Blind Love (17 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Magic of Jack

Lauren sat at the kitchen table as the two men faced off. Gabe kept a firm grip on her hand while poor Ben sounded devastated. This was her fault. All of it.

“Cat, you will get through this and if you need to sleep with every man who comes along until you figure it out, go ahead,” Ben said. “Just know when you’re done running, I’ll still be here.”

She cringed as his words sliced through her. The pain in his voice planted a heavy weight of guilt in her chest. It was never her intention to hurt him. Seconds later, the garage door slammed shut and his car’s tires squealed out of the driveway.

Gabe took a big gulp of her coffee. “So, I take it he knows why you’re leaving.”

She pulled her hand away from his and rested her head in it. This is why she preferred to be alone with her dog and Sunny. No complications. No guilt. No one besides herself to point out how badly she’d messed things up.

“Go home, Gabe.”

But he didn’t leave, instead he put his palm on her knee and squeezed. “Look at me.”

She shuttered her lids tight and laughed at the irony of his request. “Why? It’s not like I can see you.”

He cupped her chin and lifted her face to his. Gabe brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. “Open your eyes, Lauren.”

Something about the huskiness of his voice and the heat of his skin on hers made her comply. As the red blur of his shirt moved closer, she held her breath, filling her lungs with the smell of him. His lips pressed against hers.

Long. Deep. Gentle. Her pulse rose and she kissed him back. He made her hunger for something she never thought she’d need again. Something she couldn’t risk feeling. Why was it so hard to stay away from him?

When he broke away, it was to press his lips against the corners of her mouth, then her nose, and each of her eyelids. “You see me, Lauren. All of me. More than anyone ever has. And I see you too, every beautiful and sad part. So go ahead, keep lying to yourself about what’s going on between us, and keep kicking me out. I’ll still keep showing up.”

A tear slipped down her cheek. He wiped it away, kissing her again.

“I’ll be back tonight,” he whispered before leaving her sitting alone in her house, lost in thought.

All she wanted last night was to throw herself a pity party and figure out how to deal with the changes in her vision. A simple plan complicated by Gabe’s unexpected visit and her inability to turn him away. Now, the morning after, she had two men asking for things she wasn’t capable of giving either and the beginnings of a bad migraine.

She reached for her cup of coffee and savored the one little drop Gabe left behind, muttering under her breath about needing distance, coffee and how Hawaii couldn’t come soon enough.

Lauren hung up her office phone and leaned back in her chair. It was two in the afternoon and she was done with work. She pressed her fingers into the area above her brows. The intensity of the session had a lot to do with the throbbing pain in her temples, but it was only one of the many factors.

The changes in her vision were making the eye muscles strain harder to focus on things it could no longer see. Her retina specialist had warned her about this. He told her in time it would ease. But for now, it left her with a killer headache.

Of course, there was the whole sleep deprivation factor, compliments of the friendly neighborhood sex-crazed cowboy. Compiled with her guilt over hurting Ben, it was no wonder it felt like her brain was swelling, or her skull was shrinking, or both.

Lauren climbed out of her chair and limped her way downstairs. There were two ways to stop the headache from ruining her day: prescription migraine medication and Jack. Since he wasn’t around to nuzzle and lick her pain away, she’d have to try her luck with the tablets alone and hope for the best.

She missed Jack. Missed his early morning wet kisses and the way he always knew when she needed a little extra loving. Life had been so much easier when it was the two of them against the world. She pushed the thought out of her mind. He wasn’t dead, just next door. In a few days, when they would run off to Hawaii together, she’d have him all to herself again. For now, Evan needed him more.

From the pantry, she reached for the bright pink basket of medication and searched until she found the one with the neon green tape across the lid. With the help of a big gulp of water, two little pills slid down her throat. Now she needed to sit and wait for the drug to work.

Lauren cracked open the back door in the hopes Jack would show up, and collapsed on the sofa. A few minutes later, she heard voices and barking in the back. When his paws pattered across her wooden floor, she smiled.

He was home.

Without a sound, he licked her face clean. He poked his nose in her ear and whimpered, making Lauren laugh. The tight muscles in the back of her neck relaxed immediately. As always, he knew she needed him and how to help.

She rested her cheek against his fur and hugged him tight. “I missed you, big guy.”

Jack licked her shoulder and yodeled his version of “I love you”. She smiled, savoring his soothing energy. He was perfect. No expectations. No hurt feelings. This was her
real
magic pill.

A rasp at the back entrance pulled her out of her peaceful trance.

“Knock, knock,” Kayla said from the door.

“Come in.” Lauren stayed in her sprawled out position on the sofa.

Two pairs of footsteps squeaked on the floor. As soon as Kayla’s floral perfume assaulted her senses, she hugged the dog tighter and prayed for the meds to kick in fast.

“Hi there. I was wondering if we could hang out at your place for a while. The whole no furniture thing has been killing my back and knees.”

Before Lauren could respond, Evan chimed in. “I thought it was because Gabe wanted us to keep an eye on her?”

This was interesting news. Lauren raised her brows as the woman stumbled on her words. “And it’s why I tell you to not listen to adult conversations.”

“Why does he want you to keep an eye on me?”

The floorboards creaked as Kayla shifted her weight. “Something about crazy people wandering around the woods out back.”

She would have rolled her eyes, but they hurt too much. “Why don’t you go home and tell him I don’t need a babysitter.”

Kayla laughed. “Because he’s not home right now and I need a sofa with cushions and a television. So consider this your way of helping me save face with my son and helping out a very old lady.”

The perfume was nauseating. Lauren curled up in a ball and nuzzled her nose deeper into Jack’s neck. “Sure, help yourself to whatever you’d like.”

“Thank you, hun. Hey, Evan, why don’t you take your bag of Legos and go on over there and build something?”

Her living room had two sofas and an armchair, but for some reason she couldn’t understand, the woman decided to sit on the armrest of the one Lauren was lying on.

“Are you okay?”

“My head hurts. I feel a migraine coming on.”

“Do you want me to get you anything?”

“Well, I’d love a huge cup of coffee, but I’m all out.”

“If I had a car, I’d run out and get you some.”

An idea popped into Lauren’s head. “Sunny’s car is in the garage. If you don’t mind, the grocery store’s down the block. You can rent a couple of movies for Evan while you’re there. My treat.”

“Yay! Can we, Nana?”

Lauren could almost hear the woman’s brain working, trying to find a way to say no. She fought the urge to laugh at her. “I’m probably going to be out of commission for the rest of the day. Really, there’s no danger I can get myself into for the fifteen minutes you’ll be gone.”

“Okay, hand over the keys. We’ll go pick up the stuff and be right back. Please keep the doors locked and don’t let anyone inside.”

This time she did roll her eyes. “Promise.”

Soon Kayla and Evan left with Sunny’s car and a list of things to buy. Alone with the only one who mattered, Lauren hugged Jack tight and fell fast asleep. It wasn’t until he pulled away and started barking that she woke up. Thanks to the pills and Jack, her head was sore but no longer pulsed with heat.

His aggressive growls got louder and louder. Lauren rose from her spot and followed him to the back door. “Hey, big guy, what’s wrong?”

When he didn’t calm down, she squatted beside him and rubbed his back. His muscles were tight and teeth barred. Jack started scratching on the bottom of the door and continued barking.

She considered letting him out. It wasn’t like he could get himself into any real danger, the yard was fenced after all. Maybe, like the day before, whoever was out there might get scared away.

Lauren opened the door and rubbed his neck. “Free Jack.”

He shot out and ran until she could no longer hear the rustle of earth under his paws. She leaned out the door listening as his barks grew faint, too faint. Her breath caught in her throat. She hobbled out into the yard after him.

“Jack?”

How could this even be possible? Lauren rushed to the gate only to find it wide open. It didn’t make any sense. There was no way Gabe would have let it happen, and her dog had never left the property before.

“Jack?”

Other than the sound of dried leaves and twigs crunching under her feet, it was silent.

A bead of sweat ran down the back of her neck as she took a couple hesitant steps out of the yard. The voice in Lauren’s head screamed to go home, walking out into unfamiliar territory alone wasn’t safe.

Lauren’s pulse pounded loud behind her ears as she considered turning back. Jack was out there, and he always responded to her calls. What if he was hurt and couldn’t come to her?

“Jack,” she yelled louder.

As soon as she called out his name, he let out a stream of barks. Her scalp prickled. It was somewhere in the distance and there was an angry, aggressive tone to him. She started to follow the sounds but stopped. Something was off and she couldn’t risk it. Lauren limped back to her yard, keeping the gate open so Jack could come home.

She rushed into the living room. After shutting and locking the door behind her, she listened to his incessant growls. It would take more than a snake to make him this aggressive. Lauren grabbed her cell from the coffee table and called Ben.

It went straight to his voicemail. She put it on speaker and paced as she spoke into the receiver.

“Ben, I know you’re mad at me and we need to finish talking about this morning. But something’s going on behind the house. Jack got out of the fence and he’s barking like crazy. Can you send someone out—”

An animal’s deafening cry interrupted her message. Terror shuddered down the length of her spine. The sound was raw. She’d never heard anything in so much pain before.

“Jack?”

Adrenaline coursed through her as images of him injured flashed in her head. He was hurt, needed her.

Lauren rushed in the direction of the noise. When she opened the back door, the dark blur of a man stood in front of her. She sucked in a breath and tried to close the door on him but he blocked the path and forced it open.

Her back crashed into the wall as the door’s knob slammed into her stomach. Sandwiched between the wall and the door, Lauren tucked the cell into the side waistband of her jeans as she worked unsuccessfully to push and squeeze free. But no matter how hard she tried the door didn’t budge.

When she reached out to claw at him, he grabbed her wrist and twisted. Fiery pain coursed through her arm making her shriek and him laugh.

“Ready to talk?” His voice was deep and his face was so close that the heat of his breath hit her cheek.

Lauren tugged her hand away and rested the back of her head against the wall, as far from him as possible. “What do you want?”

“The kid. Where is he?”

Her mind raced.

“What are you, blind
and
deaf? I said, Where. Is. The. Kid?”

“He’s not here.” She gave the door another shove.

“Liar.” The man pressed the hot barrel of his gun against her temple. Her body turned to ice as the heat from the metal burned against her skin. “Let’s try this again. I saw him and the old lady walk in here about twenty minutes ago.”

There was no way in hell she’d let the man anywhere near Evan. “They took my car and went out for the day.”

He pushed the gun so hard against her that her head tipped to the side from the pressure. “Where did they go?”

She slammed her eyes shut, praying Ben would check his voicemail soon. “I don’t know. They didn’t tell me.”

“Then call them.”

“I don’t have their number.”

He muttered under his breath and pushed the metal of the gun into her ear. “Do you know why my gun’s hot?”

A tear slipped down her cheek. She knew the answer.

“I just used it to kill your dog.”

She swallowed the sob trying to escape and steadied her breathing. “Why?”

“Because the stupid thing wouldn’t shut up.”

A mix of sorrow and anger coursed through her. Lauren kicked at the door. “So you killed him?”

“I gave it a choice. Told it to shut up or die. It made its choice, now it’s your turn to choose. Call them or I’ll kill you.”

“I don’t have their number,” she whispered.

He tsked in disdain. “Another wrong answer.”

Her body shook, waiting for the click of his gun. Hopefully, Ben would hear their conversation. She prayed he’d find Evan first and keep him safe.

After a painful silence, the man let out a breath. “We can’t do this here. You and I are going have to go for a walk. But first give me the phone you shoved down your pants or I can reach in there and get it for you.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Cell Phones

Gabe signed his name to the construction contract Lauren’s father had drawn up. In the past hour, James had given him a tour of the five-thousand-square-foot home he’d purchased for his daughter and a detailed list of the things needing upgrades.

The man also gave him a thorough description of the reasons Gabe should help talk Lauren into moving into the mammoth structure. Since he had enough sense to know when to speak and when not to, he nodded at all the right times and bit his tongue.

“So you think by the time we get back from Maui you’ll have the renovations done?”

Gabe scanned the spacious living room and nodded. “I’m hoping so.”

As long as he planned on not eating or sleeping, three weeks would be plenty of time to rip out marble flooring, put in hardwood, change countertops, paint, update appliances and build a deck.

He’d be stupid to pass up the opportunity though. The money they offered him guaranteed he and Evan could stay in Denver and now he knew exactly where Lauren was going on Tuesday.

James pulled out his credit card. “Good. Here’s the card to use for the materials you’ll need. Make sure to keep the receipts.”

Gabe took the platinum card and slipped it into his wallet.

“Here, let me write out the deposit check for you. You’ll get the rest and an extra ten percent if you’re able to finish and have the place move-in ready by the time we’re back.”

Gabe watched him fill in the zeroes and smiled. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

The man handed him the signed paper and shook his hand. “You helped my daughter when she was in trouble and that means a lot to me. It’s why I’m trusting you with this project. Don’t give me a reason to regret this decision.”

“I won’t, sir.”

Before they could say any more, James’s phone rang. He held up a finger and answered the call.

Around the same time, Gabe’s phone buzzed. He headed outside for some privacy as he took his mom’s call. “Hey, everything okay?”

“No, it’s not. You need to come home now.”

The muscles in the back of his neck tightened. “What happened to Evan?”

“He’s fine now. We ran a quick errand for Lauren, and by the time we got back the police were all over the street. They won’t let us in. The poor kid had a massive panic attack as soon as he saw all the activity. I finally got him calmed down enough to call you.”

A thousand questions shot into his head as she rambled, but he kept his voice calm and focused on the main two. “Why are the police there? Where’s Lauren?”

“I don’t know why they’re here. And no one’s telling us anything, but they asked me all sorts of questions about the last time I saw her and Jack, what she was wearing, and if I saw anything suspicious in the backyard when I left.”

Gabe got in his truck and put his keys in the ignition. Everything she was saying led his brain to the same conclusion: Lauren was in trouble and the mystery person in the woods had something to do with it.

He shut his eyes and took long deep breaths. Until he found out what was going on, he needed to stay calm.

“We have Sunny’s car. I’m going to get Evan out of here.”

“Good idea. Get him as far away from there as possible. Check into a hotel and make sure no one’s following you.”

“You think this has something to do with Houston?”

“I don’t know, but don’t want to take any chances,” he said as he reversed out of the driveway.

Gabe saw James Baxter running across the lawn to his expensive car. The man’s cell was glued to his ear and worry lines filled his forehead.

A thought popped into his head. “You two get out of there, and don’t come back until I call you.”

He pulled up to the man and rolled down his window. “We’re headed to the same place. Get in.”

Since he didn’t have many friends, not a lot of people had Ben’s cell number. The ones who did knew better than to call him before three in the afternoon. After working the nightshift, he was usually dead to the world until then.

Still half asleep, he picked up the phone to check the time when he noticed a missed call and voicemail. His face heated when he saw Lauren’s name on the little screen. He used to fantasize about her calling him. Ached to hear the words “I forgive you and still love you”.

Ben turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling. After this morning, he didn’t want to talk to her. Didn’t want to hear the worry in her voice or the questions of if he was okay.

The hope of getting her back still lingered, and always would. But it had never occurred to him how hard it would be to see her with someone else while he waited for her. Finding out she’d slept with some guy she barely knew was like a knife to his gut.

Reality was a fucking bitch sometimes.

A thought occurred to him and he checked to see when she called. Twenty-three minutes ago.

The blade shoved into his gut earlier in the day twisted a little deeper. She’d waited a little over seven hours to check in on him. Obviously, there were other things occupying her attention.

When his mind started drifting into images of what those other things were, he threw the phone across the room and headed for the bathroom.

Somebody fucking shoot me.
No way in hell was he going to let his mind go there.

A little while later, Ben came out of the bathroom, dressed for the gym. Pocketing his car keys and wallet, he laced his shoes.

When he picked up his phone from the floor, he stared at the screen. He didn’t have to call her back, right? Just listen to her message. The day had already gone to shit. Why not put a cherry on it?

He punched in the password and turned on the speaker, bracing himself.

“Ben, I know you’re mad at me and we need to finish talking about this morning, but something’s going on behind the house.”

He put the volume on the highest setting and focused on the nervousness in her voice.

“…Jack got out of the fence and he’s barking like crazy. Can you send someone out—”

A chill shot up his spine. He swallowed the bile rising in his gut, praying she was inside her house.
Before he could finish his prayer, a faint sound in the distance had her sucking in a breath and whispering Jack’s name.

Ben’s mind raced. He grabbed the home phone with his free hand and called the Denver PD, telling them to get to her house while he listened to the message. From the thumping sounds he heard, she was running, and with the way she was breathing, scared shitless.

His heart stopped when she screamed. By the time a man’s grunts joined Lauren’s groans of pain, Ben’s was sprinting to his car. A loud beep, like someone pressing a button on the phone, interrupted the sounds coming from the receiver.

“What are you, blind
and
deaf? I said, Where. Is. The. Kid?”

The tires squealed out of the lot as Ben headed toward Denver. It didn’t matter who she loved or slept with. He just wanted her safe and alive. And he wanted to kill the motherfucker.

“Do you know why my gun’s hot?” Ben’s ability to breathe had just ceased at the mention of a weapon. “I used it to kill your dog.”

He honked at the drivers around him for not letting him pass. Lauren was out there, alone with some lunatic who had a fucking gun.

He couldn’t hear everything she said but the fear in Lauren’s voice had him clenching the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

Hang on, baby. They’re on their way.

“Told it to shut up or die. It made its choice, now it’s your turn to choose. Call them or I’ll kill you.”

Ben kept the phone glued to his ear and his eyes straight ahead as the nauseating sounds of a struggle, heavy crashes and garbled voices echoed through his car.

When she cried out in pain, it was as if someone had shoved their hands in his chest and crushed every organ in his ribcage.

The asshole grunted. “Fucking bitch,” and then there was silence.

Ben was pushing well over a hundred and yelling at the phone, the world. He cursed the cars on the highway as he weaved through traffic, pushing his silver sedan to move faster than it could. The commute normally took him a good hour—sixty minutes more than he could afford, and for the hundredth time in the past second, he wished he were driving the patrol cruiser.

With one hand on the wheel, he hit “replay” on the cell and listened to the conversation a second time, hoping to discover clues he’d missed the first time as questions continued to race through his brain. Who the fuck was she talking to? And where the hell was Gabe?

He ignored the incoming call from his ex-wife, Hailey. The same way he ignored the flashing lights of the one, then two, then three patrol cars following close behind.

One of Colorado Springs’ police cruisers pulled up alongside him on the highway. He lowered his window. Air blew into the car, making papers swirl.

“Ben, what the hell are you doing?” Hailey screamed from the other vehicle.

He kept his focus straight ahead and yelled back. “Lauren’s in trouble.”

“As in
your
Lauren?”

“The same.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“Assault. Kidnapping. Attempted murder.”

“Shit.”

A second later, he had a police escort into the Denver city limits.