His Bahamas Affair (The Albury Affairs) (31 page)

She’d just grabbed the
butcher knife when he grabbed her from behind, his arm circling her throat and
trapping her armed hand against her shoulder while the other began to rip at
her clothes. She held onto Reno’s boxers with her free hand tightly as he
fought to pull them down.

“You broke my nose,
mon
amour
. That makes me very angry!” He
pushed her forward and she slammed onto the counter, her stomach meeting the
edge with a blinding pain.

She heard his belt
buckle open behind her and dread filled her. She’d die before she let him
defile her that way! She pushed back against him, just enough to make him
stumble. Then she ripped his imprisoning arm away and turned around to face
him, the butcher knife raised high ready to strike. She’d thought about this so
much after his first attack, wondering if she would have been able to kill him
if the opportunity ever came. But then, she had very little to lose, unlike
now. Now, without a shadow of a doubt, she knew she was capable of murder and
she was going to do just that to her nightmare.

As she brought the
knife down, there was a silent pop she knew well and Pierre’s body jolted. His
face creased in shock and confusion as he heavily turned around. With his back
to her, Loraine could see where the bullet had gone in as blood flooded his
grey t-shirt, gushing down his back like an open tap.

Pierre chuckled shaking
his head, “Jeb,
mon
ami
, I should
have known. You are always the knight in shining armor swooping in to save the
princess from the villain: me.” He coughed as he laughed. “But we are now even,
traitor! You’re plan didn’t work, she didn’t go running into your arms like—”

Loraine jumped at the
two pops that cut Pierre off and watched as he fell to the ground, his grey
eyes bleak as he stared up. For some reason, the hole in his forehead suited
him.

The knife fell out of
her hand as she stared at her nightmare lay dead at her feet. It was over: it
was finally over!

“Loraine, are you
okay?” Jeb asked wrapping her in his big arms.

Loraine nodded, still
watching Pierre as he bled out on her kitchen floor. She loved this kitchen,
more so now that it was the place where her life was finally hers again. No
more looking over her shoulder, no more running, no more hiding, just living
happily with her family—but in a new kitchen. She’d change the floor tiles, and
the cupboards and draws. Paint it another color— something vibrant and lively.
She’d definitely make the windows bigger—allow the ocean breeze to flow in
better, but they’d also be shutter proof. She couldn’t risk another easy break
in.

“Loraine,” Jeb shook
her, pulling her out of her rambling thoughts. She looked around the room and
noticed they weren’t in the kitchen anymore, they were in her living room and
Jeb held her on his lap as he sat on the couch. On her white couch.

She got off him and
pulled him until he stood. “Don’t get blood on my couch. Reno will—” she froze.
God how could she forget! “Reno, I need to find Reno.”

Jeb held her in place
dwarfing her struggles. “Let me go Jeb! I need to find Reno. I need to make
sure he’s okay.”

With a hard gaze he
demanded, “In a minute. First, tell me what Pierre told you, what did he say
about me?”

“What?” Loraine tagged
at her arms until he released her. “Who cares, he’s dead! I can go on with my
life.”

His gaze softened. “I
glad you said that. I was worried he’d turned you against me.”

“Why would he—” her
skin prickled as Pierre’s words began to click together.
Please don’t let it be so
. “Jeb, what did Pierre mean, why did he
call you a traitor. Why did he call you his friend?”

The desperate look on
his face made her take a step back. “How do you know each other, Jeb?”

“Loraine, please
understand I didn’t mean for you to get hurt. I just wanted you to need me, to
want me, to
love me
!”

She shook her head,
even more confused. “Why would I need, want or love you when I’m married to
Reno.” Loraine felt her heart jar in her chest. She took a few more steps away
from him. “Before…the first time he attacked me…that’s what he meant? The
princess always falls in love with her knight after he saves her, that’s what
you were expecting, wasn’t it?”

Jeb moved toward her,
his arms open in invitation. “At first, I loved you like you were my own child.
You were such a vibrant and happy little girl, before they stole that from you.
And then you grew up into this beautiful young lady and that love changed.” He
caressed her cheek with his fingers and she quickly slapped his hand away.
“When your father made me your personal bodyguard, it felt like destiny. Fate
was bringing us together.”

He went to touch her
again and she slapped his hands away. Once she’d loved his hugs because they
were a strong substitute to her father’s. Now knowing the sentiments behind
them, what he was thinking while he held her…it made her skin crawl!

“I was fifteen years
old Jeb! You are old enough to be my father!”

His face creased in
anger as he lowered his arms, his hands fisted to his side. “Love and marriage
between older men and younger women happened all the time.”

Oh God, he was just as
crazy as Pierre. “I was a girl, Jeb, not a woman. I trusted you like I would a
father. I trusted you with my thoughts, my hopes and my fears. I listened. I
even let you talk me into going to Paris—”
No,
no, no!
“That’s why you pushed me to go, urged me to drive my parents crazy
enough to let me? You planned it from the very beginning.” She punched at his
chest as she screamed. “You set that psycho on me! How could you?”

He grabbed her arms and
held her still against his chest. “I wanted you to love me that’s why? Can’t
you see I did all that so you could notice me as a man not a father figure?”

“Well congratulations,
I don’t see you as a father figure anymore. I’ll never love you Jeb, especially
after this. I’ll make sure you pay for all the torment you caused!” Her words
were filled with the rage she felt as she spat each word out.

He looked wounded,
shaking his head. “You don’t mean that. I love you and you love me. If you just
give yourself time to really think about all the moments we shared…that love
you feel for me as if I’m your father? I’m sure if you think about it now,
you’ll realize it was nothing like that at all but true love between a man and
a woman!” Then he lowered his head, pressing his lips against hers.

She fought him, but he
only kissed her harder, bruising her lips until she tasted blood. His arms
tightened around her so tight, she felt crushed. She needed to get out of it, away
from him. She pulled back her knee and lifted it with all her might making
contact with his crotch. He screamed, literally throwing her across the room.
She slammed against the wall, and crumbled to the floor, pain shooting through
her back. Her mouth fell open but not a sound came out, the pain strangled her
throat shut.

Jeb hobbled to her,
dropping to the ground next to her. “Shit Loraine, I didn’t mean to throw you.
You took me by surprise. Are you hurt?”

He sounded concerned,
but she was in too much pain to turn and look at his face. She was sure
something was broken as volt after volt of intense pain struck her lower
abdomen and back.

“Get the hell away from
her!”

Reno!
She cheered, pushing herself to turn to where his voice came from. He was
leaning heavily on the couch that she and Jeb had vacated a while ago. His
temple was coated with blood as it dripped on to his naked shoulder. He was
hurt, but alive!

Jeb pushed himself up
to his feet and Loraine was filled with apprehension. She needed to tell Reno
about Jeb, about his involvement with Pierre. But there was too much pain to
speak.

“I knew it! I told you,
you couldn’t protect her!” Jeb bellowed.

Reno struggled to stand
up straight. “Oh yeah? From what I heard there wouldn’t be a need to protect her
from Pierre if it wasn’t for you.”

“I love her!”

“You’re obsessed with
her! Obsession is not love!” Reno yelled back.

“She was mine first.”

Reno shook his head. “I
knew something was off with you the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Loraine couldn’t take
listening to Jeb a moment longer. She wanted him gone, out of her life for
good! Despite the pain, she managed to push herself up to her feet and stumble toward
Reno.

“I was never yours Jeb
and I never will be.” She breathed through the pain.

When she reached Reno,
she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her ear over the left side of
his chest. She needed to hear that loud thudding of his heartbeat, just to make
sure he was truly alive.

Reno hugged her with
one arm for a moment, the other still holding onto the couch for support. “Get
out of here, Lori. Go to Tyler.”

She held on tighter.
“I’m not leaving you Reno.”

“We don’t know how long
this man has been in the house, or if this was just another ploy to get you to
fall for him. Please go check on our son.”

Loraine knew he was
right, but God she couldn’t let go of him. She was so scared of losing him she
didn’t want to risk it. But he didn’t give her a choice. He disentangled her
from him and pushed her out of the room.

She took one look at
the standoff between the two and knew she needed to get help. Reno was too weak
to fight Jeb. Catching the longing look Jeb gave her, she ran out of the room
and up the steps, falling at the top when another jolt of pain hit her. Bent
over, she caught the stream of blood down her thigh. Where was it coming from?
She looked at her shorts and saw the patch of blood at the crotch. What?

“Mommy, you’re
bleeding!” Tyler cried.

Loraine looked up and
saw her son skid on the floor on his knees, coming to a stop right before her.
“Tyler, baby—”

Baby.

“Oh no, no please no!”

She was losing her
baby. That was the only explanation. She was having a miscarriage. The baby she
didn’t even know she was carrying was dying and she couldn’t do anything about
it.

“Mommy!” He hugged her
head to his chest as she cried. “I used your phone like you showed me. I called
Uncle Z. He’s coming to help daddy save us.”

She had a crush and a
scream that sounded like Reno from downstairs and knew Jeb was going to kill
him. This was supposed to be a happy day, her wedding day and instead it turned
into the worst day of her life.

“Daddy!” Tyler yelled,
releasing her. Loraine reached for him but he dodged her, running down the
stairs. “I’m going to help daddy.”

She couldn’t lose him
too! “Tyler, no. Tyler!” she screamed but it was no use. He was already out of
her sight. She heard the main door open and yelling, voices that sounded much
like Ruiz and Allan. Relieved she fell to the ground, her arms wrapped around
her belly, around her dying baby. Help had arrived but too late.

She closed her eyes,
willing the night to end.

* * * *

Reno sat by Loraine’s
bedside, watching her as she slept. This wasn’t how he’d planned waking up the
morning after his honeymoon. In a hospital room where his wife’s battered body
lay connected to machines and tubes. The last thing he expected that morning
were the words, ‘I’m sorry but your wife lost the baby’. He felt as if his
heart had been ripped out of his chest by those words. He’d been breathless,
collapsing onto the bed he’d fought the doctor and Ruiz just moments before, to
go to Loraine. Once he was able to breathe, once he’d had control of his
emotions and staunched his tears, he’d gotten off the bed in search of his
wife. He’d wanted to go alone, to think of what he would say to her but Allan
had insisted on accompanying him. He’d expected some words of wisdom from his
brother-in-law, seeing as how he knew the pain of losing a child, but Allan
just walked with him in silent support. It wasn’t much but it was what Reno needed—knowing
that Allan would return the favor, ready step in and bare the burden if Reno
couldn’t. But they arrived at the room to find her asleep, her mother sprawled
next to her with her arms protectively around her while her father watched with
tormented eyes. He knew what the old man felt. Guilt—he felt guilty for having
brought Jeb into Loraine’s life and failing to protect her a second time.

He hadn’t even known
she was pregnant, but did she?

Knowing Loraine, if she
did know she had planned a big way to announce it. Like baking a cake shaped as
a baby bottle with the due date written on it. She was eccentric that way. Now
he was left with the burden of telling her they’d lost a child. How was he to
do that? How was he to tell her they’d been robbed of a baby? A little brother
or sister for Tyler?

If she would have
stayed where he told her—no, he couldn’t think like that. That mad man was
holding his son hostage.

When he’d come
downstairs and seen Tyler crying with a knife held to his neck, he thought the
shock would kill him. He’d done exactly what Pierre had told him. He’d walked
into the dark storage room where he’d been knocked out. He woke up in a pool of
blood. At first he’d thought it was his own, so he didn’t pay any attention to
it. Instead he went out to look for Loraine and Tyler, praying that somehow
they were safe, no thanks to him. That’s when he’d heard the argument between
Jeb and Loraine. If he’d walked in then instead of waiting to hear more, he
could have prevented the blow Loraine’s body took when Jeb threw her against
the wall. If he had walked in then, he could have saved their baby.