Protecting Rose (26 page)
“Nate,” she said with a sob. “Nate,” she moaned. Rose closed her eyes and gave herself up to the darkness.
Goddammit!
Nate’s voice, low and menacing, vibrated with an intense rage when he looked down at the woman he loved cradled in his arms. Beaten and bloody, her bruised face streaked with tears.
He took a deep breath and tried to quell the rage that twisted his gut. What the hell had happened to her? His heart had been ripped to shreds when she’d screamed for him as she struggled.
He strode back to the safety of the car to place her gently onto the backseat. Guilt ate him up inside at not protecting her. Would she ever be able to forgive him for allowing her to be taken?
He grabbed his cell phone and called for an ambulance.
They had been shocked when they arrived to see Rose fling open the door and come tearing down the steps like something out of a horror flick. Her clothes torn and bloody, her eyes wide with shock and terror as someone shot at her from behind. He had grabbed her and taken her to safety as Rick and his team rushed the house.
She’d fought him like a woman possessed and he wasn’t too sure she hadn’t broken his nose. The relief of having her alive quickly turned to concern. He inspected her body for injuries, but found nothing that would account for the blood covering her. It wasn’t hers. At that knowledge, his gut stopped churning and his breathing slowed to normal.
Then whose was it? When he checked her pulse, it was beating far too rapidly. He was concerned she might be going into shock.
Rick returned with a grim look on his face. “How is she?”
Nate shook his head. “Don’t know for sure, but at least the blood doesn’t belong to her.”
“I figured.” Rick gave a curt nod toward the house. “We found a dead guy upstairs with a fork stuck in his throat. It looks like the same room they held her in.” His eyes flashed with anger before he reached in his pocket and removed a vial, handing it to Nate. “It appears they’ve been drugging her for some reason. You’ll need to get it analyzed.”
Nate swore and placed the vial into his pocket. He arched a brow toward Rick at taking evidence from a crime scene.
“Don’t sweat it, buddy. They found a room full of this stuff. They won’t miss one little vial.
He grimaced and glanced down to where Rose lay unconscious, not wanting to speculate about what she may have been through over the last three days. “What about the shooter?” His voice matched his name, hard as stone, as anger burned in the pit of his stomach.
“Dead.”
“Damn.” He would have liked to get his hands on the SOB and gotten some answers. “What about Larsen?”
Rick shook his head. “Sorry, Stone. It was just the shooter and the dead guy. We’ll have a team out here soon to go over the crime scene. Hopefully they’ll find something to lead us to Larsen.”
The sound of sirens grew near. “Do that, and get an APB out on Larsen. I want that bastard.”
“Already done,” Rick said as the ambulance drew near. “As soon as I know anything I’ll contact you.”
Larsen leaned back on the leather couch and watched from under heavy lids as the senator’s wife knelt before him. He unbuckled his pants and slid down his zipper. Placing his arms along the back of the couch, he glared at her and waited. With downcast eyes, she reached out to free him. Filled with a sense of entitlement, he watched her wrap her hand around him and begin to stroke.
His body grew hard as lust filled him and he wanted more. And he’d have it, after all the money her damn husband cost him, she had no choice. He reached down and buried his fingers into her hair to guide her as she proceeded to service him. With a groan of pleasure, he leaned his head against the cushion, turning to look out the window of the convention center, at Chicago’s skyline as she blew him. Women were so easy. Only good for one thing, with their tight little bodies and hot little mouths.
He was here to fundraise for a senator that he’d bought and paid for. He glanced back down at the woman as he rocked into her mouth. She was a little bonus, just as her husband had promised. On her knees for his use, whenever he wanted, wherever he wanted...and however he wanted. His orgasm hit him hard and he groaned loudly as he thrust deeply down her throat. Her gagging reflex only intensified his pleasure as he came.
Releasing her, he leaned back against the couch to catch his breath and watched with a sneer as she stood and wiped her mouth. Without a word, she straightened her clothes and left the room to return to her husband’s political fundraiser still in progress.
Larsen stood to zip his pants and walked over to the window to look at the city lights. It was good to be powerful.
In less than a week, Cassandra would be hooked on the drug. Then he would finally be able to secure his wealth and power.
She had been a thorn in his side for far too long. Larsen glanced at his watch. Time to return to the function.
When Larsen entered the ballroom, he froze. The music had stopped and the crowd stood off to the side of the ballroom floor. Women whispered to each other in shocked tones, standing near their men who looked around with scowls on their faces. The room was swarming with police.
Who were they looking for?
When one of the police officers, a big guy, looked up and saw him, he knew. He could see it in the guy’s narrowed eyes that they’d come for him. Fear shot through him and he ran, reaching into his pocket for the derringer that he always carried.
“Stop. Police.” The shout came from behind him. He managed to make it to the elevator as it opened. A man and woman were inside. He stepped in and grabbed the woman, jamming the gun to her head as the man stood by in shock.
“Get out.” Holding her in front of him as a shield, Larsen spun them both around to face the room as the man darted out.
His heart raced when he found himself staring down the barrel of a 9mm Glock and a cop with angry eyes. The woman started to cry. “Shut up,” he snarled, pressing the gun against her temple.
“Drop your weapon and let the woman go,” the cop ordered.
The gun Larsen held shook as he tried to tamp down his fear. Keeping her in front of him, he reached out and pushed the elevator button for the ground floor, never taking his eyes off the cop. But the elevator wouldn’t move. “Fuck.” He continued to push desperately at the button.
A second cop came up behind the one that held the gun. “Rick, the elevator has been disabled.”
The cop nodded, a satisfied gleam shone in his eyes. “Give it up, Larsen. We have Cassandra and know everything. You can’t win this. Let the woman go.”
The woman’s cries grew louder and she began to shake. “Shut up, bitch. Just shut up!” He brought the gun back to her temple.
He wanted to shout with the unfairness of it. How? How had they found him? He was going to lose everything he’d built over the last eight years. Everything was slipping away, and his rage warred with fear.
Rage won.
Larsen turned his derringer toward the cop. The sound of a gunshot rang out before he was knocked against the elevator wall. The woman’s screams echoed in his mind as his weapon fell from his hand and hit the floor with a thud. His legs would no longer hold him. He slid down the wall as the cops rushed toward him.
“Call an ambulance,” the cop said, kicking the gun away from him.
The voices grew distant and faded away.
Rose wore the white nightgown Nate loved so much as she ran atop a fluffy cloud toward the bright light in the distance. She knew Nate waited for her there. The tranquil sound of music enveloped her. The closer she came to the light, the louder the music sounded. Nate’s soft soothing voice flowed over her. She could almost feel his touch on her cheeks as he wiped away her tears. However, the closer she came, the more pain she felt until it made her stop and turn back. Darkness once again overtook her.
She slowly woke to the sound of Nate’s voice. She could hear the gentle tones of piano music, mingled with a rhythmic beat. The steady beeps at odds with the sweet sound of the music. Rose strained toward the sounds as she tried to escape the silence that trapped her.
She opened her eyes and looked into the warm blue ocean of Nate’s eyes. It must be heaven. Dazed, she just continued to stare at him in awe as her mind attempted to assimilate her surroundings. She
could
hear piano music. A TV hung from stark white walls. The beeping sound came from a monitor by her bed.
A sense of déjà vu swamped her. This couldn’t be real. She must be dead. She glanced around in bemusement. With a moan, she closed her eyes and her body trembled. Had she woken up in hell instead of heaven? Was she doomed to spend the rest of eternity reenacting the past week, forced to endure Nate’s death over and over, as well as her imprisonment and torture?
“Am I dead?”
Nate leaned in, brushed her hair off her face and kissed her forehead. “No, you most certainly are not. You’re very much alive, babe.”
He lifted back the covers and crawled in bed with her, pulling her into his arms. His body shuddered against hers and his arms tightened around her.
“But you’re dead.” But he didn’t feel dead. She marveled at the hardness of his chest under her hands, the warmth that radiated off him. She could actually smell his musky male scent and cinnamon breath.
“He only wounded me, sweetheart. I’m fine. Really,” he assured her.
Could it be? She lifted her face and met his gaze. He watched her with furrowed brows, lines of tension creasing his forehead. Was Nate really alive and here with her?
Memories of her imprisonment came rushing back. When she remembered how she’d killed a man, a shudder rolled through her and a pained cry crossed her lips.
“Sshhh.” Nate stroked her hair. “You’re safe now.”
But how? The last thing she remembered was stabbing the ape. Everything was fuzzy after that.
He leaned down and brushed his lips across her forehead again, pulling her closer as though he thought she would disappear. She could feel the heavy beat of his heart under her cheek where he cradled her against him.
It finally dawned on her that this was real. That she had survived and Nate was alive and they were together. With a squeal of excitement, she reached up and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face into his neck and cried his name as her tears soaked his shirt. Nate held her gently, as though he was afraid she was going to break. He leaned down and tenderly kissed her wet cheeks, tilting her face up to capture her lips with a kiss touched with desperation.
He lifted his head and met her gaze. “How much do you remember?”
“All of it, I remember all of it. Who I am. Why I ran. Who’s after me.”
Nate buried his face in her hair. “I’m sorry I didn’t protect you better, Rose,” he murmured. “Can you forgive me?”
She lifted her head and stroked his cheek. “There’s nothing to forgive. I’m just happy you’re alive.” She licked her lips.
“Are you thirsty?” Nate reached for her water and held the straw to her lips as she took a long swallow.
"Better," he asked as he set the glass back on the stand next to her bed.
Rose nodded. “How long have I been here?”
“Since late last night,” he said, cupping her cheek in his palm he brushed his lips over hers in a tender kiss. “But you’re going to be fine, babe.”
She relaxed against him and sighed with contentment. “So you must know everything then, since you found me?”
He shook his head, “No, not everything. All we know for sure is who you are and that Larsen was behind the attempts on your life. But we don’t know why, although we have our suspicions.”
“Rose.” He shuddered and tightened his arms around her. “I thought I had lost you.” His voice broke as he rubbed the sides of her face with his thumbs. “And I want you to know that I love you,” he said, leaning down for a lingering kiss.
He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. “Now that you have your memory back and I know that you’re not taken, I plan on sticking around to convince you to take a chance on me.
“You don’t have to, Nate.”
Nate’s gut twisted with dread. Was she shutting him down before he even had a chance to win her heart?
Rose reached up and stroked his cheek. “You don’t have to fight for me because I’m already yours.”
He inhaled sharply and stared into her soft caramel eyes. “What are you saying?”
“I love you, Nate.” She gazed back at him, her eyes shining with the truth of the words.
“Yes!” He pumped his fist in the air before capturing her lips again. When he was finally able to tear his mouth away from hers, he looked into her beautiful eyes that shone with affection and desire. For him. He wasn’t quite yet convinced she really meant it.
“Say it again,” he growled.
“I love you.”
“Again,” he demanded with a groan.
Rose smiled, reached out and placed her hands on either side of his face to look into his eyes. “I love you.”
Nate leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers. “Again,” he begged, wanting to hear it a thousand times so it could finally sink into his thick skull.
“I...love...you,” she whispered.
Those three little words were like an aphrodisiac to his soul. It took every ounce of his control to lean down and kiss her gently, when what he really wanted to do was strip her clothes from her and take her with wild abandon. He wanted to give her so much pleasure that she would never change her mind about loving him.
When he lifted his head, she moaned. “No,” as she tried to pull his mouth back to hers.
Nate gave a low, husky laugh. “Believe me, stopping is the last thing I want to do, but a nurse will be in any minute. Besides, you’re not recovered, and I don’t want to hurt you.” He brushed his lips lightly over hers.”
The nurse. That brought Rose back to reality.
Nate kissed the top of her head. “Can you tell me, Rose...Cassandra...?” He stopped and gave a short laugh. “I guess I should call you Cassandra from now on. It really is a beautiful name, babe.”
Rose gave a light-hearted laugh. “You can call me whatever you want as long as you call me,” she teased. She didn’t care if he called her “hey you” as long as he kept on loving her.
Nate smiled, his eyes blazed with emotion. “Okay then, Rose for now. I’ll work Cassandra in as we go along. How’s that?”
She liked that plan, especially the “as we go along” part. It sounded like a future. A future with Nate. She warmed inside.