Dangerous Embrace (Embrace #1) (23 page)

“Yeah, the system is new...” Sarah grimaced and glanced over at Mark. “At least we know it works.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “We weren’t in any doubt about the system working.”

“Oh no, of course not, let’s go inside,” she said, changing the subject.

Mark walked up onto the porch and unlocked the door for her.

“Are you okay, you didn’t hurt your shoulder, did you?” he asked as they entered the house, and he punched in a code on the alarm system.

“No, it’s fine.”

Mark’s cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID before excusing himself to the kitchen to give Sarah and her brother a moment to talk. “Ali, what’s up?”

“What do you think you’re doing having a woman over with Jamie in the house? He just told me that Sarah stayed with you all week.”

“Excuse me? I’m sorry, divorced—remember?”

“I have a right to question anything you do regarding my son.”

“Our son. And are you trying to say you don’t trust me where Jamie is concerned?”

“What do you think you’re teaching him, having a woman there?”

“For your information, I’m just helping out a friend. We didn’t share a room, much less a bed.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah, well did it matter when you slept with Carl in our house, in our bed while we were still married? Don’t you fucking dare talk shit to me about inappropriate behavior.”

“I can’t believe you’re throwing that in my face now. If you’re not careful, Mark, I’ll go file for full custody.”

“Don’t threaten—Ali!” He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it as Sarah and Devon stepped into the room.

“What was that about?” Sarah asked.

“That bitch hung up on me,” Mark growled.

“Mark—what?”

“It’s Ali,” he said before he opened his phone and dialed a number. “Oh fine, send me to voicemail.”

“What’s going on? What did she do?”

Instead of answering her questions, Mark looked at Devon. “Devon, how long are you staying?”

He shrugged. “At least tonight.”

“Are you staying here?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

“I have to go take care of this with Ali. Will you be okay with your brother for a while?” Mark looked between Sarah and Devon. “Devon, I need to leave, but I don’t want Sarah left alone in this house. Will you stay with her until I come back?”

“Yeah, of course—what’s going on?”

“I’ll let Sarah tell you—it’s up to her.” He looked at Sarah, and a pang of regret and fear jolted his stomach. “Will you be all right if I leave?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine. Is Jamie okay?”

“He’s fine, he just has a big mouth, and Ali apparently doesn’t like what he’s saying.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Oh...”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. She’s hormonal.” He looked over at Devon again. “Before I leave—Devon, tell me how you got in the house. Did you break any windows or anything?”

“No man, give me more credit than that. I picked the lock on the back door,” he said, lifting his chin smugly.

“You picked the lock?”
Wonderful.
At least he had better skills than the last jerk who broke into her house.

“Yeah.” He smiled wide. “It’s an acquired skill, maybe I’ll show you sometime.”

“No need, but thanks.” Mark pointed to the keypad. “Sarah, after you set this, make sure the back door is locked.”

“Right, I know,” she said as he opened the front door. “When will you be back?”

“I won’t be gone long.” He stopped and stared at her for a few seconds. “Maybe I’ll try to call her again.”

He pulled out his phone, knowing he was in deep. He hated the thought of leaving Sarah, even if only for a few minutes.

“Geez, I’m fine, just go.”

Devon crossed his arms over his chest. “What the hell is going on?”

“Hold on, I’ll tell you in a minute. Mark, go take care of Jamie and Ali.”

He took one last look at her, before he reached down and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry I have to leave. I know it’s been a rough day—”

“Go. Don’t worry about me.”

“Stay out of trouble.” Mark inhaled, taking in the scent of orange blossoms, and kissed her cheek near her ear before rushing out the door.

~

Sarah felt a little flustered after Mark’s embrace, but she set the alarm once he left.

“What the fuck, Sis?” Devon asked.

“What?”

“Don’t even—don’t even pretend like—what the hell is going on?” He looked at her with a mixture of concern and anger. “You look like shit—that guy has a key to your house, your alarm code. You look like you haven’t slept in a week.”

“It’s a long story,” she said, turning away from the front door. “Let’s get a drink first.”

She went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine from the rack.

“All the phone calls,” Devon said, following her into the kitchen. “First, you call and tell me you’re coming to visit, and then you call and say never mind. I’m not stupid, something’s up with you.” He looked her up and down. “Spill it.”

Sarah poured them each a glass of wine and told him about the attempted rape and about Mark. She didn’t leave anything out, including the information about the notes and the other rapes. She wanted to make sure he understood everything Mark had done for her and why he was reluctant to leave.

“So, he’s really been taking care of you? When I watched him unlock the front door, I about jumped out of my skin. I just thought.” He rubbed his face. “I just thought
not again
. I couldn’t believe it.”

“Give me some credit. I’m smart enough not to get involved like that again.” She sipped her wine and considered how much she should tell him. “I like him, and he seems to really care, which scares the hell out of me.”

She looked down into her glass and laughed nervously.

“Do you care about him?”

“I do, but I’m not interested in anything serious and he has a really great kid. I don’t think Mark and I are looking for the same things.”

“Why don’t you get over it already?”

“What?”

“Why won’t you give up this
I’m never going to have a family
crap and just enjoy being with someone that treats you the way you deserve to be treated? Every time you hook up with someone, you chicken out when things get serious.”

“Puh, you should talk. When is the last time you spent two nights in a row with the same girl?”

“Dude—shut up, you are so rude.” He went straight-faced, and then laughed. “No, but really, why not? Why not this guy?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been closed off to the idea for so long. I’m not sure I can trust myself. It would be different if I felt this way and he was, oh ugly, or stupid, or...I don’t know—anything but incredibly hot.” She kept her head bowed, the admission a little embarrassing. “Do you know what I mean? I don’t know if it’s my heart leading me or my libido.”

“I don’t think your libido would lead you anywhere so soon after someone threw you into the bushes and tried to rape you.”

Devon always made Sarah feel like she was under a microscope. He knew everything about her and could always peg her feelings before she even knew how she felt.

“Try being honest about your feelings and leave Kevin out of the equation.”

She nodded and the corners of her mouth turned down instinctively.

“Sis, think about your life. You insist you’re happy, but you seem...incomplete, and it’s obvious to everyone but you. You’re letting Kevin win. You’re leaving him with the best of you, and that fucking sucks.”

“Mark told me the same thing. He said I shouldn’t let Kevin win,” she said, reaching for the hand Devon held out for her.

“Wha...you told him about Kevin?”

“Yeah, just today before you broke into my house.”

“No kidding?”

“I felt bad for not being honest with him about everything, and it seemed to make sense at the time since he’s been looking out for me.”

“Clearly you trust him even if you don’t trust yourself, otherwise you wouldn’t have told him anything. Huge step for you, Sis.” He hugged her, squeezing her and picking her up off the ground.

“Dev...you’re hurting me...can’t breathe...”

“Oh, sorry.” He put her down and kissed her cheek.

~

Mark pounded on Ali’s door, breathing in and out, forcing himself to calm down. This had to come from somewhere else...it wasn’t like Ali to act like this.

He looked up when the door swung open.

“If you came over here to fight with me, you’re wasting your time.”

The wind gushed from his sails. God, she looked like hell, dark circles under her eyes, pale skin, and just plain tired. He felt anxiety churn in his stomach. “What the hell is up with you, Al? You sick?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, I’m pregnant, not sick.”

“Bullshit, I know you better than that. Where’s Carl?”

“He’s not here.”

Mark reached up and laid his palm on her forehead. Ali tried to dodge him but wasn’t fast enough.

“What is wrong with you?” she asked, trying to get away from him.

“You’re not fine. You look like hell, and you’re acting like a crazed, hormonal bitch.”

Her face turned pink, embarrassment adding some color to her cheeks. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’m sorry I did that. I missed Jamie and when he came home...he hasn’t stopped talking about how great Sarah is.” Her eyes welled up. “I can’t do anything with him. I can’t play with him like I usually do. I’m so freaking pregnant and tired and I...” Her chin quivered and tears leaked out of her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re having a baby, that’s way cooler than being a playmate.” He glanced behind her, into the house. “There’s something else, Al. Talk to me.”

“No.” She wiped her face quickly and shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I am fine. Carl’s been working a lot. I’ve been stuck here alone, and my mother is driving me crazy. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right, Ali. But it’s not okay to use Jamie like that when you’re pissed about something. If you need anything, you can call me, okay?” He stepped back. “Call me if you need to talk.”

Mark waited for her to close the door before climbing back into his truck. He was glad she didn’t ask more questions about Sarah. He had purposely avoided explaining his relationship with Sarah to Ali. He could have insisted they were just friends, but if they took the next step in their relationship, he didn’t want to make a liar out of himself.

He drove home to do some digging on Kevin Lewis. If Sarah was right and this guy was looking for her, why hadn’t he found her yet? She wasn’t hidden well.

When Mark did the internet search, he realized how common the name Kevin Lewis was. His next try included the words Flagstaff, Arizona.
Lewis and Sons Wilderness Adventures and Training Center
came up first.

Mark tried it. He had no information on Kevin except what Sarah told him, and that wasn’t much. He read the home page.

The Lewis and Son’s Wilderness Adventures and Training Center is a comprehensive training program to prepare men for wilderness survival skills. Our year-round outdoor educational programs are conducted right here in Flagstaff, with courses that cover wilderness survival and desert survival. If you’re not interested in taking our courses, but you want to experience a wilderness adventure of your own, then simply request a private tour with one of our experienced guides.

Mark clicked the link to see the tour guide bios. There were pictures. The first was of Kevin Lewis. Mark read the caption under the picture.

Kevin Lewis, age 31, 6 feet 6 inches tall, 240 pounds.

Next to the picture was a short bio. Mark read the bio holding his breath the entire time.

Kevin Lewis has been interested in outdoor survival since he was a child. His father lived on the land in the Alaskan bush for a decade before rejoining society at the age of twenty-nine. Kevin grew up learning about his father’s passion for the outdoors. His experience and education include big game hunting, winter mountaineering, wilderness first-aid, and primitive survival skills. He is also an amateur boxer having won many fights in the heavyweight division before retiring to become a tour guide at Lewis and Son’s.

Mark exhaled when he finished reading. “Holy shit.”
I hope this isn’t the bastard who beat on Sarah. What a Neanderthal.

Mark followed the page and underneath Kevin’s picture and bio was another.

Jeff Lewis, age 30, 6 feet 2 inches tall, 195 pounds.