Connor chokes on his drink and coughs into his napkin. I keep running my foot higher up his thigh until I reach the top then I slide it slowly back down. I smile innocently at him when the waitress stops and asks if we would like any desert. “Not today.” I say to the waitress and then look back at Connor. “We
’ll have desert at home tonight.” Connor’s eyes darken and I smile at the telltale sign that he wants me.
Connor pays the ticket and slips away to go to the restroom
. I’m standing in the lobby uncomfortably full from the meal and a little light headed from my fishbowl margarita, so I step outside the doors to get some fresh air. I’m staring up at the stars and planning the seduction of my boyfriend when I’m suddenly blinded by bright lights. A white van drives strait for the front of the building and screeches to a halt. My instincts kick in and I run to the door and reach to grab the handle just as two thick arms band around my middle and yank me harshly from the front of the building and to the side where no one can see us through the glass.
I get the beg
inning of a scream out before a large dirty hand clamps over my mouth. I use what little self-defense I know and stomp on my attacker’s foot and slam the back of my head into his nose. I hear a satisfying crunch and he pulls back slightly cursing me under his breath. He retightens his hold and starts to drag me with one hand over my mouth and an arm around my waist to the van. He loosens his arm around my middle to get the door open and it gives me the opportunity to clamp my teeth down into his hand until I taste blood and ram my elbow into his stomach. He shoves me to the ground and spats another curse. When I jump to my feet to run I feel the back of his hand crack against my cheek and he practically throws me into the back of the van through the open door.
I’m face down on the seat with my legs hanging out the door when I hear
Connor’s dull roar. I feel the man’s hands being ripped away from my legs, shredding my dress and leggings in the process. I scramble out of the car and drop to the pavement. When I get my bearings I’m two feet away from Connor holding my attacker up with one hand and slamming his fist into the man’s bloody face over and over. The grizzly man reaches up and tries to claw his way free, but Connor grabs a fist full of his hair and uses his grip to shove the man’s head down and brings his knee up, bouncing his skull off it with a loud crack. The man falls backwards and Connor straddles him and continues beating him relentlessly with an absolutely feral look on his face.
I can tell the man is no longer conscious
, but this doesn’t seem to register with Connor. I stand on my shaky legs and reign in my emotions. I walk over to Connor and say his name softly before putting my hand on his shoulder. “He’s out baby, come on.” Connor jumps up and lifts me into his arms just as a couple exits the restaurant and rounds the corner. The woman screams and covers her mouth with her hand at the sight of the beaten man lying on conscious on the ground and Connor covered in his blood holding me in his arms.
“What the hell!” The younger man says as his date clings to his arm.
“My girlfriend was just attacked. This asshole tried to kidnap her. I need someone to call the cops.” Connor moves to the doors and steps inside the lobby. He sets me down on the bench and kneels in front of me. “Are you okay Nina? Did he hurt you?” He touches the tips of his fingers to my lip and cheek and I wince slightly. His fists ball up again and his face turns vicious. The hostess shouts for someone to call 911 and rushes to the back, to get a manager or something I presume. Connor won’t take his eyes off me and I remember that he asked me a question. I shake my head.
“No not really. I’m pretty sure I broke his nose though and I bit his hand pretty hard.” Connor crushes me to him and takes a deep breath in my hair just as I start to hear sirens.
“I would have killed him. I wasn’t going to stop.” Connor tucks my head beneath his chin and holds me against his chest. My body starts to vibrate and I realize that he is shaking all over. I run my hands down his back in an effort to calm him down. “I can’t believe this. I’m so proud of you baby. You didn’t let him take you.” It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Connor show emotion during an altercation. He is usually so calm and confident, but this time he seems completely rattled. “You are so brave Nina.” He says against my hair. The door swings open and the police reach me just as the manager and a waiter does. I feel sort of bombarded and dazed.
I just want to go home.
The officers take a statement and the manager brings me some water and gives us a bunch of free meal coupons although we had caused such a scene at his establishment. After telling the police everything that happened they ask us if we think anyone would want to hurt us in any way or if this could just be random. Connor and I look at each other and I’m sure the same thought passes through each of our minds.
Connor takes me home and we are silent for the whole ride. This time the tension is real and it’s not sexual. What just happened is proof that Max is following us and that he is more than capable and willing to make good on his threat. If Connor hadn’t been there today who knows what could have happened. I would have tried like hell to keep him from taking me, but in the end he probably would have. I’m sure Connor is thinking all the same things, but he never says a word. When he gets out and goes around to my side of the door to open it and pull me from the cab I frown at him.
“Connor he didn’t hurt me, I can walk.” I point out, but he just keeps walking. When he gets in the house
, Connor flicks on the light and walks straight to the bathroom. He sets me down on the counter and starts to fill the bathtub. He strips out of his clothes and walks towards me with only concern and love in his eyes. I hop down off the counter and without a word he starts to peel my wrinkled and ripped outfit from my body and gently takes my earrings from my ears, but doesn’t remove the bracelet.
He looks down at my hips and that’s when I notice the small finger
shaped bruises on my right side. He brushes his knuckles across the faint marks and then lifts me into his arms, steps into the tub and carefully lowers us beneath the water together. I’m sitting facing him with my legs wrapped around his back and my head on his shoulder.
“Say something.” He murmurs into my neck a few minutes later.
“What do you want me to say?” I whisper because I feel like if I speak too loudly the stillness will break and I‘ll go right along with it.
“You haven’t even cried Nina. Someone tried to kidnap you and you haven’t shed a single tear. I promised to keep you safe, I promised you would never get hurt with me. I never wanted anything to hurt you with me like you were… With him…”
“Is that what’s bothering you? You think I’m going to compare what happened when I was 17 with tonight? Connor look at me.” I grab his chin and bring his eyes to mine. “Ricky took advantage of me. Yes, he hurt me. You protected me. Connor, you beat that guy to a pulp. He’ll be eating through a straw for a long time because of you. You saved me baby. There is no comparison. I’m not going to break down and cry, because I wasn’t a victim and we are still together.
We won.
If anything this just shows how important it is we stay together.” I search his face until his features soften and he leans forward to rest his forehead against mine.
He nuzzles my face and I feel the moisture from his eyes on my
cheeks. I reach up shocked at the tears I see trailing down his face. Connor closes his eyes as I kiss the salty droplets from his skin. “I love you Nina.”
“I know.”
CHAPTER 16
As I wake up and start to stretch, my body protests. My limbs are stiff and my joints pop. I’m sore all over and doesn’t that just make me feel like a big wuss. I didn’t even really fight, but I feel like I went six rounds with Mike Tyson. I get up as quietly as possible and walk to the bathroom trying not to wake Connor up. When I get to the bathroom to grab my robe the sight of my naked body in the large mirror makes me gasp
My lip is swollen and purple and there is a small cut on my cheekbone. My waist and hips have bruises circling them and I can make out fingertips from where he grabbed me from the doors. I’m more shocked than anything because I really didn’t feel very much pain when it was all taking place. The marks are slightly tender but nothing too uncomfortable. A deep curse resounds through the room and I look up to see Connor standing in the doorway of the bathroom with his fists at his side as he takes in my appearance.
“I should have killed him.” The expressive sapphires in his eyes are brimming with hatred and pain.
I walk over to him and put my arms around his neck and my hands in his hair and ignore my protesting muscles. “No, I’m glad you didn’t, because then he wouldn’t be able to tell the police anything.”
“You’re right.” He says the hatred dimming but the pain is still acute as though it hurts him to look at me. “At least I would feel better about it.” We both turn as we hear the front door open and close. “Put your robe on Princess. It looks like Nick will need to be filled in, again.” He hands me my robe from the hook on the door and walks to the living room.
I slip the robe on and follow him a few seconds later and I can hear Connor speaking. “I’m sorry Nick. I had no right to speak to you that way. I don’t know all the details but I should trust you to do the right thing.” I walk into the middle of their makeup session and at the look on Nicks face I remember what I look like. I kick myself for not waiting for Connor to explain things to him first so that it wouldn’t be such a shock but there’s no hiding it now so I continue on through the room and sit on the couch.
“What the fuck happened?” Nick demands getting up to put his hands on my chin and turn my cheek to the side to get a better look. He turns to Connor whose eyes are back to blazing.
“Nina was attacked last night at the restaurant.” Connor grits through his teeth.
“What! How the hell did that happen?” Nick shouts still examining my face.
“I went outside to get some air while Connor was in the restroom and some man drove up and tried to force me into his van.” I say turning my head out of his grasp. Nick drops his hands and replaces the disbelief in his voice with gentleness.
“He hit you?”
I nod and hear Connor swear. “He slapped me when I bit him and elbowed him.”
I see a flicker of pride in Nick’s eyes and it makes me sit taller. “Good job Nina.”
“Oh I didn’t really do anything. Connor was the one who took him out. Thoroughly.” I say and Nick chuckles.
“Yea I just bet he did. So why did this guy come after you? It’s pretty convenient timing if you ask me.” Just as he gets his sentence out there is knock at the door.
Connor gets up and walks to the door and when he returns detectives Wheeler and Gasner are following. The two men scan my face and it makes me want to hide behind something. They look at each other and Connor brings two chairs from the kitchen for the men to sit in. Everyone is barely seated before Connor starts the inquisition.
“Who is he?” He asks looking back and forth between the men.
“His name is Rodney Clark.” Detective Wheeler answers sounding angry, though I’m not sure why.
“Does he work for Holden?” Connor grabs my hand as he asks, seeking comfort that I’m all too willing to give him.
“Claims not to. He says some man paid him 300 dollars to grab Nina. He had a picture of her and was told to be at the restaurant tonight. Apparently he was approached at the bar that night and was given an hour to accomplish the task and he would get another 700 when he delivered you to the man at the train tracks out on the other side of town. The man he said approached him fits the description you gave us of Lucas. He couldn’t give us much else but I would think it’s safe to say that whoever this Lucas guy is, he’s the one doing Max’s dirty work. The bad news is he’s smart.”
“What do we do now?” I ask and I’m even surprised how strong my voice sounds. I’ve always thought of myself as somewhat of a coward, but for some reason in this moment I feel strong. I have more reason to be afraid now than I ever have and here I am, speaking as though I’m preparing for battle. I’m not sure what has come over me until Connor squeezes the hand incased in his and I smile. I also have more reason to fight now than I’d ever have.
“There isn’t much you can do. We have a lot of people working on this case. We can escort you to work and back home with a patrol car if you’d like.” Gasner offers.
“Yes we would appreciate your help.” Connor immediately answers at the same time Nick chimes in. “That won’t be necessary.” Connor turns to Nick and raises his eyebrows. “What do you mean it won’t be necessary? Nina was attacked Nick. She needs protection.”
“I agree.” Nick says nodding. “But I will be the one to do it.”
Connor looks at his friend for a moment and then nods. “Alright I can deal with that. I know you would protect her with her life and I know you’re capable of it.”
“Are you sure, that’s the best idea?” Wheeler says carefully. “It’s not that I’m questioning your ability or willingness to protect Nina, but wouldn’t she feel safer with a professional?” All four men turn and look at me.