Chapter 23
Reclined in the back of the moving ambulance, Ivy squeezed the large hand holding hers. August had driven Rami’s truck and Toth had followed. Having spent forty-five minutes giving a statement to police, she was now thankful for the stiff, plasticky bed because at least she didn’t have to sit up.
After the paramedics had checked Ivy over, Rami had urged her out of her soaked sweatshirt and the bulletproof vest then helped her into one of his warm, dry hoodies. Her pants were still wet, but she didn’t want Rami to leave her side to get the dry clothes from the bag she’d packed at Gigi’s hours ago.
The constant whir of the tires and sway of the vehicle made her head pound even more. She didn’t tell Rami that everything around her spun like a carousel. That’d only make him worry. She was light-years from where she’d been—practically sightless and deaf stumbling through the woods.
Knowing that Wayne would kill her for gouging his eye. Knowing Gabriel and Luis would relish causing her pain.
That Fernando would also make her pay.
The moments before Rami’s arrival on the scene hadn’t been good ones. She’d anticipated Wayne’s torture. His slimy touch and more drugs. The fact that she’d walked away without enduring more than bruises and emotional abuse—well, it was nothing short of a miracle.
A paramedic moved close to Rami and cleaned up a cut on his head then added a butterfly bandage. Rami’s free hand rubbed her wrist. “Close your eyes.”
She obeyed the low rumble.
She’d missed his voice. Craved it. He’d been her anchor for the last week, the only steady beacon in a wild sea. She’d known in her heart that he would find her. She wanted to believe she was safe now, but that was a fairytale considering Fernando was still at large. And if he’d been pissed at Rami for killing a few men from the compound, he’d be even more pissed now.
Everything that happened next was a blur. The paramedics rolled her from the ambulance into the ER. Rami walked briskly alongside her moving bed, his hand firmly in hers, so strong and unrelenting. His demeanor suggested he was daring someone to tell him to let go.
Before she could orient herself, she was in a room with bright lights and a doctor was asking her dozens of questions while closing up the wound on the back of her head.
Rami stood at her side on the balls of his feet. When the doctor peeled off her gloves, he cleared his throat and his hand reached for hers again. “Ivy was kidnapped by human traffickers several weeks ago,” he began. “We’re certain she has a tracking device inside her—she needs it removed.”
What?
Ivy’s heart pounded in her chest. She shook her head as if doing so would make the truth go away.
“I’m sorry,” he said to Ivy softly. He brushed his hand over her hair. “I didn’t want to tell you like this. But that’s how they found us—that’s how we found you, too.”
Tears rushed to her eyes and emotion tickled her sinuses.
“Do you remember anything like that happening?” the doctor asked softly.
A chill washed over Ivy’s skin as she was taken back to her worst moments. Even Rami’s hand didn’t warm her. “I—I don’t know. It’s possible.”
“Okay. Give me a few moments to find out how to move forward.” She left the room, and Ivy collapsed into Rami’s arms.
“A tracking device? I’m so stupid. How could I not know they implanted something in me?”
“Hey.” Rami’s no-nonsense tone shook her out of her despair. “There’s no way you could’ve known if they did it when you were unconscious. Can I look you over?”
She nodded. His fingers moved along her skin—neck, shoulders, arms. Next, his hands went to her hair, and he searched her scalp. Moments later he froze. “I can feel something,” he said, kneading the nape of her neck.
Ivy quickly moved her hand to the spot. Sure enough, there was something hard beneath the skin. The doctor returned, and Rami pointed out the area.
After an X-ray confirmed the tracker, the doctor administered some local anesthetic then removed a small cylinder-shaped device from Ivy’s skin.
Ivy shook as she stared at the blasted device that had marked her. Tracked her every movement and reported it back to the very people she was running from. Tremors took hold of her muscles. The room tilted, and Rami tightened his grip on her.
She burrowed her face into his chest.
“Ms. Hastings?” the doctor asked softly. “I’d like to check you for a concussion. Are you up for that?”
“I suppose there’s not much else that could shock me now.”
The doctor gave a sympathetic smile and shined a flashlight into her eyes. After Ivy made a few eye movements, the doctor clicked it off. Ivy blinked at the sudden lack of light. “You’ve got a concussion. It wouldn’t hurt for you to stay a few hours, but I bet you want to get home—”
“More than anything,” Ivy interjected.
Rami’s thumb smoothed over her knuckles, but he didn’t say anything to contradict her wishes.
“Well,” the doctor said, swinging her gaze to Rami and back. “I see you won’t be alone. Just make sure someone is with you for the next forty-eight hours. And get lots of rest.”
Again, Rami brushed her hand.
Ivy wanted nothing more than to be swallowed up by a bed and surrounded by darkness—and Rami’s body. None of which would happen at the hospital. The beeping machines and alarms sounding down the hallway were enough to give her a migraine from hell. She’d taken ibuprofen and hoped to god it would kick in soon.
“Thank you,” Ivy said, as she shuffled forward on the bed, ready to hightail it out of the building before her traitorous body did something stupid to keep her there longer.
A nurse approached with a wheelchair and steered her out of the room. Rami brought his truck around to the front entrance and helped her inside. Warm air pumped from the vents and the seat warmer was on. He got into the driver’s seat and slid a pitying glance her way. “How’s your head?”
“Splitting.”
He buckled his seatbelt and steered out of the parking lot. The clock on the dash read 5:01a.m., and pink daylight was beginning to streak the edge of the sky. Although the roads were quieter than usual, there was still some traffic. Cars whizzed by her window, and the oncoming headlights made her wince and rest her head on the back of the seat.
Rami drove in silence. After twenty minutes or so, he pulled into a long driveway. The jostling of the vehicle prompted her to open her eyes, and she took in the wide bungalow spread out on what appeared to be a double lot. Trees planted around the property created privacy from his neighbors.
“Is this your house?” The words moved like sandpaper over her throat.
“Yup.”
She looked at it with new interest. The steel-gray siding had brick accents, and black shutters accentuated the large windows. He pulled into the double detached garage then got out and moved around to her side to open the door. She hooked her arm in his and waited while he grabbed her bag.
Walking up to the front porch, Ivy took in the cedar porch and railing. “This is beautiful,” she said, as Rami unlocked the large front door made of oak and wrought iron.
He lifted his lips in half a smile. “Thanks. Been here a few years and still tinkering away at renos. I did the exterior this spring.”
“Why am I not surprised you’re good with your hands?”
He swung open the door and flicked on the light. “If you hadn’t taken a hit to the head, we’d test out that theory.”
A thrill stirred in her belly, but the dull ache at the back of her head stopped the thought in its tracks.
He went to the keypad on the wall and quickly entered a code then removed his shoes. She did the same and he took her hand. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”
“Ugh, it’s already morning.” As she said the words, a yawn leaked from her lips. She barely had the chance to take in the wide-plank hardwood floors and cream-colored walls before he steered her down the hallway.
Rami switched on more lights as he passed a couple of bedrooms and led her into the bedroom at the end of the hall. A king-sized bed ate up the center of the room. The two giant windows surely let in a ton of sunlight.
“Don’t worry,” he said, as if reading her mind. “I’ve got black-out blinds.” He picked up a remote from a nightstand and hit a button. Shades rolled down and covered the glass. “Bathroom’s over there. Closet’s there. Use whatever you need.”
“Thank you.” She sat heavily on the bed and tugged off her wet socks then stood to push down her still-damp pants and underwear. Her body craved a warm bath and fresh clothes, but she was just too tired. She had Rami’s nice warm hoodie—now all she needed was to be horizontal.
Rami peeled back the blankets and Ivy crawled underneath. He tucked her in, but she lifted her head before letting it hit the pillow. “Aren’t you staying with me?” God, she hated the needy note in her voice. But had something changed? He’d professed his love only hours before. Maybe he’d spoken with haste and now—
“Soon.” His hand went to her hair, gently stroking. “There’s a couple things I need to do and then I’ll come to bed.”
“Okay,” she drawled. Her head sank to the pillow when his warm palm moved to her cheek. “Don’t be long,” she said sleepily.
He bent down and placed a kiss to her forehead. “Be back in a bit.” A few seconds later the door creaked. Her brain shut off before the light did.
***
Rami rubbed thefatigue from his eyes with the heels of his palms. The crash of adrenaline was almost as jarring as being home. After everything that’d happened, being under his own roof with Ivy in his bed felt far from reality.
His body ached, and he’d give anything for a steaming shower, but he wasn’t going to risk waking Ivy, or worse, having her wake up and not be able to find him.
He pulled off his shirt and tossed it in the laundry room. His muscles protested and he grunted at the aches all over his body. He’d have bruises, maybe a few ribs out, but at least no bullets had entered his body. His skull pounded as if someone were chopping wood on his head. Breezing to the kitchen, he shook out two ibuprofen from the medicine cabinet and downed them with water.
Then, after taking his phone from his pocket, he opened the last text he’d received from Gigi. He hadn’t told Ivy her sister was on her way home because he hadn’t wanted to make her anxious when she needed rest. He hadn’t even realized Gigi had sent a message, but he’d been pretty preoccupied the last several hours.
We got a flight leaving Colorado at 8:00a.m.
Should be home midafternoon.
Please call me with any news.
He glanced at the time. Gigi would likely be boarding soon. He hit call and brought the phone to his ear.
Gigi answered on the first ring. “Hello?” She sounded haggard and breathless, and for the first time, he heard how similar her voice was to Ivy’s.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Ivy... is she okay?” her voice broke, ripping out his heart.
“Yeah, she’s okay.” His answer was weak. Physically, Ivy was stable. Mentally and emotionally, well, fuck. But he didn’t have the energy to go into all that. He’d let Ivy tell her sister what she wanted to when she was ready. “I’d have had her call you, but she’s got a concussion.”
Gigi inhaled sharply. “Are you at the hospital?”
“No, we just left. We’re at my place now and she’s sleeping.”
“And the men after her? Tell me they’re caught and this is all over.”
He let out a sigh and raked his hand through his hair. “Some—most—of the men are dead. The leader is still roaming free, but we’re looking for him.”
Gigi sniffed. “I won’t rest until he’s caught.”
“I know. Look, I’m beat. Let me know when you land and we’ll come see you, okay?”
“Yeah, okay. That sounds good. Rami?”
“Hmm?”
“Give her a hug for me.” Gigi’s words trembled, and he wished she were here to hug Ivy herself.
“I will. Have a safe flight.” He disconnected then poured another glass of water and downed the whole thing. He also grabbed a full glass for Ivy to leave by her bed with the bottle of ibuprofen in case she woke up still hurting.
Switching off the lights as he went, he returned to his bedroom. He placed Ivy’s glass of water on her nightstand and walked around to the other side of the bed.
He lifted the covers and slid into the cool sheets. Ivy moaned and scooted closer. He wrapped his arm around her and she pillowed her head on his shoulder. One slim bare leg slid up his thigh and he held her close, brushing his lips over her forehead.
***
The scent ofbacon and eggs wafted to Ivy’s nose, drawing her from the sleepy cocoon surrounding her. She dragged open her eyes and stared at the blank spot in the bed where Rami had been the last time she’d stirred.
She’d never tire of sleeping next to him.
Rubbing her eyes, she slowly sat up. A tall glass of water stood on her nightstand with pills next to it. Although her head still drummed with the intensity of a nightclub, she avoided the drugs. If the pain didn’t let up she’d take one, but for now she wanted to function and let her body heal without impairment.
Hearing the hiss of a coffeemaker, she peeled back the covers and placed the balls of her feet on the cool wood floor. The room spun a little but not as violently as it had last night. She sipped some of the water and stood. Carefully she made her way to the bathroom and did her business before wandering into the hallway, following the clink-clank of dishes.
Rami stood at the stove, light-gray sweatpants low on his hips and a white T-shirt wrapped around his bulging biceps.
Hubba-hubba.
He glanced over his shoulder. His blue eyes were bright and rested. “Morning. How you feeling?”
She forced a smile. “Much better.” Okay, that was a stretch. But seeing him all delicious and enticingly masculine sure eased some of her discomfort.
“Coffee?”
She took one of the black leather stools at the island and sat. The kitchen featured white cabinets and black-and-brown-flecked granite countertops. Exposed beams stretched from the ceiling in the kitchen to the living room, giving the open-concept area a homey feel. “Sure, thanks.”
He filled a large white mug with the hot brew then set it on the counter in front of her with cream and sugar.
She fixed her coffee while sliding her gaze up his body. “What time did you get up?”
“A couple hours ago.” He pressed his palms to the counter. “Figured you’d be hungry.”
“Starving.”
“I bet you are. Let’s eat. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
He went back to the stove and removed the pan of bacon from the burner then spilled some eggs onto two plates and added the strips of meat. Coming around the island again, he took the seat next to her and placed her food in front of her.
She picked up her fork and stabbed a clump of scrambled eggs. The taste of butter and salt filled her mouth and she groaned. “Ohmigod, this is so good.”
Rami grinned and chomped into one of his six strips of bacon.
“What’s the surprise?” she asked, between mouthfuls. It was a good thing she’d already had sex with Rami because she was anything but seductive and attractive right now.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
She made a face. “I’d rather you tell me.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t like being caught off guard?”
“Nope.”
“Okay,” he said, after chewing a forkful of eggs. “This one you’ll like, but I’ll tell you anyway. Gigi’s on her way home.” He flicked his gaze to the clock on the stove. It read 12:07p.m. “Should be landing in an hour or so.”
Ivy blinked. A flood of emotion ran through her. She wanted nothing more than to see her sister, but Gigi would surely be a wreck if she knew what’d gone on in the last day. “Oh my gosh. She knew...?”
“Yeah. I told her last night. I called after they took you to make sure she’d be okay with me giving the cartel her hundred grand.” He took a sip of his coffee and set his mug down.
“You mean from my rescue? Why would you have to ask her?”
He gave her a lopsided smile. “I planned to give it back to her except for what little costs needed to be covered. It didn’t feel right to keep it. Fernando wouldn’t take the money, so it’ll go back to Gigi today. August will bring it by later.”
She closed her hand over his warm wrist. God, he was so much bigger than her. She’d never not be in awe of their size difference—and of the magnitude of his heart. Looking at Rami, one wouldn’t expect there to be anything more than a cold and distant man beneath all the tattoos and grit.
He was as tough as nails, but not with her.
His gaze raked over her face and his jaw locked. “I wish we’d iced your cheek,” he said, changing the subject. “Who hit you?”
Ivy swallowed, forcing the memories down, but they came back up like a shot of tequila. “Fernando.” She brought her fingers to her aching cheekbone.
“And the hit to your head?”
“Wayne, but you already took care of him.” She forced a wobbly smile. She didn’t want to relive the events of last night. Not when she was in Rami’s cozy kitchen and could easily forget all that’d happened... at least for a little while.
She couldn’t hide from her demons, could only dodge them for a little while.
“The tracking device,” she said, with her gaze on her plate. “You said you used it to find me. What did you mean?”
His expression turned grim. “I wish we’d gone to the hospital right after your rescue. They’d have known what to look for. I’m sorry about that.” He took another sip of coffee. “At the same time, we wouldn’t have found you as easily as we did without it. Dare, Toth’s brother, is a pro hacker. He got into the cartel’s database and found you.”
Her eyes must have popped from her head because Rami grinned. “You had a whole team looking for you, baby.”
Gratitude expanded inside her, and it took all her resolve not to cry. “Thank you,” she said, meaning it with her whole heart. If only Fernando had been found and arrested—then she could really start her healing journey.
Rami must have read her face. He lowered his fork and cupped the back of her neck. “I want you to know I’m going after Fernando. You don’t have to fear him anymore. I promise.”
She blinked away tears and sniffed. “Kind of hard to fear anything when I have you.”
He chortled. “I didn’t do enough. But that’s not the point right now,” he added, before she could protest. His thumb swiped under her bottom lip and desire pooled in her belly.
God, she needed him.
Leaning forward, she pressed her mouth to his. With his hand at her neck, he brought her closer. Plunging his tongue into her mouth, he deepened the kiss. The taste of coffee was strong on his breath and so was the flavor of minty toothpaste. She moaned and brought her fingers to his jaw, stroking the strong line of bone swathed in scruff.
As if her touch undid him, he lifted her from her seat and pulled her to his lap to straddle him.
“Mmm. You taste so good, Ivy. Christ.” He moved his hand beneath the hoodie she wore and his palm froze on the crest of her butt. “You’re not wearing any panties.”
She grinned and nipped his chin. “Are you complaining?”
A deep rattle sounded in his chest. “Fuck no.” His fingers swept over her skin, exploring every contour. Her legs were spread wide, giving him easy access to whatever he wanted.
He dipped underneath her from behind, and two fingers swiped over her slick folds. She found his lips again and slipped her tongue between his teeth. His heat met her, welcoming her inside his mouth.
“Goddamn,” he breathed.
He pushed his fingers inside her and Ivy’s body tightened, ready to detonate.