The Millionaire Falls Hard (12 page)

'Carrie!' He managed to catch her before she fell to the ground. Her face was white and she was shaking badly. Jake lifted her into his arms and took her as quickly as he could back to the safety of the project building. He put her down gently in a chair and kneeled beside her. Two more police officers appeared from nowhere to guard the entrance to the room whilst the project leader offered to call for an ambulance.

'No!' screamed Carrie. 'I'm not going to hospital. There's n-nothing w-wrong with me. I won't go. I w-won't.' Carrie was completely hysterical, her teeth chattering as the shock set in.

'Carrie, you're hurt. We'll have a doctor see you here then.' He turned to the project leader. 'Is there a doctor you can call? And can someone make her a cup of sweet tea for the shock?'

Carrie put her face in her hands and started sobbing uncontrollably. Jake gathered her into his arms.

'Ouch! ouch! ouch!' she screamed as he touched the shoulder that had slammed against the post and then into the wall.

Jake tried to remove her jacket to check the damage.

'No!' Carrie gathered her jacket tight around her.

Something had triggered in her brain and she was terrified of allowing anyone to touch her.

Jake felt completely helpless as he watched her sitting there, looking broken. After a few minutes of heart-wrenching sobs Carrie became quieter. With the tea placed in front of him, Jake tried again.

'Here, drink this, it will help.' He put the tea to her lips and blindly she took a sip. Her face screwed up against the excessive sweetness of the hot liquid.

'More. I'll not be satisfied until you've drunk the lot.'

Carrie drank the tea, allowing Jake to continue holding the mug to her lips as if he was feeding a child. When she'd finished, Jake took her chin gently between his thumb and fingers and turned her face to look at him. He studied her closely. Her eyes still looked haunted but she'd lost the crazed look. The tea had done its job. With his other hand he brushed her hair away from her face and smiled at her tenderly.

She gave him a watery smile, her face starting to break up again. Jake couldn't bear her pain. He took her face in his hands and gently kissed away her tears. Carrie moved her hands to his chest as she responded to the touch of his lips on hers.

Jake pulled away.

'I'll be here for you Carrie. To the best of my ability I'll protect you. Until Alan has caught this monster who is doing this to you.'

Carrie heard his words and they hurt. He would only be there until the person was caught. She found that thought disconcerting. She thought she wanted him around longer than that but couldn't understand why. Jake saw the frown cross her face and kissed her again.

The project leader came back into the room with a doctor in tow. Jake moved away as he heard them enter.

'Will you let the doctor examine you now?'

Carrie nodded her head. She seemed to have lost the use of her voice. Jake went to leave the room with the project leader.

'No!' Carrie found her voice.

'Stay. Please,' she indicated to Jake.

*

As Jake watched the doctor carry out a thorough examination, he gave free reign to his own tangled thoughts. He found himself physically shaking as he went over the events and what might have happened if the police hadn't shown themselves so promptly.

'Would the perpetrator have hung around and done something far worse to her?'

He felt an overpowering need to protect Carrie. It must be man's primitive instincts kicking in, he thought. Why else would he feel so strongly about a woman he didn't know very well. Granted, he'd read her wrong, but there were still those remarks made by Gemmell. He couldn't get them out of his head, and yet a part of him wanted to. He didn't want her to be the person Gemmell had painted. This was the first time he'd seen a woman as anything other than a bed partner. But then this was a pretty unique situation that he had got himself caught up in. He inwardly sighed, now wasn't the time to make sense of his thoughts.

He looked up as he heard Carrie scream in pain. She had removed her jacket and blouse to allow the doctor to check her shoulder.

Jake gasped in shock when he saw the damage. Already, the top of her arm and the shoulder, front and back were black and blue. No wonder she had screamed when he'd touched her. Instinctively he went over and held her other hand as the doctor continued to feel the injury and move her shoulder around.

Jake's gaze fell to Carrie's breasts and he noted the nipples straining against the lacy fabric of her bra with each breath that she took. He felt the usual stirring in his loin. He longed to take them and mould them in his hands. They were as beautiful as he'd imagined them to be in his dreams. Carrie noticed where Jake's gaze had fallen and shyness slammed into her.

She tried to take her hand away and cover herself but Jake held firm, he didn't want to break the contact with her.

'Sorry,' he mouthed, 'wrong time.'

His gaze suggested at a time that would come soon.

A knock at the door broke the moment. As Alan entered the room, Jake reached for Carrie's jacket and draped it over her shoulder to provide some privacy. As he intended having a relationship with her, it seemed fine for him to see her nearly naked but he wasn't going to afford that privilege to someone else. Carrie was grateful for his consideration.

As Jake went to leave the room with Alan, Carrie stopped them. 'I want to hear whatever you have to say.'

'Are you sure?' asked Alan

'Yes.'

Alan looked across at Jake, who nodded. It was funny how Jake seemed to have become the prime carer of her in less than twenty four hours. Alan didn't mind, it gave him an opportunity to just be a policeman and be a bit more objective.

'Well, we caught him. There were too many people on the street to allow him to get away. I'm afraid we're not much further forward though. He's just a youth. He says he was approached by a man just minutes before and told to ram you as hard as he could. We've got the money he was given. If we can lift any clear prints from it we'll run them through the database and see if we get a match. Unfortunately, he says the man had a wide brimmed hat on and dark glasses so he's only been able to give us a partial description.'

Carrie shuddered at the thought that whoever it was who was tormenting her had been so close. As if sensing what she was thinking, Jake came back and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Whilst Alan continued to talk, the doctor strapped up her shoulder and gave her some pain killers. As Carrie tried to replace her blouse, she realised that there was no way her clothes would fit over the bandages.

Jake was doing a good job today at reading the situation - he went across to his suitcase and removed one of his own, clean shirts.

'Here, try this.' Jake helped her get it on and did up the buttons. It was hardly flattering but it gave her some dignity. He then draped his own jacket across her shoulders.

Knowing that whoever was intent on hurting her might still be outside, Carrie was nervous about leaving the building and getting into the car that was waiting outside to take them to the airport. The police and project staff formed two lines across the pavement, whilst Jake stayed close and helped her in. She winced with pain. She felt tears coming again as she realised there was no way she would be able to hide the attack from Charlie. She took a few deep breaths to fight them back. As the car moved away, Carrie rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes.

She marvelled at how safe she felt with Jake. He'd been wonderful with her since last night, so caring and gentle. If she wasn't careful she could get used to having him around and she wasn't sure she was ready for that. She glanced across at him and met his gaze. She coloured slightly as she realised he'd been watching her.

'How are you feeling?'

She gave a small shrug.

'Sore. Exhausted.'

'It's certainly been an eventful trip. Is life always this exciting with you around?' Jake tried to lighten the atmosphere.

Carrie gave him a tired smile, grateful for what he was attempting to do. Jake gently gathered her to his side, mindful of her sore shoulder, and she closed her eyes to sleep.

Chapter 8

Carrie was beginning to feel restless with her inactivity. Since she'd returned from London just under a week ago, she'd been cosseted by Moira, fed regular, nourishing meals and banned from doing any work. For the first few days, the strong pain killers she was on had forced her to spend a lot of the time sleeping, but the pain was subsiding and boredom had set in. Her doctor had visited to check her shoulder and now a physiotherapist was working with her to get it moving again. She'd been very lucky apparently not to have broken anything.

Alan had been in to see her - the police weren't any further forward in knowing who it was. He'd spoken with Jake about security in her home and they'd agreed she needed electric gates and a camera entry system along with perimeter fence security. Carrie was angry when she'd heard this. How dare they discuss her behind her back.

Alan had reasoned with her and eventually she had reluctantly accepted it was an urgent necessity.

Jake had arranged for a firm he trusted to do the work and they'd finished yesterday. She hated that her harasser had forced her into living in a prison. She knew she was being melodramatic but that's how it felt to her.

She was now allowed to sit in the garden room and receive daily updates from Lynne on work. She supposed this was progress. She looked around the room at all the flowers she'd received - from her mother, her friends, her agent and from people she didn't even know - all of which had had to be checked before they'd been allowed into the house.

A floral display from Jake had been placed beside her bed. He hadn't been in to see her, but he'd phoned to check on her before he'd left on an emergency trip to the States.

She thought again about Jake as she revelled in the warmth of the sun shining in through the glass. Her thoughts were still so confused where he was concerned. She couldn't deny he'd been good to her, but she still remembered the times before when he'd been rude. She wondered if he was being nice because she was a victim. Would he go back to being cold and rude? She didn't want him feeling sorry for her. She didn't do pity.

She felt her face flush as she fantasised about his hands exploring her body, touching her breasts, teasing her nipples. She wanted to feel him all over her. She got hot at where her thoughts were leading. She didn't know how she would ever face him again when she couldn't control her thoughts about him.

*

The doctor had finally signed her off and given her permission to return to light activities. Carrie was so excited that she'd sent Moira and Lynne home for the rest of the day so she could just enjoy the peace of her own company. Charlie was having a sleepover at Lynne's house. It seemed such a novelty to be able to make herself a drink and snack without being fussed over. Moira had been wonderful and she couldn't have managed without her, but she just wanted to feel what it was like again to please herself.

She spent the afternoon and first part of the evening catching up with work and phone calls. She would have to go to the States soon to finalise the film contract. She decided she would tie that in with a visit to Miami to see her mother and to dispose of the property she'd lived in with her ex. She'd been surprised to discover the house hadn't been sold but then with him in prison there was no-one else to do it. With her trip to look forward to she settled down in her living room with a glass of wine and her favourite film.

Just as the film was finishing, the phone rang. Given the lateness of the hour, it made her jump. She nervously went to answer it.

Carrie gasped as she heard an unfamiliar voice on the end of the line. Fear gripped her as he told her he would get her tonight. How did he know she was on her own?

For a brief moment she heard
a vague familiarity in the voice but it was badly slurred. She was rooted to the spot, clutching the handset. It was a moment before she realised the voice had gone. Automatically she replaced the handset, physically shaking as all the trauma from the attack came back. Her teeth started chattering with fear. She jumped when the phone rang again.

She screamed.

It stopped.

Another phone started to ring and didn't stop.

It finally registered with her that it was her mobile. She forced herself to go through and answer it - only friends had that number.

'Carrie?'

No answer.

All Jake could hear was ragged breathing.

'Carrie, is that you? It's Jake. Carrie, speak to me!'

The hairs stood up on the back of his neck, something was wrong.

'What's happened?' Silence. A sob broke from her.