Chapter 5
Five
SLOANE
Aweek passed. It lulled me into a false sense of security.
Using money I’d saved from my baking venture to send Callie to her first tae kwon do class, I was excited for her, despite my financial worries, when she returned home filled with hyper chatter about it. She’d loved it. She signed up and was now officially in training.
Things were progressing nicely for me. Flora, the owner of the village’s most popular café, had contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in baking cakes and pastries for her to sell every Saturday.
She said she’d advertise my name. It was a no-brainer.
Of course I said yes. We’d discussed what treats she was interested in selling, and I made plans on how to prepare everything in time to deliver early Saturday morning.
When my car didn’t show up halfway through the week, though, I found Walker at work and he’d told me the garage had to order in a part so it might be another few days.
Feeling agitated about the growing cost of this fix, I wanted to argue with him, but he made an excuse to depart and that was that.
He was being extra icy around me lately.
I’d apologized, so I didn’t know what else I could do.
Walker hadn’t seemed to me the kind of person who held a grudge, but I didn’t know him all that well.
Friday came around, and I was brimming with anticipation. Regan was taking Callie to tae kwon do after school, which meant I could get home and finish up Flora’s orders. I’d already started prep at the crack of dawn and was trying not to yawn my way through work.
When I let myself into Byron Hoffman’s room, I was a lot more relaxed than I had been. I hadn’t seen the asshole all week, and Mrs. Hutchinson told me he was leaving tomorrow. The weekend housekeeping would give it a thorough clean upon his departure for the next guest.
Mind on my cake and pastry plans for the night, I cleaned his room on autopilot. I’d just pulled the sheets off the bed, bundled them in my arms, and was heading toward the cart I’d left outside when the bedroom door opened.
My heart jolted in my chest as I halted.
Hoffman stepped into the room and closed the door, leaning against it.
Fear rooted me to the spot as my instinct screamed the opposite.
Run.
He raked his eyes over me, nothing behind them except what he wanted.
I cleared the terror from my throat and said as forcefully as possible, “Mr. Hoffman, let me by.”
His lips curled at the corners. “We both know these doors automatically lock once closed. There are no cameras in here. There’s no one but you and me.”
Nausea rose in my gut as my breathing grew shallow. “Let me out.”
“I’ve seen the looks you give me.” He took a step closer and I retreated, dropping the laundry. My eyes darted around the room, searching for escape, searching for a weapon. “You can’t look at a man like that and then not follow through.”
My attention whipped back to him, and I sneered. “You’re delusional if you think for one second I want anything to do with you.”
He bridged the distance between us and slapped my face so fast, I didn’t have time to avoid it.
An explosion of light filled my vision as hot pain radiated across my cheek and down my shoulder. Discombobulated, it took me a second to realize I’d fallen against the bedpost before hitting the floor.
“On your back, just as you should be.”
I blinked, clearing my vision to find Hoffman towering over me.
Unbuckling his trousers.
Rage and stunned horror tore through me.
This was not happening.
Not today. Not ever.
As he got to his knees, I drew mine back and slammed my feet into his chest with every ounce of strength within me. He cursed as I shoved him and scrambled to my feet. There was no space to pass him. He’d grab me.
“Fucking bitch!”
I crawled onto the bed, almost across, when a hand clamped down on my calf.
I screamed for help over and over as his nails dug into my leg, and I clawed at the bed for purchase, trying to pull away.
But then he was over me, his hand on my head, crushing me into the mattress so I could barely breathe, much less shout.
Panic suffused my entire being and I flailed helplessly, my mind split between trying to breathe, trying to free myself, and trying not to think about the hard body holding me down, the hands tearing at the waistband of my pants.
Black spots covered my vision.
Then there was a muffled bang.
A roar of fury.
The crushing weight disappeared, and I lifted my head, air rushing into my lungs as I panted. My vision cleared.
Two men grappled with Hoffman.
Walker.
I was safe.
Relief drained me, and I sagged against the mattress as I watched Walker and the other man pin Hoffman to the floor. Walker’s face was a mask of icy rage as he asked his companion if he had a firm hold on him.
“I’ve got the fucker,” the man snarled with a nod.
Recognition hit me.
The other man was a club member.
A Scottish actor. North Hunter.
What?
Walker stood, chest heaving as his eyes met mine, and his anger flared brighter.
That roar of fury I’d heard …
It was him.
“Are you all right?” he demanded.
I sat up, feeling my pants loose around my waist and flinching. “I’m okay. He didn’t …” Nausea rose in me again, and I took a deep breath to shove it back down.
Eyes still on me, Walker unclipped his walkie-talkie from his belt. He held it to his mouth, button pressed so hard it was a wonder he didn’t break it. I kept my eyes on him. Couldn’t look at the monster pinned to the floor. “Jock, this is Walker. Code 12 in Room 21. Need immediate assistance.”
Code 12?
I shakily swung my legs off the bed but couldn’t bring myself to stand.
Walker looked down at North and Hoffman. “You still got him?”
North had his knee in Hoffman’s back. “I’ve still got him. If you want, leave him in here with me.” He pressed his knee deeper into Hoffman’s back, and Hoffman yelled at North to get off. “I’d love a chance to teach the bastard some manners.”
Walker seemed to consider this for a second before he gave a quick shake of his head. Instead, he turned. He cleared the rage from his face as he walked slowly toward me. I had to crane my neck to keep his gaze as he stood over me, his brow creased with concern.
Recognizing the question in his eyes, I shook my head as the rest of my body trembled with shock. “He didn’t … he didn’t have time to …”
He reached out to touch my cheek, and I instinctually flinched. His arm dropped. “Sorry,” I whispered.
“Never apologize …” Walker cleared his throat. “You need ice on your cheek.”
I’d bruise.
How the hell would I explain that to Callie?
Tears burned my eyes, and I finally forced myself to look at Hoffman. I hated men like him. I despised them with the kind of hatred I didn’t even know existed in me.
He’d planned to rape me.
The thought made the room sway.
Thundering feet out in the hall drew my spine up. I wanted to disappear, hide somewhere they couldn’t see me.
But Jock was striding through the open door with another member of the security team and at their back …
Lachlan Adair marched inside, expression thunderous, dangerous, as Aria hurried after him. Lachlan was a tall man with an intimidating aura, a presence that filled a space. Both he and Aria took in the scene, and Lachlan asked me hoarsely, “Are you all right?”
I nodded, embarrassed, even though I had nothing to be embarrassed about.
Aria stared at North pinning Hoffman, and wrath flashed in her eyes. “What the hell happened here?”
North jerked his chin toward Walker. “I was talking to Walker down the stairwell when we heard the housekeeper—”
“Sloane,” Walker bit out. “We heard Sloane scream for help. I had a key to Hoffman’s room, so we burst in and found him attempting to rape her. We got here in time.”
I curled in on myself at his blunt retelling in front of all these people.
I wanted a sinkhole to open up.
“Perhaps, Ms. Howard, you could see to Sloane while we deal with Hoffman,” Walker suggested.
Aria hurried over to me, peppering me with questions as I stood on shaky legs to leave the room. We were halfway down the hall when the vomit rose before I could stop it, and I bent over, hurling my lunch all over the expensive carpet.
I realized I was worrying about the stain out loud when Aria wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me away, telling me not to worry in a soothing voice.
The next thing I knew, I was in her office, a throw blanket wrapped around me, holding an ice pack to my cheek and a mug of hot tea in my other hand. Lachlan and Walker, having dealt with Hoffman, found us, and I had to endure their questions.
I explained my previous run-ins with Hoffman, how I’d told Walker.
Walker explained that’s why he had a key to Hoffman’s room, that he’d begun sticking close when I was cleaning the suite.
He’d been late to the floor that afternoon, then North Hunter had distracted him, and that’s why he hadn’t seen Hoffman enter.
He’d looked furious at that. At himself.
“It was a good thing North was there,” Lachlan said. “It’s one thing for Walker to witness it, but North’s account is damning. Hoffman’s gone. It also means the police will have more than enough evidence to arrest him.”
Horror filled me. “No police. You didn’t call the police?” I asked frantically.
Lachlan frowned, and I noted Walker stiffen out of the corner of my eye. “Not yet. We’re holding Hoffman until you decide what you want to do.”
“No police.” I turned pleading eyes on Aria, who knew exactly why I didn’t want the police involved.
She gave me a small, reassuring nod before telling Lachlan, “No police. We can’t force Sloane to report this.”
“And if he does this to other women?” Walker bit out.