Punk Rox Warrior (14 page)

slowly cleared. She focused on the figure in front of her.

Directly across from her was her stalker. He sat in a chair smiling

at her patiently.

Rainne attempted to lean forward and move but quickly realized

she was bound to the chair she sat in. Her ankles were tied to each leg

of the chair and her hands were cuffed behind her back. Panic set in as

she began to struggle fiercely. “Who are you? What do you want from

me?”

In a very loving voice, he cooed, “Don’t fight, princess you’ll

bruise yourself. I do apologize for the restraints. You deserve better

than this, I admit.” He shrugged casually. “I was afraid you would

flee before I had a chance to explain myself. We really haven’t even

been properly introduced.” He stood from his chair and bent in a regal

bow towards her. Coming down on one knee, he leaned in close. “My

name is Cameron Ellis. I am at your service, m’lady.”

Rainne was battling the rising terror threatening to make her lose

control. “What do you want, Cameron?” She was relieved that her

voice sounded calm.

“You, my beautiful little freak.” He reached up and stroked her

cheek. “I’ve been watching you for some time now, and I want to take

you away from everything, that mother who doesn’t appreciate you,

Phillip, everything.” His lips twisted into an angry frown. “Especially

James. He’s not good for you, Rainne. He could never love you like I

do.”

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Oh, my god! This guy is a nut-job.
She knew she had to play this just right. He was riding the edge of madness. “James is gone. He

left,” she said, making careful eye contact with him.

“Why?” His eyes narrowed as if she were trying to trick him.

“My mother fired him. It’s really for the best. I mean, he was

hired to find you, and now that I’ve met you, I don’t need him

anymore.” Rainne wasn’t sure if he could see her trembling.

“That’s right, baby. You have me now. I’ll take care of you.” He

flashed a smile. “You belong to me, Rainne. You always have.”

“How long have you been trying to contact me, Cameron?” She

had to know where he came from. If she could keep him talking,

maybe he would keep his cool.

“Over a year, since I started the Noise Box fan club.” He

announced proudly, “I heard your band play at Tuesday’s Pub over a

year ago. I knew you were sending me messages through your songs,

Rainne. We’re meant to be together.” Sitting back down in the chair

across from her, he leaned forward and slowly caressed her thighs.

“Why did you attack me at my mother’s party?”

“I’m sorry about that, my love. I lost my temper. I got so jealous

when I saw you with Phillip. You refused my invitation and then ran

to him.” He growled. “You needed to be reminded of who owns you.

I will never tolerate you being a whore and letting another man touch

you.” The look on his face chilled her to the bone. “I would’ve

preferred you coming to me of your own accord, but it seems I must

force your hand in this instance. You will learn in time that it is all for the best.”

Rainne tested the give on her handcuffs, trying to reach her back

pocket. “Where’s Merlyn, Cameron? I miss him.” She tried to make

her face appear heartbroken.

“Oh, Angel, Merlyn’s just fine. He’s at my house.” The look of

innocence on his face just about made her sick to her stomach.

“What’s your plan, Cameron? I mean you have me here, tied to a

chair.” Looking down at herself, she asked, “What now?”

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Cocking his head to one side, he appeared deep in thought. “Well,

I guess that all depends on you.”

“On me? What do you mean?”

“What do you want to do? Where do you want to go?” He leaned

forward and placed his elbows on his knees.

Rainne had a stroke of genius. “I think we need to go as far away

as we can get. I want to leave this whole state behind. We can start

fresh somewhere that neither of us has ever been.” She widened her

eyes as she plastered an excited smile on her face.

He smiled at her, his face a mask of affection. “That was exactly

what I was thinking, princess.” Leaning closer to her, he gently kissed

her cheek. “I knew we would be on the same page.”

She gave him her most earnest smile. “Cameron, we need to get

my things and Merlyn. We can’t forget Merlyn.”

His eyes narrowed. “That’s not possible. You’ll run away, I won’t

let you go, Rainne! Never!” His voice rose sharply on the last word.

Rainne flinched at the snarl that formed his words. Giving him a

playful look and arching her eyebrow. “Cameron, where am I going to

go?” She yanked on her restraints to assure him they were secure. “I

couldn’t get up if my life depended on it. You go get Merlyn and meet

me back here. If you want to stop at my apartment and grab me some

clothes, that’s okay. If not, that’s okay, too. I can’t leave Merlyn,

though.” She flashed him her best doe-eyed pout.

He studied her for a long moment. “Okay, I’ll be back. I’m only

getting the cat, though. We can buy you more clothes on the road.”

Standing from his chair, he grabbed the back of it and dragged it to

the far wall, out of the way.

Rainne curved a sexy smile with her lips and looked up at him.

“Mmm, shopping.”

Cameron strolled back to Rainne, leaned down, and captured her

face with his hands. “I love you.” He pressed his lips to hers.

Rainne could feel her heart pound in her chest. She tried

desperately to return his kiss earnestly. She also tried not to throw up
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on him. When he broke off the kiss, she smiled shyly at him. “I love

you, too. Now hurry back to me so I don’t have a chance to miss

you.”

“Back in a flash, princess,” he said over his shoulder as he exited

the room.

Rainne held her breath until she heard his car start up outside and

pull away. She reached down and with two fingers pulled her cell

phone out of her back pocket.

Pressing a button, she didn’t hear the tone, realizing that it must

have gotten shut off. She pressed and held the off button until she

heard the welcome tone that signaled the phone was on. Waiting a

second or two for the phone to turn completely on, she pressed and

held the number two. When the tone quieted, she spoke.

* * * *

James slid the phone open. “Rainne, where are you?”

“James! Help me! He just left. He’ll be back soon. I’m tied to a

chair. I’m in some kind of warehouse.”

“I got a signal on her,” Alton called out, looking up from the

handheld receiver.

Racing back to the bus, James couldn’t tear the phone from his

ear. As long as he could hear her voice, he knew she was all right.

“How far, Alton?” James growled, angry he couldn’t make time go

faster.

“ETA twenty minutes, James.” Alton looked up from directing

Riley on where to go.

“Fuck that noise!” They heard Riley from the driver’s seat. “I’ll

have us there in ten!” With that sentiment, they felt the bus jolt

forward.

“Let’s get suited up.” The order came as James pulled on his

bulletproof vest and checked the clip in his weapon. James paused to

take a deep breath. Keeping his composure was crucial. If she got

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hurt, he had to keep his head to help her.

Ignoring the tremors flowing through him, he spoke. “Okay, men.

When we get there, fan out. Everybody got their headsets?” Glancing

back to see the acknowledgement, he also saw the concern on their

faces. He drew another deep breath. “We get her out, first and

foremost. Whoever gets to her first gets her out. The rest of us will

deal with him. Understood?”

“We got it. Don’t worry, man. We’ll get her back unscathed.

Promise,” Able said solemnly.

James sat back and tried to no avail to relax. He could do nothing

but listen to Rainne’s voice grow more desperate.

“James! God, please help me!” She sobbed uncontrollably. “He

just left. He’ll be back soon. James, please hurry. I’m tied to a chair.

I’m in some kind of warehouse.”

She stopped talking. Her fear was taking over. “I’m coming,

baby,” he whispered. After a few minutes, he heard her sniffle and

sigh. Then in a tiny voice, through broken sobs, she started to sing.

“You and me have a disease, you affect me, you infect me, I’m

afflicted, you’re addicted, you and me, you and me.” She was sighing

heavily and sniffling, her voice sounded strangled. “,James, please be

coming.”

James’s control was teetering. “ETA, Alton!” he bellowed.

“One minute,” Alton answered quickly. The bus skidded to a stop

in an industrial area. “She’s within fifty yards.”

* * * *

Rainne was losing hope and fast. Telling herself not to panic

seemed to have the opposite effect on her as she slipped into despair.

Her eyes were beginning to burn from her mascara. Her wrists and

ankles were sore from tugging on the restraints. She could feel the

bruises beginning to form around the rope burns, and her hands were

wet, she assumed from blood trickling down them. “Stop crying,” she

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told herself out loud, angrily. “This is not how you want to die.”

Rainne took a deep breath and strained to look around the room.

Nothing, just her, the chair, and walls. Thinking she could break the

chair, she started to jerk violently from side to side. The chair finally teetered and, in what seemed like slow motion, fell to the side. The

last thing she heard was the sound of her own scream at the sharp

pains that radiated from her body as she and the chair toppled to the

floor.

* * * *

James and his team surged through the front doors of the

warehouse, fanning out, and guns drawn. Once inside, he took the

lead. “Spread out,” he ordered. The team split up into two groups.

Ash kicked in the closest door to them and jerked around the corner,

weapon steady in front of him. “Clear,” he announced. Tracing the

wall with their backs, they made their way to the next door. James

gave the door one swift kick, but it did little in the way of opening it.

Raising his firearm, he shot at the handle, assuming it was locked.

Giving the door another jolt with his boot, it flew open.

Poising his gun to shoot, James froze. “Clear,” he heard Able

confirm, but James could see nothing but her. She was lying on the

floor motionless, crumpled into a heap on the concrete. Racing over,

he was overwhelmed by emotion. “Rainne,” he shouted. Quickly

assessing the situation, he saw she was bleeding from several places

and unconscious.

Alton brandished a bow knife from his boot and started cutting the

restraints around her ankles. James pulled out his cell and called for

an ambulance. “Ash! We need the bolt cutters!” he bellowed, looking

up at his crew. “We need to get her out of here. I want you all to stay

behind and wait for him. He’s
not
getting away. Not after this,” James said through his teeth. “Riley, go move the bus. I’m taking her out

back.”

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As gently as he could, James scooped her up from the cement

floor. She felt like a rag doll in his arms. As he exited the warehouse

into the back alley, he could see the ambulance rounding the corner.

The ride to the hospital was the longest ride of his existence. He

was forced to sit up front so the paramedics could work on her.

Arriving at the hospital, she still hadn’t regained consciousness.

Walking through the doors, James was met by a rotund nurse who

looked like she didn’t like her job very much. “Sir, you will have to

wait in the waiting area,” she ordered.

Over his dead body. “I’m her husband,” he said quickly.

She eyed Rainne and sighed. “Fine, but you’ll have to wait in the

hall.”

James took a chair in the hall and listened intently to the doctors

and nurses rush around Rainne. He was desperately trying to be calm,

but he needed to see her.

After what seemed like days, a gentleman walked out of the room

and approached him. “I’m Dr. Johnston. Are you the husband of that

young lady?” He looked angry.

James stood from his seat. “Yes. I am. James Decker. How is

she?” James tried to keep his voice calm, but he felt like he was being

strangled.

Blowing out a hard breath, he looked through his chart, shaking

his head. “Not good, Mr. Decker. What happened to her?”

James knew that look. The doctor thought James had done

something to her. “She was kidnapped earlier today. I’m also her

personal bodyguard.” He handed the doctor a business card. “She’s

had a stalker for over a year. My team is actually trying to subdue him

as we speak.”

“Well, Mr. Decker, she has a concussion. She’ll need some

stitches to her scalp. Her left shoulder is dislocated,” he explained

without emotion. “Her wrists and ankles are severely burned from

what appear to be restraint marks.” He waited for an explanation.