When Love Comes Around (Love Conquers All) (36 page)

“Did I say you could talk?” Marcus questioned, glaring directly at Starr. She was going to be a problem. He could feel it. What if she didn’t cooperate and do what he wanted? Marcus was a desperate man who had gone to the length of holding hostages and now was about to add demanding a ransom to the offense.

Rolling her eyes, Starr ignored his question.
Really, what did I ever see in you?

Snatching the cordless phone from the end table, he stalked over to Starr and dropped it on her lap. “Call your husband.”

Starr looked at him as if to say
you must be crazy out of your mind.
“Why?”

“He’s got something I want.” An evil grin split his face as he looked at her with a lustful glare. “And I got something he wants.” Initially Starr’s defiant attitude had annoyed the hell out of him. But now seeing her sitting there seething was turning him on. Boldly, he adjusted his growing manhood. It didn’t bother him the elderly women gasped in disgust. His thoughts were on how he was going to get Starr alone so he could have his way with her. Yeah, he would get him a little taste before calling lover man for the fifty thousand dollar ransom.

His lustful, leering gaze made Starr feel dirty and molested. Repulsed by the thought she had ever let this man touch her; her stomach suddenly began churning. Covering her mouth with her hand, she gagged. “I’m going to be sick.”

Quickly coming to her feet, Starr ran to the powder room with Marcus on her heels yelling, “Get back here. I didn’t tell you, you could move!”

Feeling like he was losing control, Marcus reached out to grab Starr’s arm as she made it just steps from the toilet. As he roughly turned her to face him, he wished he hadn’t. She let loose the contents of her stomach all down his pant legs and on his shoes. Jumping back, he flung his arms behind his body. The force of his hand hitting the marble sink knocked the gun out of his hand, sending it flying into the hallway.

Marcus made an attempt to leap for the gun, but tripped over Starr’s outstretched foot as she kneeled in front of the toilet dry heaving.

Barging through the door, Kevin, Richard Jr. along with several police officers, rushed down the tiny hallway. Coming to an abrupt stop the men couldn’t believe their eyes.

Marcus was balled up in a fetal position covering his head and face as Audrey stood over him, her shaking hands pointing his gun at him. Lucy and Beverly were putting a terrible whipping on him. Lucy was whacking Marcus with her cane as Beverly was thrashing him with her leather strap. Starr was in the background hugging the toilet and dry heaving.

The entire ride over Richard Jr. and Kevin silently prayed they’d get to their mother’s before the police. The brothers were geared up to do a citizen’s arrest with excessive force. However, Momma and Ms. Lucy had literally beaten them to it.

One of the officers pried the gun from Audrey’s hands as another calmly requested around a chuckle, “Ladies, please step back so we can arrest this man.” Both of the elderly women reluctantly backed off as the officer moved in pulling Marcus to his feet, handcuffing him and leading him out to the squad car.

“Go check on your wife. I’ll see to Audrey, Momma and Ms. Lucy.” Richard Jr. said gently nudging Kevin into the small powder room.

Taking a washcloth from the towel holder, Kevin saturated it with lukewarm water, then rung it out. Kneeling down beside his wife, he gently rubbed her back with one hand as he offered her the washcloth with the other. “You okay, baby?”

Putting the cloth to her face, Starr patted away the sweat. Lifting her head, she stared at the man she loved. Her bottom lip quivered as she saw the tender love and concern in his eyes. How could he still love her after putting his mother and others in danger?

“I’m sorry,” she cried as she let her head fall. She couldn’t stand to have him look at her. How could she face Momma, his brother and sister-in-law or Ms. Lucy again? All of their lives were put in danger by someone from her past. If Marcus had hurt any one of them, she would have never forgiven herself.

Kevin lifted her chin to meet his gaze. He knew she blamed herself for Marcus holding them at gunpoint. “Hey baby it’s not your fault that jackass did what he did. No one’s going to hold you responsible.”

Standing, he pulled her to her feet. Starr winced from the pain shooting up her leg from her right ankle.

“What’s wrong?” Kevin anxiously inquired, concerning lacing his deep voice.

“I think I hurt my ankle when I fell.”

“You mean when he pushed you.” Beverly corrected as she came in the powder room to check on Starr.

Kevin’s body went stiff as his eyes did a sweep over her from head to toe. “He put his hands on you?” he asked through clenched teeth, his caramel complexion turning crimson.

Before Starr could get a word out to calm him, Beverly blurted, “That nasty, low-life dog yanked my sweetie through the door and threw her to the ground! Then he snatched her up by the collar and put that gun in her face.” The elderly woman’s petite frame trembled with fury as she spoke. She wished that police officer hadn’t stopped her and Lucy from whipping that nasty thing’s tail!

Although Beverly had just replayed the most terrifying time in her life, Starr smiled. Momma still loved her and hadn’t blamed her for the night’s events. This good feeling was short-lived as Kevin stormed out of the tiny bathroom.

“Kevin! Kevin!”

By the time Starr hobbled outside on her ankle that was now swollen double its size, three officers were blocking the back passenger side of the squad car. Why hadn’t they driven off yet? Kevin was desperately trying to get around the human barricade to get to Marcus.

As she approached, she could hear the one officer say, “Mr. Dawson, we understand how you feel, but we need you to take a step back. We really don’t want to have to arrest you.”

Arrest him?
Panic overtook Starr. Gingerly touching Kevin’s back she pleaded, “Come on back in the house, baby. He’s not worth it.”

Feeling his wife’s touch and hearing her voice, Kevin swung around. Gazing down at her, his expression softened. Panic and fear gazed back him. He wondered if she had worn that same expression when Marcus shoved the gun in her face.
My God, what would I have done if anything had happened to you?

Kevin wrapped his arms around his wife and hugged her with every ounce of love he had in his soul for her. It was that love that checked his anger, because right at that moment he didn’t care about going to jail. He wanted to beat Marcus to a bloody pulp for putting his hands on his wife and terrorizing his family, and worry about the consequences later. Feeling Starr’s trembling frame further quenched his anger.

Easing back a bit, he lifted her chin to meet his gaze. Gently kissing her lips, he whispered, “What are you doing out here?”

“Trying to keep you from going to jail,” she answered softly, a quiver in her voice.

Although she had been terrified as Marcus held them against their will, it had not frightened her nearly as much as Kevin had. His entire countenance had transformed from love and concern to pure murderous hatred as Beverly told him how Marcus played a role in her injury.

Taking his thumb, he wiped away the tear that slid from the corner of her eye. “I’m not going to jail.”

Kevin gave one last lethal glare in Marcus’ direction.
Bastard, you better be glad I love my wife.
The coward had scooted over to the other side of the squad car and turned away from Kevin’s stare. Everything male in him wanted to rip Marcus’ heart out. However, as he looked again into his wife’s pleading eyes, he was grateful that she’d only suffered a minor injury.

Looking over his shoulder at the police officers, he nodded his head. “Thanks for everything.”

The officers returned the nod. “No problem.”

Lifting Starr up into his arms, he noted the size of her ankle. “You know I’m taking you to the emergency room to get that checked out.” It was more of a statement than a question. Frowning he said, “It doesn’t look too good.”

Starr winced as she felt another shooting pain radiate up her leg. “I know. And it doesn’t feel too good, either.”

Three hours later in the emergency room

Starr sat on the hospital gurney waiting for the doctor to come back with the x-ray results of her ankle. Shaking her head in disbelief, she asked, “Why did Marcus think he could get away with such a crazy scheme?”

True, at one time she had been a fool for him. She had even allowed him to nearly financially ruin her. But did he really think if he had been successful with his ridiculous plot to break her and Kevin up she’d go running back into his arms? He had to know that after everything he done to her he didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting back with her.

Pacing back and forth, Kevin was getting antsy wondering what was taking the doctor so long. Starr had gotten sick every time they gave her something to eat. She didn’t, however, have a problem with keeping small amounts of liquids down, which he was really glad about. The doctor had informed them if she couldn’t keep the liquids down, she would have to stay overnight for observation, which meant he would be staying, too. After everything she’d been through tonight, he wasn’t letting her out of his sight.

Shrugging his broad shoulders, he figured he better answer her before she noticed how worried he was. “The man was desperate for money to pay off illegal gambling debts.”

Just as he was about to tell her he didn’t want to talk about Marcus right now because he was sure they’d be retelling the story again for the rest of their family and friends soon enough, the doctor walked in.

From the moment they had arrived at the emergency room, both their cell phones were blowing up. He had to talk Starr’s mother, sister, Ava and Summer out of storming into the ER. “I promise I will call you as soon as I get her home. Y’all can check on her then.”

“So do you want the good news or the bad news?”

Going to Starr’s side, Kevin took her trembling hand in his. “Just tell us wants wrong.” Kevin’s voice came out agitated. He didn’t feel like the good news, bad news game.

“Well, your ankle isn’t broken, just severally sprained. You’ll have to stay off of it for the next two weeks or so. No heavy weight bearing or lifting.”

Flipping through the chart, the doctor scanned the results of her lab work. “And you don’t have a virus.”

Kevin frowned as he looked at the doctor. What did he mean she didn’t have a virus? She’d been feeling sick for weeks now. If it wasn’t a virus, the bug that everyone had at work, what was it?

Starr voiced Kevin’s concerns. “I’ve been feeling tired and run down for over two weeks now.”

The doctor smiled as he eyed the anxious couple. “That’s because you’re expecting a little visitor in about” the young man shifted his eyes to the ceiling as he did a quick calculation in his head, “seven months from now.”

“What?” Starr asked not believing she heard the doctor correctly the first time.

Smiling, he reconfirmed, “Your lab work came back positive for the HCG hormone. You’re definitely having a baby.”

Kevin let out a loud shout, “Yeah!” as he pumped his fist in the air. “My baby’s having a baby!”

Excitement overtook him as he picked Starr up spinning her around.

Laughing, she cried, “Stop, Kevin before you make me get sick again.”

Settling her back down on the gurney, he apologized. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I’m not thinking straight.”

Tenderly, a large hand possessively cradler her belly. Leaning in he rested his forehead against hers, kissing her lips. “We’re having a baby. You’re having my baby.”

Starr gently touched Kevin’s jaw letting her fingers softly stroke the day old stubble. “Yep, I’m having your baby. A little girl that’s gonna put ribbons and barrettes all over your head.”

Leaning back, she tilted her head to the side. An impish grin danced at her lips. “Oops, my bad. You don’t have any hair.”

Kevin threw back his head and laughed as he remembered how she had teased him months ago.
God, I love this woman.

♥♥♥

Eight weeks later

Starr held Kevin’s hand as the technician glided the ultrasound probe over her round belly. She didn’t understand why she was getting huge so fast. Instead of four months pregnant, she appeared to be more like six months. Everyone assumed she was having twins, even Dr. Neil, that’s why she was having an ultrasound done today.