Jake (A Redemption Romance #2) (15 page)

I’d wanted to see Hope today, especially after seeing her in the bar last night. We needed to talk, I had so much to tell her, one of those things would definitely be about her sitting in dark bars alone and drunk. Mostly, though, I wanted to hold her, to know that she was safe. I needed to feel her warm body pressed against me, even if it was clothed.

Texting her had gotten me nothing, so a text to Luke had confirmed that she’d gone to Trent’s self-defense class this morning, they were going to hit the range after but he thought she should have been done by now. He hadn’t heard from her so I called Trent.

“Nah, man, we finished at the range about two hours ago, it was a quick trip. She’s doing great though, her stance looks great and she’s hitting her targets with excellent precision.” That was all great to hear, though it fucking killed me that she’d been going to the range and taking self-defense classes with Trent. Why hadn’t I thought about that shit? It was perfect, to give her back her feeling of power. Instead, I’d tried to take it from her, tried to control everything for her, to baby her and was certainly no child.

I thought for a few minutes, trying to figure out where the hell she’d have gone. She wasn’t with Trent, wasn’t at Luke’s, maybe she was at work or with one of the girls. Trying her cell again didn’t help, it just rang until the voicemail kicked in.

I drove the fifteen minutes to my house to check the GPS tracker on her car. I felt like a dick, doing that, I didn’t want to invade her privacy if she just wanted space and was out shopping, but my gut was screaming that something was wrong. I knew better than to ignore my instincts.

It seemed to take forever for my laptop to boot, and get the software loaded. Checking the system, it showed that her car was at her house. At
her
house, at her-fucking-house. I switched programs and pulled up the camera feeds. Pulling up the first camera, on the side of the house, I didn’t see anything, but I quickly scrolled through them to the camera for the front door. My blood ran cold – it was black.

During the short drive to Hope’s house, a place that, if I had my way, would no longer be her home, I made a half a dozen phone calls. The first, to Dan Dupree, then to Luke and the rest to Hope. I explained to Dan and Luke what I’d seen, the location of her GPS and the blacked out camera. I got nothing when I called Hope.

Pulling up, way faster than should have been possible, I parked half on the sidewalk, half in the drive and started to rush up to the house. Something caught my eye. The front door looked like it wasn’t closed all the way. I was hoping that it was an optical illusion, but when I looked down at the ground, I saw three small dark red spots. Moving my gaze up the driveway, I saw more small spots, looking behind me, I saw that they went into the street. I followed the trail leading right to the front door. I knew, I knew, I
fucking
knew it was blood. Someone had better hold me back if I found out it was Hope’s blood.

Walking cautiously, I was careful not to step on the drops. I also wanted to be quiet, in case whomever was inside hadn’t heard my insanely stupid drive up. I was pretty sure I’d squealed the tires pulling into the driveway.

Positioning myself to the side of the partially open front door, I waited and looked around the door frame. I knew that I should wait for back up, but if Hope was inside, if she was hurt, I wouldn’t wait, I couldn’t. She was my Hope, but she was also, my hope. My only hope.

Moving quickly and quietly through the front rooms of the house, my heart raced at the scene; it was a mess. Obviously, whatever had happened here, someone had put up one hell of a struggle. Not finding her in the living room, kitchen or her office, I kept moving, praying for the first time in years that she was here, that he hadn’t taken her.

Rounding the corner into her bedroom, my heart stopped when I saw her slumped, unmoving on the floor. I did a quick scan of the room, ensuring that no one else was here, no one would jump from the shadows and attack when my focus was entirely on her. I assumed, though, that her ex had fled after she’d done some damage, hopefully something painful.

Not knowing what her injuries were, I didn’t want to move her, but I had to feel her, so I applied two fingers gently to her neck. Thank you, God, there was a pulse.

Her skin was warm, looking her over, she was propped against the wall, but drooping over, resting on the lamp that had fallen. Blood was everywhere, small cuts, large cuts, bruises starting to show, all over her beautiful, perfect body. That asshole had gotten to her.

“Jake” I heard called from the front of the house, I realized that I hadn’t called for an ambulance, I’d been staring at her, reveling in the fact that she was alive. I hadn’t taken the time to call for the help she needed.

“Bedroom,” I yelled back. At the sound of my shout, Hope’s body moved, and I watched as her head rolled to the side. I could only imagine that the angle must be agony, but maybe not, considering the other injuries she’d sustained.

My beautiful girl, hurt, alone, she must have been terrified. I tried to console myself, she was here, she was alive and by the look of things, she’d worked hard to defend herself.

Dan and Christine entered the room, but as soon as Dan got a look at Hope, he walked right back out, I could hear him on his radio, calling for help.

Christine walked over to me, crouched down next to me, and moved Hope’s hair away from her face gently and examined her face. Her mouth was cut, cheek bruised, eye blackened and her nose was swollen, possibly broken. We could only see the left side of her face clearly without moving her, but it looked bad, also the fact that she was still out couldn’t be good. This was no quick blackout, she was unconscious.

I felt Christine’s hand on my shoulder, she flexed her hand, gave me a pat and moved away, back to talk to her partner in the hallway.

I heard Dan say something about contaminating the scene, so I yelled out; “I didn’t touch anything,” to ease his worry. I knew that a contaminated crime scene was a bitch.

Several minutes passed, before I heard the quickly moving feet of paramedics. It had been less than twenty-four hours since I’d watched someone I cared about get loaded into the back of an ambulance, but this time, I couldn’t contain my emotion. I felt as tears streamed down my face.

Jumping in the back, once she was all loaded up, I stroked her forearm gently, needing to touch her, but also wanting to stay out of their way and trying not to cause her any more pain.

Pulling up outside of the emergency room – again – I jumped out of the back of the ambulance to get out of the way and waited for Hope’s gurney to be settled on the ground. She’d woken briefly on the way in. She was able to answer a few basic questions, and then she sank back into unconsciousness.

A small group of nurses and doctors met us at the doors, got the report from the paramedics and rushed her into a treatment room as I followed, unnoticed. When an older nurse turned to look at me.

“I’m sorry, sir, you can’t come in here. We need to examine her. Are you family?”

“I’m her husband.” The lie rolled off my tongue with ease and I prayed that sometime soon, it would be true.

“Wait right down there,” she said, pointing toward the waiting room. “As soon as the doctor has looked over your wife, someone will be out to get you.”

“Thank you,” I replied, the gratefulness apparent in my voice. She gave me a small smile and patted my arm.

Sitting down was impossible, I stood, staring sightlessly out the window, seeing nothing but the image of Hope slumped, bloody and hurt on her bedroom floor.

Hope

Whispered words floated through my foggy mind. Jake’s voice, frightened, desperate, Tim’s voice, angry and vengeful, Nolan’s voice, coaxing and kind. They all whirled around, confusing me, I tried to hold on to thoughts, to images, but the spiraling sounds morphed into a vortex of pounding feet, crashing furniture, sirens, confusion.

I couldn’t see, couldn’t feel, there was pain on the periphery of my mind, but my body felt weightless. Images began to rush before me, a figure, cloaked in darkness, ready to pounce, the iron candle holder my grandmother had given me, a broken lamp, blood. Nothing made sense. I couldn’t make sense of anything, not a thought, an image, an impression.

Was this a nightmare or some hellish reality? Nolan’s handsome face swam before me, gentle and kind, he was young again, the lines of worry and despair weren’t present. He was free of pain and guilt.

His lips moved, words spoken so quietly, I had to strain to hear.

“Hope, you’ve always been my angel. You fought for me, helped me and trusted me with your secrets. It’s time to let them go, reach out for what you want. Reach out and embrace the woman you are. I won’t be there to help you anymore, but you are strong, reach for the life you want, free of fear, free of terror, free of abuse. Allow your heart to heal, cling to the life you’re living, show the others how to be strong. Be the person that I couldn’t be.” Nolan’s face drifted away, fading out like it had been vaporized.

The image of the dark man in the bar showed himself, but now, instead of the image turning into Jake. He turned to look at me, he had the physique of Jake, but the face and evil glint of Tim. As he smiled at me, blood dripped down and covered his teeth. The image was so horrific, I felt my body jolt. The pain came closer, making me more aware of my body once again. The sounds in the distance remained, but the images left me.

The pounding in my head wouldn’t stop. My focus was entirely on the pain, my entire body hurt. Taking stock, I felt a dull and throbbing pain everywhere. My arm was stiff and felt awkward. When I tried to move it, I felt cold tubes running over the top of it. Blinking my dry eyes, I opened them just a little, my heart stopped at the sight of a man, bent over the side of my bed, it was dark in my room, but the motorcycle jacket from the night before was clear.

The set of his shoulders, even the top of his head, looked like Jake. Remembering the dream, I must have been having, I felt my body tense at the lingering fear. I pushed it away quickly and took in my surroundings.

The door was cracked open, bright white light seeping through, low beeping sounds that came from monitors next to my bed, obviously this was the hospital. Lifting my hand slightly, I moved my fingers to brush over Jake’s hair. I needed to feel him, to know that I was, indeed, alive, that I wasn’t dreaming again.

His body tightened at my touch and he jolted up in the seat. As he looked at me, I took in his appearance, widened eyes, pale, worried face, disheveled clothes, he was a rumpled, beautiful mess.

“You’re awake,” he whispered, more to himself than to me.

I gave him a small smile, though the action hurt, my lips were so dry, it felt like they were cracked. Seeing him, knowing that he’d been here with me, something in that knowledge settled me, warmed my heart and filled me with joy. How I could feel joy in that moment, after all that Tim had done?

Jake seemed hesitant to touch me, so I reached my hand out and laid it over his. Immediately, he picked them up and moved to sit on the bed next to my hip. Carefully, he laced our fingers together and brought them to his lips, kissing them reverently, never taking his eyes from mine. I felt absolute love for this man, he filled my heart, anything else, we’d learn to overcome together, assuming he’d give me another chance.

“Jake, I -” A finger to my lips stopped me from speaking.

“Shhh, baby, let me talk first, okay?” I nodded, his touch so light, his words gentle. “I am so sorry, I lost my temper with you, I kept the latest threat from you, and I wasn’t there to protect you. You are so resilient. I underestimated you, I swear to god, if you let me, I’ll never do that again.” He paused for a minute, gathering his thoughts, imploring me with his eyes.

“I will prove to you, for the rest of my life, that you are the center of my world. I will always support you, I will always encourage you and walk with you instead of ahead of you, trying so hard to clear your path of difficulties, I’ll walk beside you and we’ll figure out how to maneuver around them together. I love you, Hope. This past week-”

He took a deep breath, looked toward the window, and continued as he brought his eyes back to me, “I realized that without you, my life is hopeless, not just without you, but without anything, without a reason to get up, without joy. I love you so much, your steel spine, your iron will, your ability to call me on my shit, you are an amazing woman. Please, please don’t leave me again.”

My battered face broke into a huge smile, I felt the tears flowing down my cheeks, unchecked and I absorbed all he’d said. It was like music to my ears.

Before I could respond, he leaned in and kissed me gently, chastely, on the lips. The firmness of his gentle mouth, putting sweet pressure on mine, I wanted to open up and devour him, but I had no idea how long I’d been asleep and wouldn’t do that until I assessed how disgusting my mouth was.

A light knock on the door caught our attention, we both turned to look toward it as Officer Dan Dupree and Officer Christine Gates walked hesitantly inside.

Dan looked at the two of us and smiled, while Christine looked uneasy. To be honest, now that I knew they’d had a relationship, I wasn’t excited to see her either. Moving farther into the room, Dan took position at the end of my bed, Christine stood next to him and back a step, like she was trying to hide behind her partner.

I watched Jake closely for any reaction to the attractive woman. Not even a flicker, nothing to indicate that they’d once been intimate. Would he treat me that way? If something happened between us in the future, would he show me not even a flicker of emotion or a second’s notice? I couldn’t imagine the pain that must cause her.

“How are you feeling Hope?” Dan asked, speaking softly in the otherwise quiet room.

I tried to sit up, wanted to move into a better position to see him, but Jake placed a hand on my shoulder to stop my movements. He moved another pillow behind my back, carefully lifting me and pressed the button to incline the head of my bed so I was where I wanted to be. Kissing the top of my head when he’d finished, he then settled back into his seat and waited.

“I’m pretty sore. How did I get here?” I realized, after Jake’s impassioned speech that I had no idea who had found me or what my injuries were. For a woman who always wanted to know, I’d apparently been more interested in hearing what Jake had to say then asking the questions I needed answers to.

Dan’s surprised face was quickly masked as he looked at Jake and then back to me. “I just woke up,” I explained, hoping he’d understand why Jake hadn’t yet told me.

Dan nodded in understanding, then wasted no time in giving me the information I wanted.

“Jake found you. When I got there, we called the ambulance.” He paused and smiled grimly at me. I braced for what he’d say next. “I have to ask you some questions, are you up to that?”

“Of course, maybe I can get some water first though?” Relief swamped me, I wasn’t sure what I’d expected him to say, questions, I could handle.

“Sorry baby, I’ll get it.” Jake started to get up from his seat, when Christine turned toward the door.

“I’ve got it, Jake,” she walked into the hall and we heard her telling a nurse that she was going into the kitchen to get it. Within a couple of minutes, she was back, setting a cup of iced water in Jake’s hand, and a full pitcher on the table by my bed.

After several long, slow drinks, I looked at Dan and asked him to continue.

“Can you tell me; did you get a look at the person who hurt you yesterday?”

“Yes, it was Tim Johnson – Timothy. He’s the man I told you about, the man I dated in college.”

“Timothy Johnson?” Dan asked, what I thought was a very strange question.

“Yes,” I responded questioningly.

“Do you know a James Stone?”

“No, not that I know of.” My mind was whirling with confusion, why was he asking me about this other person? I’d seen Tim, I knew it was him.

“How about a Jim Johnstone?”

“Yes, I mean, no, I don’t know him personally, but he’s the husband of a woman who is staying at the shelter. I know the name, but I’ve never met him.”

Dan nodded, wrote something down and then pulled a picture out of a file and showed it to me. “Can you tell me who this person is?”

“That’s Tim,” I said, no hesitation. If they had a picture, did that mean they had him in custody? He looked terrible, his face was bruised and blood was dried under his nose from where I’d clocked him with the iron candlestick.

Dan’s eyebrows rose, he looked at the picture and back at me. “You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” I watched as Dan gave Christine a look and she left the room, seemingly in a hurry.

“This man was found unconscious, but alive, in a 1987 Chevrolet Silverado, the truck is brown with tinted windows. Is that the truck that followed you?”

“That sounds right, but why did you ask me if I knew those other men?” I was completely confused about all this, maybe my brain still wasn’t working right.

“The truck is registered to James Stone, there was mail found in the truck addressed to a Jim Johnstone, he had no ID on him, so we’re trying to determine his identity, and figure out if this is the man who hurt you.”

“He’s alive?”

“Yes,” he answered shortly, sounding none too pleased about that.

“Can’t you ask him?”

“He’s awake, but isn’t making much sense. He’s rambling about candlesticks or something, he’s still doped up on the pain meds the doctors gave him I think. Will you go ahead and tell me what happened?”

“Hang on, let me see the picture.” Jake said as he started to lean across me toward Dan, hand outstretched for the picture. There was a curious look on his face, he seemed to know something, or at least to suspect something.

Clasping the picture, Jake pulled it closer, furrowed his brow, then his eyes shot from Dan to me and back to Dan. “Let’s talk outside.” Jake said to the other man.

“No, Jake, I want to hear too, you’re not hiding stuff from me again.” I stated, my irritated and firm tone caught Jake by surprise, but it seemed to shock Christine too. She looked at me directly for the first time since she’d walked in. I raised an eyebrow toward him in challenge and waited. This was a test and he knew it.

Reaching down, he laid his hand over mine, peered into my eyes and spoke softly. “I love you, sweetheart, I want to protect you from this, you need to heal right now. We can talk about it later.”

Christine’s sharp gasp was audible in the room, I swung my eyes to hers as I pulled my hand from Jake’s. Jake heard her too, because he looked up to her with a mix of confusion and irritation on his face.

“Sorry, I’m sorry about last night, Hope.” She said speaking directly to me, ignoring Jake altogether. “Obviously, I was completely off base.”

Was she? Was she really? Probably, at least I hoped that she was. The thing was, what she’d said, the things she talked about were bad for her, but I didn’t think Jake was bad for me.

“What the fuck?” Jake roared, glaring at her.

Shaking her head, she looked between us, obviously not knowing what to say.

“When did you see her? You talked to Hope last night?”

“Yes, I did, I saw her at the bar, we talked a few minutes, then I left, that’s it.”

“Oh, come on!” I chimed in, I didn’t feel like her words had been malicious, she seemed like a really nice person, genuinely concerned for me, but she wasn’t going to stand there and lie.

“Well, obviously what I said isn’t relevant. I apologize.”

“Look, this is all interesting, but can we focus?” Dan interjected, giving a sharp look to his partner.

She nodded and looked contrite, but Jake wasn’t about to let it go.

“What did you say to Hope, Christine?”

Eyes darting from Jake to me and back again, she seemed to steel herself, looking almost formidable in her stature. “I saw her, was concerned for her, knowing how you are and spoke to her about it. With her past, I wasn’t sure if you were a good fit for her, as I said, obviously I was wrong. Let it go.”

Jake stood abruptly, fury radiating off him. “You dared to speak to Hope like that, about me? About our trivial past? Jesus, Christine! We stopped seeing each other over a year ago, we dated a few times, and in that time, you think you know anything about me?” His voice was icy and so quiet, we all strained toward him to hear him, but the menace was undeniable.

“I’ve apologized, that’s all I can do now. As I said, I was just looking out for Hope, I was concerned for her.” Christine didn’t cower, she didn’t back down, not even a little, the display was impressive, I could learn a lot from her. I wondered if I could be friends with her in the future.

Jake started to speak again, but I reached up, grabbed his hand and started to speak myself. “Let’s focus, we need to figure out the connection to all these people, or this person, or whatever, I want to know what you noticed when you looked at that picture.