” I confirmed right before I laid a hot and wet one on him. Catcalls erupted all around us, but I couldn’t care less. I was lost in my husband and the happiness and love we shared.

The party was in full swing and I was a little tipsy when I realized I needed to use the washroom. As he had most of the night, Jason was standing behind me with one arm around my waist, his hand resting on my opposite waist, as he chatted and laughed with everyone. At the moment, we were standing with Nathan, who, upon seeing us, had scooped me up and twirled me around, whooping and laughing, Jason had received a man hug with lots of hard and painful looking pats on the back and an “About time, my man.”

I took his hand in preparation to extricate myself from Jason’s arms and felt his chin on my shoulder. “Where’re you going?”

“Restroom,” I answered. He kissed my temple and let me go.

I looked into the mirror as I was washing my hands. Many people had mentioned tonight how happy and glowing I looked. And I could see it, too. The sadness that had lived in me and hovered above me like a constant dark cloud was gone. My eyes were wide and glittering with a certain sparkle, my cheeks were flushed, and the corners of my mouth were turned up in a small happy smile. Having lost Jesse the way I had when I had would always make me sad to some degree, but now, instead of focusing on that sadness and pain and letting it control me, I concentrated on all the good and happy memories and was grateful that I had those to share with his father. It was almost like talking about our son the way we had had brought him back to me, but in a different way. Even though I was heartbroken that I would never be able to hold him again, I knew that his spirit would always be with me, Jesse would always live on within us; he would never be forgotten. He was a part of both Jason and I, and I was unbelievably grateful that I had had the fortune of knowing him and sharing a part of my life with him. I knew wherever he was he was happy and with my mom, and that was enough for me.

I dried my hands and left the restroom, but before I could make it back into the main room of the bar, I felt a hand on my upper arm pulling me towards the back of the hall. First I thought it was Jason, wanting some alone time in my office, but then the stale scent of an unwashed body mixed with beer breath reached my nose and it hit me that this wasn’t Jason or anyone I would want near me. By the time my brain clicked and told me to do something, the man had me almost out the back door. I started to panic and struggled as I tried to hold on to the doorframe to stop him from taking me outside where he would do only God knows what to me but it was no use. My body was yanked viciously by an arm around my waist, making my fingers lose hold, and my fingernails bent the wrong way.

“Don’t start, bitch. You know I don’t have any trouble knocking you out cold. You’re coming with me, one way or another.” His mouth was right at my ear as he held my body, my back flush to his chest. His breath smelled foul and rank and his voice was hoarse, but I had no doubt who he was.

Brad.

I thought he was still in jail.

“What are you doing, Brad?” I tried to sound stern but knew I failed by his low and pleased laugh.

“You think I would let you get away with what you did? With humiliating me? The whole town has shunned me. I lost my job because I got arrested and have assault charges against me. All that is your fault. And you’re gonna pay.”

“What are you going to do to me?” I couldn’t help but let my fear seep into my voice. I knew I didn’t stand a chance. Brad was a big guy and the way he held me right now, effortlessly, without giving me a chance to even move, I knew that all I could do was stall and hope that someone would see us before he hauled me off.

“Oh, I’m gonna do lots of things to you. And not all of them will be fun for you, but that doesn’t matter. I enjoy a little fight before I get what I want.” I knew what that meant. Disgust churned in my stomach and I gagged. I started struggling again, but he had my arms wrapped around my own stomach as he carried me across the dark parking lot, making them useless. I kicked my legs but that didn’t help, either. “I’m gonna take you to a place where nobody will find you and I’m not gonna let you go until you gave me what I’ve wanted for over a decade. When I’m done with you, your world famous husband can pay up if he still wants you. We’ll see who the loser is then.” I started screaming as loudly as I could in the hopes that someone would hear me. Brad had to let go with one hand to clamp it over my mouth and that gave me enough leverage to free one of my arms. I gripped his ear and twisted harshly.

“Aaargh!” Brad howled and let me go. “You fucking bitch!”

I ran, ran as fast as I could.

He tackled me to the ground and landed on top of me, making me hit my chin against the pavement and knocking the wind out of me. Then I was on my back and he was sitting on my stomach. A sharp impact on my temple made me see stars for a second before I could focus on him again.

I heard voices far away, and running footsteps.

Then I heard a roar and felt another impact in the same spot as before. I groaned and tried to hold on to my consciousness. My eyes felt heavy and everything was out of focus. I could feel that Brad was trying to lift me up, but he must have tripped and fallen, because I was back on my back on the pavement.

Then I felt nothing but a sharp pain in my head. I didn’t know where he was, if he was still on top of me, or if he was carrying me. My body felt numb and heavy and my head was pounding so hard I could feel it in the back of my eyes.

The last thing I heard before the blackness took me was Jason’s roar of “Loreley!”, but he sounded too far away. I knew he would never get to me in time.

JASON

Jason was craning his neck to look at the hallway that led to the restrooms. Loreley had been gone for a long while now and his gut was telling him that something was wrong. He tried to find Frank in the crowd that surrounded him, cursing himself for not having him on duty tonight. But this was a party and as Loreley had told him over and over again, there was nothing she needed protection from here. They were surrounded by friends and family. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of foreboding as he scanned the crowd and finally made eye contact with his good friend and bodyguard. Frank knew immediately that something was up and came over, leaving the girl he’d been talking to in the middle of the conversation without a second glance.

“What’s wrong?” His voice was alert and his eyes were scanning, looking for something out of place. He was in bodyguard mode.

“I don’t know. Loreley went to the restroom a while ago and hasn’t come back. I’ve got a bad feeling.”

“I’ll go check it out.” Jason followed him. They checked the hallway and both restrooms, but she wasn’t in either. Jason strode to the office door, thinking and hoping that maybe she was in there. The door was locked, and when he knocked and called her name, he got no answer.

“I’m gonna sweep the floor. Maybe she just got stuck talking to someone.” They shared a look and Jason could tell that Frank didn’t believe his own words. There was a tightness on his face that told him that Frank felt it, too. Something was wrong. Panic hit his gut when he followed Frank back into the bar and they both started searching for her in the crowd.

Then he heard his name called from the front door. “Mr. Jason! Mr. Jason!” Jason turned his head and saw one of the photographers he had seen outside earlier wave his arms at him. He was short and was wearing black slacks and a button down shirt that was tucked into his pants. Jason had seen him before and this guy was actually the only paparazzo he had never hated. He was always polite and asked before he could take his picture, never said a rude word to him and always had a small smile on his face. He didn’t now though. He looked panicked.

“Mr. Jason! You need to come! Quickly!” He said in his heavily accented English. The bad feeling in his gut got heavier and he followed the man outside. He could feel Frank right on his heels. The picture that greeted him when he got outside and they turned the corner made his blood boil.

There was Loreley, lying on the ground, covered in blood, groaning. And Brad was trying to drag her up and carry her off. Frank was already running towards Brad and tackled him, dislodging Loreley from his arms as he did so.

“Loreley!” Jason shouted and fell to his knees beside her on the ground. There was blood everywhere. On her temple, on her lip, and when he lifted her into his arms, he saw there was blood on the back of her head as well.

“No, no, no, no, no! Baby, wake up! Loreley, wake up!” He kept shouting at her, willing her to open her beautiful eyes for him, but she didn’t move. “Call an ambulance! Somebody call an ambulance!” He roared. He could hear running footsteps and shouts heading his way but he didn’t take his eyes off his wife. “Wake up! Loreley!”

“Let me take a look.” A guy was kneeling beside him, gently taking her out of his arms and lowering her back to the ground. Jason remembered meeting him inside. He couldn’t remember his name but he did remember his occupation: he was an EMT.

Jason watched anxiously as he checked Loreley’s vitals, took her pulse, checked her eyes and inspected her wounds. There was so much blood.

He tore his eyes away from his wife’s injured body and found Brad. Frank had him in a restraint on the ground, his arms behind his back held up high, a knee in his back. Jason could see that Frank was speaking to him but couldn’t make out what he was saying. As if in a trance, he got up and walked over to where they were on the ground only a few feet away. Red-hot fury was blazing through him. He didn’t know what he was going to do once he reached them, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to control himself once he started.