Protective Instincts (11 page)

"Asleep. I nearly tripped over the dog when I came in the back door. He was drugged but breathing normally. Call the police and see what's keeping them," Sam added. "Then we'll check on the puppy." Taking his attention from her wasn't easy, but he couldn't have that bastard come to. "And put something on, Teach."

Wrapped in a tablecloth she'd grabbed from the table as she passed it, she stopped the charge of uniformed police officers. Two came from her kitchen and two from the front door they'd crashed.

"Brit, have you called to find out where those idiots are? I called them on my car phone when I didn't see any surveillance vehicle. My gut still aches. I knew something was wrong before I reached your block. Where the Hell are they, anyway?"

"No need to call," Brit answered. "They're here."

Turning to let them pass, she pointed down the hall. "That way." Shock numbed her. She sat down in the large blue chair by the matching sofa. She tucked her bare feet under her and waited.
Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. You can do this. Stay calm a little longer.

Two male officers shoved the trussed man through the hall and out her front door, as they read him his rights. Brit noticed that someone had pulled his pants up.
Nothing like getting caught with your pants down. They should've left 'em down. Let him try walking with his pants around his ankles. Would serve him right.
Something else caught her attention. He looked different. His hair was short instead of longish. Had he worn a wig to attack her?

The other two came back to her living room where Brit and Sam waited. "We have to ask you some questions."

Brit heard the words, barely registering the speaker. "Sure, might as well get it over." Adrenaline still pumped through her veins. That would end and she'd crash, or lose it, before long.

Another pair of plainclothes detectives appeared carrying cameras and a brief case. "He attacked the lady in her bedroom." Sam volunteered. "The backdoor lock was broken and the alarm disabled."

"Thanks." One detective headed toward the bedroom.

"Who's he?" The other new detective inclined his head toward Sam.

"Mr. Samuels is her friend, he helped capture the perp."

"Check the bathroom, too." Brit's voice quavered.

"What?" the man with the camera stopped. "Ma'am"

"Oh, yes," She thought a second. Her mind wanted to blank out. "Look in the bathroom, he was there, he found me in the shower."

One of the policemen with Sam and Brit opened his well-worn notebook and perched on the sofa arm nearest Brit's, to question her. He was disheveled and she wouldn't have been surprised to see him lick a pencil, like television's
Columbo
.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," he began as he opened his notebook and pulled a pen, not a pencil stub, from his pocket. The pen had no cap and she would bet there would be an ink spot on his pocket. "We had a robbery reported several blocks from here and had to pull the car we had parked across the street to answer it. The caller reported shots. We moved quickly and in force."

The policewoman entered the room, carrying a plastic, zippered bag of evidence, an opened knife showed through. Brit had been so frightened she had missed the knife. Sam followed the cop.

"Did you get the break-in person?" Brit needed to know.

"Uh, no. We woke up the occupant instead. He wasn't being robbed at all. Someone called in a phony report."

"It figures. I don't believe you left this woman unwatched, after what happened at school. Her family and friends have tried to make sure she had moral support, but we believed she had your protection in case that piece of trash showed up."

"Sam, please, let's just answer their questions. I'm tired and would like to get it over before the shock hits. Please."

The officers occupied the sofa, so Sam marched over to Brit's chair. He draped the robe over her shoulders, then stood beside her.

"Go on, officers. As you can see, the lady needs rest." She shivered, despite the robe, so Sam left to get a blanket.

The three men listened while she told of fear and determination. "H-h-he said some of the other women enjoy it rough, I guess he has done this before ... I ran from the room still n-n-naked," she gulped, "I hit him across the face with a broom handle. Mr. Samuels came and -- and I grabbed the cloth from the table and here I sit."

"You must have been scared," someone commented.

"So scared I'd have wet my pants, if I'd had any." Her nervous laugh wouldn't have fooled anyone. "I was angry. I couldn't let him have his way without a fight. I just couldn't." Bless Sam! He'd squatted beside her chair and held her hand. He trembled as much as she did. She turned to look into his eyes, seeing anguish in them.

"Was the attacker tonight, the same man who attacked you at school?" an officer asked.

"Yes!" Sam and Brit answered together.

"And you still don't know who he is or why he targeted you?"

"No," Brit shook her head.

"Have you thought any more about why he would want to harm you?" the
Columbo
look alike asked.

"No, I can't."

"We'll spend some time with you after we interrogate him. Maybe we can figure things out, if he doesn't tell us. They sometimes brag and give themselves away."

"Your story, Mr. Samuels?" one of the officers asked.

"I was on my way to check on Mrs. Roberts when I got a call from my headquarters. Her security system wasn't sending the right signals to the main board. There was no surveillance vehicle outside. I used my cell phone to call the station to see why and was told someone would be here to check things out."

Sam rubbed her arms to ease her trembling. Feeling her calming, he continued, "I tried to get in the front door but found it locked. I went around to the back door and found it standing slightly ajar.

"The lock was broken. I slipped in. Brit had won the battle with that maniac. His pants were around his knees and he was unconscious. I tied him up to wait for you. You finally got here."

"Thank you. Once again, we're real sorry about the mix-up. Where will you be staying? Ma'am? We need to know where to reach you."

Sam rubbed his jaw. "Guess it wouldn't look right for you to stay with me, but my parents' house isn't far away. They have room."

Brit answered. "While I appreciate your offer, you can't understand how I feel. I let my husband take care of me until he died. When I lost him, I let my parents take care of me." She clenched her fists.

"When Julie told me about the job here I realized it was time to pull myself together. I got the job and bought the house. I took charge of my life and I'll be damned if I'll let a crazy man take my life away from me. I'm staying here. This is my home. Besides, you have my attacker. Why shouldn't I be safe?"

The crew from her bedroom appeared and left quickly.

Her interviewers were finished, too. "We'll call you on Monday to make sworn statements at headquarters, Mrs. Roberts, Mr. Samuels. Good night." The officers let themselves out.

"Is Julie coming home, I mean here?" Sam asked.

"She called after the kids left. I said I was locked in securely," Brit shrugged at Sam's raised eyebrow. "Julie explained that she and Jesse were planning to drive to the lake."

"I'll put you to bed in the guest room while I secure the doors as well as I can. I'll leave Sean a message to let him know I'll stay with you. He can call here if he has questions."

"Sam, I need another shower. I'll use the guest bath and then turn in. I think I'll sleep in the bed Julie's been using."

"Want some help washing your back?" he asked as she retreated toward the guest bath.

"What?"

"Just kidding. I'll check on Monster."

Sam secured the doors with heavy chairs propped under the knobs and checked to be sure the cops were parked outside. He called his office to send someone out in the morning.

Brit stepped from the guest bath feeling secure Sam would protect her from intruders, and too tired to wonder who would protect her from her need for Sam, or from herself.

Unable to face going into her own room yet, she slipped into one of Julie's gowns. She pulled back the covers and crawled into the bed. Monster padded slowly into the room and licked her hand.

He looked groggy but all right.

She soon slept.

Sam had cleaned the mess in Brit's bathroom and bedroom. The cops had left dark dust on doors and every hard surface. Brit didn't need to see this mess! They must've taken the shower curtain. He wiped up the puddles of water, using the towel on the floor.

He stripped the bed and rummaged around to find clean sheets and remade it. He could sleep there and still hear Brit, if she needed him. Sam slipped past a sleeping Brit to shower. This was the third shower in one day. As he tiptoed past the sleeping woman, Sam heard the rustling of covers and Brit's screams.

* * * *

"No! No! Not again!" The knife to her throat cut a thin line.

The gruff voice hissed. "Bitch! You want it! You know you do!"

Brit wanted to twist away from the knifepoint pressed into her throat. He was going to rape her. She couldn't protect herself. He peeled his face and hair away like a mask. She screamed.

"Brit. Brit. Wake up." Slipping onto her bed, Sam spoke gently, trying to make her hear his voice through the fog of sleep. "It's all right, baby. It's just a bad dream. I'm here." He lay atop the covers. Rubbing her back, he talked until she settled in his embrace, breathing slowly on his chest. Sam didn't expect to sleep a wink, but both occupants of that bed were dead to the world by midnight.

Sam awoke, puzzled to feel a fanny pressing against his hard-on. He didn't remember getting under the covers. The fanny wiggled again, causing Sam to let out a slow breath.

Sam carefully shifted to put his, very much awake, penis farther away from the squirming fanny and moved close enough to plant kisses on her shoulder.

Brit turned toward him.

He couldn't resist kissing her, gently, softly. Never before had Sam wanted to give so much of himself to any woman. Not even Sean's mother had caused such an all-consuming need to possess, to claim. He kept his touches comforting. There would be better times to show her how good they could be together.

He whispered, his voice raspy, "Sleep well."

Brit drifted to the reality of the man holding her. When apprehension tried to surface to her brain she pushed it back. Tommy had been the man she loved and she'd never expected to find a man she would let take his place in her life or her heart. But Tommy had never caused the fear of losing herself in another person. She would not give in to the fear of losing control to this overwhelming man.

"I don't want to need you, Sam."

CHAPTER SEVEN

This time the media did not ignore Brit. She'd been hounded by reporters from Atlanta, as well as the local papers.
The Macon Telegraph
had treated the case as local news, since Florence was only thirty miles away. Someone in the police station when her attacker had been taken in, had run with the story. Sunday papers plastered his picture on the front page.

Sunday afternoon Julie called from her mobile phone. "Brittany Marie, you call me! I can't believe I had to read the paper to learn my best friend was attacked. I should've stayed with you."

"If you had, he'd have hurt you. I didn't realize the papers would cover it, since no one called me until this morning. I wouldn't tell them anything. I called my folks as soon as I got the pests off the phone. We had to leave my phone off the hook and use my cell."

"You didn't call me, though."

"I tried but couldn't get through. What could you have done, anyway? You needed that time with Jesse."

"I'm so sorry."

"I know, I know. At least you were safe."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. The picture of the man who attacked you looks a lot like the man I told you about, you know, the shy guy from the grocery store."

"Damn!"

"I'm on my way back."

"I take it you had a good time."

"Oh, God, you won't believe how wonderful Jesse is. We talked all night and I fell asleep in his arms.

* * * *

By Monday, the reporters hadn't found anything on him. How could a man so vile have no record of previous arrests? He didn't even have a traffic violation.

After the first week, the news headlines and detailed articles had moved from page one to shorter articles buried further inside. News reports mentioned her in passing.

Day after day Sam had been to Brit's house on some pretext or another. He had repaired her front steps and her porch swing. They had repaired every squeaky door and replaced bathroom tiles. With the longer days, their walks with Monster stretched longer and longer. Brit was relieved when people stopped asking questions about the attacks and offering their condolences.

Two weeks after the capture of Douglas Drake, Sam arrived in his truck. Of course, he had called first, as usual. "Come on, Teach, you'll have a good time. You've been doin' so well these past weeks. Today will be a good next step. You'll meet my family. My brother Drew is interested in what has been happening to you."

"Why would I want to talk to him? What good would it do? I don't see the point. The man is in jail and he was caught in my house. The authorities are matching the finger print from the light switch in my classroom and fibers they vacuumed."

"He has experience in police work. Maybe we can learn something about why the man chose you. What if you weren't his first? He has no traceable history under his current identity. So far, he isn't telling anything about himself. I told you that, I think. Besides, it's time to get out and have some fun. You never go anywhere but school or self-defense classes or group therapy. If you aren't comfortable, I'll bring you home. You know Monster would love the freedom to run loose at the farm."

"You win. We'll make Monster happy."

Monster slurped her hand.

She'd agreed to meet the Samuels clan. It would be good to be around people who weren't so paranoid. Monster would have plenty of running room. He was too attached to her to run very far.

* * * *

The white farmhouse was all Brit had expected and more, with its wrap-around porches and red shutters and doors. The yard was a profusion of both wild and cultivated flowers and shrubs. Spring flowers in Georgia could make most Yankees jealous, but Mrs. Samuels, and whoever helped her, had outdone anything Brit had seen this year.

A white picket fence surrounded the house and yard. Outbuildings sported shiny, white paint and the same red trim as the house. Within the white fencing around the entire farm were sections marked by wire fences, decorated by shrubs and more wild flowers.

Monster's heavy snout nuzzled Brit. His whine was pitiful, but fake. He always tried to get by her with his begging.

"Soon, boy. We'll let you out, I promise."

Monster thanked Sam with a generous doggy kiss.

Sam stopped the truck as four horsemen neared. He stepped out and hurried around the truck. When he opened Brit's door, Monster bounded over the seat and out. Sam caught Brit before she slid out.

His hands at her waist sent heat through the fabric of her jeans. She clutched his shoulders to steady herself, as she slid down the length of his hard body. The dizzying effect of his touch brought heat to her face. She pushed against his chest. She couldn't let him feel how she reacted to him. She wasn't sure she was ready for that.

The boy astride the black horse sat tall and straight. "Hi, Dad!" Sean yelled. "Hello, Ms. Roberts. I'm glad you and Dad are here, finally. Hey, Monster." His blond hair captured the sunlight.

Beside Sean, an older man tipped his Stetson to Brit. A smile multiplied crinkles around his eyes. He was all masculine charm.

"I'm Sam's daddy, John Daniel. Everybody calls me Pop." The green eyes twinkled with the same devilment Brit had seen in Sam's. Gray streaks threaded the thick, black hair, so much like Sam's.

"I'd be honored to call you Pop." Brit liked Sam's daddy.

Sam seemed to gain his voice. "Teach, the guy with the pony tail is my baby brother, Drew."

"Pleased to meet you, Drew." She had to reach up to shake Drew's hand. His tall gray was a beautiful horse.

Drew released Brit's hand. "Meet Luke, the oldest brother."

"Pleased to meet you, Ma'am." Luke smiled down.

Pop's voice boomed. "Get this woman to the house and iced tea."

When Sam led Brit back to the truck, he placed both hands on her waist to lift her up on the high seat. Her hands instinctively moved to Sam's shoulders as he lifted her. Her mouth went dry as she looked into his eyes. Their gazes held for heart-stopping seconds.

Brit's skin warmed. Tearing her eyes from Sam's, her gaze stopped as his lips parted. Her own lips parted involuntarily.

The blush on Sam's face was instant when a loudly cleared throat reminded him they were not alone. Brit would have laughed but her own face felt hotter than before.

Sam closed her door, then ran around to the driver's side and climbed in. Cranking the truck, he pointed toward the house and proceeded to outrun the horsemen and Monster, who followed Sean.

Brit sat silent as the truck made its way to the house. Hormones could be dangerous in adults. Sam's being so sexy didn't help. Maybe if she just said nothing, Sam wouldn't either. She needed space and a chance to relax for the day. Facing Sean in class had been awkward, knowing he must hear the nonsense his dad whispered over the phone. Where were Julie and Jesse? They were supposed to be here.

After the truck pulled up to the white gate at the sidewalk to the house, Sam jumped out and hurried to open Brit's door. She jumped out and landed against Sam. He held her chest to breast, eye to eye, and lips to lips. She felt that kiss all the way down to her toes feet, a kiss that made her want to make love to him here and now.

Monster ended the kiss as he tried to join in. Maybe that was a good thing, since her passions ran deeper than she could understand, more than a healthy woman's attraction to a totally hot man.

"Here come the ladies," Sam warned. "Hi, Mom. I brought her, see? Rachel Samuels, meet Brittany Roberts. She's right pretty when she's awake and coherent."

"Welcome to our home, Brit." Sam's mother rushed down the steps.

"We're so glad you could be with us today."

Following Rachel were Jesse, Julie, and two women Brit had not met. She knew immediately that the raven-haired beauty must be Sam's sister. She had Sam's dark good looks.

"My sister, Esther." Sam draped an arm around the woman who so closely resembled him.

Esther's firm handshake would reassure anyone. "I'll give you the dirt on my brothers later."

Gray and sunlight streaked Rachel's brown hair. The azure hue of her eyes, so similar to the blue of Sean and Luke's, startled. Her build was pleasantly generous in a soft, motherly way.

For seconds, Brit allowed herself the luxury of imagining herself with kids. Hers and Sam's? Why not, as long as she was imagining? Well, he certainly made her hormones simmer. Would they have green eyes? Would they have violet eyes like hers or maybe even hazel ones?

Talk about jumping the gun! If she and Sam made love, there would be no children. She hadn't conceived during the years she and Tommy had tried. But she could allow herself fantasies. She shook herself to push such thoughts from her mind. Reality wasn't so bad for now.

The petite woman following Esther made Brit feel like she was of normal height. Esther reached for the woman's hand and pulled her close. "Becky keeps Luke in line. Meet our sister-in-law."

"We've heard so much about you from Sam and Sean, Ms. Roberts." Becky took Brit's offered hand. Her voice was as soft as her fresh "Irish Spring" look. "You're braver than I could ever be."

"Please call me Brit, everyone."

Brit gazed at the group surrounding her.

Sam's mother took charge. "Let's go have a picnic."

Deep, booming laughter came from the men who left their horses to be fed and watered at the stable near the house. The men had loaded picnic baskets, coolers, and tables in the back of Sam's truck. Brit sat nestled between Becky and Esther in the Samuels' Lincoln, with Daniel and Rachel in the front, leaving Sam with Drew.

The ride to the creek was just long enough for Sam to fill Drew in on the gory details of the two attacks and the strange hang-up calls, as well as the dead weeds with no note.

"How'd he get past your alarm system?" Drew knitted his brows.

"He went in through the back door after breaking the lock. Either Brit forgot to set it or he tricked the system."

"Big brother, this man's not just some wacko obsessed with raping the teacher. He's a professional killer."

Sam glanced from the dirt road ahead to stare at his brother. "Drew? Do you know something you're not telling?"

"I asked a few questions at the Florence Police Department. They haven't been able to trace the guy's prints in the statewide system. Not a good sign. No driver's license or car registration, nothing. We accessed the FBI system, too. Nothing there."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, someone wants the lady dead. This guy is a pro."

Sam dodged a rut in the road even though he could practically drive this route with his eyes closed. "Damn. Now what, little brother?"

"Now we dig in her past for someone who would want her dead."

"What could she have done?"

"What she has or knows might be more like it. Her husband was a lawyer who was run down about three years ago? Roberts – Peter, – no, – James? Oh, Thomas Roberts? Hmmm." Drew rubbed his jaw. "I'll check the computer for information about the husband in the system, maybe call Washington. Could be he was dirty. They lived in Butlerton, was it?"

"You've already been checking into things."

"She graduated from Mercer University in Macon, where she met Tommy Roberts, moved to Butlerton where they lived for six years. He had a small law firm and she taught school, language arts. A truck hit him and kept going. Driver never found."

"That's a shame."

"Atlanta newspapers covered his death, so their accounts might give us insight." His eyes narrowed as he stroked his chin more. "Maybe a list of his clients would give us clues. I couldn't get much information from the Butlerton Police. I might need to go higher up. In a town that size, there might be a connection with a big city crime organization. Seems the crooks moved to the suburbs. And big city crooks like to branch out into new territory and give the
good ol' boys
a run for their money. Big business buys out, or runs small businesses out of business."

Sam's attention left the dirt road as he watched his brother map out a strategy for an investigation he hadn't considered possible. "You think the 'accident' might not have been a real accident?" Sam glanced back at the road. "Jesus H. Christ! That means she might be a target for worse than rape?"

"Maybe there's nothing more than cop's imagination." He shrugged. "I'll call you as soon as I've checked into things. There's probably nothing to it. Maybe this sicko guy is a rapist who has nothing to do with her husband's death. He could be a serial rapist. She could be a random target."

Drew didn't look convinced. He had a mind like a steel trap. Sam would bet his last dollar Drew suspected way more than he was saying

"Talk to her, warn her about the possibilities."

This shaded place beside one of the farm's creeks had always been a family favorite for picnics. Before the afternoon ended, someone would give into temptation to test the waters, even this early in the season.

Sam made sure to stay close to Brit once they reached the picnic site. He just liked being close. He pitched in and helped the ladies unload and unpack the food. There had to be enough food in the hampers to feed an army.

Sean brought her a chilled can of Pepsi One. "Is this okay?" He shifted from one booted foot to the other. He glanced down at the ground, then back at Brit. "The kids at school think you're awfully brave to keep teaching and everything. Everyone wants to help." He blushed. "I just wish I'd stayed with you instead of going to Angela's that night, you know --"

"Sean, you have been a big help." She touched his arm. "Now I know why everyone has been so good, lately. I keep wondering if the
Body Snatchers
have taken over my students."

"More likely the Pod People." Sean laughed.

Sam's approach stopped the conversation. "Taking good care of the teacher, I see."

"He certainly is," Brit answered.

Drew flashed a Frisbee. He and Sean entertained Monster, as they sauntered along the creek away from the bustling women. Luke and Pop walked in the opposite direction to set up fishing poles.

Brit followed when Sam led the way to a row of blankets spread on the ground. "Was Angela invited or is there trouble in paradise since school ended yesterday?"