Safer With You (31 page)

I feel the floor falling away from me. I’m dizzy and nauseous. My mind wanders back to the night he attacked me, and I still can’t remember a single thing about it. I watch him intently as he stares at me without saying a word. His eyes roam from mine and they wander down to my dress. I can feel a draft on my right breast, so I know that he has it uncovered and his eyes are glued. He licks his lips and I freeze. Oh, God, please don’t touch me.

Like he heard my plea, he gets up and grabs something off the table.

His back turned, he says “I knew Michael was finished with you; I was going to make you notice me that night.”

Isaac’s voice gets quieter, like he’s speaking to himself, “I’m getting ahead of myself; let me start from the beginning. I saw you first. In fact, I believe I pointed you out to him that day on the beach.”

He turns around and leans against the table, his arms crossed. “You were always beautiful…gorgeous body, beautiful breasts…” He walks towards me and touches the tip of the knife he took off of the table lightly to my nipple.
Oh, God, what is he going to do?

“Cute smile…” He pauses, as he moves the knife up to my lips. “Do you remember when we first met?”

I freeze; the knife is still at my lips. He’s staring and waiting for a response.

“Well, I do. I wanted to date you, but you seemed so smitten with Michael or Luke or whatever the fuck he feels like being called. He’s such a pussy, not proud of his family name. I am; I would love to be Isaac Malone, but I’m my daddy’s dirty secret. The great senator can’t have a son out of wedlock. So I go by my mother’s maiden name, Campone.
 

I chose Zack Campone; only the Madsyn’s and my family know my true identity.

I’m shocked for the millionth time today. He’s the senator’s son. It’s starting to make sense. He wants what everyone else has, but he’s had to stay hidden.

“Anyway, you seemed to like Michael and he seemed taken by you. Of course, I knew that was only temporary. He likes to fuck, a lot. We both know you’re not that kind of girl.”

Thankfully, he takes the knife from my mouth and places it on the ground beside him. “The few glorious times we were in the same room together, you never said too much to me, but I always watched you, always.”

Isaac’s hand reaches for my face and I lean away. But he manages to rub the back of his fingers along my cheek. His voice turns softer, like he’s talking to a small child.

“Nora, my sweet girl, you were never supposed to be with Michael, always me. I’m so sorry I kept my feelings hidden from you for so long. But I honestly did not intend to hurt you that night. But then I saw you leave the wedding with Madsyn…Madsyn of all people.” His voice changes to disgust. The gentle stroke of his hand becomes harsher the more he speaks of Jase. “I couldn’t take it. He can’t have you. He won’t have you!”

I feel my body tremble. How could I not know he felt this way? He’s going to kill Jase and God knows what he will do to me.

He moves his hand from my face and slides his fingers through my matted hair, catching tangles as he pulls. “You are a beauty. I’m going to make sure you stay that way. I’m not going to let anyone else have you. I was so furious that you picked Jase that night. I was standing by you all evening, and you didn’t even notice me. Then you go off with Madsyn, a perfect stranger. I saw his hands all over you. I had to scrub him off of you, and I wanted you to feel the pain I felt.”

My body is numb; I can’t feel my arms or legs…nothing. He’s taking my life away word by word. I want to scream and cry and kill him, but my body won’t comply. It’s frozen.

He snickers, “He has quite the reputation, doesn’t he? Take Samantha, for example, she knows all about you, and still she loves him or at least loves his money. They were married by the senator this evening. She helped me find you tonight, and she told Jase where to find you, so that I can kill him. She and my father are a great team.”

Oh, God, he married her?

I try to show no emotion. I’m not going to react to his lies.

He abruptly stands and takes his cell phone from his pocket.
 

“Show time!”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Jase

I just got off the phone with Uncle Joe. My mother is safe with him. No other attempts have been made on her. I told him all about this evening. About Luke, Samantha, the senator, Tucker, and Nora. He swears he had no idea about the senator, but he did clue me in on the fact that Isaac is the senator’s son.

Uncle Joe told me about a panic room that was installed under a shed in the senator’s back yard. He told me there is a door on the floor hidden under a wooden crate.
 

I have Tucker and Roger wait in the SUV a few yards away from the house. I don’t want to risk Isaac seeing them. We park on the street, and I walk up to the enormous gate.

I already know the code because I set the damn thing up. I hit the code—eight, three, one. The gate eases open and I hold my breath as I head to the shed.

I feel like it takes me years to get there. It’s a rundown wooden shack hidden in the woods behind the grand brick mansion where the senator resides. Tucker and Roger are watching the house to make sure there are no surprises. Luckily, the senator is still at his party, collecting checks.

I’ve worked for this bastard for years, trusting my uncle’s relationship with him, and look where it has gotten me.

I open the shed door and it creaks back at me. This isn’t a shed; it’s a torture chamber. Axes, knives, hammers, and saws hang by nails along the perimeter of the shed. The floor is made of dirt, and boxes of explosives line the far wall. In the left corner of the shed sits a wooden crate with the words,
Malone
stamped on it
.

I push the crate aside and notice a small brass handle. As I reach to pull it up, I hear the sound of a gun being cocked and pushed against my head. “So wonderful of you to join us.”

“Where is she, you piece of shit?”

“Don’t worry. She will be fine as long as you die.” Isaac pushes me and my face lands against the wooden door. I can taste the dirt in my mouth.

“Now pull up the handle. We are going to join Nora,” Isaac instructs.

I do as he orders and a cement block room is revealed. Before I can get my bearings, I’m pushed, falling into the hole.

“Oops, where are my manners? There is a ladder to help you down.” I hear him say with a foul laugh.

I land with a hard thud and my face smacks the floor. I lift my head as I spit dirt from my mouth. With a groan, I survey the room. My eyes immediately find Nora.

She looks awful and beautiful at the same time. My eyes dance quickly up and down her body, surveying her for injuries. She has a bruise on her face and a cut on her lip, and her dress is ripped…Oh, God, her breasts are hanging out.

Her beautiful face is dirty with grey duct tape over her mouth, hands tied behind her back, and her ankles are tied with rope. She struggles against her restraints.

I mouth, “Are you hurt?”

She shakes her head no, but her eyes are wide with fear.

Isaac jumps down from the last peg of the ladder. He jerks me up by my jacket to a standing position. “When I’m done beating the shit out of you, I’m going to kill you.” He shoves the Glock in my face. “I’m taking her away from you forever. She loves me, not you.”

He yanks me to stand in front of Nora. “Say your goodbyes, my sweet. He will be gone soon and we can begin our life together.”

He shoves the gun into my stomach.

Nora’s eyes grow wide with fear. She screams through the duct tape, moving the chair with her body, and straining her hands against the rope.

I watch as Isaac removes the gun from my side and backhands her with it. Blood trickles from under the tape, down her chin. Without thinking, I knock the gun from his hand and slam my body into him, thrashing him against the wall.

My arm thrusts up to his neck, cutting off his circulation. His face turns red, the veins popping out of his neck, when fire hits my side. Still holding him, I look down at where the fire burns, and he is holding a knife lodged in my side.

In that second of lost concentration, Isaac breaks free of my grasp. I stumble back and fall to my knees. Isaac stands above me, coughing and trying to regain his breath.

He staggers towards Nora. When he reaches her, he rips the tape from her lips. “See, my love, I am stronger and smarter than him.” He points to me where I lay on the ground.

“Jase! God, Jase!” she screams, but Isaac is quick to quiet her with a slap to her face, so hard that her head whips to the side.

“Shut up! You can’t stand to see the almighty Jase Madsyn defeated lying on his hands and knees. This is what he deserves. Always in my business, acting like he knows more than me. He has the love of my father, the trust of my father.”

Isaac leans down in front of me and tugs me up by my hair. I struggle to get up. His dead eyes are staring into mine. “But I’ve won; I’ve taken your most prized possession and I’m taking her away from you forever.”

He shoves me back by my hair and walks toward Nora. Dread fills me. First, he pulls the straps of her dress up, thankfully coving her breasts. Then Isaac cuts the ropes that have bound her and tugs her to her feet by her elbow. Shaking, she stands, but her legs give out and she falls to her knees. Blood runs down her wrists from fighting against the rope.

He hauls her up again and supports her with his arm around her waist. She gets tangled in her long gown, causing Isaac to growl. He kneels down and uses his knife to slice the fabric at the bottom of the gown.

“Look how sharp it still is after gutting someone.”

Nora fights against his grip, but it’s no use, he holds her tighter, “Stop fighting me, beautiful. I love you and I don’t want to hurt you any more than I have to.”

I watch while trying to catch my breath. My stomach is aching from the knife wound and blood is dripping from my side. I’ve been hurt far worse than this, though. I need to give Isaac some time to think I’m hurt worse than I am. I need to make my move at the right time.

The seconds tick by as I watch Isaac put the knife up to her neck.

Nora whimpers as tears trail down her face, her eyes never leaving mine. She pleads, “I’ll do whatever you want, just let us go. I won’t tell anyone you took me or about what I know. Please. Let me go.”

He sneers. “You haven’t been listening. It’s not about business or the people I’ve hurt. I only want you and the respect he took away from me.” He moves the knife from her neck and gestures towards me. “You’ve made me look like a fool in front of my father, his men, and most of all, Nora.”

Isaac wildly waves the knife around, continuing his rant. “I’m going to make you pay for ruining my reputation. I’m going to make you look like a fool, then I’m going to take Nora from you.”

My eyes stay locked on Nora’s tear-stained face.
 

“Isaac, let her go…” I sputter, “She has nothing to do with this.”

Isaac shakes his head and laughs. “She has everything to do with this…”

I take this moment while his knife is pointed away from her to lunge my body at his torso. With his arm still around Nora, they fall backwards onto the hard floor, but Nora lands a few yards away from Isaac. I struggle to keep him on the ground, pressing my body weight to keep him down.

We slam fists into each other, bash body parts, and fight as hard as we can against each other. I feel Nora lunge towards us trying to help, and in seconds, I hear a grunt from her as she rolls away from me.

“Nora!” I scream, as I see her still body on the concrete. I still have Isaac pinned as I watch this nightmare unfold before my eyes. Rage builds up, catapulting my strength, as I flip Isaac over face-first, grab him by the ponytail, and pound his face into the dirt-covered concrete floor.

Blood sprays from his head and he stills beneath me. My rage calms as I hear a gurgling sound coming from Nora. I crawl over to where she is lying beside Isaac.

Her eyes are closed and blood is coming from the corner of her mouth. I run my hands all over her body, looking for the wound. I reach her side and see that he’s stabbed her in the same spot he stabbed her before.

Panic floods me faster. This can’t be happening again. “Nora, baby, come on, wake up. Come back, baby, come back to me.”

I hover over her, brushing her hair from her face. Whispering, “Nora, baby, open your eyes.”
 

Chapter Thirty-Three

Nora

I hear his pleas through the darkness, and will my eyes to open. First, I see Jase laying on my chest. But then I look up and find a bloodied Isaac with a gun aimed at Jase’s head.

I struggle to talk, “Jase…behind you.” I can only lie there and watch, utterly helpless.

Jase turns on my command and lunges for Isaac. Jase falls on top of him and a gunshot reverberates throughout the tiny room. I hear a piece of cement crash to the ground. Isaac and Jase struggle against each other for the gun. With a flip of his wrist, Jase turns the gun on Isaac.

Isaac gurgles, “She’s mine,” and lunges for me.

A single gunshot roars throughout the room as a bullet enters Isaac’s chest.