Trust Me (3 page)

Adam shoved a hand through his hair and grunted. “Point taken.”

“I’m out,” Wild said with a nod. “I’ll have the information to you as soon as I can.” He strode away without another word.

His other two siblings left shortly after. Alone—rather, the only one awake—Adam strolled through his house. He had five acres, not tons but it was enough for him. He didn’t hunt like Derek or Rhodi. He had the lake that he fished on. That was all he needed. Wild’s property backed up to his and they shared the large, fish heavy lake.

The only way someone could get on his property was to hop the fence and he had cameras and other sensors all around. They all did.

He jogged up to the room he’d put Pix in and peered in the doorway. A soft light burned on the bedside table. She was so buried beneath the comforter he couldn’t see her face. She made him so protective.

Adam backed away when he realized she’d tensed beneath the bedding. Her instincts had warned her she was no longer alone and the last thing he wanted was for her to wake in a panic. So he left her alone, leaving the door cracked open as it had been.

As he walked to his office, he went over what he saw in the room. He’d told her, she was staying until this threat had been handled. One way or another. Yet, she still had everything in her bag, packed and within easy reach if she had to run.

Veering from his office, he went to his workout room and stripped to the waist. Pounding the heavy bag, he allowed his rage to pour free. Thirty-six stabs, plus the injury from the shower. She had a will of iron to survive that.

“Try again, you bastard, I’ll cut you into tiny pieces,” he growled, slamming his fists into the bag over and over again.

Sweaty after his workout, he made his way to his bedroom, one door down from where he put Pix. Adam stepped in the shower and washed off the sweat. Keeping the shower short, he dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist. He stared at his reflection and touched the scars on his body—he had some, yes, but he was a solider. Or rather had been one. It wasn’t anything Shelly Marie should have had to experience.

He stared at his gunshot wound, pleased with how it healed, then went to his bedroom and drew on a pair of gray sweats. Fighting a yawn, he returned to his office, a bit calmer now, and began to trace Pix and where she’d been for the past few years. Anything to try and figure out how this man had been able to find her each time.

She stirred and opened her eyes. A low golden light poured into the room and she wasn’t sure if it was morning or evening. The sun was low in the sky. She shifted on the sheets then slowly sat up. Her immediate onslaught of fear ebbed as her location sank in.

Adam.

Amazing how just being with him in the same house makes me feel safe.
Adam had been the one man who’d made—she shook her head.
Now isn’t the time to go down that road.

She gazed around the room and took it in, sparse but comfortable. Simple wooden furniture with solid colors for the bedspread, curtains, and rug. Scenery pictures adorned the walls, making her smile. She lay back with a sigh and tugged the blankets back up as she burrowed back into the warmth.

It had been so long since she’d not woken remaining scared after the initial spike of fear. There’d been no waking during the night, no screaming with plaguing nightmares. Yet, she was so tired.

Her lids lowered and she allowed herself a few more moments of hovering along the border between light and dark. After she encouraged herself to climb out of the bed, she walked to the bathroom with her bag in hand.

Stripping, she pulled out her clean clothes before placing them on the edge of the sink. Once the water had heated, she stepped inside the streams and enjoyed her shower. It didn’t take her too long and she was out, dry, and dressed.

She’d never been to Adam’s house because when they’d been together, it was just in the planning stages. Leaving the room, she ambled slowly up the hall taking in his home. The smooth wood walls had more of the black and white art similar to that of the room he’d put her in. These were shots she recognized from when they were just in a file folder. Images of places he’d been. No people, just places. All done with a black and white camera. They followed the stairs and she continued down to the first floor.

The man always had the eye to get great shots. She paused before a familiar one above the final step. Only the last time she’d seen it, the photo had been in color. While those vibrant green colored moss that lined the sides, crystal clear lakes at the bottom, and the turquoise water, seeing it in black and white held an impressive view as well.

“The Plitvice Lakes.” Some equated it to the Grand Canyon just with the brilliant greens and blues.

“Good evening,” he said from beside her.

She didn’t even jump, knowing he was there on some level. “Why the black and white image?”

She stiffened, however, at the slight touch of his finger down the side of her face, when he moved a red curl away from her eye. He didn’t comment but she had no doubt he noticed.

“I wanted everything to fit well.”

A slight chuckle slid free. “I remember that about you. Wanted everything always in order. Colors always matching. No room for impulsiveness in your life.”

“Not true,” he countered.

She looked at him. “Really?”

Those damn blue eyes bore into her. “I had room in my life for you. And you, Shelly Marie, were impulsive in ways I’d never seen.”

A lifetime ago.
“Not so much anymore.” She angled herself toward him. “You have a beautiful home.”

“You’ve not seen it all. Just from the bedroom down.”

“Regardless, I’m sure it’s like your sketches and from what I have seen, it’s beautiful.”

His gaze darkened slightly. “Are you hungry?”

She tugged on her sleeve. “I could eat.”

“Did you sleep well?”

With a nod as she scrunched up her shoulders, she tried to hide the scarring around her neck. “I did. And Adam, I know my coming here throws a wrench in your plans.”

“Stop,” he barked.

The edge in his tone froze her.

His sigh was full of exasperation. “I know you’ve been through hell, Pix. And what you’ve gone through pisses me off to no end but I will never,
never
raise my hand to you.”

“I don’t want to compare you to him, but you are a man who’s extremely larger than me and stronger. I’m trying to control my fear, please understand it’s not about you, but me. This is something I have to work through. Something I
am
working through. But it’s slow going.”

Even though she was on a step, he still towered over her causing her to tip her head back to maintain eye contact. His sigh, heavy, tore at her heart.
I’m just hurting him all over again.

He reached for her face, slowly but without hesitation. Her lids fluttered when he cupped her cheek. “Tell me you understand you’re safe now, Pix. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.” His grip tightened. Not enough that it hurt, but enough for her to know how serious he was. “I would die before I let that happen.”

“I don’t want you to die, Adam. Jesus, your family would really hate me then. I don’t want you hurt. I just…I just want my life back. I don’t want to walk outside in the rain to check on my generator and wonder if it was sabotage or not, all the while raw fear makes me nauseous to the point of vomiting. I don’t want to run in a closet when I see a daffodil. I don’t want shivers when I hear a child say ‘peek-a-boo’ because I think he’s paid a child to say it for the sole purpose of watching me devolve into panic.”

“Let’s talk about that.”

“About what?”

He wound his fingers into her hair. “I need more information about him. Habits, proclivities, schedules, anything and everything.”

“So you haven’t looked him up?” Surprise laced her tone.

“Oh, trust me, Pix. I have any and all information on him I can pull from the web and Wild brought over more intel this morning. However, you married him. You know him. I want personal notes.”

Her gut churned. “Right, I married him.” The grandest of mistakes she ever could have made.

“You did, so we need to use that to our advantage. Hell, anything as small as the brand of food he likes can help, because if it’s something specific we can track down where around here it can be found.” He tightened his grip, and she swayed toward him, body reawakening to being in his presence. “I’ll get this fucker, make no mistake of that.”

The conviction in his tone had more tears burning the backs of her eyes. She wanted to believe him so much but her reality of the past five years, just kept that comfort dangling out of reach. Her own proverbial carrot on a stick.

His gaze, hard, softened as he stared. “It kills me to see you cry, Pix. Breaks the heart I no longer have in my chest.” He leaned in and brushed his lips lightly along her cheek. “You
will
survive this.” Then he stepped away and walked off.

She sank to the step and buried her face in her hands.
What did he mean by that? That he has no heart in his chest. He’s one of the nicest men I know.
She stayed like that for a few moments then got up and walked to the kitchen where he stood at the island, chopping veggies. Shelly Marie paused at the entryway. He handled the knife with precision and deft efficiency. The skillet to his right sizzled and he added more vegetables when they were prepped, stopping to stir them occasionally.

“Just going to stand there or come help?” He never looked up from what he was doing.

“Wasn’t sure you wanted me to help out.” She moved further into the room.

Now he looked at her. His gaze seeing more than any other man ever could. She wiped her hands off on her pants and tried to remind herself this wasn’t about them reuniting and getting back together. It was purely to keep her alive.
So all these damn fantasies I’m having of him carrying me off to bed need to stop right now.
Easier said than done.

She washed her hands as the air filled with the scent of sausage and veggies. Tilting her head to the side, she dried her hands.

“What?”

“What what?” she replied.

“You’ve got that questioning look. What’s on your mind?”

“Your back is to me; how do you know I’ve got a questioning look?”

“Because you’re always full of questions.”

Lately it seemed her only one had been why. Why had this happened to her? She exhaled slowly. “You’re right. I was wondering when the music changed. You used to listen to metal. This is anything but. I didn’t even know you knew classical music existed.”

She allowed her gaze to roam over the jean encased ass on the man before her. It truly wasn’t fair to the rest of the male population. In her eye and humble opinion, there wasn’t a finer specimen anywhere.

He turned slowly and she managed to have her eyes up from where his crotch would have been. Barely, but a success was a success.
I’ll take what I can get.

“Some things,” he said, sucking something off his thumb. “You outgrow.” His eyes locked onto hers like a laser. “Other things you don’t and know you never will.”

Her nipples tightened and her pussy was more than ready for him. This time her skin played host to goosebumps for an entirely different reason. “Is that so?”

“Definitely.” His lips quirked up as he dragged his gaze over her. “Get the salad from the fridge, please.”

Grateful for something to occupy her hands, and mind, she listened and pulled out a nice glass bowl with a colorful salad.
Touching him would give me something to do with my hands.
Damn her subconscious for speaking up. She checked her watch as she placed the bowl down and was shocked to see she’d been out for more than a day.

“You needed your rest. I wasn’t going to wake you up.”

“Been a while since I’ve slept so well.” That wasn’t a hard confession to make, not that he wouldn’t have been able to see it, given the strain and circles she’d had under her eyes.

He joined her at the table with the main course and took his own seat after he held hers for her. She’d forgotten about his manners. Mrs. Wilder had raised her boys right. All of them.

αβ

Adam stared at the monitor as his security feed replayed. Something had set off the alarm and he wanted to know what the fuck it was.
Or who.

He sat immobile until he realized it was some kids from town. Even so, he gathered face shots and ran them through facial recognition. He wasn’t taking any chances with Shelly Marie’s safety and ultimately her life.

“Knock knock.”

“Rhodi,” he said without turning from the screen.

His brother placed a beer before him. “How’s it going?”

“Kids set off the proximity alarm earlier this morning, from town. I recognize them. I’m running them because she said this assfuck could charm the wings off a fly, so he may pay someone to check it out.”

Rhodi straddled a chair. “Think he’s here already?”

“Not sure. He’s got a lot of connections. He makes shady underground acts look like sunny vacation days at the beach.”

“And why Shelly Marie?”

Adam whipped his head to the side, glaring at his brother. “Meaning?” The growled word, edgy and dangerous.

“Ease off there, killer. I just mean a man of such wealth and connections could have any woman. Do you think he went after her for her smarts?”

“I’d thought of that, maybe he wanted her chemistry, and whatever she studied, background. I don’t know. She said he wooed her.” He clenched a fist as he ran over the conversation he’d had with her on this. The distant look in her expression, the fear, the subtle signs of panic. “Gave her little gifts for no reason. Kept her off balance that way. Everything I didn’t do when we were together.” Anger laced his tone.

“Stay on track, Adam. He did do things you didn’t, like stab her numerous times. Throw her through a glass shower panel. You didn’t know that was going to happen. Focus on what you can do now. What she could offer him. She was one of the top of her field. She holds degrees in biotechnology as well as a forensic and chemical toxicologist. Her background in metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics helps with her training as a molecular biologist.”