Confer, Lorelei - Deadly Deception (Siren Publishing Classic) (23 page)

Wyatt looked at how slovenly Joe was dressed. Half of his shirttail tucked, half undone, and pants worn far below his waist. A real disgrace to the uniform. He continued pointing the gun at his head. “Are you a cop?”

“No.” Joe directed his eyes to the ground, his filthy hair hanging across his dirty unshaven face.

“Why are you wearing a police uniform if you’re not a cop? Where’d you get it?”

Joe, once again, only shrugged.

Livid, outraged, Wyatt had to use a great deal of inner strength to stand calmly waiting for an answer when he wanted nothing more than to pull the trigger to kill the son of a bitch right now.

Joe turned suddenly and made a run for it.

Wyatt smoothly lifted his hand holding his gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger. Joe fell to the ground with a gunshot wound in his left leg. Wyatt quickly pounced on him, punching Joe in the face, knocking him unconscious. Before Joe knew what happened to him Wyatt had him tied up to a tree tighter than a shoelace, a big, dirty rope in his mouth.

Wyatt paced in front of him and glanced at Isabella. He looked at him with so much revulsion for the kidnapper, cop killer he was, he kicked dirt at him before he could get a grip on his emotions.

“I should kill you right now and put you out of your misery,” Wyatt said, still pacing. “But that would be too easy for both of us. I want to see you suffer, just like you’ve made all those girls suffer. Oh yeah, I have you all figured out, and this time I have witnesses who, I can assure you,” he glanced at Isabella, “won’t be afraid to testify. I’m not through with you yet.” Wyatt sneered at him as he walked away, taking his cell phone out of his pocket.

He called Dave, requested backup, gave him the GPS coordinates area address, and snapped the phone shut.

He ran to Isabella and checked for a pulse. He was relieved when he heard her strong, steady heartbeat. He cut her restraints. She fell motionless into his arms. He ran his trembling fingers over her arms and legs feeling for any broken bones.

He patted her cheeks, rubbed her hands. “Bella, can you hear me? Wake up, Bella. It’s Wyatt. Don’t leave me now, Isabella. We were just getting to know each other. You’re safe now.”

She remained motionless, her swollen eyes closed, dried blood on her lip.

The thought of Isabella not being in his life frightened him like nothing ever before. He’d promised to keep her safe. He’d promised to take care of her. He’d failed her.

Memories of his loss and betrayal of his late fiancée spun through his head. It was a blur, burning a huge hole in his chest where his heart had been. He broke out in a cold sweat. His shoulders slumped as he laid his head against Isabella’s neck. Tears filled his eyes and ran down his cheeks unchecked.

Thunder sounded in the distance. He knew if they didn’t move now they would be caught in the storm. Wyatt turned back, looked at Joe with disgust. “If I were you, I’d be praying for a bear or another wild animal to find you out here before I get back.”

He picked Isabella up in his arms and laid her head gently on his shoulder. He started back to the house. Wyatt spit out the side of his mouth, trying to get out the remaining bad taste.

Chapter 40

Isabella felt cold drops of water hitting her face. She smelled rain and fresh pine. She could feel arms around her, carrying her. Then she was flooded with memories. Joe! He had found her again.

She tried to scream but nothing came out. It was too hard to breathe. She kicked her legs, flailed her arms, but they didn’t connect with anything.

Then she heard the sweetest voice. “Shush, Bella. You’re okay. You’re safe with me now.” He pulled her to him, holding her tightly, whispering words of reassurance.

“Wyatt, thank God, you found me! I was so scared. He found me. Joe took me again. I didn’t know if you’d be able to find me, if you’d come for me,” she whispered through trembling lips. “I don’t want you to leave me alone again.”

He softly covered her lips with his and caressed her back. “Can you stand?”

“I’m not sure. My head is still spinning. I might need some help.”

“Let’s get back to the house out of the rain. Then we’ll test your legs.”

Isabella held him close, running her hands through his hair,

Wyatt and Isabella held each other tight as he carried her to the house. Wyatt could feel Isabella shivering, her teeth chattering as they reached the house. He settled her on the couch, bundling her in a blanket. Wyatt added another log to the already steady fire to quickly warm up the room.

“You need to get out of those wet clothes. I’ll go turn on the heat in the bathroom upstairs and start a hot bath for you. Then you can relax with a hot cup of tea. How’s that sound?”

“That would be wonderful,” she managed to say through chattering teeth.

Wyatt helped her up the stairs to the bathroom and left her to get undressed and in the tub. When Isabella started down the stairs, he was starting up the steps with two cups of tea. She had towel-dried her hair, put on a robe and looked refreshed, except for her face, which was still quite discolored and swollen.

Holding an ice bag on her face, Isabella relaxed by the warmth of the fire. The hot bath, hot tea, and warmth of the fireplace had finally reached her inner core and warmed her up. The ice eliminated some of the pain in her face.

Isabella caught Wyatt’s scent before he sat down on the other end of the couch. He had showered and changed into nice-fitting worn jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. He slumped into the couch with a sigh, obviously relaxed.

She didn’t want to talk about what had happened or what could have happened if Wyatt hadn’t arrived when he did. But she at least needed to thank him.

“Thank you, Wyatt, for coming to my rescue.” She looked down at her clasped hands. “I don’t know what I would have done had you not been there, let alone imagine what Joe maybe had planned for me.”

Wyatt stared into the fire, at the flames going higher and higher up the chimney as if trying to reach the sky.

“So how did this happen? Did I get outside the perimeter of the compound somehow where Joe could find me?”

“That’s exactly what happened. I found you by reviewing all the activity on the security cameras.”

“Are you going to just leave Joe out there? What if he gets untied and comes after me again?” She got up from the couch and ran to look out all the windows and to make sure the doors were locked. She chewed her lower lip waiting for Wyatt’s reply.

“Bella, stop. You don’t need to be worried. I called Dave already, and he’s sending some officers to pick him up. They’ve probably already found him and have him in custody, so you can sit back down and relax, okay?”

She sat on the couch but with hesitation. She didn’t like the idea of Joe being so close. She didn’t want to think about it anymore either.

“So tell me, do you like it here in the mountains better than in town?”

“As a matter of fact I do. I don’t care for the intense heat in the middle of summer in the valley, but the temperatures here in the mountains stay pretty comfortable. I even enjoy the cool night air. It’s refreshing. Of course, the snow in the winter is picture perfect. It’s beautiful and so peaceful. What about
Colorado
? Do you like it there?”

She watched the flames licking up the walls of the fireplace and took a sip of her hot tea before she answered.

“Yes, but it’s different. It’s much drier and the weather’s not very dependable. Sometimes even in June we could get a large amount of snow and damaging hail throughout the summer. And in winter we could have days with seventy to seventy-five-degree temperatures.”

“What about your apartment? What’s it like?” he asked.

“It’s small but perfect for one person with one bedroom, one bath, just the right size for me. I’m not home a lot of the time since work keeps me busy, I try to work out or run everyday but it’s perfect for my needs right now. Easy to clean, too. And what I like about it most is that it’s all mine.” She smiled with pride.

Isabella had calmed down, and settled in, and finally warm, was enjoying the conversation when Wyatt noticed her looking toward the uncovered windows, as if expecting someone.

“You don’t need to worry about Joe or anyone else getting near us. I turned the volume up on the security system so if we have an intruder anywhere on the property the alarm will sound, so just relax. I’m enjoying this time with you, and it’s great to be able to get to know you better.”

Isabella, although relaxed, found herself more afraid of the emotions emanating from the man sitting next to her than of the potential intruders peeking in the windows. The man who risked his life to rescue her from Joe. The man who could make her forget how he could break her heart. The man who could make her forget the seriousness of her predicament. The man who she could easily get used to being with and having around all the time. The man who she thought she was falling in love with.

She watched his lips as he spoke, thinking about them kissing her lips, her ears, and her neck. She could taste him and smell his scent. When he talked, gestured with his hands, she could feel his strong hands caressing her, and she quickly became aroused. Her nipples hardened, piercing through the light fabric of her shirt, aching for his touch. She felt a tickle in her pelvic area that only he could reach. She began to get more anxious with every passing minute, tired after the early morning start and knowing they would be getting ready for bed soon.

Wyatt might be able to protect her from her kidnappers but who would protect her heart from him? There was no way to protect her completely, nowhere to hide her heart, which, she realized, she had already given to him.

He had told her that very few people knew about this place, that he had never brought Rachael here. In fact, Dave and his sister Amy had been the only other people to come here. So why had he insisted on bringing her here?

She finished her tea while watching Wyatt. He appeared in his own world, in deep thought as he stared into the fireplace. She got up and went to the kitchen to put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. “Do you want anything while I’m up?”

“No”—
just you
—“but thanks anyway. I’m good,” he said as he looks at her with a hungry look. “Every time I think about what might have happened to you I want to wrap you up in my arms and never let you go. Even when I get a trace of your scent, your perfume, or hear your voice I get aroused,” he whispered.

Isabella returned to the couch, and curled up in his open arms. She felt so warm, relaxed, and content.

* * * *

Both deep in their own thoughts when Wyatt’s cell phone rang, it startled both of them. His caller ID indicated that it was Dave.

“Not sure you checked your BlackBerry for new info so I thought I better call you and let you know. Sam is coming along tomorrow. I know how you feel about strangers within the compound, but I know you’ll want to talk to Sam personally and go over the plan.”

“I agree with you. We’re both anxious to get going on this so we’ll see you tomorrow.” Wyatt clicked his cell phone closed and relayed the information to Isabella.

“Who’s Sam?”

“Sam’s an undercover operative, and the less you know about him, the better off we’ll both be. We’ll put together a plan with his help.” Wyatt wondered what kind of plan Dave and Sam might have in mind because he knew he would have one of his own.

“I assure you that whatever kind of plan we devise, it’ll be a safe one. After tomorrow this nightmare will be over.”

Chapter 41

When she heard him say, “After tomorrow this nightmare will be over,” happiness and elation ran through Isabella. But the mere thought of not being with Wyatt after tomorrow quickened her heart.

She didn’t like the feeling. She sat up, studying Wyatt’s strong jaw and suddenly lunged at him, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him close.

She welcomed him into her arms, embraced him, pulling him close to her. She closed her eyes, trying to memorize his scent, the feel of his hard body against her, the softness of his kisses. He smelled so good, and he fit so right in her arms. She couldn’t get enough of him. She didn’t want this night to end.

She finally pulled away from him but only far enough to look at his face, deep into his eyes, her heart pounding in her ears, a quickening in her loins.

“We shouldn’t do this. It isn’t right,” she whispered.

And when Wyatt kissed her, she lost herself in his hot, wet mouth on hers. She forgot momentarily about anything and everything except how good it felt to have his lips of hers.

How could this be wrong when it feels so right?
She put her arms about his neck, ran her fingers through his hair, and gently turned her head to break the kiss. She had become breathless and needed some air.

“Wyatt, Wyatt”—she kissed him again and again—“what are you doing to me?” She panted as she felt him kiss her neck, lick and suck her ear lobe.

“I can’t stop thinking about you, Isabella. I can’t get enough of you. I want you, all of you, now,” he moaned, pushing toward her.

She arched her back toward him and felt his very evident erection through his jeans. She put her hand on his crotch and rubbed back and forth.