Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
R ubbing her head on the hard surface she was resting on, Pippa tried to find a softer place. “Oof!” she complained as she opened her eyes. An expanse of lightly furry man’s chest filled her view. Pippa froze, listening to see if he was awake.
“Good morning, little girl. Did you sleep well?”
“Oh! I’m sorry.” Pippa squirmed backward away from his heat, but the band of fiery steel tightened around her.
“I’m quite enjoying your closeness, kitten. Toothie, however, seems to be trying to eat my face.”
Lifting up on an elbow, she discovered that her stuffie rested directly over his nose and eyes. “Oops! Bad stuffie,” she told the alligator as she quickly pulled it down. Maybe he hadn’t seen her hand wrapped around the tail of the fierce creature.
“I think Toothie wanted me to check if he had morning breath. Maybe I should see if you do?” Zale suggested, leaning forward to press Pippa back into the pillows behind her.
She focused on his mouth growing closer and held her breath in anticipation. Zale pressed his lips lightly against hers as if testing her response and then returned to deepen the exchange. A thrill ran through her as he took his time, seducing her with perfect kisses that made her want another.
When his tongue swept across the seam of her lips, Pippa didn’t hesitate. She opened her mouth to invite him in. Lifting her arms to wrap around his neck, she accidentally bonked him in the head with Toothie.
Zale shifted back a few inches to meet her gaze. Amusement twinkled in his eyes. “I’m starting to think Toothie doesn’t like me.”
Shaking her head vigorously, Pippa stammered, “I-I forgot I was holding him. S-Sorry.”
“There’s no problem, kitten. I’m glad I distracted you. How about if I put Toothie right over here on this pillow?” Zale suggested, gently tugging the stuffie from her hand.
As he placed the alligator safely away from them, he leaned back down to continue where he’d been interrupted. This time, her fingers traced the grooves of the muscles in his shoulders as he explored her mouth. Daringly, Pippa touched the tip of her tongue to his. His deep hum of enjoyment made her repeat the motion before tasting his lips and dipping into his warm mouth.
No morning breath here. Was there anything wrong with Zale?
“Stop thinking, kitten. Enjoy.”
Pippa gripped him tighter, wondering how he always knew so much about her before following his instructions. She abandoned herself to his kisses. He rewarded her with a few more sizzling kisses before tasting the sensitive cord of her neck. Stretching her head to the side to give him full access, Pippa shivered at the delicious sensation. The faint scratch of his morning whiskers added one more layer to the thrills he lavished on her.
She blinked up at him when he lifted his mouth from hers. The heat in his eyes pushed the fire building inside her to an urgent need. “Don’t stop.”
“If I don’t, we’re never going to leave this bed, kitten. We need to file a report at the police station,” he reminded her.
Instantly, her mind jumped back in time. She panicked like she was still zip tied to the door, going somewhere to what she knew in her gut would be terrifying. That helpless sensation reverberated inside her, making her blood run cold. She clung to his powerful form as fear stiffened her muscles and closed down her thoughts.
He held her pressed against him. She could hear the murmur of his deep voice but couldn’t concentrate on the words. He rocked her slightly back and forth as his hand stroked the hair from her face. Slowly, she emerged from her panicked state.
“There she is. You’re safe here, kitten. Can you talk to me? Tell me what’s going on in your brain.”
“I’m scared, Zale. I don’t want him to know I’m still around,” Pippa admitted.
“I know, little girl. I’m going with you. You’ll be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
Tears filled Pippa’s eyes, blurring her view of his concerned face. Deep inside, she knew she could count on Zale. He was rock steady. His word was his vow.
“How am I ever going to pay you back for helping me?” she said, hating the weakness in her voice.
“There are some things no one needs to repay, kitten. Especially not to your daddy. I’d love to get my hands on him and give him a taste of the terror I know you experienced, but he’s not important to me. The justice system will deal with him. My focus is solely on you, Pippa.”
“I wouldn’t have met you without this happening,” she whispered.
“That’s something positive to hold on to while we deal with this last hurdle. What’s your favorite breakfast?”
Blinking up at him, she struggled to jump from the plan to make a police report to breakfast treats. “I-I like pancakes.”
“The big plate-sized ones or silver dollars?”
“Small ones,” she whispered. “Can I have one more kiss?”
“You can have as many kisses as you want.”
The exchange that followed made her almost forget their plans for the day.
“Sir, you can wait here while we interview Ms. Twinner,” the police officer told Zale.
“No. I mean, I need him with me,” Pippa insisted, squeezing Zale’s hand. There was no way she was going into another section of the police station without Zale. She’d trusted someone once.
“Officer, Pippa was abducted. She is understandably concerned about her well-being and needs support. She came in voluntarily to file a report to help prevent anything from happening to others. Should we leave and return with an attorney?” Zale asked in a firm but respectful tone.
The officer looked back and forth between them before nodding. “Alright, you can come. You’ll need to be quiet and not signal any instructions to Ms. Twinner.”
“I can absolutely do that.”
“Follow me.”
The next hour felt like it lasted a week to Pippa. She told her story and shared her physical injuries repeatedly. The officer took extensive notes before excusing himself.
Even after he left, time seemed to drag slowly. Finally, the door reopened. This time three people entered, the original officer along with a man and woman dressed in suits. The original officer hung back, leaning against the wall as the others took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the table.
“I am Detective Moore, and this is Detective Wilcox,” the woman stated. “We’re going to review your statement with you before we have you sign it. If there are any additional details or any corrections, let us know.”
“You’re detectives? Does that mean you’re going to arrest him?” Pippa asked.
“Right now, we’re going over the report,” Detective Wilcox answered, revealing nothing. “Let’s start with how you applied for a job.”
They asked questions and jotted notes on the original statement. Pippa remembered some things she’d forgotten to tell them. Now, seeing tiny warning signs, she couldn’t believe how dumb she’d been.
As if he knew what she was thinking, Zale stated firmly, “You did not ask for or deserve any of this. His criminal intentions are completely his.”
“It is very clear that you are the victim here,” Detective Moore echoed before refocusing on the statement.
Finally, Detective Wilcox sat back. He handed the statement to the officer observing and asked him to update it and return for Pippa’s signature. When he had left, the detective stated, “Off the record, I will share that Jacob Scroggins, Jr. is no longer a patient in the hospital. The woman who he struck with his car contacted the police station and informed us yesterday afternoon that Mr. Scroggins had voluntarily funded the repairs on their van. They will not press charges. The ticket for causing the accident can be paid electronically if Mr. Scroggins does not wish to contest it. I expect he will choose to do that.”
“So, he’s gone. He gets away with keeping me captive in his car?”
“There is no evidence that links you to the accident. The responding MPs mentioned that there was possibly a passenger, but that they had not found that person at the scene or during a cursory search of the surrounding area. They did have a bloody zip tie as evidence, but that it was handed to them by a medic who stopped to help. It’s dubious that it could be admitted into evidence in a legal proceeding.”
“What about the car? Can’t you see the grooves in the door handle? Most of those were there before I was in the car. He must have done this to more women,” Pippa pointed out.
“The car was towed from the scene and its whereabouts are unknown,” the female detective told them. “The Scroggins family is very powerful. We’ve investigated them in the past and they’ve skated free. You are very lucky to have escaped.”
“I should have come directly here,” Pippa said.
“That would have been better, but he would have skipped out even if you’d come in yesterday. By the time we’d been called in, chances are he’d have already left,” the male detective told her.
“So, what happens now?” Pippa asked.
“We’re going to gather every bit of information we can. I’m going to take pictures of your wounds and add them to your statement. We’re going to search for possible cameras along your route and see if they captured any images that can corroborate your report. The initial report mentions that the windows were tinted. That may obscure you, but if we’re lucky, we’ll find something. We will investigate this fully.”
“You know Pippa isn’t the only victim,” Zale stated bluntly.
“I cannot comment on any other active investigations or previous ones,” Detective Moore said.
Pippa knew she didn’t need to say more. Others had preceded her and would probably follow her. She shivered at the close call she’d had.
“I’m figuring you can protect Ms. Twinner,” the male detective stated. “We do not know if Scroggins has left the area or if he has any associates here.”
“Pippa could still be in danger,” Zale guessed. “Can you help her recover her ID? That would allow me to take her on base. She’d be safer there.”
“Yes. We can assist with that. We will also alert the local authorities as a routine professional courtesy,” Detective Wilcox said.
Reading between the lines was easy. The two detectives were going to do what they could to ensure no one else was taken, like Pippa. She crossed her fingers under the table, hoping that the criminals would be stopped.
When they walked out with a printed copy of her driver’s license, Pippa scanned the parking lot. The thought that the man who’d abducted her could still be lurking in the area was scary. Zale put his arm around her and hugged her to his side.
“We’re going to the base now that we have your ID.”
“I thought you took a personal day,” she asked, looking up at him.
“I did. I have an idea. Let’s talk about it on the way,” Zale suggested, helping her into the car.
When he slid behind the driver’s wheel and closed the door, Zale pushed his seat as far back as possible. Not understanding what he was doing, she leaned away as he wrapped his arms around her.
“I need to hold you, kitten. Do you need a few hugs?” he asked quietly, not forcing her to allow him to scoop her up.
Pippa crawled eagerly onto his lap. She rested her head on his chest and sighed with relief as his powerful arms wrapped around her. The sound of his steady heartbeat under her cheek helped her relax. As the tension ebbed from her shoulders and upper back, Pippa realized how tense her muscles were.
How does he make everything better?
She lifted her head and stared at his handsome face. As her emotions swirled around inside her, she wondered what the odds were that he would happen to drive by at that exact time of the accident. It had to be astronomically low. She could be in an entirely different situation now. Suddenly, the pancakes clumped like rocks in her stomach.
“You’re safe, kitten. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“The detectives think they’re really bad guys,” she suggested.
“I got that impression as well.”
“What am I going to do? I guess I could get a one-way ticket somewhere.”
“You’re not going anywhere. Do you have things that need to be picked up?” he asked.
“No. Stupidly, I followed their instructions. I sold and gave everything away. Supposedly, I have a furnished place. They took my sizes and measurements. Appropriate clothing and shoes would be provided in my new job as a caretaker for a small rescue farm. I was only allowed the one suitcase I told the detectives about.”
“You trusted the wrong person. We all make mistakes.”
“You’ve never made a mistake,” Pippa told him.
“You should ask my team about that. They’ll have a list to share with you of times I made the wrong choice. We’re all human.” He slid the hand rubbing her back up her spine to cup the back of her head. Drawing her forward, Zale kissed her thoroughly before easing back.
“Now that I have your attention, let’s go update my team. I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“I guess we better get going so I can tell you.” Zale boosted her back into her seat. Along the way, she inadvertently brushed against his pelvis.
“Oh! Sorry.” Pippa stared at the erection tenting his pants. She’d thought the seatbelt buckle had been poking her.
“Staring at my cock isn’t going to help it settle down, kitten,” he said with a hint of amusement in his tone.
She glanced up at him and noted the smirk on his face. “It’s just that I don’t…”
“You don’t know all about male physiology? I’ll be glad to teach you, Pippa. That’s a good job for your daddy. Lesson one. If you’re close to me, my body is going to respond. You are a tasty treat I can’t wait to devour.”
“A tasty treat?” she repeated and covered her cheeks as they heated with embarrassment when she processed what he had said. Pippa knew she was blushing. The funny thing was she adored knowing he was attracted to her.
His wink went right to her heart. Falling in love with Zale would be so easy.