Summer Kisses (243 page)

Nicole thrashed to the right and shoved him with all her might, throwing him off balance. While Gorgon stumbled back a step, she searched for anything within her reach to use against him.

The knife’s blade skimmed across her forearm.
“Owww.”
Immediately, warmth streamed down her arm.

Gorgon grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against the counter, face first. Stars splintered her vision while pain ripped the breath from her lungs.

A second later, his arousal pushed into her backside. Her lungs said breathe, but the tip of the blade poked at her jugular. If she moved just a fraction of an inch, she’d be dead.

“Let me assure you, the cut of a knife doesn’t hurt as much as the breaking of one’s heart,” he snarled and snatched the tea towel from her grip and forced the terrycloth into her mouth.

Nicole’s eyes widened. He was going to kill her.

Well, she wasn’t going to make it easy. The second he moved the blade away she grabbed the counter with both hands and pushed against him.

Her arm wrenched with pain as he swung her around to face him. Gorgon’s evil laugh echoed in the small kitchen. He slapped her across the face, causing her to go dizzy and then threw her to the floor.

She squirmed away on her hands and knees, then rolled over and kicked out, intending to ring his tonsils with his balls, but Gorgon jumped away from her strike, grabbed and twisted her foot. She didn’t know whether she’d heard the crack of her bones first or felt the horrific pain shooting up her leg. Stars popped in front of her closed eyelids as her limp foot hit the floor with a bang.

“Daddy, stop!” Luka stood next to the counter. His eyes reflected her pain and fear.

All those years she protected Luka from the knowledge of what a monster his father was, only to fail. When Gorgon was done with her, would Luka have to bear his wrath? She couldn’t let that happen.

Nicole trembled as she struggled up on her elbows.

“Go back to your room,” Gorgon snapped. “Now.” His wild glare sent Luka bolting.

A tear trailed down Nicole’s cheek. How was she going to protect Luka if she couldn’t lift herself off the floor?

The air swooshed from her lungs when Gorgon settled onto her chest. One at a time, he trapped both her arms at her sides. While he fumbled inside his coat pocket for something, she buckled under him.

She thrashed her head from side to side, trying to get the cloth free so that she could cry for help. She knew Luka would be the only one to hear her.

Max slinked into the kitchen and growled.

“Quiet,” Gorgon snarled at the dog.

Nicole’s heart sunk to her spine when Max also did as he was ordered and scampered out of the room with his tail between his legs.

Above her, Gorgon produced a length of rope and one at a time, grabbed her hands and secured them together. Then he rose and using her bound arms, drug her into the laundry room.

Nicole’s chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to breathe hard through her nose. The side of her face felt like a balloon where his fist had met her face and her foot throbbed like a son of a bitch. The chill from the floor seeped into her bones along with the realization she might’ve seen Luka for the last time.

Wearing a smirk, Gorgon stood and removed his belt. Was he going to rape her?

A tear leaked from her eye and trickled down the side of her cheek toward her ear. No. She wasn’t going to let him take her. Nicole bit down on the towel threatening to clog her windpipe, arched her back, and kicked up and out with her good foot.

Gorgon bellowed and dropped to his knees like the sac of shit he was.

“You bitch,” he snarled between ragged gulps of air. “I was going to play nice and kill you swiftly, but now…”

His cold glare sent a shiver down Nicole’s spine.

He reached behind her and she heard the latch of the dog cage. Gorgon whistled and a few seconds later Max appeared at the door. “In.” Gorgon pointed to the cage.

Max’s muzzle hugged the floor. Beside her, he hesitated in his path, sniffing the pool of blood next to her arm. His forlorn eyes swept up to meet hers. She knew how the animal felt.

Once the dog was settled in his cage, Gorgon’s attention returned to her. He flipped her over with surprising ease and using his belt secured the towel in her mouth so tight the edges of his belt cut into her lips. Any moisture she’d had in her mouth was absorbed by the terry cloth. Breathing instantly turned into an art form. Inhaling deeply made the cotton fibers tickle her throat, choking her. Too little and…

Gorgon grabbed the waistband of her jeans. His fingernails dug into her back and she winced. He yanked her up onto her knees and shoved her toward Max’s cage. “Get in.”

He wasn’t going to kill her?
Her pulse raced. Maybe she’d still have a chance to escape and save Luka.

Inside, Nicole huddled, her knees close, so as not to disturb Max and she turned in the cramped space, flinching while bumping her foot. Gorgon reached in, grabbed her hands and in one swift motion slashed the blade across her wrist.

Her scream locked in her throat. Her wrist pulsed with searing pain while her stomach rolled with hot acid. She leaned against the cage. “Why?” she mumbled, trying to position her arms so she could press the gaping wound against her jeans, but doing so wasn’t possible with her hands tied.

“All I wanted was my family back.” Gorgon’s expression softened as he smoothed her hair back from her face and traced a finger along her ear. “I loved you.” He dropped his hand from her. “But you betrayed me. You whored yourself out to another man. No one betrays me. You know that, kitten. Now you’ll die with the dog. If Max is lucky, someone will find him before he runs out of food.”

Nicole shot a glance at the dog. She’d seen him lick his paws before. The action had a whole new meaning now. She scrambled for the door but Gorgon slammed the gate shut against her nose and slid the lock in place. And then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a plastic tie and secured it around the latch. Even if she did get her hands free, she wouldn’t be able to get out of the cage without cutting the tie.

Gorgon peered at her through the bars. “Good-bye, my kitten.”

In disbelief, she watched Gorgon as he rose to his feet, adjusted his pants and exited the washroom. The door closing behind him sounded like a cell on death row slamming shut.

Nicole met Max’s soulful stare again. She was his master only as long as she had control. She pressed her wrists together as hard as she could, but the flow of blood continued. Soon she’d slip into unconsciousness from blood loss and then how long would it be before he started to munch. Tomorrow?

Using her arms, she tried to slide Gorgon’s belt off her head, so that she could spit out the cloth and cry for help. She doubted anyone would hear her—there were no windows in the laundry room and citizens of this small town rolled up the sidewalks at ten, but maybe...

She couldn’t give up hope. Warm blood smeared along her face and into her hair. She wouldn’t.

Max jumped up. She knew his wild eyes matched her own. He sensed her desperation.

She began to cough and fought to keep from choking. Tears blurred her vision. What would become of Luka?

She slammed against the door again and again, rattling the cage. The dog scurried from side to side, brushing against her back. She was not going to give up until she drew her last breath.

An uneasy feeling poked at Sharon while she backed her SUV out of Nicole’s driveway. Was someone watching her from the front of the house? Maybe Luka, but her prickling hair at the nape of her neck told her that whoever peered outside was definitely someone else.

If she had to bet, and she wasn’t a betting woman, she’d wager her entire Christmas club fund that Nicole and Luka were in trouble. That is why Nicole had said what sounded like her final farewells at the door.

Sharon slumped down in her bucket seat while keeping an eye on the house from a distance and punched Will’s number into her cell. If Gorgon or his men were in the house, she was going to need a hell of a lot more help than the local cops.

Damn. The call went to voice mail. She redialed and again, voice mail.

She didn’t want to upset her husband but she had no choice. Thankfully Gary picked up on the second ring. “Gary, have you heard from Will tonight?”

“No why?”

Fearing her husband’s reaction and the strain on his wellbeing, Sharon wet her dry lips. “You know how you always say I have a sixth sense about things.”

“What’s going on?”

She heard the leeriness in Gary’s voice. She hated to make Gary worry. He still needed help getting out of bed, so coming to her rescue was something out of his capabilities right now. She was a smart girl and knew what and who she could handle. Right now, she didn’t know what was up. “I think we might have a problem.”

“You’re not leaving me for Will, are you?”

“What the hell? No.” A smile bloomed on her face. Man, she loved the big dope. She shook her head and refocused on the trouble she felt brewing. “I just left Nicole and she was acting kind of funny.”

“Funny how?”

“Funny like she’s in serious deep-shit trouble.”

Gary’s grunt filled her ear.

“Hon, don’t you try to get off that bed without help. You promised me you wouldn’t.”

“That was before you called and told me this. Damn.”

Sharon heard dishes crash and saw in her mind the mess she’d have to clean up when she arrived home. That was the least of her problems right now. “Damn, yourself. You stay put,” she ordered, reaching to unlock the glove-compartment where she had a pistol stored. “Do you hear me? If you try to stand, your ass will be mine. I need you to use your head and not go off half-cocked. Now send me Chase and Aden’s cell phone numbers. I’ll contact them. Oh, wait.” Her eyes widened at the sight of Nicole’s sedan backing out of the driveway. Sharon slid down in her seat and peered through the space between her steering wheel and dash. “We have movement.”

“What do you see?”

“Hard to tell, but…” The car’s brake lights dimmed as the vehicle moved away from her. As the car rounded the corner, under the street light, Sharon saw no one sitting in the passenger seat. “Someone just left the house in Nicole’s car.”

“Was it Nicole?”

“I don’t think so. Whoever was driving was much bigger.”

“How about Luka?”

“He could be in the back seat. I don’t know.”

The second the sedan disappeared from her view, Sharon started her car, jammed it into gear and pulled away from the curb. She kept her lights off until she reached the corner and made sure she wasn’t being baited. “I’m going to follow them. Get a hold of Chase or Aden and have them call me. And keep trying to get ahold of Will.”

“Wait. Will had a tracking device installed on the car, just in case Nicole got cold feet and took off on her own again. I’ll call the team and have them coordinate an interception. I want you to check the house. Make sure she and Luka are not there. That way we’ll know who or what we’re dealing with.”

She rounded the block and pulled over. “I can do that.”

“Do you have your gun?”

“I’m loading now,” she said, reaching under her seat where Velcro held a loaded clip in place.

“Don’t do anything stupid, sweetheart.”

Suddenly the quiet streets took on a menacing feel. The family portrait she and Gary and the boys had recently had taken for their holiday cards popped to the forefront of her mind. What the hell was she doing? She was as rusty as hell. Sharon stretched her neck. But she wasn’t an idiot. “Don’t worry. You’re not going to ever get rid of me that easily,” she said, keeping her tone light. She jumped from the car. “Now get a hold of your team. I’m going in. And Gary, I love you.”

“Back at ya, babe.”

While strolling across the parking lot with his hands deep in his jeans pockets, an exceptionally brilliant diamond in the black sky caught Will’s attention, causing his groin to tighten. A rush of memories from a few weeks ago, featuring Nicole cradled in his arms under a similar sky, dimmed his view of the radiantly lit grocery store in front of him and made walking uncomfortable.

Will adjusted his stride, tugged his ski-jacket down over his hips and concentrated on the increased grumbling in his stomach and what he’d buy to satisfy his hunger and not the need of his balls. How his cock had energy was beyond him. Since the attempt on his and Gary’s life, he and his team had worked overtime following up on tips, hoping to nail the Novokoffs, but the sons of bitches had disappeared without a trace.

The entrance doors slid open and the lyrics of ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’ surrounded Will, dampening his mood even more. If only Jolene had been able to stay undercover within the Novokoffs’ folds. But, the situation just got too dicey. Especially, after the deaths of Kyle and the mafia gangster who had protected Jolene like she was his sister.

He’d hoped to make Nicole’s holidays special by first handing her Gorgon’s head and then reuniting her with her family, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

If he wasn’t so damn tired, he’d stop by her place, but there was no doubt in his mind if he did, they’d fall into bed together and he would get absolutely no sleep. No, it was better if he just grabbed something to eat from the grocery’s deli and went home. Maybe tomorrow they’d catch a break.

Will nodded to a few locals also doing a late night munchie run as he made his way to the back of the store. He grabbed a pre-made sub and a small container of potato salad. Remembering he hadn’t bought milk in more than three weeks, he snatched a fresh carton of milk off the shelf and headed to the checkout. He hated lumpy milk.

“Hi, Mr. Haus,” both Jill, the checkout girl, and Tory, the bagboy, said in unison.

“Hey. You two look happy. Shift almost over, huh?” Will placed his items on the belt and fished in his back pocket for his wallet.

“Soon. Paper right?” Tory, the bag boy, flipped a paper bag open. “How are you doing tonight?”

“Doing okay. How about you?”