Chapter Forty-Four
D aniel leaned against the bathroom door and watched as Keira buttoned up her blouse. “Why can’t you take a few more days?”
“Daniel, I need to get back to my life. I’m not letting that man ruin anything else for me.”
“But you’re still having headaches every day and get tired easily.”
Keira finished putting on mascara before she looked at him leaning against the bathroom doorjamb. “I know. I promised everyone if I got tired...”
“You mean when you get tired.”
Her eyes narrowed on his in the mirror. “Or, if I start getting a headache, I will lie down in the back and rest. Layla probably won’t let me stay the whole day anyway.” She sidestepped around him.
“I don’t like you out of my sight right now.”
“I know, and I get that. But I’m going to have Layla and Vicki there with me at all times. Daniel, I’m not going to let him win.”
Daniel bit back his frustration and fear. “Fine, but I’m taking and picking you up.”
Keira’s eyes closed for a fraction of a second. He said that three times now. “I know, Daniel. Let’s go.”
“You’ll eat some breakfast first.”
Keira rolled her eyes and continued to walk down the stairs. He’d also said that three times. “Fine.”
Layla burst out laughing at the disgruntled look on her sister’s face as she came through the front door, followed by Daniel.
Keira frowned at her. “Not funny.”
Layla shrugged. “Yeah, it kind of is.”
Keira ignored Layla. “Hi, Vicki.”
Vicki hugged her tightly. “I’m so glad you’re doing well and back with us.”
“She won’t be staying all day.”
Keira growled at Daniel over her shoulder, then rolled her eyes when he raised one eyebrow. “Goodbye, Daniel. I’ll call when I get tired.”
Daniel stuck his hands deep into his jeans’ front pockets and smiled. “No, I’ll be checking on you all day, and if by chance I’m not here when you get tired, Layla will call me to come get you.”
Keira glared at her sister. “Traitor.”
Layla shrugged. “So, sue me.”
Daniel left shortly after. The morning went fast with customers after customers coming through the doors, but she was glad to be back doing something constructive. It took her mind off the mess her life was in.
Conner had stopped in, Blane and Logan had been there twice, and Daniel three times already. Keira watched as cop cars traveled slowly back and forth in front of the store or parked across the street.
Layla came up beside her sister as she was straightening up a shelf. “Keira, if you don’t go lie down, I’m calling Daniel to come get you.”
“When did you turn into such a nag, Layla?” Keira softened her insult when she pulled Layla in for a hug.
Layla shrugged. “Since forever.”
Keira raised her hands. “Fine, I’ll lie down, but if you need me, don’t hesitate to wake me.”
“Absolutely.”
A frown pulled at Keira’s brows. She knew that look on Layla’s face, and she didn’t trust it a bit. “I mean it, Lay.”
Layla’s lips twitched. “I know.”
It could have been a minute or an hour of sleep when the nightmare started. He had his hands on her, choking and hurting her as he spoke in her ear, the heat of his breath made her shake in revulsion, and bile slithered up her throat.
Keira started to struggle, but couldn’t seem to get away this time. He kept hurting her, and she couldn’t find the strength she needed to run. Suddenly, her worst fear was happening—her sister was in the nightmare with her, and the man had a hold on her, too. Keira went wild and fought harder. She wasn’t going to let anything happen to Layla.
Pain shot through her arm as it connected with the table by the sofa, waking her abruptly. Keira sat up, disoriented, nervously looking around the small room, and hugged her injured arm to her stomach.
Keira took several calming breaths before she attempted to move. She examined her arm, thankful she didn’t break the skin, but it would definitely swell and leave a bruise.
Her body jerked crazily, and she slapped her hand over her mouth as a scream started fighting to get out. When Keira realized the nightmare was still happening, it hadn’t stopped even though she was awake. A man’s voice, one she will never forget as long as she lived, was talking to Layla in the storage room next to the office.
Keira looked frantically around the room for a weapon. She remembered she still had the Mace in her purse. She pulled it from the bottom of her purse and crept toward the doorway, barely keeping from making a sound as she listened to them talk. Only when she heard about something shipped did she realize who it was. She had seen him just about every day when he dropped off the boxes of supplies they’d ordered and was amazed she hadn’t remembered his voice.
At first, she couldn’t remember his name. Adam. Why would he terrorize and hurt her? She’d never been anything but polite to him. He never acted strangely or weird toward her. How could he terrorize her every day and still face her during the day at the shop? She could remember him asking about Daniel a few times and if she was getting enough rest. But she hadn’t thought anything of it.
Keira wanted to rush in there but was afraid he’d hurt her sister, so she stood quietly, waited, and listened. She took a step out when the back door closed.
Layla turned and caught sight of her sister and rushed to her, concerned. “Keira, what’s wrong?”
“You need to call Daniel.”
Layla gripped her sister’s shoulders when she swayed. “Of course, but if you need to go home, one of us can take you.”
Keira shook her head as tears burned her eyes. “It’s not that. That was him.”
Layla looked confused. “Who’s him?”
“The UPS guy, he’s the one that attacked me.”
“Adam? Are you sure?”
“I couldn’t be more...”
Both women jerked toward the back door as it swung open. “Here are your last two boxes, Lay...”
The women stood horrified as Adam’s smile crumbled. A deep, cold anger flashed over his features before he seemed to soften.
“Listen.” He took a step forward with a hand out, making them take small steps back. “No, wait. Just listen. I didn’t mean for it to go that far. No one was supposed to get hurt.”
Keira gritted her teeth and clung to her sister. “Why? What did I ever do to make you hate me that much?”
“I don’t hate you at all, Keira. I was trying to hurt Daniel.”
“Why?” she yelled. “I didn’t even think you knew each other.” Keira pulled her sister closer to the door and behind her toward the main showroom.
“Wait. Listen. I’m so sorry it went so far...”
Keira’s eyes darted over him. “Where are your injuries? I know I cut you, I know I got your face.”
Adam raised his hand to his throat, where a turtleneck covered the area. “No, you got my throat and my arms and legs.”
“Easily covered up by the shirt, I see,” Layla commented angrily.
Adam took another step toward them.
Keira held up a shaky hand toward him. “Stop, Adam. Don’t come another step closer.”
He held his hands out, palms up in front of him. “Just let me explain. Maybe we can figure it out and not get the police involved.”
Keira laughed a little hysterically. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
A dark cloud of violence breached his eyes before Adam lunged at them. Layla screamed and tried pulling Keira away, but her sister fought her.
Keira screamed. “Layla, run, go get help.” She heard Layla dart away and raised her hand, and when Adam came within two feet of her, she sprayed him in the face and kept spraying him until he was writhing on the floor with his hands pressed to his face, screaming, choking, and trying to take a breath.
The back door flew open, hitting the side of the building with such force that the boxes in the room shook. “What the hell...” Daniel took in everything. “Keira, stop. He’s down, Baby.” He walked cautiously around the man on the floor toward her. He pried the empty bottle out of her hands and threw it across the room, then pulled her into a tight embrace against his chest.
Within seconds, the room filled with men.
Conner ran to them. “Keira, what happened?”
She couldn’t seem to hold her head up, so she kept it against Daniel’s chest. “That’s him, Conner. That’s the man who attacked me.” Her voice shook so hard she didn’t know if they even understood her.
The men looked down at the screaming man with different degrees of shock.
“Pick him up and get him out of here. The paramedics will have to be called,” Conner ordered the police that now swarmed the room.
Layla ran into the back room and looked frantically around until she spotted Keira. “Keira!” she yelled.
Daniel lifted his head as Layla ran, and Logan walked briskly toward them.
Layla wrapped her arms around her sister from behind as she stood in Daniel’s arms, still, and it didn’t look like he was going to let her go anytime soon. “God, Keira, are you okay?”
Keira nodded, turned her head toward her, and smiled. “I’m more than okay.”
Layla walked to Logan a few feet away before she was pulled against his side. They all watched as the paramedics loaded the moaning man onto a stretcher and wheeled him out.
“Did he tell you anything, Blane?” Conner asked when the other man came back into the room.
“Not yet, but we’ll get the information as soon as we can get him out of the hospital.”
Keira raised her head as her eyes widened. “Hospital? I just sprayed him.”
Conner laughed. “Oh, you sprayed him all right. He got it in his eyes, mouth, and throat. But when he fell and was jerking around on the floor, he opened up some of the other wounds you inflicted on him.”
Keira scowled at him. “You make it sound like I’m the mean one here.”
Conner snorted. “Oh, I wouldn’t say mean, just scary as hell, and I hope I never piss you off.”
Keira chuckled and shook her head.
Daniel kissed the side of her head and held her tighter as her shaking became more pronounced. “You ready to go home yet?”
Keira looked at Layla. “I’m going to head out, if that’s okay? But I’ll be in tomorrow.”
Layla rolled her eyes. “Like I’m going to tell you no. Go home and rest. Logan’s going to stay here until we close.”
“Blane and I will be over later to take your statement, Keira. We’ll get Layla’s while we’re here.”
Keira nodded as Daniel led her out the back door. Daniel belted her into his car, and they started to drive to his house—which was actually hers now, too.
Her mind kept spinning, but her body lost momentum, and she was asleep within five minutes.