Dangerous Embrace (Embrace #1) (22 page)

“Who’s Richard?”

“Richard Perry.”

Mark’s eyebrows lifted, but he didn’t say anything.

“He’s our attorney and sort of my grandfather.”

“Sort of?”

“He married our grandmother and he’s the controller of her estate.” She paused to take a sip of coffee. “He set me up with good medical care...helped me transfer my school credits and hide everything from Kevin.”

“Why the sudden need for medical care?”

She put her cup down. “When Kevin beat me...the baby died before I arrived at the hospital. Because I was over six months along, they induced labor.”

She swiped a tear away, trying to master herself. “It was horrific, going through labor.”

They sat quietly for a moment until Mark broke the silence.

“Sarah, I—I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what that could have been like for you.”

“Between the beating, the rape, and the emergency delivery—I developed an infection.”

“Why didn’t Devon take you to the hospital or to your parents? Why Richard?”

”I didn’t realize how sick I was. I didn’t want to go to the hospital. I just wanted to get far away from Kevin.”

“I can understand that,” Mark said.

“Devon didn’t want Kevin to get his hands on the money.” She shook her head with a faint smile. “Devon’s more financially driven than I am. I didn’t care about it, but he had the sense of mind to call Richard first. My parents don’t really know what happened, not everything anyway.”

“Sarah, did you have to go through that alone? The delivery, I mean?”

She nodded. “They took me directly to the delivery room. I didn’t really have anyone to call anyway. Kevin had chased off all my friends.”

Mark pursed lips. “Is Kevin the real reason for the name change?”

“Yes, but what I told you was true. I grew up using Lange. Richard helped me get it changed to Jennings after I left Flagstaff. Jennings is my father’s last name.”

She stopped talking and silence settled around the room. There was a certain freedom that came with confiding in Mark. She had no doubt about it being the right thing, telling him was a relief and lifted a burden she’d been carrying around for too long.

Mark laced his fingers with hers and the gesture made her smile. “I had a girl, a daughter. I named her Lillian Claire after my mother.”

It’d been years since she’d said the name aloud.

Mark didn’t say anything for a long time. Sarah finally looked up to see wetness on his cheeks. He pulled their entwined hands up and kissed hers.

“You are so brave.”

The affection and understanding showed in his expression.

“If I were brave, and smarter, I would have left sooner.” She closed her eyes and pulled her hands free of his. “Please don’t praise me.”

“I can’t believe you actually feel guilty, like any of this could have been your fault.”

“It’s my fault for being in that position in the first place, and for letting him kill my baby.”

He took her face in his hands, making her self-conscious about him being so close. “You’re the strongest and bravest person I’ve ever met, and like I told you last night, none of the trauma this asshole put you through is your fault.”

Sarah tried to shake him off, but he kept a firm grip on her face. When she closed her eyes, he moved his hands from her face to wrap his arms around her.

“You’re wrong too,” he whispered. “Kevin Lewis will never hurt you again. He’s not going to keep his promise—that is my promise.”

“Mark, you don’t know what he is capable of. The level of manipulation he will go to in order to get what he wants, it’s sickening.”

“You don’t know what I’m capable of when I want to protect someone I care about.”

“You can’t protect me from him. Kevin isn’t some measly, two-bit, street rapist—he’s powerful and dangerous.” She hoped Mark never had to know just how dangerous.

“You once asked me not to underestimate you, and now I’m asking you not to underestimate me.” He pulled out of the hug to meet her eyes.

They stared at each other for a long time, and she knew he would never let anything happen to her while he was around, but what if he wasn’t always around.

“It must have been hard for you to share this with me. I hope one day to earn the trust you’ve given me.”

“You’ve already earned it.” She sat back and tried to relax into her coffee, glad it was over and she’d gotten it out of her system.

“I guess if Richard Perry is your grandfather, that means Catherine Connelly-Perry was your grandmother?”

She widened her eyes. “You’ve heard of them?”

“Richard Perry is the richest philanthropist in San Francisco. People like him often need security.” He grinned a little and said, “We’ve met once or twice.”

“I don’t usually tell people I’m related to them and I’d rather the information not get out.”

“Catherine died over ten years ago. Is that when you inherited the money?”

She nodded. “In high school. She left the money to me, Devon, and Hayley equally. She never trusted my mother and she wanted to make sure we were taken care of.”

“Do you realize what the press would do if they found out that you were one of the victims of this rapist?”

“Oh yeah, but the press doesn’t know who I am. Fortunately, when Richard retired, he got out of the spotlight. With him keeping a low profile, it makes it easy for us to keep a low profile. Not to mention, my grandmother disinherited my mother so long ago, we’ve sort of fallen off their radar.”

“I take it the press didn’t find out about the baby or Kevin?”

“The case was reported locally, but they never figured out who I was. They were much more interested in the local business owner’s son on trial for domestic violence. His family is pretty well-known in that area.” She scoffed. “They were so busy digging into the Lewis family and analyzing their lifestyle, they never paid much attention to me.”

“Kevin was convicted?”

“His father’s lawyer got him a plea bargain. He was convicted of domestic violence, a misdemeanor charge. He was sentenced to one year in jail.” She rolled her eyes. “I was actually relieved.”

“Why? You should have fought it, had the son of a bitch put away.”

Mark shook his head, and she understood why.

“He should have gotten a manslaughter charge or even a second-degree murder charge for what he did, and attempted murder for the beating he gave you.”

“I didn’t have the guts to fight. I just wanted to stay away. The plea-bargain deal meant no trial. I didn’t have to go back there. Call me a coward, but I couldn’t live through all that again, and it would have put me in the spotlight. As it was, I should have moved out of the country. I’m too close, too easy to find here. I’ll have to leave one day. I can’t hide in plain sight forever.”

“Sarah, I am so impressed with your resilience. I have never known anyone who has been through half of what you have endured and still manage to live a functional life.”

“I am resilient, but I don’t want your pity.” She put both feet on the floor and leaned toward Mark. “Don’t feel sorry for me. Nightmares or no nightmares, I’ve survived a lot, and this most recent incident will not keep me down for long, either.”

“Speaking of nightmares.” He gave her a searching look. “You scared the hell out of me, you were choking in your sleep—I couldn’t wake you up.”

She rested back against the arm of the sofa. “I’m glad you were there.”

“Me too,” he whispered.

“I want you to understand, Mark”—she looked intently into his eyes—“I don’t regret not being able to have children—at least, I never did until I met Jamie, and that completely snuck up on me.”

“What do you mean you don’t regret—how could you not?”

“‘
Bíonn súil le muir ach ní bhíonn súil le tír
—there is hope from the sea, but there is no hope from the grave’. Does this make sense now?” she asked as she moved her foot out to show him her tattoo. “I was devastated when I lost my baby, but imagine that man being a father.” She shuddered at the thought. “I would rather never have children.”

“Well, I hope you have the opportunity to experience the gift of a child’s unconditional love.” Mark rubbed her foot and ran his hand over the tattoo around her ankle. “I also hope that one day there will be a child lucky enough to experience your unconditional love.”

Even though Sarah knew he meant it, it didn’t change anything. He couldn’t change what had happened any more than she could.

Sarah felt the weight lifting after she told Mark about her history with Kevin. She couldn’t judge his reaction enough to say for sure that he wouldn’t push her away now. Her feelings for him were growing stronger every day, and the butterflies in her stomach made her feel foolish, like a child. Of course, the last time she felt like this she was a child. Just seventeen when she met Kevin, but she felt more for Mark now than she ever had for Kevin, that she was sure of. When she remembered those first few months with Kevin, she was so sure about him, she cringed—and look how things turned out.

She couldn’t distinguish what her real feelings for Kevin had been after the first year. Every emotion she ever had toward him seemed clouded with too much physical and emotional pain to be honestly evaluated or understood now. As if that time in her life were an emotional black hole, and when she tried to explore that hole, all she found were the awful words he always said to her.

Mark was the first man she’d ever met that was a stark difference from Kevin. Not that every man was evil, but most were single-minded at best. She thought back to the night she and Mark almost made love, proof again of just how different he really was.

Mark’s ringing cell phone brought her out of these thoughts, and almost at the exact same time, her borrowed cell phone rang. They looked at each other confused and got up to get their phones.

“Hello,” Sarah answered.

“Ms. Jennings, it’s Randy from Summors Security. The back door contact on your home alarm system was tripped. We’ve also contacted Mark Summors.”

“Okay, I’ll get over there,” she said, looking at Mark when he closed his phone. “My alarm is sounding.”

“I know, stay here while I go—”

“Forget it. I’m not sitting here while you go over there without me,” she said, unzipping her duffle bag to grab some clothes.

“Not a good idea—”

“It’s my house. I’m going,” she said, closing the bathroom door.

Ten minutes later, when Mark pulled down her street, the first thing Sarah noticed was the maroon Porsche Cheyenne SUV next to the police cruiser in her driveway.

“Oh crap—is there a Porsche in my driveway?” Sarah covered her face with her hands and sucked in a deep breath.

“Yeah, do you recognize—what’s wrong?”

“It’s Devon.” She hopped out of the truck before Mark put it in park and went running into her brother’s arms.

“Hey, Sis—hi,” he said, and picked her up in a rib-cracking hug.

Mark approached the waiting officers. “Hey, guys.” He pointed to Sarah and Devon. “They seem to know each other.”

Officer Reed nodded to Devon. “He says this is his sister’s house.”

“Yeah, sorry for the false alarm.”

“No problem, the city will send a bill.” He smiled and walked back to his cruiser.

Mark turned in time to see Sarah cry out as her brother picked her up and swung her around. He looked Devon Lange up and down, unable to find the resemblance. Devon was taller than Sarah, though Devon wasn’t as tall as he was. He had dark, almost black, shoulder length hair and deeply tanned, olive skin. He was athletic looking. Mark thought he looked like those Olympic swimmers, long and lean but strong.

Devon wore sandals with ragged, holey jeans and a tank top. Mark noticed the Celtic band tattoo wrapped around his upper arm, identical to Sarah’s.

Mark wanted to be jealous of the clear affection she had for her brother, but after everything Sarah told him, he felt a kinship with Devon. As she pulled out of the hug, Mark noticed Devon’s eyes. That’s when he saw the resemblance. They were exactly like Sarah’s, the same shape and the same stormy gray color. He had no doubt this was her brother.

“Stop crying. Aren’t you happy to see me?” Devon asked, trailing his eyes from her head to her toes. “I thought you missed me,” he teased.

“I do miss you,” she said, looping her arm around his with a grin so big it lit up her entire face. “I’m glad you’re here—why are you here?”

Devon leaned in toward her and said, “Dude, when did you start hangin’ out with cops?”

“This is my friend, Mark. This is Devon.”

Mark would let Devon have that dig since he’d made Sarah so happy after such a miserable night. He reached over and put his hand out to shake Devon’s. “Ex-cop.”

“Aha! Ex-cop, I can peg ‘um a mile away.” Devon laughed. “Nice to meet you—ex-cop-friend of my sister—Mark, right?” he said as he shook Mark’s extended hand. “Sis, what is up with that alarm system? My key didn’t work, so I tried to sneak in—then bam!”