Chapter Eleven
At least he thought there’d been no movement until he’d gotten closer and saw her shoulders shaking. For fuck’s sake, she was leaning over the steering wheel crying. He opened the door, and she moaned, turning her head to face him.
“Katie, are you okay?”
Fear filled her eyes. She jumped at the sound of his voice, unfastened her seatbelt and started to climb over the seat before he could react. He reached in and hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her out. He held her against his chest. If she wanted to do this the hard way, that was fine by him.
“Put me down. Please, I’ll do anything, just don’t take me to Kaden.” Her voice broke as her body shook, and more tears fell down her cheeks. He looked down at her, and the sight tore at him, twisting his gut and heart. Every part of him wanted to be pissed at her, but he couldn’t blame her if that’s what she thought. If she assumed he was working for her ex. Not after everything that Kaden had put her through. It had to be hard for her to trust anyone. Katie only seemed to trust a handful of people, and his heart ached for him to be one of those, and at one point last night he thought he was. That wasn’t the case now, it seemed.
“You had the pictures and the threat and told me not to look at it. Did you call the police?”
Tears trailed down her cheeks. Her shoulders slumped over as she leaned into the seat. She looked worn out, and no doubt had to be so raw with emotions on the inside. He wanted to take her back to his place, strip all her clothes off and climb into bed, to hold her while she rested. To feel her silky body against his and know that she was safe.
“They came while you were gone, and I knew they’d scare you. That’s why I told you not to look. I was trying to protect you. No, I didn’t call them. Your brother Alex called and wants me to take you to a safe house.” Chad cupped her cheek, running a thumb over her lips. She let out a sigh.
“Chad, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. Seeing those pictures at such a close range, I just figured you’d set up a camera and had taken them. I didn’t want to believe you’d do that. It’s just when I saw the photos, I didn’t know what to think. What other explanation could there be for you to have them?”
Relief filled him that she’d finally come to her senses and believed him. It had torn at his gut and heart that she felt that way. There was no way would he lose her over something like this. For a moment, he thought about telling her he was helping her brothers to bring down Kaden, but she’d been through enough, and they had to get on the road in case Kaden came back and followed them. Soon he’d come clean with her about everything and prayed she would understand.
“I know you were, and I’m sorry for racking you.”
“Yeah, that hurt like a bitch. Put your legs in and buckle up. Alex called on your cell that you left, and he wants me to bring you to the safe house. We have to go now.” He shut the door and made it to the other side, sliding in to fasten his seatbelt before pulling away. In his peripheral vision, he saw her dig into her purse and pull out her cell phone. She more than likely was calling one of her brothers. The thought that he could have lost her scared the hell out of him. After today, she wasn’t getting out of his sight. They might have found a safe place for her and expect him to just drop her off and then leave. That wasn’t going to happen.
“I’m okay, Alex. It’s complicated. I know I should have let you check into him some more. Everything is fine now. He’s bringing me to wherever you told him to. My car spun out, but other than that, I’m fine. We’re going to leave it where it is in case Kaden goes back to look. No cuts or bruises.”
“Will be there when we get there. We’re on the road already and have lost Kaden, from what I can tell. No, tell me they’re not. Call them back and tell them not to come.” Katie sighed. “No, I know they are. Fine. See you then. I love you, too.” She pressed the end button and sat the phone on the seat between them.
“Kitten, come here.” She moved closer to him and placed the phone in the cup holder. Chad wrapped his arm around her. He drew her close to his side. Her being in his arms again felt like coming home. Turning, he kissed her head, taking in the floral smell of her shampoo. “Lay your head down and rest. We have a long drive ahead of us.”
Contentment poured into him as her head fell onto his shoulder. She pulled her feet up on the seat and curled into his embrace. Last night he’d done the right thing by giving her the necklace and once this was over with, he planned to propose to her. Nothing in his life had ever felt so right before. With his attention on the road and her resting, he could put a plan together now to bring down Kaden.
Two hours later he pulled up to the safe house set deep into the woods. At first he thought that he’d gotten lost or that Alex had lost his ever-loving mind. He liked the idea of being secluded. They’d have an advantage of knowing the area when taking Kaden down. The house was like a mansion, bigger than he thought it would be with high windows and none that sat low. This must be one of her brother’s secret places because the average person wouldn’t think to build a house like this with windows high above the ground so no one could easily climb through one of them to get inside.
The last thing he wanted to do was wake her as she rested peacefully. She’d immediately fallen asleep after she’d lain against him. Their last session had utterly worn out her out. Chad could see the emotions clearly etched on her face that she’d felt it deeper that time, and it scared her. Placing the truck into park he turned to wake her, but Alex jerked the passenger door open and shot him a pissed off look. He reached in and took her in his arms, making his way into the house.
“What the fuck did you do to her?”
“I didn’t do a damn thing to her, except keep her safe and bring her to you.” Chad placed the envelopes on the table taking a glance around. Both of her brothers were there. He’d seen this look on Alex’s face before. He knew something was up, and he wasn’t happy about it at all. . Each one looked more pissed than the other. Oh, hell this wasn’t going to end well, but no matter what he wasn’t leaving here without Katie.
“She looks utterly exhausted. What the hell is up with the outfit she was wearing? I swear, if you touched her in any way I’m going to kill you.”
“Look, what goes on between us in private is our business.”
Kevin stalked closer, stopping in front of Chad, arms crossed against his chest. He was known for being one mean motherfucker. No one messed with him. Chad squared his shoulders and met him with an equally mean glare. “I told you not to touch her. She’s not meant for what you want and has been through enough. She needs a nice guy, not a domineering asshole like you.”
“Real rich, coming from you. Does she know that you’re into ménages where you and the other man fuck a woman until she’s exhausted and can’t move? Last time I’ll say it—stay the fuck out of my sex life,” Chad growled.
“I’ll kill him,” Kevin said and charged closer.
Chad pulled away from the kiss and pushed Katie behind him. If kissing her wasn’t bad enough he’d just pretty much staked his claim on her by doing so. And her brothers wouldn’t take too kindly, but he didn’t care. She was his woman, the one he loved and would protect. He clenched his fists together and his jaw locked, ready to defend their relationship.
“Bring it,” he challenged them.
“I told you not to touch her, and now you’re going to pay,” Kevin barked as he got into Chad’s face.
Katie brushed past Chad and he tried to stop her. She stopped between them with a hand resting on each one’s chest. “Stop it, guys.” She turned to Kevin and her other brothers, looking each in the eye and glaring at them. “Who I date or don’t date is none of your business outside of doing a background check on them.
“What did you say?” Chad asked. Last night he’d almost told her that he loved her but had settled for giving her the necklace. The words wouldn’t form on his lips, and at least this way he was staking a claim on her.
Katie turned and held his attention. Tears brimmed in her eyes, causing his heart to turn over. What they had shared earlier hadn’t been one-sided. At the time he wasn’t sure if those were true emotions, or if he imagined them. “Chad, I love you. I know how much giving this necklace to me meant, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else except with you.”
“I love you. You mean the world to me, Katie, and I meant it when I said I’d protect you.” He pulled her to his side and out of the way in case her brothers wanted to start something. Both stood staring at them, still fuming.
Alex stepped forward, glaring at him. “We don’t have time to deal with this now. Kaden is still out there and my men want to bring him down within the next forty-eight hours. Then we’ll deal with this issue.”
“What the fuck, Alex?” Kevin shouted.
“Calm down, Kevin. You know our sister, once she makes up her mind about something. Right now o
If they thought they’d get rid of him after this, they were out of their fucking minds. He wasn’t going any place without her by his side. It was entrenched deep within him to love her and wasn’t something he could turn off and on. She was woven deep in his heart.
****
Katie moved from behind Chad and slipped her hand into his, giving it a gentle squeeze. She couldn’t stay mad at her brothers for long because that’s just how they were, but they needed to relax when it came to her relationships. She had wanted to tell Chad in private that she loved him, but it just rolled off her tongue so naturally. It seemed like the right time. She couldn’t let her brothers get rid of him, because even if they forced him out he’d know that he meant something to her.
Not that she thought they could do that without a fight. Chad wouldn’t go easily. He’d already vowed to protect her, and she knew he would. His thumb stroked her finger, sending tingles across her body. She turned and smiled at him. He leaned over and cupped her cheek in his masculine hand. He then bent to kiss her lips softly. Butterflies slammed against her stomach.
“Katie, I’m going to need your help in bringing down Kaden,” Alex said.
“Sure, whatever you need. I just want this finally over.” Whatever it took to bring him down. She trusted her brothers and Alex’s team with her life. They’d been there for four years keeping her safe, and now Chad was a part of it. Everything would work out. It had to.
The words that came from her brother’s lips forced the breath from her lungs. She hadn’t been expecting that request from him. Surely she’d have to buy time until the team came in to arrest him. If she ever wanted peace again and not to live in hiding, she’d have to find a way to do what her brother had asked. Chad’s hand rested against her hip. As he squeezed, heat seeped into her body. His chest pressed against her back, and she could tell he wasn’t happy about this plan by his rigid stance.
“She’s not going to do this,” Chad said.
Katie turned to face Chad. “You don’t get to make this decision.” His jaw tightened. His eyes narrowed at her before they turned in Alex’s direction, and he looked as if he’d kill him for even suggesting that she put herself in any kind of danger.
“Damn it, I said I’d protect you. This isn’t a good idea or way to do that. The fucking lunatic will come after you, and no one will be in the house to keep you safe. There has to be another way to br
“Katie, think about this. He’s already tried to kill you before.” Chad stepped back, crossed his arms, and glared at her.
She understood where he was coming from, but this wasn’t something she would give up. She loved Chad, but it was time for the nightmare she’d been living to end. It scared her to death to agree to help. But she was strong and could do what was needed to bring Kaden down.
“It’s her decision. I won’t force her into anything. I do believe it’s the best plan.” Alex crossed his arms over his chest as four of his men came into the room. “Do you really think I’d put my sister in harm’s way without having safety precautions in place? This is how it’s going to go down. We won’t go off of the plan at all. Katie, I want you to call him and give him some sob story about wanting to come back. Ask him to meet you here tomorrow at eleven in the morning.” Alex turned and looked each man in the eyes, and she felt a cold chill settle against her body a moment before Chad pulled her into his arms. Her brothers weren’t going to take well to his being possessive of her. Tension grew thick in the room. “Kevin, you’re going to take the east side. My men will take posts around the outside of the house. Chad and I will be closer to the house in case she needs us. We can bust in within a moment’s notice. Katie, you’ll be wearing a wire, and I’ll be able to hear everything that goes down. I want you to get him talking, so we can get more information out of him before we bust in. There will also be cameras hooked up, so we will be able to see everything and use it as evidence.”
“Where will the cameras be?” Chad asked.
“Around the outside of the house to catch him coming up, and then inside the living room should be enough.”
“My men are about done putting the cameras in place. Is everyone clear on what’s going to happen? Use these only if we come under fire. He might have followed them here, but if that’s the case we’ll know before he gets close to the house, with the surveillance in place.”
Katie slipped out of the living room and onto the wooden wraparound porch. Cool air greeted her, and she welcomed it after spending the evening in there with all the tension. She walked to the end of the porch that overlooked the mesas, not that she could see them in the dark, but something about being here calmed her. Memories rushed back of coming here before. This had been the place her brothers had brought her to get away from the pain and turmoil after her parents’ death.
She had felt safe here and hadn’t wanted to go back home. Which wasn’t her home anymore. She had moved in with Alex and Kevin; they had shared a house far enough away from their parents’ place. They had spent a month here after the funeral, and it had been the first time she’d ever had inner peace and wasn’t afraid of what might happen next.
Tears spilled down her cheeks and her shoulders shook. Behind her the door clicked and footsteps drew closer. A hand touched her shoulders. “What’s the matter?” Kevin asked. “Did he hurt you and you’re scared to tell us?”
“No, Chad didn’t hurt me. I remember this was the place you brought me after mom and dad’s death.” She turned into his arms. Letting her brother pull her against his chest and comfort her. It felt good. It had been a long time since she’d let one of them hold her. She had always wanted to be strong and not show any signs of weakness. “Why didn’t she get away?” The words were mumbled against Kevin’s chest.
“I don’t know, Renee. I’ve wanted to call you by your real name all night, but I didn’t know if he knew about your name change.”
“No. He doesn’t know.”
“She wasn’t as brave as you are, and her family wouldn’t help her out,” Alex said as he walked toward her and Kevin. She hadn’t even heard her brothers and Chad come out, but she was glad they were there for her during this time.
The realization hit at once of how she could have ended up different, and the tears fell once again. Sobs tore through her chest as she clung to Kevin. She shouldn’t be crying. She knew that. But it was as if a dam had busted deep within her, and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
“Kitten, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Don’t cry.”
Katie raised her head and meet Chad’s eyes. “It’s not that. I want to help bring down Kaden. All of this is bringing back memories for me. My dad killed my mom and then committed suicide.” She could sense her brothers as they surrounded her in silent support, as she tried to get the words out. “You see, my mom was abused by my dad, and she didn’t make it out alive.”
“My God. How old were you when they died?” Chad asked.
“I was sixteen. I can remember it like it was yesterday. My brothers came to school to get me, and I knew something was wrong. They took me in. Kept me safe and brought me here for a month after, so we could be here for one another. Being back here is bringing up memories that I had forgotten…things I had pushed deep down.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. I promise you. Kaden won’t touch you tomorrow. If he even tries to I’ll rip him apart.”
“I know that. I trust you and my brothers.” She turned to look at her brothers, willing them to understand just how much she cared for Chad and also trusted him. Each nodded at her, but none of them relaxed. They cared for her, and she got that, she really did. All her brothers wanted her to be loved and cared for. After this was over, she was going to sit down and have a talk with them.
“There’s something else. My name’s not Katie. Alex had me change it when I went underground.”
“What is it?”
“Renee. Katie is my middle name. It’s short for Katherine. I just thought you should know in case my brothers slip and call me by real name.”
“That’s why John called you Renee back in the ER. Thank you for telling me.”
She nodded.
Katie slipped from his embrace and turned to hug each of her brothers before slipping her hand into Chad’s and following him to the bedroom.