intact.
She nodded as she slipped
inside the door. She looked around hesitantly, smiling when she noticed he lit
a few candles. “This is a nice room. It’s so big.” She pointed to a bay window
that looked out over a backyard with a swimming pool, two interlock patios, and
mature landscaping. “I’ve always wanted a window seat like that.”
He watched her walk over to
the window and peek out, almost as though she was looking for something or
someone, but she seemed satisfied that the cloak of darkness provided
protection from prying eyes. The cop in him knew right away who she was looking
for. “He’s still out there. He’s still after you, isn’t he?”
She turned around suddenly,
her mouth dropping open, and he saw it in the split-second of sheer terror on
her face. That prick that tortured and tormented her wouldn’t rest until he got
his hands on her again. If he came within two feet of her this time, Tucker
would use the shield of his badge to blow his brains out and call it self-defense.
No one questioned whether a cop had the right to kill a suspect who was coming
at him, threatening him, especially not a cop of Tucker’s ranking.
“I won’t let him hurt you,”
he said, quietly. “I promise, you’re safe here with me.”
She sank down in a leather
club chair in the corner of the room. “It’s been so long since I felt safe.”
She shivered. “I don’t even remember what feeling safe feels like anymore.”
He got up and reached for the
chenille throw at the end of his bed. He bent down in front of her and wrapped
it around her shoulders. “Is that why you came to Brant, to get away from him?”
When she didn’t respond right away, he asked, “Do you know where he is now?”
She nodded before looking
down at her clasped hands. In a voice he could barely hear, she said, “He said
he was going to rape me and slit my throat while I slept.” She pulled the
blanket tighter around her shoulders. “Then he said he’d fuck me one more time,
while I was bleeding to death…” She sobbed. “I can’t get that image out of my
head, Tucker. Every time I close my eyes, it’s there. He’s there.”
He felt the acidic burn of
bile melding with rage rising up in his throat, choking him. He pulled her into
his arms, holding her, rocking her, letting her sob on his shoulder. “It’s
okay, baby. Listen to me; if he ever tries to hurt you again, he’ll have to go
through me first.”
She sank down to the floor
and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ve been so scared for so long…”
He stroked her hair as he
kissed away her tears. “I know, sweetheart. It’s okay. I’ve got you now.
Nobody’s going to hurt you.”
“I want to believe that. God,
I wish I could believe that.”
He framed her face with his
hands and pulled away to look at her. Gone was the sexy siren who’d
propositioned him downstairs. In her place was a fearful, tired young woman
who’d carried the burden of running for her life for too long. “Come on; let’s
get you in to bed. You need to get some rest.” He stood up and extended his
hand to her.
With her eyes on his, she
reached down to pull the tank top over her head.
His hand fell to his side as
he watched her unfasten the skirt and slide it down over her hips. Tucker
watched in horror as she assumed a submissive pose at his feet, and he suddenly
understood with gut-wrenching clarity that she thought this was how sex was
supposed to be.
He took several deep breaths
before he trusted himself to ask the question. “Rachel, were you his
submissive?”
She refused to meet his eyes
again. She merely nodded in answer to his question.
“Is that how you got the
marks all over your body? He whipped you?”
She nodded again.
Tucker had never been interested
in that lifestyle, but one of his buddies, Cole Braxton, was, and from the
stories Cole had told him, a dominant never crossed that line. “Didn’t you have
a safe word to stop him… if you couldn’t
She nodded as she slipped
inside the door. She looked around hesitantly, smiling when she noticed he lit
a few candles. “This is a nice room. It’s so big.” She pointed to a bay window
that looked out over a backyard with a swimming pool, two interlock patios, and
mature landscaping. “I’ve always wanted a window seat like that.”
He watched her walk over to
the window and peek out, almost as though she was looking for something or
someone, but she seemed satisfied that the cloak of darkness provided
protection from prying eyes. The cop in him knew right away who she was looking
for. “He’s still out there. He’s still after you, isn’t he?”
She turned around suddenly,
her mouth dropping open, and he saw it in the split-second of sheer terror on
her face. That prick that tortured and tormented her wouldn’t rest until he got
his hands on her again. If he came within two feet of her this time, Tucker
would use the shield of his badge to blow his brains out and call it self-defense.
No one questioned whether a cop had the right to kill a suspect who was coming
at him, threatening him, especially not a cop of Tucker’s ranking.
“I won’t let him hurt you,”
he said, quietly. “I promise, you’re safe here with me.”
She sank down in a leather
club chair in the corner of the room. “It’s been so long since I felt safe.”
She shivered. “I don’t even remember what feeling safe feels like anymore.”
He got up and reached for the
chenille throw at the end of his bed. He bent down in front of her and wrapped
it around her shoulders. “Is that why you came to Brant, to get away from him?”
When she didn’t respond right away, he asked, “Do you know where he is now?”
She nodded before looking
down at her clasped hands. In a voice he could barely hear, she said, “He said
he was going to rape me and slit my throat while I slept.” She pulled the
blanket tighter around her shoulders. “Then he said he’d fuck me one more time,
while I was bleeding to death…” She sobbed. “I can’t get that image out of my
head, Tucker. Every time I close my eyes, it’s there. He’s there.”
He felt the acidic burn of
bile melding with rage rising up in his throat, choking him. He pulled her into
his arms, holding her, rocking her, letting her sob on his shoulder. “It’s
okay, baby. Listen to me; if he ever tries to hurt you again, he’ll have to go
through me first.”
She sank down to the floor
and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ve been so scared for so long…”
He stroked her hair as he
kissed away her tears. “I know, sweetheart. It’s okay. I’ve got you now.
Nobody’s going to hurt you.”
“I want to believe that. God,
I wish I could believe that.”
He framed her face with his
hands and pulled away to look at her. Gone was the sexy siren who’d
propositioned him downstairs. In her place was a fearful, tired young woman
who’d carried the burden of running for her life for too long. “Come on; let’s
get you in to bed. You need to get some rest.” He stood up and extended his
hand to her.
With her eyes on his, she
reached down to pull the tank top over her head.
His hand fell to his side as
he watched her unfasten the skirt and slide it down over her hips. Tucker
watched in horror as she assumed a submissive pose at his feet, and he suddenly
understood with gut-wrenching clarity that she thought this was how sex was
supposed to be.
He took several deep breaths
before he trusted himself to ask the question. “Rachel, were you his
submissive?”
She refused to meet his eyes
again. She merely nodded in answer to his question.
“Is that how you got the
marks all over your body? He whipped you?”
She nodded again.
Tucker had never been interested
in that lifestyle, but one of his buddies, Cole Braxton, was, and from the
stories Cole had told him, a dominant never crossed that line. “Didn’t you have
a safe word to stop him… if you couldn’t
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