Bodychecking (21 page)

Bella pushed free to check the casserole in the oven. “I can’t do that. I invited them to dinner.”

“And exactly why did you invite this particular combination of people?”

“I ran into Zeke and Fernando in the elevator. Hunter called looking for you. He wanted to see if you had any other ideas for investors. So I invited him to dinner too, and guess what? He signed two more investors before you got home.”

“Wonderful. You know this isn’t going to end well.”

“Oh, it’ll end well. It’s the beginning and middle that’ll be fucking hell on all of us.”

From where Cedric stood, the end didn’t hold much promise either.

* * * *

Bella stayed in the bathroom way too long. Being in the last place she’d been before the attack made her jumpy. Tonight she was especially on edge, which was odd considering she’d been here a few times since the attack. She’d been nervous those times, but nothing like this. She’d taken one step forward and ten steps back. Regressing pissed her off at herself.

Bella Maxwell was not a coward. She’d face whatever life threw at her because she was strong and resilient, and she had the love of a good man backing her up.

Stalling, Bella checked her makeup in the mirror one last time. Steeling herself, she pulled open the door. Walking out of the bathroom, she stood at the edge of the large room and scanned the area one more time. She was tired and wanted to go home.

Snake wasn’t here and probably had never been here.

Calling in an anonymous tip had probably been some bastard’s idea of a joke, but the detectives had taken the tip seriously and had asked Bella to come to O’Reilly’s on the off chance she could identify her attacker. Bella and Cedric had been here two hours with no sign of the asshole. The detectives sat in a corner at a high table with a good view of the entire bar and sipped on soft drinks. The bar was sparsely populated, as expected on a Monday night. It was stupid to think Snake would be here tonight, where he’d be obvious, rather than on a more crowded night when the hunting would be better.

Bella waved at Cedric, who watched her nervously, and was about to cross the room to join him when the hair stood up on the back of her neck and a chill sliced through her body, even though she was wearing a heavy sweatshirt. Her gaze was drawn to a man lurking in a dark corner several feet away. Their gazes locked. She’d know those ice gray eyes anywhere. Recognition flickered in his malevolent gaze. His smug leer said it all.

One moment lasted a lifetime even though it was over in a flash. Bella’s brain replayed every vivid detail of the attack from the sound of his footsteps behind her on the wet walkway to the splashing made by those same feet as he ran away.

The dickwad raised his middle finger in a salute. He whipped around and navigated the tables as if he were running an obstacle course in basic training, as he sprinted for the exit door across the room.

Bella froze momentarily, considering her options. He was getting away. She didn’t have much time before he’d be out of sight and free to hide in an alley and grab another woman, possibly commit another murder.

Following her attacker out of the bar without notifying anyone was sheer stupidity, but she couldn’t let him slip away. She glanced toward Cedric and waved frantically, then turned to the detectives, who were already on their feet and sprinting for the door, throwing chairs out of their way in the process.

“That’s him!” Bella yelled as they sped by her. Cedric caught up with her a moment later and together they ran outside.

As Bella spun in the direction of the police, Cedric put a restraining hand on her arm. “Let them do their jobs. Don’t interfere.”

She yanked her arm from his grasp. Her anger and determination overrode her fear, but hopefully not her common sense. “I have to confront him and my demons.”

She hurried down the block and around the corner, knowing her assailant had a good two-block head start on them. Cedric stuck to her side. Stopping at the intersection, she looked up and down the street. At the far end of the block, both detectives spun in circles, obviously frustrated, as a cruiser, lights flashing, pulled up next to them.

“They lost him,” she said to Cedric, as her shoulders slumped. He’d gone to ground again. She’d been so close. With a heavy sigh, she turned to Cedric. The adrenaline that’d been pumping through her veins dissolved into thin air like Snake had.

Cedric gave her a quick hug. “They’ll find him.” He indicated the growing police presence at the end of the street. “Let’s check in with them and head home.”

Bella nodded, feeling defeated and discouraged. They had the fucker, and he slipped away like a thief in the night. The fucking bastard.

They’d covered a few feet when the air chilled around Bella, as if she’d walked past a freezer. She felt his evil presence. He was here. Somewhere. Bella slowed her pace, every nerve ending on red alert. Her fighting instincts developed over years of martial arts training poised for action.

He was here
.

“Cedric—” She started to warn him, as the next few seconds clicked by in a slow-motion blur.

She heard a sound as if it were magnified a hundred times and whirled around as a dark figure barreled toward them. Ice-gray eyes burned into her with murderous intent.

Snake caught Cedric off guard and body-slammed him, knocking him to his knees.

The flash of a steel blade caught her eye. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the detectives racing in their direction. Only they might be a split second too late. She had to take him on.

Panic and doubt reared their ugly heads, but Bella kicked the bitches to the curb. Her training took over. She kicked out, knocking the knife from his hand, feeling momentary satisfaction when surprise flashed in those eyes. A second later they narrowed to slits of glittering hatred.

Bring it on, asshole
.

He lunged at her. Bella spun, kicked him in the groin, and followed it up with a couple good chops to the neck and shoulders. He dropped like the coward he was, writhing on the ground.

Red-hot anger surged through her. She leapt on top of him, pummeling his face with her fists, while he tried to ward off her blows. She drew back her arm one last time. “This one’s for Carla.” Her last punch broke his nose, and he cried like a baby.

Someone lifted her off him, while a cop jerked him to his feet and handcuffed the motherfucker.

“You’re fucking lucky I don’t kill you.” She panted with supreme satisfaction. “You’re not such a tough guy when the fight is fair.”

Her only answer was a pitiful whimper.

* * * *

Relief replaced fear as Cedric managed a grin, despite his wildly racing heart. That was the smart-mouthed, sassy Bella he knew and had missed, oh, so much. She’d been such a frenzy of feet and hands that by the time he’d gotten to his feet, she’d overpowered the asshole. And she’d kicked the fuckhead’s ass.

Yeah, that was his Bella. He was damned proud of her, even while being scared shitless for her safety.

“Are you okay, Bells?” He tried to catch his breath and calm himself.

“I’ve never been better.” Bella’s voice cracked on the last word. Cedric saw the exact moment when the gravity of the situation slammed into her. She gazed up at him, and he couldn’t bring himself to lecture her on how foolhardy it had been to engage Snake. Instead he sent up a silent thank you that she was okay.

Exhausted and drained, she started to sway. He caught her just as her knees gave out.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.” He stroked her back and held her close. Her heart pounded against his chest, and her breathing was harsh against his ear, as she clung to him. She buried her face in his shoulder and silent sobs shook her body. They weren’t the heart-wrenching sobs after the first attack, more like sobs of relief and redemption.

Finally, she lifted her head, and he wiped away the tears from her cheeks.

“I kicked ass, didn’t I?” She grinned at him.

“You sure did, baby.”

She extricated herself from his arms as the detectives hovered nearby. Cedric held her hand and watched proudly as she answered their questions with a dignified grace. Hordes of reporters filled the street. When they found out he was a Sockeye, they were all over him. He answered the leeches briefly and politely, continually putting the focus on Bella. This wasn’t about him. This was about Bella and rising from the ashes to live again.

She was literally beaming with satisfaction, and he wouldn’t take this moment away from her.

A bystander stepped forward with a video of the entire altercation. He’d already put it up on social media, and it’d gone viral in less than ten minutes.

He knew how this would go. The media would hail her as a victim turned heroine. She’d be America’s next sweetheart. They’d probably even offer her a reality TV show of her own, but God, he hoped not. Eventually, the story would get old, and they’d move on to another story, but Bella would never get old to Cedric. After everyone else was gone, he’d still be here.

The police finished up and hauled off Snake in the back of a cop car. Bella promised to go down to the station first thing in the morning to give a more thorough statement. Bella’s smile waned, even as the crowd around them continued to grow and people snapped photos and took videos. Weariness dulled her eyes, and her shoulders sagged a little. His baby was dragging ass.

Cedric tugged on Bella’s arm. “Let’s get the fuck out of here. This isn’t my scene anymore. Too much media here.”

“I know.” She tucked her hand in his arm and smiled up at him. “We’re getting old.”

“Or we’re finally growing up, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

“As long as we aren’t dull and boring.”

“Life could never be dull and boring with you, Bells.”

Glancing around to make sure they weren’t being followed, he pulled her into a darkened doorway and kissed the hell out of her. She kissed him right back, climbing up his body and wrapping her legs around his waist.

Finally, they drew back, their eyes locked, their chests heaving, and smiled at each other.

“There was a time when you’d have taken me up against this wall where anyone might discover us.” She teased him, as if she wished for those wild, carefree days again.

Cedric glanced around and noted how dirty the area was and shook his head.

“There’s something to be said for sex in a clean, warm bed with six-hundred-thread-count sheets,” she noted, reading his mind.

“Let’s go home.”

“Home?” he said with his eyes twinkling.

“Our home.”

“Hell, yeah, let’s go.” He nodded enthusiastically, suspecting she would be too spent for any mattress recreation. A shame, really, because seeing her take down that guy was a huge turn-on. Maybe he’d convince her to wrestle him to the mattress and tie his hands while she had her wicked way with him.

The image brought a broad smile to his face, as they walked hand in hand to where he’d parked his car.

A month later, Bella and Cedric were wrapped in a blanket and cuddled on his balcony overlooking the Space Needle and the city. Rumble lay nearby, snoring as usual.

She felt safe, warm, and protected, yet empowered by the love of a good man and by her confidence in herself to turn a bad situation into a better one.

Things had changed these past few weeks, just as they’d changed the night of the near-rape. Only this time the pendulum swung back toward the middle.

No one should do this alone, and Bella understood that now. She’d called Riley’s counselor and had two appointments already. She liked the woman immediately and found she was helping with more than the attack.

Bella suspected she’d never completely recover. She might be jumpy in certain situations, but she’d be more cautious and pay better attention. She’d practice the advice she preached in her classes.

She’d seen the pride in Cedric’s eyes when he looked down at her holding Snake to the ground. She didn’t give a shit about the attention showered upon her since the takedown. She’d turned down multiple offers for high-profile exposure, even modeling offers and one recording contract. Yes, she sang and danced, but neither was something she wanted to do full time.

Cedric helped her track down the homeless man who’d saved her from a fate she didn’t like to think about. He was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD living on the streets because he didn’t know how to be an advocate for himself. They set him up with an apartment and a good counselor, and George had become a frequent visitor, welcomed into the family like a long-lost grandfather.

Bella heard from her mother, who sounded tired and worn out, but in good spirits. Tomorrow was never guaranteed for anyone, and Fawn Maxwell had lived her life to the fullest and lived it on her terms. Bella might not have agreed with her choices, but she knew her mother would put up a good fight, regardless of the outcome.

Bella still felt restless, still needed to find her niche, but she teetered on the verge of figuring it out. She planned to pursue her writing and self-publish her novel, and maybe after that another.

Whatever she finally decided, she’d stick with it, even when it got tough.

Just like she’d made the decision to stick with Cedric.

Bella wondered why she hadn’t seen it before. She’d been so busy running from him because the feelings she felt for the man scared the crap out of her. Now she wanted nothing more than to run straight into his strong arms.

After the attack, she’d turned to him because the outside world had scared her more than her mixed-up emotions toward him. Now she was in a better place and wasn’t running anymore. Not from him and not from her fear. She was facing it straight on, and she loved that.

“What are you thinking, beautiful?” he asked as he gave her a kiss on the nose.

“I’m thinking I might keep you.” She tossed him one of her sassy, I-dare-you-to-argue-with-me looks. His slow grin told her all she needed to know.

“And I might keep you.”

“Then we’re on the same page.” She leaned in and kissed him, a deep, meaningful kiss, a dancing together of their tongues, and a perfect union of their lips.