Chapter Forty
“Jeremy, I thought that was you.” Jade’s friend Lily approached with a man at her side. “This is Bryan Philips. He also works with us.”
Jeremy held out a hand. “Nice to see you.” Jade had so many co-workers it was a blur who he’d met before and who he hadn’t.
The man shook his hand firmly. “I believe we met briefly when Jade was … Well, it’s nice to see you again, during happier times.” He quickly covered, clearly not wanting to bring up the miscarriage in mixed company and Jeremy vaguely placed him from that horrible day. “We’re glad Jade’s back at work. You’re a lucky man.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Jeremy nodded.
“What do you say we find the groom a drink, Lily?”
“I’m only helping if you plan on finding one for me too.”
There was a tickle at the back of Jeremy’s collar as Bryan and Lily headed toward the bar. Turning, he found Jade behind him.
“Wouldn’t they make an adorable couple?” she whispered. “I’ve been trying to convince Lily to go out with him for months.”
“Are you telling me to keep an eye out for other signs that you’re turning into your mother?”
Jade opened her mouth and scoffed. “You know what? I’m going to find my mother right now and tell her you said that.”
“No!” He grabbed for her and she slithered out of reach, sticking out her tongue as she looked back, laughing. He cursed and shouted, “I love your mother!”
“Ah, I remember those arguments,” a man with a familiar voice, but a face he could not place, said from beside him. He was older, likely in his seventies, and had silver hair and smiling eyes.
“I’m sorry, you seem familiar, but I can’t recall your name,” Jeremy said, facing the gentleman.
“Dr. Stevens. Katherine works for me and I own that there cottage your wife rented. We spoke on the phone a few times before you had the alarm installed.”
“Oh, right. How are you, Dr. Stevens?”
“I’m well and yourself? Ah, don’t answer that, boy. Anyone married to Jade couldn’t be anything but well.”
Jade looked stunning—a bit too stunning, as men were watching her from every corner. It was a tossup who was watching her closest, him or her husband. The man never let her stray out of his sight, always turning from conversations to see who she was talking to and who was making her laugh. He was a fool for letting her dress like that in the company of so many men.
She greeted him briefly when he’d arrived, her surprise at seeing him evident, but he wasn’t satisfied. He was in her home at her invitation and needed to make it count. He was determined to find a keepsake from the evening.
Placing his glass on a table in the hall, he surveyed the room and casually walked up the stairs. By now, the majority of guests were too drunk to realize who was who, and he’d seen others use the stairs. The trick was acting entitled, that way no one questioned you.
Guests were saying goodbye at the front door and if he wanted to take something of hers, he would have to make it quick.
He passed a room that clearly belonged to a child. He approached another door and found a linen closet. A door down the hall opened and a woman walked out. He looked inside and saw it was a bathroom. That left one more room. Her bedroom.
He turned the knob and slowly pressed the door open. On the other side was a huge tree of man, and a woman. He’d clearly caught them in the middle of something.
Uncaring about their embarrassment or need for privacy, he stepped into the room. “I’m sorry. I’m looking for my wife’s bag.”
“Well, thank you for helping me find my coat, Trenton,” the woman said, scurrying from the room. The man shot him a hard glare as the woman fled.
Undeterred, he sifted through the coats on the bed until the guy left. Once the room was empty, he closed the door tightly. Returning to the bed, he picked up a pillow and breathed in her scent.
“Jade…” His cock twitched.
Once he had had his fill, he quietly perused her drawers, sniffing her personal items and—Someone’s coming.
He gently closed the drawer and slipped into the master bathroom. Well, well, what do we have here?
In the corner of the room, just below the hinges of the door, was a tiny wisp of white lace. Crouching low, he scooped the lace off the floor. Brushing his thumb over the crotch of the garment, a rush of blood flooded his cock. Traces of her left the fabric damp. He pressed it to his face and breathed deep.
Heaven.
Sensing company, he pocketed the lace and flushed the toilet. Running the water, long enough to appear to be washing his hands he took a quick peek around the room for any other souvenirs worth keeping. Shutting off the water, he hummed as he left the bathroom.
A woman sliding into her coat smiled. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone else was in here.”
“Quite all right,” he said. “Just using the facilities.”
He continued to hum as he traveled down the steps to rejoin the party. His glass waited for him as if he had never been gone.
Jade was distracted from her conversation by the sound of Mia crying. Following the whimpers, she found a tired Mia holding her elbow in the hall.
“What happened, honey?” The poor child had bags under her eyes. It was way past her bedtime.
“I got a boo-boo,” she sobbed, showing Jade a scrape on her elbow.
“Oh. How did that happen?”
“I tripped.”
“Does it need a kiss?”
Mia nodded and Jade examined the injury. It was only a little scrape, but it was bleeding.
“Excuse me, Jade?”
She turned from her crouched position on the floor at the sound of Nathan’s voice. “Are you leaving?” she asked, maintaining Mia’s hand in hers.
“Unfortunately, yes. I’m in court on Monday and I have a ton of paperwork to look over tomorrow, but I wanted to thank you, again, for inviting me. It really does mean a lot.”
“Let me walk you out.”
“What about my boo-boo?” Mia asked and Jade apologetically looked back at Nathan.
“Who has a boo-boo?” another voice asked. Jade turned as Bryan approached. “Oh, my,” he said, crouching low. “That is a boo-boo. You know, I’m a doctor. I could have that fixed up in no time.”
Mia smiled and Jade relaxed. Bryan was apparently charming to all age groups. He stood. “Where would I find Band-Aids, Jade?”
“Upstairs bathroom, second shelf on the left.”
He turned back to Mia and smiled. “What do you say we fix up that boo-boo?” Mia took his hand and followed him up the steps.
“Friend of yours?” Nathan asked.
“Yeah, we work together. Come on, I’ll walk you out. I could use some fresh air.”
Jeremy watched Jade leave with Nathan and politely excused himself from the conversation. At the door, he stared through a narrow window as Nathan dug in his pocket for his keys. When he finally retrieved them he said a few words to Jade, smiled, then leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.
Jeremy tolerated it, simply because the man was leaving and, hopefully, they wouldn’t have to be in his presence again for a long, long time.
Once Nathan crossed the street, heading toward his car, Jade turned and walked up the path to the house. Earlier, cars had lined the block, but now there was only a spattering of those who still remained. Nathan disappeared from view and Jeremy opened the door for Jade, startling her.
She paused and accusingly looked him in the eyes. He didn’t care if she knew he was watching her. It was for her protection.
Straightening her shoulders, she brushed past him and said, “You can relax now. He’s gone.”
Jade took the stairs to check on Mia, hoping Bryan found the Band-Aids in the few minutes she’d been gone. Of course, according to her husband, two minutes was too long unattended when it came to Nathan Lithe. But she refused to let old issues upset her on such a special night.
She didn’t know what else she could say on the subject. They were simply never going to agree when it came to Nathan Lithe. She didn’t like having unresolved issues in her marriage. But so long as there were no other incidents revolving around her assault, she couldn’t see Nathan’s name being incorporated in many conversations between herself and Jeremy.
She might as well let the dispute rest and focus on better and brighter things. Considering how much her husband disliked him, that was probably a good thing.
As she reached the top of the stairs, she saw Bryan leaving Mia’s room. “How is she?”
He placed a finger over his lips. “She’s out cold,” he whispered, stepping aside to show Mia sleeping in her dress under a princess blanket. “She’s fine. It was just a small scrape. Shouldn’t scar or anything.”
“Wow, Bryan, if I didn’t know better I’d assume you were in pediatrics.”
“Nah, I prefer all the excitement of the ER. Besides, it’s sad seeing a child hurt, you can’t make fun of them like you can the big people.” He nudged her in the arm. They did see some strange things in their line of work.
Lily’s voice echoed up the steps. “Bryan, you up there?” Oh yes, Lily was drunk.
There were only a few guests left, Kat and Tyson being two of them. Jade could hear the lingering company saying their goodbyes. This was the point of the night where she could finally stop playing hostess.
Lily stumbled up the steps. “Wha’re you guys doin’ up here?”
Jade laughed. Her friend rarely drank more than a glass of wine.
“I’ve been lookin’ all over for you,” Lily shouted.
Bryan shushed her as Jade quietly closed Mia’s door.
“I thing I’m drunk,” she loudly stage whispered, resting her elbow on Bryan’s shoulder. “I thing yer gonna have a drive me home, Philips!” She enunciated his name and giggled, letting out a hiccup. In the next second, she shut her eyes and let out a not so feminine snore right there on his shoulder while still standing up.
Jade sighed. So much for her match making. “Do you want me to help you get her to your car?”
“Sure.”
After retrieving Lily’s coat and helping Bryan feed her arms through the sleeves, they each took an arm over their shoulder and carefully ushered Lily down the steps.
Surveying who was still there, Jade saw Kat napping on a chair in the corner, her hand gently cradling her belly. Jeremy and Tyson’s voices echoed from the kitchen. It seemed the rest of the guests had left.
As they maneuvered Lily through the front door, she moaned and both Bryan and Jade laughed. She was completely out of it but still able to semi-lurch her way down the path.
They shuffled her down the now vacant street to Bryan’s car. He was about a block away from the house and, again, Jade wished she’d put on a coat before coming outside.
Shivering, her teeth chattered. As they hefted Lily along, Bryan made small talk. “So how do you like married life?”
“I love it,” she admitted and he grunted in reply. Lily was now completely unconscious and nothing but dead weight.
He fumbled in his pocket for the key and the alarm disengaged as the lights flashed in the darkness. Struggling to keep Lily upright, they quickly shuffled her into the backseat. Once she was inside and safely buckled, Bryan shut the door.
Taking a step back, Jade rubbed her now freezing arms. She needed to get back inside before she froze to death.
“You’re shivering.”
Her teeth continued to chatter. “I’ll be fine. I really appreciate you taking Lily home. She doesn’t drink often, but when she does, she forgets how to pace herself.”
“It’s no problem.”
Tilting his head, as if he wanting to say something, he instead reached in his pocket and pulled out a brass Zippo and a pack of cigarettes.
“I didn’t know you smoked.”
He couldn’t possibly expect her to wait out here, chatting, for the length of a cigarette in nothing but a silk gown. She took another step back, slush touching her toes and making her hiss as the icy water saturated her satin pump.
“Careful.” He steadied her and dropped his lighter.
“Oh.” She bent to pick it up for him and her body went completely numb.
The world slowed as her stomach rolled, ice suddenly filling her veins as her heart ground to a painful stop. Her entire being froze as her wide eyes focused on the very small, but very clear number four engraved in the side of his lighter.
He cursed and her heart exploded in her chest, pounding back to life. He drives a black SUV!
Stumbling back, she looked at him, disbelief making it impossible to accept as fear clawed at her frigid insides.
“Jade—”
Spinning on her heel, she bolted.
“Wait!” Her body jerked as he gripped her gown, shredding the back wide with a tug.
“No!” Her voice echoed down the empty street.
He dragged her back to him. “Don’t scream!”
Palming her fist, she slammed her elbow into his ribs and he grunted. “Get off me! Jeremy! Help!” Her screams broke into sobs as he struggled to detain her.
Frantically, she squirmed, trying to break free of his grip. His cold hands snaked around her waist, her feet lifting off the frozen ground. She elbowed him again and screamed, but he was too close.
“Stop fighting,” he growled through gritted teeth.
Twisting in his arms, she clawed at his neck, her dress bunching around her legs. Her heart pounded furiously as she pressed her palm into his face, her fingernails gouging into the fleshy parts of his cheeks. The moment his grip slackened she stumbled free and kneed him in the balls, but he predicted her move and locked his knees around her legs.
The world spun and her back slammed against the frost-covered car, her head snapping back as sharp pain radiated through her shoulder, ripping the breath from her body. “No! No! Help!” Her shrill screams echoed in her ears as panic overwhelmed her.
“Stop screaming!” He jerked her shoulders and shoved her harder against the car.
The frozen exterior burned her skin as she pushed at him with all of her strength. Her weak attempts made him seem incredibly strong. “Help—”
He slammed her against the car again, her skull smacking against the glass. Pain flashed white behind her eyes. She was going to throw up. Her vision blurred as he shoved a hand over her mouth and gave her head a hard push.
She whimpered as all sound washed away to a droning hum. His lips moved beneath his angry eyes and she frowned, unable to hear him or anything over the ringing in her ears.
He jerked her shoulders again, shaking her until her teeth rattled. Terrified she was going to pass out, she begged, “Please… Don’t… Don’t hurt me…”
But her words clumsily fell from her lips, not making sense to her own ears as her vision winked in and out. Something jabbed into her side and her strength waned.
“Why…”A sharp, metallic scent filled the air as everything went black.