The Man Within (25 page)

Roni backed up as he edged closer to her. She could feel the hatred, black and vile, pouring from him.

“I won’t answer that,” she snapped, refusing to allow her fear of him to show.

“How old were you when he first found you, anyway, hiding like a snot-nosed brat in those hills? Ten? Eleven? Was he fucking you then, Roni? Is that why you followed after him every chance you got?”

She shook her head desperately, wondering where the hell the men who were supposed to be in the house were.

“I won’t qualify that with an answer.” She fought to put as much space between them as possible. “Not everyone has the perversions your friends do, Reggie.”

“If I had known that was your fascination for him, I’d have given it to you myself,” he sneered. “I could have used a little excitement in my bed after that stupid bitch mother of yours died…”

“Stop.” Roni shook her head desperately. “Leave Mom out of this, Reggie.”

Her frail, weary mother. Roni trembled at the memory of her. She rarely allowed herself to remember her mother. The memories were bleak, painful. Margery Andrews had been too delicate, too gentle, for the life Reginald had dragged her into.

“
Leave Mom out of this
,” he mocked her cruelly. “Fine, we’ll leave dear old Mom out of it. Get your ass out the door and in my car so we can take our little trip.”

“Why?” The couch was between them, but her way to the open doorway was still blocked. “Do you really think I’m stupid enough to go with you? To let you or anyone you know touch me, Reggie? It’s not going to happen.”

“How ‘bout a trade then?” He paused, watching her intently, his expression triumphant.

“What?” He was insane. Roni could only blink at him in astonishment that he could even consider she would trade her own soul for anything he had.

“A trade,” he repeated softly. “You come with me, Roni, and let the boys do their tests, and I’ll tell you why your momma fought so hard to stay hidden on that mountain. I’ll tell you why she let me use her however I wanted to and however my buddies wanted to. I’ll tell you, girl, who your father really is.”

Time seemed to stand still for Roni. She watched Reginald with a sense of fascinated horror, and yet a grain of thankfulness. A thankfulness that went so deep it nearly made her knees weak.

“You’re not my father.”

“I can see that just breaks your heart,” he snapped dangerously. “What, you think you’re too good to be my girl?”

“I think a snake would be too good to be a child of yours, but that’s just my opinion.” She needed to distract him, to get him to shift position just enough for her to sprint over the couch and run for the door. As long as he faced her from the other side, though, she was trapped. “So tell me, Reggie, why would I care who my father is? He can’t be too important or you would have sold the information already.”

“Would I?” He cackled. God, he actually cackled like some old crone. Weren’t crones women?

“Course you would, Reggie.” She kept her voice soothing, hoping to keep him from becoming too insistent on grabbing her. She could see the intent creeping into his expression, his body bunching in preparation.

“Naw, I wouldn’t tell you this, Roni. Not for all the land in Texas, little girl. Not without a reason. ‘Cause it would have meant my own life. But I’ll tell you now, if you come with me nice and peaceful like.” Calculating and feral, his gaze reminded her of a rabid dog she had once seen.

She couldn’t let him get her out of the house. If she did, his advantage would be that much greater.

“I’m not leaving with you,” she told him carefully, moving farther back, watching him, knowing he had to be insane. “And Taber won’t let you take me, Reginald. You won’t be able to leave the estate with me. You should leave, while you can.”

His eyes narrowed. “Your stinking little cat is too busy to worry about you, little girl. And I won’t take no for an answer.”

He jumped for her then. Roni knew she would have only a second to evade him, only the slimmest chance to dart past him and run for the door. When his hand swiped for her hair she moved. Any time Reginald became furious with her he would grab her hair first. Hold her in place for whatever punishment he deemed necessary.

She felt his fingers brush by her head as she sprinted over the couch, screaming Taber’s name. Where the hell was everyone, anyway?

“Bitch.” She almost made it. She was clearing the couch when he caught her ankle, jerking her back with enough force to take her breath as she fought to turn her body, to shield her abdomen and the fragile life growing there.

She bounced against the cushions, kicking out with her other foot as he fought to retain his grip on her. There was no breath left to scream for help. She needed her strength, her wits about her, to try to escape. If no one had heard her screams, then no one was close enough to help her.

She kicked for his groin and missed, but the force she landed on his thigh had him stumbling back. She jumped and rolled over the couch, her ankle an agonizing ache from the harsh twist he had given it. Stumbling, she bolted for the door, screaming out Taber’s name again as she heard Reginald curse viciously behind her.

“I said you’re going with me.” He caught her hair again, this time delivering a sharp blow to the side of her head that left her dazed and crumpling to the floor from the pain.

“Taber,” she tried to cry out his name again, to warn him, to warn someone. But darkness was closer around her, sweeping through her mind, and she knew she only imagined the bloodthirsty animal’s roar that echoed in her head.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Rage washed over Taber in violent, nearly suffocating waves as he heard Roni’s frantic screams echoing through the house. Merinus had come running for him and Callan when she had first seen Reginald sneaking into the mansion, terrified of his intent.

He had been coming through the backyard when he first heard her screams. He entered the living room in time to see the bastard, fist closed, strike her temple in a blow that sent her to the floor.

There was no question of mercy. No question of reining in the rage tearing through him. His roar echoed through the room as he threw himself at the other man, desperate to alleviate the threat to his woman.

Reginald was faster and in better condition than Taber had anticipated. They rolled across the floor, the older man grunting as he slugged Taber in the ribs with enough force to nearly take his breath and knock him back for a second.

But the animal he had kept carefully leashed all the years of his adult life was free now. There would be no escape, no mercy for the man who had dared to threaten all Taber held dear.

He was aware, only absently, of the men now moving into the room. Roni was pulled to safety as Callan barked out an order to one of the others to find the doctor.

“She’s alive, Taber,” Callan called out as Taber faced off with Reginald. “Let it go. Let the men take him.”

Taber’s throttled roar had Reginald paling as he stumbled backward.

He rushed the older man. His fist connected with the side of Reginald’s head, blood spraying as flesh tore. He jerked him from the floor as he fell, shaking him remorselessly as the older man’s eyes bulged from his head.

“You kill me and you know what happens,” Reginald wheezed as he managed to tear himself from Taber’s grip. “It will be all over the news, boy. Everyone will know.”

“Ask me if I care,” Taber growled, pacing after him as he backed away.

Reginald’s mouth worked desperately. “I didn’t hurt her.”

“You die.”

“Come on, man,” Reginald was pleading now. He edged back along the room, trying to evade Taber as he stalked him relentlessly. “You know I didn’t hurt her.”

Taber stilled. He would have eased the thirst, the fury for vengeance, in that second if the other man hadn’t made the deciding move. Reginald pulled a small, deadly pistol from behind his back, aiming it at Taber’s chest as a smile of satisfaction washed over his face. His finger tightened on the trigger. “Die, cat.”

Taber threw himself to the side as the weapon discharged. Simultaneously, several others went off as well. Rolling to his feet he watched Reginald’s body jerk convulsively from the bullets slamming into his body. One in his heart. One dead center between his eyes. He fell almost in slow motion, the hollow thump of his body echoing around the room.

“Dammit, cat-boy, how many times do I have to tell you how to kill a rabid animal?” Kane snapped as he walked into the room, nudging the body carefully with his foot. “Yep, that’s how you do it. One bullet at a time.”

Taber turned to Merinus’ brother, adrenaline still coursing through him, rage beating like a spike-edged hammer at his brain.

“You call me cat-boy again and I’m going to shove that gun up your ass and shoot you with your own fucking bullets,” he snarled furiously as he went nose to nose with Merinus’ brother. “You don’t like what you work with, then get the fuck out, Kane.”

Kane blinked down at him. Blue eyes, nearly the color of Roni’s, usually hard and cold, seemed to thaw marginally. His hands lifted to his shoulders.

“Truce?” Kane suggested.

Taber breathed in harshly, shaking his head, fighting the rage that wouldn’t seem to abate.

“How did that bastard get in the house?” He turned to Callan then. “I thought we had Merc on him. What the hell happened?”

“Somehow he caught Merc unaware. Laid him out pretty good.” Callan shook his head as he motioned to two of his men to drag Reginald’s body from the room. “We caught him, Taber. It’s over.” Callan slapped him on the shoulder as he sighed wearily. “Go to your woman now. She’ll need you when she wakes up.”

* * * * *

Roni was already awake when Taber stepped into the bedroom. Merinus sat beside her on the bed, talking to her softly as Roni held a damp cloth to the side of her face.

Her shirt was torn, her shoulder scratched, the side of her face already bruising darkly. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

“Is he dead?” He had expected tears, maybe regret. But her eyes shone with a bitter hope that he was.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to her as Merinus rose to her feet and went to leave the room.

“Taber, you did what you had to do.” The other woman stopped beside him, her hand lifting to rub his shoulder consolingly. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. I’m sure there was no other choice.”

There was no other acceptable conclusion, Taber thought. No man who raised a child and abused it should be allowed to live.

He watched Roni as the door closed quietly behind Merinus, seeing the pain that she tried to hide, the fear. Had he finally crossed a line she couldn’t accept?

“He wasn’t my father.” Her voice cracked then. “Why didn’t Momma tell me he wasn’t my father, Taber? Why did she hide it from me?”

It was as though something had finally broken loose inside her. Taber moved quickly to the bed, pulling her into his embrace, his heart breaking for her.

“I don’t know, baby,” he whispered painfully.

“She loved my father.” Her fists clenched in the material of his shirt. “I know she did. She told me she did. Why was she with that bastard? Why did she let him hurt her?”

He could feel the rage pulsing inside her, the pain of years of neglect and emotional abuse. He hadn’t been able to protect her from everything, no matter how hard he had tried. And even now, he couldn’t protect her from the full knowledge of the life she faced. The life their child would face. He could only hold her and pray.

“I would give everything I am to take this hurt from you.” He moved back, staring down at her, his heart hurting for her even as his soul relished the knowledge that he held her heart. She didn’t hate him. She didn’t fear that animal that sometimes broke free. She accepted all of him. And if he could, he would give all he had to save her from this pain.

Her eyes were dark pools of confusion, of hurt, but he could see her trust in him. Her need for him.

“I wouldn’t,” she finally sighed. “I wouldn’t change anything, Taber. None of it, if it meant I couldn’t have all of you. The rest of it doesn’t matter, other than a footnote to the brutality Reginald was. I can live with it. I can’t live without you.”

How could she do this thing to him? Make his chest fill with pride with such simple words? Make him feel as though he could conquer the world with only her smile to back him?

“You will always have me,” he swore, his voice husky, the emotion filling it surprising even him. She filled every part of him. “Always, Roni. Always, you have me.”

She touched his cheek. Almost convulsively his hand rose to hers, gripping it, bringing it to his mouth as he placed a heated, soul-giving kiss into her palm.

“Then I’m happy,” she sighed, a tired, weary little sigh. “Hold me, Taber. Lie beside me and just hold me. Rest with me.”

He lowered her to the bed, pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly to his chest as her head tucked beneath his chin. She settled against his body as naturally as breathing. Comforting. Warming.

“Our child will be loved,” she whispered drowsily.

“Always, Roni. Our child will be adored.” He knew, to the depths of his soul, that it would be no other way.

She sighed heavily, relaxing against him as the events of the past days finally sapped her remaining strength. He heard her breathing deepen, felt her body go lax and he allowed the single tear to fall slowly from his eye. She was his gift. His soul. In her, salvation had come to the man who struggled daily with the animal that lurked inside him. With her, he had finally found his peace.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Aaron Lawrence sat still, frozen, his eyes glued to the television screen, the past rushing over him with the force of a tidal wave. The words filtering through his numb mind held little meaning. All he saw was her face. A face he had thought he would never glimpse.

Veronica Andrews. Daughter of Reginald and Margaret Andrews. His soul screamed out in protest. She was nothing to the bastard who had betrayed him. She was his. His child. The last connection he had to the woman who had completed his soul. The woman who had run in horror from the crimes she believed he had committed.