Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Chaos had never been as scared as he was when he’d heard Kara say his name on the phone.
She’d sounded completely terrified, and for a split second, he’d thought Nolan had already found her.
It was obvious she was having an anxiety attack, and he’d done his best to talk her through it.
He’d read about the coping technique he used to help bring her out of it, and was relieved when it worked.
She still sounded unsure, but at least she wasn’t panting and wheezing when she breathed anymore.
He jogged through the rain toward the door to the lobby of the apartment complex.
He told the security guard the apartment number he was there to visit and was relieved when Kara responded immediately to the buzzing of the intercom.
“I’m getting in the elevator now,” he said into his phone. He’d driven like a bat out of hell to get here, and there was no way he was going to hang up on her now. No way.
“Okay.”
She still sounded off, but again, she was talking to him, so Chaos was taking that as a good sign.
He shouldn’t’ve been surprised she’d had a breakdown.
Not after all she’d been through. She’d been a pillar of strength after they’d gotten out of the floodwaters, but he should’ve seen through it.
Should’ve known once things calmed down and she’d had more than a second to herself that there was the possibility of her spiraling.
He wasn’t upset with Jen for leaving her alone. The woman had a life and a job of her own. Chaos just regretted that she had to be called away on Kara’s first night in the apartment.
His own heart was beating too fast, and he felt his anxiety spike as he rushed down the hall toward Jen’s apartment. He knocked and said, “Kara? It’s me. Open the door.”
He heard the deadbolt unlatching—and then she was in his arms.
She didn’t even hesitate, practically threw herself at him.
Chaos wrapped his arms around her and walked her backward until he could shut the door. Then he simply held her tightly for several long minutes.
Eventually, he pulled his head back and tried to look at her face, but she wouldn’t lift her head from his shoulder.
“Look at me for a sec, sweetheart.”
He felt more than heard her sigh before she picked up her head. She looked a little pale to him, and she was frowning, but she wasn’t hurt, didn’t have any new marks on her that he could see. A little of his anxiety eased.
The rain was lessening, but it was still thundering in the distance, and lightning still lit up the room every now and then. And every time, Kara winced.
“Come on, let’s go sit.”
But Kara shook her head. “I want to go back to your house. Can we do that?”
Chaos was surprised. “My house?”
“Yes. This place doesn’t feel safe. Not like your house. I don’t know why.”
Her thinking was obviously skewed. The apartment had a security guard, people had to be buzzed up, and she was on the third floor…but he wasn’t going to argue with her. If she felt safer at his house, that’s where he’d take her. “Okay. But we need to pack you a bag.”
She nodded, abruptly pulled out of his arms, and practically ran to the room she’d been using. She returned a few minutes later with some of the bags the other women had brought over in her hands.
Chaos frowned. She really needed a suitcase or duffel bag. He’d remedy that as soon as he could. He reached for the bags but she shook her head again, holding on to them. “You need your hands free…just in case.”
And just like that, the reason for her anxiety hit home once more. She was terrified that Nolan was out there somewhere, waiting to strike.
“I can protect you even if I help you carry those bags,” he said softly.
“No. You need your hands free,” she insisted.
“Okay, sweetheart. You have to let Jen know that you’ve left.”
In response, she leaned over, put the bags she was carrying on the floor, and took her phone out of her back pocket. Her fingers were blurs as she typed out a message. Then she shoved the phone back into her pocket and picked up the bags. “Done. Can we go now?”
Her anxiety was making Chaos anxious. He didn’t know if she’d actually seen something that worried her, if being alone brought back bad memories, or if the rain had been enough to trigger her. But he didn’t want to take any chances.
“Okay. Stay close to me and we’ll get going.”
He took the keys from her after they left and locked the door behind them. He kept his arm around her waist as they rode down in the elevator and headed out into the rain.
Chaos got Kara settled into his Escalade and rushed around to get behind the wheel.
To be on the safe side, he took several side roads to get to his house, instead of driving straight there.
He didn’t see anyone following him, but if Kara had seen someone or something to worry about, he didn’t want to lead them straight to his house.
He pulled into the garage and waited until the door was shut before getting out and reaching into the back for Kara’s things.
Once inside, he armed his security system, then took her hand and pulled her over to the beanbag. He sat down, and she followed him without hesitation. He’d never been in the thing with another person before, but decided it was twice as comfortable with Kara in his arms.
He felt grateful that a woman who’d been so mistreated by a man trusted him enough to let him hold her. Because he needed that after the scare she’d given him.
“Thank you for calling me,” he said after a long moment.
“I feel as if I should apologize.”
“If you do, I won’t be happy,” Chaos told her.
“I’m not sure what happened. One second I was trying to figure out what to eat for dinner, and the next I was huddled under the window, trying to breathe.”
“PTSD, sweetheart. It happens, and it’s nothing to apologize for.”
“But…I thought I was doing so good, dealing with it all.”
“You’re still doing good. You’re human, and the brain works in weird ways.”
“Yeah,” she said doubtfully.
“You hungry?” he asked. “You didn’t eat tonight?”
“No and no. I still feel a little jittery.”
“Adrenaline dump,” Chaos said. “Why don’t we get you settled in bed and—”
“I want to stay here,” she interrupted. “Will you…” Her voice trailed off.
“Will I what?”
“Stay with me?”
“You sure?”
“Yes. Positive. You make me feel safe, Arrow. I don’t know how. After what happened to me, I should be freaking out to be in a man’s arms. I don’t know why I’m not with you. All I know is that when I was under that bed, struggling to breathe, the only person I wanted to talk to was you.”
Chaos had to swallow twice to be able to speak. He was overcome with the trust this woman showed in him. He wasn’t sure he was worth it, but he’d do everything possible to make sure her trust wasn’t misplaced. “You honor me, sweetheart. Yes, we can sleep here.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She snuggled more securely into him, curling her legs up. Chaos reached behind him and grabbed the blanket draped along the back of the oversized bag, pulling it over her and tucking her in.
“Is the rain still bothering you?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Uh-huh. Not with you here.”
Again, she was blowing him away with every word out of her mouth. He moved before he thought about what he was doing, kissing the top of her head. “Sleep, Kara. I’ve got you.”
In response, she burrowed even more firmly into him and nodded. Within what seemed like seconds, she was asleep.
The responsibility he felt to look over this woman, to take care of her physically and mentally, wasn’t something Chaos was used to, but he was more than up to the task. She’d been deeply traumatized, and he’d be damned if the monster who hurt her would touch one hair on her head ever again.
Making a mental note to call Detective Blackwood in the morning, Chaos closed his eyes. Content in the knowledge that for right now, Kara was safe.
* * *
A phone ringing woke Chaos. It took a beat for him to remember the events of the night before and where he was.
Looking down, he saw Kara still lying in his arms in the large beanbag in his living room.
They’d both slept through the night. Their limbs were intertwined, and they were as close as two people could get.
It felt…right.
The ringing started up again, and Chaos sighed. He leaned up a little, reaching back for the phone still in his pocket. His ass hurt where it had dug into him all night, but he wasn’t complaining. Having Kara sleep in his arms was worth any discomfort he might have this morning.
She stirred, obviously awakened by his movements. “What time is it?”
“Seven.” He was as surprised as Kara seemed to be, if her widening eyes were any indication.
He never slept this late, but since it was the weekend and he didn’t have to be in for PT, and they’d worked late the night before, he knew Casper or his other friends weren’t calling, wondering where the hell he was.
Looking at the screen, Chaos didn’t recognize the number, but he didn’t hesitate to answer it since the caller ID said Asheville Police Department.
“Chaos.”
“Is this Arrow Porter?”
“Speaking. Who is this?”
“Blackwood. I’m the detective working on Ms. Guthrie’s case. I have news, and I don’t have her number. I’m calling to see if you have it, so I can get in touch with her.”
“She’s actually here with me.”
“Great. If you could put her on.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No,” Chaos confirmed. “I’m assuming since it’s seven in the morning, the news you have is big, and she had a very rough night. If necessary, I’d like to filter whatever it is you’re calling to tell her, in a way that will make it easier for her to take.”
He could feel Kara’s gaze on him, and when he looked at her, was relieved she didn’t seem upset about anything he’d said.
“Look, I understand that you’re protective. That you were the one to pull her out of that flood. But this is her case, and I have to talk to her.”