Seduction: Book 3 (Strong Young Women Series) (20 page)

Mitch took her for breakfast then dropped her off at her client’s office. Her two bodyguards were waiting for her there. He made sure they knew that she was not only a client now, but someone he was involved with.

Chuck and Jack were good men. Men he had served with and now working for him. He knew they would take good care of her. Now he just needed to sort out the issue of seeing who he could recommended to catch the lunatic that was causing all the mayhem in the first place.

He passed by his penthouse and thought about packing an overnight bag since Evelyn refused to stay over at his penthouse. He hadn’t faught her, but soon he would find a way to have her stay with him. His place was more secure and made more sense for her too since most of her clients were the rich of New York City. Why commute when she could just be in the same city?

Mitch was busy trying to field calls later that afternoon when he got a chilling call from one of his employees.

“Contain the situation until I get there,” he told Hank Richards. Hank and John Danforth were guarding Kelly Andersen and the news wasn’t good. He swore and hoped it wasn’t the worst he was imagining.

Eighteen

Ana reached Rafe’s office and barged in. His assistant hadn’t been able to stop her as she rushed into his office. He jumped up when he saw her enter, tears streaming down her face.

“Ana honey, what’s wrong,” Rafe asked her.

“It’s Kelly. We need to get to the hospital,” she said pulling his hand. “She’s hurt, Rafe. I need to be there.”

Rafe froze. “How bad, Ana?”

Ana shook her head. “I don’t know. They didn’t know when they called me, but I …” she hiccuped trying to breathe but it was like she was having an asthma attack. “Please Rafe.”

Rafe tighted the hold he had on her hand and literally ran out of his office. They bumped into Nate who had heard the commotion from his office and come to investigate. Rafe quickly told him Kelly had had some type of accident but nobody knew what kind and how bad.

Nate nodded his head in understanding. “Go, I’ll be right behind you, and I’ll tell the others.”

Ana and Rafe ran out, jabbing the elevator button several times when the elevator wouldn’t show up on their floor. Finally when they were thinking of taking the stairs instead did it ding on their floor and they both rushed inside.

Ana was praying the whole elevator ride to the first floor. As soon as they rushed out of the opening doors, their security reacted with speed. They took the first SUV that was ready and the second one followed them to the hospital.  Ana couldn’t understand if Kelly had been hurt by Jeremy Maynard or a patient, or hospital equipment. Whatever had happened, she hoped it was minor. But from the way Grace had been screaming into the phone, it seemed like it was something serious.

It was the longest thirty minutes of Ana’s life. Rafe jumped out of the moving SUV and grabbed Ana by the waist, lifting her out of the vehicle that had just stopped at the ER entrance. They both saw Mitch and Hank talking, and quickly went to meet them.

“Ana. Rafe,” Mitch said placing his hand on Rafe’s shoulder and guided him to an uncrowded corner. Ana followed still holding onto Rafe’s other hand.

“What the hell happened, Mitch?” Rafe asked before they even stopped. “And how bad is it?”

“Hank was just filling me in,” he said and ran his fingers through his hair showing his frustration. “One of her co-workers, apparently beat her up.”

Ana gasped. “Brad?”

“You know him?” Mitch asked.

Both Rafe and Ana answered in the affirmative.

“I’m going to kill that son of a bitch,” Rafe swore and balled his hands into fists. “Where is she? I need to see her.”

Mitch stopped Rafe who was about to shoot off. “Listen you can’t, not right now anyway. They are running tests to make sure nothing was broken or anything serious that may need surgery.”

“Surgery? It was that bad?” Rafe asked.

“Oh God!” Ana said and started crying harder.

Rafe took her into his arms. “Shhhh. Ana,” he said and rubbed her back.

“It’s bad,” Mitch said. “Medically I have no idea how bad, but physically that guy did a number on her.” Mitch handed Rafe Hank’s cellphone. “Hank took some pictures. We’ll have these printed in case they are needed for evidence. The detectives were pretty quick to get here, and one of them took pictures too. And right now they are talking to him.”

Rafe looked at the pictures with Ana, and she gripped the arm holding the phone tighter. She was angry that someone could do that. She hadn’t known her attackers,
but Kelly had. How had she felt being beaten by someone she knew, someone she had considered a boyfriend, even though it had been a short while. Kelly had been right in reading the violent tendencies in Brad. Ana turned to Rafe’s chest and cried for her friend.

Gabe walked in and saw them standing in the corner. Ana was in Rafe’s arms and crying. He walked faster and took her into his arms. “Ah, baby, don’t. I’m sure she’ll be okay,” he said kissing her forehead. “Tell me what happened?”

“Her ex, Brad beat her up. The pictures…” she said with a hiccup and pointing towards Rafe. “…are bad. She looks…she looks…Oh God Gabe!” she swallowed and cried out in pain. “I want to see her.”

Ana turned when she heard her name being called softly beside her. She looked up and saw Grace, Kelly’s co-worker.

“Grace? Thanks for calling me. Please tell me Kelly will be okay?”

Grace hugged her. “I’m sorry Ana. Nobody knew what kind of a person Brad was or what he could do. But I think she’ll be okay. I haven’t seen her chart yet, but she should be out in a few minutes.”

Ana thanked Grace, then introduced her to everyone present. She directed them to an empty room and told them as much as she knew about that had happened. Then she left them promising to let them know when Kelly was brought back into a room.

As they waited, Nate, Evelyn and Manuel arrived. Ana asked about Stefano’s whereabouts and Manuel told her he would be done in another half hour. Since it had been his first day, he hadn’t been able to get away. Ana nodded in understanding.

After what seemed like hours, Grace came to tell them Kelly had been given a temporary room and they could try and see her a few at a time. She promised to run as much interference as possible, but the whole ‘only family’ rule could be enforced at any time.

“Go with Rafe, baby,” Gabe said to her.

She kissed his cheek. “Thanks,” then left the room with Rafe to see Kelly.

Her unmarked skin was full of red patches showing where either fists or slaps had landed. A few open cuts, but nothing too bad. Ana pulled her gown and saw where most of the beating had happened. Her front and back had more red marks than anyone could have imagined.
And they were already turning an ugly color.

It seemed like Brad had been trying to limit the bruises to areas that were normally hidden by clothes. Fortunately she only had a bruise on one cheek. Ana hope it would he
al and disappear quickly. That was not a reminder she wanted her friend to see in the mirror everyday.

“Hey Kelly,” she said with tears falling down her chest.

“Baby,” Rafe whispered next to Ana.

Kelly woke and opened her eyes slowly. She saw her best friend and boyfriend standing holding her hand and both with tears brimming in their eyes. She tried to move and felt pain shoot through her body. She gasped in shock, then everything came back to her. “Brad.”

“Don’t move baby.”

“Ana? Did you call my mum?”

Ana shook her head. “Not yet. I didn’t know how bad it was. Didn’t know what to say to her,” she said crying.

“We’ll call her baby. Please tell me what happened?” he asked.

Kelly held tight onto Rafe’s fingers. “I’m sorry. I just reacted to the message on my beeper, and ran out without checking for the guards.”

Rafe kissed her forehead. “Okay, shhh. It’s okay. You’re safe now.” He wiped the tears off her cheeks with his fingers.

“I think Brad knew I would use the other door. It’s nearer,” she said and swallowed to take a breath. “I thought I was being called to an actaul emergency in the basement. But it was just him. Rafe,” she said and cried remembering a vicious looking Brad.

“Why did he want you to go to the basement Kelly?” Rafe asked her.

“He saw you picking me up on Friday, and when you kissed me, he knew.”

“I’m guessing he was angry that you wouldn’t give him the time of day because you were going out with Rafe?” Ana guessed.

Kelly nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “He slapped me around. But it was only when I told him that under no circumstances would I ever consider taking him back, Rafe or no Rafe, did he then become really violent. He beat…”

Rafe sat on the bed and pulled Kelly into his arms. “Oh, baby. Don’t apologize for that piece of scum. No man, no matter how goaded should ever do that to a woman. Never
, ever.”

Ana took hold of Kelly’s hand and brought it to her lips. “He’s right, Kels,” she agreed and kissed her knuckles.
“I’m sure he’ll be going to jail for a long time. Hopefully until you finish your residency.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” Rafe told her. “He won’t be able to work in another hospital ever again. This is the end of his career.”

Ana squeezed her hand. “I’ll step outside and call your parents, then have the others come and see you for a while. But I’ll be right back after that.”

Kelly nodded her head to Ana. “Thanks Ana. I love you.”

“I love you too, Kels. Just get better okay?” Ana walked out of the room and straight into Gabe’s arms. “I need to call her parents. Someone else can go and see her.”

Gabe motioned for Evelyn and Manuel to go in. He took Ana to a quiet area to make her call. He held tightly onto her, thinking of the time he had almost gone out of his mind when she had been lying in a coma in this very hospital.  Thank God, Kelly wasn’t as bad. He wouldn’t wish the same pain he had gone through on anyone, let alone his brother.

He made her wait with Evelyn and Manuel who were just coming out of Kelly’s room, then he walked in with Nate. They were in there for less than a minute before the detectives on the case walked in. And as fate would have it, Detectives Smith and White had drawn the short straw. With no introductions necessary, they just greeted each other then got into the case.

Brad Johnson had been carried off in a squad car, they were told by the two detectives. The evidence was irrefutable and since Brad had confessed, it was a
n open and shut case. Besides, there were two witnesses who had saved Kelly and received a few punches before they managed to pin him down. They were going to ask for the maximum sentence, but it was all up to the DA.

When the detectives came out, Ana walked in with Stefano. She saw her two friends hug and cry at the turn of events. Stefano must think New York is a crazy place, she thought and hoped he didn’t decide to go back. Her parent’s already thought that. She
winced when she realized she had forgotten to let her parents and brothers know.

“
Hey Kels,” Ana said standing on her other side. “Your mum said she would charter a plane as soon as she got hold of your dad. Apparently he had gone out of town on some emergency meeting for a movie they are trying to have him direct. She’ll call back and let me know later.”

“Thanks Ana.”

They all looked towards the door when it opened. Eva walked in and ran to Kelly, her arms out. They walked out and left her and Rafe with Kelly. Kelly’s guards, John and Hank told them everyone had gone to the waiting room.

They followed their directions and left them both by Kelly’s door. Ana looked for Grace and when she saw her, she held up a finger showing she would be with her in a moment. Ana pointed to the waiting room and when she saw Grace nod, she followed Nate and Stefano who had already gone inside. Gabe took her hand and led her into the room.

A few minutes later Grace came to look for her. Ana was glad when she was told that Kelly wouldn’t have to spend more than one night unless they found something wrong with her during the night.

“Thanks Grace,” she said giving her a tight hug. “When Kels is better we should go out like old times.”

Grace smiled. “Will the hunks that follow Kels around be there?”

Ana laughed, the first laugh since that afternoon. “Maybe not the same ones, but there’ll be a lot of them to pick from,” she told her. “I’ll make sure to request the unmarried ones for that night.”

“You can count me in,” she said. “I’ll let Kels know once we know our days off coincide.” Grace winked at her and then turned to leave. “And don’t worry about Kels. She’s under the best of care,” she said and then left.

When Julie, Kels mum called an hour later, Ana had more positive news to give her. They were taking off
as soon as Kelly’s dad arrived home in a few hours, and would be coming directly to the hospital. At Gabe’s directive, she told her Gabe would be sending a driver to pick them up. Julie gave her their flight details and she wrote them down.

“Their flight leaves at nine tonight a
nd lands just after five tomorrow morning,” Ana told Gabe as she transferred the information onto a note pad on her cellphone. “I want to be here when they get here.”

“Sure baby.”

“I don’t want to leave just yet, but when we do, I need to collect clean clothes for her. And get my laptop.” She leaned against him for support. “I don’t like invading people’s privacy, but I think I need to do this for Kelly. Maybe I will find something that could help with the trial.”

“Lester should be here shortly. I’m sure he’ll appreciate any help he can get in nailing that son of a bitch if we can’t get the DA to lock and throw away his cell key.”

“He must have his hands full with my case still open.”

Ana hadn’t even been aware that Micth had been missing. He walked in and brought the group together, then told them he had gone down to the basement to see the crime
scene. They were still processing it but professional courtesy had forced the officers to show him around. It was taking long because the area was dark and they needed to bring in more lighting.

When Ana went back to see Kelly, she found her fast asleep. She sat with her for a while
. Rafe left to talk with Kelly’s supervisor and the Chief Physician. Although Kelly wasn’t in a coma. Ana still felt the need to talk to her.