WildLoving (11 page)

“I can’t promise you anything, Rabb. Not until I know what
it is.” She really hoped he was going to be honest with her about what
happened. It unsettled her to think he might keep something like this from her.

“Okay.” He raised his head and swiveled, bringing his bent
leg up onto the sofa so he was facing her. “I would have told you sooner, but I
wanted you to enjoy Christmas.”

Everything inside her settled. Of course, that’s why he
hadn’t told her. It was just like Rabb to keep his worries from her so she
could enjoy the day. There was no real threat because he was with her every
second and they hadn’t ventured outside the door except to go down one floor to
his parent’s place.

He took a deep breath and wrapped his hands around hers.
“Jason came to see me yesterday morning.”

If he was going to be honest, then so was she. “I know.”
Rabb had opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and studied her as if she
were speaking a foreign language. “I was in the hallway and heard his voice.”

Rabb frowned. He looked formidable with his brows pulled
down and lips drawn in a straight, disapproving line. “Why didn’t you say
something?” he demanded.

“Why didn’t you?”

Rabb looked as if he wanted to yell but didn’t. “Because I
didn’t want to worry you. Not until I had to.”

She shrugged. “Me too.”

“How much did you hear?” He rubbed his fingers over the back
of her hand. He looked so handsome with his hair slightly tousled and his eyes
catching the glint of the Christmas lights.

“Most of it, I think. He accused me of stalking him, of
being crazy. The whole thing about me hurting myself is new.”

“Fuck. You heard almost everything.” He released her hand
and rubbed his fingers over his jaw. “You should have said something.”

She pointed her finger at him. “No, you should have said
something.”

“Okay. It’s pointless to argue, but we need to decide how
we’re going to handle things from here on. He doesn’t know for sure that you
work for me, but it’s best to act like he believes it.”

“He won’t give up.” She shivered, feeling colder all of a
sudden. The heat from their lovemaking leached from her body with each passing
minute. “I called Detective Zurkowski.”

Rabb’s eyebrows rose. “You did?”

She nodded. “I figured it was the right thing to do. He told
me to stay out of sight, keep my eyes open and call him if Jason showed up
again.”

“I taped the entire conversation and pulled the security
recording from when he was here. I’m documenting everything. If that bastard
tries anything, he’s not going to slither out of it this time.”

“Thank you for believing me.” That was one of the reasons
she couldn’t be mad with Rabb for keeping this from her until now.

He frowned. “Of course I believe you.”

“No, there is no ‘of course’ about it. You believed Jason
the last time he told you something about me. He’s very persuasive.” And very
dangerous. She tugged the robe more snugly around her as if it were some kind
of magical protection against him.

Rabb’s entire face tightened. “I’ll always be sorry for
that. Always have regrets.”

She reached out and touched his arm. “No regrets. I should
have found you and demanded an explanation.”

He covered her hand with his. “No, that’s all on me. I was a
stubborn fool. But not anymore. If he tries to take you from me this time, he’s
asking for trouble. If he’s smart he’ll walk away and leave you alone.” He
paused. “I called Archer again. He’s going to dig into Jason’s past but doesn’t
think he’ll be able to talk to many people until after the holidays.”

Rabb leaned over and grabbed the television remote off the
end table. “Now enough about him.” He turned on the power and flicked through
the stations until he found a holiday movie. “How about we snuggle up and watch
a movie.”

He patted his lap and she scooted forward. She liked being
so close to him. He smelled masculine and woodsy, a combination of his soap and
his natural scent. She felt secure when he was around. That was his greatest
gift to her. It was allowing her to heal so she could stand on her own two feet
again.

Because as much as she’d like to think otherwise, she knew
Jason wasn’t done.

Eliza waved at Denver as he left for the night. The New Year
had started out good for the club. They’d all been flat-out busy New Year’s
Eve, but today was quieter. Eliza figured everyone was hung over after all the
celebrating last night. People were probably home watching football and resting
up for work tomorrow morning.

She looked around the kitchen. Everything gleamed. Every
surface was wiped down. Denver ran a tight kitchen, a tidy one. The only thing
left on was the coffeepot.

What the hell. She wasn’t going to go to bed for hours yet,
not until Rabb was finished work. She checked her watch, figuring she had three
or four hours before he even thought about calling it a night. It might be slow
in the club, but Nevar had taken the night off to spend with Allison, and Rabb
wouldn’t leave until everything shut down.

She grabbed a mug and filled it with the last of the coffee.
It didn’t take her long to wash the carafe and reset the pot, ready for Denver
to turn on when he arrived tomorrow.

Eliza pulled up a stool and sat at the counter. The music
from the bar wafted into the room, but otherwise it was quiet. It was rare for
her to get a moment alone these days. Rabb kept a tight watch on her since
Jason had shown up. But there’d been no sign of him since before Christmas. She
prayed he’d given up even though she knew he wouldn’t.

He was too obsessed with her to do that. And she couldn’t
even figure out why. She was okay looking, but certainly not fashion-model
material. She hadn’t flirted with him when she’d worked at Bruno’s. Truthfully,
she’d barely noticed him until he’d started making a nuisance of himself. She’d
been too caught up with Rabb to notice any other man.

Rabb—he certainly occupied all her thoughts. She wrapped her
hands around the mug, raised it and took a sip, letting the potent dark liquid
slid down her throat and warm her belly.

Their lives had become entwined. They worked together, lived
together and played together. They’d spent quiet evenings at home reading or
watching television. They’d had dinner with his family often.

Eliza loved Rabb’s family. His parents were eccentric, the
type of people who saw the opportunity for fun in every situation. She admired
them greatly. Nevar intimidated her at times, even though she knew he didn’t
mean to. Like Rabb, he had a commanding presence. Allison was kind and they’d
had coffee together several times while the men had worked late at the club.

His family had quickly become hers.

And the nights, the nights were something special. They made
love often. Sometimes slow and sweet, other times hard and fast. Her skin
warmed and her nipples tightened. Rabb made no secret of how much he wanted
her.

With each day that passed, she grew stronger in body and
spirit. She felt better than she had in a long, long time. It felt good to be
earning money and pulling her own weight. Her one concern with Rabb was he
wouldn’t let her pay for anything, not rent or groceries. That would have to
change. No way she was living off him. It made their relationship too
unbalanced.

Her stomach jumped and she shoved aside her coffee. Her life
would be darn near perfect right now if it weren’t for the threat of Jason
lurking over her.

She rubbed her damp palms over her jean-clad thighs. It
always came back to Jason. Maybe she should call Detective Zurkowski again. But
she had nothing new to report and surely he would have called her if he’d
discovered something new.

Then there was Rabb’s friend—Jaime Archer, the private
detective. Rabb hadn’t heard from him in a few days. But with the holidays,
many businesses had ground to a halt and a lot of people were out of town. And
she knew Jason well enough to know he would be out socializing and partying,
being seen with the right people in the right places. Image was very important
to him.

Which was another reason his fascination with her was
puzzling. She didn’t work in a field that would help him advance, nor did she
have any powerful relatives. All she’d ever wanted was to open a small café of
her own. Not a big dream in the scheme of things, but it was hers.

The sound of female laughter just outside the kitchen made
her smile. She could easily imagine the group of women heading to the powder
room together. It made her a little sad. She hadn’t had a close female friend
since high school. She and Betsy had been close until Betsy’s parents had moved
halfway through their final year. They’d sent a few letters, called a few
times, but eventually they’d lost track of one another.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” she muttered. Taking care
of her sick grandmother while she’d been in college had cut down on her
socializing. Between school and work there simply hadn’t been time for her to
cultivate friendships.

But everything was different now. She and Allison had made a
connection. After all, they had one big thing in common—they were both in love
with a Hatter brother.

Eliza slid off her stool and pushed it back in place. She
suddenly needed to see Rabb. She dumped her remaining coffee down the drain,
rinsed the mug and left it in the sink.

Then she noticed the two bags of garbage by the back door.
Denver had forgotten. He usually took them on his way out. She could leave them
there overnight, but the industrial garbage bin was just outside, only a few
steps from the door.

It was time to stop being a coward and start living as
though Jason wasn’t a part of her life. Eliza strode across the room, unlocked
the door and opened it. She grabbed the two bags of garbage and peeked out into
the alley. It was a dead end with only one point of entry. The streetlight
illuminated the metal container. The cold air seeped through her sweater,
making her shiver.

The first day of the New Year was certainly a cold one. They
might even get a sprinkling of snow overnight, but for now the sky was clear.
She listened but heard nothing beyond the sounds from the street.

She stepped out and hurried to the disposal unit, quickly
tossing the bags into the bin. A chill raced up her spine, one that had nothing
to do with the icy weather. Someone was watching her.

Eliza spun around and automatically shoved her hand in her
pocket. Her phone was there. Before she could pull it out, Jason appeared like
some demon slithering out of the darkness.

“I knew you had to come outside eventually.” He sounded so
calm and rational. The wind ruffled his hair, but he didn’t seem to notice the
cold. But then again, why would he when he was wearing a long gray topcoat.
Leather gloves covered his hands. He looked like exactly what he was—a
successful businessman.

Eliza ran her finger down her phone, pressing what she hoped
were the right buttons. Both Rabb and the detective were in her favorites.
Hopefully, she was dialing one of them.

Keeping one eye on Jason and the other on the door, she took
a step toward safety. Jason moved with her and she knew if she tried to make it
to the door, he’d stop her. She quickly glanced around the alley searching for
a weapon. But there was nothing there.

This was one time that Denver’s penchant for cleanliness and
order, even in the alleyway, went against her. Denver was all about not giving
vagrants or rodents any reason to take up residence. Eliza wouldn’t have minded
a stray broken bottle or stick right about now.

“I didn’t expect to find you lurking in the alleyway behind
Hatter’s.” If she’d managed to dial someone and they were listening, they’d
know where to find her. “What do you want?”

He frowned. “I want you to come with me.”

“Why?” If she could keep him talking, maybe Rabb would come
looking for her, or someone would come down the alley. Not likely, but it was
all she had.

“Why? Because you belong with me.” He tilted his head to one
side and studied her as if she weren’t too bright.

“I don’t understand.” She was so cold she was beginning to
shiver. She suspected fear was also making her knees weak. Sucking in a breath,
she tried to order her thoughts. “I’m not your type,” she pointed out.

“Is that why you ran from me?” He smiled and spread his arms
wide. “By the time I’m done with you you’ll be polished and perfect. The right
haircut and clothing and you’ll be perfect by my side.”

She really didn’t like the way he used the word
perfect
several times, as if she were a doll he could remake in the image he wanted.

“But I like myself exactly as I am.” She sidled closer to
the door, trying to do it so slowly he wouldn’t notice.

He frowned then, drawing his dark eyebrows down. “But you’ll
be so much better when I’m done with you.” He took a step toward her and she
took one closer to the door. “You have no money, no breeding, no family and I’m
offering you everything.”

She shook her head. “Not everything. All I want is for you
to go away. All I want is my freedom.”

His gloved hands fisted at his sides. “I don’t know why you
continue to be so difficult about this, Eliza. I had to discipline you once,
don’t make me do it again.”

Her stomach churned and her coffee almost came up, but she
swallowed it back. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he was
scaring the crap out of her. Her scars ached in remembrance. Was that how he
thought of it? He’d been disciplining her because she’d done something to
displease him.

Well, she knew him better this time. She’d done a basic
self-defense course through one of the shelters where she’d spent a few days.
Not much, but she knew enough to go for his eyes, nose, throat and testicles if
he got close enough.

A sense of calm radiated through her. She could do this. She
had to do this. She had too much to live for now. The thought of Rabb finding
her gone, or worse, finding her dead body in the snow sent a blast of anger
rocketing through her.

No. Hell no! She wasn’t going to allow Jason to take any
more from her than he already had. “Go away, Jason. You’re not wanted here.
I’ll never go with you.”

“It’s Hatter, isn’t it?” He took another menacing step
toward her. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a knife. She shivered and
almost panicked. She recognized that knife all too well.

“I knew it,” he continued to rant. “You’re sleeping with
him, aren’t you?” His face grew redder with each passing second. Maybe if she
got lucky he’d work himself into a heart attack.

She saw the movement in his eyes a split second before he
attacked. She threw herself to the left and brought up solid against the side
of the brick building. Her shoulder throbbed but she kept moving, trying to get
around Jason so she could run out the alley.

When he lunged, she whirled away. He thrust the blade toward
her and caught her, slicing through her sweater. A sharp pain radiated up her
arm and blood stained the wool.

“See what you’re making me do?” He sounded more like a
petulant child than an adult. His usual smooth, deep tone was gone.

There was no reasoning with him. Eliza drew in a deep breath
and screamed. It wasn’t as loud as she’d hoped, mostly because she was almost
hyperventilating. A combination of fear, cold and blood loss was making her
feel lightheaded. She knew she was close to going into shock. She recognized
the feeling from the first time he’d attacked her.

He lunged and his dress shoes caught a patch of ice. Instead
of hitting her head-on, she managed to slip away. But not before his blade
found her other arm, leaving a shallow slice.

While he was off balance, she spun around and shoved him as
hard as she could. He stumbled and hit his head against the wall. But it wasn’t
enough to knock him out. Eliza staggered toward the door. It was unlocked. If
she could get inside she could lock him out and find help.

She lurched toward the door and wrapped her fingers around
the handle. An inhuman sound came from behind her. She yanked the door open,
but had to let it go when Jason leapt at her. She fell and rolled, trying to
keep away from him.

He was completely crazed now, just like the last time. He
stabbed at her, but thankfully missed. “How dare you attack me?” he yelled.

She hit the far wall and shoved to her feet. Her vision
blurred. The door seemed miles away. She’d almost made it.

She curled her hands into fists, ready to strike out at him.
He might kill her, but he’d damn well wear her mark. She was beyond cold now,
almost numb. Her left hand was wet. She frowned and looked down. Blood dripped
from her fingertips onto the dirty snow in the alley. She wiped her hand on her
jeans.

Jason came at her, knife raised. She shifted her weight,
ready to fight.

He never reached her.

A deep roar echoed in the small space. Jason went flying
through the air as if tossed by some unseen hand and hit the brick wall. Hard. Eliza
blinked not quite believing what she was seeing.

Rabb grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Are you
all right?” he demanded. “What the hell were you thinking being out in an
alleyway by yourself?” He half dragged, half carried her across the alley to
the open door.

“Rabb?”

He stopped and his big body shuddered. In a heartbeat his
entire demeanor changed. His grip became gentle and his tone softened. “Yeah,
baby, it’s me. You’re safe now.”

But he wasn’t. She saw the shadow of Jason rising behind
Rabb like some monster in a horror flick. Rabb must have seen the panic in her
eyes, because he moved swiftly, practically tossing her through the door. “Call
9-1-1,” he ordered even as he pivoted to face Jason.

“I’m going to kill you, Hatter. You touched what was mine.”

Rabb shook his head. “She was never yours.”

Jason smile was sly. “Are you sure about that?” he taunted.

“Yes.” Rabb said nothing more. Jason’s smirk disappeared.