Waiting for You (22 page)

“You’re divorced, asshole. What she does is not your goddamn business.”

Talking back garnered a hard backhand from Michael but Adam refused to back down from the scum bag.

A whimpering sounded from the couch and all eyes turned to Audrey as she started to regain consciousness. Adam watched in horror as Michael approached her in three easy strides and yanked her up by the hair. She cried in shock and protest as she was dragged to stand before him. He noticed her right hand wrapped around herself and she walked over with a slight hunch. He was going to kill the bastard if he hurt her.

Her gaze fell to him and he saw them fill with tears. “Adam.” His whispered name from her lips had him wrestling to get out and help her.

Michael yanked her hair and her head fell back as she cried out again. She dropped to her knees before Adam and the helplessness he felt was drowning him.

“I watched you, you little bitch,” Michael barked at Audrey. “I watched you suck his cock like a fucking whore.” He rubbed his crotch into her shoulder and Adam fought against the metal restraints. “You liked that, didn’t you? Must have sucked cock all the way down from New York trying to make a quick buck, too.”

He walked back to stare Adam in the face. “And you.” His breath was hot and assaulting to Adam’s nostrils. “You liked her plump mouth didn’t you? Well, today you can get off on watching her mouth on my dick. I’m going to fuck her mouth ‘til her throat bleeds.”

Adam didn’t wait for another word as he reeled his head back and head butted Michael hard. His blood boiled at the man’s threats and he needed to get Audrey to safety NOW.

His head hit back and connected hard with the goon’s chin, just enough to have the larger man release Adam and stumble back a few steps. Adam turned around and kicked the man hard in the center of his chest, knowing the impact would be enough to puncture his lung. It was all he needed, for the man to be occupied with his own survival so Adam could deal with Michael and get Audrey the hell out of there.

He was about to turn around when a sharp pain in his left side overtook him. He took a sharp breath and the pain heated, burned and intensified. He turned around to face Michael’s sadistic leer as he hovered over Adam.

“Oh my God, Adam no!”

Adam heard Audrey’s voice as he stared down at the knife Michael had plunged into his side, the blade swallowed into his flesh as only the handle protruded.

“Shut up, bitch!” he barked as he threw her back against the sofas roughly.

“Don’t you touch her,” Adam threatened in a quiet voice of steel.

The asshole had the audacity to laugh as he drew his elbow back and connected the hard edge with Adam’s jaw. Adam felt the room spin. He was sure to suffer a migraine later but it would be worth it when he got to slit this asshole’s throat.

“What are you going to do about it champ? I’ll tell you what? Absolutely nothing. Because the bitch belongs to me and I’m going to show you exactly that!”

Adam’s eyes darted to Audrey again and tried to convey to her that it would be ok, he’d protect her. She was scared, her breathing labored and her eyebrows scrunched together. “It’s going to be ok baby,” he managed before Michael’s fist sucker punch him in the eye and then the world went black.

****

Audrey watched as Michael hit Adam in the face. The impact resounded hard in the room before Adam fell to the ground and passed out.

Audrey lay on her side on the carpeted floor and pretended to be equally unconscious. This version of Michael was one she had never seen before and she truly feared for her life and Adam’s. He had a pure evil about him now, an unmasked danger that she had no intention of underestimating. She feared he would rape her with an audience just to punish her and the thought chilled her to the bones. It was best she pretend to be knocked out until she could think up a plan to get them the hell out of here.

She heard Michael’s footsteps on the carpet getting louder as he inched toward her. She braced herself for the boot to the gut she knew was impending but instead he mumbled some curse words under his breath before he headed out of the room towards the other end of the house. But not before she heard his foot connecting hard with flesh. Adam.

Audrey opened her eyes and took in the battered man sprawled on the floor a few feet in front of her. Her beautiful, brave Adam. He’d come back for her, despite the way she had left things with him. Despite all the crap that now seemed so insignificant. And he lay there, with a knife deep in his side, the blood staining his white T-shirt and dripping onto the beige carpet. The side of his face was starting to swell and she knew he’d be black and blue in a few hours. And because he came back for her. She had to do something.

She inched toward him, straining her ears to hear for Michael. The bastard. She wanted to beat her small fists into his face for what he did to Adam. She could take her own torment, she was used to it but Adam didn’t deserve this.

She stroked Adam’s face and whispered close to his ear, “Adam, wake up.”

He stirred beneath her open palms but didn’t open his eyes so she called to him again.

He opened his eyes into small slivers and peeped at her beneath heavy lids. “Audrey,” he regarded her so intensely with those green orbs, as though looking deep into her soul. “He hurt you.”

It wasn’t a question. She saw his eyes harden for what she was sure he was planning to do to her ex-husband.

“Sssh,” she soothed, stroking his rough jaw. “We need to get out of here. Can you get up?” she gripped his shoulders and helped him to sit. She noticed the way he gritted his teeth and the sweat that was now developing over his brows. He was in agony.

“Baby,” he called out to her weakly. “Do you know if he kept the keys to the cuffs in this room?”

She shook her head and felt her brain move with the throbbing in her own skull. “He’s smart Adam, he would keep it on him.”

What he did next shocked Audrey beyond belief. He twisted the thumb of his left hand in an awkward angle and then threw the weight of his hip and upper body onto it, the sickening sound of his thumb breaking filling the room. He bared his teeth in a silent howl of pain before carefully slipping the hand with the broken appendage through the handcuffs, freeing himself.

The minute his hands were free he enveloped Audrey in his arms. Audrey wanted to weep at the feel of Adam against her. She was so scared about how this day was going to play out but having Adam’s chest against hers gave her a small semblance of courage. This man was here to protect her, even though his own body was worse for wear.

Audrey heard footsteps approach and the fear stilled her once again. “He’s coming back,” she whispered fevered.

Adam shoved his cell phone into her hand and when she stared into his eyes, past the physical pain he was fighting through, she saw a steely calm determination. “Dial Oliver’s number and leave the phone under the sofa.”

She nodded and did as he asked. She just managed to slide the phone under the sofa when she heard Oliver’s faint, “Hello?”

Michael walked into the room then and he noticed her hunched on the floor, clearly conscious.

“Well, well, well,” his voice grated on her last nerve. “If it isn’t Sleeping Beauty.”

She knew what she needed to do. She had to get a coded message to Oliver. “I have a name, Michael.”

“I know Audrey, but I have a whole slew of names that suit you better.”

“Why did you come back to my Grandpa’s house to torture me? Why would you stab Adam, a man you don’t even know? It’s just going to push you back into jail. If he dies…” she choked on the words. “If he dies, you will be in for murder.”

“Oh no dear, they will have to catch me first. I’m going to ruin your life, let you watch your boyfriend die and then I’ll be long gone. You see, I made friends in prison. People who have contacts that can help a man like me disappear. So I’m going to break you bitch and then I’m going to lay on some white beach somewhere and toast to your ruin.”

“Fuck you,” she spat out.

“Oh you will Audrey, you will.” He approached her then, unbuckling his pants and the fear and revulsion gripped her.

“I’m still alive asshole,” Adam piped up behind Michael.

She watched as Michael turned around, his eyes large in his head as he noticed that Adam was unbound.

He leapt for Adam and Adam returned with a series of punches, both deflecting Michael’s hits and connecting with Michael himself. The man went down like a sack of potatoes and Adam crouched on top of him, his fists pummeling Michael’s face with a rage she had never seen before.

“Adam!” she called out, not wanting her perfect man to be marred with this on his conscious. “Adam stop, he’s unconscious.”

Adam turned to her, a wild expression in his eyes which seemed to slowly clear as he focused on her. The split second it took for him to reach over Michael toward her, her ex-husband reached out with weak hands and pulled the knife out of Adam’s side, spurting blood in every direction.

Audrey instinctively ran toward him, kicking Michael hard in the face, knocking him properly unconscious.

Adam tried to move away but the quick blood loss had him fall to his knees. Audrey caught him and cradled his upper body, putting pressure on his gushing wound. Adam’s skin was pale and mottled and the fear that she overwhelmed her in that moment trumped any she had ever experienced.

“Adam, please stay with me.” She whispered frantically. Rubbing his forehead with one hand as she pushed down on his side with the other. ‘I’m so sorry I got you into this. I need you to stay alive so I can spend the rest of my life making it up to you ok?” The tears streamed hot and steady down her cheeks, blurring her vision as she watched Adam’s eyes roll into the back of his head, the color draining from his face.

“Police Department,” Oliver’s voice sounded through the door.

“Oliver!” she shouted, her voice sounding hoarse to her own ears. “In here!”

Oliver barged in through the front door, breaking it off its hinges. He rushed over to Audrey with a team of officers behind him.

Audrey watched in a blur as EMTs reached Adam’s limp body and started working on him. The amount of blood surrounding him was inconceivable. Could he lose that much blood and still be alive? Another paramedic reached for her and she could see his mouth moving but she couldn’t make out the words. Her gaze found Oliver’s and his grim countenance didn’t give her much hope for Adam. The thought took the breath right out of her and as her lungs closed in on itself, squeezing all the air out. Her vision darkened and she was sure she was going to pass out.

“Ma’am, you need to calm down. You’re having a panic attack.”

Audrey remembered a brown bag been thrown at her as she was forced to take in breaths. She was injected with something, the prick on her arm sharp and painful and then she was light and peaceful. The world closed around her and the darkness enveloped her like an embrace of an old friend.

Chapter 20

A
udrey opened her eyes and blinked against the harsh hospital lights. She took in a deep breath and immediately regretted it as the pain in her ribs pierced her painfully. She winced and reached to hold her hand against the pain. Her fingertips came into contact with the bandage and the whole awful scene replayed in her mind. She closed her eyes, trying to breathe through the agony throbbing throughout her battered body.

“Audrey?” She knew that voice. It was so familiar to her. It was one that she didn’t expect to hear in her hospital room.

Audrey’s eyes flew open. “Mom?”

Her mother came into her line of sight and grasped Audrey’s hand in her own. The warmth permeated her skin and into the coldest parts of her

It had been so long since Audrey had seen her mother and looking at her now she noticed how much she had aged in the years that they had been apart. The lines around her mouth and eyes were more prominent, indicating more wrinkles than laugh lines. Her dark hair was streaked with grey too and her eyes just lacked the luster of the carefree woman she imagined over the phone.

She peered next her mother to her father who stood beside her, a worried drawn expression on his face.

“What are you both doing here?” she croaked.

Both her parents shared pained expressions, the guilt eating away into their souls.

“We needed to come home Audrey. I’m sorry it’s taken so long and I’m sorry it’s taken that God awful phone call for us to realize how much we neglected you.”

Audrey’s eyes stung with unshed tears.

Her father came around and stroked her hair. “I’m sorry we didn’t protect you all these years Audrey.” His voice cracked and she saw the moisture glistening in his own eyes. “I can’t believe that monster hurt you again. Trust me, we are going to make sure he pays the ultimate price.”

Audrey gave him a small smile and savored his comforting touch.

“We are here to stay now Audrey,” he mother stated. “And I’m hoping you will give us the chance to be a family again.”

Audrey opened her arms and reached for them, her face wet with the uncontrolled tears.

“I’d like that,” she finally whispered. “Have you heard anything about Adam?”

Her heart fluttered with anxiety over any news about him.

“I don’t know about his condition but I heard the nurses say he’s in the ward across the hall.”

“Will you take me to him?”

Something flickered in her mother’s eyes before she smiled and nodded her head.

She had to make sure he was ok. And then she needed to say goodbye to him so he could be safe.

****

Adam opened his eyes and blinked a few times to accommodate to the dim lighting in his hospital room. He was weak and dizzy and cursed himself for feeling like a fucking princess. The throbbing in his head and the excruciating pain all along his side only added to his weakened state.

Through his pain haze he took in the bouquet of flowers and the fruit basket standing on the long table at the edge of the room. He had obviously had some visitors. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was Oliver and he had drawn a dick on his cheek just to be funny. The thought made him chuckle and he cursed himself for the pain that rippled through his body from the exertion.

He felt her presence before he realized that Audrey was sitting beside his bed, her head resting on top of her folded arms as she snored softly next to him. He reached out and stroked a strand of her silky hair. His heart rate sped up as he remembered why he was in the hospital and he was desperate to know if Audrey was ok.

“Audrey,” he whispered loudly to her. “Baby, wake up.”

She stirred then and lifted her head to look at him. As though just realizing that he was awake, her eyes cleared and the sleepiness was replaced by a bone deep concern.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” she reached for his hand and stroked the bruised skin of his fingers. The feeling was comforting and Adam forgot just how deep his physical pain ran.

“Like I had the crap beat out of me.” He smirked and she lightly socked him in the arm.

“Ow. Do you not see that I’m already in the hospital?” He joked.

“Well don’t make jokes about this.”

He reached for her and stroked the bruises on her face. “How bad is it?”

“You have a bad stab wound that just nicked your spleen, four broken ribs, a broken thumb which was self-inflicted, a concussion and some bruises on your face.”

“I meant you, Sweetheart. How are you?”

She gave him a sad smile that pinched his chest. “I’ll live. Just a few cracked ribs.”

“Hey, you fought that asshole. You weren’t a victim this time. You made me proud.”

A tear slipped down her cheek and he reached to swipe it away.

“I’m so sorry Adam. You’re in here because of me. I never should have pulled you into my messy life. I just came here to make sure that you were ok and to say thank you for saving me. I don’t think we should see each other anymore. Bad things follow me around and I could never forgive myself if something happened to you.” She choked on a sob as she gazed intently into his eyes. “I thought you were going to die.”

“Are you done now?”

She opened and closed her mouth but no words came out so she nodded.

He gripped her hand in his as her other palm covered it altogether. “You didn’t bring this into my life. I should never have let you walk away all those years ago in the first place. Don’t think that you walking away now is protecting either of us because I will find you wherever you go and bring you back home, to me. I will gladly get stabbed, shot, beaten, just about anything for you, because I love you.”

Her eyes widened at his admission but still no words formed.

“I’ve never said those words to another woman in my life but I hope I get to say it to you every single day for the rest of my life. I never wanted a relationship before and I think it’s because all these years I have waited for you. It’s always been you Audrey. It will always be you. And I know you’ve been hurt in the past and I know I messed things up to. Baby I’m sorry. I was wrong and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you give me the chance to. I will never hurt you again and I will make damn sure nobody ever does either.”

She stared at him through chocolate eyes, bright with tears.

“What do you say, Audrey?”

“I love you.” She stepped out of her chair and threw her arms around Adam, causing him to wince loudly in pain.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry.” She pushed away but he grabbed her and pulled her back against his chest, despite the jolts of pain shooting through his every nerve ending. It was worth it. He needed her this close.

“I love you Adam Parker,” she nuzzled his chest and damn if his heart burst into happiness. “I’m sorry it took my psycho ex-husband beating us to a pulp to put it into words but I think I’ve felt this way about you from the first day I laid eyes on you as a teenager.”

“I’m going to spend all my days making up for the years we spent apart Aud.”

“So am I Adam. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.”

He closed his arms around her small warm body and knew he was the luckiest man in the world. He had finally gotten the girl of his dreams.