I'll Be Seeing You (12 page)

The ringing of her cell caused her to jump and she quickly grabbed it, relaxing once she saw that it was Jeff calling.

“Hey,” she answered, feeling like the biggest bitch on the planet for deserting him to run her damn business. It just wasn’t fair, and she made herself a mental note to give him a huge raise once all of this had settled down some. It was the least that she could do. This man had gone above and beyond for her.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Jeff said cheerfully. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but we…um…we might have a small problem.”

“Oh, no… what’s happened? Or shouldn’t I ask?”

“Well, boss. That shipment came in from Joliet’s…but it is completely F’d up. I’m sorry, and I wouldn’t bother you with this if I didn’t have to, but it’s a freaking mess and I’m not sure what to do.”

“Crap,” she muttered.

She had placed an order for some handmade vases and bowls for a very good client that was expecting delivery for a special event; and if the order was wrong…well, shit! This could practically ruin her reputation! They had been very specific as to what they had wanted and when. Oh, double crap!

“Did you call the manufacturer?” she asked, running her fingers through her hair.

“Yeah, but the bitch that answered the phone said she would only talk to the owner. Stupid little witch!”

Katherine chuckled, knowing the attitudes of some of these so called customer service representatives. “Okay, listen, I can be there in like twenty minutes,” she said.

“Are you sure, Katherine?” Jeff asked sounding completely exasperated, and she felt another twinge of guilt hit her. She had dumped way too much responsibility on him.

“Positive. I’ll see you in twenty.” With that she got up, grabbed her purse, and slipped into her shoes. She couldn’t expect everyone around her to put their lives on hold because of her messed up life. She was done with that! She couldn’t hide anymore. She had been running and hiding for almost ten years.

As she walked out of the house and over to her car, the patrolman who was sitting on the street watching the house jumped from his cruiser and came running over. “Miss Chastain,” he called, and Katherine tried desperately to remember what Cole had called him. “I don’t think that you are supposed to leave the house without Detective McKenzie.”

“I just have to run over to my shop,” she explained hastily, the man’s name simply not coming to her, and she suddenly felt like an ass. Here this man was, sitting in his car watching over her and she couldn’t even remember his name!

“But, ma’am, Detective McKenzie said…”

“I know, but an unexpected problem popped up that I really need to handle.” She glanced at her watch and realized that it was almost eight. Thankfully the store would be closed up and she wouldn’t have to deal with any walk-in customers, so she could handle this and get back home before Cole even knew that she had left.

The young patrolman seemed to fidget uncomfortably as he tried to decide what to do. Obviously, no one liked to cross Cole.

“Listen, you can follow me over and sit out front if you’d feel better,” she replied with a smile. “It really shouldn’t take too long. I really need to take care of this. I’m sorry, but I really need to go.”

“I can drive you over,” he offered, but she shook her head. She just couldn’t bear sitting in a patrol car. The shotgun, the radio calls…it all just gave her the shivers. She just wanted to get to the store, handle the problem, and get back.

“No, really; just follow me. Okay?”

He nodded finally, took her keys from her hand, walked over to her car, and unlocked the door. He held it open for her, but not before she noticed him check the back seat. Dear God, she silently shuddered, this is all just so surreal.

She slipped behind the wheel and started the engine, waiting for him to dash back to his cruiser before pulling out of the driveway and heading to the store.

***

Katherine pulled up in front of the shop fifteen minutes later and waved to the patrolman as he pulled up behind her. When she unlocked the door and walked inside, she found a very animated Jeff sniping into the phone, then slamming it down with a loud huff. His eyes lit up as Katherine walked in, and she could see the relief in his expression.
Yes, I have definitely dumped too much on him,
she thought with a guilty pang. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days.

“Damn Katherine, am I glad to see you! These ignorant asses won’t do a thing!”

Katherine dropped her purse on a nearby counter and walked over to him, trying to give him a reassuring smile. “What have we got?”

“Well,” Jeff said, tossing some paperwork down in front of him. “What we have is a complete mess. We have an order of somebody else’s ugly ass pottery. I mean, this shit would put Liberace’s tacky décor to shame. It’s not even close to what was ordered, and is complete and utter crap! The Caldwell’s are going to pop a freaking gasket!” He huffed. “Here, let me go in the back and grab you an example of the travesty that they sent us.” With that he took off toward the storage room at the back of the store, and Katherine rolled her shoulders, so not wanting to have to deal with this right now.

A few moments later, she heard a loud crash from the back, and the storage room suddenly went dark. “Jeff?” she called, making her way to the back of the store without even thinking. As she approached the doorway, she heard what sounded like the soft shuffle of shoes; but the room was windowless and it was impossible for her to see anything, even with the dim lighting coming from behind her. “Jeff?” she called again, not liking that tingle that was creeping its way along her spine. The hair at the back of her neck was rising as her senses shouted at her to run! Get out!

She was about to turn and make her way to the front of the store to call to the officer for help when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her into the darkness. She felt her blood run cold and her throat constrict with pure, gut-wrenching terror. Oh, please, God…no!

“Mine…” the voice whispered across her hair as she was pulled up against
Him
! Oh, God! It couldn’t be! What did he do to Jeff? His arms slipped around her, one across her chest the other her waist, holding her in a vice-like grip, and she felt every nerve ending in her body suddenly shut down, her fear coursing through her like a runaway freight train.

“Let me go…” she choked out finally, as her body began to shake uncontrollably and her heart thundered in her chest. She fought to keep from passing out from her terror.

“Mine…” that whisper again in her ear…his breath so hot. She could feel his arousal pressing itself against her backside and her body tensed as a wave of nausea washed over her. Oh, God! She was going to be sick!

“What did you do to Jeff?” she begged, tears stinging the backs of her eyes and her voice no more than a pitiful croak. That was the best that she could do. She was absolutely paralyzed with her fear, and the pressure of his arm across her chest was making it difficult for her to breathe.

“Not half of what I’m going to do to that cop you’re fucking,” he hissed against her neck, his lips placing a wet kiss at her pulse, before nipping at it, causing her to squeak out in pain. His tongue rasped against her skin and she shuddered. “You’ve soiled yourself by letting him touch you, Katie,” he cooed quietly, and Katherine felt as if she were going to faint. No! She had to keep it together! She tried desperately to listen to his voice. To see if there was anything that she could identify, but the blood rushing to her ears was making it difficult to concentrate. “He could never make you feel as good as I will.”

***

“The…the police are right outside,” she sobbed, desperately grasping at straws now. Trying to think of something…anything.

“So easily taken care of.” She heard a small beep, then a loud explosion coming from outside on the street and her heart jumped into her throat... Oh, God! What did he do?

“Listen to me, Katie,” he whispered. “You belong to me. Have no doubt about that. Keep playing with that cop…and he dies. It’s very simple.”

Katherine’s eyes slid closed, her heart clenching in her chest. “Please, stop,” she croaked. “No more.”

“Remember what I said, Katie. He won’t see it coming...and neither will you. I’ll be seeing you, Katie…my beautiful, Katie.
Mine.
”

The hand that was across her chest suddenly slid over, grasping her breast in a painful grip and squeezing so hard that she saw stars. She heard him moan against her hair and felt the bile rising in her throat as he ground himself against her. The next thing she knew, he had her by the hair and was slamming her head into the concrete wall in front of her…then, only blissful darkness.

***

“Hey, Mac?” Cole looked up from his computer and watched as Ben came rushing through his doorway, his brows furrowed in confusion and his features tight.

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t Patterson supposed to be watching your house?” he asked, and Cole felt his body spasm as if he had been shocked.

“Yes,” Cole replied, his jaw tightening with the feeling of unease that was settling itself over him like a thick, toxic cloud.

“Well, a call just came in about a car explosion over on Sixth and Jackson
from
Patterson, man.”

Cole jumped up from his chair so quickly that it flew across the room and toppled over. He grabbed his keys, and ran for the door. “What the fuck,” he growled. “Christ, Ben, Katherine’s shop is on that street!”

“Shit!” He heard Ben breathe from behind him as he ran for the door. “I’ll be right behind you!” his partner called, but Cole was already through the door.

He took off at a dead run down the steps of the station and jumped into his car, slamming on the gas as if the devil himself was at his heels. He grabbed his cell and called Katherine, praying that she would answer, but all he got was her voicemail. “Fuck!” he screamed, slamming his hand on the steering wheel as he sped towards Katherine’s store; praying that he wasn’t too late.

***

“Miss Chastain? Miss Chastain; can you hear me?” Katherine could hear someone talking to her…but who? The voice wasn’t at all familiar and it seemed so far away. She didn’t want to listen to it. She didn’t want it invading her mind. She just wanted to enjoy the darkness. The deep, restful, blackness… Her head was pounding, feeling as if it was in a vice, and she didn’t want to talk to anybody. She just wanted to be left alone! Left alone in the quiet…the dark. Away from the nightmare that tormented her.

It was only a moment later that she heard it; that voice that she knew–curling around her and making her feel instantly calm. Cole. Cole telling whoever was talking to her to get the hell away from her, his voice powerful, ragged…
enraged.

Then there was the sound of shuffling, and embarrassed coughs… and
Yes, Sirs
. Suddenly, strong arms were slipping around her. Strong…familiar…she knew that embrace. Those arms comforted her, made her feel safe and protected…Cole.
That
was what she wanted. She wanted Cole. A sigh passed her lips.

She tried hard to open her eyes, but her head hurt way too much. It was pounding with a rush of blood to her ears that pulsed with each beat of her heart. It was deafening.

Call a fucking bus
!
Now
! Cole yelling…barking out orders in that way that was all Cole. Strong, assertive…hot. She wanted to laugh at that but couldn’t. She seemed to be stuck in some kind of void. A quagmire that was impossible to free herself from. She was trapped in an abyss that surrounded her in darkness and confusion. She was just too tired to even move, let alone open her eyes, and there seemed to be so much commotion going on around them. She just wanted peace and quiet. She just wanted to be held in Cole’s arms. Everything would be all right as long as Cole held her.

“Done, Detective,” there was that voice again. Oh, yes! It was the police officer who had been watching the house, she realized, trying so hard to focus. The one whose name she couldn’t remember.

“Baby.”

Cole sounded so scared, she thought with a twist to her heart; and she tried with everything that she had to force herself to open her eyes. She needed to see him. She needed to let him know that she was all right, that she was just tired. She didn’t want him to worry. Not him. She didn’t like that he sounded so frightened. Not Cole. He was the strong one. The emotion in his words was shattering her heart.

Katherine could hear sirens getting close…and shouts coming from outside, and tried forcing her eyes to open once again; she needed to see Cole. Suddenly, everything came flooding back to her in a power rush. Oh, my God! Jeff!

“Cole.” She forced her eyelids to open and those blue depths locked on hers, and she could see the relief and fear in them. He was absolutely terrified. “Jeff,” she croaked, the task of saying those two small words causing her head to pound with a vengeance.

“Baby, what?” She thought she saw him glance around, but it was still so dark. There was a soft white glow beside Cole, a flashlight maybe? She couldn’t tell, but it framed his stunning features in a soft light that nearly took her breath away. He was so handsome. So strong. She saw that look of panic in his eyes and tried to clear her throat, but her head just hurt so badly.