Words of Lust (27 page)

Eventually, hunger was the catalyst that dragged them from their state of sexual lethargy. He slid into some jeans and a shirt, and she pulled on a similar outfit. Though it was nearly midnight, he admittedly sheepishly he had nothing in the fridge to eat, and they decided to make a run to an all-night Korean market a few blocks away.

“I’ll have you know my empty refrigerator is your fault, since I haven’t been home much lately because I was running around the city trying to catch a crazy woman and make her listen to reason. I didn’t even think about food until I got you back.”

“My punishment is fitting. I think I might be starving to death,” she said, leaning into him for a kiss as they got into the elevator.

“I could eat.” He smiled at the understatement as they stepped out into the lobby and through it to the parking area.

They stopped dead in their tracks.

“Oh, my God, Nick, your truck.”

While they’d been upstairs, his truck had been thoroughly vandalized. The new tires were flat, paint and other nasty things had been thrown all over the exterior and the windows smashed. The doors were wide open and beneath the floodlights she could see the damage to the upholstery and interior. While he’d been loving her, Boxer had been down here. So close to them. Watching. Waiting. Destroying.

His face was thunderous as he strode to his truck.

“Goddamn that fucker. I will kill him.”

“Please, you’re scaring me.”

He caught her to him and hugged her, tight and close. “Dammit, I’m sorry, Professor. But this is the last straw. I’ll find a way to get this guy and make this stop. I promise you.”

“We should call the police.”

“And I’ll call Berto. Hopefully this asshole didn’t figure out we now have video surveillance and got him on tape.” He pulled out his cell and made the calls, apologizing for waking his brother. He refused to return upstairs in case Boxer was in the area, and they stood together, waiting until two patrol cars pulled into the lot a few minutes later, followed shortly by Berto.

He and his brother explained the situation to the police. He told them about Mac and his input, and they asked her questions about Boxer’s suspected stalking of her for their report. Berto promised to get the video to the cops in the morning.

“If the video shows your guy doing this we can arrest him, absolutely.” The cops finished their report and took everyone’s information before leaving the scene, with the three of them standing beside Nick’s destroyed truck.

“I’ll bring you another truck in the morning, bro. How’s that? We’ve got a couple of loaners at the office.”

“Fine. That’ll be great. Thanks, Berto.” He ran his hands through his hair and cursed in frustration. “Let me know right away about the video, okay? I want to know they’re going to arrest this bastard and lock him up. I want him out of our lives.”

“Don’t blame you. I’ll call first thing I know. Do you guys need anything?”

“A lift to the deli because we’re starved.”

Berto looked at them. She could only imagine the image they presented.

“Been working up an appetite, folks?”

“Watch it, Berto.”

Snickering, he threw up his hands and they all climbed into the truck and went for food. The brothers talked details of the surveillance, but she couldn’t focus. Her flesh crawled and she watched the shadows around them with fright. She had the sinking feeling that they weren’t getting rid of Boxer that easily. He wasn’t done with them yet.

Chapter Twenty-One

A large chunk of their weekend was spent at the police station, and by Sunday night the frustration had mounted to intolerable levels.

“I can’t believe they can’t find him.”

The police had gone to arrest Boxer after the video feed showed him destroying Nick’s truck in what was clearly a towering rage. His fury had mounted as he watched the video but it was nothing compared to hearing the police report Boxer was not found at his residence of record and had not been seen since the morning before. Mac called to check in and said the cops now had cause to put Boxer on a higher priority, but while they had issued a warrant for his arrest, they were coming up empty.

He had tried to keep his cool during the weekend since his anger upset her. He cooked for her, and they made love, falling asleep both Saturday and Sunday nights wrapped each other’s arms. Small chores and errands had passed the time, but he was vibrating with tension, and he could see that she was stressing too. She smiled at him, but when she didn’t realize he was watching, she frowned and stared off into space in a vague, unsettled way.

As a distraction, he brought up the idea of spending a week at his cabin once her semester work was over and he was excited that she’d had the same thought. They talked about all the things they could do, and timing, and it was the bright spot in the weekend for them both.

He was thankful when Monday morning rolled around because at least they would have something to do to occupy their minds and keep them both from obsessing about Boxer.

* * *

“I know I need to be vigilant,” she responded when he reminded her once again to be watching out while she was on campus. “I’ll call the head of security as soon as I get to my office to let him know Boxer’s turned more violent, and I’ll make sure to have a buddy everywhere I go.”

“Keep your cell phone on at all times, and call me the minute you’re done and I’ll come get you.”

“Promise.” She kissed him and the warmth of her lips on his made his groin tighten. But now there was so much more than his physical reaction. He’d lain awake both nights worrying about losing her, about Boxer hurting her. They’d been through such wonderful, and terrible, extremes together over the past weeks and he intended this was for keeps. He had told her he loved her several times and hoped to hear it in return, but in the midst of the nightmare was not the time to press her. He understood her fear. She had let go of so many worries. She finally understood he didn’t want to run her life and she was trying to conquer her knee-jerk stubbornness. But this last step would be the hardest. So instead of talking about the future, he said nothing, but showed her how he felt by feeding her, loving her and doing everything he could to keep her safe.

The day had dawned with brilliant late May sunshine. The smell of spring was evident everywhere as he drove down the streets toward the English department. Rows of Bradford pear trees bowed with their delicate scented white flowers, and large planters filled to overflowing with mounds of cheery daffodils made it seem like they were driving into a fairy tale world. But the shadow of Boxer’s evil tainted everything.

He parked the loaner truck Berto had dropped off for him on Saturday and insisted on walking her all the way to her office. With a knowing smile, Alice hollered good morning as they passed, but he wasn’t in the mood for flirting or casual chitchat. The waiting was killing him. He was going to go crazy if they didn’t get Boxer soon. The destruction of his truck had not just been brutal, it had been disgusting as well. It said the man had gone off the deep end and the thought of him getting his hands on Serafina was all-consuming and terrifying.

At the door of her office, he stuck his head inside, checking it out, before he kissed her and gave her one last hug.

“I’ll be fine, Nick. Don’t worry.” She put her hands on his face and looked into his eyes. “You look tired. Be safe on the job today, okay?” She kissed him again, slow and lingering, and then gave him a gentle push, urging him to go. He walked down the hallway feeling like he was leaving part of himself behind. She’d waited and smiled as he turned back for one last look. She looked haunted. Boxer was going to pay for that look.

Traffic was a nightmare because of a water main break and he muttered curses all the way to the building site as his mood grew progressively blacker. He kept his phone on and throughout the course of the morning yanked it out a dozen times thinking he heard it ringing over the noise of the construction. She had given him her class schedule for the day, so he called every time she was in between classes. She sounded tired but calm, and he was thankful that she was being distracted by her work. He’d gotten a brainstorm and had called Gia too.

“Listen, this guy stalking Serafina and me, the cops have a warrant out for him, but they can’t find him. I’m worried he’ll show up on campus.”

“He knows where she works?” Gia had sounded worried too.

“Yeah. He sent her a disgusting photo warning what he was going to do to her. The cops have it, but now he knows how to get to her, he might try.”

“What about campus security?”

“They know all about it, but come on. Those guys aren’t up to stopping Boxer even if they catch him. But I had a thought. You’re in her last class of the day. I want you to hang with her until I get there.”

“Sure. I can do that.”

“What about the boyfriends? Maybe they could hang around too. A crowd would definitely keep him away.” The irony of his request was not lost on him.

“Carlos had to go home to visit his grandmother, and Forrest is skipping class.” She didn’t sound happy about either situation, so he wisely didn’t comment. “Don’t worry. I’ll get her someplace with people and we’ll call you.”

“Thanks. It means a lot.”

“No worries, big brother. She’s a keeper.”

“I know.”

“See you later.”

Knowing Gia would have Serafina’s back made him feel a little better. He had to admit she had a good head on her and was nothing if not tough. But as the day wore on and quitting time approached, he got more and more antsy. He’d reached out to his boss and let him know about the vacation time he planned on taking, and tried to focus on that.

Around four his phone rang for real, and it was Mac.

“I’ve been checking on the Boxer situation. They almost had him at his sister’s house, but he got away.”

“What? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“He got into the subway and they lost him. But they’ve got a hard-on for the guy for sure, so they’ll step it up.”

“Serafina’s at the college now. I’m going to pick her up later, and my sister’s in her last class and said she’d stay with her. But this guy knows where she works and it’s nowhere near where the cops are probably hunting him.”

“Look. I’ll make a run over there after I get off and check with security, and I’ll walk around, see if I spot him or anything that says he’s hanging around.”

“That would be great. Thanks, man.”

“No problem. I like your lady, dude. I want to keep her safe too.”

“Later.”

He finished the day by yelling at one of his teams and stomped around until he could leave. Then he was in his truck driving as fast as he could to the campus with a terrible nagging feeling. He was stopped at a red light when his phone rang.

“Nick, it’s Mac. I’m at the campus and I’ve found a security guard who thinks he saw Boxer.”

“There? On the campus? Where?”

“He walked past the security offices and the guy said it looked like he was heading in the direction of the English department.”

“Fuck, Mac, get over there. I’m on my way.”

“Already on it, but I’m blocks away.”

“Shit. I’m just down the street.” Blood pounded in his head and fear churned his gut as he jammed his foot on the gas, sped around several cars, ran a stoplight and headed for Serafina.

* * *

“Thanks for waiting with me, Gia. I really appreciate it.” She was exhausted. “Nick said he’d meet us at my office, and I want to get out of sight in case Boxer is lurking around.” She’d been thankful for the younger girl’s presence because it helped to distract her. Nick’s calls had been meant to reassure her, but they kept ratcheting up her anxiety until she was a nervous wreck.

They rounded the corner and headed into the English department offices, the campus having gone quiet around them as students headed to apartments or off to dinner. With a grunt she heaved her inordinately heavy bag over her aching shoulder and headed for her office.

“Guess it’s going good with Nick, huh?” Gia was right beside her as they approached her office. Alice had already left to pick up her son from day care, so they were alone in the deserted hallway.

“He is most excellent. We are most excellent.” She smiled at the younger girl. “I’m glad you and he worked things out too.”

“Sorry if I embarrassed you the other day. I realized later I was being a real snot, but if it got him off my back about the guys, I guess it was a good thing.”

“No problem from this end.” She heated at the thought of the things they’d already done, and the things Nick promised they would do. With a week in the country, who knew what they might try?

“Listen, can you hold my bag? I’ve got my keys in my purse somewhere but I can’t juggle both.” She handed off the weighty satchel to Gia and found her keys. She pushed the key into the lock but even before she turned it, the door swung open.

“I can’t believe I forgot to lock—”

She screamed as Boxer exploded out from behind the door and lunged for her. His hands closed around her wrists and she flung herself backward, trying to wrench free, but his grip was like steel. Behind her Gia yelled for help and kept screaming at the top of her lungs. Boxer yanked her into the room, ignoring her struggles as he tried to slam the door on Gia, who stuck herself in the doorway. When he slammed the door on her arm Gia shrieked in pain but hung on.

Inside her cramped office, she tried to break his hold on her wrists. She got one arm free and reached for her office lamp, but Boxer pulled her back, his fist wrapped in her hair, practically pulling it out of her head. He slapped her brutally across the face, pushed her behind the desk and shoved her to the ground, just as Gia came in swinging. She used Serafina’s satchel like a weapon and the heavy bag slammed into Boxer’s head with a sickening thud. He shook it off as though he hadn’t felt it, then picked Gia up and threw her back out into the hallway. Taking two huge steps, he slammed the door shut and threw the inside lock, and she recoiled in terror.

She was alone in the room with Boxer. There was no one but Gia outside. His face was mottled red with insane fury and he closed in on her with a snarl, his hands reaching for her.

Yanking her up from the floor, he shook her as he raged. “You’re going to pay for this, you fucking bitch. You’ve ruined my life. I’m going to fuck you good and leave you for him. That bastard. Firing me? I’m not going to let him get away with it. We’ll see how he likes you when I’ve fucked you good. I saw you going into his place. I know he’s been fucking you but now you’re mine. Now I’m going to fuck you, fuck you in all those pretty holes. He won’t want what’s left when I’m done with you.” His nostrils flared and spittle flew from his mouth as he hissed at her.

That was the voice. The voice of the shadow man who had terrorized her from the darkness. It had always been Boxer.

She whimpered and clawed at him but he was like stone. Her nails left jagged red slices down his arm. With one hand he ripped at her dress, tearing the fabric down the middle. He threw her facedown on the desk and though she kicked out frantically, he trapped her legs between his massive thighs. When his hands pawed at her dress, pulling it up over her hips and grabbing the waistband of her underwear, she shrieked and screamed in renewed terror. Her hands scrabbled for anything on the desk or within reach to use as a weapon. His breath was hot and rank on her cheek as he slammed her face against the desk. He banged her head into the wood twice and she was dizzy with the blows. She could hear Gia screaming from outside, pounding on the door and kicking it.

Inside, she fought to keep him off her, but he dropped his weight on top of her and the breath was forced out of her lungs. His hand groped between her legs and she could feel him, feel his erection pressing against her. Desperation helped her fight the pain and she twisted, kicking and flailing frantically.

Suddenly her hand landed on the cool base of her Leda statue. It was heavy but adrenaline gave her extra strength. Clutching her fingers around the thin pedestal, she pulled it closer. Boxer’s face was turned away, his hoarse breathing loud in her ear. She took advantage of his distraction and got a firm grip on the pedestal.

She was alone and he was going to rape her. And worse. When she heard the sound of his zipper, terror flooded through her. With strength born of desperation, she lifted the statue and brought it swinging in a sideways arc, crashing it against the top of his head.

Everything happened in an instant. He was knocked off of her and bellowed in rage and pain. The door crashed open and Nick and Mac burst into the office. Behind them Gia tried to rush in too, swinging the bag. But Boxer’s insane focus was completely on her and he was lunging toward her again when Nick hit him in the gut like a bull and rammed him up against the bookcases. He slammed his fists into Boxer’s face in a flurry of ferocious blows. Blood spurted from the man’s split lips and broken nose, but he was like a crazed animal. He threw Nick off of him, swinging his fists wildly. He grabbed up the statue she’d hit him with and stalked toward Nick. Bracing himself, Nick surged forward but tripped over a pile of books and papers and crashed to the floor. He swung a leg out to try to kick Boxer’s out from under him but the man sidestepped him, kicking Nick viciously in the stomach before he lunged forward. Nick threw his arms up to ward off his attack and she screamed as Boxer raised the deadly object over him.

“Stop! Police!” Mac pulled his gun.

She screamed again as Boxer snarled at Mac and hefted the statue over his head.