Lucky SEAL (Lucky Devil #2) (14 page)

“I heard the whole conversation. The man was bleeding and apologizing for the mess. He’d been shot and he was apologizing for bleeding on the carpet. It was unbelievable. The cops greeted Evan like old friends, and they chatted for a minute as if there weren’t a man with a bullet hole in his leg sitting there while they shot the shit. The cops asked the victim if he wanted to file a complaint. He said no. It had been an accident. His own registered weapon had discharged. He shot himself accidentally while showing his friend, Evan, the new piece.

“They’re all in his pocket, Tommy told me. They’ll be paid well to file a false report, he explained to me. If he hadn’t warned me, I don’t know what would have happened to me. I was ready to scream my head off.”

“They just left? This is worse than I imagined. We’ll definitely need to get Luc involved. He has contacts in the department as well.” Rourke was thinking allowed.

“Luc has crooked cops in his pocket?” Jennifer was horrified.

“I wouldn’t call them crooked cops. He has friends that will let things slide as long as nobody gets hurt. There are some in the department who are aware of Hell. They have been since before Luc owned the place. They’re willing to let him operate in peace, for a fee. Some of the patrons roaming Hell didn’t pay for admission. Luc doesn’t pay them directly. He just doesn’t charge them for membership, and they get certain . . . free services,” Rourke explained.

Jennifer wasn’t even going to touch that. She’d seen people die. She’d seen a man shot. She has been abused and held hostage. No one would pay for those deaths and not even the police would help her in her time of need. If a few cops wanted free drinks and sexual favors in exchange for keeping quiet about a place where consenting adults went to enjoy themselves, Jennifer didn’t have a problem with that. Nobody was being hurt. Everyone was there of their own free will.

Jennifer went on with her story. She could tell Rourke struggled with his friend’s illegal business practices. She didn’t need to point out the obvious similarities between Luc and Evan.

“I assume if Evan had cops willing to look the other way, he would be able to find a justice of the peace to marry us and file the paperwork whether I agreed to it or not. He was putting off the wedding for a few weeks in respect of my innocence and his wish to have a willing wife, but he wasn’t happy about it. 

“He had some big transaction in the works that he couldn’t put off. I’m not positive, but I think it was a drug deal. He couldn’t leave until it was done. I was running out of time. I didn’t know exactly when the deal was going down. I think he liked keeping me on edge and off balance. Any day could be the day. There would be a private plane. The pilot and crew would be under Evan’s employ. He made sure I knew these little details. My chances for escape were growing smaller and smaller. There would be no help for me at the airport.

“Two weeks had passed when I finally saw my opportunity to escape. Evan took me everywhere with him, and his henchmen were always very close. He still didn’t trust me entirely, but he was starting to loosen up some. We would go to his office during the day and his condominium at night. Over the weekend, we went to his home out in Paradise. It’s a damn mansion with heavy security. I was always under guard.”

Jennifer didn’t tell Rourke about some of the indignities she’d endured. She didn’t think she could stomach admitting that she’s had to let Evan kiss her and touch her in ways that made her skin her crawl. Jennifer would never forget the unwanted caresses she’d submitted to during her time with Evan, but the memories were less excruciating now. Rourke’s passionate kisses and fervent loving had somehow diluted what was a sharp pain to a dull, manageable ache that would hopefully heal completely one day.

Evan didn’t take it as far as actual intercourse and he didn’t ask Jennifer to perform any acts on him. Jennifer acted surprised and skittish when he forced attention on her. Then he’d get himself off in front of her, sometimes on her. Evan enjoyed her purity. Evan liked scandalizing the innocence out of Jennifer.

Caught in dark thoughts, Jennifer’s mind had wandered. When she looked up, the questions were there in Rourke’s eyes, but he didn’t voice them, seeming to understand that Jennifer wasn’t ready for that conversation. Maybe she would tell him eventually. For now, the burden was hers to bear. She was already putting far too much baggage on the back of her new love.

“The day I got away, we were at Evan’s office. It was a Sunday, but he was expecting a shipment to come in that had him and his men on edge. I had the feeling this was the big one. Evan’s building had a docking bay for deliveries and storage on the ground floor in the rear. He had the entire building to himself, so there was no worry about anything being witnessed by outsiders. Every day he would have his driver take the car right inside the building and park. The rolling doors would be shut before I was allowed to exit the vehicle. I assumed it was so I wouldn’t be able to run or draw attention to myself. 

“This particular day, there was a delivery waiting for me when we entered Evan’s office. Evan ordered me a few new dresses, shoes, and more lingerie. I wasn’t sure if it was like a bribe, a reward for good behavior, or final preparations for the honeymoon because there was also a new overnight bag.

“Evan wanted me to try them on and model for him. He wanted me to change in front of him. Things were about to go somewhere beyond my ability to play act. There was no way I was going to let him really have me.” Jennifer again chose not to mention the liberties Evan had already taken. This day was different. Evan was frustrated and tense. She thought he might actually try to fuck her, and she wasn’t going to lay down for it.

Rourke rumbled an aggressive sound that Jennifer knew wasn’t directed at her, but it was frightening all the same. He was aware that she wasn’t giving him all the details.

“I knew the time was coming when he wasn’t going to wait for me to be ready for sex any longer. He was going to take what he wanted. Every day was like a game of chess with him. He would move, and I would react. I had to be amiable without being too receptive. This day, I could tell his patience was wearing thin. We were thankfully interrupted by one of his cronies just when I was looking for anything I could use as a weapon. They had a whispered conversation. Evan said he had to go meet with a client, but he’d be back for his show, so I needed to find my backbone and start acting like a woman. My time was definitely up.

“Evan left me in his office with Tommy to watch me. There was a phone in the room and a computer, so I knew he wouldn’t leave me alone. I was pacing the floor and scanning the room for anything I could use to defend myself. Tommy just watched me with a look of pity in his eyes. This was it, and we both knew it.

“Evan hadn’t been gone for very long when I heard gunshots. First, there were only a couple of shots that Tommy didn’t react to at all. He must have been expecting something to go down. Then there were lots of gunshots echoing through the building from the floor below. Tommy ordered me to hide for my safety. He wanted me to get in the closet or curl up in one of the cabinets. Tommy ran off to investigate with a pistol in each hand.

“This was the chance I’d been waiting for, and it came not a minute too soon. It was the first time I’d been left alone. I knew I couldn’t go home if I got away, and I couldn’t go to the police. I had no money. I had nothing. I grabbed the designer bag Evan had just purchased for me and stuffed the new clothes inside of it. I rummaged through Evan’s desk and found a few dollars and some change.

“I ran to the stairwell that let out in the warehouse on the bottom floor. I couldn’t go to the first floor. I still hear random shots being fired on that level so I knew where Evan and his thugs would be. I wanted to steal a car or slip out the back unnoticed if I could get one of the rolling doors open.”

“There was a shootout in progress? What the fuck is this guy into?” Rourke asked rhetorically.

“Bad stuff. I made it unnoticed to the warehouse. Once inside, I found something that looked like a scene from a movie, but it was all too real. There were two men slumped over on their knees with holes blown through their heads. Pools of blood were spreading across the floor. There were chunks of gray matter and blood splattered around. I didn’t know them. They weren’t Evan’s men.” The horror of the sight choked Jennifer. This was an ordeal she wasn’t sure she would ever get over.

“You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to, sweetheart.” Rourke rolled, so Jennifer was nearly on top of him with arms wrapped around her. “I get it. It was an execution gone wrong. You don’t need to rehash the bad stuff.” He was stroking her back to warm her up. Jennifer hadn’t realized she was shivering.

Jennifer shook off the memory of two men with dead eyes and went on, “The cars were locked, so stealing one was out, but the doors weren’t. I got one up just high enough for me to crawl under, and I ran like the devil was on my heels. For all I knew, he was. I got out of the deserted business park to the main road. I ran until I saw a bus coming. The money I took from Evan’s desk was enough for the fare with fifty cents to spare.

“I rode the bus downtown and got off on the strip. I thought it was the best place to get lost for a while. I was so paranoid. I was sure Evan was around every corner waiting for me. I was confident he was looking for me and even had the police searching for me. I felt like I had to keep moving. I was like a mad woman.”

“You’d been through a traumatic experience. You were in shock,” Rourke soothed Jennifer.

“That had to be it because looking back I don’t understand why I didn’t ask someone for help. I truly believed the police would hand me over to Evan. This is his town. I was sure everyone knew Evan, and they were all looking for me. It was ridiculous, but I wasn’t in my right mind.”

“How did you get here, to the church?” Rourke asked.

This was a memory Jennifer could almost smile over, “Pastor Davis found me stumbling through The Inferno. I literally walked into the man. I couldn’t even speak. I didn’t know what to say, anyway. I’d been wandering the strip for a few days, hiding in bathrooms, trying to blend in with the crowd. I was starving, exhausted, and out of my head. The pastor didn’t ask any questions. I didn’t even realize which casino I was in until we were leaving. I was horrified. What if Luc had seen me? What if he called Evan? I was so paranoid. Pastor Davis tucked me under his arm and brought me to the church.”

“That sounds like the pastor.” There was a smile in Rourke’s voice. “Luc told me he was having a chapel built in the casino. The pastor is helping him with the project.”

“The rest of the story you know. I was fed and given a safe place to stay. Pastor Davis and his wife know I’m hiding from a violent man who isn’t my husband. They know I’m afraid for my life and that I was abducted, but that’s about it. I thought the less they knew, the better.

“I’ve been hanging around here ever since. I help in the kitchen. I go to all the services. Most of the time, I hide in here.” She gestured around the room. “I read a lot. Mostly, I try to think of a way to get out of here. I feel like I’ve been here too long. My biggest fear is that Evan will find me and do something awful to the Davis’ for helping me. I’m leaving tonight. I have to move on.”

As much as Jennifer wanted to stay with Rourke, the retelling of her nightmare with Evan only drove home how dangerous being with her was for anyone. She was doing the right thing. Jennifer had to get out of Vegas and away from the people she cared about quickly now that Evan had nearly caught up with her. Jennifer knew she wasn't paranoid. Evan was still on her trail.

“Oh, you’re leaving the church tonight, but you aren’t going far.” Rourke would not let Jennifer slip through his fingers again. He was determined Jennifer would be his woman for real, and he would do whatever it took to not only make her safe but to secure his position as the man in her life, forever.

Jennifer didn’t know it yet, but she was his everything. First, he needed to take care of her stalker. Then, when Jennifer was safe, Rourke would talk to her about their future. She had far too much fear and anxiety crowding her brain for him to ask her to make a life-changing choice now. It wasn’t fair to broach the subject when her world was so overturned. Even if he did want to throw the woman over his shoulder and carry her away.

Rourke kissed the top of her bent head to soften the steel in his dictatorial proclamation. He didn’t want Jennifer to think he was another Evan, forcing her to his will. Rourke would never force her to do anything. Judging by the way she melted into his arms and stayed there, Jennifer was just as caught by the unexpected emotions coursing between them as Rourke. It was a good foundation for Rourke to build on when Jennifer was ready. He just had to take care of that fucker, Evan. He had to set her free of the fear looming over her before Jennifer could make any real decisions that would involve the rest of her life. A life Rourke wanted her to spend with him.

Rourke was going to kill the son of a bitch who put so much terror into his woman. Jennifer trembled in his arms after relating the events that lead to her being installed in the church kitchen. At first, he believed Jennifer was about to share an all too common tale of domestic abuse. Then, things took a sharp turn. Abusing a woman, or anyone for that matter, was bad enough, but this was a completely new level of fucked up. She’d been, for lack of a better term, possessed by this Evan prick. He plucked Jennifer out of her life and forced her into his world. A world of organized crime and violence.

Rourke kept his cool for the most part, as he listened to Jennifer’s story, but internally, he was beating his chest with triumph. Jennifer didn't love the asshole. She hadn’t even cared much for the prick who’d held her prisoner. She hadn’t fucked him either, not even after weeks of dating. Yet, Rourke and Jennifer had helplessly fallen into each other arms the day they met. This went a long way to calming Rourke’s anxiety over Jennifer not wanting to be shackled to a military man, especially when she could have a wealthy man if she chose, but she was with Rourke, trustingly snuggled into his arms.

When Jennifer finished, they both lapsed into silence, both lost in their own heads for a time. Rourke was enjoying holding Jennifer in his arms and stroking her smooth skin while he worked out a plan of action. The gradual building of tension in Jennifer’s body forewarned Rourke that she was about to say something he wouldn’t like. He waited patiently for her to get up the nerve to say whatever was on her mind. He was a SEAL. The SEALs could outwait anyone. So he didn’t feel the need to press her to speak.

“I can’t allow you to become involved in this mess, Rourke. It’s too dangerous. You mean too much to me to let that bastard hurt you. I’d rather go back to Evan, myself, than to let him ever touch you.” She was back to trembling. The quaver of sorrow in her voice reignited Rourke’s rage.

With every word she spoke, Jennifer’s body became tenser. She was genuinely afraid of this man. The fury expanded and grew in Rourke’s guts until he couldn’t sit still any longer. He dislodged Jennifer from his chest and climbed out of the broken bed. It was time for action. He jerked on his underwear and pants. All the while, he was trying not to look like the demon he could be when in a temper. Grown men with military training would run when Rourke lost his temper. The last thing Rourke wanted was to scare Jennifer off. He had to play it cool until he had a deserving target for his rage.

Jennifer reached over to right the toppled lamp and turned it on. She pulled the sheet they’d been laying on top of up over her breasts and sat up with those lovely, lean dancer’s legs tucked up against her chest. She looked like a frightened kid instead of the graceful woman he knew Jennifer to be. It made Rourke want to punch someone in the worst way.

“Are you leaving?” Jennifer asked with hurt in her voice. “I was hoping you might spend the night.” She squared her shoulders and firmed the lusciously full lower lip that had begun to quiver. “You’re right, of course.” She nodded, blinking back tears. “For your safety, it’s better that you go now. I’ll be leaving tonight, too. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t.”

Jennifer was trying to let him off the hook. It was laughable. His tiny dancer was attempting to relieve him of the burden she felt she was to him. She turned her head and covertly wiped away a tear that had escaped her control. Rourke smiled, but Jennifer didn’t see it. She hadn’t yet realized that he didn’t want to be free of her, not ever. The connection between them grew stronger by the minute. Jennifer didn’t want him to go. Rourke never wanted to leave her.

Rourke climbed back onto the crumpled bed and pulled Jennifer onto his lap. He brushed the smooth, honey gold hair out of her face and kissed her slowly and sweetly, with infinite care so she’d know his anger wasn’t with her, but that fucker he was going to take apart from the ground up. “I’ll have to leave for a short time, but I’ll be back to get you after I’ve consulted with Luc. I meant it when I said you’re mine. I’m not letting go.”

“But Rourke . . .” She looked so worried, for him, and Rourke loved her even more for it. He loved Jennifer. There was no denying it. He loved Jennifer, and he’d do anything to keep her by his side.

“No, there is no argument here, baby. I’m not walking away from you. We need this situation resolved so we can move on to things that are more important. Do you understand me? Once I take care of Evan, you and I are going to have a serious discussion about the future. I’m not letting you go.”

“There’s more. He’s still searching for me.” Rourke raised a quizzical eyebrow.  “I know I'm not paranoid now. I know for sure that he’s still looking. They almost got me today.”

“What?” Rourke didn’t mean to shout the question in her face, but she’d managed to surprise him. He thought she’d been safely hidden.

“I put on those men’s clothes and went to my apartment today. I needed to get the money I had saved before I’m evicted. I also needed some clothes.”

“What happened?” Rourke could feel his temper rising again.

“Evan convinced my neighbor we’d had a lover’s quarrel. He told her I was away visiting my family. He wanted her to give him a call when I got home so he could come make amends. He made it sound very romantic.”

“So she called him?” he asked.

“She did. I was packing a bag when I saw the black sedan. A herd of men poured out, and I knew they were there for me. I ran from my apartment and just made it into the laundry room in the hall before they kicked in my apartment door. Marcy, that’s my neighbor, she felt terrible. If it hadn’t been for her, I wouldn’t have gotten away. I had stuffed my savings in my pocket, and Marcy gave me her savings to help me get out of town.”

“That’s where that wad of cash came from.” He was thinking aloud.

“Yes. I was just returning to gather my meager possession and change before I went to the bus station. So you see, it’s still a dangerous situation. I have to get out of the church before he finds me here. I have to get out of Vegas before he finds me period.”

“You’re not leaving Vegas. At least not without me, and not before I find a way to be sure you’ll be safe. We’re going to my place. I will protect you. Evan will never get you.”

Jennifer’s ocean blue eye’s resonated hope when she peered up at Rourke. He wanted to have her look at him that way every day. Like he was the answer to all of her prayers. If he played his cards right, Rourke’s life would change forever. In such a short time, he turned from a career military man who never wanted a real commitment, to a man who wanted nothing more than to belong to this one woman and come home to her every night.

Rourke kissed Jennifer again, more passionately, and he was gratified to know that she was just as susceptible to the heat between them as he was. He had to break away from the kiss, or he’d be stripping out of his clothes again. Jennifer sighed and relaxed against his chest with her head on his shoulder.

Rourke was working through all the possibilities in his skull. Things were beginning to make a lot more sense now. Evan appeared to have a significant role in the Vegas crime syndicate. If this asshole were working for the local crime lord, Rourke would have a tougher job on his hands than he initially anticipated. Rourke would have to be careful not to bring retribution down on Luc. He needed to do some serious recon before taking action.

At the same time, Evan’s connection to organized crime would make this a much cleaner operation. Rourke was an operator. He could get in and out leaving only corpses in his wake before anyone could sound an alarm. It would look like a hit had been carried out. It would be an entirely acceptable motive for the deaths in the eyes of the local cops in Evan’s pockets. They knew exactly the kind of shit Evan was dealing.

One way or the other, Evan MacGraff was a dead man. Rourke had killed men in the line of duty. He hated it. There were nights he couldn’t sleep for remembering the dead eyes of men he’d killed. The war was over, but the horror still continued in other parts of the world.

Selfish, power-hungry men like Evan ruined lives around the globe. Rourke wouldn’t allow him to destroy Jennifer. If Rourke and Luc couldn’t find another way to end her torment and make life safe for her, whether she chose to be with Rourke or not, then Rourke would kill Evan and anyone who got in his way. He would swallow the guilt and suffer the nightmares. What he wouldn’t do was let the woman he loved go on living in fear, hiding and disguising herself as if she were the criminal.

“I’m going to make things right for you, Jennifer. I swear it. I’m going to see Luc. I want to ask what he knows about Evan and fill him in on the full details. Once I have a plan of action, I’ll return to pick you up. We’re going to my place. You’ll be safe there, and the Davis’ will no longer be involved. Okay?” Rourke asked for her agreement with his plan and prayed she’d fall in line because if she if she ran again, he would lose his mind.

“Okay, I’ll stay here and wait for you,” she agreed a bit timidly. Her cheeks were flushed, and her fingers knotted the sheet in her hand.

Rourke didn’t know what was running through her pretty little head, and he didn’t have time to pry it out of her. Jennifer agreed to go home with him, and that made Rourke feel ten feet tall. The more time he had with Jennifer, the easier it would be to show her that he was the man for her.

“Do you promise you’ll stay and wait for me to return to you?” Rourke wanted to hear her promise because she wasn’t the kind of woman to break a vow.

“I promise to wait for you.”

Rourke was so pleased with her easy acquiescence, he kissed her again. This time, it was a scorching wet kiss that Jennifer returned with all of the passion flowing between them. He didn’t mean to take it any farther than a kiss of gratitude for her trust in him. Kissing led to touching. Touching resulted in tasting. Before Rourke knew it, he was naked again with Jennifer’s welcoming body pressed beneath him as she shouted her pleasure to the ceiling. Rourke buried himself deep and let go of his crumbling control. His release was so intense it left him senseless for longer than was manly in Rourke’s opinion. There was nothing like the heaven of Jennifer’s body.

Jennifer had power over Rourke that was difficult for him to admit to himself, but Rourke now understood this was a part of that fairytale condition known as falling in love. Jennifer made him simultaneously weak and impossibly stronger than he ever could have been without her in his life. Rourke never believed it would happen to him, but love had found a home buried in his cynical, world-weary chest.

A short time later, Rourke separated himself from his drowsy beauty and promised to return as soon as possible. He nibbled her neck and kissed her delicate cheek. Jennifer giggled and sleepily rolled over. The tension in Rourke’s chest released just a bit. Her smile would change his life. Rourke would spend the rest of his days trying to earn those smiles.

Rourke reluctantly left Jennifer dozing to go meet with Luc, who readily agreed to see him. Luc’s return text eluded that he had news to share with Rourke regarding his investigation of Jennifer. It was a little late now that Rourke had found her hiding under his nose, but Rourke was hopeful Luc had uncovered information about Evan that would make locating the fucker easier.

He hailed a cab and was in downtown Vegas a short time later. The ride gave him a chance to review everything Jennifer told him about Evan MacGraff. The things that piece of shit had done to Jennifer were unforgivable. Rourke was sure there was a lot Jennifer hadn’t said to him. She was haunted by those dark memories and not yet ready to share. For Jennifer, the nightmare wasn’t over. Evan was actively hunting for her, and he now knew she was still in town; thanks to Jennifer’s well-meaning neighbor, Evan had almost found her.

Rourke’s temper built steam by the time he paid the cab fare outside of The Inferno. He needed to tame his rage before speaking to Luc. Calmer heads would prevail, and Rourke planned to succeed.

Jennifer had seen death, and it affected her deeply. Rourke knew the signs, had seen it many times in the military. After escaping captivity, Jennifer had run with no destination in mind. She imagined everyone was working for Evan. She had been in shock. Rourke was sure Jennifer suffered from some level of post-traumatic stress. A staggering number of military personnel suffered from the disorder. It could have long reaching effects on a person. Rourke planned to get Jennifer into counseling as soon as he was able. With help, she would recover from the mental trauma. He prayed it wouldn’t be a permeant scar on her psyche.