Connecting Strangers (Discovering Emily) (12 page)

We cling to one another, the scent of sex and burning wood dancing in the air. He holds my gaze and my hands then slides into me in. I catch my breath, and he smiles with pure, animal satisfaction. He knows how he turns my body inside out. And he relishes it.

When he moves his hips, my vision clouds. The fire hisses and pops, and sweat glistens on his skin. His fingers bite into my hips. The pressure will leave an imprint tomorrow, a private mark that will remind me of this. Of him.

He takes his time, stroking me slowly, and I hold on to him like he’s my lifeline amidst a swirl of rushing water. Maybe he is. Whatever has brought us together, I won’t question it. Not tonight. And maybe not even tomorrow. However long I have with Adam, I’m going to enjoy.

Being with him is like waking up in a new world. Everything is fresh and new, and there are no mistakes or regrets. There’s just now, and it’s perfect.

“You feeling good about yourself, Sunshine? You leave me to die and crawl into bed with the first man you see. I ain’t surprised. I always thought you had a bit of a whore in you.”

My lips numb, I stare down into the barrel of the gun Mark is holding. It’s huge. Black, and he’s got the hammer cocked. “It didn’t happen that way.” I don’t know why I’m trying to explain. He’s going to kill me. After seeing me with another man, he doesn’t want me back. He only wants me dead.

“I don’t care how it happened, Sunshine. You’re in another man’s bed. Now how am I supposed to respect myself if I don’t make this right?” He points the gun toward Adam who’s lying face down on the bed, still sleeping.

Even if I scream, Adam won’t get to his gun fast enough to stop the bullet coming from Mark’s.

“This isn’t about him.” I throw myself over Adam’s body. He grunts but doesn’t stir. “You’ve already got it in your mind to kill me, but he didn’t know I had a boyfriend. He doesn’t deserve to die over this.”

“I’ll decide who lives or dies.” Mark’s voice gets louder. He approaches the bed, and cold steel presses against my forehead. “And if you think I’m gonna let him live, well, you’re stupider than you look.” He sucks his teeth, and all I can think about is how much that used to irritate me. Now, it doesn’t matter. “Maybe I’ll just let you watch me put a bullet through his head first.” The gun barrel moves to the back of Adam’s head.

“No!” I put my hand over the opening and try to wrest it away. “You can’t do this, Mark. Please.”

“So now you’re going to plead for your lover’s life. You think that’s supposed to help your cause?” Lips curling, he shoves me back against the headboard, points the gun at Adam again, and pulls the trigger.

Blood spurts from his head like a geyser, and Adam’s body jerks once then goes still. I scream and try to reach him, but Mark has me by the hair, and he’s pulling me away. Off the bed. Down the hallway. And into the darkness. I don’t know where we’re going, and I can’t fight him.

Tears stream down my cheeks. He stops. Drops the gun. Lifts me from the ground with his hands on my shoulders and begins to shake me so hard my teeth rattle. I can’t look away from his eyes. So filled with hatred and rage.

“Emily,” he whispers my name. “Emily.”

“Emily!” Adam says my name a little louder this time, pulling me out of the nightmare. When my eyes open and connect with his, I reach for him, to run my hands over his face and through his hair.

“You’re all right.” The air cools the wetness on my cheeks, and I drag him close to me. “I thought he killed you.”

He cradles me in his arms. “Who killed me?”

“Mark. He was here. In this room. He killed you.”

Hands stroking my back, Adam offers words of reassurance. “He was never here, Emily. It was just a nightmare.”

Logic says he’s right, but my common sense is shaky. I hold onto him because I can’t stomach the idea of being separated. “I saw him. So clearly. You were lying face down, and he put a gun to your head and—”

“Stop. Just stop.” His voice has an edge to it. “It’s not so easy to get the drop on me, Emily. Your ex might be a bad-ass in his town, but here, he’s nothing but another lowlife who thinks abusing women is his God-given right. Maybe I’ll get the chance to prove him wrong one day, but until that day comes, you don’t have to worry about me.” He shifts so I can see his face. “And you sure as hell don’t have to worry about what he might do to you. I can keep you safe, Emily. I promise.”

“But why would you?” I have to know. “Why would you risk your life?”

“Because it’s what I do.”

The answer is supposed to reassure me, but the words stick in my heart. Protecting me is just a job to Adam. I shouldn’t be surprised. He hasn’t promised me anything, and I’m not ready for any promises anyway. To him, we’re just two people enjoying one another’s company.

A little angry at myself for getting in this far, I scoot out of his arms and retreat to the opposite side of the bed. “I think I can sleep now.” I won’t let him know he’s hurt me. It’s not his fault, and it’s certainly not rational. It might seem like we’ve known each other longer, but it’s only been five days. Certainly not long enough to develop any kind of feelings.

As I turn my back to Adam and draw my knees closer to my chest, I ignore the tiny voice calling me a liar.

I wake to sunshine blinding me. With a muffled curse, I roll to my side and sling an arm across my eyes. A low, rumbling chuckle only makes me groan. Whatever time it is, it’s too early for laughter. A cool breeze ghosts over my legs, and I shift them back beneath the blankets.

Warm lips touch my cheek, and I murmur something unintelligible. Adam strokes my back and whispers in my ear, telling me it’s time to wake up.

“Why?” My voice is husky from sleep.

“It’s close to ten.”

Ten? The number means something, doesn’t it? My eyes pop open, and I push myself up. “Ten? I was supposed to be at the diner at seven!” Scrambling from the bed, I begin a frantic search for my clothes. They’re nowhere in sight then I remember we left them in the living room. “Damn. I knew I shouldn’t have spent the night.” I pin him with an accusatory glare as though he handcuffed me to the bed.

“Here.” Adam wraps a fluffy robe around my shoulders. “Go get in the shower, and I’ll find your clothes.”

“Francine is going to kill me,” I mutter, eyeing my pillow like it’s a piece of chocolate.

“She’s not going to kill you. You’re not the first person to arrive late for a shift.”

With my hand on the door knob to the bathroom, I look back at him, and last night returns to me like a dash of cold water. “She hired me so she could take some time off not so she could cover for me. I’ll be out in a minute.” I’m sure my voice is as cold as the floor beneath my feet.

“Hey.” He’s up and standing in front of me before I can make my escape. “What’s wrong?”

“Who said anything’s wrong?”

His gaze sweeps me from head to toe before returning to my face. “Because you’re not acting like yourself.”

“How would you know what I’m really like? Five days doesn’t make you an expert.” My words are harsh, but I don’t retract them.

“Okay.” He drags the word out. “Now I know something’s wrong. Did I say something to piss you off? If I did, you’re going to have to fill me in.” He keeps his tone level which irritates me.

“You didn’t say a thing. Now I’m going to go get in the shower. Please find my clothes. I’ll need to leave as soon as I’m done.” I slip into the bathroom just as his cell phone rings. Adam answers as I close the door. I’m turning on the shower when the door opens.

“Forget about the shower. We have to go.”

My heart leaps at the urgency in his tone. “Why? What’s wrong?” I’m already brushing past him to get to my clothes. He’s put them on the bed, and I dress quickly.

“Francine had to take Art to the hospital. He got into some kind of fight. I don’t know all the details.”

“Art was fighting?” Though Francine’s brother has the build for fighting, I can’t picture him doing much beyond yelling. That gruff exterior of his is nothing but a façade. Or, at least, I thought it was.

“That’s what Francine said.” Adam snags his keys from the foyer table and lets me out the door ahead of him.

“Has he ever done this before?”

“He used to do it a lot when he was drinking, but he’s been on the wagon for over ten years.”

“Francine didn’t say how badly he was hurt?”

“Not as badly as the other guy. They’re both there. She called because they’re both still raising all hell at the hospital.”

I relax a little. If Art’s okay enough to still be causing trouble, he must not be hurt all that badly. “You don’t think he’s started back drinking, do you?”

Adam switches on the turn signal. “At ten o’clock in the morning? He wasn’t that bad before he got sober.”

The ride to the hospital takes less than five minutes. As we walk through the emergency room doors, we can hear the shouting coming down the hallway. Adam’s deputy, Gary, is standing in front of Art, his hands outstretched.

“Now, Art, you just need to calm down.”

“I ain’t interested in calming down!” Art tries to get around Gary, and the two men scuffle while the deputy curses.

“Dammit, Art, I don’t want to have to arrest you!”

Adam puts his hand on Art’s shoulder, and both men turn to look at him. Relief pours over Gary’s face. “Sheriff, it’s good to see you.”

“So who wants to tell me what’s going on?”

Art folds his arms across his chest and glares. “Bastard came to Francine’s house talking about how he was going to make her real sorry if she didn’t give him some information. When I looked out the window and saw a stranger standing at her back door, I went over there to see what was going on. That’s when I heard him threatening her. Ain’t no son-of-a-bitch gonna threaten my sister.”

Francine comes down the hallway, holding two cups of coffee. When she sees me, all the color drains from her face. Dumping the coffee into the nearest trashcan, she rushes toward me. “You have to get out of here.” She starts shoving me backwards.

My feet skid on the slick tile floors. “What? What are you talking about?” I try to stay in one place, but Francine’s strength enables her to propel me past the emergency desk.

“Francine, what are you doing?”

“I’d like to know the same thing.” Adam intercedes before she can push me into an elevator.

After a quick look over her shoulder, Francine lowers her voice to a hiss. “That man Art fought, he came here looking for you, Emily.”

“Is it Mark?” I whisper even though I know Francine can’t answer the question. She doesn’t know what he looks like. I slip out of her grasp and move slowly back toward the exam rooms, needing to know if he’s found me.

“Emily, wait.” Adam catches up with me and takes hold of my arm. “There’s no reason you have to see him. This is a police matter now.”

I start to protest, but a pair of broad shoulders come into view, and I tense. It’s not Mark, but I recognize the figure. “His name is Jeremy Braddock. He’s Mark’s best friend.” And he will do anything for Mark, even if it means going to jail. He’s done it before when Mark needed an alibi for a bar fight that got too violent. The reminder kicks me in the stomach. The noose from my vision is tightening around my neck.

Adam’s head swivels, and he pins Jeremy with a look that could peel the rust off nails. “Wait here.” He bites out the order before striding toward Jeremy.

I couldn’t move if I wanted. Mark has found me, and he’s sent his friend as a warning. Jeremy isn’t here to bring me back. He’s brought a message. Mark is on his way.

Chapter Nine

“You have to talk to her.” Francine’s voice is strident as she follows Adam down the hallway to the guest bedroom in her house. “She insisting on leaving when she doesn’t have anywhere to go.”

She’s right. I don’t have anywhere to go, but staying in Juniper Springs isn’t an option. I should have remembered it isn’t far enough away, but each day that passed, I let logic fall by the wayside. I gave myself permission to believe I could have a future that didn’t include Mark Metzger.

“Why are you leaving?” Adam is standing in the doorway, and the expression on his face is a mixture of anger and disbelief. Maybe even hurt. I can’t tell.

“You know why. He’s found me.” The clothes on my bed are piled in a heap. There’s no time to be neat about packing.

“So that’s reason to run?”

“I’m not running. I’m protecting people I care about.” I yank open the top dresser drawer and scoop out the lingerie Francine had bought me.

Adam stands in my way. “Call it what you want. If you do it, you’ll be running for the rest of your life.”

“Mark didn’t send Jeremy just to find me. He wanted his friend to warn my friends. If they get in the way, he’ll move them.”

“You think we’ve lived all of our lives here without knowing how to take care of ourselves and one another? Emily, listen to me.”

I’m too antsy to stop and listen. My mind is telling me to go so my hands stay busy.

“Dammit, Emily.” Adam takes hold of my shoulders and holds me in one place. “Look at me and listen. Mark isn’t going to hurt you again. I won’t let him.”

“I know that. It’s your job to protect people.” I slip beneath his arms and return to my suitcase. The bite in my tone seems to bounce right off of him.

“What? You really think this has anything to do with my job?”

“I’m only going by what you said.” I peek back at him, and he has a blank look on his face.

Francine makes a disgusted noise. “Sometimes you have to spell it out for them, Emily. He is, after all, only a man.”

“Stay out of this, Francine.” Adam’s temper is rising, and he’s pinning me with a look that means business. “Now what are you talking about?”

“Last night. You told me that protecting me is your job. I don’t want to add to your duties.” My voice sharpens on the last word.

“Is that why I got frostbite off of you this morning?” He’s back in front of me, closing the gap between our bodies until the heat rushing off his singes mine. “It didn’t mean what you think it meant.” He stops, looks over his shoulder. “Francine, don’t you have somewhere to be?”